Dragon Raja's Number One Player

Chapter 168 The Tragedy of the Bronze City

The "King of Bronze and Fire" rose from his throne, wearing a black robe embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon. If it weren't for the bare neck, he would indeed have the bearing of a king.

"If he has no head, how does he live?"

"One Cut Through Water"—his pupils contracted, and he stood blankly in the silent square, uttering the words in a daze.

Could it be that they had been fighting this headless monster the whole time?

An eerie silence fell over the battlefield, and the surrounding snake-faced men all knelt on the ground in submission upon the appearance of the King of Bronze and Fire.

This gave him and "Lan Mengtian" a chance to catch their breath, but the appearance of "King of Bronze and Fire" also brought them a lot of psychological pressure.

A living Dragon King can be killed, but what should be done with a dead Dragon King?

Without a doubt, this was another of Xuanyu Company's little schemes. As Lan Mengtian had said, the whole process had gone a little too smoothly since they entered Bronze City.

He encountered the Dragon King with almost no setbacks; so that's where he was waiting, he thought.

So the real "King of Bronze and Fire" should be somewhere else, but we should be able to get clues from this Bronze City.

"I knew something felt off; turns out it was just a mangled body."

Xia Mi, looking at the "King of Bronze and Fire" with great interest from below the platform, spoke up.

Since his head was cut off, it was impossible to tell whether he was "Norton" or "Constantine," but considering that he could use "Word of Power: Candle Dragon," it was more likely that he was "Norton."

On the high platform, the "King of Bronze and Fire," whose truth about his death had been revealed, was stunned, his hands groping on his neck.

He kept repeating, "Where's my head? Where's my head?"

Xia Mi, perhaps sharing a similar plight, spoke with a hint of sympathy: "This guy is both a dragon king and not."

As the "King of Bronze and Fire" fell into self-doubt, they temporarily gained safety.

However, time is limited, and no one knows when this guy will be able to react. When that happens, they may face an even more frenzied attack.

"Blue Dream Sky" urged, "Isn't it unnecessary to play Riddler at a time like this?"

Although they are temporarily safe due to the abnormal state of the "King of Bronze and Fire," they will always be in danger unless they eliminate him or leave.

"He is essentially the same as those undead outside the door now."

Lin Zhiying took over the conversation and began to explain.

To be honest, even though he learned about the death of the "King of Bronze and Fire" from the forum in his previous life, he was still greatly shocked to actually see the dead Dragon King stand up.

Is this still a game? It feels like something out of a fantasy novel. Is this Xing Tian?

"Like those skeletons at the gate? How could that be? He's the Dragon King!"

"To cut water with a single stroke," he asked, incredulous.

Those "undead" were, according to previous speculation, sealed their souls within their corpses through alchemy.

The problem is, the "King of Bronze and Fire" is the Dragon King, so how could this be?

Furthermore, given that dragons can "cocoon" themselves, their souls should be able to transfer continuously.

If one were to cultivate oneself into a "necromancer," it would mean sealing one's soul within one's body.

Wouldn't that mean giving up its most core "cocooning" function?

"His soul is indeed sealed within his body."

Xia Mi nodded and said affirmatively, "However, it's not a complete soul. If I'm not mistaken, he only cut out a part of his memories and stored them in this body now."

Xia Mi's tone was full of emotion.

Such a bold idea could probably only be conceived by the "King of Bronze and Fire," who possessed unparalleled alchemy skills.

As dragons, they have a history of thousands, even tens of thousands of years from their birth to when they "cocoon".

These memories are enormous and would require considerable space to store on a hard drive. Such a massive influx of information directly into the mind could potentially turn a newly awakened dragon into an idiot.

Therefore, dragons often seal these memories away little by little, only gradually awakening them when faced with certain situations or life-or-death crises.

This explains why some dragons forget their identity and live in society as humans.

"He used his own body as alchemical material and forged it into an alchemical object."

Lin Zhiying continued.

"If you don't believe me, listen carefully."

He gestured for the others to listen.

After becoming hybrids, all their senses are greatly enhanced, including their hearing.

"One Cut Through Water" and "Blue Dream Sky" listened intently, and a huge heartbeat appeared in everyone's mind.

