Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

One second, two seconds...

Nothing happened.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Zhu Ling'er's eyes. Could it be that even Lu Mingfei's bloodline wasn't enough? She was about to say that she would think of other ways.

"despair."

The blood dripping onto the dragon-patterned patterns seemed to come alive, radiating a dazzling golden luster from within. Like mercury, the blood spread rapidly along the intricate patterns, illuminating the ancient dragon patterns one by one, emitting a light like molten gold.

hum-

The massive bronze door began to emit a deep, humming sound, as if from the primordial era. Not only the door, but the surrounding rock walls, the ground beneath our feet, and even the entire vast cave system began to vibrate slightly, resonating. The humming grew louder and louder; a colossal beast that had slumbered for millions of years was awakening.

The eyes of the dragon head relief also shone with a dazzling golden light, like the sun.

"This, this is..." Zhu Ling'er stared in disbelief at the massive bronze gate before her, its golden light shimmering and its roar echoing, feeling the earth tremble beneath her feet. She couldn't utter a single word.

The Zhu family guards behind her gaped, their faces filled with shock and bewilderment. They had seen bloodline verification of mixed-race individuals before, but had they ever witnessed anything like this? A single drop of blood could cause the entire ruins to resonate?

Yun'er covered her mouth, her body trembling slightly from shock and the pressure emanating from the depths of her bloodline. She looked at Lu Mingfei's calm profile under the golden light and whispered incredulously, "His blood is glowing."

The booming sound of the bronze gate, like the roar of an ancient beast awakening, echoed for a long time in the empty underground cavern. The dragon patterns on the gate panels, illuminated by Lu Mingfei's blood, shone like flowing molten gold, their light dazzling and reflecting the brilliance on the faces of the people standing before the gate, as well as the undisguised shock in their eyes.

The door did not slide open to the sides or push inwards like a typical mechanism. With a low, grinding sound, the massive door began to slowly sink into the unknown depths of the stone trough below, revealing the space behind it.

A stench of decay billowed out from behind the door, making everyone's clothes flutter wildly and almost suffocating them.

Is Deadpool coming up below? Judging from Lu Mingfei and Frillie's past experiences, that's most likely the case.

The darkness behind the door was as thick as ink. The light from the emergency lights and Frilian's staff seemed to be swallowed up, illuminating only a small area in front of the door. It was an extremely vast underground hall, with the floor paved with huge, neatly cut stone slabs, each carved with dragon and serpent patterns that stretched into the depths of darkness.

The dome of the hall was incredibly high, hidden in darkness beyond the reach of the light, giving one a sense of insignificance as if standing in a land of giants.

"Stay close to me and don't touch anything." Lu Mingfei's voice broke the silence. He took the lead and stepped across the boundary that had sunk into the ground, leaving only the door frame, and entered the interior of this dragon clan ruin that had been sealed for countless years.

Chapter 279 The Corpse Guardian (Part 1)

The crowd followed closely behind, their footsteps echoing clearly on the cold stone slabs, sounding particularly jarring and eerie in the deathly silent hall.

An invisible pressure permeated the air, a force emanating from the depths of their bloodlines, making it difficult for Zhu Ling'er and her guards to breathe, as if a boulder were pressing on their chests. Only Lu Mingfei and Frilian remained largely unaffected.

One has an extremely pure bloodline, and the other has seen many dragons in person.

The lights extended forward, gradually outlining the interior of the hall. On both sides were giant stone pillars that required several people to encircle, with lifelike dragon carvings coiled around them. The dragon scales were clearly visible, and the dragon eyes were wide open, as if they were about to come to life and devour people at any moment.

Scattered around the base of the pillars were some objects, reflecting a dim luster under the lamplight. They were the remains of decaying weapons and some petrified bones that were barely recognizable as human figures, remaining in fighting or kneeling postures, silently telling the tragic story that had once taken place here.

"Are these the grave carriers or the guards?" Zhu Ling'er asked in a low voice, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword. She was unsure whether she would have to fight next.

"More like slaves buried alive or defeated subjects," Frilian said softly, her staff's light sweeping over a skeleton lying prostrate on the ground. "Dragons revere power and hierarchy; when a king falls, followers will accompany him for eternity."

They continued deeper, the hall seemingly endless. After walking for about half an hour, a different scene finally appeared ahead. The patterns on the stone slabs on the ground began to converge towards the center, forming a huge circular alchemical matrix. At the center of the matrix was a platform raised above the ground, and on the platform, an object sat quietly.

