[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-roaring-dragon":3,"chapter-the-roaring-dragon-the-roaring-dragon-chapter-235":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Roaring Dragon",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2282091,4463,"Chapter 235: The Sparrow Behind the Bird (Revised)","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-235",235,"\u003Cp>The silver lightning, like a crescent moon, swept across the ice river in an arc; by the time they recognized it, it had already closed in on their flanks, the biting cold blade wind turning the flying spray into scattered ice crystals!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Huaichuan was never careless and had always been wary of the super-grade poison witch hidden in the mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But poison witches—even those who reached the super-grade—always cast spells and poisons from afar; their fragile bodies charging straight at a martial cultivator’s face would be sheer madness, so he had always been guarding against mind-disrupting spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this sudden slash before him clearly came from a genuine super-grade martialist, and combined with the Ghost Poison Sect’s stealth traits, it embodied the quintessential assassination technique: “One hidden strike, life or death decided!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Li Huaichuan sensed it, the dazzling blade light had already shattered his protective aura and slashed toward his neck, leaving no time for reaction whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But thanks to a lifetime of fighting and surviving, Li Huaichuan’s cultivation was ultimately higher—he still barely managed to react to this killing blow, his right sword flashing back in an instant to block the blade, while his Minglong Spear swept sideways at the ghostlike assassin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gonglong—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swift, lightning-like curved blade was blocked; the nine-foot spear shaft swept aside the mist beside him, striking the blue-robed woman’s waist and abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s cheeks were pale as jade, her peach-blossom eyes showing pain, yet tinged with a faint dark red—like a nine-tailed white fox emerging from a sea of mist!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Huaichuan had seen martial-witch hybrids before, but never one this strong; his parry had been rushed, and in that fleeting glimpse of her red pupils, he knew disaster was coming!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His instincts proved correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the spear flung the blue-robed woman away, Li Huaichuan’s vision warped—the mist sea transformed into a bizarre, hallucinatory realm; before him floated a golden-red flame, within reach, while the sign of the Lishan Sword Hut nearby had changed to “Number One Under Heaven…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Huaichuan knew this was a mind-disrupting illusion, and instantly willed himself to break free—but it was too late!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jin completely entrusted his life to his partner, ignoring the incoming sword tide, drew his Tian Gang Iron Club, and swung it forward with full force!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Bu Yuehua was flung away by the spear shaft, the pressure in his Tian Gang Iron Club reached its peak; yet Li Huaichuan, now within arm’s reach, had his protective aura vanish, his weapon slipping from his grip, his eyes growing dull and unnaturally fiery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it lasted only an instant, in the realm of peak martialists, it was fatal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dang—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Huaichuan snapped back to awareness and raised his sword in haste, barely blocking the Tian Gang Iron Club as it smashed toward his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xie Jin’s short-range burst was terrifyingly potent—the heavy iron club struck the Tingxue Sword; though the blade’s fine quality remained unbroken, it was bent outright, and the residual force continued, slamming into his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thunderous crash, Li Huaichuan’s nasal bones and cheekbones shattered; though his martial physique was strong enough to avoid having his skull crushed outright, half his face caved inward, blood and shattered teeth spraying as his body arched backward and slammed into the cliff behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gonglong—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bu Yuehua, flung by the spear, landed on the ice river and bounced up instantly, dragging her single saber, moving like thunder as she pressed in again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding ding—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martialists’ resilience ranked second only to Buddhist cultivators, but after such a devastating blow, Li Huaichuan’s face was grotesquely distorted; the fact he hadn’t fainted proved his foundation was solid, yet he could no longer maintain any form of technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the lightning-fast saber and opportunistic illusion spells, Li Huaichuan could no longer defend himself; after three consecutive strikes, the curved blade sliced into his right arm holding the sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the wound was no deeper than half an inch, white smoke suddenly erupted from the cut, spreading searing soul-piercing pain and muscle sluggishness across his body, causing his aerial stance to plummet to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gonglong—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jin and Bu Yuehua had partnered before; as Li Huaichuan lost balance and fell, Xie Jin unleashed “Black Dragon Strikes the Pillar,” carving a vortex of empty space through the mist sea, striking his lower back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having already endured massive head trauma and barely holding off the wave-like blade at close range, Li Huaichuan knew he was at his end; his twisted face twisted into a savage snarl—he ignored the incoming saber and thrust his sword with all his life into his opponent’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sa—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sword strike was deceptively simple, its sword-song piercingly mournful, even unsettling the soul; without doubt, it was Li Huaichuan’s strongest—and final—sword of his life!