txolops 095. The First Calamity of the Dragon and Han Dynasties
095. The First Calamity of the Dragon and Han Dynasties
Legend has it that the Dragon and Phoenix Calamity was the first great calamity since the beginning of time.
This is one of the five calamities of heaven and earth, and it is extremely fraught with disasters and hardships.
It even brought an era to an end.
Sun Qiong never imagined that such a great calamity would be related to her.
Moreover, he was thrown directly into a battlefield.
"So, are we currently traveling through time, or have we been thrown into a period of time?"
Sun Qiong hid under a rock, carefully observing her surroundings and making a judgment.
If it's the former, then the situation is much more serious.
The Dragon and Phoenix Calamity occurred not long after Pangu created the world.
Therefore, the demons of this period could basically roam freely wherever they went, thanks to their physical strength.
Although it was a period of unbridled growth, the spiritual energy of this era was so abundant that even its unbridled nature could sustain an entire era.
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Monsters of this era can all carve out their own niche.
The excessive spiritual energy even allowed some demons to obtain the qualifications to enter the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal or even Quasi-Saint.
It was precisely because she realized this that Sun Qiong couldn't help but gasp.
They may not survive this great tribulation of dragon and phoenix.
If it's the second point, then it's much more convenient.
The left and right are just fleeting moments; as long as we stall for time, we can get through them sooner or later.
Sun Qiong, holding Qingyuan's hand, asked:
"Do you feel this place is real or unreal?"
Stunned by the question, Qingyuan's beautiful face was filled with helplessness.
She wasn't completely clueless about Sun Qiong's problem, but she felt utterly hopeless.
"Really, I feel it's true."
Sun Qiong nodded.
Seemingly afraid that Sun Qiong wouldn't believe her, Qing Yuan looked at him.
In this matter, Qingyuan's intuition was more reliable than his.
She is one of the Five Phoenixes, and her perception of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth during the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity is much more acute than Sun Qiong's.
If she says it's true, then it's true.
So it seems this really is one of the battlefields of the Dragon and Phoenix Calamity?
Sun Qiong didn't know, but for now, this was the only thing she could believe.
Sun Qiong took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Now is not the time to panic. He quickly surveyed his surroundings.
This is a low hill, barren and devoid of any vegetation.
The sky was an unnatural dark red, with flashes of lightning from time to time.
On the distant horizon, some enormous figures could be faintly seen moving, and with each step they took, the earth trembled.
People and monsters flashed overhead from time to time, fighting each other fiercely, neither giving an inch.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and an indescribable burnt smell.
"We need to find a place to hide first."
Sun Qiong lowered her voice and said, and Qing Yuan nodded quickly.
Nobody wants to stay in a place like this anymore; who knows, a bolt of lightning might strike them dead.
The two moved quickly along the edge of the hill.
This path is inherently difficult, but Sun Qiong currently possesses divine sense.
With the help of his full strength and the abundant spiritual energy, Sun Qiong was able to detect fluctuations within a range of over thirty feet.
This allowed the two to safely avoid the battlefield and find a relatively safe place.
It was a crevice in the mountain, about three feet wide and ten feet deep, just big enough for two people to hide inside.
The crack was well hidden, concealed by a protruding rock, and could not be spotted without careful observation.
However, Sun Qiong didn't know whether this move would be effective against monsters with keen senses.
With things so chaotic right now, I doubt anyone will even notice them.
The two crawled into the crevice, and Sun Qiong moved a few stones to block the entrance, leaving only a narrow gap to observe the situation outside.
Only after doing all this did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"The Dragon and Phoenix Calamity?"
Qingyuan leaned against the stone wall, muttering to herself.
She knew little about this great calamity of heaven and earth, having only heard of it in ancient books.
It is said that countless people died or were injured here, and the Golden Immortal is no different from a roadside creature.
If this is the Dragon and Phoenix Calamity, then it refers to the period before the Three Pure Ones became saints and before the Heavenly Court was established.
At this time, the most powerful forces in the world were the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan.
