Chapter 131: Shackles and Cages

"No!"

Wang Yuanfeng looked confused.

Hearing Wang Yuanfeng's denial, the dragon maiden let out a trace of disappointment, and then she heard Wang Yuanfeng say, "But we are indeed here to rescue you!"

"Oh, well, thank you," the dragon maiden thanked Wang Yuanfeng, but she seemed to lack the joy she had just felt, carrying a slight sense of loss instead.

It felt as though she had been expecting her "Flood Dragon Brother" to come and save her. Perhaps the hero in her heart was that great flood dragon, and deep down, she yearned for him to overcome all obstacles and rescue her from the clutches of the evil dragon.

Seeing her expression, Wang Yuanfeng asked, "Is the Flood Dragon Brother you spoke of the great flood dragon of Lake Taixuan?"

"Yes, yes! Do you know him?" the dragon maiden asked, her expression brightening with some delight.

Wang Yuanfeng nodded and said, "He is right outside, fighting the shrimp soldiers and crab generals."

Thinking about it, the dragon maiden felt this must be thanks to her Flood Dragon Brother, proving that he still cared about her after all. When she ran off to Dongting Lake in a fit of pique, her original intention wasn't to leave him behind, but rather to express her desire for his attention—a motive perhaps unknown even to herself.

Wang Yuanfeng then added, "His current situation is not looking too good."

"What happened to him? Tell me quickly!" The dragon maiden looked at Wang Yuanfeng anxiously, grabbing the bars of the cage and shaking them fiercely. The originally ultra-sturdy cage became somewhat loose and unstable.

Wang Yuanfeng used his Qi-Observation Technique and noticed that the aura on the black metal cage had weakened slightly. He thought to himself: As expected, it is the Shackling Technique.

In fact, right upon entering the room, Wang Yuanfeng had noticed that this cage was somewhat strange. Although it was a cage, it didn't even have a keyhole, and the aura of the cage was completely merged with the aura of the dragon maiden—a textbook example of the Shackling Technique.

The Shackling Technique is a branch of Daoist phantom spells. It utilizes the invisible shackles within a person's mind, linking their entire life breath to the shackles to form a passive, shackled magical treasure.

As long as the locked person inwardly feels bound and constrained, they will never be able to escape these shackles, and thus will never be able to break free. If outsiders forcefully destroy the cage without resolving the inner shackles, the person inside the cage will be mentally crippled.

Wang Yuanfeng thought to himself that it seemed the Dragon Lord only coveted her bloodline and cared nothing for whether she lived or died. Discovering this situation right upon entry, he knew that to save her, he had to untie her emotional knot. Therefore, he hadn't asked Prime Minister Turtle about it, lest the dragon maiden figure out the principle and make things even more complicated.

Thus, he could only guide her step by step through the path of the shackles, thereby avoiding forcefully breaking them, which would otherwise cause trauma to the dragon maiden's primordial spirit.

Seeing the shackles loosen, Wang Yuanfeng said to Prime Minister Turtle, "Use the Round Light Technique to show her."

"Yes, Divine Lord!" Prime Minister Turtle acknowledged, drawing a circle in the air with his right hand and whispering, "Round Light Technique, manifest!"

Ripples appeared in mid-air, forming a circular projection that displayed a dynamic scene in the middle.

The dragon maiden stared anxiously at the Round Light field in the air. Suddenly, the image stabilized: a young man with tattered clothes and a three-pronged single horn on his head was holding a pair of short spears, fighting frantically among the shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Wounds on his body were still oozing blood, dyeing his entire outfit crimson. Although his face was incomparably pale, his resolute gaze lacked the slightest impurity.

"Flood Dragon Brother!" Unbeknownst to her, tears welled up in the dragon maiden's eyes. Seeing him in such a state—reminiscent of the times he looked after her—she could no longer hold back and cried out.

The metal cage shook violently once more. Connected to this sliver of movement was the core—the dragon maiden's own shackles. Wang Yuanfeng carefully observed these changes while pondering a countermeasure.

