Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1359 The Evil Dragon
Apart from the Heavenly Emperor who was far away, the Heavenly Master, the Holy Monk, the Master of the Dark Abode, and the Headmaster of Haoli, who had already arrived at the Dragon-Locking Well, each occupied a corner and sat cross-legged on the damp ground beside the well.

With graying temples and a smile on his lips, the Dark Lodge Master's expression became even more crazed after accepting Fabuti's clone. Behind him, shadowy darkness rapidly spread, covering the entire Tower of Dragon Lock.
The holy monk, wearing a yellow robe over a red kasaya, with a white beard hanging down to his chest, had a pure halo around his head that radiated a transcendent light, illuminating the several Dao-aligned individuals present.
Before the leader of the Haoli lineage, who was draped in a black robe and whose face was devoid of any color, a wide and straight river, which gave off a dark and ethereal feeling, appeared out of thin air and flowed into the ancient well.

At the feet of the Celestial Master, who was wearing a blue robe, a tall crown, and holding a whisk, a boundless wilderness, seemingly filled with countless figures, replaced the damp soil and spread to the others.

In the distant horizon, in the Thirty-Three Heavens, where the Heavenly Emperor, whose face was covered by a crown and whose figure was blurred, resided, a stream of light, blue and white, pierced through the wooden Dragon-Locking Tower and shone directly onto the ancient well.

These are the powers of the "Shadow World," "Key of Light," "River of Eternal Darkness," "Wilderness of Knowledge," and "Land of Disorder" sealed by the Celestial Venerable in the Western Continent. They do not entirely belong to the Dao Achievers, but under the influence of the spiritual imprints and remnants of the will of generations of cultivators, they can be used by the Celestial Master and others for a short period of time, exerting power higher than Sequence 0.

Of course, this power gained through the blessing of the source is not without its price. Each use brings the Dao mergers closer to the source, eventually making them a part of it. Their flesh and blood truly die, and their spirit and will merge into it, just like every Dao merger before and after them.

As the power of the source was activated, the iron chains embedded in the walls of the ancient well began to shake violently. The parts that went underwater caused the blood water, which was originally calm and still like a mirror, to splash and gurgle, no longer reflecting the foundation of the Dragon-Locking Tower above.

These Dao-mergers who possess the power of the source cannot enter the seal, otherwise their very existence would weaken the seal, thus allowing the "evil dragon" to escape.

This is a battle between the will of the "City of Calamity" and the challenger. They have no chance to intervene and can only use the existing seal to restrict and weaken the evil dragon, creating an opportunity for the opponent.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As Angel jumped into the well, he was immediately surrounded by the bloody water that smelled of blood and rust. His vision opened up instantly, and his eyes reflected countless floating corpses soaking in the blood.

She returned to the sea of ​​blood that sealed the "evil dragon," but this time she entered the mirror world instead of directly stepping into the seal.

If the seal could be broken so easily, then the cultivators of the Western Continent who worship "Calamity" would have long sought opportunities to enter it, try to rescue the evil dragon, and obtain His grace.

Next, it should be the business of the Celestial Masters, Holy Monks, and other Dao-aligned beings... She pondered, following the direction in which the floating corpses that formed the seal and were used to restrict the evil dragon drifted, and soon approached the wide square where she had come after her deep secret contract last time.

Countless colossal stone pillars still stand here, forming an invisible barrier that separates the plaza from the illusory sea of ​​blood. The mirror in which the "Blood Emperor" Tudor's reflection once appeared and disappeared is also in the distance, but the mirror surface is broken, and each fragment is petrified, rough, and grayish-white, no longer capable of connecting to other mirror worlds.

Because its master has truly perished, only the remnants of his consciousness and spirit remain on Gray's body, and within the "City of Calamity," just like the "Primal Witch" Chick, who did many crazy things with Him. A wisp of Chick's consciousness resides within Angel, also within the City of Calamity, and has now become an aid in their fight against the spiritual imprint of the original creator.

