Chapter 60: Chapter 59: Those Who Show Off in Public Must Suffer in Private

A Dragon Pearl is the convergence of a dragon’s entire essence.

It is entirely different from ordinary Dragon Blood, or even Golden Blood.

The faceless woman was likely the Dragon Maiden Ming Zhu, who had died after stripping her own Dragon Bones and suffering the punishment of having her pearl cut out. It was highly probable, then, that this Dragon Pearl from the Bibo Lake Flood Dragon had originally belonged to her.

There was nothing wrong with a Dragon Maiden reclaiming what was hers. The terrifying part, however, was that this was not the Dragon Maiden from when she was alive, but a strange, aberrant version of her that had already died!

Even before this transformation, she had flayed a Flood Dragon alive, causing Bi Lake to dry up and the very earth and heavens to tremble.

If she were to merge with the Dragon Pearl now, who knew what would happen?

By the edge of the lava pool, Chi Hua Fairy, who had been observing for some time, chose this moment to act. She bit the tip of her tongue, spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and drew the Immortal Sword hidden within her own spine.

Yes, her Immortal Sword was hidden within her spine!

This was no ordinary sword. It had been forged from Heaven and Earth Spiritual Materials such as Celestial River Crystal, Bright Moon Ice Soul, and Kunwu Immortal Sand. The forging process, which took place in the Land of the Extreme Realm, had lasted for forty-nine years.

Someone had begun forging this sword for her before she was even born.

Later, the Beichen Sword Immortal infused it with three streams of his Sword Qi. Thus, she both nourished the sword with her body and was protected by the sword in turn.

As a supreme treasure that protected its wielder, this sword was Chi Hua Fairy’s Guardian Treasure.

Previously, at the gateway to Giant Deer Country, Chi Hua Fairy had set fire to the gate, drawing out a Great Demon. It was the Beichen Sword Immortal who, using the Sword Qi in this very blade as a conduit, had repelled that Great Demon from a great distance.

This time, Chi Hua Fairy spat out her essence blood to awaken the sword herself. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Ancestor, unleash your sword!" she cried out.

SHING!

As the sword emerged, the dark clouds Beyond the Heavens parted, and the raging winds came to a sudden halt.

Stars seemed to appear in the daytime sky. An inverted celestial river materialized and shot down toward the faceless woman, who was just about to swallow the Dragon Pearl.

Could the Dragon Maiden withstand such a strike?

In a flash, the dark clouds in the sky twisted and took form. A jet-black dragon’s claw emerged from within, unleashing a torrent of murky waves. Within the endless spray, countless creatures of the Aquatic Race seemed to be roaring madly: Shrimp Soldiers wielding spears, Crab Generals brandishing blades, Squids spewing ink, and Giant Whales swallowing the heavens.

KILL!

KILL! KILL! KILL!

Myriad demons gathered their baleful aura as the Immortal Sword cleaved through the air.

A tremendous voice boomed across the sky, "Beichen Sword Immortal, stay your blade!"

In an instant, the two sides clashed. The light of the inverted sword seemed to glitter with countless shattered stars as it slashed through the dragon’s claw and the myriad Water Demons within it.

But the claw’s interference had served its purpose.

Down by the lava pool, Chi Hua Fairy’s heart pounded in shock. She looked up and roared in fury, "Hengshui Dragon King?"

So, the claw that had suddenly appeared belonged to the Hengshui Dragon King!

The Hengshui Dragon King had been secretly observing them this whole time. His interference at the critical moment meant that the Dragon Pearl—

’Was the Dragon Pearl swallowed by the Dragon Maiden?’

’No, that’s not right! It’s not there! The Dragon Pearl...’

Chi Hua Fairy was horrified. The Dragon Pearl was gone.

As for the Dragon Maiden, who was waiting for the Dragon Pearl to enter her mouth...

She had no eyes, ears, or nose. Her stark white face featured only a single, small cherry-like mouth, creating an exquisitely strange and bewitching sight that struck panic into the hearts of all who saw her.

And at this very moment, that bewitching, cherry-like mouth was hanging open in bewilderment. ’Where’s my Dragon Pearl?’

The Dragon Pearl had, of course, been snatched by Song Ciwan, who had also been waiting for the perfect moment. She had unleashed the Profound City Life and Death Seal, using its heaven-sundering, earth-piercing teleportation ability to move the pearl directly into her Heaven and Earth Scale!

