Chapter 91, Black Dragon Ambassador, Human vs. Dragon Battle

Translator: Raznick

 

Along the Grey River, somewhere near an uninhabited stretch of its banks.

 

As ripples rose on the water’s surface, Xu Kaishan emerged from the river, his entire body drenched. He took deep breaths of the fresh air.

 

Then he began to move his arms, propelling himself quickly onto the shore.

 

At this point, both his eyes and right hand had returned to normal, indistinguishable from an average person’s.

 

However, his aura now carried the faint traces of the Eleventh Layer of Qi Refining Stage.

 

His appearance was pale, as though he had expended a significant amount of energy.

 

“What a blunder! I never expected that kid to have so many high-quality artifacts!

 

“If I hadn’t withdrawn in time, continuing the fight might not only leave me no better off but could also attract nearby Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

 

Xu Kaishan recalled what had happened in town earlier, his face immediately turning gloomy.

 

He never imagined that he, someone who prided himself on his sharp eyesight, could make such a glaring mistake.

 

Not only was he completely fooled all along but almost ended up at the mercy of the other side as well.

 

It was only due to the secret art he had mastered, granting him some clairvoyant abilities, that he could barely discern Zhou Chun’s disguise.

 

“That kid not only disguised his appearance but also carried a weapon. His true identity must certainly not be what he called himself. He must be a young talent from some cultivating clan or sect. Now that I’ve exposed my dragonized secret art, considering the interests of our sect, it is imperative to immediately inform the envoy and eliminate him.”

 

With a cold gleam in his eyes, Xu Kaishan wasted no time. He took out a dark red incense stick from his storage bag, lit it, and waited.

 

After half an hour, when his incense stick was nearly burned halfway, a black-clothed elder appeared before Xu Kaishan.

 

The black-clothed elder was robust in build, with a ruddy complexion, sharp and spirited eyes, exuding vigorous health and vitality. Though his hair had turned white and had corw’s feet, one could never guess he was over two hundred years old.

 

Xu Kaishan was startled and extinguished his incense stick. He knelt and kowtowed, saying, “Disciple Xu Kaishan greets you, esteemed Black Dragon Envoy. May your divine blessings last forever; may your life span match that of the immortals!”

 

The black-clothed elder smiled warmly and nodded, saying, “Little Xu, you’ve been part of our sect for so long. With your achievements, in another decade or two, you’ll have the chance to be approved for building a foundation at the Dragon Pool. No need to be so formal.”

 

Xu Kaishan heard these words and respectfully replied: “Courtesy cannot be overlooked, especially since I was cultivated and recommended by Envoy. Envoy treats me with great kindness, as if I were a relative. How could I possibly act disrespectfully in front of you?”

 

The black-clothed old man chuckled, “Hahaha, well said! It’s rare to see such filial piety. You may speak while standing.”

 

He raised his staff, signaling Xu Kaishan to rise.

 

Once Xu Kaishan stood as instructed, the old man said, “Speak then. Why did you waste the incense to summon me in such a hurry?”

 

“Envoy, please understand. I followed the teachings and have been traveling to gather rogue cultivators, seeking suitable candidates for the sect.

 

“But I was foolish enough to overlook a clan cultivator disguised as a rogue. Mistakenly, I took him as a target for recruitment.

 

“It turned out that person outright refused my offer, and in my anger, I attacked him with the sect’s secret art, Dragonized Art.

 

“However, that person was protected by a defense artifact. My attack failed, and worse yet, I exposed our sect’s secret art.

 

“Back then, fearing that a Foundation Establishment cultivator might detect the commotion and arrive at the scene, I had no choice but to abandon the plan to eliminate the witness and make a break for it by heading downstream.

 

“Then, fearing that the individual might spread the news and compromise the sect’s grand scheme, I was forced to enlist the envoy’s aid to address this problem.”

 

Xu Kaishan lowered his head, speaking in a somber tone as he laid out the sequence of events.

 

Meanwhile, the black-cloaked elder, whose face had been alight with smiles just moments prior, abruptly grew serious upon hearing Xu’s explanation. His expression darkened as he glared at Xu Kaishan, his words laced with icy fury: “Little Xu, I was under the impression that you’re one of the sect’s trusted veterans, someone reliable who always does things right. Yet here you are, making such a basic mistake?

 

“Should this little hitch of yours derail the sect’s plans, what do you think would happen to you?”

 

Thud!

 

Xu Kaishan’s knees buckled, and he collapsed back onto the ground.

 

Then, he repeatedly banged his head on the ground and said in desperation: “Envoy, forgive me… I now realize my mistake. Please, out of mercy for my years of service to the sect, pull me back into the fold. I will be forever grateful!”