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bu Yuehua had been cautious enough, but Li Huaichuan, relying on his realm advantage, forced the exchange—she could not fully evade it, and could only grit her teeth and raise her saber upward, deflecting the sword tip sideways from her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cha—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gonglong—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, Xie Jin once again touched the taboo, forcibly opening his second gate, “Kaiyang,” boosting his speed another third, and as the sword pierced flesh, he slammed his Tian Gang Iron Club into Li Huaichuan’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gonglong—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thunderous explosion, Li Huaichuan’s robes burst open, his ribs split open, bones shattered, the heavy iron club driving straight into his abdominal cavity, shattering his lumbar spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His forward-thrusting body, under the force of a runaway cart, was flung sideways through the air and slammed into the stone cliff beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gonglonglong—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emerald mist sea surged into a towering wave, then the cliff cracked and collapsed, showering rubble; the impact site left a depression over a zhang wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jin was at full strength and initially unharmed; though briefly forcing open his second gate didn’t cause his body to collapse outright, the burst exceeded his physical limits, instantly straining his muscles and qi channels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After flinging Li Huaichuan away, Xie Jin caught a fleeting glimpse—he saw Li Huaichuan’s face deformed, his torso bent backward, clearly dead; he immediately leapt forward, catching Bu Yuehua as she flew backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bu Yuehua had already suffered soul trauma, and just now had taken a spear strike to her body; she could barely withstand Li Huaichuan’s life-for-life thrust; though the impact had knocked him aside, the sword still pierced her left chest, piercing her soft armor, leaving only an inch between blade tip and heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jin was startled; after catching her, he quickly scanned her—her side’s robe was torn, revealing the soft armor, with bloodstains visible, but no sign of ruptured heart meridians or lung damage—he exhaled in relief, pulling her into his arms:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the battle, Bu Yuehua hadn’t even felt the pain; her gaze remained fixed on Li Huaichuan. Seeing Xie Jin had shattered his rib-spine, she relaxed, lifted her hand slightly, and the Tingxue Sword, far away, flew back into her grasp; then she hurled two flying daggers at the fallen Li Huaichuan in the pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang bang—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Huaichuan still clung to survival instinct, trying to move; as the two flying daggers slammed into his lungs like cannonballs, two bursts of blood mist erupted, and his body went utterly still…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, dozens of li away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven figures hid in the snow, observing the earth-shattering scene within the Sword River through distant-viewing mirrors, each drawing a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can wasn’t a “Xie Jin fan,” but he’d seen too much; he felt no surprise at Li Huaichuan’s downfall, and turned to sneer:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk tsk~ Is this the famed strength of northerners? I thought you’d set a trap and send someone to deliver the final blow—but it’s just this rotten fish and bad shrimp? Xie Jin’s already invincible at the first rank, and he’s got a super-grade bodyguard beside him—you sent Li Huaichuan to face him? Are you trying to make Xie Jin’s southern campaign record look even more brutal, so he can come north and keep racking up kills?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chu actually thought this battle was perilous, but Xie Jin had been so composed, even with a super-grade female bodyguard—Li Huaichuan’s death wasn’t unjust; he replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Given the situation, shouldn’t we retreat first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Xing had never seen Xie Jin before and was slightly stunned by his combat power, but before this mission, his superiors had already warned him: if one man couldn’t handle this kid, he wasn’t surprised by the current scene; he replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Huaichuan was just a pawn. He initiated the killing for the treasure—killing him is best; if he fails, he still drains these two’s reserves, and gives those who come after a legitimate reason to kill them outright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can roughly understood:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Huaichuan was patrolling his own territory when he was brutally killed by the southern Xie Jin—this could indeed provoke the Northern Zhou court and orthodox sects to hunt him down. But if Li Huaichuan is dead, and Xie Jin caused such a scandal, he’ll surely flee to Daqian for cover—who in Lizhou can catch these two? You’re not planning to use the government office constables’ blades to kill him, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Xing shook his head: “Above said they’d help the south resolve this trouble, so we must make it look clean. Look east.