Chapter 60: The Dragon's Roar
The dark sky over Guangzhou was rapidly spreading outward. On one side stood the Guangzhou Tower, still erect amidst the storm, and on the other, a black dragon circled in the storm clouds.
The massive body of the black dragon appeared and disappeared, seemingly invoking a strange natural aura. The river level rose with the dragon's presence, reaching its peak whenever the dragon soared into the clouds, causing the floodwaters to crash down like a tsunami, swallowing buildings and roads along the riverbanks!
Jiang Hong rushed to the riverbank, incredulously watching the scene unfold in the distance. It was like the sudden emergence of Wu Zhiqi. The Pearl River Bridge had been blocked, and local exorcists began to gather, clearly outnumbered by the opposition.
A meteor-like fireball shot from the center of the bridge, chasing the black dragon into the clouds. Jiang Hong recognized the figure and shouted, "Huoran! Teacher Huoran!"
It was indeed Huoran, struggling alongside two other exorcists at the center of the Pearl River Bridge. Along Binjiang Road, cars floated downstream, and the overflowing river pushed more vehicles outward. Most people had fled, but Jiang Hong turned to guess that many were recording this scene on their phones from life rafts and office buildings.
"You know him?" Lu Xiu asked.
"He's the one I rescued from the cell," Jiang Hong said. "What do we do now? Why are there so few exorcists?"
Layers of dark clouds pressed down, like the end of the world.
Zhang Xiting said, "You two should leave first, evacuate this place, leave it to them! I'm going to check on Teacher Huoran. Jiang Hong, stay safe!"
Zhang Xiting hurried away. Jiang Hong, about to leave with Lu Xiu, noticed Lu Xiu had stopped.
Lu Xiu said, "No, it's not right to leave this unchecked. Without exorcists in the south, no one can stand against it. Give me half an hour, and I will go to confront it."
Jiang Hong was well aware of Lu Xiu's current state. Two fierce battles had drained him significantly, and he was still nursing injuries. It was definitely not the time to take any more risks.
Jiang Hong said, "Lu Xiu, we should..."
"Listen to me," Lu Xiu suddenly grasped Jiang Hong's wrist, saying, "Listen to me, Jiang Hong."
It started to rain, wetting both of their hair. Jiang Hong stared at Lu Xiu, lost in thought.
"Without the seal, I," Lu Xiu said, "tied with two S-rank exorcists from the Exorcism Committee. Moreover, Xiang Cheng is not here. It will take hours for them to arrive from Beijing and Xi'an. I must restrain it as soon as possible, and defeating it is my destiny."
Jiang Hong fell silent for a moment, understanding Lu Xiu's determination. With Lu Xiu's character, he had to overcome his other self to break through this obsession.
"Then let's find a place to rest first," Jiang Hong suggested. "But what about An Jie? Isn't he an S-rank exorcist? Where is he now?"
Lu Xiu replied, "He might be trying to restrain the other Chen Zhen. We can't rely too much on him; I've never seen him actually fight."
"Is this place okay?" Jiang Hong found a milk tea shop on a higher elevation on the mountainside. It was already empty, with water reaching the steps. The location offered a clear view of the distant battle.
Lu Xiu nodded, and Jiang Hong opened the glass door, letting Lu Xiu sit at the bar. Lu Xiu sighed deeply and sat quietly.
"Do you want something warm to drink?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu nodded, remaining silent. Jiang Hong went behind the bar to start the machine. The milk tea machine still worked. While making the tea, he used the Book of Everything to check Lu Xiu's condition.
Health: 997390/??????
Mana: 74/??????
Now that they had a moment to breathe, Jiang Hong used the Book of Everything to explore more functions, wondering if he could see attributes like attack and defense, which might be useful. Maybe he could find the enemy's weakness during a confrontation?
Unfortunately, apart from the red and blue bars, the only additional display was a bunch of debuffs. Jiang Hong guessed from the icons' colors and shapes that Lu Xiu was under a "Weakened" debuff, and the previous "Severe Injury" had disappeared. Additionally, there was a golden icon from the very beginning, which Jiang Hong guessed signified "Ability Seal," not knowing what buffs might be on Dark Lu Xiu.
Lu Xiu: "?"
Seeing Jiang Hong holding the Book of Everything and always pointing it at him, Lu Xiu asked, "What are you doing? Trying to use a magic treasure to heal me?"
Jiang Hong said, "I wanted to see your attribute panel."
Lu Xiu: "??"
However, Jiang Hong couldn't discover any new abilities of the Book of Everything, and the few functions it had weren't very useful at the moment, so he gave up. He told Lu Xiu about what had happened, and Lu Xiu just listened quietly.
