Chapter 229: Xiao Yu

The Zombie Jiao-dragon by itself wasn't all that powerful; the key was the effect of the pearl.

As time passed, the body of the Zombie Jiao-dragon grew larger and larger and was emitting a scarlet luster.

"It's already reached its limit and is trying to retreat into the lake! Stop it, don't let it escape!" Cang Ming coldly barked.

Mu Ye and the rest frantically attacked the Zombie Jiao-dragon while the rest intercepted its movements at the surface of the lake. They stood on the surface of the lake and made preparations to engage it in battle at any moment.

At the provocation, the Zombie Jiao-dragon crazily roared in rage towards the sky.

*Woosh!* *Woosh!* *Woosh!*

Numerous Zombie Jiao-dragons suddenly appeared from under the surface of the lake and attacked the surrounding experts. All of the newcomer Jiao-dragons were at least Black Gold rank. Some of the experts were caught off guard and were dragged into the lake ,issuing miserable shrieks.

Some of the Zombie Jiao-dragons were also killed by the experts.

"Hmph! I never thought that there'd also be a nest full of offspring!" Cang Ming coldly laughed as he formed a terrifyingly powerful pillar of purple lightning in the center of his palm and swept it across the surface of the lake. When the Zombie Jiao-dragon that was charging at him made contact with the lightning pillar, it was wiped out from a hail of sparks that flew in all directions.

While Cang Ming and the rest were slaughtering the normal Zombie Jiao-dragons, the main Zombie Jiao-dragon turned even redder. Walls of water shot up from the lake, entrapping the experts in an instant. At the same moment, the Zombie Jiao-dragon dived towards the lake.

At this, Cang Ming frowned and shot the lightning in his palm after the Zombie Jiao-dragon. However, his lightning was unable to penetrate the walls of water.

"I never thought that this beast would still have such strength," Cang Ming's brows slightly twitched as he formed a mysterious lightning spear and shot it from his hand. That lightning spear spun like a bullet as it tore through the air, carrying bolts of lightning and an unparalleled aura towards the Zombie Jiao-dragon.

*Boom!*

This time, the lightning spear penetrated the water walls as a streak of light and flew towards the Zombie Jiao-dragon.

Nie Li shivered when he saw that lightning spear. That lightning spear was at least of Heavenly Fate rank. Even though Cang Ming wasn't able to bring out the lightning spear's true strength, it was nevertheless still an astonishing feat.

'With my current strength, it would be bad if I to cross Cang Ming.' Nie Li thought inwardly. As for that scarlet pearl, he decided to give up on it. He took Ye Ziyun and turned to leave to resume their search for their friends, who had gotten lost in the mist earlier.

*Boom!*

That lightning spear pierced the body of the red Zombie Jiao-dragon, causing it to issue a mournful shriek as fresh blood splattered the surface of the lake. That attack from Cang Ming had greatly wounded the Zombie Jiao-dragon; however, the creature ignored its injuries and drilled into the lake.

While this was going on, Mu Ye was standing on the surface of the lake, quietly observing the battle. When the red Zombie Jiao-dragon suffered from the heavy injuries, he could've easily intercepted it with his strength. However, Mu Ye refrained from taking action and watched the Zombie Jiao-dragon give out a cry of indignation as it dived into the water.

Cang Ming wielded his lightning spear and landed on the surface of the water. That Zombie Jiao-dragon had already fled deep into the lake. With how deep the lake is, who knows what other kinds of dangers could be hidden within? Alone, he didn't dare to enter.

He coldly swept his eyes at Mu Ye and said, "Why didn't you stop it?"

A bright smile appeared on Mu Ye's handsome face as he replied, "The Zombie Jiao-dragon's berserk tantrum made it too dangerous to go near it. I didn't want to risk going against it and it escaped in the brief moment I hesitated."

Cang Ming furrowed his brows for a moment. He didn't believe Mu Ye's nonsense for a single moment. However, Cang Ming also couldn't do anything about it, since Mu Ye would be a rather difficult opponent. If a fight really broke out, even Cang Ming might not be able win.

"Hmph!" Cang Ming coldly snorted as he turned to pursue the Zombie Jiao-dragon. He skimmed the surface of the lake as he tried to pinpoint the Jiao-dragon's location with his senses.

As he watched Cang Ming's back, Mu Ye's facial expression went cold. The truth is, he was totally capable of intercepting the Zombie Jiao-dragon earlier. However, he didn't do so because of Cang Ming's lightning spear. When he saw that spear, he realised that even he might not be able to beat him.

Therefore, if he had actually intercepted the Zombie Jiao-dragon, a fight probably would've broken out over the scarlet pearl. If that happened, then there was a high chance that the treasure would've fallen into the hands of Cang Ming.

As far as Mu Ye was concerned, he would rather let the scarlet pearl be lost than hand it to Cang Ming. After all, Cang Ming was one of his competitors for the disciple's position!

Nie Li faintly smiled when Mu Ye let the Zombie Jiao-dragon escape. These people were definitely not unified. Nie Li could more or less guess the thoughts of Mu Ye and agreed with him; it's good that the Zombie Jiao-dragon escaped. It would be a huge headache if someone had actually managed to get their hands on that scarlet pearl.

The competitions between the various families in the Nether Realm were indeed very intense.

Nie Li suddenly felt a ripple in his soul realm, lightly smiled, and said, "I sense Ning'er nearby."

