Black mist churned before the rift, the stench of blood so thick it was almost suffocating.
Qin Yu abruptly checked his movement, pivoted with Light Spirit Step, and plunged into the dense mist to one side. His movements were clean and decisive, leaving not a trace behind. It was as though the black mist had swallowed him, making him disappear completely.
"Hmph! Still trying to hide?"
The Qi Condensation Realm man roared, his killing intent surging to the heavens. His Spiritual Sense spread like a sharp blade, pursuing Qin Yu's lingering presence. Blinded by rage, he failed entirely to notice the oppressive might in the surrounding air, chilling enough to freeze his marrow.
Within a few strides, he had crossed the edge of the rift and charged into the forbidden zone shrouded in Yao Qi.
Just then, his heart jolted.
The wind fell silent. The black mist abruptly solidified, as though time itself had been compressed into stillness. An immense presence crashed over him like an ocean tide, nearly suffocating him beneath its weight.
"This is..."
His gaze changed sharply. He jerked his head up and saw the enormous demonic dragon deep within the rift slowly opening its eyes.
Its metallic black scales gleamed with a cold, eerie light. Mottled gray-white patterns covered its body like markings of withered death. Its eyes, scarlet as blood moons, cold and sinister, locked directly onto the intruder.
The Qi Condensation Realm man turned deathly pale. His spine went cold, and his heart pounded like a drum.
"No... a demonic dragon!"
But it was already too late to retreat. The air solidified, and his limbs grew heavy as lead. Some invisible force seemed to nail him to the spot, making even breathing difficult.
Within the rift, the demonic dragon's chest slowly swelled. Its low growl shook the entire mountain range.
Rumble-
Loose stones tumbled, and heaven and earth changed color.
The man's eyes widened in despair:
"Damn it... I fell into a trap!"
Boom-!!!
The demonic dragon opened its enormous jaws. Scarlet flames gushed forth like a flood, instantly engulfing the entire rift.
Before the Qi Condensation Realm man could scream, his body turned to drifting ash within the flames. Even his protective spiritual light failed to last a single breath. Only a deafening dragon cry remained between heaven and earth, echoing through the mountains. Rocks shattered and trees snapped, as though the world itself trembled before that roar.
Far away, Qin Yu hid behind another broken rock face, watching everything unfold. His spine chilled, and large beads of cold sweat slid down his temples.
"Hah-!"
His throat tightened until he could barely breathe, and shock filled his heart.
The middle stage of the Qi Condensation Realm... annihilated by the demonic dragon in an instant! That power is nothing I can withstand!
Qin Yu gripped his battle spear tightly with both hands, his palms soaked in sweat, yet a gleam of clarity and resolve flashed through his eyes.
I absolutely cannot stay here!
The next instant, his figure flashed. He activated Light Spirit Step, compressing his Spiritual Qi to its limit, and vanished into the black mist as a streaking shadow.
He dared not look back. His heart still raced, and the dragon's heaven-rending, earth-shattering roar seemed to linger in his ears.
If that woman and the Yuan Transformation Realm fellow approach the demonic dragon too... their chances will surely be grim. As for me-the only thing I can do now is get out alive!
Black mist rolled as Qin Yu rapidly receded into the distance, leaving only afterimages flickering among the trees.
Black mist surged through the mountain forest.
The alluring woman was using her spirit butterfly runes to search for Qin Yu when a roar that shattered the nine heavens suddenly rang out-
"Roar-!"
The sound thundered like heavenly lightning, shaking the forest. Trees toppled in swathes, and rocks rolled down the distant mountains. The scent of blood and flames swept outward in an instant. Even several li away, the scorching pressure could be felt.
The woman shuddered, her expression changing drastically.
"That... is the demonic dragon's roar!"
At the same time, the black-robed Yuan Transformation Realm expert on the other side abruptly stopped. His brows knitted tightly, and cold sweat rolled down his temples. He stared at the churning firelight and black mist in the distance, disbelief filling his eyes.
