Chapter 278: Such a Massive Fire Dragon… Where Did It Go?
Dingfan City.
Located southwest of the Fallen God Gorge, this city sat on the edge of the Pill Realm, serving as a boundary between the Pill Tower and other major forces in Zhongzhou. The city was rife with chaos, its streets teeming with factions large and small, and its population a mix of all sorts virtuous and villainous alike.
Medusa and her group of four paid no mind to the city's disorder. After all, she had ventured to far more lawless places with Lu Bu before places like the Black Corner Region.
Now that was a land of complete chaos, devoid of law and order. Compared to the Black Corner Region, Dingfan City seemed almost orderly.
However, since they now knew where Lu Bu was, there was no need to linger. It was time to leave.
The four women rested at an inn for the night. Early the next morning, they rose to head toward the spatial wormhole.
"Medusa, why are we waking up so early? I'm so tired!" Zi Yan mumbled groggily, rubbing her eyes. She usually didn't sleep, but when she did, she preferred to sleep in.
"Get off Yun Yun first before you complain about being tired," Medusa said, exasperated, a vein bulging on her forehead. Beneath her veil, her delicate face radiated irritation.
"No way! This is so comfy," Zi Yan giggled, rubbing her head against Yun Yun's chest with a triumphant grin. "And besides, this is way more comfortable than yours."
Medusa glanced at Yun Yun's chest, then sneered coldly. "Is that so? Doesn't look like it to me."
Yun Yun straightened her chest slightly, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smirk beneath her veil. Nonsense!
Watching the brewing argument between the two, Xiao Yi Xian smiled helplessly. I wonder if you'll still act like this in front of Lu Bu… No, you definitely will. And that's good! If you're busy arguing with each other, you'll leave me and Lu Bu alone.
Her delicate brows arched in amusement as she pictured Medusa and Yun Yun squabbling like a pair of sandpipers, while she calmly reaped the rewards as the fisherman. The thought brought a contented smile to her lips.
"Hahaha! Lovely ladies, heading out so early?"
The playful laughter broke the harmony among the four women.
Turning, they saw three figures stepping out from the shadows. Among them was the effeminate youth who had toasted them earlier, along with an old man and a similarly effeminate younger servant.
The lighthearted atmosphere among the four women froze instantly. Four pairs of sharp, cold eyes turned toward the newcomers, their icy auras spreading out without restraint.
The white robed youth maintained his sunny smile as he scanned Medusa and the others. Although their faces were hidden behind veils, their graceful figures and elegant temperaments left no doubt that they were stunning. The mere thought of getting close to such women stirred a heat in his heart, and a fiery desire flickered in his eyes.
"Heh." Despite the undisguised killing intent emanating from the women, the youth's smile deepened. He was no stranger to such reactions.
Bowing slightly, he spoke in a light, pleasant voice, "Ladies, I am Ji Yue of the Desire Immortal Sect. A pleasure to meet you "
"Move."
Before he could finish, Medusa interrupted coldly. Patience had never been one of her virtues.
In the Tagore Desert, her name had spread across four nations and five regions. Warriors had fled at the mere mention of the Medusa Queen not for her beauty, but for her ruthlessness.
It had been some time since she had unleashed such carnage. She wondered how many still remembered the blood soaked storms she had once brought.
"This woman… she's dangerous!" Ji Yue's elder companion suddenly tensed. A chill ran down his spine, and goosebumps prickled his skin as if he were being watched by a venomous serpent lurking in the shadows.
Beside him, Xiao Yi Xian's eyes began to shift, one turning gray and the other purple, as faint mist coiled around her fingers.
Desire Immortal Sect? Never heard of them. But just from the name, they don't sound like good people.
Behind them, Yun Yun paused, initially intending to act. Seeing Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian ready to fight, she stepped back, holding Zi Yan in her arms and watching calmly.
To deal with mere trash like this, there was no need for everyone to intervene.
Zi Yan grinned brightly. "It's so nice to have big sisters!"
Hearing his elder's warning, Ji Yue hesitated. His uncle was not one to panic easily, so if he was this cautious, these women were likely no ordinary travelers.
Still, Ji Yue's gaze lingered on their alluring silhouettes, and he swallowed hard. Such captivating women how could he let them leave without taking action?
As he struggled with his thoughts, the older man beside him furrowed his brow, already planning to reprimand the youth later. His nephew's recklessness could very well cost them dearly.
"Miss, my father is Ji Gong. Perhaps you've heard of him? How about we find a quieter place to "
Ji Yue's attempt at flattery was cut short as Medusa took a single step forward.
Clang!
A crisp, resounding sword cry echoed through the air.
Brilliant, dazzling sword light filled the world, sharp and cold as death itself.
"You " Ji Yue froze, his limbs turning ice cold. His mind was blank. Why would she try to kill me over a few words?
