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Chapter 65 Dragons Fight in the Wild

The fragrance of osmanthus blossoms floated in the night breeze, intertwining with the somber atmosphere to create an eerie tranquility.

The man in black robes slowly raised his hand, and the two crimson puppets behind him simultaneously opened their eyes—two empty eye sockets burning with an eerie light. These were midday puppets, forged from corpses that died at the height of midday's yang energy; they belonged to the fire element and were specifically designed to counteract yin and evil.

But Lu Fan is not evil.

He is a successor of the Imperial Dragon Sect.

"It's very clear in the notes given by Elder Su." Lu Fan formed a hand seal with one hand, his gaze calm. "The puppets of the Yin Puppet Sect are divided according to the five elements: the Wu puppet belongs to fire, the Wei puppet to earth, the Shen puppet to metal... You lost the Wu puppet last night, so these two today were hastily made from fresh corpses, right?"

The man in black robes remained silent for a moment.

"So what if you know?" His voice remained neither male nor female, but it carried a hint of barely perceptible apprehension. "This hastily made puppet is also a once-in-a-century fire-born being. It's enough to deal with you."

"Give it a try."

Lu Fan took a step forward, and the bluestone slab beneath his feet cracked with a thud.

That wasn't brute force, but rather the "momentum" formed by the resonance between the dragon's energy and the earth's veins—the advanced application of the first level of the "Nine Dragons Soaring to the Heavens" technique, which connects one's own aura with the earth, making each step as unshakeable as a dragon traversing mountains and rivers.

The man in black robes clearly noticed this change.

Without saying another word, he formed a twisted hand seal with his hands.

The two crimson puppets moved simultaneously.

Their speed was astonishing; only two blurry red shadows remained in the air, flanking Lu Fan from the left and right.

Lu Fan did not dodge.

He drew a circle with his left hand and a square with his right, creating a talisman in the air.

"Dragon Control Technique - Mountain Suppression"

A golden light suddenly appeared, and an invisible barrier unfolded three feet in front of him.

The first puppet crashed into the barrier, emitting a piercing shriek like metal scraping against metal. Cracks appeared on its crimson body, but it continued to charge forward madly, its ten fingers like hooks, tearing blinding sparks from the golden barrier.

Another puppet seized the opportunity to circle behind Lu Fan, its sharp claws aimed straight for his back.

Lu Fan stomped his right foot on the ground.

"Second move, Dragon's Roar Across Mountains and Rivers."

He let out a short, sharp breath, not a roar, but one that was even more penetrating. The air vibrated outwards from him, the invisible sound waves solidifying into a tangible force, sending the attacking puppet flying three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and crashing into the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.

But the first puppet still stubbornly held onto the barrier.

Seeing this, the man in black robes took out a small black flag from his sleeve and pointed it in the direction of the puppet.

Blood-red flames suddenly erupted from the puppet's body, its power surged several times over, and its ten fingers pierced through the golden light barrier!

Lu Fan made a quick decision, stepping back and leaping backward, while simultaneously pointing his right sword finger in the air.

Three golden needles formed from dragon energy shot out and accurately pierced the puppet's brow, heart, and dantian—the three core vital points of the puppet as recorded in the notes.

The puppet's movements came to an abrupt halt.

It remained pouncing, like a sculpture frozen in mid-air. Then, starting from its brow, fine cracks spread across its entire body, finally shattering with a crash, turning into a pile of charred fragments.

The man in black robes groaned, and the black flag in his hand snapped in two.

"There's one more." Lu Fan turned around and looked at another puppet that had just crawled out of the ruins of the osmanthus tree.

Half of its body was damaged, and it moved much more slowly than before, but it still staggered toward Lu Fan.

Lu Fan did not make a move immediately.

He looked at the man in black robes: "You are not a core disciple of the Yin Puppet Sect."

The man in black robes stiffened slightly.

"The Twelve Yuan Chen Yin Puppet Formation is the sect's most important formation, with the Zi and Wu puppets being the core of the formation," Lu Fan said slowly. "The Zi and Wu puppets of true core disciples are natal puppets that are intertwined with their own lives. If one is destroyed, the disciple will be seriously injured. You lost the Wu puppet last night, and you lost two more tonight... but apart from the minor injuries from the formation's backlash, you are almost unharmed."

He paused, then concluded, "These puppets weren't created by you. You're merely the user, not the master."

The man in black remained silent for a long time.

Then, he chuckled softly.

His laughter was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against glass.

"As expected of a successor of the Imperial Dragon Sect." He removed his hood, revealing his pale face. "That's right, I'm merely a disciple of the sect leader, ordered to assist Qing Song and monitor the Zhou family. The true core disciples..."

He paused, a hint of suppressed fear in his voice: "You haven't seen it yet."

"Then let them come," Lu Fan said calmly. "If one comes, I'll kill one. If two come, I'll kill two."

The man in black stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Do you think you've mastered the use of dragon energy and can fight against us?"

Lu Fan did not answer.

