224: Refined in an instant

A ruthless glint flashed in Emperor Yongchang's eyes. He pressed the dragon seal of the nation to his brow, saying, "I, with imperial blood as the guide, summon the power of the Great Zhou Dragon Vein—'Dragon Vein Convergence · Heavenly Dragon Annihilation'!".

He suddenly spat out a mouthful of vital blood, which landed on the dragon seal of the nation. The five-clawed Golden Dragon on the seal's surface instantly soared into the sky, connecting with the Dragon Vein beneath the imperial city's paving stones.

In an instant, all the Dragon Qi of the entire imperial city converged onto this Golden Dragon. The Golden Dragon's body swelled to a hundred zhang, and its head, facing Li Xiangyun's black and white sword, spewed out a destructive golden Dragon's Breath.

Everything between heaven and earth was enveloped by this Dragon's Breath, and even the Nether Sword Domain began to show cracks.

Li Xiangyun looked at the world-destroying Dragon's Breath, his eyes growing even more resolute.

He raised his hand and gripped the hilt of the black and white sword, completely fusing his spiritual power with the power of the Nether Sword Domain: "Today, with my sword, I will break your Dragon and sever your fortune!".

The black and white sword and the golden Dragon's Breath collided with a thunderous roar, shaking the entire imperial city violently, as if it would collapse at any second.

Above the clouds, golden and black-and-white lights intertwined, illuminating the heavens and earth.

"Boom~!!!"

The moment the black and white sword collided with the golden Dragon's Breath, an earth-shattering explosion resounded throughout the city.

Immediately, the ball of light above the imperial city suddenly contracted, swallowing all the colors of heaven and earth, and even the air seemed to be compressed into a solid state.

The next second, the ball of light exploded violently. Golden and black-and-white shockwaves spread out in a ring, turning clouds into dust wherever they passed. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the Void Realm, the Dragon patterns on the imperial city's paving stones shattered inch by inch, and the rising smoke and dust were swept a hundred li away by the shockwaves.

In the distance, the Cultivators of the Star-Picking Tower all brought out their Magic Treasures, barely managing to block the aftershocks of the impact. Looking at the sky enveloped in light, their eyes were filled with horror.

At the center of the light ball, the veins on Li Xiangyun's arm, which held the black and white sword, bulged, and the Reincarnation patterns on the sword's body flickered on and off.

Emperor Yongchang, transformed into a hundred-zhang Golden Dragon, continuously spewed Dragon's Breath, but the golden light on its Dragon scales was gradually dimming. The dragon seal of the nation was pressed to his brow, and the five-clawed Golden Dragon pattern on its surface began to show cracks.

He had used imperial blood to summon the Dragon Vein, which was inherently a self-destructive act. Now, the power of the Dragon Vein was nearing its limit. "I refuse to believe it! I am the Son of Heaven of Great Zhou, protected by the Dragon Vein, how could I lose to you!".

Emperor Yongchang's roar, filled with unwillingness and madness, came from the Golden Dragon's mouth.

He furiously activated the last trace of Dragon Vein power. The Golden Dragon's body swelled again, and its Dragon claws grabbed the body of the black and white sword, attempting to crush it.

Li Xiangyun's eyes narrowed, and he pushed the power of the Nether Sword Domain to its limit.

The Yin and Yang Reincarnation currents within the Domain surged wildly into the sword. The Reincarnation patterns on the black and white sword suddenly lit up, forming a tiny Reincarnation world on the sword's body.

Within it, there was the stillness of frozen death and the birth and destruction of flames, truly embodying the essence of "Yin and Yang Reincarnation."

"Your Dragon fortune, your Dragon Vein, are nothing more than illusions under the rules of heaven and earth." Li Xiangyun's voice, clear through the light, reached Emperor Yongchang's ears, "Today, what I cut down is not you, but this delusion that binds all living beings!".

With a flick of his wrist, the black and white sword slashed upward along the Dragon claws. Dragon scales shattered, and the power of the Dragon Vein dissipated like a flood. Emperor Yongchang screamed as he reverted from the hundred-zhang Golden Dragon to human form, his Dragon robe torn, the dragon seal of the nation split in two, and his aura as faint as a candle in the wind.

"No... my Dynasty..." He looked at the shattered seal, his eyes filled with despair.

