Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Jiang Chi’s gaze was fixed on the black behemoth at the end of the passage, his eyes revealing a strong desire. He let out an excited roar, and his body seemed to be ignited with fighting spirit. He actually abandoned Gonggong and turned around to rush towards the Taotie at the other end of the passage.
— Jiang Chi and Taotie share the same origin, both born from the resentment of Chi You. Chi You died in defeat with resentment, and his deep resentment could even erode the earth, turning fertile soil into barren land, which shows how ferocious his resentment was.
Jiang Chi and Taotie, who were born from the resentment of Chi You, were originally bound to be full of malice and fight to the death.
This was the ferocity inherited from Chi You’s resentment.
Gonggong watched as Jiang Chi charged toward Taotie, and the starving Taotie also noticed Jiang Chi. Both of them had red eyes and were filled with murderous intent.
After two earth-shaking roars, a merciless battle ensued.
Gonggong, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, strolled through the passage and watched the battle from above.
Jiang Chi and Taotie, one having absorbed a large amount of Chi You’s resentment to restore his strength and was now filled with resentment with nowhere to vent it; while the other having devoured Chi You’s head and now driven to ferocity by hunger. As soon as the two met, they fought fiercely and were evenly matched.
It seems they’re determined to fight to the death.
“This is the real battle between the Gu Kings.” Seeing that the two had finally entered the path he had planned, Gonggong looked pleased. He took out the Nine Cauldrons from his sleeve and placed it beside him, quietly waiting for the battle below to come to an end.
The victorious “Gu King” would be the new war god who inherited Chi You’s power, and also the vanguard officer for his sacrificial ceremony to the heavens, who would become the stepping stone for his eternal foundation.
Gonggong watched the battle below with a relaxed expression. He used his snake tail to lift the nine cauldrons high, waiting for the outcome to be decided before putting the last one into the cauldron to prepare for the sacrifice to Heaven.
He had waited too long, and even this brief moment of fighting had made him feel anxious.
However, the battle below became deadlocked for a time.
Although Jiang Chi was inexperienced, he was more agile and knew how to use tactics to his advantage; while Taotie, though experienced, was probably blinded by hunger and losing his rationality, fighting without any strategy and relying solely on instinct. The two sides clashed, and for a time, neither could determine a winner.
Gonggong suppressed his anxiety and waited for an unknown amount of time before the battle situation finally changed.
Taotie had better endurance. No matter how flexible Jiang Chi’s tactics were, Taotie could overcome him with sheer force. In the later stages of the battle, Jiang Chi was exhausted and unable to dodge in time. He took a direct hit from Taotie’s claw, and the wound was so deep that the bone was visible. His momentum also weakened visibly.
Gonggong’s spirits lifted, and he focused even more intently on what was below.
So much so that he didn’t even notice the faint light flashing on the nine cauldrons it had raised. Then, Jiang Chi below froze, seemingly exhausted, and barely managed to dodge the Taotie’s attack.
Awakened by Geng Chen, Jiang Chi disregarded his own injuries, staring at Jiang Lan in shock and worry. He couldn’t understand why Jiang Lan had become like this. He was filled with murderous intent, his eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed completely unrecognizable.
But the voice of Geng Chen that echoed in his mind stopped him: “Lead Jiang Lan toward Gonggong.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chi instinctively tried to find Gonggong, but Geng Chen stopped him again: “Don’t look, continue. Gonggong is watching the battle from above, don’t let him notice anything amiss.”
No sooner had Geng Chen finished speaking than Jiang Lan fiercely attacked him.
Jiang Chi instinctively dodged, but seeing Jiang Lan’s appearance, he could no longer retaliate and could only awkwardly keep dodging.
However, Jiang Lan’s movements were both fierce and ruthless, and Jiang Chi failed to dodge them one or two times. In Gonggong’s eyes, this ironically made it appear that Jiang Chi was no match for Taotie and was at a disadvantage.
Following Geng Chen’s instructions, Jiang Chi led Jiang Lan closer and closer to Gonggong’s location.
Gonggong was so focused on the outcome of the battle that he didn’t even notice Jiang Chi getting closer and closer to him.
After another chase and fierce battle, Jiang Chi finally circled around to Gonggong’s rear and below. Jiang Lan, enraged by his missed attack, stood directly opposite Jiang Chi, glaring menacingly. Gonggong, observing from above between the two, vaguely sensed that the three were too close. He feared that if the two launched a pincer attack, even from high above, he wouldn’t be able to dodge in time. This thought had barely crossed his mind when, and just as Gonggong was about to create some distance, Jiang Chi suddenly launched an attack, charging towards him—
Jiang Lan, who had been watching Jiang Chi’s movements closely, narrowed his eyes and suddenly pounced on him.
Gonggong swung his long tail, about to twist and dodge, but unexpectedly the nine cauldrons coiled around his snake tail suddenly grew larger, flipped over, and trapped him, Jiang Chi, and Jiang Lan inside…
….
Yunnan Province, deep in the mountains.
The leaden clouds lingered, the rain continued unabated, and thunderstorms and lightning flashed intermittently among the clouds for three whole days. Residents of surrounding towns and villages alike speculated and discussed the strange phenomena in the mountains.
The Yunnan Provincial Branch staff accompanied Ying Qiao into the mountains on Friday night. Afterwards, Ying Qiao transformed into a dragon and summoned clouds and rain. The rain continued until late Sunday night, but Ying Qiao did not stop.
The golden Ying Long, visible only to the members of the Demon Management Bureau, circled in the sky for three days and two nights.
Since Ying Qiao didn’t leave, the people from the Demon Management Bureau had no choice but to stay in the mountains. They set up camp on the spot, trying to figure out Ying Qiao’s purpose while marveling at his formidable strength.