The milk tea was ready, and Jiang Hong handed a cup to Lu Xiu, who slowly drank it to regain his strength.
"During the fight with Dark Chen Zhen," Jiang Hong said, "your health and mana were almost depleted. What if you couldn't defeat him?"
"That won't happen," Lu Xiu finally answered after a long silence, "because at that time, you were behind me. The Oblivion Heart Lantern couldn't affect me."
Jiang Hong asked blankly, "Why?"
Lu Xiu explained, "The Oblivion Heart Lantern awakens one's inner obsessions or demons. For me, the only demon is... Anyway, at that point in time, the Oblivion Heart Lantern couldn't influence me."
Jiang Hong wanted to ask what the only demon was, but he was used to not pressing Lu Xiu on things he didn't wish to talk about. He thought for a moment and then reminded, "But are you confident about fighting your other self?"
Lu Xiu didn't respond, just sitting quietly.
Jiang Hong sat next to him, and they both looked out of the floor-to-ceiling glass window at the scene outside. The flood line was rising, already submerging the third-last step.
"When the water floods into the shop, we'll leave," Lu Xiu said.
"No rush," Jiang Hong replied, "rest a bit longer."
Jiang Hong felt a bit frustrated, thinking he was useless and couldn't really help Lu Xiu. Even at this critical moment when Lu Xiu faced a life-threatening situation, all he could do was pray that Lu Xiu wouldn't be severely injured again.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. People were wading through the water towards higher ground. Jiang Hong hurried to open the glass door of the milk tea shop, and indeed, it was people fleeing the flood, all drenched.
The person leading them, to Jiang Hong’s surprise, was someone he knew. What a coincidence!
"Lu Didi?" Jiang Hong exclaimed in shock.
"Ah! It’s you!" Lu Didi, leading a group and still dressed in traditional Han clothing, struggled to climb the last step and exclaimed, "What a coincidence! Oh, this is near the Exorcism Committee. I thought all my colleagues had gone to support the frontline!"
Among the people Lu Didi brought were some injured exorcists, fortunately with only minor injuries.
Jiang Hong asked, "Let me see, how are things?"
Everyone was basically drained of their magical power. Jiang Hong let them in to rest and asked, "Where's Liao Fang?"
Lu Didi, continuously wiping water with tissues, leaving bits of tissue on his face, said, "Director Liao turned traitor! She colluded with the enemy and blew up the Exorcism Committee!"
Jiang Hong held his forehead, already suspecting the situation was severe but not to this extent.
Lu Didi continued, "We held them off at the riverside for a while but had to retreat here to rest. What about you?"
Jiang Hong replied, "We just climbed up from the riverside and are resting too. Please don't disturb Lu Xiu."
Lu Xiu was still in a daze. Lu Didi glanced at them both, puzzled, then said, "Oh, right, the journey here was... uh, quite tiring... Director Wang! Come in! Don’t go out! Call the other patients in too!"
Jiang Hong looked outside and saw a man still leading many in casting spells. Lu Didi shouted, "You'll attract the enemy!"
Jiang Hong quickly went out to bring him in, realizing it was the same patient from Baiyun Psychiatric Hospital he had met before, who had previously posed as a doctor and taken them to see Zhao Yan.
"Though my magical power is weak, I want to help! Young man, can you repeat what you just taught me?" the man said seriously.
A group of psychiatric patients were following "Director Wang" in casting spells.
Lu Didi said, "Enough! Come in!"
Jiang Hong asked, "What about the other exorcists?"
Lu Didi answered, "Those who can fight have gone to battle, and those who can't are at Hua Heng Tower. I was just there doing that. Here, take this telescope. We'll go to Hua Heng Tower in a bit. Some colleagues are guarding there, not far from here."
At that moment, Lu Xiu said, "Alright, Jiang Hong, I'm ready to go into battle. Follow me."
Jiang Hong, holding the Book of Everything and about to check Lu Xiu's condition, found Lu Xiu grabbing his wrist, preventing further inspection.
"Hold onto me," Lu Xiu said, "I'll take you to a place where you can watch the battle."
Jiang Hong embraced Lu Xiu, and in an instant, the black dragon soared into the sky, heading into the dark heavens!
"Conserve your strength! The transformation has a time limit!"
The black dragon didn't respond, and Jiang Hong added, "I could have gone there by myself!"
The black dragon replied, "Find a place where you can see clearly, so you don’t worry too much."
Carrying Jiang Hong, the black dragon swiftly reached a tall building and placed him on the rooftop, where many people had sought refuge. Landing steadily, Jiang Hong said, "But you two are both dragons, how will I know which one is you?"
"The one without the reverse scale is me," the black dragon answered. "I'm off."
