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Chapter Image Source: Pixiv Artist "SKB" / Pixiv Art Code "67657783"
Be sure to read chapter 19 first before chapter 20 because today is a double upload day.
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The once pristine corridors of Xianzhou Yuque had been transformed into a nightmarish battleground. Marshal Jinhua, resplendent in her ebony armor adorned with ominous motifs, led her troops in a relentless battle against the Denizens of Abundance. The clash of steel against steel, the cries of combatants, and the sickening stench of blood filled the air.
Jinhua's blade, a masterful work of craftsmanship, danced with lethal grace as she parried and countered the attacks of her foes. Her troops, the valiant Cloud Knights of Xianzhou, fought with unwavering determination, their azure banners a symbol of hope amidst the encroaching darkness.
"Push them back!" Jinhua's voice rang out, her commands clear and unwavering. "We cannot allow these intruders to desecrate our home."
Her troops, fueled by her resolute leadership, redoubled their efforts. Each swing of their swords, each thrust of their spears, was executed with precision and purpose. The Denizens of Abundance, clad in their eerie ebony armor, were formidable adversaries, but they were met with unwavering resolve.
Amidst the chaos of battle, Jinhua's thoughts turned to the uncertain future that lay ahead. The invasion of Xianzhou Yuque had come as a shock, and the Denizens of Abundance were unlike any foe they had faced before. Their motives remained shrouded in mystery, and their relentless assault was an ominous portent of the trials to come.
A fellow knight, his armor bearing the scars of battle, fought alongside Jinhua. He cast a wary glance at their foes and spoke in hushed tones. "Marshal, what drives these invaders? Why would they seek to lay waste to our homeland?"
Jinhua's eyes narrowed with determination as she parried a foe's strike. "That is a question that haunts my thoughts as well," she replied. "But in times of uncertainty, we must stand united and resolute. We defend Xianzhou, not only for ourselves but for the generations that will follow."
The knight nodded in agreement, his resolve unshaken. "For Xianzhou," he affirmed, echoing the sentiment that coursed through the ranks of the Cloud Knights.
With renewed determination, Jinhua led her troops in a fierce counterattack. The clash of arms continued to echo through the corridors of Xianzhou Yuque, a testament to the unwavering spirit of those who stood as guardians of their homeland.
As the battle raged on, Jinhua couldn't help but wonder about the true nature of their adversaries and the purpose behind this invasion. Little did she know that, elsewhere within the flagship, the High Cloud Quintet faced a formidable adversary of their own.
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The sight that met the High Cloud Quintet as they faced the unleashed horror of the dragon was enough to send shivers down their spines. Each member of the quintet, including those with heightened spiritual sensitivity like Dan Feng and Baiheng, was gripped by fear.
The dragon's immense and grotesque form dominated the corridor, its scales shimmering with an eerie, malevolent light. It exuded an aura of death and despair that seemed to seep into their very souls. For Dan Feng, whose lineage was tied to dragons, the sight was especially unnerving, as he sensed a sinister resonance with the creature.
Baiheng, with her innate connection to spirits and the supernatural, could feel the presence of malevolent forces at play. Her fox instincts warned her of the danger they faced. Despite their training and courage, they couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the sheer terror of the moment.
As the High Cloud Quintet stood before this monstrous adversary, their unity and resolve were put to the ultimate test. The dragon's presence was an ominous reminder that their mission had taken a perilous turn, and the outcome of this battle would shape the destiny of Xianzhou Yuque.
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Shuhu, the enigmatic scholar and custodian of ancient knowledge, and the leader of the Denizens of Abundance, lay pinned to the gravel-strewn floor of the chamber, his body ensnared by countless spears and swords. The man who had orchestrated the invasion of Xianzhou Yuque now found himself at the mercy of his own machinations, trapped in the relentless grip of his own creation.
As he gazed up at the monstrous Corpse Coat Dragon that loomed above him, Shuhu's eyes held a look of sheer vulnerability. The aura of detachment and wisdom that had always surrounded him had dissipated, replaced by an unsettling realization of the dire situation he had brought upon himself.
The dragon's presence was suffocating, its malevolence palpable. Shuhu's breathing came in ragged gasps as he struggled to find his voice amidst the weight of his predicament. He knew that the dragon's awakening was not a mere coincidence; it was a consequence of his own actions, his relentless pursuit of ancient secrets and forbidden knowledge.
In a voice barely above a whisper, Shuhu addressed the dragon, his thoughts filled with a mixture of curiosity and desperation. "What have I unleashed?" he thought, his mental words directed at the creature's malevolent gaze.
