Chapter Fifty-Six: Dragon's Flesh and the Demonic Blade

At that moment, Lu Qian realized he was surrounded by countless shadowy figures. Unknowingly, he had already lifted his head and was staring straight into a pair of bizarre eyes and a twisted face. The face was as long as a horse’s, the chin sharp as an awl, the skin pale and rigid like waxed paper, with a strange, frozen smile at the corners of the mouth. The eyes were black tinged with red, as if they possessed some bewitching power that could shred all rational thought to pieces.

“Not good!” Alarms blared in Lu Qian’s mind.

By some unnoticed means, these chest-pierced beings over two meters tall had appeared at his side. They were exactly as depicted in the illustrations, each with a gaping hole the size of a plate at the center of their chests—through this, one could see right through to whatever lay beyond. A tremendous psychic force swept over him, and strange, chaotic visions burst into his mind. Countless bizarre notions sprouted, as if an army of souls were fighting him for possession of his body.

“Retreat!”

Lu Qian made a snap decision. The paper effigy burned to ashes, and at the last possible moment, he escaped that world.

In reality, Lu Qian’s eyes snapped open. His face was deathly pale, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. Though he’d abandoned the paper figure, his own spirit, which had been riding upon it, had suffered severe backlash.

“Who would have thought a single glance could hold such power,” Lu Qian mused silently. He’d thought himself cautious enough, but he’d still fallen into a trap—this was truly beyond his expectations. The gaze of the chest-pierced creatures seemed capable of corrupting spirits. If someone met their eyes for too long, their mind might shatter and die.

“Hm?”

Just then, Lu Qian looked up, catching commotion outside the cave.

Ji Kong had arrived at the mountaintop with his men. The summit was barren, except for a pitch-black opening in the ground.

“Is this the place? Go have a look,” Ji Kong commanded in an even tone, though his eyes were now wary. The finest hunters often fall prey to their quarry; even a lion uses all its strength to hunt a hare—he understood this well.

“Retreat—now!” Ji Kong’s face changed dramatically.

Boom!

No sooner had he spoken than the ground ahead erupted. Invisible shockwaves overturned everything nearby, and crimson flames swallowed the three men. The explosion’s radius extended a hundred meters, displaying just how terrifyingly potent fire-thunder powder could be.

When the smoke cleared, three shadowy figures stood where they had been—their black robes in tatters, but their bodies underneath unscathed. The exposed flesh of Ji Kong’s two weapon-thralls appeared grotesque: one bore vicious blood-red scars, the other’s cervical spine glowed the color of fresh blood.

“Did you think such paltry tricks could save you from disaster?” Ji Kong sneered cruelly, locking eyes with Lu Qian’s true body inside the cave.

“Bring me my armor!”

“Yes, Master!” The two weapon-thralls knelt half-bowed. The skin of the one on the left rippled, and dragon-like scales emerged from within, transforming him instantly into a monster covered head to toe in fish-like armor.

“Aaagh!” As the man screamed, the scales peeled away, forming a suit of armor that hovered in mid-air. The greenish-blue scales gleamed with metallic luster, with stark white bones and sinews at key joints. The scale armor seemed almost alive as it attached itself to Ji Kong, fitting perfectly and seamlessly.

On the other side, the second thrall let out a similar scream as his spinal column detached, forming a pale, curved saber. After manifesting these weapons, both weapon-thralls collapsed, drained of all strength, crumpling like piles of rotten flesh.

The whole process dazzled the eye, yet took only an instant.

Whoosh!

A volley of ghostly green fireballs and blood-striped steel arrows came flying. Boom! The attacks struck the fish-scale armor but failed to pierce its defense. Ji Kong scoffed, patting his armor as a foul, bloody glow enveloped him, forming a faint membrane of light.

“If you can’t even break through my ‘Dragon Sinew’, you’re far too weak. Best become a soul beneath my Blood-Dissolving Demon Blade. If I were you, I’d stop resisting—resistance only brings more pain!”

Swoosh!

No sooner had he finished speaking than a dazzling azure light shot across the sky, splitting the air with a thunderous roar. The three-foot blade of blue radiance sped toward Ji Kong in an instant. The ghostly flame cut through the bloody aura, wisps of smoke curling up.

Screech!

The dragon sinew armor’s scales were scored with a long, deep gash.

The blue blade spun back, hovering steadily by Lu Qian’s side—a precious sword forged from ghostly fire. Though the strike had not succeeded, Lu Qian felt a twinge of regret. At the same time, he marveled at the strength of this strange opponent’s armor and weapon.

To possess weapon-thralls and such formidable armaments—they must be from Seven Arms Mountain.

“You…”

Ji Kong, shaken, touched his neck where a three-inch wound had been left. If it had gone any deeper, he would have died here today.

“Very good. You are the first to wound me. In return, I will kill you with all my might!”

With his fear dispelled, a twisted, hungry look replaced it on Ji Kong’s face.

Whoosh!

The Blood-Dissolving Demon Blade turned to a flash of bloody light and vanished, reappearing behind Lu Qian in the next heartbeat. The dense blood aura even took the shape of a menacing skull.

“Where did this lunatic come from?”

Lu Qian felt as if his very blood was set ablaze, ready to burst from his body.

Bang!

He stamped the ground hard, shattering it beneath his feet and using the recoil to hurl himself backward. At the same time, a shield of true black water formed to block the strike. Every instinct told Lu Qian—he must not suffer even a scratch from that blade. The very name “Blood-Dissolving Demon Blade” was omen enough.

The two clashed in a flurry of blows. Blood-red light and ghostly flame raged, leaving chaos in their wake for tens of meters around.

Lu Qian relied on his paper effigies, fireballs, ghostly serpents, and the formidable Seven Kill Sword to hold his own. Yet his opponent was clearly stronger, wielding both the dragon sinew and the demon blade. Moreover, Lu Qian was still suffering from earlier wounds, the lingering effects of the chest-pierced creatures sapping at least thirty percent of his power.

Gradually, he began to fall behind.

Bang!

Ghostly fire burst apart, and the Seven Kill Talisman Sword was knocked from his hand, falling to the ground and reverting to a mere hilt.

“A mere talisman-crafted weapon is nothing compared to a true artifact. Accept your fate,” Ji Kong advanced step by step.

Lu Qian, now pale and sweating, had to split his focus between fighting and resisting the psychic corruption gnawing at his mind; his energy drained at an alarming rate. Hearing those words, a faint smile curled his lips. “You’re right—the Seven Kill Talisman Sword can’t compare to a true artifact…”

Buzz!

The blue radiance rose again, thrusting toward Ji Kong.

“Futile!” Ji Kong sneered, gripping his pale demon blade as blood light roared around him. He was ready to destroy this talisman weapon and show his enemy the true gulf between their power.

“What—?”

Boom!

Suddenly, the blue light exploded. The blinding radiance made it impossible to keep one’s eyes open.

“…But I can use it as a consumable!” Lu Qian’s voice echoed from afar. “Keep your miserable life—I’ll come back for it! I am Daoist Fish-Dragon!”

“Damn you, little Fish-Dragon! I’ll kill you!!” Ji Kong howled in pain as the ghostly fire devoured him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Qian give a slight smile before transforming into a shadowy black mist and vanishing into the distance.

The Seven Kill Talisman Sword was made from twenty-eight talismanic seals, its power multiplied sevenfold. When it exploded, the force was immense—ghostly flames and venomous fire swept a hundred meters, the blaze visible even ten miles away.

…

(Sorry, brothers, just woke up from a night shift—here’s the update.)