Chapter Forty-Five: The Fountain of Eternal Youth

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The appearance of Zuo Panglong here caught Zhao Nan by surprise. The perfect moment to stab the Dragon Emperor had slipped away thanks to this man's interference.

In that instant, the Dragon Emperor had already used his own strength to struggle free from the vines.

In this fantasy scenario, the power of skills was halved, and the Dragon Emperor possessed the forces of the Five Elements and an indestructible body—a truly formidable opponent.

"Your Majesty, quickly restore your true form. I'll hold these people off!" Zuo Panglong shouted, swinging a heavy fire cannon and firing wildly.

Ice Crystal Wall!

The ice crystals sprang up from nowhere, trapping the bullets within and preventing them from breaking through. Yet under the suppressive barrage, Zhao Nan was unable to leave the protection of the ice wall.

The explorer family huddled in a corner, their ammunition spent.

"What the devil!" They cursed in unison, but to no avail.

"Mr. Zhao, you mustn't let the Dragon Emperor enter the Fountain of Immortality! If it does, its power will corrupt the waters!" Zi Yuan called out, clutching a sword as she slashed at the Dragon Emperor amidst the hail of bullets. The bullets merely caused her form to pause—she too was immortal.

Meanwhile, Lin had risen from the ground, her own regenerative abilities astonishing. Mother and daughter joined forces against the Dragon Emperor.

Zhao Nan fixed his gaze on the frenzied Zuo Panglong, gritting his teeth. "Zuo Panglong, if the Dragon Emperor enters the Fountain of Immortality and corrupts the water, none of us will leave this place!"

"Hahaha, then let none of us leave! If I can't get the Resurrection Gem, neither should you!" Zuo Panglong's expression twisted with madness. "What's so bad about this place anyway? With the Dragon Emperor's power, I could conquer the world—it's much better than outside! War, true war, exists here! This world is more real than the outside—this is my true home!"

"He's lost his mind," Fenina murmured.

Zhao Nan gave a bitter smile. In the previous fantasy scenario, hadn't he too felt nearly trapped beyond escape?

The Dragon Emperor drew ever closer to the Fountain of Immortality, with the mother and daughter struggling to resist. Zhao Nan, biting his lip, hastily cast 'Stone Armor' on Fenina.

"Go help them. Use everything you have—every skill!"

"Be careful yourself!" Fenina leaped out without hesitation.

At that moment, Zuo Panglong's cannon emptied its magazine, and he was fumbling to reload. It was the perfect time to strike.

For Zhao Nan, what was the fastest attack?

A small fireball—casting time only half a second. Two per second; four in the time it took to take two steps!

Four consecutive small fireballs exploded in front of Zuo Panglong, leaving him flustered.

Just then, a beam of red light—like a laser—shot through his shoulder! His shoulder was scorched with a wound three fingers wide.

The machine gun dropped from his hands, and Zhao Nan rushed forward. With a few leaps, he stood before Zuo Panglong, his staff topped with a blazing dragon's head.

Zuo Panglong gritted his teeth, a burst of light radiating from his body. The Light of Taunt—invincible state!

The fire dragon crashed into Zuo Panglong, then dissipated helplessly—it could not harm him in the slightest... Yet in his invincible state, he couldn't move a muscle.

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"This will only magnify your fear."

Zhao Nan pressed his hand to Zuo Panglong's face, red light slowly spreading... As the invincible state faded, his hair was instantly reduced to ash.

"May you be a normal person in your next life."

"No—!"

A small fireball blasted forth, engulfing Zuo Panglong's head in flames. His head was blown off, his body collapsing to the ground.

Zuo Panglong was dead beyond all doubt, but Zhao Nan did not pause. Of those who survived the 'Flame Explosion', only three remained: the Dragon Emperor, Zuo Panglong, and one other who had not appeared.

With nimble detection, Zhao Nan sensed that the third was already fleeing.

When Zhao Nan chased out of the cave, all he saw was the man's back. His speed was extraordinary, surpassing normal human limits... He had entered with Zuo Panglong, one of his subordinates.

With a flick of his staff, a barrage of Wind Blades shot forth—no matter how fast he ran, he could not outrun the wind. The blades shredded his back into a bloody mess!

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Seeing escape was impossible, the man pulled out a bomb and hurled it at Zhao Nan.

Ice Crystal Wall!

Explosive Fireball!

