Chapter 69: Chapter 70: Word Spirit
But Hee Lingchuan’s eyes were sharp. "It’s not bleeding. It shouldn’t be dead!"
’Besides, the creatures here all have the ability to automatically regenerate. How could the Black Flood Dragon, the Artifact Spirit, not have it?’
As if in response to his doubt, a puff of smoke erupted from the Black Flood Dragon’s head, and a complete lower jaw quickly grew back. The severed pieces on the ground also turned into black water, flowing back to its tail to become whole again.
No matter what, this was the Black Flood Dragon’s home ground. The Laws here were most favorable to it.
Needless to say, the two once again engaged in a life-and-death struggle. The Black Flood Dragon desperately tried to swallow Nian Songyu whole, while the latter rampaged freely, even more ferocious and domineering than before.
The most shocking thing was the unusually bright cyan light emanating from his body, indicating that his use of the Qiankun Coin had reached its peak.
Evidently, the Illusion World’s suppression of Nian Songyu had actually vanished.
After the white light possessed him, Nian Songyu fought as if he were using cheats. He shattered the Black Flood Dragon twice in a row, but fortunately, it was able to recover quickly each time, fighting with extreme tenacity. When the surrounding Demon Apes and Sand Leopards attacked, he swept them all aside, blasting them to smithereens.
’This is very strange. Logically, the price for using Primordial Power is high. After holding out for those few dozen seconds, Nian Songyu should have been weak, short of breath, with dark circles under his eyes and an unsteady stance. While he might not need to lean on a wall to walk, he certainly wouldn’t be able to fight me for thirty rounds.’
’For Nian Songyu to suddenly get a second wind—and be even more vigorous than the first time—it has to be the work of the possessing white light. I’m not the least bit envious. There’s no such thing as a free power-up in this world. His forced resurgence is likely fueled by damaging his own body and draining his Essence Blood to push his physical limits. I’m afraid it’ll leave terrible aftereffects.’
Clearly, no one present, friend or foe, cared about that.
Another round of battle began.
"Too weak! Is this all you’ve got?" Nian Songyu’s saber tip touched the ground. "Not worth my time to make this trip."
Hee Lingchuan could hear the genuine disappointment in its tone, and a thought struck him.
’I don’t know how complicated the process of summoning a god is, but there have only been three successful Divine Descents in history. Including this one, that makes only four. It can’t be easy.’
’Disappointment means the effort doesn’t match the reward. So what is this thing disappointed about? Shouldn’t it be better if the Artifact Spirit is weaker? That would make it easier for them to claim the Grand Square Pot.’
The Black Flood Dragon didn’t get angry. It just laughed. "I can keep fighting for three to five years. Can you?"
This time, though cut into three pieces, its body was rapidly regenerating. It would be good as new in twenty breaths at most. The other Demon Apes that had been wiped out were also reforming and would soon launch another attack.
’Endurance and stability are the true path to victory. So what if the opponent is powerful? It’s a borrowed body, tattered and worn. The foundation is too poor. In the end, time and victory will be on my side.’
Nian Songyu didn’t waste any more words. He bit his fingertip and drew three runes in the air.
The blood flowed out and congealed in mid-air, turning the runes into characters of blood.
His movements were fast at first but became more sluggish toward the end, as if each stroke weighed a thousand pounds. He barely finished the last few strokes just as the Black Flood Dragon finished regenerating and charged at him again.
Then, he let out three great roars.
Each roar was a single, strange-sounding syllable, but it immediately drove one of the blood characters to transform into red light and shoot toward the Black Flood Dragon.
After the three roars, three blood-red Lock Chains appeared on the Black Flood Dragon’s body!
The chains were illusory, with no apparent physical form, yet they instantly crushed the Black Flood Dragon to the ground as if it were carrying three great mountains on its back.
Every step it took forward was exceptionally difficult, requiring three to five times the effort.
The faces of the people on the city wall changed. How could the Black Flood Dragon be suppressed to this extent on its own home ground?
