Chapter 865: Lightning Control Technique

The uninvited guests were speeding toward them.

These people made no effort to conceal their intentions, charging at them brazenly, which caused Qin Sang and the others to feel a stir of unease. Yet the arrow had already been nocked to the bowstring, and there was no turning back.

The cage shrank. The Heavenly Cold Wind Array erupted at full power, its cold qi as sharp as blades, tearing at the Kui Dragon.

The lightning armor formed by the Kui Dragon’s scales had already fallen into ruin. Its roars no longer carried the force they once did. Pinned down by the cold qi and the blood sword, it had been unable to rise, failing again and again, each attempt only earning it fresh wounds.

Daoist Fang urged them on again and again. None of them dared to hold back. They had to severely injure the Kui Dragon before the uninvited guests arrived, otherwise they would fall into a dangerous situation of being besieged by both cultivators and a demonic beast, and they would not be able to focus on facing the newcomers.

The Heavenly Cold Wind Array was driven to its utmost, the pillars of cold qi collapsing inward and pressing down. The pale mass of qi seemed to weigh as heavily as a mountain, forcing the Kui Dragon flat against the ground.

Rain fell into the array only to freeze into icicles the instant it touched the air. The ground around them was already covered in shards of ice.

The Kui Dragon wailed, its cries mixed with thunder and carried far into the distance. Hearing its voice, the cultivators rushing toward them felt as if their hearts were being cut by knives.

The gale churned waves a chi feet high. Rain poured like curtains. The god of thunder seemed hidden in the depths of the dark clouds, beating war drums for the battle.

Those cultivators braved the storm, lightning flashing about them, as they sped closer and closer. At last, they saw the Kui Dragon trapped within the grand array.

Once a spirit beast that had exuded majesty, now it was nothing but pitiful and wretched.

Chains of cold qi shackled it to the ground, forcing its massive body into a curled heap to bear the relentless attacks.

Scales had fallen from its body, its flesh torn and bloody. Its frame was covered in filth, blood, mud, and chunks of ice. Sword wounds and whip scars crisscrossed its head and body. Its aura was weaker than ever before.

The Kui Dragon howled, its voice hoarse and broken. Spotting familiar faces in the distance, hope flared in its eyes as it thrashed desperately.

"Stop!"

"Release it!"

"You're seeking death!"

Seeing this sight, the cultivators’ eyes nearly split from rage. Their roars thundered through the rain as they commanded Qin Sang and the others to free the Kui Dragon.

But at this critical moment, Qin Sang and his companions ignored them, paying no heed to their shouts. They seized the chance to continue striking at the Kui Dragon.

Daoist Fang’s gaze flickered toward the approaching figures. He suddenly darted forward, waving his hand. The falling rain condensed into a colossal sword of water a hundred zhang long, aimed at the group. His voice thundered with warning, "We are here to hunt a demonic beast. Strangers, keep away! Otherwise, don’t blame us for showing no mercy!"

"How dare you!"

The approaching cultivators were livid. "The Kui Dragon is not a demonic beast, it is our sect’s spirit beast! You dare slaughter our spirit beast without cause, and even threaten us? Outrageous!"

Spirit beast?

Qin Sang and the others were all startled at those words, their expressions flickering with doubt.

Spirit beasts as strong as the Kui Dragon are exceedingly rare, and very few cultivators are capable of taming them. Judging by the furious reactions of these people, could it truly be their sect’s guardian beast?

Daoist Fang sneered. "You say the Kui Dragon is your spirit beast, and we are to simply believe you? This place is infamous for its barren spiritual qi. Since when has a sect risen here? This monster lurked in these lands, swallowing lightning, spitting mist, stirring storms, and assaulting passing caravans time and again. Such an evil beast deserves to die, yet never once did anyone come to rein it in! Your honeyed words are nothing more than excuses to snatch the spiritual materials on its body. You won’t trick me. Kill it at once!"

That last command was directed at Qin Sang and the others.

