"A Water Dragon Martial Soul? Interesting." Mo Chen crossed his arms, gazing impassively at Danyu, who had already undergone his dragon transformation.
Danyu’s body was now covered in a layer of blue scales; his frame had grown massive and formidable, and a tail made entirely of water lashed continuously behind him, radiating a heart-stopping aura. Despite this, his indifferent gaze remained fixed on Mo Chen. He spoke slowly, his voice soft yet clear: "I do not wish to incite trouble."
"That place, Divine Eagle Valley... I have no desire to return there."
"I have never seen anyone who entered with such a group come out alive."
"The level of danger there is beyond imagination, to say nothing of the fact that you have a young woman with you." Danyu frowned, glancing at Qian Renxue, who was perched on a distant tree branch.
The corners of Mo Chen's mouth curled into an imperceptible smile. He inspected Danyu’s dragon-like features with great interest, clicking his tongue in wonder. "I never expected it. You’ve managed to turn a Water Dragon Martial Soul, typically suited for healing, into a Power Attack type. I must admit, your talent is truly exceptional."
"You are becoming more and more interesting to me."
Just then, a pale purple halo suddenly emanated from Mo Chen, as dreamlike and enchanting as it was beautiful. At the same time, his deep, violet-blue eyes began to glow faintly. As the light flickered, an incomparably powerful pressure surged toward Danyu like a crashing tide.
In the world of Martial Souls, those of the Dragon-type value bloodline power above all else. Faced with the overwhelming pressure brought forth by an ancient divine beast like the Torch Dragon, even Danyu—who had always remained calm and detached regardless of the situation—could not help but let a bead of cold sweat trickle down his forehead.
"Such a pure Dragon bloodline!" Danyu widened his eyes, whispering in disbelief.
Although he was quite confident in his own Water Dragon Martial Soul and knew its power was not to be underestimated, compared to the person before him, he felt inferior in terms of bloodline alone. This gap caused a flicker of involuntary fear to rise in his heart, and under the suppression of such a superior bloodline, he would inevitably be at a disadvantage in a fight.
"Boy, I don't have the time to waste on you! Either bring us to Divine Eagle Valley willingly, or let me force you to lead the way!" Mo Chen’s expression darkened, his voice low and forceful. His words cracked through the night sky like thunder, chilling to the bone.
Just then, a deafening boom echoed as a brilliant flash of lightning tore through the dark night, illuminating the world as if it were day. Immediately following, a light drizzle began to fall from the previously tranquil sky, the raindrops pattering rhythmically against the ground.
Amidst the wind and rain, a colossal water dragon suddenly surged into the sky, its long, winding body spanning the horizon like a towering mountain. The dragon was composed entirely of clear, flowing water, each scale shimmering with a crystal-like radiance, as if it were a masterpiece of nature. As it spiraled through the air, the water-wrought body became increasingly fluid and lifelike. Even more miraculously, the thick moisture in the air from the rain constantly converged upon the dragon, making its body grow denser and more solid, as if it were made of impenetrable matter.
"Honestly, must we resort to violence?" Mo Chen said with a sigh of resignation. Before the words had even left his lips, he vanished, leaping upward like an arrow released from a bow.
In an instant, Mo Chen’s body expanded and twisted with visible speed, transforming in the blink of an eye into a massive, imposing Black Dragon! The creature was immense, as black as ink, and radiated a heart-stopping pressure. Compared to the Water Dragon, it was far more robust and significantly larger, hanging in the sky like a towering peak.
The two dragons stood in opposition, the atmosphere heavy enough to make one gasp for air. At this moment of extreme tension, the Water Dragon struck first. It roared, opening its blood-filled maw to unleash a surging column of water. The torrent spiraled like a frantic water python, carrying unparalleled impact as it barreled toward the Black Dragon.
