Embers of Sword

Chapter 639 Pulling the Dragon (Part 2)

In front of Tianyuan Mountain.

The Taoist robe burned out like a candle flame, and the ashes scattered like fireflies.

The Candle Taoist was burned to ashes...

Although Yanwei Zhenren, Lichen, and Shu Ning had their heads down, their divine senses still witnessed this scene.

The three of them felt a chill and lowered their heads even further.

Even though Zhu Daoren's cultivation was inadequate, he was still a Yin spirit.

In the blink of an eye, it was reduced to ashes.

Looking across the entire Taoist sect, only the leader Xiaoyaozi possesses such methods.

At this moment, the three were even more convinced that the one who appeared in front of Tianyuan Mountain was the sect leader himself... but his true self was still in seclusion in the secret realm, so it was inconvenient for him to go out, and he could only manifest a wisp of divine thought.

"..."

After doing all that, the chaotic figure silently dusted off its clothes.

He looked at the ashes scattered by the Candle Taoist and said softly, "Let's all disperse."

Just this sentence.

The three men felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and quickly kowtowed in gratitude before leaving.

Only the True Man of Junshan remained in the same place.

Only after the three streaks of light in the distance had completely dissipated did Master Junshan sigh and speak.

"You...acted well."

The chaotic figure paused for a moment.

Xiaoyaozi, his face shrouded in mist, seemed to raise an eyebrow: "Oh?"

"He has three parts of my senior brother's charm."

Master Junshan stood with his hands behind his back and said slowly, "But in the end, it's still a bit lacking... You talk too much."

"But... I only said one sentence..."

Xiaoyaozi gave a bitter smile.

From beginning to end.

He only said one sentence to the Master of Zhongmiaozhai.

Xiaoyaozi rubbed his temples: "Surely none of them noticed, right?"

"Don't worry. They... don't know you."

Although he saw through the illusion of this chaotic incarnation, Master Junshan still subconsciously regarded the phantom in front of him as his senior brother.

After saying this, he paused, his expression complicated, and asked, "What exactly happened to Tianyuan Mountain?"

"..."

The Chaos Avatar fell silent.

He stretched out his hand, making way for Junshan Zhenren to enter personally.

……

……

After a while.

Inside the cliffside waterfall, another figure appeared.

Master Junshan sat in the center of the great formation, slowly raising his head to gaze at the towering skylight constructed from thousands of talismans. He already knew what had happened at Tianyuan Mountain.

At this moment, the young boy in the Taoist robe had a faint sadness in his expression.

The Taoist sect was once incredibly glorious.

Now it's empty and desolate, utterly bleak and miserable...

After the battle of drinking poison, he only had two senior brothers left.

Chongkan went astray and brought about his own destruction.

Xiaoyaozi, on the other hand, wandered in the void and disappeared without a trace.

"In the end, we still didn't meet..."

Junshan smiled casually, his Taoist robe fluttering wildly in the biting wind. He had thought he would be able to see his senior brother, the headmaster, at Tianyuan Mountain.

"senior……"

Deng Baiyi stood timidly beside him, looking somewhat guilty.

Junshan Zhenren entrusted this heavy responsibility to her out of trust, but the ending turned out like this.

Deng Baiyi felt that she had messed everything up.

"You've done a great job."

Junshan looked at Deng Baiyi and said sincerely, "Without you, the conflict between the Daoist sects would not have ended today."

The death knell does not sound, the fighting never stops.

Deep down, Junshan didn't really want Chongkan to die like this... but he also knew very well that if Chongkan didn't "die," things would only get worse.

"Is Sect Leader Xiaoyaozi... truly never to return?"

Looking at the countless talismans scattered across the sky, Deng Baiyi couldn't help but murmur to herself.

Tianyuan Mountain possesses such abundant vital energy.

Is it really impossible to summon back a wandering cultivator?
"The Taoist sect has lost the dragon vein..."

Junshan shook his head.

