CHAPTER 658: 658 DRAGON POWER

Xuanyue Imperial City, East Gate.

At this moment, a fierce battle was also unfolding outside the East Gate. However, the parties involved in the fight seemed a bit peculiar, as one of the sides was a Golden Snake Worm radiating golden light.

"Xiao Wu, you useless thing, you can’t even handle an old man at the early stage of Qi Seeking Realm. You’re really disappointing me!"

At the foot of the East City Gate, a small child with a dolled-up face and a towering ponytail, watched the ongoing fight which had not yet determined a victor, and could not help but yell out in reprimand.

Hearing the child’s scolding, the faces of the crowd turned even stranger. They knew that the creature capable of battling an Earth Rank Third Realm powerhouse was a formidable Vein Demon, yet, from the tone of this child, it seemed he didn’t care at all?

Now, these people started to believe that this child, called Little Dragon, really was the son of Yun Xiao. Only such a father could produce such an exceptionally monstrous child.

The arrival of Little Dragon and the Golden Snake Worm somewhat alleviated the situation outside the East Gate, but unfortunately, the Golden Snake Worm’s combat strength in its original form was rather limited, capable of achieving only up to Low Level of Seventh Rank, roughly on par with Xie Jiupeng.

Hearing Little Dragon’s scolding, a flicker of anger passed through the eyes of the Golden Snake Worm. It couldn’t possibly direct its anger towards the Dragon Guiding Tree, so all of its rage burst forth towards Xie Jiupeng.

The Golden Snake Worm thought, if it weren’t for this guy, it wouldn’t be belittled by the Dragon Guiding Tree Spirit. In the next moment, its body shone brilliantly, and even its snake body seemed to grow thicker.

Bang!

With one sweep of its tail, Xie Jiupeng felt a great force attack him, causing him to stagger back several steps, and his eyes blazed with fury similar to that of the Golden Snake Worm.

It should be known that Xie Jiupeng was the prestigious Sect Master of the Qi Manipulation Sect, who had even the entire Yufeng Empire under his control, and even the Emperor of the Yufeng Empire had to follow his commands.

Moreover, given the strong national power of the Yufeng Empire, nominally deemed the number one empire in the Hidden Dragon Continent, Xie Jiupeng’s status was even a bit above the Flying Flower Empress.

Thus, Xie Jiupeng had never felt such humiliation before; he had come with great fanfare to destroy a nation, yet he ended up being held back by a mere snake worm. How could he swallow this grievance?

"Detestable beast!"

Cursing inwardly, Xie Jiupeng by no means underestimated the Golden Snake Worm. He knew that if they were to compare physical strength alone, he would likely be the one to lose in the end.

Therefore, Xie Jiupeng made a swift decision, and around him, violent Meridian Qi surged out. Then, his feet left the ground suddenly, floating without any support.

"It’s the Qi Manipulation Sect’s Secret Technique of Qi Manipulation!"

Many cultivators from the Xuanyue Empire, upon witnessing this scene, found it faintly familiar. Soon, they recalled the tactic used by Shen Wannian at the previous Countries Hidden Dragon Conference and immediately understood.

However, the Qi Manipulation Technique used by Xie Jiupeng at this moment was far more powerful than the one used by Shen Wannian, who was only at the Late Stage of Meridian Union Realm. In just a moment, Xie Jiupeng was already several meters off the ground, seemingly flying through the air.

It is known that for a human cultivator to achieve flight, they must at least reach the Third Realm of Heaven Rank, relying on the power of the sky to break free from the earth’s bounds and soar high.

And this Sect Master of the Qi Manipulation Sect, merely at the early stage of Qi Seeking Realm, used the secret technique passed down in his sect to gain the power of brief flight, proving himself to be an extraordinary figure indeed.

Whoosh!

Several meters off the ground, Xie Jiupeng instantly moved, his figure shifting like a ghost from the front to the back of the Golden Snake Worm.

In Xie Jiupeng’s hands, a long sword gleaming brightly appeared at some point, reaching the level of Earth Rank Low Level.

Seeing Xie Jiupeng’s wrist flick, the low-level Earth Rank sword mercilessly slashed towards the body of the Golden Snake Worm. If this stroke landed, even with the latter’s physical strength, it could potentially be severed in two.

The speed displayed by Xie Jiupeng at this moment was astonishingly fast; not just to the younger generation like Shen Wannian, but even Du Fuyun, the Emperor of the Thunderwind Empire known for his speed, would pale in comparison.

This was all due to the effect of the Qi Manipulation Sect’s secret technique, allowing him to hover several meters off the ground with seemingly no use, yet the enhancement to Xie Jiupeng’s speed was unparalleled.

With such an uncanny speed, even the Golden Snake Worm sensed something, revealing a trace of solemnity in its eyes. Although it hailed from a highly mysterious plane, its full power had not yet recovered, and sharp weapons like this could still cause it severe injury.