In this great calamity of dragons and phoenixes, the human race is merely a supporting character; the main conflict involves the dragon, phoenix, and qilin clans fighting each other for the destiny of heaven and earth.
It is said that this war lasted for countless millennia, causing the heavens and earth to collapse and countless lives to be lost. In the end, both races were severely damaged and withdrew from the stage of heaven and earth.
Only after this great calamity ended did the subsequent Lich War, Investiture of the Gods, and Journey to the West come into being.
It is said that each kalpa is a continuation of the previous kalpa.
As for whether it is or not, that's up to the big shots above to decide.
"Then why are we here?"
Qingyuan was also stunned at this moment.
She knew that there was an ancient battlefield in this place.
But what does this have to do with these gods in peacetime?
Although they didn't think Zen Master Wuchao would betray them, the current situation was not good; if they made one wrong move, they could really die here.
Didn't you see that the three Arhats who were just displaying their might and fighting Sun Qiong were killed in a single move?
"It must be that this place itself is somewhat strange, coupled with the energy anomalies caused during the battle just now."
This was the only explanation Sun Qiong could think of.
However, all the two of them wanted to know right now was how to get back.
"Don't worry, we'll go back."
Sun Qiong made a commitment.
Since Zen Master Wuchao sent the two of them here, he probably also has a way to send them back.
After taking several deep breaths, Qingyuan finally calmed herself down and had time to observe her surroundings:
"The spiritual energy in this place is incredibly rich."
Qingyuan closed her eyes. The spiritual power in her body, which originally needed to grow slowly, actually advanced directly from the early stage to the middle stage of True Immortal with the help of the dense, almost viscous spiritual energy in this era.
Like Qing Yuan, Sun Qiong also felt that she was more at home in this era.
Even the original supernatural powers can unleash even greater power in this world.
Realizing this, Sun Qiong took out the magic weapon, the Dragon-Slaying Stake.
Sun Qiong hadn't used this magic weapon for a while; cracks appeared on it when he dealt with the Golden-Winged Roc last time.
In the original era, repairing the Dragon-Binding Stake required a considerable amount of materials and spiritual energy.
If Sun Qiong were to reach the Golden Immortal realm, that would be easy to solve, but he has neither the ability to refine artifacts nor is he a Golden Immortal.
But in this era, the abundant spiritual energy has even reached the point where magical artifacts can repair themselves.
"Since we're here, we should find a way to survive. The Dragon and Phoenix Calamity is terrifying, but it's not without a way out."
Ancient texts record that many minor demons and rogue cultivators survived the great calamity, as long as they didn't get involved in the direct conflict between the dragon and phoenix clans.
Having confirmed this, Sun Qiong put away the magic weapon.
With those magical treasures and supernatural powers at hand, Sun Qiong gained some confidence.
After all, this era is one where the physical body is paramount.
The magical treasures and magical artifacts in Sun Qiong's possession are beyond the reach of this era.
As long as he doesn't encounter those top-tier monsters, Sun Qiong is safe and sound.
So at this point, some new ideas came to him.
"If I could obtain the method for cultivating the physical body in this era."
During the Journey to the West period, there were very few people who focused on physical cultivation, and most of the methods that specialized in physical cultivation had disappeared.
However, during this era of the Dragon and Phoenix Tribulation, physical cultivation is the mainstream practice.
"Physical cultivation?"
Upon hearing Sun Qiong's words, Qingyuan fell into deep thought.
For her, physical cultivation was also a completely unfamiliar thing.
If she could find a method for physical cultivation, her strength would be greatly enhanced.
"I don't want to say that; surviving is the most important thing."
The two stayed in the crevice for about half a day.
During this time, the outside world was in constant turmoil.
It wasn't an earthquake, but some enormous creature was moving incessantly, each step causing the earth to tremble.
It was as if some battle was taking place outside, and the vibrations from the collision of flesh and blood almost caused the earth to crack inch by inch.
Every now and then, the shadows of dragons and phoenixes would flash across the sky, casting huge shadows that seemed to blot out the sun.
