Beiluo Lake Island.

Lu Fan leaned on the back of the Thousand Blades Chair and held the bronze wine cup. He took a sip of the green plum wine.

His eyes sparkled.

Suddenly, he cracked a smile.

“Bow down before the Black Dragon?”

Lu Fan took in a deep breath, his hair and white robe blowing in the wind. Snow still continued falling from the sky, though it might be the last snow of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

“Did Yuwen Xiu affect the Black Dragon or did the Black Dragon affect Yuwen Xiu?”

Lu Fan weighed the bronze wine cup in his hand.

Demonic Cultivation and Evil Cultivation—both were ways to cultivate, but Lu Fan shouldn’t intervene. However, the Black Dragon indeed stepped on the wrong side of the road, perhaps since the moment when Yuwen Xiu fed it the first piece of human flesh.

Or maybe it started when Yuwen Xiu attracted the Black Dragon with human blood…

He predetermined the ending of the Black Dragon.

“From drinking human blood to eating human flesh to eating an entire human. Now it’s swallowing cultivators…”

The process of the Black Dragon becoming evil also reflected the change that happened in Yuwen Xiu’s heart.

“Adopting the Evil Cultivation method like eating cultivators might help the Black Dragon to extract a fake pearl by sheer luck. But it was far from the real Dragon Pearl Golden Elixir.”

Lu Fan shook his head.

Besides, he couldn’t help but laugh when Yuwen Xiu said the other dragons should bow down before the Black Dragon.

Maybe it was fair to say that the Black Dragon evolved the fastest among all the other dragons.

However…

The Black Dragon was not even close to being the strongest one among all the other dragons.

More so, the Black Dragon wasn’t even among the top three.

Lu Fan raised his head and looked into the distance. He could see the little Responsive Dragon sprawled on the Dragon Gate in Beiluo Lake. A white Tianji Pigeon stood on its head and cooed.

The little Responsive Dragon was still as a rock, with its wings down, and then it spurted out a line of water from its mouth.

The water arched in the air and sprayed on the Tianji Pigeon, scaring it away.

The little Responsive Dragon immediately cracked a broad smile. It stood up from the Dragon Gate and kept spurting water with its mouth at the white Tianji Pigeon.

It was having so much fun.

Lu Fan glanced at it and then moved his eyes away.

He started to question… if he made the little Responsive Dragon dumb.

Of course, although the little Responsive Dragon was goofy, it would still beat the Black Dragon in a real fight.

“All right…”

Lu Fan smiled. Even if the little Responsive Dragon were foolish, no one would dare bully it when Lu Fan was around.

Lu Fan’s consciousness flickered.

His Spiritual Sense focused and entered the Dragon Gate the next moment.

The little Responsive Dragon sensed something enter the Dragon Gate while it was playing with the Tianji Pigeon. It stopped for a second, and its eyes turned around in search.

It didn’t find anything, so it returned to spraying water at the Tianji Pigeon.

******

At the Dragon Gate.

The young woman sat quietly on the bluestone. She played the flute in her hands.

It was snowing yet Buzhou Peak remained green all year round.

Suddenly…

The young woman paused with her eyes closed. She raised her smooth chin and looked at a place in the void with excitement.

******

The imperial garden in the capital city.

The Black Dragon raised its head and stared at the Dragon Gate above the pond with its penetrating eyes.

A man stood in silence in the Dragon Gate.

Everyone in the imperial garden was astonished upon seeing the person.

“A disciple of White Jade City?”

“He’s the coachman of Young Master Lu…”

“White Jade City… Nie Changqing!”

The faces of those who were there tightened in disbelief.

What did White Jade City represent?

It was the most powerful group of cultivators in the world!

Yuwen Xiu stared at Nie Changqing, his eyes filled with dismay.

He didn’t expect Nie Changqing would show up. What did it mean? Did it mean Lu Ping’an was going to take back the Black Dragon?

Yuwen Xiu refused to resign himself to defeat.

Bai Qingniao had injured the Black Dragon in the imperial garden before.

Now Nie Changqing turned up in the imperial garden intending to capture the Black Dragon.

Didn’t White Jade City say they wouldn’t intervene?

Why did they target him again and again?

Nie Changqing leaned on the Dragon Gate. He glared at the ferocious Black Dragon with his stubbly lips curled up. The Black Dragon seemed to be so powerful that even Nie Changqing could feel his hair stand on end.

The little black jiao dragon had grown so much without him realizing.

How unfortunate…

The Young Master probably wouldn’t have stepped in if the Black Dragon didn’t achieve breakthroughs by eating people. Nonetheless… the Black Dragon was cultivating and leveling up at the price of the lives of commoners and cultivators.