Jiang Hong rushed to the edge of the rooftop, and with a dragon’s roar, the black dragon flew into the distance.
"Jiang Hong!" Zhu Jingling ran over.
Jiang Hong said, "Teacher Zhu!"
Together, they looked into the distance. From the top of the Hua Heng Building, they could perfectly see the battle unfolding in the sky five kilometers away. Lu Xiu, transformed back into human form, was rapidly flying towards the dark, cloud-filled sky.
Jiang Hong pointed the Book of Everything towards the distant battle. He could vaguely see health bars, like discovering monsters in a far-off wilderness. But why did the health bars indicate that, apart from Lu Xiu and the dark black dragon, there seemed to be another creature in the clouds? Was it Dark Chen Zhen? No, it wasn't. That creature was battling with the dark black dragon!
Who was it? Jiang Hong changed angles, picking up a telescope.
Lu Xiu, like an arrow released from a bow, shot towards the center of the battle. Just as he was nearing, a muffled explosion resonated from within the clouds, blasting them open. Immediately, thousands of rays of golden light cascaded down, revealing scattered flames, as if rain of fire was falling from the sky!
No need for a telescope now, Jiang Hong watched in shock, murmuring, "Si Gui?! Si Gui! Xiang Si Gui!"
When did he arrive?
A phoenix appeared, entangled in combat with Dark Lu Xiu!
"Leave it to me!" Lu Xiu shot towards the dark black dragon, calling out loudly.
The phoenix's feathers transformed into flames, swirling in the air. Finally, it soared upwards, spiraled, and then transformed into a human figure, its robe fluttering like flames, floating and skirmishing in mid-air.
Utilizing his swift momentum, Lu Xiu threw a punch, striking the black dragon solidly on its horn.
With a loud 'clang,' the impact sent shockwaves sweeping through, clearing a circular area in the clouds.
Si Gui spoke in a deep voice, "You've already lost once, be careful."
The dark black dragon turned, abandoning Si Gui and spewing a powerful dragon flame towards Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu’s upper clothing shattered, revealing golden-red runes all over his body. Withstanding the dragon flame, he unleashed a powerful force, approached the dragon's head, and pressed his hand on it—
—In an instant, the dark black dragon realized the danger and transformed into a human form.
The two Lu Xius clashed in close combat, simultaneously using Dragon Language to counter each other, causing another violent shockwave. The war of the dragons shook the very earth!
With a thunderous boom, water waves spread across a ten-mile radius, forming ripples on the floodwaters.
Far away, Jiang Hong felt a sharp pain in his ears, and then everything blurred before his eyes. Lu Xiu and Dark Lu Xiu vanished simultaneously. The next second, another explosion sounded from elsewhere, like a cannonball piercing through a residential building, creating ripples on the vast floodwaters.
The dragons reappeared, one black dragon emerging from the water first, closely followed by another. They grappled with each other, rolling and crashing on the ground, and then both transformed back into humans.
For the first time, Jiang Hong witnessed Lu Xiu fighting with all his might. His speed was almost imperceptible to the naked eye, making him nearly unmatched. In human form, Lu Xiu and Dark Lu Xiu swiftly maneuvered through the skyscrapers, treating the concrete jungle as if it were flat ground.
“Looking for another defeat?” Dark Lu Xiu said coldly.
Lu Xiu, without responding, unleashed Dragon Language incantations in the chase. Each collision between the two was a full-force strike.
Dark Lu Xiu asked, “What does it feel like to fight yourself?”
Lu Xiu responded gravely, “Mutual destruction.”
Amidst the booming sound, Lu Xiu, grappling with his clone, crashed into an office building, shattering through countless windows as he burst out.
“Don't engage with him,” the voice of Dark Chen Zhen echoed in Dark Lu Xiu’s ear, “Go and assassinate Jiang Hong, and he will expose his weakness. He is on the rooftop of Hua Heng Tower.”
Dark Lu Xiu broke free from Lu Xiu’s grasp, suddenly changing direction in mid-air and flying towards Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong saw a small black dot rapidly approaching. In just two to three seconds, it was upon them. Zhu Jingling shouted, “Get out of the way!”
But as Dark Lu Xiu was about a hundred meters from the building, Lu Xiu caught up and, from behind, launched a Dragon Language attack, altering Dark Lu Xiu’s trajectory. With a loud crash, both crashed into the base of the Hua Heng Tower.
All the exorcists gasped in shock. Jiang Hong ran to the edge of the rooftop to look down and saw two figures burst out again, entangled in the air. One gained the upper hand, slamming the other into the building with a forceful strike.
They were on the thirty-seventh floor, and continuous crashing sounds came from below, on the thirty-sixth floor.
