Chapter 711: Python Swallows Dragon

As the purple lightning, like a rainbow, streaked across the heavens, the wind and snow were drawn into its wake, swirling and falling heavily. Deng Tai'a's left shoulder quickly became covered in snow, while his right shoulder had much less. He patted his shoulder and asked curiously, "Is that true dragon really so weak? Everyone says a mountain is renowned for its immortals, not its height, and a body of water is revered for its dragons, not its depth. I don't know the full power of a flood dragon, but I'm certain that any terrestrial immortal, after such a strike, might be severely wounded, but would never die. This true dragon, born from devouring countless human destinies, created such a massive disturbance; it shouldn't be so fragile. Is there something strange going on here?"

Tan Taijing quietly watched the dragon and the python prostrate in the distance, her expression complex. Her five fingers, hidden within her white sleeves, subtly trembled as she shook her head. "Dragons can be immense or minuscule, hidden or manifest. The severity of their injury is simply indicated by the change in their physical size: the more gravely wounded, the smaller their form becomes. As for death, that depends on whether they expel a concentrated dragon pearl, a vital essence, upon their demise, allowing them to lie dormant in an abyss, awaiting their next reincarnation. Otherwise, even if their head is severed, there's still a chance for them to transition from manifest to hidden. Currently, even though the Northern Mang true dragon's head has been severed, it hasn't expelled its dragon pearl..."

Deng Tai'a brushed the incessant snow from his shoulders. Giving up, he simply raised a hand and gently waved it. The swirling snow, as if hitting a furnace, instantly melted away several yards above him. Ordinarily, Deng Tai'a would never make such a superfluous gesture, which showed that even the Peach Blossom Sword God, a master of contemporary sword arts, found it hard to remain indifferent after witnessing this battle. After clearing the bothersome snow, Deng Tai'a seemed to realize his unusual behavior and chuckled softly, "What is this talk of 'manifest' and 'hidden'? I'm just a simple man."

Tan Taijing patiently explained, "Go also has nine ranks, and there are similarities when applied to flood dragons. The last four realms, from lowest to highest, are Concrete, Connecting to the Hidden, Seated Contemplation, and Entering the Divine. Previously, the true dragon was bound by the Heavenly Dao contained within our sect's powerful artifact, the Moon Well Sky Mirror, causing it to temporarily fall from the Entering the Divine realm to the Concrete realm. Even after it managed to steal one and a half bolts of the heavenly tribulation's purple lightning, drawing it in like water, it only ascended to the Seated Contemplation realm, much like a national master in Go confidently playing a match. That's why the dragon-python confrontation occurred. The white python, with Xu Fengnian's assistance, managed to gain the upper hand. Otherwise, in a typical struggle between a python and a dragon, even a thousand-zhang giant python, the master of a great river, would have little chance against a mere ten-zhang fledgling true dragon that had just reached the Concrete realm."

At this point, Tan Taijing sighed, lamenting, "Even a centipede, though dead, remains stiff. How much more so a true dragon aligned with the Heavenly Dao?"

Deng Tai'a turned his head to glance at the tall woman beside him, whose large sleeves fluttered like white swans' wings in the snow. He said helplessly, "The more you explain, the more obscure it becomes. Fortunately, I've barely grasped the underlying mystery. Sect Master Tan Tai, are you implying that the true dragon still has the strength to fight? The true dragon is cunning, and that young man is no slouch either, having used the lightning pool to conjure a purple-gold lotus. Now they are both severely wounded, and neither has external power to rely on. What more can they do besides stare at each other?"

Tan Taijing remained silent, her fingers extending from the edge of her sleeves as she gripped the cuffs tightly in her palms.

Deng Tai'a muttered to himself, "Everything depends on whether Xu Longxiang can withstand the final bolt of heavenly lightning. If he can't, and Xu Fengnian steps in, then the Northern Mang true dragon is destined to emerge, seizing the opportunity to add insult to injury. Moreover, the Northern Mang Qi practitioners are not to be underestimated; it's unlikely they sent out the true dragon without also having other hidden strategies."

