71: I have a knife that can cut a dragon!

“Boom!”

The two figures collided with a resounding crash.

The Jiao Demon had long since sensed the danger of the long saber, and his two arms gripped it tightly, refusing to let go even as it hissed and burned his flesh.

Meanwhile, his lower two arms were clenched into fists, their sharp scales aiming directly for Jiang Lan’s heart.

Seeing this, Jiang Lan poured True Qi into his long saber even more fiercely, and the golden-red glow on it intensified.

But the Jiao Demon seemed oblivious to pain, still clutching the long saber tightly, smoke rising from the points where his palms met the blade.

By now, the Jiao Demon’s other two arms were about to strike his heart.

Jiang Lan’s eyes sharpened at the sight.

He likes to grab, does he?

Then let him grab his fill!

Ignoring his defense, he used all his strength to twist the long saber.

“Hiss!!”

Jiang Lan abruptly lifted the saber hilt.

The long saber slashed upwards, instantly severing several fingers, along with half of the Jiao Demon’s palm, sending them falling to the ground.

At the same time, the Jiao Demon’s two fists, covered in sharp scales, landed on Jiang Lan’s chest.

At the last moment, Jiang Lan activated the Flood Dragon Swim.

He knew it was too late to dodge.

If he retreated now, those hard scales would surely pierce his body.

He strained to turn his body sideways.

The hard scales scraped across Jiang Lan’s chest.

“Hiss!”

His black robe instantly ripped open, leaving a deep, bone-visible, narrow wound on Jiang Lan’s chest.

The man and the Jiao separated.

“Woooooo—”

The Jiao Demon’s lower two arms gripped his upper hands, his vertical pupils filled with venomous resentment.

“Damned thing, how dare you injure this Devil Head?”

Jiang Lan, saber in hand, retreated a few steps, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

For some reason, the wound on his chest felt sore, numb, and swollen.

He looked down and saw that the wound on his chest had already turned black and swollen, and even the blood oozing out was purplish-black.

Seeing Jiang Lan’s condition, the Jiao Demon bared his teeth and grinned.

“Having been struck by this Devil Head’s poisonous scales, you can just wait for death.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lan raised his head again, his expression indifferent as he glanced at the Jiao Demon.

“A contemptible creature.”

Immediately after, he tore off his black robe.

The flesh around his chest wound had completely turned purplish-black, and the color seemed to be spreading.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Lan directly held the still glowing red long saber and pressed the blade against the wound on his chest.

“Hiss!!!”

Jiang Lan’s face was as calm as an ancient well, as if the sizzling sound wasn’t coming from his own flesh.

To be honest, it didn’t hurt.

There was only a slight stinging sensation when it first touched, and then the flesh was instantly cauterized, losing all sensation.

Hmm... if he ever had the chance to interrogate others in the future, he should make more use of the branding irons in the Interrogation Room.

The Jiao Demon watched him, his vertical pupils flickering, but he didn’t rush forward to ambush Jiang Lan at that moment.

It wasn’t out of respect for his opponent.

Rather, his upper two hands had already been partially severed, and he was currently in excruciating pain.

After holding it for a good three or four breaths, Jiang Lan finally moved the long saber away.

The effect was immediate.

The purplish-black color disappeared, leaving only black.

And all signs of spreading were gone.

Although he still felt a bit weak, it was not a major issue.

He raised his head, meeting the Jiao Demon’s vertical pupils once more.

The man and the Jiao stared at each other for a long time.

Suddenly, a figure sped from a distance.

Both the man and the Jiao simultaneously looked towards the distant figure.

Jiang Lan recognized Lin Zifeng at a glance.

At this moment, Lin Zifeng was almost upon the Jiao Demon, and with a flick of his wrist, the folding fan in his hand spun and flew towards the Jiao Demon, aiming directly for his head.

The Jiao Demon was startled by this sudden attack and instinctively tried to dodge sideways.

Jiang Lan’s eyes lit up.

An opportunity!

He pushed off the ground, his body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, heading straight for the Jiao Demon.

Attacked from both sides, the Jiao Demon panicked for a moment, his movements becoming slightly distorted as he debated whether to dodge the incoming folding fan or Jiang Lan, who was rushing towards him.

His strength was already on par with Jiang Lan’s, and now with his attention divided, Jiang Lan instantly closed in on him.

Seeing this, the Jiao Demon simply leaped into the air, transforming back from his humanoid form into a Flood Dragon over three zhang long.

The folding fan grazed the Jiao’s belly, striking the scales and sending sparks flying.

Seeing this, Jiang Lan directly grabbed the Dragon’s tail and pulled it downwards with force.

The Dragon’s body immediately sank a section, and Jiang Lan, using this momentum, actually managed to mount the Dragon’s back.

Feeling Jiang Lan riding on him, the Jiao Demon ascended into mid-air, thrashing back and forth like mad, trying to throw Jiang Lan off.

But how could Jiang Lan let him have his way?

He clamped his legs tightly around the Jiao’s belly, remaining unmoving no matter how the Dragon thrashed.

Jiang Lan’s lips curled into a cold smile.

Maintaining his human form might have offered a glimmer of hope, but transforming into a Jiao and being ridden by him meant only one path: death.

He infused True Qi, and the long saber once again emitted a dazzling golden-red light.

He gripped the saber and raised his hand.

The Jiao Demon seemed to sense the danger, struggling even more violently.

But it was too late.

“Hiss!”

Jiang Lan, holding the saber hilt, stabbed straight down into the Jiao’s body.

“Woo—”

The Jiao Demon shrieked, its body twisting and coiling in the air.

Jiang Lan applied more force.

The long saber, as if cutting through cloth, easily tore a large gash in the Dragon’s body.

Foul-smelling blood gushed out, splattering all over Jiang Lan’s head and face.

The Jiao’s body was severed in the middle, with only a thin strip of flesh still connecting the two halves.

Under Jiang Lan’s weight, that strip of flesh quickly broke.

The two halves of the Dragon’s body fell towards the ground, and Jiang Lan descended with them.

“Boom!”

The body hit the ground, and foul-smelling blood gushed out wildly.

At this point, the Dragon no longer resembled a Dragon; instead, it was like an earthworm that had fallen into a pile of salt, thrashing and struggling madly.

Jiang Lan straightened up and walked to the front of the Dragon’s head.

He bent down and said softly:

“I’ll gladly accept this hide of yours.”

With that, the long saber struck down again.

“Hiss!”

The Jiao Demon’s head and body separated, completely split into three sections.

Before Jiang Lan, the familiar light screen reappeared.

[Killed one Jiao Demon of Gathering Yuan Eighth Level. Gained thirteen hundred years of life. ]

[Remaining lifespan: thirteen hundred fourteen years.]

“Hoo…”

Jiang Lan let out a long breath.

The battle just now was truly perilous; if he had been even slightly careless, he would have faced an inescapable doom.

Fortunately, the outcome was good.

He turned his head and glanced at Lin Zifeng, who was standing beside him.

“Didn’t I tell you to wait?”

Lin Zifeng didn’t answer. Instead, he came to Jiang Lan’s side, looking at the scorched black flesh on his chest, and asked with some concern:

“Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you need to go to a medical hall?”

Jiang Lan also looked down at his chest.

He grimaced; he did look quite miserable in this state.

He wondered if it would ever heal after breaking through to the next realm.

Then, Jiang Lan looked up at the widespread ruins around them.

“Are you sure there’s still a medical hall open in this place?”

Lin Zifeng: “…”