The remaining "Lu Xiu" hovered in the air, seemingly observing Jiang Hong from a distance.
Jiang Hong instinctively sensed danger, slowly retreated, turned, and opened the iron door of the rooftop, rushing into the thirty-sixth floor.
The thirty-sixth floor, a company office, had lost power and was in complete disarray. Lu Xiu was struggling to rise amidst the rubble.
Jiang Hong quickly rushed to Lu Xiu's side, intending to help him up, but Lu Xiu gestured for him not to come closer.
Behind him, Dark Lu Xiu slowly descended, stepping into the office hall.
Dark Lu Xiu declared, “I'm going to absorb you now, original self. Come on, hand over all your power to me.”
Lu Xiu stood up, remaining silent. At this moment, Jiang Hong felt a chill down his spine and a wave of fear.
As Dark Lu Xiu continued to approach Lu Xiu, a thought flashed through Jiang Hong’s mind.
“Si Gui!” Jiang Hong shouted.
Just as Dark Lu Xiu turned his head, Lu Xiu seized this fleeting opportunity, transforming into a streak of black flame and charging straight at him!
Jiang Hong immediately turned around, covering his head. All the windows on the thirty-sixth floor exploded outwards as if hit by a bomb, sending glass shards flying everywhere. After three loud bangs, when Jiang Hong looked up again, one "Lu Xiu" was rushing towards him, his intentions unclear whether to protect or capture him.
Meanwhile, the other "Lu Xiu" grabbed his ankle from behind, swung him up, and slammed him hard onto the ground. Amidst the thunderous noise, the floor caved in, revealing the steel reinforcement within.
The first "Lu Xiu," impaled by the rebar in his abdomen, was pinned down by the latter. With the first punch, although there was no sound, the force emitted vibrated the entire building, causing the skyscraper to tremble.
Jiang Hong couldn’t distinguish who was who. He rushed forward, shouting loudly.
One "Lu Xiu" lifted the other and then slammed him down to the ground.
The more severely injured Lu Xiu wobbled to his feet, his first action not to counterattack but to retreat, slowly shielding Jiang Hong behind him.
That was his Lu Xiu... Jiang Hong recognized him, while the one facing him lacked the scar marks of a peeled off reverse scale.
Jiang Hong saw the health bars of Lu Xiu and Dark Lu Xiu:
Above Lu Xiu's head, the health bar displayed: 17/??????
The health bar of Dark Lu Xiu read: 2130/??????
Both sides were breathing heavily, clearly at their limits, yet Dark Lu Xiu still seemed to have some strength left.
Meanwhile, the reverse scale scar over Lu Xiu's heart was bleeding.
“You’ve lost,” Dark Lu Xiu stated coldly, “From this moment, you’re already dead.”
“Not yet...” Lu Xiu, utterly enraged as if his heart's sore spot had been pricked by his clone, suddenly roared, “Not yet—!”
Instantly, both Lu Xiu and Dark Lu Xiu's hands gathered blue light, summoning the furious might of two black dragons, and they both chanted in unison, “Tule…”
The prelude to releasing two forbidden Dragon Language spells saw the world's spiritual energy crazily converging into this vortex.
Just as the destructive Dragon Languages were about to collide, a surge of black fire rose from the ground, marking Dark Chen Zhen’s arrival.
“Stop,” Dark Chen Zhen ordered.
He stood behind a pillar on the verge of collapse, the flames of the extinguishing heart lantern burning at his fingertips.
Dark Lu Xiu was the first to retract the forbidden spell.
Dark Chen Zhen spoke gravely, “There’s no need now. Their time is already running out.”
Suddenly, another figure appeared, as if the surrounding light rays interweaved to form a human silhouette.
An Jie appeared behind Jiang Hong, gently placing a hand on Jiang Hong’s shoulder, facing Dark Chen Zhen.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment, as all three parties entered a strange standoff, but it lasted only a second before Dark Chen Zhen snapped his fingers, and both he and the controlled Dark Lu Xiu disappeared in a blast of black fire.
Si Gui slowly descended outside the building, watching Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong, and An Jie inside.
“An Jie, quickly take care of the aftermath,” Si Gui said to the people inside the building, “The trouble is only escalating.”
An Jie glanced at Jiang Hong and said, “You’re going to have to prepare a very long report.”
An Jie and Si Gui vanished simultaneously, leaving Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu amidst the chaos.
Lu Xiu stood silently, then after a moment, turned his gaze towards Jiang Hong. His eyes held a complex expression – was it sorrow, or defeat?
He took a step towards Jiang Hong, then uncontrollably collapsed. Jiang Hong rushed forward, shouting, “Lu Xiu!”
Jiang Hong held him tightly, and Lu Xiu whispered, “I lost.”
