mtl008 Chapter 103 Black Dragon Priest
Chapter 103 Black Dragon Priest
The Black Dragon, an ancient and powerful demon, is skilled in the powers of lightning and space; it is invincible by force.
Ning Xiaoxi couldn't help but widen her eyes as she stared at the glaring label. It really was the Black Dragon? And what was with the "unbeatable" part? Did it mean she couldn't beat it? So she wouldn't fight?
What is he doing here?
Suddenly, Tuanzi screamed.
Are you asking me? Even if a powerful demon appeared before me now, I wouldn't be able to handle it. What are you thinking?
Ning Xiaoxi was in a bad mood. Last time, she watched as the black dragon broke through the seal and escaped with the help of the human and demon races in the Tushan tribe's territory. Now it has appeared in the Kuafu tribe's territory. What is this?
"Who is he?" Ning Xiaoxi asked softly.
"He is a priest of my clan," Kuiwei Shanyue proudly introduced.
Ning Xiaoxi felt like she couldn't catch her breath. A priest of the Kuafu tribe? Then he didn't just appear here. The Kuafu tribe had been fighting against demons for over a thousand years; how could they not know the aura of demons? But, such obvious demonic energy, and they didn't sense it at all?
Suddenly, Ning Xiaoxi remembered the snowflake on her wrist earlier. When that snowflake drifted down, Kuiwei Shanyue could no longer sense the demonic energy. But were they truly unable to sense it, or was there another reason?
Did the black dragon possess the priest's body?
At this moment, the yellow halo on the three mulberry trees disappeared. Kuiwei Shanyue helped Ning Xiaoxi down from the reindeer and untied the restraints on her body. It was a gray strip of cloth that nimbly shrank from her body as if it were alive, folded up, and landed in the hands of the tall man who had spoken empty words earlier.
Ning Xiaoxi didn't want to look up at people anymore, so she calmed herself down and kept staring at the black-robed priest.
Finally, they arrived before the black-robed priest.
Kuiwei Shanyue knelt on one knee and bowed to the priest, "Priest."
"Shanyue, you're only going out for four days this time. Rest tonight, and the spring trial will begin again tomorrow." The priest's voice was gentle, with a somewhat androgynous quality.
"Yes." Kuiwei Shanyue bowed again, mounted his horse, winked at Ning Xiaoxi, and then turned and left.
"This is such a fake friendship," Ning Xiaoxi thought to herself, but didn't utter a single word.
"Friends of Shanyue, please come in with me."
Ning Xiaoxi resisted the urge to look at the large man beside her and followed the black-robed priest. Since his current identity was that of a priest of the Kuafu tribe, he probably wasn't simply after her. However, he had seen her before in the Tushan tribe. Back then, when she took the strategist's heart, she essentially disrupted his ritual to break the seal. If Yanwu Luosha hadn't sacrificed herself, he wouldn't have been able to escape.
Watching the black-robed priest enter the tent hall, Ning Xiaoxi felt an immense and terrifying power emanating from the darkness. She calmed herself down and decided to make the best of it. If the black dragon really wouldn't let her go, then she could just have a big fight. With her hidden abilities, if she couldn't win, she could at least run away.
An eerie hearth sits at the very center of the tent palace, the heart of the entire space. Constructed from massive stones, the hearth burns with an inextinguishable black flame, providing warmth and illumination for the palace. The flames leap and flicker, casting shadows that dance on the inner walls of the tent, creating a mysterious yet intense atmosphere.
Black flames? Ning Xiaoxi approached, but felt no heat. Instead, she felt a cold sensation on her left wrist. She raised her wrist, and snowflakes floated up again amidst the clouds, shimmering with blue light, making her entire wrist appear transparent.
The black-robed priest stood on the other side of the fire pit, looking at the icy blue snowflake on Ning Xiaoxi's wrist, "Snow Maiden's Soul Trace."
“The other day I accidentally killed a newly promoted high-ranking Snow Maiden, and before she died, she planted a soul mark on me. I only learned that this thing was a Snow Maiden's soul mark from Lin Yitian, an official under Lord Diqiao. My purpose in coming here was to find a way to remove the soul mark.” Ning Xiaoxi still stared at the black flames. “Going to the Kuafu tribe's territory was not my wish, and besides, I am just a lowly official. The nobles probably have no use for me.”
The black-robed priest walked around the fire pit and came to Ning Xiaoxi's side. "I heard Shan Yue mention that removing the soul mark requires the Snow Maiden's Heart. However, I have searched through all the records of my clan and there is no record of the Snow Maiden's Heart. I wonder where you learned that the Snow Maiden's Heart exists?"
She shook her wrist, and snowflakes scattered into tiny ice crystals as she moved, forming a pale blue snow mist around her wrist like a bracelet. "After being afflicted by this soul curse, I had a strange feeling. I followed the guidance here. The closer I get to the Wangxue Mountains, the clearer this feeling becomes." Ning Xiaoxi couldn't resist reaching out to touch the black flame. "I knew in my heart that the Snow Maiden's Heart could dispel the soul curse."
Long, pale fingers grasped Ning Xiaoxi's wrist. "This is the Black Lotus of Karmic Fire. One cannot touch it without cultivating the True Fire Heart Sutra to the Purple Fire Realm."
The blue mist bracelet was grasped by pale fingers, and thin ice needles instantly pierced the palm.
Ning Xiaoxi quickly used her spiritual power to enter the ice flower, instantly retracting the snowflakes.
As the mist rose, snowflakes melted into marks and quietly settled on Ning Xiaoxi's arm.
The black-robed priest's palm had some icy needles that were glaring, but they did not pierce the skin, leaving only faint marks.
“Kongsang Mountain is a forbidden area and cannot be entered at will.” The black-robed priest glanced at the mark on his palm. “You are not a member of the Kuafu tribe. If you enter Kongsang Mountain without permission, you will be killed by the guards. It was only because Shanyue pleaded for you that this trial within the tribe was arranged.”
Ning Xiaoxi was still eyeing the black flames with longing, finding them far more tempting than roasted rabbit, and paid less attention to the black-robed priest's words.
"This demonic energy can be contracted?" The black-robed priest stared at her wrist.
"I only found out today from Shanyue," Ning Xiaoxi said casually.
"It seems you're more interested in this Black Lotus of Karmic Fire."
Ning Xiaoxi suddenly turned to look at him. "I can, oh, no." Ning Xiaoxi took a step back. "You've seen the changes in the Soul Trace too. I don't know how much it has changed to make the Celestial Masters think I'm a demon. I want to resolve this matter as soon as possible. My parents and brother are still waiting for me to go back."
"The clan leader will emerge from seclusion tomorrow, and we can set off early the day after tomorrow." The black-robed priest's smile remained unchanged. "We can rest in the clan today. I have already had someone prepare a place for Ning to rest."
As the black-robed priest finished speaking, a robust woman quietly walked in and stood beside Ning Xiaoxi. "This is Kuiwei Mountain Spirit, Shanyue's older sister. Mountain Spirit will accompany you for the next two days. You can tell Mountain Spirit anything you need to say."
After bidding farewell to the black-robed priest, Ning Xiaoxi stood at the entrance, looking at the three mulberry trees in front of the hall. The small tree in the cave shook its branches, and the large tree in front of the hall also shook its branches, the rustling sound drifting in the night wind.
At this moment, Ning Xiaoxi realized that apart from the black-robed priest's gentle androgynous voice, she couldn't seem to remember what it looked like!