Chapter 982: The Water Ghost's Favor

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts abruptly snapped back to reality.

Xiao Kongtong also instantly reined in all emotions that seemed unfitting for his age.

Both simultaneously looked toward the source of the voice—the Gold-Eating Dragon!

The Gold-Eating Dragon, transformed by Xiao Ren, could no longer suppress its trembling body. An aura of fear and horror permeated its entire being.

From Xiao Kongtong revealing his identity and claiming to be a member of the Holy Servants...

From the Yama Water Ghost becoming the Holy Servant Water Ghost, their seniority had also leaped, making them a senior to the Crescent Moon Immortal City's senior disciple...

From their incessant gossiping about internal Holy Divine Palace matters, their critiques of the two great sword immortals, Rao Yaoyao and Gou Wuyue, and their various dismissals of the Hall Master Dao and Emperor Cang Sheng...

And there was more!

These two individuals had actually come to protect Xu Xiaoshou!

Upon learning all this, how could Xiao Ren, who had only intended to take Xu Xiaoshou's head, possibly conceal the terror in his heart any longer?

He only wished there were a crevice in the ground for him to burrow into, to escape the awkwardness of openly overhearing such world-shattering intelligence.

"I'm still alive, and I'm not deaf or blind! How can you two exchange such crucial information right in front of me as if no one else is here?"

Xiao Ren was on the verge of a breakdown from listening.

He didn't want to hear any of it!

With every additional sentence, he felt himself plunging another layer deeper into the eighteen layers of hell.

Finally, a pause arrived...

Perhaps it wasn't even an opportune moment to interject, but Xiao Ren couldn't wait any longer. He raised his dragon head, trying desperately to look towards the Water Ghost, who held a higher seniority. But after sensing the indifferent gazes from the two around him, he changed his words sorrowfully the moment they left his mouth:

"Seniors, do I... do I still have the right to live?"

Xu Xiaoshou finally remembered that there was still an "outsider" dragon present, and its awareness was remarkably high, understanding that after overhearing so much, it likely had one foot already in the grave.

"You know too much..." Xiao Kongtong said expressionlessly, then looked at the Water Ghost atop the dragon's head, signaling with his eyes for instructions on how to proceed.

What else could be done?

Xu Xiaoshou had no intention of letting this dragon live anyway. This was a Void assassin who had targeted his head; how could he allow it to survive?

"The restrictions of the forbidden-spell barrier are still active. Its current power is less than ten percent, and only its dragon body can withstand the water pressure... The rest is up to you!" Xu Xiaoshou wore an expression that clearly said, "I don't want to get involved, Xiao Kongtong, you handle it."

In truth, even if he were to act at that moment, he couldn't deliver the killing blow.

Deep underwater, his executable abilities against the dragon were too limited. Perhaps only drawing out the Four Swords to stab it would be the best, though not the cleanest, option.

However, this action would undoubtedly expose his identity as Xu Xiaoshou.

Xiao Kongtong had just poured out so much to his "Water Ghost Senior"; if he were to find out that this "Water Ghost Senior" was a fake, a young man in disguise...

Wouldn't the deep sea gain another corpse due to someone's unbearable shame?

"Don't kill me!" Xiao Ren shrieked in terror after understanding the unspoken meaning from the person above him:

"I didn't hear anything just now! The moment you spoke, I blocked my six senses, I, I..."

"I can be your pet! Having a dragon as a pet, isn't that incredibly cool?!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Xiao Kongtong, before Xu Xiaoshou could even speak, coldly retorted, "Where would you get the spiritual energy to block your six senses?"

Xiao Ren froze, his mind erupting in furious curses.

Having received approval, Xiao Kongtong gave no time for thought. He directly extended two fingers in the deep sea.

"Buzz!"

A low sword hum pierced forth from his fingertips.

Xiao Ren immediately recognized it as the signature technique of the Eighth Sword Immortal: Ten-Segment Sword Finger!

"No! You can't! I can't die!"

