The conversation between Daoist Qingfeng and Emperor Qin had not been concealed in the slightest, so it naturally reached the ears of the true dragon corpse.
Or rather, the ears of the Wu Elder who now controlled it.
“Question antiquity with swords?”
The true dragon corpse spoke, its icy tone laced with mockery.
“How glorious was the ancient era?
Even immortals once fell, true dragons lay as corpses!
Had the Heavenly Emperor not altered the laws of the world and severed the connection between heaven and earth, what place would there be for you feeble humans? You would long ago have been slaughtered clean by the immortals of the lower realm!”
The true dragon corpse roared with laughter, then lashed out fiercely with its tail!
BOOM!
A sonic boom instantly exploded in the air, ripples spreading outward as though the void itself could barely withstand the strike.
Daoist Qingfeng’s sword qi arrived swiftly yet dispersed even faster, shattered by that single tail sweep.
Emperor Qin’s sword had not even neared the dragon corpse before the enormous tail whipped him out of the void. He retreated repeatedly through the air, coughing up blood with every step, his sword light dimming.
“Your Highness!!”
Yin Hu and Chen Long cried out in shock and fury, flying forward at once to shield Emperor Qin.
“Chiiing!”
Their bronze swords left their sheaths. The two roared in unison and slashed fiercely at the incoming dragon tail.
Those two seemingly plain and unadorned strikes actually managed to block the tail’s attack!
“Hm?”
A surprised sound emerged from the true dragon corpse. The tail withdrew, only to swing out again the next instant with even more terrifying speed!
BOOM!
BOOM!
This time the pair could not withstand it. Like two cannonballs, they shot across the air and smashed heavily into the opposite cavern wall, leaving two human-shaped craters in the stone.
“Laughable ants. Your struggles are meaningless, no more than an insect trying to shake a tree!”
The true dragon corpse sneered coldly. It did not pursue them further, only speaking indifferently, “Once this old man revives Lord Ao Sha, every one of you will become food. Not a single one will escape!”
With that, it paid the gathered cultivators no more attention and turned its gaze to its own claw.
There, Qin Changsheng was struggling with a dark expression, yet no matter how he writhed, it was futile. He could not break free from the dragon corpse’s grip.
“Old thing, you dared to deceive me?”
“So the so-called opportunity you spoke of was to use me, Qin, as a vessel for the ancient true dragon to seize?”
Qin Changsheng gnashed his teeth as he glared at the dragon corpse, his eyes filled with shock and rage.
“Indeed. You can only blame your own bad luck!”
“Originally, under Lord Ao Sha’s commission, this old man truly intended to grant you heaven-shaking fortune. Yet that blood-coloured chi dragon got there first. What was even more damnable was that the chi dragon was completely eradicated by these human cultivators and naturally could no longer serve as Lord Ao Sha’s vessel.
But you are different. You still live, and you have inherited the legacy of Lord Wu Yao Long from those ancient times. Therefore, you too are perfectly suited for Lord Ao Sha!
Oh, I forgot to tell you: back in the ancient era, Lord Wu Yao Long was merely a battle pet beneath Lord Ao Sha!”
The true dragon corpse spoke with playful relish. “So you should feel honoured to become Lord Ao Sha’s body. This means that in the future you will surely attain the immortal dao, and even immortality will be within reach!”
“Unfortunately, you will not live to see that day!”
“Very well. This old man has delayed long enough, and Lord Ao Sha is growing impatient. Let us begin now!”
As it spoke, the true dragon corpse suddenly opened its mouth. A mass of eerie green ghost flame flew out and shot straight towards Qin Changsheng.
Mo Fan could faintly see a miniature true dragon within that ghost flame. That must be the true spirit of the ancient true dragon!
“DANG!”
But at that moment, something unexpected happened. From the distance, a gleaming golden bell suddenly flew forth. It swayed gently in mid-air and let out a deafening toll.
The bell’s sound transformed into visible rings of ripples. Wherever the ripples passed, the eyes of all cultivators fell into a daze.
