A Fallen Genius

For thirty thousand years, no true dragon had been seen on the Azure Dragon Continent.

Since ancient times, dragons had vanished from the Azure Dragon Continent alongside the immortals. People could only sense their heroic bearing through legends and learn what they looked like from illustrations.

Yet no one had ever seen a living dragon—not in all those thirty thousand years.

Thirty thousand years was a long time, long enough for the people of the Azure Dragon Continent to believe that dragons, like immortals, had disappeared forever.

But now...

More than two hundred thousand spectators on Jiaolong Plain gazed up at the golden dragon on the Ascension Stele, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"No, it's fake." A cultivator quickly came to his senses and spotted the truth.

Though the golden dragon looked lifelike, its entire body was transparent, without a trace of vitality. It was made entirely of spiritual energy.

"Heavens! What kind of martial art is this? It can actually conjure a dragon!" the spectators below the stands exclaimed as they watched the giant dragon on the Ascension Stele.

"But this dragon seems a little different from the ones in the books," one spectator said, puzzled.

"Right. It has no wings, and it's a little thinner~~"

"But it looks much better."

Just like that, the conversation had veered off topic again.

"This seems to be the true form of the Ancestor Dragon," Zhao Saint said gravely, looking up at the conjured golden dragon from the VIP seats.

"It's exactly as described in the secret histories," Sage Yan said, his expression complicated.

Saint Chu remained silent, seemingly unmoved.

'Roar~'

With a dragon's roar, Yang Chengzhi appeared in the sky, one hand held together in a Buddhist gesture and the other extended in a palm strike. Headfirst, he gently thrust one hand downward. The golden dragon that had been circling him charged down with the force of its roar.

"That's Flying Dragon in the Sky, one of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms." Ma Feifei had grown used to Yang Chengzhi bringing out another legendary technique from The Legend of the Condor Heroes, and managed to remain calm.

Still, Ma Feifei was surprised that the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, a technique from a low-martial world, could display such tremendous power in a cultivation world.

On the arena, Xiaoyaozi transformed into a giant. His muscles swelled, bursting his clothes and revealing bronze-colored skin. His veins stood out clearly, blood coursing through them as they grew more and more distended. Even the spectators in the stands could feel the power of his surging qi and blood.

'Pop~'

Another wave of light rose around the arena and enclosed it. The four instructors below had joined forces to raise a new protective barrier. They had sensed that one barrier might not withstand the impact of this clash, so they had added another layer.

By then, Xiaoyaozi had taken up Spirit Sword Red Sickle in both hands. Powerful qi and blood poured into the blade, making Spirit Sword Red Sickle tremble continuously. The red blade even seemed to flow.

The War God Art had actually turned the blade of Spirit Sword Red Sickle into true blood!

'Aah~~'

Xiaoyaozi roared, looking like a wrathful guardian deity. He held the sword above him with both hands as blood poured from its blade and flowed over his body. In the blink of an eye, Spirit Sword Red Sickle's blood had enveloped him, merging him with the sword.

The spectators in the stands were stunned. Many had never seen anything like it in their lives.

High above, Yang Chengzhi charged down with his golden dragon incarnation.

Below, Xiaoyaozi, transformed into a man of blood and fused with Spirit Sword Red Sickle, charged upward to meet him.

'Whoosh~'

One became a streak of golden light, the other a crimson glow. At last, they collided in midair~

In that instant, the world seemed frozen. Golden light and crimson glow interwove, creating the most beautiful scene imaginable. The spectators watched in silence, struck by the illusion that they were not witnessing a fight to the death, but admiring a beautiful painting.

"So beautiful." Zhou Zhuling was entranced.

Ma Feifei nodded, his face full of shock. The scene before him was far more dazzling than the special effects in the xianxia shows he had watched in his previous life. Most importantly, this was real. Ma Feifei sat in the stands, experiencing it firsthand.

"This is the appeal of the cultivation world!"

For the first time, Ma Feifei understood this world of cultivation on a deeper level. As he watched the dazzling scene, he seemed to understand why everyone here yearned to cultivate and to reach ever greater heights and go ever farther.

It was because the people of this world were born to be extraordinary. In a world full of limitless possibilities, wouldn't it be a waste to leave without striving for something?

'Pop~'

'Pop~'

After what seemed like a long time, the stillness was finally broken by two faint cracking sounds. The rings of light that had soared around the arena shattered.

The protective barriers had failed to withstand the aftershock and burst apart.

'Boom~'

A golden-red wave of light burst out from midair and swept across Jiaolong Plain.

The spectators in the stands could feel its power even from afar, and one after another prepared to channel their spiritual energy to resist it.

But before the wave could reach the stands, it stopped, as though something had blocked it, then dissipated.

Clearly, some powerful figure had intervened at that moment. But no one had any attention to spare for that; every eye was fixed on the spot where the two had collided in midair.

The enormous wave of light within the battle zone finally dissipated, revealing Yang Chengzhi and Xiaoyaozi.

Xiaoyaozi was no longer a giant of blood, and the golden dragon beside Yang Chengzhi was gone.

It was as if time had stopped. The two still held their positions, one above the other, without moving.

Finally, they moved, both plunging from the sky.

'Thud~'

They slammed onto the arena.

At that moment, Jiaolong Plain was utterly silent.

"Who won?" a spectator asked in a hushed voice after a long while.

Neither Xiaoyaozi nor Yang Chengzhi had gotten up. They lay on the arena, their fates unknown.

Even the instructors who had watched the fight stood quietly to one side. No one went to check on them.

"Did they kill each other?" Ma Feifei asked, rubbing his chin in confusion.

Zhou Zhuling and Zhou Guanyu didn't answer. They were both still absorbed in that last clash, staring at the arena.

"He's still alive," Yun Qingyang said coolly.

"What about the other one?" Ma Feifei knew exactly who Yun Qingyang meant.

"Dead."

"Alas!" Zhou Wuji looked at the scene on the arena and couldn't help sighing. "What a pity."

Saint Chu remained unmoved, as impassive as ever.

Sage Yan and Zhao Saint watched it all with interest, their eyes lingering longest on Yang Chengzhi.

"Look, Yang Chengzhi moved!" the spectators in the stands cried.

Though the stands were some distance from the arena, for cultivators, a few hundred meters was practically within arm's reach. Yang Chengzhi had indeed moved. His bloodied hand twitched.

That tiny twitch drew the eyes of every spectator in the stands.

Everyone watched the mangled hand. Gradually, it pressed against the ground and pushed Yang Chengzhi up from where he lay.

'Whoosh~'