The Dragon

Zuo Yuezhi’s eyes filled with bloodshot rage. His chest heaved uncontrollably, trembling with a mix of urgency and anger.

It isn’t easy for a cultivator to have offspring, and unlike Zuo Yuanrong, who indulged in pleasures, Zuo Yuezhi cherished his only son, Zuo Tianlang, whom he had managed to have after great difficulty. He doted on him and allowed him every luxury.

He had intended to negotiate with Qing Jun, ready to make the greatest concessions, just to ensure his son’s safety. But Qing Jun’s actions were swift and decisive, not aimed at negotiation but at a show of force.

Zuo Yuezhi stepped forward, ready to break the formation and confront her. The Elder, grasping his sleeve, urgently advised, “Sect Leader, you are needed here to oversee the situation. Now is not the time to confront her directly. We should delay her, waiting for the Biluo Sect’s reinforcements…”

Zuo Yuezhi responded gravely, “Have you wondered why the Dragon King is nowhere to be seen?”

The Elder remained silent.

With a swift movement, Zuo Yuezhi flew out to attack Gu Fuyou. A red hawk flew from his sleeve, swiftly diving towards her with lightning speed. Gu Fuyou summoned a fierce wind, scattering the hawk into red threads that shot towards her.

She laughed coldly, accelerating her motion to slit Zuo Tianlang’s throat. As his head separated from his body, she used it as a shield against the red threads.

When the threads touched Zuo Tianlang’s body, their fierce momentum dissipated, wrapping him and pulling him back into the boundary of Lihen Tian.

Zuo Yuezhi, in sync with the hawk, attacked Gu Fuyou with his fingers as swords. She blocked with her weapon, but his strike, seemingly gentle, rippled through the air, forcing her to retreat several meters to regain balance.

Zuo Yuezhi didn’t pursue her but returned to Lihen Tian, holding his son’s lifeless body in his arms, his expression one of profound grief.

Looking at Qingluan, his eyes bloodshot, he demanded, “Qing Jun, what has my family ever done to you to deserve such hatred?”

Gu Fuyou replied, “Sect Leader Zuo, there’s no hatred without reason in this world.”

Zuo Yuezhi nodded, his laugh devoid of any emotion. “Yes, indeed. There is no hate without reason. You killed my only son, remember this hate well!”

Gu Fuyou raised an eyebrow, “Your only son? Not just him. Your brother, your third uncle, thousands of your descendants, all died by my hand.” With each statement, Zuo Yuezhi’s face grew paler.

Gu Fuyou’s mocking smile widened, “But your second uncle, Zuo Shaode, wasn’t killed by me. It was Zhong Michu. If you want revenge, you should find her in the Eastern Sea.” She paused, pondering her words, then added, “But perhaps you won’t have the chance.”

Zuo Yuezhi stood up as dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a wild wind howled. As evening approached and the sun set, the world seemed to lose its color. The wind stung Gu Fuyou’s face, her hair in disarray.

The wind lifted her heart, her mind growing hazy, and she laughed loudly, “You also have a wind spirit root, great! Let’s see whether today the east wind overpowers the west, or the west wind conquers the east!” With a gesture, she summoned a counter wind, challenging the elements in a battle of supremacy.

The winds were so powerful they caused rivers to flow backward and uprooted trees. When Soul Splitting cultivators released their full strength, it brought forth unnatural phenomena in the heavens and the earth.

The Thirty-Three Skies, meticulously chosen by the Xu Ling Sect for their auspicious Feng Shui and held in place in the sky by spiritual power and formations, had stood firm for thousands of years. But today, they shifted position due to the two powerful winds.

Everyone in the Thirty-Three Skies felt the islands’ tremors, their hearts shaking in response.

Zuo Yuezhi and Gu Fuyou were locked in a stalemate. The Elder, watching from the pavilion’s flying eaves, leaped down, seized a large crossbow, and, channeling his spiritual power, formed a spirit arrow aimed at Gu Fuyou.

The arrow, swift as thunder, was masked by the howling wind and shot straight towards her. In the middle of their magical duel, neither Gu Fuyou nor Zuo Yuezhi moved.

Sensing the arrow in the wind, Gu Fuyou reacted, but its power diminished upon entering the wind barrier, causing her to be momentarily distracted.

Seizing the moment, Zuo Yuezhi caused two gusts of wind to collide, scattering the wind surrounding Gu Fuyou. Before she could regain her balance, she felt a tightness around her ankle and saw red threads binding her, pulled by Zuo Yuezhi.

