FVN Chapter 28 How can a small set of celestial rituals withstand the mighty power of my Qianlong?
Chapter 28 How can a small set of celestial rituals withstand the mighty power of my Qianlong?
The chains trembled violently, the incantations on their surface flickered, the points where they were struck caved in, and even tiny cracks appeared, with dark red light fragments splattering out.
However, the chains did not break; instead, they tightened suddenly, causing the bones of the Dragon-Desire Beast to crack and nearly snap it in two.
On the black mist's face, the pair of scarlet dragon eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of surprise flashing across them, which then turned into a cold inquiry.
"That shouldn't be the case." The aged voice echoed above the sea of blood, carrying a hint of displeasure at being offended, but more so, curiosity. "How could something formed from a mere ritual of resentment withstand a strike from the true intent of my [Huanlong Yutian]?"
The black mist churned, and the face became clearer and more majestic, as if a real dragon was about to struggle out of the mist.
"【Huanlong Yutian】·【Break】."
A terrifying wave, seemingly overwhelming and capable of piercing through the void, suddenly erupted from the core of the black mist.
The fluctuation was invisible and intangible, yet it caused the entire illusory sea of blood to pause. The surging waves subsided instantly, and countless struggling white bones and remnant souls let out terrified screams and curled up backward.
"Click."
The chains groaned under the strain, and the runes on their surface shattered one after another, turning into countless dark red specks of light.
The chain twisted and expanded violently, as if countless forces were clashing wildly inside.
Finally, with a crisp cracking sound, several chains broke simultaneously, scattering into a large cloud of thick blood mist.
"Ancestor Qianlong, your magical power is boundless! I knew that a mere ritual of heaven and earth could not possibly contend with the might of Ancestor Qianlong. It's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."
The Dragon-Desire Beast let out a strange roar of relief, breaking free from its restraints. However, it was severely injured; half of its body was almost crushed, and most of its black scales had fallen off, revealing the writhing, festering pink flesh beneath. It could only lie on the ground, greedily licking the black blood seeping from its wounds.
A hint of satisfaction flashed across the black mist's face, but it didn't glance at it again, its gaze fixed on the center of the sea of blood. There, the flesh-and-blood pill was frantically absorbing the blood mist and remnant souls, its aura constantly rising.
Countless tiny, twisted faces appeared on the surface of the pill, the very demons and monsters that Xu Changqing had refined using the Slaughter Feast. They tore at each other, merged, and howled, creating an extremely bizarre scene.
"Interesting." The voice of the Zhen family patriarch was devoid of joy or anger, only displaying an indifference akin to looking down upon ants. "A ritual forged from the resentment and murderous intent of all living beings... it does indeed have some merit. Unfortunately, it is ultimately a heretical path, unworthy of serious consideration."
Seemingly losing patience, the black mist suddenly contracted towards the center, and an even more ancient and domineering will began to awaken.
"【Huanlong Yutian】·【Potian】".
An ineffable, unspeakable, and invisible, towering phantom slowly emerged from behind the black mist face.
The phantom was incredibly blurry, as if separated by billions of layers of time and space, with only a rough outline visible.
It resembles a dragon but is not a dragon, it resembles a mountain but is not a mountain; it seems to be the backbone supporting the entire sky, and also like a giant pillar suppressing the netherworld.
It merely exists here, and this eerie space, forcibly stretched open by the Blood Sea Ritual, begins to creak under the strain, as if it might collapse completely at any moment.
With a slight movement of the phantom, the sea of blood began to boil and evaporate, as if its very existence had been denied and erased by a higher power.
Vast swathes of blood disappeared silently, revealing scorched earth and shattered rocks.
Those struggling, remnant souls and bones, before they could even utter a wail, crumbled like sandcastles, turning into the purest nothingness.
The flesh-and-blood pill in the center trembled violently. Countless faces on its surface simultaneously emitted piercing screams, as if they were about to shatter and vanish into nothingness in the next moment.
A hint of indifference flashed across the crimson dragon eyes of the Zhen family patriarch.
"Heh heh, how could such a trivial ritual of heaven and earth withstand the mighty power of my Qianlong?"
Before the words were finished, the depths of the sea of blood suddenly surged. An indescribable beam of light, of color and power, shone down from beyond the heavens, cleaving the entire sea of blood in two.
In the sunlight, a figure slowly emerged from the ethereal void.
The newcomer wore an ancient-style, dark red Taoist crown that seemed to bear witness to the ages, and a black robe with a wide sash embroidered with patterns of countless creatures struggling, rising and falling, and ultimately returning to annihilation.
His face was shrouded in a hazy Daoist aura, making it difficult to see clearly. Only his eyes, calm and undisturbed, seemed to reflect the birth, death, and reincarnation of all the heavens and myriad realms.
Holding the blood sword, with a slight tremor, a phantom of a sea of blood flowed along the blade, and the wails of all spirits echoed in the sword's cry.
The moment this Taoist appeared, he seemed to naturally become the center of this world.
He slightly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the slaughtered feast. His lips did not move, yet a grand and ancient Daoist voice resounded deep within the hearts of everyone present.
"The Ten Directions Supreme Truth, the Eternal Sage, the Boundless Savior of Mankind, the One Who Refines the World Through Slaughter."
Qianlong's eyes narrowed: "When did such a figure emerge in this world?!"
The Taoist priest, clad in a grand crown and wielding a blood-stained sword, slowly raised his other free hand. His fingers were long and slender with distinct knuckles. He then gently flipped the hand over the dark figure of the Qianlong and the twisted, monstrous dragon below.
The next moment, Qianlong was horrified to find that he and the Dragon Demon Beast were no longer where they were. It turned out that they had fallen into the Taoist's palm at some point.
"What?" Qianlong was shocked and furious, and tried to break free.
However, an incomprehensible and irresistible force of suppression emanated from his palm, transforming into invisible shackles that firmly suppressed his divine thought and the dragon-like beast, rendering them immobile. He felt as if he had become a fish on a chopping board, firmly suppressed in this small space.
"Damn it, luckily I left quickly!" The old Daoist Chi Mingzi, who was far away at the edge of the sea of blood and almost escaped from this world, turned around and saw this scene. He was so frightened that his beard stood on end. He patted his chest with lingering fear, "Otherwise, I was afraid that I would have been caught by this thing that my good disciple made and refined in an instant."
Although his words were exaggerated, there was a hint of mockery in his eyes. With Chi Mingzi's cultivation level, if he were to encounter this unexpectedly, escaping would not require much effort.
He squinted and examined it closely, clicking his tongue repeatedly. "How could a mere Qi Refining cultivator cause such a commotion? If that old mudfish from the Zhen family were truly here, this incomplete ritual wouldn't be able to trap him. He might even be able to seize an opportunity. What a pity, what a pity, all that came was a divine thought from afar. Now he's probably going to lose both his wife and his army."
His eyes darted around, and a gleam of excitement flashed in his cloudy old eyes. He chuckled softly, "How could I miss such a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle? No, I must write this down quickly. When I see that old mudfish again, I'll put it in front of him a hundred or two hundred times, and see where he'll put his old face then!"
As he spoke, he deftly untied the red wine gourd from his waist, dipped his finger in the wine, and drew a line in the air.
As the fingertips moved, mysterious runes spread out in the air, forming a shimmering scroll of talismans.
The scroll was filled with light and shadow, vividly depicting the scene of the Taoist capturing Qianlong.
"Hehe, wonderful, wonderful." Akamiko looked at his masterpiece and couldn't stop smiling.