Even so, Yan Yijue, the Snake Lord who had long dominated the demon and monster realms, would never admit defeat. However, Shui Yun's current injuries had put him in a dilemma.
Looking back at Shui Yun, pale - faced and weak, Yan Yijue's eyes paused for a moment. Finally, he let go of his pride and stubbornness and temporarily chose to stop.
"Long Mo, I don't want to fight you today. If you really can't let it go, we'll have another battle when I'm free."
He helped the frail Shui Yun up, raised his crimson eyes that flashed a mysterious light, and said, "Also, don't forget the plan I told you. I hope you can put aside these trivial matters and think it over carefully."
Before Long Mo could say anything else, he turned into a cloud of black mist and disappeared with Shui Yun.
The wind stopped, the leaves fell, and everything returned to calm. But some desolate emotions didn't match the peaceful scenery.
"Shu Yue, wake up..." Long Mo crouched down and gently called out to Shu Yue. The bloody wound on his back was so shocking that Long Mo's heart cramped with pain.
"Long Mo, please, save Shu Yue." Shu Yao pleaded desperately, knowing that only this man could save Shu Yue now.
He pinned his hopes on Long Mo and silently prayed in his heart that Shu Yue would be safe.
Long Mo's heartache was no less than Shu Yao's. Without hesitation, he picked Shu Yue up on his back and said in a solemn voice, "Let's go inside the house first."
He laid Shu Yue on the couch sideways, took off his blood - stained white clothes, revealing his strong and broad back muscles. The horrible, torn - flesh wound made one's hair stand on end.
Unable to bear looking anymore, Shu Yao averted his eyes, avoiding the bloody wound. Every time he saw it, it felt like a thousand arrows piercing his heart.
Long Mo only felt his eyes stung by the bright red blood. He clearly saw that the edge of the wound had turned slightly black. His deep eyes tightened, and he was secretly shocked.
He almost forgot that the snake demons summoned by Yan Yijue had extremely potent snake venom. For anyone, it was like having one's bones corroded and heart burned, enough to be fatal.
If it was a demon, its cultivation would be damaged. If it was a human, they would die within an hour.
Now, with Shu Yue's special constitution, being poisoned by the blazing snake venom meant he was bound to face a life - and - death crisis.
With the determination that nothing could happen to Shu Yue, Long Mo was about to pluck another dragon scale to heal Shu Yue's wound.
Although he was highly powerful, only the dragon scale could counteract the blazing snake venom. However, if he plucked this scale, it would be very difficult for him to overcome the tribulation.
For thousands of years, every descendant of the dragon race had a fatal weakness. Once they had completed their cultivation, transformed into human form, and plucked five dragon scales from their bodies, they could no longer overcome the tribulation to become a real dragon.
One dragon scale represented a hundred years of cultivation. Plucking five scales meant losing five hundred years of cultivation. The basic cultivation required to overcome the tribulation and become a dragon was at least a thousand years.
This was the last dragon scale he could pluck and his last chance. If he took it off, he would only be able to be a flood dragon for the rest of his life.
The hand he had reached into his bosom paused for a moment. But when he saw the furrowed eyebrows and the bloodless face, his hesitant heart finally wavered at that moment.
With a determination and decisiveness that others couldn't see, he continued to reach into his bosom and was about to pluck the dragon scale again.
The moment his hand touched the dragon scale, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by a pale hand. He stopped and looked back at a strange man.
The man was handsome and elegant, with an otherworldly air and a proud bearing. His frost - white hair and beard hung on his chest, and his long eyebrows curved like a crescent moon down to his temples. Although he seemed to be of an old age, his facial features were handsome and clear, and his demeanor was elegant, giving an air of being untainted by the mundane world.
Just as he was wondering, he heard Shu Yao mutter two words in a daze: "Honorable Elder..."
The Honorable Elder's arrival was silent, which caught Shu Yao off guard. He realized that it had been a long time since he last saw the Honorable Elder.
"Are you the Honorable Elder Xuan Dao?" He sized up this white - haired but fairy - like man and was a bit incredulous that this was the Honorable Elder Xuan Dao that Yan Yijue had told him about.
In his impression, the rough outline was a face full of traces of vicissitudes. Except for the same white hair, the man's elegant and handsome appearance amazed him.
"Lord Dragon King, your great name has long been known to me." Xuan Dao said calmly, with a slight curl of his lips. His voice was deep and steady, showing the marks of years.
Long Mo frowned and asked, "How do you know me?"
"Lord Dragon King has revitalized the dragon race. Your reputation and prestige have long reached my ears."
"Why did you stop me?" Long Mo sneered at the false compliment and got straight to the point.
Xuan Dao seemed to catch his cold and stern gaze. He naturally let go of the hand that was holding Long Mo's, put one hand behind his back, and held the other sleeve in front of him. He said leisurely, "If you lose this dragon scale, you must know the price. Moreover,"
He glanced at the unconscious Shu Yue and continued, "There's no need to use your dragon scale to save Shu Yue."
"Honorable Elder, do you mean you can save Shu Yue?" Shu Yao's eyes lit up with excitement. If the Honorable Elder took action, Shu Yue would surely be safe.
Xuan Dao just nodded kindly, then shifted his profound gaze to Long Mo. As if he could see through Long Mo's firm determination in his heart, he sighed and said, "Well, leave this to me. I'll make sure he'll be safe."
He bypassed Long Mo. With just a simple and sincere sentence, Long Mo had no reason to refute.
He just quietly watched Xuan Dao heal the man on the couch, staring at the man's face gradually regaining a little color, and his furrowed eyebrows gradually relaxing.
Although he was a bit regretful that he wasn't the one saving the man, at least the stone in his heart finally fell.
After about half a cup of tea, Xuan Dao wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, relieved, and calmed his internal energy. He turned back to the two anxiously waiting men and said, "It's done. I've completely removed the snake venom from his body. He just needs to rest for a few days. Since he has a strong physique, he'll recover in no more than five days."
"Thank you, Honorable Elder, for saving him." Shu Yao bowed sincerely, while Long Mo just nodded expressionlessly to show his gratitude.
"Shu Yao, you should take good care of him." Xuan Dao turned to look at this handsome man with black hair and purple clothes. Admiring his peerless elegance, he said, "Lord Dragon King, may I have a word with you in private?"
After Long Mo's concerned eyes stayed on Shu Yue for a moment, he followed Xuan Dao out of the tree - house.
Outside the tree - house, two tall and slender figures stood with their hands behind their backs. For a moment, their standing added a bit of solemnity to the world.
One was in white clothes, looking like a celestial being; the other was heroic and extraordinary.
Long Mo took a deep breath to break the dull atmosphere and asked, "Honorable Elder, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"Lord Dragon King, this is the first time we've met. I should have no right to stop you. But I still want to say that for his sake and for the prosperity of your dragon race, you should act with caution."