"Roar!!!"
Underneath Xu Ming, the evil flood dragon let out a pained cry.
To this malevolent creature, killing its opponent should have been an easy task. It had slain countless Heroic Soul Realm warriors and even more Cave Mansion Realm cultivators. Now, the one it faced was merely a cultivator who was both at the Heroic Soul Realm and Cave Mansion Realm—nothing worth fretting over.
Even if the opponent was dual-cultivating in body and spirit, the gap in their cultivation levels was undeniable. Moreover, what difference did it make if the human had set up an array to ambush it? Before absolute power, all schemes were meaningless and futile.
But never in its wildest imagination did the Yellow Sand Dragon King expect this Xu Ming to be so strong! His physical body was incredibly tough, his strength immense, and his spiritual energy astonishingly vast. Adding to that, his sword aura was razor-sharp—unlike anything the dragon king had encountered before.
This young man's cultivation realm felt utterly unreal.
Or was it that its own early Golden Core stage strength was nothing more than paper-thin?
Regret overwhelmed the Yellow Sand Dragon King. It regretted ever agreeing to this endeavor. It should have focused on its growth, biding its time to wander the rivers and seas. Only after evolving into a mighty chi dragon would it have been wise to grow arrogant.
But now, it was too late for "what ifs."
"Spare me! I'll do anything—just spare me!"
The Yellow Sand Dragon King lay on the ground, barely clinging to life. Its dragon tendons had already been extracted, leaving it completely immobile.
Even if Xu Ming spared it, such grave injuries meant it would be forever stuck in the Golden Core stage. It would never progress further.
For a cultivator, stagnation was despair. But for the Yellow Sand Dragon King, even a lifetime in the Golden Core stage was better than death. At worst, it could dominate a small river or stream, living a life of minor tyranny.
Xu Ming stared directly into the dragon's eyes.
"When you devoured those children and slaughtered those people, did you ever think about sparing their lives? When they begged for mercy, did you show them any?"
From this flood dragon, Xu Ming could sense an overwhelming, murky demonic aura.
A demon's aura could be either clear or murky. A clear aura indicated that the demon rarely harmed innocents, and if it did kill, it was usually other cultivators, with some justification or cause.
But a murky aura meant this demon had killed countless innocent mortals.
The clarity or murkiness of its aura wouldn't affect a demon's cultivation.
However!
In the eyes of righteous sects that specialized in subduing demons, they would never let a demon with such a filthy aura go unpunished!
Judging by the dense murkiness of this flood dragon's aura, it had probably slain no less than a thousand innocents!
The Yellow Sand Dragon King continued to plead, "Immortal master, I swear I'll never harm another innocent again! Don't those monks always say, 'Lay down the butcher's knife, and become a Buddha on the spot'? Please, spare me! I'll even become your mount and dedicate my life to doing good deeds!"
Xu Ming chuckled. "You're not repenting because you realize your wrongs. You're begging because you realize you're about to die."
"I… I…" The Yellow Sand Dragon King was at a loss for words.
"Let me ask you this. Why did you insist on eating the children from the Shijia Village? And why one boy and one girl every year?"
Xu Ming voiced the question that puzzled him the most.
"If you give me a good answer, I might consider giving you a chance."
Though Xu Ming said he might give it a chance, it was just that—a chance. He never promised to let it live. In the end, the flood dragon was destined to die under his sword.
"I… I…" The Yellow Sand Dragon King's gaze darted around nervously, cold sweat dripping down its face.
"Not going to answer, are you?" Xu Ming raised his sword, ready to strike.
"No, no, Prince Consort! It's not that I don't want to say—it's that I can't say!" The dragon's voice trembled, and its eyes were filled with panic. "If I don't tell you, you'll kill me. But if I do, I'll still die!"
Xu Ming replied coldly, "If that's the case, then you might as well die now."
And with that, the sword began to fall.
"Prince Consort, I really can't say. But what I can tell you is this—I never touched those children from the Shijia Village. I didn't dare harm them. All those children…"
Before the Yellow Sand Dragon King could finish speaking, his eyes suddenly widened in shock.
"Not good!"
Sensing danger, Xu Ming swiftly distanced himself.
The moment he moved, the dragon's head exploded into a mist of blood.
Staring at the headless corpse on the ground, Xu Ming frowned deeply.
It was clear now: someone had placed a restrictive spell on the flood dragon. The moment he tried to reveal the truth, the spell was triggered, resulting in his death.
The dragon hadn't planned to confess everything; it had only wanted to skirt the truth, hoping for mercy. But even that triggered the restriction, ending its life.