A coffin.

Cast entirely in bronze, its design is ancient and ferocious, several times larger than a typical human coffin. Rather than a coffin, it resembles a miniature palace or fortress. The surface of the coffin is covered with dense and profound dragon runes, which flow slowly, as if alive, emanating a chilling aura.

On the lid of the coffin, a coiled dragon with its wings folded was carved. The dragon's eyes were two dark red gems the size of pigeon eggs, which still shone with a faint light even after countless years, gazing at all intruders.

On either side of the bronze coffin, beneath the platform, at the edge of the alchemical matrix, stood two figures.

The two towering skeletons, as Lu Mingfei gazed upon them, did not appear to be ordinary human skeletons. Their bones were massive, their surfaces a dull metallic sheen, especially the hand and finger bones, which resembled the claws of a dragon. They were covered in black metal armor, long since dulled but still intact, engraved with protective dragon runes. Each held a massive bronze longsword, its blade weathered and radiating an aura of unparalleled sharpness.

Their heads were not completely skeletal; withered, dark brown skin tightly covered the skulls, and in their eye sockets, there were no eyeballs, only two quietly burning, eerie blue flames. The flames were cold, devoid of any warmth.

Huh? Lu Mingfei had never seen this type of guy before. "Miss Zhu, what's this?"

"This is a Corpse Guardian." Zhu Ling'er gasped, her voice hoarse. "And it's a Corpse Guardian with a living spirit!"

Living Spirits is one of the cruelest and most powerful techniques in dragon alchemy. It involves extracting powerful souls, usually those of the defeated or hybrids who voluntarily sacrifice themselves, and imprisoning them through complex alchemical rituals within specific objects, such as weapons, armor, or, as before, their own corpses, making them eternal guardian puppets.

A living corpse guardian not only retains some of its combat instincts and experience from its previous life, but may even retain a certain degree of intelligence and judgment, making it far more terrifying than those puppets that act solely on killing commands.

The moment everyone discovered the corpse guards, the eerie blue flames in the eye sockets of the two skeletons flickered with a "crack," as if awakening from an ancient slumber. They stiffly and in unison turned their heads, their empty, burning eye sockets locking onto the intruders.

"Be on guard!" Lu Mingfei shouted in a low voice, finally taking his hand out of his pocket, and the laziness in his eyes was instantly replaced by vigilance.

Almost as soon as he spoke, the corpse guard on the left, wielding a greatsword, stepped forward, its heavy footsteps slamming onto the stone slab with a dull thud. Without any warning, it swung its bronze greatsword, its movements seemingly stiff, yet incredibly fast. A gray-black sword aura, carrying the aura of death, tore through the air, slashing in a crescent shape towards Lu Mingfei at the front of the group!

Wherever the sword energy passed, even light was distorted and swallowed up.

What Superman?! Are you Gag from Berserk?!

Lu Mingfei didn't take the attack head-on. Instead, he focused his energy and silently activated his Time Zero Domain. In the near-stagnant time, he easily dodged the deadly sword energy. The sword energy grazed his clothes and silently sliced ​​off a corner of a stone pillar not far behind him, leaving a smooth, mirror-like cut.

However, the other corpse guard did not attack Lu Mingfei. The eerie blue flames in its eye sockets flickered, and it made a judgment. Its skeletal feet, covered in metal armor, pushed off the ground, and its figure, like a ghost, bypassed the front, rushing straight towards the Zhu family guards on the flank of the group and the seemingly less threatening Frilian and Yun'er.

Its objective is clear: eliminate the weaker fish first!

"Its target is you! Block with your shields!" Zhu Ling'er commanded sharply, drawing her short sword at the same time. A faint crimson light flashed across the blade; her incantation was the type that enhanced her own attack power.

Zhu Ting and Zhu Yan, the Zhu family guards holding shields, roared and stepped forward, firmly blocking the heavy alloy shields.

"boom!"

The Corpse Guardian's bronze longsword didn't slash; instead, it thrust straight forward like a venomous snake emerging from its hole! The tip of the sword struck the center of the left guard's shield. An indescribable force surged through the shield, and the specially made alloy shield was pierced through instantly by the sword tip, as if it were made of paper!

