Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 195 Wandering in Spirit to Slay Enemies

At the Qinghe County government office, a faint light appeared, a sign that the grand formation was in full operation. At this critical juncture, Liao Yonghuai dared not be careless in the slightest.

He originally intended to go with Yu Jinshui to welcome Qi Xiuning, but he was genuinely afraid that a sword light would fly by halfway and take his life, so he ultimately chose to stay put and wait for the final outcome.

"In any case, since Qi Xiuning has agreed to step in, Jiang Chen will inevitably have to compromise."

“If he really insists on being tough, Qi Xiuning will definitely not tolerate him. Although my superior appears humble and polite, he is extremely strong inside. Since he has decided to protect me, he will never waver because of Jiang Chen’s attitude.”

In the backyard of the county government office, looking into the distance, Liao Yonghuai's face was full of anticipation. The sword hanging above him felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat; this feeling was truly unbearable.

"Judging by the time, news should have arrived by now."

Liao Yonghuai glanced at the sky and waited silently.

Just then, a gust of wind blew from the river, and clouds obscured the sun in the sky, suddenly darkening the sky over Qinghe County.

At the same time, wisps of fog spread outwards, quickly obscuring the area around the county government office and continuing to spread outwards, as if to shroud the entire county town.

This change immediately attracted the attention of many people, who were all amazed by it. Only a few people realized something was wrong and their expressions changed slightly.

"This is···"

Inside the county government office, seeing the fog gathering and surrounding them, Liao Yonghuai, who had been full of anticipation, immediately sensed danger.

Soon, his guess was confirmed. With the sound of crashing waves, a long, slender dragon tail emerged from the mist, carrying the force of the river tide, and slammed down hard on the county government office.

With a loud rumble and violent tremor, the protective array of the county government office lost its spiritual light and began to crumble under the impact. Although the array was powerful, it was still far inferior to a true sect-protecting array.

"A dragon? Could the rumors be true? A dragon really did emerge from the Qingyuan River? But didn't it disappear? Why has it reappeared? Why has it come looking for me?"

Upon confirming the visitor's identity, Liao Yonghuai was filled with astonishment.

When he sensed something was wrong, his first suspect was Jiang Chen, because in Qinghe County, only Jiang Chen had the motive to attack him. He never expected that it would be the dragon that attacked him, after all, he had no grudge against the dragon.

Just as Liao Yonghuai was in turmoil, the mist dragon's second attack landed, and in an instant, the spiritual light of the array protecting the county government dimmed.

Seeing this, Liao Yonghuai was greatly alarmed. Without thinking any further, he immediately took action to stabilize the formation.

However, this was of no use. With the third strike of the mist dragon, the protective array of the county government office instantly collapsed, and a large number of houses were easily swept away by the dragon's tail.

At that very moment, the true form of the mist dragon finally manifested completely. It was ten zhang long, covered with bone armor, and hovered above the county government office, immediately locking onto Liao Yonghuai's figure.

Looking up at the sky, Liao Yonghuai met the dragon's deep gaze and felt its powerful and violent aura. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. At this moment, he no longer had any hope. The one who came to deal with him was indeed a genuine dragon, and it even had the cultivation level of Qi Refining Perfection.

"No, I have a great opportunity; I absolutely will not die here..."

Unwilling to give up and determined to survive, Liao Yonghuai abandoned his usual stinginess and offered up all the gold toad coins he had accumulated.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Chen's consciousness within the body of the mist dragon remained completely undisturbed. With the help of the Overlapping Waves Secret Technique, he had indeed made the mist dragon appear to be at the peak of Qi Refining. Although there were some flaws, they were definitely not something Liao Yonghuai could detect.

"sucker Punch!"

With his true energy surging, Jiang Chen manipulated the body of the mist dragon and opened his mouth.

The next instant, a cold, azure light burst forth, enveloping the entire county government office. In an instant, the chill spread, freezing the entire office into ice. Liao Yonghuai, standing within it, was instantly transformed into an ice sculpture.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Chen lowered his head from the clouds.