"Impossible... hasn't that demonic dragon been sleeping for years? Why would it awaken now?!"
The woman's gaze turned icy. She gritted her teeth, her trembling voice still vicious. "Whatever happened, we must take a look! If that brat has anything to do with the demonic dragon, we cannot let him leave alive!"
The black-robed man gave a low, cold snort. "Hmph. Since it has stirred, someone must have intruded into its territory. If we can seize the chance to obtain dragon blood or scales, even a brush with certain death would be worth it."
Neither hesitated any longer. They activated their spiritual power simultaneously.
The woman's red robes fluttered, her figure like a flame as she swept through the black mist; the black-robed man became a streak of dark light, spiritual currents pulsing beneath his feet as he sped forward like thunder.
One behind the other, the two figures charged straight toward the demonic dragon.
Above the rift, flames still churned and the mountains trembled without cease, as though the gates of hell had been thrown wide open.
Flames surged, the rift shook incessantly, and the air filled with an intermingled scent of scorching heat and blood.
The alluring woman and the black-robed man raced over. The moment they landed, they sensed that the familiar spiritual presence had been completely extinguished.
The woman's expression instantly darkened. Staring fixedly into the rift, she ground her teeth. "Idiot... he actually dared enter the demonic dragon's territory! How did he provoke this monster!"
She clenched her slender hand. The swarm of runic butterflies at her sleeve turned to ash, and her presence grew erratic. Although the Qi Condensation Realm man had not been a supreme expert, he had still been a pillar of her team. Now that he had become drifting ash, her anger naturally burned all the fiercer.
The black-robed man's eyes were cold, his voice low. "Senior Sister, can't you see? Senior Brother Mu didn't go in on his own. That brat lured him there!"
He raised a hand and pointed at several faint traces of spiritual presence remaining on a distant mountain wall, sneering. "That brat's Spiritual Qi is unstable. He left a few traces while fleeing at full speed. Senior Brother Mu must have pursued him too urgently and been led step by step to the dragon's nest. That was how he met this end."
The woman's gaze turned abruptly colder, and a chilling smile rose at the corners of her lips. "Heh... little brother, you really are cunning. You ruined my plans in the Shadow Woods, and now you've used the demonic dragon's jaws to kill my junior brother. We cannot live beneath the same sky."
The black-robed man's gaze sharpened, his tone sinister. "But now that this demonic dragon has awakened, we cannot retreat rashly. Senior Sister, if we can join forces to kill it, even a single drop of dragon blood or one scale would be priceless. Once we have them, there will still be time to settle accounts with that brat."
The woman's eyes flickered. Finally, she snorted coldly and nodded. "Fine. We'll kill this beast first! But remember-I'll deal with that brat from the Cloud-Leveling Hall myself!"
Amid rolling flames, the demonic dragon slowly raised its head within the rift. Its blood-moon eyes fixed on the pair. The air between heaven and earth abruptly congealed, as though a world-shaking battle would erupt the very next instant.
Deep within the rift, black mist churned as though countless lost souls were wailing inside it. Suddenly, a deafening dragon cry tore through the sky, making the mountains roar and rocks crumble.
The demonic dragon fully raised its enormous body. Its scales shone with searing brilliance like red-gold rock, and billowing flames spewed from its open jaws. Its pupils burned blood-red as fire, fixed upon the two before it, its fury taking tangible form.
The woman and the black-robed man exchanged a glance, then immediately flashed into motion and leaped up together.
"Roar-!"
The demonic dragon roared skyward. Its vibrating sound waves became invisible shock waves that swept toward them like raging tides and towering breakers. Ridges collapsed, the surrounding Spiritual Qi was instantly suppressed, and all heaven and earth seemed to shudder beneath its furious roar.
