The little princess, riding the Tiger King, mingled among the dragons. She grinned and said, "Hey, old man from the Ling family, who are you looking for?"
At this moment, Ling Ziyan was sweating profusely, and a chill ran down his spine. The scene in the sky was too spectacular. Dozens of dragons surrounded him, and each dragon was filled with young people. The huge dragon roars shook the sky, making his flying dragon tremble with fear.
He steadied himself and said, "I've come to find the murderer who hurt my brother." At this moment, he dared not mention Ling Yun's murder again. Although the matter had made him furious and enraged, he understood that in the City of Sin, everyone hated Ling Yun to the bone, and bringing it up again might arouse public indignation.
Suddenly, Ling Ziyan spotted several young powerhouses who had participated in the attack on Ling Zixu atop the backs of the sub-dragons. Pointing at the three martial artists from the Immortal Martial Academy, he said, "Culprits! I've finally found you! Heh heh, you actually dared to come up here. None of you are leaving here today..."
As soon as he uttered these words, an endless killing intent enveloped his entire body. Dozens of dragons roared and shook the heavens, circling and flying around him. Many young people drew their longswords and pointed them at him from afar.
And just then, the roar of dragons echoed from the Divine Wind Academy again, and more than a dozen dragons soared into the sky, flying rapidly toward this place.
...
The dragon's roar shook the heavens and the earth. The enormous roar traveled for dozens of miles, like waves crashing on the shore or thunder shattering the sky, resounding throughout the world. The entire city of sin seemed to tremble.
All the residents of the city couldn't help but look up. Such a spectacular scene had never been seen in the entire history of the Free City. The terrifying sight of dozens of dragons roaring at the same time was probably even more impressive than a battle between tens of thousands of troops.
All the cultivators in the city smiled knowingly. These students from Shenfeng Academy were incredibly energetic, treating the Ling family's peerless experts as if they were some kind of peerless master. They were truly remarkable!
Nearly forty dragons surrounded Ling Ziyan, each carrying a dozen or so students from Shenfeng Academy. The martial artists pointed their weapons at Ling Ziyan, their killing intent soaring, a chilling aura permeating the entire space, making the sky feel like the dead of winter. The mages, holding their wands, began gathering magical elements; the magical energy in the air fluctuated violently, as if the entire world was trembling.
Ling Ziyan's expression changed drastically. Even though he was a fifth-tier peerless expert, if he were surrounded and attacked by so many people, he would probably be reduced to ashes in an instant. He didn't know if these students were acting on the orders of the higher-ups at Shenfeng Academy or if they were just helping someone out of a moment of loyalty. He felt a little uneasy.
If this was authorized by the higher-ups at Shenfeng Academy, the consequences would be severe. This is no longer a matter of personal grudges; it is about to escalate into a confrontation between two groups.
However, Ling Ziyan ultimately concluded that the higher-ups of Shenfeng Academy would not act so rashly; it was most likely that these students had caused trouble on their own.
"Hmph, I am Ling Ziyan. I have come here only to apprehend the murderer. Why are you blocking my way?" Although surrounded by powerful forces, Ling Ziyan was, after all, one of the three leaders of the Ling family. He could not show weakness in front of everyone, otherwise he would be ridiculed.
The killing intent in the air suddenly turned chilling, and the weapons of many students faintly emitted sword energy or battle aura, hissing and slicing through the air incessantly. At the same time, vast magical elements seemed to gather here in an instant, surging and turbulent in the air.
A tense atmosphere hung in the air high above, a battle seemed imminent, and these young people appeared poised to attack Ling Ziyan at any moment. To Ling Ziyan, the movements of Shenfeng Academy were intriguing; not a single person of any significant influence had come forward to disperse the group of students.
Just then, a boy suddenly asked, "Who is Ling Ziyan?"
"Selling stinky tofu!" someone answered.
"Nonsense, I'm a bathhouse attendant!"
"No, he was begging at the entrance of Kamikaze Academy."
"Wrong, it's Zhang Bo's daughter, Ahua."
...
Everyone burst into laughter, and several students brazenly teased Ling Ziyan, making his old face turn bright red. He glared at them, enraged and humiliated, and roared, "Ignorant brats, you're asking for death!"
Vast energy fluctuations rippled through the air, spreading outwards like ocean waves from Ling Ziyan's center. The dragons closest to him were immediately pushed away, swaying in the air and causing the students on them to lose their footing and nearly fall.
All the students were enraged. The warriors were about to unleash their sword or battle aura, and the mages were about to cast their spells. An aerial battle was about to erupt. But just then, the dragon knight high in the sky spoke.