Tan Taijing asked, "Are you, Deng Tai'a, just going to stand by and do nothing?"

"Stand by and do nothing? That's quite fitting," Deng Tai'a said, looking directly at the Grandmaster of Qi practitioners who had led the entire Guanyin Sect to the Northwest frontier. He laughed heartily and retorted, "I don't care what happens with the heavenly tribulation, or what happens to the Xu brothers, or even what becomes of that true dragon and the Northern Mang Qi practitioners. The opposing sides are testing their cultivation and accepting their fate. But if anyone tries to reap the benefits of others' struggles, then they'll have to get my permission first."

Tan Taijing's expression remained calm as she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Deng Tai'a turned his gaze toward the distant battlefield. "The dragon and the python are both heavily wounded, and their unique talismans are within reach. That would be a tremendous amount of merit. On a battlefield, such a military feat would be no less than a general's achievement in conquering a nation, wouldn't it? Sect Master Tan Tai, if it were you Qi practitioners, trying to claim credit from heaven and ask for a blessing that elevates all, would it work?"

Tan Taijing's expression subtly shifted.

Ignoring Tan Taijing's subtle change in expression, Deng Tai'a crossed his arms and looked up at the clouds high above. He sneered, "In the past, Deng Tai'a only sought to reach the pinnacle of the sword dao and gaze far beyond. But from now on, I am thoroughly tired of these condescending schemes and manipulations that are endlessly entangled across lifetimes, dragging everyone down as if they were mere puppets on strings."

Deng Tai'a let out a heavy snort. "The Wu Family Sword Mound contains hundreds of thousands of buried swords, yet Deng Tai'a has never claimed a single one after forging a sword. To this day, I have never carried a personal sword."

Tan Taijing, usually disinclined to conflict, showed no hesitation. For the first time, she confronted someone directly, asking, "What, are you threatening me?"

Deng Tai'a burst into hearty laughter. "Do you even qualify?"

Tan Taijing's chest heaved erratically, clearly indicating her considerable anger, but she ultimately remained silent.

The lightning pool, where the purple-gold lotus had bloomed, gradually withered. The snow-white giant python, which had anomalously ascended to the Seated Contemplation realm, lost its support. Its aura dissipated, bringing it to the brink of death. After exchanging a glance with Xu Fengnian, it slowly closed its eyes.

Xu Fengnian stood with his blade tucked under his arm, leaning against the giant python's head, and stared at the human-sized true dragon head before him. "Still playing dead? Shouldn't a true dragon have some dignity?"

The dragon's head, whose golden eyes had appeared lifeless, remained devoid of vitality. However, upon hearing Xu Fengnian's words, its two whiskers began to sway gently.

Seeing that it was finally too lazy to feign weakness, Xu Fengnian's gaze shifted slightly upward, looking at the seemingly empty air. He then exposed the secret, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, you're waiting for the Qi practitioners of Northern Mang's Western Capital to pay the price of over a hundred lives to help you 'dot your eyes' and be reborn, aren't you?"

The true dragon's eyes remained lifeless, but its two whiskers swayed gracefully like twin lotuses in the wind, causing mysterious patterns to appear in the air.

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "Whether you or I live or die, it's all the same. There's already a Qi practitioner waiting to profit from our struggle, like the fisherman in the fable. Before you even enter the divine realm, she can bring out the Moon Well Sky Mirror to subdue and suppress you. Are you willing to let that happen?"

The dragon's whiskers swayed, causing ripples and producing a solemn sound as if spoken by heaven and earth itself. The sound was filled with scorn and derision.

"Ants!"