Deng Baiyi's understanding is too low, and he is unaware of the truth. Does that mean he doesn't understand?
Losing the dragon vein is equivalent to losing the anchor point.

To recall my senior brother, we must first retrieve the dragon vein... That dragon vein was offered to the Holy Empress by Chongkan. With the current strength of the Daoist sect, how can we retrieve the dragon vein?
"and many more--"

At this moment.

Master Junshan paused for a moment, and suddenly a flash of spiritual light appeared amidst the thousands of talisman arrays.

He looked up, staring blankly at the drifting clouds that resembled cotton wool.

The future Dao Realm resonated with the void at this moment—

He saw a shattered silhouette of the future.

Rune array, flowing clouds, the North Sea, giant tree, golden thread, flying sword...

These silhouettes flashed across the eyes of Master Junshan.

None of these broken reflections are actually important.

Guided by the Dao Realm, Junshan witnessed the most important scene.

A phoenix on its last legs.

Nailed to a giant tree!
The guidance from the Dao realm came to an end. Suddenly, the pale face of the Daoist child in the robe turned rosy. He stood up abruptly and stared intently at the magnificent snow-white courtyard that stretched towards the clouds. His palms were bleeding from the force he had applied with his fingertips.

"No... there's still a chance..."

He spoke in a hoarse voice, his tone filled with surprise: "We...we still have a chance!"

The Taoist dragon vein was taken away by the Holy Empress, and it is almost impossible to get it back.

But what if the Empress Dowager is about to pass away?

What if someone has already tried to use the emperor's blood as a catalyst to uproot the dragon vein gathered by the Holy Empress?
……

……

Beneath a giant tree woven with golden threads.

The young boy and girl stood side by side, one on the left and one on the right, with solemn and serious expressions.

"are you ready?"

Chen Jingxuan reached out and gently put his arms around Chu Yin and Chu Guo's shoulders.

He took a deep breath.

The young man and woman exchanged a glance and slowly nodded.

Swish.

The moment the two gave their confirmation, the void began to collapse and shatter. The void woven with golden threads was destroyed by the towering waves. Chen Jingxuan, along with Chu Yin and Chu Guo, returned to the North Sea from the void, and the small boat rode the towering waves to the top of the world.

At that moment, the entire sea seemed to be enveloped by a sacred power!
Tang Fengshu sat cross-legged and displayed his Dharma form. The female Heavenly Venerable holding a whisk used all her supernatural powers to part the seawater within a radius of several miles... Thousands of water dragons roared, and Chen Jingxuan, along with his two imperial offspring, plunged into the sea and landed directly on the dry "land". Countless golden threads formed a golden ladder.

Chu Yin silently bit five fingers until they bled, then pressed them towards the seabed.

Chu Guo then used the umbrella sword Spring Breeze to cut a long gash in his palm.

Golden blood was spilled.

The tsunami roared.

As the imperial blood was spilled, the "North Sea Dragon Vein" that reached the capital of Da Chu responded at this moment. Chen Jingxuan put his hands together and silently formed a hand seal. Hundreds of millions of golden threads began to be drawn out of thin air, turning into obscure and complex talismans. What finally appeared before the two princes and princesses were two slender and straight streams of light, like swords.

Chu Yin and Chu Guo exchanged a glance and simultaneously reached out their hands to grasp the slender golden light.

Their royal blood flowed and spread, making the golden light even more radiant.

The two looked at Chen Jingxuan.

Eyes meet.

No more words needed.

Chu Yin and Chu Guo already understood what they had to do. The next moment, a thin golden light pierced through the heavens and earth, penetrating the depths of the North Sea, into the imperial blood dragon vein that had been hidden for thousands of years!

……

……

"Bang!" A painful scream erupted in the Moon Concealment Realm.

Yuan Huang's pupils contracted, and she lowered her proud head in disbelief. A heart-wrenching pain shot through her chest where the flying sword had pierced her.

