Chapter 272: Chapter 272: The Chicken is Mocking Me
"For safety’s sake, let’s wait for the people from the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty," Chen Pingping said.
Upon hearing this, Huang Mingzhi immediately became irritated. "We have the Phoenix Cauldron, and I have the map to Heaven Capital. What do we need people from the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty for?"
He did not want to see anyone from the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty, especially a certain Prince.
An enemy for life.
Lan Xiuzhi was also full of doubts. Indeed! With the Phoenix Cauldron and the map in hand, do we still need people from the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty? Wouldn’t that just be asking for trouble? The more people there are, the more competition there will be. Unwise!
But Chen Pingping insisted on waiting, and she didn’t know what to say.
Only the Saintess by their side understood Chen Pingping’s intention. The relationship between Huang Mingzhi and the people of the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty was not good; it could even be described as terrible. If people from the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty were here, they could keep Huang Mingzhi in check, as well as the formidable foe behind him.
However, after waiting several days, there was still no sight of anyone from the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty, which puzzled the group.
Where are they?
Lan Xiuzhi couldn’t help but ask, "Could it be they’ve already gone in?"
"That’s possible!" the Saintess said.
"I, on the other hand, think they don’t even know the exact location of the Undying Furnace," Huang Mingzhi sneered. "The people of that dynasty are incompetent."
"Hmph."
Just then, a cold laugh was heard. "My Heavenly Dragon Dynasty is incompetent, but your Ancient Dynasty is?"
The newcomer was the Prince who had clashed with Huang Mingzhi on South Mountain. He strode in majestically, his air dignified, his features firm, radiating an aura of authority even without anger.
In an instant, the atmosphere tensed, and a killing intention silently bloomed.
The enemy for life had arrived.
Huang Mingzhi looked at him coldly.
The latter was also staring intently at Huang Mingzhi.
After a long moment, the killing intention eventually dissipated. Now was not the time to fight; they each had a mission—to enter the Endless Ocean in search of the legendary Heaven Tao Divine Weapon. The matter was of great importance and required utmost caution.
The Heavenly Dragon Prince looked at Lan Xiuzhi. "Were you waiting for me?"
Lan Xiuzhi nodded. "I will provide the Phoenix Cauldron, and Huang Mingzhi will provide the map. If you want to cooperate, please show some sincerity. Otherwise, we’ll just go in."
"The Ancient Dynasty? They have a map too?" The Heavenly Dragon Prince scoffed. "You’ve probably been tricked by him, haven’t you?"
"What kind of talk is that?" Huang Mingzhi said, slightly angered. "If my Ancient Dynasty doesn’t have it, does yours?"
They were starting to argue again.
This time, Chen Pingping broke the deadlock. "Stop arguing! Do you still want to find the Undying Furnace or not?"
"Heh!" The Heavenly Dragon Prince couldn’t be bothered to argue any longer and said, "I possess the Emperor Scripture. Once activated, it can control the Undying Furnace. However... the scripture is extremely incomplete, and its effects are minimal. Besides, I have only mastered a tiny fraction of it, so its usefulness is even more negligible."
He wasn’t exaggerating; he was speaking the truth. Yet, his words were filled with confidence and pride. Even an incomplete Emperor Scripture was a worldly treasure, and mastering even a tiny fraction of it surpassed many geniuses.
As expected!
After these words, even Huang Mingzhi was inwardly shocked.
Chen Pingping stared at him intently, his gaze burning. "Really?"
The Heavenly Dragon Prince nodded. "Really!"
"Alright, then let’s go in together," Chen Pingping said. "I hope you both will follow the rules along the way and refrain from acting rashly. Otherwise, if you ruin our chances and we fail to find the Undying Furnace, thereby delaying the three great dynasties’ plan to invade the Heaven Martial Continent, you will both be to blame!"
The members of the Heavenly Dragon and Ancient dynasties were wary of each other, full of mutual hostility. Even if they traveled together, this animosity wouldn’t subside. They might even strike at each other at any moment.
Chen Pingping didn’t care about these things; as long as he could reach Heaven Capital, that was all that mattered.
「Ten minutes later」
They bought a large ship, set sail, and headed deep into the Endless Ocean.
