Chapter 13: Passing Dragon Clan

"Brother Qian, thanks for the roasted meat. I'm going to check on Lin Fan."

After eating a few more chunks of spirit beast meat, Lin Xuan stood up and thanked Qian Mo Shang, then headed toward Lin Fan's tent. Qian Mo Shang chuckled; he could tell Lin Xuan wasn't quite fond of his burly appearance, but he believed that over time, Lin Xuan would come to appreciate him more.

"Lin Fan, I'm coming in."

Lin Xuan pulled aside the tent flap and entered. Inside, it wasn't just Lin Fan—Lan Luoluo was also there, taking care of him. This aloof senior sister always left Lin Xuan at a loss for how to interact with her. He wanted to strike up a conversation with this beauty, but could never seem to find the right moment.

"You take care of him, I'm going to take a bath."

Seeing it was Lin Xuan, Lan Luoluo sighed in relief and left the tent after saying a few words. She probably didn't think much of what she said, but both Lin Xuan inside and Qian Mo Shang eavesdropping outside were startled by it. A beauty stepping out to bathe—it wasn't a scene just anyone got to witness.

"Big Brother Lin Xuan, I'm sorry. I almost got you killed today. I never imagined Qing Qing was one of their people… I nearly brought disaster on you."

Lin Fan struggled to sit up when he saw Lin Xuan enter. Lin Xuan only responded with a noncommittal "Oh." His mind wasn't on the conversation—Qian Mo Shang had already slipped off to follow Lan Luoluo, so he was stuck here watching Lin Fan.

Sitting down, Lin Xuan sighed. There was no way he could sneak off to watch Lan Luoluo bathe now. Looking at Lin Fan, who was still wracked with guilt, he consoled him:

"Sigh, don't beat yourself up over it. I'm fine, aren't I? Just focus on recovering. You got a beauty's kiss out of it—it wasn't for nothing."

"Uhh…"

Lin Fan was speechless. He didn't know how to respond. In truth, he felt terrible. He was too naïve and had been easily manipulated, nearly causing Lin Xuan's death. His heart was filled with gnawing regret, almost to the point of wanting to end his own life.

"Hey, hey, calm down and suppress the poison—you're turning purple!"

Lin Xuan noticed something was off, and when he turned around, Lin Fan's face had darkened. He must've been overthinking and forgotten to keep the poison in check. Shaking his head, Lin Xuan moved behind Lin Fan to help expel the poison. Looks like he'd be stuck here until Lan Luoluo returned.

"QIAN! MO! SHANG!"

Just as Lin Xuan focused his soul power to help Lin Fan, a piercing scream rang out, startling him so badly that he almost lost control and went berserk. Stabilizing himself with effort, he then heard Qian Mo Shang screaming like a pig being slaughtered. No need to check—he'd been caught peeping on Lan Luoluo bathing.

"You disgusting pig! You always sneak around trying to watch me bathe!"

Wearing only a thin robe, Lan Luoluo chased Qian Mo Shang around, beating him furiously. Qian Mo Shang didn't fight back—he just kept apologizing. But Lan Luoluo wasn't buying it. After a while, she gave up the useless beating and crouched down, crying bitterly.

"Crap!"

Qian Mo Shang froze. He'd never seen Lan Luoluo cry before. Xu Yibai, who had rushed over, was also stunned. The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously shivered. They weren't afraid of Lan Luoluo—but they were terrified of her mother. If that tigress lost her temper, not even their fathers could protect them.

"Luoluo, please don't be mad. I know I was wrong—I won't do it again."

Qian Mo Shang crouched beside her, groveling with a guilty voice. Xu Yibai was speechless watching this pathetic scene. Lin Xuan had originally wanted to go watch the drama, but remembered Lin Fan still needed care and stayed put. Xingbu Ji wasn't interested either, hiding in the tent reading manga.

"Seriously... he got caught peeping again?"

Lin Xuan shook his head in disgust. Even as a Soul Elder, he could have avoided being detected by a support-type like Lan Luoluo. Who knew it was the Pope—watching from above—who had intervened, causing Qian Mo Shang to slip and expose himself.

"Sigh, forget it, forget it. Everyone heads back. We still have soul beasts to hunt tomorrow."

Ning Qin arrived and sighed. Though Lan Luoluo might be his daughter, the Pope's son took priority, so he didn't want to escalate things. Plus, Lan Luoluo and Qian Mo Shang were already betrothed. It wasn't such a big deal.

"Hmph!"

Lan Luoluo snorted angrily and left when Ning Qin didn't back her up. Qian Mo Shang awkwardly bowed to Ning Qin in thanks, then returned to his tent with Xu Yibai. He knew he had gone too far this time.

"Ahem… sorry to interrupt, but may I spend the night here?"

