Chapter 1506: Ordinary versus Extraordinary

The Hou looked like a horse with dragon horns on its head and scales covering its body as well as short wings on its back .

There were many legends about Hous . Some said they were naturally mutated beasts born out of the void and primal chaos . Others claimed they were formed out of the body of a certain Primal Chaos God Demon . Some even said that they were divine pets from the Primal Chaos Eon .

Regardless of the legends, this mutated beast was the nemesis of Dragons .

One Hou could hold its own against three dragons . Saying that it would be able to eat up two of those dragons in such a fight was no exaggeration .

It was difficult to imagine that the Dragon Race—one of the Great Desolate Hundred Races—would have such a weakness .

Fortunately, such mutated beasts were extremely rare and could not reproduce . Otherwise, the Dragon Race would have been pushed to extinction long ago .

The fifty Hous before Xiao Chen surrounded him . His mind went blank as his right hand, which was holding the saber, seemed sapped of energy .

If not for Xiao Chen having met a ghost Hou before and also possessing an Azure Dragon Martial Spirit strengthened by that tomb keeper in the Distant Sea Dragon Grave, he would have been in an even sorrier state, possibly sprawled on the ground already .

This was no laughing matter; it was an innate fear that went bone-deep and was extremely hard to eradicate .

“Whoosh!”

One of the Hous ferociously launched itself with open jaws at Xiao Chen .

Immediately, the calm of the place was disrupted . All the Hous surrounding Xiao Chen leaped over in a dense pack, hemming him in .

Saber! Saber! Saber! Damn it!

Sweat flowed like a river down Xiao Chen’s forehead as he did his best to grip the Lunar Shadow Saber and draw it . However, his right hand was nerveless . Despite his thoughts, his hand felt as heavy as a mountain, immovable .

Am I going to die?

Despair rose in Xiao Chen’s heart as he watched the Hous bounding over en masse . He would not be able to deal with even one of them . How was he to survive fifty?

Give up . That’s right . Only by giving up can I live .

If I persist, it will only lead to death . A dead person is like an extinguished lamp, unable to do anything .

I won’t be able to continue protecting the Dragon’s Gate . I won’t be able to get out of this place . I won’t be able to do anything . I still have many things to do . I cannot die! I absolutely cannot die!

In that instant, the time it took for a spark to fly, Xiao Chen thought of many things—various experiences and people flashed through his mind .

It turned out that he had so many attachments, that he was also someone who thirsted for life .

Before such strong fear, the confidence that the helpless Xiao Chen had built up for so long shattered .

Azure Dragon King? Shadowless Saber Sovereign? They were merely empty titles . In the end, he was just an ordinary person .

There was no difference between him and other people .

“Dang!”

Clutching his saber, Xiao Chen fell to one knee . As he watched the Hous approach, his eyes appeared dead . Despair flooded his heart, cutting painfully into him .

Xiao Chen was like a successful person of high status in modern society who got locked in a cage with a pack of ferocious tigers that had not eaten for ten days .

As these tigers approached slowly, panic would crush all the confidence and poise that this successful person built up .

It might even cause this person to wet his pants on the spot . Those with slightly stronger willpower might cry out in despair, not much better than the former .

When living in a mundane world, all of them were just ordinary people .

Ashes return to ashes, dust to dust . How different can it be?

Can I really just give up like this?

No way!

Although I, Xiao Chen, am just an ordinary person, at the very least, I cannot lose my pride . Even if I give up, I can do so only at the very last moment .

Before this terror, after being stripped of his confidence and empty glory, Xiao Chen came to understand how ordinary he was .

However, while some things could be stripped away, some things—like his pride—absolutely could not be lost .

Humans were born equal . However, some people lost too many things, while some managed to retain some things . It was not that some people were born extraordinary . It was just that they lost less .

Move! Move! Quickly, move for me!

The instant before the fifty Hous arrived, Xiao Chen finally succeeded . He endured that terror and drew the Lunar Shadow Saber, releasing a resplendent saber light .

“Whoosh!”