Upon hearing the sound, Xu Fengnian's heart pounded like a war drum, and his clothes ripped open at the chest. Yet, his expression remained at ease; he even had the presence of mind to raise an arm, haphazardly wipe the blood from his face, and chuckle, "An ant boasts of a great nation from atop a pagoda tree; how easy is it for a mayfly to shake a tree? Of course, I've heard this principle before. Whether it's you true dragons born of destiny or that group of celestials above us who love to dictate rules from their high positions, you all view the world as if looking at frogs at the bottom of a well. The life, death, misfortune, and fortune of mortals are all controlled by the fishing rods in your hands, tempting them with the bait of 'immortality,' and then beautifully calling it the cycle of heavenly principles, or the inescapable net of justice."

As he spoke, still wiping his face, Xu Fengnian didn't fully lower his arm. The drawn Northern Liang Blade hung diagonally under his armpit, and a drop of the Concrete-realm true dragon's blood slid from its tip. He raised an eyebrow, glanced at the sky, and his lips twitched. "I've never been one to talk much during a fight; I prefer to say as little as possible. The reason I'm saying so much to you is that we both know you're waiting, and I also need time to recover slowly. After my deadly battle with Wang Xianzhi, most of the celestial body that Gao Shulu gifted me was destroyed, and my vital energy has been leaking uncontrollably. But instead of repairing my body, I went to Mount Wudang to use a secret technique, focusing entirely on perfecting the 'pond' within me, even if it meant limping along in martial arts..."

Xu Fengnian tilted his head and violently spat out a mouthful of blood. People usually describe extreme pain as bone-deep or heart-wrenching, but Xu Fengnian's pain, the sensation of his vital energy shattering from within and spreading outward, was even more exaggerated. It was like an ordinary person, unversed in martial arts, having their skin and bones crushed inch by inch with a small hammer, while also having their tendons continuously pricked by fine needles. Yet, his mind remained perfectly clear at all times.

Xu Fengnian's face contorted slightly. "It truly hurts. I've been through it several times, but I still can't get used to it. Compared to this, Duan Bo'er Huihui's Thunder Spear from back then felt like mere tickles."

As he spoke, the blood about to hit the ground transformed into a spiritual entity resembling a crimson flood dragon. It shot back onto Xu Fengnian, instantly seeping into his skin and vanishing. On Xu Fengnian's exposed skin, red threads could be seen everywhere, undulating like snakes flicking their tongues.

Having recovered some strength, Xu Fengnian gripped the Northern Liang Blade, now stained with the true dragon's blood, and extended it, smearing it across the forehead of the snow-white giant python. The two dragon whiskers shook violently, as if in furious rage. Xu Fengnian let out a long breath and softly said, "Yellow Brute, just hold on a little longer."

A brilliant streak of white light originated from Xijing, soaring from Northern Mang into Youzhou. Upon closer inspection, it was actually two intertwined currents, like a pair of dragons chasing a pearl.

Xu Fengnian strained to straighten his back, revealing a rare, solemn expression. With the blade in his left hand, he opened his right palm and heavily dragged the Northern Liang Blade across it. He tightly clenched his fist.

Behind Xu Fengnian, who was facing the dragon's head, the youth, charging forward with a sword clenched in his teeth, directly collided with the purple lightning. The heavenly lightning, which was meant to strike Xu Fengnian's back, was intercepted by the youth. Upon impact, the slender youth was immediately forced back onto his feet, his body reeling backward. The path of the purple lightning, originally a straight line, subtly deviated, showing a slight bend. Dazzling purple electricity fiercely sputtered around the youth's head. The youth was driven into the ground by the irresistible purple lightning, his knees sinking deep into the earth. The tip of the purple lightning was cut open by the sword "Dingfengbo," clenched in the youth's mouth, but it was still insufficient to break through the lightning. The purple light frantically enveloped the long sword, which vibrated like the mournful cry of an autumn cicada.