He was a middle-aged teacher at Shenfeng Academy, and seeing the tense atmosphere before him, he couldn't help but frown. The vice-principal of Shenfeng Academy had instructed him to act as he saw fit and did not want a serious conflict with the Ling family.
"Everyone, calm down! Don't start a fight!" the dragon knight shouted.
The tense situation immediately eased, and all the students restrained their urge to attack. However, Ling Ziyan, as one of the three leaders of the Ling family, was not about to pretend nothing had happened after being insulted. He said coldly, "Those juniors, remember this: I'll spare you for now, but don't let me run into you again. However, I will not let those thugs who attacked my brother get away with it!"
"Haha..." Chen Nan laughed loudly, then shouted, "What is he talking about? Who's not letting whom go?"
The young people in the air had absolutely no goodwill towards the Ling family; many of them sneered and their faces showed contempt. Ling Ziyan's face turned red, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. The situation became tense again, and a chilling killing intent filled the air.
Suddenly, Ling Ziyan's mount, the flying dragon, could not withstand the immense pressure from dozens of dragons and the chilling killing intent in the arena. It was so frightened that it tucked its tail between its legs and fell straight to the ground, its body trembling and swaying as it fell.
Ling Ziyan was so angry he almost vomited blood. Feilong was so pathetic that he lost face, and his old face turned ashen.
"Oh dear, it's so scared it's running away with its tail between its legs..."
...
The crowd in the air burst into laughter.
Upon hearing this, Ling Ziyan nearly fainted from anger. He knew that his performance today would surely spread throughout the continent, making him a laughingstock. He really wanted to slap the dragon to death, but remembering that he couldn't fly, he had to suppress the urge.
Everyone on the ground looking up burst into laughter. Ling Ziyan was both ashamed and angry. He was so angry that he felt like he was about to be born and ascend to heaven. White smoke was coming out of his seven orifices.
After the young people in the air finished laughing, the dragons they rode began to roar again, seemingly mocking Ling Ziyan. Dozens of dragons roared, shaking the heavens, and the entire city of sin seemed to tremble along with them.
All the students returned to Shenfeng Academy with smiles on their faces, while Ling Ziyan was furious. It wasn't until then that the Ling family members who had come with him arrived on another flying dragon.
"I'm furious! I've never been so humiliated before. I'm going to the Divine Wind Academy to capture those juniors and have a good talk with those old guys who haven't shown up yet."
On the other flying dragon were a dozen or so Ling family assassins. They had followed Ling Ziyan to the City of Sin to meet Ling Zixu and the others, but they arrived too late, only managing to collect Ling Yun's body. One of them said, "My lord, please calm down. Do not act impulsively out of anger. Shenfeng Academy is not a place to be trifled with. We cannot confront them head-on on their turf."
"Hmm, huff..." Ling Ziyan grunted and let out a long breath, but when he saw Ling Zixu, who was covered in blood and unconscious, he immediately became furious. It took him a long time to calm himself down before he led his men toward Shenfeng Academy.
Half an hour later, in the office of a certain scoundrel at Shenfeng Academy, Ling Ziyan gave a stiff smile. Facing the old fox, the vice dean of Shenfeng Academy, he was at a loss for words.
The vice dean shrugged and said, "I've already told you what happened. I really can't do anything about it. Right now, your Ling family seems to have become the public enemy of the City of Sin. If anyone speaks up for you, someone will probably come and beat them up immediately, let alone help you catch those 'heroes,' no, 'murderers.'"
Ling Ziyan knew, of course, that the vice-dean was just giving him the runaround, but he had no choice but to reluctantly get up and take his leave. The dozen or so young powerhouses who had participated in the attack on Ling Zixu had not yet dispersed; they had learned that Ling Ziyan had sought out the vice-dean for assistance in apprehending them.
One of the dragon knights from the Victory Academy, known for his fiery temper, flew into a rage upon hearing the news and immediately demanded that everyone join him in causing trouble for Ling Ziyan. However, Dongfang Fenghuang stopped her. Having grown up there, she considered Shenfeng Academy her home and didn't want to pit Shenfeng Academy against a powerful group like the Ling family. The others also felt that further conflict was unnecessary; since they had already successfully eliminated Ling Yun, there was no need to escalate the situation.
Chen Nan secretly calculated that he and Meng Ke'er could be considered the culprits who ruined Ling Yun's reputation. If the Ling family wanted to take revenge, they would definitely target the two of them. However, Meng Ke'er had the support of the Tantai Ancient Holy Land, so the Ling family might not dare to act rashly.
