Dragon's Roar Abyss

Several demonic dragons approached menacingly, but Chao Du said casually, "We won't be able to see the sunrise today. You guys go practice your swordsmanship."

Several new disciples hesitated slightly, and another one asked Chao Du in a low voice, "Given the situation today, should we still practice swordsmanship?"

"Practice, it won't interfere with anything." Asahi smiled and flexed his wrists. "Go ahead, I can handle these guys by myself."

Seeing her calm and composed demeanor, the other Chao Du was also relieved: "Then we'll go practice our swordsmanship first. Call me if you need anything."

Chao Du nodded.

Liang Yue said, "Wait a minute. This is a rare opportunity. May I observe the Sect Master's heroic figure as he vanquishes demons?"

Sui Xi didn't say anything, but it was clear that she also wanted to see.

Su Ci advised Liang Yue, "Let's continue practicing swordsmanship as the sect leader has arranged. The sect leader must have other considerations."

Chao Du observes the expressions of Su Ci and her other self: they probably also want to see it.

She thought for a moment and changed her mind: "You can stay and watch if you want; it should be enlightening for you."

Their eyes lit up.

"Sect Master Xi—!" Long Youlan's voice echoed from afar.

Chao Du looked back and saw Long Youlan helping Long Mingxuan fly over and land beside her.

Before they could even get their footing, several dragons launched a joint attack: gales, demonic flames, and raging tides all struck the Hundred Treasures Star-Studded Umbrella. The umbrella swayed slightly, but the interior remained unharmed.

Long Mingyuan transformed into human form, floating in the air. He looked at the familiar figure on the cliff through the umbrella, his smile innocent and naive, but his eyes were filled with icy killing intent.

"Brother, you really are a worry for me." Long Mingyuan said with a smile, "Wouldn't it have been better to die peacefully? Why did you have to be resurrected?"

Long Mingxuan gazed at the figure amidst the inky sea of ​​clouds, his eyes dim and his expression desolate.

Long Mingyuan laughed again, "Now that you've been resurrected, brother, I won't blame you. However, as soon as I heard the news of you, I rushed here overnight. Didn't you come out to greet me? You just hid behind the barrier? When did you become so cowardly, brother? Or is it that you no longer love me?"

Long Mingxuan did not answer him, but turned to look at Chao Du. He wanted to speak, but when he saw her for the first time, he was unconsciously stunned for a moment. After regaining his senses, his ears turned slightly red, and he lowered his eyes and said softly, "Sect Master, he should be after me. Hand me over. I can't be a burden to you."

Asawari: "You're late."

Long Mingxuan: "...Too late?"

Asakawa nodded and smiled, "I already told them that I'm enough on my own."

Long Youlan immediately complained, "Wait a minute, you told me to sharpen my claws yesterday, and I've already sharpened them. Why isn't there any for me?"

Liang Yue's eyes flickered as she looked at Chao Du.

Pretending not to know, Asakawa smiled and said, "Then I'll bring you one more."

Long Youlan cheered, finally satisfied.

Long Mingxuan looked at the human and the demon from left and right, and couldn't help but remind them, "Sect Master, this is no child's play. Long Mingyuan has absorbed my cultivation and his strength has greatly increased. He also brought several dragons with him. These dragons have not only been possessed by demons, but have also been turned into puppets. They feel no pain and have no vital points, making them very difficult to deal with!"

Chao Du summoned the Thousand-Jin Sword, placed his hand on the hilt, and said leisurely, "They would be much more troublesome to deal with if they hadn't become demonic. Now it's much simpler. General Cang Feng, come with me."

Chao Du left a clone behind, while his main body flew out on the wind and launched the Hundred Treasures Adorned with Stars Umbrella. Long Youlan whistled and excitedly followed.

As Chao Du burst out of the umbrella, she discovered that the suppression of her by the Heavenly Dao had suddenly eased... Now she has recovered 30% of her power!

Long Mingyuan looked at the person and dragon rushing out of the umbrella with a dark and disgusted expression, but the corners of his mouth still turned up, and he said in an almost coquettish tone, "Brother, if you don't come out, I'm going to take their lives, okay? I'll kill them the way I killed you, how about that?"

Long Mingxuan bit his lip, looking worriedly at Xi Su and Long Youlan outside the umbrella. Suddenly, a delicate snowflake pastry appeared in front of him, blocking his view.