Li Xiangyun stepped forward with his sword, the netherfire of the Sky Crystal Ice Dust Sword illuminating his cold profile. Without extra words, he swung his sword, drawing out a sword light interwoven with ice blue and ghostly purple.

It was not a fatal strike, but a precise cut between Emperor Yongchang's Dantian and his brow.

"Pfft!"

As the sword light fell, Emperor Yongchang's body trembled violently. The spiritual power in his Dantian and the Dragon Qi in his brow exploded simultaneously, but were instantly frozen by the chilling Qi of the netherfire.

He let out a muffled groan, his body falling from the cloud peak like a kite with a broken string. His dark Dragon robe traced a pathetic arc in the air before he crashed heavily onto the white jade steps in front of the imperial palace hall.

"Thud!"

A dull thud echoed throughout the imperial city, and everyone's gaze was fixed on the crumpled figure.

Emperor Yongchang was not dead, but he was covered in blood, his Dantian destroyed. He felt the spiritual power within his body rapidly draining away.

He lay on the steps, looking at the figure on the cloud peak, his eyes filled only with fear and unwillingness, no longer a trace of imperial dominance.

The dragon seal of the nation clattered as it fell from the cloud peak, then disintegrated into dust.

The Dragon patterns of the imperial city completely extinguished, the Dragon Qi receded, and the celestial phenomena gradually faded.

Li Xiangyun stood on the cloud peak, his plain robes stained with blood and ice crystals, the Sky Crystal Ice Dust Sword sheathed.

He looked down at the struggling Emperor Yongchang on the steps, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable power: "The Dragon fortune of Great Zhou is severed. You are no longer an Emperor."

Li Xiangyun's fingertip moved slightly, and the Sky Crystal Ice Dust Sword hummed as it unsheathed, the netherfire and ice crystal patterns on its blade lighting up again.

Since he had severed his Dragon fortune and crippled his cultivation, he would not leave this struggling, Deposed Emperor (crippled Emperor) alive, lest he cause future trouble.

Just as the sword light was about to fall, an aged black shadow suddenly shot out from behind a pillar in the imperial palace hall!

The black shadow was enveloped in Dragon Qi of the same origin as Emperor Yongchang's, but even more sinister. In his hand, he held a short dagger imbued with black patterns, aimed directly at Li Xiangyun's back.

"My son, flee quickly!" The Emperor Emeritus's voice was hoarse, and the black patterns on the dagger glowed with a poisonous light, clearly premeditated.

But Li Xiangyun seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He neither dodged nor avoided, but flicked his wrist in a backhand motion.

"Clang!" An icy blue sword light traced a sharp arc, accurately striking the short dagger.

With a "crack," the short dagger broke. The Emperor Emeritus was shaken by a massive force, his Qi and blood churning. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the palace wall and spitting out blood.

But at that moment, Emperor Yongchang on the white jade steps suddenly moved!

A final, faint, yet incredibly strange wisp of Dragon Qi erupted from him, and his broken body shot into the sky like an arrow from a bowstring.

Everyone thought he was going to take the opportunity to ambush Li Xiangyun; even Li Xiangyun frowned and raised his hand, ready to conjure a sword.

However, Emperor Yongchang's figure bypassed Li Xiangyun, heading directly towards the retreating Emperor Emeritus.

"Father, why go through all this trouble?" Emperor Yongchang's voice was devoid of any warmth, completely different from his earlier despair.

Before the Emperor Emeritus could react, Emperor Yongchang's blood-stained hand suddenly swelled, and with the remaining Dragon Qi, it fiercely pierced through the Emperor Emeritus's chest!

"You... you dare!" The Emperor Emeritus's pupils constricted, a large amount of blood gushed from his mouth, his face filled with disbelief.

"What is there to fear?"

Emperor Yongchang's mouth curved into a sinister smile. He placed his other hand on the Emperor Emeritus's head, and the Dragon Qi around him surged wildly, beginning to extract something from the Emperor Emeritus's seven orifices.

Golden currents flowed along Emperor Yongchang's arm and into his body. His originally dim eyes gradually brightened, and beneath his tattered Dragon robe, his wounds healed at a visible rate.

Meanwhile, the Emperor Emeritus's body rapidly shriveled, his skin wrinkling like withered wood, and the vitality in his eyes slowly dissipated.

At this moment, witnessed by all, Emperor Yongchang seized his own father and instantly refined him.