The Dragon

The Malice of the World is Hard to Quell

Zuo Tianyi walked step by step, landing silently. He glanced at the people within the formation and said, “I originally wanted to deal with you all quietly and maintain some harmony with Ning City.”

“Never Mind.” He sounded as nonchalant as deciding whether or not to discard a piece of clothing.

Zuo Tianyi’s gaze drifted toward Gu Fuyou, a polite smile on his face. “Third Miss, if you hand over the Yan’er Bell willingly, we can avoid a lot of unpleasantness. You are as beautiful as a flower, in the prime of your youth. It’d be a pity for you to end up broken.”

A man clenched his fists, his eyes fiery red, and shouted, “The Third Miss is the beloved daughter of City Lord Gu! If you harm her, City Lord Gu will never let you go!”

Zuo Tianyi smirked, raising his chin in defiance towards the crowd, “Once you’re all dead, who will know how you died…”

Before he could finish, a figure suddenly rushed out, yelling, “Zuo Tianyi, I’ll kill you!”

Everyone exclaimed, “Ah Meng?!”

Gu Fuyou cried out in alarm, “Ah Meng, no!”

Zuo Tianyi caught a glimpse of the approaching figure from the corner of his eye and released his spiritual power. Just as Ah Meng was about to reach him, she suddenly felt an immense pressure and collapsed to her knees.

Zuo Tianyi, born with exceptional talent and with the resources of the Zuo family, even though he indulged in pleasures, had lived for over two hundred years. Over the years, he had reached the early stages of Golden Core.

Ah Meng, a mere mortal who hadn’t cultivated, was powerless in front of him.

Gu Fuyou pleaded urgently, “Zuo Tianyi, I’ll give you the Yan’er Bell! Just let her go!”

Zuo Tianyi leaned down, lifting Ah Meng’s chin, examining her from left to right. Smiling, he said, “Too late.”

Just as he was assessing Ah Meng’s appearance, something unexpected occurred. Ah Meng, who should’ve been immobilized by his power, unexpectedly fought back.

With a crazed look in her eyes, Ah Meng lunged at Zuo Tianyi, thrusting a dagger towards his neck.

Caught off guard by her sudden attack, Zuo Tianyi narrowly evaded a fatal blow. Still, Ah Meng’s dagger slashed from his cheek to his brow, leaving a bloody gash.

Fueled by her mortal body’s sheer determination and rage, Ah Meng resisted the immense pressure of a Golden Core cultivator; however, the effort behind her attack left her bleeding profusely, feeling as if every vein in her body had burst, and she collapsed to the ground, unable to stand back up.

Still, her actions left everyone in shock.

Zuo Tianyi touched the stinging wound on his cheek, looking at his bloodied hand. Fuming with anger and embarrassment, he glared at Ah Meng on the ground, cursing, “Bitch.”

He aimed a kick at her abdomen.

“A Gust of Wind!”

Suddenly, a gust rose from the ground. The wind blew upwards, making Zuo Tianyi instinctively blink. When he opened his eyes again, he saw someone carrying Ah Meng away.

Zuo Tianyi said coldly, “Gu Fuyou.”

Seeing Gu Fuyou rescuing Ah Meng, he was very displeased. With a wave of his hand, he nullified the magic invoked by Gu Fuyou’s talisman. With another gesture, a fierce wind surrounded Gu Fuyou and Ah Meng. He said, “This is what I call—a gust of wind!”

The wind transformed into countless razor-sharp blades, attacking from all directions.

Holding Ah Meng tightly, Gu Fuyou didn’t have time to search for talismans. Instead, she tried to use her own spiritual power to form a defensive formation. However, the wind blades, sharper than any knife, instantly shattered her formation, slicing and wounding her upon contact.

The people of Ning City exclaimed, “Third Miss!”

Gu Fuyou shouted, “Stay away! Everyone, get into Uncle Sishi’s formation!”

Even though Gu Fuyou constantly set up defensive formations, she still sustained numerous cuts from the wind blades.

When facing someone at the Foundation Building stage, she could find ways to counter. But against someone in the Golden Core stage, all she could do was take hits. It was a power gap she couldn’t bridge.

She felt hesitant and thought of summoning Zhong Michu for assistance. Yet, just as her spiritual energy began to gather, she decided against it.

