Love Travels through Time (My father who traveled through time and space to cultivate immortality came back to pick me up) - Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Transforming into a Flood Dragon
Could it be that Little Bai’s lies were so pleasant to hear that they gave the Boss the delusion that he owed her a debt of gratitude?
This would not do at all. Xiang Haikui, who had originally planned to explain later, could no longer sit still.
The more grateful the Boss was right now, the more furious he would be after learning the truth.
“Senior, please do not thank me under any circumstances. Actually, it was I who chopped you into two halves…”
Taking a glance at the situation, it was impossible to act for a short while.
Xiang Haikui cut her losses and confessed honestly.
The situation here was indeed at a stalemate.
The Qingtian Sword Sect was still surrounding and trapping the small black ball with its sword formation.
Neither Demon Lord Qingni nor Jian Chou made a move, intending to exhaust these sword cultivators. At the same time, whoever acted first would be giving the other party an opportunity.
Therefore, they merely exchanged idle chatter, speaking meaningless words.
Naturally, they also noticed two additional black-robed figures at the rear of the team, but seeing that it was Dao Chen, they paid no mind.
Meng Xilou stayed out of the affair, his consciousness repeatedly urging, “Why has my younger sister not arrived yet? Has the origin of this treasure been investigated?”
The old man replied, “Strange. There is no corresponding record even in the Records of All Things Under Heaven.”
Just as Meng Xilou was about to scold him for his incompetence, the old man added, “Huh, there is an illustration in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. The black mud ball depicted in the drawing bears quite a resemblance to this object…”
Meng Xilou was slightly astonished. “It is actually a treasure of the Shanhai Clan?”
Information regarding the Shanhai Clan had always been a strictly taboo area in the Upper Realm.
Back in the generation of Meng Xilou’s great-grandfather, because the Shanhai Clan was not subject to the Upper Realm’s control and constantly provoked the Upper Realm, a group of their leaders were either killed or imprisoned.
At that time, the consensus among various factions was to completely exterminate their tribe. However, the former Sovereign had virtue and issued a heavenly decree: as long as they were willing to surrender, they would be bestowed the title of Heavenly Beasts.
Those who refused to surrender were sent to various barren lands to be kept in captivity.
Nowadays, many expensive mounts in the Upper Realm were descendants of the Shanhai Clan.
Although the people of the Upper Realm enslaved them, they would not look down upon the Shanhai Clan in their hearts.
Because those who surrendered were merely the weaklings within the tribe. They could not represent the words “Shanhai Clan.”
Just like Meng Xilou, although his generation had not seen the true capabilities of the Shanhai Clan, he had heard about them in private. In that battle back then, the Upper Realm suffered heavy casualties and suffered a great loss of vitality.
What was most terrifying was that the number of Upper Realm combatants was several hundred times that of the Shanhai Clan.
Among them, a Qiongqi, whose surname seemed to be Qi, used the power of nature as a sword and gained the title of “Imperial Sword of Ten Thousand Manifestations.” No one in the Three Realms could defeat him.
In the end, the reason the Shanhai Clan lost seemed to be that they lost to “conspiracies and tricks.”
Meng Xilou believed this, because if the Heavenly Tribe had won honorably, they would never have concealed this battle.
Thinking up to this point, he grew even more tempted by the treasure before his eyes. “Hurry and study how to subdue it. My younger sister must get her hands on it!”
—
“Senior, that is how things went.”
Xiang Haikui placed special emphasis on the fact that she was truly just gluttonous.
After finishing her narrative, she brewed her emotions, preparing to weep and repent, hoping that after the Boss recovered his memory, he could recall her deep sorrow today.
Yin Changli asked, “You like eating snake meat very much?”
From his voice, Xiang Haikui could not distinguish any emotion. Trembling, she said, “I swear, Senior, from now on, even if I starve to death, die by the roadside, or a snake actively burrows into my mouth to commit suicide, I will spit it out!”
Definitely would not break her oath!
Yin Changli’s voice carried a faint smile. “I have noted it down.”
As expected of the Boss, noting it down to settle accounts after the autumn harvest. Xiang Haikui wiped away the nonexistent tears on her face.
Yin Changli said, “You like eating snake meat.”
Xiang Haikui thought: Why ask again?
Yin Changli said, “If you like eating it, then eat it. As long as you do not eat me, it does not matter.”
Are you sure these are not words spoken in anger?
Sending her divine sense over, he had already pulled down the brim of his cloak, so Xiang Haikui could no longer probe his expression.
She asked in a small voice, “Senior, did you really understand what I said just now?”
He did not reply.
