Chapter 27: Candle Dragon Nine Yin (2)

The two sides stood in a standoff for a moment, then Zhu Jiuyin suddenly opened its bloody maw and lunged at Zi Rao. Bailong'er also darted out from Zi Rao's shoulder, heading straight for Zhu Jiuyin's blood-red eyes.

"You pin down that girl, leave Zhu Jiuyin to me!" Ye Xuanshang made a prompt decision. Taking advantage of Zhu Jiuyin being distracted by Bailong'er, he shifted his form and flew up onto the snake's head.

"Audacious!" The girl in crimson robes turned and let out a sharp cry. Her jade palms slashed out like blades, intending to force him off his footing. Ye Xuanshang abruptly raised his internal breath, his figure suddenly rising, and he swooped down from the air like a dark bird, striking with cupped palms. Facing force with force like this, even though he held back thirty percent of his palm strength, how could the girl in crimson robes be his match? With a cry of alarm, the two of them fell together from the snake's head.

In mid-air, a nimble silk ribbon flew from the sleeve of the girl in crimson robes. She borrowed a bit of force from a nearby tree, and before she even landed, a point of golden light shot toward Ye Xuanshang. But then a clear laugh was heard; someone nearby intercepted her. Zi Rao flashed in front of her, "Little girl, your opponent is me!"

"Two against one, what's so impressive about that!" the girl in crimson robes shouted indignantly. The silk ribbon in her hand swirled rapidly, and a small golden sword flickered with light. The sound of clinking and clashing was incessant like rain, and in an instant, she had exchanged dozens of moves with Zi Rao.

By this time, Ye Xuanshang was already locked in battle with Zhu Jiuyin. A wild wind howled all around, sand and stones flew across the sky, and dust billowed. Except for the giant snake's body that appeared and disappeared, Bailong'er and Ye Xuanshang were completely nowhere to be seen. Zi Rao's martial arts were originally superior to this girl in crimson robes, but because she did not wish to hurt her, she always held back, only intending to trap her. Most of her focus was actually on the battle between the man and the snake over there. The girl in crimson robes could do nothing to her, so she suddenly changed her style. She withdrew the silk ribbon into her sleeve and used a set of exquisite palm techniques. Her pair of jade hands moved like a thousand birds flying through a forest. As her palms fell, inch-force was triggered, and there was faintly the sound of birds chirping in unison, the clear notes rising and falling, beautiful to the extreme.

As the bird calls rose, the white-feathered birds that had been scattered in the forest earlier arrived in flocks from who knows where, flapping their wings and pouncing toward the two of them, creating a dazzling sight for a moment. The girl in crimson robes giggled, took the opportunity to lean forward and dart out from under Zi Rao's sleeve, and while Zi Rao was blocked by the white birds, she quickly let out a strange whistle.

"Not good!" Zi Rao's expression changed abruptly. A thunderous roar came from behind; Zhu Jiuyin transformed into a white rainbow, leaped into the air, and headed straight for the center of the lake!

The tide surged onto the small island, and all the flying dust settled. Where was there any sign of Ye Xuanshang before their eyes? The entire lake had turned into a pool of boiling water, waves surging and crashing, and giant swells rolling wildly. Zhu Jiuyin's massive body appeared and disappeared, floating and sinking. Several small islands in the distance were affected by it, with slabs of rock collapsing and shaking violently.

Zi Rao turned around abruptly, cold light chilling in her eyes. Her jade fingers under her sleeves rapidly formed a Dharma seal, and several strands of true Qi flew and swirled through the air, following the deployment of the Lianhua Heart Method.

This strange art of the Witch Clan used one's own spirit to capture a person's seven emotions and six desires. The girl in crimson robes was just feeling triumphant when she was suddenly surrounded by the purest and softest Profound Yin true Qi. Before her eyes, it seemed as if clusters of pure, flawless white lotuses were suddenly blooming in a world of chaos, bringing a sense of nothingness like nirvana and extinction amidst the pure beauty.

The Profound Yin true Qi was as if substantial, condensing and releasing by turns, the lotuses blooming in unison. She fell to the ground with an "Ah," her body trembling incessantly. Zi Rao's gaze was as still as an abyss, and she commanded coldly, "Call your Bailong'er to come ashore."

The cold, chilling gaze penetrated her. A wave of chaos surged in the heart of the girl in crimson robes—terror, sorrow, despair, fear, longing... all sorts of inexplicable feelings came one after another. These were emotions she had never imagined, as if she had been thrown into the sea of obsession and desire of all living things, struggling and resisting, never to find rest. A painful expression appeared on her face, but she bit her lip tightly, stubbornly refusing to speak.

In the lake, the turbid waves were sky-high, and deafening roars came from beneath the water. Billows of bloody waves emerged, rising faster and faster, dyeing the green water a deep red. Zi Rao's heart sank along with those roars. She closed her eyes slightly, and a point of enchanting, strange light suddenly bloomed from the deepest, darkest part of her pupils. The girl in crimson robes met her gaze, and her eyes could not help but fixate. Her spirit seemed to fall into a boundless, ethereal space, and she only heard a soft voice whispering in the depths of her heart: "Go and call your Bailong'er to come ashore."

"Call Bailong'er to come ashore." She repeated the words unconsciously, stood up just like that, thinking of nothing, and only followed the instructions of that voice.

A sky-high water column, carrying the color of blood, surged into the air. Zhu Jiuyin reappeared. Its left eye was dripping with blood, having been severely wounded by a sharp object, while its right eye was red and ferocious, as if hellfire were burning within it. Its manic state was vastly different from before. It scanned the island, suddenly raised its giant head, and charged toward the spot where Zi Rao and the girl in crimson robes were standing.