"Do Dou Zun?!"
The old man cried out in terror, reaching for his nephew in a desperate attempt to retreat. But before he could act, his body stiffened, and a thin red line appeared across his throat.
Slash!
Two heads flew into the air, followed by a geyser of blood. Their headless bodies collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
"You… you killed the young master!" The younger servant pointed at Medusa, his voice trembling with terror.
"You're finished! The Desire Immortal Sect controls all entry and exit points of Dingfan City, including the city gates and the spatial wormhole. You won't escape! You're doomed!"
As he shouted, his voice grew hoarser, and he instinctively scratched at his throat. His skin and flesh began to rot and fall away, and a suffocating sense of despair overwhelmed him. Moments later, he collapsed in agony, dead.
"The spatial wormhole is under their control?" Yun Yun frowned slightly.
"Then we'll just destroy it," Xiao Yi Xian said, her gray purple eyes glinting coldly. "We're not great at everything, but we do excel at large scale attacks."
"Let's go. We'll wipe out this so called Desire Immortal Sect!" Medusa's killing intent surged as she raised her sword, her aura soaring to the sky.
Instantly, countless people in Dingfan City were jolted awake by the overwhelming killing intent. A chilling sweat covered their bodies as they trembled in fear. What's happening?
"Who dares kill my son?!"
As the four women shot forward, a furious roar echoed through the city. A terrifying aura erupted, spiraling upward like a pillar of power.
A peak Dou Zong. Truly terrifying!
"It's Ji Gong! Who would provoke him?"
"His son is dead?"
"Good! That scum from the Desire Immortal Sect deserved it! How many innocent women did they harm? It's about time!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Ji Yue may be dead, but Ji Gong is still alive!"
"I killed him. What will you do about it?"
Medusa's cold, icy voice echoed faintly. She raised her delicate hand, and in the sky, multicolored light surged as dark clouds churned.
A seven colored beam of light suddenly descended from the clouds, crashing down with earth shaking force.
Boom!
A seven colored beam of light descended from the sky, accompanied by a thunderous roar as it struck with explosive force. The resulting energy ripples swept out violently, slamming into the peak Dou Zong with brutal intensity.
"Urgh… Dou… Dou Zun?" The master of the Desire Immortal Sect, Ji Gong, staggered back, vomiting blood. But despite his injuries, he ignored the pain, his face twisting in horror as Medusa and her three companions streaked toward him at lightning speed.
"Form the formation! All elders of the Desire Immortal Sect, form the formation!"
Ji Gong roared desperately. The situation had escalated to a point of no return. Pleading for mercy was no longer an option his only hope lay in stalling for time and waiting for reinforcements.
However, just as the figures behind him began gathering, ready to assemble into a defensive array, a faint gray mist silently drifted out and encircled the elders.
"W what?" The elders of the Desire Immortal Sect, already on high alert, sensed something amiss. But it was too late.
In the blink of an eye, those mighty elders who had exuded auras like soaring rainbows suddenly spat blood. Their bodies trembled violently before they collapsed to the ground like felled trees.
"What's going on?!" Ji Gong shouted in rage and confusion.
Up above, in the cold and silent sky, a massive sword materialized from countless shimmering blades of frost.
Medusa's eyes glinted with icy light as she waved her sleeve. The colossal sword, brimming with deadly intent, began its descent.
"Stop!"
A thunderous voice rang out just as the sword came crashing down.
Clang!
Blood sprayed into the air as the enormous sword left a massive gash in the ground. Standing beside the gaping sword mark was an elderly man clad in an ice blue robe. In his hand, he held a battered figure like a lifeless dog.
It was none other than Ji Gong, but now his right arm was severed at the shoulder, blood gushing from the wound. Though grievously injured, Ji Gong had narrowly escaped death, dragged from the jaws of demise by the ice blue robed elder.
"Damn it… Why would the Desire Immortal Sect provoke a Dou Zun?" The elder's face was drenched in cold sweat, and his heart filled with curses for the recklessness of Ji Gong.
Meanwhile, Ji Gong, far from angry, was overcome with relief. Tears of gratitude welled up in his old, weathered face. Thank heavens, reinforcements have arrived.
"Esteemed… senior, I implore you to show mercy. The Desire Immortal Sect is a subordinate force of Ice River Valley," the ice blue robed man said, clasping his hands respectfully. His posture was humble, his tone cautious.
"Ice River Valley?" Medusa's brow furrowed slightly. This faction was far more formidable than the Wind Lightning Pavilion. Though she wasn't afraid, she had no desire to provoke them unnecessarily.
"This time, I'll spare you. But if there's a next time, not even Ice River Valley will be able to protect you."
