Chapter 96: Righteous and Awe-Inspiring

91 Righteous and Awe-Inspiring

A massive dragon head emerged from the water!

A ferocious skull, giant yellow eyes, a flat, elongated snout, and dancing whiskers.

A true legendary beast, a true dragon; the closer it got, the more powerful the psychological pressure it exerted.

In the night sky, its body was shrouded in a layer of light, but it was not a simple halo or ring of light; it was an intense radiance, impossible to look at directly. The edges of the light flickered incessantly, dimming and brightening, occasionally bursting with sparks and emitting a crackling sound, as if it were rubbing violently against the surrounding air.

A phrase Tang Zhao had previously not understood flashed through his mind: "Poor signal."

Xing Ji reminded him: "Watch closely, that kind of spark is the mark of an invasion from outside the domain. If you look back and see that kind of fellow who is ready to explode at any moment, regardless of whether it is human or beast, kill it without mercy. These sparks are most obvious when the invasion has just begun, and the Heavenly Demon is also weakened and easier to deal with. But the longer it lasts, the more the sparks fade, and the more powerful it becomes. Every time we wipe out a Demon Cave, there is a golden window of time; if you lose that first opportunity, it will be difficult to destroy later."

Tang Zhao said: "Understood."

At this moment, he couldn't help but recall: Did Chen Zong also have these sparks on him?

It seemed he did not; he had been here for many years, and if he had them before, they should have extinguished by now, but it was certain that Chen Zong looked particularly weak.

Xing Ji stopped speaking and reached out his hand.

Prepare—

At the same time, that fairy Spirit Image moved again, charging toward the dragon head, holding the Sword Seed high in her hand, the intent to provoke clear for all to see.

The dragon was clearly enraged; its head swayed slightly, and it suddenly opened its mouth and bit down!

So fast!

The dragon's body was undeniably massive, yet its speed was astonishing. Tang Zhao only saw it open its mouth, and in the blink of an eye, it had bitten down fiercely. He could even feel the strong wind stirred up by this bite.

The Spirit Image's movements were also incredibly fast; the moment it closed its mouth, she darted out, barely escaping the giant maw, looking as if she had squeezed out from between its teeth. Her appearance was somewhat disheveled, but she remained undaunted, swaying left and right before its eyes, continuing to provoke it.

This was a life-and-death chase; the Spirit Image kept escaping between the sharp teeth, gradually reaching a predetermined position.

"Release!"

Following Xing Ji's order, several streaks of Sword Qi shot into the sky!

The Sword Qi came from all directions, yet pointed toward the same target: the dragon's open mouth!

These Sword Qi were all identical; they were not flashy moves from any Dharma Artifact, but purely the extremely pure, extremely sharp Sword Qi emitted by the Inspection Division's standard Art Tools. There was no extra light, only the explosive sound of friction with the air and the piercing sound of collision with the dragon's oral cavity.

Clang, clang, clang—

Like piercing cold iron, there was a faint metallic ringing.

The dragon closed its mouth instantly, shaking its head, appearing to be in pain, with a blue-green liquid dripping from between its teeth.

Was it blood?

If it were blood, it didn't look like a serious injury; at most, it was just the level of oral bleeding.

Xing Ji's expression was also grave; his lips moved slightly as he transmitted his voice downward, raising his hand again.

Prepare—

"Throw—"

Where the Sword Light rose, everyone attacked together; their long swords flew from their hands, stabbing toward the dragon's head.

Most of the swords pierced through the dense scales on the dragon's head and into the flesh, while a few scattered long swords failed to penetrate the blockade of scales, leaving only an imprint before falling to the ground.

The swords that did not pierce in were not just due to bad luck, but also the difference in the skill of those who threw them. The strong, like Battalion Commander Mai, had their swords almost buried to the hilt.

This scene reminded Tang Zhao of the first time he saw the Inspection Division surround and suppress a spider Fierce Beast; it was also seven swords descending from the sky, pinning down the spider web that was spreading outward.

Only, back then, the seven swords pinned down a massive spider web, as if forming an airtight net, preventing the flowing web from advancing an inch. But now, more than a dozen swords had pierced into the Heavenly Demon's head and neck, feeling like toothpicks stuck into a large tree, not feeling dangerous at all, but rather slightly comical.

As Tang Zhao thought this, he heard Xing Ji transmit: "Watch my signal, use your strongest Sword Technique!"

Tang Zhao was awestruck.

At this moment, Xing Ji had already shouted loudly: "Explode!"

More than ten swords exploded at once, bursting into brilliant fireworks in the night sky!

The exploding flames and smoke buried the dragon's head, and only a section of its body could be seen frozen in the air.

Tang Zhao felt his body lighten as he was lifted by Xing Ji, leaping up from the spot and reaching high altitude in the blink of an eye.

Tang Zhao could originally fly using Sword Control, but even with the added power of the Authority Sword, he could never jump to such a height, and the Grasshopper Leaping Technique wouldn't work either. Although this was a jump, it spanned dozens of yards, his feet treading on the Void, the wind whistling in his ears, no different from flying.

Xing Ji did not use Sword Control either, and his body did not fall, saying: "Call me when you are ready."

The strongest Sword Technique?

There are three types of Xiezhi Sword techniques, and the strongest is naturally—

I want them all!

While forming hand seals, he did not forget to turn back to Xing Ji in the midst of his busy work: "Wait a moment, I need to buff myself."

Xing Ji signaled for him to hurry, and he felt his whole body tremble.

"Sword Technique—Righteous and Awe-Inspiring!"

In the night sky, a giant Xiezhi divine beast gradually solidified, its eyes bright and piercing, shining like the scorching sun.

