The Martial Emperor with Dragon Blood Chapter 5: Greet and Beat

Thump!

A streak of silver shot directly at Ye Xiaotian. The smug grin remained etched on his face, as he never imagined that Ye Mo—the man everyone labeled as 'garbage'—would dare to retailiate so aggressively. The metallic object struck Ye Xiaotian square in the teeth, dragging a pained groan from his throat as he clutched his mouth.

Peering down at his palm, Ye Xiaotian stared at a messy pool of blood. He found it impossible to tell his own teeth apart from the piece of silver he had been holding.

“Ye Mo, you have a death wish!” Ye Xiaotian bellowed in blind fury, hurling the bloody mess of teeth and silver onto the ground. He lunged at Ye Mo, his hands darting forward like a pair of striking vipers.

The Phantom Serpent Palm!

This was a Low-grade Spiritual Level technique belonging to the Ye Clan, perfect for those training in the Corporeal Strengthening Realm or starting their path in the Spirit Cultivating Realm. When executed, a practitioner’s hands transform into phantom-like serpents; a master of this art can crush a man's windpipe with ease.

Obviously, Ye Xiaotian was far from reaching the technique’s true potential.

Even though Ye Mo had spent five years without formal training, his instincts remained razor-sharp. Watching the incoming Phantom Serpent Palm, he sidestepped with grace, rendering the strike completely ineffective.

Ye Xiaotian was momentarily stunned, yet he sneered as he spotted an opening. His hands whipped out, coiling around Ye Mo’s like twisting vines, attempting to lock him in place.

Ye Mo, however, wasn't even using his full strength. Ye Xiaotian could only muster a force of one stone, whereas Ye Mo channeled dragon power, granting him double that potency. How could someone like Ye Xiaotian ever hope to restrain him?

A subtle tremor ran through Ye Mo’s right hand. Waves of vibration surged into Ye Xiaotian’s arm, numbing his nerves and forcing him to break his hold.

Before Ye Xiaotian could recalibrate, Ye Mo shifted from defense to offense. Utilizing the Phantom Serpent Palm, his hands slithered up the other boy’s forearm. A quick, sharp squeeze produced the sickening sound of snapping bone.

Ye Xiaotian doubled over with a howl, his right hand falling limply to his side. With a single fluid motion, Ye Mo grabbed him by the arm and flung him aside as if he were nothing but common refuse.

Thump!

Ye Xiaotian hit the floor with a heavy thud. He scrambled to his feet, cradling his injured arm while disbelief washed over him. How could this 'garbage' possess such immense physical strength in his right arm?

“If I catch you stealing here again, I’ll break you every single time,” Ye Mo declared. He didn’t bother looking at Ye Xiaotian; crippling an arm was a light price compared to the provocations he had endured. In the Ye Clan, skirmishes between disciples were common, and as long as no one ended up dead, the higher-ups generally ignored such trifles.

“Ye Mo, you piece of human trash, I’m going to kill you!” Ye Xiaotian fumed, fueled by the arrogance shown by someone who had only unlocked a single Gate. He charged blindly ahead, launching a vengeful punch with his remaining hand.

“Trash? If not for my five-year hiatus, people like you would be nothing more than gnats beneath my feet!”

Sensing the frantic, ragged breath behind him, Ye Mo sneered internally. He slipped past the strike and pivoted, meeting the blow with a fist of his own. Their strikes collided with a hollow, heavy thud.

A titanic surge of force slammed into Ye Xiaotian’s arm, forcing him to let out a cry of agony and stagger backward.

“You brought this on yourself. Since you want to play dirty, you can crawl home today,” Ye Mo stated flatly, landing a clean blow across Ye Xiaotian’s face.

Pow!

The impact sent Ye Xiaotian reeling across the ground. His nose was smashed, and a sudden, bone-chilling fear took root as he felt the overwhelming aura radiating from Ye Mo.

He never dreamed that the boy who hadn't opened a single Gate in half a decade would suddenly show such monstrous progress.

“Ye Mo, you dog, I will make you pay!” Ye Xiaotian stammered out a weak threat before fleeing the scene.

Ye Mo didn't bother chasing him; this beating was enough to keep him in line for the foreseeable future. Suddenly, a realization shocked him—the punch he just delivered lacked the two stones of force he expected. The dragon power he had drawn from the Gate had dissipated.

“No way! Are you kidding me?”

Ye Mo ran the numbers in his head. From the moment he tapped into the dragon power, it had lasted roughly sixty seconds. After that, his strength reverted to its baseline. One minute was a decent window, but it was far from infinite—a potentially dangerous limitation.

