The Dragon of the Fallen Demon Master Sister in a Book - Chapter 18

Xing Wukan stared fixedly at Chris. His eyes, with more white than black, always sent an inexplicable chill down one’s spine when met directly.

At this moment, those pure black, inverted triangular eyes were quietly observing the dragon hatchling, the whites streaked with bloodshot veins. His terrifying appearance made it seem as though he wanted to devour the dragon whole, as if he might lunge forward and tear her apart at any second.

However, this terrifying aura lasted only a moment before vanishing. In the next instant, he reverted to his usual righteous and slightly portly elder demeanor—so quickly that Chris wondered if she had imagined it.

When the hatchling blinked, Xing Wukan gave her a kindly smile, his expression calm once more. He took another sip of tea, as if the terrifying, murderous look from before had never existed.

Being targeted by someone like him left Chris feeling uneasy, an uncomfortable prickle in her chest.

This man… Could he be hiding a sinister nature beneath that dignified façade? Has he done many unspeakable things behind the scenes?

Chris muttered inwardly but straightened her back and lifted her head high, refusing to show any weakness. As the heir of Dragon Valley and the next Dragon Sovereign, how could she possibly cower before someone like him? Ridiculous! He’d better not underestimate her strength!

Dragon Soul glanced at Chris and saw the black dragon hatchling standing fearless in the face of a stronger opponent, her head held high—exactly the image a young dragon of Dragon Valley should project. His opinion of her rose considerably, and his gaze softened with paternal warmth.

Sure, this hatchling’s language skills were lacking, but that could be learned. Dragons lived long lives, after all—she’d pick it up eventually. But if she lacked backbone, he wouldn’t even know where to begin teaching her. Without a dragon’s pride, she might as well be worthless.

For now, Dragon Soul conveniently overlooked the hatchling’s habit of nestling in Feng Qingzhuo’s arms, demanding cuddles, belly rubs, and even hand-fed treats…

–

Silence.

A long, heavy silence followed.

The dragon hatchling’s shocking declaration had stunned everyone.

No one spoke first. Li Haochen and Xing Linger stood to the side, remaining silent, while Feng Qingzhuo sat rigidly upright across from Xing Wukan. Only Chris remained perched on Feng Qingzhuo’s shoulder, tiny claws gripping lightly as she observed the three before her.

It was midnight, and few visited the Punishment Hall at this hour. The place was eerily quiet.

Xing Wukan took a slow sip of tea before setting the porcelain cup down on the wooden table with a crisp clink, spilling some of the liquid. He leaned back, the huanghuali wood chair scraping unpleasantly against the floor, shattering the suffocating stillness.

Xing Wukan glanced sideways at the three rogue cultivators bound by the Binding Chains artifact on the floor. Droplets of water coalesced from his porcelain cup, one after another—ordinarily the gentlest of elements, yet now sharp as blades as they shot toward the foreheads of the three men. Before anyone could react, the droplets had already pierced their dantians, shattering their spiritual roots.

The three died instantly.

When a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator made his move, none present—whose cultivation at best reached late-stage Foundation Establishment—could intervene. Or rather, their bodies stiffened, leaving them unable to react, let alone act.

By the time the rogue cultivators lay dead, no one except the Dragon Soul and Xing Wukan had processed what happened. The crowd stood frozen, staring blankly as warm bl00d trickled across the marble floor, pooling at their feet. Their eyes widened in disbelief.

Xing Wukan had killed so brazenly, utterly unafraid of retaliation. And Chris finally understood—was this the source of that faint metallic scent she’d noticed upon entering the Punishment Hall earlier? A water-attribute spiritual root wielder… capable of this? Water, the element of subtlety, turned lethal in his hands. Just how many had he slaughtered this way?

Was this place… truly just? How dare he act so wantonly? How dare he treat lives so carelessly?! Three lives, snuffed out like they meant nothing! That damned bastard—earlier, he’d tried exploiting A-Zhuo’s compassion, when in truth, he was the one who killed without blinking!

“Niece Feng,” Xing Wukan called lightly, raising a brow at Feng Qingzhuo. He leaned back as if to rise, about to speak further—until a voice cut him off.

“Is this how your esteemed sect treats its guests?” The Dragon Soul, borrowing Chris’s body, fixed its crimson draconic pupils on Xing Wukan.

Since the Dragon Soul had taken over the whelp’s form, Chris’s voice had changed. The Dragon Soul was the embodiment of ancestral draconic memory, the collective consciousness of countless ancient wyrms. Within its mind lay the legendary exploits of dragons who had once roamed the world. Now, seeing their descendant bullied, these long-dead legends stirred. The Dragon Soul mimicked their voices, its speech resonating like a chorus of draconic roars—a low, furious symphony of a thousand dragons.