The saber light scattered, and Xiao Chen discovered that the fifty Hous disappeared . However, in their place was one Hou the size of a small mountain .

Fight!

Suppressing the fear in his heart, Xiao Chen took large strides, charging at the Hou without looking back .

However, his current strength was not even half of what it normally was . Nevertheless, while facing his fears, he had thought things through . He absolutely could not lose his pride . Even if he gave up, he had to endure to the very last moment .

One was the natural predator of the Dragon Race, and the other was a Xiao Chen who was not even at half strength . The result of a battle between two parties of such disparate strengths went without saying .

In mere moments, the Hou inflicted numerous injuries on Xiao Chen, reducing him to a sorry state .

“Dang!”

The Hou swiped a claw at Xiao Chen, knocking him away and sending his saber flying .

“Boom!” Xiao Chen crashed into a wall . Blood leaked out of a corner of his lips, and he revealed a bitter smile .

I really cannot clear this trial . It’s time to give up, then .

historical

Like before, it was the thought of giving up . However, this time, Xiao Chen was much calmer . It seemed like he had already forgotten his fear in the middle of the intense battle .

Now, even though Xiao Chen was still afraid when he looked at the Hou, feeling that it was hard to defeat, it was not to the point where he could not wield his saber .

“I give up . ”

This was enough . Even if Xiao Chen failed this test, he had learned many things .

There was only calm in Xiao Chen’s eyes, rather than sorrow and pain at suffering a loss .

“Congratulations . You passed this trial . ”

“Whoosh!”

The scene before Xiao Chen suddenly vanished . A youth wearing azure clothes with long sleeves walked into view .

Xiao Chen was dazzled, discovering himself to be perfectly fine . He asked in confusion, “What’s going on?”

“Everything you experienced earlier was an illusion infused with the souls of a few Hous, which made it very realistic . Hence, you did not realize it,” the azure-clad youth explained with a faint smile .

Xiao Chen still felt confused . “However, I already chose to give up . Why did you still let me pass?”

“Because this trial is a test of fear . All it takes to pass is lasting for fifteen minutes . You not only lasted for fifteen minutes but even attacked the Hous . That is enough to pass . ”

The azure-clad man took out a pendant . “This is a Dragon Race Secret Treasure containing the blood of an Ancestor Dragon . In the future, you will no longer be afraid when facing a Hou . ”

Xiao Chen received the pendant, feeling dubious . He did not pick up anything special about it . However, since the other party said that, it definitely would have some wondrous effects .

“Many thanks . ”

The azure-clad man smiled and pointed to the front . “Quick, move along . There is still one more trial . After that, the test is considered cleared . Do your best to obtain the inheritance . ”

“Dong! Dong! Dong!”

After Xiao Chen left, urgent footsteps resounded . The Dragon Horse and the others asked in a rush, “How did it go? How did Xiao Chen perform?”

The azure-clad man smiled and explained the earlier situation in detail .

The girl in her prime exclaimed, “How dangerous! He was nearly consumed by his fear, tortured to the point of being crippled . Fortunately, he managed to persist . ”

The middle-aged man thought for a while before saying, “Fear is something that can never be truly overcome . The most important thing is to face it calmly . It is truly impressive for him to understand this principle at the very last moment . ”

The Dragon Horse looked at the last set of doors and said, “This trial proves that he is different from Xiao Teng . As long as he can pass one more trial, he will definitely obtain the inheritance . ”

The black-clad old man remained silent . Back then, the Azure Emperor had used the Demonic Dao to obtain the Dao, which allowed him to rid himself of fear and clear this trial in seconds .

The Azure Emperor managed to pass this test much more easily than Xiao Chen . However, the old Dragon Horse had shaken its head and did not say much then .

The Dragon Horse merely said that the Azure Emperor absolutely would not be able to obtain the inheritance . Indeed, it was proven right .

Today, Xiao Chen passed this test with much difficulty, yet the Dragon Horse was confident that Xiao Chen would obtain the inheritance .

This confused the black-clad old man thoroughly .