Unstoppable (2)
Movement could be heard from within the cave, where the horned dragon was thrashing about in struggle.
Liang Jingxuan was likely attempting to subdue the dragon to make it his own.
Lin Qianshuang’s eyes snapped with determination as she disengaged from Xiao Lanle’s persistent grasp, pushing her aside before darting into the cave.
If Liang Jingxuan were to subdue the horned dragon, the spiritual veins and feng shui of the Penglai Immortal Sect would be destroyed. The previous leaders of the sect had set up the ancient dragon as the focal point of the formation to protect the immortal mountain. Should the protective array be breached, the evil spirits and wild demons encircling the mountain would invade, wreaking havoc. This would not only endanger the sect but also bring catastrophe to the small villages neighboring the Penglai Immortal Sect.
Moreover, with a spiritual beast like the horned dragon by his side, Liang Jingxuan would become far more formidable, making him even more difficult to confront in the future.
A long sword formed from demonic energy appeared in Lin Qianshuang’s hand. She intended to try and seize Liang Jingxuan’s opportunity, even though her first attempt to take the Purple Heavenly Sword had failed. She had assumed that if Xiao Lanle took the Star-Plucking Sword, Liang Jingxuan would be unable to find the location. Yet, the events unfolded as they had in the original story.
She decided to give it a try, regardless of whether she would succeed or not.
“Senior sister, it’s too dangerous inside—you can’t go in!”
Xiao Lanle, caught off guard, was pushed aside. Seeing Lin Qianshuang step into the cave, her heart raced with anxiety. She knew the cave harbored ferocious and brutal ancient monsters; if they were unleashed, the consequences would not only endanger them but also bring disaster to the mortal world.
No sooner had she made up her mind than the Plain Inquiry Sword appeared in her hand.
Xiao Lanle clutched the Shark Pearl tightly and rushed after Lin Qianshuang. She feared for her senior sister’s safety above all else, worried that the horned dragon might attack and harm her.
Hidden behind the waterfall was a cave, a hidden realm within the rocks. Lin Qianshuang carefully made her way along the stone steps built into the cliff, her hand brushed against the stone surface for support. Gravel crumbled beneath her feet, falling into the mausoleum palace a hundred feet below. The dry River Styx appeared to flow with a dark purple current, but upon closer inspection, it was not water at all—instead, clusters of spiritual dark purple flames writhed in the ditches.
This place was the legacy site left behind by the first head of the Penglai Immortal Sect after his ascension, a forbidden zone where countless undead spirits were sealed away.
With that in mind, Lin Qianshuang no longer bothered to conceal her cultivation. She controlled the demonic energy, suspending herself in mid-air. Gazing down, the grand underground tomb palace lay before her like an intricate labyrinth. At the center of the main hall, the Nine Cauldrons burned with dark purple divine fire, floating in the air. A horned dragon, its body covered in stone-green scales, was chained to the base of the cauldrons by iron links forged from black ironstone. Its long whiskers bristled, and it unleashed a blast of dragon breath, roaring furiously at the intruder.
Liang Jingxuan swung his sword, severing the horned dragon’s sharp claws, which dripped with blood. Seizing the moment when the dragon’s massive, scaled body twisted in pain and lost its focus, he mounted its back. Chanting the Spirit Control Technique, he attempted to force the horned dragon to submit.
If he were to subdue this horned dragon, riding it in the future would undoubtedly be an impressive sight. Moreover, every part of the dragon was a treasure. Should it refuse to obey, its dragon tendons and scales could be stripped away to create garments, which would also serve as excellent water- and fire-resistant magical tools.
Liang Jingxuan gazed at the dragon with covetous eyes, his fingers tracing the rough dragon hide as restless excitement stirred in his heart. The seals of his Spirit Control Technique tightened several layers.
“You foolish mortal, do you know who I am? I am the Demon Lord! How dare you use something as insignificant as a Spirit Control Technique to try and subdue me? I will never allow you to approach the divine fire, no matter what!” The horned dragon roared furiously, its eyes snapping upright. With a swift flick of its tail, it sent Liang Jingxuan tumbling from its back to the ground.
Liang Jingxuan landed awkwardly on his face, his posture comical. As he struggled to his feet, he cursed inwardly, “Damn it, it’s just a mount, and yet it’s so arrogant it dares to make me land on my face.”
“System, adjust the Spirit Control Technique to the highest level. I refuse to believe this mount is so defiant. Sooner or later, it’ll kneel down and call me ‘Grandpa.’”
Liang Jingxuan stood up arrogantly, and with just a few words, the Spirit Control Technique he activated surged in power by dozens of times. He casually cast the spell, ensnaring the horned dragon in the enchantment and rendering it completely immobile.
