Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Sensing danger through her spiritual instincts, the maid Xiao Ye immediately grabbed her young mistress's wrist, then reached for Xu Ming, shielding both children behind her.

In the next moment, the bustling pedestrians on the street began to vanish one after another. The lively chatter of the crowd and the vendors' calls from the shops along the street all fell silent.

The entire street became deserted.

The only ones left were the middle-aged man and the three dogs he was leading.

Xu Ming clenched his fists tightly. He knew they had been trapped within a barrier.

Who is this? What do they want?

"Who are you?" Xiao Ye demanded, her hands producing two sharp daggers.

"Just a dog," the middle-aged man smiled faintly. He raised his hand and slammed it downward. A massive, pitch-black dog paw materialized out of nowhere and descended upon the trio.

The immense pressure immobilized all three of them, as if they could do nothing but wait for death.

But at that moment, a furious roar erupted above the imperial capital, and a golden dragon—the embodiment of the fortune and might of the nation—let out a thunderous bellow. Golden dragon qi surged up from the ground, forming a protective dome that enclosed Xu Ming, Zhu Cici, and Xiao Ye at its center.

The shadow of the black dog paw touched the dragon qi barrier and instantly disintegrated into black smoke.

In the Imperial Library, where Emperor Wu was reviewing memorials, he suddenly looked up.

"As expected… Killing someone right under Emperor Wu's nose is truly no easy feat," the middle-aged man murmured. He then raised his hand and clawed at the sky. Ripples spread through the clouds, layer after layer.

In the span of two breaths, dark clouds gathered above the imperial city. From the blackened sky, a colossal black dog's head emerged, lunging straight toward the golden dragon soaring over the imperial palace.

The swirling black clouds didn't stop. They continued to converge, eventually coalescing into a massive manifestation of the dog-handling man himself.

The towering figure smiled faintly as it gazed down upon Wudu.

In the imperial palace, Emperor Wu had already stepped out of the Imperial Library, hands clasped behind his back. Black gusts of wind whipped at his imperial robes as he stared coldly at the manifestation forming from the clouds.

Throughout Wudu, all the civil and military officials raised their heads.

"Greetings to Emperor Wu," the man declared with a bow, his voice booming. "I am Dead Dog of the Southern Realm's Wanxiang (Myriad Phenomena) Demon Kingdom."

Emperor Wu's golden eyes flared, and golden dragon qi radiated across the entire capital.

In the span of a breath, Emperor Wu saw everything that had transpired on Xuanwu Street in the eastern city.

Retracting his gaze, Emperor Wu spoke slowly, his voice like rolling thunder, resounding across Wudu:

"The demon kingdom of the Southern Realm truly believes Wu Kingdom has no one left to challenge them… To dare attempt murder in my capital. Such audacity!"

"Well, I didn't really want to, either," Dead Dog sighed, looking somewhat helpless. "But rest assured, Your Majesty, I'll finish this quickly."

"Then go ahead and try."

Emperor Wu stepped forward.

From beneath his feet, golden dragon qi spread outward in rippling waves.

"ROAR!"

High above the imperial palace, the golden dragon of mountains and rivers let out a furious bellow and pounced on Dead Dog's manifestation, tearing it apart with ruthless force.

"ROAR!"

The golden dragon then turned its gaze toward the empty space in front of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and dove straight down.

On Xuanwu Street, the citizens had no idea what was happening. All they saw was the massive golden dragon charging toward them.

The people quickly fled from the street.

It wasn't because they feared the golden dragon might harm them—after all, the dragon qi would never injure the citizens of Wu Kingdom.

Instead, they knew that a cultivator was causing trouble in the city, and they needed to get as far away as possible to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"Sigh…" Inside the barrier, Dead Dog let out a heavy sigh. "I knew it wouldn't be easy to kill someone in Wudu. What should I do now…"

Though he complained incessantly, his hands didn't stop.

Dead Dog began to chant an incantation, and black flames ignited across his body.

The dark flames surged skyward, forming a pillar of light.

Above the imperial palace, Dead Dog's colossal manifestation reappeared!

Black flames gathered in the colossal hands of the Heavenly Law Manifestation, forming a massive fiery blade. With a single swing, the blade slashed toward the golden dragon's head. The dragon raised its head and unleashed a torrent of golden dragon breath that collided with the edge of the blade!

At the same time, ten of Wu Kingdom's elite forces — including the Minister of Rites Xiong Wentian, Grand Secretariat Xiao Mochi, Great Pillar of the Nation Mo Peinan, and two imperial consecrators — rushed toward Xuanwu Street.

"It's over, it's over. I'm really going to end up a dead dog this time," Dead Dog muttered nervously, sweat beading on his forehead.

When he turned his head, Xiao Ye was already closing in with twin daggers aimed at his head. Dead Dog took a step back, the daggers narrowly missing his throat.

But Xiao Ye didn't stop; she pressed forward, her strikes relentless. She knew this man couldn't afford to split his attention while dealing with the Qi Luck Dragon of the Wu Kingdom.

"Ah, I know you're in a hurry, but so am I," Dead Dog muttered as he dodged Xiao Ye's attacks, unable to retaliate. He had to finish his mission quickly; he couldn't hold out for much longer.

"Don't just stand there. I've been feeding you for a year; it's time to work!" Dead Dog called out to three large dogs nearby and tossed three pills into their mouths.

"Woof!"

In Xu Ming's line of sight, the three seemingly harmless dogs began to swell rapidly, their muscles bulging, fangs protruding, and saliva dripping uncontrollably.

"Did he feed them steroids or something? How'd they turn into muscle dogs all of a sudden?" Xu Ming muttered in disbelief.

Sensing danger, Xiao Ye abandoned her attempt to assassinate Dead Dog and turned to protect the young mistress.

If she could just buy enough time, the barrier would soon be broken. However, two of the muscle dogs intercepted her, leaving her unable to break free.

The third muscle dog charged toward Xu Ming and Zhu Cici!

"Miss!" Xiao Ye's face turned pale, her body frozen in despair. In her mind, she could already see her young mistress being torn to shreds.

Just as Xiao Ye was consumed by despair, the young boy standing beside the mistress stepped forward and took up a fighting stance.

Vigorous martial qi enveloped the boy's fists, and the sheer intensity of his blood energy sent a chill down Xiao Ye's spine.

"Boom!"

The boy threw a punch, landing squarely on the muscle dog's head. The dog was sent flying a meter away.

Shaking its head in fury, the muscle dog lunged at Xu Ming again, its original target forgotten.

Xu Ming quickly formed a hand seal, launching three fireballs at the muscle dog's eyes. Taking advantage of its momentary blindness, he stepped forward with explosive speed, his movements resembling a cannonball, and delivered a punch to the dog's abdomen.

The muscle dog spat out saliva from the force of the blow.

Without hesitation, Xu Ming leaped onto the muscle dog's back, raining punches down on its head.

His eyes turned bloodshot as he unleashed his full ferocity in this life-and-death struggle.

The muscle dog tried to rise, but Xu Ming grabbed its ear and slammed its head into the ground with such force that the street's stone pavement cracked, leaving a small crater.

Standing nearby, Zhu Cici stared blankly at the scene before her.

Compared to the muscle dog, the once-gentle and poetic boy who had written her verses now resembled a fledgling beast, wild and terrifying.