315: Chapter 57: The Ancient History of Slaying the Dragon 315: Chapter 57: The Ancient History of Slaying the Dragon The wind stirred up the sand, and the sounds of killing filled the sky.
The neighing of iron cavalry enveloped the entire ancient battlefield.
A solitary and desolate figure, cloaked in a great robe, walked across the ancient battlefield.
Above his head, a pitch-black divine shadow stretched across a radius of thirty feet.
The iron cavalry charging into the area covered by the divine shadow were instantly reduced to a bloody mist… Even those Chilarchs who had mastered part of the “Dragon Destruction Dao Principle” appeared like ants in the battlefield’s illusion, despite charging in at the height of their power.
“Prince,”
Chi Wu held the Chi Ling Order and spoke softly, “Tie Feng has sent word that there are still ‘aberrants’ remaining within this ancient kingdom.”
Prince Jiu stood calmly with his hands clasped behind his back, outside the periphery of the battlefield.
This was not the core of the ancient battlefield.
A few tens of miles ahead.
A vast column of light almost pierced the heavens.
There, a Great Demon close to a “True Dragon” was imprisoned, showing its true form, swallowing the sun and the moon as if it wanted to consume the entire ancient kingdom.
The rolling dragon flames soared and filled the entire realm, enveloping and covering it.
“When humans die with resentment, their resentful spirits linger and become Li Mei.”
Chi Wu lamented with a sigh, “Who would have thought that after a thousand years, this ancient kingdom still harbors lingering resentment…”
Prince Jiu spoke gently, “Do you know why their resentment is so deep?”
Chi Wu was momentarily startled.
“Only those who die with eyes unclosed harbor resentments.”
Following Prince Jiu’s gaze towards the end of the illusion and the column of light, Chi Wu murmured, “Could it be because of this war?”
“A Yin God seeking to ascend to become a Yang God needs a great amount of fate and fortune to complete the Tao fruits.”
Prince Jiu chuckled lightly, “A thousand years ago, the heavens collapsed, and primordial energy became exhausted.
From then on, the path to ‘ascension’ was severed…
After reaching the status of a Yang God, every step thereafter requires an immense amount of fate and flesh to fill.
The closer one is to the Dao, the more difficult each step becomes.
This ancient kingdom was overturned in the period of transition from prosperity to decline, in an era where one could see hope for ascension yet feel the despair of it.”
Chi Wu’s spirit wavered.
Prince Jiu slowly reached out, pointing towards the towering column, “The proverbial fish leaping over the dragon gate is not a far-fetched tale.
For this ‘True Dragon’ to undergo the last transformation, it needs to consume an entire ancient kingdom at the very least…”
“So, is their resentment so profound because they became the sacrifices for the True Dragon’s ascension?”
Chi Wu suddenly understood.
His expression complex, he murmured, “So, such beings do exist in this world.”
“If it had survived this True Dragon calamity, it would not longer be just a creature, but a deity!”
Prince Jiu said lightly, “Clearly, it failed… The True Dragon calamity is not so easily overcome, is it?”
Heavenly Persons aspire to become True Immortals.
False dragons strive to become True Dragons.
This last calamity is a thousand, no, ten thousand times more difficult than all the previous ones combined.
“This illusion…
turns out to be more real than I had imagined.”
Prince Jiu sighed softly.
He stretched out his palm, within which a flickering talisman emitted a lustrous glaze-like light.
The iron cavalry from all directions charged, their arrows slicing through the air.
All were absorbed by the light of this talisman.
“The ‘Five-Colored Talisman’ crafted by Peacock Venerable can draw in Divine Thoughts and dissolve consciousness,”
Prince Jiu smiled and said, “This prince simply thought these iron cavalry were mere illusions.
I did not expect them to still retain their memories…
Setting aside other matters, the ‘ancient texts and treasures’ extracted from their Soul Seas alone are a significant gain.”
Chi Wu quickly grinned in congratulations, “With the prince’s boundless fortune, success is assured!”
This trip to the south was truly a bountiful harvest!
Ao Ying had already jumped into the pot.
And the young prodigies of the Human Race’s Northern Hunt were caught in a single net.
Together with the treasures within this ancient kingdom…
it was truly killing three birds with one stone!
“This place, after all, is but an illusion.”
