Chapter 846: One Dragon Dies, Nine Demons Arise

Roar!

The dragon screamed to the heavens, shaking heaven and earth, waves surging like mountains—yet one spear strike severed it, leaving no chance to turn the tide; its vision gradually fragmented.

Spurt!

The long dragon split in two, blood drenching the great river, crashing heavily down.

A thousand li of river surface turned to a sea of blood; countless large fish thrashed their long tails, recklessly fighting to seize and devour the flesh—fish unable to withstand the dragon's flesh exploded into blood-mud, only to be swallowed again by later arrivals.

Amidst the chaotic mingling of all flesh, the fish and beasts had no idea what they were swallowing.

From clear to murky, from thin to thick, the entire waterscape resembled a pot of thick soup thickened with starch.

Only a tiny fraction of fish and beasts endured the transformation; dragon horns, whiskers, scales, golden eyes, sharp claws—various dragon traits emerged on their bodies, as if each had claimed a portion of the dragon's divine essence.

Yet they still refused to be satisfied, turning their weapons against other beasts that had also gained the essence, hoping to manifest even more changes in their own bodies.

Fighting never ceased; demons danced wildly!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flesh swelled and exploded.

Cultivation is not easy.

To gain even one aspect of dragon essence is extraordinary; how could one digest and absorb vast quantities in such a short time? Greed beyond measure is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant—the only result of reckless consumption is losing everything, becoming mere fragments in the thick soup!

Dazed and confused.

Dizzy and foggy.

The dragon's death freed Liang Qu from the agonizing pain, yet the "aftereffect" lingered; his spirit was already twisted into a tangled mess, yet within this chaos, he fought desperately to maintain a thread of clarity—to remember, to learn, to absorb the lingering dao resonance still in the air.

The Nine Dragon Killings, Yan Yan Dongjun, scattered self-realizations.

All he had learned, all the spear techniques he had touched, seemed to have been driven into his mind by the River Lord's single strike, endlessly entangling, fusing, rising, smashing apart all prior chaos!

Thrilling and complete!

Liang Qu was like a glutton, gulping down pure nourishment.

Whether it was the opening of the mysterious light, enhanced spiritual power, or something else.

The fourth dragon-slaying was longer than ever before—so long that the illusion, which had previously ended when the fish devoured the dragon's flesh, now revealed its sequel: after consuming the dragon's flesh, the beasts began devouring each other.

Intense bloodlust, deadly temptation of power.

The two converged; the place of the dragon's death became a chaotic stew.

Yet the "rice content" of this stew did not increase—it kept declining, as more and more essence scattered back into heaven and earth.

In the future, countless top-tier treasure fish might appear in nearby waters, but not now—not to these fighting beasts.

Until a certain turning point.

The great demons immersed in battle suddenly awakened, restraining their hunger, calming their agitation.

The dragon-meat feast, from start to finish, lasted an unknown duration; the "aftereffect" of agony grew ever more detached from his spirit. Liang Qu finally had enough mental strength to survey his surroundings. He opened his eyes—before him loomed massive, swaying mounds.

One, two… five, six… nine.

The number nine.

Nine great demons.

When a whale dies, ten thousand beings are born.

When a dragon dies, nine demons appear?

The nine great demons varied in form—some had dragon heads, others dragon bodies, as if two species had fused together, yet their appearances held not the slightest discord, giving the impression they had always been thus.

Liang Qu's spirit suddenly grew heavy; he thought his soul was returning to his body, ending the fourth dragon-slaying illusion.

Light and shadow blurred.

The scene shifted again.

Eight of the nine great demons faded and vanished, leaving only the smallest one—a dragon-headed, fish-bodied creature, its head nearly half its body, mouth as wide as a bucket.

His hand grew heavy.

The spear shaft.

Not the three-pronged, double-edged spear.

It was…

Liang Qu didn't need to look down—he knew this feeling of bloodline connection too well.

"Dragon Fubo?"

The dragon-headed, fish-bodied demon scanned the surroundings, its eyes filled with shock—until it saw Liang Qu before it, its dragon eyes blazing with fierce killing intent.