Those terrifying auras were sometimes far away and sometimes near, sometimes so far that they were almost imperceptible, and sometimes so close that Sun Qiong's heart jumped into her throat.
The most dangerous time was when a huge phoenix flew over their heads, its wingspan reaching hundreds of feet. As it swept across the sky, it blotted out the sun, and a terrifying pressure descended from the heavens, making it almost impossible for Sun Qiong and Qing Yuan to breathe.
The aura of that phoenix was far stronger than that of the Peacock King that Sun Qiong had seen; that phoenix was at least a Taiyi Golden Immortal, or even above that level.
Sun Qiong silently made a calculation in her mind.
The Peacock King could kill him in the blink of an eye, let alone the Phoenix, which is even more terrifying than the Peacock King.
Beings of this level can be reduced to dust with just a thought.
Fortunately, the phoenix was just passing by and did not notice the two people in the mountain crevice.
Only after the phoenix had flown far away did Sun Qiong let out a long breath.
"It's too dangerous here, we need to find somewhere else to settle down."
In this great calamity of dragons and phoenixes, even quasi-saints may perish.
After all, there were quite a few quasi-saints in the Dragon and Phoenix clans during this period, and they were eventually wiped out.
The Dragon Clan retreated to the four seas, the Phoenix Clan went to the southern wilderness, and only one in ten of the Qilin Clan survived. None of the three clans were wiped out, but they were severely weakened and never recovered.
Sun Qiong carefully considered what to do next.
In this era, the human race declined, and the Central Plains were dominated by dragons, phoenixes, and qilin, leaving almost no humans in the Central Plains.
Only those innate great gods can remain in the Central Plains and fight against the three races.
Sun Qiong took a deep breath. If they wanted to survive here, the best way was to find the humans of this era and cooperate with them.
"Let's go to Mount Sumeru. As long as we can help Hongjun Laozu seal Rahu, everything will be settled."
To end the initial calamity of the Dragon Han Dynasty, it is necessary to deal with Rahu, the mastermind behind it all.
There is a way to survive even in the midst of great calamities; as long as you find that way, you can live.
During the Dragon and Phoenix Calamity, Mount Sumeru should have been on the edge of the battlefield, making it relatively safe.
Moreover, since Hongjun Laozu chose Mount Sumeru as the sealing location, it means that this place has something special about it.
"Walk!"
Sun Qiong made a decisive decision.
The two emerged from the crevice, determined their direction, and headed towards Mount Sumeru.
This journey to the west is also a kind of westward travel during the Dragon and Phoenix era.
The world in this era was completely different from that of later generations. The sky was darker, the clouds were low and thick, and occasionally lightning would strike down from the clouds, creating huge craters on the ground.
The earth was the corpse of a great god, along with the corpses of dragons, phoenixes, and qilin, covering it with a thick layer of ash. It felt soft and spongy underfoot, like stepping on a pile of dust.
The world was filled with a thick stench of blood, and in the distance, those enormous figures were still moving.
Sun Qiong and Qing Yuan proceeded cautiously, trying their best to avoid attracting any attention.
"Invisibility."
Sun Qiong and Qing Yuan had this supernatural power, and as long as they didn't encounter any particularly dangerous opponents, there shouldn't be any problems.
The two flew close to the ground at a low speed. Qingyuan did not spread her wings, but followed him in human form.
After walking and stopping for about an hour, a forest appeared ahead.
It's called a forest, but it's more like a patch of charred tree stumps.
Those tree stumps were over ten feet tall and so thick that several people couldn't wrap their arms around them, but they were all charred black, leaving only bare trunks without a single leaf.
The tree trunk was covered with deep claw marks, as if it had been torn apart by something.
In this era of dragons and phoenixes, even the trees are so sturdy.
"careful."
Sun Qiong stopped and scanned the forest with her divine sense.
There was no sign of life in the forest, but an indescribable stillness.
It felt like something was lurking in the shadows, watching them.
Qingyuan clearly sensed it too; her body tensed slightly, her fingers transforming into sharp claws, ready for battle.
The two stepped into the forest, their feet sinking into thick, scorched earth that echoed dully with each step.
