On Yun Ran’s side, they were methodically doing what bait was supposed to do.
Xuan Chu, on the other hand, was at the foot of the mountain, meeting with several elders from Heavenly Dao Village: "Master, Second Elder, Third Elder, Fourth Elder, you’ve finally arrived."
Before coming, Xuan Kong had already heard his apprentice was severely injured from the backlash, but hearing about it and seeing it in person were two completely different things.
Looking at Xuan Chu’s slightly pale face, this was after a night of breathing control and taking numerous healing medicines.
It’s often said whoever raises a child will worry for them, and Xuan Kong himself was a very open-minded person who rarely got truly angry.
But now, he was truly angry.
Immediately, he said fiercely: "When I catch those who used the Forbidden Book, I, this old man, will surely flay them alive!"
The second, third, and fourth elders quickly approached to soothe Xuan Kong: "Great Elder, please calm down."
When Xuan Kong truly lost his temper, no one could calm him down.
"How can I calm down? Look what those dogs have done. My apprentice is so badly hurt, it’ll take years to recover!"
What he didn’t say was that in the past, when Xuan Kong’s young pupil teamed up with Yun Ran to peek at the Heavenly Dao, even then, they weren’t so badly hurt.
And now, he was hurt by the Forbidden Techniques from their Heavenly Dao Village’s Forbidden Book.
Those people, after stealing something, didn’t even bother to hide, yet had the audacity to openly set a trap for the people of Heavenly Dao Village. It was like mocking them to their faces.
Looking at his somewhat irritable master, Xuan Chu was no longer as surprised as when he first met him.
His gaze swept over the other three elders and found that they didn’t seem surprised at all.
He immediately realized that his master, in the past, only pretended to be a sage before the juniors.
This time, out training, he witnessed the diversity of humanity.
It made him deeply understand that what he sees might not always be genuine.
"Master, let’s talk about business now."
Just moments ago, Xuan Kong, full of rage, upon hearing his treasured apprentice’s words, quickly restrained his temper.
"Alright,"
Then he turned to look at the other three: "Let’s disperse and investigate. Report any anomalies immediately!"
The second, third, and fourth elders quickly nodded. Over the years, whenever they went out, each was responsible for one matter.
But now, all four of them came together to monitor this situation, showing how furious Heavenly Dao Village was about someone intentionally setting them up.
"Rest assured, Great Elder!"
The second, third, and fourth elders quickly masked their presence and melted into the crowd.
Those who didn’t know their identities wouldn’t be able to associate them with the elders of Heavenly Dao Village.
"Let’s go too!"
Xuan Chu nodded, then he and his master left in another direction.
This time, they mainly investigated the issues related to the Forbidden Techniques, which, although not directly related to finding the Heavenly Book, indirectly aided the process.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Spirit, who had left earlier, was now grimacing, stuck at the junction between two mountain peaks.
The gap was almost negligible, and looking from a distance, these two distinctly different peaks were completely nestled together.
The surrounding weeds, taller than a person, showed no signs of human presence.
Dragon Spirit tried squeezing through again twice, but still couldn’t get in.
"I refuse to believe I can’t get into this place!"
Saying so, Dragon Spirit took a deep breath, making his belly look flat.
Although half of his Dragon Soul was previously confined, it was precisely because it was fused with the Azure Dragon.
That’s why he felt a faint sense of connection; he didn’t even have time to inform Yun Ran, fearing that this connection might suddenly vanish.
Afterward, he cautiously released a tiny bit of the Fire Dragon Dragon Essence to probe, and it actually worked.
Upon reaching this place, he was even more thankful he didn’t waste time with Yun Ran; otherwise, he might never have found this location.
This place seemed to be a hidden domain, even someone as high as Yun Ran from the Xuan Sect couldn’t discover it.
Most importantly, only natural beings like himself could reach here.
Should a human arrive with their flesh and blood body, they would likely have their internal organs crushed by the atmosphere here.
Thinking of this, Dragon Spirit snorted: It has to be him. Yun Ran having such a good helper is truly a blessing from their ancestors.
Dragon Spirit gave another hard push inward, and this time, he finally squeezed in.
However, the place was completely different from what Dragon Spirit had envisioned. In the middle of the gap was not a simple hollow void but a massive abyss.
Feeling the time it took for him to fall, Dragon Spirit braced himself for a hard crash to the ground and prepared for the ensuing pain.
However, minutes later, he splashed into a deep pool.
The icy, bone-chilling water didn’t make Dragon Spirit feel suffocated or in pain; instead, it gave him a sense of being back in his comfort zone.
After adjusting for a while, Dragon Spirit’s descent slowed, and he gradually opened his eyes.
It was pitch dark around him, and the water flowed much slower than he had imagined, almost imperceptible.
All these signs constantly reminded Dragon Spirit that he had, with much effort, found a nearly dead-end place.
Fortunately, he wasn’t truly human; otherwise, landing here would be a certain death.
With a push of his legs, Dragon Spirit floated lightly upward while his eyes blinked, turning into golden, vertical pupils.
In the darkness, everything became clear to him.
And for some reason, possibly because the water here was almost dead water, Dragon Spirit looked around and didn’t see any other life within the water.
Yet, earlier, he distinctly felt a trace of the Azure Dragon’s aura here.
Dragon Spirit’s mind turned, and a massive dragon tail emerged behind him.
With a powerful sweep, the water, which had begun to settle after Dragon Spirit’s plunge, now surged up waves dozens of meters high.
Just as Dragon Spirit was about to release a bit of that Azure Dragon’s aura to probe further,
He suddenly felt a suffocating, painful sensation in his chest cavity.
In a flash, a thought raced through Dragon Spirit’s mind.
Normally, such thoughts would pass fleetingly, eluding his grasp.
But as luck would have it, he was a naturally born being. As the great Dragon King, even if the thought was as swift as lightning, he could easily seize it.
"Water suppresses fire! I’ve got it... That’s why the five Dragon Spirits were suppressed; it’s because someone used the magic of the five elements’ mutual restraint!"