Suo Lun was puzzled. If the dragon force he had absorbed this time only enhanced one martial arts profession, then perhaps he was already approaching the level of a high-order samurai.
Suo Lun smacked his lips and said, "But that night, what you absorbed was only one of countless parts of the dragon flame energy."
"Right, only one of countless parts," Yao Xing said. "The rest of the energy was used to boil the sea of blood."
Just one of countless parts of the energy had brought such a tremendous improvement to Suo Lun.
This Dragon Seal relic was truly heaven-defying indeed.
Unfortunately, Suo Lun’s cultivation base was too low. If he had been a high-order samurai, then just one night could have propelled him directly to Dragon Samurai.
As for Yan Nai’er, the energy from that Dragon Seal Stele should be far less than that of Suo Lun’s dragon flame, plus it had been devoured by that undead for countless years.
But her martial arts foundation was high, and her capacity for absorbing energy far exceeded Suo Lun’s, so she broke through to Dragon Samurai directly.
This dragon flame, a true treasure of heaven and earth, let Suo Lun absorb it—was completely wasteful.
As Suo Lun woke up, the entrance to this red maple tree once again slowly opened.
When he emerged from the tree, he found no trace of Meng Tuoluo in the vicinity. Surprised, he asked, "Yao Xing, how long did we spend inside the tree refining our cultivation?"
"Seven days and seven nights," Yao Xing said.
"Does that mean we’ve already missed the ten-day agreement with Meng Tuoluo?" Suo Lun asked.
"Yes," Yao Xing said.
"Then why didn’t you wake me up at the time?" Suo Lun asked.
Yao Xing said, "That would have interrupted the cultivation process and caused significant loss. Moreover, I believe, given the relationship between you and Meng Tuoluo, she would wait here, even past ten days, a month even; she would continue waiting."
Suo Lun self-deprecatingly said, "You, you really think too highly of our relationship. The reason she helps me is solely that I am the host of Yao Xing, and she is completely anti-human. She hopes that one day I could become the World-Ending Demon Emperor and destroy the human world she hates. Besides that, there is no affection between her and me."
To put it accurately, Meng Tuoluo felt no affection for anyone in this world, except for that man.
Suo Lun then asked, "I was clearly inside this red maple tree. Given Meng Tuoluo’s cultivation, she should have easily sensed my energy and found me."
Yao Xing said, "This tree grew from the essence of a thousand years of blood qi and can shield all energy. That’s why I had you hide inside. After all, barbarian tribes could appear at any time."
Next, Suo Lun faced an enormous problem—how would he return? How to return to the hundred-thousand-mountain range, to Yan Nai’er’s side.
Should he keep heading north, walk out of the Barbarian Domain by himself?
That was absolutely impossible. Even if he had reached the cultivation of a Dragon Samurai, he would not be able to cover eight hundred miles.
Now, Suo Lun’s understanding of the Barbarian Tribes had deepened. He knew that in personal martial strength, they far exceeded humans.
Moreover, no matter what disguise he adopted, he couldn’t hide the energy of a human on him.
Thus, as soon as he left this uninhabited area, he would be faced with endless pursuit, and the only outcome would likely be to become the barbarians’ meal, meat on the grill.
What to do? What to do?
Almost a month had passed since he left Yan Nai’er. Now, she was leading a thousand members of the Daredevil Brigade, battling an enemy force many times their size, constantly on the verge of extinction.
Each day he delayed his return, Yan Nai’er was in greater danger.
Suo Lun closed his eyes, his mind whirling with thoughts of any possible ways to return to the Human World.
However, some things, some difficulties, are utterly beyond human capabilities.
There was no way for him to safely return to the region north of the hundred-thousand-mountain range. Once he encountered the barbarian tribes, the only possibility was a deadly fight.
And just then, a piercing cry suddenly rang through the sky, like the wining of a horse, yet also like a lion’s roar.
Then, a massive gryphon flew in from the north, drawing closer and closer.
From a kilometer away, Suo Lun gazed intently and immediately recognized on the gryphon a face so beautiful it was almost demonic.
It was Jiang Xue, truly strange. Why had he returned?