He also firmly believes that he is a true dragon fallen to the mortal world.

The night wind was cold.

Scraping against the face, it felt like a knife.

Su Ji carried the Liangying spear he had just recovered, walking silently along the desolate mountain path of the Lovesick Sect.

He walked very fast, even stirring up a slight wind.

His usual careless laziness had vanished without a trace, leaving not a hint of playfulness on his face.

This journey had been too smooth.

So smooth that it almost made him forget that the world of cultivators was, after all, a dog-eat-dog world.

Su Ji's figure moved faster and faster, gradually turning into a streak of light, completely blending into the night.

He didn't stop for a moment, sprinting towards a single direction at maximum speed.

The Dragon Lock Abyss.

...

At dawn, Su Ji's figure appeared beneath that familiar waterfall.

The icy pool water still emitted a chilling aura.

Without any hesitation, he dove right in.

Passing through the invisible barrier, he easily found the entrance leading to the underground lava cave.

Inside the cave, there was still that familiar scent, a mix of sulfur and blood.

However, compared to his last visit, the place seemed much emptier.

The fire wyrm that he had stabbed in the backside and that had chased him for so long was nowhere to be seen.

His divine sense spread out without reservation, like a fine spider web, covering every inch of the surrounding corners.

Nothing.

Still nothing.

He searched every corner he had been to before, and even walked through some previously unexplored branching paths.

Yet he still found no trace of the true dragon.

Su Ji stood at a three-way intersection, his brows deeply furrowed.

It must be here.

It was just that he couldn't find it.

Thinking of this, Su Ji wasted no more time.

He walked to a relatively open center of the cave and reached back to pull out the seemingly ordinary ancient green sword from his waist.

Yinfeng.

He gripped the hilt, and then, with a surge of strength in his arm, thrust the ancient green sword into the hard rocky ground beneath his feet.

Pfft.

The blade sank half a foot deep and stood firmly.

Su Ji let go, took two steps back, and bowed deeply to the sword.

Junior Su Ji has important matters to discuss.

His voice echoed in the spacious lava cave, sounding somewhat lonely.

I request an audience with Senior.

No response.

The surroundings remained dead silent, save for the occasional bubbling of magma in the distance.

Su Ji was not in a hurry. He just stood there quietly, waiting.

One breath.

Ten breaths.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed.

Still, there was no movement.

Su Ji's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

Did the other party simply not want to see him?

He was about to pull out the sword and think of another way.

Just then.

The space before his eyes suddenly rippled like the surface of water after a stone is thrown in.

Immediately after, an irresistible suction force pulled his consciousness inside in an instant.

The world spun around him.

When Su Ji opened his eyes again, he found himself in a realm of nothingness.

Not far away, on a massive bluestone.

A red-haired little loli was resting her chin on one hand, staring at him unblinking with a pair of crimson eyes.

That gaze could not be considered friendly; it even carried a bit of impatient scrutiny.

What is it?

A crisp and icy voice rang in Su Ji's mind.

Su Ji looked at her, and the stone hanging in his heart finally dropped.

Good, the dragon was still here.

He suppressed his thoughts, cupped his hands to the red-haired little loli again, and spoke with sincerity.

Junior Su Ji greets Senior.

The red-haired little loli seemed to appreciate the word Senior. The impatience on her face faded slightly, but her tone remained icy.

Cut the nonsense.

I don't have time to listen to your flattery.

Tell me straight what you want.

Su Ji had already prepared his speech on the way here.

He knew that when dealing with an old monster who had lived for countless tens of thousands of years, any flashy words would be pale and powerless.

The only way was to get straight to the point.

I want to ask Senior for a favor.

A favor? The red-haired little loli sneered. On what grounds?

On the grounds of the Yinfeng Sword, and this.

Su Ji didn't waste words. He directly took out the black token he had obtained from the purple sandalwood box and held it in his palm.

The moment she saw the token, the red-haired little loli's crimson eyes suddenly shrank.

The impatience on her face vanished without a trace instantly, replaced by an unshakable solemnity.

This thing... how did it end up in your hands?

For the first time, her voice carried a fluctuation of emotion.

There was shock as well as confusion.

Su Ji took in her reaction entirely, feeling increasingly certain in his heart.

It seemed he had made the right bet.

The ten people burning their blood together mentioned by The Riddler likely included the Night King, Feng, and himself.

Therefore, their respective items should be recognizable to each other.

Given by a senior, Su Ji said concisely.

Su Ji thought for a moment and summarized the key points of the words he had heard from the light screen in the wooden box.

Of course, he selectively ignored the part where he himself was mocked.

Upon hearing A century of freedom is fine, the Great Xia's barrier only has a century left, the red-haired little loli's petite body visibly trembled.

He decided to add more fuel to the fire.

Senior, that expert also said that I must leave Great Xia with a cultivation base at the first level of the Golden Core stage within half a year.

Furthermore, I must be able to fight against Nascent Soul experts with a first-level Golden Core cultivation, without relying on any external forces.

The moment these words came out.

The red-haired little loli fell completely silent.

She looked at Su Ji with a gaze as if she were looking at a... dead man.

A long time passed.

She finally let out a long breath.

He's still the same as always.

Never caring whether others live or die.

Su Ji listened quietly without interrupting.

He knew the timing was just about right.

The red-haired little loli's emotions seemed to have calmed down significantly.

She turned her gaze back to Su Ji, her look extremely complex.

So, you came to me because you want my help to complete this... impossible task he assigned?

Then, she began to explain on her own: He is the most mysterious person in Great Xia.

Even among the people of Great Xia, few know his real name.

Let alone me, a member of the Dragon Clan.

He believes that those not of our kin are sure to have different hearts.

Except for the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, he rarely let outsiders touch the true core of Great Xia.

So my understanding of him could only come from Feng.

The Desolate Meteor Fallen Dragon Art you cultivate was created by him.

After saying this, the red-haired little loli glanced at Su Ji. Put away those strange thoughts in your mind.

The true meaning of those five words is that even if he was born in the Desolate Meteor Lands, even if everyone thought he should live a mediocre life.

He firmly believed he was a true dragon fallen to the mortal realm.

All hardships were nothing but a dragon hiding in the abyss.

I didn't expect him to pass even this on to you.

I can also feel some other auras on you, but I can't remember whose they are.

And the Yinfeng Sword.

I don't sense anything special about you, yet everyone has high hopes for you...

Come with me.