Chapter 80: Slaying the Alligator Dragon
Chapter 80: Slaying the Alligator Dragon
No one expected Shen Yi to be the first to make a move.
He tightly gripped his ceremonial dagger, the black light on the blade quickly fading, transforming into a captivating pitch-black hue.
This was the first time he had unleashed his full power after reaching the pinnacle of the Jade Liquid Realm.
Clang!
The dagger slashed down with a mighty force, devoid of the grand aura of sword energy from before. It was quiet and stealthy, possessing only pure sharpness.
The alligator dragon, already irritated and on guard, couldn't help but feel a chill running from the soles of its feet to the top of its head as the black blade approached. It revealed a startled expression, stamping its feet and smashing its elbow, covered in scaly armor, toward the dagger.
Using its flesh to clash against the blade!
Crunch, crunch—
It wasn't the sound of cutting flesh, nor was there a metallic collision.
The scales on the alligator dragon's arm stood up, resembling rows of curved, sharp blades.
The dagger failed to pierce its flesh and only managed to scrape off a layer of scales.
Taking advantage of this momentary reaction time, the alligator dragon swiftly turned around, its wide robe flaring as it lashed out with its thick and powerful tail. The tail, resembling refined steel, struck viciously toward the young man's arm.
Facing the demon's hidden killer move, Shen Yi's eyes turned cold, and his perfectly executed dagger technique, honed to perfection in the realm, allowed him to retract and strike again in an instant.
Just as the blow was about to land, the steel-like tail suddenly became soft and flexible. The previous fierce force was merely an illusion to confuse its enemy, as it had no intention of clashing with the dagger and instead wrapped around Shen Yi's arm.
The next moment, the scales on the tail stood up as well.
Swish!
In just one turn, it had hidden three deadly strikes.
The silk sleeve robe was torn, stained with a hint of dark red.
The alligator dragon's expression turned ugly. The scales on its body had been nurtured for a thousand years, appearing merely as scales growing on its body but actually refined into a precious armor that fused offense and defense seamlessly.
They were its cherished possessions, essential for its survival.
Yet, in just one exchange, that bizarre black dagger had shaved off several dozen of its scales, leaving it inwardly dismayed.
How could the opponent's minor flesh wound compare to the loss of its precious scales?
Malice burst from the alligator dragon's eyes, and it exerted force again, intending to crush the young man's entire arm in one go.
Just then, it noticed Shen Yi opening his palm, his fingers tightly gripping its tail.
"You, a mere martial artist, dare to wrestle with me?"
The alligator dragon sensed the young man's intention and found it laughable, feeling both mocked and enraged.
If a martial artist could rely solely on their physical body to clash directly with a demon born with a formidable physique, there would be no need to bother cultivating martial arts techniques.
Before this thought could fade...
The next moment, everything in its field of vision suddenly flipped upside down.
Shen Yi, grasping the alligator dragon's tail, swung it high into the air and mercilessly smashed it down!
Bang!
The alligator dragon tumbled out, its rough claws digging into the stone ground like a rake.
Shaking its flattened head, its protruding eyes appeared dazed.
Then, as if realizing something, it raised its head, its face filled with excitement.
It had initially thought that the young man had unintentionally refined a strand of bloodline power from the Flood Dragon Pill, but it never expected... Oh... He had actually absorbed it so perfectly!
"Roar!"
Its eyes turned scarlet, and it let out a roar, bowing its head.
This excited and piercing sound also attracted the attention of the people on the other side.
Just as Shen Yi made his move...
More than twenty Golden Eagle Military Officers reacted swiftly, throwing the chains in their hands and entangling the Angry Sword Elder within them.
The so-called Demon Suppressing Grand Formation was not purely a martial technique. Apart from the hand movements, it mainly relied on the material of the chains, which could greatly hinder the deployment of spiritual energy.
The prerequisite was... being able to lock onto the target.
The formation's eye, which should have been where Zhao Kanglin stood, was now occupied by Hong Lei.