"When you set your sights on others, they will set their sights on you."

With a thought in mind, looking at Liao Yonghuai who had turned into an ice sculpture, Jiang Chen extended his dragon claw.

As his fingertip touched the ground, Liao Yonghuai's flesh and blood instantly shattered into pieces, falling to the ground and revealing the golden puppet within.

"Why, why did you kill me?" With the help of the golden puppet, Liao Yonghuai maintained a sliver of consciousness.

However, at this moment, Jiang Chen had no intention of answering his question; he was more curious about his puppetry skills.

"You are Jiang Chen. You actually possess a technique similar to mine. You're not just at the Great Completion stage of Qi Refining, you're at the Perfected stage. You've been hiding it very well..."

At one moment, a flash of inspiration struck Liao Yonghuai, and through the divine light in Jiang Chen's eyes, he guessed something, but it was too late by then.

"You deserve to die!"

The dragon's claws closed, the puppet's body shattered, and Jiang Chen extinguished Liao Yonghuai's last vestige of life. From that moment on, Liao Yonghuai's consciousness completely sank into oblivion, and he died.

"Let me see what secrets you're hiding."

Without hesitation, Jiang Chen activated Soul Illumination and used Soul Search. This Mist Dragon Soul was also an extension of his own soul. Although it was not as powerful as his original body, he could still use some of its tricks.

With a hum, the soul light shone, and Jiang Chen instantly understood Liao Yonghuai's secret.

"I never imagined there was such a wonderful method in the world. You are indeed a person with great potential, but unfortunately, this is both your strength and your weakness."

Shaking his head, having learned the secret, Jiang Chen didn't delay and immediately began the cleaning operation.

After a moment, having confirmed that nothing had been missed, Jiang Chen let out a long dragon roar, transformed into a dragon, and rode away on the mist.

After he left, as the fog dissipated, everyone in Qinghe County was stunned as they looked at the county government office, which was completely frozen and gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Meanwhile, as the mist dragon returned with its prize, Jiang Chen, who had seemed trapped in a game of chess, finally came to his senses aboard the ship. His brows relaxed, and he looked as if a dragon had broken free of its rope, displaying great pride.

Noticing this change, Qi Xiuning's eyes flickered slightly; at this moment, the tea in his cup was already more than half full.

"After much deliberation, a glimmer of hope was finally found, which can be described as finding life in the midst of death."

With clear, unwavering eyes, Jiang Chen placed the chess piece in his hand.

In an instant, the situation changed. The white pieces, which had been in a predicament, broke free from their shackles and transformed into a dragon, instantly crushing the black pieces.

Upon seeing this scene, Qi Xiuning was stunned. At this moment, he understood that while he was setting up his plans, Jiang Chen was also setting up his own. However, Jiang Chen's methods were more subtle, like spring rain nourishing the earth, delicate and silent.

However, he was not one to give up easily, so he continued to make moves and fight with Jiang Chen. But as time passed and the setting sun shone down, the black pieces eventually met their end.

“Excellent technique, excellent chess skills, Fellow Daoist Jiang, I have lost this time.”

With a sigh, knowing that Bai Zi's advantage was already secured and that he was powerless to reverse the situation, Qi Xiuning resigned and conceded defeat. He truly had no way out. At this moment, with a solemn expression, Yu Jinshui arrived at the ship.

"Thank you for your kindness, Prefect. My interest has been exhausted, so I will take my leave now."

Sensing something, Jiang Chen stood up, bowed to Qi Xiuning again, and then drifted away.

Qi Xiuning did not stop him, because he had also noticed Yu Jinshui's return.

"Sir, Liao Yonghuai is dead."

Upon arriving at Qi Xiuning's side, Yu Jinshui shared the latest news.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiuning's expression immediately changed.

"How could this be? How could this be?"

Half of his body was shrouded in shadow, obscuring his expression. Gazing in the direction of Qinghe County, Qi Xiuning was lost in thought. At this moment, only the chessboard, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, appeared exceptionally dazzling.

(End of this chapter)