The woman swept her delicate hand. Dozens of spirit talismans became luminous butterflies and exploded around her, forming a pale golden barrier against the roaring impact. At the same time, her sleeves danced, stirring blade-like ripples of Spiritual Qi that slashed straight toward the dragon's face.
The black-robed man bellowed. Spiritual light exploded beneath his feet as he thrust both palms forward. The origin power within him instantly became two black torrents, crashing toward the dragon's chest like enormous pillars.
Yet the demonic dragon reacted faster than either of them. It abruptly opened its jaws and spat out deep crimson flames, carrying an intertwined breath of fire and poison, like heavenly fire descending to burn the heavens and destroy the earth.
Boom!!
The flames collided head-on with their attacks in midair. Explosions rang through the clouds, and enormous shock waves swept across the wilderness, instantly incinerating the trees for several li around. Shattered stone and flames scattered together, staining the sky blood-red.
The woman shuddered, a trace of blood appearing on her chest. Barely steadying herself, she gritted her teeth and growled, "Beast, do you really think you can stop us?"
The black-robed man's expression had already grown grave. His arms trembled slightly, the dragon's flames having shaken his blood and Qi into turmoil. A trace of horror flashed through his eyes. "This demonic dragon... is even more terrifying than the rumors."
The dragon's eyes grew bloodier, its rage reaching its limit. It understood that these two had come to seize its treasures, its domain. Blinding light burst from every scale, and scorching flames encircled its body. The entire rift seemed to become a purgatory!
Its fury had utterly locked onto these two intruders-it swore to tear them apart!
"Roar-!"
The demonic dragon abruptly took flight, its enormous body sweeping above the rift. Its wings spread, blotting out the sky and sun. Its throat swelled, its blood-red pupils suddenly contracted, and the next instant, terrifying power gathered madly within its chest.
Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was frantically drained away in an instant. The surrounding air grew scorching and parched, as though even breathing could burn.
"Dragon breath... raging flames!"
With a thunderous roar toward the sky, the demonic dragon unleashed a destructive pillar of intertwined crimson and pitch-black fire. Bearing the might to burn the heavens and destroy the earth, it descended from above, crashing straight toward the pair. In that instant, ridges collapsed and the ground cracked, as though all heaven and earth would be reduced to ashes!
The woman's beautiful face changed sharply. Her delicate hands moved incessantly, and dozens of spirit talismans on her body erupted together, becoming a golden curtain of light that raised a defensive barrier like a canopy of heaven. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Quick, block it with everything you have!"
The black-robed man likewise dared not delay. He slammed his palms together, his origin power boiling as it formed an enormous black phantom. Like an ancient demon god, it stood tall before him, crossing its arms to brace firmly against the destructive fire pillar.
Boom-!!!
The fire pillar poured down and struck their defenses with a deafening crash. Flames swept wildly in every direction. Wherever the aftershocks passed, enormous trees instantly became charcoal, and rocks melted into flowing lava!
The woman's body shook violently. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, yet her eyes remained vicious. She clenched her teeth as the talisman light screens shattered one after another, exploding into a sky full of runic light.
The impact likewise split the black-robed man's arms, leaving them bloody and mangled, while his blood and Qi churned ceaselessly. The black demon-god phantom swayed precariously within the flames, threatening to collapse at any moment.
"This beast's dragon breath... is actually this terrifying!" the man growled. His eyes were blood-red, and his origin power surged wildly as he desperately held on.
Yet the demonic dragon's rage remained unabated. Its enormous wings beat fiercely, and the fire pillar of its breath grew still more violent, as though it meant to burn all heaven and earth to nothing!
The entire rift had become a true purgatory, a sea of flames towering skyward as heaven and earth thundered!
Flames roared, burning heaven and earth alike.
Seeing the woman's talisman barrier nearly shattered and his own demon-god phantom on the verge of collapse, the black-robed man's forehead bulged with veins. His eyes were blood-red as fire.
"We can't drag this out any longer, or we'll both be buried here!"
