The Dragon

Gu Fuyou set up formations around the mountain where Zhong Michu and the others were resting – one for defense and another to create a layer of illusion.

Having brought so many slaves from Bailu City, the originally carved out caves weren’t enough for everyone. All the slaves were outside, either standing or sitting cross-legged, cultivating and absorbing spiritual energy.

Zhong Michu stood by a mountain stream, her eyes closed, letting the breeze play with her clothes. Yi’er sat on a rock, dangling her feet in the water, “Mother, are you worried about Ah Man Mother?”

Zhong Michu opened her eyes and looked back at her.

“Why don’t you talk to her?”

Zhong Michu replied, “Even if I told her, it wouldn’t stop me from worrying.”

Yi’er said, “You should tell her. If you say it ten times and she doesn’t listen nine times, there’s still one time she might.”

Zhong Michu’s eyes softened, and she smiled, “Like you?”

Yi’er stood up, came over, and hugged her, “Yi’er listens much better than her.”

“Ah Man Mother will be fine. Twenty-three told me that she’s very powerful.”

Zhong Michu didn’t reply, just gently stroked her head. Suddenly, her expression changed, and she looked westward, “Yier, go back and tell the Yinhe and Xinghan to be on alert.”

“Mother.”

“Somebody is coming. I’ll go and see.” Normally, she wouldn’t mind ordinary people, as Gu Fuyou’s formation would prevent them from getting close. But the approaching person was a Soul Splitting stage cultivator, whose formidable aura, though repressed, was still extraordinary. The Dragon Clan’s senses were extremely sharp. As soon as the person approached Tu Mountain, Zhong Michu sensed them.

If the visitor reached this place, they would easily notice the formation.

“I’ll go right away,” Yi’er ran towards where everyone was resting, not forgetting to remind Zhong Michu, “Be careful, Mother.”

The visitor was incredibly fast.

As soon as Zhong Michu stepped out of the illusion, he was already at the foot of the mountain. She stood at the edge of a camphor forest, and he stood at the other end.

He was not alone; many highly skilled cultivators followed him, with many more flying overhead on swords.

Zuo Shaode stared at her, unable to hide his astonishment, but quickly covered it up, “When did the Dragon King of the Four Seas come to Nanzhou, hiding in these mountains?”

Zuo Shaode’s mind raced. Nanzhou was always wary of the Dragon Clan, closely monitoring their movements. It was impossible for the Dragon King to be in Nanzhou without any news of her arrival.

Could this person have appeared in Nanzhou out of nowhere, having passed through a teleportation formation?

And without making any noise?

Zhong Michu was also puzzled by Zuo Shaode’s presence here. Logically, he should be in Wantong City, fighting against Zuo Yuezhi’s forces.

She discreetly glanced over Zuo Shaode’s forces, spotting Zuo Tianlang. Her brow slightly furrowed.

Zuo Tianlang was here, but where was Ah Man?

Zuo Shaode raised his head to look at Zhong Michu, noticing the illusion and formation behind her, his eyes narrowing.

“What is the Dragon King doing sneaking around in my territory?”

No one answered. Zuo Shaode’s gaze returned to Zhong Michu, but he saw her focus was on Zuo Tianlang.

Zuo Shaode frowned, and at that moment, Zhong Michu withdrew her gaze, meeting his eyes.

In that brief moment of eye contact, Zuo Shaode seemed to grasp something.

He slowly raised his hand, obscuring the upper half of Zhong Michu’s face from his view. His face turned ashen, his hand trembling, whether from anger or shock at this revelation.

“It’s you!” he exclaimed harshly.

The slave standing beside Qingluan.

There was always something indescribably odd about her. He had investigated several times, finding no clues, just like that Qingluan, as if she had appeared out of thin air.

It was actually Zhong Michu.

He quickly calmed himself, his mind racing, recalling the behavior of the Qingluan since its appearance. Who exactly was this Qingluan? Why was she collaborating with Zhong Michu?

The dignified Dragon King, abandoning the Four Seas, coming to Nanzhou to hide as a slave beside Qingluan – it was too absurd. He couldn’t fathom the connection.

Did Qingluan know this woman’s true identity?

Zuo Shaode suspected she did.

