Chapter 50: Evil God's Seed · Fire (3)
"ROOOOAR!!!!"
Inside the enormous cavern, a sudden, massive roar erupted. This roar was so earth-shattering that even Yun Che, who was far away, felt his ears go instantly deaf from the shock.
Amidst the roar, a flash of fire appeared within the cavern. Then, a fiery pillar dozens of meters thick suddenly erupted from the cavern, surging towards the five people in the air. A wave of scorching heat instantly filled the space for several miles around. Yun Che's face immediately felt a stinging pain, and he was secretly shocked... It seemed the legend of the Flame Dragon was true!! Even if it wasn't a dragon, it had to be an incredibly terrifying fire-type profound beast!
This obscure Red Dragon Mountain Range, whose outer regions only had the lowest-level profound beasts, actually hid such a terrifying creature.
"Scatter!!"
The sudden eruption of the fire pillar startled the five people as well. They quickly shifted positions in the air in different directions. The fire pillar shot up hundreds of meters high before slowly dissipating in the high altitude. At that moment, a massive dragon shadow appeared in front of the cavern.
A hundred feet tall, its entire body a blazing red like heated steel. Its enormous wings and dragon tail burned with scorching flames. It raised its dragon head, and two crimson eyes radiated authority without anger. It actually spoke in human tongue: "Bold humans, how dare you trespass upon this king's domain!"
Its voice was heavy and rough, carrying an intangible majesty that made one's heart tremble. The Grand Elder of Fen Tian Gate stepped forward and said arrogantly: "I never imagined that such a nameless place in this world would actually harbor a dragon... and a fire dragon at that! But with your noble body and powerful strength, it's truly stifling to dwell in a place like this. Once we take your profound core, we will surely display your power at the pinnacle of the Cang Feng Empire. What do you think?"
Fen Moli, the Grand Elder of Fen Tian Gate, was arrogant by nature. He didn't waste a single word on the Flame Dragon and directly stated his purpose, his demeanor showing that he was determined to succeed, as if the Flame Dragon's profound core was already in his pocket. From the aura of profound energy the Flame Dragon released, it seemed to be a ninth-level Heavenly Xuan Beast, basically matching the intelligence. He, Fen Moli, had been at the peak of the tenth level of the Heavenly Xuan Realm for seven years, only half a step away from the King Xuan Realm. He alone could defeat this Flame Dragon, and he had four other fellow disciples of the same Heavenly Xuan Realm with him.
Moreover, their sect's profound art, the Blazing Heaven Art, gave them considerable resistance against fire-type profound beasts.
Fen Moli's words thoroughly ignited the Flame Dragon's fury. The flames on its wings and tail burned even more fiercely, and the surrounding temperature rose sharply with its rage: "Greedy humans, you will pay the most bitter price for your arrogance and greed. This king will burn you all to ashes!"
The enraged Flame Dragon flapped its wings, its massive fiery body soaring into the air, charging straight at the five in the sky. From afar, it looked like a colossal fireball shooting upward.
"Engage!"
The Grand Elder let out a low roar, and the five quickly dispersed, positioning themselves at five directions around the Flame Dragon. The Flame Dragon bellowed, and five streaks of crimson flame suddenly burst from its body, transforming into five ferocious fire serpents that lunged at the five individuals. The scorching heat, even from over a thousand meters away, made Yun Che sweat profusely as he struggled to breathe.
The five fire serpents struck the protective profound energy of the five, knocking back all except Fen Moli. Fen Moli forcefully dispersed the fire serpent with his profound energy and let out a roar. His body turned into a blur, instantly closing in on the Flame Dragon's massive body. The long blade in his hand danced, filling the air with countless blade shadows that fell upon the Flame Dragon like a storm, producing a series of harsh metallic clangs.
The Flame Dragon roared in fury, its body violently shaking. Its enormous tail, carrying wild, violent power, slammed fiercely at Fen Moli. Fen Moli leaned back, instantly erecting protective profound energy in front of him. A heavy sound rang out as the massive tail struck his protective barrier. The tough barrier shattered like glass in an instant. Fen Moli's figure retreated sharply, his face pale. He quickly shouted: "Its body is too tough! Don't get close!"
The other four Heavenly Xuan experts heard his voice and quickly stopped their advance. Each of them now held a long blade, with flames blazing on the blades.
"Blazing Heaven Blade — Flame Dragon Overturning the Sea!"
"Blazing Heaven Blade — Scorching Sun Thousand Rays!"
"Blazing Heaven Blade — Prairie Fire Slash!"
"Blazing Heaven Blade — Blazing Sun Burning Clouds!"
The four were all from Fen Tian Gate and were also blood brothers. They had grown up together, cultivated profound arts together, and were extremely familiar with each other, with a high degree of tacit understanding. They raised their long blades almost simultaneously and slashed at the Flame Dragon from dozens of meters away. The terrifying blade energy carved clear ripples in the air as it shot straight at the Flame Dragon—one slash on the left, one on the right, one above, and one below, sealing all of the Flame Dragon's paths of advance and retreat.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Flame Dragon's body was huge, making its movements not very agile. All four slashes of blade energy cut into its body, leaving four shallow marks on its surface amidst harsh clanging sounds. The impact also caused its body to lose a bit of balance. At that moment, Fen Moli's counterattack struck. He had appeared above the Flame Dragon without anyone noticing, bringing down an incredibly heavy slash that slammed fiercely onto the Flame Dragon's head...
