Minglong

Chapter 368 Hidden Dragon's Scales
Thunder rumbled in the sky, and surging waves caused my body to drift with the current, slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake.

Xie Jinhuan followed him like a shadow, experiencing for the first time in his life the strange feeling of 'the person flying ahead while the soul chases behind'.

As his soul returned to its place, the suffocating feeling from the heavy blows to his chest, abdomen, and arms brought him to a near standstill. The lightning that was gradually moving away on the water surface stirred up some long-forgotten images deep in his mind.

Three years ago, a huge wave capsized the ship, and he, too, carrying his injuries and exhaustion, sank alone into the deep sea, feeling as if he had been abandoned by the whole world.

But just as he was completely swallowed up by the endless abyss, a red light suddenly appeared in the darkest of worlds.

The red light resembled two boundless pools of blood, outlining the shape of eyes. He was situated between these eyes, as small as a speck of dust, yet the only object in this extremely dark world.

Then, wisps of red light emerged from the depths of the abyss, connecting to the center of the forehead, and then spreading along the eight extraordinary meridians to the limbs and bones.

He could feel his flesh and bones disintegrating, as if being swallowed by a red abyss, but they seemed to be recombining under some kind of power, causing phantom scales to constantly appear on his body.

It's like a dragon that travels 30,000 miles in adversity, eventually returning to the vast ocean, where it undergoes a transformation from dragon to snake!

He gazed at the pair of red eyes beneath the endless abyss, and those eyes gazed back at him, before gradually losing consciousness and disappearing without a trace.

When he awoke again, he had broken through the sea and arrived amidst the clouds, traveling 30,000 miles in a single day, passing Phoenix Harbor, Ruizhou, and Huzhou below...

There seemed to be a little tattered bird perched on its head, "coo-coo-chirp..." along the way, probably muttering something like, "The dragon lies hidden in the azure waves, mingling with toads, waiting for the day it will rise to prominence, shaking the mountains and rivers with thunder and lightning..."

Amidst the raging thunder, he arrived atop the seven-hundred-mile-long Zihui Mountain, where lightning and torrential rain swept across the boundless wilderness.

Amidst the towering mountains, a campfire glows faintly in the darkness, with a tent nearby.

A wandering Taoist priest emerged from a nearby tomb, looked up at the stormy night sky with a look of fear on his face, seemingly not understanding what was happening.

He then plunged headfirst into the ground and lost consciousness, only vaguely remembering hearing a few words afterwards:

"I heard there was a huge thunderstorm last night, and a dragon fell into Zihui Mountain. The government officials went to search for it..."

"Dragons are inherently lustful. If this is true, the female birds and beasts of Zihui Mountain will probably be in trouble..."

……

This slumber lasted for an unknown period of time. When they awoke again, they found themselves on a battlefield amidst the mountains of Daizhou.

He looked down at Tiger Vanguard, who was wielding two swords, while Tiger Vanguard looked up at him.

Although the opponent was as small as a grain of rice, his astonished eyes also revealed the courage of a peak martial artist, and he jumped up and delivered a slash.

He slapped Tiger Vanguard back, wanting to kill everything in sight, but was suppressed by the Yin-Yang Ruler and could only wander in the clouds.

Then the white-haired fairy appeared and staged a scene of 'Nezha beating up the Dragon King's third son'.

Coal Ball was also punching and kicking him from the side, making him howl and run away with his head in his hands, smashing several hills, but still catching up with Tiger Vanguard who was trying to escape. With the help of the divine gift of Lingguang within him, he used a powerful fireball technique to chase after Tiger Vanguard and spray him with fire...

What kind of nonsense is this...

Xie Jinhuan's consciousness was becoming somewhat scattered. Strange and bizarre images kept flashing through his mind. His limbs were also changing. His flesh was bulging and his bones were deformed. Blood-red scales kept appearing on his body. His eyes were becoming more and more crazed. He was gradually losing his clarity and rationality.

But just as things were about to spiral completely out of control, a clear, mature female voice reached my ears:

"You're about to succumb to demonic possession again. Calm down and take your medicine, or Shang Lianbi will appear to suppress the demon."

The voice was like a wake-up call, instantly sobering Xie Jinhuan up.

Realizing that he had been knocked out of the second stage of the demonic path and was about to lose his mind and become a demon, he quickly took out the Zhengde Demon-Dispelling Pill from his waist and swallowed it.

Then, my thoughts cleared instantly. The rolling thunder and the roar of sword energy reached my ears through the churning waves, and several figures on the water's surface came into view...
-
Rumble…

Huge waves surged on Jishui Lake, and rolling black lightning raged within them, almost turning the entire area into a dead land where no living thing could survive.

The enormous black serpent, over seventy feet long, raged in the lake. Relying on its bloodline powers born from water, it fought in this environment like a demigod crushing mortals, its combat power far surpassing that of Fang Qingxuan.

Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua searched for Xie Jinhuan's whereabouts in the lake, but Xuanjiao's talent for controlling the power of heaven and earth was too strong. It turned the entire lake into a private domain with only the five elements of water. Not to mention them, even Lü Yan couldn't use any fire magic here.

As a result, Nangong Ye was directly transformed into a magic-suppressed mage. Bu Yuehua could still fight with her martial arts skills, but Fang Qingxuan and Xuanjiao's cultivation was too high, so they could only cover Nangong Ye's movements and evasion.

While martial artists do not have any obvious strengths when facing various martial arts styles, they emphasize physical immortality and are almost independent of the environment. Even in a dead zone where the power of heaven and earth is completely stripped away, their combat power will not be diminished much.

