Chapter 95, The Intelligence of a Demon Beast and the Dragonized Sect

Translator: Raznick

 

This was likely the Black Flood Dragon’s last stand.

 

On a mountain peak, Zhou Chun observed the battlefield from afar, miles away. He no longer harbored any doubts about the outcome.

 

The Black Flood Dragon emerged from its den and was surrounded by five Green Lotus Monastery cultivators at the Violet Palace stage. This time, he even lost his home-field advantage and couldn’t perform up to his usual capabilities.

 

The battle lasted roughly two hours before the Black Flood Dragon, battered and wounded, lost all traces of his former ferocity.

 

With a reluctant, defeated roar, the Black Flood Dragon turned its gaze back to its den with evident reluctance. It opened its mouth and spat out its inner core—a much larger and brighter one compared to the Blue Flood Dragon’s.

 

When he spat out his inner core, the Green Lotus Monastery cultivators tightened their grips, quickly readjusted their strategies, and all eyes were drawn to the inner core.

 

The demon beast’s inner core packed a punch unlike any other; their artifacts might not stand a chance against its sheer force. What was more, the demon beast’s inner core had an extreme mode: detonation! If the demon beast decided to self-destruct, that inner core would unleash devastation on a scale that even the most powerful mystical art abilities couldn’t match. A Violet Palace Stage cultivator caught in its blast would likely be toast.

 

Now, with the Black Flood Dragon needing to protect its nest where the Blue Flood Dragon resided, it might not hold anything back. The five Violet Palace Stage cultivators from the Green Lotus Monastery weren’t willing to gamble their lives on the off chance that it wouldn’t act.

 

The Black Flood Dragon unleashed its inner core’s immense power, obliterating several artifacts and broke free. It escaped into the roaring waters of the Grey River, leaving the cultivators completely blindsided. The Black Flood Dragon outmaneuvered them entirely, slipping away without warning into the river’s depths.

 

This unexpected turn of events left several Green Lotus Monastery Violet Palace Stage cultivators momentarily stunned.

 

Then, a Daoist realized something and cried out: “We can’t let it escape! The Flood Dragon egg is probably with it!”

 

The others pursued the fleeing Black Flood Dragon.

 

Given that the Black Flood Dragon still bore traces of their power, they were confident in tracking it down.

 

“It’s acting strangely… Is it using its body as bait to give the Blue Flood Dragon the chance to escape?”

 

From his vantage point, Zhou Chun watched as the Black Flood Dragon broke through into the water and commented with visible astonishment.

 

As for the Green Lotus Monastery Violet Palace Stage cultivators, their distant position meant Zhou Chun couldn’t hear them.

 

Meanwhile, Zhou Daoyi spoke solemnly: “Regardless of its motives, if the Blue Flood Dragon wants to escape, it won’t be that simple!”

 

Indeed, as if echoing Zhou Daoyi, after five cultivators from the Green Lotus Monastery had driven the Black Flood Dragon far away, several Violet Palace Stage cultivators from Cloud Province, who had been observing from a distance earlier, now revealed themselves and began attacking the Flood Dragon’s nest with their artifacts and mystical arts, attempting to flush out the Blue Flood Dragon.

 

The ground quaked and mountains trembled as the mountain containing the Flood Dragon’s den shook violently under the bombardment of three Violet Palace Stage cultivators from Cloud Province. Large chunks of rock broke off and cascaded down, as if it were on the brink of collapse.

 

The water demons within the Flood Dragon’s nest became restless and burst out in large numbers. One after another, oddly-shaped water demons rushed out of the Flood Dragon’s den, with varying levels of cultivation. Those with strong cultivation were second-grade demon beasts, comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators. The weaker ones were even on par with mid Qi Refining cultivators.

 

In less than a minute, over a hundred water demons burst out from the Flood Dragon’s lair. These water demons emerged and quickly fled towards the distant river. However, with so many cultivators gathered in the Flying Horse Mountain region, they couldn’t allow these water demons to escape. One by one, the Foundation Establishment cultivators or late Qi Refining cultivators who had been watching from the surrounding forests took to the air.

 

Once the water demons were a safe distance away from the Flood Dragon’s nest, the cultivators moved in to intercept and slaughter them.

 

Observing this scene, Zhou Chun suggested, “Clan Leader, why don’t you give it a try? Those water demons are descendants of the Flood Dragon, and your Sky Cloud Python might benefit from absorbing their bloodline. Don’t you think so?”

 

Zhou Daoyi, however, showed disdain as he shook his head and replied, “They’re nothing but lowly creatures spawned by the Flood Dragon’s blood. Over time, without the nourishment of the Flood Dragon’s aura, most of them will turn into ordinary water demons. There’s no point in chasing after them.”

