Chapter 127: Arts, Showdown

He first glanced at Bai Liying, then stared expressionlessly at the Poison Dragon River God.

"Old demon hag, are you satisfied now?"

A cold smile appeared on the Poison Dragon River God's bewitching face.

"What does swearing matter? Oaths can also have loopholes!"

Beside him, Zhang Jian found it both laughable and pitiable; this was clearly a modern version of trying every way to prove that your father is your father.

Beside them, Daoist Yuhe and Daoist Xue exchanged a glance, but they did not intend to let the Poison Dragon River God continue entangling; the White Water Dragon Lord Bai Nu before them had already reached the brink of explosion.

Daoist Yuhe gave a dry cough and said.

"Since the Fourth Princess swore a poison oath on the State Altar Divine Law, it surely isn't false; Senior Dragon Lord, did you only send Little Brother Zhang and the Fourth Princess?"

Upon hearing that, the Poison Dragon River God glanced at Daoist Yuhe, then looked at the White Water Dragon Lord with a grim expression.

His thoughts turned, and he also extinguished the idea of continuing to entangle.

Having fought the White Water Dragon Lord several times, she roughly knew his details; she could certainly win, but would definitely pay a great price.

The result of continuing to entangle with the White Water Dragon Lord could only be mutual destruction; that was not what she wanted.

She brought many snake offspring over to seek revenge; besides maintaining the Poison Dragon Palace's dignity and rules, more importantly it was also tangible profit.

To recover the lost profits.

This time the Poison Dragon Palace lost the Water Well Dragon King, a legitimate divine position hard-won through much scheming.

If they could obtain eight hundred li of White Water as compensation, thereafter using it as a foundation, waiting for Bai Nu to undergo the divine calamity, they could completely use this as an opportunity to incorporate White Water into the Poison Dragon Palace's holdings.

At this moment, Bai Nu snorted with laughter and said: "Not bad, just the two of them; two people are already enough!"

"What big talk!"

The Poison Water Dragon God's expression was cold and indifferent; she also did not wish to continue entangling with Bai Nu, and directly had the three young men and women beside her step forward.

These three young men and women consisted of two women and one man, each surrounded by a thick layer of vital energy, with differing dispositions; the two girls had lively temperaments, and their surroundings possessed orthodox spiritual energy rather than pure demonic energy.

It actually appeared to have an orthodox lineage.

The other man looked like a youth, his body blazing with demonic energy, with a single horn on his forehead and gloomy, vicious eyes.

Daoist Yuhe then confirmed: "Palace Master, are you preparing to send these three fellow Daoists into battle?"

The Poison Dragon Water God glanced at Daoist Yuhe, but ignored him and directly said.

"These three beside me are my Poison Dragon Palace's Third Prince Huang You, and two other grandsons; all are direct descendants of the Poison Dragon Palace!"

"Huang You, you go first in the first round!"

She directly waved her hand, indicating that the young man with a horn on his forehead should step forward.

Beside him, Daoist Yuhe looked somewhat embarrassed, knowing that his earlier intervention would surely have earned the Poison Dragon Water God's grudge.

He felt somewhat annoyed at the Poison Water God's rudeness, but the Poison Dragon Water God is a Yin God Venerable, which he indeed could not provoke; he merely walked to the side with a faint smile.

"Mother, I alone exerting effort is sufficient!"

The man called Huang You looked peerlessly handsome, but the pupils moving in his eyes were cold and vertical slits; he was a snake demon.

His surroundings also had faint fluctuations of divine power.

It appeared he also held a divine position.

Seeing this, Bai Nu transmitted sound into Zhang Jian's ear, saying solemnly:

"Young nephew, be careful; this is a thousand-year snake demon that has begun to transform into a jiao, and it still possesses divine power, so it likely inherits techniques from the Water Realm gods; it is quite difficult to deal with, and its methods may even surpass ordinary cultivators at the peak of the Golden Liquid Stage; do not underestimate it!"

"The peak of the Golden Liquid Stage—that's practically the threshold of Golden Core!"

Zhang Jian secretly felt something strange.