Chapter 60: The Dragon's Roar
The dark sky over Guangzhou was rapidly spreading outward. On one side stood the Guangzhou Tower, still erect amidst the storm, and on the other, a black dragon circled in the storm clouds.
The massive body of the black dragon appeared and disappeared, seemingly invoking a strange natural aura. The river level rose with the dragon's presence, reaching its peak whenever the dragon soared into the clouds, causing the floodwaters to crash down like a tsunami, swallowing buildings and roads along the riverbanks!
Jiang Hong rushed to the riverbank, incredulously watching the scene unfold in the distance. It was like the sudden emergence of Wu Zhiqi. The Pearl River Bridge had been blocked, and local exorcists began to gather, clearly outnumbered by the opposition.
A meteor-like fireball shot from the center of the bridge, chasing the black dragon into the clouds. Jiang Hong recognized the figure and shouted, "Huoran! Teacher Huoran!"
It was indeed Huoran, struggling alongside two other exorcists at the center of the Pearl River Bridge. Along Binjiang Road, cars floated downstream, and the overflowing river pushed more vehicles outward. Most people had fled, but Jiang Hong turned to guess that many were recording this scene on their phones from life rafts and office buildings.
"You know him?" Lu Xiu asked.
"He's the one I rescued from the cell," Jiang Hong said. "What do we do now? Why are there so few exorcists?"
Layers of dark clouds pressed down, like the end of the world.
Zhang Xiting said, "You two should leave first, evacuate this place, leave it to them! I'm going to check on Teacher Huoran. Jiang Hong, stay safe!"
Zhang Xiting hurried away. Jiang Hong, about to leave with Lu Xiu, noticed Lu Xiu had stopped.
Lu Xiu said, "No, it's not right to leave this unchecked. Without exorcists in the south, no one can stand against it. Give me half an hour, and I will go to confront it."
Jiang Hong was well aware of Lu Xiu's current state. Two fierce battles had drained him significantly, and he was still nursing injuries. It was definitely not the time to take any more risks.
Jiang Hong said, "Lu Xiu, we should..."
"Listen to me," Lu Xiu suddenly grasped Jiang Hong's wrist, saying, "Listen to me, Jiang Hong."
It started to rain, wetting both of their hair. Jiang Hong stared at Lu Xiu, lost in thought.
"Without the seal, I," Lu Xiu said, "tied with two S-rank exorcists from the Exorcism Committee. Moreover, Xiang Cheng is not here. It will take hours for them to arrive from Beijing and Xi'an. I must restrain it as soon as possible, and defeating it is my destiny."
Jiang Hong fell silent for a moment, understanding Lu Xiu's determination. With Lu Xiu's character, he had to overcome his other self to break through this obsession.
"Then let's find a place to rest first," Jiang Hong suggested. "But what about An Jie? Isn't he an S-rank exorcist? Where is he now?"
Lu Xiu replied, "He might be trying to restrain the other Chen Zhen. We can't rely too much on him; I've never seen him actually fight."
"Is this place okay?" Jiang Hong found a milk tea shop on a higher elevation on the mountainside. It was already empty, with water reaching the steps. The location offered a clear view of the distant battle.
Lu Xiu nodded, and Jiang Hong opened the glass door, letting Lu Xiu sit at the bar. Lu Xiu sighed deeply and sat quietly.
"Do you want something warm to drink?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu nodded, remaining silent. Jiang Hong went behind the bar to start the machine. The milk tea machine still worked. While making the tea, he used the Book of Everything to check Lu Xiu's condition.
Health: 997390/??????
Mana: 74/??????
Now that they had a moment to breathe, Jiang Hong used the Book of Everything to explore more functions, wondering if he could see attributes like attack and defense, which might be useful. Maybe he could find the enemy's weakness during a confrontation?
Unfortunately, apart from the red and blue bars, the only additional display was a bunch of debuffs. Jiang Hong guessed from the icons' colors and shapes that Lu Xiu was under a "Weakened" debuff, and the previous "Severe Injury" had disappeared. Additionally, there was a golden icon from the very beginning, which Jiang Hong guessed signified "Ability Seal," not knowing what buffs might be on Dark Lu Xiu.
Lu Xiu: "?"
Seeing Jiang Hong holding the Book of Everything and always pointing it at him, Lu Xiu asked, "What are you doing? Trying to use a magic treasure to heal me?"
Jiang Hong said, "I wanted to see your attribute panel."
Lu Xiu: "??"
However, Jiang Hong couldn't discover any new abilities of the Book of Everything, and the few functions it had weren't very useful at the moment, so he gave up. He told Lu Xiu about what had happened, and Lu Xiu just listened quietly.
