Chapter 017: The Dragonfire Divine Fruit

  The Starry Sky Martial Hall was located in the western part of Stormcloud City, covering an area of over a hundred acres. The grand complex was resplendent, with the clashing sounds of metal often echoing from within. As the largest martial hall in Stormcloud City, it was brightly lit even at night.

  In one of the courtyards, Wang Xing, who had been in a fit of rage earlier, now looked pale, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth and a bright red palm print on his cheek. His eyes flickered with a hint of fear.

  "Tell me, what happened?!" A grim-faced old man, his fists clenched so tightly they crackled, roared. His wrinkled face was twisted in fury. This was Wang Long, the master of the Starry Sky Martial Hall.

  Wang Xing trembled violently, fear gripping him. He fell to his knees with a thud, not daring to hide anything. He recounted everything that had happened over the past few days in detail.

  After a long silence, Wang Long slowly moved to sit in a chair, his face as calm as still water, but an invisible pressure radiated from him.

  Seeing Wang Long's silent demeanor, Wang Xing grew even more terrified. He knew that the calmer Wang Long appeared, the greater his rage. He buried his head in the ground, not daring to look up.

  "My second brother is dead... killed by a waste, by that sickly weakling from before," Wang Long suddenly laughed, a cruel and vicious laugh that grew increasingly menacing.

  "Father, I swear I will kill him. I will!" Wang Xing, still prostrate on the ground, quickly added.

  "You useless fool! Get out of here and find Yang Tian! Mobilize everyone! Find him!!" Wang Long's furious roar sent Wang Xing scrambling out of the room.

  After a long silence, Wang Long's body began to tremble, his eyes filled with pain and rage. His wrinkled face twisted into a grotesque mask.

  With Wang Feng dead, the influence of the Starry Sky Martial Hall in Stormcloud City would sharply decline. The title of the city's top martial hall would be handed over to someone else.

  At this moment, Wang Long was overwhelmed with regret. For the sake of an unknown treasure, not only had the strength of the Starry Sky Martial Hall declined, but he had also made an enemy with astonishing potential.

  ---

  Late at night, the sky was filled with twinkling stars, and the silver moonlight bathed the land. The Beast Mountain Range was draped in a thin veil of silver. The quiet forest was occasionally broken by the roars of beasts, but everything seemed harmonious.

  **Thud... thud...**

  The sudden sound of dense footsteps shattered the tranquility of the mountains. A group of fierce-looking guards swept through the forest, their eyes scanning the small river.

  "Damn it, it's been five days. That kid must have drowned by now, right?" A dark-faced man muttered after searching the forest for a while, yawning and cursing.

  "Black Three, didn't you see the young master behind us? Keep searching!" Another man next to him glared and barked.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  "Right, right," the dark-faced man muttered, shrinking his head. He gave the forest a cursory glance before moving forward.

  The group hurried away, unaware that in the dense grass at the edge of the river, a dark cave was hidden.

  Yang Tian's head throbbed with pain as he lay in a deep slumber...

  Inside his body, the Ancestral Dragon Ring protected his heart meridian, preserving a faint trace of life.

  After an unknown amount of time, Yang Tian's eyelids twitched slightly. He struggled to open his eyes, his dark pupils scanning the surroundings. He let out a long, suppressed breath.

  He was in a cave, about a hundred feet wide, illuminated by the glow of stalactites.

  "Cough, cough."

  Yang Tian tried to sit up, but as soon as he moved, the injuries in his body flared up, sending waves of excruciating pain through him. He coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

  "This is really bad," Yang Tian muttered after checking his injuries. His vital organs had suffered critical damage, and his dantian was like a dead sea, devoid of any energy.

  Lying on the ground, Yang Tian gathered a bit of strength and managed to sit cross-legged.

  Inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring.

  The rich spiritual energy filled his nostrils, and Yang Tian's spirit lifted slightly. He took a deep breath, marveling at the miraculous effects of the Ancestral Dragon Ring. With such severe injuries, without top-grade healing pills, it would have taken him a year or two to recover.

  Inside his body, wisps of spiritual energy nourished his flesh, slowly healing his wounds. The external injuries began to scab over.

  "Phew." After an hour of cultivation, Yang Tian slowly stopped. He didn't continue, as he clearly remembered falling unconscious in the river. Now, he was in a cave.

  Always vigilant, he needed to assess his current situation first.

  Yang Tian looked up, his gaze falling on a dark passage ahead. The passage was about twenty feet long, with smooth, naturally formed rocks at the top.

  After hesitating for a moment, he slowly moved forward. As he passed through the hundred-foot-long passage, a strange fragrance suddenly wafted through the air.

  "There's a treasure here!" Yang Tian inhaled deeply, and his long-dormant dantian suddenly stirred. His eyes lit up with joy.

  "This is what they mean by 'fortune and misfortune are intertwined,'" Yang Tian chuckled to himself. He quickened his pace, and after about half an hour, he arrived at a naturally formed chamber. The air inside was exceptionally fresh, and to his left, a hot spring bubbled with steam.

  At that moment, Yang Tian's attention was completely captured by a small tree ahead. It was a fiery red tree, about half a foot tall. On its branches hung three fiery red fruits, each the size of a fist, exuding an intoxicating fragrance and radiating a faint heat.

  "It's the Dragonfire Divine Fruit!" After a moment of stunned silence, Yang Tian's face lit up with ecstasy. The Dragonfire Divine Fruit was a fifth-tier spiritual fruit, known for its miraculous effect of expanding a person's dantian.

  The dantian was the most mysterious part of the human body. Without a dantian, one could never step into the martial path without a special opportunity.

  A person's dantian was fixed at birth, and treasures that could expand it were sold for astronomical prices on the continent. Although the Dragonfire Divine Fruit was only a fifth-tier spiritual fruit, its effects were astonishing, making it a highly sought-after treasure.

  Yang Tian walked over to the small tree, plucked one of the fruits, and immediately ate it.

  **Boom!**

  A deafening roar echoed in his ears as a scorching heat surged through his body, converging on his dantian. His dantian began to undergo drastic changes.

  Yang Tian quickly sat cross-legged and began circulating the Battle Heaven Art. The medicinal power of the Dragonfire Divine Fruit transformed into countless streams, filling his dantian.

  His depleted dantian rapidly replenished, reaching its previous strength in less than ten breaths.

  "As expected of a fifth-tier spiritual fruit. It's ridiculously powerful," Yang Tian muttered, feeling the restored energy in his body. He then steadied himself, gritting his teeth.

  **Boom!** His dantian roared as the scorching medicinal power continued to surge, its essence seeping into the surrounding areas. Not only was the strength of his dantian increasing, but it was also being expanded by the medicinal power.

  "Ugh," Yang Tian couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. The pain of reshaping his dantian was excruciating. If his will wavered even slightly, his dantian could rupture, leading to his death.

  The medicinal power churned endlessly, and countless red energy streams flowed through his dantian. Under the refinement of the medicinal power, the strength of his dantian increased dramatically.