Had Xie Jiupeng used some blunt weapons like clubs, the Golden Snake Worm wouldn’t have cared in the slightest, easily countering with its own physical strength.

But an Earth Rank Low Level sharp weapon wielded by someone at the Qi Seeking Realm Early Stage deterred the Golden Snake Worm from resisting physically, for it knew what the consequences would be.

However, as the mystic Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, the Golden Snake Worm was not ready to admit defeat just yet. With a mere thought, an invisible aura had already enveloped the entire area around the East Gate of the Xuanyue Imperial City.

"This aura..."

The first to sense this aura was Xie Jiupeng, who was closest to the Golden Snake Worm. When he felt this aura, a sense of subservience rose from the depths of his heart, as if the Golden Snake before him was a supreme sovereign.

In contrast, the onlooking crowd showed shocked expressions. They hadn’t yet reached the Earth Rank Realm, and were completely vulnerable to such power. Their hands and legs went weak, and if not for retaining a trace of sanity, they might have all knelt down.

It was a reverence that came from deep within, a feeling erupting from the bloodline, making one involuntarily want to submit under such a majestic aura.

Dingling! Dingling! Dingling!

The cultivators at the Spirit Vein Realm were still holding on, but the lower-ranked soldiers from the two great empires found their hands softening, unable to grasp their weapons which fell to the ground. All they could manage was to stand, barely resisting the urge to kneel.

"Heh heh, this Dragon Power does have some use!"

Perhaps only the child named Little Dragon standing below the East City Gate remained indifferent, even letting out a chuckle. His words shocked the bystanders even more—was this really the legendary Dragon Power?

Being on the Nine Dragons Continent, even the cultivators from the Hidden Dragon Continent, who had little exposure to such things, knew that there were ancient Nine Dragons revered as divine beings.

However, over thousands of years, the number of human cultivators who had seen a Divine Dragon were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Perhaps only the high and mighty Nine-layered Dragon Cloud held a chance to witness the Divine Dragon in person, thought the cultivators from the Hidden Dragon Continent present there.

The crowd was unaware that the Golden Snake Worm was the legendary Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. Yet, the pressure forcing them to submit signaled that the origins of the Golden Snake Worm were far from ordinary.

Of course, making these Hidden Dragon Continent cultivators believe that this was indeed one of the Nine Dragons was utterly impossible. At this moment, they took Little Dragon’s words as the innocence of a child.

The Golden Snake Worm displayed, in truth, the supreme Dragon Power, yet no one present except Little Dragon could recognize it.

As this sudden wave of Dragon Power struck, Xie Jiupeng’s movements finally faltered, and a snake tail from the Golden Snake Worm escaped from the Earth Rank Low Level sword slash, switching from defense to attack.

Whoo...

The Golden Snake Worm’s tail swept viciously, aiming for the crucial spot on Xie Jiupeng’s cheek. If struck, Xie Jiupeng, the Sect Master of Qi Manipulation Sect, could be instantly gravely injured or even killed.

The tide of battle often changes in an instant. The special aura of the Golden Snake Worm not only freed it from impending severance by sword but also shifted it from passive to aggressive. This made the watching crowd sigh in awe.

Unfortunately for Xie Jiupeng, who had used the Qi Manipulation Sect’s Secret Technique, his speed was beyond what ordinary people could fathom. Despite the fast counterattack from the Golden Snake Worm, Xie Jiupeng was faster.

With a swift move, Xie Jiupeng dodged, and the Golden Snake Worm’s tail just swept past his throat, merely brushing him with its passing breeze without causing any harm.

The lightning-fast clash between the hare and the falcon was dazzling, both attacks being fatally precise. If either party had reacted just a bit slower, or if their speed was just a touch less, this battle might well have been over.

Neither Xie Jiupeng nor the Golden Snake Worm was satisfied with their attacks that failed to harm the opponent, their eyes filled with something called anger.

Swoosh!

Yet amid this brief calm, a whistling sound suddenly came from the East Wall of Xuanyue Imperial City, followed by a flutter of flower petals that appeared somewhat mystical.

"This thing..."

With a good relationship with the Flying Flower Empress, Xie Jiupeng, the Qi Manipulation Sect Master, was the first to sense the details of this cluster of flying flowers. As he murmured, a graceful figure emerged from within the petals.

At that moment, everyone below and above the city walls clearly saw the figure, their expressions varying, especially the cultivators from Xuanyue Empire, whose faces drastically changed.

"Could it be that the West Gate of the Imperial City has already been breached by the Flying Flower Empire?"

Many recognized the appearance of the Flying Flower Empress, and knew that among the Eight Great Empires besieging Xuanyue Empire, the Flying Flower Empire and Youlong Empire were stationed at the West Gate.

Now with the Flying Flower Empress appearing here, having leaped down from Baiyue City within the Imperial City, it signified something significant, leading all the Xuanyue Empire cultivators’ hearts to sink.