The demonic cultivator’s words gave Lin Que pause.
If even an elder of the Tianyan Dao Sect which was a top-tier righteous sect would secretly stash away a demonic cultivation method, and might even have practiced it in secret, then did that mean… other orthodox sects could have similar situations as well?
Even the Sword Seeking Sect, where Lin Que belonged, might not be free of such problems.
Thinking of the unspoken crisis that his Dao companion, Qin Wanyuan, could not bring herself to reveal….perhaps it was connected to this very matter. Lin Que’s brows slowly furrowed.
“A demonic cultivation method… It seems that after I return, I’ll need to investigate this thoroughly.”
With that, Lin Que shifted the sword in his right hand back to his left and looked up at the sky.
At this moment, Jiang Moqing’s battle with the evil flood dragon was nearing its end. With the demonic cultivator who had refined it now dead, the flood dragon was no longer under any control and gradually revealed its original ferocity.
Its hundred-zhang-long tail lashed about wildly. Anyone who rashly drew near would be swept up by the massive tail…either crushed alive or ground to pieces.
Its sheer physical strength alone made it nearly impossible for cultivators of the same realm to approach.
Yet Jiang Moqing’s movement technique was nimble and fluid. Even amid such chaotic attacks, she could evade with ease while steadily closing the distance.
Though she and Lin Que both practiced An Xiaoyao’s ever-changing sword art, their styles in actual combat were markedly different.
Lin Que’s strikes were incredibly fast. He would usually discard the vast majority of variations within the sword canon and rely on a single blade to defeat his foe.
Jiang Moqing’s swordsmanship, on the other hand, adhered far more closely to An Xiaoyao’s style. Every move she executed could be traced back to the sword canon, her transitions between variations seamless and fluid. It could be said that she had truly inherited An Xiaoyao’s legacy.
In just a few brief breaths after closing the distance, Jiang Moqing had already unleashed over a hundred sword strikes. The flood dragon’s tough scales were carved with countless crisscrossing gashes, and the once ferocious creature now resembled nothing more than a fish laid out on a chopping block, waiting to be scaled and butchered.
The flood dragon likely realized this as well. Its desperate counterattack before death grew even more frenzied. Its aura surged violently as it let out a roar that came infinitely close to a true dragon’s cry….had it not been refined by the demonic cultivator years ago, it might well have already transformed into a dragon by now.
The roar resonated almost in sync with the heartbeat, causing Jiang Moqing’s heart to falter for an instant and her movements to slow ever so slightly. Naturally, the flood dragon would not miss such a perfect opportunity. It immediately slashed down with a claw.
The sharp talons swept in, carrying a violent gale. At the same time, several tornadoes formed from the swampy mire shot up from the marsh below, instantly forcing Jiang Moqing into what seemed like a dead end with no path of retreat.
Lin Que watched the scene unfold yet still did not make a move. Holding his sword in his left hand, he simply observed quietly.
He believed his Senior Sister was capable of handling this.
And indeed, she was.
Even with her mind shaken by the flood dragon’s roar, her sword did not falter. With a single strike she scattered the swamp-born tornadoes, then sidestepped its claw attack. Every movement flowed like drifting clouds and running water, without the slightest hesitation.
With another upward slash, she split open the flood dragon’s throat. Its roar cut off abruptly, replaced by a gurgling sound as it spat out bubbles of blood.
Black blood spilled from its neck, and its vertical pupils were filled with venomous hatred. But the battle had already reached its end.
Jiang Moqing’s spiritual sword trembled in her hand as immense spiritual energy gathered upon it. The surrounding temperature plummeted, and the black blood flowing from the dragon froze solid in an instant.
The sword rose and fell. The flood dragon’s head froze into ice, then shattered into a flurry of black snow that drifted down from the sky.
The massive, headless body crashed heavily from the air, smashing into the swamp below and sending towering waves of mire surging outward in all directions.
Watching this, Lin Que narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Senior Sister’s swordsmanship has improved again… She’s probably not far from breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage.”
With the battle over, Jiang Moqing let out a soft breath. A light sheen of sweat lined her forehead, but overall she was unharmed.
“Junior Brother, come down and collect the medicinal materials.”
She spoke directly, but as she looked at the black blood seeping from the dragon, she added, “However, the dragon’s blood is highly toxic. It will need to be refined before it can be used.”
