My Monster-Derived Skills Are the True Power
Chapter 43: The Goal is Dragon Slaying

"Old Yu, Old Huai, listen to me—work well with Li Ye. He's a good man. I was too arrogant, and that's why I ended up like this. It's all true—everything he says is true. Don't deceive yourselves!"

"Old Yu, please inform my people at the Celestial Master Manor. Tell them not to avenge me, but to fully support Li Ye. Ending up like this is what I deserve..."

Inside the cage, Murong Kaixin squinted at Huai Yi and Yu Hai, speaking incessantly.

He had no idea how to redeem himself while imprisoned. After thinking long and hard, the best he could do was use himself as an example to warn others.

Seeing someone of their own rank—Murong Kaixin—locked in a cage like a dog, barely clinging to life while desperately speaking in Li Ye’s favor, the two grandmasters exchanged glances, a deep sense of sorrow creeping into their hearts.

"Murong..."

Yu Hai, the grandmaster of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, had barely spoken when a sudden voice interrupted him.

"Two grandmasters gracing us with your presence—how rude of me not to welcome you properly. Please forgive my lack of courtesy."

Yu Hai and Huai Yi instantly turned toward the entrance of Wolf Valley.

A young man stood there, smiling warmly at them while cupping his hands in greeting.

Both of their expressions turned serious. When did he get here?

Yu Hai reacted quickly, immediately returning the salute with a smile. "Yu Hai greets Li Ye. We arrived unannounced and disturbed you—that’s my fault. How could I possibly deserve a formal welcome?"

Huai Yi let out a hearty laugh and also cupped his hands in greeting. "If anything, I should be thanking Li Ye for taking in my disappointing disciple!"

You don’t hit a smiling face.

With just two sentences, the atmosphere instantly warmed, and the two grandmasters, who had been mourning moments ago, quickly cast Murong Kaixin to the back of their minds.

A crippled grandmaster was nothing compared to a rising star.

Besides, Li Ye seemed to hold a secret that could help them advance even further.

Seeing this unfold, Murong Kaixin felt another pang of bitterness. If he had been a little smarter back then, he wouldn’t have ended up like this!

---

As it turns out, when the mighty lower their pride, they become much easier to deal with.

After the Fun Seekers Club established a positive cycle, the demonic energy inside Li Ye surged dramatically, extending his perception far beyond Wolf Valley.

He had been keeping an eye on Murong Kaixin outside the valley. The moment the two grandmasters arrived, he sensed them immediately.

Naturally, Li Ye wouldn’t wait for anyone to announce them. With Murong Kaixin having already served as an example, he personally came out to welcome the two grandmasters—

Not out of courtesy, but to establish his dominance.

And so far, it was working.

---

Li Ye reached out and unhooked the cage, lifting Murong Kaixin as he led the two grandmasters deeper into the valley.

The Scarlet Flame Sect and Heavenly Dao Alliance were the two most powerful factions in Chu Kingdom’s martial world. If he could gather both of them under his influence, his power structure would be set.

---

After ordering tea to be served, Li Ye casually placed Murong Kaixin in the center of the guest hall.

"Gentlemen, since you've come to Wolf Valley, I’m sure you already know who I am. That being the case, I’ll get straight to the point."

"What do you mean, Li Ye?" Huai Yi asked, occasionally glancing at Murong Kaixin in the cage. He couldn’t figure out why Li Ye had brought him in. If it was just to show dominance, wasn’t that unnecessary?

"Grandmaster Huai, I need your assistance with something," Li Ye said bluntly.

"Please, speak freely," Yu Hai replied with a smile.

"Dragon slaying," Li Ye stated.

"Dragon slaying?" Huai Yi and Yu Hai echoed in unison.

Murong Kaixin visibly trembled.

"Surely you jest, Li Ye," Huai Yi chuckled, shaking his head. "There are no dragons in this world."

"Grandmaster Huai, before I arrived, there were no gods either," Li Ye shot him a sidelong glance.

He suspected that the Divine Dragon Sect harbored a demon artifact, but since the team he had sent to the Western Regions—including Yu Fei—had not yet returned, he couldn’t be certain whether the so-called 'Divine Dragon' was actually a demon artifact.

That didn’t matter.

For now, assuming the dragon was real served his purposes well.

Uniting two martial world titans against a common target was far better than having them secretly scheming against him.

In this unfamiliar world, Li Ye trusted no one.

But he could manipulate their actions.

If he could string them along for a year, he’d be gone before they ever figured it out. Why worry about what happened afterward?

"Li Ye, are you planning to seize the throne?" Yu Hai of the Heavenly Dao Alliance lowered his voice, glancing at Murong Kaixin before subtly gesturing upward.

After all, Li Ye had crushed the Celestial Master escorting the royal envoy. It was only natural for Yu Hai to suspect him of having ambitions for the throne.

Huai Yi suddenly had a moment of realization.

"You must be joking, Grandmaster Yu," Li Ye sneered. "I come from a higher civilization. Even if I recover just one percent of my power, I’d be akin to a god on this primitive planet. Why would I covet the throne of a mere kingdom?"

"When I say dragon slaying, I mean real dragon slaying. Murong Kaixin, tell them."

Murong Kaixin let out a bitter laugh before recounting everything about Royal Grandmaster Xiang Li and the Divine Dragon Sect.

A grandmaster’s words naturally carried more weight than Li Ye’s.

When Murong Kaixin finished, Yu Hai’s face was filled with disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"I’m already in this state. Why would I lie to you?" Murong Kaixin shook his head. "The Celestial Master Manor has always been a tool of the court to balance the martial world. If you had ever dared to rebel, you would have been crushed like ants."

"So… there really is a dragon in this world?" Huai Yi stammered.

"There are gods, dragons, immortals, demons—and even Zerg and Silicon-based lifeforms," Li Ye said, scanning the three men. "The universe is vast and full of wonders. You haven't even left this planet; of course, you've never seen them."

"Li Ye, I’ve heard of immortals and demons, but what are these Zerg and Silicon-based beings?" Yu Hai asked.

"The Zerg are infamous cosmic marauders. Their bodies are incredibly strong, and they reproduce through a Zerg Queen. Their society functions much like your local insects, with worker bugs, soldier bugs, and so on. They are numerous, bloodthirsty, and leave nothing behind wherever they go."

A shadow of fear flickered across Li Ye’s eyes as he spoke of the Zerg. He shook his head.

"No species in the universe wants to provoke them. On a planet like yours, if the Zerg were to arrive, within three days, nothing would remain."

Yu Hai and Huai Yi exchanged troubled glances, furrowing their brows. Li Ye’s descriptions sounded like pure fantasy. Even with all their knowledge and experience, they had never encountered anything like this before.

"Are they insect demons?" Huai Yi asked.

"No, they’re a true species," Li Ye replied.

He picked up a cup of tea, then used the liquid to draw a detailed image on the ground, depicting a Zerg Queen along with various subspecies like Rippers and Drones.

Thanks to Earth’s extensive imagery of the Zerg, along with the fine control of his demonic energy and inner power, his sketches were lifelike and terrifying.

"A Zerg Queen can be dozens to hundreds of meters tall, and they can birth thousands of drones per day..." Li Ye continued.

"If you ever follow me beyond this planet and encounter the Zerg, remember—run. No one can defeat them, and worst of all, even if you do, there’s no reward."

The room fell into a heavy silence as the three men stared at the eerie depictions on the ground.