To outsiders, Chen Nan appears to be a remarkable protector of the Chu Kingdom, seemingly enjoying immense prestige. However, a powerful family like the Ling family must already know the true and delicate relationship between him and the Chu Kingdom, and that he is powerless and vulnerable. If the Ling family were to seek revenge, he would be the first to be targeted.
"We certainly can't act rashly right now, but if Ling Ziyan persists, we can't be too weak either." Seeing that most people were unwilling to start another conflict, Chen Nan didn't want to incite everyone to kill Ling Ziyan, so he could only subtly indicate that he didn't rule out the possibility of taking action against Ling Ziyan.
He desperately hoped that everyone could unite against the common enemy and work together to deal with Ling Ziyan. If they could really eliminate the Ling family, this powerful family, then the Ling family would surely be thrown into chaos.
Ling Zixu is already half-crippled. In the coming period, the Ling family will likely be unable to launch any major offensives in order to stabilize the clan and quell various potential threats. If something were to happen to Ling Ziyan, the Ling family would be completely weakened and truly unable to fight back.
The dragon knight from the War God Academy chimed in, "That despicable scoundrel Ling Yun deserves to die. If the Ling family really protects their own and causes us trouble, we'll eliminate that old bastard Ling Ziyan just like we did when we surrounded and killed Ling Zixu."
Chen Nan smiled and said, "If Ling Ziyan is wise enough, he'd better not provoke public anger in the City of Sin. Otherwise, we can easily mobilize those who are dissatisfied with the Ling family to take him out."
That being said, Chen Nan had already started plotting to eliminate Ling Ziyan. By getting rid of this peerless expert now, he would have one less powerful enemy in the future. Although the Ling family wouldn't dare to defy the world and kill him in the short term, a conflict between him and the Ling family was probably only a matter of time.
Afterwards, everyone parted ways and went their separate ways.
Chen Nan returned to his secluded bamboo forest residence, found Xiao Chenxi with the three peerless masters, and then took her out for a trip to make up for his guilt of not being able to take good care of her during these days.
As evening fell, Chen Nan led Xiao Chenxi home with a full load of trinkets, which made her very happy.
That night, after Xiao Chenxi had fallen asleep, Chen Nan went outside the attic and muttered, "I hope something happened to that stupid dragon. It's already dark, why hasn't it brought the person back yet?"
"Awoo... This dragon is back, ouch... awoo..." The purple-gold dragon staggered to the outside of the pavilion and roared softly.
Chen Nan was shocked to see traces of blood seeping from the head and tail of the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon. Apart from the parts protected by the Xuanwu Armor, the other parts were covered in blood, and the color had darkened.
"What happened to Mudfish? Where is that woman? Who hurt you like this?"
Chen Nan was truly astonished. He knew all too well the hardness of the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon's scales; even with his fourth-tier cultivation, he couldn't harm it in the slightest when he attacked with all his might. Although the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon had lost its dragon essence, it was still a descendant of the dragon king, possessing extraordinary talent, impervious to water and fire, and unharmed by weapons. The fact that it had been injured was truly a strange occurrence.
"Awoo... Do you even need to ask? Of course it's that woman, that damned little wench! Ahhhhh... I can't take it anymore! To be bullied like this by a woman! If I were a human man, I would definitely make her a hundred times over! Awoo..." The purple-gold dragon trembled and howled wildly, clearly having suffered a great loss this time and was extremely angry.
"What are you yelling about? Keep it down!" Chen Nan yanked it down from the air and covered its mouth.
"I'm furious! Kid, let go of me! Can't I vent my anger? Otherwise, I'll turn on you right now, woof..." The purple-gold dragon's eyes were bloodshot as it howled like a ghost.
"Stop barking. There are many experts living in seclusion here. If they find you, you'll be in trouble." After saying this, Chen Nan released it, went into the house, and soon took out a strange immortal fruit that looked like a vermilion fruit. He said, "Eat this."
The purple-gold dragon's eyes lit up, and it immediately became obedient. After receiving the immortal fruit, it excitedly swallowed it in one gulp, then closed its dragon eyes and began to refine the medicinal effects of the immortal fruit.
About half an hour later, it opened its eyes, and its spirits were noticeably better.
Only then did Chen Nan begin to ask it for details. It turned out that the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon had stopped fifty miles away from the City of Sin, carrying Meng Ke'er. It dared not openly fly into the city with such a stunning beauty during the day, and planned to sneak in at night.
In the mountains and forests, Meng Ke'er blinked her bright, lively eyes repeatedly, signaling the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon to release her pressure points; she seemed to have something to say. The Purple-Gold Divine Dragon, of course, wouldn't fall for it. With its roguish demeanor, it spouted nonsense, seeking revenge for the recent chase.
