The Cannon Fodder’s Inner Thoughts Were Overheard by the Villain [Transmigration Into a Book] - Chapter 53

Entering the Secret Realm was simpler than Jiang Minghuan had imagined. With his vision obstructed, his hearing sharpened, and he seemed to faintly hear the name of the sword, Jade Shatter. Then… nothing.

After about fifteen minutes, Pei Jingyuan’s voice rang out from above, “We’re here.”

Jiang Minghuan immediately looked around, only to be greeted by a scene straight out of hell. A faint red mist hung in the air, the earth and mountains were stained in dark crimson, and scattered white skeletons littered the landscape. An eerie silence reigned.

Despite the terrifying sight, he felt a sudden sense of relief.

‘Right, this is it. The book described this realm as both inhospitable and extremely dangerous.’

‘Now the real question: Should I even know about this place? Does Pei Jingyuan know?’

He glanced up at Pei Jingyuan, his mind twisting with indecision.

This “foreknowledge” wasn’t always a blessing. He wanted to warn Pei Jingyuan, but he couldn’t reveal his source. Yet remaining silent felt reckless, and explaining it would be impossible. Could he really claim he’d dreamed it?

Are my dreams getting a bit too miraculous?

Noticing Jiang Minghuan’s troubled expression, Pei Jingyuan spoke up, “Be careful. This is the Dragon Tomb.”

Jiang Minghuan instantly sighed in relief. Thank goodness, Pei Jingyuan knows this place.

He feigned ignorance and asked, “Dragon Tomb? Is this the legendary Dragon Tomb? I thought it existed beyond the Three Realms, roaming the Heavens, accessible only to the Dragon Clan. How could it suddenly appear here?”

Pei Jingyuan shook his head. “I don’t know. Perhaps it’s connected to the Fallen Dragon Abyss, or perhaps it’s just a coincidence.”

‘I know! It’s because Yun Ning carried a fragment of Dragon Clan bone, which the Dragon Tomb sensed. But I won’t tell you. Heh heh.’

A fragment of Dragon Clan bone?

Pei Jingyuan understood immediately. That would explain it. As for how Yun Ning came to possess such a relic, he wasn’t particularly concerned.

He glanced around and said, “Legend has it that the Dragon Tomb’s only exit is the Dragon Burial Platform. However, its location is hidden, and finding it won’t be easy. We’ll likely have to search carefully.”

Jiang Minghuan, who had been smugly pleased moments before, froze for a moment.

Oh no, I have no idea how to proceed.

Part of the problem was that the author hadn’t provided detailed information about this subplot. The other part was that Jiang Minghuan hadn’t paid close attention to that section when reading the book. He’d mostly skimmed through the text, focusing only on chapters featuring Pei Jingyuan.

Pei Jingyuan didn’t appear in the Dragon Tomb subplot, so Jiang Minghuan had naturally skimmed through it, grasping only the general outline of what happened and the final outcome. The details… had completely slipped his mind.

Jiang Minghuan glanced around hesitantly and suggested, “Why don’t we head north?”

After all, Yun Ning and Jiang Zhou had seemingly chosen north when they entered the tomb at random.

He looked around again and realized the Dragon Tomb’s sky was a uniform gray haze, occasionally pierced by flashes of lightning that cast flickering shadows on the ground. How was one supposed to discern directions in a place like this?

Without a word of protest, Pei Jingyuan led the way forward. “Then we’ll go north.”

Jiang Minghuan hurried after him, a note of surprise in his voice. “How can you tell which direction is north?”

Pei Jingyuan’s usually stern tone carried a rare hint of mischief. “I’m not telling you.”

Jiang Minghuan hmphed softly under his breath.

‘Fine, don’t tell me. As if I care. Worst comes to worst, I’ll just make a compass later.’

‘Wait, would a compass even work in the Cultivation World? By now, even without a compass, there should at least be a South-pointing Ladle, right?’

‘Ah, whatever. The Cultivation World probably has its own magic tools. I’ll figure it out when the time comes.’

As they walked, Jiang Minghuan observed their surroundings, finding the Dragon Tomb’s scenery utterly unremarkable.

It was understandable. This was the Dragon Clan’s cemetery, a place forbidden to outsiders. Breaking in to steal things and then complaining about the cemetery’s appearance seemed rather inappropriate.

