Chapter 421: Did you know you were about to die?! (4000 words)
The towering hundred-meter-tall man using the Dharma Heaven and Earth Technique took a deep breath, seawater gushing in and out of his nose.
The man looked at the Dragon Empress and grinned, “Little girl, step down from the North Sea Royal Position and give it to me. I’ll spare your life. You’re quite pretty; being my concubine wouldn’t be so bad either.”
“Hmph, ridiculous.”
The Dragon Empress extended her finger, pointing directly at his heart.
The tip of her finger quickly condensed the surrounding seawater.
Visible to the naked eye, the seawater in front of her fingertip transformed into a sharp water spike, piercing toward his heart.
Since they were surrounded by seawater, this water spike was like a compressed air vortex.
But the man struck with a punch, dispersing the water spike.
In an instant, his fist was already smashing toward the Dragon Empress.
The Dragon Empress didn’t move an inch.
Around her, seawater coalesced into countless fine threads that completely severed his incoming attack.
However, this was still the Dharma Heaven and Earth Technique, capable of reconstituting itself.
The man flexed his fists, looking at the woman before him, “Not bad, not bad. She has a good granddaughter, but alas, compared to your great-grandfather, you seem to fall short just a bit.”
The Dragon Empress tilted her head, “Then try me.”
She flicked her fingers, and sharp water lines formed from condensed seawater shot out like a heavenly net slicing toward him.
Wherever these water lines passed, the seawater even formed vacuums.
The man countered with a punch, releasing an eerie blue flame that surged outward from his fist.
The eerie blue flames enveloped his entire body.
Even after the water lines cut through them, they couldn’t harm him even slightly.
He launched another punch, and a blue tiger charged toward the Dragon Empress. With a wave of her arm, the tiger shattered into pieces.
Placing her hands in front of her, she stepped forward, and behind her appeared four dragon apparitions.
These dragons wore armor, stood on two legs, and held tridents.
The Dragon Empress stared directly at the man and opened her mouth, speaking a single word in draconic: “Die!”
The Dragon Tongue, a linguistic art exclusive to the True Dragon lineage, forbade any speech during cultivation, akin to the Buddhist vow of silence.
The longer one remained silent, the more potent their power became.
The Dragon Empress hadn’t spoken a single word for nearly ten thousand years.
Upon uttering her command, the surrounding seawater violently churned.
This wasn’t due to any spell of hers; rather, her Dragon Tongue had touched upon the laws of the Dao.
The Dao’s law naturally enforced her command: the death of the man before her.
Raging seawater formed two giant hands that bound the man’s arms.
Countless sharp swords pierced toward his head.
Yet, these water-formed swords were like striking stone, unable to harm his Dharma Heaven and Earth Technique even slightly.
The four dragon apparitions thrust their tridents into his limbs.
“Ha ha ha! Interesting!”
The man shouted, struggling fiercely, and all bindings vanished instantly.
But the force of the Dao wasn’t so easily dispelled.
Chains emerged from the void, tightly gripping his Dharma Heaven and Earth form.
Above the North Sea, clouds parted, and a massive sword protruded from them. In a flash, this colossal blade plunged downward! “BOOM!” The giant sword smashed toward his head.
A violent surge of spiritual energy combined with ocean waves, once again rising, destroying coral mountains across the North Sea, causing countless aquatic creatures to lose their lives.
At the spot where the man’s Dharma Heaven and Earth technique had been, a void now existed.
Under such an assault, the Dharma Heaven and Earth Technique should have been impossible to survive, forcing him to retreat back to the abyss.
But the Dragon Empress remained vigilant.
She transformed into her true dragon form and flew toward the collapsed area.
White dragon breath spewed from her mouth, blasting toward the direction of the Dharma Heaven and Earth technique.
Meanwhile, in the Abyss, the seawater continuously froze as the Dragon Empress reached out, pulling a bright pearl from the depths of the North Sea Abyss.
And this was the Linglong Pearl that Xu Ming needed.
But before the pearl could emerge from the abyss, a streak of eerie blue flame shot out like an arrow, striking the pearl directly, shattering it into powder.
