Slowly, Li Qingxian frowned.
He kept feeling as though he had heard "Dragon's Roar" somewhere before, yet there truly were no similar poems in Blue Star's memories.
At last, Li Qingxian returned to the northern city wall. Song Yunjing's complete "Dragon's Roar" lay before him as he pondered it deeply.
Wind swept the firmament, layering yellow clouds,
A ribbon of white water flowed from Kunlun.
The Great River came from the west and went east,
Its roar carried dragon chants for ten thousand miles.
Li Qingxian's memory was nothing special, but he had seen an immense number of famous poems. This one had a solid foundation, yet its grandeur fell far short of the great works.
After a long while, Zhou Hen approached, the smell of blood on him even stronger than before. In a low voice, he said, "Prepare yourself. The two men's literary qi has already dropped by half, and there is still no word from the court. In half an hour at most, the three Demon Kings will strike."
Li Qingxian looked up at the night sky and sighed softly. "Past midnight?"
"It is. Today is your birthday. We can't return to the Divine Capital." Zhou Hen said.
Li Qingxian remained silent.
"If you have anything to tell your family, I'll have someone pass it on. Also, I'll arrange for them to leave the Divine Capital and go to Wu-Su City." Zhou Hen said.
"Is there truly not even the slightest hope?"
"See for yourself." Zhou Hen pointed ahead.
Li Qingxian looked forward.
The white antlers atop the Tree-Horn King's head had previously given off only a faint glow, but now they shone with blinding white radiance, like a small sun in the night.
The antlers, once hard and motionless, had transformed into flowing white light. They