"I heard it, it was a strong and powerful heartbeat."

"One cut through water," he said.

"Idiot, you misheard, that's my heartbeat."

Xia Mi sighed and explained.

After all, she was the Dragon King, and her heartbeat was quite loud.

Under normal circumstances, she could suppress her heartbeat and keep it at a normal level to disguise it.

But now that we're in combat, there's no need for that, so we can reveal ourselves completely without any restraint.

"Click-clack".

Lan Mengtian heard a faint sound, which sounded more like mechanical movement than a heartbeat.

They had actually heard this sound before, but they had assumed it was the sound of the Bronze City being activated. They never expected it to belong to the "King of Bronze and Fire".

"The question is, who could kill a Dragon King and behead him?"

"One cut through water" asked.

The "King of Bronze and Fire" on the high platform was still depressed, mired in deep self-doubt.

If I were already dead, what would be the purpose of my existence? Should I not even exist at all?

"Remember those skeleton soldiers we saw before? Their clothing is the answer."

Lin Zhiying spoke up to remind him.

"Liu Xiu".

"Lan Mengtian" immediately spoke up, thinking of the uniforms of those liberated soldiers.

"From the late Western Han Dynasty to the early Eastern Han Dynasty, various warlords fought each other. Among them were ambitious individuals who colluded with powerful figures. Gongsun Shu, who was based in Bashu, was one of them."

Xia Mi recounts history with a sense of nostalgia.

However, what she said was somewhat different from the actual history.

He showed Gongsun Shu the scene of "a dragon emerging from a well," which Gongsun Shu regarded as an auspicious omen. He then proclaimed himself emperor, becoming known as the White Emperor.

""

Xia Mi pointed to the bronze walls around her.

"The White Emperor is located in the west, which corresponds to the element 'metal' in the Five Elements theory. To some extent, the 'King of Bronze and Fire' uses his existence to conceal himself. Gongsun Shu is called the White Emperor, but the real White Emperor is actually the Dragon King of the Underworld."

"However, with the Central Plains pacified, Liu Xiu began his conquests in all directions, eliminating the dragons one by one. Gongsun Shu, located in Bashu, was eventually defeated, and his strategist, Norton, was not spared either, leading a large army and his mixed-race family into the Dragon Palace."

Although the outcome of this battle is not recorded in history, judging from the final course of history and the fact that the "King of Bronze and Fire" has been beheaded, there is no doubt that Liu Xiu was the ultimate victor.

Hearing this, Xia Mi was somewhat shocked, but he wasn't surprised by what she said.

Instead, Xuanyu Company cleverly incorporated elements from history into the text.

This will save a lot of money on text editing, since the ones holding the pen now are historians like Sima Guang and the Grand Historian.

"No, I'm not dead yet! You bunch of bastards, don't try to fool me!"

The "King of Bronze and Fire" on the high platform reacted and spoke.

As he spoke, several flames burst forth uncontrollably. The snake-faced men crawling on the ground around him sensed the monarch's emotions, their eyes gradually turning blood red, and the bronze material on their bodies trembled continuously, shedding new scales.

"Time is running out. Whether we escape or not, we have to deal with this guy as soon as possible."

Xia Mi spoke up.

However, dealing with a corpse is much simpler than facing a real Dragon King, and she is very confident about that.

Just like the "Word of Power: Candle Dragon" used by the "King of Bronze and Fire" before, it is normally impossible to use in human form.

However, this is irrelevant to alchemical devices; the body will not suffer any backlash, and the "Candle Dragon" he uses...

It looks like a stripped-down version.

Otherwise, its power wouldn't be as weak as before.

Unfortunately, all the "power" had already been transferred; otherwise, by killing him, I could have devoured his power.

If it were killed directly from the egg, or permanently, it could even devour all the power. Xia Mi was somewhat disappointed with this result.

"You can have those snake-faced statues. Lin Zhiying and I will take care of this guy."

Lin Zhiying and Xia Mi exchanged a glance and, with perfect understanding, rushed toward the "King of Bronze and Fire" on the high platform.

"Alchemy creations usually have an alchemical core, which is most likely the original heart location."

