Chapter 219: Chapter 11: The Infallible Escape Plan
The materials in the Scriptural Repository could roughly be divided into three categories:
The first was historical records, which documented the Dragon Clan’s intentions in constructing the Eastern Pole Palace, namely to surveil the Heaven Pillar of the Eastern Pole.
The second was tests, recording a series of observational data the Dragon Clan gathered about the Heaven Pillar of the Eastern Pole.
The Heaven Pillar of the Eastern Pole was considered to exist not within this space but on the reverse side of the main world, “back to belly,” propping up the firmament of the main world.
However, this support was far from fail-safe because the Heavenly Demons from beyond would continuously bombard the firmament, and yet, the Heaven Pillar remained unmaintained.
As one side weakened and the other grew, there would inevitably be another cataclysm one day.
The ancient Dragon Clan conducted research on the Heaven Pillar for a thousand years and finally concluded:
They couldn’t understand it.
The construction principle of the Heaven Pillar was nearly akin to the world’s origin and the essence of the Great Way; almost all attempts to study the Pillar failed.
The third was miscellaneous writings, documenting the Dragon Clan’s pessimism and despair over the “inevitable destruction of the world,” giving birth to a series of “Dragon Clan characteristic trauma literature.”
According to various diaries, essays, and narrative poems, it was evident that in the later stages, the madness-stricken Dragon Cultivators stationed in the Eastern Pole Palace had planned to transform it into a second “Gui Xu.”
Within Gui Xu, time would be stretched as much as possible.
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For the Dragon Cultivators inside, it meant that the world’s end, which would eventually arrive in the outside world, was delayed as much as possible.
In doing so, they could fight for more preparation time.
However, the Human-Demon War outside was nearing its end, and the Dragon Clan had already planned to withdraw from the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm, issuing an evacuation order to the cultivators in the Eastern Pole Palace.
The Dragon Cultivators of the Eastern Pole Palace refused to evacuate and decided to use a forbidden technique within their Clan, determined to fight to the end against the invading Human Race cultivators.
…
After reviewing these archives, both were in a subtly complex mood.
So these ancient Dragon Cultivators were trying to save the world, only to be annihilated by the ancient Human Race?
“Records involving the Human Race cannot be wholly trusted,” Luo Yan said solemnly. “As the two races are hostile towards each other, these Dragon Cultivators would certainly mince words, embellishing their own intentions and slandering our ancestors.”
“Yeah, definitely,” Shi Liuli nodded, yet felt inwardly uneasy.
So, what exactly was this impending world’s end?
Now… how much time was left?
Having packaged these Dragon Clan historical records, the two of them made one final sweep through the palace and, finding nothing else, prepared to leave and return.
Looking outside from a hallway window, they saw the massive-bodied Ghost Dragon circling above the palace, its venomous gaze scanning back and forth below.
According to the Dragon Clan’s records, this monster was called “Decaying Bone Corrupt Soul,” an eerie creature created by live sacrificial rituals of some of the Dragon Clan, characterized by undying nature and regeneration abilities.
Unless obliterated into smithereens in an instant with supremely powerful immortal techniques, even a small piece left behind could re-coalesce into the monster’s shape—the price being the Dragon Clan souls trapped forever within the dragon bones, never to be reincarnated.
Luo Yan had previously employed the Five Thunder True Law and Desolation Divine Light, blasting the Ghost Dragon’s head to smithereens. To no effect, as if it went entirely unharmed, the creature continued chasing them all the way to the palace, and it never stopped ramming into the palace doors, ruthlessly aggressive.
From their current location to where they had fallen was roughly one thousand seven hundred meters… Luo Yan made a rough estimate and knew that to fly Sword Control through this distance, it would only take a matter of seconds.
The issue was, once the two left the palace and made it halfway, there was a very high chance they would be immobilized by the Ghost Dragon’s eerie incantation, their consciousness scattering.