He suddenly roared, tearing at the void with both hands. Origin power poured from his dantian like rivers and seas rushing backward. His presence climbed to its peak in an instant, and the nearly collapsing demon-god phantom behind him abruptly erupted with dazzling black light.
"Yuan Transformation forbidden art-Demonic Abyss Heaven-Devouring Seal!"
With a thunderous rumble, all the origin power in his body gathered before his chest. His palms overlapped, forming an enormous seal as black as an abyss. It towered a hundred zhang high, its patterns twisted, radiating a terrifying presence that devoured everything. The moment the seal descended, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to be completely drained away. Even the surrounding flames were instantly sucked into its patterns!
"Roar-!"
The demonic dragon's raging breath plunged down with world-burning might, crashing violently against the enormous demonic abyss seal.
Boom!!!
A heaven-shaking explosion instantly tore the entire rift apart. Mountains collapsed, and bottomless cracks split the earth. Flames and black light intertwined in midair, like a collision between heavenly fire and the abyss, forcibly tearing heaven and earth in two!
The sea of flames engulfed the sky, and the black abyss swallowed the earth. Everything within several li sank into a storm of destruction.
The black-robed man spat blood, his body shaking violently. His Spiritual Qi was instantly drained like water bursting through a broken dam. His presence rapidly weakened, and he swayed on the brink of falling. Yet his hands still desperately supported the enormous demonic abyss seal. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "Suppress it... for me-!"
The dragon's fury grew fiercer. Bloody light filled its eyes like an abyss, and its roars shook heaven and earth to pieces. Its body writhed wildly within the flames as it fought relentlessly against the Demonic Abyss Heaven-Devouring Seal.
At that moment, heaven and earth seemed to freeze. Destructive and devouring powers intertwined, and the entire Soul-Rending Mountain Range trembled!
The thunderous aftershocks gradually faded. Thick ash and flames filled the depths of the rift. An enormous trench had been ripped into the ground, as though heaven and earth had been forcibly cleaved apart.
The black-robed man staggered backward, his face pale as paper and his chest caved in. Blood gushed from his mouth again and again. His arms were completely split and mangled, as though they might snap at any moment. The demon-god phantom behind him collapsed entirely into fragments of light and vanished into the void.
His presence plummeted to its lowest ebb, barely able to maintain even Mortal Fetus Realm fluctuations. Clearly, that attack had exhausted all his origin power, leaving him utterly at the point of a lamp running dry.
"Senior Sister... I've already... done everything I could..." His voice was hoarse, but his eyes remained fixed ahead, filled with unwillingness and madness.
Yet the demonic dragon before him still stood within the flames!
The Demonic Abyss Heaven-Devouring Seal had blasted an enormous bloody gash across its chest. Blood flowed like burning flames, and great patches of scales were shattered, a grievous sight. Even so, its presence remained incomparably powerful, its eyes blood-red and its fury at its limit.
"Roar-!"
Another furious roar shook heaven and earth, sending shattered stones flying and lingering flames surging skyward! The dragon's enormous body staggered slightly, but it quickly steadied itself. Its wings beat fiercely, raising a sky full of flames and storms as it lunged straight toward them.
At the sight, a trace of cold ruthlessness and fear flashed through the woman's beautiful eyes. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Fool! Even everything you had only wounded it a little! Fall back!"
She swept her hand, gathering up the battered black-robed man and dragging him to her side. At the same time, she pointed her delicate fingers, and streaks of runic light bloomed around her, protecting their retreat.
Flames towered skyward, and the demonic dragon's fury seemed endless. The wound on its chest burned ever more fiercely, instead rousing still more terrifying killing intent.
Deep within the Soul-Rending Mountain Range, sinister winds howled, and a presence of destruction filled heaven and earth.
The woman's beautiful face was ashen, and her heart chilled. This demonic dragon's raging flames are simply not something we can withstand for long...