 

After hearing this, Zhou Chun chose not to press further.

 

Looking over at the Flood Dragon den, even though many water demon servants had fled, the Blue Flood Dragon inside remained calm and composed, showing no signs of emerging.

 

“You’re not coming out, are you? Then I’ll bury you alive!”

 

In the sky, a yellow-robed man whose eyes flashed with cold light—someone who had once before participated in the assault on the Blue Flood Dragon—immediately channeled all his strength into the long staff artifact that had been shattered by the Blue Flood Dragon’s inner core. He transformed it into a massive stone pillar and drove it down onto the mountain peak above the Flood Dragon den.

 

Boom!

 

The earth shook as a thunderous crash echoed through the mountains. A towering, three hundred-meter-high peak was instantly reduced to countless cracks by the strike. Rock, earth, and sand tumbled and collapsed, burying the entrance of the Flood Dragon den halfway under the debris. Yet even so, the Blue Flood Dragon did not make a single appearance, its calmness bordering on unbelievable.

 

“Something’s wrong! There might be something fishy going on!”

 

Zhou Chun’s companion, Zhou Daoyi, suddenly paled and cried out in alarm beside him.

 

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun was equally surprised and quickly asked, “Clan Leader, what did you discover? What’s amiss?”

 

Unexpectedly, Zhou Daoyi played his cards close to his chest, merely shaking his head repeatedly and saying, “Hard to say… it’s better to continue watching and see for yourself.”

 

This left Zhou Chun feeling rather bored. However, he dared not press further; instead, he suppressed his curiosity and kept watching.

 

Meanwhile, at the Flood Dragon nest, the man in yellow robes continued assaulting the mountain, swiftly reducing it to rubble and completely sealing off the entrance to the Flood Dragon’s lair. It appeared he intended to bury the Blue Flood Dragon alive inside!

 

But just as this was unfolding, a pond some ten miles away from the Flood Dragon’s nest suddenly experienced a dramatic drop in water, emptying by more than half. Then, the massive body of the Blue Flood Dragon emerged from the water and soared into the sky.

 

It turned out the Flood Dragon’s den had another secret passage directly connecting to this pond! First, the Black Flood Dragon broke through and drew away five Violet Palace cultivators from Green Lotus Monastery. Then, they stalled for time until the hidden Violet Palace cultivators from Cloud Province emerged. Finally, while the Cloud Province Violet Palace cultivators were focused on the Flood Dragon’s den entrance, they drove out the water demon minions to distract them. Meanwhile, they secretly cleared a path through the water and executed a feint, escaping through the secret passage.

 

Who said demon beasts lacked intelligence? Who claimed demon beasts didn’t understand strategy? High-tier demon beasts, especially Flood Dragons with their immense strength and intelligence, were no ordinary creatures. If everything went as planned, the Blue Flood Dragon’s feint would be a flawless tactical display.

 

But something unexpected happened—or perhaps it wasn’t an accident at all. Someone had already figured out the plan of the Blue Flood Dragon and found it as soon as it appeared.

 

At that moment, the Blue Flood Dragon had just burst out of the pond, preparing to ride the winds and clouds to escape. Suddenly, a chain of bluish-black color shot out from the nearby forest, like a serpent waiting in ambush for years. It coiled around the dragon’s body.

 

In an instant, the Blue Flood Dragon felt its entire body tighten. Its strength and spiritual power were suppressed and weakened by an unknown force, leaving it powerless. This terrified it greatly; it burst into a desperate struggle, trying to break free from the chains binding it.

 

But it had just laid its dragon eggs and was in a weakened state. Its spiritual power and physical strength were far from their peak.

 

How could it break free from these specially designed Flood Dragon-targeted artifacts?

 

The commotion caught the attention of those Cloud Province Violet Palace cultivators.

 

“Over there! Someone beat us to it!”

 

The yellow-robed man, who had been busily smashing away with his staff artifact, turned angry and retracted his weapon. He then sped toward where the Blue Flood Dragon was being held.

 

But since the entity behind the scenes had already acted, they wouldn’t let these guys get a chance.

 

In the blink of an eye, two figures flashed out from the depths of the forest—a man in blue and one in red. They took to the air and began attacking the Blue Flood Dragon together.

 

The faces of both individuals were obscured by Flood Dragon-themed masks, making it impossible to gauge their features or ages. However, judging by the well-defined figure of the robed woman in crimson, she was likely a female cultivator.

 

The two were just like the other cultivators from the Green Lotus Monastery, with the man in blue using an artifact to restrict the Blue Flood Dragon’s movements and capabilities.