Asakawa's clone handed him the snowflake pastry and smiled, "Don't worry, sit down and eat."

When Long Mingxuan turned around, he found that a table had been set up behind him at some point, filled with all kinds of delicious food, and the others had already started eating.

However, while they were eating, their eyes were all focused on looking out the umbrella, their expressions either tense or expectant.

After Chao Du flew out of the umbrella, he instructed Long Youlan, who had transformed into a dragon, "Hold Long Mingyuan back and don't let him get away. Leave the rest to me."

After recognizing the other dragons, Long Youlan's expression turned quite grim: "The rest of the dragons are all my former friends. Long Mingyuan, I'll fight you to the death!!!"

He transformed into a gust of wind and flew towards Longmingyuan to engage him in battle.

Chao Du drew her Thousand-Pound Sword, which crackled with lightning, and she herself moved with lightning speed towards the several demonic dragon puppets.

Dragons are not afraid of lightning, so they can be said to have some advantage against the Thousand-Pound Sword.

But dragons that have been possessed by demons are different; they are as fragile as paper when faced with the pure and clear lightning of the Thousand-Pound Sword.

In the dark sea of ​​clouds polluted by demonic energy, magnificent and boundless lightning flashed and illuminated everywhere, and huge ash particles kept falling into the clouds, then scattered into snow in the gale.

After a short while, the color of the sea of ​​clouds gradually lightened and turned white.

As Long Youlan and Long Mingyuan fought, they noticed the changes around them and couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "You're done fighting over there? You're incredibly skilled!"

Long Mingyuan also realized something was wrong and looked at Chao Du with surprise and suspicion: "Who exactly are you? How are you so strong?!"

Chao Du drew his sword to block his retreat and asked with a smile, "Didn't the person who sent you the message warn you?"

Long Mingyuan's face turned pale, but he forced a cold laugh: "The lightning in your sword can't hurt me."

Chao Du stopped wasting words with him and attacked him directly, his speed so fast that only a sliver of lightning remained as an afterimage.

In his panic, Long Mingyuan forgot about attacking and instinctively tried to escape, but his escape speed was far slower than Chao Du's attack.

Realizing this, he immediately coiled his body, using his immense spiritual power as a shield, and combined dragon energy and spiritual power to cover his already hard scales. This was sure to...

In just a moment, he felt a sudden lightness on the top of his head.

A pair of cyan-gold dragon horns fell from the clouds before his eyes, and moments later splashed up several feet high in an unnamed lake.

"My horn...? My horn!!!" Long Mingyuan roared in anguish, as golden blood gushed from the base of his severed dragon horn, flowing past the corners of his eyes like tears, falling like rain into the lake below.

His eyes instantly became bloodshot: both from hatred and from excruciating pain.

Long Mingyuan stared intently at Chao Du with bloodshot eyes: "How could you possibly hurt me?! Your sword... has changed?!"

Asaka gently stroked the small, sky-blue sword in her hand. The sword was extremely thin; in the hands of someone unskilled with swords, it might break accidentally. But in her hands, it could cut through almost anything, whether hard or soft.

However, the reason she was able to break through Long Mingyuan's defense was not only because of the sword, but also because she completely transformed herself into spiritual energy, turning into an extremely narrow and thin sword aura. After instantly piercing through Long Mingyuan's spiritual energy shield, she then used the azure-colored small sword to break through the dragon aura and cut off the dragon horns—she was trying very hard to conserve her spiritual energy!

If it were when she had abundant spiritual energy, she would have simply shattered his shield and his horns with a single sword strike; there would have been no need for this elaborate and unnecessary maneuvering.

Long Mingxuan, standing on the cliff edge, murmured as he watched this scene, "This is becoming a sword with one's body, a higher realm than the unity of man and sword... Someone has actually reached this realm?"

Another woman dropped the braised pork from her chopsticks and looked at Su Ci blankly: "Did you see that clearly just now?"

Su Ci shook his head awkwardly: "I didn't see it clearly, it was too fast... faster than the blink of an eye."

Sui Xi sighed, "If you can't see clearly, my presbyopia is even worse."

Liang Yue, who had been watching with great interest, quickly said upon hearing the four people's words, "I didn't see it clearly either, but it was so exciting!"