The ice wall blocked the bomb, while the fireball shot out at the man. With a thunderous roar, the ice wall shattered, and Zhao Nan ducked to protect his head from the blast. The fireball also struck the man's position, collapsing the narrow mountain path and sending him tumbling into the abyss.

Zhao Nan looked down, lips pressed together. Below, the cliff seemed endless, swallowing all sight. The man’s fate was uncertain.

"Let it be," Zhao Nan shook his head. Dealing with the Dragon Emperor was key. The Fountain of Immortality was still untouched; how could it be corrupted yet?

He hurried back to the cave and gasped at the sight.

Inside, sharp and terrifying stalagmites filled the space.

Fenina and Zi Yuan, together with Lin, were still desperately blocking the Dragon Emperor’s advance.

On the other side, the explorer family hung impaled on the stalagmites, blood streaming down, eyes wide open in death.

Lin could not find an opportunity to stab with her dagger, fretting in frustration.

"Fenina, suppress!"

Zhao Nan shouted urgently.

Fenina understood instantly, darted forward, and leapt into the Dragon Emperor’s line of sight, her arms moving at dazzling speed.

Sky Sword Saint—Star Combo!

Twelve consecutive sword strikes severed the Dragon Emperor's limbs, turning it into a limbless trunk, collapsing to the ground.

Fenina unleashed the Sky Sword Saint's power fully—the sword light flashed fiercely. If not for the Dragon Emperor's ability to reconstitute itself, Fenina would have reduced it to ashes long ago.

Vines burst from the earth, wrapping its body like a cocoon.

Slash—

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The dagger, guided by Lin’s hands, finally plunged into the Dragon Emperor’s chest. Its body collapsed, the terracotta face shattering into a fierce, desiccated visage, the mouth twitching convulsively.

Lava began to gush from its mouth, its body turning red. Lacking limbs, it could only writhe and roll on the ground—pathetic in its struggle.

Zhao Nan bowed low to the writhing Dragon Emperor, whispering, "Your Majesty, this era has no need for you."

Whoosh—

...

"Thank you for your help. Without you, we would have been powerless against the Dragon Emperor," Zi Yuan said sincerely, her head lowered.

Before the Fountain of Immortality, Zhao Nan waved his hand carelessly. "I said, I am only here for it."

Zi Yuan smiled. She had witnessed Zhao Nan and Fenina’s strength—if they wanted to seize the waters, she and her daughter would be powerless to resist.

"Fellow traveler, the Fountain of Immortality’s water cannot be consumed directly. It must be drawn, then purified by the essence of sun and moon for a day and night before its true power can be realized." Zi Yuan pointed ahead, to the end of the path.

There lay Paradise, Shangri-La.

"What happens if you drink it directly?" Zhao Nan asked curiously.

"The body cannot withstand the power of immortality and will die explosively," Zi Yuan replied gravely.

Zhao Nan rubbed his nose, silently relieved. He had indeed considered stealing the water without helping to defeat the Dragon Emperor... If he had acted on that thought and drunk the water directly, his life would have been in grave danger.

"Mother, what about them..." Lin pointed to the explorer family's corpses, a touch of sorrow in her voice.

Zi Yuan sighed, "Once life is lost, the Fountain's water is useless... Let us bury them properly."

"Yes," Lin nodded, regretful but not overly grief-stricken.

"Please, follow me."

Having lived thousands of years, Zi Yuan quickly composed herself. The explorer family were but fleeting travelers in her life.

She drew a jug of water from the Fountain of Immortality with a spell, then tapped her finger, dispersing the mist at the cave entrance to reveal two ropes. Tied to them was a large basket.

"Now that all is settled, how about joining me in ‘Shangri-La’ and enjoying the scenery of Paradise?"

Zhao Nan nodded gladly; inside was a beauty fit for a fairyland.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Zhao Nan and Fenina drank the purified water from the Fountain of Immortality. A cool sensation flowed through their bodies, filling every corner with strength.

"Ding! Congratulations, player Zhao Nan, you have obtained ‘Fountain of Immortality Water’. You have completed the scenario. You will be teleported away in one minute—please prepare."

A beam of light fell upon their heads; under the astonished gaze of the immortal mother and daughter, the two gradually vanished.

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PS: The creation of this fantasy scenario was my way to slightly alter some plots from films and stories I disliked—perhaps a bit willful of me. If you prefer the original, I beg your pardon.