Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation Chapter 2374 Raw 2481 : Rosy Clouds Chasing the Moon

Suddenly, the God Killing Sword wrenched itself free from the blind old man’s grip, morphing into a streak of light before darting away.

This shocking event stunned both Xiao Chen and the blind old man. They understood that the Black Dragon King was on his way.

In the past, the Blood-Soaked Dragon Emperor had relied on the Martial Epoch’s Luck to bind the Black Dragon King. Should the Black Dragon King shatter his seal, it would signal the exhaustion of the Martial Epoch’s Luck, rendering it incapable of holding him any longer.

The emergence of the Black Dragon King marked the onset of the Martial Epoch’s demise.

Even though the Faux Gods present failed to identify the God Killing Sword, their existence was inextricably linked to the Martial Epoch.

Something felt off to them already, a bizarre dread gripping their hearts. They sharply perceived an immense shift unfolding.

No explanations were necessary. Every Faux God from the Heavenly Alliance and the Martial God Palace grasped the impending doom.

This moment was destined to arrive, whether soon or late.

Countless Faux Gods had endured sleepless nights, their lives overshadowed by terror of the finale and their own mortality.

Yet, as this day finally dawned, they found it far less frightening than imagined.

Against the daily torment of dread and panic, the sensation now washing over them felt more like sweet liberation.

“Whoosh!”

A dazzling blaze erupted to the northeast of the Divine Dragon Empire. Instantly, crimson radiance rained down like a barrage of meteors.

Mu Zifeng gazed upward, his face twisting in shock as his heart pounded. Then, his eyes shifted to Suiren Ji and Hua Tianyang nearby.

Suiren Ji and Hua Tianyang stayed silent, merely giving solemn nods.

“Zifeng, it looks like I will have to leave the Heavenly Alliance to you in the future,” Hua Tianyang whispered, gazing at Mu Zifeng with a subtle smile.

“Alliance Chief!”

Mu Zifeng’s face drained of color as he lunged to seize Hua Tianyang. But he grasped only the man’s hand before the body fragmented into divine radiance that rocketed skyward, leaving mere ashes behind.

Glorious brilliance bathed all of Ancestor Dragon City, so intense it forced eyes shut.

In the blink of an eye, the glow faded, exploding into a crimson meteor display like bursting fireworks.

The abrupt spectacle left cultivators near Dragon God Plaza dumbfounded. How could a Faux God perish so effortlessly?

“No!”

Though Mu Zifeng had anticipated this eventual fate, witnessing Hua Tianyang’s death right before him proved unbearable.

Suiren Ji let out a soft sigh. “The old Alliance Chief was already wounded. Amid these upheavals, he couldn’t hold on much longer. However...I won’t last much longer myself.”

The Faux God Flame within Suiren Ji’s Soul Pool flickered like a leaf caught in a gale, gradually fading away.

Mu Zifeng whipped his head around. Never had Suiren Ji appeared so profoundly aged.

“Where are you going?” Mu Zifeng murmured, detecting Suiren Ji’s intent to depart.

“I’m returning to my sect. Even in death, I wish to fall where I choose. Please watch over my family in the Heavenly Alliance for me. I truly never foresaw this end after clashing with you for half a lifetime.”

Suiren Ji offered a wry smile. With a casual wave, he turned and walked off alone.

Whether from the Heavenly Alliance or the Martial God Palace, every Faux God detected the monumental shift.

All Faux Gods felt their Faux God Flames cut off from the world’s Divine Energy. It was as if some cosmic law had fractured, unable to sustain their Divine Flames’ blaze any further.

Some broke into loud sobs, tears they could no longer contain.

Others raged against fate, gulping potent herbs and hunting desperately for means to keep their Divine Flames alight.

Yet, the majority of Faux Gods in the Heavenly Alliance and Martial God Palace mirrored Suiren Ji’s composure. Before extinguishing, they sought out cherished places to await their Divine Flames’ end.

These Faux Gods, capable of summoning tempests, seizing stars, and pulverizing hordes of Sovereign Emperors with a gesture, displayed profound humility now—a sight that stirred deep sorrow.

As Xiao Chen observed the Faux Gods drifting away, their faces bore looks of utter hopelessness, serenity, or raw despair. Abruptly, he recalled the powerless Immortals of epochs past. At the Immortal Epoch’s close, they must have mirrored this scene.

“After he emerges, you will be his prime target,” the Shadow Dragon Sovereign cautioned grimly, eyeing Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen nodded. “I know. I’ll entrust my friends to Senior for now.”

“Don’t worry. I will do my best to protect them.”

Xiao Chen sighed inwardly. Then, he approached Liu Ruyue and Ao Jiao to bid farewell, instructing them to stay put in the Divine Dragon Empire and not venture from Ancestor Dragon City.

Mu Zifeng gazed at Xiao Chen and spoke each word distinctly, “Xiao Chen, I don’t blame you for not ascending as the Dragon Emperor. Yet, you must eradicate the Black Dragon King!” A thick murderous aura swirled around him.

