Chapter 133: The Power of Zhu You

A sudden surge of violent fury welled up within the Dragon Lord, accompanied by an impulse to destroy everything in sight. However, he was intimidated by Wang Yuanteng’s sword qi that seemed to connect heaven and earth. Sensing not the slightest bit of killing intent directed at him from Wang Yuanteng, the Dragon Lord managed to cool his murderous impulses.

His expression turned hesitant, unsure of what to do next. Seeing that the Dragon Lord had ceased his attacks, the Great Flood Dragon and the Water Leopard also breathed a sigh of relief, not daring to draw a full breath as they awaited the unfolding events.

Prime Minister Turtle wore a dazed expression, not even daring to cast a glance at the Dragon Lord. Yet, at this moment, the Dragon Lord seemed to completely ignore the others, paying them no mind whatsoever as he stood there lost in hesitation.

Wang Yuanteng smiled, unconcerned by the Dragon Lord's reaction. All evildoers are inherently fragile at their core; they commit evil merely to prove their own strength, thus appearing formidable on the surface. If one were to use a technique like incantation-based mind-healing to communicate with the deep self within their hearts, their true nature would be exposed, stripping away the external façade that people see.

The Dragon Lord was a classic example of this. Misfortune and fortune have no fixed doors; people invite them upon themselves. The reason the heavenly mandate of killing had manifested on him was precisely because his methods of conduct had gathered resentment into his own being. Yet, if the primordial spirit of one's true self were to take dominion over life, this killing mandate would find no purchase, becoming as inert as a dead object.

Utilizing his sword heart for insight, Wang Yuanteng followed the vulnerable chink in the Dragon Lord's inner defenses and spoke intuitively, "Dragon Lord, you have been weary for many years. Sit down, taste some wine, and discuss the Dao; perhaps you won't feel quite so tired."

A wave of exhaustion washed over the Dragon Lord, and his entire body felt heavy. In the past, in order to secure his divine position in Dongting Lake, he had run about tirelessly. Not only had he exhausted his own mind and body, but he had also driven the people living near the waters of Dongting Lake into displacement.

Though he wanted to brace his breath and suppress this feeling, a voice within his primordial spirit told him that he was indeed very tired and truly wished to rest. Thus, he casually replied, "Very well!"

Everyone present had assumed that the Dragon Lord and Wang Yuanteng were bound to fight, and none of them expected things to turn out this way. The Great Flood Dragon and the Water Leopard watched the situation with looks of utter astonishment, finding it completely unbelievable. Although the Golden Dragon also felt something was amiss, upon reflecting that Wang Yuanteng was a divine lord—a deity with an exalted title, even though he knew that title was merely self-proclaimed by Wang Yuanteng to seize spiritual luck—he felt it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Prime Minister Turtle nearly collapsed to the ground, as the reality contrasted too sharply with what he had envisioned. Naturally, he had expected the two sides to clash, with everyone enduring untold hardships, perhaps losing one or two lives in the process, before finally subduing the Dragon Lord.

Yet, this stark contrast left him struggling to accept it. Experience and common sense are often shackles placed upon our heads, driving us unconsciously to act in accordance with those very constraints.

Hearing the Dragon Lord's agreement, Wang Yuanteng also breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "As the master of the water palace, the Dragon Lord should prepare some fine vintage."

Upon the mention of wine, a sense of sorrow welled up in the Dragon Lord. He could not remember how many years it had been since he had drunk heartily. Recalling how he and his three sworn brothers had wept hundreds of years ago without realizing it, he spoke up, "Agreed!"

He turned to the severely wounded shrimp soldiers and crab generals and commanded, "Go! Leave four jars of the millennium-old cellar-aged wine, and bring out all the rest!"

"Yes, Dragon Lord!" a crab-headed commander of the demon soldiers acknowledged, and hastily summoned the other demon soldiers to carry out the order.

As if fleeing from some impending terror, they vanished in a gust of wind.

