Chapter 552
Chapter 552
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 552
>Chapter Title: Year
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“Ha ha.” Blood flowed from the wound cracked open on his forehead, sliding along the scar to the edge of Li Huowang’s gaping, gasping mouth, then slipping from his lips onto his charred chin, ultimately dripping to the ground and gradually soaking the cracked earth.
At this moment, Li Huowang’s situation was extremely dire. Whether it was the talismans, the Spinebone Sword that could cleave historical rifts, the Copper Coin Sword that shattered evil and dispelled malevolence, or the Purple Sui Sword that cut iron like mud—none of them had any effect against this Dragon Vein.
Even more critically, the supernatural powers of the Sitting and Forgetting Dao, and even the previously unfavorable Ao Jing techniques, had no effect on them either.
After coming to this mad world for so long, this was the first time Li Huowang had encountered such a thorny existence.
He finally understood what Zhuge Yuan had meant earlier when he said the Sitting and Forgetting Dao wouldn’t target the Dragon Vein.
Perhaps borrowing Ba Hui’s Cang Qiang Ascending Ladder could work, but at a time like this, where was Li Huowang supposed to find that bone-deep despair and agony?
Suddenly, that familiar whistling sound rang in Li Huowang’s ears again. A massive afterimage whipped up a gale as it lashed fiercely toward his head.
The force was so immense that a single hit would likely shatter his bones to dust.
“Thud!” Peng Longteng’s massive body instantly appeared in front of Li Huowang, steadily catching the afterimage.
That afterimage was none other than the Dragon Vein formed by the stacked Great Qi emperors.
They appeared merely glued together, those withered old emperors, yet upon impact, they were as solid as iron-forged bronze.
One claw after another plunged into Peng Longteng’s chest, digging around. Peng Longteng wasn’t afraid of this move.
But even Peng Longteng’s immense strength was nothing against the Great Qi Dragon Vein. With a violent shake of its segmented body, she was instantly flung away.
Fortunately, taking advantage of this opening, Li Huowang had retreated several dozen feet, away from the Dragon Vein’s attack range.
It looked like Li Huowang was trapped in a deadly bind, but he felt no discouragement whatsoever, because he wasn’t the only one in such a predicament.
A roar like a lion’s bellow mixed with a wolf’s howl erupted from the other side of the Dragon Vein, drawing part of its attention away from Li Huowang.
That was Xu Nian, the one who had clashed with Li Huowang before—now his fellow sufferer.
Xu Nian, with a human face and beast body, leaped with all four limbs onto the Dragon Vein. Her sharp three claws raked down viciously, and four hoary-headed emperor skulls flew skyward.
“Wah wah wah~!” The Great Qi emperor at the Dragon Vein’s apex—the one missing a front tooth—opened his mouth and wailed in pain.
As the golden pearl tassel on his head swayed, the Dragon Vein writhed rapidly, coiling around Xu Nian like a serpent.
Xu Nian kept assaulting the stacked emperors, but they were so ancient they couldn’t be any older—no lifespan could be stolen from them.
Just as Xu Nian’s body was about to be completely crushed flat by the Dragon Vein, Li Huowang gripped his Spinebone Sword and had Peng Longteng hurl him toward the Dragon Vein’s tip—the little Great Qi emperor.
Though Xu Nian had just tried to kill him, Li Huowang had no choice but to save her. He knew if she died, he’d be next.
The moment Li Huowang could clearly see his own reflection in the little emperor’s eyes, the Dragon Vein twisted, and crowned withered heads blocked his view.
With Li Huowang’s expression hardening, Peng Longteng’s body slammed onto the Dragon Vein, lunging toward the little emperor behind.
But in the next instant, countless hands reached out, seizing the airborne Peng Longteng—who had no footing—and hurling her away.
Even as they defended, they didn’t forget to attack. The long Dragon Vein swept toward Li Huowang once more, trailing an afterimage.
Li Huowang’s foot was injured, hampering his movement, but he had his own methods.
A bewildered Sitting and Forgetting Dao cultivator suddenly appeared in front of Li Huowang, serving as a meat shield.
Li Huowang hadn’t expected this sneak attack to succeed, but her interruption allowed Xu Nian to escape being crushed.
Panting heavily, Li Huowang shoved aside the Sitting and Forgetting Dao cultivator—who was now like soggy mud—and clutched his wounds as he shouted toward the distant Xu Nian, “You and I fighting separately will only get us both killed! Why not cooperate first? Truth be told, there’s not much bad blood between us!!”
Xu Nian shook off the human skin from her head and gave Li Huowang a slight nod. Surprisingly, she spoke again. “Kill the little one.”
Seeing the Dragon Vein charging aggressively toward him, Li Huowang retreated rapidly while replying, “Fine then! You pin down the old ones below, and I’ll kill the little one on top!”
Xu Nian nodded slightly once more. She eyed the Dragon Vein pursuing Li Huowang, raised her forelimbs high, and slammed them heavily into the ground.
Her fur instantly turned red and began growing wildly, soon making her body as shaggy as a lion dance costume.
The red fur spread into the surrounding darkness like tendrils probing for something, and with her at the center, the darkness rapidly receded.
She stayed like that for half a day. Li Huowang, teetering on the brink of collapse, cursed loudly. “What the hell are you doing?! Don’t just stand there!”
He no longer even resembled a person—half his face gone, one arm severed at the shoulder, and a huge chunk missing from his side.
If not for the indestructible Peng Longteng tanking up front, he’d have long been slain by the Dragon Vein.
But this was the limit. Li Huowang’s head began to throb, signaling Peng Longteng couldn’t hold out much longer.
The moment Li Huowang finished speaking, Xu Nian finally moved. Her movement was bizarre—she charged toward the Dragon Vein and Li Huowang, yet a red afterimage of her beast body lingered at her original spot.
And it wasn’t just one place. Everywhere Xu Nian went, she left a patch of red afterimage. The reds connected, forming a lengthening red line.
Li Huowang had no idea what Xu Nian was up to, but he knew this must be her trump card. His survival hinged on this.
As he jammed the Spinebone Sword back into place behind him, Peng Longteng gripped his half-shoulder with one hand. The instant Xu Nian made contact with the Dragon Vein, she hurled Li Huowang forward with explosive force.
One yellow and one red colossal dragon collided fiercely, and everything around the red afterimages warped strangely.
Li Huowang’s wounds healed at a blistering pace, but it lasted only a breath before his body began disintegrating just as fast.
Nor was it just Li Huowang—the barren ground sprouted grass and trees at a frenzy; the entire world turned, stars shifted, seas became fields.
This bizarre scene manifested on the Dragon Vein too. The decayed, withered segments began reverting to youth.
But for the tightly stacked Great Qi emperors, this seemed a curse. Their rigidly linked bodies began to shake, as if on the verge of falling apart.
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