A Name Shakes the Region — The Dirtbound Dragon

1,764 words

Chapter 717: A Name Shakes the Region — The Dirtbound Dragon The wind was so fierce it seemed to change the color of heaven and earth, and in an instant, it sent the magical treasures of the five cultivators reeling and tumbling. As for the cultivators themselves, they were trapped within the gale, unable to break free despite their struggles.

"Ha! You refused the toast, so now you must drink the dregs. You forced me to go through the trouble myself! How utterly foolish." The bald Dharma Warrior laughed with a grating, metallic edge, his face full of smug satisfaction.

Then, with one hand, he grabbed at the air within the wind. A massive yellow hand materialized out of thin air in the middle of the gale and reached menacingly for the stunning woman among the group.

He had a simple plan: take the female cultivator he had his eye on alive. Then, with a single thunderous move, he would annihilate the remaining four, no longer constrained by the fear of harming her.

The female cultivator, whose skin was as smooth as congealed fat and whose face was radiant with beauty, had been controlling a fiery red flying sword as her magic tool. Now, seeing the great hand press down directly, and her magic tool spinning helplessly in the wind, unable to save herself, her jade-like face turned pale.

The other four cultivators wanted to save her, but they too were being tossed about by the gale, completely out of control. Only the fat elder, being the most advanced in cultivation, was in a slightly better state. In his anxiety, he managed to raise one hand and release an arc of electricity several feet long, striking the side of the great hand.

But the attack was like a stone thrown into the sea, having no discernible effect at all.

Just as the yellow great hand was about to rudely scoop up the woman, it suddenly collapsed and vanished a single Zhang above her head. Simultaneously, a furious shout of alarm came from the direction of the yellow-robed Dharma Warrior. Following that, the gale trapping the cultivators rapidly shrank, disappearing into nothingness in the blink of an eye, as if the fierce wind and the giant hand had merely been illusions.

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, then naturally looked toward the bald Dharma Warrior. They saw him turn his body to one side, his eyes fixed on a particular spot that appeared empty of any person, his face full of rage.

They were all stunned.

"Since you have the power to break my divine ability, why skulk about, afraid to show yourself?" The yellow-robed Dharma Warrior's face flickered with a ferocious expression as he suppressed his anger and spoke loudly, no longer paying any attention to the female cultivators.

"It is not that I am skulking, but rather that your cultivation is insufficient to see through my presence, Fellow Daoist. It seems you have only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. You are far inferior to the Dharma Warriors I have encountered before," a calm male voice sounded from that empty spot.

Then, with a flash of azure light, a young cultivator with ordinary features appeared, Han Li himself.

Seeing the five of them trapped and the situation dire, he had not been polite. From a distance, he had released a single Azure Origin Sword Qi, which sent the feather fan magic tool flying away, easily dispelling the hurricane.

The fat elder and the others were startled by Han Li's appearance. Then, sensing his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, they were overjoyed, knowing their lives were now safe.

The female cultivator hastily bowed from a distance and spoke respectfully, "This junior, Nie Ying, thanks Senior for the life-saving grace."

"Nie Ying?" Han Li gave her a sideways glance upon hearing this, vaguely remembering her.

But now was not the time for conversation. He simply waved a hand for her to rise. It seemed she and the old man had not recognized him. That was not surprising. He had only met them once, nearly two hundred years ago. It would be stranger if they had recognized him.

Having made this assessment, he turned his head and addressed the yellow-robed Dharma Warrior coolly, "Will you not leave? Or must I personally see you off?"

The bald Dharma Warrior laughed in anger at this. "Ha! You are merely an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator yourself, yet you speak with such arrogance. I, Tan, must see what divine abilities you truly possess!"

With that, the bald Dharma Warrior formed a hand seal and flicked his finger toward the ground. Two glowing yellow pellets shot down and disappeared into the earth in a flash.

Han Li was slightly taken aback by this move but did not try to stop it. He simply narrowed his eyes, showing a hint of interest.

Seeing Han Li's arrogant disregard, the large man was secretly delighted. Without hesitation, he began to chant, and the yellow cloud around him began to roil, quickly enveloping him.

"Arise!" a low roar came from within the yellow mist.

Hearing this, Han Li’s heart stirred. He looked around but noticed nothing unusual. Just as he was beginning to wonder, a dull rumble came from the ground directly below, accompanied by a sound like a heaven-rending, earth-splitting crack.

Han Li swept his spiritual sense downward, then revealed a slightly surprised expression. Without further thought, he flicked his sleeve. Two enormous azure rainbows, several Zhang long, shot forth from his sleeve. Two more loud booms followed from below.

But Han Li frowned. It seemed his sword qi had not been effective.