Jiang Minghuan felt a twinge of guilt. Then, a long, slender shadow rose straight up ahead, startling him. He instinctively reached for his pocket.

‘Ah, I can’t seem to break the habit of reaching for talismans when I see something like a ghost. Maybe I should stock up just in case?’

‘What exactly is that thing? Standing so stiffly, it’s kind of creepy… Wait, that description sounds familiar. Wasn’t it an important scene in the original story? Stupid brain, think harder!’

Pei Jingyuan shielded Jiang Minghuan behind him, his steps remarkably relaxed.

In truth, even he felt on edge in a place like the Dragon Tomb. Legend had it that ancient Dragon Souls guarded these tombs.

These Dragon Souls were typically those who had committed grave sins and been executed, yet not punished to the point of complete annihilation. Instead, they were condemned to guard the tombs as punishment.

A Dragon Soul retains the cultivation level it had in life, and the Dragon Clan are favored children of the Heavenly Dao. They are born at the Golden Core Stage, effortlessly break through to the Nascent Soul realm, and even reaching the Deity Transformation Stage is far easier for them than for humans.

Pei Jingyuan believed he wouldn’t fear even a Deity Transformation Stage Dragon Soul, but… who knew how many guardian Dragon Souls lurked within the Dragon Tomb?

However, Jiang Minghuan’s constant muttering dispelled the oppressive atmosphere, leaving him strangely more relaxed.

Pei Jingyuan observed Jiang Minghuan’s contradictory mix of timidity and recklessness, thinking, Truly fearless ignorance.

It was unclear whether the story in Jiang Minghuan’s head ever mentioned the guardian Dragon Souls of the Dragon Tomb. Judging by his behavior, he seemed unaware, otherwise this little saltfish probably wouldn’t have chosen to enter.

Clutching the hilt of Whale Swallower, Jiang Minghuan followed Pei Jingyuan forward. As they ventured deeper, he realized the shadowy figures he’d mistaken for ghosts were actually trees.

These trees, however, were unlike any he’d ever seen. They were pitch black, with faint crimson threads shimmering within the darkness, and possessed only trunks and branches—no leaves.

Despite their arboreal shape, they radiated an aura of deathly stillness.

“Dragon Blood Wood?” Jiang Minghuan blurted out.

After speaking, Jiang Minghuan glanced at Pei Jingyuan, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Pei Jingyuan nodded. “So this is Dragon Blood Wood. It’s the first time I’ve seen it.”

Jiang Minghuan breathed a sigh of relief that Pei Jingyuan didn’t press him about how he knew it was Dragon Blood Wood. He immediately added gleefully, “We can take plenty back. This stuff is excellent for medicine or forging. Too bad it can’t be grown outside this place.”

As its name suggests, Dragon Blood Wood is nourished by the blood and flesh of the Dragon Clan and can only grow within Dragon Tombs. Otherwise, Jiang Minghuan would have tried propagating it by cuttings.

However, he recalled that some senior cultivators had attempted to nourish Dragon Blood Wood with the blood and flesh of Snake Demons. The plants did survive, but they never grew larger than a thumb in length or the thickness of a pinky finger.

Dragon Blood Wood of this size was practically useless, yet required a significant amount of Snake Demon flesh to maintain. The senior cultivators who tried it quickly abandoned further research.

Jiang Minghuan, however, theorized that if Snake Demon flesh worked, it meant Dragon Blood Wood fundamentally required spiritual nourishment. Its failure to grow might simply indicate insufficient spiritual energy in the flesh used.

Of course, this was only a theory. He’d need to test it back at the sect. With so much Dragon Blood Wood available, sacrificing a small branch for experimentation wouldn’t be a problem.

Jiang Minghuan, clutching Whale Swallower excitedly, rushed toward the Dragon Blood Wood Forest. Pei Jingyuan immediately followed, even taking hold of his hand.

Yet even with their hands linked, the moment they entered the Dragon Blood Wood Forest, Pei Jingyuan felt Jiang Minghuan’s hand slip away.

He stared at the empty forest, slowly clenching his fist. On the dark-red, hardened earth, faint glimmers of an array pattern flashed. He glanced around coldly and said, “Looking to die!”

As Jiang Minghuan entered the Dragon Blood Wood Forest, he said, “I wonder how much we can take with us? It’d be great if we could take it all, but would that be dangerous?”

He received no response after speaking. Turning around, he realized he was alone.

Huh?

