Chapter 1118: Departure
Punishment Elder.
Lin Dong looked at the purple-gold dragon seal on the palm of the Grand Elder of the Dragon tribe, before he turned to look at Yuan Qian’s group, who had a change in their expressions. Immediately, he came to a comprehension. It turns out this so called Punishment Elder was not just an empty title, like he had imagined.
“Grand Elder… the Punishment Elder wields huge authority. Isn’t it a little inappropriate to hand it to an outsider?” An elder involuntarily asked. The Punishment Elder held great authority. Strictly speaking, he was ranked even a little higher than these elders. In the past, this position was usually held by a reputable individual in their Dragon tribe. For example, the previous Punishment Elder was Qing Zhi. However, he subsequently retired and this position became vacant.
However, right now, this position was actually handed over to a human without any Dragon tribe bloodline. Therefore, this inevitably caused them to be bewildered.
The remaining elders exchanged glances with each other and even Yuan Qian was in a state of mild disbelief. As of now, the Grand Elder had taken the Punishment Seal out. Hence, once Lin Dong had the seal, notwithstanding the Dragon tribe members, anyone who possessed even the slightest dragon bloodline would be suppressed by it. After all, this was an object that was unique to the Punishment Elder.
“Like I said, insisting on our pedantic ways will only lead to our downfall.”
The Grand Elder spoke in a faint voice. He waved his hand towards Yuan Qian’s group. After which, he looked at Lin Dong and smiled, "Young friend Lin Dong, are you willing to become the new Punishment Elder of our Dragon tribe?”
Lin Dong stared at this mysterious Grand Elder, who appeared warm and friendly, before he parted his lips into a smile. In his heart however, he secretly mused that willy foxes grow more cunning with age, the same way that ginger becomes spicer the older it gets. Clearly, the latter knew how crucial the Primal Dragon Bone was to the Dragon tribe. However, he also knew that it was extremely unjustified and difficult to get Lin Dong to surrender the Primal Dragon Bone. Since this was the case, it was better to directly pull Lin Dong into the Dragon tribe.
The so called Punishment Elder might possess great authority, but the Dragon tribe would naturally have ways to deal with it if Lin Dong really abused the Punishment Seal. As such, they were able to keep the Primal Dragon Bone in their Dragon tribe without paying a hefty price.
Nonetheless, Lin Dong was still surprised by the generosity of the Grand Elder, as he directly allowed Lin Dong to become the Dragon tribe’s Punishment Elder. Originally, he thought that most of these ancient tribes were extremely strict and always stuck to the rules…
“Since the Grand Elder has spoken, I naturally do not dare to object.”
Lin Dong cupped his hands together and said respectfully. Perhaps this was indeed a good way to resolve the current situation. Otherwise, these elders would be truly unwilling to allow the Primal Dragon Bone to land in the hands of someone, who was completely unrelated to their Dragon tribe.
Moreover, becoming closer to the Dragon tribe was something that would only bring benefits to Lin Dong. As one of the four overlord tribes, their name held quite a great deterrence in the Demonic Beast World. It was likely that the Heaven Dragon Demon Commander would be stunned if news of this matter spreads to the Beast War Region. Lin Dong, who possessed the Punishment Seal, would likely have little difficulties dealing with the Six Winged Flying Dragon, who had an impure bloodline.
When he saw this, a smile immediately appeared on the elderly face of the Grand Elder. Following which, he said, "In the future, you shall be the Punishment Elder of our Dragon tribe. You should learn the rules of our Dragon tribe when you have the time.”
Lin Dong nodded nonchalantly. He also knew that even though the Punishment Elder held some actual authority, he did not have the qualifications to interfere in the matters of the Dragon tribe. Additionally, he did not have the time to bother about these matters. Everyone was clearly aware that giving him this title was simply a way to connect him to the Dragon tribe. Meanwhile, he was also able to successfully obtain the Primal Dragon Bone and he could occasionally whip out the Punishment Seal to take advantage of the Dragon tribe’s authority to bully others.
“If there is nothing else, I will take my leave first. Perhaps I will be leaving the Dragon tribe in the next two days.”
Lin Dong looked at Yuan Qian. He had already completed the most important objective for coming to the Dragon tribe and there was no need to stay any further. Furthermore, there were still some problems to deal with back in the Beast War Region. Moreover, he did not know if Little Marten had returned to the Celestial Demon Marten tribe and whether the latter needed his help.
“Aye.”
Yuan Qian glanced at the Grand Elder. The latter nodded before he waved his hand. “Duan Tao, you should take young friend Lin Dong to have a rest for today. Please send him off if he wants to leave.”
“Understood.”
Standing at the back, Duan Tao respectfully acknowledged the order. After which, he smilingly said to Lin Dong, "Let’s go, elder Lin Dong.”
Lin Dong involuntarily smiled bitterly when he heard that strange form of address. He once again cupped his hands and bowed to everyone present. After which, he turned around and left.
The many elders on the mountain quietly sighed when they saw Lin Dong turning around to leave. The emergence of the Primal Dragon Bone in this world was supposed to be a major event for their Dragon tribe. Who would have expected it to end up like this?
“This little fellow is extraordinary. Do not think that he has taken advantage of our Dragon tribe. Who knows what will happen in the future?”
