The rain had stopped.
Sunlight poked its head out from behind the dark clouds.
The rain had poured for three days and three nights straight, but this terrifying battle of magic had brought it to a complete halt.
Long after Su Qingqiu had left,
more than a dozen people cautiously descended upon the battlefield. They stared at the hill that had been reduced to nothing and the plants toppled outward in every direction, like the aftermath of a natural disaster. For a moment, everyone fell silent.
"An Earthly Immortal!"
Someone let out a long sigh.
Others carefully investigated the lingering shock waves, apparently trying to calculate something.
Some simply stood in silence, sensing the sharp aura that filled the air.
After a while, they gradually departed. Then, wave after wave of people from other factions arrived in succession.
Some were monks from the Dragon-Raising Temple, while others were from the imperial court. They all let out cries of astonishment, and they all fell silent.
Fang Wenshan and Xuan Ye were among them.
Xuan Ye gazed at the land, as though it had been plowed, and sensed the dense Spiritual Light and undissipated demonic Qi that lingered there. His expression was grave.
After a long while, he murmured to himself, "That was a dragon. It had to be a dragon, right?"
The words sounded like a question, but in his heart he was utterly certain.
Beside him, Fang Wenshan gave a bitter smile and sighed. "It must have been a dragon, without a doubt. A spirit dragon formed from powerful Spiritual Light. This subject truly cannot understand what level of Spiritual Light would be needed to accomplish... to accomplish such a miraculous art."
A dragon formed from Spiritual Light!
Unheard of!
For a moment, even the well-informed Fang Wenshan didn't know how to describe the scene before them. He could only call it a miracle.
Even now, long after the crimson fire dragon formed from Spiritual Light had vanished, the Spiritual Light left in the air still made everyone's scalps crawl, while sharp pains prickled across their skin.
That wasn't all. The dense Evil Qi also left everyone shocked.
How could such a powerful evil spirit exist in Zhaoyang Country? The evil spirit that appeared later had far surpassed even the Great Asura Lord. Its strength was undoubtedly that of a top-three-grade Land Immortal.
And yet, no one present had ever heard of or seen such an evil spirit. If the Great Asura Lord hadn't summoned it just before its death, perhaps they would never have known it existed.
The mere thought of an evil spirit, more terrifying than the Great Asura Lord, lurking in the shadows and eyeing Zhaoyang Country made everyone shiver with dread.
Even Xuan Ye had only known that the imperial court was working with the Great Asura Lord. He hadn't known that an even more powerful evil spirit stood behind it.
It took quite some time for Fang Wenshan to steady himself against his shock and unease. At last, he continued, "My lord, the question is no longer whether a True Dragon exists. It's how we'll deal with the Dragon-Raising Temple's retaliation afterward."
"We openly schemed against them this time. I fear the Dragon-Raising Temple may harbor rebellious intentions afterward. For your safety, my lord, please leave the area around Chiyang City at once... no, the Great Wasteland. It would be best to return to the imperial capital."
The Dragon-Raising Temple held great influence among the people of the Great Wasteland. If their plot against the temple were exposed, even Fang Wenshan couldn't be certain he could suppress an uprising among the people.
If Xuan Ye were still in Chiyang City then, he would be the perfect scapegoat for the imperial court to offer up to appease the public.
So he had to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible, before the matter came to light.
Xuan Ye understood the reasoning. This operation had essentially ended in failure, and staying here would accomplish nothing.
He gazed steadily at the towering temple standing in the rain, then took a deep breath. He knew it was time to leave.
"Returning is probably for the best."
"Imperial Brother won't accept this defeat. He'll keep testing them until he finds the True Dragon's real body."
"In his pursuit of immortality, he's been blinded by greed."
"After I leave, submit a memorial. Say that a True Dragon has indeed been sighted at the Dragon-Raising Temple, likely a young dragon with strength at the peak of the middle three grades. But since it's an immature True Dragon, only a top-three-grade Land Immortal can suppress it."
"I refuse to believe the emperor can keep his composure—or that the old immortal in the imperial palace can, either. Don't think I don't know there's an old immortal still alive just because the emperor hasn't said so."
Fang Wenshan showed a trace of surprise at Xuan Ye's revelation. But he was clever; he simply listened and asked no questions.
"Right, we also need to placate the Dragon-Raising Temple for now." Xuan Ye considered for a moment, then continued, "All right. Have a plaque made for the Dragon-Raising Temple, with the words 'Commendable Loyalty' on it. And send them an apology gift, directly to Master Yuanhui."
"Remember, present it in front of all the monks. Go to my chambers and take the spiritual tea there as well."
"Be sure to explain that this prince was frightened and needs to return to the imperial capital to recuperate. I won't trouble Master Yuanhui again for the time being. But there's plenty of time in the future. If Master Yuanhui ever wishes to discuss Buddhist teachings with me, I'll gladly welcome him."
Fang Wenshan nodded and memorized the several points Xuan Ye had entrusted to him.
There were a few things he didn't understand, but clever people didn't ask questions. He only needed to carry them out.
Fang Wenshan accepted the order and left.
Xuan Ye turned to look at the Dragon-Raising Temple once more, his eyes filled with resentment and coldness.
Even the warm sunlight spilling across the land couldn't dispel the chill in his heart.
"A True Dragon... Heh. It really is a True Dragon."
At that moment, a thought that should never have crossed his mind surfaced of its own accord.
The emperor wanted the blood of a True Dragon. Why couldn't he?
It was said that every emperor of Zhaoyang Country was cursed with an obsession with True Dragons, a fixation passed down ever since the founding emperor, Xuan Qianqiu.
Xuan Ye considered himself a sage ruler, but even he couldn't escape the same old rut.
"But this will take more planning. This True Dragon won't be easy to deal with. Even an evil spirit that powerful backed away from it, and the Great Asura Lord died on the spot."
"On top of that, the Dragon-Raising Temple is already on guard. Before making another move, we'll have to consider whether those who make it are strong enough."
Xuan Ye shook his head again and again, sighing.
What a fine opportunity, wasted because the Great Asura Lord wasn't up to the task.
Trying again later would be difficult, difficult, difficult!
Fortunately, it hadn't been a complete loss.
"My lord, are we really in the clear with the Dragon-Raising Temple?"
A blurred figure appeared behind Xuan Ye, faint demonic Qi swirling around him.
He was asking whether Master Yuanhui would reveal their scheme.
"Heh. What do you think?"
"These people who've withdrawn from the world have plenty of trouble on their hands. The storm has only just begun."
"Imperial Brother started this, and the court has already entered the fray. How could the other factions possibly hold back?"
"We'll just sit back and watch the others perform. I can't wait to see how the Dragon-Raising Temple handles what comes next."
That was the real reward!
The True Dragon had been confirmed. Even if it wasn't truly one, the major factions would refuse to believe otherwise now.
There was no use explaining.
They would choose to lift the lid they'd clamped over the Dragon-Raising Temple themselves, just to see with their own eyes what was stewing inside!
Dragon essence promised immortality, dragon blood promised eternal life—the world went mad for it.
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