Misty Rain of the Old Times

The enormous, withered dragon body coiled in the void, desolate and cold, as if emanating a chill that could freeze one's soul. The shattered island was almost entirely surrounded by that body.

Countless people stared in horror in this direction. Those who hadn't been able to set foot on the island to participate in the martial arts tournament and watch the excitement felt something was wrong as soon as the strange phenomenon appeared and fled in droves, wishing they had more legs. Those foolishly bold people who didn't mind watching the excitement were ultimately a minority.

The dragon's body was so enormous that it could be clearly seen from Yinlong County, dozens of miles away. Countless people were hiding in their homes, trembling with fear. Some wealthy people were considering whether to flee with their families, since if that ominous black dragon were to attack, it would probably wipe out the entire county after just two rolls.

The officials weren't blind; they naturally saw what was happening over there, but who dared to approach? The county magistrate was already packing his valuables and preparing to flee, and while he was at it, he reported it to the authorities. The rest was truly beyond his control. It was estimated that even if the higher-ups of the Imperial Guard were mobilized, this matter would be difficult to resolve.

When the black dragon appeared, all who witnessed it were utterly terrified.

On the island, Luo Yan roared to warn everyone, trying to split up and escape to distract the black-robed man. Although he had trump cards that were enough to challenge a grandmaster, he was still not at that level. The gap was too big. They probably couldn't even defeat just one black-robed man. Now there was an even more terrifying black dragon. What was the point of fighting? They were guaranteed to die. They should run away quickly. Whether they survived or not depended on fate.

As soon as he finished speaking, he ran away without hesitation. In life-or-death situations, people's minds always turn very quickly. He dashed towards the lake like lightning, intending to escape underwater, as the water would increase his chances of success.

Before he could even get close to the water, the black-robed man on the dragon's head merely glanced in his direction, and in the next instant, the jet-black dragon tail, as if cast from steel, swept over, distorting the air and creating a series of sonic booms like water mist. Its speed was many times faster than the sound itself, and it was about to hit Luo Yan in the blink of an eye.

The size difference was too great; compared to the enormous dragon tail, Luo Yan was like a flea.

A chill ran through him as the aura of death filled his mind. With no way to avoid it, Luo Yan channeled all his true energy, unleashing a crescent-shaped, nine-in-one treasure wheel, about ten feet in diameter, towards the dragon's tail. The wheel was crimson red and burst forth with brilliant flames, like a blazing sun in the sky.

However, in just one exchange, the treasure wheel that struck the dragon's tail shattered, scorching fragments flying in all directions, the explosive flames seeming to ignite the void. His strike, which could have killed any innate master, failed to leave the slightest mark on the seemingly withered dragon pattern, not even a single fragment could break off.

"Aren't you going to make a move? Otherwise, everyone here will die today!"

With a trembling heart, Luo Yan shouted anxiously, but his speech was nowhere near as fast as the dragon's tail attack. Almost the instant he opened his mouth, the dragon's tail, which had shattered the treasure wheel, was about to strike him.

Just as he was about to be crushed, Luo Yan gritted his teeth and channeled all his true energy into the broken black spear in his hand, thrusting it towards the incoming dragon's tail.

The broken gun in his hand was only about four feet long, dark and even covered with rust, but in that instant it burst forth with terrifying power. With a buzzing sound, the dark red blade flashed, and people could faintly hear strange bird calls. A giant bird of light and shadow with a wingspan of nearly a hundred feet appeared out of thin air, its feathers composed of dark red flames, just like the legendary divine bird, the Golden Crow.

The enormous, luminous bird enveloped Luo Yang, its beak positioned where the broken spear in his hand rested, and it pecked at the approaching dragon's tail.

With a bang, the enormous bird of light and shadow was torn apart by the dragon's tail in an instant. The violent collision caused countless people to temporarily lose their hearing. Fragments of light feathers fell, boiling and steaming on the water, melting mud and rocks on the ground, and burning people to ashes.

Amidst the surging, dazzling light and shadow, a small figure was sent flying backward. Luo Yan, coughing up blood and pale-faced, crashed back onto the ravaged island like a meteor, creating a crater several meters wide with a thunderous roar. He trembled as he struggled to his feet, unable to hold back another mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with terror, still clutching the broken black spear tightly.

His strike with the gun against the dragon's tail, as the intense light dissipated, caused a massive crater, tens of feet wide, to appear on the cracked edge of the island and the lake surface, which was quickly filled by the rushing lake water.

In the void, the black-robed man on the dragon's head glanced at the retracted dragon tail, where several scales were already showing faint cracks. Then he turned back to look at Luo Yan, who was staggering to his feet in the pit, and said in a sullen voice, "As expected of the leader of the Chongyan Sect, you actually have such a trump card. Even the newly born Black Dragon Protector has been slightly injured. But how many more times can you use such a method?"