With a strong tug, Gu Fuyou was pulled toward the boundary of Lihen Tian, where the sect’s cultivators were ready to attack. Once she touched the boundary, the formation would activate, and countless thunderbolts would strike down.

Frowning in annoyance, Gu Fuyou drew her Yinhen, ready to face the onslaught and extract all the Zhenmao Inner Pills. As she landed, thunderclouds gathered, and lightning struck. She countered with her sword, the blade meeting the lightning mid-air, scattering sparks that left scorched marks upon touching the ground. Her arms numbed under the relentless assault.

“Why aren’t they here yet?” she thought, irritated, as she braced against the lightning.

As Gu Fuyou fended off the lightning, more accumulated in the clouds, lighting up the sky. Hundreds of lightning bolts thundered down, with the Zuo family expecting her to be severely weakened by the onslaught.

At this critical moment, a thunderous roar, like a wolf’s howl, echoed, long and deafening. “Look!” someone shouted.

A dark figure leaped onto the boundary of Lihen Tian, diverting all the lightning onto itself. The figure absorbed the lightning, glowing with white light, revealing its identity. “Zhenmao, it’s a Zhenmao!”

Even the Elder was shocked, peering over the wall, “How can there be a living Zhenmao in this era?” But upon seeing the spirit beast, he fell silent, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Normally, Zhenmao resembled a wolf, making it difficult to identify. But after absorbing the lightning bolts, its distinctive traits were unmissable.

Empowered by the lightning, Zhenmao now radiated an overwhelming presence, its appearance far more majestic and imposing than ever before.

“Ah Fu!” Gu Fuyou called out. The Zhenmao glanced at her, shook its body proudly, and howled towards Zuo Yuezhi, releasing the absorbed lightning back at him.

The cultivators on the pavilion hesitated to release more lightning bolts, knowing that Ah Fu would absorb them all. They prepared their arrows and swords to attack Gu Fuyou.

As the arrows flew, another massive figure appeared. Towering like a mountain, it stood outside the city wall, its golden eyes shining like suns in the sky. Its thick hide repelled the arrows, protecting Gu Fuyou.

Someone recognized it, exclaiming, “It’s the beast that disrupted the Sect Leader’s tribulation!” Referring to Zuo Taisui, their terror was evident upon seeing those imposing beastly eyes.

Yuan Shan roared, not as loud as Ah Fu but equally imposing. Its massive hand slammed down on the protective formation of Lihen Tian. The formation, though strong, vibrated intensely, shaking everyone’s hearts.

The Elder said, “We can’t just defend passively anymore.”

He selected several cultivators, including a few elders, to join him in confronting Yuan Shan and Ah Fu, aiding Zuo Yuezhi in the battle.

But as soon as they stepped out, Ah Fu directed a portion of the lightning towards them. Each person was struck fairly – no more, no less. It was a disastrous start for the group, their morale instantly plummeted.

However, the cultivators who came out later had already set up a sword formation, successfully blocking the lightning bolts. Their swords were so sharp that they sliced open Yuan Shan’s stone-like flesh, causing blood to gush out, drawing first blood.

Unfortunately, before their morale could recover, a drop of Yuan Shan’s poisonous blood landed on a cultivator’s lip. Unaware of the danger and letting his guard down, he unconsciously licked it. Moments later, he dissolved into a puddle of blood with a painful scream, corroding the ground beneath him.”

The others were shocked, and with a gap now in their sword formation, their power significantly weakened. Yuan Shan, angered by the pain, intensified its attack.

The Azure Phoenix was once again engaged in combat with Zuo Yuezhi. Zuo Yuezhi, having been struck by the lightning bolts, managed to defend himself but at the cost of a significant amount of spiritual power.

He had a pill refined from Qilin Marrow that could enhance his spiritual power. However, after hearing about Zuo Shaode’s incident, he became cautious.

Despite trusting Du Pan, who had refined the pill, he still handed it over for examination. It turned out that the pill he gave for checking was indeed problematic. The ingredients were the same, but the dosage and the heating process were incorrect. The pill appeared normal but had different effects.

Initially, the pill seemed to boost spiritual power, but it actually depleted the user’s own reserves. Once its effect wore off, the user would be left severely weakened for several days.

Zuo Yuezhi, unsure of the safety of his remaining pills and with no other effective medication for a Soul Splitting cultivator, found himself at a disadvantage in the fight against the Gu Fuyou.

