The Struggle for the Dragon

This was the first time Hu Mang had learned about Ji Xiaodao's background and the name of that special department— the Dragon-Slaying Department!

That sounds much more imposing than the anti-prostitution department.

Ji Xiaodao, whose blade had been blocked by Eighth Master Hui with one hand, showed an even greater madness on her face; she closed her eyes, as if abandoning her sight and surrendering all her senses to the dragon-shaped tiger guillotine in her hand.

Upon seeing this familiar scene, Hu Mang's expression changed. Without saying a word, he stood in front of his mother, and a layer of golden Buddhist light emerged from his body, like a golden bell, enveloping him and his Mama Hu.

As expected, the next moment, a Saber Domain no less powerful than that of the Devil-Slaying Bladesman suddenly erupted, and golden Dao Ying fell from the sky like a torrential rain, dense and overwhelming, each Dao Ying carrying an incomparably sharp cutting power, covering every inch of the entire hall.

The monsters struck by the Dao Ying didn't even have time to scream. Some were cut in half at the waist, some were cleaved in two, and some were split in two from head to toe, with blood and entrails spraying all over the ground.

A tattooed man struggled for a moment, then transformed into a giant spotted leopard and collapsed in a pool of blood; a gray-haired old man howled for a moment before lying on the ground and turning into a gray-furred old wolf; and some unnamed little demons simply transformed into a bunch of furry creatures in their original forms.

Meanwhile, the sound of clanging also rang out from Hu Mang's body. A flash of demonic light passed through the depths of Hu Mang's pupils, followed by a bright Buddhist light. The aura of the Great Mudra transformed into an impenetrable wall, forcefully pushing back the Dao Ying.

Meanwhile, Eighth Master Hui's figure transformed into rolling Yin Qi within the Saber Domain. From within the Yin Qi, a hand reached out, grabbed Ji Xiaodao's wrist, and violently flung her back.

The Hu Mang scanned the entire scene and found it to be a complete mess, with the original forms and corpses of various demons. Apart from him, who could block the Saber Domain, the only other people present were the Liu Household mother and daughter standing in place. The two women's eyes were emitting a blue light, and their lower bodies had transformed into snake bodies, with two or three deep bloodstains reaching the bone on their snake bodies.

Meanwhile, Eighth Master Hui proactively protected Huang Jiayou and Bai Siniang. He probably realized that without his protection, these two would be killed by the terrifying blade light in an instant.

Huang Jiayou's face was extremely ugly. He didn't expect this woman to turn on him so suddenly; she was definitely a madwoman!

The poor guy thought he'd finally found a powerful backer!

Eighth Master Hui looked at Hu Mang.

"Little python, hold them off for me. It will take me time to open the Yin-Yang Passage."

"Okay, but Eighth Master, please answer one question for me first."

What's the problem?

Hu Mang stepped forward, blocking the five families and Ji Xiaodao, without turning his head.

"Eighth Master, you're also an official, aren't you?"

A slight smile finally appeared on Eighth Master Hui Master's expressionless face.

"Smart person, don't worry, after this, you and your mother won't be wanted by the police."

"That's fine. I don't want to flee overseas with my mother; I've only been back for less than three months."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took a step forward, and the ground cracked beneath his feet. The binary Buddhist script formed from the Nine-Character Mantra appeared on his body, each script radiating intense golden light, making him appear like a Vajra descended to earth.

Ji Xiaodao sensed that aura, and the madness in her eyes intensified. She gripped the sword with both hands, and the dragon-shaped tiger guillotine slowly rotated in front of her. Wherever the blade passed, the air was cut with tiny black cracks. Then she suddenly took a step forward, raised the sword above her head with both hands, and then slashed down again with the force of splitting a mountain!

Without dodging, Hu Mang pressed forward with his Great Mudra. As the blades collided, a terrifying shockwave spread outwards from the point of impact.

The remaining tables and chairs in the hall were overturned and smashed into wood chips against the walls; the tiles on the ceiling were shaken off and shattered all over the floor; and the Yin Qi of the Liu Residence was swept away. The entire Ghost Willow Grove was filled with a "rustling" sound, as if countless tree spirits and ghosts were wailing in pain.

Even the Ghost-Binding Willow was bleeding.

Hu Mang took the blow, his calf sinking into the ground. He was shocked to discover that his opponent's strength was no less than his own.

At the same time, a deep, bone-revealing knife mark appeared on the surface of his fist, and the second-level Buddhist runes could no longer cover the knife mark.

This indicates that the Hu Mang's "robe" was cleaved in two by the opponent's blade, which is considered a serious breach of one's foundation in Buddhism, demonstrating the ferocity of the opponent's attack.

"Damn it, if anyone ever tells me again that Heavenly Gate Golden Core has no fighting ability, let them take this blow themselves."

After slashing the Hu Mang into the ground, Ji Xiaodao was also sent flying by the combined Great Mudra evolved from the opponent's mastery of the three disciplines of upholding precepts, accumulating blessings, and purifying karma. His dragon-shaped tiger guillotine was stuck into the ground and dragged for more than ten feet.

Ji Xiaodao looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as well.

What is your connection to the Saha Continent?

"What do you think?"

"Snort!"

Ji Xiaodao looked at the billowing Yin Qi behind the Hu Mang, then landed directly on the hilt of the sword like a large pendant. However, this strange dragon-shaped sword slowly sank into the ground.

Black blood seeped continuously from the ground where the knife tip was embedded.

Suddenly, Liu Wuniang's painful scream came from behind. The sound was shrill and sharp, as if something was being torn apart from the inside.

"Little Python, stop her! She's going to kill a dragon and then use the Ghost Dragon Vein to forge a sword."

This is possible!?

