Dragon Balls Change Hands, Gobi Standoff

The light gradually faded, revealing the true form of the One-Star Dragon Ball.

But those deep cracks were unsettling to look at.

Qi Heng walked over, bent down, and picked up the Dragon Balls.

He gently touched the cracks with his fingertips, his eyes deep and unfathomable, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, the Dragon Balls traced a beautiful arc and landed steadily in Gohan's hand.

"Take it."

Gohan instinctively caught it, and could still feel the Dragon Balls's coolness.

He paused, then looked up at Qi Heng: "You... you're not going to continue collecting Dragon Balls? These Shadow Dragons were born from Dragon Balls, you..."

"Not interested."

Qi Heng interrupted him directly, his tone as indifferent as if he were saying "the weather is alright".

He turned around, his profile sharply defined against the backdrop of golden flames.

"I'm more interested in the Omega Shenron."

After saying that, he didn't waste any more words. He raised his right hand, put his index and middle fingers together, and gently pressed them against his forehead.

His movements were so fluid, unlike those of fighters in this world, carrying a unique rhythm.

"Goodbye."

There was no explosive display of power, nor any earth-shattering commotion; the space around him simply blurred slightly.

The next second, a flash of golden light, like a bubble bursting, and the person had completely vanished.

Only a faint trace of energy remained in the air, the ground was covered with ice crystals, and the corpse of the Eis Shenron was gradually cooling down.

A cold wind blew by, stirring up some icy dust.

Gohan and Piccolo stood still for a long time.

Piccolo crossed his arms, his brow furrowed, staring intently in the direction Qi Heng had disappeared, and slowly shook his head.

His voice was low and hoarse, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps reminding his companion. "That guy... he's completely unpredictable. His behavior is impossible to fathom. His strength is absurd, yet his motives are incomprehensible. To be honest, I really don't understand what he's trying to do."

Gohan, clutching the One-Star Dragon Ball tightly in his hand, the cracks digging painfully into his palm.

He was silent for a few seconds, and when he looked up again, his eyes had regained their usual firmness.

"Anyway, Uncle Piccolo," he said, his voice steady and resolute, "He helped us when we were in the most danger. That help was real. We can't stop— the Shadow Dragons is still out there, and our world needs us. We must redouble our efforts and keep moving forward!"

He gripped the Dragon Balls tightly, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

Over there, the dark clouds hadn't yet dispersed, and new challenges awaited them.

Qi Heng's figure appeared silently on a vast and desolate Gobi Desert.

The ground beneath my feet was cracked and stretched as far as the eye could see. Under the scorching sun, it was lifeless and nothing grew. Only black pebbles and weathered rocks were scattered sparsely, like the white bones of the earth, silently pointing towards the gray sky.

The hot, dry wind, carrying sand and dust, moved slowly like layers of dim, yellowish curtains, emitting a low, whistling sound.

This is the western wilderness of Earth, far from civilization and human habitation, at least several thousand kilometers away from where Gohan and Piccolo just fought.

Yet, even in this deathly silence, Qi Heng could clearly sense a massive, scorching, and aggressive aura lurking nearby—an aura far stronger than that of the Eis Shenron he had just slain.

"Nuova Shenron."

He muttered to himself, but his voice was quickly swallowed by the hot air.

His perception was correct.

Beyond the horizon, the heat distorted the view, and a crimson figure was slowly approaching.

He started as a blurry red dot, but quickly grew larger and his outline became clearer.

The thing had a human body and limbs, but it was topped with a ferocious dragon head.

Its entire body was covered in dark red scales that looked like molten lava cooled down. In the sunlight, the metallic and fiery light intertwined, giving it a cold, hard, and unfriendly appearance.

The air around it was scorching hot, as if the high temperature distorted the light; the air crackled and popped wherever it passed, and the scene trembled as if looking through boiling water.

What's most striking is its mouth on its dragon face—its lips are exceptionally thick, everted, and a deep, dark red, resembling two overcooked, swollen sausages about to burst, set into its scaly face, both bizarre and oppressive.

Nuova Shenron.

It hovered ten zhang above Qi Heng, suspended in the air, looking down from above.

Those vertical pupils were fixed on Qi Heng, his lips parted to reveal jagged, sharp teeth, his smile was ferocious, tinged with surprise, as if he were sizing up prey, and also exuded an unsettling confidence.

"Oh?"

Its voice was low and hoarse, like flames scorching the air, and could be heard clearly even in the hot wind. "Someone actually dares to come knocking on my door? And dares to come to the hunting grounds I chose."

It tilted its head, licking its lips with its red tongue. "Are you lost, or did you come here specifically to die?"

Qi Heng slowly raised his head. His golden pupils remained as calm as two bottomless ancient wells under the dazzling sunlight, not even reflecting the red figure opposite him.

"You're the Nuova Shenron?"

"That's right!"

The Nuova Shenron suddenly crossed its arms over its chest, its pectoral muscles beneath its scales tensed, and the surrounding heat surged up, instantly turning the sand into a dark red, bubbling, viscous liquid.

Its posture was unabashedly arrogant, "I am Nuova Shenron! You should... no, you must have heard of me and my name, right? Trembling and crawling on the ground is how you should be."

Never heard of it.

Qi Heng's voice was flat and indifferent, as if he were saying, "It's a bit hot today."

The confident smile on Nuova Shenron's face froze instantly, followed by a ferocious expression.

His thick lips tightened, then suddenly parted into an even wider arc, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

"Never heard of it? Heh... Haha!"

It let out a low, dangerous laugh. "It's alright, ignorance is bliss. But soon, you will remember my name with your body, your pain, and your fading life!"

Before the words had even faded, a violent aura suddenly erupted from the Nuova Shenron's body!

The crimson flames no longer rose slowly, but shot into the sky like a volcanic eruption, turning into a blazing red pillar of light!

The surrounding temperature suddenly soared, easily exceeding 100 degrees Celsius, and is still rising.

The Gobi Desert beneath my feet began to groan; large swaths of sand and gravel were not blown away by the wind, but rather softened and melted, turning into shards of glass emitting bluish smoke.

The air expanded and distorted from the intense heat, and everything before our eyes began to take on bizarre shapes, as if we had walked directly into the heart of a furnace.

"I am one of the strongest among the Shadow Dragons!"

The Nuova Shenron's voice remained clear amidst the roar of energy, brimming with confidence and arrogance. "Originally, I was only waiting for that Saiyan named Son Goku... but since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, then use your destruction to warm up for my entrance!"

Qi Heng stood still, the raging hot wind blowing his black hair back and making his clothes flutter, but he remained completely still.

Golden pupils pierced through the distorted air and crimson flames, steadily watching the enemy in the sky.

Do you know Eis Shenron?

He suddenly spoke, his voice still calm, yet strangely penetrating the roar of all energy.

The Nuova Shenron's imposing aura faltered slightly, his brow furrowing as he carved several deep grooves into his dragon head. "Eis Shenron? That's my useless younger brother. Why are you bringing him up?"

His tone was a mix of impatience and underlying unease.

"It has been eliminated."

Qi Heng's voice was like a bucket of ice water poured into a boiling oil pan, clear and cold.

"What did you say?!"

The Nuova Shenron's vertical pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, and the crimson aura around its body suddenly became chaotic.