Druid Fairy

Chapter 223 Killing the Dragon
"It's you?"

After a brief contraction, Emperor Qianwu's pupils quickly returned to calm.

"You're Li Mengjin?"

His voice betrayed no trace of panic, as if the uninvited guest before him was not an assassin wielding a sword, but a subject who had come to pay homage.

Li Mengjin did not answer, but simply looked at him calmly, the "Shadow Fang" ancient sword in his hand emitting a slight hum.

"Protect Your Majesty!"

With a furious roar, Xuan Lao unleashed a powerful magical force from his aged body that was completely at odds with his appearance.

He clasped his hands together, and a thick, black tortoise shield formed from pure magical power instantly appeared in front of Emperor Qianwu.

"You audacious madman, prepare to die!"

He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a black stream of light, which turned out to be a short blade exuding a cold aura. The short blade was wrapped in resentment, clearly a vicious magic weapon, and it pierced straight for Li Mengjin's heart at an extremely tricky angle.

Faced with this thunderous attack, Li Mengjin didn't even lift an eyelid.

He simply continued forward and took the second step.

"Buzz!"

Centered on him, that verdant "natural domain" expanded dramatically!
The black short blade that Elder Xuan was determined to use suddenly slowed down as it entered this area, as if it had been stuck in a quagmire for millennia.

The resentment and venom that clung to it was rapidly worn away and purified by the pure life force within the domain, emitting a hissing sound as its spiritual light quickly dimmed.

"What?!" Elder Xuan's expression changed again.

This domain can actually suppress magical treasures!
Li Mengjin didn't even glance at the short blade; he simply flicked his finger, and a crisp sword sound rang out.

"Ding!"

With pinpoint accuracy, he flicked the side of the short blade, unleashing a powerful burst of sword energy. The magical weapon let out a mournful cry and was forcefully flung away, embedding itself in the beam of the imperial study.

"Step back." Li Mengjin's voice remained calm. "My sword is not meant to kill you."

"Insanity!"

Elder Xuan was both shocked and furious. He was a renowned expert who had been famous for hundreds of years. How could he have ever been so disrespected?

With a determined look, he poured all his magical power into the Xuan Turtle Shield, transforming into a streak of light and charging headlong into Li Mengjin!
He wanted to buy time for His Majesty by sacrificing himself!

Li Mengjin finally stopped, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Since you are determined to die, I will grant your wish to uphold your loyalty."

He didn't draw his sword, but simply extended his index and middle fingers together and made a long, sweeping motion towards the indestructible Xuan Turtle Shield.

"Hey!"

A faint, almost invisible sword aura flashed by.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Xuan Lao's charging figure suddenly froze in mid-air.

He looked down, staring in disbelief at his prized Xuan Turtle Shield.

In the very center of the thick shield, a smooth, mirror-like crack appeared silently and quickly spread outwards.

"Crack!"

The Xuan Turtle Shield shattered with a crash, turning into countless points of light.

A thin line of blood ran from Xuan Lao's brow all the way to his abdomen.

The life in his eyes quickly faded, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, his body split in two and he fell helplessly to the ground.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Li Mengjin's sword was never drawn.

Only Li Mengjin and Emperor Qianwu remained in the imperial study.

Emperor Qianwu looked at the fallen corpse of Elder Xuan, and laughed in fury, "What a magnificent display of power!"

"Roar!!!"

A deafening dragon roar did not come from his mouth, but rather from the depths of the entire Qianqing Palace and even the entire Forbidden City!

A vast and majestic golden dragon aura, filled with imperial majesty, soared into the sky, transforming into a ferocious and divine dragon phantom with wings on its back. It hovered above the imperial study, its dragon eyes, as bright as the sun, locking onto Li Mengjin.

"In my capital, in my palace, do you think you can contend with the fate of a nation with your tiny domain?"

Emperor Qianwu slowly opened his arms, and the swirling phantom of the Yinglong roared, turning into a golden light that poured into his body!
"Kakaka!"

Emperor Qianwu's body grew taller at a speed visible to the naked eye, and fine golden dragon scales appeared on his skin. His hands transformed into sharp dragon claws, and the black dragon robe on his back fluttered and rustled without wind!

At this moment, his aura surged to an extremely terrifying level!

"Today, I will show you what a... true dragon emperor is!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly swung out a claw!
A golden claw shadow, formed from the imperial dragon energy and seemingly capable of tearing the heavens and earth apart, fiercely grabbed at Li Mengjin's "Natural Domain" with unparalleled power!
"Boom!"

