The same sword strike, yet its power was on an entirely different level.
As if imbued with the wrath of a thunder god, this sword crashed directly into the massive dragon claw.
Boom!
The true essence on the dragon claw shattered and collapsed.
Ling Xiao’s sword qi, astonishingly, left a faint scratch on the Poison Dragon King’s claw.
“Your true essence is peculiar. I never imagined there could be such a unique inner energy technique in this world. I was careless!”
The Poison Dragon King frowned, not expecting this fight, which she thought would be over quickly, to take such a turn.
But if that was all, she had no reason to fear.
“Let’s change the terms. If you hand over that inner energy technique, I might spare your life! Otherwise, no matter how talented you are, you’ll die today. Don’t you think that would be a pity?”
Though a dragon-human, the Poison Dragon King could assume human form and thus use human martial arts.
Greed sparked within her—she desperately wanted Ling Xiao’s technique.
“Sorry, not interested!”
“You really want to die!”
The Poison Dragon King abandoned her hopes. This kid was impervious to reason; it seemed force was the only option.
With that thought, she opened her massive jaws, a multicolored orb of light forming within.
“Poison Dragon’s Roar!”
With a bellow, a beam of vibrant colors shot from her mouth, engulfing the entire street.
In an instant, the street disintegrated.
From the ravaged marks, deadly poisonous gas rose, creating a scene akin to the apocalypse.
“Death Dragon’s Extinction · Dragon’s Roar!”
Ling Xiao roared, unleashing his own Dragon’s Roar.
Equally powerful, equally spectacular.
Boom!
The two Dragon’s Roars collided in the street, exploding in a deadlock, evenly matched.
“Die!”
Perhaps anticipating this, the Poison Dragon King didn’t stop. After releasing her Dragon’s Roar, she lunged forward.
As the forces shattered, her massive claw reached Ling Xiao’s front.
“This Poison Dragon King lives up to her reputation as an invincible Ninth Layer Mortal Realm warrior. Combined with her dragon physique, she’s likely far stronger than humans of the same level,” Ling Xiao thought, his hands never idle. He thrust his sword, still using Thunder Phenomenon paired with Thunder Flash.
Since this move could break her Dragon Claw Technique, he’d use it a few more times.
His only concern was whether this old creature had other tricks up her sleeve, so he held back his stronger moves to keep some cards hidden.
Huh?
This sword thrust didn’t fully neutralize her claw force.
It seemed her attacks were growing stronger each time! She’d been holding back initially—truly a tough opponent.
The Poison Dragon King’s claws struck relentlessly. To onlookers in the distance, it looked like a giant beast pouncing on a mouse—almost comical, yet the destructive force silenced any laughter.
This clash was terrifying.
Thankfully, Dragon Palace City was built spaciously, or it would’ve been reduced to rubble.
“Dual Wield!”
Suddenly, Ling Xiao’s left hand drew another sword—the Stormfury Sword.
“Thunder Phenomenon · Thunder Flash!”
“Wind Phenomenon · Storm Shuttle!”
“Death Dragon’s Extinction · Dragon’s Roar!”
Ling Xiao unleashed three moves simultaneously, targeting three of the Poison Dragon King’s vital points.
It had been a long time since anyone forced him to use his dual-wield technique.
Yet today, he did.
Bang!
Thunder Flash was blocked by her claw.
Boom!
Dragon’s Roar was countered by her own Dragon’s Roar.
Swish!
But Storm Shuttle’s terrifying lethality pierced her dragon scales.
Yet only for a moment.
The fearsome sword qi was repelled by the Poison Dragon King, grazing past Ling Xiao’s ear and slicing into a building behind, leaving a perfectly clean cut.
The Poison Dragon King sneered disdainfully, “Struggle all you want—it’s futile. Before me, a mere Seventh Layer Mortal Realm warrior like you is nothing!”
“Is that so? I wouldn’t be so sure!”
Ling Xiao smiled faintly. She hadn’t noticed—he hadn’t yet summoned his martial soul.
Did the dragon race not know about martial souls?
That made sense. Martial souls were created by humans to combat powerful prehistoric beasts; it was normal for dragons not to understand them.
Boom!
His true essence surged dramatically, and behind him appeared the phantom of the Plague Demon King martial soul.
Outside, Ling Xiao avoided using this soul to avoid trouble.
But here, he had no such reservations.
“Martial soul?”
“How can a dragon have a martial soul?”
“Is this kid human?”
“Idiot, dragons can take human form, so having a martial soul isn’t strange. Can’t you sense his strong golden dragon aura?”
“True, but what kind of martial soul is this? It feels terrifying.”
The onlookers were stunned as Ling Xiao summoned his martial soul.
Even the Poison Dragon King was visibly taken aback.
“Now, let’s see the power of my swordplay!”
Ling Xiao sheathed his Thunder Shadow and Stormfury Swords, drawing the Ice Dragon Sword.
“Flying Snow!”
As the Plague Demon King martial soul radiated eerie light, Ling Xiao’s sword light, white as snow, shimmered with a strange greenish hue.
The sword light was too fast.
It reached the Poison Dragon King in an instant.
She reacted with cold indifference.
She couldn’t block this strike—caught off guard, the attack was too swift.
Yet—
Pfft!
This time, Flying Snow pierced her massive body effortlessly, crimson dragon blood spraying out.
She narrowly dodged a fatal blow by shifting at the last moment, avoiding her vitals, or this sword could’ve gravely wounded or even killed her!
“What!”
The Poison Dragon King stared at her bleeding wound in disbelief.
She, injured by a Seventh Layer Mortal Realm warrior!
“Pity I couldn’t kill you. That would’ve spared you some suffering,” Ling Xiao said, standing there with a wry expression, as if disappointed by the strike’s effect.
“It’s fine. Against an opponent of your caliber, failing to kill with one strike is normal. But the more you resist, the more you’ll suffer.”
“Little thief, don’t get cocky! I was just careless. This time, you won’t touch me!”
The Poison Dragon King was furious, her terrifying dragon might spreading across the street, making countless beings tremble.
Her seemingly intangible dragon might became her deadliest weapon.
Yet Ling Xiao stood there, seemingly unaffected.
