"Fire, come!"
Jiang Sheng cried out, drawing his longsword upward. The flames burning on the front hall stirred under the pull of his aura, swaying as they spiraled into the air.
The rich, pure spiritual power in Jiang Sheng's dantian surged forth. Nourished by spiritual energy, the strands of flame he had drawn up burned ever more fiercely and swelled ever larger.
One look at the overwhelming might radiating from those flames told the Eight Wolves of Dongjun that this move was anything but ordinary!
How could they let Jiang Sheng complete such a technique? They immediately drove their artifact serpent forward. The venomous serpent, dozens of zhang long, gathered its strength before shooting straight at Jiang Sheng!
The hideous, blood-colored serpent opened its jaws wide, its spearhead fangs gleaming with a chilling light.
Snowflakes melted into poisonous water merely by approaching the blood-colored serpent. Before this serpent of the Purple Mansion Realm, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could scarcely summon the will to resist.
Its foul aura alone was enough to hamper a cultivator's movements and stop their spiritual power from circulating.
Before this Purple Mansion Realm serpent, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators were lambs awaiting slaughter, even if they had reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
Jiang Sheng now truly believed that the Eight Wolves of Dongjun possessed the strength to kill a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator.
Yet even as the blood-colored serpent's gaping jaws nearly swallowed him, Jiang Sheng remained calm.
His longsword trembled. As he turned it through several flourishes, Jiang Sheng marshaled his aura and slashed out. "River flow!"
In an instant, it was as though a great river were surging eastward, its waters roaring. Azure Sword Qi washed over the blood-colored serpent like a river, forcibly driving the serpent lunging at Jiang Sheng back down to the ground!
Standing far away in the rear courtyard, Tian Ming'an watched this spectacular battle between cultivators with wide eyes. He dared not even blink, afraid of missing the slightest detail.
Both the earlier clash between Jiang Sheng's Sword-Qi Net and the Eight Wolves of Dongjun's spells and the scene unfolding now showed Tian Ming'an what true cultivators were. They also made him understand why cultivators ruled the Qi Kingdom.
What use could an army of mortals possibly be against such terrifying power?
Even igniting dozens of jin of gunpowder would only compare to a Qi Refining Realm cultivator's fireball spell, let alone a battle between high-level cultivators.
And now, the struggle between Jiang Sheng and the Eight Wolves of Dongjun was more terrifying still.
First, Jiang Sheng, suspended in midair, had seemed about to be swallowed by that enormous, hideous serpent. Then, with another slash, he had sent an azure river sweeping downward, knocking the terrifying serpent back to the ground.
Each scene filled Tian Ming'an with yearning. He wished he too could become a cultivator of such grace and freedom!
While Tian Ming'an brimmed with admiration for Jiang Sheng, the Eight Wolves of Dongjun were utterly horrified!
Those artifact chains had cost them their entire fortunes to forge. They were dreadful artifacts capable of fouling a cultivator's flesh, poisoning their spiritual power, and sealing their dantian!
With all eight chains linked together, even a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator would have to exercise caution. Why, then, could Jiang Sheng, who was only at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, suppress their artifact so easily?
The artifact serpent fell with a hoarse, rasping roar. Most of the vicious barbs covering its body had been destroyed, and even several of the fangs in its mouth had broken off.
Jiang Sheng quietly regulated his breathing while drawing on the flames once more, gathering strands of fiercely burning fire around himself.
Flames blazed across the sky, lighting up several li around him as brightly as day. Their scorching heat even melted all the falling snow above Qingxuan Temple into rain.
In the depths of winter, as goose-feather snow drifted down, warm rain actually fell above Qingxuan Temple.
When the warm rain struck Tian Ming'an's face, he instinctively wiped it away. Feeling its warmth, he looked again at the azure-robed Daoist standing in midair beneath the sky full of flames and murmured unconsciously, "So this is the Daoist's strength..."
Not just Tian Ming'an—even the Eight Wolves of Dongjun, hardened veterans of evil cultivation and demonic practices, wore terrified expressions as they watched the flames illuminate the sky. Could someone at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage truly possess such strength?
Was this Jiang Sheng really just a Foundation Establishment Daoist?
Jiang Sheng's clear voice rang out again. "There are three methods of establishing a foundation. Whether you use a Foundation Establishment Pill or not, forcing your way into foundation establishment yields a mortal Dao foundation. That is what all of you possess."
"Those who temper themselves with earthly baleful energies to establish their foundation attain an earthly Dao foundation. That was what the Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator you boast of killing possessed."
"As for this humble Daoist, I pledged myself to the Dao at eight, spent four years learning my letters, and practiced the arts for six years. Drawing upon heavenly astral and earthly baleful energies, I achieved heavenly Dao foundation establishment and condensed a Dao platform in my dantian."
"Do you know what a Dao foundation is?"
As Jiang Sheng spoke, his longsword slowly traced an arc, until its tip pointed toward the heavens.
"Dragon, come!"
Jiang Sheng shouted.
Tian Ming'an and the Eight Wolves of Dongjun looked up at the sea of flames in horror. Within it, a living creature slowly took shape.
Its horns resembled a deer's, its head a camel's, its eyes a rabbit's, its neck a snake's, its belly a giant clam's, its scales a fish's, its claws an eagle's, its paws a tiger's, and its ears an ox's. With a flood dragon's spine and a golden tail, it spread its scales and claws!
