Chapter 112: Azure Dragon |
Buzz!
The air in the entire cavern also seemed to vibrate violently in this instant.
At this moment, a cyan light and shadow suddenly burst forth from the dark space not far away.
That light and shadow moved extremely fast, rushing in the blink of an eye to above the stone bead, revealing an azure dragon-shaped phantom no more than half a zhang long.
The next moment, that azure dragon phantom directly opened its mouth to bite down, about to swallow the stone bead spinning in mid-air into its belly.
However, when the azure dragon phantom's mouth closed, the stone bead that had already been at its lips suddenly vanished without a trace in this instant.
The azure dragon phantom had completely bitten only a mouthful of air.
At the same time, Li Musheng flipped his palm and examined the stone bead he had retrieved through the air.
Very quickly, a strange expression appeared on his face. He had actually sensed on this grayish stone bead before his eyes a mysterious power similar to Qilin Blood.
Seeing this, a gleam of joy flashed through Li Musheng's eyes.
Since Qilin Blood had an enhancing effect on him, the stone bead before him should presumably be the same.
Thinking this, he planned to try absorbing the strange power contained within the stone bead.
However, just at this moment, a heavy gasping sound suddenly arose from the dark space ahead.
The azure dragon phantom that hadn't managed to eat the stone bead coiled in mid-air, slowly opening those dragon eyes gleaming with cyan light to look in Li Musheng's direction.
At the same time, the low murmuring voices that had originally been lingering in the air suddenly became clear. One could clearly hear two words: "Dragon Pearl!"
Li Musheng raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze falling on the stone bead in his hand.
Then, he raised his head to look at the white-haired old man who had appeared almost instantaneously ahead, narrowing his eyes as he asked, "Old man, this thing in my hand is called a Dragon Pearl?"
That white-haired old man wore tattered clothing with disheveled hair hanging loose, covering most of his face. One could only vaguely see it was an old face as pale as a corpse.
Facing Li Musheng's question, he merely stood on the water surface as if on flat ground, head lowered, mouth intermittently emitting extremely obscure sounds, "This... is not... something you... can take..."
Speaking thus, he slowly raised his sleeve, revealing a pale arm like withered stems and rotten bones. Suddenly intensifying his tone, he said, "Give... it... back to me!"
Hearing this, Li Musheng looked the old man before him over, casually tossed the stone bead in his hand, and chuckled, saying, "Don't say I'm bullying an old man. First answer me one question, then I'll consider whether to hand this thing over to you."
Then, without waiting for the other party to agree or not, he directly asked aloud, "I just encountered a group of corpses that came back to life. You better honestly confess now, was it you, old geezer, who did this?"
As soon as these words came out, the old man standing quietly on the water surface didn't speak.
His pale eyeballs slowly rotated, as if his thinking was very sluggish, slowly pondering Li Musheng's question.
Seeing this, Li Musheng frowned, becoming somewhat impatient from waiting. He immediately sneered, "Still putting on an act for me. It's probably you, old man, no doubt."
Having said this, he prepared to raise his hand to strike at the other party. However, just at this moment, another figure arrived instantaneously from the dark space ahead, stopping in mid-air not far from the white-haired old man.
"If I were you, I absolutely wouldn't recklessly attack him at the cost of my life."
A middle-aged man in a cyan long robe stood in the air, speaking to Li Musheng.
The middle-aged man's aura was restrained. On his weathered face was a scar extending from his brow to his jaw, making him look quite fierce.
On his back he carried a long sword wrapped in gray cloth. His eyes, unlike his composed bearing, were sharp as an eagle or falcon, faintly revealing an edge like an unsheathed sword as they gazed at Li Musheng and the stone bead in his hand.
Li Musheng glanced at the other party. The hand he had raised didn't fall, but instead he narrowed his eyes and asked, "This place is quite lively. But who are you? Don't tell me you also want to snatch this Dragon Pearl from my hand?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man's gaze moved from the stone bead to look at the white-haired old man not far away. He shook his head gently and said, "Who I am, you need not know."
"You only need to know that as long as he is here, it's impossible for anyone to take the Dragon Pearl away from this Dragon Lock River. And I've long since lost any interest in this item."
Li Musheng narrowed his eyes slightly. This person was quite good at putting on airs.
However, seeing that the middle-aged man didn't seem to be lying, he nodded gently and said, "Having no interest is a good thing for you..."
Just as he was saying this, he suddenly changed his tone, asking somewhat uncertainly, "Those corpses I encountered just now, they weren't your doing, right?"
The middle-aged man frowned and looked Li Musheng over, then slowly shook his head, saying, "Those corpses have nothing to do with me. They're all the handiwork of the Azure Dragon Elder. He not only cultivates the supreme divine technique 'Azure Dragon Profound Darkness Scripture,' but also masters a mysterious secret technique that can control corpses, possessing the power to manipulate an army of corpses."
Hearing this, Li Musheng's eyes shifted slightly, but he didn't pay much attention to the other party's introduction of the old man before him. Instead, he nodded slightly and said, "As long as it wasn't you who did it, that's fine. This means I haven't found the wrong target. This old geezer deserves a beating."
Having said this, he raised his hand and suddenly struck down, attacking across space toward the Azure Dragon Elder ahead who was still rolling his eyeballs.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man's expression changed as he hurriedly tried to intervene.
However, before he could act, the Azure Dragon Elder who had originally been standing on the water surface was suddenly sent flying like a discarded burlap sack by an invisible True Qi.
His entire person transformed into an afterimage, falling into the dark space from which he had come, disappearing from his line of sight in the blink of an eye.
"Hm?"
Bu Chengyang's expression froze, his brow furrowing tightly.
His gaze looked toward the dark space ahead, then turned back to Li Musheng, seeming somewhat unable to believe it.
By rights, the one flying out should have been Li Musheng, yet now it had somehow switched to the Azure Dragon Elder.
However, before he could think further, an extremely terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the dark space ahead.
At the same time, the entire surrounding cavern began to tremble. The humming murmuring sounds filling the air also suddenly became urgent.
This sound shook the heart, and grew louder and louder, as if a group of fierce beasts were roaring in anger.
The azure dragon phantom floating in mid-air also began to gradually reveal its claws and fangs. Its body that had originally been no more than half a zhang grew against the wind, becoming over ten zhang long in the blink of an eye.
Then, the massive azure dragon phantom bared its fangs and brandished its claws, charging down toward Li Musheng below.