Chapter 61: Chapter 60: A Sword of Heavenly Light, Human Nature and Demon Nature

Bibo Lake, beside the great pit.

Liu City God was a little dazed. He turned to look at Magistrate Fang, his voice hoarse. "That person just now... do you know who she was?"

Fang Jintai’s face was tense. "I don’t know. I couldn’t get a read on them. One was a mortal, the other’s aura was completely concealed. But they managed to survive the Dragon Maiden’s transformation..."

Having survived such a perilous situation, could they really be ordinary people?

Liu City God asked again, "What about Chi Hua Fairy? And Elder Beichen?"

As he spoke, he peered over the edge of the pit in the lake’s center, cautiously looking down.

At the bottom of the deep pit, only a pool of roiling magma remained. Red light shot up from the earth’s depths, nearly blinding Liu City God!

Liu City God cried out "AH!" and stumbled back several steps, his Soul Body growing even fainter.

With a THUD, Fang Jintai fell beside him, in an even more pathetic state.

The two miserable figures stared at each other in dismay. They had no idea that the very Chi Hua Fairy and Beichen Sword Immortal they were worried about were, at this moment, actually in a worse state than they were!

Speaking of which, Beichen Sword Immortal’s sword strike was named "Sky Light."

The simple name sounded unassuming, but this sword technique was incredibly difficult to cultivate and even harder to execute.

After annihilating the Hengshui Dragon King’s incarnation with a single strike, the Immortal Sword enveloped Chi Hua Fairy and instantly teleported a hundred li outside the city.

Chi Hua Fairy materialized at the foot of a mountain and, with a THUD, collapsed to the ground, where she coughed up several more mouthfuls of blood.

Using Divine Thought Internal Observation, she saw that the Immortal Sword seemed to have returned to her body, but it was dim and lusterless, as if it had lost all its spirituality.

"Ancestor?" Both alarmed and anxious, she called out frantically, "Ancestor, Ancestor!"

The Ancestor did not respond to her. Instead, tens of thousands of miles away, the Ancestor’s eyes shot open as he spat out blood and hopped about in fury.

’This reckless junior has caused me great harm!’

’Damn it, the Star Plate has failed again! Penglai... Where in the world is Penglai?’

’No, I can’t let anyone know I’ve suffered a backlash. I only destroyed an incarnation of the Hengshui Dragon King and a little dragon halfway through its transformation, yet I, this venerable one, failed to achieve complete success with a single sword strike!’

’What a disgrace! Ptooey! What disgrace? If anyone’s been disgraced, it’s that girl Chi Hua! What has it got to do with me, Beichen Immortal Venerable?’

’Hengshui Old Dragon, that old bastard! Scum of the Demon Race! Ptooey!’

’But what about that fellow who stole the Dragon Pearl? Was it some old ghost who acted in person?’

’To think not a single trace of an aura was leaked! Hiss... As long as someone is holding the Dragon Pearl, they shouldn’t be able to escape the old dragon’s senses...’

’Just what master has such an ability? Could it be those old geezers from the Curios Pavilion who made a move?’

’No, that’s not right. Those fellows from the Curios Pavilion are cunning, but it’s not likely they have this kind of sleight of hand...’

’Weren’t all the ones with that kind of skill supposed to have died long ago? Could it be... that person didn’t die?’

"..."

Ah, who cares!

Beichen Sword Immortal still enjoyed showing off his divine power in front of others.

As for what happened behind the scenes, who knew?

「Cangling County, Pinglan City.」

The Hengshui River surged, flowing past Pinglan City like a massive, magnificent jade belt.

By the city gate near the water, the seven-story-tall Dingbo Tower stood majestically.

On that day, the Hengshui Dragon King had attacked Pinglan City, raising hundred-zhang-high waves right beside this Dingbo Tower, and it was also here, beside Dingbo Tower, that he was repelled by numerous masters of the Human Race.

Now, Ye Heng, the Seven Treasures Spirit Official and Demon Extermination Envoy of Cangling County, had been stationed here day and night for more than half a year.

The Hengshui River rushed on, seemingly no different than usual. But atop Dingbo Tower, a small, green-leaf person about a foot tall suddenly emerged from Ye Lingguan’s side.

Ye Lingguan’s eyes remained closed. The little green-leaf person gave him a slight bow, then leaped into the void and vanished in an instant.

Deep within the Hengshui River, the Black Dragon lying in his Crystal Palace lazily opened his eyes.

A single green leaf appeared beside him and transformed into a small, green-leaf person, meeting the Hengshui Dragon King’s gaze.

