Chapter 2374 (Raw 2481): Rosy Clouds Chasing the Moon
The God Killing Sword had suddenly struggled free from the blind old man’s hand, turned into a beam of light, and flown away.
This startled both Xiao Chen and the blind old man. They knew that the Black Dragon King was coming.
Back then, the Blood-Soaked Dragon Emperor used the Martial Epoch’s Luck to seal the Black Dragon King. If the Black Dragon King broke out of the seal, it meant that the Martial Epoch’s Luck had run out, no longer able to seal him.
When the Black Dragon King came out, the end of the Martial Epoch began.
Although the Faux Gods here did not recognize the God Killing Sword, they were firmly tied to the Martial Epoch.
They had already noticed something wrong, feeling a strange horror. They acutely sensed a great change.
There was no need for words. All the Faux Gods of the Heavenly Alliance and the Martial God Palace knew what was about to happen.
This day would come sooner or later.
Many Faux Gods had not been able to sleep soundly, passing their days in fear of the end, dreading their death.
However, when this day truly arrived, they discovered that it was not as terrifying as they thought.
Compared to the fear and horror they felt every day, what they felt now was more like a release.
“Whoosh!”
A resplendent flash of light flared to the northeast of the Divine Dragon Empire. In the next moment, scarlet light fell like a meteor shower.
Mu Zifeng looked up, and his expression immediately changed as his heart skipped a beat. Then, he looked at Suiren Ji and Hua Tianyang, who were beside him.
Suiren Ji and Hua Tianyang did not say anything, only silently nodding their heads.
“Zifeng, it looks like I will have to leave the Heavenly Alliance to you in the future,” Hua Tianyang murmured as he looked at Mu Zifeng with a faint smile.
“Alliance Chief!”
Mu Zifeng’s expression changed wildly as he grabbed at Hua Tianyang. However, he only managed to hold the other party’s hand when the other party’s body shattered, turning into a beam of divine light soaring up and leaving only ashes.
Resplendent light illuminated the entire Ancestor Dragon City, so piercing that people could not open their eyes.
In the next moment, the light vanished, turning into a scarlet meteor that burst like fireworks.
The sudden scene stunned the cultivators around Dragon God Plaza. How could a Faux God die at the drop of a hat?
“No!”
Although Mu Zifeng knew that this would happen someday, he still could not accept it when he truly saw Hua Tianyang die before him.
Suiren Ji sighed softly, “The old Alliance Chief was injured in the first place. He definitely could not last long amid the great changes. However…I cannot last for much longer, either.”
The Faux God Flame in Suiren Ji’s Soul Pool was like a fallen leaf in a storm, wavering and flickering as it slowly dimmed.
Mu Zifeng turned his head to look. Suiren Ji never appeared as aged as he did at this moment.
“Where are you going?” Mu Zifeng asked softly, as he sensed that Suiren Ji wanted to leave.
“I’m returning to my sect. Even if I die, I want to die in a place of my choosing. Please take care of my family in the Heavenly Alliance for me. I really did not expect such an ending after bickering with you for half my life.”
Suiren Ji smiled self-mockingly. Then, he turned and left alone while waving.
Be it the Heavenly Alliance or the Martial God Palace, all the Faux Gods sensed a great change.
All the Faux God sensed their Faux God Flames no longer drawing Divine Energy from the world. It seemed like some sort of law in the world had broken, no longer able to support the burning of their Divine Flames.
Some people started crying loudly, unable to suppress their tears.
Some people refused to submit, frantically consuming powerful herbs and searching for ways to allow their Divine Flames to continue burning.
However, most of the Faux Gods of the Heavenly Alliance and the Martial God Palace remained calm, like Suiren Ji. Before they died, they went to familiar haunts and waited for their Divine Flames to go out.
These Faux Gods, who could call storms, pluck stars, and crush countless Sovereign Emperors with the wave of a hand, showed unprecedented humility at this moment—this inspired sorrow.
As Xiao Chen looked at these departing Faux Gods, he saw expressions that said they had nothing to live for, or calm, or despair. Suddenly, he thought of the helpless Immortals from many ages ago. When the Immortal Epoch ended, they were probably like this as well.
“After he comes out, you will be the first he will look for,” the Shadow Dragon Sovereign warned sullenly as he looked at Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen nodded. “I know. I’ll leave my friends to Senior for now.”
“Don’t worry. I will do my best to protect them.”
Xiao Chen sighed in his heart. Then, he went over to say goodbye to Liu Ruyue and Ao Jiao, telling them to remain in the Divine Dragon Empire and not leave Ancestor Dragon City.
“Xiao Chen, I don’t blame you for not becoming the Dragon Emperor. However, you have to eliminate the Black Dragon King!” Mu Zifeng said to Xiao Chen, enunciating every word clearly. A heavy killing intent gathered on him.
Xiao Chen looked at Mu Zifeng. Then, he looked at the worried Liu Ruyue and Ao Jiao. Then, Jiang He…they were all familiar faces.
