Minglong

Chapter 428 How can I ignore him?

Rumble…

The cultivators on the mountaintop fought to the death, a scene that could be described as turning mountains and seas into a boiling furnace, and regarding all living beings as mere fish and insects!

Under the impact of the blazing sword energy, the lake surface within a radius of dozens of miles has turned into boiling water, with billowing bubbles and mist rising from it.

Many of the fish, shrimp, turtles, and crabs that originally lived in the lake were caught in the crossfire and floated belly up on the surface of the water.

Empress Dowager Guo held her sword, Mingji, her full head of red hair fluttering in the wind and rain. Although her aura was still sharp and imposing, the crimson light on her body had dimmed considerably, and even her flame-like long hair had returned to its normal wine red color, indicating that she had consumed a great deal of energy.

A hundred feet ahead, the Taoist Kongkong hovered on the lake's surface, a three-foot sword in his hand. Crimson blood rolled down the blade, and his dim, old eyes showed signs of weariness.
"The ancients said that my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens, and that if I gain it, it is my fortune, and if I lose it, it is my fate... Fellow Daoist Guo, do you think that we cultivators should accept our fate or not?"

Empress Dowager Guo had already discerned from their earlier exchange that Daoist Kongkong's Daoist heart was unstable and his sword strikes lacked sharpness.

For a cultivator on a mountain peak, a clear and unobstructed Dao heart is more important than a healthy body.

After all, only with an iron will and a firm goal can one unleash one's perseverance and potential to overcome insurmountable obstacles. This applies to the righteous path, the evil path, and even to Shang Lianbi, who is neither righteous nor evil.

If a person hesitates even about what he is doing, fearing the infamy and karmic consequences of killing, yet wanting to accumulate wealth and status while saving others, then his sword is destined to be slow.

"Whether you follow the will of Heaven or defy it, both are correct. To follow the will of Heaven and accept one's fate requires great perseverance, and to defy it requires even more. But if you feel that you cannot defy the will of Heaven but want to rely on others to skip your fate, then you are neither following the will of Heaven nor defying it, but rather your heart is not upright."

Master Kongkong nodded slightly:

“That makes sense. However, it’s clear that three of the righteous path will be involved this time. Both I and Yang Huaxian need opportunities, and no matter what we do, we will encounter you and then be surrounded by those who were given a bye.”

"My skills are indeed average, but Yang Huaxian is a man who has lived for three hundred years and escaped several great calamities. He shouldn't walk into such an obvious trap step by step."

Empress Dowager Guo knew of Yang Huaxian's cunning, but as long as the Xuanwu Divine Gift was preserved, Yang Huaxian would not be able to continue hiding. She frowned upon hearing this.

"Are you still so stubborn?"

After their exchange, the Taoist Kongkong realized it was impossible to break through the Valkyrie's defenses. Even if he fought with all his might and risked his life, he would only be contributing to the evil path. He would die and his Taoist cultivation would be destroyed, but he would gain nothing, not even a good reputation. Therefore, he retreated.
"My time is drawing near, but I won't be leaving this world in just a few days. Since I've placed my bets on the evil path, I can only gamble on their success. Thank you for your guidance today, Fellow Daoist Guo. I hope we meet again someday."

After saying this, the Taoist Kongkong drew his sword and flew away into the distance.

Sa——

Empress Dowager Guo, holding a long, dark sword, did not pursue the fleeing enemy upon seeing the situation.

After all, her Qi Sea was greatly depleted and could not be replenished; if the fight continued, something bad would happen.

If Huang Lin Zhenren can hold onto one opportunity, he can live; if he holds onto two evil paths, one of them will die; if he takes all three, no matter how many tricks Yang Huaxian and Kongkong Daoren play, they will not live past this year.

Therefore, the priority at present should be to seize opportunities and support teammates.

Once the figure of the Taoist Kongkong disappeared, the Valkyrie did not hesitate and flew towards the distant lake, crashing into the turbulent surface halfway there.

wow-

……

The once calm lakebed has been transformed into a shattered, muddy mess by the clashing of swords and spears, with crisscrossing trenches visible everywhere.

The distant flashes of lightning illuminated the turbulent lakebed, making it appear and disappear intermittently.

Rumble…

Empress Dowager Guo quickly searched for the source of the commotion, initially believing that Xie Jinhuan was still chasing after the suddenly appearing Shang Mingzhen.

But when she got closer, she discovered a headless, mummified corpse lying at the bottom of the lake.

The large, jet-black coal-like creature crouched nearby, its wings outstretched to support two orbs of green and white light. Its head was topped with a red dollop, making it resemble a 'bird version of Lu Wuzhen' with three suns hanging from its back. It tilted its head back and swayed back and forth to maintain its posture, lest the opportunity fly away. Upon noticing her approach, it began:
"Gulu gulu..."

It probably means asking her to hold it for her.

Meanwhile, several miles away in the lake, a young man, wielding a long spear and with a sword and mace at his waist, chased after an octopus.

The black and red octopus darted around in the lake, sometimes turning into stone, sometimes into fish, turtles and seaweed, trying to evade its pursuers. But unfortunately, the pursuers had X-ray vision and couldn't escape its keen eyes.

