155 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 155: Ruthless (Part Three) Hua Ye was jolted awake by a shockwave of spiritual energy, a piercing eerie wail slicing through the forest. It startled flocks of birds and beasts, causing chaos among the trees. Almost immediately, a layer of white-tinged spirit wave began to spread from the epicenter of the commotion. As the chilling wave washed over her, a bleary Hua Ye felt as if a needle had pricked her brain, prompting a sharp intake of breath. She struggled to open her eyes. Before she could gather her bearings, a familiar yet alien voice sounded above her, “Don’t move.” In one swift motion akin to a carp leaping from the water, Hua Ye sprang to her feet, quickly retreating three to four zhang backward. She came to a stop only when she felt the impact of her back slamming against the thick trunk of a tree, large enough for three people to hug around. Holding her ground, she eyed the woman crouching on the ground with vigilance. She still remembered the snake demon’s face and recalled chasing after Xiang Shi Yan’s figure before losing consciousness... Another loud crash echoed in the distance, and a startled and bewildered Hua Ye turned her gaze to Du Ruo. The snake demon stretched languidly before grabbing the arm of the unsteady cultivator girl, who still tried to push her away: “Don’t push yourself. I’m taking you away from here. Your martial uncle will come find us later.” Hua Ye tried to resist, but her body felt like overcooked noodles, weak and unresponsive. Surrounded by her own fragility, Hua Ye suddenly noticed the fragrance of magnolia emanating from Du Ruo, sharp and overpowering, oppressing her own scent, which usually stood strong. It now felt inescapably forceful and vivid. Du Ruo hoisted Hua Ye into the air, soaring to the treetops, allowing them to gaze distantly at the tumult near the Ravaged Soul Gorge. There, a massive skeleton, severed at the waist, loomed, its enormous hand smacking the ground. The skeleton stood ten zhang high, its luminous bones entwined with a layer of swirling pale violet spiritual energy. On closer inspection, that energy was composed of countless ghastly faces shrouded in purple ghostly aura. This towering ghost creature, a fusion of many spirits, roared horribly, its malevolence sweeping up purple waves of energy, engulfing everything within a few miles. The windstorm grew more intense, igniting into a darker tempest. Amidst the swirling white fog and the eerie atmosphere, cracking trees and trembling ground noises intertwined with the intermittent monstrous howling. “Martial Uncle…!” Hua Ye instinctively cried out. In the next moment, her pupils widened as she witnessed the collection of ghostly forces converging into a storm, only to gradually unravel. Frost climbed upon the airborne specters, like a giant hand enveloped in white frost, gripping the phantom faces and tearing the spinning storm apart. The frost-covered ghosts scattered chaotically, akin to headless flies in the sky. The giant skeleton struggled and collapsed, letting out a terrifying screech directed towards somewhere. Then the leaderless ghostly visages collectively flew towards that direction, sweeping across a swath of the forest like a dark torrent, wiping it clean. Observing this, Du Ruo merely clutched Hua Ye's collar indifferently: “Let's go.” “Let go of me!” Hua Ye struggled fiercely, heedless of their airborne position; under her feet, the narrow spiritual sword became precarious, tipping her with the risk of falling. Du Ruo held her by the collar, making no move to pull her back up, allowing Hua Ye’s legs to flail wildly in the air as they flew towards the human cultivators' camp. "Look at the state you’re in—forget helping out, it's a win if you’re not a burden," Du Ruo glanced at the girl glaring at her hanging in mid-air, also unable to resist looking back. The distant smoke and white mist obscured the view, leaving them uncertain of the outcome faced by the woman confronting a peak-stage ghost cultivator alone—it left a gnawing anxiety within her chest. “There's something below!” Hua Ye suddenly shouted with urgency. Despite the discomfort from the spiritual tremors, her senses remained sharp as ever, and a glance at the forest floor revealed movement beneath the entwined tree canopy. It might be Xiang Shi Yan, she couldn’t help but hope. The ghost cultivator held the upper hand in such an environment; if Xiang Shi Yan were to flee, she would have to take cover in the clandestine forest. It wasn't surprising for the Nascent Soul cultivator to cause such commotion as she barreled through the branches. “Tsk.” Du Ruo extended her divine sense, covering a few miles in a certain direction. Alerted by Hua Ye, she immediately discerned what it was. Holding eagerly her gaze upon the dense forest, Hua Ye’s breath caught. Something considerably larger than a human woman seemed to be relentlessly pursuing them. Within her mind, a tension snapped sharply, prompting Hua Ye to punch Du Ruo on the leg and shout, “Ascend quickly!” A massive gray-white figure burst from the forest, leaping into the sky to meet Du Ruo’s level, swinging its arms ferociously at them. The giant ape, mottled with bloodstains and twisted in form, bore a visage not of the living. A stream of violet energy seeped from the large hole in its temple—undoubtedly a ghostly ape. With Hua Ye clinging, Du Ruo’s spiritual sword suddenly veered off course, nearly cleaving the girl who barely managed to clutch Du Ruo’s arm and pull herself back up in time to avoid being bisected. The ghostly ape twisted mid-air, reaching for the two girls, yet Hua Ye’s yank on the sword fortuitously caused a last-minute redirection, narrowly evading the enormous grasp. In the chaos, there was no time for Hua Ye to scold Du Ruo for the near-disaster. Instead, she vigilantly watched their descent towards the forest, keeping a keen eye on any movement below. As soon as she noticed the treetops stirring, she whispered urgently into Du Ruo's ear, "Left below!" Taking her word, Du Ruo