Chapter 72: True Word Transforms to Dragon
Chapter 72: True Word Transforms to Dragon
The awe-inspiring sword qi burst forth violently, light radiating everywhere, dispersing the thick black fog surrounding them! Its power and momentum were unmatched!
The person within the black fog was also utterly shocked. Never had he met anyone like Mu Yuan who commanded so many flying swords! Moreover, his opponent even possessed the Sword Qi Division technique. He swung the longsword in front of him like a swimming dragon. The blade trembled, emitting a dragon-roar sound, knocking away countless incoming sword qi strikes. From above him, an ink-black Soul Banner surged out. Ink clouds rolled around it as countless ghosts and demonic beasts emerged, gnashing teeth and baring claws, all lunging forward!
Mu Yuan’s heart jolted. “Why does this banner look so familiar!” Suspicion rose within him, but his hands didn’t slow. Zhenqi concentrated on his flying swords, unleashing boundless icy light. Sword qi erupted in force, slaughtering all those demon beast phantoms completely. Yet, as he saw the black energy roiling on the banner, birthing countless ferocious evil monsters anew, he suddenly remembered, “This is Chu Yunfei’s Demon Banner!”
Effortlessly parrying, his Tide Zhenqi surged powerfully. Vast sheets of cloud, rain, mist, and snow manifested simultaneously, blocking these demonic spirits. He muttered lowly, “Is that you, Chu Yunfei?”
The black fog abruptly churned. A hoarse voice sounded, “Who are you?”
Though the voice sounded slightly different, Mu Yuan recognized it immediately as Chu Yunfei’s voice. Heart leaping with joy, he called out, “Who do you think I am!”
He expanded his surrounding zhenqi outward before swiftly retracting it, revealing his face. The moment Chu Yunfei saw him, he leapt to his feet and swiftly flew forward. As the black fog dissipated, his face mirrored unbounded delight, “It’s you! How did you get here!”
With the swirling black fog surrounding them, no one outside could see, sparing them further worries. Mu Yuan clashed dozens of his flying swords together, producing crisp, long chimes. Only then did he explain his encounter with Ao Lie. Conversely, Chu Yunfei revealed he had been condensing fiend energy and refining yang energy overseas when he encountered Ao Cheng. Recognizing him as a son of the Dragon King, Chu Yunfei sought friendship. Hearing rumors of treasures within the Dragon Palace, he came to assist him!
“To think that since parting, you’ve already successfully refined your yang energy and achieved such rapid progress! I myself have only just begun to condense fiend energy. Refining yang? There are still many obstacles for me.” Mu Yuan sighed deeply, thoughts drifting to when he, Chu Yunfei, and Mo Xue had been together. He missed her intensely, wondering what level of cultivation she had now reached!
“Your divine abilities seem quite significant now. Even I couldn’t withstand that large hand of yours just now, and you managed to ruin two of my swords with your flying swords!” Mu Yuan said with a grin.
Chu Yunfei exclaimed, “Oh!” With a wave of both hands, the large black light hand flew back into the black fog. It was still covered by six Talismanic Seals, continuously siphoning Primordial Qi from the black hand. Mu Yuan chuckled and recalled the seals!
“What strange divine skill is this? My Profound Yin Black Fiend Great Capture was only recently perfected! Yet, you managed to drain away at least ten percent of its Primordial Qi in such a short time!”
Mu Yuan asked curiously, “So that was the Profound Yin Black Fiend Great Capture. I’ve heard of it. They say this divine skill captures all substance, specializing in seizing souls. I never imagined you’d mastered it!”
“Well, it’s nothing compared to those bizarre seals of yours!” Chu Yunfei said heartbrokenly as he withdrew the large capture hand. “I only recently forged these weapons with Abyssal Sunken Silver and Myriad Year Cold Iron gathered from the depths of the Lingyuan Reef. They were integrated with my Profound Yin Zhenqi! This is a massive loss!”
Mu Yuan snickered strangely. Hearing the explosions of energy clashes outside, he sat down. “That Ao Cheng guy is no match for Ao Lie. If that brother of his doesn’t come, today the Lingyuan Reef will change hands!”
Chu Yunfei laughed, “Never mind them. Let’s just chat between us. But really, these dragon princes truly carry many magical treasures. I still only have three items. Who knows how many Ao Cheng has hidden upon him!”
