met free Chapter 25 Now that the feast has begun, we should at least eat our fill.
Chapter 25 Now that the feast has begun, we should at least eat our fill.
Yes, it's Jia Yu.
He appeared behind Yuan Hong at some point, a silent smile spreading across his face covered in black scales.
"Yuan Hong, you did a good job. Leave the rest to me."
"【Blood Sea Return to Origin Dragon Demon Scripture】·【Return to the Sea】"
Jia Yu's voice was cold and hoarse, somewhat like a middle-aged man's voice. His dark and thick hands formed a strange hand seal, his left hand like a dragon's claw grasping the sky, and his right hand like an ape's arm reaching for the moon, their ten fingers intertwined, resembling a dragon and ape fighting.
The instant the seal was formed, a cracking sound, as if bones were dislocating, suddenly came from within Yuan Hong's body. He groaned, and countless illusory chains, as thin as hair and as black as ink, emerged from the pores of his body, binding him tightly from the inside out. Twisted dragon patterns appeared on the surface of the chains, their ends digging deep into his flesh and bones, frantically extracting his essence, blood, and soul.
"Jia Yu, what are you doing?!" Yuan Hong's eyes were bloodshot, his gray hair standing on end as he tried to break free of the chains, only to find his demonic power draining away like water. "I am a member of the Giant Wave Yuan family! If you kill me, the Ancestor of the Overturning Seas will not let you off!"
Jia Jue slowly stepped forward, his vertical pupils devoid of emotion, only displaying a cold calculation. He stopped a foot away from Yuan Hong, watching his former ally struggle in his chains, a mocking smile curving his lips.
"Hahaha..." Jia Yu threw his head back and let out a hoarse, maniacal laugh. His scales opened and closed, spewing out a foul, black stench. "Yuan Hong, Yuan Hong, do you think your ancestor doesn't know about this?"
Yuan Hong's struggling movements suddenly stopped.
"What...did you say?"
Jia Jue extended his right hand, covered in black scales, and made a grasping motion with his five fingers. The black chains binding Yuan Hong tightened immediately, and the blood-red runes on the chains shone brightly. Yuan Hong groaned, and dark red blood seeped from his seven orifices.
"I said," Jia Jue said, his voice clear and distinct, "that your ancestor already knew."
He paused, watching the shock and disbelief spreading rapidly in Yuan Hong's eyes, and continued.
"Because I am a descendant of the former imperial family. Now, the Great Yu Dynasty has lost its virtue and is on the verge of collapse. The various lords of the world are rising up, and it is the time for dragons and snakes to emerge from the land. Your Yuan family of Julang, along with several other families, have long been secretly placing their bets."
"You," Yuan Hong's eyes widened in fury, "you are from the previous dynasty..."
"That's right." Jia Jue interrupted him, a complex expression flashing across his vertical pupils, but it was quickly replaced by coldness. "My real name isn't Jia Yu. Jia means 'false'."
He extended his right hand, covered in black scales, and slowly closed his fingers. The chains inside Yuan Hong's body suddenly tightened, making his bones creak and blood foam spill from his mouth and nose.
"Your life was entrusted to me by your ancestor." Jia Yu finally stood before Yuan Hong, his voice even colder. "He wanted me to kill you with my own hands, to devour your Wuzhiqi bloodline, and to use your flesh and soul to help me cultivate the 'Blood Sea Returning to Origin Dragon Demon Scripture.' The condition was a position as a regent of the state."
Yuan Hong let out a mournful howl. His grayish-blue hair withered and fell off at a visible speed, and the muscles under his skin atrophied rapidly. His whole body shriveled up like a deflated sac.
"No, Ancestor, you're lying to me!"
Yuan Hong's last roar came to an abrupt end.
The black chain twisted violently, completely engulfing his mangled body. The black energy surged for a few breaths before finally retreating back into Jia Jue's body.
Only a withered, mummy-like corpse remained on the spot, its skin clinging tightly to its bones, its face contorted in a grotesque expression, still faintly revealing Yuan Hong's resentment and bitterness before his death.
Jia Jue stood with his eyes closed, his black scales gleaming with an eerie dark golden luster.
He took a deep breath, and a deep, muffled sound like a dragon's roar came from his chest. Behind him, a half-dragon, half-ape phantom appeared, with a ferocious dragon head and an ape arm pounding its chest, but it vanished in an instant.