Their coordination was extremely clumsy, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were fighting independently.
The situation was similar for the outer camp military officers. They were originally not used to working together to kill, especially since they had been temporarily transferred from different subordinate forces and had only been practicing together for a few days. They weren't even clear about their colleagues' strengths and specialties.
Fortunately, Hong Lei had a solid foundation. Although he didn't know how to coordinate with the Demon Suppressing Grand Formation, he at least understood that the old man was wary of the chains. Using this advantage, he could barely hold his ground for a short time.
It was obvious that the opponent had used a secret technique to forcefully sustain himself, burning his vitality to briefly return to his peak state. However, he hadn't even fully executed the secret technique, and his formidable aura was visibly weakening at a speed perceivable to the naked eye.
If they could just hold on for three more incense sticks' worth of time... there would be no need for the Elder to take action himself, as the opponent would perish on his own.
The only unknown was how many more people would die within that time.
More importantly, behind them was a Jade Liquid Realm pinnacle demon, and no matter how powerful Shen Yi was, how long could he hold it off?
The silver-haired old man swung his sword casually, unleashing wave after wave of thick and heavy sword auras. Hong Lei could dodge them, but the Golden Eagle Military Officers holding the chains had no choice but to grit their teeth and endure the attacks. He couldn't just stand by and watch as the grand formation was broken so easily, so he had to bite the bullet and take the hits.
Countless poisoned hidden weapons and arrows rained down.
The Elder didn't even attempt to dodge, allowing the projectiles to embed themselves in his skin before casually swatting them away.
The deadly poisons held no threat to someone who was already close to death.
Not even close to the level of a single roar from the Alligator Dragon.
The Elder turned to look.
He saw the demon's blue robe torn to shreds, its ferocity evidently aroused as it stomped and raged, causing even the earth to tremble slightly.
Across from it, Shen Yi slowly sheathed his ceremonial dagger.
"Hmm?"
A hint of confusion surfaced in the Elder's cloudy eyes.
In his opinion, the young man's aura was still robust, and he was far from exhausted. Why would he sheath his weapon?
Following this thought, Shen Yi provided an answer with his actions.
As he lifted his palm,
The quiet night was suddenly tinged with eerie scarlet, shrouded in sinister qi, as if the very air had transformed into a hellish landscape.
The Elder tightened his grip on his five-foot-long sword, his usually calm and collected mind finally showing signs of perturbation.
He had seen similar scenes before—it was a trademark move of the Qingzhou General from his younger days, known as the Four Harmonious True Qi. It had brought the general great fame throughout Qingzhou.
The five ultimate techniques were said to be so powerful that mastering just one of them would allow one to dominate peers of the same realm.
But even in his prime, the general's true qi wasn't as dense as what he was witnessing now. It lacked the bone-chilling malevolence and the sinister, scarlet demonic aura.
He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would feel like to be caught in that rain of blood-red true qi.
"Roar!"
The true qi rained down, each strike landing precisely on the Alligator Dragon.
The thousand-year-old great demon from Yangchun River was actually forced to retreat continuously, its extravagant flames scorching its most cherished armor, engulfing it almost instantly.
Only heart-wrenching howls of agony filled the air.
Just then, the young man, who had been standing with his hands hanging by his sides, suddenly turned to look in their direction.
He lifted his palm once more.
"...!"
Angry Sword Elder looked up at the scarlet dots appearing above him, about to unleash their might.
His cloudy eyes dimmed further.
His palm lost its strength, and the five-foot-long sword clattered to the ground, emitting a crisp "clang."
It wasn't out of fear, but because everything had lost its meaning.
Under that onslaught of true qi, the three incense sticks' worth of time he had painstakingly bought with his efforts seemed rather redundant.
(Failure... I originally wanted to reach 200,000 characters before going on hiatus, but my brain is numb now. I'll try to break through to 10,000 daily views next time.)
(Oops, I accidentally posted the wrong version of Chapter 75! It was the draft before edits. I've reposted the correct version now.)
(End of Chapter)
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