With the dragon’s furious roars filling the air, Liang Jingxuan effortlessly retrieved the top-grade purple divine fire from the Nine Cauldrons. With a smug expression, he held the divine flame and approached the motionless dragon. He kicked its horns several times, laughing wildly as he taunted, “You insignificant creature, I am the Favoured One. There’s nothing I can’t obtain. You, a Demon Lord, are only worthy of becoming a mount for a mortal like me. If you refuse to submit, then try moving if you dare!”
The horned dragon struggled fiercely, its unyielding will evident, but the Spirit Control Technique had already penetrated its consciousness. The spells continued to hypnotize it, attempting to strip it of its awareness and turn it into a mindless puppet that would obey every command.
Liang Jingxuan stepped on the dragon’s whiskers, his sword slicing off a piece of its scales. Exuding the aura of a king, he said, “You have two choices: surrender to me and become my spiritual pet, or remain like this and die. Or, if you call me ‘Grandpa,’ I might spare your life.”
The horned dragon lay unconscious, its body convulsing on the ground as its sharp teeth remained tightly clenched, its claws scraping bloodstains into the earth.
“Liang Jingxuan, trespassing into the forbidden area is a grave offense. If your master and the sect leader discover this, it will be a crime severe enough to warrant expulsion from the sect!”
A clear, bright female voice echoed through the air, and a blue-and-white figure darted in front of the horned dragon, momentarily disrupting the Spirit Control Technique.
Lin Qianshuang appeared gracefully, her demonic energy flowing smoothly around her. The tassel accessories in her jet-black hair swayed gently, tracing an arc in the air. Her toes barely touched the ground before her layered robes, carried by the flowing demonic aura, billowed outward, giving her an ethereal, otherworldly appearance.
The horned dragon’s eyes widened the moment it saw Lin Qianshuang, as if it had beheld something utterly unimaginable.
“Are you… the Immortal Lord from Dongwang Mountain?”
Lin Qianshuang was taken aback, pointing at herself and looking up at the horned dragon, which was several times larger than her. She asked uncertainly in beast language, “Are you talking to me?”
The horned dragon curled up its massive body, its green dragon eyes fixed intently on Lin Qianshuang without blinking. In beast language, it said, “I do not make mistakes. I saw you once at the Kunlun Mountain Gathering of the Gods Banquet thousands of years ago. Your original form was exactly the same as it was back then, and your back was strikingly similar, except for… the demonic aura.”
Lin Qianshuang felt an unpredictable wave of panic in her heart. The horned dragon’s words were never false; ancient demonic beasts differed from humans and rarely lied. If it said it had seen her, then it must have seen her. Before its death, the Canglan Beast had handed her a magic core to consume. Could it be that the beast core did not belong to it, but to the “Immortal Lord” the horned dragon spoke of?
This “Immortal Lord” was no ordinary person and was most likely a powerful demonic beast as well. The Canglan Beast had specially given her the magic core, which contained an ancient spirit, likely intending to parasitize and nurture this formidable being within her. It probably hoped that one day, it could seize her body and return to the world of the living.
Lin Qianshuang felt a chill run down her back as she thought about the effects of her blood and the so-called Dual Cultivation Phoenix Yang Blood. This was likely caused by the magic core she had swallowed.
It was unfortunate that the System’s inquiry function was still under repair; otherwise, she would have liked to ask what was happening and whether the unstable hidden danger that had merged with her flesh and blood could be removed.
Lin Qianshuang suddenly thought of the Tianshu City Lord, a Divine Transformation Stage powerhouse from the original text who knew the destiny of heaven and earth. Perhaps she could ask him during a task, and he might also reveal the origin of the magic core in her body.
Liang Jingxuan’s eyes flickered as he refocused and saw Lin Qianshuang standing in front of the horned dragon, speaking with righteousness and casting an accusatory gaze at him.
He pondered, his eyes rolling in thought. The Star-Plucking Sword was in Junior Sister Xiao’s hands. Could it be that Xiao Lanle had discovered the theft of the Star-Plucking Sword and informed Senior Sister Lin? Chen Shangqing must have interfered; otherwise, the forbidden area of the Penglai Immortal Sect was so well-hidden that Senior Sister Lin, with her straight-laced nature, wouldn’t have found it.
Liang Jingxuan concealed the subdued Superior Purple Lightning Fire within his dantian and flashed what he considered his most charming smile. He stepped forward, grasping Lin Qianshuang’s hands, and pleaded, “Senior Sister, I admit it was wrong to intrude upon the forbidden area, but the horned dragon behind you has caused immense suffering. Please step aside and let me subdue it, so it may no longer wreak havoc.”
Lin Qianshuang gazed at the empty Nine Cauldrons and replied, “The horned dragon is imprisoned here as the formation eye of the Penglai Immortal Sect and to guard the top-grade divine fire. Now that the fire is extinguished, did you take it?”
