Chapter 281 - 280: Chen: Such a Good Situation, and We Didn’t Win?

In the black Realm, heaven and earth were a stretch of chaos, as if they had entered the void. Nothing existed here, save for Luo Beixing and [Chen], who were locked in combat.

They unleashed their power with abandon, sending it scattering to the farthest reaches in a series of thunderous collisions.

Facing Luo Beixing, who was at the Half-Step Fusion Realm, [Chen] was primarily on the defensive. Though this life had been nurtured within the body of the Red Flame Spider Mother, he had laid out a plan before his previous death. He left behind his former body and his entire legacy, including a portion of his Dragon Race bloodline, all to cultivate this new version of himself.

Moreover, he had also utilized an unknown Cultivation Technique from an Exotic Realm. His potential in this life might even exceed his last. His Dragon Body had also undergone its first transformation, entering the "Juvenile Stage."

Luo Beixing’s Vast Thunder Spirit Charm wasn’t particularly effective against him. The real trouble was that pure, domineering Spear Intent. ’What a hassle to deal with.’

After another exchange, the eight-colored, flowing Spirit Charm collided with the pure Spear Intent, and the force threw both of them backward.

"Luo Beixing, your bloodline is nearly burnt out. That Half-Step Fusion Realm cultivation of yours is about to fade. This fight is over."

[Chen] swiped two fingers past his face. The cracked Dragon Scales on his abdomen and shoulders healed under the caress of the green Common Wood Spirit Charm. Fine arcs of electricity dissipated, and the golden radiance of his scales stood out against their obsidian-black base.

If not for his breathing, which was slightly more hurried than usual, he would have seemed as if he had never been in a great battle at all.

Luo Beixing, in contrast, stood with bare arms. The claw marks on his body were as conspicuous as gashes carved in iron, stark against his scarlet blood. He panted heavily, like an exhausted, death-sworn warrior, his aura threatening to dissipate at any moment.

The two faced each other from a distance. [Chen], who still had strength to spare, did not attack again.

’To repeatedly withstand his opponent’s Spear Intent, I’ve relied not only on my powerful, transformed Dragon Body, but also on my own bloodline’s power. Behind this seemingly unharmed body, I’m facing a deficit of Essence Blood. It wouldn’t be good to keep fighting.’

’At this stage, as long as Luo Beixing isn’t dead, I have to assume he has the ability to unleash one final, killing blow. I absolutely cannot let my guard down.’

’Besides, I must maintain my imposing aura. Victory and defeat aren’t just tests of strength and timing.’

’In any case, the battle is reaching its end. Even if Luo Beixing musters one last burst of power, it’s no matter. At worst, I’ll be severely injured, but he can’t kill me. And outside, [Dream Demon] and the others should have almost taken Gao Yuan City completely. There’s no need to rush...’

Just then, Luo Beixing’s aura suddenly condensed. Like an inward-turning vortex, it began to absorb the Spear Intent that had previously scattered into the surroundings. Veins bulged beneath his muscles as Thunder clung to him, and his eyes shone as bright as daylight.

’Just as I thought. He knows his time is up and is going for a final, desperate strike.’

[Chen] understood. He flashed away from his current position. It was as if the vast, black Realm itself swept past him to surround Luo Beixing, who had become a source of pure Thunder.

OMM...

The Realm seemed to tremble, and his heart skipped a beat, twitching as if it were being crushed by a stone slab. ’Is this "My Dao"?’

A light flickered in [Chen]’s Dragon Eyes. It was as if he were watching a star, swollen to its absolute limit, suddenly collapse in the eternally silent cosmos. The dazzling image of Luo Beixing was engraved in his eyes, spear held high like Pangu’s axe.

He had never personally witnessed the so-called "My Dao." Under the suppression of his own unique Realm, Luo Beixing’s own Realm had been constantly suppressed. Until now, he had been fighting purely with the physical body and combat insight of a Half-Step Fusion Realm cultivator.

Of course, it wasn’t that Luo Beixing didn’t want to deploy his Realm. On Blue Star, there was likely no one who could deploy their own Realm within [Chen]’s. Even in the ancient era of the Celestial Profound Great Realm, few had been capable of such a feat.

