Desperate Counterattack

"We can't wait any longer. Use that move."

The leading Horned Dragon suddenly spoke.

The other two Horned Dragons exchanged a glance and nodded. The three Horned Dragons simultaneously unleashed a secret art.

Their dragon might fused together, transforming into a terrifying force that firmly locked onto Red Cloud.

At the same time, intricate runes emerged across their bodies. The runes flickered with a ghostly blue light, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

"Combined attack technique—Three Dragons Lock Heaven!"

The leading Horned Dragon let out a low shout.

The three Horned Dragons struck at once. Three streams of dragon breath—profound ice, lightning, and poisonous mist—intertwined in midair, forming a tri-colored beam that blasted toward Red Cloud.

Wherever the tri-colored beam passed, space collapsed and the earth split apart. The ground of the Buzhou Wasteland was plowed into a deep trench, while the rocks on both sides melted under the intense heat and turned into scorching lava.

Red Cloud's expression changed drastically at the sight.

At that moment, Red Cloud sensed the horrifying power contained within the tri-colored beam. It was power capable of destroying everything, power that brushed against the strength of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.

In his current condition, even touching it would wound him.

"Literary Dao divine ability, Heavenly Flowers Cascading!"

Red Cloud activated the Illustrated Record of Literary Fortune. It released a dazzling radiance as boundless Heaven and Earth Righteous Energy surged forth, transforming into heavenly flowers that formed a barrier of light around him.

The tri-colored beam slammed into Heavenly Flowers Cascading.

Heavenly Flowers Cascading trembled violently. Countless cracks spread across its surface, yet it continued to hold on with bitter desperation.

Red Cloud was heavily pressed into the ground. His blood and qi churned within him as the impact continuously drove him backward, his feet plowing two deep furrows through the earth.

"Break for me!"

The leading Horned Dragon roared furiously. The tri-colored beam intensified severalfold, and Heavenly Flowers Cascading finally could not endure any longer. It exploded apart, and danger descended upon Red Cloud in an instant.

Yet Red Cloud was not afraid. A golden palace appeared and enveloped him—it was the Azure Parasol Palace.

The residual force of the tri-colored beam struck the Azure Parasol Palace, erupting in radiance brighter than the sun and moon.

When the light faded, the Azure Parasol Palace still stood in its place, its defenses as immovable as Mount Tai.

"A top-grade postnatal spirit treasure." Greed filled the leading Horned Dragon's eyes when he saw the spirit treasure Red Cloud had produced.

"Once I kill you, it will be mine."

Killing intent boiled in the leading Horned Dragon's eyes.

"You're not worthy of killing me."

The Azure Parasol Palace shrank and floated above Red Cloud's head. Red Cloud looked coldly at the three dragons as he spoke.

"You..."

Just as the leading Horned Dragon was about to spit out another threat, he saw Red Cloud vanish from where he stood. Instinctively, he retreated.

But Red Cloud was not targeting him. He targeted the other Horned Dragon who controlled lightning, suddenly reaching out and seizing its tail before smashing it viciously into the ground.

The Horned Dragon only felt its tail tighten, then its entire body was swung up by Red Cloud and slammed heavily into the earth.

Rumble—

A huge crater was smashed into the ground. The Horned Dragon was struck senseless, several bones throughout its body broken.

"Seeking death!"

The leading Horned Dragon flew into a rage. He and the poisonous Horned Dragon attacked simultaneously, two streams of dragon breath blasting toward Red Cloud.

Red Cloud released the Horned Dragon's tail, flashed aside to evade the two streams of dragon breath, then continued charging at them.

This time, he could not give them another chance to join forces.

Red Cloud's speed was astonishing. After his cultivation had broken through to Primordial Unity Golden Immortal Perfection, his Firecloud Escape had risen to another level. When fully unleashed, his body moved like a phantom.

The Horned Dragon controlling the poisonous mist only saw a blur before Red Cloud had already appeared in front of him.

In an instant, one of Red Cloud's palms pressed against the Horned Dragon's chest. A ball of golden flame condensed in his palm—it was the Bing Fire Power lent to him by the Parasol Tree.

