Facing the dragon might of the Poison Dragon King, Ling Xiao seemed utterly unaffected.
It was as if he were watching a rabbit baring its teeth at a tiger, almost comical.
“Use your trump card, or this sword will be your end!” Ling Xiao said, hoping to glean something from the Poison Dragon King. Yet, aside from her rich experience and raw strength, her dragon clan martial skills were disappointingly sparse.
He gripped the Ice Dragon Sword tightly, and an overwhelming icy aura began to spread, laced with traces of dragon might that made even the Poison Dragon King tremble.
“Wind Phenomenon: Blizzard Storm!”
Standing firm, Ling Xiao unleashed a surge of powerful true essence from the Ice Dragon Sword, forming a massive tornado that grew larger by the second.
Within the vortex, snowflakes danced, piercingly cold.
“Poison Feather Cloak!”
Sensing the lethal threat of Ling Xiao’s sword, the Poison Dragon King unleashed her self-created ultimate technique—Poison Feather Cloak.
It could defend and attack.
Her wild, multicoloured true essence transformed into a massive cloak draped over her, forming a toxic barrier four to five meters thick. Ling Xiao’s Blizzard Storm clashed with the Poison Feather Cloak for three to four minutes before the outcome was decided.
What was meant to be a killing blow was slowed and weakened. When it finally struck the Poison Dragon King, blood sprayed, turning her into a bloodied dragon.
Yet, it failed to kill her.
“You’re obedient, but sadly, I don’t care for this move. Learning it would be pointless,” Ling Xiao said, thoroughly disappointed, deciding to finish her off.
*Swish, swish, swish!*
His Ice Dragon Sword struck repeatedly.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
The Poison Dragon King’s claws flailed to block, but her scales and flesh fell away, her injuries worsening.
“Poison Dragon King, didn’t you just tell me to cripple my cultivation? How’s it feel now? Pretty frustrating, huh?” Ling Xiao taunted, attacking while breaking her spirit.
“Your strength is decent, stronger than many human warriors of the same realm, but it’s useless. I’ve only summoned one martial soul, and you’re already crumbling. If I used two or three, you’d be obliterated instantly!”
“Bastard! You dare look down on me!” the Poison Dragon King roared, enraged.
Never had she, in her lofty position, been so humiliated. Her fury reached its peak.
“Dragon Pearl!”
Suddenly, she spat out a multicoloured orb.
Unlike the energy sphere of a dragon’s roar, this was a solid object.
The Dragon Pearl, or dragon core, was the essence of a dragon’s power, also called a dragon dan.
Primordial beasts, when cornered and facing defeat, often spat out their core for a final counterattack.
The Dragon Pearl held their core strength, immensely powerful, but using it to attack risked permanent damage if it was harmed.
At best, cultivation would plummet; at worst, growth would halt, and the body would suffer lasting injuries.
No dragon would do this unless absolutely desperate.
The Poison Dragon King had clearly been pushed to her limit by Ling Xiao.
“Kill!”
She took a deep breath, roaring with her loudest voice. Multicoloured light radiated from her, but her face visibly aged.
The red crystal on her forehead shattered, its energy fusing into the Dragon Pearl.
The pearl blazed with dazzling light, hurtling towards Ling Xiao like lightning.
Shadow Clone Technique!
Sensing danger, Ling Xiao split into thirteen sword soul clones.
As the Dragon Pearl tore through, the ground split into a massive fissure, then struck the first clone.
Despite possessing about seventy percent of Ling Xiao’s strength, a Mortal Realm powerhouse in its own right, the clone was fragile before the pearl, exploding instantly.
Ling Xiao gasped, thankful he’d dodged. If the pearl hit him, he might not turn to mist, but he’d be reduced to pulp.
*Boom!*
Another explosion, and a second clone was destroyed.
Then the third!
The fourth!
The fifth!
…
One by one, the clones shattered, until the thirteenth was pulverized, finally weakening the pearl’s power significantly.
Seizing the chance, Ling Xiao’s eyes gleamed with greed. He opened his mouth and swallowed the pearl, sending it into his Mountain River World.
Even the Poison Dragon King’s mighty pearl couldn’t cause trouble in the Mountain River World.
With her pearl taken, the Poison Dragon King was as good as half-dead. Ling Xiao prepared to finish her off.
But at that moment, he sensed a powerful aura approaching from afar.
The Black Dragon King?
No, two people!
Realizing something was wrong, Ling Xiao unfurled his Golden Light Dragon Wings, grabbing Long Chen and Lin Bei, and fled into the distance.
The Black Dragon King was a half-step Heavenly Venerable with ten percent of his power, and the other, a black-robed figure, likely a master from the Black Spirit Organization, matched his strength.
Ling Xiao had a twenty to thirty percent chance against one, but against both, even he couldn’t win. Retreating was the wise choice.
“So fast! Why’d he run?” the onlookers murmured, confused.
Moments later, two figures landed, and they understood why Ling Xiao fled.
“It’s the Black Dragon King!”
“And the State Preceptor!”
“No wonder that Golden Dragon Clan youth ran. He must’ve sensed the danger early. The Black Dragon King is ten times stronger than the Poison Dragon King, not to mention the State Preceptor’s with him.”
“But that kid can hold his head high. Surviving the Poison Dragon King’s pearl attack and even stealing it? The Poison Dragon King’s done for. That pearl takes a thousand years to form and ten thousand to gain attack power. She’s lived ten thousand years, only to fall to a youth.”
“Exactly. His strength is impressive, and his escape skills are even better. With his danger sense, even the Black Dragon King might struggle to kill him.”
*Boom!*
The Black Dragon King landed, cracking the ground.
Even in his human-dragon form, he was towering and imposing, like a small giant.
“Poison Dragon King, what happened? How’d you end up like this?” he asked darkly.
He’d thought the Poison Dragon King could easily kill Ling Xiao, Long Chen, and Lin Bei.
But in the Dragon Palace, he suddenly felt her aura weaken drastically, prompting him to rush over.
The scene was a mess: the Dragon Palace’s four experts, including his ninth brother, were dead.
The Poison Dragon King was half-dead, her pearl stolen.
“Damn it, that kid has the Dragon Emperor’s might. I couldn’t suppress him. Black Dragon King, you have to help me take back my pearl, or I’m finished,” the Poison Dragon King said, grinding her teeth in rage.
“Don’t worry, I will!” the Black Dragon King replied.
He still needed the Poison Dragon King as his lackey and wouldn’t abandon her easily.
He’d see if a mere seventh-level Mortal Realm warrior could really turn the heavens upside down.
