The golden dragon's nine claws clenched, lightning crackling within them, as if it could unleash its divine power at any moment to smite the human below who was spouting such nonsense.
Of the three, he was last in line.
A mere human, aspiring to be the elder brother of his elder brother?
Xu Mu gazed at the thunderous energy, his smile slowly fading.
"If you cannot refute this reason, then please retract your divine power."
The golden dragon, of course, did not comply. The lightning in its claws intensified.
Xu Mu's body surged with Dao origin, the character "Zhen" held in his palm.
"I have no intention of dictating to you, but it's impossible for me to have put so much effort into hatching you, nearly sacrificing my life, without expecting anything in return."
"Since you refuse to be friends with us, then agree to three requests. Once they are fulfilled, we shall have no further connection."
Xu Mu's voice was calm. What he had said previously was intentional.
The purpose, naturally, was to elevate his status in future interactions.
He couldn't possibly want to be the elder brother of a dragon; that would involve too much trouble.
He merely wanted to propose the idea of being an elder brother. Even if the golden dragon disagreed, it would prevent him from being in a too-subservient position when they interacted later.
But now, Xu Mu realized he had been thoroughly mistaken.
Because the golden dragon's gaze towards them held undisguised arrogance and contempt.
This meant that no matter how high or low he placed himself, becoming friends was impossible. Therefore, it was better to establish a relationship based on mutual benefit.
Thinking of this, Xu Mu felt a pang of anger. After all, someone as noble as Fuxi was incredibly approachable. What right did a young dragon, nurtured by his own blood, have to be so proud?
The dragon's head turned. It hovered in the air, scanning the surroundings before its gaze returned to Xu Mu. It said, "I agree."
"But what you said earlier counts as one request."
The golden dragon was referring to the ranking of the three. This indicated its tacit acceptance of being at the bottom.
"As you wish. I estimate I'll only need you once anyway." Xu Mu waved his hand and then said, "I have some enemies here. You don't need to kill them, just ensure I don't die. Once we leave this realm, our business will be concluded."
Upon hearing this, the golden dragon nodded without hesitation.
"One remains."
Only one condition was left. Xu Mu pondered for a moment, then frowned.
It seemed there was nothing else he could possibly need the dragon for at the moment.
So, Xu Mu spoke, "I can't think of anything right now. Let's keep it."
The golden dragon's voice was calm. "As you wish."
"However, if you haven't proposed your last condition by the time we leave this space, it will automatically be forfeited."
Xu Mu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, appearing as if he were about to get angry. But in the end, he said nothing.
He wasn't angry at all; in fact, he was delighted.
He smiled brilliantly at the golden dragon.
"In truth, I never expected you to agree to three requests. Proposing conditions like this was merely to have room to maneuver if you refused."
The golden dragon's tone grew slightly cold. "And so, cunning human, why are you telling me this?"
Xu Mu shrugged, a smile on his face. "For no reason other than to offer you a suggestion."
"Perhaps, in the future, you could look at others with more respect."
Hearing this, the golden dragon understood that the human was deliberately trying to provoke him. The lightning in its claws gathered once more.
But then, the lightning vanished.
Its gaze returned to calm. "This counts as the last."
Xu Mu shook his head and smiled, remaining silent.
The atmosphere became tense.
A moment later, Qiongqi broke the silence. "Dragon, what is your current realm?"
The golden dragon looked at Qiongqi, recognizing it as a creature similar to itself. Drawing upon the knowledge it had acquired while in its egg, it replied, "Three realms, but my combat power is between the fourth and fifth realms."
Qiongqi was slightly surprised. As expected of a dragon, it was even stronger than he had anticipated.
Xu Mu then asked, "When you say combat power, does that include the pressure of your bloodline?"
The golden dragon's reply was calm. "Of course not."
Xu Mu nodded in satisfaction.
With such strength, combined with the pressure of its bloodline, it was roughly equivalent to a typical peak stage five cultivator.
The golden dragon could contend with the old ancestor of the Wang family. As long as that old geezer was held back, Xu Mu could gather forces to fight against the remaining individuals, significantly increasing their chances of survival.
"If you encounter danger, tap thrice. I shall come to your rescue."
Clouds swirled around the golden dragon, within which countless elemental energies seemed to converge.
Then, it spat out a golden dragon scale, exuding the supreme might of a dragon.
Xu Mu's expression turned solemn as he took the scale.
It took him a few seconds to barely adapt to the dragon's oppressive aura before he asked, "What do you mean, where are you going?"
The golden dragon soared into the sky and vanished from sight in an instant, its voice lingering behind.
"I do not wish to see you, so I am going somewhere you cannot see me."
"But because of my promise, I will always find you through this scale."
"Oh, okay," Xu Mu pouted. He then turned to Qiongqi. "Let's go too."
Qiongqi pondered. "Where are you going?"
Xu Mu replied without hesitation, "To collect points, of course. How else can we enter the next round?"
