Chương 299: Defeat

For the first time since the battle began, Elder Chen Yong's expression turned serious. The ghostly judges in the cosmic court above us raised their hands in unison, golden rays of judgment descending toward my master with terrifying speed. I watched in silent awe from our vantage point on the small hill. The City Lord's Divine Authority technique literally summoned aspects of heaven's judgment to strike down his enemies.

"Is this it?" Su Yue whispered beside me.

"Can your master resist something like that?" I wanted to reassure her, but I wasn't certain. The golden lines connecting the City Lord to Wuqi City still pulsed with power, feeding him strength from miles away. Even for a Life Realm cultivator like Elder Chen Yong, this was no ordinary opponent. Elder Chen Yong stood motionless for a moment, staring up at the descending judgment rays. Then, without warning, he reached into his robes and produced a gourd unlike any I'd seen before.

This one was larger than his previous containers, with ancient symbols carved into its surface that glowed faintly in the moonlight.

"What is that?" Liu Chang asked, leaning forward to get a better look.

"I don't know," I admitted. Elder Chen Yong pulled the stopper from the gourd with his teeth, then tilted his head back and drank deeply. The liquid that spilled from the corners of his mouth wasn't the clear rice wine he typically favored, this one was a deep crimson liquid.

"Blood wine," Liu Chang breathed in recognition.

"The Hundred Year Dragon Blood Wine. I thought it was just a legend." Su Yue gasped.

"That's..."

"Expensive?" I guessed.

"More than expensive. It's priceless," she explained.

"The blood of a centennial dragon, fermented with nine sacred herbs for nine times nine days. They say it can boost a cultivator's power temporarily…" She trailed off as Elder Chen Yong finished drinking. The change was immediate and dramatic. The air around him distorted, taking on a reddish tinge as his aura expanded explosively. His previously relaxed posture straightened, and the drunken sway disappeared entirely.

"Drunkn Im-hic-mortal Ssecret Technique," he announced, his voice even more slurred than before.

"Blood Dragon Ass-hic-shension." The City Lord's eyes widened in obvious surprise.

"That wine... you would waste it on this minor conflict?" Elder Chen Yong didn't bother to respond. Instead, he swept his arm in a broad arc above his head, tracing a circle in the air that left trails of crimson light.

"Wine Imm-mortal'sh Domain: Ferrrrmenting Heavensh!" The space around Elder Chen Yong warped and bubbled like the surface of a fermenting wine vat. The golden judgment rays struck this distorted space and seemed to slow down, their brilliance dimming as if being absorbed by the very air they passed through.

"What's happening?" Su Yue questioned, squinting at the strange visual effect surrounding my master.

"He's fermenting the attack," I realized aloud.

"The Drunken Immortal style isn't just about getting stronger with alcohol; it's about the principles of fermentation applied to energy and space itself." Azure's voice chimed in my mind.

"Correct. The process of fermentation transforms substances, breaking down complex structures into simpler ones while releasing energy. He's applying that same principle to the City Lord's attack." Before our eyes, the golden rays darkened and changed color, shifting from brilliant gold to a deep wine red. Their straight paths curved and twisted until they no longer descended toward Elder Chen Yong but circled him like planets orbiting a sun.

"Now the goood part," Elder Chen Yong announced with obvious relish, swaying slightly. His hands formed a complex series of seals, each one causing the circling red energies to pulse brighter.

"When you ferrrment judg-hic-judgment, you get... retri-rrrretribution!" With a sharp clap of his hands, Elder Chen Yong sent the transformed energy rays hurtling back toward the cosmic court above. The ghostly judges scattered in panic as their own judgment was returned to them, enhanced and transformed. The cosmic court shattered like glass, fragments of celestial authority raining down around the City Lord.

Jiang Tianhong raised his hands to shield himself, but several shards of transformed energy struck him directly, drawing blood where they cut through his defenses. His expression twisted in a mixture of pain and outrage. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"How dare you turn heaven's mandate against itself!" he snarled. Elder Chen Yong smiled, a predatory expression so different from his usual easy-going demeanor that I barely recognized him.

"You claim to wield heaven's auth-hic-thority, but you forrget—wine existed beforre lawsh!" I had no idea if what my master was saying held any truth, but none of that mattered, it was certainly effective. My master took another step forward, the crimson aura surrounding him pulsing with each movement. The ground beneath his feet bubbled and transformed, turning red as if soaked in wine.

This spreading effect began to intersect with the golden lines of the City Lord's domain, and where they touched, the golden energy fizzed and dissolved. The City Lord made a desperate gesture, trying to reinforce the golden lines, but Elder Chen Yong was moving too quickly now, circling the City Lord in a flowing dance that left trails of crimson energy in his wake.

"Drunken Dragon Steps," Liu Chang murmured in appreciation.

