"It's raining," Lan Xuerou said, wiping the blood from her face, her voice filled with worry. "I wonder how Miao Miao is doing. I should have stayed with her from the start."
Yue Ci frowned.
He considered Bai Shengyi a jinx. If it weren't for her, Miao Miao wouldn't have to risk her life, and Xuerou wouldn't be so troubled.
He had disliked Bai Shengyi from the very beginning.
"Don't worry. Miao Miao is a descendant of the White Tiger clan; she'll be fine," Yue Ci suppressed his many thoughts and comforted Lan Xuerou.
"Yes, Junior Brother Yue, shall we go to the front and take over from Martial Uncle Tianyu?" Lan Xuerou suggested.
This was their third day fighting their way out from the grassland lake.
For three days, the disciples of various sects, who initially harbored their own cautious thoughts, gradually fell silent.
Former fellow disciples fell one by one, either returning as soul corpses or turning into desiccated remains. The initial grief and roaring anger had now morphed into a numb resignation.
Their clothes were stained with blood, no time to clean them; their blades were blunted, new ones were immediately replaced. As one group fell, another, under Tianyu's command, charged forward.
Now, everyone understood: either these vile creatures would die, or they would perish here.
No one wanted to die, so everyone fought with all their might.
"Martial Uncle Tianyu, what's... what's wrong? What happened?" Yue Ci and Lan Xuerou fought their way over. Before they could speak, they saw Tianyu suddenly turn around and look far behind him.
It was in the direction of the inverted lake.
Suddenly, a long, familiar yet unfamiliar roar echoed.
Familiar, because most people had heard this sound a few days prior—the cry of the Azure Dragon. Unfamiliar, because the sound seemed to resonate right beside their ears, carrying the thunderous fury of an emperor.
As this sound erupted, the Thousand Soul Worm Silk in front of them suddenly multiplied several times, instantly enveloping everyone. It was like a gaping maw, waiting for them to leap in.
"Martial Uncle Tianyu, Junior Brother Yue, wh-what do we do?"
The numb faces of the crowd were etched with despair.
This was heaven's decree for their demise!
Just as everyone was about to give up resistance, they saw Tianyu point his jade ruler towards the sky. "Look."
Then, everyone witnessed a scene they would never forget in this lifetime!
The inverted lake surface shattered, water splashing everywhere. Like dragon horns branching out like ancient tree limbs, they pushed through the water, and a dragon, caught completely by surprise, appeared before their eyes.
Luxurious scales hung sparsely on its head, yet its majesty and beauty were undiminished. Its claws grasped through the clouds and water, its violet eyes seemingly containing the ultimate power of heaven and earth, looking down upon everyone with disdain.
It was covered in wounds, like a tattered sack, as if it would breathe its last breath at any moment.
It was noble and magnificent, like a supreme deity, forbidding all resistance, its divine authority not to be violated.
"It's the Azure Dragon! It's the Azure Dragon!"
Some shouted with excitement, while others with sharp eyes spotted a dark red shadow beneath the dragon's head.
"What is that?"
"It looks like a person?"
The dragon's body was truly enormous. Bai Shengyi tightly gripped the Heavenly Machine Sword. No matter how the Azure Dragon thrashed and attacked, she held on firmly, even using the opportunity to kick the hilt, pushing the sword's tip even deeper.
The Azure Dragon roared in fury, "Human! You dare die!"
Its entire body emerged from the lake's bottom barrier, revealing the chilling white bones beneath its beautiful head. Those on the ground gasped in shock.
They suddenly understood what the Azure Dragon's revival meant.
"Is that person trying to slay the dragon? Is that where the Azure Dragon's reverse scale is located?" someone suddenly asked. "I'll help her!"
Didn't Senior Brother Yue and Martial Uncle Tianyu say that these soul corpses and Thousand Soul Worm Silk were raised by the Azure Dragon? If the Azure Dragon died, they would have won more than half the battle!
"I'll help her too!"
"Me too!"
Young and old, one by one, they stood up and flew towards the sky on their swords!
At this moment, they were not disciples of any particular sect but cultivators of the Divine Revelation World!