As they drew ever closer to the white sea of ​​clouds, Long Mingyuan stared intently at the azure-colored sword in Chao Du's hand, demanding, "Why does this sword contain my brother's aura?!"

Chao Du was too lazy to answer him, his gaze sweeping indifferently over his vitals and weaknesses: killing him was not difficult, but how to make him repay the sins he had committed?

The next instant, her figure vanished from the spot. This time, Long Mingyuan did not flee—perhaps because he was burning with rage after she severed his dragon horns, or perhaps because he already knew he could not escape.

But whether Long Mingyuan escapes or not, his fate is already sealed.

Before he could make his move, Chao Du transformed the azure sword into five thin blades, which shot towards his limbs and tail. After the azure sword pierced the scales in the corresponding locations, five famous swords from the Waiting Immortal Tower followed closely behind, embedding themselves in the scales and using the immense force to firmly pin him to the bottom of the three characters "Immortal Hidden Sect" on the cliff!

Then, the five thin blades reformed into a small, sky-blue sword, its tip silently pointing at the scale outside his heart.

Long Mingyuan slowly lowered his head to check his condition. She had controlled the sword so fast that he hadn't even had time to react!

A moment later, he looked up incredulously, his eyes filled with terror: "Who are you?!"

Asaka said calmly, "You don't need to care who I am; you just need to reflect on your sins."

"My sins? My sins, hahahahaha!" Long Mingyuan suddenly burst into a maniacal laugh. "What sins have I committed? If he hadn't taken everything from me before I was even born, would I be where I am today?! My brother, my dear brother, his kindness to me was his way of atoneing! Why didn't he resist when I killed him? He knew it was all because he owed me!!!"

Asakawa shook his head: "Hopeless."

"I'm hopeless?" Long Mingyuan chuckled. "I'll show you who's truly hopeless!"

He looked up and cried out in anguish, "It hurts so much, brother! She's going to cut off my hand and pull out my scales! Brother, save me! You can't bear to see me in pain, you can't bear to see me die, can you? I'm your most beloved little brother!"

Long Mingxuan hesitated as he looked at the clone left behind by Chao Du: "Are you really going to cut off his hand and remove his scales...?"

Although Asahi had no intention of doing so, seeing his reaction, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to plead for him? He's already done so much harm to you."

Long Mingxuan lowered his eyes and sighed bitterly, "He is still my brother after all."

Asakawa: "...Fine, I was planning to hand him over to you anyway. He's nailed to the cliff now, you can do whatever you want with him."

"Thank you." Long Mingxuan stood up and bowed deeply to Chao Du. "However, my spiritual power is currently weak. Could you please take me to the bottom of the cliff?"

Chao Du nodded, helped him up, and flew him to Long Mingyuan's side.

Long Mingyuan looked at him pitifully: "Brother, I knew you couldn't bear to see me suffer, couldn't bear to see me die..."

Long Mingxuan sighed softly, raised his hand, pointed to Long Mingyuan's heart, and asked Chao Du, "Sect Master, could you take me a little further?"

Long Mingyuan was taken aback, then laughed happily, "Brother, you're going to take the sword away, right?"

Long Mingxuan remained silent, and Chao Du had his clone help him to the place he wanted to go.

Long Mingxuan silently drew closer to Long Mingyuan, who grew increasingly agitated: "What exactly do you want?! Do you want to kill me? Do you even deserve to kill me?! You owe me so much, you've caused me so much suffering! You should repay my debt in your next life!"

Long Mingxuan stopped, raised his hand, and slowly pushed the sky-blue sword into the scales.

Golden blood flowed continuously from Long Mingyuan's mouth, while he continued to curse.

Long Mingxuan seemed not to hear, but turned his head and smiled at Chao Du, saying, "Sect Master, thank you for helping me avenge myself. I owe you another favor now."

Asakawa: "..." I was careless. Now that I've added that he actually helped her take revenge, will he believe me?

"It's nothing, just a small favor." Asakawa cleared her throat and changed the subject, asking, "Don't you have anything to say to him in the end?"

Long Mingxuan shook his head slightly: "He is beyond saving, there's no need to say more."

Long Mingyuan stared intently at Long Mingxuan with his blood-red eyes, sometimes cursing and sometimes begging for mercy, but his voice always grew weaker and weaker until it stopped completely.