The Black Dragon opened his mouth, and the water stirred. "Ye Lingguan, have you come to laugh at me?"

The little green-leaf person, however, sighed. "No. This official has come to express his admiration for the Dragon King."

"On that day, the Dragon King’s fury flooded Pinglan. We gathered the masters of the entire county, and even received reinforcements from many sides, before we could finally ’invite’ the Dragon King back to the Crystal Palace."

"I thought we had reached an agreement this time: the Human Race would fish in moderation, the Dragon Race would provide adequate rain, bringing favorable weather and prosperity to Cangling. I never imagined you had planted such a disaster in Su Yang City!"

"Oh, Dragon King, when a mortal transforms, they only harm a few people. When a Cultivator transforms, they only endanger a single area... But if the Dragon Maiden transforms, her blight won’t be limited to Su Yang! Have you ever considered it? A thousand years of resentment, catalyzed by the Dragon Pearl... once the transformed Dragon Maiden gathers her strength, what kind of great terror will that be?"

"Destroying a city is a small matter. I fear that the Deceitful Realm will expand, becoming a threat that could ruin the nation!"

"This county’s people, their endless Incense and Candlelight, even the Hengshui Dragon Palace... Dragon King, are you willing to abandon them all?"

But the Black Dragon sneered, "Ye Lingguan, you think too highly of a mere Dragon Maiden. The Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty has countless strong experts, Immortals line its halls, and sages preach its teachings. How could this possibly become a threat that could ruin the nation?"

"Besides, didn’t you people send someone to steal the Dragon Pearl?"

"The Dragon Maiden’s transformation is the fruit of past seeds. Whoever created this karmic debt will be the one to pay it!"

"Why must you bring the common people into this, Ye Lingguan? While I do accept the people’s offerings and receive their daily Incense and Candlelight, my Dragon Race has never been remiss in our duty of Cloud Formation and Rainfall to regulate the seasons!"

"It is the Human Race who drains the marshes to catch the fish, overfishing and plundering indiscriminately. That is what enraged my Aquatic Race’s generals, causing the conflict to escalate time and again. Otherwise, do you really think I enjoy stirring up waves and tides in my spare time? I am not some young, horn-headed hatchling!"

"A mortal’s hundred years is but the snap of a finger to me! Forget it. I was outplayed by a single move in this game, and I accept my loss. Compared to the endless strife of the Mortal World, what is better than closing one’s eyes and sleeping?"

Having said this, the Black Dragon truly did close his eyes and spoke no more.

Atop Dingbo Tower, the little green-leaf person stepped back through the void and landed in the corner of Ye Lingguan’s robes, vanishing from sight.

But a soft knock came from outside the quiet chamber’s door.

Ye Lingguan opened his eyes. "Come in."

The person who entered was a tall and slender youth with sword-like brows and star-like eyes.

The youth wore a jade coronet in his hair and a wide-sleeved, green Daoist robe with a slanted collar embroidered with bamboo. Though his face was still somewhat boyish, he radiated a spirited and vibrant energy that was delightful to behold.

This was Ye Lingguan’s most beloved Closed-door Disciple, Ye Sheng.

As soon as Ye Sheng entered, he knelt before Ye Lingguan and began, "Master, your disciple has heard about the matter of the Dragon Maiden in Su Yang City."

Ye Lingguan said, "Is this news from the Mountain and River Mirror? What did it say?"

Ye Sheng said, "A thousand years ago, the Human Race traitor Xiao Hong used despicable and cruel methods to scheme for the Dragon Race’s bloodline. This led to the Dragon Maiden dying with such resentment that it festered for a millennium, resulting in today’s disaster."

"My senior brothers and sisters all have different opinions on this. Senior Sister says that whether human or demon, everyone has the right to take revenge."

"Eldest Senior Brother says that a ’Gui’ has neither human nor demonic nature. Its very existence is a calamity, and it must not be spared! Eldest Senior Brother intends to travel to Su Yang to investigate the aftermath."

"Master, your disciple just doesn’t understand. The Three Immortals of Kunlun are highly respected. Why would they help a scoundrel like Xiao Hong?"

He had many questions, but Ye Lingguan simply said, "Sheng’Er, do you know why, despite the constant friction between the various Water Demon tribes and our Human Race, and despite the fact that it’s not uncommon for Water Demons to eat people, the Court still insists on enfeoffing the various Dragon Kings? Is pacification better than conquest?"

Ye Sheng replied, slightly unwilling to accept it, "Master, is it because the Dragon Race performs Cloud Formation and Rainfall?"

Ye Lingguan nodded. "Correct."