The dragon, its voice resonating within Shuhu's mind like a chorus of countless souls, responded cryptically. "You have opened a door to power and darkness," it intoned, its words like a chilling whisper in the depths of his consciousness. "I am the embodiment of wretched necromancy, a force beyond mortal comprehension."
Shuhu's thoughts raced as he tried to grasp the enormity of his folly. He had sought to harness the power of the dead, to summon a force that would grant him dominion over life and death itself. But he had not anticipated the true nature of the ancient dragon he had awakened—a being that defied the boundaries of mortality and morality.
The dragon, with its eyes burning like crimson coals, continued to communicate directly within Shuhu's mind, its thoughts a haunting melody of torment and malevolence. "I shall bring forth death and decay, an end to all that lives," it declared mentally. "You, Shuhu, have become an unwitting servant of my will."
Fear gripped Shuhu's heart as he realized the implications of his actions. The dragon, now awakened, possessed unimaginable power, and he was but a pawn in its grand design. His ambition, once a driving force, had led him down a treacherous path that threatened to consume everything he held dear.
In a moment of clarity, Shuhu understood that he could not control this ancient evil. It was a force that transcended his knowledge and expertise, a malevolent entity that sought to unleash death and chaos upon the world.
With a surge of desperation, Shuhu summoned his remaining strength and focused his art of wisdom. A glow of green and brown enveloped him, like the northern lights dancing across the sky. He knew that fleeing from this chamber was not an act of cowardice, but one of necessity. To confront the dragon would be to invite his own demise, and there was still knowledge to be sought, secrets to be unraveled.
As he vanished into the ethereal glow, Shuhu left behind the chamber, the dragon, and the chaos he had set into motion. His journey for knowledge, though forever altered, was far from over, and the fate of Xianzhou Yuque remained uncertain in the wake of his actions.
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The High Cloud Quintet stood before the nightmarish Corpse Coat Dragon, their initial fear now tempered by resolve. Jing Yuan, the Vanguard of the Hunt, forced his voice to remain steady as he addressed his comrades. "Do not be daunted by its appearance! We are the last line of defense for Xianzhou Luofu, and we will not falter."
Baiheng shuddered as she aimed her bow, energy arrows ready to be unleashed. Her eyes, usually filled with confidence, now reflected a mixture of fear and determination. "This...this is unlike any foe we've faced before," she murmured.
Dan Feng couldn't help but clench his fists, his dragon lineage sensing the ancient malevolence of the creature before them. "We must stay focused," he cautioned. "This dragon may have weaknesses we can exploit."
Ying Xing, the wielder of magical swords, nodded in agreement. "Remember our training," he reminded them. "We have faced formidable adversaries in the past. This is just another challenge."
Jing Yuan's Thunderlord spirit crackled with energy, its form towering behind him. "We will strike as one," he declared. "We must target its weaknesses and bring it down."
With a collective nod, the High Cloud Quintet prepared to face the monstrous dragon. Baiheng, as the first to react, unleashed a barrage of energy arrows from her bow, each arrow streaking toward the dragon's legs with unerring accuracy. Her focus was on damaging the creature's support structure, hoping to bring it to its knees.
Dan Feng, his mastery of water at his command, conjured miniature water dragons that shot forth thin, fast streams of water. These water projectiles sliced through the dragon's scales with precision, each strike aimed at weakening the creature's defenses.
Ying Xing, with his magical swords, sent waves of elemental power cascading toward the dragon's face, seeking to blind and disorient it. The dragon let out a roar of discomfort, its eyes flickering with pain as the magical onslaught continued.
Jing Yuan, accompanied by his Thunderlord spirit, summoned a massive fist of crackling energy. With a resounding boom, the fist struck the dragon's body, eliciting a violent shriek from the creature. The High Cloud Quintet pressed their advantage, determined to overcome this seemingly insurmountable foe.
However, as they continued their relentless assault, a horrifying revelation dawned upon them. Every time their attacks made contact with the dragon, it released a noxious gas that sapped their life force upon contact. The gas was an insidious weapon, slowly draining their vitality with each touch.
Baiheng's arrows, once potent and accurate, began to falter as the gas seeped into her being. Dan Feng's water dragons, while effective, left him weakened and gasping for breath. Ying Xing's elemental waves became less precise as the gas clouded his vision. Even Jing Yuan, with his Thunderlord, found himself struggling against the insidious effects of the gas.
