The Dragon

The spirit arrow struck in a flash behind Zhong Michu, By the time she sensed it, it was already too late to dodge or defend.

“Get back!” Jiu Yuan, whose cultivation was higher than the others, was by her side. Sensing the sneak attack earlier than most, he rapidly channeled his spiritual power. The ground cracked, and blue bricks shattered as soil surged upward like a tidal wave, instantly solidifying into a rock barrier behind Zhong Michu.

However, in the urgency of the moment, Jiu Yuan couldn’t muster his full strength, and secondly, the attacker was well-prepared. The arrow shot forth with ferocious spiritual power. The spirit arrow was unstoppable, breaking through the rock wall with only pausing for a split second.

Zhong Michu couldn’t dodge in time, and even if she did, Gu Fuyou and three others were behind her. Gu Fuyou couldn’t evade, and Liu Guizhen was already injured, unable to withstand the force of the arrow. Sensing the overwhelming power of the arrow, Zhong Michu realized that she too couldn’t bear its impact, but she was somewhat stronger than the three behind her.

That moment of pause gave her the chance to summon her sword, Gengchen, to face the spirit arrow head-on, and upon contact, a great light flared. The arrow’s artifact had a fire attribute, which naturally conflicted with water. If her cultivation level had been higher than that of the attacker, then water would have suppressed the fire. But if the attacker’s cultivation was higher, then fire would have overwhelmed water.

The spirit arrow’s force was immense, nearly breaking her wrists, indicating the attacker’s cultivation was not just one but many levels above her own.

In a heartbeat, there was a sharp snap, Gengchen broke in two. The bond between a sword and its wielder is deep; a broken sword often means its owner is hurt. Blood oozed from the corner of Zhong Michu’s mouth. Even though the spirit arrow’s light weakened after clashing with Gengchen for a moment, it still retained lethal power.

After the spirit arrow broke Gengchen, nothing stood in its way, and the arrow struck Zhong Michu directly in the heart.

All this happened in the span of two breaths. Zhong Michu fell to the ground, and Gu Fuyou, right behind her, caught her, ending up kneeling on the ground with her in his arms. As Zhong Michu fell, she turned her head and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, a red stain spreading over the white fabric at her chest.

Gu Fuyou’s voice trembled: “Zhong, Zhong Michu…” Her mind went blank for a moment, then a wave of cold, dark despair flooded in—it was the realization that Zhong Michu might die. She understood the horrifying power of that arrow, having felt its terror even from behind. It had hit Zhong Michu right in the heart. Dragons have scales, the hardest spiritual substance in the world, with the heart-protecting scale being the toughest. Few spiritual beings could shatter it, but these were the scales of a mature Dragon. According to the age of Dragons, Zhong Michu was but a young Dragon, with her horns, sharp teeth, claws, and scales not yet fully formed. Her scales were too soft compared to those of an adult dragon, incapable of withstanding a full blow from a powerful cultivator.

Zhong Michu coughed a few times, blood splattering, her face smeared with it.

Dongli shouted, “Junior Brother Liu!”

Liu Guizhen was usually calm but was shocked by the sudden strike. Dongli’s call snapped him back to reality. Dongli said, “Please help.” Liu Guizhen saw her expression and instantly understood, hastily removing his outer robe and standing up to shield one side, turning his head away.

Dongli frantically began to untie Zhong Michu’s clothing, hands trembling so much that she couldn’t undo the knots and resorted to forcefully tearing them apart, pulling off Zhong Michu’s upper garments. The wound on Zhong Michu’s chest was peculiar, not like one made by an arrow, but rather a fan-shaped bloodstain, as if a piece of flesh had been violently torn off, particularly gruesome against the stark white of her skin.

Staring, Dongli murmured, “Thankfully, only the heart-protecting scale is shattered…” That one strike had already cost Zhong Michu half her life. Now, with Gengchen broken, if her heart was even slightly damaged, there would be no hope of recovery.

Dongli looked surprised, yet she quickly focused on tending to Zhong Michu’s wounds. The breaking of the heart-protecting scale was no minor matter. In the dragon race, while ordinary scales can regenerate, the heart-protecting scale is the lone exception; each lifetime was only granted one. Once shattered, it would never grow back. Gu Fuyou carefully adjusted Zhong Michu’s clothes, covering them up. On her snowy shoulders, a black beast pattern was charmingly spread, trailing down to where it became intimately entwined. She had only caught a brief glimpse last time and didn’t see it clearly; now that she could, the blood spread over it was like a fierce fire, burning her eyes with pain and searing her heart. It was a pain that pierced the heart and bones, accompanied by an inexplicable panic, becoming the cruelest torture in this world.

