Chapter 78: The Saber Is Mine, but You May Keep It Fresh blood trickled down from the black dragon’s mouth as it made a deliberate swallowing motion. Only then did He Lingchuan finally understand why they had never found any trace of Ancestor Zhu Gen’s grand disciple Tao Bo, the leader of the Baling expedition team. He had most likely met the same fate as Nian Songyu. Among those restraining Mao Tao, a sand bandit spellcaster suddenly said, “Huh? What’s this?” He yanked Mao Tao’s collar aside and found a yellow paper talisman that was completely filled with talismanic writing on his upper back. The moment he tore it off, Mao Tao’s crazed state ended abruptly. His hands slackened, and the treasured saber clattered to the ground. In the chaos, no one reached out to catch it. He Lingchuan’s fingers twitched, but in the end, he did not move. Ding! The saber landed blade-up on the stone walkway. Under the watchful gaze of the entire crowd, the saber actually snapped cleanly in two. Everyone froze. All motion ceased, only their eyes shifted—from the broken saber to the black dragon. It broke. The saber actually broke! Are Nian Songyu’s last words actually going to come true? Only He Lingchuan knew that the saber had already been badly damaged. Controlled by the paper talisman, Mao Tao hacked at the walls of the battlements with the saber’s spine, damaging it even further. The fact that it had not snapped right then was a miracle in itself. But the fall was the final straw. In that instant, thoughts raced through He Lingchuan’s mind. How did the god know that the treasured saber is the black dragon’s lifeline? How did they know that the saber was on me? How did they know that Mao Tao would be able to shatter it? Perhaps the god had simply seen He Lingchuan return alone on a bird monster while Sun Fuping vanished without a trace, and then deduced that the weapon had ended up in his hands. But the other two questions? He Lingchuan knew that there had to be deeper, more complicated truths buried behind them. But now that the white light had been devoured, those answers had been lost with it. And that being, the white light possessing Nian Songyu had strayed from its plan. Its deviation earned it only one outcome: annihilation by the black dragon. If the saber had shattered a few moments earlier, the outcome might have been entirely different. Silence blanketed both wall and battlefield. Then, the demon apes, the bird monsters, and all the other creatures spawned within the illusion realm abruptly collapsed into ash, disintegrating where they stood. Only the black dragon remained, gliding slowly toward the wall. Everyone instinctively backed away. He Lingchuan coughed once, then forced himself to speak up, “So, does our earlier agreement still stand?” The other creatures were gone, sure, but the black dragon itself had only grown stronger. And with all the heroic spirits of the Gale Army still answering its command, if it wanted them all dead, not a soul would live to see the sun again. The black dragon glanced at the broken saber on the ground, then back at him. Then, to everyone’s shock, it actually chuckled. “You’re quite the clever one. The saber is mine, but you may keep it.” Uh... What am I supposed to say now? “Thanks?” He Lingchuan stooped to pick up the broken saber, sliding it back into its scabbard. “No, I should be the one thanking you,” the black dragon said, shaking its massive head. Its voice was unexpectedly calm as it continued, “All these years, you’re the first who didn’t dig up my grave, and you even offered me three cups of wine.” Three cups of wine? He Lingchuan was not surprised. Instead, he let out a long breath. “So it was you, Zhong Shengguang.” A name once thunderous in Heishui City, yet silent for over a century. Gasps rippled through the onlookers. Situ Han stammered, “H-he’s Zhong Shengguang?” Zhong Shengguang had been a renowned general and commander, but first and foremost, he was a man. How could the black dragon possibly be Zhong Shengguang? Yet the black dragon paid no mind to such doubts. Instead, it lowered its head and addressed the Gale Army, “Escort them out of the Panlong Wasteland.” Several of the Gale Army’s officers bowed in unison from horseback, hands clasped with reverence. Of course, who else but Zhong Shengguang himself could command such absolute loyalty from an army of such pride? Just then, voices rose from the southern gate. It was He Chunhua, returning with his remaining men. The moment he arrived and saw the battle had ended, with Nian Songyu gone and the black dragon speaking to his son atop the city wall, he knew that the god had lost. This meant that their side had won However, the actual goal of this expedition had not yet been achieved. So many lives had been lost, and all for the sake of the Generous Pot. “Where’s the Generous Pot?” “You cannot take it,” the black dragon answered, sparing him a glance. “The Generous Pot is Panlong City, and Panlong City is the Generous Pot. They became one long ago. Even gods are unable to take it away. If they could, it wouldn’t still be here.” The black dragon then paused for a moment before turning to He Lingchuan and saying, “But your wish, perhaps that one can come true.” He Lingchuan blinked in confusion, pointing to his own nose. “My wish?” The black dragon did not answer. Instead, it faced the south and let out a long, soft sigh. “My mission... is finally complete.” There was exhaustion in its voice, as well as joy and other emotions that He Lingchuan found himself unable to name. A thin layer of ashen frost began to spread rapidly across its glossy black scales. Within mere seconds, the massive dragon lost all tension and crashed from the wall with a thunderous boom. The ground shook violently as it shattered into countless fragments. Another legendary commander had returned to dust. A wave of smoke and dust swept over the crowd. Everyone instinctively closed their eyes, covered their noses, and held their breath. Hence, nobody noticed that as the light in the black dragon’s eyes went out, a streak of red light burst skyward from the ruins of the southern part of the city! * * * When the dust finally settled and they opened their eyes, they found themselves standing before the temple in the ruins of Panlong City. Just as Nian Songyu had predicted, the black dragon’s disappearance was the key to escaping the illusion realm. He Lingchuan spread his arms wide and pulled He Chunhua into a tight hug. “Father, I thought you’d been sacrificed!” They had never been this affectionate. But in that moment, He Lingchuan had simply followed his heart. He Chunhua gave his son a firm pat on the back, then gently pushed him off. Clearly unaccustomed to this kind of closeness, he said, “When I brought out the broken comb, the Gale Army stopped attacking. That gave us time to escape the array. You spoke to the black dragon more than anyone. Did it mention any clue about the Generous Pot?” He Lingchuan frowned. “Hm? Didn’t it say that the Generous Pot and Panlong City are one, and it couldn’t be taken away? Besides, we’re already out of the illusion.” “He was never a proper artifact spirit. He was a wrathful soul who died more than a hundred years ago,” He Chunhua replied curtly. “How do you know he was telling the truth? We’ve paid a huge price. We can’t return empty-handed.” When they had been in mortal danger, all they wanted was to escape. But now that they were safe, they realized that they would be returning with nothing—not a single trophy or relic to show for the journey. This expedition’s cost-to-reward ratio was not just lopsided but a complete disaster. Zeng Feixiong added grimly, “Without the Generous Pot, how are we supposed to fight the battle at Woling Pass?” Situ Han could no longer hold his tongue as he commented, “Aren’t you all supposed to be official troops? What, can’t fight a war without a divine treasure?” He Lingchuan brought out the treasured saber and inspected it. Apparently, this was the only thing from the illusion that had carried over into reality. He Lingchuan asked, “So, what’s the plan now?” He Chunhua considered for a moment before answering, “We’ll send another team into the illusion realm.” Everyone around him stepped back two paces in unison. No one wanted to go anywhere near that cursed place again. He Lingchuan casually picked up a stone and tossed it into the pool. Plop. Though the water in the pool shimmered with a faint reddish tint, everyone could clearly see the stone sink to the bottom.