Chapter 41: Stepping Forth Upon the Dragon

With a forceful pull, Xue An swung the giant python like a whip and slammed it violently against several towering trees nearby.

Boom.

Following a thunderous crash, the trees, each as thick as a man could embrace, were snapped in two. This earth-shattering display left everyone present paralyzed with shock. The dragon seemed stunned for a moment, but it quickly recovered, snarling in rage as it opened its blood-stained maw to snap at Xue An.

Xue An sneered. Holding the tail with one hand, he reached out with the other and gripped one of the horns atop the dragon’s head.

Thud.

With a dull sound, Xue An snapped the horn clean off. A deafening roar erupted from the dragon, and it spiraled into a complete frenzy. Yet, Xue An remained utterly composed.

What a joke. He had slain countless ancient dragons that had existed since the dawn of the universe; a dragon with such diluted and impure bloodlines was nothing to him.

The others, however, retreated several steps, their faces deathly pale. Chen Rushi watched Xue An’s proud, standing figure, her eyes shimmering with wonder. Huo Heming noticed this and felt a surge of secret hatred. Who was this kid? How could he be this powerful? No, I must find a way to deal with him!

Just then, Xue Xiang and Xue Nian cried out in worry, "Daddy, go!"

The dragon seemed to understand, and it lunged directly toward the two little girls. Xue An let out a cold snort. You dare target my daughters? Then go to hell!

But just as he was about to punch through the dragon's spine, Huo Heming suddenly shoved the two girls. Caught off guard, they fell directly into the deep pool. Xue An roared and dove in after them. The dragon, having narrowly escaped death, did not flee; instead, it cast a bloodshot gaze at the people on the shore before sinking into the water.

It all happened in an instant. Before anyone could react, both Xue An and the dragon had vanished. All eyes turned toward Huo Heming.

Huo Heming scratched his head and chuckled, "I was just afraid that snake would hurt the little girls, and I must have used too much force!"

Chen Rushi’s face remained as cold as water; she ignored his excuse completely. Xue Lan, meanwhile, was already sobbing. "Brother An, Brother An! You cannot be hurt! You bastard, it’s all your fault—you harmed those two little girls and dragged my Brother An down with them!" she shouted, pointing at Huo Heming.

Huo Heming’s face darkened. He didn't care about the life of a village girl. "Nonsense. Someone, grab her! I'll deal with her later," he ordered, feeling a flicker of interest as he noticed Xue Lan was actually quite beautiful.

Song Yi frowned. This Young Master Huo was truly vicious. But since he had been paid, he felt it wasn't worth offending him. Song Yi began to collect the rare herbs around the pool. Because the area was so remote and nourished by the dragon's aura, the medicinal plants here were exceptionally precious.

Huo Heming felt satisfied. Hmph, so what if you're strong? You're still brainless. With a simple trick, he had ended the lives of the father and his two daughters.

But just as he was gloating, the once-calm water began to boil. Furthermore, the lotus in the pool turned to ash in the blink of an eye. Huo Heming was alarmed. "Mr. Song, what is happening?"

Song Yi’s expression was grave, and just as he was about to speak, Xue An emerged from the water, carrying Xue Xiang and Xue Nian. The three of them stepped out onto the surface of the water, completely dry as if they were immortals.

Everyone stared in disbelief. Then, Song Yi said with a trembling voice, "Look... look beneath their feet!"

As everyone looked, they saw that beneath the feet of Xue An and his daughters was the massive head of the dragon.

Walking upon a dragon! What an overwhelming display of dominance! Huo Heming and the others were stunned. Song Yi dropped to his knees with a thud. He understood better than anyone that this man was someone he could never afford to provoke.

He had spent decades in hard cultivation, yet he had barely reached the True Immortal Realm, with the Carefree Realm still a world away. Forget a dragon; a vengeful ghost could have taken his life. Yet this man had subdued a dragon in the water. Looking at the dragon now, it appeared completely submissive, daring not to defy him in the slightest, with a glimmer of relief in its eyes—as if being stepped on by Xue An were its greatest honor.

Song Yi’s act of kneeling shocked many. In Zhongdu, Song Yi was a person of status; for him to kneel so readily was unheard of. Huo Heming trembled and began to back away quietly.

At that moment, Xue An gave him a calm glance. Huo Heming felt his muscles cease to obey him. With a thud, he collapsed to his knees.

The dragon’s body remained in the pool, but its head was raised. Xue An stood atop it, looking down at the crowd, and smiled faintly. "Actually, you should be honored. You get to see yourself burned into ashes."

Huo Heming shivered, unable to speak, and could only look at the kneeling Song Yi with pleading eyes. Song Yi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Master, this Young Master Huo is from the Huo family of Zhongdu. Although he acted recklessly, I beg you to show mercy. I believe the Huo family will reward you handsomely..."

Xue An looked at Song Yi and said coldly, "Do you know why you haven't made any progress in all these years?"

Song Yi shuddered and lowered his head. Xue An continued, "Because you are obsessed with worldly power, wealth, and lust. A cultivator is meant to defy the heavens. By trying to rely on worldly power for your cultivation, you are only working against yourself!"

Song Yi felt as if he had been struck by lightning, murmuring to himself as he knelt on the ground. "Defying the heavens... defying the heavens?"

"That’s right. Defying the heavens. If the heavens do not allow me, then I shall destroy the heavens! That is what a cultivator is!" With that, Xue An pointed forward.

A wisp of white flame ignited on Huo Heming's little finger. The fire burned slowly, but its temperature was clearly immense; the flesh it touched turned instantly to ash, blown away by the wind. Huo Heming was in agony, but his muscles were paralyzed, making even a scream a luxury. He could only watch as his body was gradually consumed by the flames.

The process lasted for a full minute before the fire finally engulfed him entirely, reducing him to nothing but dust. The scene was one of cruel, aesthetic perfection.

Only then did Xue An wave his hand, dispelling the barrier around his two daughters.