A loud bang shook the entire Imperial Study.

Li Mengjin's tranquil and peaceful natural domain was torn open with a huge gash by this domineering claw!

Li Mengjin was also shaken back three steps by this tremendous force, each step leaving a deep footprint on the hard ground.

A hint of seriousness finally appeared on his usually calm face.

"By imbuing himself with the nation's destiny, he forcibly merged with the soul of Yinglong..."

"Qiang!"

A clear and melodious sword cry resounded throughout the heavens and earth!
"Shadow Fang" is unsheathed!
The sword light was not dazzling; instead, it carried a simple and unadorned weight.

The moment Shadow Fang was unsheathed, Li Mengjin's torn natural domain trembled violently!
Within the realm, the mere shadows of grass and trees had transformed into continuous mountains and rushing rivers!

A powerful sword intent, capable of suppressing all things and protecting all living beings, soared into the sky!

This is his own sword domain, perfectly fused with the "power of mountains and rivers" bestowed upon him by his father!
"Mountains and rivers are the sheath, heaven and earth are the blade!"

Li Mengjin held the Shadow Fang in his hand, pointing it at Emperor Qianwu, who had already transformed into a "dragon man".

"Emperor Qianwu, your ambition has brought slaughter and resentment to the Eastern Regions. Today, I will, on behalf of this land, sever you, the source of chaos!"

"Insanity!"

Emperor Qianwu roared and charged forward again, "I am Heaven! I am the nation! To kill me is to defy Heaven!"

"If Heaven is unjust, then I will slay Heaven."

Li Mengjin's eyes narrowed, and he and the Shadow Fang Ancient Sword in his hand faced the golden dragon shadow.

Sword light and dragon shadow crossed each other in mid-air.

Li Mengjin appeared behind Emperor Qianwu and slowly sheathed his sword.

Emperor Qianwu, however, remained frozen in place.

A tiny crack appeared on his magnificent golden dragon scales, starting from between his eyebrows and quickly spreading throughout his entire body.

He looked down in disbelief at his hands.

"No...impossible..."

He roared at the top of his lungs.

"Crack!"

The illusory image of Yinglong that was infused into his body let out a mournful cry, and was actually cut in two from its core by an invisible sword intent!
Golden imperial dragon energy, like a flood bursting its banks, surged wildly out of Emperor Qianwu's body, returning to the heavens and earth. His towering physique rapidly withered.

His once black hair turned gray at a visible speed.

In just a few breaths, that resolute face was covered with deep wrinkles.

Li Mengjin's sword strike did not sever his physical body, but rather severed the most fundamental connection between him and the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty!
He severed the root of this "true dragon"!
"My nation's destiny...my power..."

Emperor Qianwu collapsed to the ground, all his pride, ambition, and schemes utterly shattered at that moment.

He did not die, but for an emperor, this was a thousand times more painful than death!
Li Mengjin didn't look at him again, turned around and walked out of the imperial study.

Alarm bells had already rung throughout the palace, and countless imperial guards and retainers were surging frantically toward the Qianqing Palace.

But he moved as if he were in an empty place. Any soldier who came within three feet of him would be gently pushed away by an invisible sword domain, without harming him in the slightest.

He walked to the square in front of the Qianqing Palace and looked up at the sky.

"Wow!"

A cry of an eagle echoed through the sky.

Like a golden lightning bolt, the golden eagle Xiaofei tore through the clouds and swooped down.

Amidst the horrified gazes of countless people, Li Mengjin flipped onto the eagle's back, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the horizon.

All that remained was a royal city plunged into deathly silence and chaos, and a dying emperor whose dragon veins had been severed.

…………

The collapse of the imperial dragon aura was not silent.

The instant Li Mengjin's sword struck down, all cultivators within the entire territory of the Great Qian Dynasty who had reached a certain level of cultivation seemed to hear a mournful cry from the depths of the void.

The invisible yet real canopy of national destiny that shrouded the dynasty shattered with a crash, transforming into a sky full of golden light that vanished without a trace.

The Great Qian Dynasty's fate has run its course!
Outside Heishui Pass, the Daqian military camp.

Inside the commander's tent, Yuchi Gong and several deputy generals were discussing the details of the siege with a sand table.

Suddenly, he felt a pang of heart palpitation, as if something of utmost importance had been forcibly ripped from his soul.

He rushed out of the tent and looked up towards the west, towards the capital.

