Chapter Forty-One: The Roar of the Flood Dragon

The jade ruyi in Qiao Ning’s hand was a ninth-grade magical artifact and, among those of its rank, possessed formidable offensive power. When it struck the True Fire Seal, the seal instantly dispersed into vaporous flames, vanishing without a trace.

Qiao Ning had clearly not anticipated that Su Ye, newly ascended to the ninth rank, would possess such strength. A surge of inexhaustible fury welled up within her, and at the very moment the jade ruyi shattered the True Fire Seal, it howled toward Su Ye, launching a fierce assault.

Su Ye flicked his sleeve and cast two Thunderfire talismans. In an instant, the power of thunder and flame transformed into twin spears, thrusting toward Qiao Ning’s body. The force contained within these talismans rivaled a ninth-rank cultivator’s full-strength strike. Now, with both talismans erupting simultaneously, even Qiao Ning had to meet them with caution.

Her hand gestures shifted, swiftly summoning the jade ruyi back. It spilled a clear, white radiance, enveloping Qiao Ning and shielding her from the onslaught of the Thunderfire talismans. When their energy was finally exhausted, the jade ruyi’s light grew noticeably dimmer, evidently suffering significant damage.

“Su Ye, we must go!” Suddenly, Qu Zhang’s anxious voice rang out. He was sent tumbling through the air, struck by a fist imprint conjured by Lian Sheng. Instantly, a haze of dark energy swirled around him, testifying to the severity of his injuries.

Su Ye darted to Qu Zhang’s side and saw that Qu Zhang had indeed sustained grave wounds at Lian Sheng’s hands, not feigning at all. Without further hesitation, Su Ye seized the injured Qu Zhang and sped toward the place where Ning Caichen lay hidden.

“After them! Today I will cut down that boy!” Qiao Ning’s face twisted into a sinister grin. A gust of clear wind sprang beneath her feet as she launched herself in pursuit of Su Ye and Qu Zhang.

Lian Sheng did not stop her, for he believed neither Su Ye nor Qu Zhang—especially the latter, now gravely injured—posed any threat to them.

Qu Zhang’s wounds greatly hampered his speed, whereas Lian Sheng and Qiao Ning moved swiftly. In moments, they caught up with Su Ye and Qu Zhang.

Qiao Ning once more summoned her jade ruyi. It gleamed with a chilling brilliance, darting like a swift arrow straight for Su Ye’s back.

Fortunately, the area where the demon flood dragon had been sealed was not large. In the brief span of their escape, Su Ye had already carried Qu Zhang far beyond its confines and arrived at Ning Caichen’s hiding place.

Su Ye spun around abruptly and flung two more talismans. They coalesced into an earthen-yellow light shield, blocking the jade ruyi’s attack.

Just as Lian Sheng was about to finish off the wounded Qu Zhang, an iron sword shot forth, whistling as it pierced toward Lian Sheng. The sword shimmered with intricate runes and emanated boundless, chilling energy. Clearly, it too was a ninth-grade magical artifact—superior even to the jade ruyi in Qiao Ning’s hand.

“Ninth-grade ghost cultivator!” At the sight of Ning Caichen’s sudden appearance, Lian Sheng’s face contorted with rage, instantly grasping the trio’s plan.

Ning Caichen, having descended from Lan Yin Mountain, carried a fire of vengeance within him. After his initial attack on Lian Sheng, he gave no respite, pressing his offensive without pause.

Having dwelled in the ninth grade for years, Ning Caichen’s strength was at the very peak of his rank, despite his inability to break through to the eighth grade due to inner demons.

Lian Sheng, though formidable, was utterly outmatched by Ning Caichen, unable to retaliate at all.

Meanwhile, the battle between Su Ye and Qiao Ning took on a different aspect. Su Ye had prepared a plethora of ninth-grade talismans, using them to counter every attack Qiao Ning launched. He also occasionally conjured spell seals to strike at her, and over time, Qiao Ning accumulated considerable injuries.

“We must go! We are no match for them!” Lian Sheng roared in fury, forcing back Ning Caichen’s assault and preparing to flee.

But Qu Zhang, standing beside him, summoned the bronze seal and launched it at Lian Sheng. Though Qu Zhang’s strength paled in comparison, his attack caused enough trouble for Lian Sheng to halt his retreat.

At that moment, Ning Caichen’s attack pressed forward once more, severing any chance Qu Zhang had to escape.

Hearing Lian Sheng’s shout, Qiao Ning immediately tried to withdraw, but Su Ye clung to her tightly, giving her no opportunity to break away.

Time slipped by; in the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed.

Ning Caichen’s iron sword finally pierced through Lian Sheng’s chest, ending his life once and for all.

Qiao Ning, grievously wounded by Su Ye, soon faced the combined assault of Ning Caichen and Su Ye. In barely a moment, a spell seal from Su Ye shattered her heart, killing her instantly.

With Lian Sheng and Qiao Ning dead, Ning Caichen collected the magical artifacts from Lian Sheng’s corpse and departed Fire Sun Mountain without delay.

“Su Ye, is Ning Caichen just leaving like that?” Qu Zhang stared at Ning Caichen’s retreating figure, his face awash in shock.

“He was coerced into helping. Now that the two ninth-grade villains—Lian Sheng and Qiao Ning—are dead, he’s naturally eager to return,” Su Ye replied, pocketing Qiao Ning’s jade ruyi. The artifact was crafted from superb materials, though the runes etched onto it were quite crude. Once he returned, he intended to refine it further, potentially elevating it to an eighth-grade magical artifact.

“Fire Sun Mountain still harbors remnants of the Bone Temple’s evil cultivators. Let’s rid Jinhua County of them once and for all!” After examining the corpses of Lian Sheng and Qiao Ning, Su Ye conjured a flame in his palm that flared out, enveloping their bodies and reducing them to ashes in an instant.

The remaining Bone Temple cultivators were all below the ninth grade, no match for Su Ye and Qu Zhang. In no time, the evil ones atop Fire Sun Mountain were slain by the pair.

Roar!

Suddenly, just as Su Ye and Qu Zhang finished off the last of the villains, Fire Sun Mountain trembled violently beneath their feet. A muffled roar rumbled from deep within the mountain’s belly.

Su Ye gathered a spell seal in his palm, summoning the dense fire energy of Fire Sun Mountain. Flames surged from the earth, incinerating the corpses and blood of the evil cultivators.

“Su Ye, was that roar just now from the demon flood dragon?” Qu Zhang’s face paled. He stared in terror at Fire Sun Mountain, his mind in turmoil.

He had exhausted himself trying to prevent the Bone Temple’s evil from releasing the demon dragon. Had all his efforts been for naught?