Then came a "whoosh," and two yellow flood dragons, over ten Zhang in length and as thick as a man’s waist, burst forth from the ground. They flew directly into the air, circling and posturing around the yellow mist that surrounded the bald cultivator, acting as its protectors.

"This is?" Han Li watched in amazement. The two terrifying yellow dragons were formed entirely of earth and stone, and they looked incredibly lifelike, giving him the feeling that they were truly alive. Yet the source of this living aura came entirely from the yellow pellets embedded in the dragons’ brows. It was precisely these pellets, shining with a strange yellow light, that were the core of the creatures.

"Heh! Fellow Daoist, first try the power of my Bound Spirit Beasts! Go!" the bald Dharma Warrior laughed arrogantly from within the yellow mist. He then shot two yellow magical seals onto the bodies of the earth dragons. Immediately, the two earth dragons charged ferociously at Han Li.

Han Li’s brow furrowed, but he immediately relaxed with a soft sigh. He opened his mouth and expelled a thread of Dry Azure Ice Flame. The flame split in two, turning into even thinner tongues of fire that accurately struck the heads of the earth dragons.

With a "crackling" sound, the earth dragons were instantly coated in a layer of icy blue armor, turning into two ice sculptures that floated motionless a few Zhang away from Han Li.

A flash of lightning-like azure light followed, accompanied by the crisp sounds of "bang, bang." The two frozen earth dragon sculptures were easily shattered by the two sword beams Han Li sent out. He then summoned them back with a casual gesture. The two yellow pellets were effortlessly absorbed into his hand. After a glance, he tossed them into his storage pouch.

"Any other divine abilities? Feel free to show them. I, Han, would very much like to see the true power of your Dharma Warrior spiritual arts!" Han Li’s expression remained unchanged, his tone calm and unhurried.

The yellow mist opposite him fell silent. It seemed Han Li’s effortless destruction of the two earth dragons had greatly unsettled the bald Dharma Warrior.

"Which sect’s elder is Fellow Daoist, and what is your honored name? None of the more famous Nascent Soul cultivators seem to match your appearance. Have you only recently advanced to Nascent Soul in the past hundred years?" After a long moment, the bald Dharma Warrior’s low voice came from the yellow mist, its earlier arrogance completely gone.

"I am merely an unknown nobody. Even if I told you my name, you wouldn't know it. Since you don't plan to attack, I won't hold back any longer." Han Li’s expression hardened as his tone turned icy.

With a slap on his spirit beast pouch at his waist, a swarm of countless golden, shimmering insects surged out. These were his painstakingly nurtured adult Gold Devourer Beetles. This was the first time he was truly deploying them in battle. He wanted to test whether these spirit insects were truly effective against a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Gold Devourer Beetles! You have Gold Devourer Beetles! And so many!" To Han Li’s great surprise, before he could even command the swarm to attack, the yellow-robed cultivator opposite him had accurately called out their true name, his voice filled with panic.

Without another word, the yellow mist turned around and transformed into a streak of yellow light, fleeing into the distance. His speed was so great that Han Li hesitated. After a moment, he gave up on the idea of pursuing with his Wind Lightning Wings. Against a full-powered Nascent Soul cultivator fleeing in such an open area, he had little confidence in wiping the man out, body and soul. Once a Nascent Soul escaped its body, even his Lightning Evasion technique would be slightly slower.

Still, the fact that this bald Dharma Warrior, despite his not particularly high cultivation, had been able to recognize the Gold Devourer Beetles took him completely by surprise. Though he had some doubts, Han Li put away the inactive beetle swarm back into his spirit beast pouch. Then, with a calm expression, he slowly flew over to the fat elder and the other cultivators.

"Many thanks for Senior’s great kindness in saving us! May I ask for your honored name? This junior Lei Wanhe of the Yellow Maple Valley is eternally grateful!" the fat elder said hastily, stepping forward to give a deep bow before Han Li had even gotten close.

Besides the female cultivator named Nie Ying, who had already introduced herself, the others also stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Shi Qiyun of the Giant Sword Sect, Tang Minghua of the Moon-Masking Sect, and Qian Huan of the Tianque Castle pay our respects to Senior," the three of them introduced themselves almost in unison, their faces full of respect and gratitude.

(End of Chapter)

Share to

Reading Guide Decoding

The Cold Audit of Sovereign Power

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

The Gold Devourer Beetles (噬金虫) are a legendary spiritual insect class from the Strange Insect List. In the novel’s internal logic, their rarity and danger are so well-known that a Nascent Soul enemy can identify them on sight and immediately prioritize flight over combat. This is a classic Mortal Stream inversion of the “trump card” trope: Han Li doesn’t have to use the beetles meaningfully; the threat of them is a weapon in itself. The mere reputation of a resource or creature can alter the outcome of a conflict without a single casualty.