Xia Mi spoke to Lin Zhiying in her mind.

"I'm going to kill you all, or I'll just turn you into someone like me."

"Your heads are quite nice."

As he spoke, his gaze turned to Lin Zhiying and Xia Mi.

The enormous "dragon-faced man" also went completely berserk, swinging his fists wildly around, causing stones to fall continuously from the walls of the entire bronze city.

"I'll go deal with the 'Dragon-Faced Man' first."

Lin Zhiying knew that if they didn't deal with this big guy, their subsequent battles would be quite troublesome. As he spoke, the "Shattered Star" in his hand lit up and he ran to the side of the "Dragon-faced Man".

Lin Zhiying's "Shattered Star" attracted the surrounding flames, expanding to more than ten meters in length, and then slashed down at the "Dragon-faced Man" who was still wildly throwing punches.

The bronze body melted instantly upon contact with the blade. "Shattered Star" slowly cut in, and only then did "Dragon-faced Man" notice Lin Zhiying. He swung his fist, trying to smash it at him, but it was too late.

Lin Zhiying silently turned around after collecting the "Shattered Star," and faced the "Dragon-Faced Man's" returning fist without dodging. He slowly walked towards the high platform, softly counting "three, two, one."

As the final count ended, the fist that was about to smash into him was completely severed along with the massive body.

The "Dragon-faced Man" plunged into the pale blue lake below, creating huge splashes of water in all directions.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xia Mi's body was covered in scales as she withstood the flames. Now she should be called "Jormungandr".

The rocks encased her body, forming a natural insulating layer, rendering the flames of the "King of Bronze and Fire" ineffective against her, allowing her to easily deal with the threats around her.

"Dead things should stay underground."

Xia Mi sighed, and a pale yellow light gathered in her hand, which she then hurled at the chest of the "King of Bronze and Fire".

"Bang!"

The "King of Bronze and Fire" was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the throne.

As the smoke cleared, he stood up again, but his dragon robe was now tattered and torn.

A deep fist mark was left on his chest, which was Xia Mi's use of the "power" as a "authority". Not a single bit of power was wasted, and all of it entered the body of the "King of Bronze and Fire".

"It hurts, it hurts so much."

He struggled to his feet, molten lava gushing from the crack in his chest, dripping onto the ground and instantly corroding a deep pit.

The entire bronze city began to shake violently in response to his emotions, and the gears that were originally fixed fell from the sky one by one. Before long, the city would be destroyed.

After Lin Zhiying dealt with the "Dragon-faced Man," he ran over and took out the "Peacekeeper" against the "King of Bronze and Fire," who was clearly not in a good state.

Within seven paces, the gun is fast; beyond seven paces, the gun is both fast and accurate.

"Don't shoot."

Xia Mi looked at him with her vertical golden eyes.

She sensed danger emanating from the gun, but had no doubt that Lin Zhiying could take care of the guy.

But the problem is that if she does this, her already meager gains will be even less.

"You keep him in check for me."

As Xia Mi spoke, her figure vanished instantly.

However, upon closer inspection, one will notice a movable protrusion on the floor of the Bronze City.

This clumsy technique would be hard to fool even a typical hybrid, unless they're brainless.

And coincidentally, there isn't a current "King of Bronze and Fire".

Lin Zhiying walked to his side, and the flames of "Junyan" erupted at full power. As long as he dealt with him, there would be no more battles, so he held nothing back.

The flickering flames instantly caught the attention of the "King of Bronze and Fire".

"Fire, my fire."

He lacked intelligence and ignored Xia Mi's presence, his hands gesturing in the air.

The "Junyan" flame that he captured immediately lost contact with Lin Zhiying.

"As expected of the Dragon King, representing the ultimate of the 'fire' element; even a mutilated body possesses such power."

He couldn't help but sigh.

It's true that even a centipede that has died doesn't fall down easily.

To resist such power, one must possess the "authority" of the fire element.

However, the flames of the "King of Bronze and Fire" will indeed not burn for long.

The next moment, a hand pierced through the reactor and into his chest.

The reactor erupted in intense flames, driven by the final "Word of Power: Candle Dragon" unleashed by the true "King of Bronze and Fire" before his death.