As soon as she landed beside the broken mirror, the figure that had been following Angel but whose outline was always blurred became clear. It was Angel Grey, who was wearing a black dress just like her, with flowing blonde hair, but with a somewhat androgynous face.

Compared to the last time when he carried the Salinger Blood Banner and chased after "Thermippolos", Gray's appearance has changed somewhat. His facial features are more rugged, and a few strands of bright red hair have been mixed into his blond hair. In the depths of his purple eyes, a touch of iron black appears like an impurity.

After Angel became Sequence 0 and truly mastered the "Witch" pathway, Grey was able to accommodate a second "Conqueror" trait without causing a balance of "yin within yang, yang within yin." Based on this, she recently relied on the help of Angel, who is both her mirror image and her true self, and cleverly utilized the positive aspect of the "Priest's" position to accommodate "0-01," that is, the uniqueness of the Red Priestess, thus becoming the Angel King possessing two Sequence 1 traits and uniqueness.

This is to maintain the "imbalance" between the two, allowing Conqueror Grey to reach the highest sequence possible while remaining feminine and not being controlled by the male-facing creator in the mirror. Once she accommodates the last Sequence 1 characteristic, she will instantly become the new "Red Priestess" and, in the next second, become the male form of the original creator in the mirror. No one can predict what will happen next.

Gray's willingness to risk accommodating the uniqueness of the "Red Priest" stems from the fact that this confrontation with the consciousness of the "City of Calamity" is not as simple as it seems.

A true god and an angel king exchanged a glance, confirming that the other was ready for battle.

The next second, a splashing sound, seemingly coming from a distant place, came from the sea of ​​blood outside the square. Countless floating corpses were stirred up by the sudden turbulence and drifted around. Angel and Gray both sensed that the barrier separating the mirror world from the real blood-red ocean was loosening.

It was the Dao Affinities who released the seal's restrictions... Angel didn't hesitate at all, immediately passing through the seal's crack and returning to the real world, with Gray following closely behind.

The empty square was immediately replaced by a cold sea of ​​blood. This liquid, even more viscous than the illusory blood in the mirror world, enveloped Angel's entire body, igniting her fighting spirit and simultaneously stirring up countless malice within her.

After being simultaneously contained by that God, the interior of the "City of Calamity" inevitably became polluted by the "Shadow World," which was used by the latter's Daoists to seal the evil dragon, but at the same time it also affected all living beings that entered the Sea of ​​Blood.

Just as Angel's inner malice was almost solidifying and beginning to erode her soul, a black liquid seeped from her body, which in turn isolated and eroded the power of the "Shadow World" within the surrounding sea of ​​blood, as if it were devouring a delicious dessert.

Angel's unrestrained and flamboyant style immediately reminded him of "Demon King" Fabti.

Is this the spiritual imprint He left behind...? Is this how He came into contact with the source matter? And what was that part that just separated from my body and entered the Dark Abode Master...? Angel didn't pay too much attention to it, but instead looked up at the figure that was as large as a city, which was entrenched in the sea of ​​blood.

This figure could be vaguely seen in the mirror world before, but it was always separated by a seal. Now that it was in reality with Angel, it could be seen clearly.

His serpentine and dragon-like figure coiled in circles, composed of two distinct black and white parts. Upon closer inspection, although one half was covered with iron-black scales and the other half was as white as jade with only a faint sense of scale carving, the intersecting joints and connected flesh and blood had in fact merged into one.

Iron chains carved with demonic reliefs from the walls of the ancient well hung down from above the sea of ​​blood, passed through the body of this colossal creature, and then returned to their original position, reminding Angel of the puppets seen through the vision of the spirit threads.

But a faint connection stemming from their extraordinary characteristics confirmed to her that what stood before her was not a puppet, but the activated consciousness of the "City of Calamity," the source of natural and man-made disasters in the Western Continent—the "Evil Dragon"!
Under her gaze, the black and white monster, coiled together like a mountain, slowly raised its top head and looked down.

Angel was surprised to discover that the monstrous dragon, formed by the fusion of two completely different bodies, actually had three heads.

