Druid Fairy

Chapter 206 Suppressing the Fate of My Nation
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the surface, the capital city was a scene of peace and prosperity, with lanterns and decorations everywhere in preparation for the upcoming national festival, creating an atmosphere of tranquility.

But beneath that glamorous exterior, undercurrents surge and danger lurks everywhere.

Inside the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, when the Duke of Zhenguo looked at the animal skin scroll bearing the rubbing of the Wraith Dragon Contract brought back by Li Mengjin, this old man, who had spent his life on the battlefield and whose heart was as firm as iron, couldn't help but tremble with fear.

"Offer sacrifices to ten thousand soldiers... to pacify the fate of our nation..."

He thought of his comrades who fought bloody battles on the frontier and died on the battlefield, and of the nameless heroes who left no trace of their names.

He always believed that their sacrifice was for the protection of their homeland and for the eternal peace of the Great Yu.

"puff!"

A mouthful of blood suddenly spurted from the Duke of Zhenguo's mouth, staining the desk in front of him red.

"Lord Duke!" Li Mengjin rushed forward to support him.

"I'm fine..." The Duke of Zhenguo waved his hand and slowly stood up. His spine, which had been somewhat hunched due to the dethronement of the crown prince, straightened up again at this moment, like an iron spear about to pierce the sky, with a raging fire in his eyes that could burn everything.

"Pass on my order," his voice was hoarse, yet carried an undeniable resolve, "order 30,000 'Guardian Army' troops stationed in the outskirts of the capital to, under the pretext of 'participating in the sacrificial ceremony and military exercises,' besiege the city at dawn on the day of the ceremony. All former subordinates, secretly coordinate, awaiting only the sound of the signal cannon from my residence..."

He looked at Li Mengjin and solemnly saluted: "Vice Commander Li, in my entire life, I have been loyal to the people of Dayu and the countless heroic souls who died on the frontier, not to the one who sits on the dragon throne and sucks the people's blood and sweat! On the day of the ceremony, I entrust my life to you!"

Meanwhile, the residences of the First Prince and the Fifth Prince became the two busiest places in the capital.

The two princes, like two roosters with bloodshot eyes, frantically mobilized their respective forces, plundering the wildly imaginative materials in Li Mengze's pill formula and sending them continuously to the "Exorcism Bureau".

The eldest prince firmly believed that the "Dragon-Suppressing Pill" was the only stepping stone for him to ascend to the throne, and the supreme opportunity for him to break free from his father's control and gain the approval of the vengeful dragon.

He practically emptied his mother's family's coffers, all for this last gamble.

Under Li Mengze's "guidance," the Fifth Prince played his role as a "sacrifice" to the fullest.

He handled state affairs with utmost caution and trepidation, appearing weak and vulnerable, which only made the emperor, who was secretly monitoring him, more and more at ease.

Secretly, he handed over all the connections and wealth he had accumulated over the years to Li Mengze, hoping to gain a chance to survive in this storm.

The days at Kunning Palace were, ironically, the calmest harbor in this storm.

The Empress Dowager declined all visits, including from the Emperor, on the grounds that "the Holy Maiden needs to calm her mind and cultivate her inner strength in order to pray for the country's well-being."

She kept Li Mengyue by her side, personally reciting the An Shen Jing texts to her every day, telling those long-forgotten royal tales.

On the eve of the festival, the Empress Dowager hung a "Phoenix Tears" jade pendant, which she had nurtured with her own heart's blood for decades, around Li Mengyue's neck.

“Child, this is the only thing I can do for you.” Her withered hand gently stroked Li Mengyue’s small face, her eyes filled with love and determination. “Tomorrow, no matter what happens, do not be afraid. Remember, you are not a sacrifice, you are hope.”

It was night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

At Tingtao Xiaozhu, the four siblings of the Li family held their last private meeting.

Li Mengze distributed the pills he had actually refined over the past seven days, using the vast resources provided by the two princes, to everyone.

"This is the 'Loyal Heart Pill,' which can forcibly stimulate blood and qi within an hour, increasing combat power by 30%." He handed a bottle of pills to Li Yuanhu and Li Mengjin.

"This is the 'Taiyin Concentrating Spirit Jade,' Crescent Moon. Hold it in your mouth to protect your soul from being devoured by resentment when you activate the power of Taiyin."

After doing all this, he took out the last pill, which was completely black but had faint golden lightning flowing across its surface, exuding an aura that was both full of vitality and destructive.

