Chapter 370 — In the Next Life, I'll Repay This Grudge
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
One after another the flood dragons were claimed by the two flutes' melodies, their spirits linked to the players, and they paired off to fight; these flood dragons' cultivation was near that of godlike masters, unmatched in ferocity, and they used divine abilities but little, relying more on the clash of their bodies.
Only now did Shen Mu see how terrifying the flesh of the dragon race was: as their bodies swam and coiled, thousands of muscles throughout their frames were brought into play, and hundreds of great sinews, tightening and slackening, produced a din like thunderbolts from a clear sky!
This was power enough to move mountains, fill seas, remake the heavens and change the sun, power that filled the bodies of these strange dragon-kin, whose explosive force surpassed that of human cultivators of the same realm by no one knew how many times over!
Had these flood dragons unleashed their divine abilities and let their might erupt, it would have been more terrifying still.
Yet both Shen Mu and Long Jiaonan knew their limits: a moment ago, when one flood dragon spat fire and another water, the two of them had nearly died on the spot within the dragon vein; so they did their utmost to keep the dragons from using divine abilities, letting them clash with their bodies alone.
Though their cultivation realms differed in height, Long Jiaonan standing at the Seven Stars realm, far above Shen Mu's Six Harmonies realm, in depth of vital qi Shen Mu was not a whit inferior to her.
Each of them could command three flood dragons with their flute song; any more, and their vital qi would not suffice, nor their spirits hold out. The six flood dragons were exceedingly mighty, and their battle in the passage cut the dragon vein's flow in two.
Shen Mu had only just begun cultivating the Dragon-Riding Formula, but his was the more complete version; Long Jiaonan had practiced the art for thirty or forty years, yet hers was a fragmentary text; so the two were nearly equal in their means of commanding dragons.
Still, Long Jiaonan held the advantage, for the Dragon King's red flood dragon was familiar with her and easier to command; it fought most ferociously of all, and she wielded it as she pleased.
Shen Mu, by contrast, had only just established his bond with three flood dragons through the flute, and so his control was somewhat less than smooth.
That single difference was enough to decide the outcome between them!
Long Jiaonan made the red flood dragon seize a yellow flood dragon by the neck and hurl it heavily against the stone wall of the dragon vein; then the red dragon dropped to all fours, winding and gliding, threading through the other battling dragons and rushing swiftly at Shen Mu.
"Stinking brat, I will avenge every soul of the Dragon-Taming Sect!" Long Jiaonan cried shrilly.
Shen Mu's eyes lit up; his form flew backward, then suddenly became a shadow that clung to the ground, gliding along the stone wall of the dragon vein and slipping around above the head of the charging red flood dragon.
"Sister Long, forgive me." His voice came from within the wall, drawing swiftly nearer.
Long Jiaonan's heart jumped; at that very moment a huge shadow appeared behind her. The dragon qilin had been waiting for the instant the red flood dragon left her side, and it opened its great maw and spewed roaring true fire.
Long Jiaonan whirled about and raised the Darkwater Dragon Pearl to meet it; the pearl, meeting the qilin fire, burst forth with five-colored radiance and blocked the flames!
The dragon qilin's strength rivaled that of a Heaven-Man realm master; its qilin fire was fiercely violent, scorching the hand that gripped the Darkwater Dragon Pearl black, yet Long Jiaonan behind the pearl remained unharmed.
And at that moment the black shadow that was Shen Mu dropped from above; the shadow became flesh, and his fist slammed into the center of Long Jiaonan's back.
Boom!