Chapter 361: Chasing the Dragon
Draconic keens could be heard from deep underground within a patch of forest as the ground rumbled. Rock and mud were dislodged as mountains formed from the ground, conjoined in the shape of a dragon. As mountains to the front formed, mountains to the back collapsed—as though a mountain range was somehow moving on its own. What lay underground was none other than a draconic vein, not just one, but dozens moving together.
At their head was Blue Lantern. The mountain peaks around him were shrouded by fog. He held a compass in his hand as he moved the draconic veins around.
Far before him, a group of Dazheng cultivators were clearing the path for Blue Lantern.
"Mr. Blue Lantern, the officials in the city ahead have pacified the people and established a dragon-inviting formation according to your plans. Everything's ready!" a Dazheng cultivator reported.
Blue Lantern nodded. He waved an arm. "In the name of heaven and earth, the four symbols and eight trigrams, I hereby invite the draconic vein of this territory to journey with me!"
The city in the distance trembled. Then, its mountain peaks shook as another draconic vein was lured out from deep underground and joined Blue Lantern's pack.
The draconic veins passed by the side of the city and toward the next one along Blue Lantern's route.
Blue Lantern had spent half a month gathering these draconic veins, and he had to herd them to Yongding before Xiao Nanfeng began the sacrificial rites to heaven and earth for his upcoming ascension.
On a mountaintop some distance away stood two men. They were staring straight at Blue Lantern.
"Do you see that, Crow King? That's Blue Lantern," one of the men said.
"Crane King, is he dangerous?" the other man asked.
"According to His Majesty, he's a late-stage Human Immortal with incredible strength, especially when he has formations prepared," the crane king replied.
"Strong though he might be, he's only a lone cultivator. He can't even compare to Xiang Shaoyin, can he?" the crow king asked.
"Are you still concerned about the Xiang clan? They're history now. The remaining Xiang Immortals tried to band together and rise up, but three days ago, the Tianshu and Dazheng Immortals killed them all. All their land has been divided up by now," the crane king said.
"Crane King, you'd better not malign me. Just like you, I'm a defender of the Tianshu Empire. That's where my loyalties lie. I'm not associated with the Xiang clan at all. If you continue tarnishing my name, don't blame me for retaliating," the crow king replied coldly.
"Whether you're loyal or not, we'll soon see. His Majesty had us attack Blue Lantern at full force," the crane king said.
"Is His Majesty worried that Blue Lantern will herd these draconic veins all the way to Yongding?"
"That's right. His Majesty won't allow the kingdom of Dazheng to ascend into an empire. There are two days left before Xiao Nanfeng's rites, and these draconic veins will be of particular importance to the ceremony. Right now, a group of Tianshu Immortals are holding the Dazheng Immortals back on the battlefield. Even the two toad spirits have been lured toward the fighting. There are no Immortals guarding Blue Lantern. His Majesty wants us to kill Blue Lantern, or, failing that, to deplete the draconic veins that he's been herding and stop Xiao Nanfeng's advancement," the crane king said.
"That won't be difficult, but will Xiao Nanfeng attack us when we strike? We aren't too far from Yongding at the moment." the crow king frowned.
"His Majesty himself has gone to Yongding. Do you think Xiao Nanfeng will be able to make his way over?" The crane king smiled.
"In that case, what are we waiting for?"
"Let's strike, then!"
The crane and crow cried out as they summoned their respective spirit herds. Crane and crow spirits massed among the clouds and flew out toward Blue Lantern.
Among them were three crow Immortals and three crane Immortals, all glowing with radiant light.
"Protect Mr. Blue Lantern!" the Dazheng cultivators cried out, noticing the disturbance.
The crane and crow kings likewise transformed into their native spirit forms and shot toward Blue Lantern. The gathered spirits surged forward in a massive pack.
At the head of a mountain range, Blue Lantern continued onward with his herd. He ignored the spirits entirely.
"Mr. Blue Lantern, be careful! There are eight spirit Immortals in the enemy formation!" one Dazheng cultivator cried out.
"I'll tear him apart!" The crow king shot forward in the vanguard. He clawed at Blue Lantern with large, sharp claws.
Even before the crow king's attack landed, his momentum and aura sent swathes of the Dazheng cultivators flying. Like sharpened lances, his claws brimming with flame as they struck at the back of Blue Lantern's head.
"Mr. Blue Lantern, be careful!" the defending cultivators cried out.
Blue Lantern didn't make a move, but the fog to his back roiled. A pitch-black dragon tail, surrounded by frost, whipped toward the crow king's claws.
With a smack, the crow king was forced back. The frost and flames struck each other in a flurry of wind.
"What?!" the crow king exclaimed.
A pitch-black dragon emerged from the fog, none other than the Dragon King Ao Zhou.
"Do you know how bored I was waiting for you to come?" Ao Zhou scowled at the crow king.
"What?" The crow king stilled, not understanding why Ao Zhou's eyes seemed so vengeful.
"Do you know how much time I spent hiding in this fog? Damn it. I was worried you wouldn't show up. Xiao Nanfeng's an ass, too. He wanted to ensure that I caught you all so that he could make more peaches out of you, that he'd hold me responsible if even one of you managed to escape. Why didn't you show up earlier?!" Ao Zhou demanded.
