The Yinglong’s Awakening

Gong Lingfeng hesitated no longer. With a single command, the remaining three rogue cultivators swiftly retreated. They moved to surround Su Hanxing, aiming to prevent him from interfering with the current situation.

In the next instant, Gong Lingfeng appeared before Chi Qiu. He brandished his long shuttle, his expression still gentle, seemingly unperturbed by the two subordinates Chi Qiu had just slain.

“Miss Chi’s strength is truly formidable, to have slain two of my subordinates,” Gong Lingfeng remarked. “Once you enter the Gong family, you must bear many children to replenish our lineage.” Gong Lingfeng no longer masked his intentions. Though he had previously spoken of inviting Chi Qiu into the Gong family, a purpose everyone understood, he had at least maintained a semblance of respect.

“You are welcome to try,” Chi Qiu retorted, clenching her left fist, utterly devoid of fear.

Gong Lingfeng fell silent. The four cultivators in Daoist robes beside him attacked in unison. Immediately, the spectral image of mountains and rivers manifested, engulfing Chi Qiu. She scanned her surroundings, realizing she was enclosed by towering mountains, insurmountable. Every movement felt as though she were bound by a thousand-pound weight, making any action incredibly strenuous.

Gong Lingfeng, holding his long shuttle, stepped forward and struck directly at Chi Qiu’s left shoulder. The shuttle carried immense force, tearing through the air with an ear-splitting shriek. Chi Qiu dared not meet the blow directly, barely managing to twist aside and dodge. Before she could counterattack, a colossal peak of true qi materialized, slamming towards her chest.

Chi Qiu’s right wrist was injured, the lingering poison still impeding her strength. Thus, she could only guard her chest with her left hand, pushing off with her feet to hastily retreat.

Boom!

Following the thunderous impact, the true qi mountain shattered, leaving Chi Qiu’s left hand numb. Fortunately, her scales provided a cushion, likely sparing her bones from damage. Yet, Chi Qiu’s arm was sore and weak, making it extremely difficult to exert force for the moment.

The phantom of mountains and rivers imposed an overwhelming restraint on Chi Qiu. Her movements, attacks, and defenses were all severely weakened. Coupled with her injured right hand, she would be fortunate to unleash even half of her full power.

Unwilling to wait for death, Chi Qiu flicked her right hand, summoning several blood lotuses from thin air. They spun rapidly as they flew towards Gong Lingfeng. Concurrently, she brandished her left hand, and the Azure Frost Sword, long unused, appeared in her grasp. She then unleashed a barrage of Flying Haze Sword Qi, desperate to buy time.

“These blood lotuses are somewhat interesting,” Gong Lingfeng commented, “but unfortunately, they are suppressed by my Mountain Qi and pose little threat.” He raised a hand, releasing several streams of true qi. These strands were yellow and incredibly dense, faintly inscribed with mountain runes. The blood lotuses, which could easily cleave through ordinary true qi, found themselves as helpless as paper moths against a tree, unable to tear through even a fraction of it.

“Surrender sooner, and you might avoid some physical pain,” Gong Lingfeng advised, though his words of persuasion were belied by his increasingly ruthless attacks.

Chi Qiu was completely suppressed by Gong Lingfeng. Even her previously infallible golden tribulation lightning failed to repel him. Gong Lingfeng’s strength truly far surpassed that of the previous Gong family cultivators.

“If you are willing to submit, I can apply to the clan to prevent you from being married off as a concubine to those old geezers in the Dharma Manifestation Realm.” Seeing Chi Qiu seemingly at her wit’s end, Gong Lingfeng’s smile widened. “A remarkable woman like you deserves a higher status. Once you join my clan, I can offer you the position of a secondary wife. What do you say?”

Gong Lingfeng thrust his shuttle, piercing through Chi Qiu’s layered defenses and striking her left shoulder. Chi Qiu felt her left shoulder jolt, followed by an immense surge of power that brought with it intense pain. Using the force of the blow, she retreated several steps, once more widening the distance between them.

“I do not mind that you were once a man. In my eyes, you are more attractive than any woman in my clan, so you need not fear neglect after marrying me.” Gong Lingfeng continued to suppress Chi Qiu, all while speaking. “I know you have grand ambitions and are unwilling to be confined to the inner chambers, merely bearing children. I might offer you one thing: simply bear me twenty children, regardless of gender, and afterward, you may cultivate freely. What do you say?”

Chi Qiu had let Gong Lingfeng’s words pass in one ear and out the other, but upon hearing this last remark, she could no longer suppress the fury in her heart.

