I'm here in the martial arts world just to find love.

Jiang Chao's insistence on doing so was not because he wanted to keep pursuing the black dragon that had severed its tail to survive.

Rather, it was because, at the very moment the black dragon plunged into the dark river and fled, Jiang Chao sensed a peculiar aura emanating from the depths of the dark river.

That aura was indescribable, but Jiang Chao always felt that the attraction of that aura was far greater than the existence of the black dragon itself.

This was precisely the reason why he had insisted that the Taoist priest go into the water to test it out.

This Taoist named Zhao Wuji was a mystery, and his methods were extremely unbelievable. The peach wood sword that could emit light and illuminate the dark river, as well as the wine gourd that could change size, surprised Jiang Chao, who had seen a lot of the world.

Surprised, I couldn't help but feel wary.

He had a deep understanding of the power of the dragon. Although its strength was comparable to his own when his bloodline was fully activated, it was a truly terrifying beast to ordinary martial artists.

Touching it means certain death, even a martial arts master would be helpless against this black dragon, unable to escape, and would only suffer the tragic fate of being swallowed whole.

The reason he was able to remain unharmed and even force his opponent to sever his tail to survive was entirely due to the unique nature of his bloodline, which naturally suppressed his opponent.

In addition, he had been trained in martial arts by a grandmaster since childhood... To outsiders, his father Jiang Buwen might be educating his troublemaking son, but to Jiang Chao, it was a different kind of training.

It allows the father to experience the joy of educating his son, while also giving his mischievous son a chance to grow and develop – a win-win situation.

Now that the Taoist priest had not noticed anything unusual underwater, he had no choice but to dive down himself to find out, driven by his strong curiosity.

  

As he plunged back into the water, that invisible chill returned, but his physique still managed to keep it at bay.

The current in the underground river was not particularly fierce; on the contrary, it appeared unusually calm. After diving down for about ten feet, Jiang Chao suddenly noticed an unusual movement in the water behind him.

Startled, Jiang Chao suddenly turned around in the water, his long sword trembling, ready to strike.

However, what could be seen was a red figure.

The water was pitch black, but Jiang Chao was able to see in the dark when he was four or five years old, and he was no exception in this body of water.

The darkness did not affect him much; he still saw who was coming.

It was the woman in red who had been waiting outside the cave!

When did she come downstairs?

Jiang Chao was puzzled, so he secretly asked the other party a question.

The woman in red remained silent and swam to a distance of three steps from him.

Jiang Chao remained silent for a moment, then sent another message, telling the other party not to stray too far from him, lest they be ambushed by the black dragon.

Turn around and continue diving.

After diving down another ten or so feet, Jiang Chao could clearly feel the surrounding underground river currents beginning to repel him, an outsider.

Looking back, they found the woman in red to be in a rather disheveled state; her already pale face now looked extremely ashen.

It seemed as if if they had dived just one more zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) deeper, the other person's head would have exploded first.

Jiang Chao was startled and didn't care whether the other party would go berserk because he got too close.

Swimming his arms, he reached the other person and grabbed them.

The true energy that hadn't been consumed much surged out instantly, forming a barrier of true energy around the two of them.

The woman in red, whom he pulled into his arms, was incredibly light; Jiang Chao estimated that she weighed at most seventy-odd pounds.

It makes sense. Ever since the woman in red was controlled by the Blood Fiend Gu and other Gu worms and was resurrected, she has never eaten normally like them. She either doesn't eat at all or only eats the venom of poisonous snakes. After following them for such a long distance, it would be strange if she didn't lose weight.

With the two so close together, skin-to-skin contact was inevitable.

Jiang Chao discovered that the other person's body temperature was not as cold as he had imagined; in fact, it was quite hot compared to that of an average person.

And as he put his arm around the other person's waist, the other person's body temperature continued to rise.

???

Jiang Chao was stunned. What was going on?

When he looked up again, he found that the other person's originally pale face had also become rosy.

Jiang Chao: "..."

He subconsciously released his grip on the woman.

However, she instead held him tightly in her arms.

? !

Jiang Chao was startled again.

"Young lady, please have some self-respect!"

Jiang Chao blurted out his name.

These words were not transmitted telepathically, but rather spoken directly from his mouth.

"Li, Li Muqing..."

What shocked Jiang Chao even more was that the woman in red actually spoke.

Although the pronunciation was difficult, the words were very clear.

The sound was surprisingly pleasant to the ear.

It is as refreshing as a mountain spring.

Jiang Chao couldn't figure out what was going on. All he knew was that the other person's condition... seemed very strange!

"Li Muqing, is that your name?"

Jiang Chao had no choice but to change the subject and ask.

The woman in red, or rather, Li Muqing, nodded, and her previously empty eyes became somewhat bright and lively.

This change came too suddenly, and even the easygoing Jiang Chao couldn't help but feel a sense of... surprise.

"Have you regained your senses?" Jiang Chao asked again.

The boy felt a strange sense of surprise.

No, not many.

Hearing the other person continue speaking, although her tone was still strained, Jiang Chao finally confirmed that the woman who had followed them for several days had indeed miraculously come back to life!

At this moment, Jiang Chao's curiosity about what was underwater had been somewhat diminished by the surprise the woman in red had brought him.

All he wanted at that moment was to get the other person away from this body of water as soon as possible and tell Su E and Chu Ning the surprising news.

"Just one last step..."

Seemingly sensing Jiang Chao's intentions, the woman in red, Li Muqing, spoke again.

"Just one last step?"

Jiang Chao was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What...?"

The rest of the words were never spoken.

It was instantly covered by a warm, damp sensation.

This sudden turn of events left Jiang Chao, caught off guard, completely blank.

……

Outside the enormous pit, a large crowd had already gathered.

The seven major sects and four great families that convened this martial arts conference have all gathered here.

Jiang Yunyao stared anxiously at the bottomless pit. If it weren't for the two elders of the Moon Goddess Palace beside her, this Holy Maiden of the Moon Goddess Palace would probably have jumped in the moment she heard the news.

As everyone silently circled the crater created by the black dragon, a foul stench wafted over.

Immediately afterwards, a voice rang out from below.

"Huff huff huff, up, everyone up here, please lend me a hand, I, I really, have no strength left."

Everyone present was very familiar with Zhao Wuji's voice. Although they had only met him for a very short time, this mysterious young Taoist had left a deep impression on everyone present.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yunyao disregarded the elders' attempts to stop her and leaped into the pit. At the same time, a long whip lashed out from her waist, one end deeply embedded in the pit wall, while the other end was held in her hand.

A moment later, seeing the panting Taoist priest and the over ten-foot-long, dark-colored dragon tail with its menacing scales beside him, everyone present fell into a deathly silence.