Lately he had felt as if he hadn't fought any low-level matches.

At the same time, his figure strode straight into the plaza beforehand.

Daoist Xue, wearing a Daoist robe, stood before the two of them, merely making a slight gesture; as he left the scene, the duel officially began.

"Youngster, you shouldn't go on stage; when this god makes a move, there's no holding back."

At that moment, Huang You's face bore a cold smile, and the instant his words fell, he had already struck.

Boundless demonic power flowed through his eyes; at this moment his pupils faintly glowed with a dark light, as if possessing soul‑hooking ability, rushing straight at Zhang Jian.

Beside the plaza, seeing this, Bai Nu let out a cold snort and jeered: "Surely they're rats in the same hole, unfit for the table!"

Hearing that, the Poison Water God snorted with laughter, not looking directly at Bai Nu, and lightly said: "What nonsense? Though you are a demon beast of the demon race, it seems you have completely forgotten the ways of my demon kind; but if not for that, how could you have been schemed by a human and imprisoned for a thousand years?"

Every word she spoke struck at Bai Nu's soft spot; wherever he felt pain, she would jab there.

Bai Nu's eyes grew dark and gloomy, his face turning pitch black, but in an instant his expression changed from gloom to brightness.

Yet at the moment that invisible soul technique struck, Zhang Jian's State Altar King Cauldron of three forms appeared behind his head.

And almost simultaneously, Zhang Jian's keen spiritual sense detected that Huang You's true form had vanished; his body was threaded with flowing demonic energy, as if wandering in the spiritual mechanism; in an instant he arrived before him, and vast demonic energy coalesced into a black‑yellow intertwined poisonous snake that spewed a stream of deadly black gas to entwine him.

Seeing this, Zhang Jian's face instead showed a hint of a smile.

He was not afraid of this demon creature closing in for melee combat.

The closer it came, the better.

Boom!

Almost in that instant, a thread of intense Vast Righteous Qi flared into flame around the Zhang Clan, and the yin‑cold, deadly toxic gas was instantly pierced by the erupting Vast Righteous Fire.

At this moment, boundless Vast Righteous Qi surged fiercely from Zhang Jian's body, sweeping the entire Ancestral Tomb Plaza.

Pure and vast Vast Righteous Qi surged mighty and bright, clear as light, and in an instant it enveloped Huang You, who was about to close in.

The Vast Righteous Fire swept over; Huang You's body stalled for a moment, and in an instant his thick demonic energy dissolved before the fire, as if the fierce Vast Righteous Fire were oil poured into his nine orifices, making his bones go soft; with a deep roar like an ox and a snake, he revealed his true form!

In the demonic light, a giant python tens of zhang long appeared in the plaza, its black‑yellow demonic haze swirling, a horn on its head, already on the verge of becoming a jiao.

At the moment it was forced to reveal its form, a hint of cold rose in Zhang Jian's eyes; his inner power drew upon the Azure Mist Wind Travel Technique from the depths of his sea of consciousness, his body turned into a blue flash, and in the next instant he appeared at the horn of the giant python; his Dragon Chant Sword trembled, tracing out brilliant starlight, and several sword energies struck straight at its seventh inch.

Under the sword light, the giant python also sensed death's arrival, its soul fleeing involuntarily, yet contrary to expectation, beneath the sweeping of the righteous fire its divine sense turned sluggish, and it could only watch helplessly as that terrifying spirit sword fell.

Stop, this palace admits defeat for him!

Just then, the Poison Dragon Water God's expression changed, he spoke in a deep voice, and at the same time an invisible divine power was activated all over Huang You's body, as if it contained a tremendous, earth-shaking power.

Zhang Jian's intuition told him that if he insisted on thrusting his sword forward, it would likely trigger that power.

He immediately withdrew his sword, his figure turning into a hazy blue light that landed beside the giant snake.

I accept your yield!

His composure was calm and unperturbed.

The Poison Dragon Water God watched this scene, his brows slightly furrowed, and he glanced at Zhang Jian with some surprise, not expecting Zhang Jian to really hold back his hand.

Actually, she hoped Zhang Jian would deliver a killing blow.

