Chapter 59: The Sole and Supreme Sacred Emperor (Part 1)

  Fang Qing was closing her eyes and reciting scriptures, when suddenly Yang Zhao pulled her up and ran off without warning. If she had been practicing internal energy just now, this sudden movement would have been enough to make her blood rush upwards and cause her to become possessed on the spot. The situation hadn't deteriorated to that extent yet, but she couldn't help being startled. She furrowed her brow and said, "Young Master Wang, what are you doing?"

  Yang Zhao's eyes were fixed on the dragon in the sky, and as he ran, he said: "I've found a way out. Look up there."

  "Is... Flying Dragon? So gigantic." Suddenly, such a strange beast appeared, and Fang Qinghui couldn't help but be shocked. He said: "The young king said it was a road, could he want to tame the flying dragon and then use it to fly out of the Sky Abyss?"

  "Indeed, a true hero!" Yang Zhao exclaimed excitedly: "Let's find the lair of this monster and trap it inside. We'll beat it half to death before we talk. A beast is just a beast, I don't believe it has any unyielding spirit."

  Feng Qinghui sighed, "The flying dragon is hiding in the world, and it has always been at odds with people. Why bother to disturb it for personal reasons? Moreover, this strange beast is naturally gifted, its strength is probably no less than that of the two qilin in Lingyun Cave. If we really fight...

  "How did you become so nagging?" Yang Zhao frowned, staring at the sky with his eyes, but his mouth was unwilling to spare anyone. "Which day in Lingyun Cave, you can single-handedly challenge two Qilin. Now we have two of us together, and we also have the Yinyang Command in our hands. Are we afraid of this big lizard? Besides, if it wasn't for saving you that day, I would have escaped from the mudslide long ago and left Lingyun Cave. Would I still be stuck in this unlucky situation of being trapped in this Heavenly Pit? Don't talk nonsense, hurry up and follow me."

  Yang Zhao's words were actually a bit exaggerated. In fact, the reason he couldn't dodge the mudslide in time was not because of his desire to save Fang Qinghui. However, if one were to trace back further, it was because Yang Zhao had been pulled into the stone cave by two qilins that Fang Qinghui had gone in to discover the dragon path and gotten into a fight with Ning Daoqi, resulting in her being possessed by a ghost and unable to dodge the mudslide. Nevertheless, if one were to bring up past grievances, Young Master Wang could also say that if they hadn't kidnapped him, none of these things would have happened. In short, this was an account that even a supercomputer couldn't calculate clearly. If they were to argue about it, they could talk for at least three days and nights. Fang Qinghui's current state of mind was like stagnant water, where did she still have the energy to engage in a war of words with Young Master Wang? She could only silently sigh and let him be.

  The scale of the pit was astonishingly large, with a bottom area of at least hundreds of square kilometers. The two ran for a while, and the undulating terrain slowly rose to form a small hill. Standing on the hill and looking out, what lay ahead was no longer a forest, but a vast expanse of grassland. Under the sunset, only four or five horned beasts were seen scattered across the grasslands, leisurely lowering their heads to graze.

  The so-called Qiangjiao Shou is also one of the mutant creatures produced under the influence of the divine instrument "Tian Dao" that year. Its appearance is like a combination of hippopotamus and rhinoceros, but on its head, three extremely hard and sharp horns are grown together. Its legs are seven or eight meters high and weigh at least several tens of tons. Its whole body has thick skin and flesh, not afraid of knives and guns, making it an extremely powerful war machine. In those days, Tuoba Yu used this strange beast to form a siege army, no matter how strong the defense was, the city would still fall in a short time.

  However, this majestic creature that inspires awe in humans appears to be a sumptuous feast in the eyes of the dragon in the sky. It raises its head and lets out a long, melodious cry, then turns its body and dives downwards. The intense and ferocious aura that it emits instantly envelops everything around it. The Aurochs, which were peacefully grazing, are startled and instinctively let out panicked cries as they scatter in all directions, running for their lives with all four legs.