When Empress Dowager Guo saw this scene, her eyes lit up slightly.

After all, in this day and age, genuine mountain and marsh spirits are extremely rare, and those with powerful bloodlines are even rarer.

Like a lump of coal, it's a unique specimen. Although its fur is pure black, it's different from a water-based Xuanjiao like Mo Yuan; it's naturally Yin. According to the Five Elements, metal and water are Yin, and Mo Yuan is naturally water-based, his talent being pure to the extreme, thus mastering Yin lightning.

Coal briquettes are inherently yin, therefore they are not afraid of yin evil and can see the filth of the world. They can also control the metal and water elements that are in a lower position.

Most dragons belong to the water element. When facing a higher-ranking being, their water control abilities are naturally suppressed. They cannot defeat the ferocious beasts of the primordial world with their 'metallic killing power' in hand-to-hand combat. This is why there is the saying that they 'eat dragons'.

The octopus that escaped had black and red skin, suggesting that it was likely half yin and half yang, which allowed it to control all five elements and achieve the effect of 'transforming into all things'. This is quite consistent with Shang Lianbi's eclectic school of thought.

Empress Dowager Guo was worried that Xie Jinhuan might accidentally kill the spirit beast, so she immediately came to the vicinity, raised her hand slightly, and an invisible cage of qi froze the octopus inside, making it impossible for it to move even an inch.

"Oh?!"

Ah Huan, who was chasing after her, noticed her arrival. His gaze immediately shifted from the octopus, and a strange excitement appeared on his handsome face, as if he had seen some kind of rare treasure.

?

Empress Dowager Guo sensed that Xie Jinhuan was not in a good condition and wanted to go forward to check on him. However, as soon as she landed on the bottom of the lake, she found the water in front of her surging. Xie Jinhuan pounced on her, his eyes full of excited shouts, and gave her a bear hug.

"Ugh?!"

Their lips met, and the deep lakebed fell into a deathly silence!
The Valkyrie initially thought the boy had mistaken her for someone else, but when she was forcefully kissed and her red gauze dress was pulled down over her shoulders, revealing her fair shoulders and a full figure, her eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly leaned back to avoid it.

"Xie Jinhuan?!"

After consuming the cultivation-boosting pill, Xie Jinhuan, though mentally confused and emotionally agitated, possessed a physical constitution and cultivation level vastly different from what he had achieved in Danyang. His endurance was much stronger, and he was not entirely deranged. Upon hearing the shouts, a glimmer of clarity flashed in his excited eyes:
"Huh? I... I'm amazed! It's huge, wow..."

But the clarity was fleeting; as soon as I looked down and saw the distinctive white elephant of the Hu women, my heart was immediately captivated, and I looked down again…

"what--?!"

Although Empress Dowager Guo was mature and steady, she had her limits. Last time, when Xie Jinhuan was kicked in, it made her Daoist heart impure for several days. Now that he was directly becoming a child, how could she accept it without changing her expression?

"Xie Jinhuan! Calm down!"

"I... Ah mwah mwah mwah..."

"you?"

Empress Dowager Guo discovered that this boy's willpower was as thin as paper. As soon as he regained his senses, he was seduced by beauty and began to act recklessly. She tried to break free.

But Xie Jinhuan had gone mad for some reason, picking her up and sucking her with tremendous force. Afraid of breaking his arm, she didn't dare exert any force, and twisted her body a few times. As a result, the boy raised his hand and slapped her on the back.

"Don't move, or I'll make you cry!"

ha? !

You are simply...

Empress Dowager Guo was unusually flushed, shocked, and wanted to knock the possessed rogue unconscious, but a divine, ethereal voice reached her ears:
"Never mind him, the important thing is to focus on the task at hand. Let's refine this opportunity first."

How can I just ignore him?

Empress Dowager Guo was stripped naked and kissed, and if she didn't act soon, she should be executed on the spot. However, since the gods had spoken, she couldn't be unaware of the gravity of the situation. So she quickly stripped away the power of heaven and earth surrounding the black sphere and pretended that the child did not exist.

But how is this possible!

Xie Jinhuan retained a sliver of rationality, his behavior seemingly reckless, yet still somewhat restrained. After kissing her for a while and finding that Sister Guo didn't resist, he knew he couldn't resist and began to move forward.

?

Empress Dowager Guo initially intended to ignore it, but as the actions became increasingly excessive, she finally couldn't hold back. She grabbed Xie Jinhuan's shoulder, pulled him up, and said in a deep voice:
"Thank you, Jinhuan!"

The sound was like the clash of metal and stone, shaking one's very soul.

Xie Jinhuan suddenly came to his senses and noticed that Sister Guo's face was flushed and her eyes were showing displeasure. He quickly said:

"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't thinking straight... I just kissed him."

"Woo?"

Empress Dowager Guo looked surprised, with a hint of helplessness in her eyes. In the end, she decided to refine the opportunity herself and let the child play by himself...
-
I forced myself to write yesterday, and my brain is fried. Today I've been writing since 5 pm, and I've only managed 8,000 words. After deleting and revising, I only have 2,600 left. Only one chapter left for today. Sigh...

(End of this chapter)