Chapter 52 — The Fire Dragon
劍問蒼天 · Page 6 of 7
Blue veins bulged on Shi Tou's rough, bold face, almost terrifying to behold; even a faint trace of blood seemed to seep slowly from the corner of his mouth. Yet the Demon-Breaker Staff in his hands blazed with golden light too dazzling to look upon. Then, amid his great shout, all the golden radiance suddenly contracted, gathering into a single immense beam of golden light that struck the fire dragon's head.
The power of this blow was no small matter—needless to say, it was the full force of Shi Tou's magic concentrated in one strike. Mighty as the fire dragon was, struck head-on by this blow and caught in a pincer attack from above by Zhang Qingyue and Bili, crushed beneath the weight, it let out a long, shrill roar that shook the whole valley—but in the end it could not withstand them, and fell, swiftly vanishing into the darkness below.
Shi Tou's strike succeeded, but his body swayed; a flush of blood crossed his face, and he nearly lost his footing and fell as well. Fortunately, Zhang Qingyue, seeing Shi Tou's expression was wrong, immediately rushed to his side, caught up with him, and seized him—only then did Shi Tou steady himself.
But before the two could catch their breath, Bili above cried out in alarm again, her green robes fluttering as she plunged down. Zhang Qingyue caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and his soul nearly left his body: the enormous tentacle, ghastly as a demon and immeasurably huge, had charged up again—and this time it was coming straight down upon the heads of the two of them.
The wind stung their faces. Shi Tou had not yet recovered his breath, and Zhang Qingyue was caught off guard; it seemed he would perish beneath that giant tentacle—when Bili, her face pale but her form swift as lightning, flashed before him in an instant, shielding Zhang Qingyue with her body. The Heartbreak Flower in her hand instantly conjured six wondrous blossoms surrounding the central flower, each connected to it by pure white light, forming a white wheel of radiance. Seeing it, Zhang Qingyue at once recalled that day beneath the Dead Spirit Abyss, when she had resisted the Black Water Mystic Serpent—she had used this same technique then.
But clearly this unknown creature of the darkness was, like the Black Water Mystic Serpent, an exceedingly powerful being. Though not the equal of the Black Water Mystic Serpent, its single blow was such that Bili's white wheel, though it did not scatter at once as it had against the serpent that day, sent her whole body reeling violently; she was immediately struck down, on the verge of being crushed into the boundless darkness.
Zhang Qingyue's mind rang with a "buzz"; a heat surged before his eyes, and he knew not whence the strength came—nor did he think of anything at all. Releasing the now-steady Shi Tou, he plunged down with all speed, the Dark Iron Staff blazing with blue light, swiftly overtaking the giant tentacle writhing hideously in the air and the desperately struggling Bili.
Bili was enduring with all her might, feeling the pressure like a mountain, on the verge of losing control—when she suddenly saw Zhang Qingyue appear beside her. Startled, she cried out, "Get away, quickly—"
Before she finished speaking, Zhang Qingyue had already flung himself upon the Dark Iron Staff; with blue light flashing, he charged forward and struck the giant tentacle above Bili with all his force. Where the Dark Iron Staff struck, the tentacle suddenly shriveled; its originally slick skin instantly withered and died over a large area.
The tentacle seemed to feel pain and immediately withdrew. Bili's pressure eased, and seeing that Zhang Qingyue had risked life and death to come to her rescue, she felt both joy and worry—but before she could speak, her face went dead white.