The milk tea was ready, and Jiang Hong handed a cup to Lu Xiu, who slowly drank it to regain his strength.
"During the fight with Dark Chen Zhen," Jiang Hong said, "your health and mana were almost depleted. What if you couldn't defeat him?"
"That won't happen," Lu Xiu finally answered after a long silence, "because at that time, you were behind me. The Oblivion Heart Lantern couldn't affect me."
Jiang Hong asked blankly, "Why?"
Lu Xiu explained, "The Oblivion Heart Lantern awakens one's inner obsessions or demons. For me, the only demon is... Anyway, at that point in time, the Oblivion Heart Lantern couldn't influence me."
Jiang Hong wanted to ask what the only demon was, but he was used to not pressing Lu Xiu on things he didn't wish to talk about. He thought for a moment and then reminded, "But are you confident about fighting your other self?"
Lu Xiu didn't respond, just sitting quietly.
Jiang Hong sat next to him, and they both looked out of the floor-to-ceiling glass window at the scene outside. The flood line was rising, already submerging the third-last step.
"When the water floods into the shop, we'll leave," Lu Xiu said.
"No rush," Jiang Hong replied, "rest a bit longer."
Jiang Hong felt a bit frustrated, thinking he was useless and couldn't really help Lu Xiu. Even at this critical moment when Lu Xiu faced a life-threatening situation, all he could do was pray that Lu Xiu wouldn't be severely injured again.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. People were wading through the water towards higher ground. Jiang Hong hurried to open the glass door of the milk tea shop, and indeed, it was people fleeing the flood, all drenched.
The person leading them, to Jiang Hong’s surprise, was someone he knew. What a coincidence!
"Lu Didi?" Jiang Hong exclaimed in shock.
"Ah! It’s you!" Lu Didi, leading a group and still dressed in traditional Han clothing, struggled to climb the last step and exclaimed, "What a coincidence! Oh, this is near the Exorcism Committee. I thought all my colleagues had gone to support the frontline!"
Among the people Lu Didi brought were some injured exorcists, fortunately with only minor injuries.
Jiang Hong asked, "Let me see, how are things?"
Everyone was basically drained of their magical power. Jiang Hong let them in to rest and asked, "Where's Liao Fang?"
Lu Didi, continuously wiping water with tissues, leaving bits of tissue on his face, said, "Director Liao turned traitor! She colluded with the enemy and blew up the Exorcism Committee!"
Jiang Hong held his forehead, already suspecting the situation was severe but not to this extent.
Lu Didi continued, "We held them off at the riverside for a while but had to retreat here to rest. What about you?"
Jiang Hong replied, "We just climbed up from the riverside and are resting too. Please don't disturb Lu Xiu."
Lu Xiu was still in a daze. Lu Didi glanced at them both, puzzled, then said, "Oh, right, the journey here was... uh, quite tiring... Director Wang! Come in! Don’t go out! Call the other patients in too!"
Jiang Hong looked outside and saw a man still leading many in casting spells. Lu Didi shouted, "You'll attract the enemy!"
Jiang Hong quickly went out to bring him in, realizing it was the same patient from Baiyun Psychiatric Hospital he had met before, who had previously posed as a doctor and taken them to see Zhao Yan.
"Though my magical power is weak, I want to help! Young man, can you repeat what you just taught me?" the man said seriously.
A group of psychiatric patients were following "Director Wang" in casting spells.
Lu Didi said, "Enough! Come in!"
Jiang Hong asked, "What about the other exorcists?"
Lu Didi answered, "Those who can fight have gone to battle, and those who can't are at Hua Heng Tower. I was just there doing that. Here, take this telescope. We'll go to Hua Heng Tower in a bit. Some colleagues are guarding there, not far from here."
At that moment, Lu Xiu said, "Alright, Jiang Hong, I'm ready to go into battle. Follow me."
Jiang Hong, holding the Book of Everything and about to check Lu Xiu's condition, found Lu Xiu grabbing his wrist, preventing further inspection.
"Hold onto me," Lu Xiu said, "I'll take you to a place where you can watch the battle."
Jiang Hong embraced Lu Xiu, and in an instant, the black dragon soared into the sky, heading into the dark heavens!
"Conserve your strength! The transformation has a time limit!"
The black dragon didn't respond, and Jiang Hong added, "I could have gone there by myself!"
The black dragon replied, "Find a place where you can see clearly, so you don’t worry too much."
Carrying Jiang Hong, the black dragon swiftly reached a tall building and placed him on the rooftop, where many people had sought refuge. Landing steadily, Jiang Hong said, "But you two are both dragons, how will I know which one is you?"
"The one without the reverse scale is me," the black dragon answered. "I'm off."