Luo Yan struggled to his feet and looked up at his opponent, his eyes filled with a desperate desire to survive. His voice was hoarse as he said, "This is a treasure I obtained by chance. Although it is broken, it is still a weapon of a Grandmaster. It has been nurtured for many years and bears the imprint of a Grandmaster's spirit. If you hold it and infuse it with your true energy, you can unleash the power of a Grandmaster. I am willing to offer it up with both hands, just please spare me."

"...The dignified leader of the Chongyan Sect, are you kidding me? What is my cultivation level? Isn't a casual strike stronger than your rubbish? I said, all of you will die today. Stop struggling and obediently show your life nourishment to the Black Dragon Protector. You'll die more quickly then," the black-robed man, clearly speechless, shook his head and said.

What he cherished as a treasure, a trump card he rarely used, believing it could rival the methods of a grandmaster, was nothing but laughable junk in the eyes of his opponent. At this moment, Luo Yan's face flushed red, his defenses crumbled, and his heart was filled with bitterness and despair. He couldn't win, he couldn't run away, what could he do? Was he really going to die here today?

Having just received his reminder, many people followed suit and ran away in different directions, only to be killed by the black-robed man with a wave of his hand. Their bodies exploded into blood mist and were swallowed by the black dragon. Luo Yan was clearly the one being targeted.

But he survived the attack from the black dragon; it's hard to know whether to be happy or sad.

"I doubt anyone will come. I've wasted my time waiting here. I have no interest in wasting my time with you. Now I'll just die and become food for the Black Dragon Protector's advancement. Better than nothing... Hmph, you're asking for it!"

The black-robed man on the dragon's head spoke silently, then snorted disdainfully and casually flicked his hand, striking a dim, illusory figure to the side.

As he unleashed his palm strike, the small, dim phantom spurted blood and flew backward, letting out a faint, painful howl.

Seeing that the flying figure was still almost invisible and not dead, the black-robed man was slightly surprised. He was about to kill the opponent with another palm strike when he felt something strange in his palm. He looked down and saw a small wound on his palm with faint red threads spreading out.

This chilled him to the bone. He circulated his true energy, suppressing the red lines spreading across his palm and forcing them out of his body. As his wound healed, a drop of dark red blood floated in his palm. He flicked his finger and flicked it towards the flying figure, saying in a slightly cold tone, "Well done, Ji Jue, the leader of the Shadow Assassin Sect. As expected of the number one assassin in Jing Kingdom, you actually managed to get close to me. It's a pity the gap is too big, otherwise you might have actually succeeded. You didn't die just now, how dare you seek death? I'll grant your wish!"

He stopped looking in Ji Jue's direction and instead scanned the remaining people before preparing to kill them.

"You have acted against the natural order, feeding demons with the flesh and blood of living beings. The entire martial world will not tolerate you, and the imperial court will not allow you to slaughter the common people and run rampant!" Xuan Yang said sternly, holding his sword, his eyes filled with a willingness to die.

The black-robed man slowly raised his hand and sneered, "Don't think so highly of yourself. If I kill your court, they won't care. Besides, when did I ever say I wanted to slaughter all living beings to feed the Black Dragon Protector?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yang's heart sank. It seemed that the other party truly had no intention of letting anyone present go. The truth was just as the man in black robes had said. Although he held a position in the imperial court, he was ultimately a member of the martial arts world. Even if he was unwilling to admit it, in the eyes of the imperial court, martial arts people were all lawless outlaws. No matter how many died, the court would not take it seriously, much less target a grandmaster-level expert and a black dragon of the same level. They probably wouldn't even have time to win them over.

Actually, you could tell from their tone that they were still somewhat wary of the imperial court and unwilling to completely confront them, but what could they do? It wouldn't change the current situation. "Don't hesitate any longer! If we all attack together, there might still be a glimmer of hope. Although Grandmasters are strong, we are not ants that can be easily crushed!" Luo Yan shouted again.

Both he and Xuan Yang had trump cards, enough to briefly unleash the power of a Grandmaster. Together with other experts, they could easily tear off a piece of each other's flesh.

Faced with a common crisis, the grudges between good and evil can only be temporarily put aside.

Xuan Yang nodded slightly in agreement. His ancient longsword hummed softly, emitting a three-foot-long sword light, and shot up towards the black-robed man like a shooting star chasing the moon. How could he not see that the black-robed man was the key? The black dragon was controlled by him. If he wanted a sliver of hope, he could only attack him.

At the moment of his birth, Xuan Yang's figure seemed to vanish, leaving only the long sword in his hand that transformed into a point of cold light, containing a sharp aura that seemed capable of tearing everything apart. Its dazzling sharpness seemed to be able to rip the heavens and earth apart, making it impossible for people to open their eyes and look directly at it. All they could see was a white blur, and they could see nothing else.

This was no longer the case where Luo Yan forcibly unleashed power comparable to a Grandmaster using the broken spear; rather, he directly employed the techniques that a Grandmaster-level expert had sealed within the sword.

After all, he is the head of the Tai Xuan Sect. With a grandmaster-level expert in charge, it's not difficult for him to seal two paths when he has nothing to do. He can unleash them without consuming his own energy. Unlike Luo Yan, who has to bear a huge price for unleashing such an attack. He loses his cultivation and energy, which is equivalent to overdrawing and ruining his future. But in that life-or-death moment, he can't care about so much.

