"I, Dugu Qiubai, have come to challenge the Fairy to a sword duel."
Before, he had thought the immortals of this Divine Sect were merely people with peerless martial arts. But after seeing her make her move just now, he had no doubts left.
Yet the more certain he was, the stronger the fighting spirit in his eyes became.
Golden Wheel Dharma King's fate had not changed his expression in the slightest.
"A sword duel? Fine, but I have one condition."
Little Dragon Girl nodded in agreement.
"What condition? If it's something I can do, I'll agree."
Dugu Qiubai replied excitedly. He could hardly wait any longer.
"If you lose, I want it."
Little Dragon Girl pointed at the Divine Eagle and smiled faintly.
Unlike Ying Zheng, she couldn't command the people of an entire nation and have them all willingly worship the Heavenly Emperor.
But this Divine Eagle was clearly some sort of rare beast. It could even be called a divine eagle.
If she offered it up, perhaps it would pique the Heavenly Emperor's interest.
"This..."
Dugu Qiubai hesitated at her words.
In the end, he shook his head.
"Fairy, it's not that I disagree. It's just that Brother Eagle isn't mine to give, so I can't make the decision for him."
Little Dragon Girl looked at him with surprise, then a sphere of Life Essence appeared in her hand.
The Heavenly Emperor Visualization Diagram contained many laws and great paths.
Ying Zheng had comprehended the Way of National Fortune, while she had learned the Way of Life.
That was why she could heal Qiu Chuji and the others so easily.
The Life Essence she gathered in her hand held the vitality of all the flowers and trees within a thousand li. It was a great tonic for both people and animals.
The Divine Eagle was intelligent. The moment it saw the Life Essence, its whole body radiated longing.
"Good little eagle, if you come with me, I'll give you even better things!"
Little Dragon Girl went up to the Divine Eagle, opened her hand, and held the Life Essence out before it.
A rumbling sound came from the Divine Eagle's throat, but its head instinctively turned ninety degrees to look at Dugu Qiubai on its back.
Seeing this, Dugu Qiubai stepped down and stood in the air as well.
Compared to Little Dragon Girl's ease, he looked much more strained, and his Internal Energy was rapidly draining away.
"Go on, Brother Eagle."
Understanding what the Divine Eagle meant, Dugu Qiubai sincerely wished it well.
After all, following an immortal offered it far better prospects than staying with him.
With a sharp cry, the Divine Eagle gulped down the Life Essence.
A smile appeared on Little Dragon Girl's face, and she couldn't help reaching out to stroke the down on its head.
After spending a while interacting with it, Little Dragon Girl finally looked toward Dugu Qiubai, who had already landed.
"Make your move. You won't get another chance."
Although Little Dragon Girl had comprehended the Law of Life, it was still an immortal path.
Compared to martial arts, it was an overwhelming advantage, so she had every reason to say this.
Dugu Qiubai didn't argue. His gaze grew even more solemn.
A fierce sword intent rose from him. The snow flying through the sky was sliced apart by the invisible sword intent, leaving nothing within ten meters of him.
Qiu Chuji's eyes narrowed, and he was even more astonished.
"What a powerful sword intent! No wonder even Master was full of admiration for this martial arts legend."
Only now did he truly understand how vast the world was and how profound martial arts could be.
He had thought that, apart from the other four of the Five Greats, the seven brothers of their sect were also among the finest martial artists in the world.
But everything that had happened today had shattered that delusion.
"Fairy, take care."
Dugu Qiubai's sword intent reached its peak. His entire figure vanished, leaving behind only a sharp ray of sword light.
The ray was milky white, carrying sword intent that could cleave apart heaven and earth as it shot skyward, then whistled toward Little Dragon Girl.
Clang!
Little Dragon Girl watched the sword light and let out a startled exclamation, her expression turning serious.
Ice Silkworm Silk coiled around both her hands. She reached out her flawless, delicate hands and grasped directly at the sword light.
Everyone's hearts leapt into their throats, and breathing became difficult.
Qiu Chuji was no exception. He stared anxiously at Little Dragon Girl, afraid the razor-sharp sword light would cut off her fair hand.
The sword light, like a crescent moon pressing across the sea, collided with Little Dragon Girl in an instant, unleashing a thunderous crash.
Then the terrifying sword intent and Immortal Qi intertwined and clashed again and again, forming a visible shock wave in the air that spread a hundred li in every direction.
Boom!
A terrifying surge of energy erupted from the center of the clash. A gale sprang from nowhere and roared away, sweeping the sea of clouds from the sky.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
As the shock wave faded, the sword light grew indistinct and transformed back into a human figure.
Dugu Qiubai coughed up blood again and again, but his eyes grew brighter, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"I've lost! Hahaha!"
He burst into laughter. Blood continued to spill from his mouth, but he still didn't stop.
In the sky,
Little Dragon Girl stared in silence at the thin line of blood on her hand for a long while. Then she looked down at Dugu Qiubai, her cool voice carrying a touch of warmth.
"You're going to die."
Dugu Qiubai smiled and nodded, completely unsurprised.
"I've lived to be a hundred and thirty. It was time for me to die. Now that I've died fighting an immortal, I have no regrets!"
As he spoke, his black hair gradually turned white, and his middle-aged face grew old.
The stronger one's Internal Energy, the more easily one could lock away one's life force.
But this was only martial arts, not cultivation. It couldn't grant eternal life.
Even without this battle, he would have had only a few months left at most.
Today's battle had merely brought his Death Date forward.
"Cri!"
The Divine Eagle cried out, its voice filled with sorrow.
Hearing it, Dugu Qiubai looked at it with the tenderness one might show a family member.
"Fairy, I'm entrusting Brother Eagle to you. If he gets mischievous, please be patient with him."
Dugu Qiubai's voice grew fainter with each word, and he gradually lost all feeling in his body, but his face still wore a smile.
Before, there had been only two things he couldn't let go of in the face of death.
First, he had never lost a single battle.
The second was Brother Eagle.
Now both matters had been settled, and he had no regrets.
"Caw! Caw-caw!"
Watching Dugu Qiubai collapse, the Divine Eagle swooped down from the sky. Tears filled its cold, vertical pupils.
"Little Eagle, move aside."
Little Dragon Girl descended from the sky. The sword mark on her hand had already healed. Seeing Dugu Qiubai's body and hearing the Divine Eagle's grief, she made a decision.
She formed hand seals, and vitality from the Zhongnan Mountain range gathered ceaselessly into Dugu Qiubai's body, forming a giant green cocoon around him.
After doing all this, Little Dragon Girl's face turned pale. For the first time, she experienced what it felt like to be weak.
"Caw?"
The Divine Eagle flapped its wings and cried out where it stood.
"I've temporarily kept him alive. Only the Heavenly Emperor can bring him back to life."
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