"You're wrong." The man in black shook his head. "The dragon energy you activated is only the weakest of the three true dragon energies within the jade pendant. The true ancestral dragon energy requires you to reach the Golden Core stage to control. And now—"

He pointed to the jade pendant on Lu Fan's chest: "You haven't even used one ten-thousandth of it."

The wind swept through the dilapidated courtyard, fluttering the hems of their clothes.

Lu Fan did not refute.

Because he knew that what the other person said was true.

The legacy left by his master clearly states that the "Nine Dragons Soaring to the Heavens Technique" has nine levels, corresponding to nine methods of utilizing dragon energy. He is currently only at the minor completion of the first level, barely touching the threshold of the second level.

The sect leader of the Yin Puppet Sect, the legendary "Old Man of Ghost Puppet," was a figure who could stand up to his master and several righteous masters a hundred years ago.

The difference is like heaven and earth.

But Lu Fan's gaze remained unwavering.

"You're right," he said slowly. "I'm still very weak; I can't even decipher the jade pendant my master left me. But that doesn't mean I'll back down."

He looked at the man in black robes and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"A hundred years ago, the Imperial Dragon Sect was able to destroy the Yin Puppet Sect once. A hundred years later, I can destroy it a second time."

The man in the black robe remained silent.

The broken puppet behind him had stopped moving forward at some point.

"You seem quite confident," the man in black finally said, his tone complex.

He folded up the broken black flag and turned around.

"That's enough for tonight. I'm not your target, there's no need to fight to the death. And the sect leader doesn't want you either—"

He stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly:

"It's your jade pendant."

"And the simplest way to get the jade pendant has never been to kill you."

"It's about capturing the people you care about."

Lu Fan's pupils suddenly contracted.

The figure in black robes turned into black smoke and dissipated in the night wind.

The broken puppet lost control, crashed to the ground, and fell silent.

Lu Fan stood still, clenching his fists.

The people he cares about—

Yu Tinglan, Ding Xingyou, Su Qin, and the Su family father and daughter who had just owed a favor...

He thought that as long as he rushed to the front, he could draw the danger away.

He was wrong.

Zhou Yunshen and the Yin Kui Sect were never targeting him.

They came for what he had.

To obtain that item, there's no need to kill the holder.

It's enough to let the holder hand it over voluntarily.

"Lu Fan!"

I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

Su Qin helped the pale-faced Su Mingyuan back through the back door of the villa.

"Th-those people left?" Su Qin's voice trembled.

"I'm gone." Lu Fan turned around. "Why didn't you leave?"

"My dad..." Su Qin glanced at her father, "He said he couldn't leave you alone."

Su Mingyuan coughed a few times, broke free from his daughter's hand, and walked up to Lu Fan.

The old man was hunched over, but his eyes were sharp.

"Young man," he said in a deep voice, "I heard everything you just said in the study. The Imperial Dragon Sect, the Yin Puppet Sect, Zhou Yun Shen's ambition..."

He paused, then took a deep breath:

"If I told you that in Zhou Yunshen's 'Cloud Recesses,' there's someone imprisoned who hasn't shown their face for twenty years—would you be willing to rescue them?"

Lu Fan's heart skipped a beat: "Who is it?"

"A woman," Su Mingyuan said hoarsely, "Zhou Yunshen's first wife. After that baby girl died, she went mad, and the Zhou family publicly claimed she 'died of illness.' But I know she's not dead."

"She was imprisoned by Zhou Yunshen in the manor for twenty years."

"Because she knows too many secrets. And she knows..."

Su Mingyuan spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Where is Zhou Yunshen's true Achilles' heel?"

The wind stopped.

The fragrance of osmanthus suddenly became clear.

Lu Fan looked at the old man and slowly spoke:

"Mr. Su, do you know how to get into that manor?"

Su Mingyuan took out a yellowish copper coin from his pocket and placed it in Lu Fan's palm.

"Twenty years ago, Zhou Yunshen invited me to his manor. At that time, he still treated me like a brother and showed me part of the formation."

"This copper coin is a feng shui artifact passed down through the Zhou family. He embedded it in the array's core on the outer perimeter of the manor as an energy hub. He probably forgot that I personally watched him put it in."

The old man held Lu Fan's hand and placed the copper purse into his palm:

"Once you find the core of the formation and remove the 'substitute' of this copper coin, the formation will be vulnerable for three breaths."

"Three breaths," Lu Fan repeated.

"That's enough," Su Mingyuan said. "I know you can do it."

He released his grip, took a step back, and suddenly bowed deeply.

Lu Fan quickly helped him up: "Mr. Su, what's wrong...?"

"This bow is on behalf of the Su family's ancestors." Su Mingyuan raised his head, his eyes slightly red. "The feud between the Imperial Dragon Sect and the Yin Puppet Sect has continued from a hundred years ago to the present. Our ancestor was an outer disciple of the Imperial Dragon Sect and was unable to participate in the final battle, a regret he carried for the rest of his life."

"Today, I finally have the chance to make up for it."

The night wind blew, scattering osmanthus blossoms like rain.

Lu Fan gripped the copper coin tightly, sensing the lingering aura of the array formation from twenty years ago.

He nodded.

"I will definitely bring them out."

……

The next morning at 4:30 AM.