Flames swept outward, seeming to burn away even the air of the Soul-Rending Mountain Range. The dragon roared skyward, the power within its chest abruptly boiling. Wisps of red-gold lightning-fire burst between its scales. Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged backward, gathering within its enormous maw, vast enough to swallow the heavens and rend the earth.
"Roar-!"
In an instant, the demonic dragon opened its jaws and unleashed its ultimate power-World-Burning Dragon Breath!
It was not merely fire, but a mixture of lightning, poisonous breath, and destructive presence. Like a red-gold torrent of world-ending destruction, it poured from the heavens. Wherever it passed, mountains collapsed, the earth split, lava erupted, and all things vanished into ash!
The woman's beautiful eyes contracted sharply. Feeling that absolute pressure of death, she instantly thought of retreating. She clenched her teeth and swept a cold glance toward the black-robed man.
"Useless trash! If this continues, even I'll die here."
She turned her wrist, and a purple-gold talisman in her sleeve abruptly ignited. It became a rainbow shield that enveloped her entire body. Without further hesitation, she turned into a streak of light and flew several hundred zhang away in an instant, escaping the range of the dragon's raging flames entirely.
"Senior Sister... you..."
Despair and unwillingness flashed through the black-robed man's eyes. Covered in blood, his origin power long since exhausted, he had no strength to resist the World-Burning Dragon Breath.
The next instant, the destructive torrent engulfed his body with a crash!
"Aah-!!!"
His scream abruptly ceased within the flames. Flesh and bone instantly turned to ash, and even his soul was utterly extinguished in the raging fire. Only the demonic dragon's violent roars and the thunder of burning flames remained between heaven and earth.
Far away, the woman turned back for a cold glance, her gaze frosty. She gave a soft snort:
"Fool, you can't be blamed. If you must blame someone, blame that brat. If he hadn't brought this calamity, Junior Brother Mu wouldn't have died. Neither would you."
With that, she turned and shot through the air, disappearing beyond the mountain ridges.
Deep within the rift, flames rolled over the dragon's body. Its eyes grew ever bloodier, its fury unabated, as though the next moment it would charge out of the mountains and burn every living thing in the world!
On the other side of the mountains, Qin Yu hid behind a steep rock wall, staring fixedly ahead.
The sky was scarlet. Flames stretched across heaven and earth like an apocalyptic torrent. Ancient trees hundreds of zhang tall instantly turned to ash, and solid rock walls shattered into countless fragments. In that moment, the entire Soul-Rending Mountain Range seemed to sink into a world-burning purgatory.
"This... is the true power of a demonic dragon at greater completion of the Soul Foundation Realm?"
Qin Yu's throat was dry, his heart hammered, and cold sweat streamed down his back. Although several li away, he could still feel that onrushing presence of destruction, as though he too would be burned into nothingness the very next instant.
He clearly saw the black-robed man swallowed instantly by the flames, his screams extinguished by the fire without leaving a trace.
Yet the woman had already become a rainbow streak, fleeing far away. Her decisiveness and cold blood made Qin Yu's heart sink slightly.
"Even a Yuan Transformation Realm expert... can be abandoned just like that?"
Qin Yu was inwardly shaken, and at the same time understood more deeply the cruelty of the cultivation path. Between life and death, so-called companions, so-called fellow disciples, could be abandoned with a single thought.
Rumble-
In the distance, the demonic dragon's raging flames still gushed forth. Its blood-red eyes swept heaven and earth, as though searching for the next creature daring to enter its domain. Its enormous body writhed within the sea of flames like a world-destroying demon god.
Qin Yu forcibly suppressed the trembling in his heart, drew a deep breath, and quietly clenched his fists:
Power at this level... if I recklessly confront it now, there is absolutely no chance of surviving. I can only avoid its edge. Once I grow stronger, one day I will face an existence like this head-on!
Amid his fear, his gaze gradually grew resolute, and fighting spirit burned fiercely within his heart.
