Hammer in her left hand, sword in her right, the eldest sister is connected to both worlds.

Chapter 227 The Rain Stops and the Dragon Emerges

The Heavenly Dao of the Yuanming Realm is extremely weak, to the point that it can only selectively strike a few key targets.

Coincidentally, Xue Lan is one of these key individuals who needs constant reminders.

Xue Tong watched as Xue Lan was struck down by a bolt of lightning. The host's critical condition status on the system panel flashed rapidly a few times before finally going out.

The little girl panicked immediately, letting go of the little boy beside her and clinging to Xue Lan, shouting:

"Didn't I say to tell me before you die, Xue Lan?!"

The person lying on the ground, exhausted, heard Xue Tong's shout and mustered the strength to raise his arm and swing it.

Xue Tong heard Xue Lan's hoarse, muffled voice: "It's nothing."

The girl got up from the ground, her face covered in wet mud from the shore, looking as if she were playing some kind of ferocious, large beast.

Xue Tong couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"If your old acquaintances knew what you looked like now, I wonder if they would laugh their heads off."

Xue Lan remained unmoved by her sarcasm. The girl flicked her sleeve, and a gentle breeze imbued with water elemental energy swept by, carrying away all the dirt from her body.

His powerful divine sense extended into the sky, and the light purple cloud vortex turned into a deep crimson purple as Li Qing flew into the sky.

After Xue Lan entered the sea of ​​consciousness, the inner demon looked at the woman holding the broken sword high in the sky, and a hint of admiration appeared in her icy blue eyes.

Li Qing looked up at the lightning bolts gathering just inches above his head, then glanced down at Xue Lan on the ground.

The girl's expression was neither sad nor happy; her gray eyes were devoid of any light, calmer than the cold and merciless vortex of thunder and lightning.

But it was precisely these eyes, which at first glance appeared to be completely blind, that gave her an indescribable sense of being stared at.

Li Qing recalled the enormous demonic figure behind Xue Lan that had terrified her.

Let's stop thinking about it.

The woman withdrew her gaze, raised the broken blade with both hands, and carried it over her head. Just as the next bolt of lightning struck, it pierced straight into her spine...

Xue Lan heard a series of crackling sounds, like something groaning under the weight of a raging fire.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

The demon hiding within Li Qinglong's bones was finally forced out by her brutal methods, transforming into a black figure that perched on her shoulder. Its voice was hoarse, filled with boundless resentment and malice.

"You're insane. Even if you force me out, what difference will it make? My demonic energy has already seeped into your dragon bones."

"You didn't want to be a dragon..."

Before the black-clad figure could finish speaking, he suddenly met a pair of emerald-green eyes that held a hint of gold.

Li Qing's eyes were bloodshot. Even though she had cultivated for a thousand years and served as the River Goddess for eight hundred years, she was now in excruciating pain from forcibly damaging the dragon bone.

Putty was sweating on his forehead, but it was quickly washed away by the rain.

The demon heard the woman before him enunciate each word clearly:

"So what if I die? So what if my cultivation of thousands of years is destroyed in an instant?"

"I, a mere carp from a small muddy bay, have traversed thousands of mountains and rivers, overcoming countless dangers to cultivate myself to this point... How dare you threaten me!"

The woman's eyes held an unparalleled fierceness, like a sewing machine unsheathed from its sheath, or an unchanging mountain for millennia.

That was the majesty unique to the gods, the power of the Qinglin River that stretched across the Great Li Dynasty.

The flowing water is endless and all-encompassing, but it is not someone to be bullied by everyone.

The demon was terrified by Li Qing's words and immediately decided to run away.

However, before the dark demonic energy could completely leave Li Qing's back, it was trapped in place by the eerie evil energy emanating from the broken sword.

They were completely unable to move an inch.

"What are you doing...you madman!" The demon began to panic, uttering a shrill question.

Li Qing smiled brightly, with crimson lightning behind him.

"I'm not afraid of heavenly lightning, but I don't know... are you scared?"

The next instant, crimson lightning enveloped Li Qing's entire figure.

In an instant, the torrential rain that had been falling all day for miles around seemed to have been taken away, turning into a light drizzle.

In a small fishing village not far from here, an old woman, longing for her family to return home, stood at the gate of her courtyard and looked at the terrifying lightning in the distant sky, feeling uneasy.

"Why isn't the child's grandfather back yet?!"

"Moo!!!"

Just as the old woman was gazing expectantly at the path not far away, a strange sound suddenly came from the sky.

The sound was deafening, like the bellowing of an old ox, but not quite. It startled her so much that she fell to the ground.

People from almost every household nearby came out and pointed at the purple vortex of clouds.

"What's that making that noise? It's kind of scary."