attempted to steer them up-right, but the sword felt constrained, stuck as though ensnared. Hua Ye then noticed fine threads trailing from the ghostly ape had wound around the sword handle and their feet. Realizing the entanglement occurred during their close brush with the ghostly monkey, she kicked twice, freeing the threads, but the colossal shadow surged at them like a cannonball, leaving no chance of retreat. Hua Ye leapt from the spiritual sword, kicking the ghostly ape’s head mid-air, forcibly halting its ascent. Its gaping maw roared in her face, the rancid stink washing over her. As she plummeted backward, the gigantic hands clutched Hua Ye, almost tearing her apart. Electric arcs sporadically surged from the girl, causing her spiritual sea a throbbing pain akin to a heavy hammer strike. The weak lightning barely fazed the hulking ghostly ape, whose numb grip sent them hurtling downwards. A cold gleam seared through, and Hua Ye suddenly felt a release from the hand clenching her. Du Ruo caught her from behind, both watching as the towering gray ape was cleaved in half from head to crotch mid-air, its clean cross-section a testament to a single sword's devastation. “No more delays. Head back to camp at once,” Xiang Shi Yan’s voice descended from above, controlling her spiritual sword with practiced grace, offering a stable foothold beneath. The frost and white mist had been mere illusions. Knowing she couldn’t best Yu Zi Ming here, Xiang Shi Yan had long vanished along the emptiness, leaving only a cloak soaked in life essence that the spirit horde ripped to shreds. Reflecting on the three of them escaping to camp, Hua Ye sensed something vital eluding her, but it slipped from thought. Amidst her muddled consciousness, she felt she saw a familiar face, but her mind stalled. Likely, it was but an illusion brought on by hazy moments. What... is this? Hua Ye peered perplexedly at the simple wooden box clasped in her hand. It wasn’t there before she lost consciousness—did the ghost cultivator place it while taking her away? She dared not open the box rashly, sniffing it cautiously—its strange scent made her wary of making any rash actions, prompting her to seek Xiang Shi Yan, who was dismissing Du Ruo. The snake demon crossed her arms, frowning slightly at Xiang Shi Yan's composed expression. The two seemed to be engaged in conversation. Hua Ye knew she shouldn’t interrupt but remained intensely curious; her martial uncle harbored deep animosity against the demon clan, so why did she repeatedly engage with this woman... When Xiang Shi Yan was in closed cultivation, Hua Ye deduced through Du Ruo’s messages that this infuriating snake demon had once assisted Xiang Shi Yan in safely retrieving twins from Huaihai City. She could read a bit of lip language and couldn’t resist holding her box tightly, watching from afar. “…Sometimes you claim to be gathering herbs for your master, other times… who exactly is that cultivator? You seem familiar with her, yet refuse to enlighten me, your loyal ally. It's not fair to have other allies, isn’t it?” Xiang Shi Yan murmured a few quiet words, standing slightly side-on, her lips barely parting. Hua Ye couldn’t decipher her words, but seeing Du Ruo's placated demeanor visibly troubled her. “That person placed something on Hua Ye.” Du Ruo spoke, glancing at the covert cultivator in the distance. She wondered whether this fool was truly clueless or simply dismissive; did she honestly believe that two Nascent Soul-level cultivators wouldn’t notice her presence at such a short distance? Xiang Shi Yan appeared unsurprised, prompting Du Ruo to sigh upon realizing her anticipation. She lacked the confidence to trust endlessly like Hua Ye, ignoring every suspicion and allowing Xiang Shi Yan to maneuver as she pleased. Nor did she possess the cunning intelligence to fully grasp everything about the woman before her. This self-awareness led to frustration and resignation as she continued to watch from afar. The envoy departed to personally deliver the heavenly mandate back to the demon king. Only when Du Ruo's figure vanished over the horizon did Hua Ye hesitantly approach, handing the wooden box to Xiang Shi Yan. "It's a gu." Xiang Shi Yan laid a hand over it, using her spiritual sense to examine it for a moment before opening it. Inside the box was a strange insect exuding a peculiar aura. As Hua Ye leaned closer to inspect, Xiang Shi Yan quickly shut the box and tucked it into her sleeve—living creatures couldn't be stored in a Sumeru pouch, so until the creature could be delivered to its rightful recipient, Xiang Shi Yan could only carry it this way. "Why was it on me?" Hua Ye asked, a shadowy image flitting across her mind. She was so close to grasping the elusive strangeness of it all… "It was meant for me," Xiang Shi Yan replied, not disclosing who had placed it on Hua Ye, though she seemed unsurprised by its presence. To be precise, it was intended for Yu Ming. When Long Rui Qing proposed retrieving Hua Ye from their hideout, Xiang Shi Yan did not oppose the idea. She was aware that it was akin to pushing him into a fire pit, but faced with Long Rui Qing's resolute gaze, she remained silent. She herself had no better solution. Ultimately, Xiang Shi Yan also harbored a sliver of hope, underestimating Yu Zi Ming. She had left Long Rui Qing in the clutches of a possibly infuriated ghost cultivator at this moment. The presence of the wooden box filled Xiang Shi Yan with mixed emotions. She turned toward the vast forest, suddenly thinking that if that stubborn pair of mentor and disciple continued to be entangled like this, it might not be so bad. But perhaps that opportunity was gone. Author's Note: Thank you to the little angels who cast blessing votes or irrigated my nutrient solution between 2022-08-29 20:05:17~2022-09-01 01:27:59~ Thank you to the little angel for irrigating the nutrient solution: Hotpot Poached Egg with 40 bottles; Thank you all so much for your support. I will continue to work hard! No pop-up ads on this site, permanent domain (xbanxia.com)