Kill Them... A Great Reward!
The footsteps of Youquan landed on the viscous Blood Sea, making a soft yet clear tapping sound.
The sound was amplified infinitely in the deathly silence of the Blood Sea Netherworld Realm, like a countdown to death, each beat striking the already crumbling defenses of the Jade Jade Dragon King.
The Youquan drew ever closer, its blood-red eyes calm and still, yet more terrifying to the dragon than any ferocious expression.
In the increasingly widened pupils of the Jade Jade Dragon King, the fierce and sinister aura surrounding Youquan gradually condensed into a hideous face, silently grinning at him.
"No—don't come any closer—" The Jade Jade Dragon King's apple bobbed as he let out a hoarse sound. The arm supporting his body trembled like a candle in the wind, and the broken shaft of the dragon spear drew chaotic ripples in the Blood Sea.
He wanted to retreat, to struggle, but his spiritual energy had already been suppressed to the point of near solidification, and his severe injuries made it extremely difficult for him to move even an inch.
The next moment, shadows fell.
A pale, slender hand with distinct knuckles, as if reaching out from the underworld, easily gripped the thick neck of the Jade Jade Dragon King.
"Ugh----!" The Jade Jade Dragon King trembled violently, his dragon eyes bulging.
The hand was icy cold, yet its touch carried a sticky, suction-like quality, as if it were not touching his skin, but rather adhering directly to his Divine Soul and the very essence of his life!
Immediately afterwards, an overwhelmingly domineering and insatiably greedy force of attraction erupted from that palm!
Like countless thin blood vessels, they instantly burrowed into his neck veins, spreading wildly along the crisscrossing meridians and blood vessels within his dragon body to his limbs, Purple Mansion, Dantian even his Sea of Consciousness!
"Heh..."
The Jade Jade Dragon King felt his powerful dragon essence, pure dragon blood, and even the origin of his dragon soul, which he had cultivated for ten thousand years, pouring uncontrollably towards the hand that was gripping his throat, like a river bursting its banks!
He could clearly feel his vitality, cultivation level, and even his understanding of the Dao of Water being brutally stripped away and devoured!
His body began to wither and shrink at a visible rate!
The once full and bulging muscles collapsed, and the tough dragon scales lost their luster, becoming gray and fragile, clinging tightly to the rapidly shrinking bones.
Even the pair of majestic dragon horns on its head began to show fine cracks and lose their luster.
This vivid feeling of being slowly "drained" is more terrifying and despairing than any form of torture!
Youquan leaned down slightly, getting closer to the Jade Jade Dragon King's face, which was contorted with pain and fear. His blood-red pupils reflected the other's gradually losing focus.
A gentle smile curved his lips as he spoke softly and reassuringly, "Don't be nervous."
Dizziness is normal.
These gentle words, coupled with the cruel reality of the rampant devouring of life, created an extreme contrast, causing even the remaining consciousness of the Jade Jade Dragon King to feel a chilling absurdity.
It's over—everything is over—
The Dragon King abandoned me—I'm going to die here—I'll be sucked dry by this demon—
He was overwhelmed by endless regret, resentment, and the deepest fear.
Just as his consciousness was about to be completely dragged into darkness, his dragon body withered to the point of being skin and bones, and even his reverse scales began to loosen and fall off—
An intense, extreme will to survive, mixed with resentment towards the Dragon Lord's abandonment, a deep-seated fear of the Youquan, and an instinctive desire to "live on," exploded like a final burst of light deep within his dying dragon soul!
"No—I can't—die like this—"
With the last ounce of its remaining strength, the Jade Jade Dragon King lashed out with its claws toward the reverse scale on its neck.
A special dragon scale that appears identical to its surroundings, yet actually shimmers with a subtle light!
"Sizzle--!"
The dragon scales were forcibly torn off, leaving a trail of pale golden dragon blood.
Beneath the scales, instead of flesh and blood, lay a string of nine beads, each the size of a thumb, radiating a warm and peaceful golden light, with fine Sanskrit inscriptions on its surface!
This string of Buddhist prayer beads exudes a pure, solemn, and compassionate aura, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding filthy and Blood Sea environment.
Upon its appearance, it spontaneously rippled out a circle of soft, pale golden Buddhist light, resisting the erosion of the Blood Sea's power and protecting the last bit of life force of the Jade Jade Dragon King.
The Jade Jade Dragon King stared intently at the string of prayer beads, as if they were his last lifeline, and with all his might, he let out a hoarse cry.
Intermittent, yet filled with utmost piety and urgency, a lament. "I—am willing to abandon the path of the dragon—enter Buddhism—take refuge in the Buddha—to become—the protector of heaven—the upholder of—the practice of—"
In order to transcend----"
Fellow Daoist—come quickly—save me!!!
The last cry was a blood-soaked scream!
As soon as he finished speaking, the string of Sanskrit prayer beads suddenly shone brightly!
The nine prayer beads, like nine miniature golden suns, are interconnected and spinning rapidly!
A powerful, vast, and distinct Buddhist aspiration, different from that of the Dragon Clan and the Blood Sea, and carrying the meaning of "conversion" and "guidance," erupted from it!
"Om Mani Padme Hum-"
A faint chant of the six-syllable mantra echoed in the Blood Sea, temporarily forcing back the surrounding waves of blood!
At the center of the spinning prayer beads, space violently distorted, as if a gap had been torn open by an invisible hand!
Inside the entrance, a solemn passageway, paved with golden light, with lotus flower shadows floating and Sanskrit inscriptions fluttering, leads to an unknown destination!
Immediately afterwards, two figures calmly stepped out from the golden passage.