Although Meng Ke'er was filled with hatred, she did not show her anger. Instead, she appeared calm and composed, with a smile on her face. She was secretly accumulating power to attack her acupoints.
The purple-gold dragon spat as it tried to enrage the captive, but the captive didn't care and even showed a contemptuous expression. Finally, it couldn't bear it any longer and began to bar its teeth and claws to intimidate Meng Ke'er.
It kept glaring at Meng Ke'er, but unexpectedly fell into her trap. As the two stared at each other, the purple-gold dragon gradually became confused and eventually lost itself, involuntarily starting to pat Meng Ke'er.
"Damn it, you stupid dragon, you're so stupid! You actually let a woman who can't move or speak easily control your mind! Do you know the consequences of letting her escape? This woman is terrifying, we're in big trouble from now on!" Chen Nan knew without a doubt that the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon had been hit by a secret technique similar to a soul-capturing spell.
"Awoo... How did I know this woman's mental power was so strong? I feel like I've been sucked into a bottomless pit."
"Tell me, what happened next?"
Upon hearing this, the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon flew into a rage, roaring, "That wretched little wench is utterly despicable! After capturing me, she subjected me to flooding, burning, and stone-throwing, tormenting me for hours. Any ordinary dragon would have perished long ago! Later, seeing that none of her methods could subdue me, she even pinned me down in a mud pit, trying to suffocate me! That vicious little wench! May she never fall into my hands again, or I'll find someone on a wall and make her transform a hundred times over!"
Chen Nan felt a chill and inwardly sighed at the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon's overwhelming resentment. He asked, "Isn't your entire body as hard as refined iron? Last time, I couldn't even hurt you despite using all my strength. How could she possibly cause you to bleed from your scales when she was severely injured?"
Mentioning this issue, the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon shrank its neck and trembled involuntarily, crying out, "Awoo... that little wench is too terrifying. At first, she seemed very weak, but later she actually exuded the aura of a powerful being, not inferior to that mad Ling Zixu. I was injured by her flying sword in that state. Terrifying!" The Purple-Gold Divine Dragon seemed to still be in shock.
A glint flashed in Chen Nan's eyes. He knew that Meng Ke'er possessed an incredibly powerful and terrifying force, but he didn't know why it was sealed. Clearly, Meng Ke'er had used that force when dealing with the invulnerable Purple-Gold Divine Dragon; otherwise, it would have been impossible to harm this rogue dragon.
"As expected of Tantai Xuan's successor, if she could use that power without any restrictions, she would probably be even more terrifying than Tantai Xuan was at the same age back then!" Chen Nan muttered to himself. If he really had to fight Meng Ke'er to the death, given the current situation, if she broke the seal, he would have no choice but to run away.
Suddenly, Chen Nan seemed to have caught something and asked the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon, "How did you escape from her?"
"Of course, I took advantage of her momentary lapse in attention, broke free from her grasp, and escaped back. Luckily, I was alert enough, otherwise I don't know how long she would have tormented me! Awooo..."
Chen Nan's expression shifted, and he said, "Didn't she activate the Jade Lotus Platform to chase after her?"
"It seems...not."
"You stupid dragon, why didn't you say so earlier? Come on, let me take you to that forest!" Chen Nan grabbed the purple-gold dragon's tail.
The Purple-Gold Divine Dragon wasn't stupid; it was just too frightened to think things through. Now, of course, it understood the hidden story.
"Awooo... Could it be that that little wench is seriously injured and unable to chase me?"
"Good to know. She has been continuously attacked by the power sealed within her body, and her body must be very weak. We must capture her as soon as possible to prevent her from recovering her strength and taking revenge on us later."
"Awooo... Little wench, I'm here! This time, your Grandpa Dragon is going to get his revenge!"
The purple-gold dragon carried Chen Nan and quickly took off, flying eastward toward the City of Sin.
As Chen Nan got to know Meng Ke'er better, he increasingly felt that this woman was no ordinary person. Her ability to escape from the illusory realm of the nameless god and demon was enough to demonstrate her quick wit.
In this scheme to deal with Ling Yun and his group, the biggest winner was actually Meng Ke'er. She successfully incited everyone to avenge the seven fallen heroes. Her true aim was to eliminate Ling Zixu, dismantle the Ling family's power, and remove the potential threat to the Holy Land. This time, everyone was manipulated by her.
Chen Nan kept urging, "Fly faster, lest something unexpected happens. This woman is very cunning; we must seize this opportunity to win her over."