Zhu Yan, the guard holding the shield, screamed in agony as he and his shield were blasted backward, spitting out blood and suffering severe injuries.

"Ayan!" Zhu Ting, holding the shield, cried out, his eyes wide with fury.

Without pausing, Shi Shou flicked his wrist, drew his sword, and swept it horizontally, targeting the guard on the right and Zhu Ling'er and Yun'er behind him.

"Light Bind - Chains!" Frilian's cold voice rang out. Several solid chains made of pure light shot out from the void, coiling like serpents around the Corpse Guardian's arms, waist, and legs. The chains tightened, emitting a sizzling sound, and the Corpse Guardian's movements froze.

But the eerie blue flames in the Corpse Guardian's eye sockets flickered indifferently for a moment, and the dragon patterns on its black armor lit up, spreading out a cold and filthy aura that actually eroded and disintegrated most of Frilian's light chains! It broke free of its restraints, and its longsword swept down with unstoppable force.

Chapter 280 The Corpse Guardian (Part 2)

"Drink!" Zhu Ling'er moved. With a sharp cry, she moved like lightning, narrowly avoiding the sword's edge. The short knife in her hand, glowing with a blazing red light, pierced straight at the joint of the corpse guard's sword-wielding arm, where the armor was relatively thin.

"Ding!"

With a crisp sound, sparks flew. Zhu Ling'er's dagger had indeed pierced the joint, but it only left a shallow white mark, unable to break through her defenses at all! The Corpse Guardian struck out with a backhand palm, accompanied by a fierce wind. Zhu Ling'er hurriedly blocked, but was shaken by the enormous force, causing her blood and qi to surge, and she staggered backward.

"Miss!" Yun'er cried out, raising her crossbow to fire. The bolt struck the corpse guard's armor, leaving only a small mark before bouncing off.

This corpse guardian's strength far exceeded expectations. Not only was it incredibly strong and fast, but its alchemical armor and weapons were also indestructible. Moreover, it possessed combat intelligence, knowing how to choose its targets, break free from control, and attack weaknesses.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingfei's battle with the first corpse guardian also reached a stalemate. The corpse guardian's swordsmanship was wide and sweeping, each strike containing the power to tear everything apart.

What's more troublesome is that it has a certain resistance to the effects of Time Zero. It's not that it's immune to Time Zero, but rather that within the realm of Time Zero, while its movements are greatly slowed down, they are not completely halted. The eerie blue flames in its eye sockets constantly follow Lu Mingfei's movement, as if it can see his actions within the accelerated time. Its sword energy no longer lashes out blindly, but begins to anticipate and block Lu Mingfei's escape routes.

"Tsk, troublesome." Lu Mingfei clicked his tongue, narrowly avoiding another sword aura that swept across the ground, carving a deep trench in the earth. He tried to get close, pointing his finger at the joint of the corpse guard's throat bones, where there was no armor covering it.

However, the Corpse Guardian seemed to have anticipated this. Its empty left hand reached out like a ghostly claw, its five fingers like hooks, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound, aiming straight for Lu Mingfei's wrist. The claw's force was fierce, in no way inferior to the greatsword in its hand.

Lu Mingfei was forced to change his move, turning his fingers into a palm and exchanging blows with the Corpse Guardian's bone claws.

"Oh!"

With a muffled thud, Lu Mingfei swayed slightly and slid back half a step. The Corpse Guardian only trembled, and the eerie blue flames in its eye sockets burned even more fiercely.

"Their bones have been enhanced by alchemy, making them far stronger than imagined. Moreover, they possess an extremely rich amount of residual combat experience," Lu Mingfei quickly shouted to Frilian, reminding them to be careful.

The situation was even more critical for Frilian. The second corpse guard had completely breached the Zhu family's defenses. Zhu Ying was unable to dodge in time and was struck by the sword wind, instantly breaking her bones and collapsing to the ground. Now only Zhu Ling'er, Yun'er, and Zhu Ting were left to hold on, relying entirely on Frilian's constant use of various light-based spells to restrain and defend them.

"Radiant Nova!" Frilian slammed her staff on the ground, unleashing a halo even more intense than the one she had used against the Kamaitachi. The powerful light illuminated the entire hall like a miniature sun, possessing a natural restraining effect on undead creatures.

The Corpse Guardian froze, struck by the sudden burst of intense light. The chilling energy emanating from its body was suppressed, and the dragon runes on its armor dimmed considerably. It let out a silent roar.

