sjar Chapter 085 Slaying the Dragon
Chapter 085 Slaying the Dragon
Chapter 085 Slaying the Dragon
Zhanlongdu is a ferry crossing located on the banks of the Yangtze River, and it is considered a very famous place within the Northern Han Kingdom.
Legend has it that long ago, a demon race lived on the Yangtze River, calling himself the "Dragon King." He ravaged the people around the river, causing them to complain and suffer greatly.
The founding emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty slew the wicked dragon with a single sword strike at Zhanlong Ferry, instantly establishing his supreme prestige among the people. He eventually founded the dynasty, named Northern Han.
Today, the Zhanlong Ferry still sees its surging river, but the heroic figure who once slew the demonic dragon with his sword is nowhere to be seen.
……
By the time Lin Fei arrived at Zhanlong Ferry from Shanhe Manor, it was already afternoon. He hadn't wasted too much time at Shanhe Manor, and his arrival at Zhanlong Ferry wasn't beyond his expectations. If he hurried and found a passenger ship bound for Southern Tang, he could set sail and return to Southern Tang within the day.
The mighty river traverses the borders of the Northern Han and Southern Tang dynasties, stretching from the legendary Kunlun Mountains in the west to the desolate, chaotic sea in the east. It extends for millions of miles and is tens of thousands of miles wide. Such a vast distance is impossible to cross without a powerful cultivator at the Dharma Aspect realm.
Even those at the Acupoint Realm can only cross the river by boat.
When Lin Fei arrived at Zhanlong Ferry, there were very few pedestrians, and the place looked unusually desolate.
"I thought Zhanlongdu, the place where Emperor Gaozu of Northern Han started his rebellion by beheading a dragon, should be bustling with activity. I never imagined it would fall into such a state of ruin." Lin Fei looked at the dilapidated state of Zhanlongdu and couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Lin Fei walked along the main road toward the ferry. After a while, he saw a stone tablet several meters high with two large, red characters written on it in a flamboyant style: "Slay the Dragon!"
These two characters were not only vigorous and powerful, but also seemed to contain something unspeakable. Lin Fei's attention was completely drawn to them after just one glance.
At this moment, Lin Fei felt as if he were in a completely different world. Everything around him seemed to have been completely stripped away, forming a separate world.
Before his eyes appeared an ancient and monstrous dragon, and a man stood proudly before it, sword in hand, his sword energy filling the entire world.
The sword intent, seemingly so close at hand, made Lin Fei's body tremble uncontrollably.
"Amazing! This stone tablet has existed for countless years, yet the sword intent on it remains so powerful." Lin Fei looked at the stone tablet and exclaimed in admiration, "I wonder just how powerful the cultivation of the Northern Han Emperor Gaozu was back then!"
"To rise among the ancient sages and establish the powerful Northern Han Kingdom, his cultivation must be extraordinary." Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from behind Lin Fei: "However, no matter how high his cultivation, he is nothing more than a treacherous person who does not keep his word. In the end, he will never be able to glimpse the Great Dao, and in the end, he will still turn into a handful of dust."
Lin Fei turned around at the sound and saw a tall young man standing behind him. The young man had a face with sharp features and looked very heroic. What was striking were his eyebrows, which were like two swords, adding to his heroic and murderous aura.
Lin Fei was already quite tall, but he was still almost a head shorter than this young man. Standing there, he resembled a small mountain, and the muscles exposed on his slightly open chest were as hard as rock.
Seeing Lin Fei turn around, the young man grinned: "This stone tablet was personally inscribed by Emperor Gaozu of Northern Han. Heh heh, slaying the dragon, he personally wrote down his achievements to proclaim to the world, as if afraid others wouldn't know. Such shameless behavior is indeed in line with the style of the Liu family!"
This young man seemed to harbor considerable dissatisfaction with the Northern Han imperial family.
Lin Fei channeled his inner energy into his eyes, carefully observing the young man. To his surprise, he couldn't see a trace of inner energy circulating in the young man; he seemed to be just an ordinary person who didn't know any martial arts.
Now that Lin Fei has opened his eyes, there are only two possibilities for someone whose true energy circulation he can't detect: either the other person truly doesn't understand martial arts, or their cultivation level far surpasses his, making it impossible for him to detect it.
Since this young man dared to discuss the founding emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty, and his every move exuded a sharp and imposing aura, Lin Fei naturally did not think that he was an ordinary person who did not understand martial arts at all.
In other words, this young man's cultivation level is even higher than Lin Fei's, who is already at the first level of the Aperture Realm!
Lin Fei didn't dare to be negligent and cupped his hands to ask, "May I ask your honorable surname, brother?"
"I was just moved by your discussion of the Dragon-Slaying Stele," the young man chuckled. "You don't need to know me, and I don't need to know you. I have to hurry to buy some wine, so I won't waste any more time talking to you here!"
"This damned Dragon Slaying Ferry, there's not even a place to buy wine nearby, it's driving me crazy!" the young man cursed as he walked away into the distance.
Lin Fei didn't care much; they were just strangers who had met by chance. So he left the Dragon-Slaying Stele and continued walking towards the ferry.
……
The stone tablet leads to the Dragon Slaying Ferry, but the scene there is different from what Lin Fei had imagined.
As an important transportation hub connecting the Southern Tang and Northern Han dynasties, even if there weren't many pedestrians, there should have been quite a few passenger ships and merchant ships passing through.
However, at this moment, there were only a few large ships on the river, all flying the official flags of the major families of the Northern Han Kingdom. Not a single civilian ship could be seen.
Outside the ferry crossing, a fence had been erected, and many soldiers were stationed there, carefully questioning and searching all passersby.
Lin Fei had just stepped outside the fence when he was stopped by the guards.
"Halt! Who do you belong to? Do you have a pass?" The soldier blocked Lin Fei's way, preventing him from passing, and stared at him as if he were a spy.
Lin Fei made a Ziwu seal: "This humble Taoist is a Taoist priest of the Jade Emperor Sect of the Southern Tang Dynasty. I came to the Northern Han Dynasty for some reason and wish to return to the Southern Tang Dynasty. Please grant me this favor."
The Xuanxin Jade Emperor Sect is one of the four great Daoist sects in the world. Not to mention the guards, even the nine great families of the Northern Han Dynasty would have to give it some face.
But to Lin Fei's surprise, the soldier clearly had no intention of giving him face, impatiently waving his hand: "Go away, I don't care what Jade Emperor Sect you are. Without a pass, you are not allowed to pass. Get out of here right now, or I'll arrest you as a spy!"
Seeing the soldier's arrogance, Lin Fei's face darkened: "I do have important business to attend to and need to return to Southern Tang by boat. If you cannot make the decision, please have your manager come out and speak."
"Hey, you stinking Taoist priest, you look down on soldiers, don't you?" the soldier yelled. "Even if the Emperor himself came today, it would be the same. Without a pass, get the hell out of here!"