Chapter 104: A True Dragon Holding a Pearl?
“Hmm?”
Dong Li furrowed his brows.
This Anaconda Demon was obviously more adept in water compared to himself and the Prince of Jiyang, so why did it abandon such a great geographical advantage and instead actively flee toward the river’s surface?
Though he thought this way in his heart, Dong Li still gave chase.
As for the Prince of Jiyang, he naturally welcomed Mo Lin’s move. After all, in the river, it was indeed difficult for him to capture Mo Lin.
The three of them, without prior arrangement, all arrived at the river’s surface, which caused Ning Zhuo, who was standing at the riverbank, to brighten with excitement.
Floating atop the water, Dong Li was the first to speak:
“Anaconda Demon, I am Dong Li, Chairman of the Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce. What you seized is the property of my Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce. If you are wise, obediently put down the Black-Iron Spirit-Sealing Box!”
Dong Li did not say something like “If you return the box to me, I will spare your life.”
After all, it was obvious that the Prince of Jiyang already had his eyes on this Anaconda Demon.
Between helping a friend and helping a stranger, to show neutrality was in truth to side with the stranger.
By the same logic, if the Prince of Jiyang were to say, “I will spare your life,” or “I shall not interfere in your battle with Dong Li,” that would count as “helping” Mo Lin.
In that case, it would inevitably anger the Prince of Jiyang—if you helped at first but then stopped helping, would that not mean you were obstructing his capture of Mo Lin?
Because of this, Dong Li gave Mo Lin no promise, making his threat appear completely powerless.
Dong Li?
Wasn’t that the person Xu Jiaren had mentioned to him before?
Chairman of the Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce… that did match up.
But even so, Mo Lin merely tightened his tail, showing not the slightest intention of relinquishing the Black-Iron Spirit-Sealing Box.
The Prince of Jiyang narrowed his eyes, hearing the unspoken meaning in Dong Li’s words. He revealed a satisfied smile:
“Anaconda Demon, abandon your futile struggle.”
Mo Lin cast a glance at the Prince of Jiyang, then turned and fled.
Seeing this, both the Prince of Jiyang and Dong Li immediately gathered their qi and lightened their steps, astonishingly managing to tread upon the river as they chased after Mo Lin.
However, once Mo Lin unleashed “Spatial Imprisonment,” their speed was instantly reduced.
The Prince of Jiyang and Dong Li were both greatly shocked and cried out in unison:
“Demonic Art?”
They had to know—back at the riverbed, Mo Lin had not used any demonic techniques.
They had assumed he didn’t know how, yet at this moment, he caught them off guard.
Watching Mo Lin seeming to swim farther and farther away, the Prince of Jiyang quickly turned to Dong Li:
“Chairman Dong, let us first detain this Anaconda Demon. Everything else can wait until later! If we let it escape, that would be the worst outcome.”
Dong Li also feared Mo Lin might flee with the box. Faced with the Prince of Jiyang’s suggestion, he nodded in agreement.
The two exchanged a look and simultaneously unleashed all of their power:
“River-Splitting Hand!!”
The Prince of Jiyang flipped his hands, sending out two shadows that struck toward Mo Lin.
The force was so great that it once again displaced all the surrounding river water.
Meanwhile, Dong Li pressed his hands together.
In his palms appeared the shadow of a coin—round outside, square within. He hurled it toward Mo Lin:
“Wealth Connects the Nine Netherworlds, Grains Shatter the Mountains and Rivers!”
As Mo Lin desperately fled, he felt the terrifying forces surging behind him.
At the corners of his mouth, a faint smile appeared.
This was exactly what he had been waiting for.
While pursued by the Prince of Jiyang and Dong Li, Mo Lin suddenly turned around and flung the Black-Iron Spirit-Sealing Box toward the incoming “River-Splitting Hand” and “Grains Shatter the Mountains and Rivers.”
Immediately after, with his tail no longer bound to the box, a not-so-bright “Lightning Orb” appeared at its tip:
“Go.”
