The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 214: The Shattered Spirit Core of Dragon Mountain

Mo Ran's hand clenched in the shadows, his heartbeat thundering like a war drum. Veins throbbed subtly at his temples as he stared at the tense scene before him. An insane thought howled within him—Nan Gong Changying could take Nan Gongsi's life at any moment. Was he really going to just stand there? Could he truly stand idly by without guilt?

He trembled, tormented, but fortunately, no one noticed his unease. All eyes were riveted on the thin line between life and death within the barrier.

The sharp sword was ready to draw blood at any moment.

Amidst the withered woods, Mo Ran held the hidden weapon in his sleeve, his fingertips brushing against the razor-sharp edge of the concealed dart. He wanted to do something, but his fear grew like wild grass...

Suddenly, Nan Gong Changying's body trembled.

The tremble was too obvious to be overlooked.

Xue Zhengyong exclaimed, "What's wrong?!"

Nan Gong Changying couldn't see Nan Gongsi's exact position, so his sword was slightly off-target. However, Nan Gongsi couldn't make a sound. Any noise or unusual movement of air would trigger a response from Nan Gong Changying.

He gazed stubbornly at his ancestor's face, his pale lips pressed together, still damp with dried blood.

"Are you... Nangong... Si?"

"!!!"

This time, not only Xue Zhengyong, but many others who stood in front and heard this were chilled to the bone.

—Nangong Changying was conscious?!!!

Mo Ran's expression changed abruptly. A cold glint flashed from his sleeve as he withdrew the hidden arrow that was about to be used. His back was drenched in cold sweat, and his heartbeat pounded wildly.

That was a close call... He almost exposed himself...

He felt fortunate that he didn't have to act, but then he became uneasy and disgusted by this sense of relief he felt.

Before this Dragon Mountain, the two souls of his past and present selves were locked in a fierce battle, relentlessly tearing at each other, leaving each other bloodied and mangled.

He had no idea how much longer he could hold on.

"Nangong... Si... Seventh..."

Within the barrier, Nangong Changying's suspended sword was shifting bit by bit.

Bit by bit, inch by inch...

Xue Zhengyong was utterly astonished. "He really has consciousness?"

No, it wasn't that he had consciousness.

It was that his consciousness was recovering, restoring the remaining scraps of awareness within this lifeless body.

Mo Ran knew that Xu Shuanglin, hiding in some corner of Dragon Mountain, was like an amateur puppeteer who had never manipulated such complex and grand puppets before. He was on the verge of losing control.

Nangong Changying was about to break free from him—

"Swish!"

Before Mo Ran could finish his thought, the dull thud of something piercing through flesh made his scalp tingle and his pupils constrict in a split second.

Bloody flowers surged forth!

Silence reigned for a moment, then a shrill, distorted cry exploded in their ears. A sword as cold as frost pierced through the bone membrane— "Si!!!"

"Miss Ye!"

"Ye Wangxi!!!"

People on both sides held back Ye Wangxi, whose eyes were bloodshot and whose expression was bordering on madness, fearing she might do something extreme. But they soon realized it was unnecessary. What could she do? She wasn't part of the Nan Gong family. No matter how important she was, she was still an outsider in front of Dragon Mountain.

She couldn't get in at all.

Nan Gong Changying's sword mercilessly pierced through Nan Gongsi's shoulder blades. If he could see, there would probably be a chilling hole in Nan Gongsi's chest right now.

Nan Gongsi stiffened, as if he wanted to say something, but Changying promptly pulled out his sword. Blood spurted, and Nan Gongsi, who had fallen to the ground, vomited a mouthful of blood. He could hardly even support himself anymore. Struggling a few times, he finally collapsed onto the soil, defeated.

No one knew what Xu Shuanglin had done. Perhaps he had sacrificed the power of his spirit nucleus, or maybe he had used all his consciousness to control Nan Gong Changying with a death grip.

This body, which was on the verge of regaining its senses, suddenly turned into a puppet with a decisive will to kill. He raised his sword, and blood continuously dripped from the narrow groove, pattering on the ground and shimmering under the moonlight, forming a small, unpredictable pool of darkness.

Nan Gongsi attempted to rise once more, but he failed, barely managing to lift his face from the mire.

Mo Ran's eyelashes trembled, and he shut his eyes.

He wished that no one would see Nan Gongsi's face in this state. A face that had once been proud, vibrant, always pristine and handsome, was now marred by blood and mud, making it almost impossible to discern his features. It was a sight so pitiful that any person with a conscience would feel a pang of sorrow.

Yet, there was no sorrow in Nan Gongsi's eyes.

His gaze still burned with fire, still shimmered with light.

Nan Gongsi intended to strike again, but a burst of white light clashed fiercely with him, howling and bellowing with a murderous aura, heedless of all else.

"Si..."

Ye Wangxi was on the verge of collapse, yet Nan Gongsi paid her no attention. His gaze was fixated solely on Jiang Xi, his bloodied lips moving soundlessly.

Though he could not speak loudly, Jiang Xi was adept at reading lips. With his hands behind his back, his brown eyes never left Nan Gongsi's moving lips, unwavering.

Nan Gongsi finished his message.

Jiang Xi replied, "…Alright. I understand."

"Woof, woof, woof…"

Another dull thud echoed as Nan Gongsi struck the Nao Baijin with one hand. Its fall was far more dramatic than its owner's, as its massive, snow-white body crashed into the trees and foliage, crushing a large area of branches and leaves. Immediately after, its spiritual energy couldn't support it anymore, and a puff of smoke appeared on the spot. Before the smoke dissipated, a fluffy white puppy stumbled out, no bigger than a human palm, and bit down with all its might on the corner of Nan Gongsi's robe.

