Chapter 83: The Black Dragon
Chapter 83: The Black Dragon
The third wave of attacks slowly came to an end.
The sharp and chaotic lights of various colors were like falling stars, like the sky itself collapsing!
The dense barrage of spells and combat techniques had practically razed the ground for dozens of meters around, plowing through it all and leaving behind a giant basin several feet deep.
Compared to the previous two waves, this one was nearly thirty percent stronger.
Not only because the light screen was fading, but also because a faint trace of caution and fear had spontaneously arisen in the hearts of the pursuers.
To withstand two waves of attacks with a mortal body… That person ahead wasn’t just a “Baxia”; he was practically a “Black Tortoise”!
“The light screen, it’s gone… Is that brat dead?”
“Why isn’t there a body? Did he turn to ash?”
“Wait, I think I saw…” One person thought of something, his mouth moved, but he fell silent.
Many recalled that before Li Yi vanished, he had a Myriad Paths Scroll in his hand.
Could it be… that his corpse was taken away by the Myriad Paths Scroll?
The slightly sharper ones figured it out immediately.
Under a heavy silence, the crowd gradually dispersed, going their separate ways toward different directions.
Some searched aimlessly, hoping to get lucky. But in the vastness of the Dragon’s Burial Ground, looking for a single body was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
More people headed toward the three light pillars that still stood tall.
The sense of defeat and disappointment in their hearts was obvious without words.
…
Buzz!
A spatial light flickered, and Li Yi’s figure appeared faintly within the glow.
It was over twenty meters in the air. Pulled by gravity, his body fell and slammed heavily onto the ground.
Despite such an impact, he didn’t even let out a groan.
Li Yi had long since lost consciousness.
All around was quiet and peaceful. Jagged, interlocking shadows fell upon him, cast by a massive, rough-hewn beast skeleton.
This place was inside the body of the giant beast “Civilization’s Dawn.” Outside the giant body was a natural barrier—the “Falling Star Domain.”
His luck was pretty good.
Li Yi lay on the ground, his breathing faint as a thread.
His body was like a ragged doll mangled by a rough child—covered in wounds, battered and broken.
His head, arms, thighs—many places showed broken, white bone fragments.
Blood gushed out, dripping and flowing onto the ground.
This blood did not pause for a moment. It seeped into the earth, turning into a crimson, nearly black mist that continued downward.
Finally, it was absorbed by something and vanished without a trace.
“It truly is Dragon blood!”
Underground, a voice burning with fanaticism boiled up, clamoring and echoing.
“Draw the True Dragon’s blood, forge the Ancestral Dragon’s body! Reverse Samsara, invert Yin and Yang! I, ‘Phantom,’ shall return to this world!”
This fanatical voice muttered to itself, its emotions intense, but it stopped abruptly, without warning.
“Why did it stop? He’s not dead? How is that possible? How could he not be dead?”
“Damn it, why won’t you die? Why don’t you just die?”
…
“Mammoth Shakes the Mountain” could strengthen defense, magic resistance, poison resistance, and even bone structure, but its core was vitality.
The “Shady Mountain Mammoth” was famous for its vast and mighty life force, one of the very few beings whose vitality could rival, even surpass, that of Dragons.
At the brink of death, the dormant vitality within Li Yi’s body surged wildly, healing his injuries.
On the other hand, remnants of countless strands of Mana and Battle Aura still lingered on Li Yi’s body, occasionally erupting, destroying that life force.
Thus, a bizarre scene played out on him: destruction and stitching, ruin and rebirth, death energy and life force—two completely opposing forces, adding weights to opposite sides of a scale.
Left meant death, right meant life.
Severely wounded, the side of Death seemed to hold a heavier weight.
Just as Li Yi was stepping closer to death, three strands of Six Strategies Qi finally joined the fray, merging into his bloodline origin at an extremely fast speed!
The originally weak life force, nourished by it, grew bit by bit stronger.
Often, the Six Strategies Qi would directly solidify into bone, blood, and flesh, stitching wounds closed.
The newly emerged Bloodline Rune, also sensing the impending disaster, trembled madly. As it contracted and expanded, it greedily inhaled, devouring the Six Strategies Qi, evolving and transforming. From time to time, a sound like a Dragon’s roar from a deep ravine echoed faintly. This Rune gradually revealed itself—its color pitch-black, its form winding and serpentine, eerie and cold, like a Black Dragon lurking in the abyss!
A brand-new Bloodline Ability, one that felt endlessly sinister and evil, as if a seed of abyssal demonic power, was about to form.
Break and then rebuild.
In this deep coma, Li Yi took another step closer to the Dragon bloodline.
