Last Dragon Chapter 23: We have a Dragon!!

Translated by ethidda of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: KarateChopMonkey

 

The Jiao clan did their best to imitate the dragon clan. They always talked with such arrogance.

But when the azure dragon’s voice had been heard by everyone in the area, it was so naturally contemptuous, as if what he said was not a big matter: The Jiao Clan were not good enough to be king.

In reality, it was not just the Jiao clan. Other than the dragons, which water clan could really claim to be king? They were just gilding their own faces.

In the sky and on earth, the true source of water techniques could be seen in every breath and move of a dragon clan.

This voice was… Brother Xiaoshen?!

The Yuling disciples felt as if a metal hammer hit their heads hard. There was a buzzing sound, and they almost lost their vision.

Especially Daomi. He was the only one who saw Brother Xiaoshen jump into the water. But even though the azure dragon flew out of the water, he didn’t think that this was Brother Xiaoshen until Xiaoshen opened his mouth.

In Yuling, Xiaoshen’s identity had gone from octopus or turtle to sea serpent, then to white sea turtle. But nobody had guessed, or more accurately, nobody dared to guess that he was a dragon, and an azure dragon at that – in the dragon clan, the azure dragons had the most prestige.

Even if he was an ordinary color… this was a dragon! A dragon!!

Daomi’s face suddenly froze. He said in a low voice, “No wonder Brother Xiaoshen said his whole clan was gone.”

The other Yuling disciples, “……“

Yes! And they had especially pitied Brother Xiaoshen!

Now they thought about it, wouldn’t Brother Xiaoshen’s entire clan be the dragon clan who all ascended together??… They were the ones struggling with their cultivation. What right did they have to pity him!!

Daomi remembered more and more details, and muttered, “No wonder. No wonder the first time we met, Brother Xiaoshen seemed very irritated…“

He listened to him make so many puns about dragons. He was probably lucky to still be alive.

“No wonder, when I broke through, Brother Xiaoshen said ‘Perceiving the Azure Dragon’…“

Brother Xiaoshen did not misspeak. Rather, he really was fortunately enough to have ‘found where the azure dragon was’ that day!

People heard what Daomi said, and had complicated feelings. It was difficult to hide their envy. With this kind of miraculous tale, it was likely that the Perceiving the Golden Dragon Stage would be renamed to Perceiving the Azure Dragon. Maybe even Daomi’s name would be passed down with this story.

On the other extreme was Xuan Wuzi. He also had complicated feelings. He thought his own story might also be passed down the generations in Yuling… He once took an artifact to hit a dragon…

The azure dragon only just revealed himself and the humans already acted like they were saved, cheering loudly.

In this sea of celebration, only Yang Su’s face was ashen, trying to lift his head high even under the majesty of the dragon clan.

I am truly the king of the ancient Eastern Lake.

Even though the dragon clan had left ten thousand years ago, they had ruled over the water clans for even longer than that, since the birth of the sky and earth. Some truths flowed through their veins like blood. Especially in front of a completely unrestrained Xiaoshen, Yang Su couldn’t lift his head just because he wanted to.

The Jiao clan only had a little bit of dragon blood. Yang Su was restrained until he was completely ashamed. This was a fatal hit to his pride, that in reality, he was still so far from being a real dragon.

Yang Su was going crazy, and fought as if his life depended on it, as if the pain of losing a foot was nothing. He was unwilling to accept this truth. “No. That’s wrong. How can there still be a dragon in the world… This is an illusion… Anscale illusion!”

The Yuling disciples also paused in surprise, and a few even became suspicious.

Brother Xiaoshen’s depth of knowledge in illusion techniques was unparalleled. He could even mimic Martial Uncle. Could he possibly even mimic a dragon? Even though, logically, Brother Xiaoshen had never seen a dragon either, he would at least know more than them.

Brother Xiaoshen had spun and became a dragon, but he was still able to use Martial Uncle’s sword. That was also very strange… Had Martial Uncle really not returned?