"kill!"

At the same time, Luo Yan roared almost maniacally and charged forward. The broken spear hummed again, and a fierce bird with wingspans of a hundred feet flew across the sky.

Zhang Aoxue, Qin Yun, Hu Feng, Xuan Qing, Ye Hong... they also followed and charged forward. Perhaps they didn't have the same methods as Xuan Yang and Luo Yan, and couldn't threaten the other party. They were clearly courting death, but it was still better than sitting and waiting to die.

Ji Jue is known for his ability to assassinate Grandmaster-level experts, which everyone has witnessed before. He actually managed to get close to the target and almost succeeded, but after being attacked twice by the black-robed man at the Grandmaster level, he can no longer be relied upon.

In moments when facing death without fear, people always feel something is missing. Right, where is Zhu Hong, the leader of the Beggars' Sect? However, there's no time to think about that now.

"Hmph, like an ant trying to shake a tree, it's just a dying struggle," the man in black robes sneered disdainfully.

The raised palm pressed down, distorting the void and creating a palm print that nearly blotted out the sky. The air became so thick that Xuan Yang and the others could hardly move forward.

Faced with that terrifying palm print, Xuan Qing and the others' attacks crumbled instantly like snow meeting the scorching sun. If Xuan Yang and Luo Yang hadn't unleashed their power to hold the line, they would have been crushed.

Xuan Yang and the others were not true Grandmasters after all. Under the overwhelming pressure of that sky-covering giant handprint, Luo Yang's hundred-foot-long Fiery Bird was crushed in a single exchange, spitting blood and flying backward with a pale face and weak breath. On the contrary, Xuan Yang's brilliant sword tore the giant handprint apart, but its sharpness was also gone.

It was equivalent to two grandmasters joining forces to barely block the black-robed man's attack.

With a single sword strike, Xuan Yang shattered the palm print. Although the power of his sword was greatly reduced, it still thrust forward relentlessly.

With a soft hum, the man in black robes pointed out again, a dark golden finger pressing down like a pillar supporting the sky, ripples in the void, crushing Xuan Yang's sword light. Just as it was about to completely suppress them, the ancient longsword in Xuan Yang's hand hummed again, a streak of green light flew out, transforming into a giant a hundred feet tall, its face obscured, and it waved its hand to strike the giant finger that had been pointed at it.

Boom! A thunderous explosion resounded in all directions, and the aftershocks spread and swept across the area. The enormous finger was blocked and dissipated, and at the same time, the hundred-foot-tall giant figure disappeared into the void. Xuan Yang and the others were lucky to survive and flew back to the devastated island.

"The Tai Xuan Sect, with its centuries-old heritage, truly possesses profound foundations. No matter how many tricks you have up your sleeve, you will all die today without a doubt," the black-robed man sneered, lightly tapping the dragon's head with his toes.

The next moment, the black dragon beneath his feet opened its mouth and roared ferociously, spewing out a dark red, chilling aura that surged like a wave, almost engulfing the entire ruined island and everyone present.

Having witnessed the terrifying aura, Xuan Yang had no choice but to grit his teeth and activate the sealing technique on his longsword once more. Another beam of earthy yellow light flew out, transforming into a stream of light that swept across the area, likely enveloping any survivors and sending them fleeing into the distance.

His sword already had offensive capabilities, so how could he not have an escape route? He didn't take it out beforehand to lull the opponent into a false sense of security. Now, he was using the overwhelming dark red aura to obscure the view in an attempt to escape.

But the man in black robes wouldn't let them succeed. He already knew they possessed a trump card that could seal a grandmaster's technique, so how could he not be on guard? Under his influence, the black dragon swept its tail again, blocking them back and plunging them into a chilling aura. The earthy yellow light surrounding them dimmed as they struggled to hold on, unsure how long they could endure.

If it were just one person, Xuan Yang probably would have used that opportunity to escape, but he was greedy and wanted to take everyone away.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Just then, the black-robed man on the dragon's head turned around and looked at a corner of the ruined island, shouting coldly.

As he spoke, his heart tightened. He had felt something was off before, and now, with the dark red, cold aura enveloping below, he noticed a spot that was unaffected.

How could he not be wary in such a situation? He had been making a big show of himself here for so long, only to find someone hiding nearby. If they were to launch a sneak attack on him, wouldn't it be difficult to defend against?

"Why are you shouting so loudly? You're hurting my eyes! I am Wang Wu, the Great Swordsman! You scoundrel, stop your arrogance!" Chen Xuan replied calmly. Since he was here under the alias Wang Wu, he still had to maintain his persona.

As he spoke, he tossed aside the flat-chested, utterly astonished Ji Jue, who looked like a squirrel in his hand, and even had time to turn back to the old man and say, "I told you he wouldn't have long before he found out about us."

As he spoke, he casually picked up the large, nicked sword lying nearby. After all, Wang Wu, the Great Swordsman, naturally used a sword… (End of Chapter)