Gu Fuyou emptied her storage bag, pouring out all the bottles of medicinal pills in a clatter, her voice choked with emotion: “Senior Sister Dongli, please see if there is anything useful here.”

Gu Fuyou took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of Zhong Michu’s mouth. Her hand trembled uncontrollably. She hated her own insignificance, lacking the overwhelming power to punish the arbitrary acts of the Zuo family; she hated her own stupidity for not having profound cultivation to protect the ones she wanted to protect; she also hated her own uselessness, as even wiping blood for Zhong Michu was something she couldn’t do properly. Although Zhong Michu was seriously injured, her consciousness was still relatively clear. She slowly raised her hand and held Gu Fuyou’s wrist. Gu Fuyou said with a smile, “You’ll be fine. We still need to go to Xuji Mountain…” But her smile was genuinely painful to look at.

Gu Fuyou’s wrist was slender. Zhong Michu’s fingers were long, entirely grasping her wrist and responded with a faint, “Hmm.”

As soon as Zhong Michu fell, Jiu Yuan roared, “Who’s the coward attacking from behind!”

Zuo Shaode was in utter amazement within the crack. Although he joked with Ji Xiyan that all magical artifacts were destroyed, he actually had one left— the Zhuli Bow. With one arrow from such a divine bow, he could evaporate rivers. Yet, even with his full strength as a Hollow Void cultivator, it failed to shoot through a Golden Core girl! How much force could Jiu Yuan, the old man, possibly deflect? Most of it was evidently still borne by Zhong Michu. Shaking his head and clicking his tongue, he muttered, “Incredible, incredible, she cannot be left alive!” He was about to shoot another arrow.”

Jiu Yuan summoned his formation, and a giant White Ape, towering like a tower, appeared. With a heaven-shaking roar, it shattered the silence. This was Jiu Yuan’s spirit beast, and as an elder skilled in beast control, he had proficiently raised it to the nascent soul stage. Spirit beasts are known for their keen senses, especially those with advanced cultivation like this white ape. It leaped up and swung its fist toward the crack in the sky, and the void shattered like a broken mirror.”

Zuo Shaode and Ji Xiyan came tumbling down. Jiu Yuan’s glare was piercing. “First Elder, why are you with him, you!” Jiu Yuan was not a fool. With a bit of reflection, the pieces began to fall into place. There had been no word from the Xuan Miao Sect even as the Zuo family mustered cultivators for an assault — why? The mountain’s defensive formation had collapsed abruptly. Clearly, there was an informant within. Elder Liuhe had met with foul play, but such a formidable figure wouldn’t fall silently. It must have been betrayal — Elder Liuhe was caught off guard because he trusted the wrong person, and that’s how he was overtaken.

“It’s you, you betrayed the Xuan Miao Sect! Why, why you!” The friendship of their generation, for thousands of years. “Ji Mu, you scoundrel!”

Overwhelmed with rage, Jiu Yuan attacked Ji Xiyan, which provided Zuo Shaode an opportunity to attack Zhong Michu and the others. Gu Fuyou and her group were no match. Injured and weakened, they couldn’t even flee. Zuo Shaode soared into the air, drew his bow, and fired another arrow. The previous arrow had nearly claimed Zhong Michu’s life, and somehow it was stopped. But who could stop this one?

The spirit arrow came flying, its sharp wind causing Gu Fuyou’s face to sting painfully. Everyone’s life hung by a thread, but in that critical moment, a tiger’s roar sounded, and a white tiger made of spiritual light pounced from the side, tearing the spirit arrow to pieces. A tall figure, agile and strong, reached into the air, and the white tiger turned into a long spear. The man twirled the spear, pointing it directly at Zuo Shaode.

Gu Fuyou, stunned, said, “Third Uncle!” In Xiaoyao City, five people had transcended to the Hollow Void stage and sworn brotherhood. Among them, Gu Wanpeng had the highest cultivation level, and the other four were both his subordinates and sworn brothers. Zheng Changwei, ranked third, was who Gu Fuyou always called Third Uncle.