When the ripple reached Mo Fan, he secretly employed his dragon qi body-protection divine ability and, sure enough, completely blocked the spiritual attack.
Not only Mo Fan, but Bai Lu, Daoist Qingfeng, Emperor Qin, and the other powerhouses all deployed their own methods and remained unaffected by the golden bell’s sound.
The true dragon true spirit, now fully exposed in the open without any defence, suddenly froze inches from Qin Changsheng’s forehead.
The enormous true dragon corpse also fell into a momentary stupor, yet thunderous booms continuously erupted from within its body, as though cultivators were locked in fierce combat inside.
“Quickly! This old man cannot hold on much longer! Strike and kill that physical vessel now!”
From afar, Situ Yunzhen spoke with difficulty. He was seated cross-legged atop a huge boulder, his entire body wrapped in blood-coloured flames, his face pale and weak.
Seeing this, Mo Fan could not help but regard the man with new respect.
He clearly understood Situ Yunzhen’s current state.
The man was burning his own essence blood to obtain the greatest possible power, manifesting a divine-sense golden bell through spiritual means, all to buy everyone a little time.
“Brother Situ’s righteousness truly commands Qingfeng’s admiration!”
Even Daoist Qingfeng could not refrain from speaking, his attitude towards Situ Yunzhen softening somewhat.
“Righteousness my foot!”
“Friend Qingfeng need not deliberately polish this old man’s image. I have no such noble desire to sacrifice myself to save others. I simply want to live!”
“If that ancient true dragon truly revives, not one of us will escape!”
Situ Yunzhen cursed loudly. His words left the assembled cultivators dumbfounded.
Daoist Qingfeng gave a helpless smile and could only strike again, his sword stabbing straight towards Qin Changsheng.
At the same moment, Emperor Qin, Bai Lu, the black-robed ancestor, and all the other powerhouses attacked together. A torrent of assaults rained down simultaneously upon the immobilised Qin Changsheng!
“This fellow must have committed unspeakable sins in his previous life to end up like this.”
Watching Qin Changsheng become the target of every expert, even Tu Shan Yunjun could not help clicking her tongue in wonder.
“…”
Mo Fan was rendered rather speechless by her remark, yet inwardly he mourned for Qin Changsheng.
Even he felt that Qin Changsheng was rather innocent in this moment.
And the chief culprit himself, Qin Changsheng, now wore an expression of utter despair, his features twisting until finally he threw his head back and roared in bitter unwillingness, “Heavens, this Qin is not resigned!!”
“Argh!!”
BOOM!!
As his furious roar rang out, every attack landed upon him at once.
Yet to everyone’s astonishment, Qin Changsheng did not die. His body merely cracked all over, even that impossibly handsome face splitting as though shattered into pieces, only to be stitched back together by countless threads of blood. The sight was utterly horrifying.
“What is going on?”
“All of us struck together, yet we failed to kill him?”
Bai Lu’s brows furrowed slightly. At the same time, he sensed a trace of danger from the man, as though some terrifying monster were awakening within him.
“You… truly deserve death!”
At that moment, Qin Changsheng opened his eyes. Yet within them there was only cold indifference.
Immediately afterwards, golden light blazed across his body, and the cracks healed at a visible speed.
The watching cultivators were all horrified.
They understood that the being before them was no longer Qin Changsheng.
The ancient true dragon had revived!
Yet in the next instant, the majestic aura radiating from Qin Changsheng suddenly grew chaotic.
The wounds that had just healed split open once more. Blood poured from all seven orifices, and deep within those indifferent pupils finally flickered a trace of panic.
“Ant, you dare!”
A furious shout burst from Qin Changsheng’s mouth, sounding somewhat frantic and exasperated.
“Lord Ao Sha, what is wrong?”
The true dragon corpse hurriedly asked.
“That little brat is resisting far too fiercely, and his body is far too weak. It cannot fully withstand this immortal’s true spirit!”
“Damn it! Quickly activate the blood-sacrifice grand array you prepared earlier. This immortal needs more blood-energy to nourish this vessel!”