Xiao Chen fixed his eyes on Mu Zifeng. Next, he glanced at the anxious Liu Ruyue and Ao Jiao. Then, Jiang He... all of them were faces he recognized well.

Should Xiao Chen fail to overcome the Black Dragon King, these longtime companions, who brought cherished memories into his journey, would face total annihilation at the Black Dragon King’s hands.

“I will. I will definitely kill him.”

After uttering those words, Xiao Chen pivoted and departed. Upon reaching the city gates, he paused and glanced backward.

The skies over the Divine Dragon Empire brimmed with crimson meteors. These stemmed from the blood of Faux Gods, now mere specks of dust. From that dust sprang the world’s most brilliant flowers, painting a stunning yet sorrowful vista of apocalypse.

“Are you heading to the Desolate Sea?”

Xi, his eyes now crystal clear, leaped down from the city walls. He pressed his right hand to his lips and coughed harshly several times.

Two mighty formations guarded the Desolate Sea.

The Heavenly Dao Killing Formation and the Great Desolate Blood Dragon Formation relied on the Wings of Time as their heart. Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun had devised them with utmost effort against the Black Dragon King.

Activating both required possession of Heavenly Slayer and the Blood Dragon cloak.

“Even though you possess both the Blood Dragon cloak and Heavenly Slayer, you can trigger only the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation. To unleash the Great Desolate Blood Dragon Formation, you would need to slay me.”

Xi stared at Xiao Chen. His rigid expression revealed little, but his right fist clenched tight, shaking without cease and exposing his inner turmoil.

For a long while, Xi had wavered before stepping forth to reveal this to Xiao Chen.

Death held no appeal for Xi. No one welcomed it; he was no different.

Yet at this instant, Xi urged Xiao Chen to end his life.

Right then, the once-terrifying Lord Xi from the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb seemed utterly frail.

“I know,” Xiao Chen answered in a gentle tone.

The dragon spirit had revealed that Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun’s scheme allowed only one survivor between Xiao Chen and Xi. Per the blueprint, Xiao Chen was to claim the Dragon Emperor throne, Xi the Demonic Emperor seat. Their clash would crown the winner with the complete legacy.

That revelation marked when Xiao Chen abandoned his pursuit of the Dragon Emperor title.

Did he crave the Dragon Emperor role, or did a figure from fifty thousand years past demand it of him?

The truth lay with the latter. Xiao Chen harbored no ambition for that throne, valuing liberty above all. Long had he drifted along fate’s current, pushed toward Dragon Emperor destiny—a state bereft of true autonomy.

Shock flooded Xi’s face. Dazed, he questioned, “Then, why did you let me live?”

“Have you harmed my friends? Do we share a deep-seated enmity? Have you violated my principles? If none of that holds, then why must I end you?”

If not, then why do I have to kill you?

Those straightforward words stirred massive ripples in Xi’s mind. Xiao Chen had utterly reshaped his perspective.

“However, can you defeat the Black Dragon King using just the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation?”

Anxiety gripped Xi as he pressed desperately for an answer.

“How will anyone know without attempting it? I refuse to slay someone I choose not to, no matter the reason. I could never absolve myself otherwise.”

Outside Ancestor Dragon City, blood rain poured through the gloomy skies of the barren wilderness, resembling stunning meteors. Xiao Chen offered a subtle smile and murmured, “You broke free from Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun’s bindings, free to live on your terms. Why chase death? Offer me your well-wishes instead. I’ll take down the Black Dragon King. I trust my decisions.”

That smile enlightened Xi, revealing why Xiao Chen could battle three foes solo and why defeat eluded him.

From start to finish, Xiao Chen clung to a pure heart. Even facing formidable adversaries, he held firm to his essence, unchanging.

---

Cloud Water Marsh featured springs every ten paces and rivers every fifty kilometers.

A persistent foggy haze lingered there eternally.

Clad in the Blood Dragon cloak, Xiao Chen pierced the mist and halted upon reaching the Desolate Sea.

He settled atop a massive rock, cradling Heavenly Slayer, eyes shut in repose.

After a while, anguished screams echoed across the world. As Xiao Chen opened his eyes, a scarlet glow permeated the skies over the entire Central Great Realm. Countless meteors transformed into endless blood rain cascading down.

Xiao Chen extended his hand and captured a droplet of blood rain in his palm.

He squinted his eyes and examined it using his Soul Energy. Numerous visions materialized before him. It was a memory remnant from a certain Faux God, a mark etched in the world by a legendary figure. Yet, that legend had now become desolate bloody rain, sinking into the earth.

“Boom!”

A ray of multicolored light descended alongside the blood rain. Upon hitting the ground, it gathered into a humanoid form.

The figure stood tall, clad in heavy black dragon mail. Sharp metal nails on his fingertips resembled the claws of a savage beast. In his grasp was a pitch-black sword emitting a dim, subdued glow.

The face beneath the helmet bore a faint resemblance to Zhen Yuan’s. Undoubtedly, this was the Black Dragon King.

“You have waited a long time for me, right?”

The Black Dragon King gazed at Xiao Chen and grinned. Yet, this grin appeared utterly terrifying, sending shivers down the spine.