How could even a renowned sword like Dingfengbo, ranked among the very best, withstand this bolt of purple lightning? Yellow Brute, Xu Longxiang's entire face, seemed to be "embedded" in the purple lightning. On the surface, the eighth bolt of purple lightning was as thick as a tree trunk that required two arms to encircle, not particularly formidable or terrifying. It was only slightly stronger than the sixth bolt, which was as thin as a thread, and far less impressive than the first bolt, which Xu Fengnian had destroyed with his Azure Dragon sleeve, and which was at least as wide as a water jar. However, Tan Taijing and Deng Tai'a, observing from the side, knew perfectly well that this single bolt of purple lightning could unleash hundreds of strikes, each as potent as the formidable sixth bolt of heavenly lightning. If Jian Qi Jin Huang Qing had lived to witness this scene, he would likely die content, no matter how unwilling he might have been previously.

This was Xu Longxiang's true power after ascending to the Celestial Phenomenon realm. Such terrifying power was deemed intolerable by any Qi practitioner, as if heaven and earth could not permit it.

A figure suddenly appeared beside the youth, vaguely discernible as an elder cloaked in a yellow and purple Daoist robe. Yellow Brute, still biting the long sword, struggled to turn his head, letting the purple lightning strike his neck. The aged Daoist priest's eyes were tightly closed, and he faced the youth. An old man and a young man, reunited after a long separation. The old man grinned. The purple-gold lotus that had bloomed from the tip of Xu Fengnian's blade earlier was the tragic result of this old man sacrificing his own innate purple-gold lotus until it completely withered. The old Daoist priest's form dissipated at a visibly rapid pace. The youth's face was enveloped in purple light. His lips moved slightly, but no sound escaped, nor was it clear if he was shedding tears.

The old Daoist priest, his lower body already dissipated, first turned his head to glance at Xu Fengnian. "Hey, Xu, don't you dare die. It doesn't matter if you bring wine to my grave later, just burn a few more copies of the Heart Sutra."

"My disciple, your master is just going to reincarnate first. In our next life, we'll be master and disciple again..."

"Oh, and this year there are so many hawthorns on the mountain. It's a shame you're not here. Without you to help eat them, your master picked a lot, but I can't finish them all."

The old man turned to look at the youth, as if transported back to the dilapidated Daoist temple at the foot of Dragon Tiger Mountain, rambling on as usual. Finally, he pointed to the sky and huffed angrily, "Yellow Brute, damn this heavenly tribulation!"

Thus, a Grand Celestial Master vanished.

The youth, who had twisted his neck to look at the old man, was forced to lower his head further and further by the heavenly lightning's impact. He tried to raise a helplessly drooping arm, wanting to reach out and grasp his master, to prevent the old man from leaving. But it was futile.

The youth took a step forward, and suddenly his abdomen vibrated like a pounding drum, resonating with the earth and sending out ripples. When there is injustice, there will be a cry! Except for the immediate vicinity of the brothers, the dragon, and the python, the ground within a ten-mile radius instantly collapsed!

But just as Xu Longxiang reached a turning point, growing stronger with each setback, the true dragon, which had been at death's door in the Concrete realm but not yet dead, received a powerful resurgence, like rain after a long drought. Two intertwined streaks of white light, upon nearing the true dragon's head, suddenly split apart and instantly slammed into the dragon's lifeless eyes! The Eye-Dotting! The true dragon opened its eyes! The true dragon's body, previously separated from its head, planted its four claws firmly into the ground. The head, which had been severed by the Northern Liang Blade, flew back to its body, reattaching seamlessly as if completely restored. The true dragon soared into the sky and vanished without a trace.

The next moment, the true dragon's head emerged from the clouds, surveying the world with disdain, its tail faintly visible within the clouds eight hundred zhang away.

Tan Taijing spoke in a daze, "It shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't be like this... A thousand zhang, a Celestial Dragon..."

Xu Fengnian ignored her, muttering to himself, "I had originally planned for you to appear only when we went to the ancient city of Luoyang."

