Chapter 183 (2)
Chapter 183 (2)
Chapter 183 (2)
Toothless becomes more courageous as he fights, exerting all his energy.
Even so, the first round of fireball attacks was neutralized by the shadow. The shadow stood still, hands hanging naturally, and stared at Toothless with a serious face, repeating the same words: "Go back."
Toothless was panting heavily. The recent fight had drained him of much energy. He moved his strong limbs and swayed in front of the shadow, his eyes burning as he assessed the gap between himself and his opponent.
The senior had made a three-part agreement with him: first, not to leave the deep pool until he became wise; second, not to leave the area until he defeated him. Later, perhaps not wanting to dampen his enthusiasm, the rules were amended to allow the senior to concede automatically if Toothless managed to make him step back. The third condition would only apply if the first two were met.
Previously, Toothless had not activated his spiritual intelligence and thought this step would be simple. He believed that forcing someone to step back would be easy. Now, staring at the motionless tombkeeper who had stood there for three years, Toothless felt frustrated and wanted to bang his head against the iron gate of the Dragon Clan's hiding place.
"Ouch." Toothless felt pain, but he seemed bound by his promises. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave; rather, he couldn't figure out how to do so without ending up back where he started.
Under the influence of Qian Wanyu's spiritual power, Dongfang Minghui finally regained her senses. "Seventh sister, what's wrong with Toothless?"
He seemed very anxious and irritable.
Qian Wanyu gently touched the mine whip on her waist. "He's probably contemplating how to defeat the phantom."
Qing Mo was amazed. They had underestimated Toothless's character in the past. His current fighting spirit had changed their perception. "His courage is commendable, but defeating that phantom within thirty to fifty years is impossible."
For any ordinary person, challenging a Spiritual Saint would be a lifetime's work. Qing Mo saying that Toothless could surpass a Spiritual Saint in a mere 30-50 years already shows how strong the current impression of Toothless is. He held Toothless in high regard, especially given his astonishing growth rate.
Dongfang Minghui felt irritable, unsure if it was due to Toothless's mood or something else. She glanced at Mo Ce, who was standing again, despite his broken hands. His fierce eyes startled her, and she tugged at Qian Wanyu's sleeve. "Seventh sister, he's standing up."
Mo Ce looked embarrassed but determined. He straightened up, gripped his bent sword, and flicked it. Noticing their gaze, he looked at them and murmured, "I am Mo Ce."
It was unclear whether he was reminding himself or informing them.
At that moment, Dongfang Minghui felt certain that the man before her was indeed Mo Ce. But she couldn't rule out the possibility that his memories were fused with someone else's. The moment they devoured each other's souls, their fates already became intertwined.
Qian Wanyu grabbed her wrist and shook his head. "How do you know the correct path in Sleeping Dragon Valley, and how did you open the stone door? Who are you?"
Mo Ce stared at them silently before speaking. "If my memory serves me right, he should be called Liang Zhi. He had been here before and lost his lover in Sleeping Dragon Valley. To save her, he repeatedly entered the valley, spent a fortune on mapping it, and even engraved the seal of the Sleeping Dragon."
Mo Ce's words were concise. He had gleaned this information from the memories of the man who had tried to devour his soul, a battle that left both of them severely damaged.
Qian Wanyu's mind had absorbed the memories in the memory mirror provided by the trapped dragon seal, containing hundreds of years of memories. After Mo Ce's reminder, she sifted through these memories, eliminating irrelevant details until she found what Mo Ce had mentioned about Wen Ren.
Long ago, this valley was just a valley surrounded by steep cliffs. The road was treacherous, resembling a cylindrical tower with no gaps. From a high vantage point, it was a series of steep bends. One misstep could send you tumbling down the cliff into the abyss. Initially, Sleeping Dragon Valley served as a resting place for the dragon clan and was considered a habitat valley. However, at some point, the valley seemed to become cursed, witnessing hundreds of years of life and death in endless cycles.
About a hundred years ago, a newlywed couple ventured out for practice and accidentally entered Sleeping Dragon Valley. The valley was lush, teeming with plants and various creatures, far less barren than it is now. The monsters from the Demonic Mountains were even more terrifying.
The man was named Liang Zhi, and the woman was Su Lan. Fearless as young calves, they began their journey of experience immediately. They encountered many strange creatures and low-level monsters. Their initial encounters with rather weak monsters lowered their guard until tragedy struck one day.
This was the scene Qian Wanyu recalled. She had quickly skimmed through these memories earlier because the couple seemed so ordinary. Their story was just one of many, ending with the woman dying in her lover's arms. The man became so distraught that he aimlessly wandered the maze of the trapped dragon valley, turning from a boy into a walking corpse.
Upon hearing Mo Ce mention it, Qian Wanyu showed a hint of astonishment. "But that was a hundred years ago."
Mo Ce paused, then smiled oddly at Qian Wanyu. "Indeed, it was a hundred years. I underestimated you, Qian Wanyu."
Dongfang Minghui felt uneasy seeing Mo Ce's black pupils change and involuntarily stepped back, pulling Qian Wanyu's hand. "Seventh sister, isn't he Mo"
"Should I call you Liang Zhi, Ji Qianhao, or Tu Zihan?" Qian Wanyu asked, looking at Mo Ce with complex eyes. She quickly aligned the timeline and key events in her memory. Thanks to the Sleeping Dragon Seal, she could recount everything in precise order.