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can and Zhang Chu, puzzled, turned their gaze from the Sword River toward the eastern horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To their surprise, beneath the darkening evening sky, a fire meteor appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire meteor sped straight toward them, astonishingly fast, yet not at a steady pace—it flashed, leaping forward in great bursts each time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten-Thousand-Li Divine Step Spell?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can’s eyesight was sharp; just from the aura, he knew the arrival was a Northern Zhou True Ancestor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the Ten-Thousand-Li Divine Step Spell yet leaving behind fiery trails meant this cultivator specialized in Fire elemental arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Northern Zhou, only five people could manifest such power—Lü Yan, the sect master of Wuling Mountain, the strongest fire spellcaster under the head of the Zhan Yan Sect!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The backup you mentioned… is this Dao Master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Lü Lao was tricked by Xie Jin in the Phoenix Fire Valley, robbed of his opportunity. He’s furious now. Suddenly sensing a super-grade clash, he rushes over and finds Xie Jin killed the Lishan Sword Hut’s sect master—what do you think he’ll do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chu frowned, thinking the northern demon Daoists had some real cunning; after a moment, he said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xie Laomo might finally be in real trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can had always wanted to stay far from this mess, but now that Xie Jin seemed truly cornered, he actually wanted to see the outcome; he quietly hid in the snow, peering through the distant-viewing mirror, and warned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xie Jin has a black eagle with incredible eyesight—don’t let yourselves be spotted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We know. That’s why we’re hiding dozens of li away…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, in the mountains and wilds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jin carried Bu Yuehua, whose soul was wounded and head spinning, sprinting through the wilderness; before they’d even run half a li, Meiqiu’s warning rang from the sky:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiang—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, far across the heavens, a line of fire ignited; Bu Yuehua, seeing this, turned pale:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re done—it’s Lü Yan! What do we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jin, having sensed Li Huaichuan’s ambush, knew today would be disastrous; Lü Yan’s arrival didn’t surprise him at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew exactly what he’d done to Lü Lao—the man had been tricked in the capital, and Xie Jin had escaped thanks to diplomatic immunity and Empress Dowager Guo’s protection; but here, after he’d just slaughtered the Lishan Sword Hut’s sect master, the blade was literally placed in Lü Yan’s hands—wouldn’t he be killed on the spot if caught?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been caught in the demon Daoists’ trap: Li Huaichuan wanted to kill him, so he acted in self-defense—Lü Yan had to believe that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Phoenix Fire Valley incident fresh, Lü Yan wouldn’t believe another word from him unless he hadn’t suffered enough yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing that the mastermind behind it had mobilized every possible resource against him, crafting such a lethal trap, Xie Jin was genuinely curious about who was behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now there was no time to investigate—he couldn’t fly, Bu Yuehua’s soul was wounded and couldn’t command the forces of heaven and earth, and they were running on foot; even if Lü Yan gave them a quarter-hour head start, they couldn’t escape. He gestured for Meiqiu to flee first, then scanned his surroundings:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Find a hiding spot first. Lishan stretches over five hundred li—if we hide well, Lü Yan won’t find us easily. First, treat our wounds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bu Yuehua had only come seeking her father’s killer; she never imagined falling into such a dire situation. Just now, she’d forced Xie Jin to injure himself to save her; now, suppressing her headache, she clung to his shoulder:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s my fault as your elder—I was reckless. If Mu Shimei were here, she’d never drag you into this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. This was clearly aimed at me. If Ice Block had come along, they wouldn’t even need to leak the info—I’d have gone to Baihua County with her to see what was going on…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xie Jin spoke, he spotted, deep in the ancient forest, an old locust tree covered in snow, hollow inside, extremely concealed—he immediately carried Bu Yuehua into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, a howling wind echoed from the heavens:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gong gong—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2253,"2026-06-20T01:38:12.833Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","69ab843a66a46890b6401b6ed1d6a80c71934a9762bcca9cb559daee461511f8","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-236","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-234",252,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-roaring-dragon-cover.jpg"]