Hu Mang suddenly turned around and saw Ji Xiaodao squatting on the hilt of the sword, his eyes closed. The dragon-shaped tiger guillotine was already more than half buried in the ground. The dragon relief on the back of the blade was now emitting a dazzling dark red light, as if a dragon was rolling, struggling and roaring inside the blade.

Then, accompanied by a low, mournful wail, the ground cracked open.

A massive crack extended from where the blade had been inserted to both sides, reaching all the way to the outside of the Liu Residence's courtyard wall. Thick gray mist surged from the crack; it was the yin Yin Qi that had dissipated after the Ghost Dragon Vein was severed. The mist was mixed with specks of dark red light, like broken scales, which slowly drifted in the air and then merged into the blade.

Blood gushed from the willow Ghost-Binding Willow, its branches flailing wildly. Countless little ghosts in red were suspended upside down in mid-air by the willow vines, flailing their arms and legs and letting out shrill screams.

The dragon-shaped tiger guillotine at Ji Xiaodao's feet began to develop a layer of fine dragon scale patterns on its surface, extending from the tip to the hilt, as if the slain Ghost Dragon was being engraved into the blade.

The edge of the blade gleamed with a faint, cold light; just looking at it made one's skin tighten.

Hu Mang's expression also changed. The opponent's regular swordsmanship was at the peak of the "Devil-Slaying Bladesman". If he had slaughtered that Ghost Dragon Vein and used the dragon to forge the sword, how powerful would it have become?

At this moment, he gained the most direct understanding of the true martial power hidden beneath the Heavenly Gate of the water.

She must be suppressed!

Hu Mang's eyes suddenly widened, and he pushed the Eye of the Tribulation Dragon to its limit at this moment; within those two vertical pupils, lightning patterns spun wildly.

At this moment, he no longer suppressed the instinct of the Tribulation Eye, but instead actively released the restraint on that absorbing power.

Like a wild beast that has been starving for a long time, the Tribulation Eye sensed the remnants of the Dragon Vein and the aura of calamity, and began to frantically seize all the power it could absorb from its surroundings.

The dark red, broken scale-like light spots, which were originally drifting towards Ji Xiaodao's blade, were now pulled by a stronger suction force, changing direction in mid-air, like sparks flying backwards, and heading towards the Hu Mang's pupils.

The Hu Mang's eyes grew brighter and brighter, the light no longer a simple dim yellow, but gradually turning into a blazing golden white, as if two small suns were burning in his eye sockets.

The ground beneath his feet began to crack, and his aura was expanding at a terrifying speed, transforming into countless lines of tribulation that stretched outwards.

Ji Xiaodao also felt the pressure. Her newly enhanced sword intent was actually suppressed in the face of Hu Mang's increasingly strong aura. The cold light at the edge of the blade was no longer so sharp, and the dragon scale patterns on the blade flickered a few times, as if it were intimidated by some higher power. She raised her head and looked at Hu Mang's burning eyes, revealing a solemn expression for the first time.

The opponent is not Dragon Disruptor, but his ability to control the Dragon Vein is even stronger than that of an ordinary Dragon Disruptor!

The next moment, the ground shattered completely with a loud bang, Hu Mang's feet lost their footing, causing him to fall into the rolling Yin Qi. In a daze, he seemed to hear his mother's shouts and the sound of Eighth Master Hui casting a spell.

"Has the Yin-Yang Passage been opened? Are there ghost dragon chariots down there that we can ride in?"

The thought flashed through the Hu Mang's mind before it was sucked into the darkness.

The entire main hall of the Liu Residence finally succumbed to the pressure and collapsed.

A moment later, when the Demon-Suppressing Guard and the Devil-Suppressing Guard arrived, they saw Ji Xiaodao struggling to climb out of one of the large pits, covered in dust and dirt.

"Where is he?" Qian Xiao Long asked directly.

"He ran down there, damn it, he ran really fast!" Ji Xiaodao climbed out panting, plopped down on the ground, and looked at the huge pit opposite him. The pit was filled with Yin Qi and seemed bottomless.

Qian Xiao Long looked around and saw that all the Ghost Willow were oozing red sap from their crowns, as if they were bleeding tears. There was also a large pit where the Ghost Binding Willow had originally been.

The giant tree also vanished without a trace.

"You're riding the Dragon Vein, didn't you apply for permission beforehand?"

"Apply my ass! If I use it, they'll just run away. If I don't use it, I'll just be watching them slip away!"

"You got into a fight over a dragon?" Qian Xiao Long asked, frowning.

The air was thick with the aura of Dragon Calamity.

"We argued for a bit, and almost lost. If I hadn't never met him before, I would have thought he was some minister's confidant!"

Ji Xiaodao was panting heavily.

What happened to your sword?

The tip of the white sword in Qian Xiao Long's hand had disappeared.

"I encountered someone called Eighth Master Hui before, and when I fought him, he cut me in half."

"You used the Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin, didn't you?!"

Ji Xiaodao stared at the other party in astonishment. She knew the power of the other party's Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin. It could be said that it was completely capable of killing someone who was a whole realm higher.

Qian Xiao Long avoided the topic, only saying, "Get ready, we're going down too."

"How do we get down? The passage to the Underworld must have been blocked long ago," Ji Xiaodao asked, puzzled.

"It's alright. Minister Hong knew about the situation here and has already infiltrated the area. He'll clear the way for us."

Ji Xiaodao stood up, dusted himself off, and complained:

"He tells us to be cautious every day, but when it comes to dealing with the Ten Lords, he's more reckless than anyone else. He even tried to sneak away. Did he go to the Ghost Lord's territory to apply for permission? Does he have any authorization?"

Qian Xiao Long continued to avoid the topic.