Outside, Zhong Michu was fending off two Golden Core cultivators; if Gu Fuyou summoned her inside, those cultivators would surely follow. Facing two opponents alone already put Zhong Michu at a disadvantage, and entering to also worry about Gu Fuyou and the people of Ning City would further restrict her, making the situation even more dire.

Summoning Zhong Michu might provide a temporary solution, but it would lead to endless troubles later.

Realizing that dragging things out was not the solution, Gu Fuyou didn’t bother to form another defensive formation after her previous one was broken. Instead, she quickly searched for talismans.

Just before she was completely shredded by the wind blades, she pulled out a wood-attribute talisman and yelled, “Spirit, come forth!”

The talisman fluttered in the wind, and when it activated, twisting vines shot out rapidly, forming a wall of trees that broke through the raging winds, which stood between Zuo Tianyi and Gu Fuyou.

Wood counters wind. The reason this talisman could match Zuo Tianyi’s power was that it was refined by Si Miao.

The higher one’s cultivation, the more powerful the talisman one can refine, and the more challenging it is to create. Si Miao was not an expert in this and had made only a few. Gu Fuyou only had this one talisman.

With the wind gone, Gu Fuyou and Ah Meng fell from the sky.

Both of them were gravely injured. The people of Ning City rushed over and dragged them back to their formation.

Upon looking at Ah Meng, Gu Fuyou’s heart sank. She hadn’t noticed in the windstorm, but Ah Meng was cold and lifeless.

Listening closely, she couldn’t hear a heartbeat.

Gu Fuyou was in shock. Ah Meng had resisted Zuo Tianlang and had felt the pressure of someone at the Golden Core stage. She likely suffered severe internal injuries, which caused her to bleed profusely. She may have later been caught in the whirlwind of blades, worsening her condition.

Gu Fuyou wasn’t sure if Ah Meng was already gone after facing Zuo Tianyi’s pressure or if she failed to protect her from the whirlwind of blades.

Someone cried out in grief, “Third Miss, Ah Meng, she…”

Frantically searching her storage bag, Gu Fuyou took out all the healing pills she had, saying, “Feed these to her. She’ll be okay. I’ll find Si Miao; she can heal her.”

Just as Gu Fuyou stepped out of the defensive formation, Zuo Tianyi, having broken through the vine barrier, approached. Desperate, she shook the Yan’er Bell, exclaiming, “Can’t you show your power?!”

She had tried using it multiple times before, but the bell had never responded.

Zuo Tianyi said, “Gu Fuyou, if you had just handed over the Yan’er bell from the start, it wouldn’t have come to this. Nobody is happy with this situation.”

With cold eyes, Gu Fuyou gritted her teeth, “Good and evil will be repaid; justice will prevail, the heavens see all. Zuo Tianyi, your Zuo family will face divine punishment someday.”

“Really?”

This time, the wind didn’t cover the sky but condensed into a shape resembling a massive hand.

As soon as Gu Fuyou formed a defensive formation, it was instantly shattered. The wind hand pinned her, slamming her against a pillar, causing her to spit blood.

Before she could fall, Zuo Tianyi lunged at her, grabbing her by the neck and pinning her to the pillar. He smirked, “Where’s the divine punishment? I don’t see it.”

“Mmm.”

Zuo Tianyi grabbed Gu Fuyou’s right hand, which held the Yan’er Bell. When he squeezed hard, her palm’s wound reopened, blood oozing out, staining the covering bell.

A soft chime sounded.

Zuo Tianyi’s eyes widened in surprise as the person he had just held vanished, leaving only the mark on the pillar where she had hit.

Staring at his empty hand in confusion, he squeezed it, making sure it wasn’t an illusion.

Suddenly, Gu Fuyou appeared in front of him, delivering a resounding slap, turning his face to one side.

The slap was real, not an illusion. The burning pain on Zuo Tianyi’s face was undoubtedly a great humiliation for him. He shouted angrily, “Gu Fuyou!”

He realized that the mischief was caused by the Yan’er Bell. He hadn’t considered it before because a magical tool like the Yan’er Bell, after enduring the lightning tribulation of the Immortalization stage, would possess a unique spirit that wasn’t easily tamed by ordinary people. He had assumed that Gu Fuyou couldn’t control it.