Long Mingxuan was helped back to Chao Du's side, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. He thanked him again, saying, "I am truly grateful for the sect leader's help today. Otherwise, I don't know when I would have been able to avenge the dead dragons."

Chao Du: "It's alright, but what do you plan to do with this?" She pointed to the lifeless dragon on the cliff, retrieved the azure sword, transformed it back into dragon horns, and handed it to Long Mingxuan: "Thank you for lending it to me, I'll return it as is."

Long Mingxuan shook his head: "I have already given it to the sect leader. It is enough that the sect leader does not mind this small gift. There is no need to return it. As for him... Xiao Lan!"

He summoned Long Youlan and instructed her, "Little Lan, take him back to the Dragon Palace and say that you and the Sect Master killed him to avenge me. Then rescue Father and Mother, and let them take care of the rest. Father and Mother will surely reward you and the Sect Master. Pick out some precious things to bring to the Sect Master."

Chao Du reminded him, "By the way, remember to get the Sea Spirit Shell and Pearl from the Dragon Palace, so that we can help him rebuild his body."

“No need.” Long Mingxuan stretched out his hand, and after a moment, a dim golden core emerged from Long Mingyuan’s abdomen and landed in Long Mingxuan’s palm, becoming bright again. “There is a lot of my spiritual power in here. I can use it to support this body for nearly a thousand years. It is more than enough.”

Chao Du was taken aback, suddenly remembering that in the original world, after killing Long Mingyuan, Long Mingxuan had not mentioned the demon core at all.

Was it because the situation was urgent and there was no time to speak? Or was it because he was so focused on staying inside her sword that he left himself no way out?

Long Youlan was stunned upon hearing this: "Your Highness, are you really not going back to the Dragon Palace? Although this demon core can last for a thousand years, our dragon race is meant to live for ten thousand years!"

Long Mingxuan smiled and shook his head: "I am a dead dragon. A thousand years is superfluous to me. I can just live a few more days. Besides, I am no longer a prince. There is no need to mention me to my father and mother."

"But...but the King and Queen will definitely ask about you!" Long Youlan said worriedly. "How should I explain?"

Long Mingxuan thought for a moment and said, "Just say that I am doing well and am traveling around the world. I don't want to return to the Dragon Palace for the time being."

Long Youlan sighed deeply, then patted his chest and promised, "Alright, leave the task to me! I'll definitely get those treasures that guard the Dragon Palace!"

Chao Du was amused by him: "You spendthrift, keep it for the Dragon Palace, I don't want it."

Long Mingxuan looked at her gently and said, "Please, Sect Master, accept this gift. You have done me and the Dragon Clan a great favor. This small gift is far from enough. The Dragon Clan should..."

Chao Du interrupted him helplessly, emphasizing, "It was really no trouble at all, no need to be so polite, just consider it making friends."

“It was nothing…nothing at all?” Long Youlan murmured, looking at Chao Du with awe. “I only just realized that you really didn’t intend to kill me that night, otherwise I wouldn’t even know how I died.”

Asakawa teased him with a smile, "So you finally understand?"

Long Youlan nodded with lingering fear: "Your strength is terrifying. I wanted to help you just now, but I couldn't at all. Your speed was so fast that I could barely see you, let alone keep up and help you... For you, it was really just a piece of cake. The cultivation world actually produced such a powerful person as you... Um, could you teach me a few moves? Hehe."

Chao Du smiled and said, "I will join the Immortal Hidden Sect and learn from them."

"Don't try to tempt me, good or bad!" Long Youlan snorted. "I am a demon, and a Dragon General Cangfeng. How can I join a sect of cultivators?"

The man and the two dragons chatted and laughed as they returned to the mountaintop. Upon landing, Long Mingxuan suddenly asked softly, "May I join the Immortal Hidden Sect?"

Asahi looked at him in surprise, and their eyes met.

He already had beautiful eyes, long and narrow with upturned corners, and now there was a hint of shimmering light in them, as if silently conveying some kind of expectation.

After a brief eye contact, he immediately looked away, pretending to look at the group from the Immortal Hidden Sect, but the tips of his ears were silently tinged with the red of pomegranate blossoms.

Asaka knew she wouldn't stay in this world for long, and recalling the many times he looked disappointed in her eyes in the original world, she wanted to make up for it a little here.

"Welcome!" she said with a smile.

