He glanced at the sand and stones on the beach and shook his head. "Sigh... I wasted far too much time this time."
Still, it had not all been for nothing!
Just then, a dragon's roar rang out. Far out in the ocean, an enormous creature rolled up through the surface, raising furious waves that towered toward the sky.
Every pore on Yi Chen's body opened, and he felt brimming with energy. A warm current even surged up into his head, leaving his entire body pleasantly warm.
"It's actually... a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?" Yi Chen muttered in surprise. "Hmm... such pure soul power. Not bad..."
Yi Chen narrowed his eyes at the enormous creature. Its massive body was covered in pitch-black scales, with four wings on its back and five claws beneath its belly. It looked savage and ferocious, much like an elephant.
A faint blue glow could be seen flickering around its head.
Yi Chen chuckled, and a short blade gleaming with cold light appeared in his hand.
With a sharp cry, he suddenly accelerated, becoming a blur as he pounced. Swinging both arms, he slashed at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's head!
With a ripping sound, the keen blade easily split the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's two-inch-thick skin, then sliced through a membrane on its forehead, exposing a crystal-clear ruby within. Yet the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon seemed completely unaffected. It glared viciously at Yi Chen, suddenly opened its enormous mouth, and roared.
A ring of visible sound waves spread outward, and the surrounding sand and stones abruptly exploded!
Yi Chen grunted and staggered backward, his ears ringing and his vision swimming.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon roared furiously and charged at Yi Chen.
Yi Chen stood there coldly, allowing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon to slam into his chest without budging an inch.
"Hehehe..." Yi Chen could not help laughing. "Idiot. Unless someone of my own level attacks me, there's no breaking through my defenses."
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon froze for a moment, then abruptly turned and took to its heels.
Yi Chen laughed heartily. "Since we've crossed paths, wouldn't I be taking a huge loss if I didn't slaughter you?"
He sprinted after it, both hands dancing as blade after blade of wind whistled toward the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was terrified. What soul skills did it know? It could only run wildly, occasionally looking back at the wind blades flying after it and shrieking in fright. In its panic, it slapped a claw against the ground, sending sand and stones spraying into the sky.
Yi Chen caught up to it and threw a punch.
Bam...
The force of the punch gathered in Yi Chen's palm, forming a fist-shaped blast that slammed into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was hurled backward more than ten meters, snapping dozens of coconut trees along the way before crashing heavily to the ground.
It only survived because of its thick hide and tough flesh. Any other soul master would probably have had their entire skeleton smashed apart and their internal organs severely damaged, leaving no chance of survival.
Yi Chen withdrew his hand and said icily, "You fool who doesn't know when to live or die, daring to provoke this old man. Today, I'll eat your soul core and increase my cultivation a little."
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon struggled to its feet, gave Yi Chen a terrified look, then turned and fled.
"Trying to escape? Get back here." Yi Chen lightly stamped his foot. The sand beneath him surged upward and formed an enormous hand, which seized the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's tail and dragged it back.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon struggled desperately, thrashing its tail in an attempt to shake off the hand. But the hand was extraordinarily firm, and no matter how hard the dragon struggled, it was still dragged back.
Smack!
Yi Chen swung his arm in a wide arc and slapped the top of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's head.
A flash of white light crossed Yi Chen's palm, and a vast surge of soul power poured into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's body.
Like a magnet, it held the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon fast.
Then Yi Chen gently pressed his right palm against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's head. With a sharp cry, he flicked up his left index finger, and its nail suddenly lengthened!
But the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon seized the opportunity to break free of his control and lashed its tail viciously at him!
Yi Chen sneered and flicked a finger against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's tail.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon let out an agonized howl. Its tail trembled violently as its enormous body was knocked backward and slammed into the ground, half of it sinking into the sand.
Yi Chen walked over and looked down at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, saying sinisterly, "Surrender obediently, and perhaps I'll spare your life. Otherwise..."
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon hissed and suddenly raised its head to stare at Yi Chen, its eyes bloodshot and its fangs protruding. Grinding cracks came from its throat, and balls of electricity flickering with lightning spewed from its nostrils and eye sockets.
"Hmm, looks like you intend to resist to the bitter end?" Yi Chen sneered. "Very well. If you won't surrender, then die!"
A ball of silver light gathered in Yi Chen's hand, forming a small, exquisitely crafted dagger.
A crisp clang of metal rang out. Yi Chen's body shuddered, and he was nearly sent flying along with the dagger. He flicked his wrist and drove the dagger into a nearby rock, steadying himself.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's tail lashed viciously against the spot where Yi Chen had just been standing.
With a thud, the ground caved in. Yellow sand billowed upward, countless fine grains flying into the air and swirling there, refusing to settle for a long time.
"Damn you, how can you possibly have such strength?" the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon cursed, both anxious and furious. "Aren't you humans supposed to be weak?"
Yi Chen raised his dagger. "Why not try it and find out!"
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon froze for a moment, and Yi Chen had already plunged his dagger into its neck.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon let out a mournful cry. Its body stiffened briefly, then collapsed limply.
"Hmm, it really does live up to the name of Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. To think it's this tough!" Yi Chen frowned and muttered under his breath, "Hmm, but wasn't it supposed to be powerful? Why was it so easy to finish off?"
Yi Chen shrugged, crouched down, and carefully examined the enormous monster's corpse for a while. Then he suddenly sank his teeth into it-
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's blood was a vivid purple, and Yi Chen sucked out a drop.
Then he took out a wooden token and placed it in the blood to soak.
With a series of crackles, the wooden token rapidly turned blue-green. A wisp of green smoke drifted out and settled on Yi Chen's forehead.
Yi Chen immediately felt a wave of comfort. He murmured to himself, "Hmm, truly marvelous. But the taste isn't much good. It reeks of blood and rot."
The muscles all over the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's body bulged, and its skin gradually shriveled.
Yi Chen rubbed his belly and sighed in satisfaction. "Hmm, just barely enough. A little on the light side, but there should be no shortage of these things."
Thoroughly satisfied, Yi Chen picked up the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's corpse and slowly walked toward the beach, tossing his gloves into a pit in the sand along the way.
In the distance, the seawater churned as enormous Bluefin White Whales slowly swam closer, just in time to see Yi Chen returning with the corpse of a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon in tow.