Daoist Master, I'm really not an evil cultivator.

Chapter 26 Chimingzi, Dragon Eater

Xu Changqing's face turned even paler, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and the ethereal destiny energy around his body burned wildly, turning into specks of starlight that merged into the dragon's body.

The evil dragon roared to the sky, its body swelling once more, its scales standing on end, each scale revealing a twisted, wailing demonic face.

Jia Jue groaned as the illusory dragon was forcibly forced back into his body. He staggered backward, his black scales cracking in several places, oozing dark red blood.

"Impossible... You're only at the late stage of Qi Refining, how can you control such power?" He roared hoarsely, a hint of fear finally flashing in his vertical pupils.

Xu Changqing didn't answer, but instead focused all his energy on activating the evil dragon. The evil dragon opened its massive jaws and suddenly bit Jia Jue's left wing, tearing at it frantically. A cracking sound of bone breaking could be clearly heard, and Jia Yu screamed in agony as half of his left wing was forcibly torn off, splattering demonic blood everywhere.

Then, the dragon opened its mouth wide, about to bite him in half.

"Ancestor, save me!"

In a life-or-death moment, Jia Jue suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing a dark dragon-shaped mark on his chest. He bit his index finger, smeared the mark with his blood, and let out a piercing scream.

The mark suddenly lit up, and a dark light burst forth from his heart, spreading like ink drops into water, and then condensing in the air into a three-foot-long black dragon phantom.

The phantom was small, yet incredibly solid. Each scale was pitch black, with intricate patterns and edges that gleamed with a metallic sheen.

The crimson dragon eyes slowly turned, surveying the devastated ruins from above. An indescribable majesty emanated from it, and with just a glance, the air itself seemed to freeze and stagnate.

It seemed extremely dissatisfied with Jia Jue's current miserable state. With its nostrils slightly flared, it let out a low and indistinct dragon roar, the sound waves distorting even the light.

Immediately, the dragon's tail swayed slightly, its form like smoke and mist. With a blurry turn, it was already above the ferocious, roaring dragon of evil energy. Its body trembled slightly, and invisible waves rippled outwards.

"Buzz..."

The massive body of the evil dragon suddenly froze, as if gripped by an invisible giant hand. The black and red malevolent energy that made up the dragon's body, the distorted demonic face, and the churning resentment of the lingering soul began to disintegrate and peel away inch by inch under this fluctuation.

First, the dragon scales peeled off piece by piece, turning into foul smoke. Then, the dragon-bone-like main body of evil energy groaned under the strain and finally collapsed with a bang.

Only two things remained in the place: one was a viscous, churning elixir of blood and flesh essence, and the other was an even more filthy and chaotic black cloud of wicked energy.

On Black Wind Mountain, blood mist filled the air, obscuring the sky and the sun.

On a distant peak, the disheveled old Taoist priest chuckled, took a swig of wine, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his cloudy old eyes: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! With this old fellow from the Zhen family making a move, and me showing off some extraordinary abilities to save my good disciple... wouldn't he be moved to tears and bow down in gratitude? Heh heh, Old Mudfish Zhen, what a good man, truly a great man!"

He casually hung the wine gourd on his waist, and his tattered Taoist robe fluttered without wind as he drifted away.

"As expected, these scions of noble families all have protective items. The novels are right." Xu Changqing sneered. "It's true what they say, if you beat the young ones, the old ones will come."

The black dragon phantom seemed quite satisfied with having dealt with the troublesome evil dragon. It turned its head slightly, its scarlet vertical pupils looking at Xu Changqing.

His gaze was cold and indifferent, devoid of any emotion, as if he were looking at an insect struggling in his palm.

It didn't even bother to leap into the air and pounce; its mouth was slightly open, and a breath of dragon's breath was about to be released.

"Amitabha Buddha."

A lazy Taoist chant rang out.

The disheveled old Taoist priest had appeared a hundred meters away at some point. His Taoist robe was tattered, his beard and hair were all white, and a red gourd swayed at his waist.

