Beast Taming: Bloodline Golden Hand-Chapter 670 - 442: The Legendary Land of the Ancestor Dragon (Part 2)
"Are the two of you also heading to Dragon Ridge Island to try your luck and search for the legendary Dragon Palace treasure?"
Lin Chen gave a slight smile and shook his head, "We’re just there to find a medicinal herb to save a Spirit Beast."
"Medicinal herb?" Old Chen raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat surprised, but then nodded in understanding, "Oh, right, there are indeed some strange and rare herbs on that island. Old Sun used to go there to gather herbs too. However... what’s most abundant there now are treasure hunters around your age."
Lee Zhen asked curiously, "Do people really still believe in the existence of the Dragon Palace and go there hunting for treasure?"
"Of course they do!" Old Chen took a puff from his pipe, exhaling a ring of smoke, and looked to the distant horizon with a sense of experienced indifference:
"And there are quite a few! Some people firmly believe the legends aren’t baseless, thinking that the ’dragon-shaped mountain’ on Dragon Ridge Island is either the entrance to or key of the Dragon Palace."
"For hundreds of years, wave after wave of people have gone there, some staying for months, others for years, feverishly digging everywhere."
He paused and added, "You could say that now, besides some native Fierce Beasts on that island, the only living people are these various treasure hunters. You’ll surely encounter them once you get there."
Hearing this, Lin Chen felt a slight stir in his heart and asked, "Are these people... dangerous?"
"Haha!" Old Chen laughed, "Generally, they’re not dangerous. These people have only treasure and clues to the Dragon Palace in their eyes, with little interest in anything else."
"As long as you don’t actively try to snatch their ’treasures’ or intrude into their declared ’off-limits areas’, they’ll hardly bother you. Everyone just seeks their own fortune, don’t worry."
After hearing Old Chen’s words, Lin Chen and Lee Zhen felt a bit more at ease.
With the Sea Shuttle Beast pulling with all its strength, the speed was faster than expected, but it still took almost 10 days.
A huge dark shadow gradually appeared on the horizon and grew larger as the ship approached.
Finally, the full view of Dragon Ridge Island unfolded before the two.
The first thing to catch their eyes was the massive mountain range running across the entire island.
Just as Sun Ji had described, the range wound and undulated, stretching from one end of the island to the other, with the ridge lines strong and majestic, like a giant dragon sprawling on the earth.
Much of the mountain was covered in dense primeval forest, with some towering peaks piercing through the clouds, their summits cloaked in snow, gleaming with a cold brilliance under the sun.
The entire island was shrouded in a mist that never dissipated throughout the year, with a tinge of bluish-grey, making the scenery on the island appear blurred and mysterious.
Getting closer to the island, one could feel a sense of primal atmosphere.
Waves crashed against the black rocky shoreline with a thunderous roar.
The forest near the coast was unusually thick, with vines twisting around towering ancient trees like giant pythons, and various unfamiliar mystical plants competing to grow, with the air filled with a rich scent of grass and wood.
Occasionally, deep, low roars of beasts could be heard from the depths of the island.
"We’ve arrived." Old Chen anchored the boat at what seemed like a relatively calm bay with a narrow sandy beach, "This is considered one of the safer landing points."
"Remember, the Profound Ice Dragon’s Saliva Herb prefers shady and cold areas, mostly in shady and damp ravines on the northern side of the mountain range or in cracks where cold springs seep."
"In a month, at the same time, at this location, I’ll come to pick you up."
"If you’re late, you’ll have to wait for another month, or catch someone else’s boat, though usually only I come here."
Lin Chen and Lee Zhen thanked him again, took a deep breath, and jumped off the boat, stepping onto the ground of Dragon Ridge Island.
The ground was soft and spongy with moss and decayed leaves, surrounded by towering trees that blocked out the sky.
Looking at the dense grass and trees on the ground, Lee Zhen said, "Looks like we’ll be searching for a needle in a haystack."
Lin Chen nodded in agreement.
It’s too damp here, and there’s too much vegetation, making it really hard to find.
.....
Lin Chen and Lee Zhen painstakingly searched on Dragon Ridge Island for three whole days.
They summoned all the Spirit Beasts, splitting up to search, almost scouring every area near the landing point that fit the ’shady and cold’ description.
However, the ’Profound Ice Dragon’s Saliva Herb’ depicted in the book remained elusive.
The island was far vaster and more complex than they had imagined, with dense vegetation and intricate terrain greatly hindering their search progress.
By the evening of the fourth day, the two were exhausted and were about to find a place to rest for the night, planning to expand their search range the next day.
At that moment, an urgent and cautious fox’s cry sounded from deep within the forest.
It was Little Fox!
Lin Chen and Lee Zhen’s hearts tightened, and they immediately dashed toward the source of the sound.
Pushing aside layer after layer of vines, the scene before Lin Chen made his eyes narrow.
Little Fox was crouched with its back arched, baring its teeth, warily watching ahead, almost ready to enter an evolved state.
Opposite it, three men and one woman stood in a semi-circle formation. Their clothes were not particularly bright, even somewhat worn, but their sharp eyes and the rugged aura from years of activity in the wild clearly showed they weren’t to be trifled with.
The atmosphere was tense as the two sides confronted each other.
However, the moment Lin Chen and Lee Zhen appeared, the leading member of the group of four, a tall and sturdy middle-aged man, immediately raised his hand to signal his companions to relax, forcing a smile that could be considered friendly, and spoke:
"Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous!"
"I said this Spirit Fox’s eyes are full of spirit, undoubtedly belonged to someone, and indeed that’s the case."