It stared at Xing Wukan, slitted pupils narrowing dangerously, radiating an eerie, ancient menace. Unlike the young Chris, tempered by millennia of history, the Dragon Soul exuded unshakable calm. Its words, neither loud nor soft, carried crystalline clarity, the archaic draconic tones ensuring every syllable reached the crowd. The sudden voice sent a jolt through every heart present.

Xing Wukan’s brow furrowed slightly. Meeting the whelp’s crimson gaze, he felt as though some primordial beast had locked onto him. Logically, this was just a black dragon whelp, barely at Foundation Establishment—so why did he feel rooted in place, unable to move? How could a mere hatchling wield such power?

A man and a dragon stood facing each other, locking eyes in a tense standoff. In the end, Xing Wukan was the first to yield. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he vaguely glimpsed the silhouettes of legendary ferocious beasts within the crimson depths of the young dragon’s eyes—their gaze icy, capable of crushing him like an ant.

Bullying the weak was strictly forbidden in Dragon Valley. If the opponent were a human or spirit beast of similar age to the dragon whelp, and the young dragon lost, it would simply be a matter of insufficient strength. The dragons wouldn’t intervene, as they believed in letting their young face challenges and grow through adversity. They didn’t mind others giving the whelp a hard lesson—but…

If some thousand-year-old monster suddenly appeared, trying to kill their heir, then the dragons of Dragon Valley wouldn’t hesitate to show their protective nature and turn hostile without mercy.

Seemingly realizing his mistake, Xing Wukan stood up and shot a glance at Li Haochen, who had been standing silently behind him. With a flick of his sleeve, he declared righteously,

“Since the three outsiders who destroyed Feng Qingzhuo’s residence are already dead, for the sake of unity within the sect, let us consider this matter concluded.”

Then, pausing briefly, he turned to Feng Qingzhuo and added, “Qingzhuo, report any losses to our Punishment Hall. Ling’er will handle it—she’ll compensate you with spirit stones and have your residence rebuilt. As for my foolish disciple who was deceived…”

Xing Wukan paused again, signaling for Li Haochen to apologize to Feng Qingzhuo and let the matter rest. But instead, the young man stepped forward, his burning gaze fixed on the dragon whelp.

“Those three had nothing to do with me… however…”

He licked his lips, his deep blue eyes never leaving the dragon. Suddenly, he grinned, drew his sword, and slashed his palm. Bl00d splattered as he declared loudly,

“Senior Martial Sister, two months from now will be the Inner Sect Tournament. I challenge you to a life-or-death duel in the arena.”

A life-or-death duel—if proposed by someone of lower cultivation, the higher-ranked party was forbidden to refuse. This was an ancient, mysterious, and bloody tradition of the Tianxuan Sect.

Though Tianxuan now stood as the foremost sect in the cultivation world, its origins were far from glorious.

It traced back to ancient times, when spiritual energy resurged. While some pursued immortality, others embraced demonic cultivation. The founder of Tianxuan was, in fact, a true demonic cultivator. Back then, the sect was known as the Tianxuan Gate—a demonic faction. After the demonic cultivator’s death, someone revived the name, rebranding it as Tianxuan to dominate the land.

Legend had it that during the Tianxuan Gate era, if the sect leader had two equally powerful disciples, they could offer bl00d to initiate a life-or-death duel. The victor would become the next leader, while the loser’s corpse would be hung at the sect’s gates to display the winner’s might.

But that was an ancient, nearly forgotten tale. And yet… Feng Qingzhuo never expected Li Haochen to know of this secret. Judging by Elder Xing’s shocked expression, he clearly hadn’t taught it to his disciple. So where had Li Haochen learned it?

Was he truly just the fifth prince of a mortal kingdom?

These words left even Chris and her master Xing Wukan stunned. He truly hadn’t expected his disciple to know about such things—to be so thick-skinned as to propose a life-and-death duel. The way he stared at the dragon cub clearly showed he had designs on Feng Qingzhuo’s spirit beast… And to suggest such a vicious method at that…

Chris, not being from Tianxuan, had no understanding of these secrets. She could only keep urging, “A-Zhuo, quickly refuse him!”

“A-Zhuo, A-Zhuo,” Chris called anxiously, wrapping her arms around Feng Qingzhuo’s neck and whispering in her ear, “A-Zhuo, why agree to a life-and-death duel with him?”

“Does A-Zhuo not want me anymore?”

The dragon cub was frantic, waving its claws and muttering incessantly,

“A-Zhuo, A-Zhuo, if that person really is Li Haochen, and if he’s truly the male lead of this story, then engaging in a life-and-death duel with him would bring no benefits at all. You’d just become another stepping stone on his path to success.”

