Chapter Forty-Four: Ambush on the Dragon Emperor

Not long after they set out, the group received word from Mad Dog: the Dragon Emperor and his entourage had already arrived near their destination.

“We need to pick up the pace,” Lin said quickly.

But Zhao Nan shook his head in disagreement, a thought stirring in his mind. Since they were already involved in the unfolding events, why not change the course of the story?

“No, we’re not going to the temple… We should head for ‘Shangri-La’ instead.”

“Why?” Lin was clearly unconvinced.

Zhao Nan voiced his reasoning: “Don’t you think the Dragon Emperor would expect us to head to the temple too? Rather than fighting a battle he’s already prepared for, we’d be better off lying in wait at Shangri-La. If he finds the place easily, he’ll let his guard down… Ideally, we strike just when he’s about to succeed! At that moment, because victory is at hand, his vigilance will be at its lowest.”

It was not an unworkable plan, though it was certainly risky. Lin relayed Zhao Nan’s thoughts to Alex and his companions, and to her surprise, the explorer couple agreed wholeheartedly.

The two of them gave Zhao Nan a thumbs-up. “Zhao! Good!”

Seeing Lin was still hesitant, Zhao Nan hurriedly added, “Remember that power I used to bind you tightly? I can use it to restrain the Dragon Emperor. If you’re brave enough, it shouldn’t be hard to drive your dagger into his heart!”

Lin pondered for a moment, then reluctantly agreed. She looked at Zhao Nan, her eyes shining with intelligence, and said calmly, “I hope you’ll only take the Spring of Immortality after we’ve dealt with the Dragon Emperor.”

Zhao Nan gave a dry laugh. He had indeed considered snatching the spring first… He wasn’t keen on unnecessary complications.

With everyone in agreement, Lin sighed, faced the snowy mountains, and uttered a strange incantation. Moments later, massive shadows swept from the peaks, appearing with tremendous force before them.

There were four yetis, each over two meters tall, their fur pure white.

With the yetis’ help, they traveled swiftly through the mountains. The creatures’ leaps were astonishing, the scenery blurring past in the blink of an eye. Amid the swirling snow, the group halted on the slope of a peak.

This was the entrance to Shangri-La.

At that moment, an odd light shot from among the mountains, illuminating the area. Zhao Nan rubbed his nose and said with a smile, “Looks like the Dragon Emperor is faster than we thought… There’s no time to lose—let’s prepare the ambush!”

Lin nodded, leading the group into the cave. After a few minutes on foot, the passage widened. Ahead lay an ancient pavilion, within which shimmered a faint blue glow.

The Spring of Immortality!

In front of the pavilion stood a woman in violet, her back to the group. Lin hurried forward, her voice choked with emotion as she called out, “Mother!”

The woman turned, her face alight with excitement at the sight of Lin.

Seeing the reunion between mother and daughter, the group refrained from disturbing them. After a while, Zhao Nan approached and said, “Lin, I’ll scout outside. Use this time to talk with your mother.”

With that, he and Finina left the cave.

Zhao Nan looked out at the sweeping snow, the mountains growing dim as night fell, the wind howling, and the cliff before him appearing like an abyss.

“The best place for an ambush is the passage at the cave’s entrance,” he thought.

He surveyed the surroundings and began setting up. Though all but the Dragon Emperor were ordinary humans, they wielded powerful firearms, their heavy artillery surpassing even his current magical abilities.

Yet, when it came to auxiliary skills, the cannons were no match for him.

He laid dozens of “Firebursts” along the passage. These traps would only detonate on his command, acting like remote landmines.

After making his preparations, he and Finina returned to the cave. Lin had evidently told her mother—the woman called Ziyuan—about their identities.

Despite being thousands of years old, Ziyuan retained her former beauty. She offered a slight bow to Zhao Nan and Finina. “Thank you both for your help.”

In ancient times, Ziyuan had been a Daoist nun. Having never left this place, she still adhered to the old ways. “I never thought I’d meet kindred spirits again.”

Zhao Nan waved his hand, stating plainly, “We’re only here for the Spring of Immortality, and to set right the injustice done to our ancestors.”

Ziyuan shook her head. “No matter your reasons, as long as the Dragon Emperor is destroyed, I will gladly offer you the Spring of Immortality.”

Zhao Nan nodded. That was all he could hope for.

Though the pavilion seemed empty, closer inspection revealed a faint, shadowy gleam in the air—evidence of some protective spell. Not knowing its strength, Zhao Nan didn’t attempt to seize the spring directly.

At that moment, the Wind of Listening detected a disturbance.

Zhao Nan clapped his hands and called out, “Everyone, prepare for battle!”

The explorer family was already ready. Alex approached Lin, seemingly wanting to say something, but she met him with cold indifference. Crestfallen, he followed his parents out of the cave. Because Zhao Nan had inserted himself into the story, Alex and Lin had shared fewer moments and never developed feelings for each other.