But now, Luo Beixing had actually deployed his Realm!

Amid his astonishment, a sliver of admiration rose in [Chen]’s heart. ’The Human Race gives birth to prodigies in every era, even though this place has had its lineage severed for more than thirty thousand years.’

As the lightning flared to its peak, the Realm was filled with a white, killing aura. All of the murderous intent locked onto the retreating [Chen].

"My final spear... will pierce the heavens!"

A single moment, an eternity.

SWOOSH—

The spear, wreathed in Thunder, shot from Luo Beixing’s palm. Its world-ending radiance pierced through the black Realm. In that instant, [Chen] could not stop the blow that contained "My Dao." His body was submerged in Thunder, and the spear pierced through him as he reappeared after a futile attempt to dodge. It was unavoidable.

RUUUUMBLE—

After the Thunderstorm, all was silent. The dark space of the Realm faded away like ink diluted by water. The sounds of rain and collapsing buildings rushed back in. Nailed to the bottom of a crater by a scratch-covered spear, [Chen] looked like a charred corpse. Shattered Dragon Scales littered the ground. His flesh, eroded by the rampaging Thunder, refused to heal, resembling rotten meat.

His youthful, ambitious face was scorched black, and his proud Dragon Eyes were dim and lifeless. Only the slight rise and fall of his chest announced that he was still alive.

"I... still won."

CRACK.

A bony dragon claw rose, trembling, and pulled the spearhead from his abdomen, tossing it aside. He panted slowly, looking up at the sky. "Why has the rain stopped in this area? Where is the [Rain Tribulation] I laid out?"

He had wanted to use the [Rain Tribulation] to nourish his heavily injured Dragon Body, but he couldn’t absorb any of its related aura from the surroundings.

SHWSH!

The middle-aged [Dream Demon], a colorful butterfly sigil on his forehead, teleported to his side in an instant. His face was deathly pale. "Your Majesty, your injuries..."

"It’s nothing. I’ll be able to recover before the Great Calamity arrives."

[Chen] clambered up from the bottom of the crater. A glance around revealed he was in a massive pit, thirty zhang deep. Luo Beixing’s last strike had annihilated an area of at least a three-kilometer radius, enough to completely bury a large cluster of thirty-story buildings.

When the Warriors of the Kunlun Demon Clan saw him emerge, they quickly gathered around, but their faces were full of shock and lingering fear.

’Something’s wrong.’

’They haven’t taken Gao Yuan City even with all this going on?’

As the doubt arose, [Chen] flew up out of the massive crater and was greeted by the sight of a spectacular battle raging in the distance. His brow twitched, and the corner of his mouth spasmed.

Eight Demon Marshals were besieging Jiang Qiu, unleashing killing blows one after another, yet they had failed to inflict any serious damage. Their opponent’s body was tens of millions of times harder than diamond, and his Spear Intent was incredibly domineering. He would occasionally break through a Demon Marshal’s defense, managing to hold his own against all of them!

They clashed again, then sensed [Chen]’s aura and hastily took the chance to retreat. Every one of them had a grim expression, and they lowered their heads, their gazes evasive. "Your Majesty."

They even overlooked the fact that [Chen] was now in a heavily injured state.

"Your Majesty, that Jiang Qiu’s spear is too sharp, and his body is too tough! It’s like trying to chew rocks..." complained a bruised and swollen [Wu Xuan]. He opened his mouth wide, revealing a gap where one of his curved, blade-like teeth used to be, his voice tinged with resentment.

"..."

The Demon Marshals fell silent. With the exception of [Dream Demon], all of them bore injuries, large and small, a portion of which had been inflicted by Jiang Qiu.

"This is not your fault. I also didn’t expect Jiang Qiu to have undergone a Dragon Transformation and mastered the [Rain Tribulation]," [Chen] said, taking a deep breath. He glanced at the upright figure of Jiang Qiu in the distance, his gaze profound. "But even possessing Dragon Race bloodline doesn’t guarantee one can awaken a Dragon Race Talent so quickly. How can his Talent be this good?"

It seemed this opponent, who had become a dragon "out of nowhere," possessed even greater Talent than he himself did in his previous life, when he was born with the blood of the Dragon Race.