Only after a long while did he say, “Back then, Miss Xiang did not yet know the true identity of the black snake, yet she saved it with her black hair. When chanting the Buddhist mantras, you were extremely sincere. I perceived it… It was Miss’s gentleness and kindness that gave me a second life.”
After finishing, as if knowing Xiang Haikui had been probing his expression all along, he pulled up the brim of his cloak again, revealing his face.
Those eyes looked strikingly like the sunlight melting the winter snow in early spring.
Xiang Haikui was speechles.
Confirmed. The Boss’s brain was truly broken.
Repenting now was probably of no use.
Xiang Haikui decided to stop wasting words and focus on snatching the small black ball. During the days when the Boss had amnesia, she would make up for her faults, gain more favor, accumulate merit, and redeem a death-exempt medallion for herself.
—
The three parties remained at a stalemate until the middle of the night, when Fang Zhiyou finally made up his mind. “Withdraw the formation!”
He was not confident in winning against the combined forces of both sides.
In that case, it would be better to release the treasure and let the three sides snatch it using their own capabilities, restraining each other.
It had originally been an object already in their grasp. Releasing it for nothing, and having wasted so much spiritual energy besides, the disciples of the Qingtian Sword Sect felt extremely unwilling when they thought about it.
With indignation, they retracted the sword formation.
After obtaining its freedom, the small black ball immediately wanted to burrow into the sand, but the surrounding ground seemed to have solidified, preventing it from digging down.
Thus, it began to roll frantically on the sand.
“Why is no one making a move?” Qingni looked at Fang Zhiyou and Jian Chou mockingly.
Jian Chou stroked the long strand of hair at his temple once more. “I have said it before, I came to join in the fun. I have no interest in this treasure and only want to act against the Qingtian Sect.”
Fang Zhiyou sneered.
Qingni likewise sneered.
Acting against them was true, but saying he did not want the treasure was pure nonsense.
“Fine, then I will go first.” Qingni had a straightforward nature. Unslinging the bow from her back, she used spiritual energy to form an arrow and shot it toward the small black ball.
Xiang Haikui watched the battle nervously from the side, deeply afraid she would shoot a hole through the small black ball. What if the Boss’s belongings leaked out?
Unexpectedly, just as the spiritual arrow was about to hit the small black ball, it seemed to suddenly open a parachute, splitting into a mesh net shimmering with spiritual light that wrapped up the small black ball.
Between the mesh net and Qingni, a spiritual line was attached, held tightly in Qingni’s hand.
It instantly restricted the small black ball’s freedom.
The small black ball exposed its serrated teeth, gnashing and biting away.
Fang Zhiyou also drew his sword. His sword energy whipped up a whirlwind, accompanied by yellow sand, covering the small black ball.
Jian Chou finally made his move. This posturing king truly did not use any weapons, but he brought out a jar and released a swarm of poisonous insects!
Surging like a cloud, the poisonous insects flew toward the small black ball.
The small black ball hurriedly shut its mouth, seemingly afraid the poisonous insects would fly into its belly.
The three eighth-rank cultivators stood in three positions, beginning a contest of internal strength.
The three remained unmoved as mountains, yet a storm was whipped up around them.
The crowd, the demon lizards, and the beasts of burden all retreated one after another.
Xiang Haikui prayed in her heart: Let the storm be bigger, even bigger! The messier it is, the easier it will be to get things done!
And so, the three remained at a stalemate until dawn.
An explosion suddenly occurred where their powers converged. The generated mighty force blasted the small black ball into the sky.
The small black ball’s power was completely exhausted, its originally massive body shrinking to the size of a soccer ball.
After falling onto the sand, it began to bounce.
The three then began to fight to snatch it.
The people of the three factions also drew their weapons one after another and engaged in combat.
For a time, light rays darted about wildly, turning into a complete mess.
Xiang Haikui, who had long since withdrawn several hundred yards away from the battle circle, watched a grand and unique soccer match. Her gaze followed the small black ball up and down, left and right.
Meng Xilou suddenly retreated.
Because Xiang Tianqing had finally arrived.
Having sensed the “roaring mountain and surging sea” from far away, Xiang Tianqing looked closely at the scene and turned pale with shock. “Eldest Senior Brother, what happened here?”
Meng Xilou reached out his hand toward her. “A great treasure has emerged, and they are fighting over it.”
Xiang Tianqing gathered the skirt of her red gauze dress and, leveraging his hand, flipped herself off the beast of burden. “Then why did Eldest Senior Brother call me here? You should have notified Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother to bring manpower! This is our Silver Sand’s territory, and Father has always forbidden them from starting conflicts on the land under our management.”