Xia Mi dragged the reactor away. In his final moments, he seemed to realize something, turning around to look at it: "You are... Jormungandr?!"

At that moment, he regained his senses and recognized Xia Mi's identity, but it was too late.

After losing its energy core, the "King of Bronze and Fire" instantly turned into parts and collapsed on the ground.

In an instant, it turned to ashes.

With his death, the bronze city completely lost its reason for existence, and now it has turned into a coffin, collapsing little by little to accompany its master in death.

"Retreat quickly."

Lin Zhiying spoke up to remind him.

However, it was obvious that he had gone to unnecessary lengths. He didn't even need to shout; "One Cut to Cut Water" and "Blue Dream Sky" were much faster than him.

The exit was something all too familiar to these players; it was undoubtedly the pool below.

The fact that the "Dragon-faced Man" statue didn't fill the crater when it was smashed in proves this point.

The water was very murky, with bones and bronze fragments of unknown age mixed together.

Xia Mi walked at the back, shielding the others from many falling rocks.

He even pushed Lin Zhiying aside to help him dodge a piece of bronze that was moving extremely fast.

He suddenly thought that having a boss like that wouldn't be so bad.

"Aren't you a little touched? You remembered to transfer me some money; I don't have enough for my tuition next semester."

Xia Mi leaned close to Lin Zhiying's ear and whispered something.

Lin Zhiying was speechless; the change in tone was a bit too abrupt.

"Okay, I'll transfer another 30,000."

Upon hearing this, Xia Mi's eyes lit up instantly. She stood in the water without any protection and without needing any protection.

Her clothes were soaked and clung to her body, flowing with the water, occasionally revealing glimpses of her fair skin. She lingered there, reluctant to leave, even after the two of them, "One Cut Through Water," had left.

"Let's go quickly."

Xia Mi tapped his head and urged, "In front of you is a door that keeps rotating and is surrounded by water. According to the original story, you can successfully escape from here."

"You go first."

Xia Mi urged again.

She, however, stood there and refused to move.

Lin Zhiying, who was about to enter the room, frowned slightly, realizing something, and turned around to ask.

"What do you mean? We're already at the exit. How else are we supposed to get there?"

Xia Mi didn't speak, but turned to look into the depths of darkness, where a huge dragon claw stretched out.

There was also a dragon servant, something Lin Zhiying had completely forgotten about.

The reason he hadn't shown up before was because he didn't believe the corpse was his master.

Now he wants to demonstrate his loyalty in his own way.

"Go quickly, don't worry, I'm not one to die easily."

As Xia Mi spoke, she lightly leaped up and instantly jumped onto the back of the dragon servant.

"Next time, if there's another situation, don't keep me waiting too long."

Lin Zhiying stared in the direction she left, paused for a moment, and then entered the rotating water gate.

Onboard the Monyach, radar showed a sudden and powerful earthquake underground.

The time was now very short, and Professor Mans paced back and forth on the deck; everyone could see that he was very nervous.

The next moment he froze, as if he had made a decision, and said to Chu Zihang and Caesar, who were getting soaked in the rain, "Prepare to dive."

Chu Zihang and Caesar instantly stood on the edge of the deck, ready to jump at any moment.

"Wait a minute, remember, this is not a mission, it's a rescue operation."

Chu Zihang glanced at Caesar, nodded, and understood what Professor Mans meant.

Under these circumstances, even if they were to enter the Bronze City, their fate would be uncertain.

Instead of focusing on rescuing Lin Zhiying and his team, we should concentrate on that.

"Okay, I will definitely bring them back."

------------

After Chu Zihang finished speaking, he walked to the water's edge, and three figures emerged from the surging water.

Although it wasn't very clear from the waves, Professor Mans still noticed it.

"Hurry up and get closer."

At the same time, a huge object swam past on the radar.

Its size and speed make it undoubtedly a dragon.

It swam in the opposite direction, where there were great rivers and even the ocean.

"Saving lives is the priority."

Professor Mans said that in order to rescue Lin Zhiying and the other two, they could not worry about anything else for the time being.

Is it better to combine them or separate them? The content is almost the same. I usually finish writing the plot, sometimes more, sometimes less.