The fierce wind whistled through, rustling the dense grass with a “shasha” sound, and grit flew about in the air, stinging the face.
Yue Miaomiao, caught off guard, felt a scratch on her cheek from the flying sand.
The surroundings were unnervingly quiet, and a sense of unease washed over her. She once again focused her vertical pupils on the inverted lake hanging in the sky.
“Ah…” Her eyes felt as if they were pierced by something. She forced herself not to blink, and soon, tears welled up.
Still, she didn’t give up. She kept watching until the scene before her changed—
Beneath the shimmering surface of the lake, a Dragon Palace drifted in the water barrier. On the purple full moon, grey threads flickered in and out of sight. Black ribbons converged like rivers at the top of the Dragon Palace, tightly connected to two ice rivers…
“The black is Thousand Soul Worm Silk, and those grey threads… Prison Fiend?”
Yue Miaomiao wanted to look further, hoping to find Bai Shengyi’s trace, but her eyes suddenly felt a sharp pain. It was so intense that she grimaced and squeezed them shut. “What a useless talent! I can’t see anything important.”
She raised her hand and wiped her eyes. As expected, tears of blood streamed down from the corners of her eyes.
Not far away, a young cultivator in white murmured to himself, “Is that the Thousand-Mile Tiger Eyes of the White Tiger clan? A pity, this little cub’s abilities are insufficient, and it’s utterly incapable of dealing with the ancient Azure Dragon.”
He paused, his expression gradually becoming complex, a mix of resentment and mockery. “No wonder the Azure Dragon resents the unfairness of the Great Dao, claiming it doesn’t tolerate ancient divine beasts, yet the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird were able to leave behind descendants to carry on their lineage…”
Within the full moon barrier.
The Azure Dragon watched as it slowly drew closer to the moon, one step nearer to resurrection, when suddenly it felt a sense of being spied upon.
“Who is it?”
Its dragon claw sliced through the black mist swirling in mid-air, halting in place. The ghastly white bones immediately fused with flesh and blood.
The Azure Dragon let out a comfortable sigh, its radiant purple pupils scanning its surroundings.
On the ground, Bai Shengyi, who had been recovering her spiritual energy while observing the Azure Dragon’s movements, abruptly stood up.
“Little Samsara, the chance is here!” Bai Shengyi exclaimed in a low voice, leaping up and soaring into the air.
Compared to the Azure Dragon’s skeletal form, her tiny figure was like an ant beside a colossal beast. As the Azure Dragon swept its gaze across the surroundings, it didn’t even notice Bai Shengyi’s presence.
But this was precisely what Bai Shengyi wanted.
“I hope what you said is true, don’t fail me.” While the Azure Dragon was distracted, Bai Shengyi tossed the Samsara Brush into the air. A long, curved bow instantly materialized and fell into her hand.
The voice of the Samsara Brush also echoed, “Don’t worry, Shengyi. You are the Brush’s master. If you perish, the Brush won’t fare well either. The Brush wouldn’t betray itself, would it?”
Not long ago, just as Bai Shengyi conceived the idea of slaying the dragon, the Samsara Brush delivered tremendous news.
The moon in the sky was not an illusion but was formed from the vital energy extracted from the entire small secret realm. And that vital energy was contained within a small piece of Hong Meng Paper.
The Hong Meng Paper knew the destinies of heaven and the cycles of reincarnation, and understood all worldly affairs. It was the ultimate counter to the Starfall Emperor Ring. It was precisely because of this that when Bai Shengyi was in the palace, the Starfall Emperor Ring in her eyes had spontaneously activated.
The Azure Dragon’s resurrection was an act against the heavens. It required countless rare heavenly treasures and had extremely stringent conditions. For instance, the vast vital energy it needed for resurrection could only be borne by the Hong Meng Paper, known as the paper of transmitting the Dao.
Coincidentally, Bai Shengyi happened to possess half a piece of Hong Meng Paper.
Nine Songs ascend to the moon, dragon souls gather and are born.
But what if this moon, representing vital energy, suddenly vanished?
Bai Shengyi’s hand, gripping the bow, trembled slightly, a mix of nervousness and excitement.
Sensing the sweat on her palms, the Samsara Brush unusually softened its tone, “Master, don’t be afraid. Don’t forget, you are the Brush’s master! You can even pierce through the heavens!”