“I have wanted to kill you for a long time already.”

The instant the flower blooms, it illuminates three lives.

Xiao Chen unsheathed Heavenly Slayer and unleashed the Three Life Flower with blazing speed, attempting to traverse time and space to slay the Black Dragon King.

However, just as Xiao Chen prepared to step forward, he felt surprised to discover he couldn't shatter the space-time barrier in front of the Black Dragon King.

Xiao Chen found himself unable to move ahead or back. Then, the God Killing Sword in the Black Dragon King’s hand thrust toward his chest, infused with a ferocious destructive aura.

“Dang!”

Xiao Chen crossed his scabbard before his chest. The sword blow sent him flying back heavily, while the destructive aura hovered near his ear, emitting profound dragon roars.

“I have already seen your trump card at Dragon God Plaza. As long as I stay vigilant against it, breaking the space-time barrier won't be so easy.”

The Black Dragon King showed a scornful smile while he whispered, “Actually, I could have struck you right when you breached the barrier, letting the space-time rift tear you to pieces. But that would be too dull.”

“Boasting is pointless.”

Flawless saber Dao, endless cycles!

Xiao Chen abandoned the idea of an instant kill on his foe. With a battle roar, he raised Heavenly Slayer and charged ahead. He channeled his Cycle Great Dao to empower his Flawless saber Dao, linking to the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent within Heavenly Slayer and unleashing expansive, limitless saber strikes.

A spark of thrill gleamed in the Black Dragon King’s eyes. He muttered, “The Cycle Great Dao... I have never attempted to shatter the Cycle Great Dao before.

“Hahahaha!”

In the midst of wild laughter, the Black Dragon King lifted his sword to clash. A shocking, massive battle then erupted in the Desolate Sea.

Xiao Chen’s supreme saber Dao surpassed the ages. Bolstered by the power of cycles, its assaults became incredibly piercing.

Saber lights blazed everywhere, flickering and causing the sky to shift between darkness and light.

Each saber strike could shatter a star with ease. The saber techniques fused with cycle power to summon an primordial Azure Dragon that coiled and bellowed savagely under the saber light’s command.

The Black Dragon King met power with power. Whether it was the Cycle Great Dao’s life force or death force, he obliterated them using his destruction aura. This aura expanded through the world, resembling the mandate of heaven, making it feel like one battled the Heavenly Dao itself.

Xiao Chen unleashed every technique he knew, elevating his saber Dao to new peaks.

Xiao Chen had already torn thousands of gashes in the Black Dragon King’s dragon mail. Yet, those supposedly fatal strikes failed to injure him even after piercing the armor and hitting his body.

This man appeared blessed by the heavens, as if he embodied the Heavenly Dao with boundless vitality.

“I am the embodiment of destruction, spawned from calamity, standing for the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao’s killing intent in your saber cannot harm me. Even the Blood-Soaked Dragon Emperor failed to kill me back then. You stand no chance?!”

Observing the pale Xiao Chen in blood-splattered white robes, looking somewhat disheveled, the Black Dragon King began to taunt him.

In the Black Dragon King’s view, his opponent’s ace was the Cycle Great Dao that rent time and space.

Only this technique felt oddly threatening and required caution. The Black Dragon King feared none of Xiao Chen’s other moves, not even the Flawless saber Dao enhanced by cycle power.

A faint smile crept across Xiao Chen's pale face. He then spoke softly, “Have you never wondered why I lured you here, suffering injury in the process?”

The Black Dragon King’s face shifted subtly. As he raised his gaze, a blood moon appeared high overhead.

Moonlight cascaded down, enveloping him entirely.

Xiao Chen gripped Heavenly Slayer tightly and thrust it toward the sky. With that, he triggered the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation.

At once, the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent—hoarded since the epoch’s dawn—surged endlessly from all directions across the Desolate Sea, converging on Heavenly Slayer.

A fierce scarlet glow radiated outward, the horrifying killing intent materializing as endless blood-red snow plummeting from the heavens.

“Wings of Time, Heavenly Dao Killing Formation!”

Witnessing the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent gather within Heavenly Slayer, the Black Dragon King finally sensed fear.

No killing techniques in the world could truly slay him.

He embodied the Heavenly Dao; only the heavens could overpower him. Yet, if the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent amassed enough intensity, it could genuinely end him.

“You think one formation alone can kill me? How naive!”

The Black Dragon King’s smile vanished, his expression gradually hardening. The destructive core inside him raged uncontrollably.

“What if you include me as well?”

Right then, an untimely voice echoed. The Black Dragon King whipped his head toward the sound.

“Whoosh!”

Sharp pain lanced through the Black Dragon King’s eyes. He beheld a colossal sun—an immensely vast, scorching sun ascending.

A Primal Chaos blazing sun roared fiercely above a distant figure in the sky.

Under that blinding glare, the Black Dragon King couldn’t discern the figure’s features clearly. He only caught a radiant smile there, mirroring the ascending sun aglow with brilliant rays amid a sky of rosy clouds.