The Dragon Empress was extremely displeased!
“ROAR!”
She lashed her tail toward the already battered Dharma Heaven and Earth form.
The man countered with a punch, colliding with her tail. For miles around, everything was obliterated, leaving no trace of life.
The Dragon Empress reverted to human form, landing on the ground, pressing her delicate hand against her chest as blood trickled from the corner of her lips.
The man’s Dharma Heaven and Earth form rapidly shrank back to normal size.
The man, holding an ethereal longsword, approached the Dragon Empress step by step, determined to deliver this strike even as his illusion began to dissipate!
The Dragon Empress straightened up, and a long whip appeared in her hand.
With a lash, the whip moved like a dragon, attempting to slay him. The man quickly advanced.
As they neared each other, the man’s sword aimed for her forehead while her whip pierced toward his back heart.
If he were his true self, this would indeed result in mutual destruction.
But this was merely the Dharma Heaven and Earth Technique!
While he might suffer damage, he wouldn’t die—resting for ten thousand years could restore him. However, the Dragon Empress might very well perish!
Just as all seemed lost, a crimson longsword appeared before the Dragon Empress.
“Clang!”
Xu Ming’s Immortal Sword Red Sleeve clashed with the man’s blade tip, sending a tremendous shockwave through his body.
Xu Ming felt as though his right arm no longer belonged to him.
However, Xu Ming’s intervention bought enough time for the Dragon Empress.
She stepped back, and her whip pierced through the man’s back heart.
Xu Ming was sent flying backward but was caught by the Dragon Empress.
Xu Ming felt the softness of her back.
When both stabilized, they spat out mouthfuls of blood.
The man’s Dharma Heaven and Earth form rapidly disintegrated. Before it disappeared entirely, his gaze landed on the red sword in her hand: “Who would’ve thought even Red Sleeve has made a choice… hahaha…”
With his final words, the man’s Dharma Heaven and Earth form dissipated completely.
The Dragon Empress pointed her finger at the abyss and spoke again, “Seal!”
Ice spread rapidly, not only sealing the abyss but continuing to expand outward.
Centered on the abyss, dozens of miles were frozen solid. The seawater carried bone-chilling cold, as if they were in a snow kingdom.
“Do you realize you almost died?”
The Dragon Empress spoke softly, glaring at Xu Ming.
A single “die” and a single “seal” had utterly depleted the Dragon Empress’s ten-thousand-year accumulation of Dragon Tongue power.
As long as the Dragon Empress avoided speaking in draconic, there was nothing wrong with her talking normally.
Seeing her rosy lips and tender pink tongue, Xu Ming momentarily froze.
“I arrived earlier but didn’t dare interfere with the battlefield. Near the end, I sensed the opponent was nearing exhaustion, far weaker than before, so I acted.”
Xu Ming calmly explained, knowing the Dragon Empress was worried about him.
“Besides, isn’t Your Majesty unharmed? And so am I. This means I placed the right bet, doesn’t it?”
“You…”
The Dragon Empress tried to say something more but felt a sweetness in her throat, spitting out more blood as she collapsed onto Xu Ming.
“Your Majesty?”
Xu Ming caught her and immediately flew toward the Dragon Palace.
Actually, Xu Ming didn’t need to come here. But since all the high-ranking maidservants of the Dragon Palace, including Little Blue, had entered the Imperial Palace to activate some array and trusted their Empress to handle things, Xu Ming grew uneasy and rushed over.
When Xu Ming arrived, he unexpectedly encountered this critical moment. Fortunately, the opponent was already weakened, and he possessed an Immortal Weapon.
Had any condition been missing, Xu Ming doubted he could have stopped him.
Back at the North Sea Dragon Palace, Little Blue was already waiting for her Empress.
Unexpectedly, Xu Ming returned carrying their Empress.
Xu Ming handed her over without a word.
Little Blue said nothing, immediately taking her Empress back to the palace.
By the time Xu Ming returned to his quarters, others had already been arranged by the maidservants of the North Sea Dragon Palace to return to their respective courtyards.