"Spare me! Both of you, please spare me!"

"I can join the Holy Servants! I'm a gold-ranked bounty hunter, and I'm a Void! Among the nine... no, ten seats of the Holy Servants, there aren't many Void experts, I know that."

"My combat strength, even if it can't provide help in dire need, can certainly be the icing on the cake for the Holy Servants. I'm very useful! I'm a dragon, after all!"

Xiao Ren spoke frantically, blurting out anything to cling to life.

Unfortunately, Xiao Kongtong did not have the authority to recruit an eleventh seat for his master among the Holy Servants.

Besides, among the nine seats and eleven members of the Holy Servants, even those who had severed their paths were not as pathetic.

If such a character were to join the Holy Servants, it would only lower their standing!

"Ten-Segment..."

"Wait!"

Before Xiao Kongtong could point his finger, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly spoke, calling for a halt.

"Senior, save me! Senior, save me!" Xiao Ren, clutching at this last straw, cried out frantically for help, his eyes desperately trying to catch a glimpse of the person speaking from atop his dragon head. *So, you're the good one!*

Xu Xiaoshou's expression turned peculiar.

*Who said I was going to save you?*

Without another word, he leaped from the Gold-Eating Dragon's head, landing in front of it. Then, he opened his eyes wide, fixing his gaze on the dragon's eyes, which looked at him as if he were a star of hope.

"Soul Read!"

"Mmm..." The Gold-Eating Dragon's body trembled, and its eyes, initially filled with disbelief, gradually became dull and lifeless.

Memory flashes began to flicker...

From its birth in a dragon egg, to opening its eyes and seeing the world, to freely roaming the vast Cloud Sea Gorge, to adulthood, when a dragon of terrifying might arrived from its clan, wanting to baptize Xiao Ren...

Xu Xiaoshou decisively skipped this scene.

Undoubtedly, the location within Xiao Ren's soul memories was the Dragon's Lair, one of the Seven Forbidden Lands.

And his coming-of-age baptism would likely involve encountering a half-saint, much like the girl from the Blackheart Fruit tribe.

*This guy was lying! His Gold-Eating Dragon body wasn't acquired through possession; he was truly a part of the dragon race from the 'Dragon's Lair'!*

After skipping the scene, when he looked again, Xiao Ren had already defected from the Dragon's Lair.

According to the subsequent fragmented memories, it seemed he had attempted to steal the dragon race's supreme power during his coming-of-age baptism.

This attempt, naturally, ended in failure.

However, Xiao Ren's "blasphemous act" during the process left him with no place in the Dragon's Lair.

After leaving the Dragon's Lair, one of the Seven Forbidden Lands, Xiao Ren had nowhere to hide. To survive in the human world, he faked his identity, pretending to be a lucky individual who had stumbled out of the Dragon's Lair and been favored with draconic power.

And to evade pursuit from his own clan within the Dragon's Lair, he joined "Three Incense Sticks."

From then on, a dignified Gold-Eating Dragon with boundless prospects resorted to unsavory dealings of murder and robbery.

Dragons were indeed powerful, but only the true dragons within the Dragon's Lair, blessed with exceptional draconic fortune and endless cultivation resources, could be considered truly strong.

Had Xiao Ren remained in the Dragon's Lair, he could have become a Void simply by living a carefree life.

But after defecting, his dragon body, instead of being an asset to becoming a Void, became a burden. It took him tens of thousands of times the resources an ordinary spiritual refiner would need to reach the Void realm.

This led to the current state of the Gold-Eating Dragon, which could only be described as utterly destitute.

*There's absolutely nothing of value left...*

*No wonder this fellow, for spirit crystals and the chance to become a saint, willingly stooped to attacking a mere grandmaster...*

*A dragon outside the Dragon's Lair, simply existing, requires enough resources to drain everything it has!*

After concluding that this dragon was utterly useless and that keeping it might even attract the immense trouble of the Dragon's Lair clan, one of the Seven Forbidden Lands, Xu Xiaoshou decisively ended the "Soul Read."

