Drake Dandy lunged forward, her voice sharp: "You brat, this ghostly look I have now is all your fault!"
Quinn Shepherd raised his hand and unleashed a burst of Buddha-light, clashing head-on with her. Both their bodies shuddered violently; suddenly, Drake Dandy’s long hair scattered and drifted down, exposing patch after patch of bald scalp, and her face sagged into loose, wrinkled skin.
Quinn’s blood and qi surged, and he was about to strike again when he suddenly froze, holding back from attacking her.
Back on the Eastern Sea, Drake Dandy had nearly died under the combined assault of Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang. She desperately shed her skin to survive, but at the cost of her own lifespan. Though the Dao Lord took her away, she still hasn’t recovered to this day.
Now, after clashing with Quinn, her wig instantly fell off and the skin she’d kept taut turned loose and slack.
Drake Dandy noticed her hair falling away, shrieked in alarm, and frantically scrambled to gather the strands. Each time she grabbed a lock, she tried to stick it back onto her head, but the hair was scattered—there was no way to reattach it.
"Sister Drake, you don’t have much lifespan left. If you stop fighting, you could still live decades like a normal person. But if you attack me again, I won’t kill you—just one more serious injury and you’ll have no chance of survival."
Quinn shook his head and said, "You’ll never have another chance to take revenge on me in this life. Why bother?"
Drake Dandy snapped, "You’re the one who ruined me like this, and now you’re just rubbing salt in the wound!"
"You did this to yourself—and your father, the Dragon King, helped. It has nothing to do with me. You’re just clinging to me as a convenient punching bag."
Quinn glanced at the thick legs beside him and looked up; the giant god was peering down, but not at them—he was surveying the mountains and rivers of Everpeace.
Clearly, this god didn’t care about them in the slightest; he saw them as no threat, their greatest use being to help him raise dragons.
Quinn steadied himself, calculating his chances of escaping with the Stealing-Heavens Leg Art, but quickly dismissed the thought. Though incredibly fast—he could burst out at four times the speed of sound—he could only keep it up for a short while before his energy ran dry and his body wore out.
Judging by the speed of the flood-dragons beneath the god’s feet, Quinn might get away for a moment, but being caught wouldn’t be hard for them.
Besides, Dragon-Qilin was already a useless lump, unable to stand. If Quinn had to drag him along, they wouldn’t get far.
Dragon-Qilin was just too fat and heavy!
Raising dragons? I fatten Dragon-Qilin every day—this is easy for me!
Quinn sat down, his seat the broad back of a flood-dragon. With his skill, he felt no fear. If he could fatten Dragon-Qilin, surely he could handle other flood-dragons.
"What should we call you, senior?" Quinn asked loudly.
"You may call me Dragon-Keeper Lord."
The god surveyed the land, his voice booming like thunder: "I am a god of High Heaven. As long as you serve my dragons well, not only will I spare your lives—I’ll take you away from this filthy world so you can enjoy blessings in High Heaven, raising dragons for me."
Drake Dandy’s eyes lit up and she shouted, “Patriarch! I’m a disciple of the Dragon Tamer Sect—the sect you founded!”
Quinn shivered. "It’s over! This Dragon-Keeper Lord is the founder of the Dragon Tamer Sect!"
He instantly regretted asking the Dragon-Keeper Lord’s name. Now that Drake Dandy was claiming kin, he was doomed!
He wanted to slip away, but even after nudging Dragon-Qilin, the fat beast just lay there limp on the dragon’s back, unable to move.
I have one skill to rely on—I have one skill to rely on! Quinn steadied himself, trying to reassure his heart.
"Dragon Tamer Sect?"
The two flood-dragons under the Dragon-Keeper Lord’s feet paused. The towering god looked down at Drake Dandy in surprise: “I did found that sect, but it was ages ago. I started the Dragon Tamer Sect on a whim and ignored it after going to High Heaven. You’re a disciple? Who was that fool who called you his daughter just now?”
Drake Dandy was both shocked and delighted, immediately kneeling and kowtowing: “That’s my father—the current sect master of the Dragon Tamer Sect!”
“His cultivation is terrible. I flicked him away with a finger, but he won’t die.”
The twin dragons beneath the Dragon-Keeper Lord began to descend. “Since you’re a disciple of the Dragon Tamer Sect, I won’t trouble you. You seem to have damaged your vitality—here’s a dragon pearl to restore your energy. It won’t make you beautiful again, but it’ll replenish your true essence and extend your life.”
A bright orange pearl flew down from above. Drake Dandy grabbed it and kowtowed repeatedly, then shouted, “Patriarch, this man is the mortal enemy of my sect! He wiped out the Dragon Tamer Sect!”
Quinn shrank his neck and shook his head. “Miss Drake, don’t slander me. What strength do I have to wipe out your sect? The Dragon Tamer Sect is a huge holy land, full of mighty, handsome experts, each raising dragons with great skill. How could I possibly destroy them?”
