Stranger Danger

Chapter 673: Dragonslaying Blade, Killing The Mind

On the Dragon Subjugating Platform, the waves of blood transformed into two blood red butcher’s knives. They looked gnarly, savage, and full of killing intent.

The next moment, the blood waves snatched up the butcher’s knives like a pair of giant hands and swung them at Ye Qing.

Bang!

The powerful attack blew Ye Qing backward, and the butcher’s knives exploded into countless tiny blades that crawled into his body through the wounds on his wrists and ankles. One could see something bulging and squirming under his skin like countless worms.

Before Ye Qing could react, the blood waves summoned a new pair of knives and struck Ye Qing again, repeating the cycle. Not only that, each strike was faster, fiercer, and heavier than the last. The consecutive strikes were as swift as the wind, as rapid as the rain, as violent as thunder, and as heavy as a river.

For a time, it sounded like the assault would never end. Such was the movement of the butcher’s knives that their outline blurred together like a professional cook was actually wielding the blades and slicing and dicing the fish that was Ye Qing into meat paste.

And that was exactly what the fourth cut of the Dragon Scaffold was. It was the part where the true dragon was sliced and diced into meat paste.

When the relentless assault finally came to an end, Ye Qing no longer looked as collected as he used to. His body was covered in countless densely packed wounds, and blood was dripping out of his wound profusely. He looked like a victim of torture.

There was one thing about Ye Qing that looked exactly the same as before, however. His beaming smile.

“Is that it? Tsk tsk... how disappointing.”

Scratch that, his words were also as insulting and contemptuous as ever. “The Dragon Subjugating Platform truly is a pale shadow of itself.”

“You are a fool who does not know that death is already upon you.”

Inside the Dragonslaying Hall, Yu Longzi was looking a little pale after the tremendous amount of strength he just used. When he heard Ye Qing’s words, a rare ferocity flashed on his usually calm and collected face.

“Cut a true dragon on the Dragon Subjugating Platform, dye the blue sky in blood and stench...”

Yu Longzi chanted before the Dragon Cutting Seal in his hand flew away and stopped in the sky at the center of the Dragon Subjugating Platform. The next moment, the Dragon Cutting Seal, the Dragonbeating Truncheon, the Dragonsealing Sword, the Dragonbinding Lamp, and the Dragon Suppressing Bottle shone brightly, and the true dragon of destiny hidden within the clouds raised its head and let loose a long roar.

A lever-style guillotine descended from the sky then. The blade was made from dragon scales, the platform was made from dragon bones, the polish on the blade was dragon blood, and the sacrifice was dragon souls. Combined, the guillotine possessed the power to kill all sentient beings.

As soon as the guillotine appeared, the wind and clouds conglomerated at the center, and the sky began weeping blood. What sounded like the final howls of punished dragons resounded throughout the area as well.

There was a thunderclap, and a humanoid silhouette appeared in the sky. It grabbed the guillotine and slowly lifted it into the air.

Buzz!

Every time the guillotine moved up an inch, the world would shudder, and thunder would roar as if afraid of what was about to happen.

When the guillotine was raised three inches, the sky was completely dark, and the thunder sounded positively furious.

The four Dragon Binding Chains then pulled Ye Qing into the sky and until his neck was directly underneath the guillotine blade.

The fifth and final cut of the Dragon Scaffold was a cut that killed the mind, and the guillotine in the sky was called the Dragonslaying Blade. With the Dragon Subjugating Platform as the foundation, the true dragon of destiny as the core, and the five Strange Artifacts—the Dragon Cutting Seal, the Dragonbeating Truncheon, the Dragonsealing Sword, the Dragonbinding Lamp, and the Dragon Suppressing Bottle—as the trigger, it combined the power and force of Dragonrider Mountain to form the Dragonslaying Blade.

The Dragonslaying Blade did not harm the physical body. It only slew the mind.

“Your crime of dishonoring Dragonrider Mountain is unforgivable, and your punishment is DEATH!”

As soon as the word “death” was spoken, the guillotine blade began falling, the wind and thunder began roaring louder than ever before, and the rain of blood grew so strong it felt like a waterfall.

When the blade finally struck Ye Qing’s neck, the wind ceased, the rain stopped, and the thunder ceased all of a sudden. For a moment, the world was completely silent—but not Ye Qing’s body. A destructive, murderous, catastrophic energy washed out from him like an invisible explosion and blew the closest people to the Dragon Subjugating Platform—Yue Hualong, Yun Chaoyu, Zhao Yuanrong and Yu Ningxing—away before they could react. Muffled groans of pain escaped their mouths as their bodies trembled, and the blood drained away from the face and out of their orifices.

If even the four elders could not handle the heat, the disciples could only fare worse. Those unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity of the Dragon Subjugating Platform blacked out and collapsed before they even realized what just happened. Even Yu Longzi in the Dragonslaying Hall shook a little as blood slid down a corner of his mouth.