But very quickly, they no longer had doubts—

The giant Jiao’s tail whipped about with his struggles. He was just about to push over a section of the city wall, when the azure dragon reached out with his sharp claws and held down Yang Su in one move.

The sharp claws effortlessly pierced into the giant Jiao’s hard scales. Half of Yan Su’s face sunk into the silt, unable to move.

The difference in strength, a single dragon can use sheer strength to defeat ten expert fighters. Now, nobody suspected that it was an illusion anymore. A fake could only be a fake.

An azure dragon had revealed himself in the world. This news would probably reach all over the Shenzhou continent following the waterways and carried on the winds.

Xiaoshen hit Yang Su’s body with a clawed hand.

Yang Su rolled around in the mud in pain.

Those Eastern Lake subordinates had long ago ran out of strength to fight back. They were also accomplices, and probably couldn’t escape the suffering to come. They trembled as they watched what befell Yang Su.

Don’t think this was just a simple beating. They saw that each time Yang Su was hit, there was almost solid air that was spat out from his mouth. That was Yang Su’s cultivation!

At the same time, the body of his true form also shrank. Xiaoshen hit him nine times. Yang Su howled in pain and spat out nine times. His cultivation had been completely dispersed and his body was now pitifully small.

That wasn’t enough. Xiaoshen took care of it extremely straightforwardly. He didn’t wait for Yang Su to beg for mercy. With a claw, he precisely hooked the Jiao tendon and ripped out a section, then nailed it to the ground ¹ . Whenever Yang Su wanted to move, his Jiao tendon affected his whole body, causing unimaginable pain. He was forced to lay still in place.

“You falsely claimed to be related to the original dragons, libeled me, reduced my wealth, hurt innumerable people—”

If it weren’t for the Yuling disciples protecting them with their lives, probably only a few people out of the tens of thousands of commoners would have survived. Even so, many would probably have gotten hurt trying to escape. Moreover, the cities, villages, and farmlands would have been demolished.

Of course, more importantly, the Yuling members were all Xiaoshen’s personal property.

Xiaoshen fake laughed. “Today, I’ve ruined your cultivation. You will be a Jiao boat on this side of the great lake. Your tendon will be the rope tying the boat to the land. All of your subordinates will be ridden on by humans, until all the people in the city have forgiven you. If you do not agree with this, I’ll kill you and take the karma with that.”

That last sentence was said for the humans to hear.

As he said it, he used his technique. Yang Su and the humans all shone brightly in azure, to do as he said. Yang Su’s subordinates also caught in it, and anchored onto the Jiao tendon, adding even more pain.

Since Yang Su no longer had any cultivation and he had lost his strength due to his tendon being nailed, even humans could hurt him. He was really no different from a pond loach from now on.

Even more devastating for him, from now on, he would have to serve the humans he thought of as mere ants. Only when all the humans in the city have forgiven him would he be able to leave this place. But he could only leave. He still wouldn’t recover his cultivation –  it had been dispersed, how could he recollect it?

This was worse than death, worse than disappearing from this world. Those who were clearly weak as ants were now able to ride on his head and decide his life and death and freedom?!

Yang Su wanted to say something, but he opened his mouth only to spit out blood. He still had something he didn’t understand. His false claim to be related to true dragons could be considered libel against the dragon clan’s reputation, but why did he mean by damaging the azure dragon’s property?……

Amidst the humans’ cheering and praying, Xiaoshen transformed back to his human form.

Only, this time, he didn’t need to hide his identity. Since he removed his restriction, it would be near impossible for anyone to hurt him. He kept his two jade-colored dragon horns on the corners of his forehead. Now he seemed inexplicably even more arrogant.

The Yuling members all surrounded him, unable to hide their excitement as they looked at Xiaoshen. They had only heard about dragon clans in legends. They only understood today what it meant for them to be the source of water techniques.

