"Mother! Du Chun, I can't see!"
In his panic, Nangong Li clung to Du Chun's leg. Both of them were covered in mud.
Their noses, mouths, and ears were all filled with it.
Du Chun, like Nangong Li, could not see.
He only felt someone holding his leg, and his white robe was instantly stained the color of earth.
A lock of white hair was also speckled with mud, making him look utterly disheveled.
When Nangong Li hugged him, he was helpless. Unable to see ahead, he could not discern any direction.
Just then, a rope saved the two of them.
"Grab the rope!"
A familiar voice sounded in their ears.
Du Chun closed his eyes and grasped the rope at his feet. Nangong Li, bewildered, was pulled out of the mud by Du Chun's collar.
Both were covered in mud stains, looking incredibly disheveled.
Their eyes were obscured by the mud splashes, rendering them unable to see.
A jade hand reached out and placed an embroidered handkerchief into Du Chun's hand: "Wipe yourself."
Du Chun complied, then passed the mud-stained handkerchief to the Sixth Prince, Nangong Li.
By the time the two could see clearly, besides being thoroughly disgusted by their robes of an unknown color, they looked up and were quite surprised by the scene before them.
At this moment.
In mid-air.
A massive Jiaolong coiled, its maw gaping like a blood basin. Flames spewed from its mouth. What appeared to be flames, upon closer inspection, revealed themselves to be countless blood-red shards enveloped in layers of fire, scattering like a celestial maiden's flowers.
As they fell, anyone they touched would be injured.
The Jiaolong swung its enormous dragon claws, unleashing a fierce and powerful aura.
The sky seemed on the verge of being torn apart by the dragon's roars that shook the heavens.
The Six Sons of Yin Mountain, six figures, circled the Jiaolong, each unleashing their unique abilities to their utmost.
Thunder, ice rain, lightning, giant rocks, and ghost shadows—five distinct abilities intertwined, becoming one.
However... with a deafening roar!
A force that could shatter the heavens surged towards the Six Sons of Yin Mountain.
A massive fireball, with specks of blood-red shards hurtling towards them.
"Everyone, be careful, these blood shards are poisonous!"
Someone among the Six Sons of Yin Mountain shouted a warning.
In an instant, the thunder, ice rain, lightning, ghost shadows, and all other abilities vanished.
Giant rocks plummeted downwards, smashing into the ground and creating large craters.
The Six Sons of Yin Mountain clutched their chests, all six sent flying backward.
"Mother! The Six Sons of Yin Mountain were defeated by the Jiaolong!"
Nangong Li exclaimed.
The six halos of different colors gradually weakened. Some of the six knelt on one knee, clutching their chests and spitting blood; others lay on the ground, unconscious; and some were ensnared in the mud, unable to stand.
Gu Qianying, standing beside Du Chun and Nangong Li, saw this and immediately rushed to the Six Sons, rescuing them.
With one person busy treating the six, unable to divide their attention, Du Chun quickly came to help.
"We don't know what poison they've contracted. We need to use their blood for testing."
The Six Sons of Yin Mountain all had pale faces and blackened lips, clear signs of poisoning.
Despite possessing powerful abilities, their knowledge of poisons and their detection was a complete blind spot.
Gu Qianying used her acupuncture technique to temporarily suppress the poison within Zi Chi. Then, she looked at Du Chun and spoke quickly.
Du Chun agreed with her method and, at the same time, used his own unique healing methods to temporarily suppress the toxins in the other five Sons.
Perhaps by chance, after being injured by the Jiaolong, the Six Sons of Yin Mountain lost a significant amount of their demonic energy. Their peculiar appearances transformed, and each regained their original form from the immortal realm.
"This...?"
Du Chun looked at the six before him, slightly stunned.
Even Gu Qianying, who was about to withdraw her needles, couldn't help but sigh at the sight of Zi Chi, whose appearance was now worlds apart from before.
Among the Six Sons, Zi Chi, clad in a green robe, was slender, with a face like a painting, gentle eyes, and an indescribable elegance.
The other five, though still unconscious, were all impeccably handsome, each possessing a unique beauty.
"You all look quite good, much more handsome than before."
Zi Chi was the first to awaken among the six.
He was unaware of his changed appearance but, judging by the tone of the Empress before him, he could guess.
"Thank you for your compliment, Empress. We have been drained of demonic energy for so long that we have become neither human nor ghost. Perhaps due to our current weakness, our demonic energy has also been lost, which is why we appear this way."
"Yes, this appearance is much more pleasing to the eye."
Gu Qianying stood up and, after speaking, no longer wasted words with Zi Chi. She looked up at the sky.
At this moment.
The massive dragon circled in the air. It glanced at the Six Sons of Yin Mountain, whom it had defeated, with a smug expression.
"A bunch of trash, nothing more!"
If it had taken some effort to deal with the Six Sons before, now, with them injured, it defeated them effortlessly.
In an instant, a figure in a white robe, following the defeat of the Six Sons, leaped into the air, treading on the wind.
With a raised palm, immense immortal power condensed into a true dragon, as if cast from pure gold, and engaged in a fierce struggle with the circling Jiaolong.
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
Gales swept up.
Brilliant light flashed. Beneath the blood-red shards of fire, a sea of flames enveloped the two dragons.
Nangong Mo stood outside the sea of fire, his gaze cold as he watched the Jiaolong waving its claws.
"You are an ancient divine beast?"
Having guessed the Jiaolong's identity, he was curious about its true purpose here.
The reason that an ancient divine beast would come to seize the Demon Token was too ridiculous to be believed.
A radiant lotus imprint appeared on Nangong Mo's chest. His white robe fluttered in the wind, exuding a powerful aura.
The symbol of his identity as the Lotus Emperor was evident.
"You are the Lotus Emperor? Hahaha, heaven truly has eyes to let me see you here. Little Lotus Emperor, do you still remember me?"
Upon recognizing Nangong Mo's true identity, the Jiaolong roared with laughter in its astonishment.
Nangong Mo frowned, remaining silent, and sifted through all the memories in his mind.
It seemed he had never met an ancient divine beast before. He only recognized it as a divine beast because he had heard of them.
However, the Jiaolong's meaningful question made him feel as if they should have known each other.
"Ha, yes, we have never met, so of course, you wouldn't remember me. But I know you. You are the son of Bai Shengfei, the son of the Holy Consort who personally killed her mother. The Lotus Emperor, having committed a heinous crime, descended to the mortal realm and was reborn as Nangong Mo, the Ninth Prince, the son of the Grand Consort of the Eastern Victory Kingdom!"
"You...!"
The name "Bai Shengfei" struck Nangong Mo like a sharp blow.
The immortal energy in his palm weakened considerably.
The phantom of the "Golden Dragon" entangled with the Jiaolong also faded significantly.
At this moment, the Jiaolong finally had an opportunity to counterattack!
"Forgot to tell you, everyone in your immortal realm is my enemy!"
With a sweep of its massive dragon claws, it broke through the sea of fire and struck Nangong Mo with a claw.
The image of the person named "Bai Shengfei" continuously appeared in Nangong Mo's mind.
Distracted by the ruse, he failed to evade the Jiaolong's sweeping claw in time.
He took a heavy blow, and blood-red shards pierced his white robe. He reeled backward, flying a great distance. His flowing white robe fell with the wind, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"Lotus Emperor!"
"Ninth Imperial Uncle!"
"A'Mo!"
Zi Chi, the Sixth Prince, Nangong Mo, and Du Chun cried out in unison.
However... at this moment, no one noticed that the figure in red beside them had already leaped into the air.