Gu Fuyou asked, “Why are you here?”

Zheng Changwei, covered in blood, said, “It’s because you were reckless, leaving home without informing anyone. The Zuo family is sinister and cunning. Your father was worried they would discover your whereabouts and capture you, so he sent me to protect you in secret.” Gu Fuyou had indeed left home that very night and had not even left the city when Gu Wanpeng and Gu Shuangqing discovered her absence. Consequently, they dispatched Zheng Changwei to secretly protect her. The knowledge of his presence was comforting; should things turn dire, he would be there to aid her escape. After escorting her to Jingdu Mountain, he remained at the base. When he saw them depart on their swords, he covertly followed. Upon Gu Fuyou’s return to Jingdu Mountain, he did the same. He realized the gravity of the situation upon seeing the Zuo family encircle Xuan Miao Sect. After sending a message back to Xiaoyao City and with the mountain’s protective formation broken, he made his way up from the base of the mountain, fighting as he went.

Zuo Shaode said, “People from the Gu family?”

Gu Fuyou replied, “Third Uncle, don’t worry about me. Quickly assist Elder Jiu Yuan and capture them.”

Zheng Changwei charged with his long spear, fighting fiercely, “Xuan Miao Sect and Xiaoyao City rely on each other. They are causing trouble here; we cannot just sit by and watch!”

Zuo Shaode chuckled, “You still have the leisure to care about others?”

Zheng Changwei retorted, “What do you mean?”

Zuo Shaode, showing no mercy in his attack, laughed heartily, “What I mean is, Xiaoyao City won’t escape either.”

Gu Fuyou gasped, and before she could gather her thoughts, she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, forcing her to bend over as her head grew heavy. Her ears rang, and the light seemed to dim, making her question if her vision was blurring. Glancing to the side, she saw both Dongli and Liu Guizhen struggling, propped up against the ground; even Zhong Michu was affected, with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

This sensation felt as if the sky was collapsing.

She strained her eyes to look up, only to see a giant figure, standing tall against the darkening sky, radiating spiritual light. He raised one hand, pressing down with the size of a mountain peak in his palm, the spiritual power overwhelming, giving the sensation that the sky was indeed falling because of this hand.

Dharma Manifestation.

A chill went through Gu Fuyou. Only the sect leader of the Xu Ling Sect, who had reached the peak of Soul Splitting stage, could have accomplished this. The fact that Xu Ling Sect had called upon him to manifest in this form and interfere in sect affairs meant that they were truly intent on obliterating Xuan Miao Sect. Judging by Zuo Shaode’s words, Xiaoyao City would be their next target. Their goal wasn’t just about Zuo Tianyi; they were determined to unify Nanzhou.

Why were they so brazen and fearless? Weren’t they afraid of repercussions from the other three continents?

The Dharma manifestation’s palm strike shattered the second layer of the defensive formation set up by Ji Chaoling in the Xiangxing Hall. A gap as vast as the heavens separates a Soul Splitting from a Hallow Void – a difference of an entire level is like a chasm between earth and sky.

When Ji Chaoling’s defensive formation was broken, he received the brunt of the impact, vomiting blood and half-kneeling on the ground. He looked up at the Dharma Manifestation in the sky. After executing a palm strike, the spiritual light around the manifestation dimmed considerably, yet the facial features of Zuo Taisui could still be distinctly made out. Ji Chaoling said, “With your current cultivation at the peak of Soul Splitting stage, you still interfere with the mortal world, accumulating so much karma. Aren’t you afraid that you won’t be able to pass the lightning tribulation?!”

The more sins one commits in the mortal world, the more ferocious the lightning tribulation becomes. This is the most direct manifestation of heavenly law, hence this tribulation is also known as the Sin Cleansing Tribulation. Cultivators, when fortunate enough to reach the cultivation of Soul Splitting or Hallow Void, seldom wish to meddle in worldly affairs, precisely to face fewer bolts of lightning during their tribulation.

Once Ji Chaoling’s formation was broken, everyone in the square, including Zuo Yuezhi, had a clear view of Gu Fuyou. Zuo Yuezhi glanced at her, grinning, “Lightning Tribulation? Even if one faces a hundred or a thousand of them, how difficult can they really be?”