They would fight for themselves, carving out a path to survival!
Even if it meant dragon slaying!
"Wretch! Take this!" A cultivator in blue, holding a saber, roared, "Remember, your grandfather is Qiu Zizai, disciple of Venerable Fei Yun of Yueqing Mountain, Grandpa Qiu!"
"Kill!" A clear voice of a female cultivator in yellow rang out, "Azure Dragon, you disgrace your divine beast status; everyone has the right to slay you!"
Someone identified the yellow-clad female cultivator, "It's Fairy Baoxia of Divine Revelation Mountain!"
"Scram!"
Above the clouds, the dragon's head didn't even lower. With a mere breath, a single word, thunder and hurricanes crashed down, directly flinging Qiu Zizai and Baoxia to the ground!
Following that, the cultivators who attacked later were also flung away. The Azure Dragon continued to roll majestically in the sea of clouds, like a mountain that could not be climbed. They, the cultivators, could not even touch a single strand of the Azure Dragon's hair.
The morale that had just been galvanized was instantly crushed.
The Azure Dragon seemed to be waiting for this moment. With a roar, the pervasive Thousand Soul Worm Silk intensified its attack. In an instant, many more cultivators were devoured.
"Damn it!" Bai Shengyi watched as new scales grew on the Azure Dragon's body, the favorable situation about to be reversed by the Azure Dragon, and couldn't help but curse, "Are these teammates made of pig?"
Fortunately, there were capable individuals in the cultivator ranks below. Soon, she heard a steady voice.
"Fellow Daoists, do not be distracted! Every one of us who dies contributes to the Azure Dragon's vitality. Everyone, listen to my instructions and form a circle as arranged before..."
Naturally, the Azure Dragon did not want to witness this. It unleashed several more bolts of lightning. Just as the lightning was about to strike the circular formation, a peony flower bloomed gracefully, blocking a quarter of the attack. Then, a Water Phoenix Fire Dragon, a pair of sabers, and a jade ruler blocked the rest.
"Well done!" Bai Shengyi laughed heartily. The sweetness in her throat couldn't hide the joy in her heart.
She seized the opportunity and struck the Heavenly Machine Sword with her palm, forcefully embedding it deeper into the Azure Dragon's body!
The Azure Dragon let out an enraged and pained cry. It lowered its head, using its horns and claws to attack her. But she used the force to flip in mid-air, holding the Reincarnation Brush steadily, and landed on the dragon's claw branches, grabbing its claw!
"Let go!" If the Azure Dragon could curse, it would be unleashing a barrage of profanities right now.
Why was this human cultivator so damned persistent!
Bai Shengyi panted, "Let go of my ass!"
Before her words fell, the Reincarnation Brush transformed into a sword, and she swung it towards the dragon's horns!
"Stop— Ah!"
A piercing beast cry tore through the sky. The rain in the sky was instantly stained with blood.
"You deserve to dieeeee!" The Azure Dragon never expected that the sword was not aimed at its horns but at its eyes!
It fought Bai Shengyi furiously and chaotically. Dragon blood splattered on Bai Shengyi's face, eyes, and clothes, hot and foul-smelling, carrying the stench of decay.
Bai Shengyi was utterly disgusted. Even though she was so exhausted and in pain that she was about to lose all her strength, she continued to talk back, "You are the one who is damned! You shouldn't have revived! Neither Heaven's will nor we could allow you to revive!"
This was a direct stab to the Azure Dragon's heart!
It could feel its life force continuously draining. Even with the replenishment from the Thousand Soul Worm Silk and the life force captured by the Prison Fiends, it was but a drop in the bucket.
This filled the powerful dragon with fear and rage.
Bai Shengyi let out a smug sneer, "You're scared?"
"Human! Shut up!"
Bai Shengyi replied, "I will not! Azure Dragon, you cannot hold on for much longer. Do you see? Your corpse is gradually decaying, your scales and blood are rotting away..."
"Shut up! Shut up!" The dragon's roar seemed to wish it could tear Bai Shengyi apart with its claws!