The black body had a head with huge antlers, fan-shaped ears, a nose and lips that protruded forward, and pitch-black eyes. Its head was covered with blood-red hair that flowed like flames, almost exactly the same as the dragon that Angel had heard Klein describe as belonging to the East.
The white head, extending from the half-body, possessed the features of a human woman: long, flowing black hair, gentle brown eyes, and full, alluring red lips. It reminded Angel of the "Primal Witch" Chick, who had entangled with him in the depths of the mirror world—or rather, Chick resembled this head. Between the two was a phantom head with a face composed of liquid capable of containing all colors. Its facial features were merely a few holes of varying sizes; the left side was fused with the dragon's head, the right side was pressed against the beautiful woman, and the lower part was connected to the distinctly black and white dragon body by an equally phantom neck.

The moment Angel saw the "evil dragon's" peculiar shape, he understood many things.

The half-body covered in iron-black scales undoubtedly symbolizes the "Red Priest" path. This is likely an interpretation of the concept of "conquest" in the civilization of the Western Continent, which was interrupted by the catastrophe of the initial awakening of the creator. It is forged by the spiritual imprint of generations of practitioners who have merged with the Dao.

The woman's half-body, somewhat resembling Chik and captivating the eye, is a collection of concepts such as "femininity" and "charm" possessed by the "witch" path. This is also the highest belief of the bewitching and enchanting women in the history of the Western Continent, and the source of their power.

As for the third head that separates Yin and Yang, preventing the heads of the "witch" and the "red priestess" from intertwining and merging like a body, and which itself takes on a chaotic appearance, Angel speculates that it comes from the master of the "chaotic sea," the God who, like the Celestial Venerable, is a pillar and has contained the city of calamity.

As for why He intervened and prevented the two paths representing yin and yang from truly merging, it was naturally because He foresaw the resurrection contingency plan left by the "original creator," abandoning the idea of ​​reviving with this source as the main body and using His own power to block the two, so as to prevent the concept of "yin and yang uniting, all things arising" from appearing.

Of course, since the City of Calamity was sealed in the Western Continent, and the "Witch" and the "Red Priestess" were outside the seal, no one could know whether the "insurance" left by God could truly take effect and prevent the original creator in the mirror from being resurrected in a relatively stable state.

So, the idea that the union of Yin and Yang was the only way to become the ancient way, which Chick and Tudor initially believed, was actually destroyed by God... If they hadn't found a way to contain the original creator in the mirror, and had actually achieved a dual-path God in some way, they would have encountered problems in the final step of trying to contain the source matter...

Seeing the three distinct heads turn towards him, Angel didn't try to communicate with the monster. Instead, the moment he connected with Gray beside him to form a team, he borrowed the ability to detect weaknesses and began searching for weaknesses in this evil dragon that had fused with dual pathways and mixed with the power of God. He then detonated it from the inside out, completely "destroying" it.

Beside her, Gray also produced a blood-stained banner longer than the two of them. It was formed by the unique manifestation of the Red Priest. Only after becoming a true god could Gray modify its appearance, which was not possible at the moment.

Feeling the sharp gazes that were being observed and studied from top to bottom, as well as the conquering power emanating from the "Red Priest," the dragon head on the left side of the monster opened its blood-red maw and let out a low roar, while the beautiful face on the right side smiled and locked its eyes on Angel, who was very close to it in rank but had a completely different appearance.

In an instant, Gray's consciousness went blank for a moment amidst the growl, and he felt a sharp pain in his neck as if he were about to be decapitated and become one of the countless flying heads formed in the pollution of the "City of Calamity".

Angel's gaze, which was searching for the other party's weakness, involuntarily moved to the face of the beautiful woman with a human head and a snake body, lingering for a long time. He felt reluctant to harm her, so he naturally couldn't find any weaknesses or loopholes.

Not only that, the two also betrayed each other in their roars and seduction, and the "connection" they had just established collapsed in an instant, which brought their movements to a complete standstill. Meanwhile, the evil dragon in front of them stretched out its coiled body, and its body, which was hundreds of kilometers long, expanded rapidly, as if it wanted to push away the surrounding sea of ​​blood and regain its freedom.