Even though they didn’t know why there was still a dragon in the world, how fortunate were they to be able to see a true Dragon King with their own eyes! Even more fortunately, Xiaoshen was their Yuling Sect’s Library Master!

Compared to that, nothing else mattered.

Xuan Wuzi led the cheer, “Now our sect has a dragon— Hahaha— The only one in the world!”

Yuan Gang was quite happy. That Yang Su was a relative of the true dragon? I am the direct disciple of a true dragon.

Xiaoshen kicked Xuan Wuzi’s butt with a foot. “What do you mean your sect has a dragon? Why do you think I saved you?”

Yuling people, “??”

Was it not because Brother Xiaoshen was our teacher?

Daomi said with even more confusion, “Brother Xiaoshen, what are you saying…“

Wasn’t Brother Xiaoshen saved and taken in by the patriarch? And Martial Uncle had been helping him remove the prohibition.

“Do you know what my (original) full name is?” Xiaoshen said coldly.

How could anybody know the dragon clans’ genealogy? But suddenly they felt a sense of foreboding. “Um… Sir, please inform us.”

Xiaoshen, “Lan. Yu. Shen!”

Yuling people, “……“

Yang Su, “……“

……He felt that he would die content.

…

…

In the open sky, a white light streaked by.

Shang Jiyu spent a day and a night to turn the East Pole’s sea around and make it flow the correct way. Then he quickly returned to where the humans lived.

Before arriving, he had received a message that the Yuling disciples and the Jiao clan got into a disagreement. Only, he was at a dangerous turning point and couldn’t respond.

After that, there was no more news. Shang Jiyu guessed that there was some trouble but not a big deal. Otherwise, it was unlikely that the disciples didn’t have energy to send even one more message. Now, Shang Jiyu still sped over as quickly as possible.

From far away, Shang Jiyu could already see that the large lake had returned to its normal location. The city was a bit damaged, but the mood was completely celebratory. And there were some water clan members who had lost and were held prone on the ground. But he didn’t see the Jiao clan that the message talked about.

The Yuling members were all on their artifacts, as if they just had a big fight. They stood in rows, their heads low and bodies bowed.

Only Yun Ziran was able to stand apart, unaffected. But his expression didn’t seem that relaxed either.

Xiaoshen had his back to him. He was high and mighty, while scolding these people, “…How did this teacher teach you before? What is the most important thing in cultivating?”

Luckily, these people had very good memories. They answered uniformly, “Pay… back your debts?”

“That’s right!” Xiaoshen said. “You remembered. I’m very happy! You didn’t just discard my guidance!”

Everybody, “……“

Shang Jiyu got closer and somebody saw him and shouted, “Martial Uncle! You’re finally here!”

Finally, Martial Uncle came! There was no way he would believe what they had gone through, so terrifying, so full of twists and turns!

Somehow, Brother Xiaoshen was a dragon who had stayed in this world! And he was a dragon here to collect a debt from Yuling!

It turned out that the water Grandmaster Fang Cun siphoned belonged to Brother Xiaoshen! They had been eating and drinking from Brother Xiaoshen’s property!

They had thought that Yang Su was troublesome enough, but didn’t know that Brother Xiaoshen who had defeated Yang Su was the real trouble… Boohoo.

Xiaoshen heard them shout and actually paused his movements. Then he said harshly, “What are you shouting for? Your Martial Uncle is the first in line who needs to pay back his debt to me.”

If the others each owed him one portion, then Shang Jiyu owed him two portions. Who knew where his master Chen Miaoxiang moved his water.

Xiaoshen turned around, too. The two cold-jade-colored horns on the corners of his forehead were now on full display, making his face look even smaller.

At the same time, the fastest of the disciples said, “Martial Uncle, Brother Xiaoshen is a dragon—”

“What color dragon? Azure?” Shang Jiyu asked. He suspected it was the same color as Xiaoshen’s eyes.

Everybody, “Yes, but??”

