"But back then, my strength was still very weak, so naturally I couldn't help him much. We were on the run the whole time. In the end, we had nowhere left to flee and could only watch him be surrounded and killed. As I was just a snake, those people didn't pay me much mind and didn't kill me, which is why I survived. But he died, died terribly, without even a trace of his remains."
"I was very sad then. I vowed to avenge him, so I hid and cultivated. I cultivated for a thousand years, eventually becoming a flood dragon. Then I went to avenge him, and finally, I attacked their sect..."
"And then?"
Ning Beichen and the others, upon hearing this and seeing the black flood dragon fall silent, curiously asked him.
"Then, rivers of blood flowed because I killed. In the end, I couldn't defeat the human cultivators, and I was sealed here by a very powerful human immortal."
The black flood dragon said helplessly.
It was clear that this experience was what it was most reluctant to revisit, hence its delay in speaking.
"Is that sect still around?"
Ning Beichen asked curiously.
"I don't know. I've been trapped here for far too long. Many things have changed drastically."
The black flood dragon shook its head.
"I'm very curious, why didn't the person who trapped you kill you?"
Ning Beichen asked.
"He didn't kill me not because he didn't want to, but because he wanted to trap me here, to torture me for all eternity, making my suffering worse than death."
The black flood dragon said.
"If... I mean, if you were to meet the person who trapped you back then, would you still want revenge?"
Ning Beichen asked again.
He needed to know the black flood dragon's attitude clearly and didn't want to bring along an unstable time bomb.
"I... I don't know. Even if he's still alive, his strength would surely be even greater. I probably wouldn't have the ability to seek revenge against him."
Having been trapped for so many years, the black flood dragon had long since accepted reality. It wasn't a match for him back then, and even less so now.
Ning Beichen was quite satisfied with this answer. If it were truly a brainless individual, he wouldn't want to take it around causing trouble.
"Alright, take us out of here."
Ning Beichen said to the black flood dragon.
"Master, esteemed mistresses, please ascend my back."
The black flood dragon respectfully said to Ning Beichen and the others.
When Liu Yilin, Luo Yingying, and Ye Lanxin heard the flood dragon call them mistresses, except for Liu Yilin, Luo Yingying and Ye Lanxin were about to deny and refute when they saw Ning Beichen had already gotten onto the black flood dragon's back.
The three also quickly followed. Just as Luo Yingying and Ye Lanxin were about to deny their status as mistresses, Ning Beichen and the black flood dragon started chatting about events tens of thousands of years ago. They could only remain silent.
As they listened, they became so engrossed that they forgot to deny the matter.
The black flood dragon carried them, weaving through the black mist. Not long after, they reached the exit of the ancient road. The four people and one flood dragon emerged to see an incredibly vast world before them.
"Is this the Mortal Shedding Realm?"
Ning Beichen, feeling the spiritual energy here, which was hundreds of times more concentrated than in their world, asked excitedly.
"That's right, this is the Mortal Shedding Realm. From here, head north for three thousand li, and you'll find a town. However, you should avoid these few places along the way, as there are bandits who rob and kill appearing in those areas."
Ye Lanxin said as if reciting from memory. She had been active in this region for many years, so she was very familiar with it.
"Miss Ye Lanxin, do you not have a sect or family?"
Ning Beichen asked her.
Ye Lanxin shook her head and said, "I am a rogue cultivator. I was an orphan since childhood, with no family and no sect."
"My apologies."
Ning Beichen quickly said.
"It's alright, I'm used to it. The path of cultivation is one of defying fate."
Ye Lanxin was quite philosophical about it.
"Then let's go to the town first to gather some information. Miss Ye Lanxin, are you really willing to accompany us?"
Ning Beichen asked her.
This was because Ye Lanxin had previously only said she would escort them to the Mortal Shedding Realm and then return.
"I've decided. I'm alone anyway when I go back."
Ye Lanxin said.
"That's great! With you, we won't be blindly stumbling around."
Ning Beichen said happily.
However, there was still one problem: the black flood dragon. This thing was too big. If it appeared, wouldn't it cause a lot of trouble?
"Abu, can you shrink? I'm afraid it will attract a lot of trouble if you appear like that."
Ning Beichen said to the black flood dragon.
"Master, I know the art of transformation."
After the black flood dragon spoke, its massive body began to shrink. Before long, it transformed into a bald, one-meter-fifty-tall figure, not at all resembling a flood dragon.
This stunned Ning Beichen and the others. They never expected the black flood dragon to possess such a magical ability.
"Alright, stay in this form. Do not reveal your true form without my command."
Ning Beichen instructed it.
"Yes, Master."
The black flood dragon respectfully replied.
"Let's go, we're heading to the human town."
After Ning Beichen finished speaking, the group ascended into the sky on their swords. As for Ye Lanxin, who couldn't fly on a sword, she was carried by Abu, the black flood dragon.
Due to its innate instincts, the black flood dragon didn't need a sword to fly. In terms of speed, even Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying couldn't match it.
The group, one flood dragon and four people, flew towards the town a thousand li away. Although they tried to avoid the dangerous places Ye Lanxin had mentioned along the way, they were still ambushed.
The ones who stopped them were a group of people. As soon as they appeared, without uttering a single threatening word, they immediately launched an attack.
However, the strength of these bandits was merely average in Ning Beichen's eyes. He directly instructed Liu Yilin to join the fight.
Since she had embarked on this path with him, there would inevitably be dangers ahead. Ning Beichen couldn't always be by her side, so it was very necessary for her to grow stronger.
It was better for her to experience these things now than for him to regret it if something happened to her.
With Ning Beichen, Luo Yingying, and the black flood dragon providing support, Luo Yingying would be safe.
Therefore, these unfortunate bandits became the perfect practice targets for Liu Yilin.
With a few swift movements, Liu Yilin stabbed and killed a bandit. Blood splashed all over her, startling her into a cry. Her hands and feet became a bit clumsy, and she was almost stabbed by another bandit.
However, gradually, Liu Yilin began to adapt.
Killing was something that was difficult to accept only the first time. Once accepted, the psychological burden lessened, and one would eventually become desensitized.
This was the Mortal Shedding Realm. If you were soft-hearted, you would surely be the one to die.
These bandits, for instance, wouldn't ask you any questions or give you any chances. Your kindness would be a joke to them. If you weren't ruthless enough, you would only become a lamb in their eyes.