East of the city, outside the "Cloudy Depths" manor.

The manor covers approximately thirty acres and is built against the mountainside, surrounded by high walls and dense surveillance. On the surface, it is Zhou Yunshen's private residence after returning to China, heavily guarded and off-limits to unauthorized personnel.

Secretly, the entire manor was shrouded in a massive array.

Lu Fan crouched on an ancient locust tree 300 meters away, observing through night vision binoculars.

The formation was invisible, but through his dragon aura perception, he could "see" the faint, distorted energy barrier.

"The Four Symbols Dragon Locking Formation..." he muttered to himself.

This is a trapping formation recorded in the notes, using the power of the four symbols—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—to seal off a region and imprison the dragon vein. Ordinary people who step into the formation will unconsciously circle back to their starting point; cultivators who forcibly break into the formation will suffer a backlash from the power of the four symbols.

But since it's a formation, it has a key point.

Su Mingyuan is right.

Lu Fan's gaze slowly swept across the perimeter of the manor, finally settling on a crooked old locust tree in the southeast corner.

Locust trees, known for their shady nature and tendency to gather negative energy, are generally cut down in feng shui arrangements. However, in this "Four Symbols Locking Dragon Formation," it has become a focal point of energy—

Because it corresponds to the "Azure Dragon position".

The Azure Dragon belongs to the Wood element, and the Locust Tree is also a Wood element.

This locust tree is one of the key points of the formation.

Lu Fan leaped down from the tree, crouched low, and made his way through the bushes to the old locust tree.

He took out the copper coin Su Mingyuan had given him and held it in his palm.

The notes record that the most direct way to break this kind of "object-based" formation is to replace the original object with a "substitute".

The substitute must be of the same origin and nature as the original object of the array, and the caster must use their own spiritual power to disguise the aura of the original object in order to deceive the array.

Lu Fan had copper coins.

The copper coins were of the same origin and quality—what Su Mingyuan gave was the original object itself.

But he needs to disguise the original's scent.

Lu Fan took a deep breath and slowly channeled his spiritual energy into the copper coin.

The rust on the surface of the copper coin began to glow faintly, emitting an aura almost identical to that of the "Original Eye" in the formation.

He reached out and touched the trunk of the locust tree.

When the fingers touched the rough bark, the fluctuations of the formation paused slightly.

It's now!

Lu Fan exerted force from his palm, his spiritual energy flowing like silk, probing into the interior of the tree trunk—

He "touched" the copper coin embedded in the heart of the tree.

Then, replace it.

The new copper coin fell into the groove in the tree's heart, while the original copper coin, enveloped by spiritual energy, slowly withdrew.

The whole process took less than two breaths.

On the third breath, Lu Fan put the original copper coin into his pocket and withdrew.

The fluctuations in the formation returned to normal.

It was as if nothing had happened.

But he knew that this cage had imprisoned Su Mingyuan's wife for twenty years—

Finally, a door opened.

Lu Fan stood in the shade of the locust tree, gazing at the faint lights deep within the manor.

Master.

You once asked me what the most important quality is for a disciple of the Imperial Dragon Sect.

Is it compassion, wisdom, or power?

I couldn't answer that at the time.

Now I know.

Yes--

We will never abandon any innocent person.

He gripped the copper coin that carried the weight of twenty years of imprisonment and twenty years of silence, and stepped into that three-breath-long opening.

Under the moonlight, a figure disappeared into the shadows of the manor.

The wind rises, the clouds surge.

On the eastern horizon, the rumble of thunder could be faintly heard.

The real battle has only just begun.

Lu Fan sneaked into the manor.

The night wind swept through the courtyard, but it couldn't dispel the chilling atmosphere that had lingered there for twenty years. Although the formation had been breached, the air was still filled with a suffocating sense of oppression—the resentment that had accumulated from years of imprisoning the living.

He followed the dragon's aura, avoiding patrols and guards, and ventured deeper into the territory.

Deep within the manor, an inconspicuous side courtyard stands quietly. A rusty iron lock hangs on the gate, its surface engraved with runes, faintly connected to the Four Symbols Dragon Locking Array.

Lu Fan did not unlock it.

He simply climbed over the wall.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds up to knee-high, with only one side room lit by a faint candlelight.

He pushed open the door.

The room was sparsely furnished, and a woman with gray hair sat on the wooden bed. Her face was withered, and her eyes were empty; twenty years of imprisonment had turned her into a living, empty shell.

Hearing the noise, she slowly raised her head.

When she saw the jade pendant on Lu Fan's chest, her eyes, which had been silent for twenty years, suddenly lit up.

"You are..." Her voice was hoarse and broken, yet trembling uncontrollably, "a disciple of Senior Brother Xuanqing?"

Lu Fan was stunned.

Xuanqing — Zhou Xuanqing.

That was the ancestor of the Zhou family from the Ming Dynasty, and also... a fellow disciple of the Imperial Dragon Sect mentioned by Master in the inheritance.

The woman looked at him, tears silently streaming down her face.

"He finally...sent someone over."

Outside the window, the night wind suddenly stopped.

In the distance, the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching could be heard.