A drop of blood slowly fell from the gap between his clenched fingers. When the blood drop was three feet from the ground, Xu Fengnian let out a soft cry and then commanded in a deep voice, "I invite you!" The sound was exceptionally clear, like a water droplet tapping on a still surface.

The thousand-zhang Celestial Dragon spit out a bolt of heavenly lightning, spherical in form, which hurtled towards the ground. From the spot where the blood dropped in front of Xu Fengnian, a burly man appeared, radiating golden light. Perhaps among the hundreds of emperors and kings recorded in the histories of the Central Plains over the past millennium, not a single one could compare to the imperial aura he exuded. With one hand behind his back and the other extended, he effortlessly supported the purple lightning that had overshadowed the sky.

The majestic man, his back to Xu Fengnian, calmly said, "Send her a message for me. Tell her, 'I am ashamed.'"

Xu Fengnian remained silent, turned to face south, and squeezed out a second drop of blood. "A second invitation!"

A man with the appearance of a Confucian scholar appeared opposite Xu Fengnian, smiling serenely. He nodded and smiled at Xu Fengnian. "Do not ask where or when I come from, but consider where I am going and whom I shall meet. These are words I spoke to Lu Dongxuan's sixth incarnation, and also to myself. After today, will you have no regrets?"

Xu Fengnian pointed to his own chest. The man gave a knowing smile. His temples were streaked with white, but it did not diminish his unparalleled refined and elegant demeanor. He looked towards a tall woman in the distance, who was weeping with her hand covering her mouth, and softly said, "Oh, you big silly oaf." Then, with one hand, he raised his palm. A full moon slowly ascended from his palm.

A pale Xu Fengnian then turned north again and said in a deep voice, "A third invitation!"

A pillar of light, from tens of thousands of miles away, descended powerfully upon the world. A True Martial Dharma Body! However, unlike its previous manifestation at Spring God Lake, which was solemn and awe-inspiring with countless phenomena, this appearance of the True Martial Dharma Body was filled with an oppressive aura that defied the Heavenly Dao. From the Nine Heavens above, countless golden threads, like fishing lines, arced downward, bounced off the ground, and frantically wrapped around the limbs of the True Martial Dharma Body. Yet, even with this manifestation defying the Heavenly Dao, not a single thread dared to appear near the True Martial Dharma Body's head. However, the ethereal celestial maidens with flowing sleeves, who scattered flowers around the Dharma Body, were torn apart by the threads woven into a net.

Deng Tai'a completely disregarded Tan Taijing's inexplicable emotional display beside him, his face filled with shock. He smiled wryly, "Wang Xianzhi, you're a monster, but this fellow... he's a madman."

After regaining her composure, Tan Taijing bowed respectfully to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Head bowed, she choked out, "Master, you said that the Heavenly Dao demands submission, but the Great Dao allows even the turtle of the East Sea and the frog in the well to find their own joy. Your disciple was wrong, and now I understand."

When the True Martial Dharma Body raised a foot, the battle began in full earnest. The Dharma Body tore away the dense golden threads covering its body with one hand, and with a single foot, stomped and broke the purple lightning that had relentlessly pursued the youth, Yellow Brute. The purple lightning snapped into two pieces, like a broken fishing rod. The Dharma Body took a step forward, grabbing the two halves of the purple lightning. One piece it flung back into the sky, while the other it hurled towards the fully formed Northern Mang Celestial Dragon.

Ancient texts record that a water boa or mountain python transforms into a flood dragon after five hundred years, a flood dragon becomes a true dragon after a thousand years, and after another thousand years, finally achieves the form of an unsurpassed Celestial Dragon. The Northern Mang true dragon should not have achieved the status of a Celestial Dragon so quickly, but the Heavenly Dao willed it. The Celestial Dragon, gliding through the clouds, faced the True Martial Emperor's Dharma Body as an enemy. It showed respect but no fear, extending a claw to swat at the half-segment of purple lightning. The dragon's claw was pierced by the lightning spear. The Celestial Dragon lowered its head, breaking through the clouds, and roared towards the ground, spitting out another bolt of purple lightning from its mouth.