He looked at her with surprise, his eyes shimmering with a gentle, lingering emotion.

Another disciple, Chao Du, congratulated the other disciples of the Immortal Hidden Sect, while only Long Youlan sighed and secretly wiped away tears.

Subsequently, Long Youlan proposed to Long Mingxuan and Chaodu that he needed to return to the Dragon Palace immediately to rescue the late king and queen.

Chao Du sent everyone except Long Mingxuan to practice their swordsmanship, leaving only one person and two dragons at the edge of the cliff.

Chao Du instructed Long Youlan, "The situation in the Dragon Palace is unclear. Be careful when you return. Take this communication jade slip with you and let us know if you have any news. Also, I would like to ask you for a favor."

Long Youlan immediately became excited: "Just tell me! I'll definitely help! I'll help even if it costs me my life!"

Chao Du smiled and shook his head: "It's not that dangerous. I just hope you can help me find out who sent the message to Long Mingyuan."

Long Youlan patted his chest: "Okay, leave it to me!"

Afterwards, Long Youlan bid farewell to Long Mingxuan, put away Long Mingyuan, retrieved its horn from the lake, and set off for the Dragon Palace.

That evening, the Immortal Hidden Sect held another banquet to welcome Long Mingxuan to the sect.

There were many people and demons attending the banquet, and the banquet venue was chosen to be the Jade Terrace in the middle of the lake.

Above the Jade Terrace, the bright moon dances among the clouds, and fireworks sing endlessly. Around the Jade Terrace, lotus lanterns float in the air and on the lake, swaying gently, like a tranquil dream. In a daze, one cannot distinguish whether it is a moonlit lake or a reflection of the sky in the water.

Before the banquet began, according to the custom of the Immortal Hidden Sect, Chaodu was to prepare a gift for the new disciple.

Chao Du took out a long box, held it in his hands, and asked Long Mingxuan with a smile, "Want to guess what it is?"

The moonlight and the lake's reflection blended together in his eyes, creating a dazzling scene, but only her eyebrows, eyes, and smile were clearly visible.

"I can't guess." He chuckled and shook his head.

She was like a mystery; he was captivated, yet he couldn't unravel the enigma.

Chao Du opened the box, inside was a long sword: a hollowed-out white jade scabbard, through which the sky-blue blade could be seen. The whole sword resembled white clouds reflecting in the clear sky, or a glacier floating on the blue sea.

Long Mingxuan's eyes suddenly lit up: "This sword is extraordinary and refined. Sect Master, you have a kind heart. However, did you know that I can use a sword?"

Chao Du nodded, offering no further explanation, and simply said, "Want to give it a try?"

Long Mingxuan took the sword, drew it, and remained silent for a moment: This blade was made from his dragon horn, and she had ultimately returned it to him in a different form.

Was he overthinking it? She always seemed to be deliberately distancing herself from him. For example, even though she saved him and helped him avenge such a great grudge, she didn't want him to repay her kindness. Even if she accepted gifts from him, she would try to return them.

She said that she met him in a dream. What did they experience in the dream that made her want to distance herself from him?

Long Mingxuan was puzzled, but he smiled slightly and said, "It is a fine sword. I like it very much. Thank you, Sect Master." Then he put the sword back into its sheath.

Chao Du smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. You're currently lacking a sword to protect yourself." In addition to adding a scabbard, she also modified the sword to make its blade less thin and less prone to breakage. Moreover, the length and width of the blade were based on his original sword... Perhaps it was because he was used to the Thousand-Pound Sword when he was a sword spirit that his sword was quite similar to the Thousand-Pound Sword.

The other man looked around and felt that something was off about the two of them. Maybe it was because their smiles were... a little fake?

Fortunately, the banquet started soon, and this subtle awkwardness did not last long before it was replaced by clinking glasses and laughter.

After the banquet, some of the people rested and others cultivated. Chao Du breathed a sigh of relief, but she had used up a lot of spiritual energy today. She didn't have time to rest and returned to the terrace of her small building to continue cultivating under the moon until she suddenly received a message from Long Youlan.

'They arrived so quickly? He's really fast.' she thought to herself, opening the communication jade slip. Long Youlan's terrified voice came from within:

"There are many demonic cultivators in the Dragon Palace. I heard them say that the Demon Lord has also arrived! The Demon Lord wants to corrupt all demons and turn them into puppets!"