Chapter 548: Dragon

Chapter 548: The Dragon

Before the temporarily trapped phantom year, Li Huowang, sword in hand, leaped high from the ground with a powerful thrust of his six tentacles and two legs.

"Die!"

In the next instant, the sharp tip of his sword pierced through the left eye socket of the human skin mask, then emerged cleanly from the back of the skull.

Li Huowang did not forget what Zhuge Yuan had warned him about earlier. With both hands pushing on the hilt, he used that force to leap backward and land firmly.

But when he saw the phantom year standing there unharmed, its head pierced by his sacred copper coin sword, Li Huowang's face darkened drastically.

He realized his left foot had been pierced by something red, now shriveled and aged.

This phantom year was far smarter than he'd imagined, even able to trade injuries for traps, preventing him from escaping with his spine sword.

"What is this thing made of? It has a copper coin sword stuck in its head—supposedly meant to repel evil—and it shows no reaction at all!"

Without hesitation, Li Huowang tore off his red Daoist robe and threw it to the ground, pulling out his fire striker from his sleeve.

The wounded phantom year stood still, not rushing toward Li Huowang, but instead turning its face covered in human skin toward the left.

Its massive beast body leaned slightly forward, letting out a fierce, beast-like growl from beneath the skin.

Then came a series of heavy, chaotic footsteps—“Bang bang bang bang～”—closer now, so close they seemed almost painful to hear.

He tilted his head slightly, seeing in the darkness a mountain-sized figure approaching him, accompanied by those sounds.

It was very near now. As it drew closer, Li Huowang’s keen eyes could finally make out its full form in the dark.

Lanterns, dragon banners, jade disks, ringed ornaments, bells—all dusty and ancient, densely adorned the towering wooden pavilion before him.

Four pillars painted with red clouds and dragons, tied with black silk ribbons, surrounded the entire structure with black cloud-patterned canopies.

The heavy, disordered footsteps came from below—servants in tattered clothes, their heads wrapped tightly in white cloth, dragging ropes like mules.

Though everything on the pavilion was decayed, filthy, and rotting, Li Huowang recognized it instantly—it was the emperor's royal carriage of the Great Qi!

He never expected the noise he’d just heard to be from the zombie emperor of Great Qi!

A piercing gaze shot down from the pavilion, locking onto Li Huowang. He knew he was being watched.

Looking at the phantom year in the distance, then at the oppressive carriage bearing down on him, Li Huowang cursed inwardly. “This cursed place! I’ve never had any luck!”

There was no need for words anymore. Li Huowang opened his mouth wide and spat out Li Sui, raising his spine sword and slicing her back to Liang. Then, without hesitation, he slashed his own skin with the fire striker.

“Boom!” Li Huowang burst into flames instantly, becoming a blazing torch that illuminated everything around him.

Through the flickering flames, he glanced at the phantom year, then charged toward the massive imperial carriage, flames blazing.

Compared to the mysterious phantom year, this emperor of Qi should be easier to deal with—and more flammable.

As they drew closer, Li Huowang heard other voices.

“Long live His Majesty... Thank the Lord for His grace... May the Emperor be blessed...” These skeletal servants, dragging the carriage, repeated meaningless phrases in a mechanical monotone.

Suddenly, Li Huowang raised his right hand. Flames instantly engulfed the servants, turning them into living torches.

His leg was injured, making movement difficult—but he had another way.

“Boom!” Peng Long Teng slammed down beside Li Huowang, catching him mid-air with one giant hand and hurling him straight up toward the highest point of the imperial carriage.

As Li Huowang crashed inside, the canopy of clouds ignited and burned away. In the fire, he saw the young emperor of Great Qi.

A child barely six or seven years old, dressed in a vast dragon robe, sat upon an even larger throne—an incongruous sight.

Even more incongruous was his appearance—he had only heard that this emperor was already dead, a zombie. But here stood a chubby, innocent-looking child.

Then, that perfectly normal child began rising, his dragon robe rising higher and higher.

When the robe fully lifted, the stacked dragon veins underneath were revealed.

Who would have thought that the young emperor of Great Qi wasn’t a person at all—he had already connected to the dragon veins while alive!

A violent wind roared, and the entire dragon vein coiled in midair. At its peak, the emperor, arms wide, laughed gleefully.

A powerful aura pressed down, even suppressing the flames on Li Huowang’s body.

“Swish~!” Li Huowang gripped his spine sword and slashed upward. The crack flew past, but struck nothing!

For the first time since obtaining the spine sword, he had encountered something untouched by the dual historical rifts.

The dragon veins trembled violently, a shadowy figure flying toward him, striking him hard.

Spitting blood, Li Huowang was thrown from the flaming carriage. The flames went out instantly, and everything around him blurred—both Shangguan Yuting and Zhuge Yuan flickered in and out of clarity.

Just as he was about to fall from great height, he shut his eyes tight, feeling himself plunge into icy water.

When he swam to the surface and opened his eyes again, half his body was buried in the earth.

"Zhuge Brother! Are you alright?" Li Huowang called out as he struggled out of the dirt, asking anxiously in his mind.

Zhuge Yuan opened his mouth to speak urgently, but Li Huowang couldn’t hear him clearly.

However, when he saw Zhuge Yuan pointing toward the imperial carriage, Li Huowang turned his head and saw the dragon veins of Great Qi, like a real dragon, swooping down with overwhelming pressure.

“Roar~!” A furious roar caused the dragon veins to freeze mid-air, coiling tightly in the sky.

Li Huowang followed the sound and saw it was the phantom year’s voice. Her fur stood on end, clearly furious at the dragon’s arrival.

Seeing this, Li Huowang looked down at his pierced leg. “Try it! See if we can escape while they’re fighting!”

Without delay, he raised his spine sword and slashed open a rift, charging forward.

But in the next moment, the dragon veins swept down, shattering the rift into pieces.

Clearly, the dragon veins rejected the dual historical rifts, abandoning the provoking phantom year and lunging directly at Li Huowang.

The stacked dragon veins moved fast, striking with tremendous force. One swing and half his shoulder collapsed.

Li Huowang thrust his purple-tassel sword into the dragon’s back, but it felt like scratching a fly.

This was the first time he faced such a formidable enemy—their attacks rendered everything he carried useless.

———

Next chapter updates at 00:02

(End of Chapter)