The more the dragon spirit fought, the angrier it became. Suddenly, it roared and revealed its true form: a gigantic white serpent, lacking four powerful claws compared to a dragon. Roaring wildly, the dragon spirit suddenly spewed out a grayish-yellow gas. Chu Qingfeng was startled. He made a sword gesture in the air, and a red light enveloped the gray gas. However, the gray gas only paused briefly before spreading again. Chu Qingfeng was entangled in the gray gas and unable to help anyone else.
"Go!" Ling Qi finally gave the order. But at this moment, the dragon spirit's strength was also unleashed to its fullest extent. A raging storm rose in the sea, and the seawater gradually washed over the reefs. The dark clouds pressed down lower and lower, and finally simply covered the entire reef.
The fierce battle didn't last long. First, Ling Qi was whipped by the dragon demon's tail and fell into the water. Then, his subordinates were driven into a frenzy by the dragon demon using some unknown magic. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Jun poured all his power into his short sword, which emitted a faint red light. Then, he and his sword charged towards the dragon demon together. The dragon demon couldn't completely avoid this lightning strike and was slashed in a long wound on its back. Dark red blood flowed down, seeping into the seawater and rising into a billowing red mist.
Li Jun's sword strike earned him a heavy blow from the dragon spirit. Taking advantage of the distraction caused by the blow, the dragon spirit successfully drew Li Jun's attention. Blood trickled from the corner of Li Jun's mouth as he stood there dumbfounded, completely unaware that the dragon spirit was spitting out a beam of yellow light that rushed towards him.
Meng Yuan roared and shoved Li Jun aside. He was then hit by the yellow light and staggered back several steps. His whole body felt weak and powerless, as if it had been corroded. He tried to support himself, but his legs became weaker and weaker. First, his knife fell to the ground, and then he collapsed.
Seeing the critical situation, Chu Qingfeng was unable to extricate himself. In an instant, the ominous feeling he had when discussing the will of heaven with Li Jun resurfaced in his mind. Just then, Ling Qi struggled to his feet from the water, drew a sword from his waist, and with a solemn expression, gave a soft shout. The shout wasn't very forceful, but it sounded like a thunderclap to the dragon spirit's ears.
A golden light suddenly burst forth from the sword in Ling Qi's hand, heading straight for the dragon spirit. The dragon spirit twisted its body, trying to dodge, but was forced back by Li Jun who pounced on it again, and ultimately failed to dodge. Ling Qi swung the sword, and the golden light on the sword also shone, cleaving the dragon spirit into several pieces, and the golden light on the sword disappeared without a trace.
With the dragon spirit dead, its magic naturally vanished, and Ling Qi's subordinates all returned to normal. Li Jun helped Meng Yuan up, finding his body limp and devoid of its former vitality. Meng Yuan looked at Li Jun with a bitter smile and slowly said, "Brother, I really... really want to see... your wish... fulfilled..."
Li Jun stared intently at Meng Yuan, his thoughts instantly drifting back to the past, to the time when Meng Yuan smiled and extended his hand when they first met. Suddenly, he gripped Meng Yuan's hand frantically, roaring, "No! Don't leave me!"
Meng Yuan forced a smile again, tears welling up in his eyes. He struggled a few times, trying to say something to Li Jun, but his throat could no longer produce a sound.
In that instant, Li Jun felt as if hundreds of years had passed. He wasn't by Lu Xiang's side when he died, and could only infer the desolation of that time afterward. But now, Meng Yuan's life was gradually fading away before his eyes, and it was fading away to save him. Although Li Jun had sworn never to shed tears again after Lu Xiang's death, how could he control his tears at this moment?
His ambition to sweep across the world, his wealth beyond measure, and his power to dominate the land—none of these meant anything to Li Jun anymore. He was willing to give them all to save the life of the person in his arms that was slipping away.
"Brother...brother..."
Li Jun stood up, holding Meng Yuan in his arms. In the west, a red sun was about to set, and before they knew it, it was dusk.
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Note 1: The monsters of the Divine Continent world, lacking human spiritual energy, cultivate in a non-human form. Therefore, they face a tribulation every thousand years. They believe this is a test given by the ancient gods. As long as they pass the tribulation, their cultivation can be deepened to a higher level.
Volume Two
Chapter One: The Crisis at the Tonghai Port
Section 1
The sun hung high in the sky, radiating its intense rays across the earth, warming people to the touch, showing no signs of winter's arrival. Although Chen was located in the south and rarely saw snow in winter, such a warm winter was historically rare. The superstitious people began to recall a proverb: "A winter like spring is a once-in-a-century occurrence; either the ruler dies or the subject dies." An uneasy atmosphere spread among the people, and even the imperial court couldn't help but feel restless.
It's no wonder that the people are filled with unease. Since Pei Ju ascended the throne eleven years ago, these past few years have been unprecedentedly unsettling. First, the war with the Hong Kingdom ended in a disastrous defeat, with almost the entire army wiped out. After that, there were constant minor skirmishes on the border between the two sides. Then, the flames of war spread from the vassal state of Yuzhou to the surrounding areas. In addition, the nomadic Rong people from the Qionglu Plateau, which borders the Chen Kingdom and the Su Kingdom, harassed the region every year. It was clear to everyone that the foundation of the Chen Kingdom had been shaken, and this corrupt dynasty was merely prolonging its existence.