This is the real "Dragon-Suppressing Elixir" that he prepared for himself!
This elixir was made with the withering and flourishing power of the "Nine Aperture Thunder Sound Wood" as its core, combined with his own druidic life force and the true fire of the sun, and further refined with countless rare and precious materials collected by the two princes.

It is not a cure, but a key.

A key powerful enough to forcibly link him to that Netherworld Wraith Dragon!

"Big brother..." Li Mengyue's eyes were filled with tears.

"Don't worry," Li Mengze smiled slightly and patted her head, "Don't forget, we are the offspring of druids."

…………

The national sacrificial ceremony has arrived as scheduled.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone upon the towering altar of the capital, the entire city awoke.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians were driven to designated areas to watch the ceremony from afar. Thirty thousand soldiers of the Zhenguo Army, their helmets gleaming and armor gleaming, were stationed outside the imperial city under the guise of military drills, their chilling aura reaching the heavens.

The altar to Heaven has ninety-nine levels, built of massive stones, and is entirely black, resembling a sharp sword piercing the sky from the depths of the earth. Directly below it lies the intersection of the imperial city's ley lines and the lair of the vengeful dragon.

The emperor, dressed in a robe with twelve embroidered symbols, ascended the altar step by step with a solemn expression. Behind him were civil and military officials and members of the royal family, each with a different expression.

The eldest prince and the fifth prince followed behind the emperor, one on the left and one on the right. The eldest prince's eyes burned with ambition and anticipation; the fifth prince, on the other hand, was pale and unsteady on his feet, perfectly embodying the image of a lamb about to be sacrificed.

Wearing a specially made silver-white saintess robe, Li Mengyue was led by a palace maid to the center of the altar, where a pre-arranged array made of countless spirit jades was located.

As everyone took their places, the long, ancient horn sounded throughout the heavens and earth.

The emperor walked to the dragon-shaped incense burner at the top of the altar and lit three sticks of black ambergris, each thicker than his arm.

He raised his hands and began to recite the sacrificial text, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, in a solemn yet obscure tone.

"...Now, all the people kowtow, and all the officials stand in their positions, respectfully inviting the divine dragon to bestow blessings upon our dynasty..."

As he chanted, the entire altar began to emit a low hum. The strange runes carved on the altar lit up one by one, absorbing the free energy between heaven and earth, and frantically drawing out the viscous, ink-like resentment from the depths of the earth below!

"Roar!" A roar unlike any other in the human world, filled with endless pain and resentment, came from the depths of the earth, shaking the souls of everyone!
The sky instantly darkened, with churning black clouds, as if the end of the world had arrived. A powerful, suffocating aura of evil surged from the center of the altar, slowly coalescing in mid-air into the phantom of a giant dragon with nine heads!
The mere aura emanating from the altar was enough to make the officials below tremble and nearly kneel down.

"Where is the High Priest?!" The Emperor turned around abruptly, his voice booming like thunder, his gaze piercing the Fifth Prince!

The Fifth Prince's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, crying out, "Father, spare me! Your son... Your son dares not!"

"Useless!" A hint of disgust flashed in the emperor's eyes.

At that moment, the eldest prince suddenly stepped forward and said loudly, "Father! My fifth brother bears the heavy responsibility of overseeing the country, but his health is weak and he may not be able to shoulder this responsibility. Your humble servant is willing to share your burden, to be the chief priest, to communicate with the dragon, and to pray for eternal peace for our Great Yu!"

Having said that, he was about to walk toward the center of the altar.

A hint of surprise flashed in the emperor's eyes. He hadn't expected his son to seek death on his own initiative, but he quickly figured out the reason!

That's fine, it saves me the trouble.

He was about to nod when, to everyone's astonishment, Li Mengze, dressed in white, appeared on the other side of the altar. He walked out slowly, a mocking smile on his face.

"Li Mengze! What do you want to do?!" The emperor's face instantly darkened.

"What are you doing?" Li Mengze looked around, his gaze sweeping over the bewildered First Prince and the ashen-faced Fifth Prince, finally settling on the Emperor's face. "I just want to tell you a fact. You are not true emperors at all!"

Without further ado, he threw the black and gold "Dragon Suppressing Pill" into his mouth, then leaped up and landed on his own in the very center of the altar!
"You've gone mad!" the emperor exclaimed, both shocked and furious.

"boom!"

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and a violent power that combined life and death, thunder and fire exploded within Li Mengze's body!