They wavered, filled with doubt, uncertain which side spoke truth and which spun lies.

Still, Daoist Fang’s reasoning sounded convincing. These cultivators were more than capable of killing for treasure. Pretending to be the beast’s owners was hardly difficult. Their anger might very well be an act. The Kui Dragon’s body indeed held treasures enough to drive anyone mad with greed.

The truth was unclear, but they had already spent tremendous effort hunting the Kui Dragon. It was impossible to simply let it go.

Qin Sang kept his guard raised, silently preparing to activate the Golden Radiance Armor and the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman at any moment, yet his attacks did not cease.

"Nonsense!"

The opposing cultivators were nearly driven mad with rage, cursing loudly. "Since the Kui Dragon was subdued by my master, it has always been docile, never once harming anyone on its own accord..."

Their curses were useless.

The cold qi within the Heavenly Cold Wind Array pressed lower and lower, pinning the Kui Dragon flat to the ground. Even its cries grew faint.

"You court death!"

The group flew nearer, now seeing the Kui Dragon’s misery clearly. Their fury erupted. The leading man in azure robes was driven to a frenzy by the beast’s suffering. His eyes burned scarlet as he roared, "Lightning Control Technique!"

His junior brothers had long since lost patience. As they flew, their figures swiftly shifted into formation around him. Then, all at once, they stopped.

This sudden maneuver left everyone in surprise.

Daoist Fang’s eyes flickered with a subtle change. He quietly gathered all his true essence and secretly pinched a spirit talisman in his hand but did not reveal it.

Qin Sang glanced toward the group and saw them suspended in midair, seated cross-legged beneath the dark clouds, their postures strange and unfamiliar.

The distance was too great to see clearly. A vague sense of unease rose within his chest, and he frowned slightly.

The other side did not appear to be composed of especially powerful cultivators. Among them, only one middle-aged man had reached the late stage of the Core Formation Realm, his strength no greater than theirs. What was more, they controlled the Heavenly Cold Wind Array. As long as the Kui Dragon was slain, they could direct the full power of the array against their enemies.

The might of the Heavenly Cold Wind Array had already been proven in their battle with the Kui Dragon. No matter what tricks the other side possessed, they should not have been stronger than the array.

This thought had barely passed through Qin Sang’s mind when a wave of inexplicable dread suddenly engulfed his entire body. Its source came from the clouds above.

Startled, Qin Sang jerked his head upward. He saw the rolling masses of clouds roiling wildly. A dazzling silver-white light had appeared within them, painfully bright to the eyes. At some point, a massive cluster of lightning had gathered!

"This is bad!" Qin Sang’s heart lurched. From such a distance, their opponents could still wield such a method?

The fluctuation of that lightning was terrifying.

Who are these people? What kind of Dao Techniques or arrays are they casting that allows them to gather such dreadful power in the blink of an eye?

Above the island, countless lightning serpents were drawn as though by a great suction, converging madly toward that spot.

A giant lightning ball took shape at astonishing speed, and the horrific power inside it suddenly erupted outward.

In Qin Sang’s sight, the blinding lightning sphere swelled rapidly and then poured downward like a waterfall.

Everything happened in the briefest instant.

The others were equally aghast, no one expecting their enemies to possess such a fearsome technique. There was no room to dodge. Someone shouted in frantic desperation, "Quick! Use the cold qi to block it from above!"

Everyone instantly understood his intent.

All five of them were bound to the array, leaving no time to summon other means. The lightning was too swift, too powerful.

Their only chance was to channel the cold qi of the Heavenly Cold Wind Array upward, perhaps enough to stall the lightning and gain some time.

As for the Kui Dragon trapped below, they could no longer afford to care.

"Rise!" Chu Heng bellowed. The group joined forces, stirring another transformation of the Heavenly Cold Wind Array. The cold qi shifted, surging upward against the descent.

In that instant, lightning and cold qi clashed.

The backlash swept out immediately. Qin Sang and the others bore the brunt of it, battered by the violent storm wind and rain.