The Dragon Lord's mind was in a daze. He felt two opposing forces tugging at him within his body: one wrathful, the other peaceful. The two forces were locked in a tug-of-war for control of his physical vessel. Yet, his normal actions continued as he gestured to Wang Yuanteng, "Please, enter!"

Wang Yuanteng then followed the Dragon Lord into the main hall of the water palace, leaving the rest of the onlookers dumbfounded. The Golden Dragon wanted to follow them inside, but he seemed to sense an exclusionary force, as if he fundamentally could not blend in. Prime Minister Turtle also wanted to follow, but the Golden Dragon stepped forward and grabbed him by the arm.

"What is the meaning of this? The Divine Lord is going inside with no one to accompany him, which lacks majesty!" Prime Minister Turtle said with a hostile glare at the Golden Dragon.

This time, the Golden Dragon did not get angry. Instead, he gave a dry laugh and asked, "Do you think you can integrate yourself into this incantation-based mental domain?"

Prime Minister Turtle paused to sense it. It felt as though a voice within his heart was telling him not to do so, yet the etiquette and laws he had studied for countless years told him this was unreasonable. Initially, these two forces were extremely faint, but once the Golden Dragon pointed them out, the two voices began to bicker within him, neither willing to submit to the other.

To outside observers, Prime Minister Turtle's complexion turned alternately pale and dark, shifting colors back and forth. The Water Leopard and the Great Flood Dragon watched this with growing trepidation.

They felt an increasing sense of dread toward Wang Yuanteng, who styled himself the Lord of Vast Heavens. This method was far too bizarre and impossible to guard against. From the moment he appeared until now, they only knew he was using an incantation technique, yet they had completely failed to see how he cast the spell or how the Dragon Lord had fallen into his trap, without even the slightest awareness of it.

Even though the two of them had cultivated for nearly five hundred years and belonged to the demon race, a creeping chill gripped them. They had simply never witnessed such a phenomenon before, and sentient beings always harbor a deep fear of the unknown.

Prime Minister Turtle's condition was strikingly similar to the Dragon Lord's; both had been split into two distinct entities, yet this source of disruption showed not the slightest ripple of magical power.

Although the Golden Dragon did not understand this specific power, he was bound to Wang Yuanteng by ties of spiritual luck, so he had more or less sensed something. Watching Prime Minister Turtle in this state, the Golden Dragon smiled, feeling an immense sense of gratification. Though he had previously found Turtle somewhat grating, seeing him reduced to this state made him feel somewhat sympathetic; after all, the turtle's servile demeanor was also driven by inner demons.

Seeing that Prime Minister Turtle's entire body seemed on the point of being torn apart, the Golden Dragon silently recited the Golden Light Divine Incantation, formed a sword finger, pointed it directly at the center of the turtle's brow, and shouted aloud, "Awaken!"

"Pfft!" A mouthful of blood spewed from Prime Minister Turtle's mouth. He opened his pale eyes and recalled what had just happened: while his two selves were fighting and nearly tearing him in half—battling fiercely within—a dazzling golden light had suddenly lit up in his spiritual platform, and both of his selves had lunged toward it.

The moment they touched the golden light, they instantly merged back into one, restoring his consciousness. The physical strain caused him to spit blood. He cast a grateful look at the Golden Dragon and said, "Thank you, Golden Dragon. If not for you, this old turtle's life would have been forfeit right here."

The Golden Dragon nodded and replied, "Think nothing of it. We serve the Divine Lord together, so we ought to help one another."

"Quite right, quite right!" Prime Minister Turtle said to the Golden Dragon, adding, "Great kindness needs no formal thanks. If there is ever anything this old turtle can do for you in the future, just say the word."

"Easily done," the Golden Dragon responded. Then he continued, "Let us seize this opportunity to rescue the Dragon Lady first; once that is accomplished, our objective is achieved."

As he spoke, the Golden Dragon looked toward the Great Flood Dragon of Taiyuan Lake and the Water Leopard of Mount Ji. He suddenly felt an intense familiarity with these two demons. Although he had seen them from afar in the past, he had never felt this way before. This time, however, the feeling was overwhelmingly strong, as if they were his own flesh and blood.