At this moment, his soul and consciousness opened up without reservation, and the ancient tree of life, the "Hundred Herbs Spirit Realm" rooted in the void, shone with unprecedented brilliance!
The ferocious dragon in mid-air instantly locked its nine evil eyes onto Li Mengze.

It sensed that unprecedented, pure and powerful life force, which was a supreme delicacy to it, a billion times more delicious than the Imperial Dragon Qi!

Abandoning the two princes, it let out a greedy roar, transformed into a black mist that blotted out the sky, and poured it fiercely into Li Mengze's body!

"It's now!"

Within Li Mengze's spiritual world, the "Hundred Herbs Spirit Realm" collided violently with the black ocean of resentment.

On one side, life flourishes and all things grow; on the other, death and decay reign, and resentment soars to the heavens. Two diametrically opposed laws of nature unfold in the most primal form of devouring and counter-devouring!
Outsiders, Li Mengyue has made a move!

Her clear eyes turned pure silver-white at that moment. Behind her, the phantom of a towering osmanthus tree suddenly appeared, with a cool, full moon hanging high above its branches.

"Purify!"

Her small hands formed a mudra, and the holy moonlight transformed into a pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth, carrying supreme divine power to purify all dust, and fiercely struck the illusory image of the vengeful dragon!

"Ow!"

The vengeful dragon let out a miserable howl.

At the same time, outside the imperial city, in the direction of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, a red cannon shot into the sky, exploding into a blood-red flower in the gloomy sky!
"Purge the court of corrupt officials and eliminate the evil spirits!"

Li Mengjin and the Duke of Zhenguo, who had been poised for battle, simultaneously drew their swords and roared. Thirty thousand Zhenguo soldiers, like tigers released from their gates, launched a desperate charge towards the already infiltrated imperial city!

On the sacrificial altar, the emperor looked at the completely out-of-control scene before him, and a trace of fear finally appeared on his eternally unchanging, cold face.

At that moment, a towering emerald green beam of light, centered on Li Mengze, pierced through the clouds and penetrated the heavens and earth!
At the top of that pillar of light, a blurry figure stood with his hands behind his back. He seemed to be nature, heaven and earth, and the embodiment of the will of all living things!
Lee Pyong-chan descended using the beacon of the "Communication Mushroom" and the power of the "Druidic Dojo"!

The emerald green pillar of light, like a stabilizing needle, instantly subdued the raging ocean of resentment.

Although Li Pingcan's figure was blurry, the immense pressure emanating from heaven and earth, representing the origin of life, made the arrogant Nine Netherworld Dragon feel the emotion called "fear" for the first time.

"Who are you?!" A chaotic and evil wave of divine thought emanated from the will of the vengeful dragon.

"I'm here to end this mistake."

Li Pingcan's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of divine judgment. He slowly raised his hand and gently pressed it down.

"All trees return to spring!"

In an instant, the power of the entire Druid dojo transcended the barriers of space and descended with a thunderous roar!

Centered around the altar, countless emerald green vines and ancient trees, shimmering with the radiance of life, broke through the hard black stone and grew wildly!
Like green dragons, they tightly bound the enormous phantom of the vengeful dragon, their purifying and life-giving power weaving a net that began to frantically wear down the dragon's body, which was composed of pure resentment.

"No! This is my pasture!" the vengeful dragon roared angrily, its nine heads simultaneously spewing out black resentful breath, attempting to corrode the vines.

However, these plants, nurtured by the Druid's dojo, are endlessly regenerating. The moment they wither, even more new shoots sprout from the soil, using the resentment of the vengeful dragon as nourishment, and they grow more and more luxuriant.

On the sacrificial altar, the officials were already terrified by the sight of gods fighting, and scattered in all directions. The emperor, his face ashen, looked at Li Pingcan in the sky, then at the vengeful dragon suppressed by both green vines and silver moonlight, and for the first time, despair appeared in his eyes.

His greatest reliance, the "guardian" that had been bound to the dynasty for hundreds of years, was now like a lamb to the slaughter, powerless to fight back!
"No...impossible!" he roared like a madman. "I am the Son of Heaven! I share immortality with the divine dragon! You traitors and rebels, you shall all die!"

He bit his tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the dragon-shaped incense burner in front of him, attempting to awaken the vengeful dragon's deeper power with his own dragon energy.

Just then, a cold sword tip silently pressed against his throat.

"ended."

Li Mengjin's figure appeared behind the emperor like a ghost.

He was covered in blood and exuded a murderous aura, clearly having just charged onto the altar from a fierce battle.

(End of this chapter)