It was an utterly evil way of cultivation.

Nie Changqing raised his hand and held the butcher knife, which was on his belt. The Black Dragon was very strong. After eating the Black Dragon Guard, the Black Dragon almost entered the Golden Elixir Realm.

Nie Changqing wouldn’t be certain if he could defeat it if he hadn’t finished the fifth level of the Trial Pagoda.

However…

Nie Changqing was now confident about the fight since he had developed elemental Spirit Qi.

Nie Changqing stepped forward and flew out of the Dragon Gate as his white robe flapped in the wind.

The tips of his shoes tapped on the water, creating ripples on the pond.

He pulled out the butcher knife abruptly.

“Butcher knife. It can kill pigs or slaughter dragons.”

Nie Changqing chuckled.

Deploying the best Lightness Skill, he strode across the void and walked through the snow. He waved the butcher knife in his hand.

The Black Dragon roared!

The scales around its neck shook violently, raising thewater in the pond.

The Black Dragon gripped the ground with its sharp claws, and then the snow on the ground exploded. The dragon stretched out four claws and pounced on Nie Changqing.

Nie Changqing stood in place, his white robe flapping in the wind.

He gently tossed the butcher knife up. Then the black butcher knife floated in the air and started to spin rapidly in front of Nie Changqing.

The energy around Nie Changqing also increased dramatically. Five Spirit Qi swirls formed a delicate armor of Spirit Qi around his body.

“Royal Knife,” Nie Changqing bellowed.

Using the butcher knife, he abruptly struck the dragon. The shadow of the knife dashed toward the Black Dragon.

Even the air became thinner. The blade of the knife hit the Black Dragon, releasing a clanking sound.

With Nie Changqing attracting the Black Dragon’s attention…

The Overlord could finally take a breath.

The Overlord stood still and watched how Nie Changqing and the Black Dragon were well-matched. His face tightened.

Nie Changqing became stronger again!

Nie Changqing wielded the butcher knife and brought it down repeatedly on the Black Dragon’s body. The dragon’s invincible scales seemed to be on the verge of breaking.

Nie Changqing’s knife was much more powerful than the Overlord’s ax!

The Black Dragon swept its tail across, but Nie Changqing simply leaped into the air and struck down from above with his butcher knife.

The force of the knife spread in the imperial garden.

The Black Dragon was at a disadvantageous position.

The Xuanwu Guard and Xiang Family’s Army were both astounded by the scene.

After all, they just witnessed that the Black Dragon was so strong that even the Overlord had to stay away from it.

Nonetheless, with his butcher knife, Nie Changqing met the enemy force by force.

The Overlord stood in the snow and shouted at Nie Changqing who was fighting at close quarters with the Black Dragon. “Nie Changqing!”

“The Black Dragon is about to gather the Dragon Pearl Golden Elixir. Don’t give it a chance!”

Nie Changqing nodded slightly and said, “I know.”

His expression became grim.

“Young Master asked me to take you back to Beiluo. Do you want to follow me yourself or let me beat you senselessly and drag you back?” Nie Changqing asked.

The Black Dragon’s eyes flickered. It opened its mouth and roared angrily…

As if it was blasting energy from every piece of its dragon scales.

It bolted toward Nie Changqing at full speed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Black Dragon’s claws possessed tremendous strength. Even the ground underneath Nie Changqing’s feet seemed to begin to crack.

Nie Changqing focused his eyes. The knife spirit exploded from his body and cast a shadow of the butcher knife around him.

“The knife spirit of metal!” Nie Changqing shouted in a low voice.

The brilliant light looked like melted gold splattering.

Nie Changqing swung the butcher knife back and leaped into the air. The ground suddenly blew up.

With frightening force, the golden Qi of the knife blasted away the snow on the ground and the water in the pond.

The Black Dragon felt the threatening power. Nie Changqing’s knife made the black dragon smell the scent of death.

The Black Dragon twisted its body and opened the mouth.

The Dragon’s Breath lashed out.

The blazing breath collided with Nie Changqing’s knife, which contained the metal element!

Two elements met head-on!

Tit for tat!

Slowly, the Black Dragon’s Dragon’s Breath was suppressed by Nie Changqing’s knife.

The golden light penetrated the Black Dragon’s body.

The sound of the dragon scales cracking reverberated in the imperial garden, along with the loud, painful wail of the Black Dragon.

He slashed the Black Dragon with his knife.

The dragon blood splattered all over the garden.

The Black Dragon instantly fell on the ground. A deep wound extended from its back to its tail.

The knife severely injured the dragon.

Nie Changqing’s white robe was soaked dragon’s blood. He walked out at a leisurely pace with the butcher knife floating above his head.

He was a little surprised.

