Chapter 273 - 174: The Black Dragon Transforms the Land

Chapter 273: Chapter 174: The Black Dragon Transforms the Land

The grating sound of metal clashing pierced the night sky.

The ground beneath Xue Nichang’s feet cracked inch by inch and collapsed downward. The arms she used to hold her whip trembled violently, and the flesh between her thumb and forefinger split open, blood snaking down the handle.

She looked utterly battered, but she had blocked the attack.

Lu Changyuan saw this and frowned. "Scales?"

This Xue Nichang had absorbed a trace of Black Dragon Essence Blood and could now grow black scales on her own. With their help, she had managed to withstand Qiu Yuehan’s sword strike.

Su Youwan’s small hand suddenly tightened, gripping Lu Changyuan’s desperately.

"Young Master Lu."

"Hm?"

"Youwan... really hates her."

Lu Changyuan was slightly surprised. Su Youwan was normally emotionally detached, yet here she was using a word like "hate" to describe Xue Nichang. This was indeed a very strange occurrence.

"Have you ever felt this way before?"

The Silver-haired Maiden shook her head, then gently rested it on Lu Changyuan’s shoulder. "Youwan only started feeling this way after she grew those black scales."

’She didn’t feel it before, but she does now. That means she hates the Black Dragon.’

Lu Changyuan carefully considered the Five Desires and Six Dust Heart Transformation Technique and realized he didn’t seem to have a way to grow black scales like Xue Nichang.

He had no idea what Dao Xue Nichang had ultimately entered. It was probably some derivative of the Blood Dao, which was why she could undergo a Dragon Transformation like her father.

’Oh well. It’s not important.’

Xue Nichang seemed to be treating this Dragon Transformation as her trump card, but it was obvious she was in for some serious trouble.

The relationship between the Nether Monarch and the Black Dragon wasn’t just a deep-seated hatred; it was a life-and-death struggle. Especially since it seemed the Nether Monarch hadn’t completely won their contest back in the Ancient Times, so the rage was just piling up.

All Lu Changyuan could do was wish Xue Nichang good luck.

And hope she ran into some trouble.

Just as Lu Changyuan expected.

Seeing Xue Nichang’s state, Qiu Yuehan actually smiled.

The moonlight illuminated her smile, lending it a hair-raising aura.

The Black Skirt Fairy lowered her sword.

Unlike yesterday when she fought Wang Dayun, where the Moon Fairy thought there was no need to kill, right now, the Moon Fairy wanted to pound Xue Nichang into paste!

"You’ve done well," Qiu Yuehan said, saying no more as she clenched her fist tightly.

A thick fog instantly rose from nowhere, obscuring all vision.

A primeval sound echoed from within the fog. An immense being, too great to be looked upon directly, lifted its foreclaws, letting out a rumbling noise.

A path of white bone formed inch by inch beneath Qiu Yuehan, extending all the way to Xue Nichang.

Xue Nichang suddenly found herself unable to move, forced to face Qiu Yuehan’s incoming fist head-on.

Li Dashu said in astonishment, "What is that?!"

A phantasmal city formed behind Qiu Yuehan, looking as if it might descend at any moment.

Lu Changyuan said nonchalantly, "Just a little trump card. Everyone has one."

"Are you kidding me?! My young friend, that doesn’t look like power a Jade Balance cultivator should have!"

An ordinary person might not have noticed.

But as a Seventh Realm Yao Guang Cultivator, how could Li Dashu fail to recognize the flavor of a Yao Guang Technique from that phantom of the Netherworld?

"Why is Sect Leader Li so surprised?" Lu Changyuan thought for a moment before explaining, "She had a fortunate encounter and received the legacy of a predecessor, inheriting that person’s Yao Guang Technique. But she still belongs to the younger generation."

’Yes. The Nether Monarch, thousands of years old, reincarnated as a Cold Fairy in her twenties. She’s definitely of the younger generation.’

Lu Changyuan took a sip of tea. "Look at Xue Nichang. Those black scales on her body aren’t something an ordinary Jade Balance cultivator can have. And wasn’t there something off about that Wang Dayun, too?"

’That’s true,’ Li Dashu thought. "Right. As long as it’s within the rules, it’s fine."

The rules were clear: must not have participated before, and bone age must be under fifty.

As long as those conditions were met, it was acceptable.

Everything else was irrelevant.

A true genius should be able to overwhelm even the reincarnations of Great Powers.

It wasn’t as if there was no precedent.

He recalled that many years ago, when the Celestial Dao Grand Competition wasn’t yet called the Celestial Dao Grand Competition, there was only one rule: one could not be above the Fifth Realm.

An old fossil at the Peak of the Sixth Realm had re-cultivated his way down to participate in the competition.

