Chapter 209: Chapter 206: Death with Eyes Closed?
"Boom!"
Dragon Claw pressed down, and the overwhelming power struck Jiang Li’s arm, forcing him to kneel down as the force’s ripple crushed the ground beneath him, causing the mountains to fissure.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Centered on Jiang Li, the ground shattered outward in circles, the strong wind whipped up sand, and Yinglong Dragon stretched its body, approximately forty feet in length—a robust presence filled the air.
Jiang Li swiftly adapted to this extraordinary body, which was a manifestation of Jiang Li’s energy rather than an actual Dragon Body. Thanks to his understanding and mastery of Qi, the adaptation was swift.
He could almost instantly wield it as an extension of his arm.
Though transformed from True Qi, the substantial feeling of the dragon’s movements was undeniable. The Dragon Tail whipped through the air, creating a moaning sound, and a massive afterimage swept across Ji Chengye.
"Boom!"
A deep impact reverberated through the air as Ji Chengye was struck by the Dragon Tail, feeling as if he were hit by a small mountain, his flesh, muscles, and bones groaning under the blow.
Blood swirled around his armor, protecting his body as crimson waves fluctuated under the collision with the immense power but did not break. Still, the force caused Ji Chengye’s organs to shake, his blood churned within him.
He plowed two deep furrows into the ground, and his palm, holding the Cliff Sword, was rubbed raw, bleeding profusely.
"Bull-headed!" Ji Chengye bellowed.
Within this area, there was another Sixth Rank he could rely on—none other than the Yin Law Department’s Soul Hooker, Bull-headed. If only he could take advantage of the situation to seize Ming Yang...
The white Ghostly Bull Cart gradually vanished, taking Bull-headed’s figure with it.
He had fled.
"Princely Heir, I will immediately request Lord of the Mansion’s intervention."
Bull-headed left behind these words of loyalty before disappearing from Ji Chengye’s sight with his cart.
Meanwhile, Jiang Li’s Dragon Body moved again, taking in a long breath and making a sudden charge.
Jiang Li had once experienced the Yinglong Dragon’s breath, using it to refine his organs and integrate his strength throughout his body. Now, he mimicked the Yinglong Dragon’s breath with his True Qi and executed "Three Flowers Gathering at the Top," uniting Essence, Qi, and Spirit, which then enveloped the Dragon Body.
What was a protective technique had now facilitated the Yinglong Transformation.
"Three Flowers Gathering at the Top" combined Essence, Qi, and Spirit, allowing the outer body of Primordial Qi to receive the addition of Essence Element and Divine Essence. The Yinglong Dragon’s form grew more solid, and Dragon Scales revealed a metallic sheen as if a True Dragon had appeared.
The air exploded, and Jiang Li, driving the Yinglong Dragon’s body, broke the sound barrier. The Dragon Claw, with the ability to split mountains, reached out with tremendous force.
"Stabilize Nine Provinces."
Ji Chengye urgently spurred his True Qi, and the Battle Sword fell horizontally from the sky. The Sword Qi took shape, as if the Cliff Sword had grown many times larger, the hefty sword shadow meeting the Yinglong Dragon head-on.
"Boom!"
The descending sword shadow contained Nine Layers of Sword Power, exploding wave after wave, shaking the mountaintop, sending debris flying, and violently colliding with the sound barrier-breaking Dragon Shadow. The fierce forces clashed, pulverizing the floating stones into dust.
The wave of Qi dispersed, and Ming Yang—Ji Chengye’s lifeline—was swept away and landed heavily five Zhang away.
And upon landing, seeing a cliff not far away, Ming Yang began to roll on the ground, rolling off the mountaintop.
He would rather die from the fall than become a bargaining chip in Ji Chengye’s hand.
Sensing this, Ji Chengye was furious enough to nearly crush his teeth, but he was helplessly unable to extricate himself.
