Dragon-Marked War God

Jiang Chen looked back. At this moment he was in more pain than anyone, but the road ahead was still full of hardships and dangers, still an abyss ten thousand zhang deep. He could only silently endure the pain alone and press forward. This was something no one could help him with. Only by relying on his own two hands and his own efforts could Jiang Chen climb to the peak and save the woman he loved.

The dangers of the present were impossible to know, perils at every turn. How could he put Yu Jingxian in such a situation? What he longed for even more was that on the day he became the ruler of the nine heavens, he would go, with the most sincere love, to find the girl who had once made his heart flutter so.

Jiang Chen took a step forward and did not look back again. As he turned, the wind sighed and the cranes cried, just like the road ahead, full of the unknown and full of danger.

Three years later, in the Qionghua Mountains, black clouds surged and wind and thunder gathered. A magnificent, towering palace sat high above the void.

On the mountaintop a clear spring flowed on and on without end. In the forest birds and beasts growled softly, green bamboo covered the ground, the wind sighed, and the night was long.

A woman in white, perfectly composed, sat upright on a block of white jade ice-stone above the clear spring. Her long hair was like a waterfall, her beauty like a heavenly fairy, her slender jade fingers incomparably nimble. Between her palms was a white jade zither, and the faint, lingering sound of the zither filled the vault of the sky, refreshing to the heart.

The woman in white’s expression was calm. Before her, white-clad phantoms gripping long swords trod upon the clear spring, touching the water as lightly as dragonflies, dancing with their swords.

Lofty heights are too cold to bear; I rise to dance with my clear shadow! The long sword soars through the void, stars turn and become dragonflies!

A single sweep of the sword sent the water rippling. The spirit spring surged and turned into curtains of water and ripples, interweaving with the nine white-clad figures. In the end the curtain of swords broke, the clear spring flowed, and it turned into a rain of ice-flower swords that crossed the void.

“In the end, still just a hair short.”

As the tune ended, the woman in white said lightly. She slowly opened her eyes, a hint of helplessness at the corner of her mouth. Her beautiful eyes flickered with a green light, and the domineering spirit in her gaze was full of pride.

The woman in white looked up into the sky toward Lingyun Cave. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she murmured:

“The Great Emperor Realm… Who knows in what year and month I’ll be able to break through to the Great Emperor Realm. Surely it can’t be hopeless in this lifetime? Heh. Lord Buddha, what exactly should I do to become as matchlessly powerful as you?”

The woman in white reached out her hand straight toward the void above, but no matter what, she could not break open that woman’s sea of soul. She wanted to seize control of that woman’s soul, but every attempt ended in failure. Deep within her sea of consciousness was an incomparably stubborn soul, and as the years passed, that soul’s power grew stronger and stronger. Trapping her had already become extremely difficult. Fortunately, she could still manage to force her soul back into her sea of consciousness and keep it firmly trapped.

Nine attempts, all ending in failure. So her soul power could never make another breakthrough. As a disciple of Buddha Long Xiang, she had to be stronger than anyone, more terrifying than anyone, more persevering than anyone!

“I don’t believe that even today my Nine Revolutions Zither Melody still can’t break your soul barrier. Even with that old diehard from who knows what age escorting and protecting you, I absolutely won’t let you have your way.”

The woman in white smiled faintly, a look of confidence in her expression. And she was none other than the disciple of Buddha Long Xiang, the woman who had abducted Yan Qingcheng back then, Yun Geyao!

“Under the Nine Revolutions Zither Melody, let’s see how long you can hold out.”

Yun Geyao shot straight up. At this moment, Yan Qingcheng’s soul had been peeled away by her layer by layer like a cocoon being unwound, forced back until it had nowhere left to retreat. Even though the last wisp of Princess Du Juan’s soul barrier was guarding her spiritual platform, Yun Geyao still had a way to turn her to her own use. It was just that doing so would take far, far too long.

But this time Yun Geyao was determined to try. This was one of the few chances she had left, because not long ago her master had sent word telling her to report back to the Holy Mountain as soon as possible. So she did not have much time left.

The Nine Revolutions Zither Melody was one of Yun Geyao’s best methods, and also her most terrifying soul attack. Using the sound of the zither to dissolve Yan Qingcheng’s soul barrier was her best chance. Yun Geyao had been looking forward to this moment for a long time. If this time she still could not completely fuse Yan Qingcheng’s soul power, then her hope of reaching a Great Emperor Realm soul would basically be declared dead.

Yun Geyao soared up into the blue clouds. Inside Lingyun Cave, Yan Qingcheng sat upright in the stone grotto. Her complexion was rosy and her face thin, but there was not the slightest sense of danger about her. It was just that at this moment her soul was guarding its own territory and had shut out all soul power from outside, which made it harder and harder for Yun Geyao to fuse Yan Qingcheng’s soul.

“I’d like to see how long you can hold out. If not for that man, your soul power might long since have completely collapsed. Men really are hateful things.”

Yun Geyao said coldly. Her gaze shifted, and the nine white-clad figures instantly transformed into streaks of white light that sank into Yan Qingcheng’s mind. In an instant Yan Qingcheng opened her eyes, as cold as frost. That desolate chill was even somewhat frightening. She had no feelings toward anything at all, as if she held everyone a thousand miles away.

“Your strength has grown stronger again.”

Yun Geyao frowned tightly and murmured. Yan Qingcheng’s strength had already reached the Early Divine Emperor Realm, but the most terrifying thing was her soul, filled with an icy killing aura as cold as a sword. Yun Geyao’s Nine Revolutions Zither Melody, nine strands of soul power, even though they could seep in through any crack, were completely unable to penetrate it at this time and break down her incomparably solid soul barrier.

“Damned girl.”

Yun Geyao said in a deep voice, her beautiful eyes flickering uncertainly. Yan Qingcheng’s soul power had actually grown to the very same level as hers. It was just that her soul power now seemed frozen together. That feeling as cold as frost was hard for even Yun Geyao to believe. Her soul power kept growing, but its rejection of outside souls was also extremely strong. Yun Geyao knew this must have formed gradually because she herself had tried several times to fuse her soul power, which had produced this soul rejection.

Yun Geyao still refused to give up. Her nine strands of soul power kept assaulting Yan Qingcheng, but the response she got was always the same: that rejecting aura of her soul power, against which even Yun Geyao’s own Late Divine Emperor-level soul power could do nothing at all.

“It must be that old hag Du Juan. Otherwise her soul power couldn’t possibly be this strong.”

Right at this moment, Yun Geyao’s brows knitted tightly. Just then she sensed an unusual aura that seemed to be approaching Qionghua Mountain at an extremely terrifying speed.

“Who has such nerve, coming to run wild on my Qionghua Mountain?”

The corner of Yun Geyao’s mouth gradually turned cold, and killing intent was fully revealed in her eyes!