Chapter 4571 — Afraid to Go Up
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"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.