Xu Fengnian said expressionlessly, "Regardless of heaven and earth, daring to be presumptuous while in the North?!"

Simultaneously, the True Martial Dharma Body slowly opened its mouth, its voice immensely grand, reverberating through heaven and earth like a great bell. The Celestial Dragon, which had been stirring the sea of clouds like raging waves, instantly revealed its thousand-zhang true form after the True Martial Dharma Body spoke, no longer obscured by any mist. But at the same moment, three more incomparably majestic pillars of light descended from the east, west, and south. Thus, the four directions of heaven and earth trembled in unison.

Xu Fengnian, appearing with a sickly yet radiant vitality as if in a final burst of life, turned his head and nodded to the True Martial Dharma Body, which was becoming increasingly ethereal. The burly man, imbued with a full imperial aura, had already casually swept away the purple lightning. He smiled and asked, "When else but now?" The elegant man who held the ascending moon in his palm, when he spread his five fingers, the moon's radiance became unparalleled. The full moon transformed into pure light, all of it flowing into the Northern Liang Blade in Xu Fengnian's hand. He smiled faintly and said, "If celestials have no worries, then they have no worries; if mortals trouble themselves, then they trouble themselves. I debated the Dao three times with the three incarnations of Lu Dongxuan, and we all agreed that river water should not interfere with well water. Principles are principles, and the Heavenly Principle is the Great Dao. If a Heavenly Principle does not align with the Great Dao, then it is no principle at all." As he spoke, with the dispersion of the light, the elegant and refined man's form began to waver.

The Great Qin Emperor suddenly let out a loud laugh, appearing at the feet of the True Martial Dharma Body. Sitting facing south, before he dissolved into light and merged with the Dharma Body, he roared, "Begone!" The three imposing pillars of light from the southeast and west instantly froze and trembled. Although the three light pillars then surged dramatically, unwilling to show weakness, in that very instant, Xu Fengnian had already gripped his blade with both hands. The True Martial Dharma Body also adopted a stance as if gripping a blade.

The Celestial Dragon pressed its four claws down heavily from high in the sky. Its two whiskers trembled violently, and a dragon pearl appeared in its mouth. The great pearl shone like a scorching sun in the sky!

Xu Fengnian took a step forward and slashed down with his blade. The True Martial Dharma Body also stepped forward and slashed down with a blade. An arc-shaped moon was cleaved into the sky. It struck the great pearl, which hung in the air like a sun! This scene was like the collision of the sun and moon. Every scale on the Celestial Dragon's thousand-zhang body vibrated violently. Xu Fengnian's slash, like trying to cleave a mountain in half, seemed to stall. A tiny chip broke off the blade's edge. The flesh and blood on Xu Fengnian's palms, gripping the blade, were ground away until his bare bones touched the hilt. The Celestial Dragon, which had been pressing its four claws into the ground, was forced to retreat step by step, roaring continuously.

Xu Fengnian's body erupted in a crimson spray of blood as he roared, "I'm cutting down the Celestial Dragon!"

The Northern Liang Blade snapped violently into two pieces. Xu Fengnian collapsed heavily onto the ground. High in the sky, the dragon pearl also burst open with a thunderous roar. An arc-shaped moon cleaved the Northern Mang Celestial Dragon's head, which was behind the dragon pearl, into two halves in mid-air!

The earth trembled. The massive white python, though far from a thousand zhang long like the Celestial Dragon, leaped up, opened its maw, and completely swallowed the entire Celestial Dragon's head and half of its body! After dragging the half-swallowed Celestial Dragon's body to the ground, the great python continued to devour the remaining half of the dragon's body!

Heaven and earth returned to silence. With no more celestials or Celestial Dragons, the heavy snow finally began to fall unhindered.

Xu Fengnian slew the dragon.The Northern Liang Python devoured the dragon!