Before the great battle, she had specially bestowed upon Huang You and the other two each a Yin God Talisman, which contained a portion of her divine power; if Zhang Jian struck a killing blow, she could naturally activate that talisman to counter-kill him.

Even the White Water Dragon Lord would be unable to pursue blame then.

The Poison Dragon Water God's hidden ruthless intentions were unknown to others; seeing Zhang Jian retreat, she didn't know whether it was Zhang Jian's 'kind-heartedness' that saved her life, or if the White Water Dragon Lord had sensed something earlier and given a warning.

After withdrawing, Zhang Jian also gradually restrained the intense Vastly Righteous Fire on his body's surface.

But that bright, vast power still appeared like a torch before everyone.

Vastly Righteous Qi!

Bai Nu, Daoist Yuhe, and Daoist Xue had long known that Zhang Jian possessed Vastly Righteous Qi; now personally witnessing its marvelous aspect, they too were deeply astonished.

The power of that Vastly Righteous Qi was too extraordinary.

A Golden Liquid Peak demon, upon facing the impact of Vastly Righteous Qi, revealed its true form in a single encounter, like a lamb awaiting slaughter.

The Poison Water Dragon God also furrowed his brows at this time.

Regarding this special power of Vastly Righteous Qi, she also found it troublesome.

Even a deity of her rank, facing Vastly Righteous Qi, would feel some discomfort.

No wonder Bai Nu wore a confident look.

Vastly Righteous Qi suppresses demons and monsters too greatly.

She ordered someone to bring Huang You forward; seeing he was unharmed, merely slightly startled, she lifted her head!

Her gaze swept over the two granddaughters for a moment; at this time, the slightly younger girl stepped forward slightly and performed a salute.

Palace Master, let me give it a try!

Her delicate little face bore a pitiful, fragile charm, yet her actions were utterly contrary to that aura.

Chu Ji, then you give it a try!

Looking at this granddaughter, the Poison Dragon Water God's eyes carried a hint of a smile.

These two granddaughters' appearances were completely unlike her other offspring; their bodies bore no trace of demonic aura, instead filled with pure, vast spiritual essence.

That abundant spiritual essence surged like a vast ocean.

Dragon Seed!

The White Water Dragon Lord had long noticed the existence of these two girls, his eyes holding a hint of strangeness.

Although Huang You was about to transform into a jiao, he could still be called a Dragon Seed.

But compared to these two girls, he still fell short.

These two girls' bodies contained exceptionally pure true dragon blood; they likely originated from a union between the Poison Dragon Palace and a certain dragon clan's dragon god, their true dragon blood vitality flourishing.

They must have also received orthodox inheritance; otherwise they would not be completely free of even a trace of demonic aura.

Having received the Poison Water Dragon God's assent, this girl stepped forward into the square, arriving ten-odd zhang away from Zhang Jian, and clasped her hands.

True Dragon Dao Academy's Chu Ji, greetings, Brother Dao!

The young woman named Chu Ji now had lively eyes and a solemn demeanor.

Hearing her announce her lineage, Zhang Jian felt a hint of surprise.

As for the True Dragon Dao Academy, he had indeed never heard of it; seeing Zhang Jian's expression change, the White Water Dragon Lord privately transmitted a voice, explaining the academy's origin.

It turned out that the True Dragon Dao Academy was a dojo established by the State Altar God Dao Orthodoxy, specially recording beings from heaven and earth who aspire to walk the path of the Water Earl.

This also serves as a backup place for the water deities of the mountains, rivers, and lands.

It can also be considered a God Dao Orthodoxy.

In fact, the Cavern God Observatory also has a similar orthodoxy, aimed at training enough disciples to guard the Great Qian Ten Directions Forest Dao Observatory and the Descendants Observatory, and also to replenish fresh blood for the Cavern God Observatory.

After thinking, Zhang Jian also clasped his hands and said: 'Paulownia Mountain Dao Orthodoxy, Zhang Jian!'

Paulownia Mountain Dao Orthodoxy?

Upon hearing Zhang Jian announce his lineage, not only did Chu Ji opposite show a change of expression, but the Poison Dragon Water God and the two Daoists in charge of notarization also became solemn.

