The Dragon Girl was extremely weak at this point, barely able to maintain her human form. Her entire dragon body was curled up on the small island.
Scales were scattered everywhere, and wounds gaped open. Crimson dragon blood flowed along the shallows and into the sea, attracting crab-shaped demon beasts that were no larger than a fist.
Her massive water-blue dragon head rested on the rocks. Her red dragon eyes were vacant and dull, only flashing with the last of her strength to release a faint Dragon Might whenever she heard the sound of the wind.
“Roar!!”
The crab-shaped demon beasts were cowed by the Dragon Might, and each one frantically dug into the ground to hide. However, several Sky Demons perched on the Jiao dragon's corpse, tearing at its flesh, sensed the Dragon Girl’s weakness and began to circle her expectantly.
The Dragon Girl must have endured a truly brutal battle.
Countless Sky Demon corpses of all sizes floated in the sea, covered in claw marks, all killed by her hand.
She was originally a great demon capable of fighting a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if her cultivation and spiritual energy were devoured by the black mist, causing her realm to plummet, she was not someone ordinary Sky Demons could bully.
“Who is there?!”
The massive dragon head paused, and a mature female voice let out a cold sneer:
“An accomplice of that traitor Jiao Run, I suppose! You certainly went through a lot of trouble to chase me this far. Unfortunately for you, Jiao Run’s luck was poor, and he died before me!”
Nan Zhi, hidden under her Spirit Swallowing Grass blanket, finally noticed that a thin layer of black mist covered the Dragon Girl’s eyes.
It turned out she was already blind and was relying entirely on her beastly instincts to sense her surroundings.
Nan Zhi didn't need to guess to imagine how she had torn into the Jiao dragon in a death match. After falling into the Wuwang Sea, she had continued to fight through her heavy injuries until the very last moment.
What a fierce nature, what pride.
Nan Zhi did not approach rashly. Instead, she donned her Paper Skin Garment and transformed into a mature female cultivator. Riding the wind, she landed directly before the dragon head.
“You have guessed incorrectly. I am neither of the Dragon Clan nor a variant of the Sky Demons.”
She lowered her voice and spoke slowly:
“The world says Dragon Lord Mingzhu is fierce and battle-hardened. Seeing you today, I find it to be true. You dared to use yourself as bait to lure the Sky Demons in, attempting to wipe them out in one stroke. It is only a pity your luck was poor, and you encountered a traitor within your own clan, causing your plan to fall short at the last moment.”
“…Just who are you? Were you sent by the Hehuan Sect, the Wuwei Sect, or the Qingjing Sect? You certainly have some skill to be able to enter the depths of the Wuwang Sea.”
The Dragon Girl did not lower her guard in the slightest. The whiskers near her lips trembled slightly, revealing that she had barely a breath of life left.
“Friend or foe, just give me a quick death. Otherwise, once the high-level Sky Demons notice us, even a fellow Daoist with heavenly cultivation will not be able to escape.”
“A friend, not a foe. But that depends on your decision, Dragon Lord.”
Seeing that the Dragon Girl still had a spark of life, Nan Zhi couldn't help but feel a sense of relief, though she didn't let it show on her face. With a casual wave of her hand, a cluster of clouds and rain suddenly appeared above the woman and the dragon. Moments later, a gentle rain began to fall, moisturizing the dried and scabbed scales on the dragon's body.
It was actually the divine ability to Summon Rain!
Almost instantly, the Dragon Girl was struck with horror and couldn't help but gasp inwardly.
The Wuwang Sea had long been tainted by the black mist, and not a single drop of clean water remained. This mysterious person before her could not only move through the depths of the Wuwang Sea unhindered but could also call the wind and summon rain!
One must understand that although the Dragon Clan possessed rain-making arts, they had to rely on the right time and geographical conditions.
Even if her father wished to bring rain to a city, he had to follow the decrees of the Heavenly Court and work alongside Grandfather Thunder and Grandmother Lightning before any rootless water would fall.
Not half an inch more, and not half an inch less.
Yet this mysterious female cultivator before her could turn her hand to create clouds and cover it to bring rain. There were no spiritual energy fluctuations, no incantations, and no petitions to the heavens; she did it as easily as breathing.
Such a skill could only be an innate divine ability.
“You…”
The Dragon Girl took a deep breath as her parched scales regained a bit of their luster. She hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously:
“Are you perhaps a Great Witch of the Witch race?”