This was a true dragon!
A sacred creature favored by heaven and earth!
Jiang Sheng had actually condensed the sky full of flames into a fire dragon complete with scales and claws!
"Raaah!"
The ten-zhang fire dragon coiled in the sky, fiery clouds glowing around it. Raising its head, it released a thunderous dragon cry that struck terror into every evil thing.
Its cry scattered the falling snow within three hundred zhang and carried more than a hundred li, echoing through Qingping Mountain.
The next moment, the majestic fire dragon circled behind Jiang Sheng. Its enormous head lowered beside his shoulder, its draconic eyes fixed on the blood-colored serpent writhing and struggling inside the temple, as though regarding an earthworm struggling in vain.
"A pack of evil cultivators with mortal Dao foundations, and you dare come trouble this humble Daoist!"
"You are truly seeking your own deaths!"
Jiang Sheng's voice echoed through the temple and beyond.
The Eight Wolves of Dongjun were now utterly stricken with terror!
Heavenly Dao foundation establishment!
This Daoist had actually achieved heavenly Dao foundation establishment?!
Tian Ming'an's heart shook as well. So there were so many different ways of establishing a foundation. No wonder the Daoist was so powerful—he had achieved heavenly Dao foundation establishment!
"Brothers, stake everything!"
The lead wolf's eyes nearly split with fury as he poured every last bit of his spiritual power into the blood-colored serpent.
The other seven likewise poured all their spiritual power into the serpent, even feeding most of their own blood and vitality into it.
The previously weakened blood-colored serpent revived. Its cold eyes locked onto Jiang Sheng, who hovered amid the fire dragon like a divine being. Its mouth bristled with sharp venomous fangs, and its aura climbed once more!
"Kill!"
Driven by the Eight Wolves of Dongjun, the blood-colored serpent tensed again, then shot upward with a howl like a streaming ribbon of blood!
Jiang Sheng's expression remained unchanged. Spiritual power from within him flooded madly into the fire dragon. With a point of his sword, the dragon roared and spewed blazing flames, then lunged toward the oncoming blood-colored serpent.
Tian Ming'an was already staring in a daze. Above Qingxuan Temple, the blazing fire dragon and the blood-colored serpent coiled around one another, tearing and biting. The terrifying might radiating from the two enormous creatures woke untold numbers of hibernating creatures.
Dragon cries rang out, the venomous serpent hissed, and terrifying fluctuations of spiritual power spread in every direction. They swept away all falling snow within a thousand zhang of Qingxuan Temple and flattened swathes of green pines and verdant bamboo.
The Eight Wolves of Dongjun watched helplessly as Jiang Sheng's fire dragon tore chunks from their artifact serpent, gradually forcing it onto the losing side.
If their artifact serpent was truly destroyed, all eight of them would have no way to survive.
The youngest of the Eight Wolves of Dongjun steeled himself, struck his own chest, and offered up all his blood essence. "Eldest Brother, you must survive!"
"Eighth Brother!" The lead wolf clenched his teeth. This was their youngest brother!
Immediately afterward, the seventh, sixth, and fifth brothers also offered up all their blood essence, making blood sacrifices to the serpent.
The lead wolf watched his own brothers die before his eyes, and towering hatred blazed in his heart. He seemed to see again the unwillingness, rage, venom, and regret in the eyes of that eighth-level Qi Refining Realm patriarch when the eight brothers had slaughtered his Qi Refining Realm lineage.
Time after time, they had been the ones slaughtering others, treating them as playthings to torment and toy with.
But now, half of the eight brothers were already dead!
Suddenly, another furious roar rang out. The fourth, third, and second wolves also offered up all their blood and vitality in succession as blood sacrifices to the serpent, making its aura swell once more!
"Second Brother! Third Brother! Fourth Brother!" The lead wolf clenched his fists. His nails pierced his flesh, but he felt no pain. He felt only his heart bleeding!
"Eldest Brother, you must survive. We are counting on you to avenge us!"
Hearing his brothers' final words, the lead wolf finally let out a savage roar. "Aaaah! Jiang Sheng! I want you dead!"
The lead wolf drove the blood-colored serpent, its aura surging wildly, straight toward Jiang Sheng. Clearly, even if he died, he intended to drag Jiang Sheng down with him.
The thirty-zhang blood-colored serpent descended as though blanketing heaven and earth, its jaws spread wide to swallow Jiang Sheng!
Yet Jiang Sheng merely turned his sword tip, and the ten-zhang fire dragon wheeled around to shield him.
With the fire dragon guarding him, Jiang Sheng raised his right hand level. The azure lotus upon the three-foot Qing Feng in his palm unfurled, radiating an incomparably dangerous aura.
"You want this humble Daoist dead? You are still far from ripe enough!"
"Cleave!"
In an instant, clear radiance became flickering shadows, and the sword shot forth like a dragon!
In the depths of winter in the year 39,825 of the Shanhe Calendar, heavy snow fell over Dongjun. That night, every resident of Qingping Town heard a dragon's cry from the mountains!
Here is the second update~ I said I would kill eight evil cultivators to liven things up, and that is exactly what I did! Gentlemen, please add this to your collections, send recommendations, and offer some monthly tickets and tips. Next, Lin Yuan will kill a river god for you.
(End of chapter)
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