The surroundings were very quiet, but the quietness was somewhat unnatural.
The distant, loud sounds of movement vanished, leaving only a deathly silence.
After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Sun Qiong suddenly stopped.
He smelled decay.
Like tree roots that have just been dug up from deep underground, it carries a suffocating smell.
Under normal circumstances, there should be no unexpected changes.
But this is the Dragon and Phoenix Era. In this era of abundant spiritual energy, even corpses that have been dead for a long time will not decompose, as a large amount of spiritual energy will keep the corpses intact.
Moreover, something else will be born from these corpses.
Corpse Demon.
Sun Qiong looked in the direction of the smell and saw something lying behind a large tree stump.
That was one corpse, and there were many more.
The corpses were piled up together, forming a small hill.
The corpses were of all shapes and sizes, including enormous dragons, birds with wings like phoenixes, strange and grotesque beasts, and even humans.
They were so shriveled that they looked like skin wrapped around bones, as if something had sucked all the blood out of their bodies.
"What is that?"
Qingyuan's face turned somewhat pale.
Sun Qiong did not answer, but instead carefully observed the corpses.
These corpses were in a terrible state; some were only half a body, and some were even headless.
Sun Qiong remained silent, his gaze fixed on the top of the pile of corpses.
There was a special body there, special in that it was the only one that was relatively well-preserved.
It was a dragon, not very big, only a little over ten feet long, with scales that had a dark red sheen.
Its body was covered with wounds, claw marks, bite marks, and burn marks.
There was also a fatal wound on his neck, a penetrating wound, as if something had bitten through his throat.
The dragon's eyes were tightly closed, at least that's what it looked like when Sun Qiong first looked at it.
Now, those eyes slowly opened, and the eerie green eyes were staring intently at Sun Qiong.
Sun Qiong felt a chill run down her spine.
The dragon was dead, but its eyes dared to open!
"Hurry up!"
Sun Qiong grabbed Qingyuan, and the two quickened their pace, intending to cross the forest.
Along the way, they saw more corpses.
Just then, a sudden change occurred.
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet cracked open, and a slender bone claw emerged from the crack, reaching out to grab Sun Qiong.
Sun Qiong reacted quickly, leaping up to dodge the grab.
But the bone claw didn't seem to care whether it caught him or not; it simply wanted to stop them from moving forward.
The bone claws slammed into the ground, sending up a cloud of gravel and dust.
As the dust settled, a skeleton as tall as a person crawled out from underground.
The skeleton was taller than a person, shaped like an ancient behemoth, with three curved horns on its skull and two eerie blue flames burning in its eye sockets.
Its body was covered with a layer of black, rotting flesh.
"Corpse Demon".
Qingyuan's voice trembled slightly.
"This must be a demon beast that died during the Dragon and Phoenix Calamity. Its resentment lingered and it transformed into a corpse demon."
Sun Qiong gripped the Iron Pole Sword tightly.
He didn't know what level the Corpse Demon was at.
However, compared to those monsters, this guy should be easier to deal with.
Sun Qiong took a deep breath, leaped up first, and slammed the iron rod down on her head.
The corpse demon raised its bone claws and blocked the blow.
clang--
The sound of metal clashing echoed through the forest.
Sun Qiong felt as if she had crashed into an iron mountain, and her arms went numb.
The power of the corpse demon was far greater than he had imagined.
In terms of physical strength alone, they are comparable to him, the stone monkey.
Fortunately, the corpse demon was also badly hurt by the blow, its entire arm was broken.
But for the corpse demon, such injuries are practically negligible.
It only takes the blink of an eye for an injury of this magnitude to heal.
Sun Qiong gritted her teeth, activated the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique to its fullest extent, and the iron rod in her hand shone brightly with lightning.
"Since you're so tough, let's see who's tougher!"
Sun Qiong roared angrily, picked up the iron rod in his hand, and moved quickly around the corpse demon, swinging and smashing it continuously.
Although the Corpse Demon is powerful, its speed is its weakness.