"ROAR!!!"
The pained Flame Dragon let out an enraged roar. A large burst of scorching flame suddenly exploded from its body surface, and the wave of heat instantly forced the five away to a great distance. Their Blazing Heaven Art allowed them to resist flames to a certain extent, but they were by no means immune to fire. They didn't give the Flame Dragon a chance to catch its breath. As soon as they were forced back, they immediately closed in again. The blade energy, seemingly capable of tearing space itself, fell mercilessly onto the Flame Dragon's body time and again.
Clang! Boom! Thud! Hwoooosh~~~~~
The sounds of blade energy splitting the air, flame explosions, and harsh collisions echoed throughout almost the entire Red Dragon Mountain Range. Low-level profound beasts in the surrounding areas fled in panic. Small hills were constantly severed, and countless cracks appeared on the ground itself.
Yun Che was hiding far away on that hill, holding his breath as he watched this battle between Heavenly Xuan experts. On one side was a Heavenly Xuan Beast, and on the other were five Heavenly Xuan experts. Such a lineup and battle were rare even in the history of the Cang Feng Empire, yet he, a mere Level 4 Initial Xuan Realm cultivator, was witnessing it firsthand.
He dared not approach, because whether he touched the Flame Dragon's flames or the Fen Tian Gate's blade energy—even just the aftershocks—he would undoubtedly die.
The battle grew increasingly intense, and the temperature of the surrounding air kept rising. The Flame Dragon's power was unquestionable, but it had to face five opponents of a similar level. Almost from the start, it was at a disadvantage. However, it possessed a tough physique that humans could never match. Even though the five of Fen Tian Gate held the advantage, they simply couldn't finish it off in a short time.
"It seems this Flame Dragon will be taken down sooner or later," Yun Che murmured softly.
"But you are underestimating a dragon too much," Mo Li said coldly. "Although this is only a low-level dragon, it is a true dragon, not a dragon-like creature such as a flood dragon or lizard dragon. A true dragon not only possesses high intelligence but also has the instinct to hide its true strength to add an extra layer of protection. These people think it's a Heavenly Xuan Beast, so they brought along a half-step King Xuan cultivator. But unfortunately, it is a... genuine King Xuan Beast!"
Yun Che was astonished.
"It is currently just toying with its opponents, feigning weakness to lure them into a death trap. When it reveals its true fangs, those five people, including the half-step King Xuan one... none of them will leave alive."
Yun Che's heart tightened. This dragon was actually so cunning and treacherous!
As the battle intensified, their fighting positions shifted slightly southward, moving further away from the cavern's location. This was clearly intentional by the Flame Dragon, to prevent the battle's shockwaves from damaging the cavern it inhabited...
Hmm? The cavern?
Yun Che's gaze fixed firmly on that enormous cavern.
That was the lair of a true dragon... a King Xuan true dragon at that!
The name Red Dragon Mountain Range had existed for who knows how long, but certainly no less than a hundred years. That meant this Flame Dragon had inhabited the cavern for at least a hundred years. Given a dragon's lifespan, it could be much longer—perhaps a thousand years, or even several thousand years, were not impossible. And a noble profound beast like a dragon would not willingly dwell in an ordinary place. There might be some heavenly treasure hidden inside that it didn't want to leave!
Even if there wasn't any treasure, after such a long time, there should at least be some shed dragon scales, dragon skin, or dragon horns! Even the shed parts of a dragon were all treasures!
He was currently at the Initial Xuan Realm, Level 4. That was the result of four months of cultivation. Though his speed was astonishing, his strength was still at the bottom of the Cang Feng Continent. If there really was some heavenly treasure in that cavern, it would be of immeasurable benefit to his profound power cultivation.
He glanced at his current invisibility state and gritted his teeth: Let's risk it! Huge rewards often come with huge risks. Being overly cautious only lets opportunities slip through your fingers. A coward would never reach the peak!
Moreover, he had a vague, inexplicable feeling... The thing that had been calling him earlier seemed to be in that cavern as well!
"What are you doing?" Mo Li asked warily as she saw Yun Che suddenly stand up, his eyes burning as he stared at the cavern.
"I'm going to sneak into that cavern and take a look! Since it's a dragon's lair, there might be some good stuff," Yun Che said slowly.
"Hmph, as expected, all humans are greedy! The aftershocks of their battle are everywhere. If you get hit by even a little, you'll die instantly! Do you care so little about your own life?"
"Don't worry, the concealment ability of the Star Concealment Grass cannot be detected even by a King Xuan realm cultivator! The place where they're fighting now is already far from that cavern. As long as I go the long way around, I definitely won't be caught in the shockwaves."
"I just told you, true dragons have extremely high intelligence. Even if there really are treasures in its lair, it won't be easy for you to get them."
But Yun Che ignored Mo Li's advice. Carefully hiding his figure and aura, he descended from the left side of the hill, taking a roundabout path toward the cavern entrance.