Its entire body was pitch black, the purest black; even in the deepest night, that black was still shocking, not blending with other scenery.

An aura of solemn killing intent surged from the divine beast toward the surroundings, the killing intent sharp and solemn, not mixed with any evil aura, sweeping across all directions in a grand manner.

Xing Ji's mind was shaken, almost losing his focus; he gripped Tang Zhao tightly, his movements actually stiffening. He saw the Xiezhi's black, forked tail fluttering in the wind, connecting with Tang Zhao's body and transforming into a black cloak draped over the youth's shoulders.

Although Tang Zhao was limited by his age and his stature was not tall, wearing such a heavy cloak did not look out of place at all; instead, he appeared dignified, his entire being filled with a righteous aura that complemented his handsome, well-defined features. He did not need to glare, for he was naturally awe-inspiring.

Below, the many Inspection Division martial officers had just thrown their first long sword and were each holding their own handy Dharma Artifacts or Art Tools, waiting for orders, when they suddenly felt their hearts shake simultaneously, as if a great bell had rung in the depths of their souls, deafening them.

Although everyone was shaken, each person felt it differently. Some were merely shocked in their hearts, their bodies trembling slightly, and they acted as if nothing had happened, while others were shaking all over, their legs weak, unable to even stand straight.

With a thud, someone actually fell backward toward the sky.

Si Liyu, who was standing straight nearby, turned his head and saw the person's face clearly; although he didn't make a sound, his gaze was full of anger and contempt.

To think that such a coward had mixed into the Inspection Division today!

Sweat beaded on Xing Ji's forehead; although he had not drawn his sword, the shadow of a tiger-shaped divine beast gradually emerged behind him, and he suppressed his voice to say: "Can your Sword Image carry you to fly now?"

Tang Zhao said with pleasant surprise, "Right, there's still this move! I can fly!" He voluntarily let go of Xing Ji and, sure enough, remained floating in the firmament. The cloak was like wings, and with the Xiezhi sharing the wings with him, they naturally soared.

Out of the corner of his eye, Xing Ji happened to see Tang Zhao turn around, his back silhouette showing only the black cloak fluttering, with the majestic Xiezhi standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside him; he could not help but feel a moment of trance and endless sorrow.

At this moment, the smoke and dust from the explosion above dissipated, revealing the head of the Heavenly Demon Flood Dragon.

It could not be said to be unscathed now; more than a dozen wounds had appeared densely on its head and neck, each wound exploding into a mass of mangled flesh. But its head was simply too large; even though most of those wounds were several feet deep, they only counted as grazes, and some of the shallower wounds were merely seeping blood without even tearing the flesh open. Clearly, the previous explosion had not even been able to breach its skin.

It looked as if it had been enraged; what flowed continuously from its teeth was no longer blue blood, but streams of water.

Its giant mouth opened slightly, and the sound of roaring waves came from within.

It is going to unleash a technique—the thought flashed through Tang Zhao's mind.

He was also prepared.

This time, with the blessing of "Righteous and Awe-Inspiring," it was truly his strongest strike.

"Roar!" The water waves surged—

"Sword Technique—Exterminate Evil Completely!"

"Sword Art—Great Execution!"

At the same time, on the perimeter.

A group of people sneaked toward the edge of the Demon Cave.

"Mother of God, this is the Demon Cave, how spectacular!" one person exclaimed while looking at the river in the sky.

The person beside him was furious, slapped him hard, and said, "Old Third, what are you shouting for? Do you want to bring the Land Inspection Division down on us again?"

That Old Third shrank his neck and said, "Isn't there nobody here? Listen to that commotion; the Land Inspection Division inside is already fighting. There is no one guarding the outside either. Those bailiffs are all cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong. And that most troublesome woman, Black Widow, is entangled with another group and can't spare any attention for us; it's the perfect time for us to sneak in and grab something." Although he said this, he still lowered his voice.

Another man, who looked slightly smarter and fairer, said, "I always feel something is wrong. The Land Inspection Division is inside, and there isn't a single person outside? What are ordinary bailiffs worth? Although Black Widow is strong, she is an outsider; would they entrust their own safety entirely to an outsider? Are they waiting for a rabbit to hit a tree? And that tiger-head gate, I don't know why it looks so wrong to me."

The leader said, "Of course I know it's wrong; a stone gate that big standing in the middle of the wilderness, even a fool knows it's wrong. But didn't we take a detour? Passing through the stone gate... ha."

He suddenly saw a large sign standing in front, golden-red in color, with large characters shimmering slightly in the night sky:

"Trespassers will die."

"Bullshit." That Old Third said, "These guys from the Land Inspection Division are too hypocritical, hogging a good place like the Demon Cave and refusing to let us touch it. Who knows how much they've fished out from inside? I'm going to pull it..."

The leader waved his hand and said, "Don't pull it; there might be some mechanism, and if you pull it, the people inside might notice. The methods of a Sword Guest are impossible to guard against. Let's take a detour."

The few people bypassed the sign, the leader in the lead, still not forgetting to look back and say, "When we get in, keep a low profile; don't stick your heads out and get hit. We're just here to pick up some scraps..." He suddenly felt like he had touched something; it was a very light sensation, just like touching a layer of window paper.

But looking ahead, except for the vast night, there was nothing.

He was just wondering when suddenly there were several exclamations from behind, and several brothers called out one after another: "Boss... Boss..."

The leader asked curiously, "Calling me?"

Finally, Old Third bit his tongue and shouted, "Tiger!"

At the same time, the leader looked up and saw a huge tiger in the air, lowering its head to look at him.