Mu Yuan suddenly recalled, “Right, that flying sword of yours was forged with a dragon horn, wasn’t it? Quite powerful!”
Chu Yunfei smiled proudly, “Oh, vastly more than that! I used my sect’s Profound Yin Gathering Beast Banner refining method to reforge that Demon Banner. I tried cultivating the Nine Revolutions of the Heavenly Demon technique too. Thankfully, there wasn’t a huge conflict. Now, wielding this banner feels much more comfortable!”
“Excellent, excellent! I wonder how Sister Mo Xue has been lately?”
Chu Yunfei suggested, “Since things here are finished anyway, why don’t we leave? You’ve also condensed fiend energy, perfect for returning to the Central Plains together!”
Mu Yuan shook his head, “Not entirely accurate. My sect’s core technique doesn’t involve condensing fiend energy. I still need to go to Round Pot Mountain. One of my senior sect sisters is also still in Ao Lie’s palace, preparing for her fiend condensation. If you have nothing to do, come along with us!”
Chu Yunfei readily agreed, “Naturally! I have nothing pressing. Coming along would be good fun!”
“Excellent! I need to go help Ao Lie, just subdue Ao Cheng outright. You pretend to be defeated and retreat. After I deal with Ao Cheng, once Senior Sister finishes her fiend condensation, we leave this place immediately!”
Chu Yunfei nodded assent. With a sly smile, Mu Yuan suddenly released a burst of green light from his hand. His Green Wood Thunderblade transformed instantly into a green light dragon. Radiant brilliance shot out, piercing through the black fog. Chu Yunfei played along, letting out a loud cry. He staggered back, fleeing without once looking backward. Before disappearing, he threw back a fierce threat, “One day, I shall repay the debt owed from today!”
Mu Yuan retrieved his flying swords and smiled casually. The black fog on the battlefield gradually dispersed. Before Mu Yuan could even move, surrounding soldiers swarmed him. A commander sporting a turtle shell ordered left and right; hundreds of soldiers formed a circular battle formation. Each wielded spears and long pikes, cold gleams converging into a sharp ray aimed directly at Mu Yuan!
“Oh dear, I’ve blundered right into their troop formation!” Seeing this formation, a proverbial dark line appeared on Mu Yuan’s forehead. Though each individual monster soldier was weak – some weren’t even at the Qi Refining First Layer stage – united like this, they remained incredibly potent. The sharp ray shot towards him with lightning speed, blinking in front of him instantly. Mu Yuan waved his hand, releasing a flying sword. It promptly shattered into fragments, exploding violently not far before him. Shockingly, this failed to stop the ray! Utterly astounded, Mu Yuan twisted his body, dodging and weaving like water shifting freely, barely slipping past it!
The sharp ray pierced through the afterimage Mu Yuan left behind. Instantly it changed course, looping back towards him. Flicking his sleeves repeatedly, Mu Yuan fractured over ten flying swords in succession. Only then did he block the ray, causing it to finally disappear.
“So powerful!” Mu Yuan privately reckoned that even the current Chu Yunfei would not have forced him into such dire straits. Seeing the surrounding soldiers gathering Divine Light anew, he decided on a preemptive strike. With a casual gesture, he concentrated over a hundred flying swords. Arranged across ten directions, they shot out violently like bolts from a crossbow. Immense, turbulent zhenqi surged over their surfaces. Shua shua shua! They pierced through the Void simultaneously, overwhelming the soldiers, rendering them utterly incapable of defense!
“This formation technique is really quite something. Why don’t I just capture everyone here to study it slowly later?” The thought struck him. Within his Dantian, his Black Water Gourd suddenly spun and vibrated fiercely. A ball of dark energy burst from his palm. Over a dozen fish and shrimp monsters, already locked in combat with Mu Yuan’s flying swords, lost their footing. A ferocious vortex erupted, instantly swallowing them into Mu Yuan’s palm.
Following the same strategy, Mu Yuan proceeded to absorb over a hundred other monsters arranged in the formation surrounding him. Even the turtle-shell commander wasn’t spared; all of them disappeared cleanly into his palm. More soldiers poured forward. With a dismissive wave, Mu Yuan unleashed a powerful surge of zhenqi. His flying swords emitted long, clear hums, restraining the newcomers. Then, he shot out of the enemy camp, speeding directly to Ao Lie’s side.