“Mm, I’ll take care of that,” Lin Que nodded.
He descended to the ground, took out a boning knife, and prepared to begin dissecting the flood dragon like a master butcher at work.
At that very instant, the headless dragon corpse suddenly twitched twice. Sensing it, Lin Que immediately drew his sword and thrust forward, while turning back to shout at Jiang Moqing behind him, “Move!”
However, Jiang Moqing was still a step too slow. Like a decapitated worm, the dragon’s body lashed about wildly and without pattern. Its massive claws flailed frantically, but before it could descend fully into madness, Lin Que had already pierced straight through its spine with a single thrust, rendering it completely immobile.
Even so, that single frenzied swing had ultimately sliced across Jiang Moqing’s calf.
“Senior Sister, are you alright?” Lin Que looked toward her. She shook her head.
“It’s nothing. A simple bandage will do. They say even a centipede doesn’t stiffen immediately after death. It seems this long worm is no different. I was careless.”
Looking at the bleeding wound on her leg, Jiang Moqing tore off a strip of her sleeve and wrapped it around the injury with a quick, simple bandage. Her expression did not change much.
“Junior Brother, there’s no need to worry about me. I can handle this minor injury myself. Go on and finish what you need to do.”
Not giving Lin Que a chance to fuss over her, she moved to the side and sat down to regulate her breathing with her eyes closed.
Seeing that she insisted, Lin Que could only proceed with collecting the materials first.
“Senior Sister should be able to take care of herself.”
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened while he harvested the materials. The dragon’s corpse had completely lost all vitality. Once he finished collecting what he needed, Lin Que was eager to return and immediately mounted his sword, flying straight back to the Wenjian Sect.
They traveled until sunset. Lin Que had planned to find an inn in a nearby city for the night, but unfortunately, towns were scarce around Evil Dragon Pool. Left with little choice, he stayed in a mountain cave once more, just as they had the previous day.
“It seems we’ll have to look for an inn tomorrow,” Lin Que said lightly as he lit a campfire, watching the last trace of twilight fade beyond the horizon.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Jiang Moqing sat beside him with her arms wrapped around her knees, neither too close nor too far… a distance proper and courteous. Yet her gaze would unconsciously drift toward him from time to time.
They roasted some meat taken from their storage rings for dinner. After eating, Lin Que and Jiang Moqing sat facing each other once more, fingers interlocked. They were healing together.
“The injury on your hand has worsened…” Jiang Moqing said as she looked at Lin Que’s faintly trembling hand.
“It’s nothing. With Senior Sister’s technique to heal me, these wounds will be fully recovered by tomorrow morning. As for the old injuries that have lingered for years… once we return and refine the dragon’s blood, that should resolve them as well.”
Lin Que smiled, but Jiang Moqing did not.
“Junior Brother, you must not treat your body so lightly. Otherwise… Junior Sister will be heartbroken.”
Meeting Jiang Moqing’s clear black-and-white gaze, Lin Que blinked. The easy smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a more serious expression.
“Alright. I’ll be more careful.”
The healing session that followed went as usual. Nothing went wrong, and the medicinal effects were absorbed without issue.
But…
After the healing was complete, Jiang Moqing did not release Lin Que’s hand as she normally would. Instead, she held it tightly. Her gaze shifted subtly, as though she were pondering something.
“Senior Sister, what’s wrong?” Lin Que asked in confusion.
“Junior Brother, looking at your hand, I suddenly really want to…” Jiang Moqing trailed off halfway through her sentence. Then she suddenly lifted Lin Que’s right hand, parted her warm red lips, and took his fingertip into her mouth.
As she did so, her eyes gradually grew unfocused, and an unusual flush spread across her exquisite face.
Lin Que’s pupils trembled violently.
In that instant, countless unspeakable memories surged into his mind, leaving him momentarily forgetting to resist.
It was only when Jiang Moqing began to grow increasingly affected, her hand reaching toward his belt, that he finally snapped back to his senses and shoved her away.
“Senior Sister, please have some self-restraint!”
Yet Jiang Moqing, pushed aside by Lin Que, merely collapsed onto the ground, breathing in heavy gasps. She looked at him and slowly extended her hand.
“Junior Brother… I’m so hot.”
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