  The weight of a single giant beast was already astonishing, but four or five of them running at full force together were like dozens of pile drivers working at full capacity. In an instant, the rumbling sound shook their ears, and Yang Shao and Fan Qinghui simultaneously felt the ground trembling non-stop, almost tossing them off balance to the point where they could hardly stand on their feet.

  The cat catches the mouse, but still wants to tease it a bit before killing it. This dragon's temperament seems to be about the same. It lets out a strange, long wail, and with its wings low and swift, it makes a sudden sweep over the grass, stirring up strong gusts of wind. Amidst the flying sand and rolling rocks, the dragon's tail, covered in sharp bony spines, lashes out in mid-air, producing loud explosions that sound like thunderclaps. Each explosion happens to occur right in front of the Aurochs' face as it tries to escape from the grassland and flee into the dense forest. The sound may be formless, but its destructive power is real; the shockwave hits the Aurochs head-on, instantly stunning it and forcing it to turn around and run away.

  This scene was seen by Yang Zhao, who couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. The Aurochs were like a flock of sheep, while the Dragon was like a sheepdog. Four or five of them charged left and right, but they were all well-trained and were intercepted by the "sheepdog" that was circling in mid-air. Not only could they not escape the designated circle, but they also wasted their energy. Moreover, the dragon's circle began to slowly narrow, causing the Aurochs to become even more panicked and frightened. The limited space couldn't accommodate their galloping hooves, and out of control, they inevitably collided with each other, presenting a scene of complete chaos.

  The proud dragon raised its neck and let out a few long roars, as if it had finally played enough and flapped its wings to fly high. The beasts scattered in all directions like they had been granted amnesty, fleeing without looking back. Just a few dozen feet away, the dragon suddenly let out a short, sharp screech and swooped down with its wings folded, revealing razor-sharp claws that shone brighter than polished steel. One of the most plump and beautiful Aurochs let out a mournful bellow as the dragon's claws dug deep into its back, cutting through skin and flesh to the bone.

  The intense pain ignited the ferocity of this poor creature, just as it was about to exhaust its last strength to struggle and resist. The dragon, Mount Tai, pressed down with its entire body, and its two hind legs also grasped into the body of the horned beast. Its long neck wrapped around, and its huge mouth full of sharp teeth tightly bit the throat of the prey and then closed forcefully. Under the triple attack, the horned beast could no longer hold on, let out a low mournful cry, and crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Fresh blood gushed out like a fountain, and in just a few seconds, it had already dyed a large area of grass around it bright red. The remaining horned beasts were afraid that their companion's corpse would not be enough to fill the dragon's stomach, and they quickly ran into the forest, disappearing from sight.

  The demon dragon didn't even bother to respond to those stupid beasts that would eventually become its own mouthwatering delicacies. It casually jumped down from the Acanthostega's body, let out a few intimidating roars, and then used its powerful front limbs to flip the corpse over onto its back. The hard, armor-like skin that could withstand even the most skilled martial artist's strongest slashes was easily torn open by the demon dragon like wet paper. The internal organs spilled out, covered in blood and steaming hot. The demon dragon dug in without hesitation, its loud chomping sounds sending shivers down one's spine.

  A strong bloody smell wafted through the air, and Fang Qinghui couldn't help but turn her head to the side, her long eyelashes trembling as she closed her eyes and began to recite the "Rebirth Mantra". Yang Zhao watched with great interest, commenting, "The aurochs are quite powerful, it's just a pity that they don't have a sense of unity and mutual support. Otherwise, the demon dragon wouldn't have had such an easy time. This beast wasn't killed by being bitten to death, but rather died from stupidity."