If Xiao Chen could not defeat the Black Dragon King, these old friends of his, people who left beautiful memories in his life, would be killed by the Black Dragon King, completely and utterly destroyed.
“I will. I will definitely kill him.”
Xiao Chen turned after speaking. After he walked out of the city gates, he turned his head to look back.
Scarlet meteors filled the sky of the entire Divine Dragon Empire. Those were the blood of Faux Gods, reduced to insignificant dust. Then, the world’s most vibrant flowers bloomed from this dust, creating this beautiful but bleak scene of the world’s end.
“Are you going to the Desolate Sea?”
Xi, whose two eyes were clear now, jumped off the city walls. Then, he held his right hand to his mouth and heavily coughed a few times.
There were two sets of powerful formations in the Desolate Sea.
They were the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation and the Great Desolate Blood Dragon Formation, which used the Wings of Time as their core. This was what Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun prepared with everything he had for the Black Dragon King.
One could activate the formations only when one had both Heavenly Slayer and the Blood Dragon cloak.
“Although you obtained both the Blood Dragon cloak and Heavenly Slayer, you can activate only the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation. You will have to kill me if you want to activate the Great Desolate Blood Dragon Formation.”
Xi looked at Xiao Chen. Nothing much could be made out from his stern face. However, his clenched right hand trembled endlessly, betraying his internal struggle.
Xi had hesitated for a long time before appearing before Xiao Chen to say this.
Xi did not want to die. No one did not fear death; Xi was no exception.
However, right now, Xi asked Xiao Chen to kill him.
At this moment, that unparalleled Lord Xi, who had inspired horror in the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb, appeared incredibly weak.
Xiao Chen replied softly, “I know.”
The dragon spirit had once said that in Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun’s plan, only one could live between Xiao Chen and Xi. According to the plan, Xiao Chen would become the Dragon Emperor, and Xi would become the Demonic Emperor. Then, the two would fight, and the victor would receive his full inheritance.
That was the moment Xiao Chen changed his mind about becoming the Dragon Emperor.
Was it him who wanted to become the Dragon Emperor or a dead person from fifty thousand years ago who wanted him to become the Dragon Emperor?
The answer was the latter. Xiao Chen had no desire for that position, preferring freedom. For a very long time, he had been passively going with the flow, driven by fate to become the Dragon Emperor. This was the so-called lacking the freedom to act independently.
Xi’s face filled with shock. Stupefied, he asked, “Then, why did you spare me?”
“Have you killed my friends? Do we have an old grudge? Have you crossed my bottom line? If not, then why do I have to kill you?”
If not, then why do I have to kill you?
This simple line kicked up huge waves in Xi’s heart. Xiao Chen completely overturned his worldview.
“However, can you kill the Black Dragon King with only the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation?”
Xi appeared anxious, urgently wanting to know the answer.
“Who will know if I don’t try? I cannot kill a person I don’t want to kill just because of that. I will not be able to forgive myself.”
Blood rain filled the dark sky of the desolate lands outside Ancestor Dragon City. As the blood rain fell like meteors, looking very beautiful, Xiao Chen revealed a faint smile and said softly, “You managed to shake free of your connection to Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun, able to live for yourself. Why focus on seeking death? Just give me your blessings. I will kill the Black Dragon King. I believe in my own choice.”
With this smile, Xi suddenly understood why Xiao Chen could fight against three alone and why Xi could not defeat him.
It was because from the very beginning to the end, Xiao Chen had a heart of innocence. Even with a powerful enemy arriving, he still maintained his character, never changing.
—
In Cloud Water Marsh, one came across a spring every ten steps and a river every fifty kilometers.
The hazy mist there never scattered.
Xiao Chen donned the Blood Dragon cloak and crossed the mist. He stopped after he entered the Desolate Sea.
Then, he sat on top of a boulder and hugged Heavenly Slayer while closing his eyes to rest.
After some time, miserable cries rang out in the world. When Xiao Chen opened his eyes, he saw scarlet light filling the skies of the entire Central Great Realm. Thousands upon thousands of meteors turned into boundless blood rain that fell.
Xiao Chen stretched out a hand and caught a drop of blood rain on his palm.
He narrowed his eyes and inspected it with his Soul Energy. Various scenes appeared before him. This was a memory fragment left by a certain Faux God, the mark once left in the world by a certain legend. However, that legend now turned into bleak, bloody rain and buried into the ground.
“Boom!”
A beam of iridescent light descended together with the blood rain. When it landed, it coalesced into a human shape.
This figure was tall and wore thick, heavy black dragon mail. On his fingertips were sharp, metal nails that looked like the claws of a wild beast. He held a pitch-black sword, which glowed with a faint, dull light, in his hand.
The face under the helmet vaguely resembled Zhen Yuan’s. Without a doubt, this was the Black Dragon King.
“You have waited a long time for me, right?”
The Black Dragon King looked at Xiao Chen and smiled. However, this smile looked incredibly horrifying, inspiring chills.