At that moment, no one knew how much of her Lifespan Song Ciwan had consumed. Only Aunt Zhou, who was being protected nearby by Chi Hua Fairy’s Armor Talisman, noticed that a few strands of white hair now seemed to be faintly mixed in with Miss Song’s black locks.

A moment later, the Dragon Maiden finally reacted. She opened her mouth and let out a long, shrill, furious shriek that seemed to pierce straight through the Spiritual Acupoints of every living thing. "Aaaah—my Dragon Pearl!"

The Dragon Maiden had lost her Dragon Pearl!

It had vanished without a sound, without a trace.

In the sky, the Immortal Sword and the dragon’s claw were locked in a fierce battle. The claw was struck down several times, only to dissipate into a phantasmal shadow and grow back again.

A tremendous voice boomed from within the endless waves, shaking the very clouds, "Beichen, you brat! You have no honor, ganging up on me! And which little rat was it that stole the Dragon Pearl?"

The Immortal Sword slashed through the air, trailing a tail of starlight, and the Beichen Sword Immortal’s hearty laughter rang out.

His voice was, as always, distant yet wildly arrogant. "Old Dragon King, if you had come in your true form, I would have indeed been tempted to try ganging up on you, to see what it’s like to besiege the Hengshui Dragon King. A pity you’re such a coward, sending only an incarnation. Why would I need help to cut you down? A single sword strike is more than enough!"

Before his words had even faded, the blade of the sword erupted with an impossibly brilliant light.

The light blotted out the sky and sun, silencing the heavens and the earth. For a moment, it seemed to be the only thing anyone could see.

What was that light?

It was the light of the stars from beyond the nine heavens. It was the light of human hearts in the Mortal World.

It was the light of one who carves a path through all obstacles, who forges ever forward, who battles the heavens and defies the earth.

As the sword light flared, the Dragon King fell silent.

As the sword light vanished, the dragon’s claw was nowhere to be seen.

In the sky, the dark clouds had completely vanished, and the raging wind was gone.

The Hengshui Dragon King had vanished without another word. The Immortal Sword was also gone, as if it had never been there at all.

Down on the bed of Bibo Lake, the Flood Dragon’s skeleton still lay upon the parched earth, but it had lost all its luster, appearing as though it had been weathered for millennia.

On the lakeshore, Fang Jintai, Liu City God, and the others had long since been forced to the ground, unable to withstand the aftershocks from the battle between the Immortal Sword and the dragon’s claw. Fang Jintai had put away his Official Seal. His face was deathly pale, and he was so drained that he looked like little more than a desiccated husk.

But his eyes burned with a startling intensity.

’Is the Bibo Lake crisis really over?’

Fang Jintai and Liu City God exchanged a look and immediately made a move. In truth, only Liu City God moved. Magistrate Fang was completely exhausted; the moment he took a single step, he started to pitch forward.

Liu City God cursed, "Pale-faced scholars really are useless!"

Ignoring that his own solid form had faded into an illusory soul-body, he scooped up Fang Jintai and began dragging him toward the massive crater in the center of the lakebed.

Within the giant crater, by the edge of the lava pool, Chi Hua Fairy had vanished along with the Immortal Sword!

The Dragon Maiden, having lost her Dragon Pearl and apparently been grazed by the Sword Qi, stood there in a complete daze.

Song Ciwan immediately seized the opportunity. Grabbing Aunt Zhou, she activated Escape into the Night. Her figure flickered, and she shot up toward the mouth of the crater, darting between the shadows along its walls.

As she ascended, she silently swallowed a Qi Circulation Pill.

Her depleted True Qi began to slowly recover. Within a few breaths, she had burst out from the bottom of the deep crater!

The Dragon Maiden remained unresponsive. A peculiar silence fell over the entire world.

It lasted until Song Ciwan and Aunt Zhou’s feet touched solid ground, landing on the dry bed of Bibo Lake.

She looked up. Her view was no longer of the oppressive cavern, but of the clear, open, boundless blue sky. This was the Mortal World, a place of tears and laughter, a place where the wind blew!

Just then, Liu City God arrived, dragging Magistrate Fang with him.

Their gazes fell upon Song Ciwan and Aunt Zhou. Startled, Song Ciwan immediately summoned her remaining strength to cast another Escape Technique. Pulling Aunt Zhou along, she transformed into a wisp of gentle wind, darting through the shadows beneath the blue sky and swiftly departing the area.