Chi Qiu hurled the Azure Frost Sword with her left hand, sending it flying towards Gong Lingfeng. Then, she ceased her retreat, planting her feet firmly. She channeled all her true qi, preparing for a final, desperate struggle against Gong Lingfeng. If even this proved insufficient, Chi Qiu neither wished nor dared to contemplate her future. She knew freedom was what she cherished most, but what if it came at the cost of her life?

Chi Qiu shook her head, dismissing further thoughts. She summoned several blood lotuses to encircle her body. Her gaze resolute, she charged directly at Gong Lingfeng.

Gong Lingfeng smiled faintly, seemingly confident of victory. He wielded his long spear, speaking again to provoke her. “Miss Chi, why be angry? It’s not that I don’t wish to give you the position of principal wife, but as the next head of the Gong family, that role must be used for a marriage alliance.”

The fury in Chi Qiu’s eyes intensified. Fighting against the immense restraints binding her, she leaped into the air. The scaled beast corpse beneath her feet glowed faintly, and sharp spikes slowly emerged. In mid-air, Chi Qiu unleashed a kick, her spike-covered foot aimed directly at Gong Lingfeng’s crown.

Gong Lingfeng parried with his spear, his form gracefully retreating several steps. He knew Chi Qiu’s current burst of true qi could not last, so instead of clashing head-on, he chose to maneuver and evade.

The two exchanged blows and defenses. Chi Qiu, desperate to defeat Gong Lingfeng, attacked with reckless abandon. However, her footwork was inherently clumsy, and now, enveloped by the mountains and rivers, her speed was incredibly slow. Watching Gong Lingfeng draw further and further away, Chi Qiu’s heart burned with anxiety.

“Chi Qiu—”

Su Hanxing finally freed his hands. Uncharacteristically, he called out Chi Qiu’s given name. Chi Qiu looked over to see Su Hanxing gathering the celestial constellations onto his treasured bow. A dazzling, starlit arrow materialized on the bowstring.

Twang—

Su Hanxing released his fingers, and the arrow vanished from the bow in an instant. The world around them dimmed as if night had fallen. The starlit arrow streaked through the darkness, covering a thousand zhang in a flash, and impaled itself onto the phantom of mountains and rivers.

This was the most powerful arrow Su Hanxing had ever loosed since acquiring the divine ability, ‘Star Piercer’.

Struck by the arrow, the phantom mountains and rivers rapidly melted away like snowflakes touched by boiling water, quickly vanishing.

Seizing the opportunity, Chi Qiu suddenly erupted. With a few swift movements, she closed the distance to Gong Lingfeng. Knowing her footwork was abysmal and that she would be caught within moments if she fled, she chose to pursue instead, vowing to severely wound Gong Lingfeng.

The thunderous blood lotuses erupted from Chi Qiu’s body, accompanied by climbing vines.

Gong Lingfeng’s expression darkened slightly. He hadn’t expected Su Hanxing to free a hand to shoot an arrow despite being besieged by over a dozen elite cultivators. Even more surprising was Chi Qiu’s audacity to charge him directly, despite her significant injuries.

With one party prepared and the other caught off guard, Gong Lingfeng was instantly at a disadvantage. However, as Chi Qiu’s true qi began to deplete, her suppressive power seemed to wane, subtly suggesting she might soon be pushed back.

“Caught you,” Gong Lingfeng declared, his hand seizing Chi Qiu’s left fist. “Now, come back to the Gong family with me obediently.” Being over eight chi tall, he prepared to lift Chi Qiu by her fist.

Chi Qiu pulled back with all her might, but could not dislodge Gong Lingfeng. Immediately, she ceased pulling with her left hand and swung her right fist, striking Gong Lingfeng’s lower right abdomen at an incredibly tricky angle.

“Ah—”

Gong Lingfeng cried out in pain, bending at the waist. This was a vital acupoint; a heavy blow there caused excruciating agony, unbearable even for a cultivator.

Chi Qiu was in no better state. Her right hand had previously suffered severed tendons from a hidden sword, and potent venom continued to corrode the wound, making it difficult to exert force. After desperately striking Gong Lingfeng’s lower abdomen, she felt an intense pain in her right wrist, accompanied by the faint sound of bone splintering. Following this, she completely lost control of her right hand.

Swish…

Despite the excruciating pain in his lower abdomen, Gong Lingfeng did not release his grip. With a thought, several golden ropes materialized from thin air, binding Chi Qiu in the blink of an eye. With her left hand controlled and her right hand immobile, Chi Qiu could only watch helplessly as she was bound by the golden ropes, unable to move.

Gong Lingfeng, seemingly uneasy, summoned several more golden ropes. He only stopped once Chi Qiu was trussed up like a zongzi.

Seeing Chi Qiu captured, Su Hanxing grew frantic. However, the cultivators currently engaging him were too persistent, preventing him from breaking free.