Outside, the great flood dragon, who was slaughtering the demon soldiers, seemed to sense something. He looked toward the direction of that feeling and suddenly saw the image of the dragon maiden in the cage, looking at him and weeping bitterly.

"Ah!" The great flood dragon felt an immense surge of anxiety, and his attacks became even more ruthless. Yet, despite his increased ferocity, he was heavily wounded, currently supported by sheer willpower alone.

After all, there were still dozens of demon soldiers left, and any who could survive until the end were not to be underestimated; they were certainly no pushovers. The golden dragon had caught them off guard initially, but even with the golden dragon's help, it would take time to wipe out the remaining soldiers who had entangled him. Moreover, given this amount of time, the Dragon Lord would likely arrive soon. If the Dragon Lord truly showed up, it would spell certain death.

The golden dragon seemed to perceive this anxiety. With one claw, it dispatched a crab-armored demon soldier and shouted to the great flood dragon, "Go save people first! I'll hold them off here!"

With that, its body surged forward to the great flood dragon's side, blocking the demon soldiers who were attacking him. The great flood dragon nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you, brother!"

Having said that, he transformed into a horned flood dragon three zhang long. His body arched like a bow, and trusting his intuition regarding the direction, he sprang forward, hurtling toward the place where the dragon maiden was imprisoned.

"Hahaha! This is practically inviting me to wipe you all out in one sweep!" A spine-chilling voice rang out, seeming to come from all directions, leaving people unable to pinpoint its source.

"The Dragon Lord is here." Prime Minister Turtle, standing beside Wang Yuanfeng, panicked, looking around frantically for something as if he wanted to flee, though he managed to suppress the urge.

Wang Yuanfeng looked into the void, a solemn look in his eyes. Judging by the voice, the Dragon Lord's aura was bizarre, resembling that of an evil practitioner, and the malevolent Qi was extraordinary.

However, his fate fortune was weak, carrying the impending doom of perishing, which seemed exceedingly strange. Suddenly, a term flashed through his mind, and he blurted out: "Calamity Fortune!"

Once Prime Minister Turtle calmed down slightly and heard this term, he panicked all over again. He knew what Calamity Fortune was, having experienced it a millennium ago. The mildest form was the dynastic transition of power, while the most severe was the overturning of heaven and earth. Though he didn't know to what extent this had reached, it was bound to be ominous. Wherever a person carrying calamity fortune passed, rivers of blood would flow.

Frightened by the Dragon Lord's voice, the dragon maiden instinctively took two steps back, and the cage seemed to solidify slightly once more. Wang Yuanfeng cursed inwardly, realizing that if this continued, it would truly become difficult to get her out.

His original plan was to free the dragon maiden to disrupt the Dragon Lord's scheme, while also gaining an extra hand with more power. He hadn't expected her to shrink back into her shell again. Although the shackles were much looser than when they first arrived, this was precisely the most vulnerable phase of her primordial spirit.

Wang Yuanfeng sighed, thinking that the dragon maiden couldn't be counted on, so he would just have to deal with the Dragon Lord first. Shaking his head and paying no more attention to the dragon maiden, he said to Prime Minister Turtle, "Let's deal with the Dragon Lord first."

At first, the golden dragon had felt a bit unaccustomed to the burst of manic laughter, but a flash of starlight appeared in his spiritual altar, purging the discomfort. Although he knew he was no match for the Dragon Lord, he no longer bolted at the mere mention of the Dragon Lord as he used to, shedding his former terror.

In mid-air, the great flood dragon, who was flying toward the imprisonment site of the dragon maiden, had his momentum interrupted by that voice. Nevertheless, he paid it no heed and continued flying forward.

"You still want to save people!" A scornful voice rang out, and a giant seal bearing a dragon's head descended from the sky. The great flood dragon felt a crushing pressure bearing down from all directions, making even the air feel suffocating.

Wang Yuanfeng inwardly cursed. The great flood dragon could not afford to meet a mishap; otherwise, with one less ally, he would have no choice but to flee himself. Just as he was about to deploy his flying sword to intercept the attack, he suddenly sensed a figure soaring toward the giant seal, temporarily neutralizing the oppressive momentum.