Listening to the historians of the Wu Kingdom, Xu Ming learned that although the North Sea Dragon Capital experienced a brief period of chaos, it was quickly quelled by others in the Dragon Palace. Everything had returned to peace.
Xu Ming nodded, instructing the Wu Kingdom historian not to wander around but stay in his courtyard. He reassured everyone that the Dragon Empress was unharmed and would soon return to oversee matters.
Although Xu Ming’s words were false, they served as a calming pill for everyone.
As long as the Dragon Empress was unharmed, there would be no further issues. With her presence, stability would prevail.
Xu Ming then headed back to the White Deer Academy.
Compared to the Wu Kingdom historians who were leaderless, the White Deer Academy, under the guidance of Lu Xiaoliu and Mr. Liu, remained relatively stable.
Lu Xiaoliu and Mr. Liu questioned Xu Ming about the situation, and Xu Ming truthfully informed them, seeing no reason to hide anything.
Only by doing so could these two gentlemen make the most accurate judgments.
And Xu Ming trusted they wouldn’t spread the news.
Sure enough, when the three emerged from the room, even Zhu Cici asking Lu Xiaoliu and Mr. Liu for details received only assurances that everything was fine, the Dragon Empress would handle everything.
Hearing the Dragon Empress was unharmed, Yu Wen Xi and others relaxed.
To outsiders, the phrase “the Dragon Empress is unharmed” carried immense weight, let alone among the common people of the North Sea.
The next morning, the North Sea Dragon Palace issued a decree.
The contents roughly stated that forces from Zhongyan Shan sought to harm the Four Seas and disrupt the Four Seas Ceremony, but the Dragon Empress had discovered and thwarted their plot early on.
Now, everything in the Four Seas was normal, and the Dragon Empress was unharmed. All citizens should continue their daily lives.
This decree was copied and distributed to various cities and islands across the North Sea.
Moreover, the Dragon Empress had dispatched troops to assist in rebuilding and pacifying the North Sea and its islands.
From Xu Ming’s perspective, the North Sea Dragon Palace issuing clear notifications and making decisive decisions the day after the incident undoubtedly calmed everyone’s hearts.
Everyone knew this was an unexpected event. Since the Dragon Empress was unharmed, the entire North Sea would remain peaceful. Rebuilding was merely a matter of time, and life would go on.
Of course, those who perished wouldn’t return. During this time, countless funerals would take place across the Four Seas.
And Zhongyan Shan, the mastermind behind all this, would be despised throughout the Four Seas.
It was unlikely that all these arrangements after the Four Seas Ceremony were made by the Dragon Empress herself.
Her injuries were severe, and she was likely unconscious.
So all this was probably the judgment of her ten maidservants.
Clearly, the skills of the Dragon Empress’s ten maidservants were quite remarkable.
As for all the envoys within the Dragon Capital, they were all being consoled by various officials.
Since the Four Seas Ceremony had concluded, and some feared responsibility, many envoy groups had already departed to report back to their kingdoms.
For those leaving, the North Sea Dragon Palace hosted farewell ceremonies according to customary protocols.
Still, many envoys felt it best to stay for a while longer, thinking it inappropriate to leave too hastily. For these, the North Sea Dragon Palace provided regular hospitality.
Currently, everything appeared normal.
But Xu Ming worried—if the Dragon Empress continued to remain unseen, could the current situation be maintained?
[Today, I encountered an incredibly unreasonable relative, truly insane. It was absurd,
I’ve never seen anyone so unreasonable, truly unbelievable.
I can’t comprehend why someone like this exists. Are they really stupid? Truly incapable of reasoning.
What does respecting elders mean? Speaking politely, giving them sufficient face?
Absolutely ridiculous. What do I owe them? What have they ever given me? Why should I respect someone just because they’re older? Should I yield to everything just because they’ve lived longer?
What are you even worth! They’re absolutely crazy.
Some people really get more confused the older they get! I couldn’t stand it anymore and called the police.
I originally planned to update more today, even if not much, to save drafts since the New Year is approaching, but this chapter barely got published.]