Liang Jingxuan, his eyes fixed on the dragon, responded, “This divine fire has acknowledged me as its master. You should rejoice. Why question me with such a tone?” He thought, If the fire was stolen, the dragon would inform Xiao Shen, leading to my expulsion. I must use this dragon or kill it.
Lin Qianshuang saw through his intentions; he wanted to kill the dragon, but she wouldn’t allow it. She recalled the hidden mechanism in the Nine Cauldrons—a black iron cage that could trap even the male protagonist. With a subtle wave, she formed demonic energy beneath her sleeve, her gentle gaze meeting his as she stroked the dragon’s horns. “Jingxuan, this dragon is pitiful, guarding this mausoleum for years, enduring loneliness. Let us spare it.”
Liang Jingxuan softened, stepping beside her. “If you like it, I’ll spare its life but strip it of its cultivation.” Lin Qianshuang’s lips twitched; without cultivation, the dragon wouldn’t survive long. As Liang moved to abolish its cultivation, her hand under her sleeve readied the mechanism. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand, sensing the demonic energy.
Lin Qianshuang quickly suppressed her demonic aura, a flicker of unease crossing her face. She tried to withdraw her hand, asking, “Jingxuan, what are you doing?”
Liang Jingxuan took her left hand, twirling it around her empty index finger, and met her gaze. “Qianshuang, what about the ring I gave you? Have you put it away?”
Lin Qianshuang was about to fabricate a casual excuse when a sudden suction force pulled her backward, pressing her against someone’s arms.
“Senior Sister Lin doesn’t like you,” a cold voice stated. “She’s already discarded the things you gave her.”
The person holding her spoke, and Lin Qianshuang turned to see Xiao Lanle’s familiar face. However, Xiao Lanle’s usually elegant features now radiated an intense, almost ostentatious glow.
Xiao Lanle held Lin Qianshuang tightly, her eyebrows slightly raised as she shot a hostile glance at the stunned Liang Jingxuan, as if staking her claim. Her expression twisted in disgust as she sneered, “She likes me. Under the Matchmaking Tree—Senior Brother Liang, are you blind? Someone as reckless as you would even defile a sow. A eunuch like you, harassing a girl from the Chen family, yet so depraved you can’t resist even my exquisite lover. I’m sure your straw-filled brain has already imagined her countless times.”
Lin Qianshuang froze, grabbing Xiao Lanle’s hand and pleading, “Junior Sister Xiao, you mustn’t say such things. Don’t provoke him now—he possesses…” She hesitated, avoiding mention of the Superior Purple Lightning Fire.
Xiao Lanle clamped her hand over Lin Qianshuang’s mouth, silencing her. Releasing her, Xiao Lanle turned to Liang Jingxuan with disdain. “Senior Brother Liang,” she said coldly, “I’ll report your unauthorized intrusion to Father. The horned dragon has guarded the mausoleum for so long; your disrespect is appalling. You’ll be expelled and punished.”
Liang Jingxuan’s gaze lingered on Lin Qianshuang before shifting to Xiao Lanle, his face paling.
Xiao Lanle focused on the mechanism within the Nine Cauldrons. With a sweep of her sleeve, true energy triggered the mechanism, forming an unyielding cage around Liang Jingxuan.
Liang Jingxuan stood impassively inside the cage, his eyes disregarding the iron bars as if they were nonexistent. His gaze locked intently onto Lin Qianshuang’s face, his voice laced with instability and depth as he demanded, “What exactly is going on between you and her?”
Lin Qianshuang was startled by the expression on Liang Jingxuan’s face, her heart racing uncontrollably. She was certain the male protagonist must have a way to escape; otherwise, he wouldn’t speak with such ease.
Xiao Lanle delighted in seeing Lin Qianshuang stutter. With a displeased expression, she kissed the side of Lin’s face, then coyly buried her head in her neck and said, “Senior sister, why speak with him? Aren’t you afraid of wasting your words?”
Lin Qianshuang quickly composed herself. She had nothing to fear. As a powerful demon infant, she wouldn’t cower. Except for hiding her true identity from Xiao Lanle, she had no constraints. She needed to find a way to take Xiao Lanle away.
Xiao Lanle’s hands circled Lin Qianshuang’s neck as she gazed into her shimmering eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she kissed her. Lin Qianshuang lowered her gaze, her peripheral vision shifting toward Liang Jingxuan.
Liang Jingxuan’s hand gripping the iron prison had bulging veins, his expression shifting from shock to a calm, gloomy demeanor. His trembling eyes betrayed his turmoil.
Xiao Lanle felt an inexplicable pleasure, not from avenging Senior Brother Liang or winning his affection, but from truly obtaining the person in her arms. The warmth on her lips was damp and scorching, and the face inches away quietly returned her kiss with utmost care and tenderness.