"A good opportunity!" Seeing this, Zhu Ling'er took a deep breath, and the red light on her short sword surged. She charged forward again, this time aiming at the ghostly blue flames in the eye sockets of the Corpse Guardian, which were exposed due to its stiffness.

At the same time, Lu Mingfei seized the moment when the first Corpse Guardian was slightly momentarily stunned by the Radiant Nova of Frilian. His eyes narrowed, and he pushed his Time Zero Domain to its limit, causing everything around him to almost completely freeze. He stopped dodging and charged head-on at the Corpse Guardian's slowly swinging greatsword.

Lu Mingfei dodged the giant sword's trajectory like a butterfly flitting among flowers, instantly closing in on the Corpse Guardian. His right index and middle fingers were joined together, and at the tip of his fingertips, a point of extreme darkness, seemingly capable of devouring light, condensed.

"Heh, brother, it still depends on your little brother." Lu Mingze bestowed the power that represents the end, Judgment·Remodel.

"puff!"

With a soft sound, like a hot knife cutting into butter, Lu Mingfei's finger touched the core of the ghostly blue flame between the brows of the first corpse guard.

Darkness spread instantly, like ink dripping into clear water. The eerie blue flames burning in the Corpse Guardian's eye sockets flickered and flared violently like candlelight battered by a gale, before finally going out with a "pop."

The Corpse Guardian's stance, with its greatsword raised high, froze completely. Then, its massive body crashed backward like a collapsing mountain, slamming into the ground with a heavy thud. The armor on its body and the greatsword in its hand lost their luster at a visible speed, turning gray and brittle, as if they had instantly undergone the erosion of millions of years.

Almost at the same time that Lu Mingfei succeeded, Zhu Ling'er's dagger pierced the eye socket of the second corpse guardian.

"laugh--"

Like a red-hot iron block being plunged into ice water, a piercing sound rang out. The eerie blue flames in the Corpse Guardian's eye sockets flickered and struggled wildly, and a powerful mental shockwave spread out. Zhu Ling'er was struck as if by a heavy blow, letting out a muffled groan, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth. But she gritted her teeth, poured all her strength into the short sword, and twisted it fiercely.

The ghostly blue flames went out.

The second corpse's movements came to an abrupt halt. It remained in its forward-charging posture, frozen for a moment, before collapsing heavily to the ground, turning into two piles of lifeless bones and scrap metal.

The battle is over.

The hall fell silent again, with only the heavy breathing of the crowd and the suppressed groans of the wounded.

Zhu Ling'er collapsed to one knee, as if all her strength had left her, supporting herself with her short sword. Her face was pale, and she was drenched in sweat. Yun'er quickly stepped forward to support her and took out some medicine for her wounds.

Lu Mingfei stood there, catching his breath slightly. His face was even paler than before; using this level of finishing power had taken a toll on him. He glanced at the remains of the two corpse guards on the ground, then looked at the bronze coffin quietly placed on the central platform.

Frilian walked to his side, the light from her staff sweeping across the coffin, and said softly, "If the guards are like this, the one inside the coffin must be at least a third-generation being, or even higher. Judging from their armor style and weapon style, they have very obvious characteristics from the late Tang to Northern Song periods."

Lu Mingfei nodded without speaking. His gaze fell on the dark red gemstone eyes of the dragon carved on the coffin lid, and the gemstone seemed to be staring back at him.

what can we do about it?

With Yun'er's help, Zhu Ling'er stood up. Looking at the fallen and seriously injured guards on the ground, a trace of grief flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination. She looked at Lu Mingfei and Frilian, her voice hoarse with the pain of surviving a close call: "Mr. Lu, Miss Frilian, shall we continue?"

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, dispelling the invisible pressure emanating from the bronze coffin. He then stepped towards the central platform.

"Having come all this way, are we really going to leave empty-handed?"

Chapter 281 Late Tang Dynasty Military Governors (Part 1)

Two powerful corpse guardians were reduced to withered bones and scrap metal, and the hall was filled with the smell of gunpowder and death. Zhu Ling'er, supported by Yun'er, struggled to her feet. Looking at her fallen and seriously injured companions, her eyes were filled with a mixture of grief and determination.

She looked at Lu Mingfei and Frilian, her voice hoarse from exhaustion and pain: "Mr. Lu, Miss Frilian, shall we continue?"