If he could survive this ordeal, he was sure to be reborn, transformed, with his bloodline evaluation rising significantly.
However, right now, his consciousness was immersed in deep darkness, without a single conscious thought.
…
“How exhilarating! Too exhilarating!”
Another head was tossed onto the pile of heads, the “Human-Heads Monument.” The stench of blood soared into the sky, nauseating.
Yazi was drenched in blood. He gave his greatsword a shake, sending countless lines of blood flying. The smooth blade reflected pale, ashen faces.
“It seems you have failed? Trash is trash; no matter the numbers, they’re useless…” He sneered, his gaze sweeping over those before him, arrogant and domineering. “My monument here is just two short of a full hundred! Among you, is there anyone noble and self-sacrificing, willing to offer up their head?”
“Don’t hesitate anymore! Once he finishes refining the Martial Strategy Qi, all our efforts will be wasted!”
“That’s right! Two fists can’t fight off four hands. His Battle Aura must be nearly spent by now too… Everyone rush him at once, how many can he take down?”
Two Mages performed a double act, loudly stirring up the crowd.
“Oh? So there are volunteers?” Yazi shifted his gaze, fixing it on the two, a bloodthirsty smile curling his lips. “Since that’s the case… then I won’t stand on ceremony…”
“Don’t fear him! Attack now, just as long as—”
Whoosh!
One person’s heart clenched, wanting to say more, but before him golden light flared. His vision spun, and a headless corpse came into view.
Was that… himself?
His consciousness sank into darkness.
The greatsword swept horizontally in a smooth motion. The blade was like lightning, the sword arc spinning. Another head soared into the air.
Yazi retracted his posture and sheathed his sword. Light and shadow flickered around him, and he reappeared at the spot from which he had drawn the sword, as if he had never moved.
And the two bloody heads confirmed to everyone that what they just saw was not an illusion.
The “Sword-Drawing Technique” of the Silver Hand, in his hands, was utterly unpredictable, almost supernatural!
“That’s a hundred! The next goal shall be a hundred and fifty!”
Yazi gave a cold laugh and tossed the two heads onto the pile.
And when the bloody Human-Heads Monument reached a full hundred, the blood energy churned, and a strange phenomenon suddenly occurred!
Roar!
The blood energy, almost tangible, coalesced into the form of a Yazi. It raised its head to the sky and roared furiously, a sound that could shatter stone and startle heaven!
Then, rolling blood energy soaked into the Dragon-Slaying Greatsword in Yazi’s hand. The blade seemed to boil, blood-red radiance flooding the sky!
On the greatsword’s blade, a blood-red pattern appeared, like a sinister sigil!
“What is this?”
“It’s—using blood to sacrifice to the sword, forging a sword soul!”
The gathered crowd, like startled birds, showed horror on their faces, backing away one after another, their fighting spirit leaking away again and again!
“A bunch of cowards! Trash!” Yazi’s face was full of contempt. He tilted his head slightly, a trace of doubt appearing in his eyes.
At that moment, for an instant, he had resonated with an unfathomably vast will and exchanged a single thought.
It was a set of coordinates.
The coordinates pointed to a person.
“That person? Interesting… Forget it, let’s deal with the trouble at hand first.” With the blood-light splashing Dragon-Slaying Greatsword resting on his shoulder, Yazi stepped forward like a demon god from the netherworld. “Among you, who wishes to be the one hundred and first? Don’t you think that number sounds auspicious?”
…
Li Yi opened his eyes.
The waves of tearing pain and agony almost made his spirit crumble!
He greedily took a breath. Then he felt his lips were chapped. Intense hunger and thirst blurred his consciousness.
Like a sponge wrung dry then baked in the sun, his entire body felt withered and dull.
“Need to eat something first…”
Li Yi strained to control his spirit. His Sumeru Ring glowed. Dry rations and water appeared before him.
Gulp, gulp, gulp! He fiercely drank several big mouthfuls of water. Clenching his teeth against the pain all over, he desperately stuffed dry food into his mouth.
Not daring to eat too fast, he chewed carefully before forcing it down.
The food, as soon as it hit his stomach, turned into energy and dispersed throughout his body.
He ate three days’ worth of rations in one go, yet the feeling of hunger hadn’t lessened in the slightest.
It showed just how huge the consumption was!
Keep eating!
Only after eating roughly ten days’ worth of rations did the hunger in his belly feel much more comfortable.
He drank a few more sips of water, took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and sank his awareness into his body.
He let out a long sigh. His injuries were much lighter than he had imagined!
“Huh? What’s going on? Wait… what is this Bloodline Rune? Why does it look… like a Black Dragon?”