There was no time to tend to his own injuries though. Yu Longzi immediately stared at Ye Qing after he collected himself.

In the sky, Ye Qing’s eyes were shut tight. His smile looked as insulting as ever, and his vigor was exactly the same as before. However, his aura was completely gone almost as if his mind was no longer inside his body.

“He’s finally dead!”

Yu Longzi let out a sigh of relief when he saw this.

The Dragonslaying Blade only slew the mind and not the body. Although Ye Qing looked physically healthy, his Yin God and consciousness had been annihilated by the final cut.

In the sky, the Dragonslaying Blade grew increasingly transparent until it was gone altogether. The semi-transparent true dragon of destiny circling the sky also let out one last cry before shattering into nothing. It looked as if it had used up all of its strength.

On the Dragon Subjugating Platform, the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise also looked incredibly listless. The Dragon Binding Chains regained its bleak, dirty appearance after the thunder, sharp qi, fire and black water enveloping it disappeared into nothing.

Yu Longzi subconsciously rubbed his chest when he saw this. It was because his heart was aching like never before.

The one strike had used up not just every ounce of energy the Dragon Subjugating Platform had been accumulating bit by bit for many years, but also much of their destiny. One could even say that the attack had cost them centuries of time and effort.

Resentment and malice entered his gaze as Yu Longzi continued to stare at Ye Qing’s body.

The price they had to pay to slay their enemy was huge, but thankfully, it wasn’t all bad.

Dragonrider Mountain knew a secret art called the “True Dragon Corpse Nurturing Art”. It required burying an intact corpse inside a Dragongrave and purifying it daily using moonlight. Over time, the corpse would grow draconic characteristics such as dragon scales and transform into a draconic corpse. At the end, it would evolve into a True Dragon Corpse Puppet.

A True Dragon Corpse Puppet was extraordinarily strong and immune to conventional weapons. It could also summon soldiers from the Nether.

Not only that, raising a True Dragon Corpse Puppet cost far less time and effort than the true dragon of destiny. It would only take them several years at most.

As a matter of course, the “True Dragon Corpse Nurturing Art” wasn’t without its flaws. First, the corpse qi of a true dragon was absolutely necessary to use the secret art. It was usually found at the burial site of a true dragon, a.k.a a Dragongrave.

After all, how could they nurture a True Dragon Corpse Puppet without a true dragon’s corpse qi?

This condition alone was enough to bar most aspiring corpse puppeteers from attempting the “True Dragon Corpse Nurturing Art”, but it was basically a freebie for the Dragonrider Mountain. After all, their entire schtick was about slaying true dragons. Sure, dragonslaying hadn’t happened in a very, very long time, but they still had a Dragongrave with a thick amount of true dragon corpse qi. It was perfect for this purpose.

Second, they needed a corpse. It should not need to be said, but not any corpse could be raised into a True Dragon Corpse Puppet. For one, the body must be strong and flawless. Two, their vigor must remain strong even after the person had passed away. And three, they must possess great destiny and luck.

Unfortunately, corpses like this were incredibly hard to procure. After all, anyone who fit the three criterias were also favored by the heavens. People like this rarely died unless they encountered a great tribulation, and even if they did, their corpse was difficult to procure.

Luckily for them, the dead body in front of them fit that requirement perfectly. Ye Qing’s body remained strong and vigorous even after he died. More importantly, he was a man with immense karma and destiny.

There was a secret art in “Dragonslaying Art” that allowed a practitioner to observe one’s karma and destiny. That was how Yu Longzi was able to see that Ye Qing had radiance covering his head, purple qi circling his body, and dark yellow residing within his body. It was obvious at first glance that Ye Qing was a man of great karma.

The fact that his karma didn’t dissipate immediately after his death was also proof of that.

This was also why Yu Longzi tried to give Ye Qing a way out again and again instead of bringing the full wrath of Dragonrider Mountain on top of him from the get go. People like Ye Qing usually possessed a powerful background as well. If he wasn’t careful, then he could become the sinner whose poor decision sounded the death knell of Dragonrider Mountain.

In any case, Ye Qing was dead now. It was literally too late for regrets.

On a related note, the third and biggest flaw of the “True Dragon Corpse Nurturing Art” was that it was against the natural order.

Using the “True Dragon Corpse Nurturing Art” did not just damn the victim’s body into an eternity of servitude. Those related to the corpse puppet such as his friends, family and more would be affected as well. They would suffer an endless streak of bad luck and non-stop tragedies until they died a tragic death. All of them.

That was why the “True Dragon Corpse Nurturing Art” was one hundred percent a secret art of the Dark Ways and against the natural order.

It was also why Trueman Dragonrider specifically commanded his disciples and all who came after not to use the art unless absolutely necessary, and to act with the utmost caution if they did decide to use it.

The thought of using the “True Dragon Corpse Nurturing Art” had never crossed Yu Longzi’s mind until today. But when he realized it was actually doable, the spark of desire quickly grew into an inferno.