He drew a spiritual sword from his storage ring and swung it.

When the sword met Gu Fuyou, it was like disturbing the moon’s reflection in water. A ripple spread out, and the sword didn’t hit anything solid. Gu Fuyou’s figure vanished again.

Zuo Tianyi was instantly on alert, assessing the situation. Fearing he might not withstand the power of the Yan’er Bell, he thought of calling Yan Zhi, when suddenly, he felt a sharp coldness from behind.

He dodged to the side, but still got slashed on his back. Gu Fuyou held a black sword, with the Yan’er Bell floating beside her, staring coldly at him.

When Gu Fuyou charged again, her figure disappeared, merging with the air as if she was one with it.

Zuo Tianyi felt as if Gu Fuyou was everywhere. The chilling black hilt made him shudder in fear. Feeling both humiliated and enraged, he unleashed all his spiritual power, creating a massive pressure.

Gu Fuyou’s knees buckled, and she stumbled. The Yan’er Bell could create illusions and deceive the eyes, but it wasn’t omnipotent. It couldn’t shield Gu Fuyou from Zuo Tianyi’s direct attack, and the pressure still affected her.

This momentary lapse from Gu Fuyou gave Zuo Tianyi an opening. With a sinister laugh, he thrust his sword, shouting, “Here!”

His sword grazed Gu Fuyou’s shoulder, drawing blood. He swung again with such force it felt like a giant’s whip crashing down on her. Pain shot through her wrist, and the sword slipped from her grip.

With his sword drawn back, Zuo Tianyi seemed intent on delivering the killing blow. His eyes glowed with rage as he shouted, “Die!”

Yet, just like before, Gu Fuyou’s figure twisted and vanished.

Caught mid-attack, Zuo Tianyi felt a rush of dread and desperately called out, “Yan Zhi…”

Suddenly, Gu Fuyou appeared behind him, striking with lightning speed. Her blade pierced through him, entering his back and emerging from his chest.

Coldly, Gu Fuyou stated, “It’s you who should die.”

With disbelief in his eyes, Zuo Tianyi looked down to see the dagger that had pierced his chest – the same weapon that the woman had used to wound his cheek earlier.

Gu Fuyou pulled out the dagger, and a surge of blood gushed from Zuo Tianyi’s chest. He collapsed on the ground, mumbling weakly, “Yan… Yan Zhi… save… me…”

As his vision faded, the last thing he saw was Gu Fuyou’s indifferent gaze and the ringing Yan’er Bell beside her.

Gu Fuyou stood over Zuo Tianyi until he died, lost in thought.

Suddenly, sensing a violent surge of spiritual power entering the palace, Gu Fuyou snapped back to reality, grabbed the dark sword, and scrambled to the defensive formation set up by Si Gonghou.

“Master!” Yan Zhi rushed in, only to see Zuo Tianyi’s lifeless body.

In an instant, he was beside Zuo Tianyi, realizing he was already dead.

Kneeling on the ground, after a moment of stiffness, he suddenly looked up, his gaze fierce. Without asking who had done it, he shouted furiously, “All of you will die!”

Drawing his blade and releasing all his spiritual power, the aura around the blade intensified, powerful enough to shake mountains.

Gu Fuyou, knowing that Yan Zhi was a stronger opponent than Zuo Tianyi, attempted to use the Yan’er Bell to escape. If ordinary people were to face the suppressive aura of Yan Zhi’s Nascent Soul stage, they would instantly explode.

She took refuge in the defensive formation, hoping that using all the spiritual stones would strengthen it. Within the formation, she planted the sword hilt into the ground, releasing its defensive capabilities. Even though she knew her defenses were weak, any protection was better than none.

As Yan Zhi’s strike descended, everyone felt as if the sky was collapsing.

Si Gonghou’s formation was already on the brink of shattering. Despite the added power from the spiritual stones, it couldn’t withstand Yan Zhi’s blow and shattered instantly.

Under the force of the blade, the defense activated by Gu Fuyou’s sword embryo was exposed. Just as she thought she was doomed, the sword embryo emitted a blinding light, miraculously blocking the attack.