With a cold voice, Medusa turned decisively and flew off with Xiao Yi Xian, Yun Yun, and Zi Yan. She didn't hesitate, showing no signs of lingering.
With the spatial wormhole in Dingfan City now unusable not to mention the possibility that it had been tampered with it was better to seek out a different wormhole in another city.
High above, the four figures streaked across the sky, heading toward the next city with a spatial wormhole.
"How did the Desire Immortal Sect end up tied to Ice River Valley?" Medusa frowned as they flew.
"This area is on the border between Ice River Valley's and the Pill Tower's territories," Yun Yun explained. "It's not unusual for them to cultivate smaller subordinate factions in the region."
"Eww… It's all poison!" Zi Yan suddenly cried out, wrinkling her nose and grimacing in disgust.
The three other women turned to see Zi Yan holding a purple spatial ring in her hand.
"This is the ring from the severed arm Medusa cut off," Zi Yan explained when she noticed their stares. Her growing proficiency with spatial power had allowed her to easily retrieve the ring from the arm.
She had expected the ring of a peak Dou Zong to hold a treasure trove of valuables. Instead, she found it filled entirely with poison.
"Let me see," Xiao Yi Xian said, frowning slightly. She took the ring from Zi Yan and, after examining it for a moment, retrieved an icy jade box engraved with elegant characters: Ice River Valley Tribute.
Opening the box released a pungent stench that wafted through the air.
"…It's poison," Xiao Yi Xian confirmed, her brows furrowing deeper. Instead of providing answers, the ring only raised more questions.
It seemed the Desire Immortal Sect was one of Ice River Valley's hired forces, tasked with collecting rare treasures. But…
Ice River Valley specialized in ice attribute Dou Qi. Their expertise lay in cultivating icy energy. Why were they stockpiling poison? What could they possibly need so much of it for?
In Dingfan City, the Desire Immortal Sect's headquarters lay in ruins.
Ji Gong sat dejectedly amid the wreckage, slumped like a defeated stray dog. His son was dead, his sect destroyed, and he himself had lost an arm.
Not far away, the elder from Ice River Valley sneered in contempt. Serves you right.
Though Ice River Valley was ruthless and unhesitant to slaughter entire cities, they had never stooped to the Desire Immortal Sect's vile methods drugging and abusing women. This disgraceful sect deserved every ounce of destruction it had suffered.
But as the elder's gaze swept across the fallen elders of the sect, his expression changed.
"Hmm? What's this…" His eyes locked onto the gray purple hues spreading across their faces.
Raising his hand, he grabbed one of the fallen elders and infused Dou Qi into their body to investigate.
"This… This is…" The elder's expression shifted to shock, then to exhilaration.
"Calamity Poison Qi… This is pure Calamity Poison Qi!"
A look of glee spread across his face, his body trembling with excitement.
"Ji Gong, come with me. Ice River Valley will avenge the Desire Immortal Sect!" the elder declared with a laugh, dragging the battered Ji Gong away. He needed to report this to the sect immediately.
The Calamity Poison Body was an extraordinary constitution, and their valley master would stop at nothing to obtain it. Those women… their deaths were now inevitable.
At the Pill Tower.
"Teacher, has Lu Bu still not returned?" Cao Ying asked, twirling a jade bead between her fingers in boredom.
"Instead of worrying about him, why not take a page from Dan Chen's book and focus on honing your alchemy skills?" Xuan Kong Zi replied without looking up from the scroll he was reading.
"Teacher, there's news of another Lu Bu suddenly making waves across Zhongzhou, spreading rumors about being a genius in alchemy," Cao Ying said casually. "Even Senior Brother Song Qing mentioned wanting to meet him."
"Let him go if he wants… Wait, what?" Xuan Kong Zi abruptly stood up, his expression shifting.
"Teacher…?"
"The Star Region is showing changes," Xuan Kong Zi said solemnly. The pitch black barrier that had swallowed everything was now receding like a tide. It seemed Lu Bu was finally emerging.
Within the Star Region.
As the endless black light ebbed away, it revealed the void of the Pill Tower's Star Region. A single figure sat cross legged, floating in the empty expanse.
"W where's the massive fire dragon? It was huge where did it go?" Hei Qing's eyes widened in disbelief. The once colossal dragon, thousands of feet long and stretching beyond the horizon, had vanished completely, as if wiped from existence.
Meanwhile, Lu Bu's aura had grown even more refined and unified, making it impossible to discern his exact strength.
"Lu Bu, you…"
"The Three Thousand Burning Flame has been successfully refined." Lu Bu smiled, flicking his finger as a wisp of purple black flame ignited at his fingertip. The terrifying heat caused the surrounding space to distort violently.
"Your strength…"
"It's increased a little," Lu Bu said with a light chuckle, holding his thumb and forefinger a tiny distance apart.
(End of Chapter)
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