  Fang Qinghui finished reciting the "往生咒" and opened her eyes, sighing: "The three realms have been dwelling for a long time, like a burning house. All beings with bodies are suffering, who can be at peace? The creatures in the heavenly pit may be hiding in seclusion, but they will eventually escape the suffering of killing and reincarnation. The horned beast being buried in the dragon's mouth is indeed suffering, but the flying dragon creating more karma to satisfy its hunger is not an even greater suffering?"

  Yang Zhao slightly smiled and did not comment on this statement. Although he respected Buddhism, he was after all a university student who had received modern education and believed in Darwin's theory of "survival of the fittest". As for the teachings of the six paths of reincarnation, his attitude was to just listen to it as a fable. However, there was no need to say this out loud and engage in another verbal spat with Fang Qinghui, so he simply crossed his arms over his chest and focused all his attention on the demon dragon's actions.

  The giant horned beast's body was enormous, with its internal organs alone weighing over a thousand kilograms. However, the demonic dragon's appetite was equally astonishing, and within half an hour, it had devoured tons of delicious food, filling its stomach to the brim. It licked its tongue, seemingly still unsatisfied. The remaining meat and organs were relatively coarse in comparison, and it seemed to have lost interest. Just as Yang Zhao thought that the giant lizard was full and would return to its nest, the demonic dragon suddenly stretched out its claws and cut off a large piece of the most tender and delicious part of the horned beast's back, then carefully tossed it onto its own back without even using its mouth. With a burst of energy, it set off across the grassland on all fours. Yang Zhao was overjoyed, exclaiming, "The giant lizard is going back to its nest! Let's follow quickly!" He took the lead, pursuing closely behind. Fan Qinghui had no choice but to follow suit. Behind them, dozens and hundreds of strange birds and beasts swarmed up, fiercely competing for the carcass of the horned beast.

  The grassland was vast, but in reality, it was only a small island. The demon dragon crossed the grassland and entered another forest on the other side. This forest had sparse trees, and the demon dragon darted through them without feeling cramped. At this time, the sun had completely set, and the half-moon quietly rose into the night sky. Under the clear, cold silver light, Yang Shao and Fan Qinghui walked far behind the demon dragon's tail. After about another half hour, suddenly a giant tree burst forth from the ground in front of them. Within a hundred-meter radius around it, not a single blade of grass grew. Fan Qinghui exclaimed softly, "A Bodhi Tree? But... how can it be so tall and majestic?"

  The Bodhi tree is the fig tree, legend has it that the Buddha Shakyamuni was under the Bodhi tree for seven days and seven nights of hard thinking before finally attaining enlightenment. After the Buddha had been in the world for forty years preaching the Dharma, he finally passed away under the Bodhi tree. Therefore, Buddhism has always regarded the Bodhi tree as a symbol of wisdom. However, ordinary Bodhi trees are at most six or seven meters high and can't reach the sky. This one is actually thirty or forty meters high and ten people can hug it together. The body shape of the dragon is already quite astonishing, but compared to this tree, it's like the difference between an aircraft carrier and a carrier-based aircraft.

  That fierce and domineering aura suddenly disappeared without a trace. The demon dragon walked to the bottom of the tree, looked up and let out a few "Woo~" cries, listening to that voice, it was surprisingly like a small cat fawning on its master. Yang Zhao, who was still following from afar, felt that something was off when he saw this scene. It seemed... he had forgotten something extremely important?

  Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck in his mind, and Young Master Wang's face changed drastically as he whispered, "Oh no! Let's hide quickly!" Without another word, he pulled Qinghui into the shadows of a nearby tree. Just as they hid, they heard someone say from afar, "Little Hei is so obedient, you're back?" Before the words had even faded away, a bright red light burst forth in the darkness, and a figure emerged from a hole in the trunk of the tree. The dazzling radiance that illuminated everything around them originated from this person themselves.

  ————

  Today's chapter is written like a beast world. Haha, I'll also make a guest appearance as Teacher Zhao.

  Uh, as usual, asking for clicks and recommendations, and thanks for everyone's support.