That is not physical pain.

Rather... it is the pain of the soul.

It felt as if something was being pulled away!
The long, swaying leaves of the immortal tree also ignited with a surge of light and fire, a power that came from the distant north.

Xie Xuanyi felt something and looked north, lost in thought...

After bidding farewell to himself during the battle in the reed marshes, Chen Jingxuan was determined to head north.

Although I didn't ask many questions at the time, I vaguely guessed that this guy must have something more important than returning to the capital.

Perhaps, this is the matter.

Chen Jingxuan was a respectable man who valued seeing things through to the end, and this conflict over the dragon veins began because of him.

Based on my understanding of him.

He will definitely find a way... to bring this incident to an end in his hands.

"These mere ants dare to try and tear away the dragon vein!"

Yuanhuang sensed the malice emanating from the North Sea.

She no longer cared about the pain.

At this moment, the Holy Empress revealed her true colors, and after a low roar, she once again unleashed her demonic form.

A pure-blooded phoenix was seen coiled around a giant immortal tree, struggling to climb upwards, seemingly unconcerned even as a flying sword imbued with Dao intent pierced her chest... The flying sword remained unmoved, and she tore open the wound herself, stretching it out, with scalding golden blood continuously splattering out.

"Master."

Xie Xuanyi couldn't help but speak up.

"..."

Zhao Chunyang reached out and pressed Xie Xuanyi's shoulder, then shook his head.

The old man in the lotus robe simply watched this scene calmly, his expression neither sad nor happy, as if he had long anticipated it all.

Seeing this, Xie Xuanyi breathed a sigh of relief.

Did Master witness this scene during his "spiritual journey"?

In the North Sea, Chen Jingxuan has drawn upon the Imperial Bloodline Dragon Vein, presumably using "Chu Guo" as a hidden agent, and perhaps Chu Yin is also assisting... However, it would be extremely difficult for these two young, still-developing imperial bloodline offspring to snatch the dragon vein from the "Holy Empress." Although Yuan Huang is currently severely injured and her strength is less than one-tenth of what it once was, she is still a powerful figure who looks down upon all the heroes of the world.

"besides."

Zhao Chunyang seemed to have guessed Xie Xuanyi's thoughts, and calmly transmitted his voice, uttering two words.

"……besides?"

Xie Xuanyi was stunned for a moment.

"Heaven's justice is just, and many take advantage of danger. A hundred rivers rush into a ravine, and a single spark can start a prairie fire."

Zhao Chunyang stood with his hands behind his back and said quietly, "These four dragon veins... do not belong to her. Even if she forcibly takes them away, she cannot keep them."

The words have not yet fallen.

Another mournful howl echoed from the Immortal Tree.

The phoenix, covered in blood, gazed into the distance with a somber expression, this time not towards the North Sea.

"Taoist sect..."

Xie Xuanyi's eyes lit up.

Do not!
Not only from the Taoist sect, but he also sensed a third aura in the darkness.

There are four dragon veins in total.

On the side of the Great Eagle Sword Palace, the master has not yet exerted his power... At this moment, all three dragon veins are "guarded" by people, and even Qin Zu's martial fortune dragon vein is being tried to be retrieved!

"To draw upon the dragon vein, we went through countless hardships."

"To remove the dragon vein, all that's needed is a little opportunity."

Zhao Chunyang looked at Yuan Huang and calmly said, "You...why haven't you submitted to your fate?"

The phoenix raised its head and cried out, wanting to flap its wings.

She wanted to fight to the death.

Unfortunately, by this point in the battle, she had lost the right to "fight to the death."

In the end, all she had left was the privilege of "immortality," but even that privilege would eventually be stripped away completely...

Zhao Chunyang reached out his hand to the Immortal Tree.

The Sword Source River enveloped the phoenix along with the giant tree.

