Chapter 74: You Are Not Far From Death

He Lingchuan was startled, unable to stop the lingering fear in his heart. Sun Fu had calculated almost everything about them on this trip; if luck hadn't been on their side, this day next year would be the death anniversary of the He father and son. However, he was no longer worried about Sun Fu turning the tables now. This old fellow had been casting spells and suffering injuries one after another; he should have been exhausted long ago, right? Situ Han added, "We are coordinating with the Black Flood Dragon, and we're about to make Nian Songyu cough up blood from anger."

He Lingchuan looked down and saw that it was indeed the case. The battle below had turned, with the Great Wind Army coordinating with the Black Flood Dragon to fiercely suppress Nian Songyu. The Black Water City troops on the wall would also occasionally fire ballistae to assist.

"Is that still a flood dragon?" He Lingchuan also noticed the abnormality of the Black Flood Dragon. "That's a dragon, isn't it?"

When he last left, although the Black Flood Dragon was named a "flood dragon," it was actually more like a large snake with horns. Looking at it again this time, it had actually grown four legs, the sharp horns on its head had branched out into tree-like shapes, and long dorsal fins had sprouted from its back.

In a word, this was a dragon!

Although he had come to another world, He Lingchuan really hadn't expected to see a dragon with his own eyes in his lifetime.

It was said that those were creatures living in the great marshes of Lingshan, and no one had encountered one for nearly a thousand years.

"How did it change?"

"The Great Wind Army was integrated into its body; there were a full thirty thousand troops in total," Situ Han scratched his head. "Then it turned into this appearance."

After transforming into a dragon, the serpent's figure was actually a size smaller than before, making it appear even more agile.

However, its main task was no longer to engage in melee combat itself, but to chant one spell after another, layering various supernatural bonuses onto the Great Wind Army and the summoned demonic apes that were besieging Nian Songyu.

It could make companions light as swallows, strong as oxen, thick-skinned... it was throwing out auras all over the field, causing individual combat power to soar; those who could originally fight one opponent could now fight at least three.

Don't forget, their opponent was only one person. As one side rose, the other fell; Nian Songyu was practically finding every second like a year.

This series of flashy maneuvers also left the living people on the city gate stunned.

Situ Han couldn't help but say, "Is it stealing the National Teacher's job?"

When the National Teacher was on the battlefield, wasn't he just doing these things? This kind of group buff spell was called "Grace Art." The more people it covered, the higher the magic power consumed. Even at the peak of Sun Fu's time as National Teacher, he couldn't cast three or four without exhausting his energy, and that was only covering a thousand-man team.

How could it compare to this black dragon, which cast spells as easily as drinking cold water, as if it had infinite magic power?

Looking back at Nian Songyu from this angle, although he was in constant danger and struggling to cope, He Lingchuan really admired him. If it were himself on the field, being besieged by the Great Wind Army like this, he would probably have become meat paste under their horses' hooves in the first encounter, right? Yet Nian Songyu's high-intensity battle had already lasted for more than a quarter of an hour. He had truly used every inconceivable method; it was unclear whether they were martial arts or supernatural powers, but in any case, the people on the wall were dazzled.

The ground of the South City Gate square had been beaten down nearly a zhang deep; it was unknown whether it was done by one side or the result of both sides' struggle.

Nian Songyu himself had also become a bloody person, with wounds of all sizes on his body bubbling with blood, yet he still had to fight fiercely. Previously, he could heal Sun Fu's injuries with a wave of his hand, but now he couldn't use it on himself, clearly because the high-intensity battle had drained his last bit of remaining strength.

The Black Dragon was persuading him: "Your skin is about to collapse; you might as well come out and surrender so you don't have to suffer."

Nian Songyu backhanded a giant demonic ape into pieces and gritted his teeth: "So it was a trap! You intended to lure us into lowering our avatar all along."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Great Wind Army commander charged in with a single blade and severed his left arm!

Blood gushed like a spring. Nian Songyu took two steps back, feeling dizzy and blurred, and only managed to stand steady by leaning on his blade.

He had been fighting with dual blades; now that one arm was severed, his combat power had dropped by more than half. He was already like a bloody gourd, having lost more than half his blood. Never mind continuing to fight; even if he lay down for emergency treatment, he wouldn't be able to save his life.

Nian Songyu's body was ruined. Its gaze swept over the living people on the wall, and none were usable. These human bodies were too fragile; even if it forcibly possessed one, it would collapse within dozens of breaths, let alone engage in high-intensity combat.

Then, it saw He Lingchuan.

This one was even less worth considering. Its eyes didn't linger, falling directly on the Black Dragon: "Don't think your arrangement is seamless. If I hadn't been severely injured twice in succession when I descended, our situations would definitely be reversed!"

The Black Dragon looked down at him from above: "There are no 'ifs' in battle."

"Forget it." Nian Songyu threw down his weapon and spread his hands. "I really didn't expect that I would actually admit defeat to a mere artifact spirit!"

He surrendered very decisively, sitting cross-legged like it was nothing, regardless of his blood flowing like a fountain.

This was not his body to begin with.

Instead, the Black Dragon was very cautious: "Don't have any crooked thoughts; you won't be able to fly away here."

If it were outside, a Heavenly God might be able to leave, but this illusion was like a sealed jar; if the Black Dragon didn't lift the lid, no one could get out.

Nian Songyu's complexion was as white as a dead man's; in fact, he was not far from death, but his expression became increasingly indifferent: "You must know what I want to ask. Since I am dying, what is the answer?"

The Black Dragon paused for a few seconds: "There is no answer. We uphold the last wish; we only seek revenge."

Nian Songyu asked it: "Do you know who I am?"

"I don't know, and I don't care." The Black Dragon swam closer, its large head drooping down. "Do you have any last words?"

"I do." Nian Songyu suddenly turned his head to look at the city wall. "He Lingchuan, I say this on behalf of the skin I inhabit: you are not far from death; he will wait for you for a while. And you all—"

He was speaking to the living people: "Only if the Black Dragon dies can you get out. You know that, right?"

The onlookers were shocked.

Mao Tao blurted out: "How can that be? Wasn't it said..."

Wasn't it said that the Black Dragon had already promised to let them out of the illusion?

Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes suddenly went blank. He reached out, pulled the blade from He Lingchuan's waist, and slashed fiercely at the parapet!

This change happened so suddenly that no one could react in time. Mao Tao had already chopped three times in rapid succession before He Lingchuan could shout "Stop." The soldiers behind Mao Tao rushed up and clamped his arms firmly.

Only then did everyone notice that Mao Tao had reversed the blade and used the back of the blade to chop, yet he had still smashed several gaps into the wall made of rammed earth, the deepest exceeding three inches.

He had truly used all his strength, and the webbing between his thumb and index finger had been torn. If he were a normal person, he might not even be able to hold the blade steady with both hands.

Mao Tao himself had bloodshot eyes, panting heavily, struggling with all his might; two or three people couldn't hold him down.

He brandished the precious blade with one hand, and the others were wary of the sharp edge, not daring to step forward to take it.

Over there, the Black Dragon opened its bloody mouth, swallowed Nian Songyu in one gulp, and even chewed twice fiercely.

Ahem, any recommendation votes? Just throw them at my face.

(End of chapter)