CHAPTER 25: SWORD INTENT! THE HEAVEN-BORN SOVEREIGN'S PATH OF PROTECTION

Lu Chen stood up and looked toward the sky while gently stroking the Hunyuan Greatsword. "The sky's so red... Just like the day Greenheaven Village was wiped out. It's got that same eerie crimson hue. I wonder how many beasts will appear this time."

Wind Dragon noticed the sorrow on Lu Chen's face, and couldn't help but speak. "Little Lu..."

Lu Chen turned to him. "What is it?"

"It's nothing. I just think you shouldn't dwell on the past. I'm sure Lord Seventh saw immense potential in you, but I don't know if he ever told you that this obsession can hinder your cultivation. If you let it grow too deep, it'll become a demon in your heart. You need to prepare yourself in advance. Your cultivation path won't end here in the Jianghai Region..."

Roar...

Before Wind Dragon could finish, the silhouettes of the demonic beasts already appeared in Lu Chen's line of sight.

There were ten of them, all at the second level of the Qi Regulation Realm: Purplefire Lizards, Violetgold Mice, Flame-shadowed Leopards, and more.

The beasts charged straight toward Lu Chen and quickly surrounded him, growling and snarling in unison.

Lu Chen grabbed the giant sword and charged at the beasts. "Wind Dragon, it's time."

Wind Dragon turned into a wisp of spirit qi and merged into the blade.

"Flood Dragon's Dive! Silver Snake Emerges From Its Lair! Star-Serpent Cloud Concealment! Green Sovereign Divine Tree!"

Without Nantian Wan'er's bloodline to suppress the beasts, Lu Chen didn't dare hold back. He launched his strongest attacks right from the start.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Thud, thud, thud...

Streaks of silver light flashed across the air. With fluid, seamless movements, Lu Chen took down all ten beasts, which quickly collapsed to the ground.

Roar...

Just as he finished off the last one, five more beasts appeared in the distance. This time, they were all at the fourth level of the Qi Regulation Realm.

"Huff... Huff..." Lu Chen panted heavily, his eyes fixed ahead. "Level-four already? Are they even going to give me a break?"

"Grandpa Xiu, how much longer? The beasts just keep getting stronger!"

"One more hour. Just hold on a little longer."

Nantian Xiu could sense the situation outside, but with the ritual already underway, there was no way to stop it now.

"Alright. I'll do everything I can to protect the barrier."

The five beasts were already upon him. "Roar!"

Lu Chen tightened his grip on the sword and charged forward. "Come on then! I'm Lu Chen of Greenheaven Village! A descendant of the Green Emperor!"

"Let's go!" roared Wind Dragon.

He no longer remained hidden within the blade. He burst forth in full form, transforming into a massive dragon and lunging toward the beasts on the left.

For the first time, Lu Chen stood face-to-face with five of the demonic beasts. He pushed his spirit qi to the limit, channeling wind, lightning, water, and fire attributes into the Hunyuan Greatsword. The blade glowed with dazzling multicolored light.

He slashed at the closest beast, tearing off a massive chunk of flesh.

"Green Sovereign Divine Tree—Binding Strike!"

The Divine Tree's vines shot forth, burrowing into the torn flesh and siphoning the beast's life force.

The tree made one strike, two strikes, and three strikes...

Ten minutes later, Lu Chen finally brought the demonic beast down. He also suffered deep wounds, with some so severe they exposed bone.

Lu Chen kept the Divine Tree binding the remaining beasts as he turned and charged toward one of those that Wind Dragon had pinned down. Sword in hand, he fought alongside the dragon, striking down beast after beast.

One fell... then another... and another...

Half an hour passed. All the beasts had been slain.

Lu Chen struggled to his feet and began dressing his wounds. He was almost entirely covered in cuts, his skin barely intact. Even with his strong regenerative ability, blood still soaked the ground.

"Take a break. More might be coming," Wind Dragon said to him.

Lu Chen lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

Gurgle... gurgle...

Suddenly, the lava pool nearby began to bubble. The surface churned violently, frothing and boiling.

Boom!

A deafening explosion burst forth as a massive bubble erupted, causing magma to splash in all directions. From deep within the pool, a terrifying aura surged outward.

Lu Chen quickly rolled to his feet and fixed his eyes on the lava pool.

Whoosh!

A flame-scaled flood dragon, twenty zhang long, erupted from the molten depths. Its eyes, each the size of a house, swept across the surroundings. "Who is it... Who's killing my companions?"

When it spotted Lu Chen, those serpent-like pupils burned with fury.

"Human... A Qi Absorption Realm human. Are you the one that has been killing my companions?"

Lu Chen tried to fight back, but he couldn't move under the crushing pressure. "Wind Dragon, what is this creature? I'm being suppressed!"

"Roar..."

Seeing Lu Chen immobilized, Wind Dragon immediately revealed his true form and shielded him.

"A Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon[1] at the Qi Condensation Realm... Its dragon horns indicate that it's passed the first stage of dragon transformation. With my current strength, I can only hold out for ten minutes. Get inside the barrier, now!" Wind Dragon yelled.

Then he roared at the beast, "Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon, do you know who I am?"

The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon stared at him. "Lord Wind Dragon? Why would you defend a human like this? He killed so many of our kind!"

As a subordinate of the Flame Demon, the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon had dwelled in this secret realm for years. Naturally, it recognized the Wind Dragon.

"Wait... No, you're not Lord Wind Dragon. Who are you? Lord Wind Dragon shouldn't be this weak. Who are you?"

Roar...

The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon surged from the lava, dragging a raging wave of molten rock behind it as it lunged toward the Wind Dragon.

"Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon, come to your senses. Look closely at who you're facing!"

