Chapter 4571 — Afraid to Go Up

"Uh... hold on. Killing that so-called West Mountain Old Sect is honestly no trouble for me, but..." The Five-Bane Dragon hesitated, its face clouded with difficulty. It lowered its great head a little sheepishly and said in a small voice, "But I don't dare go up there."

"What? Don't dare go up? Why on earth not?" Wei Zhao was taken aback.

"There's something you don't know. Ever since my master, the Five-Venom Flood Dragon, fled back here, Vermilion Bird and the others have had their eyes fixed on this Five-Venom Swamp. They were afraid my master might not die, so they went out of their way to set a surveillance formation over it—one unique to the spirit-beast clan, designed specifically to target my master. The moment that formation detects even the faintest trace of dragon-clan aura, Vermilion Bird will come rushing straight over, and then I'm done for." The Five-Bane Dragon's tone was helpless.

For all that it was a transcendent existence at the Earth-Opening stage, compared with a top elder of the spirit-beast clan like Vermilion Bird there was still no small gap. Even its master, the Five-Venom Flood Dragon, was no match for Vermilion Bird; if it truly came to blows, the Five-Bane Dragon would be wiped out in the blink of an eye.

"Vermilion Bird set a surveillance formation up there? Heh. Then the two of us are truly brothers in misfortune..." Wei Zhao could only smile a wordless, bitter smile.

He had not expected Vermilion Bird to be as cautious as the West Mountain Old Sect. Of the two of them, Wei Zhao was watched by the West Mountain Old Sect and the Five-Bane Dragon by Vermilion Bird—truly a pair of fellow wanderers at the world's end.

"Following my master's wishes, I have never once shown myself outside since I was teleported here. So the spirit-beast clan still has no idea I exist—they know only of my master, the Five-Venom Flood Dragon. That is why, until I have gained strength enough to go seek revenge on Vermilion Bird, I absolutely cannot reveal the slightest breath of my aura. I can only hide here and cultivate in secret." The Five-Bane Dragon glanced at Wei Zhao with a trace of apology.

It genuinely did want to help Wei Zhao, but if the price was being detected—or even strangled—by Vermilion Bird, that would be far too foolish. However impulsive it might be, it was not quite that lacking in sense.

"Then let it be. We'll let that old monster of the West Mountain Old Sect live a while longer. There's plenty of time ahead; I'll think of some other way to get out of here." Wei Zhao nodded. If it were merely a small favor done in passing, that would be one thing—but if helping him ended up harming the Five-Bane Dragon, he could not live with that.

"By the way, why is that crooked cultivator called the West Mountain Old Sect hunting you down like this, never letting up? Did you kill his father or his son?" the Five-Bane Dragon asked, curiosity getting the better of it.

"More or less. I killed two of his disciples—one of them seems to have been his own nephew. That's why he's been chasing me all over the world. He hunted me once before, and I managed to shake him off after fleeing deep into South Island. This time I meant to head back to North Island, but no sooner had I left the docks than he spotted me again. The only place nearby he doesn't dare enter is this Five-Venom Swamp, so Senior Ghost had me slip in here and hide a while. Who'd have thought he'd be so unwilling to give up—four whole months and he still has people posted up there, so I can't get out." Wei Zhao shrugged helplessly as he gave the brief explanation. Running into a nemesis as relentless as the West Mountain Old Sect, he was genuinely running out of temper.

"Ah, a pity I can barely protect myself right now, so I can't be of any help," the Five-Bane Dragon said with a sigh.

"It's fine. Who'd have guessed the two of us would end up such brothers in misfortune? I'll think of a way out on my own." Wei Zhao waved a hand with a smile. A living man could hardly be choked to death by his own piss; so long as he was willing to put his mind to it, he believed a way could always be found.

"Roar, roar. I can't go up there and kill that West Mountain Old Sect for you directly, but if all you want is to get out, then a way may not be entirely out of the question." The Five-Bane Dragon suddenly laughed, putting on a mysterious air. "You probably don't know this yet, but the space we're in now doesn't actually have the Five-Venom Swamp as its only exit!"

"You mean there's a second exit?" Wei Zhao was startled and delighted at once. Whether or not the West Mountain Old Sect was killed was secondary; if there really was a second exit that could get him past the West Mountain Old Sect's surveillance, then everything else would be easy to settle.

"That's right. As far as I know, there is indeed a second exit," the Five-Bane Dragon said with a confident nod. "You see all this five-element killing aura packed across the ceiling, but in truth many places aren't part of the Five-Venom Swamp at all. Go further up and you'll find it sealed off from the surface—no passage through. So to get in or out of here, you have to use an entrance. The Five-Venom Swamp you came in through is only one of them; there's another place that also gives access to this space."

"Really? That's wonderful—please take me there right now and show me!" Wei Zhao said quickly. Time was somewhat tight against the mission deadline, but so long as he could get out successfully, he believed he could still make it back to North Island in time. After all, the spirit bird was now a Nascent Soul-stage spirit beast, and its flying speed was far greater than when they had first come!

The West Mountain Old Sect would surely only be keeping watch on the Five-Venom Swamp side. Never mind a second exit—he probably did not even know there was such a mysterious, vast space down here. So long as Wei Zhao left by the second exit the Five-Bane Dragon spoke of, he would certainly shake off the West Mountain Old Sect without anyone being the wiser.

"All right. This second exit will shake off that West Mountain Old Sect well enough, but..." The Five-Bane Dragon suddenly broke off, as if hesitant to go on.

"But what?" Wei Zhao pressed at once.

"But this second exit isn't like the Five-Venom Swamp here. The five-element killing aura is packed all across it too, and you'll certainly be able to get out—but it depends on whether you have the guts for it," the Five-Bane Dragon said, looking at Wei Zhao.

"What? Is there danger outside?" Wei Zhao's heart tightened at once. He had finally found a way out, and he had no wish to have cold water thrown over him again.

"Danger—well, you couldn't call it much danger. But just like the Five-Venom Swamp side, there's a surveillance formation there aimed specifically at my master. You don't carry any dragon-clan aura, so going up won't trigger much of a reaction from the formation, but you'll still be noticed for certain," the Five-Bane Dragon explained.

"Ugh. Vermilion Bird and the others even know about this? Remarkable!" Wei Zhao could not help but sigh at the news. To investigate the Five-Venom Swamp, even the Ghost Thing in his prime had spent a vast amount of effort, and in the end had only been able to guess at the general picture—he had had no idea at all that this space connected to a second exit. Yet Vermilion Bird and the others knew even this. Clearly this ambitious top elder was not to be underestimated in either strength or ability. (To be continued...)