Chapter 385: Chapter 103 Just Missed a Little_2
Gao Yue then retreated nine steps, leaving nine deep footprints on the ground harder than iron and steel.
"Heavenly Azure Dragon Transformation Skill, Coiled Dragon Spear, it turns out to be someone from the Meng Family."
The shadow of the Divine Dragon was gradually becoming more solid; Jiang Li was within it, speaking indifferently, while the proudly raised Dragon Head looked around with intimidating authority. Its mere presence caused the intruder who had rushed into the scene to grip his long spear more tightly.
"Forbidden Army Captain, Meng Xiufan."
Meng Xiufan appeared to be in his early twenties; in actuality, he was almost a decade older.
Jiang Li could easily discern his actual age.
The man had a dignified and imposing appearance, dressed in a suit of Bright Armor, holding a wooden spear in his hand with a bright spearhead inscribed with dragon patterns, and the body of the spear was of an azure color, with wooden patterns on it forming scales both large and small.
When Jiang Li’s gaze fell upon this long spear, he saw constellations arrayed and an Azure Flood Dragon’s shadow.
’The Daoist Artifact of the Flood Dragon’s Horn,’ Jiang Li thought to himself.
The Flood Dragon’s Horn, the first of the Eastern Azure Dragon Seven Stars, belonging to the element of wood and directly subordinate to the Azure Dragon. Holding this Daoist Artifact, Meng Xiufan’s status within the Meng Family was evident.
Thinking thus, the Divine Dragon seemed like a living creature as it watched the two Princes.
"It seems that the Eldest Prince also wishes to assess my strength."
The deep and resonant voice emanated from the mouth of the Divine Dragon, carrying the majesty of a True Dragon, and its enormous form made the surrounding Forbidden Army grow even more fearful.
The Eldest Prince, facing the gaze of the Divine Dragon, also had the image of a dragon appear around him, yet it was an Azure Dragon.
The Empress hailing from the Meng Family was a rare event. Due to the lifespan of the Emperor, to prevent him from leaving behind a harem filled with countless concubines after his death, all the women of the harem were not permitted to possess the Dao Fruit, and even if they could cultivate, they were only allowed to reach the peak level of an ordinary person.
They were not like cultivators who could live for eons, so at most they could use Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures along with Secret Techniques to maintain their youth and slightly extend their lifespan to be married to the Emperor for a lifetime.
Moreover, the Emperor himself was utterly impartial and would not permit the concubines to meddle in politics. These women of the harem had little presence in court, possessing the name of mother of the nation but not the reality of it, and naturally, it was difficult for their maternal families to gain significant benefits.
For ordinary people, becoming an Imperial Relative was a great opportunity, but for major families, the benefits of being Imperial Relatives were somewhat insignificant, and they even had to contribute a precious daughter. After all, one couldn’t just offer any ordinary woman to the Emperor, right?
Therefore, in the several hundred years of history of Great Zhou, there were almost no Empresses who came from the top families, making the Empress’s background quite rare.
However, the situation was different now. An accident had occurred in the transmission of the Emperor Dao Fruit, and the worth of being an Imperial Relative was likely to increase. Judging by the Eldest Prince’s demeanor, the Meng Family had invested heavily in him, and it was almost certain that they had shared their family’s Divine Skills with him, allowing the Eldest Prince to cultivate the Azure Dragon Form.
"I simply believe that what the brother said is correct," said the Eldest Prince, a dragon’s face appeared on his own, undaunted by the might of the Divine Dragon. "To prevent the Divine Farmer’s Cauldron from being lost in the future, which would ruin the Jiang Family’s lineage, please demonstrate your strength, Young Master Jiang."
He had changed his way of addressing Jiang Li to "Young Master Jiang," essentially acknowledging Jiang Li’s qualification to lead the Jiang Family.
However, it was rather amusing for an outsider to make such a determination.
Even their own cauldron required an outsider to decide its fate, one could imagine the current plight of the Jiang Family. If the main family had not relocated overseas, perhaps they would have had some confidence now that the Emperor was sealed, but unfortunately, they were not present, leaving Jiang Li to support the family.
Moreover, had the main family not chosen to leave, there would not have been Jiang Li to take over the future of the Jiang Family.
"The Second Prince acts decisively, and although the Eldest Prince is a step slower, he also has a keen sense of judgement. Both are commendable."
In the Qianyang Palace, the King You sat in the main seat and judged thus, looking toward Tianxuan; a pale face beneath the dark Imperial crown communicated coldness and an intangible majesty. "Imperial Sister, I believe that to take the Divine Farmer’s Cauldron, one must at least prove to have the strength to take it. What do you think?"
"This is not a private meeting; you should address me as Gongsun Family Master," Tianxuan said, looking at the light and shadow, she spoke lightly, "As for assessing strength... Haha, indeed, if the Jiang Family wishes to return to Divine Capital, they need to demonstrate their abilities."
The Jiang Family returning to Divine Capital?
Invisible undercurrents stirred in the Qianyang Palace.
Allowing the Jiang Family to return to Divine Capital undoubtedly touched the sensitive nerves of many, after all, they had all shared in the spoils back in the day.
Some thought of opposing it, but no matter how much they wanted to, they just couldn’t voice their opposition.
It couldn’t be helped; the opposition was too strong, and even the Royal Family had to acquiesce, let alone them?