The Black Dragon… couldn’t be killed by his best move?

It was indeed a dragon descendant that had a much better defense than a human.

Nevertheless…

Since he didn’t kill it with one blow, he would try a few more times!

Nie Changqing’s eyes brightened up. The knife spirit surged in his body again as his butcher knife produced clanking sounds.

The knife spirit of metal struck again.

This one would definitely kill the Black Dragon.

In the distance…

Yuwen Xiu’s face was as white as a sheet of paper.

He didn’t anticipate the Black Dragon to be beaten down.

The Black Dragon, fed with human flesh, was his last hope. He actually hesitated as well when he first started to do that.

He had lost sleep when he started feeding the Black Dragon human flesh.

But when the Black Dragon displayed much more strength and even made his Black Dragon Guard more powerful, Yuwen Xiu started to think that feeding the Black Dragon with humans was worthwhile if it could help him and the dragon.

Therefore, he decided to double down.

He used to think that the Black Dragon would be so powerful after devouring so many humans and even cultivators… Even if it was not a match for Lu Ping’an in White Jade City yet, it should be able to defeat the disciples at least.

Yet the reality dealt him a heavy blow today.

The Black Dragon still couldn’t beat the disciples of White Jade City!

In the distance…

Tantai Xuan, Jiang Li, and the generals of the Great Xuan all trembled in fright.

It was a fight between a great cultivator and an evil dragon.

It was an earth-shattering fight. The force of the butcher knife shattered the will to fight among all Xuanwu Guards.

Tantai Xuan also had mixed feelings. “Cultivator… This is a cultivator.”

Jiang Li held the silver spear, eyes blazing.

Although he always knew White Jade City was formidable, he still underestimated them.

The Black Dragon might be strong, yet the disciples of White Jade City were stronger!

The Overlord could feel the blood boiling in his body. The black dragon had overpowered him, but Nie Changqing had overpowered the black dragon…

Deducing from that, he would probably be defeated if he fought against Nie Changqing.

Nie Changqing already developed elemental Spirit Qi and became one of the best cultivators in the Internal Organs Realm. He was halfway to the Heavenly Lock Realm!

Did the Overlord fall behind again?!

The Overlord was not resigned!

The Black Dragon sensed the danger.

The second strike, full of the knife spirit of metal, made the Black Dragon feel like it was about to die. The dragon descendant was also a type of beast that was always sensitive to death.

The Black Dragon didn’t want to die.

Thus, the Black Dragon opened its mouth.

The black pearl floated out of its mouth. Countless shadows of the deceased flashed on the surface of the dragon pearl. Those were the souls of the people who were eaten by the Black Dragon.

A glimmer of red light flashed in the Black Dragon’s eyes.

It wanted to gather the Dragon Pearl Golden Elixir by force!

Even though it knew it was not the time yet… Nie Changqing had given him no other choice.

The Black Dragon roared!

Its dragon scales started to transform. The jet black dragon’s blood oozed from the scales and penetrated the black dragon pearl.

Nie Changqing’s face was cold and stern. He brought down the butcher knife—with knife spirit of metal—on the dragon.

He was merciless.

Things would be really bad if the Black Dragon were able to gather the Dragon Pearl Golden Elixir.

Unless the Young Master stepped in… Otherwise, who else in the world could subdue the Black Dragon in the Golden Elixir Realm?

Therefore, Nie Changqing couldn’t let it happen.

The knife spirit contained the invincible Spirit Qi of metal.

He brusquely brought down the knife.

It hit the black dragon pearl.

Bang!

The black light became brighter in an instant. Dragon’s blood splattered and then evaporated due to the the heat, turning into a black mist that enveloped the Black Dragon and the dragon pearl.

The entire imperial garden was filled with an oppressive and dreary feeling.

Nie Changqing’s face was serious. He raised his head and saw dark clouds forming…

“Extraordinary phenomenon… Is it about to gather the Dragon Pearl Golden Elixir?”

Nie Changqing inhaled a deep breath.

He grasped the butcher knife horizontally in front of him and stepped forward. The snow on the ground was blown away by the force. He sprinted toward the black mist.

He raised the butcher knife and aimed it at the Black Dragon in the black mist.

There was a dim ray of golden light barely visible in the black mist.

The Golden Elixir!

Nie Changqing’s heart sunk.

A dragon claw came out of the black mist.

The strength and energy were both more formidable.

The Black Dragon successfully gathered the Dragon Pearl Golden Elixir by force!

Its claw clashed with Nie Changqing’s butcher knife. The knife made a crisp sound…

A crack appeared on the knife!

Nie Changqing’s pupils contracted.

The butcher knife recoiled.

