A burning aura charged toward them. Everything around turned a fiery red and molten lava condensed to form an inferno dragon in front of them. A girl in completely red robes stood on top of the inferno dragon’s head. She had extremely long hair and all around her was bluish divine energy. She seemed to weaken on purpose. From far away, they could feel a frighteningly powerful suppression. What was most important perhaps, was that her features were extremely beautiful – she even looked a bit like a Caucasian.

　　Whoa! Big-Sister ¹ vibes!

　　The black dragon paused and forgot about struggling for a moment.

　　“Greetings, Supreme Divinity!” The two dragons that were maniacally attacking the black dragon’s scales also stopped all of a sudden. They turned back into two girls and knelt down toward the person on the inferno dragon. With a twinkle in their eyes, they said, “That was quick, Supreme Divinity!”

　　“Yes.” The woman nodded. She glanced at the both of them and walked down from the inferno dragon. Every movement of hers sent a wave of divine suppression toward the rest. The moment she landed on the ground, the inferno dragon turned back into molten lava. What happened here?

　　She scanned the dragon scales on the floor and frowned slightly.

　　“Replying to the Supreme Divinity,” the green-robed girl said, “We discovered that a black dragon had invaded our territory. We were going to send him to the Dragon Palace. Yet, he kept struggling and was unwilling. It was even rude to the Supreme Divinity, that was why we…

　　The woman’s gaze landed on the black dragon. “A black dragon?”

　　“…” The black dragon did not respond. It twitched slightly and stared back at the woman blankly.

　　So… so beautiful!

　　“It’s dragon Qi…” The woman suddenly frowned. She glanced at the spirit Qi in the black dragon’s body that had not yet dissipated. “It’s a little dragon that has just ascended from the lower realm.”

　　“…”

　　Whatever,” the woman sighed. She waved her hand and said, “I think it did not invade this place on purpose. Let it go!”

　　“But Supreme Divinity, according to the Dragon Abyss’ rules, any dragon that comes in here must be tested…”

　　The green-robed girl wanted to continue, but the woman raised her hand and stopped her mid-sentence. Her tone was quite strict as she said, “I am not someone who likes to force others. If it is not willing, we will let it out of the Dragon Abyss.”

　　Just like that, the molten lava gathered to form an inferno dragon again. The woman mounted it and together, they flew toward the temple at the bottom of the volcano.

　　“Yes!” The two girls bowed respectfully and did not get up until the red-robed woman disappeared into the distance. They turned and glared at the black dragon, their evil intentions clear. Condescension was written all over their faces, but they did not pursue the matter further. Instead, they pointed at him and said coolly, “Hmph! Count yourself lucky!”

　　The green-robed girl stepped forward and stamped on the black dragon’s claw as she said, “Our Supreme Divinity has the highest cultivation level amongst all the dragons. She also has the most valuable and ancient Cang Long meridians, and she’s our Dragon Goddess! You’re just a lowly dragon of mixed blood – how dare you criticise the Supreme Divinity?”

　　“Indeed, there are no good dragons out there. They can’t win and so they hide behind the Supreme Divinity’s back and spread all sorts of rumours about her. This time, the Supreme Divinity told us to let you go. If we ever find out that you’ve been disrespectful to her again, we will hit you each time we see you!”

　　The two of them took turns to speak and turned to point to their right when they realised the black dragon was not responding.

　　“The exit is that way. Get out of the Dragon Abyss immediately!”

　　With that, they turned and flew away.

　　The black dragon strangely had no rebuttal and it did not even get mad. Instead, it just sat where it was, staring blankly at the spot where the girls disappeared.

　　“Long Worm! Are you still… alive? Long Worm!” Shen Ying shouted repeatedly. The black dragon did not respond at all. It kept looking in the direction of the volcano, as if it had been stunned.

　　“Hey!” Shen Ying walked toward the dragon’s head and waved her hand in front of its eyes. “Wake up! Have you been beaten silly?”

　　“Exalted Goddess!” The black dragon suddenly jumped up. It turned into a human whose eyes were twinkling. “Tell me, do you think I’d have a chance if I agree to be her servant now?”

　　“…” F*cking retard! Are you a masochist?

　　“Exalted Goddess, why not we go into the Dragon Valley and ask around? I want to know her name. Maybe she’ll-”

　　“No!” Shen Ying objected immediately.

　　“Exalted Goddess…” The black dragon became listless. With tears in his eyes, he hugged Shen Ying’s legs and begged, “This is the first time I’ve ever felt this way about a girl. If I miss this chance, I will not get it again next time. Can you bear to prevent me from getting a wife for the rest of my life?”

　　“I can!”

　　“…” Do you have to be so direct?

　　“Exalted Goddess, I’m going to ask now. If she doesn’t accept me, I’ll come back immediately.” The black dragon tried his luck again. “What’s more, the dragon Qi is extremely rich here. There should be many other dragons. It’ll be convenient for the Exalted Goddess to ask around for directions.

　　“No.” They were better off going back to the map they saw earlier.

　　“Exalted Goddess… Just allow me this once? It’s obvious that the volcano is an important location for dragons. It looks scary from the outside but I’m sure that the inside is a whole different story. For all we know, there are many different valuable divine stones, mysterious plants and fruits, and delicious delicacies. Exalted Goddess, are you sure you don’t… Eh? Where’s she? Exalted Goddess! Exalted Goddess?”

　　“Why are you still standing there? Let’s go!” Shen Ying waved her hand at him. Why didn’t you say earlier that there would be food inside!

　　“…” The black dragon pursed his lips and immediately caught up with her. “Alright, Exalted Goddess! No problem, Exalted Goddess! This way, Exalted Goddess, that’s the way out.”

　　“Oh.” Shen Ying turned around and headed toward the volcano. As she walked, she muttered to herself, “I intended to part ways with you and look for Chef myself. I guess we have to cooperate for a little while longer.”

　　“…” What?

　　F*cker! What did he just hear?

　　Part ways? The Exalted Goddess wanted to set him free?!

　　…

　　No! Exalted Goddess, listen to me – it’s not too late to part ways!

　　“And… Long Worm, I think you should change your robes? Stop using scaled clothing. The last time, only your ass was exposed. Now, your entire lower half of the body is exposed. Won’t you catch a cold?”

　　Pui…

　　Shen Ying saw him cough up blood from the corner of her eyes.

　　——————

　　At the top of Ling Tai Mountain, an elderly person with white hair stood by a lake. In front of him, a mirror was floating. He laughed gently and spoke.

　　“We have not met in ten thousand years. Why are you suddenly sending a voice transmission to me?”

　　“To ask about someone?” A chilling voice sounded from the mirror. Ripples appeared in the mirror, then the faint image of a white-robed man appeared.

　　The elderly man smiled wider. “Who’s so important, that you felt the need to come personally?”

　　“A certain black dragon,” the voice answered “It just ascended recently.”

　　“A black dragon?” The elderly man pondered for a moment. “I did hear that a black dragon invaded the Ling Tai Mountain very recently. I think it was the same dragon that destroyed my Divine Mystic Rock! But before the dharma assembly begins, the divine beings who came to listen to the sermon chased it away and punished it! Are you related to this dragon?”

　　The person in the mirror frowned.

　　“You don’t have to worry – nobody else knows about this. You should know the people from the Dragon Abyss well; I think it is unlikely that they would make its life difficult!” The elderly man comforted him.. “If you have something urgent to attend to, I can send someone to get the dragon back here.”