But the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon had only recently developed spiritual awareness and couldn't comprehend matters related to the Green Emperor. Wind Dragon could only try to reason with it, hoping it would stop.

However, the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon ignored Wind Dragon's attempts to reason with it and locked into battle with him. "Roar! You humans, stop trying to kill my kin!"

Wind Dragon had lost most of his cultivation and was still in the process of rebuilding his strength. Naturally, he was no match for the full force of the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon's assault.

After several exchanges, Wind Dragon was ultimately defeated. The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon shattered his manifested form, forcing him to retreat into the Hunyuan Greatsword to recover.

The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon glared at Lu Chen inside the barrier, flicking its tongue again and again. "Roar... You vile humans, what have you done to Lord Wind Dragon?! I'll kill all of you to avenge Lord Wind Dragon!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon began attacking the barrier.

Lu Chen knew well that he stood no chance against the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon. The difference between them spanned two major cultivation realms. He couldn't even muster the will to resist.

Boom!

The outer layer of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree barrier shattered.

Boom, boom!

The first layer of formation Nantian Xiu set up also collapsed.

Lu Chen turned to Nantian Xiu. The crushing weight of the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon's power left him utterly helpless. "Grandpa Xiu, what should we do? I can't take on that beast alone."

"Pour your spirit qi into the formation and activate the final offensive and defensive barriers. Hold it off as long as you can. Once I finish healing Wan'er, I'll take care of that beast myself."

Nantian Xiu's words were like a calming agent to Lu Chen. He wasn't afraid of the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon, but the natural suppression from a higher realm kept pressing down on him, making it impossible to resist.

Now clear on what needed to be done, Lu Chen stepped up to the barrier. He placed both hands on its surface and channeled his spirit qi into it.

Lu Chen's sea of qi was several times larger than the average person's. On top of that, his spirit qi had already liquefied, giving him the strength comparable to a level-five Qi Regulation Realm cultivator.

As his spirit qi continued to flow in, the attack and defense formations gradually activated.

The attack formation absorbed his wind, thunder, water, and fire energies, pushing its power to the peak of the Qi Regulation Realm. For a moment, the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon found itself at a disadvantage. Its attacks slowed, and it was no longer able to break through the barrier.

But as a beast at the Qi Condensation Realm, the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon still had several tricks up its sleeves. It suddenly opened its mouth and spat out purple flames, which coated the barrier.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The flames were laced with venomous toxins, eating away at the barrier with a sharp, sizzling sound.

Sizzle... Boom!

Ten minutes later, the final barrier shattered with a loud crack.

Lu Chen stared at the broken formation. He knew that this time, he could no longer run. Nantian Wan'er and Nantian Xiu were behind him. If he dodged, they would be unable to escape.

He forcefully stirred his blood to summon the Hunyuan Greatsword, then raised his head to look directly at the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon. "Come... Even if it costs me my life, I'll stand my ground."

"Roar! How dare you, a mere human in the Qi Absorption Realm, think you can challenge me?"

The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon opened its jaws wide, trying to swallow Lu Chen whole.

Lu Chen controlled the Green Sovereign Divine and wrapped it around the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon's head. He then flashed behind it and struck down with his sword.

Clang!

The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon's head was as hard as steel. When the Hunyuan Greatsword slammed against it, it caused a sharp, ringing sound. The blow numbed both of Lu Chen's hands, causing the sword to be flung from his grip.

The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon roared furiously. Flames spewed from its mouth, incinerating the Divine Tree in an instant. It turned to glare at Lu Chen.

"Human! How dare you wound me! I'll kill you!"

It whipped its tail toward Lu Chen, sending him flying. Lu Chen crashed beside Nantian Xiu and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon flicked its tongue and stepped forward, closing in on the three of them. "You humans should never have come here. You have no right to hunt us demonic beasts. The secret realm of Lord Sixth is not a place you should be in!"

Watching the beast draw closer, Lu Chen struggled to his feet and picked up the greatsword again. "Grandpa Xiu... how much longer?"

"Ten more minutes."

Nantian Xiu couldn't bear to see Lu Chen get dragged into this. "Sigh... Young one, this has nothing to do with you. You should run. You might still be able to escape with your movement techniques."

"Grandpa Xiu, didn't you say we're family? Didn't you say Wan'er and I should both take care of you? You treated me so well and even taught me your sword techniques. Deep down, I already see you as my own family. How could I ever leave you behind and run?"

The last ray of sunlight cast its glow across Lu Chen's face, outlining a proud, unyielding figure.

Lu Chen raised the greatsword above his head, and a power surged within the Hunyuan Greatsword, guiding him to chant an incantation.

"Heaven and earth without bounds, Hunyuan rends the skies. Lord of all creation, born to rule by heaven's will."

A protective and mysterious aura slowly emerged from the sword and began to envelop Lu Chen.

"Nantian Dragon-Slaying Sword! Go!"

A massive greenish-black dragon burst forth from the blade, surging straight toward the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon.

Nantian Xiu watched in stunned disbelief. Sword intent? I spent my entire life trying to grasp it... and Lu Chen awakened it in an instant?

Though the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon had begun its transformation into a true dragon, it remained, at its core, an earth serpent. Its fatal weakness, at the seventh-inch mark, remained unchanged. The green-black dragon struck true, slicing into that vulnerable spot and shredding both scales and flesh in a single, devastating blow.[2]

1. A Flood Dragon is a type of jiao, a mythical dragon from Chinese folklore. Unlike true dragons, a jiao has a serpentine body. It is powerful but less majestic, known more for its ferocity and strength than any elemental control. The Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon is simply a Flood Dragon with purple flames, with no water power implied ☜

2. In Chinese folklore and martial arts, seven inches often refer to the vital spot of snakes or serpent-like creatures, typically seven inches below the head, where a fatal strike can kill them. ☜