"Didn't dare to eat?"
Xu Ming replayed the dragon's words in his mind.
What did it mean by "didn't dare to eat"?
Could it be that those children had something special about them?
With the dragon dead, the remaining creatures were pale with fear. They now had a clear understanding of this man's terrifying power.
Some of the surviving monsters wanted to beg for their lives.
But seeing the murky demonic aura radiating from their bodies, Xu Ming showed no mercy. With a punch, he annihilated each one, leaving none alive.
"Yuan Yu, could I trouble you to help gather the demon cores from these creatures? Also, collect any usable parts from their bodies. As for their storage pouches, just leave them." Xu Ming turned and spoke to Yuan Yu.
Yuan Yu smiled and bowed slightly. "Master, you honor me. It's merely a small task."
With a small knife in hand, Yuan Yu began to work on the corpses of the demons.
The demon cores and certain body parts of these creatures were valuable materials that could fetch a good price.
Unfortunately, many of the monsters had been blown to bits by Xu Ming, leaving nothing behind.
While Yuan Yu busied herself with the corpses, Xu Ming turned his gaze to Mo Zhuer, who stood quietly nearby.
Noticing his attention, Mo Zhuer raised her hands high, then stretched them forward as she obediently walked up to him, looking as if she were surrendering.
It was as though the thought of escape hadn't even crossed her mind.
Xu Ming chuckled and looked into her eyes. "You're not planning to run?"
Mo Zhuer blinked innocently. "Run? Where would I run to? Do you think you can disable the formation and let me leave?"
"That's impossible," Xu Ming admitted.
"Exactly~ Since I can't escape, and I can't beat you, why wouldn't I just surrender?" Mo Zhuer said with a playful smile.
Xu Ming let out a wry laugh, but the killing intent in his heart didn't waver.
He wasn't the kind of person who would spare someone just because they were beautiful. If she tried to kill him, she had to pay the price.
Still, her calm demeanor made Xu Ming suspect she had another card to play.
"You think just because you're begging, I'll spare you? Who do you think you are?" Xu Ming asked, testing her.
"Why, I'm the Holy Maiden of the Black Lotus Sect, of course," Mo Zhuer said matter-of-factly.
Xu Ming: "So what? You think that means I won't kill you?"
"Why wouldn't you?" Mo Zhuer smiled. "Of course you would. I tried to kill you, so it's only natural for you to kill me. But," she added, her voice teasing, "I do have a reason you can't kill me."
Xu Ming's brow furrowed slightly.
"Aren't you curious why the Black Lotus Sect wants you dead?" Mo Zhuer continued. "What good would killing me do? They'd just send someone else after you. Instead of that, why not keep me alive?
"That way, we can play a little game—I try to kill you, you try to catch me. Wouldn't that be a lot more fun? I promise I won't strike a lethal blow," she said with a sly grin.
"Heh." Xu Ming let out a cold laugh. "Do you really expect me to trust the oath of a demoness?"
Gripping his longsword, Xu Ming radiated killing intent as sword energy danced violently around him.
Mo Zhuer had no doubt that the next moment would see Xu Ming's blade slicing through her throat.
Clang! A flash of sword light gleamed in Mo Zhuer's eyes.
"Your martial qi and spiritual power must be in chaos by now, right? I'd guess you're struggling to hold on, aren't you?"
The tip of Xu Ming's sword pressed against Mo Zhuer's pale, delicate neck, breaking her skin. A bead of crimson blood trickled down, sliding along the blade.
Xu Ming stared at her coldly, but Mo Zhuer maintained her calm smile, her gaze locked with his.
"Stop pushing yourself—I can see through you." Mo Zhuer gently placed her soft, fair hand on Xu Ming's shoulder. "It's not good for a man to act so stubborn, you know~"
The moment her words fell, blood began to drip from Xu Ming's mouth, eyes, and ears.
"Master! Are you alright?"
Yuan Yu, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, rushed over in alarm.
"I'm fine." Xu Ming waved him off.
Mo Zhuer smiled faintly and continued, "I have a way to resolve your problem. In fact, I'm the only one in the world who can help you. If you don't believe me, you can kill me now—but then you'll face a choice later: will you abandon the martial path or give up your cultivation as a spiritualist?"
"Yuan Yu," Xu Ming called out.
"Yes, Master," Yuan Yu responded.
"Back in the Baiwa Secret Realm, didn't you have a rope that could bind someone and seal their cultivation?" Xu Ming asked.