During this time, the Jiangcheng branch and the Dragon Palace personnel arrived first. Seeing that Ying Long was focused on searching for Taotie’s whereabouts, they didn’t delay and searched for clues and breakthroughs in other possible locations. The great demons from the surrounding areas of Yun Province who had been summoned to provide assistance were a step behind, thus avoiding the arrival of the Jiangcheng group. Ying Qiao showed no intention of landing to speak, and the Yun Province branch couldn’t make a decision, so the great demons could only wait patiently with the branch personnel.
The powerful demons who rushed to the aid after receiving the news were still unaware of the specifics. They only vaguely knew that an organization called the Qian Sect intended to break through the barrier between heaven and earth to reopen the Heavenly Road, and that the Taotie was leading the vanguard to investigate, but so far, they had not heard from him. Upon arriving at the location, they saw the Ying Long circling in the sky, its deep dragon roar continuously echoing across the surrounding area.
Lesser demons might not be able to see through this, but powerful demons with profound cultivation knew that Ying Qiao was probably serious and was using his best skills to search for Taotie’s whereabouts.
The Ying Long clan was skilled at controlling water, and no place with water could escape their notice. However, with such a large-scale rainfall, trying to find faint clues from the immeasurable rainwater was like the blind men touching an elephant or looking for a needle in a haystack.
Not only was the hope slim, but the cost was also immeasurably huge.
Every demon who had dealt with Ying Qiao knew that the Ying Long was arrogant and that there were practically no demons who could catch his eye. The fact that he had gone to such lengths to find Taotie’s whereabouts proved that the rumors circulating before were true.
Several powerful demons secretly remarked that Ying Long was indeed extraordinary, even his approach to love was unconventional.
If it were someone else, who would dare to date Taotie?
While others might only experience heartbreak in a relationship, with a gluttonous beast, it could be deadly.
They would be very worried.
The waiting crowd sighed inwardly while keeping a close eye on Ying Qiao’s actions. Suddenly, the golden Ying Long, which had been wandering in the clouds, flapped its wings, raised its head high, and let out a high-pitched roar that reverberated throughout the land. Then, the continuous rain that had lasted for three days suddenly stopped, the leaden clouds dissipated, and the clear sky was revealed after the rain.
“There’s movement.” The waiting demons perked up and stood up to greet Ying Qiao.
Ying Qiao landed and transformed into human form. Before they could speak, he said, “The breach has been found. I will go in first to investigate. You should immediately notify the Jiangcheng branch and the Dragon Palace to turn back. After they reunite, we will try to work together to open the breach.”
He then took out paper and pen and quickly marked the detailed location according to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. He glanced at everyone and said, “This small world is different from other small worlds. Those whose cultivation is insufficient should not rush in. Stay put and wait for orders.”
After saying that, he flashed away and quickly headed towards the gap he had found.
After three days and two nights of searching, Ying Qiao showed no signs of fatigue. His golden dragon eyes were as calm as frost and snow, yet held a suppressed blizzard within them. He even forgot to tidy his usually impeccable clothes, leaving the hem covered in dust that he didn’t have time to brush off.
Ying Qiao rushed to the location where the gap was discovered, closed his eyes and sensed it carefully for a long time before transforming into his original form and tearing apart the connection point between the two spaces with his sharp front claws.
The rainwater relayed information to him that this small world was extremely solid and stable— a small world of such great size shouldn’t be so well hidden, by all accounts. The overlap of two spaces would inevitably cause repulsion and vibrations. It would be difficult to remain completely undetected. Yet, Ying Qiao spent three days and two nights before finally finding a sliver of an opening.
Moreover, the gap was incredibly sturdy. Ying Qiao used all his strength to barely open a passage just wide enough for him to pass through, and quickly slipped inside.
Ying Qiao transformed into human form and landed, only to find himself surrounded by a vast expanse of white mist, unable to discern his way home or his destination.
But he didn’t take a step rashly. He stood still, carefully surveying his surroundings before finally moving forward. As his toes touched the ground, the prophecy of Bai Ze flashed through Ying Qiao’s mind. After a moment’s hesitation, he resolutely headed north.
He secretly hoped that Jiang Lan would remember Bai Ze’s instructions.
After walking for a while, the fog around them gradually thinned out. Ying Qiao observed the surrounding terrain and landforms, which correspondeded one by one with the terrain in reality— it seemed that this was the ancient Wa ethnic group’s location that Song Yu had mentioned.
According to Song Yu’s description, the location of the ancient Wa people was not much different from reality, and neither he nor Jiang Lan noticed anything unusual when they rashly entered. But now, the places he walked through were clearly different, and he had no idea what had happened.
Ying Qiao frowned as he walked forward, his sharp gaze sweeping over his surroundings, not letting go of any possible clue.
However, after walking for a long time, he not only failed to find any trace of Jiang Lan, but also did not encounter a single member of the ancient Wa ethnic group. The entire mountain was silent, with only faint wisps of mist rising and falling.
Ying Qiao’s eyes darkened slightly. After a moment’s thought, he transformed back into his original form and soared into the air, looking down at the entire mountain from above.
However, only mist swirled in the mountains, and when one tried to look beyond it, the view became completely blurred, and nothing could be seen clearly. One could only vaguely sense that countless mysterious forces were slowly flowing behind the mist.
This mysterious feeling seemed familiar. Ying Qiao was deep in thought when someone suddenly attacked from behind. The movement was swift and decisive, biting down on his tail.
Ying Qiao instinctively swung his tail to dodge, but the fierce look on his face vanished as soon as he saw the person who had ambushed him.
His expression softened, and his voice became gentle as he softly called out the name of the person who had attacked him.
“Jiang Lan?”
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