Jiang Hong rushed to the edge of the rooftop, and with a dragon’s roar, the black dragon flew into the distance.
"Jiang Hong!" Zhu Jingling ran over.
Jiang Hong said, "Teacher Zhu!"
Together, they looked into the distance. From the top of the Hua Heng Building, they could perfectly see the battle unfolding in the sky five kilometers away. Lu Xiu, transformed back into human form, was rapidly flying towards the dark, cloud-filled sky.
Jiang Hong pointed the Book of Everything towards the distant battle. He could vaguely see health bars, like discovering monsters in a far-off wilderness. But why did the health bars indicate that, apart from Lu Xiu and the dark black dragon, there seemed to be another creature in the clouds? Was it Dark Chen Zhen? No, it wasn't. That creature was battling with the dark black dragon!
Who was it? Jiang Hong changed angles, picking up a telescope.
Lu Xiu, like an arrow released from a bow, shot towards the center of the battle. Just as he was nearing, a muffled explosion resonated from within the clouds, blasting them open. Immediately, thousands of rays of golden light cascaded down, revealing scattered flames, as if rain of fire was falling from the sky!
No need for a telescope now, Jiang Hong watched in shock, murmuring, "Si Gui?! Si Gui! Xiang Si Gui!"
When did he arrive?
A phoenix appeared, entangled in combat with Dark Lu Xiu!
"Leave it to me!" Lu Xiu shot towards the dark black dragon, calling out loudly.
The phoenix's feathers transformed into flames, swirling in the air. Finally, it soared upwards, spiraled, and then transformed into a human figure, its robe fluttering like flames, floating and skirmishing in mid-air.
Utilizing his swift momentum, Lu Xiu threw a punch, striking the black dragon solidly on its horn.
With a loud 'clang,' the impact sent shockwaves sweeping through, clearing a circular area in the clouds.
Si Gui spoke in a deep voice, "You've already lost once, be careful."
The dark black dragon turned, abandoning Si Gui and spewing a powerful dragon flame towards Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu’s upper clothing shattered, revealing golden-red runes all over his body. Withstanding the dragon flame, he unleashed a powerful force, approached the dragon's head, and pressed his hand on it—
—In an instant, the dark black dragon realized the danger and transformed into a human form.
The two Lu Xius clashed in close combat, simultaneously using Dragon Language to counter each other, causing another violent shockwave. The war of the dragons shook the very earth!
With a thunderous boom, water waves spread across a ten-mile radius, forming ripples on the floodwaters.
Far away, Jiang Hong felt a sharp pain in his ears, and then everything blurred before his eyes. Lu Xiu and Dark Lu Xiu vanished simultaneously. The next second, another explosion sounded from elsewhere, like a cannonball piercing through a residential building, creating ripples on the vast floodwaters.
The dragons reappeared, one black dragon emerging from the water first, closely followed by another. They grappled with each other, rolling and crashing on the ground, and then both transformed back into humans.
For the first time, Jiang Hong witnessed Lu Xiu fighting with all his might. His speed was almost imperceptible to the naked eye, making him nearly unmatched. In human form, Lu Xiu and Dark Lu Xiu swiftly maneuvered through the skyscrapers, treating the concrete jungle as if it were flat ground.
“Looking for another defeat?” Dark Lu Xiu said coldly.
Lu Xiu, without responding, unleashed Dragon Language incantations in the chase. Each collision between the two was a full-force strike.
Dark Lu Xiu asked, “What does it feel like to fight yourself?”
Lu Xiu responded gravely, “Mutual destruction.”
Amidst the booming sound, Lu Xiu, grappling with his clone, crashed into an office building, shattering through countless windows as he burst out.
“Don't engage with him,” the voice of Dark Chen Zhen echoed in Dark Lu Xiu’s ear, “Go and assassinate Jiang Hong, and he will expose his weakness. He is on the rooftop of Hua Heng Tower.”
Dark Lu Xiu broke free from Lu Xiu’s grasp, suddenly changing direction in mid-air and flying towards Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong saw a small black dot rapidly approaching. In just two to three seconds, it was upon them. Zhu Jingling shouted, “Get out of the way!”
But as Dark Lu Xiu was about a hundred meters from the building, Lu Xiu caught up and, from behind, launched a Dragon Language attack, altering Dark Lu Xiu’s trajectory. With a loud crash, both crashed into the base of the Hua Heng Tower.
All the exorcists gasped in shock. Jiang Hong ran to the edge of the rooftop to look down and saw two figures burst out again, entangled in the air. One gained the upper hand, slamming the other into the building with a forceful strike.
They were on the thirty-seventh floor, and continuous crashing sounds came from below, on the thirty-sixth floor.