"Perfect technique." Each time Elder Chen Yong's foot touched the ground, another golden line dissolved. The City Lord's expression grew increasingly desperate as his advantage evaporated before our eyes.

"Want to know why yer city emp-hic-powerment technique ult-ultimately failsh?" Elder Chen Yong asked, weaving slightly as he continued his dance around the increasingly isolated City Lord.

"Ish becaush you try to stand above yer city rather than becoming one with it. True conn-hic-connection requires giving ash much as taking." The City Lord lunged forward suddenly, abandoning his previous composed demeanor.

"Divine Authority: Absolute Silence!" The air seemed to solidify around Elder Chen Yong, attempting to freeze him in place and cut off his breath. For a moment, it appeared to work, my master stopped moving, his expression tightening with strain.

"That's the City Lord's most powerful suppression technique," Liu Chang explained quietly.

"They say he once used it to freeze an entire army in place during the border wars." But Elder Chen Yong's stillness lasted only seconds. His body began to vibrate, the frequency increasing until he became slightly blurred to the eye. The solid air around him began to bubble, tiny pockets forming within the suppression field.

"Fermentation... creates bubbles," he stated, each word pushing outward with visible effort.

"And bubbles... break... constraints!" With a sound like a thousand wine casks bursting simultaneously, the suppression field shattered. The released energy blasted outward, catching the City Lord off guard and sending him tumbling backward several meters. Elder Chen Yong didn't waste the opportunity. He flashed forward, and his palm, glowing with concentrated crimson energy, struck the City Lord squarely in the chest.

"Hundred Year Wine Prrrison," he announced, swaying slightly. The crimson energy spread across the City Lord's body like spilled wine, wrapping around him in layers that tightened visibly. Jiang Tianhong struggled against the binding, but each movement only caused the energy to constrict further. It was ironic - the one who loved to bind others was now bound himself.

"Thish technique," Elder Chen Yong explained, circling his captured opponent with exaggerated steps, "will ferrrment your spiritual energy within your meridi-hic-meridians. The longer you struggle, the more it'll transhform your own power into something that bindss youu from within." The City Lord stopped moving, apparently recognizing the truth of this statement.

"You've improved since our last encounter," he admitted grudgingly.

"The Blood Dragon Wine suits you."

"Been shavin it fer a speshial occasshion," Elder Chen Yong replied with a lopsided grin.

"Like teaching arrogant city lordsh about reshpecting the younger gen-hic-generation." By now, all the golden lines connecting Jiang Tianhong to Wuqi City had been severed. The battle had transformed entirely, with the City Lord's overwhelming advantage neutralized in a matter of minutes.

"Master is incredible," I breathed, watching the confrontation with a mixture of awe and pride.

"To think he had this kind of power all along."

"Life Realm cultivators are truly in another league," Su Yue agreed, her voice tinged with reverence.

"No wonder the sect values Elder Chen Yong so highly, despite his... unconventional approach." The City Lord remained bound by the crimson energy but maintained his dignity somehow, his posture straight despite the constraints.

"What now, Chen Yong? Will you try to kill me? You know I won't make it easy for you." Elder Chen Yong shook his head, some of his usual good humor returning to his expression.

"Killll you? Why washhte a good vintage? Yourr just unrefined, not shpoiled." He made a casual gesture with his hand, and the crimson energy binding the City Lord loosened slightly, though it didn't dissipate entirely.

"Consider this a lesson in proper aging. Sometimes, powerful wines need to be humbled before they reach their true potential." The City Lord's eyes narrowed at the metaphor, but he seemed to understand the deeper meaning.

"And the flower?" he asked, gaze flicking briefly in our direction.

"Belongsh to my dishciple, by right of clever aquis-hic-acquisition," Elder Chen Yong replied firmly.

"The Azure Peak Shect has cultivated that boy's talentsh properly, unlike how you treat your dishciples. Using Yan Zixian as yer errand boy rather than teaching him true self-relianshe... I expected better from you, Tian-hic-hong." Something flickered across the City Lord's face at these words, perhaps recognition, perhaps doubt. He was silent for a long moment before responding.

"Very well," he finally said.

"I concede this round to Azure Peak." With a subtle hand movement, Elder Chen Yong released more of the binding energy.

"Yer free to go, old friend. But I shuggest you work on your hospita-hic-hospitality before my next vishit to Wuqi Cityy." The City Lord straightened his robes as the last of the crimson energy dissipated. Despite his defeat and the visible wounds from the battle, he somehow managed to make even his retreat appear dignified.

"Until next time, Chen Yong," he said with a formal bow that was precisely deep enough to acknowledge defeat without suggesting submission.

"And to you, disciples of Azure Peak, I will remember your faces." With that ominous promise, he turned and walked away, his steps measured and unhurried. Only the occasional flicker of his hand to his injured side betrayed any discomfort.