That was Nao Baijin's infant form.

Nan Gongsi turned his head and coughed softly, "Go, hurry up and go."

"Woof, woof, woof!!" Nao Baijin refused to leave.

But its strength was like a clay ox sinking into the sea when it bit Nan Gongsi – it had no effect at all. Nan Gongsi didn't even bother acknowledging it. He moved his fingers, and Dragon Mountain trembled; the thousands of corpses that Nan Gongsi had bound earlier were instantly pulled out of the ground by vines.

He lifted mountains with ease.

He destroyed what was already withered.

A fierce gleam flashed in Nan Gongsi's eyes. He, too, slammed his hand fiercely onto the ground. In an instant, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his spirit nucleus shattered!!

With his spirit core, the result of over two decades of cultivation, and all the sweat and blood he had poured into those years, he staked everything and desperately shouted, "Submerge!"

It shattered.

He could vividly feel the core that had been with him for twenty years shatter within his heart in an instant.

It was light, like the ripples caused by a gentle breeze across a spring lake.

And yet it was heavy, like mountains and rivers breaking apart, sending boulders tumbling down.

In the end, everything turned to dust.

In that moment, Nan Gongsi felt a faint sense of relief. So this was how it felt when a spirit core exhausted its power and shattered? It hurt, but not to the point of unbearable agony.

Then perhaps Mother didn't suffer too much when she passed away.

In the blink of an eye, it was all gone.

The spirit of the evil dragon actually trembled slightly in response to his sacrifice. The blood vines, which were about to loosen their grip, suddenly tightened again, tightly coiling around the zombies that were on the verge of breaking free. Nan Gong Changying lifted his chin slightly and grunted lowly, "Hmm?" Then, he stepped forward until he stood before Nan Gongsi.

Nan Gongsi was now unable to take another step. Without his spirit core, he was no different from an ordinary person.

He couldn't even recall his own sword.

Panting, he lifted his face, the moonlight reflecting in his eyes, as did the countenance of Nan Gong Changying, who stood against the moonlight.

"Grand Supreme Leader..."

Nan Gong Changying's blindfold ribbon danced wildly in the cold wind. He stood still for a moment, his fingertips twitching, but the Dragon Mountain spirit, having received Nan Gongsi's spirit core as a sacrifice, couldn't immediately respond to commands from its original master's corpse. Thus, the blood vines remained motionless, gently pulling the rioting corpses deeper into the earth.

But Nan Gongsi knew he couldn't hold on much longer.

As long as Nan Gong Changying had the will to give a harsh command, Dragon Mountain would ultimately obey its first master's instructions. He couldn't change that fact.

However, despite being unable to change it, he would still pay this price and do what he could, acting with all his might without regret.

His conscience was clear.

Outside the barrier, Mo Ran clenched his teeth, the hidden dart in his hand again. The lines of his face were taut, and his hand trembled slightly beneath his robe.

Inside the barrier, Nan Gongsi said, "Great Sect Leader... I'm sorry, I still... haven't been able to do... anything..."

His ancestor's sword was raised once more, and Nan Gongsi was about to close his eyes slowly.

Suddenly, just as he was about to submit to his fate, he saw Nan Gong Changying's neck craning with a chuckle. Struggling, he forced out the words through gritted teeth, "You... are called... Nan Gong... Si?"

Nan Gongsi froze, his voice hoarse as he exclaimed, "Great Sect Leader?! Y-You're conscious? You... Can you understand me?!"

The rest of his words were lost on Mo Ran, but everyone could see that Nan Gong Changying's movements had slowed, and his lips were moving slightly, clearly in conversation with Nan Gongsi.

"I... should not have... fought with you..."

Nan Gong Changying's sword remained suspended, but faint, intermittent sounds emerged from his throat.

"There are still... memories of the past... in my heart... Before I died, I worried about changes in the future..." His consciousness had just returned, so his words were unclear and raspy, "I never imagined... it would come to this."

Nan Gong Changying paused before continuing, "Nan Gong... Si. In a moment... after I... finish my incantation... you must immediately... remove the bow and arrow... I..."

Bow and arrow?

What kind of bow and arrow?

Nan Gongsi's mind buzzed, unable to react for a moment, but Nan Gongchangying had already twirled his longsword, scraping against the ground with a dragon-like roar. Then he leaped backward several feet, his sleeves fluttering, resembling a celestial being descending to earth.

Nan Gongchangying was trembling. As he struggled to free his lips and tongue from the spellcaster's control, every word he spoke required immense effort.

"Invoking... the Cloud Piercer."

With each syllable spoken almost in isolation, a clear, soaring melody echoed from the depths of Dragon Mountain. The earth beneath Nan Gongsi cracked and crumbled, and amidst the tumbling mud and sand, a deep blue horn bow vibrated, illuminating the endless night.

Everyone was startled, even someone as composed as Chu Wanning's expression changed slightly.

The legendary divine weapon buried with the first sect leader of the Confucian Wind Sect—

the Cloud Piercer!

"Quickly—take it away!" Nan Gongchangying croaked, his hands shaking violently as if struggling against invisible threads, desperately trying not to reach for his divine bow. "The arrow of the Cloud Piercer can ignite flesh and blood... burn."

Nan Gongsi actually understood his meaning, but the shock was too great. He couldn't believe it, so he asked dryly, "Burn what?"

"I!" Nangong Changying suddenly erupted with rage.

"Grand Supreme Leader!"

"Ensure that my corpse... doesn't... do what I... despised most... in life," Nangong Changying stood tall and resplendent, his robes billowing. With these words, the last ones to echo for a hundred years, he declared, "Burn it."