“Clever.”
Nan Zhi knew the Dragon Girl must have misunderstood something, but she didn't bother to explain. She simply maintained an air of worldly experience.
“I was traveling through this area and saw you fighting that Jiao dragon to the death without retreating. I admired your spirit, and so, thinking of the future, I decided to save you.”
Having said that, she produced a Spirit Beast Contract that shimmered with golden light.
This Spirit Beast Contract was a mission reward she had obtained for killing the Golden Core demon earlier. Nan Zhi had originally planned to use it on Corn, but she hadn't expected to use it on a true dragon ahead of time.
A true dragon with formidable combat power and a cultivation level equivalent to the Nascent Soul Great Circle, who was also the lord of the Rakshasa Sea Market and ruler of the twelve nations of the four directions.
Taking advantage of her weakness and using the Witch race's reputation to form a contract might seem a bit opportunistic, but Nan Zhi didn't feel any shame.
To save the world, her strength alone was still far too meager.
To eliminate the Sky Demons and rewrite the history of the Four Provinces Continent's collapse, the cultivators of the world—whether human, demon, or witch—had to be twisted into a single rope to survive this calamity together.
Since fate had delivered a heavily injured true dragon to her, she would start with the Rakshasa Sea Market.
“Senior, do not push me too far! The Witch and Demon races have been like fire and water since the Primordial era. You want me to be a dog for the Witch race?!”
The Dragon Girl was suddenly enraged. Her muscles tensed, and she opened her mouth wide, spitting out sparks of fire.
“My Dragon Clan may have long lived under the gods, but I am not like those sycophantic, unscrupulous wretches! If you intend to force a contract upon me—”
The Witch and Demon races had always been at odds. Although the Witch race had faded into obscurity and hadn't walked the cultivation world for a long time, someone who could stroll through the Wuwang Sea was certainly no nobody.
She might be a Great Witch, an Earth Witch, or perhaps even a Heaven Witch!
Was such a powerful figure trying to play the fisherman and profit while the Sky Demons and the Dragon Clan fought?
Once a Spirit Beast Contract was formed, one could only submit to the contractor, and not a single thought of defiance could be harbored.
A trace of struggle flashed through the Dragon Girl’s eyes, but it was replaced by firm resolve in an instant.
“How much strength do you have left? In a few more days, you will end up just like that Jiao dragon, becoming nourishment for the Sky Demons of the Wuwang Sea. Are you truly willing to let that happen?”
Nan Zhi sighed inwardly but maintained a cold expression.
“Besides, you have no room to refuse. If you die, the Rakshasa Sea Market will fall into chaos. In a few hundred years, when the Sky Demons invade the twelve nations and the North Province becomes a land of blood and flesh for demons, it will be the beginning of the Four Provinces Continent’s collapse.”
She wasn't joking—the Red Gourd couldn't hold a true dragon, and the system inventory couldn't store living things. If she didn't form a contract, was she supposed to carry a multi-thousand-ton giant dragon out of the Wuwang Sea by hand?
“‘The Four Provinces Continent’s collapse’? You mean the Sky Demon race truly intends to escape the Wuwang Sea?!”
“How could you know this, Senior? Could it be… It is said that the Witch powerhouses can commune with the world and all living things, seeing the past and predicting the future. Is this a Witch prophecy?!”
The Dragon Girl suddenly forced her head up, “looking” around in panic.
“That’s right, that’s right. If I die, the Dragon Palace will surely send my useless brother to take over the Rakshasa Sea Market. With his temperament, it would be impossible for him to ever think of wiping out the Sky Demons.”
“The Rakshasa Sea Market would remain stable for five hundred years at most. Once a Demon Lord is born among the Sky Demons, they will surely trample the Wuwang Sea and devour the twelve nations!”
“The twelve nations are where the North Province’s Heavenly Pillars are located, the very place where Nüwa once slew the giant tortoise to patch the sky. If the Sky Demons occupy the North Province and devour the Heavenly Pillars, the Four Provinces Continent will surely perish!”
She had guessed everything perfectly.
As expected of Dragon Lord Mingzhu, she understood with just a hint and even voluntarily revealed information that Nan Zhi hadn't known.
Nan Zhi couldn't help but blink, her eyes filled with admiration.
If she hadn't followed her down, the Dragon Girl’s fate would have likely ended right here.
To have such a formidable figure die in the vast Wuwang Sea would truly be a pity.
Rate on N.U.