The crow king stiffened, then thundered, "Die!"
"No, you die! Strike, dragons! Don't let any of these eight spirit Immortals escape!" Ao Zhou howled.
His dragon subordinates roared within the fog as they emerged, thirty of them in all. They were massive in size and had auras to match. Their presence alone caused the avian spirits to rear back in shock. Among them were multiple Immortals.
"Kill!" Ao Zhou commanded.
"Kill!" the dragons roared, charging toward the gathered spirits.
"An ambush!" the crane king shouted.
The dragons smashed into the avian spirits.
Ao Zhou flew around Blue Lantern, preening. "Don't worry, Blue Lantern. With the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea present, no one will be able to harm you! Now, onward!"
Blue Lantern glared at Ao Zhou, then turned to the Dazheng cultivators and shouted, "Ignore these fighting beasts. Keep clearing the way!"
"Ah? Understood!" the cultivators responded.
Ao Zhou scowled again. "Blue Lantern, what do you mean, 'fighting beasts'? Are you calling me a beast?"
Blue Lantern ignored Ao Zhou; Ao Zhou had insulted him first. [1]
As the ascension of the kingdom of Dazheng drew near, the Xiao manor had been rebuilt in the palace, and Xiao Nanfeng had likewise moved into it.
Everyone was particularly busy during this period of time. The expansion of the kingdom's borders, the recruitment of officials, the construction of the imperial palace and its altar, learning the formalities and customs expected of an imperial court—a tremendous undertaking was in effect.
Within one hall of the palace, Xiao Nanfeng was greeting a black-robed figure.
"Sect Master Cao, I'm honored to be able to welcome you as a representative of the Taiqing Demonic Sect. Please, have a cup of tea!" Xiao Nanfeng offered with a smile.
The black-robed figure was none other than the current sect master of the Taiqing Demonic Sect. A black robe was drawn tightly around the figure, and a hat covered the figure's face. The figure's features were impossible to make out, and the figure's voice was so hoarse that it was impossible to determine whether the sect master was male or female.
"Xiao Nanfeng? You dare invite me to your ceremony? How bold. Aren't you afraid I'll settle the score regarding your assassination of my left division leader?" the demonic sect master demanded.
"My senior brother, Zhao Yuanjiao, has personally flown far and wide to tender these invitations to esteemed personages. You have been invited along with the other division leaders of the Taiqing Immortal Sect so that we might deal with traitors to the sect in one fell swoop," Xiao Nanfeng explained.
"Oh?"
"You simply arrived early, but that's a good thing, Sect Master. I have business to discuss with you regarding the left division leader of the Taiqing Demonic Sect," Xiao Nanfeng said.
"Business to discuss? You killing Cui Haitang and Cui Haisheng, you mean? They're Taiqing sectstarters. Do you intend to deny this claim?" the demonic sect master demanded.
"I did kill them, but they're no sectstarters. They're both traitors to the sect, and I have done no wrong in excising them," Xiao Nanfeng declared.
"Traitor, you say? Is that something you can unilaterally decide?"the demonic sect master asked coldly.
"I know you've been investigating this matter, and you can't conclude whether or not Nalan Qiankun has truly turned traitor. I have invited you and the division leaders of the Taiqing Immortal Sect over to bear witness," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
"To bear witness, and not to interfere in the dispute between you and Nalan Qiankun? And what if you're a traitor? What should we do then?"
"With the division leaders of the Taiqing Immortal Sect gathered, I'm certain I wouldn't be able to escape if I were truly a traitor," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
The demonic sect master fell silent for a moment.
"I promise, Sect Master, that all will be revealed once the division leaders gather. I wish to speak to you to resolve a matter regarding the demonic sect."
"Oh?"
"The first left division leader of the demonic sect, Cui Heiyan, has been freed from his prison. The moment he emerged, he devoured almost all the disciples of the left division. Cui Heiyan is now under Nalan Qiankun's control, and he has to consume people daily in order to keep the demonic influence at bay. I'm certain you have the ability to determine the truth of my claims. I admit that he has amassed significant merit in the Taiqing Sect, but he is now nothing but a font of disaster. As the demonic sect master, will you handle this affair quickly?" Xiao Nanfeng asked seriously.
The demonic sect master was silent for a moment, then nodded. "If I see him, I will deal with him."
"Very good! I expect you will see him within the next two days. At that point, I ask that you acknowledge your promise and take on the responsibility of your station. Please don't wait under the guise of analyzing or inspecting the situation," Xiao Nanfeng stressed.
"Do you distrust me?" the demonic sect master demanded.
Just then, a furious howl could be heard from outside the palace.
"Xiao Nanfeng, return my son's life to me. Return my daughter's life to me!" A furious shout echoed through the air as a fearsome aura descended on the palace.
"Cui Heiyan?" The demonic sect master frowned as he immediately stood up.
"He's here. Sect Master, I'm counting on you." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.
The demonic sect master whirled back around to Xiao Nanfeng, suddenly discovering his trick.
1. Ao Zhou said, '你安心上路去吧!', which I translated as 'Now, onward [with ease]!'. In a different context, it can mean 'You can die peacefully now.', which is the insult that Blue Lantern is referring to. ☜
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