Just then, the iron chains extending from the ancient well and piercing through the body of the evil dragon were pulled, emitting a dull sound. The reliefs of various sizes and shapes on the surface of the chains seemed to be activated by the evil dragon's movements, transforming into countless evil spirits.

They immediately grabbed the chains binding the evil dragon and sealing its primal consciousness, preventing the two-bodied, three-headed monster from breaking free. However, the roars piercing through the blood continued to emanate, completely "conquering" some of the demons, while others succumbed to the "allure" of the snake-bodied beauty. The rest struggled to hold on, fighting against the power of the evil dragon on one hand and the defection of their companions on the other. The chains swayed and teetered on the brink of collapse.

However, these demons also briefly distracted the evil dragon. Angel and Gray quickly recovered. The former used his power as the "master of the mirror world" to try to merge reality with the mirror, while the latter planted a banner burning with invisible and colorless flames in front of him to resist the evil dragon's "conquest" of the demons.

However, one of them is a true god, and the other is the king of angels. Their true forms are outside the seal of the Western Continent, and what came here is only a spirit. Although they have the blessing of the source matter, they are ultimately unable to reach a higher level.

The evil dragon originates from the consciousness of the "City of Calamity" and possesses the status and symbolism of the "Old Days". Whether it is the use of power or the expression of symbolism, it can firmly overwhelm them!
"Roar--"

Another roar came from the black dragon's head, and more evil spirits defected. Chains were pulled into the sky, and the evil dragon was about to break free from the seal that had bound it for thousands of years.

Angel was plotting to kill Him and contain the Source. Wasn't He waiting for the day when the seal would be broken and the challenger would enter the sea of ​​blood?
Just then, as the iron chain extended upwards into the sea of ​​blood, connecting to the ancient well outside the seal, streams of colorless, dark river water flowed along the chain, carrying the blood.

The demons, who were excitedly prostrating themselves at the feet of the evil dragon or vying for the chains from their companions, suddenly stopped moving. As if washed clean by the river, they all returned to their original positions, obeying the sealer's command, and pulled the chains again to restrict the evil dragon's movements.

Some of them were transformed from cultivators who sacrificed themselves in the battle to seal the evil dragon, while others were formed from warriors who voluntarily fell into the hell of evil spirits after death. The reason they were transformed into evil spirit reliefs and condensed on the iron chains that lock the dragon is to lock the evil dragon at the bottom of the well under the tower day after day, preventing it from breaking the seal and escaping from this place.

Regardless of their origins, these evil spirits are essentially undead, and the higher-ranking members of the "Death God" pathway possess the strongest control over those of lower ranks. The "River of Eternal Darkness" is even higher than the Death God level of Sequence 0. Under the control of Master Haoli outside the ancient well, this primal power quickly took control of all the evil spirits, freeing them from the influence of "conquest" and "charm," and allowing them to resume their duties.

This is why Angel and Gray dared to face the evil dragon in their current state:
Although this monster, created from the activated source matter, possesses a status close to that of the past, its power is incomplete. Generations of cultivators from the Western Continent have defeated and sealed it, locking it at the bottom of a well, all for the sake of today.

To truly kill this monster!

wow-

The chains were tightened once more by the evil spirits that the heroes had transformed into. The wicked dragon, half-circling and half-open, paused for a moment as its enormous body, about to fly to the top of the sea of ​​blood, showed expressions of anger and pain on both the black dragon's and the beauty's heads.

At the same time, Angel and Gray's "connection" was re-established. She raised her right hand, and a dark color appeared at her fingertips, pointing directly to the position where the three heads of the evil dragon were squeezed and merged together.

The other party was able to conquer the evil spirits and cause her and Gray to betray each other and break their connection by using the power of the source matter. Angel, who is also favored by the source matter, can do the same!

Her target was the only weakness that the evil dragon possessed at that moment.

(End of this chapter)