Even with Ah Jing’s help to break the incantation, their escape would be interrupted, forcing them to confront and fight the Ghost Dragon.
If the Ghost Dragon had learned from the previous encounter and devised some trump card against my techniques, then the risk just became much greater.
Luo Yan stared fiercely at the Ghost Dragon outside, then turned to look at Miss Shi, gradually formulating a plan in his mind.
“Why are you looking at me?” Miss Shi asked in puzzlement.
“Senior Sister, do you see it?” Luo Yan pointed towards the distance to Shi Liuli, “That’s where we fell from above, and it’s also the starting point for us to return the way we came.”
“You mean…” Shi Liuli pondered for a moment, then asked, “Take advantage of it being unalert and rush over there in one go?”
“Exactly.” Luo Yan said with a beaming smile.
“I have a feeling there’s a catch.” Shi Liuli suddenly had a premonition, thinking could her junior brother be intending to deceive her into drawing away the Ghost Dragon, then take the opportunity to slip away?
So she glared with wide eyes, and said fiercely:
“You go first, I’ll follow behind you!”
Luo Yan feigned difficulty, waited for a while, and then said:
“Alright, but Senior Sister, you must follow closely.”
“Of course!” Shi Liuli patted her chest, “I’ll cover our rear!”
If I really relied on you to cover our rear, I’d be better off hoping the Ghost Dragon commits suicide… Luo Yan silently criticized for a moment, then said with a smile:
“Then let’s go!”
As the two approached the open palace gate, Luo Yan naturally reached out his hand and took Shi Liuli’s small hand in his.
Miss Shi instinctively wanted to struggle, but upon second thought, they were going to escape together, holding hands was just to prevent separation, right! So she restrained the slight shyness rising in her heart and let Luo Yan lead her by the hand.
Taking advantage of a moment when the Ghost Dragon turned its head, Luo Yan suddenly activated the Peach Blossom Sword, pulling Shi Liuli with him as they turned into a streak of sword light and sped away!
They hadn’t gotten far when a heavy blow seemed to hit Luo Yan on the head, nearly causing him to faint on the spot.
Luo Yan quickly regained his senses and caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye that Miss Shi had already rolled her eyes back; he immediately flicked his sleeve, shooting out the Postnatal Five Elements Great Extermination Divine Light.
However, he only saw the Ghost Dragon taking the full brunt of the Five Elements Divine Light straight on, then whipping its tail like a long lash and striking Luo Yan with the speed of lightning.
He only had time to drag Miss Shi behind him and bring the Peach Blossom Sword in front just before it was hit, and the two were suddenly smacked away by the immense physical strength.
Pieces of the shattered Flying Sword embedded themselves in his body, and Luo Yan felt a sweetness in his throat, as if all his internal organs had been shattered.
He endured the intense pain, pulled out the Green Duckweed Sword in mid-air, quickly stabilizing his backward flight, threw a Jade Pivot Thunder at the Ghost Dragon, then immediately changed direction and flew upward with sword control at high speed.
The exit was within an arm’s reach!
By the time he reached the exit, Luo Yan took a good look and nearly spat out blood.
He saw that the hole they had fallen through had already been sealed off by the Ghost Dragon with even more rubble.
The adversary really had held back a trump card!
Catching a glimpse from the corner of his eye of the bloodied Ghost Dragon bellowing like a fiend as it approached, Luo Yan gritted his teeth, took out the Heavenly Weaving God Shuttle to cover both of them, his entire True Yuan surged, preparing for a desperate struggle, and shouted in his mind:
“Ah Jing! Teleport!”
The Kunlun Mirror immediately initiated spatial teleportation, moving the obstructing rubble above and exposing a narrow gap.
The Divine Shuttle turned into a streak of light, instantly shooting into the gap and vanishing.
The Ghost Dragon’s damaged head hit the rock wall in vain, and after a thunderous noise that shook heaven and earth, the underground cavern began to collapse again.