"It is noon, Your Majesty—" The master of ceremonies' drawn-out voice jolted the drowsy crowd awake. Everyone's eyes turned to the bronze pillar in front of the altar and to the blue bridge, which was firmly locked with iron chains.
Lan Qiao struggled fiercely, but the chains binding his hands and feet were so strong that even he could only make a clanging sound. He had been imprisoned for some time, so his face was covered in blood and dust. His hair and beard were disheveled from lack of washing, adding to his haggard and dejected appearance on his young, rugged face. Only his tiger-like eyes still shone with anger, defiance, and heartache.
Whispers arose among the onlookers, and as eighteen soldiers in red shirts and trousers, carrying torches, rushed to the vicinity of the Blue Bridge, a commotion began to rise. But this commotion lasted only a moment before being suppressed by the fierce gazes of the armored cavalry and the cracking of their whips.
A burst of music filled the air, and all eyes turned to the altar for worshipping Heaven. Following the long passageway, Pei Ju, the current ruler of the State of Chen, who was just over thirty years old, walked up, surrounded by his attendants.
Lan Qiao's gaze lingered beside Pei Ju, where Princess Ziyu, Pei Ju's younger sister and the eldest princess of Chen, stood pale-faced. Lan Qiao's gaze first lingered on the beaded necklace at her chest, then moved upwards, fixing firmly on her eyes. Their eyes met briefly, sparking a flame unseen by others.
“Brother King…” Princess Ziyu hesitated, but before she could finish speaking, Pei Ju waved his hand to interrupt her.
A look of despair flashed across Ziyu's face, but her gaze turned resolute and returned to Lanqiao. Their eyes never parted again, locked in a deep, unwavering gaze.
"The time has come; let us offer sacrifices to Heaven!"
The soldiers in red used their torches to ignite the dry firewood that had been piled up around the Blue Bridge, then quickly retreated. The firewood, soaked in oil, burst into flames in moments, rapidly advancing towards the Blue Bridge.
Lan Qiao couldn't see the raging fire at all; all he could see was Zi Yu. But Zi Yu's heart pounded fiercely as the flames approached Lan Qiao. Suddenly, she lifted her long palace dress with her fingers and ran quickly to the edge of the sacrificial altar.
A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd, and Pei Ju shouted angrily, "Zi Yu!"
But Ziyu ignored him. She stood on the edge of the altar, looking at the blue bridge on the altar below, a sad smile on her face.
Perhaps a strong wind blew, or perhaps there was no wind at all, but Ziyu and her white palace dress floated up from the altar, drifting into the sea of fire, drifting towards Lanqiao. Lanqiao reached out to catch her, but his hands were bound by iron chains.
Ziyu fell from the flames, staggered on the ground, and finally struggled to her feet. A happy smile appeared on her face amidst the flames, and she leaped into Lanqiao's arms.
"You...you...you're so stupid!" Lan Qiao, who hadn't shed a tear until now, suddenly felt an uncontrollable strange sensation, and wet liquid streamed down his face.
With her arms tightly wrapped around Lanqiao, Ziyu murmured softly, "Yes...yes...I was so stupid!"
"Come out now!" Pei Ju rushed to the altar, his face already pale. He roared angrily, "I command you, come out now!"
Ignoring him completely, Ziyu buried her head in Lanqiao's arms. How warm and safe that strong embrace was! Even though the flames were raging around them, in this embrace, the flames seemed to become fireworks of happiness...
"What should we do!" Pei Ju realized that his sister was completely ignoring him. He turned to the servants in a frantic manner and said, "Quickly, rescue Ziyu, or how will we explain this to the wedding envoys from Lan Kingdom?"
The servants' faces showed panic, seemingly afraid that Pei Ju would order them to rush into the fire to save people. Pei Ju kicked one of the servants off the altar and roared, "Go now!"
The servant fell into the fire, letting out a shrill scream as he rolled around trying to extinguish the flames on his body, but to no avail. Everyone watched helplessly as he struggled in the fire.
Only Lanqiao and Ziyu remained unmoved by this sudden turn of events. A strong urge welled up within Lanqiao to embrace Ziyu tightly, and he reached out and actually hugged her.
The onlookers cried out in fear. A hazy blue light emanated from the necklace on Ziyu's chest, enveloping the two people in the sea of fire. It was within this blue light that the iron chains binding Lanqiao suddenly lost their effect, allowing Lanqiao to move freely.
The blue light grew brighter and larger, then began to spin rapidly. The crowd could no longer see Lan Qiao and Zi Yu within the blue light. Slowly, the blue light rose into the air, flashed a few times, and then disappeared.
Inside the altar, the flames were still burning fiercely.
“What… what should we do…” Pei Ju murmured to himself.
"ah!"
When the blue light enveloped Lanqiao and Ziyu, they lost consciousness. When they regained consciousness, they found themselves falling rapidly from the sky.
"Bang!" The two landed. Fortunately, Lan Qiao reacted quickly enough and used himself as a cushion for Zi Yu in mid-air. Therefore, Zi Yu did not fall. As for him, he was thick-skinned and tough. This kind of fall would at most add a few scars to him.