Watching Alex’s retreating figure, Zhao Nan narrowed his eyes, a hint of amusement in them.

“What’s so funny?” Finina asked curiously.

Zhao Nan chuckled. “Just glad there won’t be an international romance for me to witness.”

“Huh?”

He waved it off. “We should get ready too!”

A Chinese man might win the heart of a foreign girl, but a Chinese girl shouldn’t be taken by a foreign guy.

…

Below the cave, through the swirling snow, a line of torchlight wound its way upward—soldiers, and the Dragon Emperor himself.

“Fire!”

Alex shouted, as if venting his frustration, and opened fire with his PPS submachine gun.

Ratatatat!

A hail of bullets swept down, throwing the soldiers below into chaos. At the same time, his father, O’Connell, laughed and squeezed the trigger of his Thompson submachine gun, its firepower even greater.

“Ha ha ha, die!”

The other two members of the explorer family began lobbing grenades down the slope.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Screams erupted as the explosions tore through flesh and blood.

“Return fire! Rocket launchers!” the officer shouted, rallying his men against the explorers. The roar of artillery echoed through the mountains, and gradually the explorers began to lose firepower.

“Father, that’s enough. Let’s retreat! Zhao said he has a surprise waiting for them!” Alex urged.

“Fall back!”

“They’re running! After them!” barked the officer.

At that moment, the Dragon Emperor snorted, pushing aside the soldiers blocking his way—so forcefully that some went tumbling off the cliff.

“Your Majesty!” the officer called in alarm.

“Silence! Follow me!”

The Dragon Emperor’s voice struck terror into them all. At the cave entrance, the officer warned, “Your Majesty, beware of an ambush!”

“No one can kill me!” the Dragon Emperor strode forward. “Cowards aren’t fit to be my generals!”

He advanced, his mummified form unafraid of the darkness, while the soldiers followed anxiously behind.

Halfway along, a red light suddenly flared beneath the Dragon Emperor’s feet. Glancing down, he saw the glow flash—and then a tremendous explosion erupted from below.

It wasn’t just one blast; a chain of explosions ran in a line. The narrow passage amplified the deafening booms, and even the spacious end of the tunnel shook, dust and debris raining down.

Screams rang out.

Inside the cave, the explorer family burst out laughing, but Zhao Nan was not so relaxed. Extending his senses, he detected several figures still pressing forward.

“Get ready!” Zhao Nan shouted, plunging his staff into the ground with both hands. At the cave entrance, the ground began to shift, transforming into a mire of brown mud, ripples spreading as it awaited its prey.

A shadow shot forward—it was the Dragon Emperor. As he plunged into the mud, his speed slowed. He struggled to wrench his legs free but failed to break loose at once.

Finina was ready. Her long sword swept down, a blazing crescent of light cleaving the path, aiming straight for the Dragon Emperor.

Sensing danger, the Dragon Emperor showed no fear. He thrust out both hands, and with a faint sound, it was as if dozens of invisible hands slapped the air, dispersing the sword-light.

Then, pressing both hands to the ground, the mud beneath him hardened at a terrifying speed. The Dragon Emperor leaped free, shooting from the earth like a bullet.

But as he rose, the explorer family unleashed a hail of bullets. Alongside the gunfire, Finina’s sword-light struck again.

Zhao Nan was not idle; spinning his staff, he summoned blades of azure wind to orbit him. Over a dozen shot forth, leaving visible trails as they slashed across the Dragon Emperor’s shoulders and legs.

Crack! Crack!

The Dragon Emperor’s body shattered into pieces, fragments crashing to the ground.

“At last, we’ve finished him!” Alex cheered, nearly dancing with joy.

“No, he’s not dead yet,” Lin’s words poured cold water on their celebration.

Zhao Nan watched the heap of fragments intently. If it were that easy to kill, the Dragon Emperor wouldn’t have survived the Fireburst trap.

As expected, the fragments began to stir, glowing like molten rock, and seemingly pulled by some force, started to reassemble.

“Lin, get ready!”

As the Dragon Emperor was piecing himself back together, Zhao Nan cast another spell.

A dark spell: Corrosive Vines!

The blue-black vines twined around the Dragon Emperor the moment he stood, constricting his body with a series of cracking sounds and scattering fragments.

Now was the moment!

Steeling her gaze, Lin leapt into the air, both hands gripping her dagger. Spinning, she drove it straight down!

Bang—

But suddenly, Lin froze in midair, as if time had stopped. She fell to the ground.

Zhao Nan’s eyes narrowed. He said coldly, “Zuo Panglong!”

It was Zuo Panglong who had appeared at the cave entrance and fired the shot!

PS: Many thanks to Moonlit Sakura, Tears of the Prison Dragon, and the Sound of Future Decay for their support!