Chapter Nineteen: Being Followed

If Mo Bufan had seen these three people, he would surely have burst into song: "I've got horns on my head and a tail behind me." Indeed, these three belonged to the race most frequently encountered in the Abyss of Fallen Dragons—the Dragon Clan.

The Abyss of Fallen Dragons was the site where the Dragon Ancestor fell, naturally leaving behind many treasures of the Dragon Clan, as well as secret manuals of powerful techniques. The remains of their greatest ancestor also lay here. Over the years, countless dragons had come in search of these relics, but little had been found.

However, their efforts were not entirely in vain. At least, they had pinpointed the location of the Dragon Ancestor's remains, and more importantly, discovered that the dragon pearl—containing tens of thousands of years of cultivation—still rested within his corpse.

Such a discovery, in a place where cultivation could reach only the Nascent Spirit Realm, was a matter of great importance to the Dragon Clan. Thus, those sent in recent years were all elite disciples, and these three were the finest among them.

The woman in the center, strikingly beautiful, was the youngest daughter of the current clan chief, Long Ling’er, recognized as the most talented of her generation. The other two were her elder brothers, Long Ao and Long Tian.

Originally, the three followed their elders’ instructions to seek the ancestor’s corpse. Unexpectedly, after entering the Abyss, they fell into a human soul-refining array, then encountered several ninth-layer Nascent Spirit realm beasts. They barely escaped, wounded, and had no choice but to find a place to recover.

All three were equipped with treasures that concealed their presence, making it unsurprising that Mo Bufan failed to sense them.

They had witnessed the entire scene of Mo Bufan rescuing the mother fire-fox, and now curiosity shone in their eyes.

From what they knew of humans, most who came here did so in search of treasure—even the Four Great Sects, who claimed their disciples came to train, really hoped they would find magical instruments, secret techniques, or perhaps even rare young beasts from the Immortal Realm.

In short, everyone was driven by self-interest.

They knew the value of the pregnant mother fire-fox very well. But this human not only showed no interest, he even kindly rescued her. At first, they suspected he harbored ulterior motives, but he repeatedly tried to drive the mother fire-fox away, even attempting to escape himself to avoid entanglement.

In the end, he took the mother fire-fox along, but his intentions were clearly not for personal gain.

“Could it be that this human boy has a maiden’s heart?” Long Ling’er murmured.

Long Ao narrowed his eyes. “This one is not simple at all. First-layer Nascent Spirit, a disciple of the Heavenly Profound Sect, dares to venture alone into the depths of the Abyss and comes out unscathed… More alarming, he defeated a third-layer Nascent Spirit cultivator in a single move.”

“You mean he’s concealing his true cultivation?” Long Tian asked.

“Perhaps. Human cultivators love to play such tricks. And, judging by his advice to Lu Feng, he might even be a core disciple of the Heavenly Profound Sect,” Long Ao replied.

“What?” Long Tian was shocked. “You mean he’s a True Immortal-level expert?”

Long Ao put on an inscrutable, contemplative look, then nodded. “Otherwise, how would he be indifferent to the fire-fox? Even to Earth Immortals, that would be tempting.”

“If that’s so, his purpose here is far from simple,” Long Ling’er mused, following her brother’s reasoning. “Could he, too, be after the Dragon Ancestor’s supreme treasure?”

Long Ao and Long Tian both nodded at this.

“Whatever he’s after, let’s follow and see. We have our concealment treasures—he won’t notice us,” Long Ao said.

“That’s right. If he really seeks the Ancestor’s relics, we won’t be polite,” Long Tian added coldly. “I’ve had enough of these greedy, shameless human cultivators. Today, we’ll show him a lesson.”

Long Ling’er and Long Ao agreed wholeheartedly.

Without further delay, the three dragons followed in Mo Bufan’s footsteps.

Meanwhile, the ill-fated Mo Bufan could not have guessed that saving a pregnant fire-fox would bring him so much trouble.

He was currently at a loss, cradling the still-blind baby fire-fox.

The affectionate mother fire-fox had taken a liking to Mo Bufan, dropping her cub into his hands and lying beside him with a gentle, loving gaze.

Most troublesome, the baby fire-fox seemed to have imprinted on him, nuzzling his fingers in search of food.

Recalling the cats he’d raised in a previous life, and the flood of cute pet videos before his transmigration, Mo Bufan felt an unguarded tenderness stirring within him.