Ye Ziyun pouted at Nie Li's bright smile, but didn't say anything. Despite the peculiar feelings in her heart, she was not a petty person. After all, Ning'er had known Nie Li for much longer than her.

Nie Li skimmed the slope. From some distance away, a beautiful and charming girl was walking quietly. Who else could it be, if not Xiao Ning'er? However, walking next to Xiao Ning'er was mysterious youth. His face was delicate and handsome, like a jade sculpture, and he held a calm countenance.

This person appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. He had thin, long brows, gentle eyes, and a long nose. His skin was the color of white jade and as smooth as water. His eyes were elegant and full of spirit, without a hint of impurity. His lips seemed to be arched in a smile, yet at the same time it wasn't a smile. That sort of grace could definitely woo the hearts of countless women.

With those looks, even women would be jealous of him.

This young man smiled as he conversed with Ning'er. Meanwhile, she pursed her lips and would occasionally smile.

As the pair continued on the small path, they looked like the models of a painting.

The scene caused a slight, but indescribable moodiness in Nie Li's heart. He couldn't help letting out a long sigh. What's gotten into him? He recalled everything he'd been through with Ning'er. She was indeed a lovable girl. If it hadn't been for everything that had happened in his previous life, Nie Li might have fallen in love with Ning'er instead.

"Nie Li, you couldn't be jealous, right?" Ye Ziyun jokingly asked.

"Nope." Nie Li smiled as he shook his head. He understood that Ye Ziyun was just teasing him.

"Ning'er, over here!" Nie Li waved towards Xiao Ning'er.

Seeing Nie Li, Xiao Ning'er's eyes lit up with happiness. She quickened her steps and ran towards Nie Li and Ye Ziyun.

"Nie Li, Ye Ziyun, I finally found you," said Xiao Ning'er. When she remembered the events inside the Fog of Misleading and saw Nie Li's anxious expression as he searched for her, Ning'er felt a little happy inside. At least in his heart she was still very important, even if she was less so than Ye Ziyun.

The handsome boy walked over and looked Nie Li face-to-face. Faintly, Nie Li could sense his deep and immeasurable cultivation. He has no idea if this stranger was a friend or foe. If he was an enemy, then he would be very hard to deal with. At the very least, he's even above Cang Ming and Mu Ye.

This Nether Realm really does have crouching tigers and hidden dragons [1. Chinese idiom meaning "trove of hidden talents"]!

"Ning'er, this is...?" Nie Li asked as he looked at Ning'er.

Xiao Ning'er introduced him, "His name is Xiao Yu. Earlier on, it was thanks to him that I wasn't held up by several guys."

Nie Li cupped his hands as he said, "Many thanks to brother Xiao Yu for aiding Ning'er,"

"Brother Nie Li, you're too kind." Xiao Yu said as he lightly smiled. His smile was like a spring breeze.

"You know my name?" Nie Li's brows slightly twitched.

"Along the way, sister Ning'er mentioned you more than once. How could I not know you?" Xiao Yu laughed.

His voice was gentle and smooth as jade with a hint of a carefree personality. It was simply too hard for anyone to dislike him. No wonder Ning'er didn't raise her guard against him. However, Nie Li still had a little guard around his heart. After all, this was a stranger that Ning'er had just met on the road. Furthermore, his strength was deep and immeasurable. Who knows what kind of motive the opposing party has?

In his previous life, Nie Li met too many people.

Ning'er's face heated up at Xiao Yu's words and she couldn't help sneaking a glance at Ye Ziyun. After all, Ye Ziyun is Nie Li's fiancée.

Ye Ziyun has always been aware that Xiao Ning'er was in love with Nie Li. In the past, she and Xiao Ning'er had turned from best friends into strangers. When Nie Li entered their lives, their relationship became even more complicated because of the various incidents regarding him.

Although her feelings were a little complicated, Ye Ziyun's personality wouldn't let her actively pursue anything. Instead, she would rather sit back and let fate set her course.

Xiao Yu glanced at the three people with an amused expression. He lightly smiled and said, "Along the way, sister Ning'er and I have hit it off quite well. It just so happens that I'm rather tired of travelling alone, so why don't we travel together?"

To think that this guy actually wanted to hang on. Nie Li felt uneasy at the thought of letting someone with an unclear background hanging around. Since this Xiao Yu had entered the Nine-Layered Deathlands, his motives shouldn't be as simple as making friends, right?

What was even stranger was the fact that even with his powerful strength, he had only remained in the first layer.

Anyhow, Nie Li suspected that Xiao Yu was harbouring malicious intentions.

Xiao Ning'er looked at Nie Li and said, "Nie Li, Xiao Yu is a good person,"

At Xiao Ning'er's words, Nie Li became even more suspicious of Xiao Yu without knowing why. With such a handsome and graceful person, there was simply nothing to be fussy about. He was too perfect. Too perfect to the point that he didn't appear mortal. His voice was very gentle and he was very gentle and considerate when dealing with people. But on the contrary, his presence still put Nie Li in a bit of a bad mood.

Nie Li pondered for a brief moment before he said, "Ning'er, we still have important matters to deal with. We can't bring another person along,"

"It seems like brother Nie Li has some prejudices towards me," Xiao Yu said as he gave a light smile. He could see the distaste Nie Li held towards him.

Prejudice? Of course! You haven't been with us for that long and yet you want to join our group?

However, Nie Li was still very polite with his words as he smiled and said, "Brother Xiao Yu has misunderstood. We've just met each other; furthermore, you've helped Ning'er. How could I have any prejudice towards you?"