Qiongqi's eyes narrowed slightly. "You have a point. However, it might not be convenient for you to move around freely right now; it could attract a killing blow."
Xu Mu froze, his brow furrowing. "Surely not. I have many enemies, but they are all in the previous caves."
"This place is too remote, with no domain lords, and all my people are outside. How could I possibly face a killing blow?"
Qiongqi sighed and asked again, "All your people are outside, those I cannot see. Do you remember how many points it is to kill a great demon of the fourth stage?"
Xu Mu blinked and calculated. "Killing a great demon of the third stage earns ten points, the fourth stage earns a thousand, and the fifth stage earns ten thousand."
Qiongqi nodded. "And do you remember how many inner cores you dug out just now, including the good and the bad?"
Xu Mu thought carefully. "There were over a thousand great demons here in total. More than seven hundred of them had inner cores left."
Qiongqi: "Seven hundred inner cores, that's seventy thousand points."
Xu Mu was somewhat bewildered and scratched his head. "So?"
Qiongqi lost his patience. "Can't you just look up at your own points bar!"
Xu Mu looked up and then saw a purple-gold points bar.
He was instantly stunned.
Qiongqi continued impatiently, "Those great demons were killed by the Shore Flower and the sword, but since neither of them were counted in this assessment, the points remained within their bodies."
"And you took their inner cores, so they are all considered killed by you, accumulating a full seventy thousand points, all yours!"
Qiongqi gnashed his teeth. "You get all the good things! Can't you give me some!"
Xu Mu remained silent for a long time, then said, "There's nothing I can do about this; it's all luck."
"Once my points are sufficient to pass this level, I will use the remainder to exchange for some opportunities for you."
Qiongqi snorted. "You have over seventy thousand points, yet there's no sign of you breaking through. I doubt you'll pass even with a million."
"And with so many points, you're going to use them just to pass the level?!"
Qiongqi stared at Xu Mu with envy. Seventy thousand points could exchange for treasures that could nearly fill his cave.
But if he used them as a ticket to the fourth level, all those things would vanish.
Xu Mu sighed. "Of course, I have to pass. Otherwise, how can I intercept the Demon God? If he revives, we will all die."
Qiongqi was taken aback, then said, "This level is harder than the last. Do you truly believe someone can rescue him? I don't."
Xu Mu shook his head. "Have you forgotten what I told your mother about the Heavenly Book?"
"The Heavenly Book records the method to break through each of these levels. And he has already defected to the Demon God. All the latter needs to do is possess someone or publicly reveal the secrets in the Heavenly Book, and someone will break the seal for him."
Qiongqi scoffed and shook his head, retorting, "You underestimate the restrictions Fuxi set."
"Moreover, the Demon God's clone and soul can only penetrate once every few years. If you kill it, how will he guide others to break through?"
Xu Mu was stunned, then his eyes widened.
Kill the Demon God's clone?
This was a path he had never considered.
"If I kill the Demon God's soul clone before he publicizes the method of breaking through, then no one else will have the chance to break these restrictions."
"And I, using the accumulated points, can exchange for treasures, make a fortune, and withdraw from this dark palace to cultivate peacefully. Once my strength is sufficient, I can return here and completely resolve the future troubles..."
"This saves time and is profitable."
Xu Mu analyzed in a low voice, his eyes growing brighter. It seemed feasible, and indeed, it was the best method!
Qiongqi slapped his forehead with a claw.
He only now understood such a simple logic; it seemed he was truly foolish.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go out and find the Demon God now!"
Xu Mu said happily.
He thought of the treasures he could exchange for with his seventy thousand points and was so excited that he leaped onto Qiongqi's back.
"Got used to riding me?" Qiongqi sounded angry. He looked at Xu Mu. "You ate the eggshell, are you still not healed?"
Xu Mu felt a little embarrassed. "If I were healed, why would I need that dragon to protect me? Anyone who bothered me would have been cut down with a sword long ago."
Upon hearing this, Qiongqi's momentum abruptly halted.
It seemed... that made sense.
"You have to let me ride you from now on too!"
Qiongqi roared angrily yet helplessly, then, carrying Xu Mu, he slowly flew out of the mine.
"But remember what I said earlier, be careful, it's very dangerous up there."
During their flight, Qiongqi reminded Xu Mu.
He clearly remembered dozens of fourth-stage ability users on the mountaintop.
Although they belonged to the same faction as Xu Mu, in the face of such a massive amount of points, no one knew what they might do.
Xu Mu, who had been ambushed by Fang Jia, understood this principle even better. He nodded.
"One must guard against others. Rest assured."
"And I never intended to stay with them any longer."
Qiongqi ascended rapidly, nearing the ground. He asked, "So, this battlefield is so vast, where should we go first?"
Xu Mu pondered for a moment, then replied, "Wherever the Demon God is, that's where we'll go!"