“Alright, I’ll take care of you,” he sighed to the mother fire-fox, “but you must promise not to keep leaving your child with me. I can’t feed him.”

Hearing this, the mother fire-fox squinted her eyes in a delighted smile, stood upright, and kept bowing to him.

Mo Bufan grinned wryly, quickly placing the cub back on her belly. After some rooting around, the baby found its meal and suckled contentedly.

The mother, displaying her nurturing side, gazed at her child with warmth, softly grooming its fur. It was a scene of pure serenity.

Mo Bufan sighed inwardly, “Just got rid of five big headaches, only to pick up two smaller ones. The road ahead won’t be easy.”

Originally, he could reach the Immortal Hall where the Dragon Ancestor lay in seven or eight days. With these two fire-foxes in tow, it would take at least ten. The cub would cry when hungry, increasing the risk of attracting other beasts. Mo Bufan had to reconsider his journey.

While the mother fed her young, he reviewed the map of the Abyss in his mind, paying special attention to the most dangerous areas and places where high-level beasts had once appeared.

The Abyss stretched millions of kilometers in every direction—on Earth, it would be the world’s largest basin. But its floor was far from a fertile plain, filled with rolling hills and mountains reaching several thousand meters high.

Mountains and hills were best avoided, as high-level beasts often dwelled there.

The forests on the gentler slopes were less dangerous, but ruins of the Immortal Halls should also be skirted. Though rich in treasures, their formations and lingering beasts made them as hazardous as the mountains.

If a new powerful beast had arisen in any area, that was another story entirely—then it would be up to Mo Bufan’s caution and vigilance.

With these considerations, he soon mapped out a reasonable route.

As for rest stops, he chose spots near the most perilous areas. There was wisdom in the saying, “the most dangerous place is the safest.” Resting near a high-level beast’s territory could at least keep lesser beasts and rival predators at bay; he only needed to avoid direct conflict with the dominant beast.

Mo Bufan considered himself well-versed in the ways of demon beasts. His love of arcane reading had not diminished over the years, and curiosity about this new world only grew with his cultivation. He had perused most of the demon beast tomes in the Library Pavilion.

This ensured that, when encountering beasts, he would not panic. He could even avoid certain taboos, sidestepping unnecessary trouble.

After twenty minutes, the baby fire-fox finished nursing, and the mother curled up with it, drifting into dreams.

While resting, Mo Bufan gathered some bark and vines, weaving them into a basket lined with dry grass to carry the pair.

An hour later, with the fire-foxes in tow, Mo Bufan set out for the depths of the Abyss.

He now looked for all the world like a traveler, not one seeking fortune or adventure, but one eager to witness the grandeur of this land.

In his last life, work and a lack of money had kept him from exploring his homeland’s scenic wonders. This time, he was determined to make up for it.

But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed three strange currents of energy nearby. Startled, he looked back—only to find those energies had vanished.

The sensation had appeared and disappeared abruptly, but he was certain he’d felt it.

“Am I just being jittery?” he wondered.

He carefully probed again, but felt nothing. Shrugging, he turned and continued deeper into the Abyss.

Behind him, three figures—each with a horned silhouette—slipped from behind massive trees, none other than the Dragon siblings.

Each let out a breath of relief. Then, Long Ao and Long Tian glared at Long Ling’er, who stuck her tongue out apologetically.

Watching Mo Bufan’s retreating form, the three immediately slipped after him, silent as shadows.

Meanwhile, in the cave Mo Bufan had recently left, Lu Feng and his party of five stood with worried faces.

Beside them, the little princess from the Yue Lai Kingdom kept urging an old man named Mister Shangguan, “Old man, have you found which way he went or not?”

Mister Shangguan frowned, his nose twitching like a hound as he sniffed for Mo Bufan’s trail or the scent of the fire-foxes. His cultivation senses were fully extended, seeking any lingering spiritual energy.

After a quarter hour, his face finally brightened. “This way. If we follow, we’ll find him.”

Hearing this, the princess wasted no time, immediately leading the group in pursuit.

“Careful, young lady! This is the Abyss of Fallen Dragons—there are beasts everywhere…” Mister Shangguan called after her as he hurried along, muttering to himself, “This path leads deeper in… Is that first-layer Nascent Spirit boy courting death?”