Sacrifice and Fight to the Death

Zhou Qiubai sheathed his sword in midair. As he descended, the sword tip lightly touched the ground, and he used the force to spring sideways, landing steadily atop a massive boulder.

He lowered his head to inspect the blade of the White Clothes Sword and found it completely intact. When it had collided with the bone plates earlier, the blade had automatically bent to absorb the force, not even leaving behind a single nick.

The Swordback Dragon slowly turned around. Most of the scrutiny in its pupils had faded, replaced by a serious, contemplative appraisal.

It did not pursue him. Instead, it stood motionless where it was, the bone plates on its back closing again with crisp metallic clinks.

"Not bad." It cast a sidelong glance at Xiong Jun in the distance, the scales at the corner of its mouth twitching slightly. "At your age and cultivation, to possess such accomplishments, no wonder you dared to say those things before the Beast God."

Its forelimb scraped across the ground, gouging a deep trench into the bluestone slabs as shattered rocks flew. Its body lowered slightly.

"But..."

The Swordback Dragon took a deep breath. Its chest swelled, and every bone plate along its back spread open, their edges igniting with pale blue Soul flames.

Cultivation far beyond a hundred thousand years erupted without restraint at that moment. The surrounding air was compressed into a dull hum, while the scattered stones on the ground were lifted by the blast and slowly revolved around it.

"I do not need you to spare my pride. The greatest respect you can show someone about to die is to let him witness your true abilities. So unleash your strongest move to your heart's content, and let me die knowing the truth."

Zhou Qiubai lowered his head