Jiang Li’s opposing Yinglong Dragon bore the Three Flowers atop its head, with triple lights covering its body. The Dragon Body maneuvered with agility, the Dragon Claw striking with martial prowess, not just brute force.
The terrifyingly powerful Dragon Claw hammered the sword shadow, and the Nine Layers of Sword Power were blasted apart. Ji Chengye watched in shock as the massive sword shadow was shattered by the Yinglong Dragon.
"Such formidable strength!"
Yuan Zhen, who observed from afar, jolted, "Being able to suppress Ji Chengye while only at Seventh Rank, does this Jiang Li possess a Uniqueness Dao Fruit too?"
Yuan Zhen didn’t dare to boast his talents as unmatched, but even for those with higher talents than him, they should not be able to suppress Ji Chengye, who contained the Marquis Guan Dao Fruit, at Seventh Rank unless Jiang Li also contained a Uniqueness Dao Fruit.
The sword shadow shattered, and the violent gusts approached, kicking up billowing dust straight towards him.
"Damn you! You must die!"
Ji Chengye, gritting his teeth, triggered his final trump card, with the massive momentum of mountains erupting from within him, "All Mountains Facing the Sect."
Up to this moment, Ji Chengye still harbored intentions of a strategic retreat, reserving this final trump for an attempted breakthrough, especially since those surrounding him were Yuan Zhen, Zhang Daoyi, Zhong Shenxiu, and others with unknown trump cards.
But now, he had no other choice.
Pushed to the brink, filled with a killing intent, Ji Chengye glared at the advancing Yinglong Dragon, "Today, you will certainly die!"
Among all the people present, only Jiang Li was without any trump cards left; if this move was released, it would mean the ultimate defeat of Ji Chengye. Yet, he would be preceded by Jiang Li.
At least, that’s what he believed.
The mountains suddenly began to rumble, even the earth itself tremored.
"Boom!"
A fissure split Qi Mountain, followed by an emergence of a vast mountain apparition, as an immensely heavy gravity suddenly bore down on Jiang Li, causing him to plunge heavily downward.
’Finally...’
The Yinglong Dragon’s eyes reflected the towering mountain form, yet its heart remained fearless.
Because Jiang Li had a trump card as well.
He was about to use the final move passed down by Elder Tianxuan, but at that moment, Jiang Li felt a warmth in his body, and brilliant golden characters appeared on him—the Great Brightness Mantra given by the walker Zhen Ru manifested at that instant.
Golden brilliance bloomed from the Yinglong Dragon’s body, a rain of flowers from the sky, and Golden Lotuses surged from the ground. The light of the Lotus enveloped him, and suddenly—
"Boom!"
The Yinglong Dragon burst forth with golden light like a blazing sun, and the towering mountain apparition that had burst through the ground struck the radiant Lotus light only to crumble inch by inch. Qi Mountain, initially breaking apart, seemed as if two invisible hands held it at bay, halting the fracture.
And then...
"Boom!"
The collapsing mountain peaks suddenly drew together with a crash that shook the heavens and the earth, jolting everyone’s eardrums. The illusory shadow of the mountain that had burst from the ground was even more violently clamped and exploded.
"So violent, huh?"
Jiang Li hadn’t expected that the Great Brightness Mantra, when unleashing its power, would be so violent; it seemed completely unrelated to the peace and cleanliness of Buddhism.
However, this also saved Jiang Li a trump card.
He leaped and struck, adopting the posture of a soaring dragon. With a Divine Dragon Claw, he aimed at Ji Chengye, who sought to take the opportunity to escape.
The enormous shadow of the claw enveloped and descended upon him. Ji Chengye hastily raised his sword to block but was pressed to the ground by the claw.
Jiang Li, taking advantage of his aerial position, struck from above. His speed, strength, and angle all reached the pinnacle—how could it be easy to counter?
"Thump!"