Its bony claws moved in a predictable pattern, which Sun Qiong was able to easily dodge.
However, he could not dodge the iron rod in Sun Qiong's hand.
Under such an offensive, Sun Qiong quickly smashed its bones to pieces.
However, with the help of the abundant spiritual energy, the corpse demon was also recovering at an extremely fast speed.
Sun Qiong's gaze fell on the skull of the corpse demon. To deal with this corpse demon, she had to find its weakness.
Unsurprisingly, those two dark blue flames were its core.
Once the flames are shattered, the corpse demon will lose its ability to move.
"drink!"
Sun Qiong roared and swung the iron rod straight at the skull of the corpse demon.
This time, the corpse demon raised its arms to resist.
However, when faced with the increased force of Yang Lei, the Corpse Demon was simply naturally restrained.
As long as Sun Qiong is careful not to get hit by the corpse demon, she can deal with this thing perfectly.
Snapped!
A crisp sound was heard.
As expected, Sun Qiong smashed the corpse demon's head with the iron rod in her hand!
"It's not difficult to solve."
At that intensity, as long as you run fast, they can't catch up.
Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the answer.
Putting everything else aside, her speed is quite fast.
Just as the two breathed a sigh of relief, their surroundings suddenly changed.
It was as if all the monsters underground had been awakened.
When Sun Qiong dealt with one of the corpse demons, all the corpse demons in the entire forest seemed to be touched, slowly opening their eyes and getting up.
Roar--
The roars echoed throughout the forest.
One after another, corpse demons crawled out from underground and looked at the two of them.
Stared at by countless eyes, Sun Qiong felt her scalp tingle.
"Blue Kite!"
Sun Qiong called out.
Qingyuan immediately understood what he meant.
She transformed into her true form as a blue kite, spread her wings and took flight, circling rapidly in front of the corpse demons to attract their attention.
The corpse demons were indeed fooled. Although these guys became stronger in other areas, they lost their brains.
They stretched out their bony claws to grab Qingyuan, and the moment these corpse demons raised their claws, their skulls were exposed in front of Sun Qiong.
Seizing the opportunity, Sun Qiong leaped into the air, and the iron rod in her hand transformed into a golden light, smashing straight towards the skull of the corpse demon.
boom--
The iron bar slammed into the skull with a loud bang.
Sun Qiong used some strength, which immediately made these corpse demons realize how powerful she was.
Most of the corpse demons were smashed to pieces by Sun Qiong with a single blow.
But the remaining part encountered an unexpected situation.
The dragon-like corpse demon opened its mouth wide, facing Sun Qiong.
A terrifying feeling washed over him, as if something horrific was about to happen to him.
Following her instincts, Sun Qiong leaped to the side without hesitation.
A ball of eerie blue flame spewed from the corpse dragon's mouth, transforming into a fire serpent that coiled around Sun Qiong's arm.
Sun Qiong immediately felt a sharp pain.
The flames were scorching his skin and devouring his spiritual power.
In short, the flames wanted to devour him.
"Get out of here!"
With a roar, Sun Qiong unleashed her spiritual power, shattering the fire snake.
But the dragon corpse transformed into a bolt of lightning, and taking advantage of the opportunity, it swung its bone claws and struck Sun Qiong.
Sun Qiong's body flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the woods.
Sun Qiong coughed up a mouthful of blood, her face turning pale.
This injury was quite severe.
Qingyuan quickly flew over, landed beside him, and reached out to help him up.
Are you alright?
Sun Qiong shook her head and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
The corpse demon raised its bone claws again, this time aiming at Qingyuan.
It seems to only know how to prey on the living, automatically using its physical strength.
It was going to smash that annoying bird into a pulp.
Sun Qiong gritted her teeth and stood up, gripping the iron bar in her hand.
He suppressed the metallic taste in his mouth, and his power to move mountains and overturn seas officially erupted.
Without hesitation, Sun Qiong struck at the bone claw.
Boom!
The iron rod in their hands dragged the lightning, and with a loud bang, the two collided.
In an instant, a giant wave surged out from within, sweeping across the entire forest.