They knew the origin of the Paulownia Mountain Dao Orthodoxy!

The Tongshan lineage is a reclusive Dao tradition; its sphere of influence is not in the Great Qian but mostly in the barbaric wild lands, yet that does not mean it is weak—on the contrary, the Tongshan Dao tradition is of ancient origin and formidable.

The Poison Dragon Water God also became solemn; although she is a Yin God Venerable and has a dragon clan deity supporting her from behind, she still dare not look down on the disciples of the Tongshan Dao tradition.

"So you are a descendant of a prestigious clan; my apologies for the disrespect!"

Chu Ji's expression froze, and she was also slightly astonished.

Zhang Jian's expression remained unchanged.

This was Zhang Jian's first time announcing his lineage.

Actually, Zhang Jian also wanted to hide a bit of his background, to play the pig to eat the tiger, and in the future it would also be more convenient to act as the sixth.

However, thinking that he had already begun cultivating the Tongshan Pure and Tranquil Canon, especially coming into contact with the techniques of the Tongshan Dao lineage, these marks could not be concealed; other perceptive cultivators could see them, so there was no longer any need to hide his background, and he simply let it go.

Announcing his lineage, to a certain extent, was also a form of protection for him.

Over there, the graceful maiden in light-colored water-cloud robes spoke softly: "Although Fellow Daoist, you come from a prestigious clan and possess extraordinary power, this battle concerns the honor of my Poison Dragon Palace lineage; Chu Ji will give her all!"

"Fellow Daoist, please be careful!"

As the words fell, Chu Ji's body surged with intense magical power, and in an instant countless raindrops violently formed above her head, like a ladle of rain; within the heavy rain a layer of strange spiritual qi permeated, and the chill penetrated everywhere.

Right there, Chu Ji's figure had already merged into the rain.

"Water Escape Technique?"

Zhang Jian's expression turned grave, yet his spiritual sense was extremely keen, faintly able to perceive an invisible figure constantly moving through the rain, waiting for a chance to launch a deadly strike at him.

At the same time, the rain swept in, carrying hints of chill.

Even if he used magical power to hold back the rain, faint frost appeared beneath his feet.

That chill continued to seep into his surroundings, trying to dull his movements.

This is a field-control type of technique.

"Azure Mist Storm!"

As Zhang Jian chanted, he activated the Wind Earl Talisman within him; a special azure sigil instantly formed in his hand, and as he made hand seals, magical power surged, countless spiritual qi in the depths of the void fluctuated abnormally, instantly transforming into an azure storm that swept outward from around him, threads of magical power released, the disturbed spiritual qi provoking ever more storms.

This is the power of the Nine Heavens Ride Wind Technique—not an ordinary technique, but one that wholly uses his own magical power as a medium to cast techniques.

Rather, it seeks the essence of techniques between heaven and earth, borrowing the power of the world's spiritual qi field with minimal magical power to perform the technique.

Its might is far greater than that of techniques merely condensed from magical power.

Countless storms rolled the sky‑filling rain up into the high heavens.

In the Water Escape Technique, Chu Ji suddenly had nowhere to hide; her jade countenance showed slight surprise, yet her figure moved like a swimming fish, a magic sword likewise appearing in her hand, its blade unfurling as she cut through the storm and shot toward Zhang Jian.

In the storm, Zhang Jian instantly sensed that flicker of spiritual light; his Dragon Chant Sword likewise leapt forth, like a beam of starlight colliding with that strange magic sword, two sword lights continually wandering and intertwining in the void.

As if two masters of swordsmanship were clashing in the void.

Amazement filled Zhang Jian's eyes; he could see that Chu Ji's cultivation was not high, likewise at the Jade Liquid Stage, her magical power equal to his, and her techniques were by no means weak.

Yet such means only aroused Zhang Jian's boundless fighting spirit.

At this moment, the Vastly Righteous Qi within the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart began to burn, but this time it did not erupt fully; instead it merged into his combat rhythm.

When he changed how he used it, the situation on the field began to shift noticeably!