The elders tried to help, but their efforts were minimal, and they also had to be wary of Zhenmao, which could summon lightning bolts.

The Elder, observing the situation, felt troubled. The outlook was bleak, and the state of the battle below remained uncertain. He harbored the hope that the Azure Phoenix’s main force was engaged here, giving the Zuo family in the Thirty-Three Skies a chance to gain the upper hand.

Unfortunately, the reality was the opposite.

Gu Fuyou didn’t just capture Zuo Tianlang; she had taken many hostages while conquering various cities. The Zuo family had complex relationships, and although they shared the same surname, there were connections and obligations between different cities. Moreover, some Zuo family members had fled back to the Thirty-Three Skies, but their families were captured by Gu Fuyou.

The slaves were now pushing these hostages to the front line.

While Scholar Zhai had no objections to using Zuo Tianlang as a shield, she disapproved of Gu Fuyou using so many innocent lives, including the elderly and weak, in the same way.

She believed there should be a line that one must not cross. In her view, such madness made her no different from the Zuo family. She tried to persuade her, but seeing her indifferent expression, she stopped. She knew her words fell on deaf ears with Gu Fuyou, especially when it came to matters involving the Zuo family.

Unable to sway Gu Fuyou and with the slaves only obeying her commands, Scholar Zhai, feeling helpless, chose to distance herself from the battlefield, retreating to an inn to drink tea and read in peace.

Down in the Thirty-Three Skies, the sight of their own people being used against them by the invading army was demoralizing for the Zuo family members, especially when they recognized familiar faces, including their own children and mothers. In such a situation, their will to fight was severely weakened.

The power the Azure Phoenix held in her hands far exceeded their expectations.

The slaves made up a quarter of the Xu Ling Sect’s fighting strength, and the external families and sects linked to the Zuo family contributed another fifth. These once scattered and separate groups, when brought together by Gu Fuyou, combined to form a surprisingly powerful force.

Instead of good news, the skies of Lihen Tian were greeted by Gu Fuyou’s forces.

The sudden appearance of two Divine Dragons shook everyone, leading them to mistakenly think that the Dragon Clan had come to assist. With the Biluo Sect absent and the perceived arrival of the Dragon Clan, they felt besieged and doomed.

Zuo Yuezhi, as the sect leader, was concerned about the battle’s outcome and couldn’t detach himself from the fate of the Xu Ling Sect. Gu Fuyou had nothing to hold onto; her only obsession was to kill Zuo Yuezhi and destroy Xu Ling Sect. Her single-minded focus gave her an edge, resulting in Zuo Yuezhi’s steady retreat and defeat.

As the moon climbed high into the sky and the clouds dispersed, revealing the cold, bright moon, Gu Fuyou held Zuo Yuezhi by the neck, lifting him high against the moonlight, savoring his expression. Both were covered in blood, indistinguishable from each other’s.

“In this world, Zuo Yuezhi, there are no unfounded hatreds.”

“You…” Zuo Yuezhi, gravely injured, his consciousness fading, murmured, “When did I…” When had he ever offended this Qingluan? Was it thousands of years ago? But the hatred in the Qing Jun’s eyes was unmistakably directed at him, at Zuo Tianlang, at the current Zuo family.

Gu Fuyou’s voice was haunting, “Sect Leader Zuo, karma comes full circle. I come from the underworld to witness the downfall of your Zuo family.” Zuo Yuezhi’s eyes widened in terror, the last expression he showed before his pupils dilated in death.

“Dead?” Gu Fuyou frowned, slightly irritated. She hadn’t intended to kill him so quickly. The battle of Soul Splitting cultivators was fierce, and it was hard to hold back. She had wanted to imprison him in the dungeons of the Thirty-Three Skies, to torment him daily. It felt like an itch she couldn’t scratch, leaving her restless.

Her spiritual energy was exhausted. With Zuo Yuezhi’s death, her motivation waned. She began to fall from the sky but was caught by Feng Sui, who exclaimed, “Master!”

Feng Sui, holding her, landed on the palm offered by Yuan Shan. Gu Fuyou leaned against Yuan Shan’s thumb, staring blankly at Lihen Tian.

With the sect leader dead, the sect’s defenses were nearly shattered, and their morale plummeted.

The flickering lights in her eyes, Gu Fuyou muttered, “Burn it!”

Feng Sui, startled, asked, “Master, what did you say?”

Gu Fuyou’s expression darkened, and she commanded fiercely, “I said burn down the Thirty-Three Skies!”