They all felt that for some reason, Martial Uncle didn’t sound especially shocked. This kind of reaction in this situation was truly exceptional! To see a dragon and stay calm was more difficult than not reacting to Kai Ming Mountain collapsing!

Daomi muttered with suspicion, “Did you already know…?“

“So you undid your restriction yourself.” Shang Jiyu walked to stand in front of Xiaoshen, and reached out to touch his cheek, then also touched his small and cute dragon horns. Then he answered in a low voice, “I had my suspicion, but… I only confirmed it today. You are the ancient Lanyu Lake’s Dragon King, aren’t you?”

He was with Xiaoshen all day everyday. He had gathered many more clues than others. After he confirmed that Xiaoshen was a dragon, he even knew the specifics of his identity.

With the way Xiaoshen cared about Lanyu Lake and where Xie Kurong brought him back from, who else could he be other than the Lanyu Dragon King?

Xiaoshen felt the touch on his dragon horn and felt his waist go numb. He unthinkingly rubbed against Shang Jiyu’s hand a few times and praised, “You’re really smart!”

He was his chosen bride, after all.

Shang Jiyu’s long, slender fingers played with the bright and smooth dragon horn, and asked casually, “Then the Jiao from before was probably no trouble. Where is he?”

Xiaoshen pointed in a daze, “Right there.”

Shang Jiyu had only glanced there before and saw that there were a group of water species. This time, he took a close look to find that there really was a Jiao there, but he was lying bonelessly like a piece of snot. And he was only as big as a small lizard…

Shang Jiyu, “……“

Yuling disciples told him how Brother Xiaoshen dealt with this evil Jiao. Then they said to Shang Jiyu helplessly, “And, Martial Uncle, Brother Xiaoshen said we all owe him a debt and he’s going to take over the Yuling Sect.”

Now that they were in the evil Jiao’s position, they were trembling in fear a bit.

Xiaoshen just then became clear-headed again. He threw off Shang Jiyu’s hand and straightened his back. “Hm!”

It was a matter of principle. He wouldn’t change it just because he adored Shang Jiyu.

Shang Jiyu spoke evenly, “Ten thousand years ago, Grandmaster Fang Cun took your water. Ten thousand years have passed and you are collecting the debt from Yuling. Every drink and every bite must of course be counted. But right now Lanyu Lake is still missing. I think you should keep staying at Yuling. Of course the Yuling disciples will continue to help you search for Lanyu Lake and also serve you well and adhere to your every request. Would this work?”

“That seems fine.” Xiaoshen thought about it. “And I want a Dragon Palace on land! You have to sleep with me!”

Yuling disciples, “……“

Shang Jiyu nodded. “That is of course no problem. Just ask Xie Kurong to build it.”

The logic was very simple. Xiaoshen wasn’t some random dragon trying to take over the Yuling Sect. Xiaoshen had nothing left, so taking over Yuling, living here, and collecting some interest was only natural. It wasn’t like he was going to kill anyone – if he killed everyone, who would pay back the debt?

Back when he was the Library Master, he already beat people up. All of this was not a problem.

So, there was no problem. Basically, Xiaoshen rose up in rank again from the Library Master. Now he was even above the patriarch. He was their debt-holder.

Founder owed a debt and his descendants had to repay it. Shang Jiyu twice as much as the rest, by working day and night. He was very accepting of that.

Yuling disciples:

“When you put it like this, I’m suddenly not scared anymore…“

“Hmm? This doesn’t seem that different from how Brother Xiaoshen lived before…“

“Whatever he wants. How much does it cost to provide for a dragon?”

“Would there be enough in our Guaer Storeroom?”

“Who cares… Let’s give him all of it, we have a dragon!!!”

Xiaoshen, “……“

Xiaoshen roared as a dragon and yelled at them, “Shut up! I already said you don’t have a dragon! A dragon is taking over you!!”

Xiao Wuzi nodded like a chick eating rice, “Alright, alright, alright.”