The auspicious purple clouds that once graced the sky had vanished, replaced by a persistent gloom.

"What's going on?" a lieutenant exclaimed in shock.

The color drained from Yuchi Gong's weathered face.

As the Grand Marshal of the Great Qian Dynasty, his fate was inextricably linked to that of the entire dynasty. He felt the collapse of the nation's destiny most acutely.

"problem occurs……"

He muttered to himself, "Something terrible has happened in the capital!"

Before he could even figure out what had happened, an unprecedented chaos and panic spread like a plague among the 300,000-strong army.

The soldiers felt weak all over and their chests felt tight. The indomitable fighting spirit that had sustained them in the past had vanished without a trace at this moment.

The morale of the army collapsed the moment the nation's fate crumbled!

…………

The Eastern Region, with its various sects.

Inside the Heavenly Fire Hall of the Heavenly Profound Sect, Sect Master Yan Dong suddenly stood up from his throne and stared in horror toward the west.

"The dragon vein of the Great Qian Dynasty... is severed?!"

He could hardly believe his own senses.

A dynasty with a history spanning thousands of years and profound cultural heritage, at the height of its national prosperity, was comparable to the protective array of a top-tier sect.

How could it be broken off overnight?
"Who did this?!" A storm raged in his heart. "Could it be..."

He felt a chill run down his spine.

To sever the dragon vein of a nation amidst the imperial city guarded by thousands of troops?
At Hundred Beasts Manor, the manor lord, Xiong Qingtian, had just assembled his troops and was preparing to head to the border when he suddenly stopped.

He felt the mournful cry between heaven and earth, and the greed on his face was instantly replaced by fear.

"Give me the order!"

His booming voice trembled for the first time, "Everyone, return to the mountain villa immediately! Seal off the mountain! Seal off the mountain for a hundred years!"

He had no doubt that the being capable of severing the Great Qian Dragon Vein could also easily raze his Hundred Beasts Manor.

Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion, located at the summit of Heavenly Sword Peak.

The Sword Master of Selflessness stood against the wind, feeling the dissipating imperial dragon energy and the faint yet pure and unstoppable sword intent of mountains and rivers. He slowly closed his eyes.

After a long while, he finally let out a long sigh.

"Using mountains and rivers as swords, slaying the mortal dragon court... What a fine Li Mengjin, what a fine Li family."

“This child is no longer someone to be confined to a small pond. This small pond in the Eastern Region is probably no longer able to contain this true dragon.”

……

The truth will eventually come out.

Three days later, news that was enough to shake the entire Eastern Region spread from the capital of the Great Qian Kingdom.

Li Mengjin, a cultivator from the Great Yu Dynasty, entered Qiandu alone. Inside the Qianqing Palace, he severed the Great Qian Dragon Vein with a single sword strike, thus stripping Emperor Qianwu of his cultivation.

Overnight, the Great Qian Dynasty was plunged into a massive internal strife, with princes vying for the throne and the dynasty falling apart.

The 300,000-strong army outside Blackwater Pass was leaderless and demoralized. Under the leadership of Yuchi Gong, they retreated in disarray back into the pass, no longer capable of fighting.

A catastrophe that could have engulfed the entire Eastern Region was forcibly brought to an end in a way that no one could have predicted.

The world fell silent in response.

The capital of the Great Yu Kingdom, Tingtao Xiaozhu (Listening to the Waves Cottage).

Li Mengjin has already returned, and his aura is more restrained and profound than when he left.

That earth-shattering sword strike seemed to him as nothing more than an ordinary training exercise.

Inside the study, Li Pingcan looked at his three children with a gratified smile on his face.

"After this battle, within the Eastern Region, for the next hundred years, no one should dare to covet my Great Yu."

He took a sip of tea and said slowly, "But you must remember, the real threat has not yet arrived."

Li Mengze nodded solemnly: "Father, you mean the Central Plains Pill Tower?"

“Indeed.” Li Pingcan’s gaze deepened. “Their actions will undoubtedly be more domineering and ruthless than those of Emperor Qianwu.”

He looked at Li Mengjin: "Mengjin, your sword strike, while it intimidated the villains, also put us in the spotlight. The Central State Pill Tower must have already received the news. Their next move will surely be devastating."

The atmosphere in the study became heavy again.

The threat posed by Emperor Qianwu, though seemingly immense, was ultimately just a power struggle within a dynasty.

The Central Plains Pill Tower, however, is a true behemoth that surpasses dynasties and sects!

(End of this chapter)