However, Ye Yunchi was not a sixth-realm old demon. Facing the most powerful sword cultivator of the same realm, as well as a true demon with terrifying defense, and with the second-in-command of the Gu Poison Sect sneaking around in the shadows, even though he tried his best, he was at an absolute disadvantage with the help of the Battle Shield.

In the first exchange, Ye Yunchi was injured in the ribs by a three-inch flying sword. His sword was unable to penetrate the Xuan Jiao's scales. With no way to fight back, he could only grit his teeth and grip his sword tightly, the words "Jun Chi" shining brightly.

call--

A cyan sword aura surged from his body, almost turning him into solid cyan ice.

"Roar—" The black snake let out a long roar, its huge body sweeping towards the person blocking its way like a dragon's tail. But this time it failed to pull the female swordsman away. Instead, the thick snake tail covered with scales was ripped open by the sword energy, almost piercing through, just like a tail sweeping onto the blade!
Fang Qingxuan launched a fierce attack with his flying sword. The three-inch blade struck Ye Yunchi's chest and abdomen, but after penetrating the sword energy, it could not advance any further. The sword began to tremble violently, emitting a piercing "crackling" sound, and it was on the verge of shattering.

call out--

Fang Qingxuan's expression changed drastically. He quickly pulled back his flying sword, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Mo Yuan dared not rush in recklessly any longer, and a hint of doubt showed in his scarlet pupils.

However, the sword aura was only formed from a wisp of sword energy left behind by a master, and it was not Ye Yunchi's own strength, so it could not last indefinitely.

Chen Yishan, having failed to defeat Xie Jinhuan with a single blow, knew his true nature had been exposed and could no longer be concealed. He abandoned all pretense, his cloak billowing as he gripped his cane, black and green poisonous mist enveloping his body, revealing a gigantic ghost head with eerie eyes. Then:
"what--"

A deafening shriek echoed throughout the entire lake, like the mournful howls of ten thousand ghosts in the underworld reaching this small corner of the human world.

Martial artists primarily cultivate their physical strength, so it's inevitable that their spiritual energy is inferior to that of other schools; even sword energy cannot defend against spiritual attacks.

The moment the shriek struck, Ye Yunchi's eyes clearly glazed over, and the azure sword energy dissipated.

Without hesitation, Fang Qingxuan and Mo Yuan used the same trick again, their three-inch flying swords striking his chest and abdomen, while a bolt of black lightning struck his head.

Sa——

Boom——

Faced with such a series of attacks, Ye Yunchi knew he couldn't defend against them. Therefore, he forcibly gathered a sliver of strength, not wasting it on futile resistance, but instead swept his left hand backward, creating a towering wave that instantly pushed Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua away.

"go!"

Boom——

The next instant, the indestructible flying sword had already arrived before his chest and abdomen, and the black lightning as thick as a bucket had reached above his head.

Ye Yunchi's soul had not yet fully returned to its place. Seeing this desperate situation, what appeared in his eyes was not fear and despair, but a faint regret.

After all, he had been traveling the world for decades, with no relatives or friends and no ties to him. His only obsession was to avenge his mother.

But even if she exerted all her strength, she couldn't budge that person in the slightest. In the end, all she could get was a few harsh words and then never speak to each other again.

People always die in the fight against demons and the righteous path. As righteous people who have dedicated their lives to cultivating for the sake of all living beings, if they die on the road of slaying demons and eliminating evil, it can be considered as sacrificing themselves for righteousness and not failing the teachings of the sages.

Unfortunately, she had just met a man with similar interests, but before they could even begin, they were destined to be buried together...

Boom——

The moment the thought arose, a deafening roar erupted from his body.

Ye Yunchi instinctively raised his sword to parry, but his mind was filled with flashbacks of their meeting over the past few days. He didn't understand why he was distracted at this critical moment of life and death.

But as the roar subsided, she found that the expected sharp pain or dizziness did not come, and there was not even the overwhelming force of the noise.

The rolling thunder and sword cries that had been raging all around suddenly froze, leaving the noisy battlefield instantly silent.

?

Ye Yunchi suddenly came to his senses and looked up, only to see surging waves in front of him, swirling around him and forming a huge phantom.

A man dressed in a tattered white robe appeared before them, his long hair flowing in the air, holding a Heavenly Mace pointing in front of him.

A surge of blood energy enveloped the man, visibly healing the injuries to his arms, chest, and abdomen. He faced the enormous black snake in front of him, his aura as powerful as a dragon breaking through the sea, while looking down at a four-legged worm.

Rumble…

Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua were pushed aside. They wanted to quickly use their skills to help Ye Yunchi, but when they looked back, they were clearly shocked.

Mo Yuan and his companions, who were charging forward with all their might, suddenly stopped in the center of the lake, their eyes revealing a hint of shock.

Amidst the roaring sound of the water, the towering water prison that had sealed off the entire lake collapsed, transforming into boundless spray that crashed down from the sky.

On the lakeside, a man with flowing long hair, his body shimmering with scales, and even the phantom of dragon horns on his head, his eyes shining with silver light, was like a little dragon, exuding a vast dragon might comparable to the might of the heavens.

The surging waves converged around it, and the spray outlined the phantom of a python dragon.

The python's head had two horns, horse-mane-like hair, and even two long whiskers, which danced above the accumulated lake.

The dragon claws, with their five claws, gripped the buzzing flying sword as the Heavenly Mace pointed forward.

Its massive form sheltered the two within, isolating them from all the noise of the world...

(End of this chapter)