They were two monks dressed in simple, moon-white robes. One of them had a kind face and held a string of Bodhi seed prayer beads in his hand.
A man of imposing stature held a crescent-shaped shovel.
Behind each of them, a solid, pale golden aura slowly rotated, their auras profound, clearly indicating they were both at the Arhat realm!
The benevolent Arhat's gaze first fell on the Jade Jade Dragon King, who was on the verge of death but temporarily kept alive by the protection of the Buddhist beads. A compassionate and gratified smile appeared on his face, and his voice was gentle. "Amitabha. Jade Jade Dragon King, you have realized your mistake and returned to the right path. You have had an epiphany between life and death and are willing to give up your dragon body to enter my Buddhist sect and become a Dharma-protecting dragon. This is a great karmic connection."
The Buddha is compassionate and saves all sentient beings; today—"
Before he could finish speaking, the two of them had already stepped out of the passage and landed on the Blood Sea.
Only then did their senses fully adapt to this world, and they were able to see the surrounding scenery clearly.
The words came to an abrupt halt.
The compassionate smile on his face froze instantly.
Where is there any lost dragon king now, repentant and waiting to be guided?
All that remained was a terrifying scene of mountains of corpses Blood Sea, where all life had been annihilated!
The air was thick with the stench of blood and resentment, the sea was viscous and filthy, and in the center of the sea, there was a young Daoist priest in a blood-red robe, so handsome and eerie that it sent chills down your spine. He was using one hand to strangle the Jade Jade Dragon King's neck, which was nothing but a skeleton covered by dragon skin, as if he were pinching a chick!
As for the Jade Jade Dragon King, his breath was barely a thread, his eyes were unfocused, and his soul was about to depart from his body; he was on the verge of death.
What made the two Arhat even more uneasy was that the moment they arrived, the boundless Blood Sea seemed to be stimulated and suddenly began to boil!
Countless waves of blood roared silently, and a foul and cold aura surged, spontaneously eroding and crashing against the protective Buddhist light around them, carrying a kind of primal disgust and rejection!
The blood-robed Daoist's gaze had shifted from the Jade Jade Dragon King and slowly, coldly, fell upon the two of them.
That gaze didn't seem to be looking at living beings, but rather at prey.
"Huh?"
Just then, Youquan, who had been expressionless, suddenly let out a very soft "Eh," tinged with obvious doubt.
Because at the very moment these two Arhat stepped into the Blood Sea Netherworld Realm, the Blood Sea Dao Intent, which originated from the Blood God Scripture and the Great Dao of the Blood Sea within his body and resonated with the Blood Sea Blood Sea outside him at all times, suddenly sent out an unprecedented, extremely clear and intense throbbing and urging!
It wasn't a sign of vigilance against a powerful adversary, nor was it greed for "food."
Rather, it is a more fundamental, almost diametrically opposed, aversion and murderous intent!
The intense throbbing from his very being compelled him to immediately, without hesitation or regard for the cost, tear apart and annihilate these two beings radiating "annoying golden light"!
It even seemed as if ancient voices were echoing from the the Unseen.
Kill him—a hefty reward awaits!
Youquan's blood-red pupils contracted slightly, his mind racing.
"Yes— the Great Dao of the Blood Sea is the convergence of the most yin and filth of heaven and earth, slaughter, death, resentment, and karmic obstacles!"
The Buddhist Order path emphasizes purity and transcendence, compassionate salvation, and the cessation of karmic forces.
"One gathers filth, the other purifies it; one wields the power of killing, the other preaches the cessation of killing; one is drowning in the sea of karma, the other transcends it—"
"This is fundamentally a matter of opposing forces, of mutually contradictory principles! Like water and fire, they are inherently incompatible!"
"No wonder Blood Sea instinctively loathes it so much—" Youquan's gaze swept over the string of Buddhist beads around the neck of the Jade Jade Dragon King.
"This old dragon actually had connections with the Buddhist Order in secret, leaving behind such a contingency plan."
Yes, Dragon Clan have long lifespans but are plagued by numerous tribulations. For some Dragon Clan who are desperate or crave comfort, the position of [Guardian Dragon] in Buddhist Order can be considered a way out.
No wonder the Dragon Lord left so decisively.
They probably already knew about this traitorous old man's actions, which is why they weren't willing to put in any effort.
All these thoughts flashed by in an instant.
The two Arhat opposite him, shocked by the horrific sight before them and feeling the undisguised malice emanating from the Blood Sea, also turned grim.
The burly Arhat slammed his crescent shovel down and shouted in a deep voice, "What kind of demon dares to commit such acts of annihilation here, defiling heaven and earth!"
"Release the Jade Jade Dragon King immediately and return with us to the mountain to await your judgment!"
Upon hearing this, Youquan slowly, very slowly, opened his mouth in a grin.
That smile no longer held any gentleness or playfulness; it was now pure, cold, and like the killing intent from the deepest part of the Blood Sea.
"Those bald monks of Buddhism and Daoism—"
He murmured to himself, as if speaking to the boiling Blood Sea within his body.
"It seems—"
"This extra meal is something we absolutely have to have."
Before he could finish speaking, he grabbed the Jade Jade Dragon King's hand and tightened his grip!
"Snap!"
A crisp sound of bones cracking rang out.
The last vestige of life in the Jade Jade Dragon King, along with his lingering fear and regret, was extinguished completely. His withered dragon head tilted limply to one side.
Youquan casually tossed the light, floating dragon corpse aside like trash, letting it be swallowed by the surging waves of blood.
His gaze was fixed on the two Shakyamuni Arhat who appeared to be facing a formidable enemy.