"I do, Master," Yuan Yu nodded. "Any cultivator below the Golden Core stage will be rendered powerless if bound by it."
"Good," Xu Ming said with a nod. "Tie her up for me."
"Understood!"
Without hesitation, Yuan Yu summoned a golden chain-like rope, which swiftly coiled itself around Mo Zhuer, binding her tightly.
Mo Zhuer didn't resist at all.
Xu Ming then flicked a pill directly into her mouth. "This pill was a gift to the emperor from the Poison Sect of Wu Kingdom. Once ingested, it causes intense heat, blood surges, and requires a daily antidote to keep the effects at bay. Without the antidote, you'll dissolve into a pool of blood!"
After swallowing the pill, Mo Zhuer indeed felt her body heating up, her blood boiling within her veins—just as Xu Ming had described.
"Quite the gentleman, aren't you, Master Xu?" Mo Zhuer said coldly, her composure now replaced by resentment.
"Not as much as the Holy Maiden of the Black Lotus Sect," Xu Ming replied, ignoring her sarcasm.
"Awoo, awoo!"
From nearby came the sound of a young girl's voice.
Shen Shengsheng ran toward Xu Ming on her short little legs, her face full of concern.
"Awoo." Tugging on Xu Ming's trousers, the girl tilted her small head up, looking at him worriedly.
"I'm fine." Xu Ming patted her head gently, then removed the small storage pouch hanging from his waist and handed it to her. "Go on, we've got plenty of spoils this time. It's all yours."
"Awoo!" Shen Shengsheng cheered happily, clutching the pouch as she ran off with a joyful bounce to collect the loot.
Watching Xu Ming's gentle demeanor, Mo Zhuer couldn't help but think back to his earlier frenzy while killing enemies. The stark contrast left her feeling that this man was strangely contradictory.
Before long, the noise from the temple area quieted down, and curious villagers began to approach to see what had happened.
When they saw the headless body of the flood dragon on the ground, many couldn't help but break into tears.
It wasn't sorrow for the death of the Yellow Sand Dragon King—it was relief.
At last, they were free from his threats and oppression.
On this day, Shijia Village held a grand celebration, a true festival at the temple. Ironically, it was still in honor of the Yellow Sand Dragon King—but this time, to celebrate his death.
Xu Ming carefully collected the heart's blood of the dead flood dragon, while Yuan Yu was instructed to choose anything he wanted as a reward. Yuan Yu initially declined multiple times, insisting that he had done nothing more than set up a few formations.
But under Xu Ming's insistence, Yuan Yu reluctantly chose the dragon gall. Without hesitation, Xu Ming tossed it to him.
Yuan Yu then separated the dragon's meat, blood, scales, and other useful parts, organizing them neatly for Xu Ming's convenience. Whether Xu Ming wanted to sell or use them later, it would all be easy.
Later, Xu Ming had Mo Zhuer lead him to the dragon palace, where they thoroughly looted Yellow Sand Dragon King's treasure vault, leaving not even a grain of sand behind.
"You haven't noticed, have you? Quite a few villagers are harboring grievances against you," Mo Zhuer remarked with a sly smile, still bound tightly in the room. "You killed Yellow Sand Dragon King and destroyed their 'favorable weather.' To them, all it cost was a pair of children each year to ensure good harvests and prosperity."
"Heh."
Xu Ming let out a cold laugh.
"A mere flood dragon like him—what right does he have to command the wind and rain? At most, he could predict some upcoming weather changes. That beast took advantage of the rainy season, claiming credit for the rain that was naturally coming.
The reason Shijia Village didn't experience drought for the past twenty years was pure luck, nothing more. For two decades, there was no drought—not because of him, but coincidence. Meanwhile, that flood dragon did nothing but bask in offerings, demand a pair of children annually, plunder the village, and enslave its people."
Mo Zhuer raised her eyebrows. "You know all this, but the villagers do not."
"I explained it to the village chief," Xu Ming replied.
"But many of the villagers don't believe it," Mo Zhuer pointed out.
"That's normal," Xu Ming said indifferently. "People tend to believe only what they already want to believe."
Mo Zhuer chuckled. "And you don't care about that?"
"I don't," Xu Ming said simply, turning to face her.
"Then what do you care about?" Mo Zhuer asked, stepping closer despite her bindings. Her smile was soft, her voice teasing like a wisp of fragrant breath. She sat down beside him, close enough to feel his warmth.
"Enough with your nonsense," Xu Ming said coldly, cutting her off. "Tell me—what is your method for resolving the imbalance between my martial qi and spiritual energy?"