When he opened his eyes again, his vertical pupils had turned completely black, and the whites of his eyes were covered with fine golden blood vessels.
"This is a fake, damn it." Xu Changqing caught a glimpse of this scene from afar and cursed inwardly, "A remnant of the previous dynasty, using the Jia surname to secretly plot... There really isn't a single good person in this world."
After Jia Jue finished devouring Yuan Hong, he slowly turned around, his vertical pupils locking onto Xu Changqing, and he grinned, revealing sharp white teeth: "Xu Ming, after watching for so long, it's your turn."
Before he finished speaking, his aura exploded. The spiritual energy within his body surged forth like a bursting dam, breaking through the Qi Refining barrier, condensing into liquid, and stepping into the Foundation Establishment stage. Although his true Dao foundation had not yet been forged, in terms of sheer magical power, Jia Yu was now no different from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Black scales surged from beneath his skin, rapidly covering his entire body like living things. His forehead split open, revealing two bony horns. His back followed suit, tearing apart and unfurling two wet, bony wings. In the blink of an eye, a living person had transformed into a half-dragon over ten feet tall, its body surging with demonic energy like a tidal wave. Grass and trees beneath his feet withered at the slightest touch, and rocks hissed and eroded into black marks.
Xu Changqing's heart skipped a beat, and he cursed inwardly. These young masters from aristocratic families broke through realms as easily as drinking water. The thought had barely formed in his mind when he simultaneously retreated rapidly.
With a flap of its wings, Jia Jue stirred up a foul wind and instantly appeared ten feet in front of Xu Changqing. From his superior position, its voice boomed like muffled thunder: "Xu Ming, you ruined my grand plan and damaged my resources. Today, I will use your blood, flesh, and soul to replenish my foundation."
Xu Changqing raised his eyes, his expression calm, and suddenly spoke: "There is one thing that I do not understand."
Jia Jue paused slightly: "Oh?"
"You orchestrated this scheme, summoning the Black Wind to gather demons, devouring Yuan Hong to refine yourself—it seems you've calculated everything." Xu Changqing spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the still slowly moving dragon of evil energy in the air and the swirling ball of flesh in the pit. "But how can you guarantee that you will be the ultimate winner?"
Jia Jue narrowed his eyes: "What do you mean?"
Xu Changqing stopped answering, and pointed his right hand, fingers together like a sword, toward the sky.
"The dragon is coming."
The previously slowly swimming dragon of evil energy suddenly raised its head, letting out a silent roar. Its body swelled several times its original size, its scales and claws becoming as clear as solid matter. The dragon turned its head, its scarlet dragon eyes fixed intently on Jia Jue. At the same time, the rotating ball of flesh and blood in the pit exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist, which was swallowed whole by the dragon of evil energy.
The dragon's body solidified instantly, its black and red colors intertwined, emanating a terrifying aura of destruction.
"You...you had already prepared a backup plan?!" Jia Jue's expression changed slightly.
"Since this feast of slaughter has begun, we should at least eat our fill." Xu Changqing's lips curled into a cold smile. "Black Wind Flesh and Blood, the spirits of demons, the murderous aura of the Blood Sword, the resentment of the Blood Monk, the poison of the Jade Fairy... plus the bloodline of Yuan Hong that you just swallowed, are all now within this dragon."
With a change of hand seals, the evil dragon swooped down, its mouth wide open, spewing out a torrent of black and red malevolent energy, like a celestial river pouring down, rushing straight at Jia Jue.
"Arrogant!" Jia Jue roared, his wings spreading out in fury, and the demonic energy around him transformed into a dark, phantom dragon that crashed head-on into him.
"boom!"
The two dragons collided, creating a shockwave that caused the entire crater to collapse several feet further.
The black and red malevolent energy and the pitch-black demonic energy frantically eroded and tore at each other, emitting a hissing sound that made one's teeth ache.
Although Jia Jue had only recently entered the Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation method was strange and his demonic energy was pure, allowing him to fight the evil dragon to a standstill.
He waved his hands repeatedly, tearing the dragon's body apart with streaks of bloody light. However, the evil dragon was formed from the essence of hundreds of demons and the power of the killing ritual, and its malevolent energy was boundless. The torn parts instantly healed, spewing out an even thicker, bone-corroding black mist.