Chapter 526: Chapter 526

"Running quite fast, huh."

Lin Fan did not act; there was no need to. Let those Immortal Monarchs leave. At this moment, the thing that drew his attention was the Vital Dragon before him.

Qin Yang circled around the Vital Dragon, examining it closely, and then said, "This is my first time seeing a Vital Dragon. Truly remarkable."

The Vital Dragon humbly replied, "Born from the heavens and earth, I may seem somewhat extraordinary, but compared to you esteemed friends, there’s still a huge gap. You all radiate with immortal light, shining across the land, truly astonishing."

Given the circumstances, the Vital Dragon could only take to praising them lavishly—not out of bad intent, just purely attempting to flatter them. Check latest chapters at N0velFire.ɴet

He hoped his compliments might cheer them up, and in doing so, they’d let him off the hook.

Still, he firmly believed that those who intervened to uphold fairness couldn’t be bad-hearted people. That gave him some reassurance.

"Stop flattering us like that; you’re making us feel a bit embarrassed." Qin Yang chuckled. Hearing the intent behind the words, his gaze towards the Vital Dragon grew somewhat pitying.

Overthinking things never ends well.

Hopefully, the Vital Dragon could come to terms with reality.

Lin Fan approached the massive body of the Vital Dragon, smiling warmly. "Friend, are you all right?"

"I’m fine, thank you for helping me. If not for your intervention, I might have already been slain by those three Immortal Monarchs." The Vital Dragon expressed his gratitude sincerely. Though he didn’t know who Lin Fan and his companions were, that didn’t matter—kindness was kindness. Deep inside, however, he felt a pang of nervousness.

He was unsure of the other’s intentions.

Leaving directly wouldn’t seem appropriate—it might open him up to criticism: "I save your life, and you leave just like that?" That wouldn’t sit right.

Upon reconsideration, it indeed made some sense.

The Vital Dragon decided not to rush off but stayed calmly, conversing while slowly recovering from his injuries.

His wounds ran deep. The Immortal Monarch’s power was not to be underestimated; their attacks caused the heavens and earth to crumble. The Immortal Monarch Law had formed a prison that entrapped him.

Both his divine soul and physical body suffered immense suppression.

"Haha, there’s no need for such formalities, friend. Encountering you was predestined by the universe—an act of fate. We were meant to meet." Lin Fan sighed, hinting at something unspoken. Fate brought us together—can you feel it? If you can, then it’s true.

The Vital Dragon didn’t notice any subtext, laughing and replying, "You’re right, friend. This was indeed fate. If not for fate leading us to meet, I wouldn’t have received your assistance."

"True, fate indeed..." Lin Fan sighed deeply.

Something clicked in the Vital Dragon’s mind, as though realizing that something was off. He replayed the earlier words in his mind—fate, yes, fate—but for some reason, hearing it now filled him with an inexplicable sense of unease.

It felt like something wasn’t quite right.

The Vital Dragon feared lingering unnecessarily. The sooner he could leave, the safer he’d be. Everything else felt meaningless and insubstantial.

"Friends, it’s getting late, and I should be leaving now. The green mountains won’t wither, and the river waters will flow. Until we meet again." The Vital Dragon decided that it was the perfect time to make his escape. Staying here served no real purpose anyway.

Their ability to drive away Immortal Monarchs suggested they were terrifyingly powerful.

Given his current state, should they want to harm him, escape would be absolutely impossible.

At that instant, an ominous voice reached the Vital Dragon’s ears. Despite being just two simple words, they struck him like the chilling whisper of a demon.

Alarmed, the Vital Dragon masked his tension with feigned composure, replying, "What is it, friend?"

Lin Fan said, "Haven’t you noticed how destined we are to cross paths? Besides, this Secret Realm is meant for treasure hunting. We’ve been wandering here for quite some time now without finding a single artifact. It’s quite disheartening, don’t you agree?"

The Vital Dragon immediately grew anxious. The moment Lin Fan voiced these sentiments, the situation had clearly become more complicated.

This Secret Realm had been scoured for thousands of years—where would there still be treasures left?

Except for that time long ago when someone lucked out and snagged a Holy Weapon from here, he’d never seen anyone obtain anything noteworthy.

He still remembered the scene vividly—light illuminating the skies, immortal radiance like cascading silk, and phenomena that were truly astounding.

"To be frank, friend, this Secret Realm has been around for a long time. Whatever treasures there were have already been claimed. The likelihood of finding anything now is incredibly low." The Vital Dragon explained.

If he had any treasures to offer, he would gladly surrender them all.

Simply to spare them disappointment.

If treasures were indeed here, perhaps their satisfaction might end the ordeal.

But Lin Fan realized this Vital Dragon wasn’t quite grasping his intentions. A flicker of helplessness crossed his mind. Maybe he’d need to spell things out plainly for the dragon to understand.

Plain and straightforward it is.

