Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 135 - 134: Yueqiu Fallen into Demon, the Nascent Soul Celestial Tribulation Begins

The Luminous Shadow Sword flew over, and Pei Yuhang snatched it from the air.

He turned his head to look at the silver figure a hundred meters away. Though annoyed at his disciple's impulsive decision to risk her life to help him, the arrival of the Luminous Shadow Sword had indeed solved his most pressing problem.

The Dragon Corpse's eye sockets, blazing with a Golden Flame, seemed to pierce through the void. They were fixed on the terrifying blade in Pei Yuhang's hand, which was gradually gathering Pure Yang Fire Qi.

Though it had not been long since its revival, the Dragon Corpse had already recovered a sliver of intelligence. It knew that if this sword strike landed, it would likely never recover.

It gathered all of its Life Essence into its throat. Golden streams of noble Dragon Blood filled its shriveled gullet, regenerating flesh.

After absorbing the Life Essence from its entire body, the Dragon's vocal organs rapidly formed.

The Dragon Corpse opened its maw, took a deep breath, and its vocal cords buzzed and vibrated, unleashing a roar that shook the heavens and the earth!

ROOOAAAR—AUNG!!

The dragon's roar compressed the air, forming ring after ring of shockwaves that swept toward Pei Yuhang. Mixed within the waves was the Suppression of a True Dragon, a pressure that transcended bloodlines. It caused Pei Yuhang, still gathering power for his attack, to turn deathly pale as blood streamed from his ears.

Pei Yuhang's vision began to blur, and his consciousness started to crumble under the Suppression of the roar. He saw countless illusions: the sky tilted toward the earth, the sun went dark, the moon fell, the seas evaporated, and the very world shattered. It was like the apocalypse.

"A mere creature that should've been swept into the dustbin of history long ago... Don't you dare crawl back out!"

With bloodshot eyes, Pei Yuhang swung the Luminous Shadow Sword. Trailing a hundred-meter-long stream of fire, the blade fell like a Moon Star turned meteor, plummeting from the sky to crush the earth.

With a thunderous crash, the dragon's roar came to an abrupt halt.

A new Abyssal Pit, etched with patterns like molten lava, now scarred Tree Sea Dragon Island. On one side of the pit lay a Dragon Head, the Golden Flame in its eye sockets slowly dimming. On the other, the rest of the body twitched in defiance.

Several kilometers away, a Grave Digger hidden in the canopy of a tree witnessed this, utterly dumbfounded.

'The Dragon Corpse... was beheaded by that Sword Cultivator!'

'But the Dragon Corpse's hide is so tough that even a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator would struggle to pierce it. How did that Sword Cultivator do it?! Was it that special, sun-like flame, or the power of those two sharp Divine Swords?'

The Grave Digger was filled with shock and suspicion. Gripping the Memory Stone that had recorded the entire scene, he decided to retreat for now and let the Main Base pass judgment...

However, the White-clothed Sword Cultivator suddenly turned his head and looked right in his direction!

ZING—!!

The piercing shriek of a sword rang out only after the Grave Digger had been sliced to pieces.

Sensing that the man's Divine Soul had been completely annihilated, Pei Yuhang withdrew his gaze. His hands flew through a series of seals, gathering the Spiritual Qi from several kilometers around to summon a blizzard of white snow that buried the Dragon Corpse.

As the frost covering the Dragon Corpse solidified, its headless body finally stopped twitching.

But this was only a temporary seal cast by Pei Yuhang. To imprison the Demon Dragon completely, he would have to wait for a professional Sealing Array Master from the Sect.

Just as Pei Yuhang thought the dust had settled and he could finally breathe a sigh of relief...

WHOOSH—

A howling gale rushed toward him, whipping at the hem of the White-clothed Sword Immortal's robes.

He raised his head and looked at the thick black clouds suddenly gathering in the sky, his expression one of astonishment.

'Wait, is this... the sign of a Celestial Tribulation gathering?!'

'But who would be Crossing the Tribulation here!'

An answer formed in Pei Yuhang's mind. He turned his head in disbelief, his gaze falling upon his first disciple in the forest. Her eyes were blood-red, as if she had Fallen into Demon.