Strength is indeed authority; no matter how much they opposed, no matter how reluctant, it was impossible to stop the actions of Tianxuan and her disciple at the moment.
While these two people were speaking, the light and shadow changed once more.
Hearing the words of the Eldest Prince, the Divine Dragon slightly raised its body, like a bow being drawn, ready to release.
"Then, let us begin."
Divine Dragon Claw, the ferocity of which like a dark cloud enveloping the sky, carrying with it the force of the wind, sweeping everything into a whirlwind, blurring everything in sight, only making the dragon claws ever more distinct.
In this world, it seemed as if only those two dragon claws remained, with all other phenomena fading away, and all things appearing to isolate themselves.
"Profound Yin True Gang."
Gao Yue gathered his True Qi and let out a fierce roar, shaking his qi and blood, stirring up a robust force, astonishingly using the Fetal Breathing Technique to boost his qi and blood, unifying them with True Qi. Dark True Gang burst forth from his body, following the strike with the Black Gold Iron Ruler, the pitch-black Gang Qi surged like a raging tide, deep and dark, cold as frost, all condensed onto one foot of its length, hammering at the dragon claw.
However, what met this chilling True Gang was the supremely Yang and rigid Thunder Technique.
"Heavenly Pig, Heavenly Pig, Nine Elements Evil Child."
The Heavenly Pig Divine Spell took the form of a talisman, appearing on the dragon claw, with Innate Wood Qi vibrating violently, creating sparks like that of dragons and snakes.
The electric light flickered, striking on the Profound Yin True Gang, as if a spark had fallen on hot oil, exploding with a blast.
"Boom!"
Gao Yue felt his True Qi erupting, pouring out like a mountain flood, colliding fiercely with the electric light, the supremely Yang and rigid thunder bursting open, shattering the Profound Yin True Gang, countless sparks like sharp swords stabbing towards his acupoints.
On the other side, Meng Xiufan faced a raging Fire Force.
With Wood feeding Fire, Innate Fire Qi invaded, and upon contact, it made Meng Xiufan feel as if his True Qi were about to turn into a raging fire, burning fiercely.
Although the "Heavenly Azure Dragon Transformation Skill" he practiced was no ordinary technique, it seemed almost powerless before Jiang Li, his True Qi appearing to lose control at any moment, transforming into a raging Fire Force.
In the split second of lightning and flint, Meng Xiufan rapidly shifted his Qi Mechanism, his qi and blood rising, suddenly harmonizing with the Qi of Yang, becoming one with him.
"Qian Xiang Open Layer, Li Ming Qi Shaoyang."
The Qi of Shaoyang merged with the spear, and suddenly, an Azure Flood Dragon emerged, entwining around the spear, the tip of the spear being the horn of the dragon. Meng Xiufan’s spear thrust forth like a dragon, the shadow of the Flood Dragon’s Horn bellowing in a Strong Assault, striking the dragon claw, with the raging Fire overwhelming him.
In that instant, Meng Xiufan felt as though he were on an endless plain, with the ferocity of the flames sweeping over like a wildfire, the intense Flame Energy seemingly ready to burn his body to ashes.
The Fifth Grade Daoist Artifact was even bent into a bow shape, the shaft curved like a crescent, and the Fire remained fierce.
Meng Xiufan, with a heart clear as ice, resisted the dual assault on body and mind. Suddenly letting go with his hands, the bent spear rebounded, the shadow of the Flood Dragon’s Horn whipped its tail, lashing out with its tail, striking a thunderous noise that broke the Fire, shaking the dragon arm behind the claw.
Continuing to draw on the power of the dragon claw, the force of this strike was even stronger than the previous one, coupled with the power of the Dao Artifact, ferociously unrivaled.
The Horn Mansion is the horn of the Azure Dragon, the foremost in combat, and now its power erupted, as if Thunder were shaking.
Yet, Jiang Li had anticipated the opponent’s move, understanding all of the variations, in an instant Innate Fire Qi turned into Golden Qi, instantly transforming its property, using the gold’s stern severity to slash Shaoyang’s armor-like wood. The white-bright Essence Qi covered the dragon claw, a piercing light striking at the tail of the dragon, piercing through the shadow of the Flood Dragon’s Horn.
"Ding!"
This sharp and piercing light ultimately landed on the end of the spear, emitting a clear sound. The spear bounced violently, struggling like a live flood dragon, causing Meng Xiufan’s palm to split open, the spear slipping from his hand.
But Meng Xiufan did not admit defeat just yet, instead, he shifted and kicked, his foot striking the spear, causing the live dragon-like spear to soar into the air, and he himself shot up like a springing leek, grabbing the spear shaft, piercing through in one strike.
"Awoo~"
The phantom of the Flood Dragon’s Horn suddenly swelled, wrapping the spear as it cut through the air, slamming directly onto the neck of the Divine Dragon.
That position was precisely where Jiang Li’s True Body was located.
"Bang!"
When the two dragons collided, the spear force erupted, and a piercing tearing sound emerged from the tip of the Flood Dragon’s Horn, the spearhead penetrating the body of the Yinglong Dragon formed by Innate Qi.
And then—
"Ding!"
It was stopped by a forefinger.
"What a pity."
Jiang Li said leisurely, "Just missed by a little..."
Just missed by a little and you would have made me stand up.