Faced with such a rare "quasi-celestial being," Yuan Huang had no way to dodge. The dragon vein fortune within her body, which was as solid as a rock, was also greatly shaken at this moment... Zhao Chunyang's move this time was not to kill her, but to extract the "sword qi dragon vein" from the immortal tree.

"Do not……"

This time, Yuan Huang's voice was less of a shrill shout and more of a mournful plea.

Zhao Chunyang did not hesitate.

The life-giving light ignited by the fallen leaves of the immortal tree quickly faded.

The "grand momentum" of the four dragon veins merging into one was disrupted at this moment.

The Great Eagle Sword Palace was the first to retrieve the "Sword Qi Dragon Vein".

A majestic azure dragon broke off from the divine tree's body and fell into the Sword Source River, but after Zhao Chunyang grasped it in his palm, the azure dragon quickly transformed into a slender little snake.

Surprisingly.

After the sword-qi dragon was swallowed by the immortal tree... it did not become weak, but instead became more lively.

The beings that "connect" with the Immortal Tree have a more symbiotic relationship.

perhaps.

The ideas of the Emperor Taihuang and Emperor Chu were correct: the merging of the four dragon veins with the Immortal Tree could potentially create an unprecedented and unparalleled golden age for the Chu dynasty.

only……

These dragon veins must be removed one by one at this moment.

As the "Sword Qi Dragon Vein" was stripped away, the Immortal Tree rapidly decayed, and the Primordial Phoenix aura also plummeted.

Her wounds no longer healed on their own, and the blood that spilled from her body no longer tainted her divinity.

The "Great Phoenix Cave Heaven," which had previously shown signs of coalescing, was now completely shattered and turned into desolation after being destroyed by Xuanming.

For an instant.

The Holy Empress then fell from her lofty position in the "Heavenly Realm".

She couldn't accept this outcome.

But what she found even more unacceptable... was yet to come.

Within the Immortal Tree, a second azure dragon shadow swept outwards; that was the "Daoist vein's fortune" belonging to the Daoist sect.

Next comes the third one: Martial Vein Luck!
At last……

That is the fourth one.

That was the "Imperial Destiny" that the Holy Empress first grasped, but was also the first to be manipulated.

The enormous phoenix, which had finally climbed to the top of the Immortal Tree, seemed to have aged hundreds of years at this moment.

The bright red divine feathers became dull and lifeless.

The flames burning in Yuan Huang's eyes were completely extinguished at that moment.

she knows.

I have completely failed.

Even the last hope, the biggest trump card, was completely destroyed at this moment.

The once majestic and towering immortal tree withered in just a few dozen breaths.

Countless leaves fell like snowflakes, fluttering and swirling in the Moonlit Realm.

The immortal tree did not die, but because it lost the nourishment of the dragon vein's fortune and could not maintain its growth, it could only return to a state of "depletion" in order to prolong its life as much as possible.

The life force of the immortal tree has not been completely extinguished.

All these years.

Yuanhuang nourished the Immortal Tree with her own blood.

Although the dragon vein has been lost, there is still a phoenix on the tree, which continues to draw on the phoenix blood to "extend its life".

The immortal tree, though it was called the "divine tree" by millions of people thousands of years ago.

But after all... it's just a tree.

To survive, absorbing the blood of the phoenix is ​​an instinct.

As for whether the phoenix was dying.

It never mattered to the immortal tree.

Thus, a tragic, beautiful, and ironic scene unfolded.

The phoenix, having climbed to the top of the immortal tree, gathered her feathers, but found nowhere to land. The immortal tree, having lost its branches and leaves, seemed to have transformed into a dry, straight sword, piercing her through.

Layers of phoenix blood flowed down the tree canopy.

In the Moon Concealment Realm, which had become a barren wasteland after the great war, a faint crimson tide rose.

……

……

(PS: The Moonlit Chapter is 90% complete. Aside from filling in the plot holes, a new climax is coming soon. I need to think about it carefully. The next chapter should be updated on August 1st.)
(End of this chapter)