The news of Wu Kuang's resurrection struck every member of the Dragon Clan dumb, leaving them speechless for a long time.
Suddenly, a figure stumbled out of the distance, flying erratically. The person appeared utterly exhausted, like a drunken bee, bobbing unsteadily in flight as though he might plunge into the sea at any moment.
Everyone turned to look, suspicion flickering in their eyes.
When Yang Kai caught a clear look at the figure, his expression shifted slightly.
Zhu Qing remarked in surprise, "It's Li Jiao."
Li Jiao was coughing up mouthfuls of blood, his face deathly pale. From afar, as though he had spotted a long-lost family member, he cried out urgently, "Palace Master Yang..."
Yang Kai hurried forward and caught him, examining him carefully to confirm his life wasn't in danger before transmitting his voice via divine sense: "Is Fu Chi dead?"
"Yes!"
Yang Kai's expression changed again. "Did you kill him?"
Li Jiao shook his head.
He had wanted to kill Fu Chi, but unfortunately he simply wasn't strong enough. If an uninvited guest hadn't appeared at the last moment, his fate today would likely have been grim. He knew full well the consequences of slaughtering a Dragon Clan member, but the situation at the time hadn't allowed him to think too far ahead. When he thought of what Lü Sanniang had endured all these years, only Fu Chi's blood could wash away their shared shame.
"It was Wu Chen! Wu Chen killed Fu Chi," Li Jiao said in a low voice.
"Wu Chen?" Yang Kai's expression turned peculiar. How could it be him?
Learning that Fu Chi hadn't died at Li Jiao's hands eased Yang Kai's mind somewhat. But what Li Jiao said was almost too incredible to believe. When he had first confirmed Fu Chi's death, he had considered two possibilities. The first was that Li Jiao had burst forth in strength and slain the dragon. If that were the case, then Li Jiao would never leave Dragon Island alive today — and his own Dragon Palace might well suffer the same fate. But that possibility was slim. He had allowed Li Jiao to go after Fu Chi precisely because he knew that with Li Jiao's cultivation, he couldn't possibly do anything to Fu Chi. At most, they would fight a fierce battle that would help Li Jiao vent his frustration. For Li Jiao to actually kill Fu Chi was simply unrealistic.
The second possibility was that Wu Kuang had killed Fu Chi — the most likely scenario, and really the only plausible one.
But the answer Li Jiao gave exceeded all expectations.
It was Wu Chen who had killed Fu Chi?
Yang Kai had always had a peculiar feeling about Wu Chen and had been carefully on his guard around him. But over the past month, Wu Chen had shown no hostility toward him — if anything, he had even helped him out with small favors in the beginning.
What concerned Yang Kai even more was that Wu Chen's cultivation advancement was somewhat odd.
When he had first met him, Wu Chen had been merely a Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivator. A month later, he had somehow advanced to the Third-Order. Though it was only a single minor realm of improvement, for any martial artist, that was a feat as difficult as ascending to heaven.
He didn't know what kind of opportunity Wu Chen had stumbled upon, but he just had a feeling that this fellow was no ordinary person.
"Who is Wu Chen?" Fu Zhun suddenly demanded.
Li Jiao's last words had not been transmitted via divine sense — he had spoken them aloud. Everyone present was a powerhouse of extraordinary cultivation, so they had all heard clearly. Having confirmed that Fu Chi was dead and learned the name of the dragon-slayer, the Dragon Clan naturally wanted to know this Wu Chen's background.
She unleashed her aura, and Li Jiao coughed up another mouthful of blood, looking as though he were about to die.
Yang Kai flashed in front of him and answered, "He's a human who came from Half-Dragon City."
Fu Zhun raged, "A mere human killed one of our Dragon Clan?" Her gaze turned vicious as she stared at Li Jiao. "You carry the scent of Fu Chi's blood on you. You're lying. Did you kill Fu Chi?"
Li Jiao shook his head hastily. "It wasn't me! It really was Wu Chen. I fought Fu Chi in a desperate battle, but I couldn't do anything to him. I nearly died at his hands myself. Then this Wu Chen suddenly appeared — I don't know what secret technique he used, but he subdued Fu Chi in an instant."
"Wu Chen has such ability?" Zhu Yan was also startled. To instantly subdue an Eighth-Order Thunder Dragon was no simple feat. How could such a powerful expert be hidden away in Half-Dragon City? He paused in thought before saying, "Tell us exactly what happened. If you utter even half a lie, you'll die without a grave."
Li Jiao looked pitiful, but his demeanor was steady — he didn't seem to be lying.
Li Jiao nodded lightly and chose his words carefully.
Yang Kai reached out and placed his hand on Li Jiao's wrist, channeling Emperor Qi into him. Only then did Li Jiao's complexion improve somewhat, and he shot Yang Kai a grateful look.
The next moment, Li Jiao began his account in a measured tone.
He concealed nothing, recounting how he had trailed Fu Chi to the Spirit Island, fought three desperate moves against him, and then how Wu Chen had appeared in eerie fashion — detailing everything from the significant changes in Wu Chen's appearance to his drastic personality shift.
"After I fled, I heard Fu Chi's agonized screams, followed immediately by rain falling from a clear sky. Even though I'm a dragon descendant, I know that when a dragon perishes, it turns to rain. So in my eyes, Fu Chi must already be dead — and the one who killed him was that Wu Chen."
With Fu Chi dead, he naturally felt a sense of satisfaction. Even though the bastard hadn't died by his own hand, those three desperate moves had inflicted indelible damage on Fu Chi — that alone was enough to vent his rage.
Li Jiao even thought that without his three desperate strikes, Wu Chen might have had to work harder to kill Fu Chi. From that perspective, he had contributed some effort to Fu Chi's death — one could say he had avenged himself with his own hands.