 

The woman in red took on the main offensive role, wielding an artifact shaped like a crimson and gold executioner’s blade. Her first strike tore a massive wound into the Blue Flood Dragon, nearly severing it in two! Such devastating power was so intense that even the cultivators from Cloud Province approaching could feel their spines stiffen, beads of cold sweat forming on their backs. Their pace slowed involuntarily.

 

After her near-lethal first strike, the woman didn’t follow up with a second cut. Instead, she paused, letting her blade hover above the Blue Flood Dragon as the man in blue began speaking in beast-tongue, engaging in communication with it. It seemed their goal wasn’t to kill the Blue Flood Dragon after all.

 

But just as the robed cultivator was exchanging words with the Blue Flood Dragon, another unexpected twist occurred!

 

Or rather, this wasn’t an accident either—it was a meticulously planned scheme.

 

Suddenly, three Green Lotus Monastery Violet Palace cultivators, who had been waiting in the mountains and forests, swiftly rose into the air and rushed toward the battlefield.

 

The arrival of these three figures immediately caused both the Blue Flood Dragon and the two Flood Dragon-masked cultivators to pale and stop their conversation.

 

“Just as my disciple Chen said, you remnants of the Dragonized Sect are back to causing chaos in our Jing Kingdom!”

 

A white-haired red-robed Daoist coldly gazed down at the two figures and one Flood Dragon below, his voice dripping with anger.

 

Dragonized Sect?

 

The nearby Cloud Province Violet Palace cultivators all paused in surprise.

 

Then, the Grand Elder of the Singing Sword Mountain’s Lu Jianqiu, seemed to realize something horrifying. His face contorted in shock as he blurted out, “But wasn’t the Dragonized Sect exterminated over eight hundred years ago? How could they still exist!”

 

His voice dripped with astonishment and a hint of fear.

 

At his words, the other cultivators, who had yet to grasp the situation, pieced it together. Instantly, their gazes toward the two individuals donning Flood Dragon masks shifted to something peculiar.

 

The conversation was so loud that many nearby cultivators couldn’t help but overhear. Even some Foundation Establishment cultivators, upon hearing the names, were left completely baffled, clueless as to what the Violet Palace Stage cultivators were alluding to.

 

Meanwhile, Zhou Chun and Zhou Daoyi, being farther away, missed the commotion entirely. However, when those two figures emerged, decked out in their unmistakeable Flood Dragon disguises, Zhou Daoyi seemed to recognize them instantly. He murmured under his breath, “So it’s really them.”

 

“What do you mean, it’s them? Clan Leader, do you know those two?”

 

Zhou Chun looked at his Clan Leader with a puzzled look, his eyes full of curiosity.

 

“Nothing, I’ll tell you after this is over!”

 

Zhou Daoyi shook his head, but he had no intention of satisfying Zhou Chun’s curiosity.

 

Without even waiting for Zhou Chun to ask more questions, he grabbed Zhou Chun and said, “Let’s go, let’s get closer.”

 

Then he led Zhou Chun closer to the new battlefield.

 

On the other side, after revealing the origins of the two cultivators wearing Flood Dragon masks.

 

The three Green Lotus Monastery cultivators quickly invited the three Cloud Province Violet Palace cultivators to cooperate with them to deal with the two Dragonized Sect cultivators.

 

Of course, the invitation was merely a polite gesture, as what was truly taking place was a formal summons. At this point, the three from Green Lotus Monastery had already activated their sect’s authority over clan members within Cloud Province, initiating a wartime conscription to rally clan-based cultivators to confront the formidable external threat. These three Cloud Province cultivators were also well-aware of the Dragonized Sect’s troubled history, and thus did not oppose this conscription.

 

The six cultivators swiftly closed in on the two figures and the Blue Flood Dragon, preparing to apprehend them all at once!

 

This unexpected turn of events prompted a swift compromise from both the Blue Flood Dragon and the two Dragonized Sect cultivators.

 

The Blue Flood Dragon and the robed cultivator exchanged urgent words. Upon receiving instructions, the robed cultivator retrieved a vial from his storage bag and tossed it toward the Blue Flood Dragon, who swallowed it whole.

 

Subsequently, the two masked cultivators joined forces with the Blue Flood Dragon to break through in a specific direction.

 

“Not so fast!”

 

The gray-haired old Daoist in red shouted, raised his hand, and used a flame collar artifact to hit Blue Flood Dragon. At the same time, several other Violet Palace cultivators also used their own artifacts to hit the two people and the Flood Dragon. Soon, the sky was filled with colorful lights, and a battle broke out.