Prince Jiu clasped the Five-Colored Talisman in his hand, feeling a twinge of regret, “No matter what, this is as far as I can go…
It’s a pity I cannot behold the true countenance of that True Dragon.”
After stepping into the illusion with Chi Wu, they had fought their way through treacherous paths, leading a steely cavalry surge to this point.
But moving forward,
they encountered an invisible barrier.
That prevented the two from advancing.
Prince Jiu attempted to break through it…
but, unfortunately, perhaps because this battlefield was merely a construct of Divine Thought, the barrier was impervious and utterly indestructible.
“My lord,”
Chi Wu spoke with a smile, “Chi Ling City had friendly ties with the Dragon Descendant Venerable a thousand years ago.
If we really met that ‘Dragon Venerable,’ he might even be an old acquaintance of your ancestors…”
“Heh heh.”
Prince Jiu was in an exceptionally good mood, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
If he could continue to move forward in this illusion,
he would indeed like to meet that great cultivator of the Dragon Descendants and have a few words.
Although his cultivation was still far from the realm of the ‘True Dragon Tribulation’…
Prince Jiu always believed,
that one day, he too would reach that point.
Before long, he would complete his ‘Asking Dao,’ and then, with proper preparation, he would set about ascending to Great Venerate.
“Tie Feng and the others have already gone to the ancient nation; inside that country, there must still be hidden treasures…”
Chi Wu asked cautiously, “Is my lord planning to continue enjoying the scenery here, or…?”
“There’s no need to stay here any longer.”
Prince Jiu turned and swept his sleeves.
He had reached the end of the illusion and was certain that there was no one else’s presence here.
Those three bedraggled Human Race Yin Gods…
must have already fled deep into the ancient nation.
Boom!
Just as the Demon Race prince, in high spirits, was about to stroll away, the previously silent Chi Ling Order suddenly vibrated!
“?”
Chi Wu frowned.
The smile on Prince Jiu’s face instantly froze, and his expression turned grim.
This ancient battlefield illusion, due to the excessively powerful Soul Power of the opponents from the past Dragon Subjugation battle, had coalesced into an existence akin to a virtual Grotto Heaven.
Once one entered deep into the illusion, the connection to the Divine Soul Order would be severed…
Even though the ancient nation was just outside the illusion, and the distance between them was very close, it made no exception.
Sometimes, silence in the Order does not mean that nothing has happened.
At this moment,
the Chi Ling Order conveyed two messages in an instant.
“Tie Feng, Rong Chan, both have been killed!”
Chi Wu’s expression turned ugly, “Rong Chan didn’t even have the chance to send a distress signal…”
This Chi Ling Order,
not only enables Divine Soul communication but is also linked to the ‘Demon Heart’ of every Demon Cultivator under Chi Wu’s command.
In other words,
it is also a life token.
However…
The person who wields the chief Chi Ling Order can decide the life and death of subordinates with a single thought.
Chi Wu couldn’t believe that in the short moment they entered the illusion, two fatal disasters had already occurred!
“Both of these were ‘half-step Demon Venerables’ wielding incomplete principles.”
Chi Wu quickly calmed down, “During this Northern Hunt of the Human Race, there shouldn’t be any young talents who have comprehended the Tao Rules…
Even if someone makes a breakthrough on the spot, they shouldn’t be able to sla they are in such a short time.”
Was it the fleeing Yin God?
The Chi Ling Order trembled in the illusion.
Right before Tie Feng’s death, he transmitted a scene into the chief Chi Ling Order.
A figure in a blurry black robe.
“Tie Feng’s Heart Lake was crushed by someone.”
Prince Jiu glanced briefly, then spoke coldly, “The other party’s Divine Soul Realm is far above his…
It’s very likely that they’ve reached the late phase of the Yin God Realm.”
Recalling the earlier jest.
It became an ominous prophecy.
Chi Wu clenched his teeth and asked, “So, Tie Feng’s death…
was it done by the ‘Han Shan’ Venerable?”
“That old thing is down to his last breath now.
It’s already a big deal that his Divine Soul can leave his body.”
Prince Jiu snorted and shook his head, “As for those three Human Race Yin Gods, even if I don’t continue to pursue them, whether they can live is another matter…”
The previous great battle.
These three Yin Gods had exhausted all their strength, almost resorting to various Life-Burning Methods to fight against him.
