Chapter 374: An Honest Smile
The Dragon Tamer Lord's body was a divine physical form, and with five flood dragons coiled around him, two of which served as his weapons, his strength was doubled.
Although the Dragon Control Sect was also founded by the Dragon Tamer Lord, they only controlled and manipulated dragons, serpents, and similar exotic creatures, lacking the ability to borrow the power of dragons. However, the Dragon Tamer Lord's Dragon Control Art allowed him to borrow the power of flood dragons to strengthen himself.
Not only that, but the Dragon Taming Scripture he gave to Qin Mu did not encompass all his techniques; he had held back. Although the Dragon Taming Scripture in Qin Mu's hands was much more complete than the techniques of the Dragon Control Sect, the crucial combat methods were not recorded in it.
Using the flood dragons as double maces, his strength was immense. With a single strike, the eardrums of Qin Mu and the others in the palace were pierced by a sharp ringing sound, instantly deafening them so they could hear nothing.
Moreover, this strike instantly sucked away all the surrounding air, as if a large chunk of space had collapsed, drawing away all the air around them.
This was different from the clashes of other powerhouses.
Qin Mu had witnessed many battles among experts, including conflicts at the sect leader level, and had even personally seen the Yan Kingdom's National Teacher suppress a rebellion. The impact of these experts' techniques and divine abilities spread outward in all directions, causing immense destruction.
But the Dragon Tamer Lord's physical strength was so great that the impact was inwardly collapsing, with no excess energy leaking outward. All destructive power was highly concentrated, allowing his strength to be unleashed without reservation!
In contrast, outward-spreading impacts, though appearing vast and devastating, dispersed the power, causing significant attenuation by the time the techniques struck the opponent.
This showed that the Dragon Tamer Lord's control over power had reached its peak!
This was the beauty of strength—a beauty that only a few who had studied power to its utmost could appreciate.
In the palace, Qin Mu and the others had no time to appreciate it. The air inside was instantly sucked away, and Qin Mu, Wang Muran, Mu Qingdai, and Long Yu immediately felt an unbearable pressure, as if the air in their lungs was also being drained!
An astonishing squeezing force surrounded them, as if trying to crush them. At the same time, the complete removal of air caused another sensation: their bodies expanded outward. Their eyes, hearts, lungs, and bladders swelled, and blood and urine nearly uncontrollably leaked out.
They were lifted by the hurricane surging outward from the hall, floating involuntarily in midair, flailing as they were drawn toward the falling mace of the Dragon Tamer Lord, as if they were rushing to their deaths.
If they were sucked under his dragon mace, they would likely be crushed like ants, with no chance of survival!
Qin Mu quickly reached out, grabbing the large deer's thick antlers with one hand and Mu Qingdai's hand with the other. Mu Qingdai's sash flew out, wrapping around Long Yu's legs, and Long Yu immediately seized Wang Muran's hands.
The pulling force stretched the four of them into a straight line. The large deer's hooves slipped, unable to find purchase, as it was dragged uncontrollably toward the outside of the hall.
The deer opened its mouth and bit down on the Dragon Qilin's tail with a crunch. The Dragon Qilin yelped in pain and roared angrily, but despite the incredible pulling force, this stout creature stood firm.
Boom!
A deafening explosion came from outside the hall, likely the full force of the Dragon Tamer Lord's strike colliding with the Mute. The impact shook the four of them violently in midair, as if struck by countless thunderbolts.
They weren't hit by lightning, but the collision between the Mute and the Dragon Tamer Lord's attack caused spatial fluctuations. The space rippled violently like waves, and they, being within that space, were tossed and jolted severely.
Blood trickled from the corners of their mouths. The spatial fluctuations not only jostled them but also twisted their bodies along with the distortion of space. Their internal organs were nearly dislocated, and their bones crackled under the strain, developing cracks!
"Too strong!"
The Dragon Qilin shouted, "I'm about to throw up!"
Qin Mu, the other three, and the large deer were on the verge of vomiting blood, yet this fat dragon could still speak, full of vigor.
Just then, a blinding light erupted outside. The dazzling brightness left them unable to see anything, and the extreme brightness turned into darkness. It was unclear whose divine ability this was, plunging their vision into pitch black. Tears streamed from their eyes as they quickly activated their eye techniques to prevent damage.
Thud, thud, thud.
They landed on the ground, but then the shockwave from a second collision reached them. This clash was farther away, but the vibrations turned the floor into a sea, raising waves. Even the sturdy Dragon Qilin was bounced into the air.
With a series of sharp cracks, Qin Mu and the others were flung against the ceiling.
"Who built this palace for Granny? It's so sturdy..." Qin Mu muttered bitterly, wiping blood from his lips as he swallowed the blood rising in his throat.
In the past, when Qin the Sect Leader demolished buildings and palaces, he had never encountered anything so hard. Even the palaces of the Heavenly Demon Sect's Sacred Mountain, the imperial palace, the Grand Academy, and the Golden Palace were torn down as he pleased, and he even destroyed dragon veins.