Scarlet flames still churned across the horizon. The mountains resembled a world burned through, and thunderous crashes rang incessantly in his ears. The dragon's raging flames had not dispersed, and the depths of the Soul-Rending Mountain Range remained a purgatory.
Qin Yu held his breath, terrified of leaking the slightest trace of his presence and alerting the rampaging dragon. Following the fractured mountain wall, he used the thick black mist and wreckage as cover, moving swiftly like a wisp of smoke.
I have to leave this place...
Silently warning himself, he took every step with extreme care. Occasionally, the dragon's roars reached his ears, accompanied by tremors through heaven and earth, making his steps falter. Yet he did not stop; instead, he moved even faster.
Passing through stretches of charred trees and crossing the cracked earth, Qin Yu finally rushed beyond the area covered by flames. When he breathed the cool wind on the outer side of the mountains, his heart suddenly eased, and the cold sweat on his back instantly soaked his robes.
Looking back into the distance, he saw flames still towering from the depths of the Soul-Rending Mountain Range, as though heaven and earth had been burned scarlet. The sight was like the arrival of the apocalypse, utterly staggering.
"If not for a fortunate coincidence... I fear I would have been completely swallowed up, just like that Yuan Transformation Realm man."
Qin Yu's gaze grew solemn, but then his fists tightened slightly, and a flame-like gleam kindled in his eyes:
"One day, I'll rely on my own strength, no longer depending on luck, and defeat such an existence head-on!"
With that, he turned and raced along the familiar mountain path, speeding toward the Cloud-Leveling Hall.
Night gradually fell, but the flames of the Soul-Rending Mountain Range still stained half the sky red. Qin Yu raced along the mountain path, his robes lifted by the wind, his heartbeat still not entirely settled.
He reached out and felt the Qiankun Bag tucked against his chest. Two demon cores lay quietly inside-one obtained in the Shadow Woods, the other a mutated demon core from the Soul-Rending Mountain Range, its surface giving off a faint, eerie sheen. Qin Yu murmured:
"These two demon cores are anything but ordinary... especially this mutated one. Its presence is extremely unstable. If I can refine it properly, it will surely be of great use. But if I rashly attempt it now, the consequences will be hard to predict."
His gaze darkened slightly, and he recalled the demon dragon's raging flames he had witnessed firsthand during the day. That power, enough to burn heaven and earth to ashes, filled his heart with both fear and a searing yearning.
"A demon dragon at greater completion of the Soul Foundation Realm... an existence like that could easily wipe out a whole swath of cultivators with nothing but the aftershocks. Without that wisp of gray light, how many steps could I, Qin Yu, have taken?"
At this thought, Qin Yu's brows knitted tightly. The mysterious gray light within his body surfaced in his mind again. Annihilating the demon wolf, defeating Luo Chuan, and even the key to escaping the demon dragon's raging flames today all seemed intimately connected to it. Yet no matter what he did, he could not touch it of his own accord, nor did he dare let anyone learn of it.
"The matter of the gray light must never leak out." Qin Yu took a deep breath, his gaze resolute. "Not even Deacon Zhang or Yang Zheng can know. This is my secret, my trump card."
Without slowing his steps, he silently took stock of his gains from this journey as he walked:
Two demon cores: leave them unused for now and save them for a critical moment.
One insight: having witnessed the true terror of a Soul Foundation Realm creature, his resolve had grown firmer.
Experience in a deadly setup: using the environment and strategy to lure enemies to their deaths had made him steadier in a crisis.
The mountain wind whipped past, carrying away the bloody scent on him. Qin Yu raised his head and looked into the distance, the direction of Cloud-Leveling Hall faintly taking shape in his mind.
"Time to head back... this journey wasn't just a trial. It also let me see clearly the cruelty of the path of cultivation."
His eyes shone in the night, as though an undying fighting spirit burned within them.