He had currently breached one Gate, granting him the power of two dragons. One was active, while the other remained in reserve. But if he were to face greater threats, two levels of dragon power might prove insufficient.

His current strength was enough to contest those in the Corporeal Strengthening Realm, but against a practitioner at the Spirit Cultivating First Realm, he remained severely outmatched.

“Wait… the Rising Dragon Pillar is pulling in the Yuan Chi of Heaven and Earth by itself!”

Just as the first surge of energy ran dry, another dragon on the Rising Dragon Pillar began to draw in elemental energy automatically, independent of his own Energy Center. Once the dragon finished absorbing the Yuan Chi, it soared into the sky, joining the other in a graceful, circular dance.

“Perfect! It sustains itself independently. As long as I maintain a reserve in my Energy Center, I can replenish my power whenever I need it.”

With the aid of the Priming Pills, Ye Mo could awaken the power of two dragons. He could utilize one while keeping the other as a backup. As soon as the first was exhausted, the secondary force would kick in, while the pillar began synthesizing a replacement.

Even more importantly, this dragon energy held immense growth potential. It was cumulative, and against powerful foes, he could stack these forces together.

In this world, such a feat—automatically converting ambient Yuan Chi into pure Yuanli—was unheard of.

Calming his racing mind, Ye Mo gathered the dropped bag of Priming Pills and stepped into the Pill Refining Chamber. There was no point in returning them now. Ye Xiaotian had tampered with the lock, and Ye Mo had finally retaliated; open conflict was inevitable. He was finished hiding in the shadows while Ye Xiaotian and Ye Ming walked all over him.

He sat cross-legged on the floor and swallowed the entire cache of pills. He was curious to see if he could force a third dragon to awaken.

“If I can awaken every dragon on this pillar, what kind of power would I wield? Could it be the stuff of the legendary Divine Realm?”

He allowed himself a moment of wonder before shelving the thought; he had a long way to go before reaching such heights.

The strongest man in Limestone City, Qin Hao, the head of the Qin Clan, only stood at the Energy Shaping Ninth Realm—a realm far beyond the Spirit Cultivating stage.

Still, with the pillar’s strength, Ye Mo was certain he could eventually avenge his father and fulfill the final wish of searching for his mother.

After finishing the batch, he grabbed even more pills, tossing them into his mouth without hesitation.

“Haha! Ye Mo, get the fire going! I’ve finally cracked the formula for Fortifying Pills.”

Elder Yin burst into the room, his hair a disheveled mess. He looked like a man possessed, having clearly reached a breakthrough at the Alchemist Guild.

His eyes landed on Ye Mo, who was busy munching on Priming Pills as if they were snacks. His expression curdled instantly.

“Hmph! So, it was you stealing the supplies all along!”

“Oh no,” Ye Mo cursed inwardly. He had hoped to frame Ye Xiaotian and Ye Ming, but being caught red-handed meant he was doomed. He couldn't clear his name even if he jumped into the Huang River to cleanse his reputation.

“Elder Yin, you misunderstand! I was just using the portion I’ve saved up over the last few years,” Ye Mo squeaked, his voice trembling.

“Your own savings?” Elder Yin scoffed, storming to the cabinets. A quick count confirmed that nearly twenty pills were missing.

“Don’t make excuses! I’m taking you to the dungeons. To think that an assistant would pilfer from his own master—you know the punishment for this,” the Elder roared.

Back against a wall, Ye Mo decided to plead for mercy.

“Elder Yin, I am truly sorry! Please, give me a chance. I’ve served you dutifully all these years!”

“Absolutely not. You will pay for this with your hands!”

Ye Mo knew that if news spread that he’d been maimed by Elder Yin, his position would become untenable, and Ye Xiaotian would finish him off for good.

“Elder Yin, wait! Didn’t you just master the Fortifying Pills? If my hands are gone, who will tend your fire? I promise, you won’t find anyone who works as efficiently as I do,” Ye Mo countered.

Fortifying Pills were Second Rank pills, and Elder Yin had been unable to synthesize them until now.

The Elder hesitated, his brows knitting in thought. He was eager to start production, and replacing a skilled assistant would be a major headache.

“Don’t try to threaten me. Experienced assistants are a dime a dozen in this city,” the Elder snapped, though his tone softened slightly.

Ye Mo offered a strained smile. “I know they are. It would be trivial for you to replace me. But please, spare my hands, and you can punish me however else you see fit.”

“Hmph. Get the fire burning. Once the Fortifying Pills are finished, I’ll decide how to deal with you, you little scoundrel!”