“I have wanted to kill you for a long time already.”
The instant the flower blooms, it illuminates three lives.
Xiao Chen drew Heavenly Slayer and executed the Three Life Flower at lightning speed, trying to travel through time and space to kill the Black Dragon King.
However, when Xiao Chen was about to take that step forward, he was somewhat surprised to find that he could not break through the space-time barrier before the Black Dragon King.
Xiao Chen could not advance or retreat. Then, the God Killing Sword in the Black Dragon King’s hand stabbed towards his chest, carrying an intense aura of destruction.
“Dang!”
Xiao Chen held the scabbard across his chest. The sword strike heavily knocked him back, and the destructive aura lingered around by his ear, releasing deep dragon growls.
“I have already seen your trump card at Dragon God Plaza. As long as I keep my guard up against it, it won’t be that simple to break the space-time barrier.”
The Black Dragon King revealed a disdainful smile as he continued softly, “Actually, I could attack you the instant you broke the barrier, using the space-time tear to rip you apart. However, that would be boring.”
“Boasting is pointless.”
Flawless saber Dao, endless cycles!
Xiao Chen gave up on instantly killing the other party. He let out a war cry and held up Heavenly Slayer as he pressed forward. He used his Cycle Great Dao to drive his Flawless saber Dao, connecting to the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent in Heavenly Slayer and executing vast, boundless saber moves.
Excitement flashed in the Black Dragon King’s eyes. He murmured, “The Cycle Great Dao…I have never tried destroying the Cycle Great Dao before.
“Hahahaha!”
Amid maniacal laughter, the Black Dragon King raised his sword to fight. Then, a startling, huge battle ensued in the Desolate Sea.
Xiao Chen’s supreme saber Dao transcended the epoch. When supported by the power of cycles, its attack turned incomparably sharp.
Saber lights filled the air and flashed, making the sky alternate between black and white.
Every saber strike could easily crush a star. The saber moves combined with the power of cycles to materialize an ancient Azure Dragon, which coiled around and roared ferociously as directed by the saber light.
The Black Dragon King fought strength with strength. Be it the Cycle Great Dao’s power of life or power of death, he destroyed it with his destruction aura. The destruction aura spread out in the world, feeling like the will of heaven. This convinced one that one was fighting the Heavenly Dao.
Xiao Chen brought out all his skills, pushing his saber Dao to unprecedented heights.
Xiao Chen already broke thousands of holes in the dragon mail the Black Dragon King wore. However, the supposedly lethal killing moves did not hurt the Black Dragon King when they penetrated the dragon mail and struck him.
This person seemed like heaven favored him, like he was the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao, possessing endless lifeforce.
“I am the manifestation of destruction, born of a calamity, representing the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao’s killing intent in your saber cannot hurt me. Back then, the Blood-Soaked Dragon Emperor could not kill me. What more you?!”
Seeing the pale, blood-stained-white-robed Xiao Chen in a slightly sorry state, the Black Dragon King started mocking him.
To the Black Dragon King, the other party’s trump card was the Cycle Great Dao, tearing time and space.
Only this killing move seemed somewhat strange and needed to be guarded against. The Black Dragon King did not fear any other killing moves of Xiao Chen’s, not even the Flawless saber Dao infused with the power of cycles.
Xiao Chen revealed a faint smile on his pale face. Then, he asked softly, “Have you never wondered why I drew you to this place, getting injured in the process?”
The Black Dragon King’s expression changed slightly. When he looked up, he saw a blood moon high in the air.
Moonlight poured down, encasing him.
Xiao Chen tightly grasped Heavenly Slayer and pointed it at the sky. Then, he activated the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation.
Immediately, all of the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent, accumulated since the birth of the epoch, surged over endlessly from every direction in the Desolate Sea and gathered on Heavenly Slayer.
An intense scarlet light spread out, and the terrifying killing intent manifested as boundless, blood-like snow falling from the sky.
“Wings of Time, Heavenly Dao Killing Formation!”
Upon seeing the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent condensing in Heavenly Slayer, the Black Dragon King finally felt some fear.
There were no killing moves in the world that could truly kill him.
He was the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao; only heaven could subdue him. When the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent grew sufficiently heavy, it could truly kill him.
“You want to kill me by using only one set of formations? How naive of you!”
The Black Dragon King stopped smiling, his expression slowly turning graver. The source of destruction in his body surged wildly.
“What if you add me in?”
Just at this moment, a disharmonious voice rang out. The Black Dragon King turned his head to look in its direction.
“Whoosh!”
Pain stabbed the Black Dragon King’s eyes. He saw a huge sun, an extraordinarily huge, blazing sun rising.
A Primal Chaos blazing sun burned fiercely in the sky above a figure.
When illuminated by that piercing light, the Black Dragon King could not clearly see that figure’s face. He could only make out a smile on that figure’s face, looking like the rising sun, glittering with sunlight, with rosy clouds filling the sky.
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