A sense of foreboding washed over him – the entire Zuo family had been played.

Zuo Shaode demanded gravely, “Zhong Michu, what are you scheming?” His tone was menacing, “And what are you hiding behind you?”

Although there was only one woman in front of them, exquisitely beautiful, slender and delicate, seemingly harmless, everyone felt as if they were facing a great threat, as if a heavy stone was pressing on their hearts.

The external cultivators drew their swords and knives. Some, in their panic, summoned their spirit beasts.

Zuo Shaode was about to reprimand them for using spirit beasts in front of the Dragon Clan, which was akin to handing over chess pieces to the enemy.

From the depths of the illusion, three people and one beast emerged: Yinhe, Xinghan, and Yier riding Ah Fu. Yier called out, “Mother!!”

This cry made the already tense crowd shiver, instinctively commanding their spirit beasts to attack.

A snow-white hedgehog, the size of a bull, its body swollen as if filled with air, curled up into a ball. The spines on its back were like arrows on a taut bowstring, ready to be released. A tiger-striped golden eagle, with wings spanning several meters, poised to dive, its talons gleaming coldly.

Hearing Yi’er’s call, Zhong Michu turned to look at her. In an instant, the wind around her ears went wild as the panicked crowd unleashed their spirit beasts.

She sharply turned back, her golden eyes coldly radiant.

The snow-white hedgehog instantly collapsed to the ground. The tiger-striped golden eagle abruptly retracted its wings and crashed to the ground.

The air around them chilled, frost forming on the camphor trees.

Ah, a show of force.

Zuo Shaode, reluctant to confront Zhong Michu unless absolutely necessary, found it hard to avoid confrontation in this situation, given their past grudges and  new resentments.

Judging by the Dragon King’s demeanor, it seemed she too was not inclined to let things end peacefully.

Zuo Shaode drew out his Zhuri Bow, smirking coldly, “Does the Dragon King recognize this bow?”

He was initially shocked that this bow couldn’t pierce through a Golden Core cultivator’s body, only to later realize it was deflected by dragon scales. Still, it was a remarkable feat.

This bow had pierced through the Dragon King’s heart-protecting scale. A feat worth boasting about for a lifetime.

Zuo Shaode swiftly drew the bow, targeting Yi’er, believing in striking first.

The moisture in the air, in the soil, and within the sap of trees and grasses converged into a stream of water.

This stream, like white silk, entwined the arrow, halting it inches from Yi’er, solidifying into an ice pillar on the ground. The arrow, still burning inside the ice, was unable to advance further.

As soon as Zuo Shaode released the first arrow, he quickly readied the second, aiming directly at the formation behind Zhong Michu.

With his cultivation and the supreme magical weapon Zhuli Bow, he could not only destroy the formation but also harm those within it. The first arrow was merely a feint, to divert Zhong Michu’s attention and create an opening for the fully-powered second arrow.

This second arrow was at full force, bright as a sun, dimming the mountain’s colors.

He wanted to see what lay behind the formation, what Zhong Michu and Qingluan were up to.

Zhong Michu commanded, “Yinhe, Xinghan!”

The two immediately understood, they scooped up Yi’er, shielding her between them.

In an instant, a layer of deep blue ice rose in front of the formation, like a massive wall, blocking the Zhuri Arrow.

Zhong Michu, adept with water manipulation, could soften the bow’s power, but time and distance were not in her favor. Before she could lessen its force, the arrow had already pierced through the formation, heading straight for the people inside.

She had no choice but to meet force with force.

The Zhuli Arrow broke through the first ice wall effortlessly, its momentum undiminished.

As each wall broke, it reformed ahead of the arrow, creating a second barrier.

Shatter, reform.

In the span of a breath, five ice walls were consecutively broken.

The spiritual arrow rushed to the front of the formation, its light dispersing the illusion and shattering the formation, unstoppable.

The slaves, now exposed to Zuo Shaode’s view, stood ready. Those without significant cultivation hid in the caves, leaving only the highly skilled outside.

Suddenly, an arrow shot towards them, apocalyptic in force. Even from a distance, they felt the burning pain on their cheeks.

The slaves knew they couldn’t stop it.