The Dragon-Keeper Lord looked him over. Clearly a simple, honest youth—much more reliable than Drake Dandy. “Could this weak, chicken-like, honest child have destroyed the sect I founded? Are you all just too weak?”
Drake Dandy gritted her teeth and shouted, “This brat summoned demon gods and killed everyone in my family!”
Quinn looked honest and stammered, “How could I? I studied medicine since I was young and am respected as a divine doctor. I just mix medicines and fatten up Dragon-Qilin. How could I summon demon gods and harm people? You’re not only slandering me—you’re… you’re slandering me!”
Drake Dandy was furious, leaping over to choke him, her voice shrill: “You’re the Heavenly Demon Cult Master, full of evil tricks—the worst of the worst!”
Quinn couldn’t breathe, his eyes rolling back.
Suddenly, the Dragon-Keeper Lord flicked his finger, sending Drake Dandy tumbling head over heels.
Drake Dandy landed headfirst on the ground, finally noticing they’d already touched down—the twin flood-dragons had brought them to the banks of the Golden River.
You’re the one who fattened this kirin-breed dragon so much?
The Dragon-Keeper Lord lifted Quinn into his palm, looking him up and down. “You’ve done well—very well. I admire your work.”
Face to face with him, Quinn’s heart raced—the Dragon-Keeper Lord was enormous, his face alone towering above Quinn, covered in dragon scales. His brow ridges weren’t scaled, but sprouted wing-shaped eyebrows.
“Senior…”
Quinn mustered his courage. “I’ve studied medicine since childhood, and my skills aren’t bad. Every day I feed Dragon-Qilin half a dou of Redfire Spirit Pills.”
“Half a dou of Redfire Spirit Pills?”
The Dragon-Keeper Lord chuckled. “Your pill-making skills are impressive, to produce so much daily. But a juvenile like him only needs a bowl of Redfire Spirit Pills each day.”
Quinn’s face turned dark.
“Still, none of it went to waste—it’s all become dragon essence and qilin essence stored inside him. Once he refines this energy, he’ll produce a dragon pearl and qilin fire, marking his adulthood. You know pill-making, but not dragon-rearing. Would you like to join me?”
“I’d be honored!”
Drake Dandy was furious—this black-hearted, shameless guy was about to climb over her and become her ancestor!
“I’m not making you a disciple, just a boy attendant.”
The Dragon-Keeper Lord smiled. “Don’t rush to call me Master. I don’t take disciples. If you serve my dragons well, maybe I’ll accept you someday. For now, show me how you refine Redfire Spirit Pills.”
Quinn immediately unleashed his energy, pulling herbs from his Glutton Dragon Pouch and refining a batch of Redfire Spirit Pills in midair as the god spoke.
The Dragon-Keeper Lord was astonished, then delighted, laughing. “With you as my boy attendant, I’ll be spared so much trouble. You’ll handle the pill-making, and I’ll finally have free time!”
He kicked Dragon-Qilin. “Little one, I’ll teach you how to refine dragon pearl and qilin fire. You can help stoke the pill furnace.”
Dragon-Qilin finally managed to stand, both anxious and excited.
Quinn relaxed, recalling what Deaf Grandpa always said: “All trades are low except for reading books. Apothecary Grandpa’s medicine is useless—he cures people and ends up broke. But if you read and paint, you can survive anywhere.” Yet Deaf Grandpa nearly starved selling paintings, while Apothecary Grandpa’s medicine made him popular everywhere…
“Little girl, come here.”
Drake Dandy lowered her head and stepped forward. The Dragon-Keeper Lord looked her over and said, “You know a bit about raising dragons, so you’ll be his attendant and help me raise dragons. Remember—no more slandering him, or I won’t forgive you!”
Drake Dandy was burning with anger, but had to nod in agreement.
Quinn, delighted, asked, “Dragon Lord, what brings you to the Golden River?”
“I’m searching for the main dragon vein of Yankang Country.”
One of the Dragon-Keeper Lord’s earrings shimmered and slid off his ear, transforming into a yellow flood-dragon. It grew larger and more terrifying as it swam into the river.
The Golden River surged as the flood-dragon entered, stirring up waves and sending water soaring into the sky, forming a river overhead.
“This is the dragon’s belly of the Golden River—the claw is nearby.”
The Dragon-Keeper Lord peered into the riverbed, disappointed. “This isn’t the main dragon vein.”
Quinn looked into the riverbed, stunned. He saw stones shaped like dragon scales, arranged like a dragon’s claw!
“Rivers gather river energy to form water dragon veins. Mountains gather mountain energy to form earth dragon veins. Magma gathers fire energy to form fire dragon veins. These three are well known, but there’s a fourth—wind. Long winds carve dragon traces across the land, forming wind dragon veins.”
The Dragon-Keeper Lord gazed upward. “I’ve already checked the wind and mountain veins, and I’ve seen the Tu River and Golden River. Next, I’ll check the three fire dragon veins below. Yankang Country has so many dragon veins—a great dragon may be born. If the main dragon vein is taken, the dragons will be leaderless… and chaos will follow.”