Chapter 49: Saint Domain Dragonblood Warrior
The wind continued to blow.
The desolate wilderness had finally returned to tranquility. Compared to before, the barren grassland was now merely dotted with a few corpses and pools of blood. The traces of the great battle were starkly evident: the cracked earth, the massive deep pit, and the unfathomably deep hole at its center. At that moment, a black Shadowmouse was slowly crawling out of that large hole.
"Boss." Bebe's body was also stained red, blood clinging to his fur.
But Bebe looked worriedly into the distance, where Linley lay motionless on the ground. Although the Four-Winged Angel's attack had been drastically reduced in the final moment due to the terrifying baleful aura from the 'Violet Blood Soft Sword', even so, that punch was several times more powerful than that of a Two-Winged Angel.
Bebe scurried over a couple of times and arrived beside Linley.
"Boss, are you alright?" Bebe transmitted mentally, filled with worry at this moment. Linley's chest was horrifically caved in, most of the black dragon scales on his chest were shattered and many had fallen off. Blood had completely stained Linley's chest. His face was ashen, and his eyes were closed.
Slightly, Linley opened his eyes and looked at Bebe.
"I'm fine, Bebe. Don't move my body." Linley's voice echoed in Bebe's mind.
Bebe nodded obediently and curled up beside Linley's body.
"This injury is serious." Linley felt that even a slight breath caused a sharp pain in his chest. He could only follow the method described in the 'Dragonblood Secret Code', urging his Dragonblood battle qi to activate the bloodline power of the Dragonblood Warrior to repair his body's injuries. As an ultimate warrior, his recovery ability was still quite strong.
But this injury was truly too severe.
The Dragonblood battle qi flowed slowly throughout his body, and the special energy of the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline gradually seeped into the meridians and even the minute details of his internal organs. The lungs, which had been injured the most, slowly recovered at a perceptible rate after absorbing the special energy of the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline. With each breath, Linley could feel the slow changes in his lungs.
"In terms of recovery ability, the Dragonblood Warrior should be inferior to the Violet Flame Warrior and the Undying Warrior among the four ultimate warriors." This thought actually surfaced in Linley's mind at this moment.
The Violet Flame Warrior had the strongest recovery ability, even possessing the freakish power of nirvana.
Unless his physical body was completely destroyed, as long as he was given time, the Violet Flame Warrior could recover to his peak state.
"Huff!" "Huff!"
Linley's breathing grew louder and louder, promoting the continuous nourishment of his lungs by the energy. At the same time, the black scales on Linley's body retracted into his skin. The spikes and dragon tail also withdrew. In the blink of an eye, Linley had completely returned to his normal human form. But even in his normal human form, Linley was still covered in blood, and the injury on his left chest was still severe.
Time passed gradually, and the night grew deeper.
The cold wind howled, and the moon was completely shrouded by black clouds. But Linley and Bebe paid no attention to the change in weather.
"Boss, feeling better?" Bebe stared at Linley with his jet-black eyes, not blinking.
"The internal injuries are mostly healed, but three ribs are broken. Luckily, they didn't pierce any vital internal organs." Linley gave Bebe a smile. "But for the broken bones to fully recover, it will take at least ten days to half a month." For an ordinary person, recovering from broken bones would take several months. Linley said this only because of his confidence in the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline.
Bebe nodded.
"But if I could find a light or water magic user, it could probably be healed much faster." Linley knew that healing magic could sometimes be very powerful.
Back when Linley was imprisoned in the Radiant Temple, almost all the bones in his body were broken. But under the illumination of the faith energy originating from the Lord of Light, his physical injuries vanished in an instant, and he immediately returned to his peak physical state. This kind of astonishing repair ability was terrifying.
Linley continued to circulate his Dragonblood battle qi.
The Dragonblood battle qi absorbed elements from the outside world, as well as the energy of the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline, gradually growing stronger and nourishing every part of Linley's body. The internal injuries in Linley's body were mostly repaired. Now, only the broken ribs were troublesome.
"Hmm?"
Linley's brows lifted, and a hint of joy arose in his heart.
The circulating Dragonblood battle qi began to tremble upon returning to his dantian. The liquefied Dragonblood battle qi in his lower dantian surged like a tidal wave. Linley immediately urged the Dragonblood battle qi in his meridians to merge into his lower dantian. In just a moment... the Dragonblood battle qi in his lower dantian reached a peak state.
"Rumble~~"
Feeling the violent changes in the Dragonblood battle qi in his lower dantian, Linley's smile bloomed.
Every strand of battle qi was transforming, transforming in essence.
"Finally, the breakthrough is beginning." Linley waited quietly. At first, not much of the Dragonblood battle qi in his lower dantian began to transform, but as time passed, more and more of it did, and the speed increased. In the end, it took only ten breaths to completely transform the remaining half.
"Haha..."
Linley stood up directly. Part of the transformed Dragonblood battle qi entered his meridians and began to circulate, while another part enveloped the broken bones, accelerating the repair of the fractures.
"Boss?" Bebe looked at Linley in confusion.
Linley scooped up Bebe and said with a smile, "It's nothing. Let's prepare to go back."
At this moment, Linley felt an unprecedented joy in his heart. Ever since reaching the peak of the eighth rank, Linley had been looking forward to this day. Although he had felt for the past month or so that he might break through at any moment, he could never grasp that opportunity to make the leap. And now, while recovering from a serious injury, he had actually broken through.
Ninth rank!
From today onward, Linley had stepped into the ranks of a ninth-rank warrior. Being a ninth-rank warrior was only Linley's most superficial power. In essence, after Dragonforming, Linley was a Saint Domain initial stage warrior. His defense, speed, and power would all see astonishing breakthroughs.
