Chapter 262: Clashing Head-On, the Mysterious Elder of the Dragon Race?

"Hummmmmm~~~~!"

"ROAR—!"

A piercing, razor-sharp sword-hum rang across the heavens, met head-on by a furious roar that was dragon-like yet not quite dragon.

In an instant the heavens changed; the already somewhat gloomy sky saw astonishing moisture arrive in a breath, transforming into boundless dark clouds.

At this moment the sky darkened completely; above the cloud layer a slender figure glided among the dark clouds, trailing bursts of intense lightning that flickered without cease.

What is this?

Amid the mist, hearing the tremendous commotion, Baichuan—who had not yet approached—suddenly raised his dragon head and gazed into the distance.

He could feel the astonishing aura from over there. Has the flood-dragon already reached its end, or even finished?

Seeing this, Baichuan could not help muttering to himself.

No, he couldn't come all this way for nothing; he had to see this dragon-kind for himself no matter what.

Thinking this, the somewhat puzzled Baichuan quickened his pace.

"Dragon Lord, surely you won't stop this general from slaying this evil flood-dragon? With so many lives of the common folk of the three provinces hanging in the balance, can you bear this karmic burden?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out between heaven and earth—gentle in tone yet concealing killing intent.

At that voice, an image surfaced unbidden in Baichuan's mind: a black-haired divine general, gripping a sharp sword and clad in divine armor, majestic beyond compare, gazing down upon all.

For a moment Baichuan's flying figure paused in astonishment, because this was an extremely abnormal situation.

Though there is a saying that one can know a person by their voice, it is not as though one could directly transmit one's own image to all who hear it, as the owner of this voice has done.

Is this also one of the divine wonders this world possesses when one's power reaches a profound realm? And what is the principle behind it?

Unconsciously, Baichuan found himself harboring the desire to investigate.

Compared to this world, the power he possessed was still far too crude.

"Hahaha, Lord Jing jests. This old dragon has received so many favors from that one—how could I be so foolish?"

"It's just that this wretched beast, as a member of my dragon race, has now imitated the foolishness of my past self and committed such a foolish act. Why not leave it to my dragon race to deal with?"

In the firmament, amid the dark clouds, the figure gliding and trailing countless bolts of lightning let out a burst of hearty laughter. Though his tone carried concession and apology, it was also extremely unyielding, yielding not an inch.

In their exchange of words, the two paid not the slightest heed to the will of the actual subject of this incident—the flood-dragon attempting its transformation—as though it were merely a minor figure unworthy of attention.

And indeed this was the case, for the astonishing waters of the Cang Jiang that the flood-dragon had carried with it had now been cut clean in two from top to bottom by a sword of incomparable sharpness.

The terrifying aura upon that treasured sword had already declared that the flood-dragon's attempt must end. Should it dare cross, it would have to pass that sword, and during a flood-dragon's transformation, what the flood-dragon fears most is the "Dragon-Slaying Sword."

Even an ordinary sword transformed into a Dragon-Slaying Sword was already so fearsome, let alone the Dragon-Slaying Sword formed from the treasured sword in the divine general's hand.

Furthermore, the evil flood-dragon itself was now bound by a seemingly transparent, soft water-wave, in a state where it could hardly save itself.

Under such circumstances, the evil flood-dragon was already like a loach on a chopping block, to be kneaded flat or round at will.

Were it not for the two terrifying presences above clashing with each other, this little flood-dragon would likely have already had its dragon head severed.

"Hah! You foolish old dragon! Divine General Jing, you wouldn't mind this old Daoist joining in on this lively occasion, would you?"

Yet just then, another voice rang out between heaven and earth—half jesting, half cursing.

As the words fell, in that darkened world an old man appeared, sauntering nonchalantly through the void. He was dressed in tattered rags like a beggar, and as he drew closer he was still gnawing on the greasy, shiny chicken butt in his filthy hand, his face full of satisfaction.

Were it not for the extraordinary sight of this old beggar strolling through the void, had he appeared anywhere else, his expression and those ragged, filthy clothes would only have made people think him some pitiful old beggar who had wandered out from somewhere.

Yet at the words of this filthy old man, the Dragon Lord gliding among the dark clouds had his expression harden, while in contrast the majestic divine general's face lit up with delight.

The divine general Jing first showed delight on his face, then cupped his hands and respectfully bowed to the old man before speaking: "For the old senior to come to our aid is truly the blessing of the common folk this time. Jing Yun first offers thanks to the old senior on behalf of the people of the three provinces."

"Hahaha, no need, no need." Flattered by the young and extraordinary divine general, the beggar-like old man also laughed so hard he couldn't close his mouth, waving his hands repeatedly. Only then did he solemnly turn his gaze to the old dragon in the sky that had stirred up such terrifying phenomena.

By now the old dragon had stopped gliding; his entire body was hidden deep within the thick dark clouds, with only his dragon head protruding as he watched them.

"Old dragon, this Daoist won't play any of those empty formalities with you. You've made this trip for nothing. This wretched dragon that sought to bring disaster upon the three provinces must die here and now."

"If you're not convinced, the two of us can have a go at it."

Having said this, the old beggar stopped eating his chicken butt, tucked it into his chest, and drew from behind his waist his unadorned tree branch.

At these words, the old dragon, who had been so unyielding before, fell silent.

He said no more, gazing down at the divine general who had recalled his treasured sword, and at the old beggar who had narrowed his eyes and stopped smiling. His expression shifted unpredictably.

Yet what came with it was that the darkened sky seemed to brighten just a touch.

Seeing this, the old Daoist, whose perception was extraordinarily keen, showed a faint smile—but before that smile could spread, it froze.

Not only he, but the divine general Jing and the old dragon also changed expression.

But unlike before, this time it was the old dragon whose face broke into a smile.

Because, at this moment, all three simultaneously sensed that a colossal creature seemed to have arrived in this stretch of heaven and earth. It seemed to be…

A dragon!!!

Yes. Although that being had not personally appeared—seemingly concealing its form for some reason—whether intentionally or not, it had not completely hidden itself. Instead, it allowed them to sense the vast expanse of air that had vanished from the world with its arrival.

This alone was enough to let these three great powers, who were extraordinarily sensitive to the environment of heaven and earth, understand that a dragon even more powerful than this old dragon had arrived!

After all, a serpentine body, four claws, and a massive frame of over thirty zhang—what could it be but a true dragon?

For the dragon race, though size could not prove everything, a larger body certainly meant greater strength—this was inevitable.

Not to mention that this one's size was extraordinarily vast. One must know that even the Dragon Lord before them, personally enfeoffed by the current Emperor of Dalong, was only fifty meters long.

But what of this true dragon that had yet to reveal itself?

A hundred meters!

What kind of concept was that?

Not one person present was unaware of what this represented. That was a true dragon on par with the four divine dragons that pull the great sun in their normal state!

Thus this discovery instantly caused the expressions of the three to undergo a complete reversal.

As thoughts churned, the old dragon, though he did not understand why the newcomer had not revealed himself, knew that since it was a dragon, the situation was favorable to him.

So in an instant he seized the opportunity.

He saw that between the two grave expressions, he burst out laughing again: "Since even Old Beggar has said so, and Old Dragon isn't some unreasonable dragon either, then so be it, so be it."

……

(End of this chapter)