"Mmm!" Xiao Ren groaned, beginning to regain consciousness.

The Gold-Eating Dragon's powerful regenerative abilities meant it wasn't like Jin Zu, who might not fully awaken deep underwater.

The moment the mental control was lifted, Xiao Ren returned to reality, only to hear the Water Ghost's emotionless, indifferent words: "Give him a quick end."

Xiao Ren: ???

"I'm truly useful, don't kill..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Kongtong, after a brief moment of surprise and renewed affirmation, no longer hesitated and pointed his two fingers forward.

"Ten-Segment Sword Finger, Pierce!"

*Thunk.*

The sound beneath the deep sea didn't travel far.

Yet, that silver-white sword light pierced straight through the Gold-Eating Dragon's mouth, passed through its winding body, and erupted from its tail.

"Aoooo—"

A mournful dragon roar echoed.

After violent convulsions, Xiao Ren was utterly unable to withstand the rampant power of the sword will and ended his wails in agony.

"He's... just dead..."

Xu Xiaoshou stared at his senior disciple's remarkably simple execution, momentarily stunned.

*This is... too powerful, isn't it?*

*Just one finger!*

*The Ten-Segment Sword Finger, augmented by sword will, and a 'Path of Penetration' from the Three Thousand Sword Dao, could so simply end the Gold-Eating Dragon's life?*

*This was a genuine dragon from the Dragon's Lair, not some imitation or illusion created by phantom sword arts!*

*No wonder he's the senior disciple of Crescent Moon Immortal City!*

*No wonder this guy became the Holy Servants' hidden tenth seat!*

*Even with the restrictions of the forbidden-spell barrier, his ability to extinguish the Gold-Eating Dragon's power with a single finger was as effortless as when he massacred the Red Dog back then...*

Xu Xiaoshou exhaled a small breath, simultaneously concealing his inner shock, maintaining an expression that suggested, "This is as it should be."

"Water Ghost Senior, it's done."

"This Gold-Eating Dragon seems to be a true dragon body. I didn't damage its corpse; all its power is concentrated in one place."

"It's safe to say that this dragon corpse alone is priceless..."

Even though Xiao Kongtong was the senior disciple of Crescent Moon Immortal City, he couldn't help but gaze at the nearly perfectly intact dragon corpse before him with unconcealed covetousness.

Dragons indeed existed within the Dragon's Lair, one of the Seven Forbidden Lands.

However, the dragons' power was too immense; almost no one could venture in and complete a hunt.

And anyone who dared to try would undoubtedly face a ferocious backlash from the dragon race.

This situation made anything related to "dragons" exceedingly precious throughout the world.

And this one right now...

Whether it was its bones, blood, horns, meat, tendons, scales, or dragon pearl...

Any single part would be a world-renowned treasure!

What's more, what lay before them was not just a fragment, but a complete dragon corpse!

With the Gold-Eating Dragon executed deep beneath the sea, even the Dragon's Lair would likely find no trace, as the forbidden-spell barrier's power was still active, making it impossible for any dragon to detect.

Xu Xiaoshou, having read Xiao Ren's soul memories, knew more of the inside story than Xiao Kongtong.

As a defector from the dragon race, this Gold-Eating Dragon had long since stripped away any connection to its clan in the Dragon's Lair, let alone a half-saint's will protecting it!

This was because its clan members in the Dragon's Lair all yearned to find it, drag it back, and flay it alive in front of their kin as a warning.

So...

Why would any other dragon care about the Gold-Eating Dragon's death?

"I understand."

Calmly acknowledging Xiao Kongtong's words, Xu Xiaoshou naturally noticed the blatant greed in his senior disciple's eyes.

He pondered for a second, then exhaled deeply, releasing several bubbles into the deep sea, before raising his hand.

Xiao Kongtong looked on, puzzled.

The dragon was dead; surely, he wasn't going to desecrate the corpse?