"If I were to encounter a Four-Winged Angel now, I could handle her with just the Blackdamp Heavy Sword alone." Linley's heart felt light.
Saint Domain!
That was a new level. Even the massive Dawson Conglomerate yearned to possess a Saint Domain warrior. For example, the Jakes family, precisely because they had a Saint Domain powerhouse, could have the confidence to stand forever in the Northwest Province of the O'Brien Empire.
Saint Domain powerhouses.
Even a duchy or kingdom that controlled the lives of millions or even tens of millions of people was nothing in the face of a Saint Domain powerhouse.
Even an ancient family passed down for thousands of years would lower its noble head before a Saint Domain powerhouse.
Even the Radiant Church, the Dark Church, and the Four Empires would seek to recruit Saint Domain powerhouses!
Looking across the vast Yulan Continent, aside from the three strongest humans standing at the highest peak—the High Priest, the War God, and the King of Assassins—and the two divine-level magical beasts, the rest were Saint Domains. Once one stepped into the Saint Domain, one possessed a long, almost infinite lifespan. For instance, the King of Assassins 'Hesse' had lived for over five thousand years while still in the Saint Domain.
"Saint Domain!"
Linley looked up at the sky.
At this moment, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, melting on Linley's face.
"I still remember, when I was a child, the battle between those two Saint Domain powerhouses outside Wushan Town. Back then, Saint Domain powerhouses were lofty and unattainable existences in my heart. Even that eighth-rank mage riding a Velociraptor was a powerhouse. But now?" A sense of pride surged from the depths of Linley's heart.
He had finally achieved something.
Perhaps now, Linley could even defeat someone like that 'Starlight Sword Saint' Dillon.
"Ancestors of the Baruch family, watch. I will make the name of the Dragonblood Warrior resound across the continent once more." Linley had absolute confidence in his heart.
This year, he was twenty-six years old, and upon Dragonforming, he was already a Saint Domain warrior.
"One day, I will stand at an even higher peak." A smile appeared on Linley's face.
Linley had a clear understanding of his own strength. Although he was only a Saint Domain initial stage after Dragonforming now, increasing his battle qi from Saint Domain initial stage to Saint Domain peak was not difficult. The difficult part was increasing his realm. And Linley's realm had already reached the Saint Domain peak level.
In fact, even with the same realm and the same amount of battle qi, two people's strength could sometimes differ greatly.
Because, even at the same realm, people walked different paths.
For example, both might comprehend the Laws of the Earth, but after surpassing the level of 'force', one Saint Domain warrior might take a different path. After all, the Laws of the Earth were as vast as the ocean, with many paths. Walking different paths resulted in different levels of power. Linley's special vibration wave attack, similar to the pulse of the earth, was completely different from the common energy and power attacks on the Yulan Continent.
*******
Just as Linley was preparing to set off for Cloud Peak Town, suddenly—
"Linley, right?" A voice sounded not far behind him.
Linley was startled. He hadn't noticed anyone nearby. He immediately turned to look. He saw a thin, elderly man in a black robe with graying hair standing in mid-air, looking down at Linley below.
Linley understood immediately and said, "McKensie?"
"Yes." The newcomer was indeed McKensie.
Linley had been seriously injured and focused entirely on healing, completely forgetting that the commotion from his battle with the six angels would surely be noticed by the Saint Domain powerhouse McKensie in the provincial capital.
Linley carefully examined McKensie. He looked to be about fifty years old. Although his hair was graying, his face was completely wrinkle-free. His entire being stood in mid-air like a spear, and his unshakable aura secretly alarmed Linley. This McKensie was definitely more terrifying than the Four-Winged Angel.
"How long have you been here?" Linley asked.
McKensie smiled and said, "Not too long. When I arrived, I happened to see you and the Four-Winged Angel mutually wounding each other."
Linley raised an eyebrow.
This McKensie must have watched him lying on the ground healing. Since he didn't make a move while Linley was seriously injured, he probably meant no harm.
"I'm very surprised that you were able to kill a Four-Winged Angel." McKensie sighed in admiration. "Although this Four-Winged Angel could only exert its power temporarily, it's still impressive that you could kill it without dying yourself. The Dragonblood Warrior... the legendary Dragonblood Warrior is indeed formidable. Linley, after Dragonforming, you should have reached the Saint Domain. But since killing a Four-Winged Angel was so difficult for you, you must be a Saint Domain initial stage warrior."
Linley was stunned, then found it both funny and annoying.
"This McKensie is really..." Linley was speechless, thinking to himself, "I only reached the Saint Domain after killing the Four-Winged Angel. This McKensie actually thinks I was already at the Saint Domain when I was fighting it."
"You didn't reach it?" McKensie asked in disbelief.
Linley smiled slightly and said, "I admit, my Dragonform did reach the Saint Domain initial stage."
McKensie nodded with satisfaction and laughed, "Haha, it's been a long time since I met a Saint Domain powerhouse. Meeting you today is truly delightful. How about this: come stay with me for a while, so we can spar with each other. I think we can both improve our strength a bit. Don't worry, I won't go all out. Just sparring."
McKensie, seeing Linley seriously injured from killing a Four-Winged Angel, believed Linley was no match for him.
"McKensie, my Dragonform did reach the Saint Domain. But..." Linley looked at McKensie confidently, "I just broke through after the battle. When I was fighting the Four-Winged Angel, I hadn't broken through yet." In Linley's heart now, he might not have enough confidence against a Saint Domain peak expert, but he was confident against someone of McKensie's level.
Having reached the Saint Domain, there was no need to hide anymore.
"What? You just broke through?" McKensie was also greatly surprised upon hearing this.
(End of today's three chapters)