The battle between Ao Lie and Ao Cheng had reached white-hot intensity. Ao Cheng, true to his lineage as an orthodox dragon clan descendant, seemed to possess an endless arsenal of treasures. He unleashed the Heavenly Dragon Seal along with a pair of Divine Blades flickering with light. He himself had transformed into his True Dragon form – lithe, coiled, and coiling sinuously. From his jaws spewed Dragon’s Breath: Raging Flames and ice-frost surged wildly, their vibrations booming through the ocean – terrifyingly potent!
Ao Lie himself was merely a Flood Dragon form. Naturally, he couldn’t withstand Ao Cheng’s True Dragon physique. Relying solely on the Ice Fiend Unity Yin Thunder Net and the Long Rainbow Gold Lock, nevertheless, his cultivation base was significantly higher. Therefore, he still held his own. Seeing Mu Yuan arrive now filled him with immense joy. He urgently shouted, “Fellow Daoist! No need for me! Just beware of Ao Jing! Direct my troops to completely drive off his soldiers! If they refuse to leave, slay them all!”
Ao Lie’s voice rolled like muffled thunder. Coordinating with the Ice Fiend Unity Yin Thunder Net, countless thunder pearls detonated repeatedly. The sheer power seemed to shake the heavens themselves. Ao Lie’s accompanying soldiers poured forward en masse. Mu Yuan refrained from direct killing. Instead, he unleashed six Talismanic Seals. They spun wildly throughout the sky, siphoning away all the Primordial Qi from Ao Cheng’s soldiers!
Though his Brilliant Salvation Curse possessed the capacity to absorb vital spirits as well, finding it excessively insidious and cruel, Mu Yuan suppressed this power. He confined its function solely to drawing the fiend energy and Primordial Qi cultivated arduously by the aquatic monsters into the seals.
Mu Yuan had previously used the Brilliant Salvation Incantation only inside the Demon Refining Gourd to replenish his own resources. Never had he imagined what transformation these seals might undergo. Now he had successfully condensed his fiend energy; his inner zhenqi felt dense, potent, and consolidated. He no longer entertained such unorthodox paths. He simply let the seals spontaneously regulate the absorbed Primordial Qi, converting it into curse energy.
Four streaks of green light, one streak of black, one streak of purple – they crisscrossed all directions chaotically. Mu Yuan thoughtfully retrieved one of the green streaks. He dispelled it, then reformed a new seal using his Refining Furnace True Qi. It pulsed unsteadily with a faint yellow glow. Yet, compared to the other five seals, it appeared rather dim.
Mu Yuan had once dreamt of condensing scores, hundreds, even thousands of Brilliant Salvation Curses! However, he discovered that once six seals achieved completeness, creating additional ones became impossible. Despite this constraint, he understood; if it had been as easily achievable as he imagined — simply unleashing a dark swarm of countless seals to overwhelm enemies effortlessly— he would truly have nothing to worry about! Yet such easy advantages simply didn’t exist.
The six seals flew violently, up and down, everywhere. Mu Yuan had created them using his four main zhenqi types. He’d done it mostly for fun. Glowing brilliantly, shimmering bewitchingly, they looked exceptionally dazzling — far more visually appealing than a single color. However, this didn’t mean they were actually more powerful than seals of a single light hue!
Ao Cheng’s remaining soldier monsters numbered well over a thousand. Ao Lie’s forces amounted to only eight or nine hundred. As they fiercely engaged in combat, blood flew freely amid the turmoil. Unlike Mu Yuan, these soldiers possessed no margin for error! Acting incompetently meant instantaneous destruction; hesitation invited calamity. Mercy was an unaffordable luxury.
Amongst the chaotic melee, Mu Yuan’s six seals absorbed unknowable quantities of Primordial Qi. Gradually, they began changing! Flashes emerged from them. The most obvious manifestation occurred in the seal Mu Yuan had forged using Dragon King’s Dynamic Force. First, it enlarged. Then, it elongated and contorted. Finally, to his astonishment, it transformed into… a miniature purple dragon! Merely one foot long. Yet it darted back and forth like lightning! Purple radiance shimmered around it, electric sparks constantly sparking across it—absolutely, wondrously magical!