Volume One, Chapter Six: Dare You Respond When Called?

“Eight ancient poisonous dragons, all at the level of Great Dao Golden Immortals. They have survived so long on the Sun Star, devouring countless flames of the sun itself. Their origins are profound, and their magical power is immense. If I were to confront them head-on, I might not stand a chance,” Lin Yang pondered strategies against the enemy as he observed the eight ancient poisonous dragons from within the Chaos Gourd.

Just then, the system’s alert sounded again in his mind.

“Ding! Host detected under attack by eight ancient poisonous dragons. Please choose one of the following options.”

“Option One: Overpower and kill the eight ancient poisonous dragons, returning their bodies to their source to enhance the Chaos Gourd, and receive the reward of their fire-type divine abilities.”

“Option Two: Defeat and subjugate the eight ancient poisonous dragons, enslave them, and gain the reward of their combined magical power.”

“Option Three: Enslave a total of nine ancient poisonous dragons and gain the reward of their complete comprehension of the Fire Dao’s principles.”

Lin Yang was stunned. Nine? One more than the eight he saw? Where was this ninth dragon? Shocked, he hurriedly searched for the hidden ninth ancient poisonous dragon.

This was terrifying.

Though eight ancient poisonous dragons at his level were formidable, Lin Yang prided himself on not being easily intimidated. Even among Great Dao Golden Immortals, there were distinctions. While these eight dragons were intelligent, their cunning was limited; their previous ambush was merely a minor trick. Their cultivation in Dao was not exceptionally high—simply, their magical power was rich, and their divine abilities fierce.

If caught off guard, they might have killed him. But now, with their presence revealed, they posed less of a threat. Even if he couldn’t defeat them directly, he could retreat unscathed.

However, the problem was the unseen ninth ancient poisonous dragon. It had remained undetected, lurking in the shadows. Did this mean it was even more terrifying?

No matter how hard Lin Yang searched, he could not locate this ninth dragon.

At that moment, one of the dragons spoke, causing Lin Yang to both laugh and sigh with relief.

“Brothers, our leader is in seclusion, breaking through a cultivation bottleneck. He needs the Sun Divine Pearl as sustenance. If you find it, don’t eat it yourselves,” the dragon called out to the others.

So the ninth ancient poisonous dragon was their leader, not here but hidden in their lair, cultivating in seclusion.

Only then did Lin Yang relax.

Although from the dragon’s words, their leader was undoubtedly the strongest, since he was not hiding to ambush him, there was no need for immediate worry. He could deal with these eight first, then seek out the leader later.

Upon hearing the dragon’s words, the other seven dragons growled and began searching.

An idea struck Lin Yang. Quietly, he whispered to the system, “System, I choose option three.”

The three choices rewarded, respectively: the fire-type divine abilities of the eight dragons, the combined magical power of the eight dragons, or the profound Dao comprehension of the nine dragons.

After weighing his options, Lin Yang naturally preferred the last—comprehension of the Fire Dao.

Divine abilities and magical power were precious but could be cultivated. However, true insight into a Dao was rare and dependent on innate understanding. Those who could grasp it would, and those who couldn’t, no amount of effort would help.

Given the choice, he would take the Dao comprehension.

Moreover, these dragons tempted him. He longed to enslave them, to make them his showpieces and harness their strength.

So without hesitation, he chose the third option.

After making his choice, Lin Yang’s form flashed, and he appeared outside the Chaos Gourd.

“Ouch! You fools really hurt me! If I hadn’t cultivated the Body of Ten Thousand Tribulations Immortality, I might have fallen for your tricks!” he shouted, feigning pain.

The sudden voice startled the eight dragons, who had been searching. Their enormous dragon eyes darted wildly.

“Where? Where is it? Who spoke?”

The giant creatures panicked, thrashing their massive bodies through the void, stirring the endless flames into a frenzy.

Lin Yang was speechless. These dragons were so large that they had overlooked him until now.

With no other choice, he expanded his form. Though still small compared to them, he was no longer insignificant.

He wondered how they had missed him before but now acted as if blind.

“I’m here!” he shouted again, drawing their attention.

“Found it! It’s hiding here!” one dragon exclaimed.

Before the dragon finished, another warned, “Be careful. This one is quite capable. Our previous attacks failed to kill him.”

“Did he dodge them?”

“That can’t be. Our combined strikes should be fatal!”

“Not fatal? Don’t forget, even ten thousand primordial cycles ago, there was one we couldn’t defeat in a sneak attack. Our leader was even captured but was later released.”

“But he doesn’t seem as strong as that one!”

The eight dragons chattered amongst themselves.

Lin Yang listened in disbelief, then shouted, “Hey! Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“What did you say?”

“Huh? What did he say?”

“Didn’t catch that.”

Lin Yang repeated himself, “I said, why did you ambush me? If I hadn’t cultivated the Body of Ten Thousand Tribulations Immortality, I’d have been done for!”

The dragons exchanged confused looks.

“Body of Ten Thousand Tribulations Immortality? What’s that?”

“Never heard of it.”

“But he says we ambushed him. Isn’t that normal? We’ve always done that.”

Hearing their foolish chatter, Lin Yang realized these creatures were not very bright.

He stopped wasting words and asked directly, “My name is Dijun. Will you dare to reveal your names?”

“Dijun?” The leader of the dragons laughed. “Why not? I am called Man Er, a name given by our leader.”

“Our leader is Man Yi. We have other brothers and sisters: Man San, Man Si, Man Wu, Man Liu, Man Qi, Man Ba, and Man Jiu. What about you?”

“What about you?” The eight dragons roared in unison, their voices like thunder.

“Nothing much,” Lin Yang smiled, pulling out a gourd. “Man Er, Man San, Man Si, Man Wu, Man Liu, Man Qi, Man Ba, Man Jiu, if I call you, would you answer?”

“I…” Man Er began to speak, but at that moment, a mysterious force seized him. His enormous body began to shrink uncontrollably, and the ancient poisonous dragon flew straight into the mouth of Lin Yang’s Chaos Gourd.