But no one dared to retreat. Such was their indoctrination from youth; even if faced with death, they couldn’t move without their master’s command.

But Zhong Michu’s ice walls had bought enough time. She summoned the mountain stream’s water, which clashed with the arrow, evaporating into steam, then crystallizing into frost.

In the clash, the world seemed to split in two.

The people felt both cold and hot, an unbearable sensation, like experiencing both ice and fire simultaneously.

After a sharp ringing in their ears, the noise ceased.

Everyone realized they were exhaling white breaths.

In the middle of summer, snowflakes floated down from the sky.

The ground beneath their feet had turned to scorched earth. Unlike heavily fortified cities, Tu Mountain had no other formations besides the defensive one left by Gu Fuyou.

The peak couldn’t withstand the battle of two Soul Splitting stage cultivators. The area Zhong Michu protected turned icy, with the camphor trees frosted. Everywhere else was burnt to a crisp by the second arrow of the Zhuli Bow.

In just one exchange, a mere moment felt as long as a lifetime, as if they had endured a great battle.

Zhong Michu instructed, “Yinhe, Xinghan, ask Scholar Zhai to bring out the Turtle shell for them to stay inside. Those who can fight, guard the outside. You two, make the arrangements.” The Black Turtle shell could change size, serving not only as a transportation device but also a formidable defense.

“Understood.”

Zhong Michu softly added, “Yi’er, you go too.”

Yi’er, peering out from between Silver River and Starry Sky, protested, “There are so many of them, I can help you with Ah Fu.”

Zhong Michu, without further discussion, ordered, “Yinhe, Xinghan, take her back, keep her safe.”

Yi’er, feeling anxious, insisted,”’At least keep them to help you, I’ll go and pass on the message.” She knew Zhong Michu was powerful, having seen her in action only once, transforming into a Dragon to confront Di Jun in the East Sea. She wasn’t fully aware of Zhong Michu’s capabilities and now, seeing so many opponents, especially after Zuo Shaode’s terrifying arrow, she couldn’t help but worry.

Yinhe and Xinghan, close attendants of Zhong Michu, loyally followed her command. “Yes,” they responded, turning to Yier, “Your Highness.”

Yi’er glanced at Zhong Michu and, not daring to be stubborn at such a critical moment, complied with her request and headed towards where the people were gathered on the plateau.

Yuan Shan grew in size, hands hanging to the ground, and with a leap, landed beside Zhong Michu from beside the cave, landing like a mountain, shaking the ground. Its golden-orange beastly eyes glared at the Zuo family cultivators, baring its fangs in a low growl.

Zhong Michu said, “Yuan Shan, go back, stand guard over them, keep them safe.”

Her voice was calm but carried an undeniable authority.

Yuan Mountain hesitated, bearing a grudge against the Zuo family’s cultivators, wanting to tear them apart, but unable to resist Zhong Michu’s command. With a reluctant growl and seeing no change in her order, it turned and obediently went back to guard the entrance.

Zuo Shaode, recognizing some of the slaves hiding in the formation, was surprised to find them here, apparently obeying Zhong Michu’s, no, Qingluan’s commands.

But slaves only obey those with the contract. How could Qingluan have so many slave contracts?

It was impossible for Zuo Yuanrong to give them away; his brother, despite his foolishness, wouldn’t just hand over so many contracts.

Nor could they have been seized by force. Killing Zuo Yuanrong would only transfer the contracts to Zuo Yuezhi.

What exactly had happened in Bailu City? He had no idea.

Zuo Shaode’s gaze landed on Zhong Michu, scrutinizing her as if trying to discern her intentions.

One of his subordinates said, “City Lord, she’s alone. We could…”

Zuo Shaode chuckled, “Which of your eyes sees her as alone?”

The subordinate was puzzled.

Zhong Michu extended her right hand, gesturing a summoning motion. The formation solidified and fell, as large as the base of a mountain, causing a violent updraft that made everyone’s robes flutter chaotically.

It was as if the roar of an ancient behemoth emanated from the formation, not just one, but thousands upon thousands of distinct roars.

Everyone present felt a suffocating pressure envelop them.

Zuo Shaode sneered, “A single Dragon King, equivalent to a force of a thousand troops.”