"The Iceflame Crystal is an extremely rare type of crystal. What do you need it for?" the Ice Dragon asked.
"I have my own reasons—you don’t need to know. Just tell me, are you giving it to me or not? As far as I know, the Dragon Clan is supposed to be noble and values its reputation. Or have you stopped being proper dragons?" Evan Chu continued to bluff, having already noticed how wary these two dumb dragons were of his mother.
After a long pause, the Ice Dragon finally said, "If we give you the Iceflame Crystal, you must tell us the truth. Otherwise, even if it means offending the Golden Dragon, we won’t hesitate. Deceiving the Dragon Clan is an unforgivable crime."
"Fine. As long as you agree to my conditions, I’ll tell you everything honestly," Evan Chu said with a smile. This time, his gamble had paid off—he might’ve used up some of the Dragon Scale’s power, but he’d gotten the Iceflame Crystal, and it was worth it.
"What conditions?" the Fire Dragon asked.
Evan Chu wished he could spit right in this guy’s face—he’d just stated his condition, and now the dragon was pretending not to know. Infuriating.
"Release my friends. Let them leave," Evan Chu said helplessly.
"Oh, that? Easy enough. Just let them go, but you have to stay," the Fire Dragon replied. Surprisingly, his temper didn’t flare up this time—totally unexpected.
"The stone gate’s sealed—I can’t open it. Senior Fire Dragon, could you please use your skills to break it open?" Evan Chu said with a grin. Only a fool wouldn’t use free labor.
"You want me to break open the stone gate? I’m a noble member of the Dragon Clan, and you expect me to help a bunch of ants like you open a door?" The Fire Dragon clearly couldn’t accept it.
"Fine, don’t break it then—but don’t regret it!" Evan Chu snapped, his tone loaded with gunpowder.
"You go break the stone gate. I’ll go fetch the Iceflame Crystal. Sometimes it’s best to just put up with things and wait until you’ve figured out what’s really going on," the Ice Dragon said helplessly. This kid was honestly giving him a headache.
The Fire Dragon’s body flashed and he transformed into a burly middle-aged man, his hair blazing red and his whole frame imposing. Fuming, he stomped over to the stone gate and casually threw a punch.
A burst of fiery red light slammed into the stone gate. With a deafening boom, the gate shattered instantly, making the whole cavern shake and sending rocks tumbling from above.
Everyone stared in shock at the Fire Dragon’s human form. That punch was way too savage—it nearly collapsed the entire cave.
"Alright, you ants can get out. You, kid, stay!" With a wave of his hand, Jenny Sima and the others were blasted out of the cave, and with a flick of his other hand, a stream of dragon flame instantly sealed the entrance.
Evan Chu didn’t even have time to say a word to Jenny Sima and the rest before they vanished. He was left speechless by the Fire Dragon’s behavior.
Just then, the Ice Dragon also transformed into human form—a sharp-featured, cold young man radiating icy chill. He walked up to Evan Chu and said, "Here. These are the Iceflame Crystals you wanted. But we can only give you three—the rest, we need for ourselves."
Seeing the Iceflame Crystals in his hand, Evan Chu was overjoyed—he’d finally gotten his hands on the treasure he’d been dreaming of. He hurried to grab them.
But the moment he touched an Iceflame Crystal, a bone-piercing chill shot into his fingers, as if they were about to freeze off. He quickly jerked his hand back.
"Damn! How is it this cold? It’s way colder than Ice Crystals. Are you messing with me?" Evan Chu blurted out.
"Kid, don’t push your luck. We’re only tolerating you because of the Dragon Scale’s owner. Don’t get greedy," the Ice Dragon said, his face cold enough to freeze.
"Lin Feng, the Iceflame Crystal isn’t simple. It’s not just cold—it’s also blazing hot. Every so often it switches to high heat, then back to cold again. That dual nature is exactly why it can break the Vermilion Bird Mark."
To produce Iceflame Crystals, you need both Earth-Fire and a cold pool. When the crystal switches to its high-temperature phase, you have to grab it and put it straight into your storage ring—just don’t use the Frostbane Sword, or those two will definitely flip out," Luna whispered.
After hearing Luna’s advice, Evan Chu immediately understood. He turned to the Ice Dragon and said, "Can I take them a bit later? Why not just set them on the ground?"
The Ice Dragon shot Evan Chu a look. "Kid, let’s see what tricks you’ve got." Then he placed the Iceflame Crystals on the ground.
Evan Chu grinned. "You want answers, right? Sure—once I get the Iceflame Crystals, I’ll tell you everything. Now’s not the time."
The Fire Dragon couldn’t hold back anymore. "Kid, don’t force me to act. Just spit it out already."
Evan Chu glanced at the Fire Dragon. "What’s the rush? I broke the restriction for you, isn’t that enough? After thousands of years, what’s a few more minutes? If you really want to kill me, go ahead. In your eyes, my ant’s life isn’t worth much anyway."
"Forget it. We’ll wait a little longer," the Ice Dragon said.
Evan Chu squatted down and used his palm to sense the temperature of the Iceflame Crystals. After a while, he felt a surge of heat, so he instantly channeled Chaos Qi into his palm, grabbed all three crystals, and with a thought, stored them in his ring.
"Kid, now you can talk! Don’t let us down!" the Ice Dragon said icily.
Evan Chu looked at their faces and smiled. "Actually, I’m a dragon too. Would you believe that?"
Evan Chu’s words left the two dragons baffled. "You’re a dragon too? How come I don’t sense any dragon aura from you? If you keep lying, don’t blame me for turning hostile!" the Ice Dragon snapped.
Evan Chu knew words alone wouldn’t convince them—he had to show something real. He rolled up his sleeve, used Heart Sword to slice open his arm, and let a trickle of blood flow out.
"Now you can sense the dragon aura, right?"
The Ice Dragon and Fire Dragon each dabbed some blood on their fingers and sniffed it. Their expressions shifted wildly, eyes full of disbelief.
"How do you have dragon blood? Are you really one of the Dragon Clan?" the Ice Dragon asked, full of suspicion.
"I told you I am, but you just wouldn’t believe me. With your power, you could kill me with a finger—would I really dare to lie?" Evan Chu put on an innocent face.
"So why don’t you have any dragon aura? And why do you have a human body?" the Fire Dragon asked, wearing the same suspicious look as the Ice Dragon.
"My grandfather sealed my bloodline, so no dragon aura leaks out. As for why I have a human body, you’d have to ask my mother—I have no idea. The Dragon Scale was a gift from her," Evan Chu said. This part, at least, was true.
"Your grandfather? Is he a Golden Dragon?" the Ice Dragon asked.
"Yeah, a seven-clawed Golden Dragon. My mother’s a six-clawed Golden Dragon. Coming here was actually her idea—she said two Dragon Clan seniors, an Ice Dragon and a Fire Dragon, were sealed here and told me to break the restriction and send you back to the Dragon Shrine," Evan Chu continued weaving his story...
PS: End of the month—please vote and support!