This kind of fighting was obviously a desperate attempt to protect the young talents of the Northern Hunt, to help them escape into the Secret Realm and gain enough time.
Regardless of the outcome.
All three of them would pay a terrible price!
“Not Han Shan Venerable?”
Chi Wu was somewhat puzzled, “Could it be that within the Human Race, there are still hidden Yin God experts?”
Prince Jiu spoke without expression, “Send the Divine Thought coordinates of the disappearance of Tie Feng’s Chi Ling Order to me.”
“Prince, the rules of this ancient country are complicated.”
Chi Wu cautiously reminded, “Even with the coordinates, we might not be able to reach it directly.”
“It’s fine.”
Prince Jiu said calmly, “We’ll traverse directly.”
“Traverse directly?”
Chi Wu was stunned for a moment, then felt a pressure on his shoulder.
Prince Jiu no longer sauntered casually but grabbed the shoulder of his close attendant.
With his other hand, he tore through the void in front of him.
Rip!
Incredibly, he tore a hole directly through the void!
The illusion shattered!
Streams of void torrents erupted in the pitch-black space.
The dark divine shadow above Prince Jiu’s head, majestic and seated, surrounded by Dao as vast as galaxies, wrapped him up and strongly withstood these void torrents.
“Crossing the void with a physical body…”
Chi Wu was shocked and silently marveled in his Heart Lake, “The Prince’s physique is truly remarkable.
It seems his promotion to Great Venerate is almost a certainty.”
Traversing the void.
This was almost beyond the category of the Yin God.
Usually, it was a feat only Yang God Venerates would attempt…
because void torrents were extremely damaging to the physical body and within the Yin God Realm, only a very few powerful Body Refiners could accomplish it.
Both stepped directly into the void.
The next moment.
The sound of wind and sand on the Ancient Battlefield gradually died down.
The “end” of this illusion…
The invisible barrier that Prince Jiu reached out to touch but could not surpass slowly disappeared.
The iron cavalry torrent headed toward the distant towering trapped dragon light pillar.
In this ancient battlefield.
A clean area was vacated, sand and pebbles did not enter, and the arrow’s aura bypassed it.
Three figures, drenched in blood and supporting each other, stood within this serene boundary.
They were the three ship examiners responsible for supervising the Northern Hunt exam.
You Yuan, Bi Luo, Han Shan.
In the previous great battle, they had almost burned out their last bit of Primordial Energy; at this moment, if not for supporting each other, they wouldn’t even have the strength to stand.
Their faces pale, they watched Prince Jiu tear through the void and leave.
Prince Jiu had already reached the state of crossing the void with his body…
It wouldn’t take long.
Perhaps the Demon Country would soon have one more Great Venerate.
But what truly made the three Yin Gods feel “fear” wasn’t Prince Jiu.
“Leaping through the Dragon Gate, one becomes a True Dragon…”
A long sigh.
Rose among the iron cavalry torrent behind them.
The three Yin Gods stiffened and did not turn around…
It wasn’t that they lacked the strength to do so.
But rather.
They dared not turn around.
After stepping into this Secret Realm, an invisible force locked onto them, directly detained them in this place, and then erected a barrier that kept Prince Jiu out, staging a play of being “within arm’s reach” yet unable to meet.
Clearly.
The cultivator possessing such means.
Was at least one great realm above Prince Jiu…
perhaps even more.
Regardless, this was still a kind of rescue.
Yet the three were so tense.
Only because after being detained here.
A phrase that was half-joking, half-mocking, reached their ears.
“He who looks back will be beheaded.”
These five words, with their frivolous laughter, were nevertheless spoken cleanly and decisively.
The three dared not move.
So this sigh was destined to receive no reply.
The voice sounded slightly disappointed, “It’s rare for you three to come here; don’t you want to see the real reason the Great Yue Kingdom was destroyed a thousand years ago?”
The three remained as rigid as stone, none of them daring to make a rash move.
“Don’t be afraid, even if you really look back, it doesn’t matter…”
The White Robed Taoist standing amongst the iron cavalry torrent, in the gap of history, smiled helplessly and spoke softly, “What’s there to enjoy in living, what’s there to fear in dying…
Some secrets of ancient history are worth exchanging your life for the truth, aren’t they?”