Just as the group settled down, a black-robed man silently appeared in the middle of the camp. Ning Qin and Xingbu Ji immediately stepped out of their tents, warily eyeing the newcomer. Both were thinking the same thing: Another Titled Douluo? Only a Titled Douluo could hide their presence so completely. When did all these elusive top-tier experts start showing up?

"Sigh, no need to be so hostile. I just sensed traces of a battle between Titled Douluos and came to have a look. Don't mind me—I'll be gone by morning."

The man chuckled awkwardly. Lin Xuan stepped out and noticed the man was incredibly handsome—sword-shaped brows, starry eyes, long hair down to his waist. The kind of man women dreamed about. But something about him rubbed Lin Xuan the wrong way. He felt… insincere.

"May I ask where you're from, senior?"

Ning Qin stood in front of everyone and asked. Behind him, Xingbu Ji was almost in tears. Her true form was a fox, and the bloodline pressure from the visitor was unbearable. She could barely contain her fear.

"Me? I'm from the Dragon Clan."

The black-robed man's words sent a chill down Ning Qin's spine. If it were just an ordinary Titled Douluo, it wouldn't be so bad—but a member of the Dragon Clan? Dragons weren't like hundred-thousand-year soul beasts that could just transform and re-cultivate. They needed to reach a certain age and strength before taking human form, and the minimum was fifty thousand years. That meant they were dealing with a being who had lived for at least 50,000 years.

A soul beast over 50,000 years old required at least a Soul Douluo to subdue. And this was the Dragon Clan, the kings of all soul beasts. Without a titled Douluo present, everyone here was nothing but ants. The only reason the dragon was speaking so nicely was that he knew the Pope was nearby. Otherwise, he would've cleared the area long ago.

"Ahem… really, I won't stay long. I'll leave shortly."

The dragon said bitterly. He felt uneasy under the stares of so many humans. The more politely he spoke, the more suspicious Ning Qin became. Eventually, Lin Xuan had had enough. Since everyone kept saying it was fine, there was no point standing around. He turned to go find Senior Sister Lan Luoluo.

"See? This young fellow gets it. Everyone, disperse."

The black-robed man struggled for a while before settling on calling Lin Xuan "young fellow." A dragon that had lived for tens of thousands of years calling Lin Xuan that? Anyone who heard it would feel honored. Ning Qin also received a voice transmission from the Pope and finally relaxed. No wonder this dragon wasn't making a move. He said nothing more and sent Qian Mo Shang and the others back to sleep.

Lin Xuan arrived at the lake, searching for any trace of Lan Luoluo. But aside from faint sobbing in his ears, he saw nothing. Even though the moonlight was bright, he couldn't find her. It felt like she was playing hide and seek with him. Suddenly, he remembered a ghost story his little sister once told him. Back on Earth, he wasn't afraid of ghosts—but this was the Douluo Continent. Who knew if ghosts existed here?

"Heh… Senior Sister, please come out. If you don't go back, everyone will be worried."

Lin Xuan was getting scared. If it were a person, he could punch them—but how do you punch a ghost? The crying sounds grew closer. Lin Xuan's martial soul activated involuntarily, and a surge of sword energy silenced the sobbing. But the flash of his Immortal Execution Sword lasted only a moment—his cultivation wasn't strong enough to wield it fully.

The surrounding trees swayed like grass in a storm. Lin Xuan swallowed nervously, staring unblinking at a nearby bush. As the rustling grew louder, his nerves grew tighter. Then, Lan Luoluo's face peeked out from the grass.

"Holy crap! You scared me to death, Senior Sister! Why're you creeping around like that?!"

Lin Xuan clutched his chest in fright. But something felt off—the face was too pale. Still, feeling relieved, he didn't think too much of it. He walked toward the bush to pull her out, only to see something he absolutely shouldn't have.

"WHAT THE—?!"

Behind the bushes was a giant spider with Lan Luoluo's face carved onto its rear. What Lin Xuan had seen was an illusion. He immediately recognized the creature: a Man-Faced Demon Spider, one of the most vicious soul beasts.

Both Lin Xuan and the spider froze in surprise, staring wide-eyed at each other. Then they both attacked. Lin Xuan's third soul ring lit up, and the spider's front legs stabbed toward him. Lin Xuan roared in fury, splitting his Immortal Execution Sword into three projections and sending them at the spider. Meanwhile, the true sword blocked its leg attacks. But the sheer force sent Lin Xuan flying like a sack of flour—still, he had accomplished his goal.

"Hahaha! You beast—try my Three-Tail Seal!"

The three sword projections formed a glowing triangle around the spider. Caught in the purple light, the Man-Faced Demon Spider's legs went weak from the numbing sensation. Lin Xuan's third soul skill had performed brilliantly on its first use.

(End of Chapter)