 

“Hmph, don’t waste any more time—spill the details about that person at once!”

 

The black-clothed elder grilled him for information.

 

After obtaining all the necessary details from Xu Kaishan’s mouth, he left the riverside and dispatched forces to search for Zhou Chun.

 

Meanwhile, Zhou Chun had already decided that Xu Kaishan was beyond reach after his failed attempt to find him at the Three Rivers Joint.

 

He was well aware that Xu Kaishan was no ordinary man—behind him lay a powerful secret organization.

 

And since he had turned against Xu Kaishan, Zhou Chun knew he’d become a prime target for elimination.

 

Zhou Chun disguised himself as a middle-aged man with a scar on his face and assumed the new name of Li Hong.

 

Even so, Zhou Chun still felt uneasy.

 

He organized all the information he had gathered into a letter, dispatching Twenty-seventh Uncle Zhou Jiapeng to send it back to the clan first. Meanwhile, Zhou Chun laid low, avoiding any contact with other cultivators.

 

This move essentially saved him from certain disaster. The black-clothed elder, after mobilizing a large contingent without success in locating Zhou Chun, dared not delay other crucial matters due to the search. He instructed his forces to return to their original posts while keeping an eye out for Zhou Chun covertly.

 

Back at the Zhou Clan, upon reading the letter sent back by Zhou Jiapeng, Zhou Daoyi swiftly had Zhou Jiapeng deliver a reply to Zhou Chun. In the letter, Zhou Daoyi urged Zhou Chun to take the mysterious force behind Xu Kaishan seriously and avoid further contact with them. Instead, Zhou Chun was instructed to focus on concealing himself and coordinate with Zhou Jiapeng to gather information.

 

After reading the letter, Zhou Chun sensed that Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi seemed to be aware of something significant.

 

Xu Kaishan’s mysterious backing might not be as enigmatic as he presumed!

 

However, since the Clan Leader chose not to speak about it, Zhou Chun could only refrain from probing further and conceal his own intentions as instructed.

 

After another month had passed, the event Xu Kaishan had mentioned eventually came to pass.

 

When the Flood Dragon’s figure reappeared over the Grey River, several high-level cultivators from Cloud Province, who had been waiting, sped toward its location to engage in their own dragon slaying spree.

 

A Violet Palace Stage cultivator, flying at full speed, could cover a hundred miles in a single hour. Even crossing an entire province would take no more than several hours!

 

By the time the news reached Zhou Chun, the battle had already commenced.

 

Looking down from above, over a section of the river downstream, five Cloud Province Violet Palace Stage cultivators were hovering in mid-air. Their bodies radiated with flickering spiritual power as they surrounded and attacked a Flood Dragon swimming in the river below.

 

The Flood Dragon in the water was not the dark one Zhou Chun had previously encountered, but rather an unmistakably Blue Flood Dragon.

 

Its aura was comparable to that of a mid-Violet Palace cultivator, indicating it was an average third-tier demon beast. With five cultivators of the same level attacking it, even as a Flood Dragon, it quickly found itself at a disadvantage.

 

A loud, inconsolable roar echoed through the water and sky—the high-pitched, prolonged cry of a Flood Dragon filled with rage.

 

“It’s calling for help, Fellow Daoists! Quickly lend a hand and strike it down before the Black Flood Dragon arrives!”

 

In the sky, an elder in blue continuously performed hand seals to activate a golden hoop artifact that tightly encircled the Blue Flood Dragon’s neck, urging others to intensify their attacks.

 

It turned out the Blue Flood Dragon was trapped here because the elder in blue had used a powerful binding artifact to capture it beforehand.

 

Clearly, restraining a Flood Dragon was no easy task.

 

This shows just how powerful he was, considering he was a late Violet Palace cultivator and now only needs to fully focus on driving that single artifact.

 

His command quickly yielded results.

 

A middle-aged man in white robes gestured with his hands, causing the silver sword he controlled to flare with intense light. It shot towards the water surface like a streak of sword light, aimed at the Blue Flood Dragon ahead.

 

The Blue Flood Dragon sensed the imminent danger and let out a furious roar, its body glowing blue as it formed a protective barrier around itself with a hastily summoned mystical art.

 

However, this last-ditch defensive maneuver was no match for the refined sword technique of a peer.

 

The silver blade was only briefly slowed by the shield before breaking through under its master’s guidance. It crashed into the dragon’s body with a thunderous impact.

 

Instantly, a heart-wrenching cry pierced the air as the Blue Flood Dragon screamed in agony.

 

Its scales cracked and broke one after another, shattered instantly by the silver streaks that hacked apart over a dozen of them. Its body was left with ghastly wounds, the flesh torn and mangled beyond recognition. Before the Blue Flood Dragon could react or defend itself, the others’ attacks came raining down with relentless force.