"You—ah—"

Before the Horned Dragon could finish speaking, crimson-gold flames erupted from its chest, burning a massive hole through its body. With a scream, it fell from the sky and crashed heavily into the ground, smashing out another crater.

With the Parasol Tree's assistance, it was killed in a single strike!

The leading ice Horned Dragon and the lightning Horned Dragon were both stunned by this sight. The poisonous Horned Dragon at Primordial Unity Golden Immortal Perfection had actually been killed in one move.

"This... this is impossible!" The lightning-controlling Horned Dragon's face turned deathly pale, and even its voice trembled.

The leading Horned Dragon's face darkened. He had underestimated Red Cloud's strength. "Don't panic. We'll attack together!"

"Use the combined attack technique!" the leading Horned Dragon shouted.

The two Horned Dragons attacked at once. Profound Ice Dragon Breath intertwined with lightning and blasted toward Red Cloud.

Without three dragons joining forces, the beam's power was greatly diminished. Red Cloud did not dodge. The Ice Soul Sword left its sheath, slashing out a cyan arc of sword light to meet the attack.

In the next instant, the sword arc collided with the dragon breath and lightning, erupting in a deafening blast. The aftershock overturned the ground for ten thousand li around, sending shattered stones flying everywhere.

Under the suppressive range of Pangu's pressure, the destructive power of Primordial Unity Golden Immortals had been forced to its lowest point.

Red Cloud did not move an inch, while the two Horned Dragons were blasted several steps back. The leading ice Horned Dragon's expression became even uglier.

Then Red Cloud continued advancing on the two of them, a mass of crimson-gold True Solar Fire gathering in his palm.

Red Cloud thrust out the True Solar Fire. The flames transformed into a Golden Crow and pounced toward the two Horned Dragons.

The two Horned Dragons tried to evade it, but the Golden Crow was too fast. In the blink of an eye, it had reached them.

Boom, rumble—

The Golden Crow exploded, and the flames it unleashed swallowed both Horned Dragons. The lightning-controlling Horned Dragon let out a miserable scream as its body turned to ash within the fire.

The leading Horned Dragon used all his strength, shielding his body with dragonflame and barely enduring the scorching blaze. Even so, his body was charred black, and more than half his scales had fallen away.

Red Cloud walked up to the leading Horned Dragon and looked down at him indifferently. "This time, I won."

The leading Horned Dragon raised his head, his eyes filled with fear and unwillingness. He wanted to speak, but the moment he opened his mouth, he spat out blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

"You... you can't kill me..."

"I am a member of the Dragon Clan..."

"If you kill me..."

"The Dragon Clan will never let you go..."

The leading Horned Dragon spoke in broken fragments.

As if he had heard a joke, Red Cloud could not help but sneer. "Heh. Your Dragon Clan already won't let me go. What difference does it make whether I kill you or not?"

Before his words had faded, Red Cloud pierced the Horned Dragon's head with his sword. All three Horned Dragons had been slain by his hand.

Red Cloud put away the Ice Soul Sword and let out a long breath of turbid air, then collected the Dragon Pearls left behind by the three Horned Dragons.

"I have to leave as soon as possible."

Red Cloud did not feel much relief, because the Dragon Clan would soon dispatch stronger pursuers.

The three Horned Dragons' deaths were quickly discovered by the Dragon Clan. Within the clan, they possessed soul plaques that could detect life.

When a soul plaque shattered, it meant that the life it represented had withered away.

The three Horned Dragons had been seeds of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals within the Dragon Clan. Now that all of them were dead, the Dragon Clan's upper echelons were alarmed.

Not long afterward, space outside the Buzhou Wasteland tore open, and a golden dragon at the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal level arrived.

The golden dragon flew into the Buzhou Wasteland and found the site of the final battle. Fragments of the three Horned Dragons still remained there.

Looking at the scattered pieces of corpses on the ground, the golden dragon's face darkened like water. The three Horned Dragons had all been elites of the Dragon Clan, yet they had died at the hands of an unknown nobody. To the Dragon Clan, this was simply a humiliation beyond all humiliation.

"Roar! Pass down the order: pursue this thief with all your strength! Dead or alive, I want to see him!"

The golden dragon's furious voice carried boundless killing intent as it echoed unceasingly across the Buzhou Wasteland.