Chapter 642: Change of the Scroll and the Great Enemy of the Dragon

"Blood? Is this blood?"

Everyone's attention shifted between the Xiezhi and the coral table. Could this malicious, red-and-black glowing substance actually be blood? No one had expected this, especially since it was the remnants of a terrifying dragon-worm's destroyed corpse. Normal blood would have long since evaporated and decayed.

Ji Yuan's right hand remained still, tightly gripping the scroll depicting the Xiezhi, which was almost enveloped in black flames. He was wary of any sudden moves from the Xiezhi. However, although the scroll seemed to vibrate violently, it didn't affect Ji Yuan much, as if it knew its current state depended on his magical power.

While the dragon-jiao were still wondering if it was blood, Ji Yuan had already realized that this blood was likely not from the dragon-worm.

"Give this blood to this great one, roar…"

The Xiezhi's sharp claws tried to reach out, but they were blocked by Old Yellow Dragon's power, preventing them from grasping the red-and-black, boiling substance. The Xiezhi on the scroll, unable to scratch and grab, turned its gaze towards Old Yellow Dragon.

"Dragon?"

Ji Yuan's right hand twitched, and with a forceful tremor, he shook the Xiezhi's claws back into the scroll, saying in a deep voice,

"Xiezhi, whose blood is this?"

Ji Yuan did not slacken his input of magical power; instead, he increased it, making it faster and faster. With four Dragon Lords present, he, Ji Yuan, was not one to be idle; there was no way he couldn't control the situation. Increasing the magical power might make the Xiezhi on the scroll more active, preventing it from being so sluggish.

"Give this blood to this great one, give it to this great one, give it to this great one…"

Unfortunately, the Xiezhi scroll did not respond to Ji Yuan's question, merely roaring and repeating the same phrase. Meanwhile, the black flames grew higher and spread wider.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

The black flames brushed against the coral table, causing the lustrous, treasure-like surface to char. The surrounding dragon-jiao also sensed a dangerous aura, which grew increasingly stronger and intensified more rapidly as time passed.

Ying Ruoli and Ying Feng exchanged glances and simultaneously retreated, also signaling the other jiao-dragons to move back. Seeing their actions, the other jiao-dragons also retreated after a slight hesitation, their eyes primarily focused on Ji Yuan's hand. The black flames looked extremely dangerous; the coral table itself was no ordinary item, yet it seemed on the verge of catching fire in a short time.

"Blood! Give the blood to this great one!"

Ji Yuan looked at the four true dragons beside him, who, like him, were frowning. Old Dragon Ying Hong looked at the scroll and Ji Yuan, then spoke.

"Mister Ji, what should we do about this?"

Ji Yuan deliberated for a moment before replying.

"Four Dragon Lords, I have a suggestion: could we separate a portion of this blood? Perhaps if the Xiezhi obtains some of it, there might be new developments."

Old Dragon and the others exchanged glances. Of course, they had also considered this, and the current situation made them all want to try.

"This old one agrees with Mister Ji's suggestion." "I also agree with Mister Ji's suggestion; we only need to leave a portion sufficient for research."

Ying Hong and Old Yellow Dragon were the first to agree. Qing You and Gong Rong exchanged glances, then also nodded.

"Very well. In that case, I will proceed to divide this blood. Mister Ji, what are your thoughts?"

Since the Xiezhi repeatedly claimed the substance was "blood," those present tentatively accepted it as such for now.

"Please, Dragon Lord Huang, proceed with your spell. I am ready when you are."

With the plan settled, Ji Yuan controlled the Xiezhi scroll while Huang Yurong controlled the strange blood. The latter extended a finger, and with its long, sharp nail, lightly traced a line across the black-and-red substance. In the next moment, silently, the "blood" emitting red-and-black light was split in two. One portion was directly grasped by Old Yellow Dragon, while the other remained on the coral table. He then nodded to Ji Yuan.

"Alright. Four Dragon Lords, please pay close attention and provide some oversight. Although this Xiezhi is merely a painting, it is, after all, an ancient mythical beast; there's no telling what major commotion it might cause."

"Mister Ji, rest assured. With the five of us here together, it would be a laughingstock if a mere painting were to stir up trouble!"

With Old Yellow Dragon's words, Ji Yuan naturally said no more. He promptly shook the Xiezhi scroll and moved it closer to the coral tabletop. The claws within the scroll extended once again, and this time, no one obstructed them, allowing the sharp claws to touch the blood.

The Xiezhi's claws slowly grasped the portion of blood and then gently moved back into the scroll, performing the action with extreme delicacy, as if holding something fragile. As the sharp claws retracted into the scroll, the surrounding black flames significantly receded.

Ji Yuan and the four dragons all focused their attention on the painting, watching the changes within it.

On the scroll, the lifelike Xiezhi brought its claws to its face. Its beastly muzzle curled into a grin, revealing its fangs. Then, its right claw opened, and with a gaping maw, it instantly swallowed the red-and-black, lava-like substance.

"Gulp."

A distinct gulping sound emanated from the scroll. Even with just this slight sound, the jiao-dragons on the periphery felt a vibration in their eardrums.

"Hoo…"

A plume of red-and-black smoke seeped from the Xiezhi's mouth and nose on the scroll, only to be reabsorbed by the beast. Various parts of its body—claws, scales, fur, whiskers—glowed with varying intensity before quickly fading again. A somewhat human-like expression of satisfaction appeared on the Xiezhi's beastly face, but this expression didn't last long. Immediately, the Xiezhi looked beyond the scroll again.

"Too little, too little! Bring this great one more, give this great one more!"