The next second, Xu Xiaoshou gestured, and spatial power bloomed in the deep sea. Before the forbidden-spell barrier's power could react, the entire Gold-Eating Dragon corpse vanished.

Xiao Kongtong: ???

He stared, utterly shocked, his lips parted, eyes wide, his refined demeanor gone, unable even to close his mouth.

Only a breath of time passed.

Deep within the sea, goosebumps erupted all over Xu Xiaoshou's body.

At that moment, he distinctly felt boundless killing intent spreading around him.

*Calm down, calm down...*

*You're the senior disciple of Crescent Moon Immortal City, a mere dragon, why go to such lengths...*

*Besides, I'm your Water Ghost Senior, are you crazy? Do you really dare attack me, the master of the deep sea? It's just a defector dragon, after all!*

Xu Xiaoshou's inner voice screamed frantically, nearly making him pull the dragon corpse out of his Yuan Mansion world and offer it up with both hands in fright.

But if he actually did that, where would the Holy Servant Water Ghost's dignity go?!

"What's wrong?"

Facing the biting cold spreading around him, Xu Xiaoshou's lips trembled, then opened, and he quickly tried to justify himself:

"Deep beneath the sea, within the forbidden-spell barrier, spiritual thoughts cannot be used."

"And without spiritual thoughts, opening a spatial ring would be too costly. So, I've temporarily stored this dragon corpse for safekeeping. Is there a problem?"

Xiao Kongtong's face stiffened, turning slightly purple.

It seemed...

...there was no problem...

"Can your sack hold this hundred-zhang dragon corpse?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, glancing at the sack on his senior disciple's shoulder.

Xiao Kongtong's mouth twitched, "It... it can't hold it..."

"Exactly, isn't it?" Xu Xiaoshou felt his heart relax and said,

"I'll keep the dragon corpse for now. I created this deep-sea forbidden-spell barrier. Although I allowed you the credit for slaying the dragon, I still account for ninety percent of the merit."

"However, I am not a stingy person. Since you slew the dragon, feel free to ask me if you ever need anything in the future."

He paused, then became serious, offering generously:

"As long as you ask me, the Water Ghost, anything that can be given, I, the Water Ghost, will give to you!"

"If you don't lack anything from this dragon corpse, that's fine too. Consider it that I, the Water Ghost, owe you, Xiao Kongtong, a favor. How about that?"

Xiao Kongtong raised his eyes in surprise, a little moved.

*To what extent?*

*A mere dragon corpse, how could it possibly be worth a favor?*

After his initial shock and anger at the dragon corpse being taken, Xiao Kongtong also realized that the deep sea was the Water Ghost Senior's domain, and the Senior had plenty of ways to kill this dragon.

His having been allowed to make the move was clearly a test.

Now, for Water Ghost Senior to offer him ten percent of the dragon corpse already implied praise and reward. Why then would he directly promise a favor as well?

*This, this, this... it's too valuable!*

"I choose the favor." Xiao Kongtong suppressed his excitement and immediately accepted, fearing the Water Ghost Senior might change his mind.

*You're truly too clever, even cleverer than the 'Big Clever'...* Xu Xiaoshou almost slapped his thigh in delight and lunged forward to pat the Crescent Moon Immortal City's senior disciple's shoulders and rub his chest.

He now anticipated the thrilling scene of the Water Ghost and Xiao Kongtong squabbling over a dragon corpse because of a favor, then breaking into a huge fight.

*Let's see you mess with me now!*

Xu Xiaoshou cursed the Water Ghost silently while imagining such a scene, a smirk beginning to curl on his lips.

He suddenly paused, then thought of another exciting possibility that this "favor" might bring.

What if, while Xiao Kongtong and the real Water Ghost were fighting, Yama Huangquan and the Holy Servant Eighth Venerable also started brawling over a so-called "favor" nearby...?

*Tsk-tsk!*

*What an absolutely stunning sight that would be, enough to make one clap their hands in admiration!*

*Let's see you mess with me now!*