Chapter 284: True Dragon

Now Li Yunxin had shown everything he wanted the True Dragon to know.

He had the bloodline of the Two Saints. If the True Dragon, the lord of demons, wanted to do something to the Daoist Orthodoxy, this bloodline would be a valuable asset.

He had fought against the Taoist priests of the Daoist Orthodoxy. The results almost always ended in his victory.

He handled the relationship with his enemies with a clever method, which meant he had not only muscle but also brains.

He knew the secret of body-snatching. And he was not alone—the secret came from the White Yama King.

He had now made his final break with the Daoist Orthodoxy—he released his enemy, but only provided limited assistance. This meant he was not someone who would be swayed by emotion, but nor was he a merciless, emotionless person.

These were all the qualities an qualified executor and strategist should possess.

If the True Dragon truly wanted to accomplish great things, then he needed such a person—given that so many of the great demons seemed to be fools.

Li Yunxin walked slowly in the moonlight along the road toward Dongting—taking a leisurely stroll. It took him half an hour to walk one li (approx. 500 meters), as if he finally had the leisure to experience a certain pleasurable tranquility after non-stop, fierce fighting.

Thus, the things he had done tonight quickly received feedback.

He heard the sound of people behind him.

Judging by the sound alone, it should have been three men, and they had been drinking. The drunken voices quickly shattered the quietness of the small path, and the slurred, vulgar language revealed what they considered a "joyful matter"—

They had just found an extraordinarily beautiful woman. After taking turns assaulting her on her red brocade quilt, they killed her and took the few pieces of silver in her hand.

These three men were bandits who had fled into the Yeyuan Forest to escape official pursuit a while ago. They happened to hear that Weicheng had been destroyed and was ablaze, so they planned to return to see if they could find any treasures or fun. They did not expect to have a pleasant surprise on the very first night.

The three soon spotted Li Yunxin ahead, and their voices dropped—as if they instinctively felt "it's better not to draw attention" after committing a wicked deed. But they quickly realized they had the advantage in numbers, and their voices grew loud again. They quickened their steps to close in on Li Yunxin, apparently planning to make another fortune.

Li Yunxin glanced at the surface of the Folding Fan in his hand.

Liu Ling was still at Green Hillock on the fan, and had not died.

And the bright spot was also hidden from view.

But the three people behind him were also not three lackluster mortals.

In fact, there was nothing there.

This meant that the three people behind him did not exist; they were just little tricks conjured with a spell—to a great demon like Li Yunxin, of course.

This was the True Dragon's test.

Therefore, Li Yunxin did not hesitate to stop, turn around, and face the three people approaching him from behind.

The three ordinary-looking bandits were spewing alcohol fumes, encircling him in a triangle formation. While staring at him fiercely, they demanded he hand over his valuables, and once again repeated the evil deeds they had just committed to make him panic.

Was the True Dragon testing whether he truly didn't care about that beautiful woman from the Daoist Orthodoxy?

Li Yunxin tilted his head. He casually waved his hand.

The heads of the three bandits, who were still chattering and grinning sinisterly and triumphantly, flew into the air at the same moment. The headless bodies fell one after another onto the ground, spilling their hot blood.

After killing the three bandits who "had just killed Liu Ling," Li Yunxin turned his head and glanced in the direction of Green Hillock.

But he merely glanced.

The next moment, he turned around, and a cloud of mist suddenly rose from under his feet, soaring into the sky, heading straight for Dongting—as if his mood had been spoiled by these three, and he no longer felt like strolling under the moonlight.

He traveled on the cloud and soon returned to Jun Mountain.

As soon as he landed on the square in front of the Central Hall, Old Daoist Liu hurried forward, looking very worried. But Li Yunxin smiled: "It's resolved."

The old Daoist looked up at the time—it had only been three shichen (6 hours)... and he had resolved the issue with a Profound Realm demon!?

But Li Yunxin said no more and quickly changed the subject. He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice: "We might have another big trouble. Yazi told me... the True Dragon is on his way here."

The old Daoist was stunned. Then he subconsciously asked: "True Dragon?"

