HSSB224: Have I been too nice these past two years?
Lifting the stone pillar, Yan Zhaoge gazed at the Black Dragon Dread in the distant horizon and at the people who were gathering around him.
As he observed them, he sent sound transmissions via aura-qi to Ah Hu and Feng Yunsheng, explaining the gist of the situation at hand.
“Those who can control the Black Dragon Dread must at least have the cultivation of a Martial Grandmaster,” Ah Hu currently had on a grave expression, his usual laziness and slickness completely gone from his face, “The other party not directly making a move, they should be wary of the Martial Grandmasters of our clan stationed here, at the same time also wanting to contain us.”
Feng Yunsheng gripped the hilt of her black sabre, “Relying fully on the power of the Black Dragon Dread, with that Martial Grandmaster not drawing near, he would also be unable to wield intricate control over it. Therefore, he would not have full confidence of achieving his goal.”
“Being able to bury us alive with the Black Dragon Dread would naturally be the best, but if that were not possible, it would at least also create chaos, taking us unawares and unprepared.”
Feng Yunsheng looked at Yan Zhaoge, “At that time, if someone makes use of the chaos to make a move, their chances of success would be greatly increased…”
Yan Zhaoge’s gaze was deep and distant as he nodded slightly, not saying anything further.
Suddenly, Yan Zhaoge looked over, as he saw Lian Ying of the Lian Family, standing behind Jun Luo, suddenly draw out a black sword with a rather strange expression on his face.
Yan Zhaoge frowned, still thinking that he wanted to do harm to Jun Luo as he was about to go up to stop him. However, he then saw that the target of that black sword was actually Lian Ying himself.
The black sword stabbed into Lian Ying’s own arm, as a light noise instantly resounded.
Strange spiritual qi fluctuations emanated from the black sword and the wound on Lian Ying’s arm.
Yan Zhaoge’s gaze hardened, “Like a variation of some sort of blood sacrificial ceremony. Some sort of curse was hidden within his bloodstream by someone earlier?”
Fresh blood dripped down from Lian Ying’s arm, falling onto the ground below, which tainted the sand a snowy white colour.
A silhouette appeared within the air, condensing into an indistinct massive spirit pattern, which then imprinted itself onto the ground below.
With Lian Ying as its centre, the snowy white colour rapidly spread out into the surroundings.
Instantly, beneath everyone’s feet, intense quaking that resembled earthquakes could be felt, as the sea of sand, having turned white, suddenly became dangerous.
The sand beneath their feet seemed to turn completely into quicksand at this moment. As one stepped down onto it, they would immediately be trapped, sinking within!
Everyone was stunned, “…this is, White Dragon Dread?”
Everyone here were martial practitioners, all also being Martial Scholars other than Jun Luo, Lian Ying and Lian Cheng.
Feeling that something was wrong, they wanted to exert strength and leap up, yet found that they were unable to escape from the quicksand at their feet.
Even exerting the slightest bit of force, not only were they unable to pull their feet out of the quicksand, they even sank deeper within.
Whether their force exertions were tough or soft, the results were all the same. Attempting to wield their aura-qis, as soon as their aura-qis came into contact with the white quicksand, they would immediately vanish without a trace!
In the sky overhead, the black storm rampaged, while beneath their feet, the dry sand of the desert had become a trap of quicksand, wanting to bury them alive.
After they sunk in, everyone did not dare to move rashly, for the more they struggled, the faster they would sink.
And unable to move, they could only watch on helplessly as the terrifying black storm was soon to descend upon them.
Jun Luo let out a startled cry, her foot hitting nothing as her body sunk downwards rapidly. Very quickly, almost half of her body had sunk into the white quicksand.
On the other side, Lian Cheng was the same.
In contrast, Lian Ying was still standing stably on the white sand, his steps like normal, as this instead appeared exceptionally strange.