Nie Changqing held it in his hand. The massive force made Nie Changqing spin on the ground for a while before steadying himself.

The thick fog dissipated.

A dim, golden pearl floated in the Black Dragon’s mouth.

Gathered the Dragon Pearl Golden Elixir!

The Black Dragon’s eyes brimmed with excitement. It had succeeded!

The bet paid off!

Of course, the Golden Elixir was only a fake one for now. But it could make it real with enough time!

For now, the fake elixir was enough to deal with Nie Changqing.

The Black Dragon’s eyes gleamed with eagerness.

It turned out that eating cultivators was indeed a shortcut to cultivation.

The Black Dragon glared at Nie Changqing, the Overlord, the Xuanwu Guard, and the Xiang Family’s Army…

These cultivators!

Could he have even more breakthroughs if he ate them all?!

Nie Changqing let out a breath. There was a crack on the butcher knife in his hand. He lifted it and darted a glance. He knew it was time for him to get a new knife.

After all, the butcher knife was only an ordinary knife—not even a Spirit Tool.

Maybe he should ask Master Gongshu to make him a new knife after he returned to the Beiluo Lake Island.

The Black Dragon scowled at Nie Changqing with greed.

He was eager to eat Nie Changqing at this moment.

However… the figure of a man somehow popped up in the Black Dragon’s heart.

It was a silhouette of a man sitting in a canoe and fishing quietly.

This man made the Black Dragon drop the idea of eating Nie Changqing…

Because Nie Changqing was a disciple of the man.

It couldn’t afford to offend him.

So the Black Dragon shifted its eyes toward the Overlord and the armies of cultivators.

Roar!

The Black Dragon roared and released enormous energy from the Dragon Pearl Golden Elixir.

Nie Changqing sighed. He couldn’t subdue this Black Dragon. He failed the mission that the Young Master had given him.

It was the first time he failed a mission. The sense of loss weighed on him.

All of a sudden…

He heard the melodic sound of a flute…

From the Dragon Gate above the pond.

It lingered in the air of the dreary imperial garden.

Nie Changqing was dumbfounded.

Yuwen Xiu—who was initially elated because of the Black Dragon’s breakthrough—was also taken by surprise.

The Black Dragon roaring in the air recoiled in horror. A feeling of coldness ran down its spine.

It stared closely at the Dragon Gate and was even more frightened than the time when Nie Changqing showed up.

They saw…

Inside the dark Dragon Gate…

An elegant figure walking toward them unhurriedly.

It was a young woman. Eyes closed, she held the flute and played gently. She slowly came into sight from the Dragon Gate.

“It’s her?”

Nie Changqing was shocked. He recognized that the young woman was the mysterious girl in the Dragon Gate at Buzhou Peak.

Tantai Xuan also recognized the young woman. His expression changed.

How could he forget the setback he encountered on his way to an immortal encounter?

But why would this woman come here?

The Black Dragon stared at the young woman menacingly.

The sound of the flute stopped gradually.

The young woman stopped playing. She put down the flute and raised her smooth chin. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she faced the Black Dragon directly.

The Black Dragon shook like a leaf.

It uttered a deep roar, yet it sounded weak and terrified.

Wearing a golden armor, Yuwen Xiu watched his Black Dragon. He had never seen the Black Dragon be so scared before!

Who on earth was this young woman?

Who else besides Lu Ping’an of White Jade City could petrify the Black Dragon?

“Follow me,” said the young woman, Zhu Long.

Roar!

The Black Dragon let out a deep roar of fear and unwillingness.

Then it swallowed the Dragon Pearl Golden Elixir, turned around, and wrapped itself with the dark clouds. It wanted to flee!

People were stunned by the scene.

Yuwen Xiu was blown away the most.

Because…

His Black Dragon that just had a breakthrough was escaping?!

The young woman sighed softly. Her long hair blew in the wind. She had given it a chance.

Her eyelashes fluttered.

She slowly opened her eyes.

The left eye was black and the right eye white.

Bang!

No one in the imperial garden could see anything in front of them.

Darkness and white glow alternated and made them feel sick.

They could hear the Black Dragon’s terrified wail.

As though it was yelling…

“Don’t come close!”

Finally…

the dragon’s wailing stopped.

And people could see clearly again.

The black mist vanished. Snow fell quietly from the sky and blanketed the ground with whiteness.

They heard the pleasant sound of flute again. The young woman gripped the black dragon’s tail with one hand and held the flute with the other. The relaxing song was accompanied by the scraping sound of the Black Dragon’s claws grating against the ground.

Dragged by the young woman, the Black Dragon’s enormous body disappeared in the Dragon Gate.

Everything was quiet.

Everyone was puzzled.

What happened just now?

…