Chapter 790: Extra Chapter 4: 27

What a strong killing aura!

When that blood light shot up into the sky, Xiao Jiu thought the two groups would immediately scatter to save themselves.

After all, such a strong killing aura is not something an ordinary cultivator can oppose.

Anyone who inhales this killing aura, or is bitten by whatever is in the coffin, could possibly die and descend to the Yellow Springs.

Even if they luckily survive, they will inevitably become neither human nor ghost.

But that didn't happen.

They had long been lying in ambush around here; as soon as the stiff-bearing coffin appeared, they immediately attacked, obviously knowing what was inside the coffin.

The moment the blood light shot out, they quickly shifted positions and set up their formation, one hand pulling the rope to keep drawing the copper coffin's lid back, the other hand forming seals and chanting.

This group is well-trained; they came prepared.

Xiao Jiu's intention to rush forward suddenly stalled.

First, because this group had already successfully set up their formation, firmly controlling the stiff and the copper coffin; if Xiao Jiu rushed forward now, it would likely disrupt their formation's rhythm and break their tactics.

Second, after that sheet of blood light shot out from the copper coffin, Xiao Jiu actually saw, beneath that blood light, a faint trace of... golden light?

That was... dragon qi?

How is that possible!

Xiao Jiu understood that the killing aura rushed out from inside the copper coffin.

But where did this dragon qi come from?

Could it be Liu Junyan? No, impossible.

The dragon qi on Liu Junyan's body is far stronger than that in the copper coffin; this bit of killing aura could hardly suppress it.

Xiao Jiu watched the cultivators still constantly adjusting their formation, and already concluded in her heart... this group is likely after the dragon qi inside the copper coffin.

However, based on just this, we cannot yet determine whether they are friend or foe; we can only observe for now.

Just as the battle here was heating up, over ten stiffs emerged from the western river, heading straight for the copper coffin.

This batch of stiffs had just approached when another batch rose from the water...

As the number of stiffs kept increasing, the yin killing aura surrounding the copper coffin grew heavier; the blood qi that had just been suppressed burst through the formation, shaking the cultivators so they flew backward and fell heavily to the ground, splashing water everywhere.

Before they could get up, they were encircled by a portion of the stiffs.

Meanwhile, another portion of the stiffs took the lifted lid and placed it back onto the copper coffin.

Seeing that things were going badly, Xiao Jiu could wait no longer.

She transformed into human form, mobilized her true qi, took a running start, summoned Feng Wu, held the bow with her left hand, drew the string with her right, and shot clusters of Nirvana fire toward the copper coffin.

Xiao Jiu knew that in this situation, the stiffs would use their bodies to block the Nirvana fire, there might also be a formation to oppose it, and even whatever was inside the copper coffin could be forced out by the Nirvana fire.

But she never expected that those people would immediately re-establish their formation and block the Nirvana fire.

Several stiffs had already been set on fire.

In the blink of an eye, the Nirvana fire burned those stiffs to ashes.

But a few more clusters of Nirvana fire were blocked by the formation's true qi, failing to hit the copper coffin; instead, the formation backfired on those people, and several of them collapsed instantly.

From this, it seems the purpose of those people guarding the copper coffin is not pure.

They are not here to eliminate the killing aura inside the copper coffin and these stiffs, but for the dragon qi inside the coffin.

Dragon qi is certainly a good thing, especially for cultivators, something you can encounter but cannot seek.

For this dragon qi, they actually dared to block the Nirvana fire!

Since they are not friends, Xiao Jiu no longer needs to hold back; she drew her bow, aimed at the copper coffin, and shot several more arrows in quick succession.

Nirvana fire is not ordinary flame; once a stiff touches it, it cannot shake it off, and a spark instantly becomes a prairie fire, burning them completely.

Even the copper coffin, after being struck by Nirvana fire, began to belch black smoke.

Although it did not catch fire, the spots hit by Nirvana fire melted at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Those who had just tried to use their formation to block the Nirvana fire only now realized what was happening, and one by one they shrank back in fear.

Had Xiao Jiu not been unwilling to slaughter the innocent, she would have withdrawn the Nirvana fire in time when they used their formation to block it; now they would likely have all turned to ash.

Their fate would not be much better than that of the stiffs.

Xiao Jiu withdrew Feng Wu and stared intently at the copper coffin.

The spots on the copper coffin hit by Nirvana fire were rapidly melting, but soon a stream of golden light burst from inside the coffin, forcibly extinguishing the Nirvana fire.

It is the dragon qi from inside the coffin!

Only dragon qi can stand against the Nirvana fire.

Xiao Jiu did not rush.

Her original intention in shooting the Nirvana fire was merely to force whatever was inside the copper coffin out.

After all, the copper coffin contains dragon qi; just in case... better safe than sorry.

With a boom.

The copper coffin's lid fell to the ground again.

Immediately after, a crimson killing aura shot out from the coffin, rapidly condensing in midair into the shape of a blood dragon!

The blood dragon let out a heavenward roar; everyone immediately held their breath, for inhaling even a mouthful of that blood qi would be courting death.

The blood dragon turned its head and charged at Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu did not want to reveal her phoenix form before others, but at this critical juncture she could no longer hold back.

She transformed into her phoenix form, flapped her wings, and went to meet the blood dragon.

The blood dragon is formed from condensed killing blood aura; though it has no solid body, its presence is mighty.

In its contest with Xiao Jiu, it continually shifted shape, impossible to grasp or strike, yet it firmly held Xiao Jiu in midair.

Below, the stiffs once again covered the coffin lid, lifted the copper coffin, and walked toward the direction of Laojing.

By rights, something as strong as the murderous aura of a blood dragon should fear Nirvana fire the most, yet Xiao Jiu has unleashed Nirvana fire several times, only to have it dissipated each time by the blood dragon using a mass of blood qi.

Such a situation is not common.

Xiao Jiu recalls that after she retrieved Feng Wu, the only one capable of neutralizing the fire Feng Wu shot out (which back then wasn't yet Nirvana fire) was Feng Xianqiu.

Later, even when facing Dìluán and Dìshì, or even the cranes, she had never been so passive as today.

Just what kind of thing is the opponent, how can it be so sinister?

Furthermore, with heavenly thunder rolling, such a great malevolent thing rampaging between heaven and earth, yet not a single bolt of heavenly thunder was aimed at the blood dragon—this only makes things feel even more unfathomable.

Xiao Jiu calmed down a bit, gradually realizing that this blood dragon before her was probably not merely a malevolent creature.

It is an entity capable of absorbing Dragon Qi.

In this world, not all gods and immortals are endowed with merit and possess the ethereal bearing of sages.

Xiao Jiu knew there exists a kind of malevolent deity that appears as a great evil thing yet simultaneously possesses a certain divinity, wandering between heaven and earth, both righteous and wicked.

Of course, whether such a malevolent deity is righteous or wicked lies in a single thought.

A single thought can make a god; a single thought can make a demon…