"You can… see me?"

Liang Qu gripped the long spear tightly.

Such killing intent.

He understood what he must do.

…

"How did you get out?"

"Why can't we see it?"

"Because…" Long Long Eying's eyes flickered, settling on the two, "because you're not pretty?"

"Huh!?"

Long Yao and Long Li widened their eyes, stepping back several paces, their gazes filled with disbelief—and even greater disbelief at the reason.

True, they weren't as beautiful as Long Long Eying, but they were still beauties among the Dragon People, surpassing human beauties by threefold.

The spirit-garment standard must be impossibly high.

How many people in the world could even wear it?

Both felt a ten-thousand-point critical hit to their hearts, even feeling wronged and saddened.

"Just joking." Long Long Eying released her fingers, letting the spirit-garment drift down, "I can't see it either—I'm just at a higher realm, so I can sense it's inside. Try it?"

The pale orange spirit-garment drifted gently back down, then faded and vanished after several breaths.

So miraculous?

Long Yao extended her hand, then pulled it back—she wanted to try, but dared not.

If she succeeded, fine—but if she failed, wouldn't that confirm it…?

"You're such a coward—I'll do it!"

Long Li rushed forward, sidestepped Long Yao, and reached into the box. Instantly, a wisp of cool wind curled around her fingertips; then, from nothing, a pale orange spirit-garment formed, soft and smooth, weightless—more comfortable than any fabric she'd ever touched!

Before she could fully feel it.

"It's out! It's out! My turn! My turn!" Long Yao bounced on her toes, ecstatic.

Long Li sneered: "That's all you're good for—always trailing behind me."

Long Yao blushed, then grew annoyed, biting down on Long Li's shoulder.

"Ow! Are you a dog? Ah, spit!"

"My turn now!"

"Here, take it!"

Long Li reluctantly let go.

When the spirit-garment vanished again, Long Yao reached into the box, pulled out the "cool wind," and watched the garment form from nothing—her delight overflowing.

She was beautiful too!

The two played and laughed for a long while.

Xu Xu Shila also reached out, rubbing the fabric, her fingers spreading it—she sensed three differences: "I thought it was just about transparency… but it's not?"

Long Long Eying nodded: "It transforms from wind into clothing. Because it's wind, it's hard to see—and the longer you touch it, the longer it takes to revert to wind."

Xu Xu Shila understood now.

Long Long Eying touched it once and let go—the garment vanished in three breaths; Long Li held it longer—it faded after five.

"As for beauty…"

Everyone turned, all eyes fixed on the courtyard, where Teta Kai stood on one leg, diligently cultivating.

All eyes upon him.

Teta Kai performed a backflip, clasping his paws behind his back, gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.

"Captain!" Long Yao waved, "Come here, come here! I'll show you something amazing."

Teta Kai scratched his head, then ran forward on all fours.

Long Li handed him the treasure box.

"Come on, stretch out your paw and feel it!"

…

Inside the quiet chamber.

The extinguished candle emitted curling blue smoke.

Liang Qu's eyes were tightly shut, his body swaying slightly; within his spirit sea, he was utterly immersed in battle with the great demon.

Waves crashed like mountains, thunder and lightning rolled.

The dragon-headed, fish-bodied demon roared in fury and agitation; the dragon-headed spear before it struck like a dragon's head lashing out—fierce, unstoppable; wherever it touched, wounds bled on its body.

Both sides clashed fiercely, trading countless rounds.

Liang Qu walked upon the water, his perception of technique growing ever sharper, ever more refined—he completely discarded cumbersome moves and martial arts; every strike and motion flowed like ink on paper.

The man and beast clashed fiercely.

I don't know how long.

Liang Qu charged toward the whipping tail, his Dragon Fubo Tiger Head transforming into a dragon's head; ink soaked the heavens and earth as he stabbed like lightning toward the dragon's snout.

BOOM!

The lead-gray sky and earth vanished.

A long while.

The meditation chamber was pitch black.

"Ha… ha."

Liang Qu gasped for breath, leaning back until he collapsed against the wall.

(End of Chapter)