The black dragon phantom paused, its crimson dragon eyes narrowing slightly, clearly not expecting anyone to get so close to it unnoticed.

"Akaakiko?"

"Old mudfish Zhen, what kind of skill is it to bully a junior?" The old Taoist grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Come, come, let this old Taoist play with you."

The black dragon phantom narrowed its crimson eyes slightly, scrutinizing the other party with a mixture of surprise and apprehension.

The black dragon phantom was surrounded by swirling black mist, its form spreading out and then gathering again, solidifying in mid-air into a blurry yet majestic old face.

"Hehe... I was still wondering how such a foolish junior could suddenly appear in this remote and impoverished Xiangzhou, daring to ruin the plans of my Huanlong Zhen family..."

The gaze on the aged face seemed to see right through the old Taoist priest.

"So it's you, a disciple of the Pure Yang Sect. You old codger, instead of hiding from the sword pellets of Taihua Cave, you have the leisure to come here and meddle in other people's business."

The slovenly old Taoist priest, known as Chi Mingzi, picked at his ear, completely unconcerned: "What do you mean by hiding? That's really awful. I, this old Taoist, travel the world, comprehending the ways of heaven, and wherever I go, I'm upright and honorable. But you, you old mudfish, are fine as long as you're hiding in your own stagnant pond stirring up trouble, but now that your claws are outstretched so far, aren't you afraid of being chopped up and made into dragon meat soup? I've heard that the dragon-eating guests have been going crazy with cravings lately, searching the whole world for your Zhen family to feast on."

"Sharp-tongued." The Zhen family patriarch's voice turned cold. "This person killed a member of my Zhen family and stole my family's property. His crime deserves death. Chi Mingzi, are you sure you want to interfere? Your Pure Yang Dao has long been in decline and is now merely clinging to life. Don't make a mistake."

"Bullshit!" Chi Mingzi laughed three times, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. His voice echoed across the surrounding area. "Who told you that my Pure Yang Dao has fallen? Open your mudfish eyes and see for yourself, which killing sword in this world can rival my Pure Yang Dao?"

Before the old Taoist's laughter subsided, the red gourd at his waist continued to hum, a wisp of red gas rising and falling from its mouth, seemingly emanating the faint sound of a sword.

"This kid is clearly a natural candidate to cultivate my Pure Yang Dao's True Understanding of Slaughter, and he should be my disciple to inherit my lineage! You dare to bring up your Zhen family's dirty schemes? If I've set my sights on him, he's mine. If you want to fight, then fight. Why all this nonsense?"

The two exchanged words and their auras clashed, creating an invisible pressure that made the space feel increasingly heavy and solid.

In the distance, the centipede boy's trembling remains, still clinging to a corner, were extinguished by the overwhelming pressure, his last vestiges of life turning into a pool of foul-smelling pus. Old Huang's remaining twisted body twitched twice, then fell still.

Just as tensions were running high and a conflict was about to erupt, Xu Changqing revealed a slight smile within the giant pit.

"Fortunately, we were prepared in advance," he murmured to himself, his voice hoarse but clear. "In that case, the ceremony can be considered complete."

He struggled to form hand seals, his knuckles turning white from the effort, yet the movements carried an ancient and eerie rhythm. His bloodied lips opened and closed repeatedly, reciting strange, difficult, and distorted scriptures in a manner that was almost chanting yet also like murmuring.

At the same time, he recited strange, difficult, and distorted scriptures in a way that was almost chanting or murmuring.

"Killing is the sacrifice, the world is refined into a feast. Flesh and blood are the firewood, and souls are the flames."

The lingering resentment of the demonic souls that had not yet completely dissipated in the giant pit seemed to be summoned by an invisible force, emitting even more shrill and piercing howls, while wisps of gray-black aura gathered from all directions.

"We have been connected with our ancestors for countless eons. The Dao values ​​life and extends its blessings to all beings."

Xu Changqing raised his head and looked at the black dragon in the sky. His eyes suddenly burned, becoming incredibly bright and incredibly crazy.