Ji Chengye, along with his sword, was pinned to the ground, and the mountains that had just closed in shook once again.
Crimson blood swirled over the armor. With both hands, Ji Chengye desperately resisted the Cliff Sword pressed against his chest, unleashing his last bit of strength, "Blood Recommendation Xuan Yuan."
The Jiang family had a method for risking one’s life, and so did the Ji Family. Ji Chengye’s Essence Blood burned furiously, his True Qi vibrated within his flesh and blood, and suddenly, he burst forth with several times his strength, pushing the Dragon Claw sharply upward.
"Eh?"
Yinglong let out a deep sound, and then the claw lifted and fell.
"Thump!"
The ground shook again, and the massive imprint of the claw embedding a body into the mountain rock ground out the most meticulous mark.
"Today, you won’t survive."
Indifference shone in Yinglong’s eyes as a dragon’s claw once again rose.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
The ferocious power continued to pound down, compacting the rocks and soil tightly. The continuous, heavy blows on the Cliff Sword and armor—even after being weakened—still caused Ji Chengye, protected by dual layers, to spit out dan-red blood, with his organs burning like fire.
He was fast approaching a desperate situation.
To say fast approaching because Ji Chengye felt that he still had a glimmer of hope.
The release of the lethal technique had completely sent his subordinates to their deaths, and even others within dozens of miles would face peril due to the shockwaves. The deaths of these people would further contribute to the Lu King’s Promotion Ceremony.
As long as he could endure until the completion of the Lu King’s Promotion, as long as he could make it to that moment, Ji Chengye would have a sliver of a chance to survive.
Even not needing to stay alive, as long as his Divine Soul persisted, he could still transition to the Ghost Path. With the current dense Yin Qi environment, Ji Chengye’s Divine Soul could easily persist for a while.
So hold on...
"Thump!"
Another blow came, and Ji Chengye couldn’t help but vomit blood.
At the same time, endless wails of ghosts filled the heavens and earth; shadowy figures danced in chaos. In the distant sky, a colossal gate slowly rose, bringing with it a chilling Netherworld aura.
Ji Chengye rejoiced in his heart at the intensifying cold air.
Then—
"Thump!"
Jiang Li’s claw pressed down, bringing with it an overwhelming power that was well beyond previous levels, making the armor sound as if it could no longer bear the strain.
"Clutching at life and fearing death, you truly disgrace this Dao Fruit."
Overlooking from the dragon’s head came an indifferent voice, "But even for someone like you, I still hold a bit of compassion. To let you die at the start of the Promotion Ceremony, you should die with your eyes closed, no?"
Ji Chengye, struck heavily, saw his eyes bulging from their sockets. Hearing Jiang Li’s words, his eyes nearly split from fury.
That was not compassion; that was clearly a heart-piercing killing intent!
To offer hope and then to inflict despair—how could such treatment bring peace in death?
Yet, what Ji Chengye didn’t know was that this kind of situation had been encountered by those who had relocated to Fufeng County.
Jiang Li’s compassion wasn’t actually meant for him.
"Die."
The Dragon Claw vibrated continuously, each blow stronger than the last. His armor deformed, and Ji Chengye’s limbs and bones cracked and shattered.
"Thump!"
The final blow.
The claw shook fiercely below and then was completely still.
When Jiang Li lifted his Dragon Claw, underneath was only a mangled, bloody corpse.
...
...
In a dark hall, Lord Cui paused as he turned the pages of a book; a line of blood-red characters appeared before his eyes.
[On the eighth day of the eighth month, the Heir of King Lu, Ji Chengye, dies atop Qi Mountain.]
A simple line of text represented the death of a member of the Royal Family.
"My favor is gone," Lord Cui murmured softly.
He had once assisted Ji Chengye, causing the latter to owe him a favor. Alas, now that the person was dead, the debt was void, and the favor could not be reclaimed.
After sighing, Lord Cui gently flipped over the page.