Zi Rao withdrew the "Lianhua" strange art, her spirit feeling a wave of weakness. Seeing the massive shadow pressing down like a mountain amidst the hurricane, she exerted herself to raise her Qi, reached out, and grabbed the girl in crimson robes, who had already fallen into a coma, and dashed away urgently.

With a loud boom, the place where they had been standing was struck by Zhu Jiuyin, creating a deep pit with shattered stones flying everywhere. After being wounded, Zhu Jiuyin was manic and restless, and having lost the girl's control, it attacked recklessly and incessantly. Zi Rao had just used her Danyuan Qi to forcibly control the girl's mind, and the breath in her body was chaotic and failing; she did not know how many more of its frenzied attacks she could dodge. Zhu Jiuyin missed its strike, opened and closed its bloody maw, and raised its body again, preparing to launch another attack!

Just at this moment, a long sword suddenly pierced out from the giant snake's belly, stabbing through its body and pinning it fiercely into the crevices of the rocks on the ground! In pain, Zhu Jiuyin surged forward like an arrow. The long sword remained stuck fast in the rock, and the sharp blade sliced rapidly through Zhu Jiuyin's scaleless belly. The giant snake's body was ripped open, and its internal organs flowed out along with the blood.

Suffering this heavy blow, Zhu Jiuyin was in unbearable pain. It rolled violently on the small island, sweeping with its head and tail, causing broken wood and stones to fall all around, with the momentum of heaven collapsing and earth shattering. Zi Rao, holding the girl in crimson robes, hurriedly dodged. In the chaos, a black shadow flashed over, shielded the two of them, and leaped into the lake.

Following a great force that dived under the water, and then pulling the girl to struggle out of the surface, Zi Rao felt someone behind her lift her up and swim toward another small island not far away. Sounds of heavy impacts came continuously from behind, and even the bottom of the lake could feel the tremors. Clinging to the rocks on the side of the island to get ashore, the two of them collapsed on the bank at the same time, pushing the girl they were holding upward with force. Neither could speak, lying on the rocks and panting incessantly. Zi Rao only paused for a moment before bracing herself to pull the person beside her up. When she saw clearly that it was indeed Ye Xuanshang, she did not know where the strength came from; ignoring the mud and blood all over him, she hugged him, "Great! You're still alive!"

Ye Xuanshang and Zhu Jiuyin had fought from the island to the bottom of the water. During the fierce battle, he had intentionally let himself be sucked into its giant maw, only to break out of the snake's belly in that deadly manner. At this moment, his whole body was sore and weak, lacking even the strength to move a finger. Bumped by Zi Rao, his hand clinging to the rock slipped, and the two of them fell back into the water together.

A swirl of spray rose, and Zi Rao dragged him back to the surface, only then noticing his face was extremely pale. She asked hurriedly, "Hey! Are you alright?"

Ye Xuanshang caught his breath and managed a smile, "Seems I'm not dead yet."

The waves in the lake rose and fell, and the dark water color rippled incessantly with the reflection of the rocks nearby. A few strands of black hair like silk gathered and scattered, outlining the woman's enchanting face. The lake water washed Zi Rao's eyes clear and bright, also revealing a lingering fear, "You fought Zhu Jiuyin into the lake, I... I thought I would never see you again."

Ye Xuanshang raised his hand to wipe the water from his face. The gaze as clear as a starry lake before him bumped into his eyes, making his heartbeat pause slightly. He was stunned for a moment, and a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.

Seeing him not speaking, Zi Rao shook him curiously. Seeming to think of something, her voice turned soft, "What's wrong? Are you badly hurt?"

Ye Xuanshang's free hand clenched in the water, then slowly relaxed. He avoided her eyes somewhat deliberately, but in that soft and beautiful voice, perhaps even he himself did not notice a faint smile appearing on his lips. "It's nothing, I can still hold on." He replied in a low voice and struggled to support himself on the rocks to get ashore.

On the opposite island, although Zhu Jiuyin was heavily wounded, it was not yet dead and was rolling incessantly like a madman, as if wanting to destroy everything around it. There was a tiny white dot on the snake's head; no matter how the giant snake rolled, it could not shake off its restraint. After a moment, with an earth-shattering roar, Zhu Jiuyin's massive body fell abruptly from mid-air, rose again, and fell again, lacking the strength to continue. After several times, the shaking made the lake islands tremble, and finally, it stopped moving.

"Is it dead?" Zi Rao saw Zhu Jiuyin's body roll a few times, going from frequent spasms to rigidity, and could not help but stand up. Ye Xuanshang leaned against the rocks on the shore, his expression appearing somewhat exhausted, "Let's go over and see." Unexpectedly, just as he took a step, his vision suddenly went black, and he stumbled, nearly missing his footing. He barely managed to raise his true Qi, but his meridians were empty and uncomfortable to the extreme; he could not muster a shred of strength.

Zi Rao hurriedly reached out to support him, "You have wounds on you, why not wait for me here." Zi Rao saw his complexion was ashen; it was clear that the aftermath of forcibly sealing his acupoints to suppress his injuries was severe. At this moment, the consequences were manifesting, which was no less than being heavily wounded again. She said worriedly, "That Zhu Jiuyin looks like it won't survive. I'll take the Snake Gall and be back soon."

Ye Xuanshang was about to speak when a surge of bloody Qi rushed to his lips. He pressed his lips tightly to endure it, but his body began to shiver in waves. A profound exhaustion penetrated his heart; he knew this was a precursor to his internal injuries flaring up. If he did not find a way to heal, the consequences would be unimaginable. He had to force himself to steady his breath and instructed Zi Rao, "Be extremely careful."

Zi Rao nodded in agreement and dived into the lake again, a thin, long ripple leading toward the opposite island.

(End of chapter)