Jiang Minghuan froze for a moment, then slapped his forehead.

Damn it! I forgot that Dragon Blood Wood has a mild hallucinogenic effect. A single piece is harmless, but in large quantities, it can induce illusions—even for cultivators.

But higher cultivation levels seem to resist its effects. I remember from the original story that Yun Ning was affected, but Jiang Zhou remained unaffected. That’s why Jiang Zhou was the only one who could lead them out of the Dragon Blood Wood Forest.

As this realization struck him, Jiang Minghuan suddenly noticed something amiss.

In the original story, Jiang Zhou was only at the Golden Core Stage when he entered the Dragon Tomb. I can’t remember if it was the mid-stage or the Grand Completion of the Wood Attribute, but it definitely wasn’t much higher than my current cultivation level. Logically, he should have been affected too.

Even if he was affected, Pei Jingyuan couldn’t possibly be, so… where is Pei Jingyuan?

Jiang Minghuan set aside his greed for the Dragon Blood Wood, slowly drew the Whale Swallower, and shook the long blade. “Old Duan, wake up. Something’s happened.”

Duan Shui poked his head out of the Whale Swallower and immediately chattered, “Wow, what’s this place? It looks kind of scary.”

Jiang Minghuan said, “This is the Dragon Tomb, and we’re currently in the Dragon Blood Wood Forest.”

Duan Shui was stunned. He stepped onto a little cloud and floated out of the blade to survey the surroundings. “Where’s the Pavilion Master?”

“I don’t know. He came in with me, but I haven’t seen him since we entered.”

Duan Shui immediately retorted, “Impossible.”

Jiang Minghuan nodded slowly. “I thought the same, but the facts are right in front of us.”

Duan Shui floated down to the ground and examined the area closely. “There seem to be some marks here. They’re probably man-made.”

Jiang Minghuan crouched down to look. Hmm, he couldn’t make sense of them.

He turned to Duan Shui and asked, “Man-made? Do you mean someone set a trap here?”

Duan Shui nodded. “That’s right. Even the most potent Dragon Blood Wood could never deceive the Pavilion Master, let alone you. The fact that you’ve been separated now means someone must be exploiting the hallucinogenic effects of the Dragon Blood Wood Forest, combining it with something else to create these illusions. No, wait, they must have also divided the space.”

As expected of an ancient Blade Spirit who had lived for countless years, Duan Shui’s analysis was remarkably logical.

Jiang Minghuan squatted down, looking at him. “So now the problem is, how do we find Pei Jingyuan?”

Duan Shui turned to look at him. When Jiang Minghuan saw those round eyes, clear yet foolish, he knew this guy wouldn’t be of any help.

Jiang Minghuan clicked his tongue. “I thought you had this all figured out.”

Duan Shui immediately puffed out his belly and planted his hands on his hips. “Why must you find the Pavilion Master? Can’t you stand on your own and explore the Dragon Tomb independently? Are you planning to stay tethered to him forever? What if you get separated? Would you just give up on exploring other Secret Realms?”

“Why would I go to other Secret Realms?” Jiang Minghuan stared at him, bewildered. “Wood Cultivators don’t rely as heavily on rare treasures. As long as I follow the proper path, I’ll eventually reach the Grand Completion of Wood Attribute. Why take unnecessary risks?”

This time, he must have been possessed by a demon, driven by some strange impulse to make this trip. He should have stayed away.

Duan Shui, “….”

Frustrating! How can the world harbor such a coward?

Where’s the arrogance from back when he slapped the Jade Capital Sect’s Chosen on the stage with his sword?

Just as Duan Shui was about to retort, a familiar voice suddenly rang out, “What are you two crouching there for?”

Jiang Minghuan looked up and saw the familiar dark green robe and silver mask. He immediately sighed in relief and stood up, saying, “Nothing much. Old Duan just said something about this place feeling off.”

Pei Jingyuan approached with his hands clasped behind his back and nodded. “Indeed, it is strange. But anything can happen within the Dragon Tomb. There’s no need to waste energy on trivial matters. Let’s go. I’ve just discovered a cave nearby; let’s see what’s inside.”

As he spoke, he extended his hand toward Jiang Minghuan.

Hm?

Jiang Minghuan glanced at the outstretched hand, then at Pei Jingyuan. After a moment of silence, he said slowly, “Then please lead the way, Pavilion Master.”