But Granny Si's palace was unimaginably tough. Hitting the ceiling nearly shattered their bones, yet the hall remained intact, showing no signs of collapse.
When the shockwave from the third clash arrived, Qin Mu and the others, along with the Dragon Qilin, fell to the ground again with a thud, piling on top of each other. Mu Qingdai was at the bottom, then Wang Muran, followed by Long Yu, Qin Mu, the large deer, and the Dragon Qilin.
They scrambled to their feet, only to see that Mu Qingdai, the senior sister of Little Jade Capital, had been crushed until her eyes rolled back.
Qin Mu quickly pried open her mouth and poured in a bottle of dragon saliva, reviving her.
The fourth shockwave came from even farther away, but it still shook them violently. The spatial fluctuations caused their bodies to stretch and compress unpredictably. When compressed, even the slimmest Mu Qingdai was shrunk into a round, chubby girl; when stretched, even the fattest Dragon Qilin became slender, losing its big belly.
By the fifth shockwave, the effect on them was minimal, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When gods fight, mortals suffer. Although they were among the best of the cultivators, facing such powerful beings, one misstep could lead to a gruesome death.
"Mah! Mah!"
Strange cries came from outside the hall. Qin Mu had just relaxed when his heart tightened again. He quickly took out the golden flute, only to see blood flood dragons leaping down from the ceiling, landing on their long legs. Hundreds of other blood dragons surrounded them from other directions, trapping them in the hall.
Qin Mu blew the golden flute, and the flood dragons coiled around the hall's bronze pillars slowly descended, guarding the entrance.
Inside the hall, everyone was tense with fear.
The blood dragons, formed from the god's blood, were far too numerous. The power of divine blood was well known to the people of Little Jade Capital, as they were disciples of the foremost sacred land in Yan Kingdom and knew as many secrets as Qin Mu.
Qin Mu had seen the power of divine and demon blood many times. He had witnessed the might of demon god blood in the Great Ruins with the Village Chief, encountered the Root Demon of Withered Ridge nourished by divine blood, and seen the National Teacher clash with gods from the heavens, shedding divine blood.
He wasn't sure how strong the blood dragons formed from the Dragon Tamer Lord's blood were. Although he could sense and control the flood dragons with the golden flute, he wasn't confident they could withstand a siege from the blood dragons. The most dangerous aspect was the eerie energy of the divine blood within these blood dragons!
Outside the hall, the blood dragons moved swiftly, leaping back and forth like a pack of hungry hyenas waiting for the right moment to strike.
Suddenly, one blood dragon raised its head and called out twice. Instantly, all the blood dragons charged at the hall.
Qin Mu's flute music swelled, and the flood dragons guarding the hall roared as they met the blood dragons.
The flood dragons under Qin Mu's control were powerful, having been raised by the Dragon Tamer Lord for countless years. They were highly skilled and held back the hundreds of blood dragons.
One by one, the blood dragons were shattered by the dozen or so flood dragons, turning into clouds of blood mist. Compared to the flood dragons raised by the Dragon Tamer Lord, the blood dragons were far too weak.
Outside, the roars gradually subsided, leaving only the sound of pouring rain and Qin Mu's rhythmic, melodious flute music.
The flute music stopped.
The rain seemed even louder. Inside the hall, everyone remained tense, not daring to relax. They stared outside as thunderclaps came one after another, illuminating the darkness. The faces of Qin Mu and the others flickered in the light.
One flood dragon slowly retreated from the entrance back into the hall.
Qin Mu's heart sank. He saw a second flood dragon retreat into the hall, then a third, a fourth...
The dozen or so flood dragons seemed to have encountered their nemesis, something that chilled them to the bone. They slowly backed away, retreating toward Qin Mu and the others.
"What's out there?" Long Yu asked, his voice hoarse.
From outside came a squelching sound, as if something slimy was rolling around. Then footsteps echoed, each step feeling like it was stomping on their hearts, as something approached the hall step by step.
Qin Mu blew the golden flute, but the dozen flood dragons lay prostrate on the ground, motionless.
Cold sweat broke out on Qin Mu's forehead. A tall figure appeared at the entrance, blocking the doorway. A Dragon Tamer Lord, composed entirely of pure divine blood, came into their view.
Even the Dragon Qilin, upon seeing this figure, went weak in the bones and lay down, not daring to move.
Qin Mu's eyelids twitched. The Dragon Tamer Lord had a natural suppression over the flood dragons he had raised, and his body exuded a peculiar aura that even the Dragon Qilin, with its dragon blood, dared not resist.
"That blacksmith you brought is indeed very strong."
The Dragon Tamer Lord, formed from divine blood, grinned, revealing blood-red teeth. His bloodshot eyes fixed on Qin Mu as he said coldly, "But he can't protect you, little thing. Show me that honest smile of yours again."
Qin Mu forced a smile and said to the others, "It's just a pile of divine blood. Let's all go together and take him down!"