"The one and only True Dragon," Li Yunxin could understand his feelings—the True Dragon was a legendary figure to him. In fact, many mortals might even think the True Dragon was just a totem fabricated and made up by people. Now, hearing that he "is coming," being "stunned" was already considered composed and steady.

But the old Daoist's expression was a genuine reaction, exactly what Li Yunxin wanted.

He slightly irritatedly waved his Folding Fan, and saw the bright spot representing the True Dragon appear again on the fan's surface—located in Dongting.

"I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse," Li Yunxin looked worried. "Our future will be decided in the next few days."

The old Daoist finally recovered, but was still a little dazed: "Future?"

"Yes, the future," Li Yunxin sighed. "I originally became a demon to be unrestricted and roam the world, but I didn't expect to stir up so much trouble. Now I've offended several major powers—although it seems peaceful for now... we are actually still in a place of death."

"So if the True Dragon is really coming... we had better submit to him. Only with the True Dragon's approval can I be considered a proper, great demon and avoid being constantly troubled."

Li Yunxin walked a few more steps, then turned to look at Old Daoist Liu: "What do you think the outcome will be?"

The old Daoist blinked after a long pause: "Ah... well, if the True Dragon really shows himself—will I be able to see him!?"

Li Yunxin was stunned, then sighed—he had overestimated the acceptance of people of this era to such things. He gave a wry smile, snapped his fingers in front of Old Daoist Liu: "...Old Liu."

The old Daoist snapped back: "Huh?"

"There will be many opportunities in the future," he waved his finger in front of the old Daoist again. "Help me think of a plan now."

"Think of what plan?"

Li Yunxin was silent for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "I'm not entirely sure either."

Then he glanced at the fan's surface.

The bright spot had disappeared again.

This was a strange phenomenon—when the True Dragon was observing him from the high sky, the bright spot representing him could be seen on the fan. It was dazzling, vast, closely connected to the heaven and earth, and carried a terrifying might.

But the last time it disappeared was when the other party was casting a spell—creating three non-existent robbers to test him.

Now it had disappeared again. Did this mean... his second test had begun?

A quarter of an hour (15 minutes) later, Li Yunxin got his answer.

First, an earth-shattering roar suddenly sounded from somewhere in the lake, stirring up monstrous waves. Although it was night and very far away, Li Yunxin could still see a line-like white wave appear where the water and sky met in the distance.

That was... the Vicious Flood Dragon in the lake.

He was slightly stunned—had this Vicious Flood Dragon gone mad?

When Old Man Su arrived, the Vicious Flood Dragon was as compliant as a loyal dog. Now that the True Dragon had arrived... it had gone crazy?

But soon, he got his answer again—

A sudden, fleeting downpour of heavy rain fell from the sky, and then a gigantic figure crashed down from high in the sky with a buzz!

Li Yunxin immediately looked up and saw a huge body, similar in size to the Vicious Flood Dragon in the lake. For a moment, he almost thought it was the True Dragon manifesting his true form and lunging at him. But he quickly realized that this thing... seemed to be dead.

Because its enormous body was motionless, its head drooping as it fell—finally curving into a line in mid-air.

Li Yunxin's heart skipped a beat, and he grabbed Old Daoist Liu, flashing out of the way—

With a bang, the giant object smashed right onto the square in front of the Central Hall. The bricks and stones used for the Ziwei Palace were not ordinary materials. But even so, the huge square was still smashed into a deep pit. Old Daoist Liu stood beside Li Yunxin, dumbfounded.

The giant object on the square was indeed the Vicious Flood Dragon from the lake. A strong fishy smell emanated from its body, and a few small fish fell from its scales, jumping on the ground. Lake water also flowed from its scales, quickly filling the deep pit. Thus, the small fish found temporary refuge again, disappearing into the murky water.

But the Vicious Flood Dragon was dead.

The fatal wound was not apparent—its huge, copper-bell-like eyes were wide open, staring straight at the sky, and its pupils became cloudy at a visible speed.

Li Yunxin looked around in the night... there was no movement.

So he let go of Old Daoist Liu's hand and jumped onto the body of the Vicious Flood Dragon. He stepped on its fine scales, walked a few steps to examine it, and found no one.

He subconsciously reached for his Folding Fan, but then suddenly saw the inside of the Central Hall light up.