Jing Yuan, noticing the danger, shouted a warning to his comrades. "Be cautious! The dragon's attacks carry a deadly gas! Don't touch it!" he called out, his voice filled with urgency.
But the warning came too late. As they continued their assault, the dragon released a beam of the same noxious gas, akin to a stream of fire breath. The gas moved with terrifying speed, and when it came into contact with any object, it seemingly melted it away, leaving behind a pile of fleshy gunk mixed with the corrosive gas.
The beam of gas struck Thunderlord, Jing Yuan's powerful spirit companion. The intangible form of the Thunderlord appeared to falter, its once-impervious presence diminishing. Jing Yuan's eyes widened in shock and dismay as he watched the symbol of his power and connection to the Aeon of Hunt suffer damage.
He whispered urgently, a sense of urgency in his thoughts. "Jingliu, we need your help. The dragon's gas is corroding our powers, and Thunderlord is weakening. We can't defeat it on our own."
As he awaited for Jingliu's arrival, the High Cloud Quintet found themselves in a perilous situation. The battle against the Corpse Coat Dragon had taken a dire turn, and their very essence was being eroded by the malevolent gas that surrounded them. The fate of Xianzhou Yuque hung in the balance, and the dragon's relentless onslaught showed no signs of abating.
As the perilous situation with the Corpse Coat Dragon reached its zenith, Dan Feng, the Imbibitor Lunae, grasped onto a desperate idea. He understood that dragons, regardless of their alignment, carried with them a reservoir of wisdom that transcended mortal comprehension. In this dire moment, he decided to harness that potential by attempting a telepathic communication with the ancient and malevolent dragon.
With a deep breath and a focus that bordered on desperation, Dan Feng projected an aura that signaled his intent to commune with the dragon. It was an audacious gambit, for attempting to establish mental contact with such a formidable and nightmarish entity was fraught with peril.
The dragon, its ominous presence now temporarily halted, regarded Dan Feng with an eerie stillness. Its reptilian eyes, like pools of darkness, seemed to bore into his very soul. The other members of the High Cloud Quintet watched in a mixture of awe and trepidation as their comrade embarked on this daring venture.
The chamber fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the lingering echoes of the dragon's earlier shrieks and the palpable tension that hung in the air. The High Cloud Quintet held their breath, waiting to see if Dan Feng's attempt would bear fruit or end in catastrophic failure.
And then, it happened.
A voice, unlike anything they had ever heard, emanated from the dragon. It was a chorus of countless souls, a haunting amalgamation of voices that spoke in unison. The sound was akin to the agonized cries of the damned, the lamentations of thousands of souls trapped in eternal torment.
The dragon's voice reverberated through the minds of the High Cloud Quintet, causing their ears to bleed from the sheer intensity of the sound. But amidst the cacophony of anguish, words began to form, and the message became clear.
The dragon addressed Dan Feng directly, its voice carrying an eerie resonance that transcended mere speech. "The man with horns," it intoned, each word a dissonant chord in the symphony of suffering, "you have granted me the gift of speech."
The revelation sent shivers down their spines, for it meant that Dan Feng's audacious attempt at communication had succeeded. The implications of this newfound ability were both enigmatic and foreboding. The High Cloud Quintet now stood on the precipice of a revelation that could alter the course of their battle against the Corpse Coat Dragon.
As the Corpse Coat Dragon's newfound ability to communicate with them settled into their minds, a sense of dread permeated the thoughts of the High Cloud Quintet. The dragon's words were not ones of friendship or cooperation; they were laced with a sinister intent that sent chills down their spines.
With a twisted sense of amusement, the dragon continued to address Dan Feng, its voice a cacophonous chorus of torment. "Now," it taunted, "I can offer you the sweet embrace of unmercy, a slow death that will linger in your souls for eternity."
The implications of this declaration weighed heavily upon them. The dragon's malevolent nature and its newfound ability to torment them mentally filled them with a profound sense of unease. They had gained a direct line to the ancient creature's thoughts, but it had also gained the means to subject them to a torment beyond imagination.
Dan Feng, the conduit for this communication, felt a heavy burden resting upon his shoulders. He had unwittingly opened a door to a malevolent intelligence that reveled in the suffering of others. The High Cloud Quintet now faced a perilous choice – to continue attempting to communicate with the dragon and potentially learn valuable information, or to sever this unholy connection and face the creature in a battle of sheer might.
Their decision would shape the course of their confrontation with the Corpse Coat Dragon, and the fate of Xianzhou Yuque hung in the balance.