"In that case, let me be direct with you, friend. You and I are undeniably bound by fate. It so happens I have a matter that requires your assistance—a task of suppression. Would you kindly lend your aid?" Lin Fan said.

"What do you mean?" The Vital Dragon twisted his head, failing to comprehend Lin Fan’s exact meaning.

Lin Fan furrowed his brows; communicating with the Vital Dragon felt increasingly challenging.

"The meaning is simple—I want you to be my pet." Lin Fan stated bluntly.

The world fell silent.

The Vital Dragon’s enormous eyes widened, staring at Lin Fan as if silently questioning, "Are you serious?"

Qin Yang and Xiang Fei exchanged knowing glances. It seemed the situation had inevitably come to this point. There was no alternative but to hope the dragon would understand.

The Vital Dragon forced himself upright, his colossal form taking to the skies as he fled into the distance. "Damn it, I thought he was a good man, but it turns out he’s even more straightforward than those three Immortal Monarchs."

Absolutely out of the question.

Surrendering to that notion is preposterous.

"Brother Lin, he’s trying to escape!" Qin Yang yelled.

Lin Fan channeled his mana, unleashing his divine skills to grab at the escaping figure of the dragon. Instantly, the Void split open, and a massive hand emerged, grabbing the Vital Dragon by the tail.

The Vital Dragon’s body shuddered, his heart sinking into despair. He nearly wished for death.

"Friend, spare me. We’ve no resentment or grudge between us—why persist in this pursuit?" The Vital Dragon pleaded bitterly.

His heart was cold as ice.

Why do you treat me so cruelly? Born a dragon just recently, I haven’t even seen the outside world. Why must you subject me to this? Am I forever destined to suffer?

He knew escape was impossible now.

"Damn it, damn it all! If you’re not letting me live, I’ll fight you with everything I have!"

Enraged beyond reason, the Vital Dragon roared furiously, unleashing a torrent of wrath that stormed out from deep within, turning back to launch an attack on Lin Fan.

The heavens trembled.

Ear-splitting booms resounded.

The Vital Dragon lay miserably on the ground, battered worse than before. He had given up—this human powerhouse was terrifying beyond measure, far beyond his capacity to resist.

He could hold his own against three Immortal Monarchs.

But against Lin Fan, he could only endure an overwhelming beatdown.

Seated atop the dragon’s head, Lin Fan sighed with resignation, "Friend, what was the point? Resisting only brought unnecessary pain."

"I don’t plan to kill you."

"I just happen to have a Secret Realm where I’d like you to stay for a time. The request is quite simple: change your living quarters, and occasionally help me scare people. That’s all."

The Vital Dragon’s mind went blank, unwilling to listen further, grumbling stubbornly, "You will surely face divine punishment someday. I, the Vital Dragon, have never owed a debt of life. Formed by the heavens and earth themselves, to be treated by you—it’s abominable, truly abominable."

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"You’re not killing me, nor turning me into one of those mount-riding pets?"

The Vital Dragon’s stunned voice emerged. His furious state eased as Lin Fan’s words settled in—bringing with them confusion that slowly unraveled.

Lin Fan helplessly replied, "Who’d ride you? Am I missing legs or half-incapacitated? It’s simply about you moving to my Secret Realm for a while. If anyone trespasses, just scare them—that’s it."

"Then why didn’t you say that from the start?" The Vital Dragon suddenly sounded a little indignant. If Lin Fan had explained clearly earlier, none of this mess would’ve happened.

But he just wouldn’t say it outright.

Causing the dragon to misinterpret and fight back, as he had assumed being captured would lead to an extremely tragic fate. Had he known otherwise, he wouldn’t have rebelled like that.

"Friend, you’re being unreasonable. I made myself quite clear earlier—it was your misunderstanding. Who else is to blame?"

"Brother Qin, Xiang Fei, you tell me—was I unclear just now?" Lin Fan turned to the two, hoping they’d offer fair judgment.

Qin Yang and Xiang Fei exchanged brief glances.

What could they say? Truthfully, Lin Fan’s initial phrasing had been rather misleading. If they were in the Vital Dragon’s position, they’d have fled for their lives too, interpreting those words the same way.

There’s no way they’d admit as much.

"Vital Dragon, you indeed misunderstood him."

The two shamelessly lied.

After all, they were used to it.

Staring at his three companions, the Vital Dragon couldn’t express a human smile, but his peculiar gaze delivered an unmistakable message: "You guys are so shady."

"Fine, I misunderstood." The Vital Dragon resigned to laying low—no sense in needless debate over trivial issues. That’d only invite more animosity.

Lin Fan smiled; this trip to the Secret Realm had yielded considerable gains. Whether or not treasures remained ahead mattered little to him.

Then he extended his hand, and the Vital Dragon shrank down to the size of a finger-length tiny dragon, landing in his palm.

"Let’s go. There’s no point in staying here any longer."

Even if treasures were hidden here, Lin Fan no longer cared.