Golden light filled the hall, radiating out from the windows and doors. It was as if someone had suddenly lit ten million lamps in the hall, and the light was thick like viscous milk.

Li Yunxin held his breath and looked into the hall.

A person had appeared in the hall at some point.

He turned to Old Daoist Liu and said: "Old Liu, wait for me here."

The old Daoist looked at the Vicious Flood Dragon, then at Li Yunxin, and nodded blankly.

He knew that the True Dragon might have arrived, but... he hadn't expected it to begin with such a scene. In his understanding, the manifestation of the True Dragon... should always be accompanied by rays of colorful light and auspicious clouds, right?!

Li Yunxin lingered briefly on the corpse of the Vicious Flood Dragon, then took a deep breath.

Then he jumped down and walked up the stone steps to the door of the hall, one step at a time—now he could see the person in the hall. His eyebrows slightly raised.

It was a woman.

This woman... was a beautiful woman. Just by her appearance, her age was indiscernible—one could say she was a slightly mature teenage girl, or a mature woman in her early twenties, or even a well-preserved, quite young-looking middle-aged woman.

This was because of her unique temperament. Although she was beautiful, she carried an air of solemn majesty. She did not deliberately frown or look up—but simply sat calmly behind the main seat of the Central Hall...

Her left hand held a coiled, multicolored venomous snake, and her right hand gently, tenderly stroked its head.

And the venomous snake dared not move, as if carved from stone.

The woman's hair was combed into the style of "Flowing Cloud Phoenix Wing" (Liuyun Fèngyì). This made her look noble and luxurious. There were no gold or silver jewels adorning her hair, but two beams of golden light shot up from her forehead.

Two beams of golden light that slanted upward and were surrounded by countless tiny, dust-like points of light.

Li Yunxin realized... those seemed to be her horns.

Her golden robe was also brilliant—like light, yet possessing form and substance. As she sat in the hall, her golden robe seemed to move without wind. It flowed slowly, like light or water.

This also made her look... fantastical and divine, as if constantly displaying her power and majesty to the world.

Was this... the True Dragon?

Li Yunxin instinctively took another deep breath.

He had once guessed that the True Dragon was actually the Dragon Mother. But seeing the person in front of him, he still felt a bit absurd—it wasn't that he himself had any gender bias. It was because, in a world like this, it was indeed a man's world. And for this True Dragon to be a woman... it was hard to imagine how she had once roamed the world and subdued the multitude of demons.

...But perhaps precisely because she was a woman, the current host of demons were scattered and didn't want to follow her.

Li Yunxin's heart slightly relaxed. But then it skipped a beat, and he realized he had made a mistake.

Men always let down their Mental Defense slightly when they see a woman—and this was, in fact, one of a woman's powerful weapons. He knew this, and he should not have made such a mistake.

He stopped at the entrance of the hall, looking earnestly at the person inside: "What is your title, Your Excellency?"

The True Dragon in human form did not answer. Instead, she looked at him calmly. Then she leaned back slightly and said: "Do you confess your crime?"

Her voice was clear and melodious. But there was an undeniable majesty within her gentleness.

To this point, she did indeed look like an out-and-out "great figure," and her appearance, demeanor, and voice were absolutely worthy of her status.

But Li Yunxin could not help but frown slightly.

He felt something was strange. But he couldn't tell exactly what.

For instance, in his former world, he had heard of many people in high positions—some of whom might hold the power to control the food, clothing, and shelter of millions, even hundreds of millions, of people. Their images and names were mentioned carefully by people, or not even dared to be mentioned.

But when Li Yunxin came into close contact with such people, a feeling would still arise in his heart, "Ah, he is also like this."

This meant... as a name or a role, that person looked incredibly imposing and wielded immense power. But when he sat in front of you, you found his skin could also have blemishes. He would also feel nervous, he would occasionally touch his nose, and sometimes, he would even sneeze or pass gas.

—Countless tiny details made the person in front of you more vivid, thus creating a subtle "sense of intimacy."

But Li Yunxin, upon meeting the True Dragon now...

He couldn't feel that kind of sensation.

This True Dragon... was too perfect, too majestic.

Perfect like a symbol, or an emblem. (To be continued.)