Meng Xilou had many worries in his heart. “This matter is not important.”
Xiang Tianqing said discontentedly, “How could it not be important? This is a rule set by Father. How can we let them break it so easily?”
Meng Xilou was currently feeling annoyed. “Whatever I tell you to do, just do it!”
Xiang Tianqing was startled, biting her lip. “Eldest Senior Brother, you are shouting at me?”
Meng Xilou had been driven frantic today. He hurriedly adjusted his mood and spoke softly and gently, “Little Qing, after all, I am not Master, and I fear I cannot handle it well. The best solution to this matter is for us to subdue this treasure, and then they will disperse.”
Xiang Tianqing reacted slightly. “I am to subdue it?”
Meng Xilou nodded. “Yes.”
Xiang Tianqing looked at the small black ball being tossed up and down, puzzled. “I do not even know what that thing is. How am I supposed to subdue it?”
“I will teach you.” Meng Xilou had already prepared a dagger. Grasping Xiang Tianqing’s wrist, he said, “Bear with it.”
He carefully cut a line of blood, brought out a jade bottle, and dropped the blood into it. “Just do as I say.”
Xiang Tianqing frowned from the pain and saw Xiang Haikui in the distance. “Why does Eldest Senior Brother not subdue it yourself? Little Junior Sister is also here. Why did you travel a long way to call me instead?”
Meng Xilou smiled. “From childhood until now, what good thing have I not reserved for you?”
Xiang Tianqing bit her lip. “I thought Eldest Senior Brother…”
—
Xiang Haikui’s gaze remained fixed on the small black ball. Not until she sensed Xiang Tianqing’s divine sense did she realize that Meng Xilou beside her was gone.
Tracing back, she saw Meng Xilou taking Xiang Tianqing’s blood, and her eyelids twitched violently.
Oh no!
Meng Xilou knew the method to subdue the small black ball and wanted to hand it over to Xiang Tianqing.
He truly was a good senior brother.
“Little Bai, we cannot wait any longer. I must act,” Xiang Haikui transmitted her voice to Bai Xingxian. She had originally wanted to wait until their physical energy was mostly exhausted before acting. “When I transform into a flood dragon, snatch the small black ball, and flee, you immediately unleash the Tianbao Sword. Make the magical treasures and swords in their hands fail to buy me time.”
“Little Sister Kui, are you sure you can transform into a flood dragon?” Bai Xingxian was somewhat worried.
“The madness intent is enough, so it should be fine. Tiankuang agrees with my plan.” Xiang Haikui took a deep breath. Holding Tiankuang, she murmured in her heart—
Tiankuang big baby, this is the first time I am uniting as one with you as sword and person. You must never let me down.
Tiankuang vibrated, as if saying: Hurry up, stop dawdling!
Xiang Haikui closed her eyes.
The black flood dragon coiled around Tiankuang’s silver-white blade slowly came alive.
Originally, the flood dragon’s head was facing the tip of the sword. Now, reversing the dragon’s head, it circled back to the hilt of the sword and slipped into Xiang Haikui’s body from her wrist.
In an instant, heaven and earth seemed like nothingness.
Xiang Haikui could hear her blood boiling in her blood vessels.
Gurgling, like scalding water in a boiler.
Her skin tore open layer by layer, growing hard scales like sprouting buds.
Her tailbone and the areas above both brow bones felt as if a power drill were drilling into them. The pain was practically suffocating.
Afterward, dragon horns burst out of her skull, pushing up her blue headscarf.
Then, it was the tail…
At the moment she completely merged with Tiankuang, she absorbed her clothing, storage ring, sword case, including the snake jar on her back, into her stomach.
She successfully transformed into a flood dragon.
Awe-inspiring and majestic, with prominent horns.
However, she tried—why couldn’t she fly?
Why couldn’t she fly?
What was going on with Tiankuang?
If I cannot fly on my own, holy crap, am I supposed to rely on the wind to blow me into the sky?
At this moment, she was mind to mind with Tiankuang. Although she was complaining in her heart, Tiankuang could perceive it.
Xiang Haikui seemed to hear it say disdainfully: This tiny bit of accumulated madness intent is barely enough for you to turn into a dragon.
Want to fly?
Fine.
Needs extra payment.
Xiang Haikui almost fainted, cursing furiously in her heart: Dumbass sword, screw you!
At this moment, among the three forces locked in chaos, quite a few people noticed.
A flood dragon suddenly appeared nearby, hopping up and down on the sand as if its feet were scalded by the sand.