「Over the next few days」
The Heavenly Dragon Prince and Huang Mingzhi noticed something was amiss with the Heavenly Phoenix contingent. It was understandable that the Saintess listened to Chen Pingping, perhaps due to friendship. But Lan Xiuzhi, the little princess of the Heavenly Phoenix Imperial Dynasty, who carried the Phoenix Cauldron and held a lofty status, was also incredibly obedient to Chen Pingping.
The two were a bit baffled. Who exactly is this guy?
After observing for a long time, they still couldn’t make sense of it. The only peculiar things were that chicken and that dog.
They were remarkably docile. Can poultry even possess Spiritual Intelligence?
At this moment, they recalled some rumors. Jin Chan had apparently flown into a rage several times over this chicken and the little black dog. Eventually, in a fit of uncontrollable anger, he had challenged Chen Pingping.
There’s definitely something going on!
The Heavenly Dragon Prince’s eyelids drooped as he silently pondered.
Meanwhile, Huang Mingzhi also felt something was off. Squinting, he continued scrutinizing them. He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the chicken was laughing at him. A pair of broad bean-sized eyes rolled, seemingly mocking his stupidity.
No! It’s as if it were a powerful Demon Bird perched high above, looking down on him, a Human Clan cultivator.
"Little Princess, about this chicken...?" Huang Mingzhi could no longer contain himself and took a few steps forward to inquire.
"What about it?" Lan Xiuzhi looked vigilant. "I warn you, don’t get any ideas about my pet."
Ever since she acquired this chicken, she had often inadvertently noticed something extraordinary about it, as well as the spiritual energy fluctuations that emanated from it. It was constantly influencing her cultivation. Coupled with the aura it exuded, Lan Xiuzhi became even more certain: this chicken was no ordinary chicken. She now cherished the chicken as if it were her own life. If Huang Mingzhi dared to covet it, she wouldn’t mind tossing him overboard to feed the fish.
"Just asking," Huang Mingzhi said, speechless. He then turned his gaze to the little black dog in Chen Pingping’s arms. "Fellow Daoist, this dog isn’t bad. Its fur is lush. What do you usually feed it?"
WOOF WOOF WOOF!
The little black dog glared at him angrily.
Huang Mingzhi was stunned. It understands human speech! This is definitely not an ordinary dog.
He was a bit dazed. Being mocked by a chicken was one thing, but a dog that could understand human speech? Incredible!
Huang Mingzhi calmed down, his eyes narrowing, a hint of fervor in them.
It was unknown how long the large ship had been sailing. It had long since departed the areas frequented by fishermen and was now drifting desolately in the middle of the ocean.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew.
Everyone on board looked up.
Then they realized it wasn’t wind, but a dense fog blowing towards them from ahead.
"Where’s the map?" exclaimed the Heavenly Dragon Prince. It wasn’t morning, yet a thick fog was rolling in—an unsettling thought.
Huang Mingzhi sneered, "You call yourself a prince, yet you’re as timid as a mouse."
The Heavenly Dragon Prince retorted angrily, "What did you just say?"
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Let’s check the map first," Chen Pingping intervened.
In no time, the fog enveloped the ship, reducing visibility until they could no longer see each other.
Thus, nobody noticed Chen Pingping get up and rush towards the stern...
Those aboard the ship couldn’t see Chen Pingping but sensed the waves of killing intention rising from behind. They were stunned. A genius from the Ancient Dynasty exclaimed, "Someone’s fighting!"
"What do you mean ’someone,’ idiot! Those are our people!" Huang Mingzhi cursed.
A few minutes later, the fog lifted.
Chen Pingping had already returned.
Huang Mingzhi quickly got up and looked towards the stern, but he could no longer sense the energy fluctuations of his seniors. His face turned pale, and his breathing grew hurried.
Damn it! How could this happen? Who did this?
These were seven or eight experts at the Imperial Dao Realm. Although only in the early stages, their strength was evident, their combat power formidable. Moreover, some among them had brought powerful Divine Weapons. Yet, just now, in those few short minutes, they had all been slaughtered. Could it be that a Lord had acted?
He whirled towards the Heavenly Dragon Prince and yelled furiously, "It must have been your Heavenly Dragon Dynasty! You set a trap and attacked the seniors of my Ancient Dynasty! Damn you!"
Seven or eight Imperial Dao experts! That was the very foundation of their Ancient Dynasty; for the Undying Furnace, they had risked everything.
To think that they had fallen before even catching sight of the Undying Furnace.
How could he not be enraged?