...

「Several minutes earlier.」

Qing Yueqiu watched as trickles of Dragon Blood, like writhing golden worms, crawled across the Dragon Corpse's throat, seemingly gestating some kind of organ.

She had an instinctive feeling that something was wrong and wanted to shout a warning to her master, who was gathering power for his attack high up in the clouds.

But the Dragon Corpse seemed to sense that Pei Yuhang's attack was nearly ready. It suddenly accelerated its own process, weaving its throat and vocal cords from its Dragon Blood.

ROOOAAAR—AUNG!!

The Dragon's mouth opened, and a massive sound wave erupted like a shockwave. The surrounding giant trees were snapped in half by the force of the roar, and the sonic blast even reached Qing Yueqiu, hundreds of meters away.

"Nngh—"

Qing Yueqiu's body was sent flying by the blast wave like a butterfly with broken wings. The roar assaulted her ears, causing blood to stream from her eyes, ears, and nose.

Although the main target of the roar had been Pei Yuhang, and Qing Yueqiu was only severely injured by the aftershock, she still fell prey to the terrifying illusion the roar created.

Caught in the roar's illusion, Pei Yuhang saw visions of the apocalypse.

Qing Yueqiu, however, saw the Dragon Corpse open its massive, blood-stained maw, soar into the sky, and swallow the White-clothed Sword Immortal in a single gulp.

[Yueqiu... Take Xiaoxiao and leave...]

Before being completely consumed by the Dragon's mouth, Pei Yuhang looked at her with affection and softly uttered a few words.

"No... No, this isn't real! It's not real! How could Master die here?!"

Qing Yueqiu fell to her knees, hugging herself in agony. After witnessing Pei Yuhang be devoured by the Dragon, her mind went blank. Then, she felt all the blood in her body rush to her head, followed by a wave of tinnitus, dizziness, and nausea.

[Junior Sister Ye... This girl is asking me for help.]

[When I found you, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon that night was so beautiful, I can still picture it. So, let's call you Qing Yueqiu. Come, I'll teach you how to write it.]

[Yueqiu, I'm putting this blindfold on you... Whatever you do, don't take it off.]

[Yueqiu, if you can't forget your feelings... then don't.]

Pei Yuhang's voice echoed in her mind, growing fainter and fainter until it faded into complete silence.

It was as if Qing Yueqiu had realized she would never hear her master's voice again.

'Master is gone...'

'From now on, no one will ever call me "Yueqiu" with such affection again.'

'I'm all alone again...'

Qing Yueqiu's crimson eyes completely lost their light. An unprecedented loneliness swept over her, seeping into every pore and freezing her very soul.

In that moment, all that remained in Qing Yueqiu's Dao Heart was dead silence and killing intent.

Faintly, as if from nowhere, came the sound of a cracking seed.

The tightly sealed gate to the Nascent Soul realm shattered.

The Golden Core in the young woman's Dantian was like a drain being unplugged, voraciously absorbing the Spiritual Qi from the world around it.

Her aura skyrocketed. The clouds overhead began to swirl, forming the massive eye of a storm.

The Nascent Soul Celestial Tribulation—was about to begin.

...

...

"Yueqiu!"

"Yueqiu, snap out of it!"

Pei Yuhang shouted anxiously, looking at the young woman's blood-red, vacant eyes.

But Qing Yueqiu's body remained stiff as she walked toward the Dragon Corpse, deaf to Pei Yuhang's words.

'This is bad... This girl has been possessed by a Heart Demon. She has Fallen into Demon!'

Pei Yuhang's heart sank.

'The Nascent Soul Celestial Tribulation is incredibly dangerous on its own. How could she possibly succeed at Crossing the Tribulation in this state?!'

Pei Yuhang rushed forward, trying to get close to the dazed girl, but Qing Yueqiu reacted like a startled cat, raising her hand to strike at him viciously.

The White-clothed Sword Immortal grabbed her wrist and roared, "Qing Yueqiu, wake up!"

As he spoke, Pei Yuhang's hand flew out and angrily slapped the young woman's rear.