Ji Yuan's eyebrow twitched. This Xiezhi in the painting really thought of itself as a "great one."

"Xiezhi, whose blood did you just drink?"

"Too little, too little! Bring this great one more, bring some more! Hahahaha…"

Having swallowed that small glob of blood, the Xiezhi on the scroll clearly became more expressive, even letting out a laugh.

The four true dragons all looked at Ji Yuan, who, with a deep frown, considered for a moment before raising the scroll to his face. His pale eyes gazed directly at the Xiezhi in the painting, and he spoke in a calm, gentle tone.

"Great Xiezhi, since you've swallowed that blood, you must tell us what kind of blood it is. That way, we can find more for you."

The Xiezhi on the scroll seemed like a beast approaching its reflection in a mirror, stepping closer and closer to the scroll's surface, staring intently into Ji Yuan's eyes.

"This great one isn't a Bai Ze! A mere painting has almost no six senses; how would I know whose blood I ate? Anyway, it's not good stuff. Bring this great one more, bring more! This isn't enough, not enough, not—"

Before the Xiezhi could finish speaking, Ji Yuan immediately intended to roll up the scroll, simultaneously withdrawing his magical power. It seemed he wouldn't get any more information.

However, halfway through Ji Yuan's motion, a sharp claw extended from within the scroll. The claw pressed against the lower edge of the scroll, preventing Ji Yuan from rolling it up.

"Wait a moment, wait a moment! This great one has more to say!"

Ji Yuan pressed down on the scroll several times with both hands, but the Xiezhi's claws held fast to the bottom of the scroll, creating a stalemate with Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan was both astonished and amused, yet a sense of alarm rose within him. This Xiezhi was actually starting to resist the scroll being rolled up. He glanced at the curious jiao-dragons around him and, feigning nonchalance, chuckled at the scroll.

"Great Xiezhi, what else do you have to say?"

"Hoo... You, quickly lend me some strength... This great one is losing energy... Hoo..."

Ji Yuan understood this meant he needed to transfer magical power. Without hesitation, he once again infused power into the scroll, and wisps of smoke drifted from it as black flames ignited.

"It's a 'Hou,' ninety percent likely a 'Hou.' There seems to be dragon qi around it. If it's the blood of an evil 'Hou,' that would also explain the profound malice in the blood. Give me more, give me more, give all the blood to me, this great—"

Ji Yuan once again withdrew his magical power and rolled up the scroll. This time, the Xiezhi had no time to extend its claws; Ji Yuan rolled up the scroll directly, and the Xiezhi's voice abruptly ceased.

Ji Yuan held the scroll, a hint of helplessness on his face. He held it up and bowed to the four true dragons in apology.

"It seems we won't get much more information from the Xiezhi. But as the Xiezhi just said, and given its intense reaction, whether it's pure or not, it must certainly be the blood of an ancient fierce beast."

Ying Hong looked at the rolled-up painting in Ji Yuan's hand and said,

"For example, the 'Hou' that the Xiezhi mentioned? Mister Ji also had my daughter convey a message about this fierce beast last time."

Qing You and Huang Yurong also took the opportunity to speak.

"What exactly is this 'Hou'? We've only heard it's a type of ancient fierce beast. Since Mister Ji is here, please tell us more about this 'Hou,' and also about those so-called ancient mythical beasts and fierce beasts."

"Indeed, Mister Ji, if it's convenient, please enlighten us."

In this situation, it would be inappropriate for Ji Yuan not to speak. However, in his previous life, he hadn't specialized in history or mythology; he only knew a few things from his extensive online browsing. So, he could only speak about what he knew, in a general sense.

"Very well. Strictly speaking, dragons and phoenixes also belong to the category of mythical beasts. Dragon Lords, please don't take offense; I have no intention of disparaging you as mere beasts, but simply stating a fact."

"Please speak freely, Mister. We understand the distinction."

Old Yellow Dragon readily agreed, without Ying Hong needing to speak for Ji Yuan. Naturally, Ji Yuan felt reassured and continued.

"The ancient conflicts are too numerous to recount and have many differing accounts, which are now difficult to verify. You simply need to know that ancient mythical beasts and fierce beasts, much like today's dragons and phoenixes, each possessed mysterious and unfathomable might. With that premise, I will first speak about this 'Hou'..."

As he spoke, Ji Yuan, relying on memory and intuition, gestured in the air above the coral table. As his fingers moved, water vapor condensed and light gathered, gradually forming an image similar to what the dragon maiden had shown before, only clearer and more vivid, supplemented by Ji Yuan himself.

The creature Ji Yuan depicted had a large mouth with sharp teeth, scales and fur, a body like a long, slender giant dog, and what looked like a lion's mane. The image around it conveyed a sense of scorching heat, and flames seeped from its mouth and nose. Combined with Ji Yuan's recent imitation of the malice within the blood's glow, the image became unsettlingly lifelike, appearing to gaze directly at the dragons present.

"If I recall correctly, the ancient dragon race and the fierce beast Hou were sworn enemies. The Hou particularly delighted in hunting and devouring dragons..."

Ji Yuan didn't say much, but accompanied by this image, his few words allowed the present dragon-jiao to envision a terrifying beast that once existed, one that loved to fight and devour dragons and jiao-dragons, especially favoring dragon brains, making it one of the dragon race's greatest enemies.

Not only did the surrounding jiao-dragons shudder, but even the four true dragons wore grave expressions. In their eyes, Ji Yuan was at the pinnacle of the immortal path, so his words naturally carried immense weight. What was unknown did not mean it didn't exist, especially after witnessing the Xiezhi painting and the strange black-and-red blood just moments before.