Chapter 87: The Dragon Ring (Part One)

This was a cave beneath the lake, and though the entire mountain was submerged, a faint barrier kept the lake water and the little mountain completely apart. Even as the world outside was frozen for miles in every direction, within the cave it remained dry as ever.

At the entrance, Ye Feng had been seated in meditation for nearly an hour before he finally rose to his feet. “I wonder what’s happening outside now. Will that terrifying ice serpent vent its wrath on the others?” he asked softly as he walked deeper into the cave.

By now, Ye Feng understood that the barrier outside not only kept out the lake water, but also prevented the guardian ice serpent from entering.

“You’d better worry about yourself! That creature is here to guard this place—waiting in the lake for you to walk right into its jaws. Compared to anyone else outside, this cave is far more important to it,” came the voice of the Dragon Jiao Demon King from within the Demon King Realm, his brow furrowed. Even he had no good way to deal with the ice serpent lurking outside.

“Stop wasting time, boy! Go ten yards further in, and you’ll find a raised platform. Search it carefully—there should be a storage ring or something similar. The treasure is inside,” urged the Demon King.

Ye Feng’s face brightened at this. If the Dragon Jiao Demon King spoke truly, even a single storage ring would make risking this adventure worthwhile. In the Martial Soul Continent, storage rings were highly prized; even the most powerful experts could not craft one themselves.

These days, Ye Feng had been forced to leave his spiritual fruits in the Demon King Realm, but with time, their potency was fading fast. If only he had a storage ring: no matter how long the fruits were kept, their efficacy would not diminish in the least. Storage rings held only space, not time.

Lost in thought, Ye Feng strode to the platform the Demon King had described.

Here, the place was cluttered with all manner of objects—swords and weapons lay tossed about everywhere, their surfaces mottled with rust from the passage of years.

Most outrageous of all, the center of the platform was piled high with broken stones.

“What is this? Who would throw treasures in with this heap of junk? Are you trying to trick me, old monster?” Ye Feng wondered aloud, suspecting that the Dragon Jiao Demon King might be toying with him.

“Boy, the ring is among the stones. Search carefully!” The Demon King’s excited voice sounded from the Demon King Realm. “If you find that treasure, I guarantee you’ll escape from here unharmed!”

Without further argument, Ye Feng resignedly rolled up his sleeves and began searching.

Again and again...

After nearly half an hour, Ye Feng sat down in frustration, complaining, “Old monster, are you messing with me? I’ve searched this pile three times—there’s no ring here!”

The Dragon Jiao Demon King was silent now. By his senses, the treasure that could restore some of his power was hidden among these stones. Yet Ye Feng had searched every one before his eyes.

“Wait—could it be… Boy, use your mind to scan the area. There must be a barrier here as well. Perhaps one of these stones is the ring in disguise,” the Demon King suddenly said, his eyes brightening.

Ye Feng closed his eyes, releasing his consciousness to envelop the stones before him.

“This one.” After his search, Ye Feng picked up a plain stone, just as the Demon King had suggested. He could see into all the other stones—except this one, which resisted every attempt at scrutiny.

“Old monster, this must be it. But how do I restore it to its original form?” Ye Feng tried every method he could think of, but the barrier remained unbroken.

“If I’m right, the ring was sealed with soul force. Give it to me! When it comes to soul force, few in the Martial Soul Continent can match me!” the Demon King declared.

Within the Demon King Realm, the Dragon Jiao Demon King took the stone, and a milky-white light emanated from his palm—soul force.

A crisp sound rang out, and the invisible seal was finally broken.

Soul force surged again; moments later, a muffled sound echoed as the original owner’s soul imprint was wiped clean by the Demon King.

“Boy, hurry up and drip your blood to claim ownership, then send your mind into the ring. There should be the remains of an ancient demon king inside—retrieve them for me!” the Demon King urged, tossing Ye Feng a simple gray ring.

Ye Feng was startled. “Why don’t you take it yourself?” He couldn’t recall the old monster ever being so generous—yet he tossed the ring to Ye Feng instead of claiming it.

“I have no blood…” The Demon King’s reply erased any goodwill Ye Feng had begun to feel.

Ye Feng wasted no time, dripping blood onto the ring and sending his consciousness inside.

A vast, overwhelming will surged into his mind as soon as his spirit entered the ring.

“To break my seal, you must be worthy indeed, inheritor!” The booming voice thundered through the cave like divine thunder. “I am the last Five-Clawed Golden Dragon of the Eastern Divine Dragons. This ring is called the Dragon Ring, forged from the reverse scales of my ancestors. Its space can hold a small world, and in battle, the owner’s will may influence time and space.”

The voice paused, then continued. “If fate brings you this ring, I hope you will help my Dragon Clan recover the remaining seven of the Eight Heavenly Dragon Artifacts. My thanks to you, whoever you are!”

The words echoed through the cave for a long while.

Ye Feng shook his head, still dazed. “Old monster, what are the Eight Heavenly Dragon Artifacts?”

...

At that moment, the Dragon Jiao Demon King in the Demon King Realm was lost in a stupor, mumbling those four words over and over: Eight Heavenly Dragon Artifacts.