“That truly took quite a bit of effort, Miss Chi. What are your thoughts now?” Having finally captured Chi Qiu, Gong Lingfeng let out a long breath. Simultaneously, he worried Chi Qiu might choose suicide over dishonor, so he prepared to seal her true qi first.

“I have nothing to say,” Chi Qiu replied, appearing remarkably calm. The moment the phantom mountains and rivers appeared, she had already braced herself for capture. Moreover, she refused to show her enemies any expression of pleading or despair.

Seeing Chi Qiu was not overly agitated, Gong Lingfeng breathed a sigh of relief. He had been deeply concerned she might choose death over surrender, which would have rendered all his efforts futile.

“In that case, I shall first bring you into my portable cave abode. Do not struggle…” Gong Lingfeng retrieved his portable cave abode and activated it with true qi.

Sizzle—

Just then, the golden thread array, which had been dormant at the edge of the battlefield for a long time, suddenly emitted a faint sound. A golden flash of lightning then leaped from above Chi Qiu’s head, instantly darting into the golden thread array. Concurrently, from the distant Qi family trio, wisps of fierce azure wind detached from their bodies, similarly drilling into the golden thread array.

This unusual phenomenon undoubtedly captured everyone’s attention. Chi Qiu looked towards the golden thread array with confusion. She turned her body with difficulty to face the array. Gong Lingfeng, however, was facing the opposite direction, as if having spotted an acquaintance.

Just then, a small boat docked, and thirty to forty people disembarked onto the island. The leader among them was a young man in purple robes. From his body, several drops of black rainwater shot out, also entering the golden thread array.

Chi Qiu was unaware that more people had landed on Dragon’s Rest Island, but she could see the black raindrops forcing their way into the array. Instantly, she understood: the array’s activation condition was to gather the three divine artifacts wielded by the Yinglong.

“Elder Gong, what is this? Are you forcibly abducting a civilian woman?” The purple-robed man arrived at the edge of the Dragon Transformation Pool in a few casual strides. Seeing Chi Qiu tied up like a zongzi at Gong Lingfeng’s feet, he immediately chuckled.

Gong Lingfeng stepped forward, also smiling faintly. “I didn’t expect you to acquire the last divine artifact. Your luck is quite good.”

The two stood facing each other. Only then did Chi Qiu notice a striking resemblance between their brows and eyes.

Swish!

A star-light flashed. Su Hanxing seized this chance, activating his divine ability ‘Starfall Step’ to appear beside Chi Qiu. He gathered golden qi onto his great spear, thrusting it forward to sever the ropes binding Chi Qiu.

Gong Lingfeng watched Su Hanxing’s actions with a cold expression. Earlier, he hadn’t clearly seen the newcomer’s face, wishing to end the fight quickly. He hadn’t expected the new arrivals to be another team from the Gong family. Now, with two teams present, Chi Qiu would find it impossible to escape.

“Are you alright?” Su Hanxing asked, his voice laced with concern.

“Don’t worry about me,” Chi Qiu replied. “I’m deeply poisoned, and my true qi is depleted. I can’t use lightning to suppress the venom; I’m no different from a mortal.” Seeing Su Hanxing still come to her rescue despite her condition, Chi Qiu was deeply moved.

However, she knew she had no more fighting strength. The Gong family had come solely for her, and it had little to do with Su Hanxing. In her current state, she would only drag him down. If Su Hanxing tried to forcibly rescue her, he wouldn’t succeed and would only lose his own life.

“You can’t save me, and this matter has nothing to do with you. Besides, you still have sect missions to complete. You should leave early to avoid inviting disaster upon yourself.”

Chi Qiu’s feelings for Su Hanxing were incredibly complex. They ranged from the hatred and helplessness she felt after being forced into another body, to the possibility of Su Hanxing developing feelings for her after their time together, then to the estrangement after learning the truth from him, and finally, her lingering doubts about the truth he spoke.

Regardless, she was profoundly touched when Su Hanxing stepped forward to confront the Gong family alongside her. After all, if his earlier words were true, then his act of switching her body had, in fact, saved her life. Alas, the truth of the matter seemed impossible for her to uncover. Yet, even without knowing the truth, she would not allow him to fall into danger because of her.

Su Hanxing’s expression was complex. He shook his head, tightening his grip on his great spear, still wanting to say something more.

“Who has awakened me?”

Suddenly, a voice descended from the nine heavens. It resonated like a grand bell, shaking the soul and prompting everyone to look up simultaneously. A figure, enveloped in brilliant golden light, slowly descended from the sky. They passed through the golden thread array, coming to a direct halt above the Dragon Transformation Pool.