The remaining "Lu Xiu" hovered in the air, seemingly observing Jiang Hong from a distance.
Jiang Hong instinctively sensed danger, slowly retreated, turned, and opened the iron door of the rooftop, rushing into the thirty-sixth floor.
The thirty-sixth floor, a company office, had lost power and was in complete disarray. Lu Xiu was struggling to rise amidst the rubble.
Jiang Hong quickly rushed to Lu Xiu's side, intending to help him up, but Lu Xiu gestured for him not to come closer.
Behind him, Dark Lu Xiu slowly descended, stepping into the office hall.
Dark Lu Xiu declared, “I'm going to absorb you now, original self. Come on, hand over all your power to me.”
Lu Xiu stood up, remaining silent. At this moment, Jiang Hong felt a chill down his spine and a wave of fear.
As Dark Lu Xiu continued to approach Lu Xiu, a thought flashed through Jiang Hong’s mind.
“Si Gui!” Jiang Hong shouted.
Just as Dark Lu Xiu turned his head, Lu Xiu seized this fleeting opportunity, transforming into a streak of black flame and charging straight at him!
Jiang Hong immediately turned around, covering his head. All the windows on the thirty-sixth floor exploded outwards as if hit by a bomb, sending glass shards flying everywhere. After three loud bangs, when Jiang Hong looked up again, one "Lu Xiu" was rushing towards him, his intentions unclear whether to protect or capture him.
Meanwhile, the other "Lu Xiu" grabbed his ankle from behind, swung him up, and slammed him hard onto the ground. Amidst the thunderous noise, the floor caved in, revealing the steel reinforcement within.
The first "Lu Xiu," impaled by the rebar in his abdomen, was pinned down by the latter. With the first punch, although there was no sound, the force emitted vibrated the entire building, causing the skyscraper to tremble.
Jiang Hong couldn’t distinguish who was who. He rushed forward, shouting loudly.
One "Lu Xiu" lifted the other and then slammed him down to the ground.
The more severely injured Lu Xiu wobbled to his feet, his first action not to counterattack but to retreat, slowly shielding Jiang Hong behind him.
That was his Lu Xiu... Jiang Hong recognized him, while the one facing him lacked the scar marks of a peeled off reverse scale.
Jiang Hong saw the health bars of Lu Xiu and Dark Lu Xiu:
Above Lu Xiu's head, the health bar displayed: 17/??????
The health bar of Dark Lu Xiu read: 2130/??????
Both sides were breathing heavily, clearly at their limits, yet Dark Lu Xiu still seemed to have some strength left.
Meanwhile, the reverse scale scar over Lu Xiu's heart was bleeding.
“You’ve lost,” Dark Lu Xiu stated coldly, “From this moment, you’re already dead.”
“Not yet...” Lu Xiu, utterly enraged as if his heart's sore spot had been pricked by his clone, suddenly roared, “Not yet—!”
Instantly, both Lu Xiu and Dark Lu Xiu's hands gathered blue light, summoning the furious might of two black dragons, and they both chanted in unison, “Tule…”
The prelude to releasing two forbidden Dragon Language spells saw the world's spiritual energy crazily converging into this vortex.
Just as the destructive Dragon Languages were about to collide, a surge of black fire rose from the ground, marking Dark Chen Zhen’s arrival.
“Stop,” Dark Chen Zhen ordered.
He stood behind a pillar on the verge of collapse, the flames of the extinguishing heart lantern burning at his fingertips.
Dark Lu Xiu was the first to retract the forbidden spell.
Dark Chen Zhen spoke gravely, “There’s no need now. Their time is already running out.”
Suddenly, another figure appeared, as if the surrounding light rays interweaved to form a human silhouette.
An Jie appeared behind Jiang Hong, gently placing a hand on Jiang Hong’s shoulder, facing Dark Chen Zhen.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment, as all three parties entered a strange standoff, but it lasted only a second before Dark Chen Zhen snapped his fingers, and both he and the controlled Dark Lu Xiu disappeared in a blast of black fire.
Si Gui slowly descended outside the building, watching Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong, and An Jie inside.
“An Jie, quickly take care of the aftermath,” Si Gui said to the people inside the building, “The trouble is only escalating.”
An Jie glanced at Jiang Hong and said, “You’re going to have to prepare a very long report.”
An Jie and Si Gui vanished simultaneously, leaving Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu amidst the chaos.
Lu Xiu stood silently, then after a moment, turned his gaze towards Jiang Hong. His eyes held a complex expression – was it sorrow, or defeat?
He took a step towards Jiang Hong, then uncontrollably collapsed. Jiang Hong rushed forward, shouting, “Lu Xiu!”
Jiang Hong held him tightly, and Lu Xiu whispered, “I lost.”