And then that old fossil got beaten down by a young maiden who had only just begun her journey.

He was even left with a scathing comment: "Shameless, cowardly old man. This is not the place for you."

That maiden’s name was Leng Moyuan, Lu Changyuan’s only disciple.

Lu Changyuan added, "Besides, she’s in the Fifth Realm, and so are the others. They’re all in the Fifth Realm, so what’s the difference?"

’It’s not like she’s using the power of the Sixth Realm to bully anyone.’

"QIU YUEHAN!!!" Xue Nichang’s piercing shriek came from within the mist.

In just a moment, her face was black and blue, swollen beyond recognition.

It was hard to say if it was intentional, but the Moon Fairy’s every punch landed on her face.

But that wasn’t all. Qiu Yuehan stopped using any Magic. She simply wrapped her hands in Nether Qi, grabbed Xue Nichang’s leg, and slammed her down with all her might.

Xue Nichang was swung around until she was just a blur, then brutally smashed onto the hard stone surface of the Sword Testing Platform. Shattered stones exploded outward, dust erupted, and a distinct crater formed in an instant.

Qiu Yuehan suddenly stopped.

From the crater, a bloody and mangled Xue Nichang abruptly unleashed a terrifying aura.

A blurry shadow of a Black Dragon shot out of the crater in an instant, roaring at the heavens as it lunged straight for the Black Skirt Fairy, who stood her ground.

Lu Changyuan glanced up. "Now that is the power of the Sixth Realm."

Even Bai Lu, who was not far off, or any other member of the younger generation would most likely be unable to take this attack and would have to retreat for the moment.

But the one on the stage was Qiu Yuehan.

The Moon Fairy sneered. Her wrist shot out. Without dodging or evading, she met the charging Black Dragon phantom head-on. Her slender fingers, though they seemed delicate, contained immense power. They dug directly into the churning phantom, and then, with sheer brute force, she ripped it in half.

Accompanied by Xue Nichang’s shriek, blood rained down, tinting the thick fog.

Within the fog, where an ordinary person could see nothing...

A few drops of blood splattered onto Qiu Yuehan’s cheek, making the Moon Fairy’s skin appear even fairer. It added a touch of eerie beauty to her already cold face.

Qiu Yuehan wiped the blood away with her hand and said coldly, "This is your trump card?"

~~~~~~~~~

Su Youwan suddenly didn’t hate Xue Nichang as much anymore.

Then again, no one could really hate a mangled heap that could barely be called human.

She wasn’t dead.

But she was close.

She had the Wood True Qi from the Qingcao Sword Sect’s Sword Burial Tomb to thank for keeping her alive by a thread.

"Young Master Lu, should we keep watching?"

"If you don’t want to, we can leave."

Su Youwan nodded lightly. Lu Changyuan immediately stood up and cupped his hands toward Li Dashu. "Sect Leader Li, if you’ll excuse us."

He had noticed something was wrong with Su Youwan’s condition.

This was not the time to be watching the Grand Competition.

The instant they left the Sword Testing Platform, Su Youwan went limp.

Lu Changyuan silently picked up the maiden, supporting Su Youwan’s body with his arms, and walked toward the pavilion.

The scent of sandalwood incense filled his nostrils. The maiden was surprisingly light and soft; she must not have an ounce of superfluous flesh on her to be this weightless.

"Are you in pain?"

Su Youwan shook her head, her eyes closed.

It wasn’t pain.

Her Dao was trembling... no, it was her own mind that was trembling.

She couldn’t speak.

It felt as if something was echoing in her mind. It was a shriek—the Black Dragon’s shriek. But listening closely, it wasn’t just the Black Dragon’s shriek.

Su Youwan felt like a lone boat in a raging storm. It was only because Lu Changyuan was holding her that she didn’t collapse onto the ground.

Lu Changyuan activated his Heart Method to inspect the maiden’s body but found nothing unusual.

HUFF!

The maiden suddenly took a deep breath, greedily inhaling Lu Changyuan’s scent.

The vague thing finally took shape.

It was a vague utterance from the Ancient Times.

Su Youwan clearly heard that utterance say:

"The Black Dragon fell in defeat and became the earth."

At almost the same time.

Brilliant golden characters were reflected in Lu Changyuan’s eyes.

[The Black Dragon fell in defeat and became the earth. Thus began the era of the Ten Thousand Races.]

The maiden’s voice continued, but she was only murmuring Lu Changyuan’s name.

Lu Changyuan looked up at the sky.

Jian Guyang’s Sword Mark was still there. Since it was nighttime, Lu Changyuan couldn’t see the sun; only a single, clear moon hung high in the sky.