Bai Shengyi didn’t banter with it. Instead, she composed herself, her gaze deepening. She drew the jade-green translucent bow, nocking the Heavenly Mechanism Sword.
The sword tip slowly aimed at the dragon’s head, then shifted to the moon in the sky the next moment.
“Swish!”
An almost inaudible sound rang out, yet it carried an invincible, overwhelming, and utterly destructive aura, directly targeting the moon in the sky!
Vast waves of water condensed on the blue sword. The rusted sword tip gradually revealed its magnificent edge in mid-air, its blade-light precise, swift, and decisive as it pierced through the very center of the moon!
Everything happened in an instant. Even before the Azure Dragon could react, it heard a slight crisp sound. The full moon was instantly enveloped and swallowed by the black and grey silk threads. In a short while, only a faint, ethereal piece of paper remained.
Before the paper could fall, Bai Shengyi moved forward again, manifesting the half piece of Hong Meng Paper in her hand. Soon, a nearly complete Hong Meng Paper landed in Bai Shengyi’s grasp, and she herself was fully exposed to the Azure Dragon’s eyes.
“No!”
The Azure Dragon roared in fury. Its dragon head suddenly lowered, and it swung its tail towards the culprit, Bai Shengyi!
“You! Deserve to die!”
“Ant! I should have killed you earlier!”
Its white bones glinted, its killing intent even fiercer than before. The speed was extreme. Bai Shengyi couldn’t dodge in time and was hit squarely by its tail.
“Pfft!”
She wiped the blood from her lips, feeling as if her internal organs had shifted. Yet, her heart was filled with exhilaration. The rebellious thought ignited like a flame, burning ever brighter.
An Azure Dragon unable to resurrect, an Azure Dragon half-dead – her chances of slaying it had just increased.
With this thought, Bai Shengyi looked up at the Azure Dragon. She saw two bolts of lightning “swish swish” descend. One targeted her, and the other targeted Hua Nishang and Yuan Bingxin, who were not far away.
Clearly, the Azure Dragon had extended its wrath to the other two.
“Sword, come!” Bai Shengyi shouted, and the Heavenly Mechanism Sword flew from the sky into her hand. Without hesitation, she unleashed her strongest move with all her might: “Heavenly Slash!”
“Rumble!”
Despite being within the barrier, thunder roared!
These were not only the Azure Dragon’s summoned purple lightning but also Bai Shengyi’s summoned heavenly lightning! The two rule forces clashed fiercely!
“Azure Dragon, you have been dead for tens of thousands of years, yet you use evil arts to absorb the life force of cultivators in a futile attempt to resurrect. This is nothing but a pipe dream!”
Bai Shengyi suppressed her churning blood, her eyes holding an unprecedented extreme coldness. Holding the Samsara Brush, she made a stroke on the Hong Meng Paper—
“Lightning, come!”
“Shengyi!” the Samsara Brush exclaimed in alarm. “Are you mad!”
It was furious. “You, a mere Grand Ascension cultivator, dare to use the True Word Art to substitute heavenly invocation for heavenly lightning. Don’t you want your life anymore? This is infuriating the Brush! Infuriating the Brush!”
The True Word Art was an act against heaven, and heavenly lightning belonged to the heavens. Bai Shengyi’s summoning was already a transgression, one that would damage her Dao root. Now, she wanted both.
The Samsara Brush was incandescent with rage!
But Bai Shengyi’s brush had already touched the paper.
The brush stroke stirred mountains and rivers!
Thick, blazing lightning struck down, carrying an unstoppable, all-destroying, immense force!
“The Dao I cultivate is my own Dao! What is this talk of substituting heaven?”
She held the brush in her left hand and made several more strokes on the Hong Meng Paper. Several more bolts of lightning struck down!
The Azure Dragon clearly never expected Bai Shengyi to be able to summon heavenly lightning. Those bolts of lightning pierced through its purple lightning and slammed into its dragon head, tearing its flesh and bleeding. The pain enraged it, filling its dragon eyes with fury. Its killing intent clouded its judgment, and it raised its dragon head to violently ram into Bai Shengyi!
Bai Shengyi advanced instead of retreating. Holding the Heavenly Mechanism Sword in her right hand, she seized the opportunity and collided with the dragon’s horns.
“Hiss!”
A muffled groan had barely dissipated when she raised her hand and precisely thrust the Heavenly Mechanism Sword into its heart, which was unprotected by reverse scales.