Fresh blood fell unceasingly from the wound on his arm, his face also turning paler and paler, almost no blood visible on it at all as he looked weak beyond compare.
However, he appeared exceptionally excited, his face carrying a sick, emotional smile as he gazed at Jun Luo obsessively, “Luo Luo, don’t be scared. It’ll be fine.”
As Lian Ying walked towards Jun Luo, he said softly, “As long as you hug me tight, you won’t have to fear sinking into the desert. I can freely take you along underground.”
“This way, there would be nothing to fear of the Black Dragon Dread aboveground.”
Revealing an infatuated expression, he spread his arms, as though wanting to hug Jun Luo, “See, Luo Luo, I am also not bad, right? Yan Zhaoge can save you; I can too.”
That black sword was still deeply stabbed into the wound on his arm, blood trickling out unceasingly.
Hearing his words, while they were in the midst of a dangerous situation, everyone was slightly taken aback as some gazes could not help but turn to look at Yan Zhaoge.
Yan Zhaoge looked at Lian Ying, “One Heart Blood Curse-this is already not simply something within the confines of the martial dao, having more to do with the occult arts. However, this still has the price of burning your lifeblood, resembling a sacrifice.”
“While you have caused a White Dragon Dread, with your qi and blood, you do not have long left to live.”
Yan Zhaoge raised his brows slightly, “Making use of the connection between your blood curse and this natural disaster, you can indeed traverse freely within the White Dragon Dread within a short period of time, and those with you can similarly also be brought along, not having to worry about the quicksand.”
“However, this would drag that person into the One Heart Blood Curse, that person’s lifeblood becoming a sacrifice for the curse along with yours, very quickly meeting the same fate as you, dying due to qi and blood depletion.”
“Do you want Luo Luo to die along with you?”
Hearing Yan Zhaoge’s words, Jun Luo stared at Lian Ying in utter disbelief.
Lian Cheng, who had grown up together with Lian Ying, was even more shell-shocked, only feeling that this tribal brother of his had suddenly become a stranger to him, and terrifyingly so.
Meeting Jun Luo’s gaze, Lian Ying’s expression changed slightly, an indecisive unwillingness appearing on his face for a moment.
But very quickly, he laughed lightly, “Not born of the same quilt, yet dying in the same tomb-that’s good enough.”
Lian Ying stared at Yan Zhaoge, “At least it beats helplessly watching Luo Luo walk closer and closer to another man.”
“Yan Zhaoge, you are a favoured son of Heaven, presiding loftily above others, soon to become a new legend. Compared to those high up like you, how many are there like me who live like dust, like rotten mud? But what, just because you stand above, you can tread on us however you like, can even snatch away the final bit of light there is in my life?”
“Impossible! I may be weak, but I still have try to pull you down from your pedestal, seeing your sorry appearance when covered in mud, how exactly it looks like, and whether you can still can continue presiding loftily above like this!”
The weak youth roared emotionally.
At the same time, the white quicksand on the ground surged, the black storm in the sky howling.
Aside from the White Dragon Dread that had suddenly appeared beneath their feet, the Black Dragon Dread formed of the original Black Nightmare Storm, obscuring the heavens and covering the earth, was already before them, the terrifying black gales sweeping down towards everyone!
Yan Zhaoge’s expression was tranquil, as, the pillar still supported in his hand, he remained unmoving where he was, with purple light of thunder suddenly flashing within his right eye!
At the same time, flipping his left palm, a small black incense burner appeared within, which he casually tossed to Ah Hu, “Deal with the White Dragon Dread, and get Luo Luo and the others out.”
Ah Hu responded affirmatively, gazing at Lian Ying with an unfriendly look on his face.
“Although I don’t actually understand what exactly you’re whining about,” Yan Zhaoge’s gaze was focused on the Black Nightmare Storm as he didn’t even look at Lian Ying, “Is it because I have become too nice these past two years that everyone wants to try to step on me in order to prove their own worth?”