’Is this the "Celestial God" that Sunx Fuping went to such great lengths to summon? Truly tyrannical.’
"This is my imitation of the Word Spirit Technique, corresponding to three effects: Heavy, Sluggish, and Weary. Even your regeneration will slow down." Therefore, a creature struck by the Word Spirit Technique would have its movements slowed, its body weighed down, and its combat strength weakened. Nian Songyu smiled. "Strange. Can’t you break free?"
The Black Flood Dragon looked at him in silence, crawling toward him with slow determination.
"If you can’t break it—" There was a glint in Nian Songyu’s eyes, his voice filled with excitement, "—then you are not the true master of this world!"
Hee Lingchuan frowned. ’Even the master of this Illusion Realm can’t just do whatever they want, right? Otherwise, they could have just crushed their enemies with a single finger. Why would they be tangled up with us until now?’
But this summoned Celestial God clearly had a hidden meaning in its words, and its expression was so ecstatic, as if it had just hit the jackpot.
Thinking of the price of the Summoning God Skill, and of Hee Chunhua, a sudden pain pierced Hee Lingchuan’s heart.
This pain seemed to be deeply rooted in the memories of this body’s original owner.
’Since the Divine Descent has occurred, Hee Chunhua is almost certainly dead, isn’t he?’
Hee Lingchuan quickly turned his thoughts elsewhere. ’The dead can’t be revived. What’s most important is what I do next.’
’Ever since that white light latched onto my face, I’ve had a splitting headache and feel drowsy and disoriented. I just want to lie down and sleep for three days. Thinking back on that bizarre experience, I know I must have been injured. That Sand Leopard formed from shadows nearly disemboweled me, for one thing.’
After waking up, he had checked his chest and abdomen. Other than the internal injuries from the falling rocks, his skin was completely unscathed.
’So, is the injury in my head?’
Hee Lingchuan tried to ignore the discomfort in his mind and heart, calming himself to focus.
Those two rounds from the Crossbow Cannons had completely shattered his relationship with Sunx and Nian. His only choice was to help the Black Flood Dragon fight his own country’s National Preceptor.
’But will the Black Flood Dragon definitely keep its word?’
’After getting rid of Sunx and Nian, won’t the Black Flood Dragon just swallow us too? After all, it guards the Grand Square Pot, and we’re also intruders, no different in essence from Sunx and Nian.’
At this moment, everyone on the city wall was gripping the battlements and looking down, with no time to spare for anything else. Hee Lingchuan’s eyes darted about, and a peculiar idea suddenly popped into his head.
’It seems plausible. Why not give it a try?’
...
Hit by the Word Spirit Spell, the Black Flood Dragon’s attacks were greatly diminished. If before it was as nimble as a soaring dragon, now it was as slow as a snail.
Never mind Nian Songyu; even Zeng Feixiong could roll up his sleeves and tangle with it for a few rounds now.
Nian Songyu planted his Long Saber in the Black Flood Dragon’s head and once again wrote in the air with his blood.
This time, it was also just a single character, but Nian Songyu struggled even more to write it. His fingertips trembled, making it difficult to continue.
If the Black Flood Dragon’s movements hadn’t been restricted, he would have been utterly unable to complete this task.
Nian Songyu’s face flushed red then turned pale. After finally finishing the writing, he shouted out the spell and immediately vomited a mouthful of black blood.
There were even chunks of flesh in the blood—fragments of his own internal organs.
But the effect of this Word Spirit Spell on the Black Flood Dragon was even better than the previous ones:
Frost began to form around the spot where the saber was embedded, spreading down from its head.
Wherever the white frost spread, that part of the Black Flood Dragon’s body froze completely solid.
Apparently, Nian Songyu had finally figured out a way to deal with the Black Flood Dragon: freeze it completely. This would save him the trouble of dealing with its endless regeneration after being shattered again and again.
The only downside was that he had to keep chanting supplementary incantations to continue the process.
Evidently, the Word Spirit Spell wasn’t so easy to use after all.