The old woman struggled to her feet, her anxiety growing.

Just then, she heard a clear male voice coming from not far away.

On the path, the young people who had helped her search for the person returned. Her old man was being carried on someone's back, and her little grandson was being led by the hand.

"Aunt Zhao, everyone's alright!"

She took a step forward, and tears began to fall...

The rain stopped, and all the neighbors came to help, so no one noticed that the purplish-red cloud vortex gradually disappeared, and a slender black shadow fell and disappeared into the mountains.

Xue Lan stood in the dense forest, watching the black dragon fly around in the sky a few times before landing on her shoulder, where it had already taken the form of a small snake.

Quiet and still, it seems like a lot of energy has been used up.

The girl's voice was clear and bright: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your successful transformation into a dragon."

Xue Tong also mimicked her tone and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."

Li Qing had previously exhausted too much of her essence and demonic power in her transformation into a dragon, and now desperately needed a long period of deep meditation. However, she still remembered Xue Lan's earlier request for a favor. The little dragon circled Xue Lan's shoulder and neck, and when it landed, it had already transformed into human form. Her long, dark dress was embroidered with golden wave patterns, and she had dragon horns on her head, her golden eyes exuding majesty.

She lowered her head slightly: "I have no way to repay your great kindness, young lady."

Xue Lan waved her hand, indicating that she didn't need to be so polite: "Your Highness, there's no need for such formality. Xue Lan has something to ask of you."

"Girl, please tell me."

Xue Lan began to speak, explaining in detail: "Firstly, the Underworld of the Great Li Dynasty suffered heavy damage from the Demon Clan. Before it is repaired, Xue Lan hopes that Your Highness can join forces with the ghost cultivators of the Black Void Underworld River, using the Qinglin River as the central line, to take in the homeless souls on both sides."

Li Qing had already noticed this, and the woman nodded slightly: "Of course."

"Secondly, His Majesty the Great Emperor is critically ill, and the dynasty's fate is unstable. Xue Lan hopes to use the Empress's connection to the dynasty's fate to intervene..."

The stars twinkled along the banks of the Qinglin River. Under the cover of night, the two spoke in hushed tones…

The next morning was a bright and sunny day.

Aunt Zhao took the cooked porridge out of the kitchen and placed a plate of homemade pickled vegetables and a plate of spicy small fish on the table.

"Grandpa, Xiaozhu, come out for dinner."

"coming."

The little boy inside heard his grandmother calling and skipped out of the house. But he suddenly stopped as he stepped out the door.

A young girl in red, with a gentle smile on her lips, was holding a jar and looking at him across the fence of the yard.

"elder sister!"

The little boy jumped up and grabbed his grandmother's hand: "Grandma, it's the sister from yesterday, the sister who saved me and Grandpa."

The old woman heard this and looked in the direction her grandson was pointing.

He was stunned at first glance.

What a beautiful girl she was! Her red dress resembled a bright red fish, and the flowing skirt looked like the fins of a fish moving in the water.

Beside her was a little girl, as vibrant as a peach blossom. Although she hadn't fully blossomed yet, one could already vaguely see her future stunning beauty.

Seeing her gaze, the young woman nodded slightly: "Old lady, my sister and I are just travelers passing through this place. We are hungry, could you please buy us some food?"

What's wrong with that?

The family quickly invited the two into the house. The girl in red smiled and spoke gently to the little boy named Xiaozhu. She did not look down on the fisherman's simple meal; on the contrary, she ate it with relish.

The atmosphere was pleasant and harmonious for a moment, but Xiaozhu found it a little strange. Why did she feel that her grandparents' smiles were somewhat stiff?

After finishing the meal, Xue Lan handed the jar she was holding to Xiao Zhu, who then glanced inside.

Inside was a strange snake, about the thickness of a finger and the length of an arm, motionless. It was unclear whether it was asleep or dead.

"Xiaozhu will take care of it for a while, and then release it into the Qinglin River after it wakes up."

Xue Lan stood up and bowed, saying, "Gentlemen, I hope we meet again someday."

Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Zhao quickly got up and bowed in the same manner as Xue Lan, saying that they would come often.

The girl smiled slightly and disappeared at the end of the path with Xue Tong.

As soon as the girl left, Grandpa Zhao slumped into his chair.

"Grandpa, that girl, could it be..." Aunt Zhao whispered.

Grandpa Zhao waved his hand at his wife: "Don't say that, it's disrespectful. When the road that's been silted up by the flood is cleared, I'll go to the county town to find some mud and make a red fish sculpture to put at home..."

Xue Lan, who had walked quite a distance, heard the family mistaking her for a big red fish, and simply smiled.

Without uttering a single word, he walked gracefully into the morning sun.