The Bound Spirit Beast (拘灵兽) technique used by the bald Dharma Warrior is an excellent example of the Dharmic War arts (法士灵术), a distinct spell system from standard qi-based cultivation. Unlike a real summon or golem crafted from materials, this technique temporarily controls and materializes elemental forces into a semi-living combat form, keyed to a specialized controller bead. The simplicity with which Han Li counters it—a single elemental spell (Dry Azure Ice Flame) followed by physical destruction—reinforces that higher-tier power is not about how many spells you cast but how elegantly you negate the enemy’s entire strategy in one or two moves.

Chapter Overview

Get ready, old friends, because the gloves are officially off. Han Li steps onto the Nascent Soul stage with a performance that is less a dramatic debut and more a cold, clinical display of power. When he sees a party of familiar-yet-forgotten fellow cultivators about to be dispatched by a trumpeting bald Dharma Warrior, he doesn’t rush in with a heroic cry. He sends a single, precise sword qi from a distance—just enough to break the spell and announce his presence. The shift is subtle but seismic: this is no longer a Core Formation cultivator scrambling to survive; this is a sovereign entity making a statement. The chapter is a tour of Han Li’s new toolkit: Dry Azure Ice Flame, flying swords that evaporate earth dragons, and—for the first time in a real fight—the legendary Gold Devourer Beetles. The mere sight of them sends the Nascent Soul enemy fleeing in pure terror. It is a perfect, quiet victory delivered not by chasing the enemy down, but by letting their own fear do the work.

Key Plot Points

The chapter opens with the unnamed trio of cultivators trapped in the bald Dharma Warrior’s hurricane technique. He singles out the female cultivator (later revealed as Nie Ying) for capture, intending to kill the rest afterward. The fat elder’s counter-attack proves useless, reinforcing the absolute power gap. Han Li’s intervention is instant but understated: one casually aimed sword qi disarms the warrior’s fan artifact, collapsing the entire prison. Appearing mid-air, Han Li’s calm, dismissive dialogue pinpoints the warrior as newly advanced, a deliberate psychological strike.

The enemy retaliates with a classic Mortal Stream tactic: a high-cost, terrain-exploiting summon. Two earth-and-stone flood dragons, animated by special yellow spherical cores, erupt from the ground. Han Li’s response is not a power clash but an elegant counter: a single strand of Dry Azure Ice Flame splits into precision fires that instantly freeze the dragons into sculptures, which he then shatters with a pair of sword beams. He casually pockets the core pellets—a resource transfer mid-fight.

The psychological turning point comes when Han Li unleashes his Gold Devourer Beetles for the first time. The warrior’s reaction is immediate, total, and tells us everything: he recognizes the swarm, shrieks its name in terror, and flees at full speed without a second’s hesitation. Han Li chooses not to pursue, calculating that a fleeing Nascent Soul could still slip away. The rescued party, including a now-humbled Lei Wanhe and a re-introduced Nie Ying, introduces themselves with formal gratitude. Han Li’s recollection of them is distant (“nearly two hundred years”), underlining how far his personal timeline has diverged from mortals.

Reading Guide

This chapter works on two levels. For new readers, it’s an action set piece with a tidy resolution: the lone warrior saves the trapped group, defeats a monster, and the bad guy runs away. For experienced readers of RMJI, the real reward is in the subtle calibration. Watch how Han Li handles the entire interaction—there is no panic, no grandstanding, no emotional thrill. He is simply checking boxes: test the new flame, test the new sword, field-test the insect swarm. The dialogue is a performance, not a confession; his dismissive assessment of the enemy (“far inferior to other Dharma Warriors”) is a ranking data point, not pride. This is what the late-game Mortal Stream feels like: victory is not catharsis; it is another file in the ledger. The rescued characters are handled with clinical distance—he remembers them dimly, processes their names, and expects nothing further. It’s a perfect demonstration of the “cold audit” internal logic that defines the fully realized Han Li.

Deep Dive: The Fear Factory

The most powerful line in this chapter is not a spell incantation or a roar of rage. It is the warrior’s panicked recognition: “You have Gold Devourer Beetles! And so many!” The true victory in a Dark Forest ecology is not being the absolute strongest but being the person whose rumored strength forces a fatal hesitation in every opponent. In the Mortal Stream, reputation is an active combat multiplier. Han Li does not earn this fear through boasting; he earns it by accumulating an arsenal whose very name carries weight in the underworld. The beetles do not fight this time—they win the battle simply by existing in public view.