Chapter 77: You Are Not Far from Death

He Lingchuan was startled, feeling an uncontrollable wave of lingering fear. Sun Fuping's plan had almost completely cornered them; if not for luck being on their side, this day next year would have been the death anniversary of the He family father and son.

However, he wasn't worried about Sun Fuping staging a comeback now. The old man had cast spells repeatedly and suffered continuous injuries; he must have been completely depleted.

Situ Han added, "We're coordinating with the black jiao, and it's almost making Nian Songyu spit blood in frustration."

He Lingchuan looked down and saw that it was indeed true. The battle below had turned, with the Great Wind Army, in conjunction with the black jiao, fiercely suppressing Nian Songyu. The Blackwater City army on the city walls occasionally fired off a few more ballista bolts as assistance.

"Is that still a jiao?" He Lingchuan also noticed the black jiao's anomaly. "That's a dragon, isn't it?"

The last time he had left, although the black jiao was called a "jiao," it looked more like a large horned snake. This time, he saw it had grown four legs, and the sharp horns on its head had branched out like antlers, while long dorsal fins had emerged from its back.

In short, it was a dragon!

Even after arriving in this foreign world, He Lingchuan had never expected to see a dragon with his own eyes in his lifetime.

It was said that dragons were creatures living in spiritual mountains and vast swamps, and no one had encountered one for nearly a thousand years.

"How did it transform?"

"The Great Wind Army members entered its body; a total of thirty thousand soldiers," Situ Han scratched his head. "And then it transformed into this."

After transforming into a dragon, the creature's body was actually a size smaller than before, making it appear more agile.

However, its main task was not to engage in close combat itself, but to chant spell after spell, applying various divine power enhancements to the Great Wind Army besieging Nian Songyu and to the summoned demonic apes.

It granted its allies lightness like swallows, immense strength, and thick, tough skin... A flurry of auras spread across the field, causing individual combat power to surge. Those who could originally fight one opponent could now take on at least three.

And don't forget, their opponent was just one person. As their power increased, his diminished, making every second feel like a year for Nian Songyu.

This series of astounding maneuvers also left the people on the city gate dumbfounded.

Situ Han couldn't help but say, "Did it just take over the Imperial Advisor's job?"

An Imperial Advisor on the battlefield would only perform these kinds of tasks, wouldn't they? This type of mass-buffing spell was called "Grace Art." The more people it covered, the more magic power it consumed. Even Sun Fuping at the peak of his power as Imperial Advisor would be exhausted after casting just three or four, and that was only for a force of a thousand.

It was incomparable to this black dragon, which cast spells as easily as drinking plain water, seemingly with infinite magic power.

From this perspective, looking back at Nian Songyu, despite being in constant peril and struggling on all fronts, He Lingchuan truly admired him. If it were him in the fray, besieged by the Great Wind Army like this, he would probably have been turned into pulp under their horses' hooves in an instant.

Yet, Nian Songyu's high-intensity battle had already lasted for over fifteen minutes, employing truly incredible techniques that were hard to distinguish as martial arts or divine powers. In any case, the people on the city walls were dazzled.

The ground of the South Gate Plaza was dented almost a zhang deep, and it was unclear who was responsible or if it was the result of their combined struggle.

Nian Songyu himself had become a bloody mess, with wounds of all sizes gushing blood, yet he continued to fight fiercely. Previously, he could heal Sun Fuping's injuries with a mere wave of his hand, but now he couldn't do the same for himself. Clearly, the high-intensity battle had drained his last reserves of energy.

The black dragon was persuading him, "Your vessel is on the verge of collapse. Why not surrender now and avoid further suffering?"

Nian Songyu, with a backhand, shattered a gigantic demonic ape and gritted his teeth, "So it was a trap all along! You intended to lure our avatars down here."

No sooner had he spoken than the Great Wind Army commander surged forward with a single saber and severed his left arm!

Blood gushed out like a fountain. Nian Songyu staggered back two steps, feeling dizzy and faint, barely managing to steady himself by leaning on his saber.

He had been fighting with two sabers, and now with one arm severed, his combat power had dropped by more than half.

Now he resembled a blood-soaked gourd, having lost more than half his blood. Let alone continuing the fight, even if he lay down for emergency first aid, his life couldn't be saved.

Nian Songyu's current body was ruined. His gaze swept over the living people on the city walls, but none were suitable. These human bodies were too fragile; even if he forcibly possessed one, it would collapse within dozens of breaths, let alone sustain high-intensity combat.

Then, his eyes fell upon He Lingchuan.

Dismissing that thought, his gaze didn't linger and went directly to the black dragon: "Don't think your arrangements are flawless. If I hadn't been gravely wounded twice upon my descent, our situations would undoubtedly be reversed!"

The black dragon looked down at him from above. "There are no 'ifs' in battle."

"Enough," Nian Songyu dropped his weapons and spread his hands. "I never thought I'd surrender to a mere artifact spirit!"

He surrendered decisively, sitting cross-legged as if nothing was wrong, regardless of the blood gushing from his wounds.

This wasn't his original body anyway.

The black dragon, however, was extremely cautious. "Don't entertain any crooked thoughts. You can't escape from here."

Outside, a Celestial could perhaps flee, but this illusion was like a sealed jar; no one could leave unless the black dragon opened it.

Nian Songyu's face was as pale as a corpse's, and in fact, he was not far from death. Yet, his expression grew increasingly calm. "You must know what I want to ask. Since I'm dying, what's the answer?"

The black dragon paused for a few seconds. "There is no answer. We uphold the last wish; only revenge."

Nian Songyu asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"No idea, and I don't care," the black dragon glided closer, lowering its large head. "Do you have any last words?"

"Yes," Nian Songyu suddenly turned to look at the city wall. "He Lingchuan, I'm saying this for the vessel: you're not far from death, and it will wait for you. And as for you all—"

He was addressing the living people: "Only when the black dragon dies can you leave. You know that that, right?"

The onlookers were startled.

Mao Tao exclaimed, "How can that be? Didn't it say..."

Didn't the black dragon promise to release them from the illusion?

Before he could finish, his eyes suddenly glazed over. He reached out, drew the saber from He Lingchuan's waist, and violently hacked at the parapet!

This sudden turn of events happened too quickly for anyone to react. Mao Tao had already chopped three times rapidly before He Lingchuan shouted, "Stop!" The soldiers behind Mao Tao rushed forward and firmly pinned his arms.

Only then did everyone realize that Mao Tao had reversed the blade, using the blunt side to chop. Even so, he had gouged several marks into the rammed earth parapet, the deepest exceeding three inches.

He had truly exerted all his strength; the web of his hand was bruised from the impact. A normal person might not even have been able to hold the saber steadily with both hands.

Mao Tao's own eyes were bloodshot, and he gasped for breath, struggling desperately. Two or three people couldn't hold him down.

He swung the precious saber with one hand, and others, wary of its sharp edge, dared not step forward to seize it.

Meanwhile, the black dragon opened its cavernous maw, swallowed Nian Songyu in one gulp, and then chewed ferociously a couple of times.