After Mo Ce's recent reminder, she had found that several strangers had entered Sleeping Dragon Valley over the years. She had also studied various terrain maps and knew that the last time the Sleeping Dragon Seal was captured by Meng Ruoyu, it had indeed been engraved. This explained why the other party was so familiar with the valley; this person had chosen to enter it every twenty to thirty years.
Thanks to her photographic memory and Mo Ce's reminder, they could finally identify the person before them. This individual had a hundred years of memories and had changed bodies multiple times, ultimately appearing as Jing Ke.
"Is your goal the holy medicine?"
"Qian Wanyu, you're so smart that I can't bear to want to kill you," Mo Ce said.
Qian Wanyu sneered. "I've heard that before. Many have said it, yet here I am, alive and well. But you must have paid a heavy price for living a hundred years, like changing bodies every thirty years?"
He kept appearing in Sleepy Dragon Valley just to find the holy medicine to save his lover.
The man paused, then burst into laughter. "Qian Wanyu, you know too much."
Having been wary of him for some time, Qian Wanyu felt that he might be in leagues with Meng Yixiao. "What is your relationship to Xian and Meng Yixiao?"
Mo Ce who had now changed, radiated an evil aura. He sneered, "A bunch of useless people, not worth remembering."
From his tone, it was clear that Xian and Meng Yixiao were merely pawns. Unfazed, Qian Wanyu retorted, "And you, if you lose your role, who will remember you?"
Perhaps no one had ever questioned him like this, prompting him to ponder. "It doesn't matter whether anyone remembers me or not."
All he needed was the holy medicine.
"Seventh sister, be careful."
Black water droplets splashed onto Qian Wanyu's face, merging with the deep pool's water. Dongfang Minghui quickly opened her silk umbrella, which surprisingly corroded upon contact with the black mist.
Distressed, Dongfang Minghui wondered if her silk umbrella would retire early!
After missing his attack, Mo Ce turned towards Toothless, who was already irritable. Feeling a cold breath, Toothless realized it was Mo Ce, now exuding an aura of death and the black mist he despised. This was the last straw.
Toothless, who held grudges, especially from childhood, unleashed ten large, golden fireballs at Mo Ce, blocking his path.
"Liang Zhi" Qian Wanyu mused, not as repulsed by Mo Ce as she'd thought. She considered making a deal: if he released Mo Ce's soul, there might be a chance for redemption. Otherwise, Mo Ce could be completely consumed by him
Qing Mo analyzed that Mo Ce's soul was still intact, suggesting a chance for resistance. "We should provoke him, giving Mo Ce an opportunity."
Everyone has a breaking point, and in a battle of souls, a single mistake could be pivotal.
Qian Wanyu considered Qing Mo's words. If they could help Mo Ce consume the other's memory, they might unravel many mysteries.
"Liang Zhi, your wife has been dead for a hundred years. What's the point of the holy medicine now?" Qian Wanyu taunted, triggering his rage. Distracted, he was burned by Toothless's flames.
As he mumbled in denial, Qian Wanyu continued to provoke him, causing him to lose focus and get burned again.
"Toothless, take back these fireballs," Dongfang Minghui urged.
"No, Ninth Sister, wait." Qian Wanyu hesitated, watching Mo Ce writhe in agony, his voice fluctuating. "Mo Ce is a Dark Element Spiritual Master, and they're all vulnerable to Toothless's flames. Toothless, retract the flames."
Toothless opened his mouth wide, quickly retracting all the flames, and continued to compete with the shadow.
Mo Ce rolled in the water for a while and then stopped. He stared at them with his original dark eyes and begged, "Kill me."
Qian Wanyu glanced at him and confirmed that the person in front of her was indeed Mo Ce. "Dying is easy. You can kill yourself with your own sword."
Mo Ce smiled bitterly and shook his head. "No, the moment I consider suicide, he intervenes to stop me. I've tried."
"You have two options," Qian Wanyu said sternly. "One is to die, allowing him to take over. If your mother encounters him in the future and mistakes him for you, she'll suffer the consequences. The other option is to fight him. You've held him off for five hours; you can continue to do so. Remember, he's the one competing for your body not the other way around."
Dongfang Minghui looked at Mo Ce, sensing his immense pain. "Yes, Mo Ce, if you were able to restrain him before, you can do it again. Don't forget, you still need to find your mother!"
The corner of Mo Ce's mouth curled into a smile, making him appear even more sinister. He sneered, as if he'd heard a joke. "Can he restrain me? What a joke, Qian Wanyu. We'll see who has the last laugh."
Qian Wanyu frowned. She and Dongfang Minghui watched this drama of split personality unfold until the individual finally fainted.
"Seventh sister, what should we do now?" Dongfang Minghui asked.
Qian Wanyu remained silent, looking down at the person who had fainted and was still emitting a black mist. "I'm curious to see what is the effect of searching for souls in such a chaotic situation is?"
LOL Wanyu is ruthless!
In other news I've been busy this past week working on a new site that could potentially be really cool for Yuri/Yaoi/Shoujo Ai/Shounen Ai machine-aided AI improved translations for CN, KR and JP novels to really start expanding the reading roster, super excited to release that one.