 

At the urging of a red-robed middle-aged man, a fiery-red bird with streaks of blue emerged from a flag, its wings fluttering wildly as it dove towards the Blue Flood Dragon, flames roaring from its beak. Even before making contact, the intense heat caused the river water below to boil.

 

Another green-robed woman formed hand seals, unleashing a secret art to condense into a glowing green orb of energy that streaked through the air, crashing into the water where the Blue Flood Dragon thrashed.

 

A figure in yellow robes swept his sleeve, summoning a long staff-like artifact of earthy hue. With a surge of his spiritual power, the staff expanded, growing into an enormous pillar of stone nearly thirty feet long that smashed down toward the Blue Flood Dragon’s head.

 

Under such relentless and fierce assault, fear flickered in the Blue Flood Dragon’s eyes, a human-like expression of dread overtaking its monstrous features. Its tail lashed out, striking the river’s surface and sending waves crashing into each other, forming a protective barrier of water around itself.

 

Simultaneously, the Blue Flood Dragon’s claws swirled, summoning swirling mists of water to surround its body. But this level of skill was powerless against the attacks from several peer cultivators of the same level. Swiftly, the water and mist were torn apart by lightning and flames, leaving burn marks across the Blue Flood Dragon’s body.

 

Without the protection of the water and mist, the massive stone pillar aimed at the Blue Flood Dragon’s head would deliver a fatal blow. The Blue Flood Dragon’s eyes reflected the towering image of the stone pillar, filled with intense fear and desperation. In its extreme terror, it involuntarily opened its mouth and spat out its inner core.

 

The demon beast’s inner core was not only the essence of its existence but also its ultimate weapon. Because it contained the demon beast’s concentrated strength, whether used for attack or defense, its power was formidable beyond measure.

 

But unless absolutely necessary, demon beasts would never spit out their inner core to attack. Because once the inner core was damaged, it would harm their fundamental essence, and recovery could take ages. In severe cases, the inner core might even shatter, causing their cultivation to regress back to second-grade.

 

The Blue Flood Dragon had already spat out its inner core, indicating that its skill was exhausted. However, it must be admitted that the power of the inner core was indeed formidable! A fist-sized blue inner core flew out from the mouth of the Blue Flood Dragon, emitting intense blue light as it collided with the massive stone pillar. The result was the giant stone pillar being sent flying backward, quickly reverting to its original size.

 

Meanwhile, the inner core of the Blue Flood Dragon merely dimmed slightly in brilliance before being reabsorbed back into its body.

 

“Indeed, it’s a heaven-and-earth spirit beast; its inner core power surpasses those of other same-grade demon beasts by far!”

 

In the sky, the owner of the staff let out a stifled grunt, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

 

The others present exchanged glances, their expressions turning serious. Despite being first-time collaborators, their cultivation strength was formidable. It was truly humiliating that, despite using treasures to contain the Blue Flood Dragon and combining the remaining four’s strength, they couldn’t take it down in one go.

 

“Hmph, strong though its inner core may be, it can’t sustain long-term use. Don’t let yourselves be intimidated by it!”

 

The gruff voice of the blue-clad elder cut through the air. He spoke up to rally his comrades, noticing their spirits were flagging.

 

At his words, the sword cultivator, a middle-aged man in white robes, responded with a solemn tone: “What Elder Guo said makes sense. Let’s press on with our attack. Today, we must slay this beast and vent the righteous indignation of the Cloud Province cultivators!”

 

“Kill the Flood Dragon—let’s charge in together!” The green robed woman declared. Leading the charge, she summoned a emerald green wooden stick and hurled it toward the Blue Flood Dragon.

 

The others rallied their strength and joined in the relentless assault on the Blue Flood Dragon once more.

 

But as the Blue Flood Dragon was being forced back step by grueling step, its injuries piling up more and more severely, a sudden enraged roar pierced the air.

 

From the distance came another disturbance. A massive dark cloud surged toward them, churning violently as the Black Flood Dragon’s form twisted and writhed within it.

 

“It’s the Black Flood Dragon!”

 

The battlefield fell silent as the cultivators in the late Violet Palace Stage exchanged worried glances.

 

Compared to the Blue Flood Dragon, the Black Flood Dragon was undoubtedly stronger. It was an advanced third-grade demon beast, comparable in power to a late Violet Palace cultivator.

 

Moreover, the Black Flood Dragon had a water attribute, with its stronghold by the river where its power significantly increases. Five  Purple Palace cultivators facing one Blue Flood Dragon still required full effort. If another Black Flood Dragon was added, they would have no chance of winning and might even face danger. However, seeing the Blue Flood Dragon on the brink of being slain, it was hard for them to give it all up.