With a soft sound, the “Lightning Orb” also drifted toward the Black-Iron Spirit-Sealing Box.
At this rate, the “River-Splitting Hand,” “Grains Shatter the Mountains and Rivers,” and the “Lightning Orb” would all converge at the same point—precisely where the Black-Iron Spirit-Sealing Box would “happen” to appear.
Dong Li’s expression changed drastically.
Not good!
This Anaconda Demon wanted to borrow their power!
It must have realized that with its own strength, it could not open the Black-Iron Spirit-Sealing Box.
Thus, it devised this plan—to use the combined force of three attacks to break it open!
Though he wished to pull back, Dong Li’s strength was already released. At this moment, it was no longer under his control.
“Boom!”
Though Ning Zhuo at the riverbank was already of High-Grade Profound Rank, when the powers of three Earth Rank forces collided, the overwhelming shockwave caused his vision to turn completely white.
His ears could hear nothing but a buzzing sound.
Without a doubt, had he been standing between those three forces just now, he would have been utterly annihilated.
If even he, of High-Grade Profound Rank, could not withstand the strike, then what of the Earth Rank artifact—the Black-Iron Spirit-Sealing Box—caught in the center?
Ning Zhuo felt his sight return and hurriedly looked toward the river’s center.
There, the Prince of Jiyang and Dong Li still floated on the river, but the Chairman’s face looked terribly grim. Both of them were gazing upward.
Why were they looking at the sky?
Ning Zhuo followed their gaze—and froze.
Before his eyes, a Anaconda Demon tens of meters long had spread its scale-covered wings and was soaring gracefully through the air.
Clamped in its jaws was a complete Demonic Core.
With sunlight glinting upon its scales, rendering them even more profound in color, Ning Zhuo, in a trance, almost mistook it for a true dragon exhaling a pearl.
But in the next instant, he snapped out of it.
What soared before him was no true dragon holding a pearl—it was clearly Mo Lin, who had borrowed their power to smash open the Black-Iron Spirit-Sealing Box and seize the Demonic Core within!
Compared to Ning Zhuo’s shock, Dong Li’s face was even uglier.
This Demonic Core was crucial to him, something he had prepared to offer to the Red Turban Army for proper use!
And now, in one careless moment, he had fallen prey to this Anaconda Demon’s scheme.
Judging by the situation, the Demonic Core was lost.
Although with his Earth Rank cultivation he could barely tread the waves, it was nothing compared to Mo Lin, who now truly soared through the skies.
Grieving the loss of the Demonic Core and furious, Dong Li was also stunned—what was this Anaconda Demon’s origin? To roam freely in the Ning River was one thing, but it even had wings?!
This was not something an ordinary Earth Rank Anaconda Demon could possess.
Even Flood Dragons did not have such wings!
Unlike Dong Li, who despaired over losing the Demonic Core, the Prince of Jiyang showed no trace of defeat.
Instead, his eyes blazed feverishly as he gazed upon Mo Lin, who soared above with the Demonic Core in his mouth:
“Born with wings… a True Dragon bloodline!”
The Prince of Jiyang muttered continuously:
“Yes, yes, yes, an Earth Rank Anaconda Demon with wings—without doubt it carries a trace of True Dragon bloodline!”
“Its ancestor must have mated with a True Dragon. Only thus could such a marvel exist before my eyes!”
“Only such a Anaconda Demon is worthy of this prince!”
Looking at Mo Lin, who had risen into the sky, the Prince of Jiyang suddenly laughed wildly:
“Hahahahaha! Anaconda Demon, remember this! This prince will find you! I will definitely find you! And then, I shall take your scales and sew them into a anacondaskin robe—the only one of its kind under heaven!”
In the sky, Mo Lin, who had seized the Demonic Core by borrowing their force and exposed his ability to fly, merely cast a glance at the deranged Prince of Jiyang still standing on the river.
Without a word, Mo Lin slightly flapped his wings and flew away above the Ning River, vanishing from the three men’s sight.