Feng Qingzhuo stared into the other’s eyes, wanting to close hers but unable to. Before entering the sect, all disciples had to swear a bl00d oath. In the past, she hadn’t understood why—when she’d seen the term “life-and-death duel” in the library, she couldn’t comprehend why one had to accept such a challenge. Couldn’t one just walk away?

But now she understood completely. Her body moved against her will, cold as if plunged into an icy abyss. Finally, through clenched teeth, she forced out a single word: “Agreed.”

Chris noticed Feng Qingzhuo’s strange state and fluttered over, immediately embracing her hand. Only then did Feng Qingzhuo feel warmth returning. The dragon cub beside her was warm, adorable, and well-behaved—she loved it dearly.

–

“A-Zhuo, you fool.”

After leaving the Discipline Hall, Feng Qingzhuo first went to the Beast Hall to collect two months’ worth of provisions for the dragon cub and enough yak milk for Chris to last two months. As she walked back to Misty Peak, Feng Qingzhuo lowered her head and said awkwardly, “I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

The dragon spirit merely glanced at her without speaking.

The sudden apology left Chris at a loss. She waved her claws and said, “This isn’t A-Zhuo’s fault.”

“You couldn’t have known about this, A-Zhuo. Who would have thought Li Haochen would suddenly become a Discipline Hall elder’s disciple… And to run into them of all people at this hour—tsk, we’re truly unlucky.”

“But A-Zhuo, agreeing to a life-and-death duel with him was too… reckless.” The dragon cub scratched its head.

Feng Qingzhuo squeezed the cub’s paw and said, “Chris, if I’d known things would turn out like this, I would never have come.”

“If I said that wasn’t my true intention, you…” Feng Qingzhuo trailed off, feeling ridiculous. The words had come from her own mouth. If not her intention, then whose? She turned away, not daring to continue.

Chris sat silently on her shoulder, gently patting it with her claws in wordless comfort.

Chris was thinking—if she were Feng Qingzhuo, what could she have done differently?

Indeed, she never imagined those people could be so vicious as to take the lives of all three witnesses on the spot—they didn’t even get a chance for medical intervention.

If not for the Dragon Soul, both of them would have surely perished there today.

Dangerous. Far too dangerous. She never wanted to come back here again.

But her A-Zhuo… she couldn’t bear the thought of A-Zhuo dying.

As the heir of Dragon Valley, even if Feng Qingzhuo died, Chris wouldn’t be in any real trouble. Li Haochen’s entire line of thinking was fundamentally flawed.

But her A-Zhuo… she was still so young.

“A-Zhuo, where are we going now?” By the time Chris snapped out of her thoughts, Feng Qingzhuo had already wandered ahead. “This doesn’t seem like the way back to Misty Peak.”

Feng Qingzhuo: “Down the mountain.”

“To make money.”

“I’m out of spirit stones…”

The little dragon froze, then clutched her stomach sheepishly. “A-Zhuo… did I eat too much?”

Feng Qingzhuo hummed in acknowledgment. “It’s fine. We’ll treat ourselves to something good today.”

Chris: “?”

Feng Qingzhuo lowered her gaze slightly, watching the dragon out of the corner of her eye, her expression hardening. She would never let anyone lay a finger on her dragon.

–

Arriving at an unnamed small town…

“I see a dark aura between your brows—a sign of impending bloodshed.” Having changed into a Tianxuan Sect disciple’s robe, Feng Qingzhuo theatrically addressed a richly dressed, portly merchant overseeing a trade caravan.

The merchant was about to curse when he noticed her sect attire. Instantly, tears streamed down his face as he grabbed her hands like a long-lost relative. “Master, how did you know?!”

“Immortal, please save me! There… there really seems to be a monster in this caravan!”

The little dragon was baffled: “Huh?”

“So your idea of making money is… fortune-telling for people???”

“I used to do this often when I was begging and wandering around,” Feng Qingzhuo admitted awkwardly.

After Feng Qingzhuo performed her “ritual,” the two of them lay atop a haystack in the caravan’s supply cart. Chris felt everything was surreal—just yesterday, they were carefree, and now their home was burned down, leaving them to sleep on a merchant’s hay bales.

“Dragon Soul—Sis Dragon Soul, Lord Dragon Soul, whatever you are—two months is too short. Do you have any way for us to get stronger quickly?”

Possessing the little dragon had left Dragon Soul somewhat exhausted. Perched atop Chris’s head, the small white dragon’s translucent form flickered faintly as it suggested, “Why don’t you go to the Endless Forest?”

“Two months is too brief. But dragons have another method of cultivation—devouring flesh and bl00d.”

Chris: !!!