Although Gu Fuyou was thrown back, coughing up blood, and the sword embryo fell over, they had managed to block the strike. This left Yan Zhi in shock, wondering how a Qi Practicing stage formation could resist his blade.

His gaze, cold as lightning, scanned Gu Fuyou before settling on the bloodstain on the sword embryo.

Just as he prepared to strike again, a sudden sword light appeared from behind, forming a sword net that ensnared him.

He had no choice but to turn and defend. This brief delay allowed Gan Fengzhong to arrive. Even with blood on his forehead and one eye closed, he appeared formidable. His punches rained down like a storm, driving Yan Zhi back.

Outside the hall, two Golden Core cultivators entered, looking haggard. Upon seeing the fallen Zuo Tianyi, they exclaimed in horror, “The City Lord?!”

Zhong Michu stood in front of the formation with her sword, and Gan Fengzhong positioned himself against Yan Zhi, the two of them forming a formidable defense.

Yan Zhi looked at the two and then glanced at Gu Fuyou, who was slowly getting up inside the formation.

With a slight frown, he quickly moved to Zuo Tianyi’s side, picked up Zuo Tianyi’s spiritual sword and his lifeless body, and coldly declared, “The grudge of today will be avenged by Xu Ling Sect in the future.”

He said to the other two, “Let’s go!”

The three of them immediately retreated from the palace. Those who were fighting with Gu Huaiyou and Si Miao saw this and followed.

The crowd wanted to stop them but lacked the strength.

After entering the hall, Gu Huaiyou and Si Miao learned that it was Gu Fuyou who had killed Zuo Tianyi.

Gu Huaiyou, shocked, exclaimed, “You killed Zuo Tianyi! How could you…”

Even if Zuo Tianyi deserved to die, they could only capture him and hand him over to Xu Ling Sect for judgment, giving an explanation to Xiaoyao City.

The peace between Xu Ling Sect and Xiaoyao City was superficial. Breaking this peace requires just a reason.

The Xu Ling Sect was eager to break this peace. Gu Fuyou killing Zuo Tianyi provided the perfect excuse. While it wouldn’t lead to cataclysmic repercussions, it would surely bring enough troubles for Xiaoyao City.

Gu Fuyou, with her head bowed, remained silent. Gu Huaiyou, seeing her injured, couldn’t bring himself to scold her further.

When Si Miao was checking Gu Fuyou’s wounds, Gu Fuyou gently pushed her away, her voice raspy and dry, “Go check on Ah Meng.”

Si Miao glanced at her, said nothing, and went to check on Ah Meng. Upon feeling her pulse, Si Miao paused, her eyelids drooping. After a while, she sighed, “She has gone to meet her parents.”

A stifling silence filled the hall until someone finally said, “It’s good, it’s good that they are reunited.”

Mournful voices joined in agreement, comforting one another, and after that, no one mentioned it again.

Si Miao continued to treat the others who were injured.

Gu Fuyou retreated to the shadows, leaning against a pillar, she slid to the ground, She gripped her hands tightly, yet they wouldn’t stop trembling.

No matter how tightly she held them, they kept shaking.

As a shadow approached, someone crouched in front of her. A slender, pristine hand gently covered her own bloodstained ones.

A thought crossed Gu Fuyou’s mind, “Ah, I’ve dirtied her hand.”

Yet, she didn’t want to pull away, she didn’t have the strength.

There was a lump in Gu Fuyou’s throat. After a while, she managed to croak, “Zhong Michu, Ah Meng is gone. I couldn’t save her. I’m so useless.”

“You did well. You protected many.”

Gu Fuyou hadn’t intended to cry, but upon hearing Zhong Michu’s words, she couldn’t help herself.

She sobbed softly, “It was my first time taking a life, it feels terrible.”

“I killed Zuo Tianyi. I’ve caused trouble again.”

“It’s not your fault.”

A tear from Gu Fuyou’s eye dropped onto Zhong Michu’s hand, its warmth distinctly felt.

“Zhong Michu, can you…”

Hug me?

Before she could finish her words, Zhong Michu leaned in and gently embraced her trembling body.

Gu Fuyou felt like a lone boat drifting in a stormy sea that had suddenly found shelter. She allowed herself to sink into this warm and fragrant embrace.