Only Just Begun Again?

Under normal circumstances, consciousness was always faster than the physical body. Yu Xian, however, was a little different. His fists moved faster than his thoughts. Before the ice spikes could even draw close, he threw a crisp, clean straight right, completely blowing all of them to pieces. The next second, the ocean trembled as the colossal form of the Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon rose from the seabed silt. Innumerable bones, rotting fish carcasses, and congealed seawater coalesced into a mind-bogglingly gargantuan body. It resembled an octopus or a starfish, but every single limb was studded with countless fish-eye-like organs. Malice poured from every eye as they all locked onto Yu Xian. It was simply too massive to see where it ended, far too colossal to take in as a whole. Standing before it was practically like blind men feeling an elephant—one could only perceive a fraction of its true form. From Yu Xian's perspective alone, nothing about the Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon looked like a dragon at all. Instead, it was hideous and thoroughly nauseating. Yet, viewed from high in the sky looking down, an enormous shadow sprawled across the ocean of Earth, shaped much like a colossal sea slug. Along the shore of the Island Nation, Zhang Buyao murmured to herself, "Strange, why hasn't the ocean turned into a zombie yet? Huh, down on the seabed, is that... a corpse vein dragon?" If a corpse vein dragon was absorbing the corpse qi, the ocean naturally would not transform into a zombie; it would merely serve as nourishment for the dragon. "So that's how it is!" Zhang Buyao took a single step forward and instantly materialized beside Yu Xian. She held out an arm in front of him and declared, "Leave this corpse vein dragon to me. Earth... is mine to protect!" "Are you filming a video?" Yu Xian asked curiously, noticing a gem floating beside her. Zhang Buyao's aloof, ice-cold demeanor shattered in an instant. She looked at Yu Xian, thoroughly exasperated, and explained, "If I save the world without filming it, how is anyone supposed to know I saved it? If nobody knows, how can I become a planetary-treasure-level hero?" "Mm, fair point. Then I'll leave this Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon to you," Yu Xian agreed with a nod. He had been fretting over how to fight the beast anyway. Bound by fear of damaging the surroundings, he couldn't unleash his full might on Earth. Furthermore, the creature was exceptionally formidable. Just because Yu Xian held back didn't mean the beast would show any restraint. What if the Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon shattered Earth in the process? Now that Zhang Buyao was eager to step in, he welcomed it with open arms. At the same time, he was curious to see how she planned to deal with it. "Step back, I'm going in!" Zhang Buyao's expression chilled over once more as she spoke with utmost gravity. Yu Xian found it amusing, but he put on a solemn face, nodded, and took a step back, yielding center stage to her. He was a hundred percent certain that when Zhang Buyao got back, she would edit the footage to cut out the awkward moment where she broke character, perfectly splicing this serious line right after her opening declaration. "Wait, do you think using a sword is more handsome, or is a saber cooler?" Just as she was about to charge, a thought struck her, and she glanced back to ask Yu Xian. "Both using a sword and using a saber are fine," Yu Xian replied. "Just use whichever you like." "Then how about using both together?" Zhang Buyao seemed paralyzed by indecision. The Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon had no intention of waiting around for them to reach a consensus. A terrifying beam of light suddenly erupted in the gloom, blazing with blinding radiance that illuminated the pitch-black ocean floor. "Watch out!" Yu Xian hastily warned. Zhang Buyao raised her left hand and gave a gentle swat, as if brushing aside a wisp of smoke. The monster's attack instantly fell apart. Boundless energy dispersed in every direction, yet not a single sliver managed to bypass her body. "Yaoyao, level with me—just how strong are you really?" Yu Xian asked, swallowing hard at the sight. He was confident he could have blocked that strike too, but he would have had to meet it head-on with his right fist. Even his left hand wouldn't have cut it. Yet Zhang Buyao had dispersed it with effortless ease. "Me? I honestly have no idea. I've never cultivated before; it's all innate," Zhang Buyao replied with an innocent look, tapping the tip of her nose. One look at her face was enough to tell she had never known hardship or been bullied in her life. The fleeting thought Yu Xian had harbored when he first laid eyes on her surfaced once again. Nodding, he said, "Alright then, on with the show." "Don't interrupt me again, then," Zhang Buyao said. Yu Xian shot back, "You're the one who stopped to ask whether a saber or a sword was better. How did that turn into me interrupting you?" "I clearly asked whether a sword was more handsome or a saber was cooler," Zhang Buyao corrected. Yu Xian couldn't even be bothered to retort. Was the distinction between 'handsome' and 'cool' really the issue here? Was the order of words the problem? "Go, Yaoyaomon!" Yu Xian waved a hand, feeling thoroughly exhausted. Zhang Buyao rolled her eyes at him, then took a deep breath. Her expression froze over into an icy detachment once more. She drew a sword in her left hand and a saber in her right, then cleaved through the seawater and shot straight toward the Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon. With a single slash, she split the ocean wide open. A vast swath of water was held suspended, billowing upward into the sky rather than crashing back down, turning the previously pitch-black seabed into a brightly lit, empty clearing. The Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon lashed out furiously with its tentacles, but every appendage that dared attack was severed clean by a flash of her saber. Under normal circumstances, the beast's severed limbs would regenerate in the blink of an eye. Yet the stumps left by Zhang Buyao's strikes showed no signs of regrowth whatsoever. Evidently, her weapons possessed the power to nullify self-healing, serving as a perfect counter to the monster's infinite vitality. What good was boundless vitality? What good was rapid regeneration? She simply cheated, outright banning all recovery and healing. Yu Xian was dead certain she was staging a show. With her strength, she undoubtedly possessed the power to instantly obliterate the Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon. Yet she intentionally refrained from a swift kill, pretending to be evenly matched as she danced gracefully before the beast, engaged in an apparently grueling, neck-and-neck duel. He had to admit that Zhang Buyao looked stunning when fighting. So long as she didn't expose her true colors, she was a striking, classic beauty with long, straight black hair. Her refined features made her look like a celestial fairy in traditional dress, while in modern clothes she carried the aloof allure of an icy corporate executive. Of course, that was purely on the surface. Anyone who had seen her sprawled out on the sofa like a lazy, salted fish would know she was full of contradictions—far from aloof, she was surprisingly cheerful. *A kid from a powerhouse family, through and through.* Yu Xian gradually began to see the method behind her movements. Her sword and saber work was far from a wild flurry; it was exceptionally sophisticated, clearly a coordinated system of sword art and saber technique. Her flurry was disciplined, and that was precisely why it was so mesmerizing to watch. After putting on her show for half an hour, seemingly satisfied that she had gathered enough footage and had her fill of fun, Zhang Buyao unleashed a single sword strike. The Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon's colossal body was instantly sheared in two, bringing the battle to an end. Conjuring a bubble, Yu Xian asked, "Are we heading back now?" "Who said it was over?" Zhang Buyao flew over, glanced at the bubble, and asked. Yu Xian looked at the creature's remains in bewilderment. "It's not over yet?" "It's only just begun," Zhang Buyao said. The very next instant, a towering plume of corpse qi erupted from the Infinite Sea Corpse Vein Dragon's corpse. The terrifying plume surged toward the sky like a colossal gray pillar. The already overcast heavens instantly turned an ominous ash-gray. Clouds roiled, lightning crackled, and the ambient temperature plummeted precipitously.