Qiu Ling blinked. He certainly hadn't imagined that it would work that well …
"Are you sure she's dependable?" Xin Lan continued to frown. This woman made quite the chaotic impression on him. Trusting her to lead them to the right person and then set that person free … He doubted that this was a wise decision.
Qiu Ling didn't have as many concerns. After his initial shock, he hurried into the dungeon as well, leaving Xin Lan behind by himself. He couldn't waste even a second! This was for freeing his beloved, after all!
Looking at the figure hurrying after that woman Xin Lan could only sigh. He didn't want to but he still followed the two of them lest they provoked some trouble that would cause his master to have to wait for the return of his lover even longer.
Thus three people who weren't supposed to be there entered the dungeon of the Chun Feng Sect.
Qiu Ling stopped after taking just a single step. This place … felt really weird. Or, no, he felt weird being at this place. His fingers tingled and his mind buzzed. It seemed as if … someone was talking to him but he couldn't really understand the words?
He turned to look at Xin Lan only to find him frown even more than usual. "What is it?"
Xin Lan also turned in his direction before motioning deeper into the dungeon. "This place was made to detain demons. There should be something called a Blood Gem incorporated into the walls and if I'm not wrong, then that plant growing in the seams is Soul Cleansing Grass." Xin Lan laughed. "This is a sect of demon hunters alright. Both of these suppress demons. If they catch one and imprison it here for a few days, it's expected that the demon wouldn't have the ability to escape any longer."
Qiu Ling frowned. "Then why …"
Xin Lan's eyes narrowed. "Well, considering the close relationship between our races it's not strange for us to feel the effect of the Blood Gem and the Soul Cleansing Grass too." He said so but his eyes told a different story.
Qiu Ling looked away. It was obvious that Xin Lan indeed felt the effects to a certain degree. His reaction wasn't very strong though while he himself … Qiu Ling gritted his teeth. Well, he shouldn't have expected anything different. Between his father and mother, his father had always been stronger and it seemed that the dragon blood he had inherited was also stronger than his demonic side but he couldn't deny that it was there. As much as he wanted to forget about it there would always be a part of him that wasn't a dragon. And this part would naturally show the same reactions as a demon would.
Ah, he could probably count himself lucky that there was only Xin Lan around who knew about it anyway. If some other dragon had seen …
Qiu Ling closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't let them find out. At least not as long as he wasn't married to Jing He. Afterward … It wouldn't matter any longer. The only reason to hold onto his throne was to win over his beloved and have the right to marry him. As soon as that was accomplished he could give the right to the throne up and return it to someone who was a pure dragon.
Qiu Ling cracked his eyes open and tried to ignore those voices and that strange numbing feeling. He slowly followed Hong Bao and Xin Lan who had already gone ahead. Unfortunately, the dungeon of the Chun Feng Sect was designed to be as troublesome as possible to the demons. There wasn't any kind of straight way through the building. No, instead, it twisted and turned, increasing the time one needed to flee.
Not only that, but the Chun Feng Sect had also taken great care to make every attempt to escape as bothersome to the demons as they could or, well, to render them impossible in the first place. While there had been some Blood Gems and some Soul Cleansing Grass in the outer parts but nothing else that could keep the demons back the inner parts were worse. The number of Blood Gems increased until almost every stone slab used in the floor, the walls and even in the ceiling had some. In some parts where the path winding through the dungeon was small, there were even slabs made completely out of Blood Gem.
Qiu Ling cursed silently. Had this sect done this on purpose?! Couldn't they have used some anti-demon, pro-dragon gem instead?! At least then the effects would have canceled each other out!
He gritted his teeth and continued to follow Hong Bao and Xin Lan but his face had paled and cold sweat beaded his forehead. Ah, if it went on like this … Don't even talk about freeing that Bai Mu he would be lucky to get out of here himself. Argh, those humans were really vicious! Had he known then, he would have insisted that his father-in-law sent help with them. Then again … he couldn't let the gods find out about how badly this affected him.
He reached out, wanting to prop himself up on the wall but as soon as his fingers touched it a searing pain engulfed his hand. Qiu Ling recoiled but where was he supposed to go? He winced and tried to stay away from the walls as best as he could. This was nearly as bad as the time in the Hei Dian Sect when Hong Ai had hit him with that sword against demons.
Xin Lan looked back at him. "If you can't keep up, then wait outside. I'll go and get his blood."
Qiu Ling shook his head even though Xin Lan had already turned back around. No, he couldn't just go and wait outside. He had to … to find his uncle-in-law's son and get him out of here. He couldn't give this chance up.
He had to stay strong. For his Jing He.