Xiaoshen wanted to hit Xuan Wuzi, but he was worried that he would be sending his new and injured subordinate to reincarnate. He had really liked Xuan Wuzi’s previous behavior. “Pah. Just you wait. I’ll take care of you when we get back.”

Xuan Wuzi stared at the cloud, “I don’t think there was actual spit… That would be dragon saliva…“

Xiaoshen, “……“

“Then can you tell me why you are in the human world? Are there other dragons on earth?” Shang Jiyu asked. So many questions others wanted to ask too, but they had been too scared of Brother Xiaoshen that they hadn’t settled their nerves yet after the excitement.

“Just me,” Xiaoshen said honestly. “I stayed behind to look after the Kai Ming Mountain. Ten thousand years ago, Kai Ming Mountain’s mountain core really did fracture, but it was fixed by Lord Zhenbao. He told me to protect the mountain, so I slept for ten thousand years. Only, when I woke up, my water had been stolen by that old thief Fang Cun as well…“

As he was talking, he couldn’t help but go back to that topic, and started swearing at Fang Cun.

Everyone else, “……“

Old thief Fang Cun? That meant Brother Xiaoshen didn’t actually admire Founder Fang Cun!

Xiaoshen swore until the topic came back around. “Anyway, this time Kai Ming Mountain is fine. We saved it in time.”

That was why when he heard the East Pole had problems, he was so worried? Shang Jiyu nodded slightly, as if something crossed his mind.

Xiaoshen didn’t notice, and said again, “But I still feel like something is wrong. Could it really be a calamity without a reason? What a suspicious event. What could have caused it? The water here leads to everywhere in the world. Could it be that the reason for this calamity is elsewhere?”

“I thought this too. Now the sea water is flowing correctly. Kai Ming Mountain is fine. But we still can’t take it easy. I will have Xie Kurong send some people to take turns watching and to keep investigating in other places,” Shang Jiyu said.

Xiaoshen nodded trustingly. Then he remembered to give him back the Shanhe sword. “Oh, I used it to cut off the little pond loach’s claws. It’s really sharp. Did you purposely open it up for me? I could use it without any resistance.”

This was an artifact that normally only the owner could use. But with the owner’s permission, or with a special password, other people could use it too.

Shang Jiyu held the sword and looked at it for a while, then he smiled faintly, “…Yes.”

Now, they could hear some sounds like drums and cymbals from below. They pushed aside the clouds around them to look. It was those humans, who have just been settled, and now were loudly celebrating and praying to the dragon clan.

Of course, they also thanked the Yuling cultivators who saved them. They didn’t know that those cultivators actually hadn’t gone far and were just up on the clouds.

Xiaoshen also looked over with interest.

Xuan Wuzi said with regret, “Since leaving my hometown, it’s been years since I’ve seen anything this lively.”

“They’re honoring a dragon. I wonder how they’re honoring him.”

“About this, I’ve seen a book in the library. It said that many years ago, there were some places that were still very backwards. They even used live humans to honor dragons. They would make the bride put on wedding clothes and then let her sink to the bottom of the water. Then, she would be returned with other sacrificial gifts the dragons did not like. I read quite a few chapters, recording the returned bride’s experiences under water. The writing was quite interesting, letting you see the ancient Dragon Palace’s splendor. But, it seemed that very few were actually accepted and started ascending just like that…“

Xiaoshen was dumbstruck. “What? The brides did not fall in naturally? And you could return them?”

Everybody looked at Xiaoshen. “How’s that possible? Humans are so fragile… Eh? What do dragons think?”

Xiaoshen momentarily forgot himself and said in shock, “Lord Zhenbao lied to us?? When I was young, he told me that brides would fall into the water and when you pick one up, you can then get a romance! I thought this was a necessary ritual for finding a human!!”

Before anyone else could say anything, Martial Uncle – who had been unflappably calm even when he learned that Brother Xiaoshen was a dragon – suddenly turned around with a large reaction.

His eyes were cold as the most frigid ice, his voice low, his expression complicated, “You pick up human brides from the water?”