While the two dragons were half-serious and half-joking, the gathered sects didn't feel like it was funny at all. They had known that dragons were powerful but seeing how easily that weapon of the demon-hunting sects was reduced to pieces, they got a new understanding of just how ferocious this race really was. They didn't want to end up on their bad side.
Meanwhile, Xin Lan just waved at another person, taking their weapon from them when they didn't react fast enough. He unsheathed that sword as well and then ran it over his hand, this time making sure that he was careful. Thus, there were no sparks and instead, a faint line appeared on his skin, a few drops of blood showing at the side.
Xin Lan slightly furrowed his brows but otherwise didn't indicate that he was uncomfortable anywhere. "So, either, I'm not a demon as you seem to want people to believe. I guess you can't say that this is all just a conspiracy now, can you?"
Xian Xun tightened his lips but his gaze was roaming about and finally swept back to the two dragons that were standing not too far away. "You might not be a demon but then you can't be a dragon either. These two said that the dragons would also be affected by our weapons. So either they are lying or you aren't what you pretend to be."
Xin Lan had the weapon back and gave Xian Xun a smile. "Or maybe your weapons are even worse than we already established. Anyway, you really think I'm not a dragon?" He fell quiet for a moment, pondering his next step.
To be honest, the other sects seemed quite receptive so what was being said so it would probably be easiest to just wipe out the Chun Feng Sect. They had dared to make trouble for his Master, so he also didn't think that it would be a problem. But then again, Jinde wouldn't like to hear that so many people had been killed for his sake. It seemed that he could only give these humans a show then.
His smile suddenly turned amicable, making some of the people gathered shutter. "Well, if it's like this, then I guess I will have to prove it to you. We likely won't get anywhere if I don't, right?"
Xian Xun just raised his chin, trying to seem a little more imposing. He wasn't willing to back down on this. He knew that everyone wanted to limit their ability to hunt demons but he was sure that none of them actually understood what the result of that would be. If they constricted the demon-hunting sects, then the demons would be running rampant soon. By then, the number of deaths in the human realm would go up further and further, and the people would have to live in terror. All the tragedies that would occur … He was not willing to let that happen.
Xin Lan didn't care about what he thought. He stepped a little away from the people of the gathered sects, still smiling as if he wasn't worried at all. Anyway, there wasn't any reason to be worried at all. Those humans definitely couldn't accuse him of not being a dragon for long.
Taking a moment to let the tension build up, Xin Lan raised his hand. Xiang Yong and An Bai exchanged a glance, feeling a bit surprised. They had thought that he would just change his form to prove that he was a dragon but apparently, that was not what he intended to do.
Xiang Yong slightly raised his brows. "Do you know anything?"
An Bai smiled faintly in response. "You seem to think that I know everything." He shook his head, turning back to watch what Xin Lan was doing. "I have no idea why he wouldn't just change his form. It seems easier. And it is definitely the best proof that he is indeed a dragon. Not doing it … Well, there might be some personal reasons behind this."
Xiang Yong raised his brows, a shocking thought in his mind. "You can't mean …"
An Bai shook his head. "No, he is definitely full-blooded. But … Well, have you ever seen him without that mask?"
Xiang Yong looked over to where Xin Lan stood, spiritual energy coiling around his body. The silver mask that covered half of his face was very eye-catching even now that the light of the sun was not shimmering on it. "I haven't."
An Bai nodded. "I haven't either and I haven't heard from anyone that has. Wearing a mask like that … I'm pretty sure that there will be a reason behind that. Most likely, there is something wrong with his face.
"Whatever it is, he can hide it in this form but not in his dragon form. I guess he wouldn't want to showcase that in front of everyone. It's one thing if it would be just the humans but with the two of us here …" He shook his head. "If I had to guess, I'd say he is too proud to do that. Considering his special status in our race, showing any bit of imperfection would be hard for him.
"Right now, nobody actually knows why he wears that mask. It's just some gossip and speculation. It adds to the mystery around him and nobody would be willing to discuss it too openly. That is likely still acceptable to him."
Xiang Yong gave a hum and then continued to watch on in silence as the sky above them darkened, the clouds growling with thunder while the wind picked up.
He had never thought too much about it. Even though most people of the dragon race were awed Xin Lan, there was only one hero of their race to him and that would always be their king.
Even if there was some ancestor that had somehow gotten around the curse, that was at most an interesting tidbit of information. But other than that, he was pretty neutral about this person.
Maybe he would feel slightly better about him if he had sworn allegiance to their king. But instead, this person still seemed to be hung up about the last one. How could he accept that?