The Grand Elder narrowed his eyes. His eyes contained great depth and wisdom. He softly said, "Being able to summon the will of the Devouring Master… Haha, this is not something that an ordinary person can do.”
“Treat him as a genuine elder of our Dragon tribe in the future and pay him due respect. No one can disobey this order.”
The Grand Elder’s eyes turned towards the various elders of the Dragon tribe before his voice became a little grave. The elders did not object upon hearing this. All they did was to respectfully acknowledge the order.
……
The next day.
Lin Dong saw Duan Tao waiting for him after he walked out of his room. When the latter saw him, he came forward to greet him with a smile. In fact, he appeared much friendlier than before and there was even a tinge of respect in his demeanor.
News that Lin Dong had obtained the Primal Dragon Bone had already spread within the Dragon tribe. This naturally created quite a big commotion. This was especially the case after others learnt that even the Grand Elder had showed up and appointed Lin Dong as the new Punishment Elder of their Dragon tribe. News about this matter spread uncontrollably from one ear to another. It was likely that this was the first time in the history of the Dragon tribe, that an outsider had taken the position of Punishment Elder.
“Young brother Lin Dong, are you planning on leaving?” Duan Tao smiled towards Lin Dong and asked.
“There are still some matters back in the Beast War Region that I need to handle. Hence, I will have to make a trip back.” Lin Dong shook his head. Although the Deep Lightning Mountain’s position and reputation in the Beast War Region was no longer inferior to that of the three great Demon Commanders after the battle at the Divine Item Mountain Range, its foundation was still quite weak. Therefore, he would have to put in more effort. After all, the Deep Lightning Mountain would be the foundation backing them three brothers, when they charged back to the Eastern Xuan Region.
Duan Tao ceased obstructing Lin Dong upon hearing this. He nodded and said, "In that case, please leave. The spatial teleportation array has already been prepared. It will be able to send young brother Lin Dong back to the Beast War Region swiftly.”
Duan Tao turned around and led the way after his voice sounded. Lin Dong followed closely behind.
The two of them shuttled through the Dragon tribe. Along the way, they met many members of the tribe. However, these people all had strange expressions upon seeing Lin Dong. Deep within their originally proud eyes, was a trace of fear. This caused Lin Dong to be a little stunned. It seems like this Punishment Elder was really no ordinary position in the Dragon tribe.
The both of them finally arrived at the top of a mountain. The spatial ripple in this area had already became chaotic. Moreover, Lin Dong could see Yuan Qian’s presence here. The tribe leader of the Dragon tribe was actually sending him off personally.
“Haha, young friend Lin Dong, you might not possess the Dragon tribe’s bloodline, but you possess a set of Dragon Bones. From a certain point of view, you can be considered as a member of our Dragon tribe.” Yuan Qian’s originally stern face was covered with smiles as he looked at Lin Dong.
“This junior has taken advantage of your tribe this time around. If the Dragon tribe needs my help in the future, I will definitely do my best to help.” Lin Dong cupped his hands together and spoke solemnly. He always made things clear when it came to kindness and enmity. If the Dragon tribe insisted on creating problems for him because of the Primal Dragon Bone, he might not care about them in the future. However, the Dragon tribe had taken the best measure to accommodate him. This undoubtedly left Lin Dong with a good impression of them.
From another point of view, it must be said that the Grand Elder was really impressive and wise. His gentle tactics allowed their Dragon tribe to end up with a friend that possess frightening potential. Although the current strength of this ally was unable to impress the Dragon tribe, it was possible that the powerful Dragon tribe might have to rely on Lin Dong’s protection in the future. After all, who could predict the future?
Yuan Qian was quite satisfied with Lin Dong’s words as he smiled and nodded. After which, he clenched his hand, before a palm sized golden totem appeared. He handed it to Lin Dong. “You are to be considered as a member of our Dragon tribe in the future. This is something that the Grand Elder has asked me to hand to you. You can shatter it if you run into any major problems in the future and our Dragon tribe will come to your aid.”
Lin Dong involuntarily smiled upon hearing this. The Grand Elder was really thoughtful. However, it was likely that he was much more concerned about the Primal Dragon Bone in Lin Dong’s body. After all, if Lin Dong met with any mishaps, his Primal Dragon Bone might end up in the hands of others. Disregarding the matter of whether that person could endure the overbearing strength of the Primal Dragon Bone, just losing the Primal Dragon Bone alone was already an extremely huge loss for the Dragon tribe.
However, Lin Dong did not care about whether the Grand Elder was concerned about him or the Primal Dragon Bone. In any case, he understood that from today onwards, he had quite a close relationship with the Dragon tribe and it would be a waste if he did not use this relationship.
“The teleportation array is almost completed.” Yuan Qian turned his head to look at the distorted space, after Lin Dong accepted the totem, and said with a smile.
Lin Dong nodded. He once again cupped his hands together towards Yuan Qian in a solemn fashion. Then, he spoke in a deep voice, "This junior bids everyone goodbye.”
He did not hesitate any longer after speaking. He turned around before he directly shot into the distorted space. A wild and violent spatial fluctuation spread and his body became increasingly distorted within. Finally, he completely vanished.
The chaotic spatial ripple over the mountain gradually calmed down. Yuan Qian looked at the spot where Lin Dong had disappeared before he sighed softly. Then, he muttered to himself, "Hopefully, our Dragon tribe has made a worthwhile bet, just like what Grand Elder said.”