But somehow, it couldn't touch Bai Shengyi. The more it thought about it, the angrier and more hateful it became. It spat out a perfectly round pearl, flickering with crackling lightning and killing intent, rushing towards Bai Shengyi!
Bai Shengyi's eyes lit up as she looked at this dragon pearl, half green and half black, an intertwining of auspiciousness and ill omen. She raised the Reincarnation Brush, which had long since transformed into a sword, and swung it over!
"Spring Swallow Fourth Sword! Heaven's Sever!"
"Whoosh—"
Hurricanes howled, the sky turned dark, and thunderclouds churned. Only where the white-boned Azure Dragon was, was there a covering of green spiritual light.
That green spiritual light floated ethereally, unstained by dust. Yet, in the hands of the female cultivator not far from the Azure Dragon, it was like a supreme sharp weapon. As soon as it touched the dragon pearl, the green on the pearl rapidly receded!
"What have you done?" The Azure Dragon felt its vital energy draining even faster, its remaining violet eyes bloodshot with rage.
Bai Shengyi, however, felt it was not enough.
"Lightning, come!"
The Reincarnation Brush drew down vast lightning, crackling and smashing down onto the dragon pearl!
"Sword, come!"
The Heavenly Machine Sword was pried out from the Azure Dragon's body!
Holding the sword in one hand, she casually performed a sword flourish. With another swing, she unleashed a long river of temporal reincarnation, crossing time. Though it appeared unhurried, it instantly closed in on the Azure Dragon's heart.
"Pfft!"
Before the Azure Dragon could even utter a sound, the dragon pearl exploded with a "boom," and the Heavenly Machine Sword forcefully pierced its dragon heart.
"Bang!"
The corpses around the dragon's head instantly rotted away, and a pile of dragon bones crashed onto the ground!
The sound of rain became louder.
The fall of a divine beast was mourned by heaven and earth.
Bai Shengyi stood in mid-air, the Reincarnation Brush in her left hand and the Heavenly Machine Sword in her right. Amidst the腥风血雨, her blood-soaked clothes fluttered, exuding an aura so divine and awe-inspiring that no one dared to look directly at her...
The next moment, she dazedly closed her eyes and fell downwards. The Reincarnation Brush and the Heavenly Machine Sword also vanished into the air.
"Captain!"
"Martial Aunt Bai!"
Jing Fei was about to rush forward to catch Bai Shengyi when he heard Bo Xia, who was in his arms, cough weakly. His steps faltered, and then he saw Zhan Jiuzhou and a female cultivator rush forward simultaneously, causing him to stop.
"Captain is truly..." Bo Xia said to Jing Fei, "Senior Brother Jing, I really didn't expect to see this scene today. Captain has exceeded my expectations. When did she become so powerful? That was the Azure Dragon!"
As Bo Xia spoke, she coughed twice more.
Jing Fei said helplessly, "Bo Xia, stop talking and rest. What's an Azure Dragon? As long as we can get out now, that's all that matters."
The surrounding cultivators clearly felt the same as Jing Fei. The despair and dejection of before were swept away.
"That's great! We have hope of getting out!"
"Who is that female cultivator? She's so powerful!"
"She's Dan Master Bai of Divine Revelation Mountain! Don't you know? She was the first among the younger generation to break through to the Mahayana stage! I heard she hasn't even reached thirty this year! Even Fairy Bingxin, Fairy Nishang, and Young Master Jing Lan broke through after her!"
"Heavens! She's too young!"
Everyone was excited and happy, but suddenly, a magic artifact shaped like a wine cup was hurled towards the space where Bai Shengyi was falling!
This space was already unstable due to the battle between Bai Shengyi and the Azure Dragon. With a fierce strike from the Jinshi Bei Yu Cup, a spatial crack was formed, and Bai Shengyi was instantly swallowed into it!
"Martial Aunt Bai!" Yue Miaomiao, seeing this, transformed into a lithe white tiger and plunged in after her!
"Captain!" Zhan Jiuzhou was a step too late. By the time he arrived, the crack had already sealed shut.
"Damn it!" He clenched his fists in anger, his gaze fixed on a nearby spot. "Which bastard did this? Get out here!"