Yet, facing such a fierce assault, the Black Dragon remained unfazed. It also opened its maw, and a deep purple light began to gather rapidly within. As time passed, the glow grew brighter, eventually coalescing into a thick, formidable shockwave of purple energy.
In the blink of an eye, just as the Water Dragon’s spiral torrent was inches from the Black Dragon, the purple blast erupted from its throat! The two powerful forces collided, causing the heavens to darken and the winds to churn. At first, the two attacks seemed evenly matched, locked in a stalemate. But soon, the situation became clear.
As the Black Dragon poured more power into its blast, the Water Dragon's defense began to falter. Cracks appeared in the supposedly impenetrable water column, spreading rapidly. With a crisp sound of shattering, the Water Dragon's attack disintegrated, scattering into countless droplets. The purple dragon breath surged forward, hurtling toward the Water Dragon’s massive frame with world-ending momentum.
With a split-second reaction, the Water Dragon tilted its body to the side. The lethal breath whistled past its flank, missing it by a hair's breadth. The attack struck the earth, instantly carving a massive crater into the open ground.
Before the Water Dragon could recover from the narrow escape, a shadow flickered behind it. The Black Dragon’s thick, powerful tail lashed out like a steel whip, striking the Water Dragon with a thunderous "bang" that seemed to shake the very fabric of space. Unable to withstand the immense force, the Water Dragon was sent flying, losing its balance and tumbling through the air in endless, erratic spins.
Finally, after a long, chaotic descent, the Water Dragon managed to steady itself through sheer perseverance and exceptional aerial control, hovering shakily in mid-air. Though disheveled, it refused to yield. A dragon roar that shook the heavens erupted from its throat.
The Black Dragon did not pause. It opened its jaws, exhaling a thick cloud of dark energy. Immediately, countless purple-black fireballs materialized around it, each radiating intense heat and terrifying fluctuations of energy. Its scarlet eyes locked onto the Water Dragon, and with a flick of its claw, it commanded the fireballs to attack. They streaked across the sky like meteors, slamming toward the Water Dragon with unimaginable speed.
Facing the deluge of fire, the Water Dragon did not wait for death. It responded with a deafening roar, exerting all its strength to draw the surrounding water vapor into a massive sphere that tightly encased its body. The fireballs and the water sphere collided with a world-shaking boom!
The moment they touched, fire and water intertwined, creating a scene both dazzlingly beautiful and lethal. As the fireballs struck the sphere, a violent reaction occurred, causing thick, acrid steam to billow into the surroundings. Seeing its fierce assault blocked so easily, a flash of annoyance crossed the Black Dragon’s copper-bell-sized eyes. It unleashed a low, thunderous growl and dived toward the water sphere like a bolt of black lightning.
In the blink of an eye, the Black Dragon’s razor-sharp claws sliced across the surface of the sphere. With a soft "pssh," the supposedly unbreakable water shattered like fragile tofu. At the same time, the Black Dragon’s claw left a bone-deep, ghastly gash across the Water Dragon's massive body!
Due to the vast disparity in their sizes, the Water Dragon was at a complete disadvantage. Its gargantuan frame was now tightly gripped in the Black Dragon’s claws, rendering it unable to move. Desperate to break free, the Water Dragon unleashed a barrage of freezing blue breath directly at its attacker. However, the Black Dragon ignored the attack entirely. The frost merely sparked against its iron-hard scales, failing to cause even the slightest real damage.
The Black Dragon paid no mind to the futile struggle, rapidly ascending with the Water Dragon in its grasp. Before long, they pierced through layers of thick clouds, reaching a great altitude. Suddenly, the Black Dragon stopped its ascent, adjusted its posture, and plunged head-first toward the ground at a staggering, supersonic speed!
With a shrill whistle born of friction against the air, the two dragons became a blurred black line in the sky. When they were a mere hundred meters from the ground, the Black Dragon exerted its force, violently hurling the Water Dragon downward. The creature struck the earth like a massive cannonball, carrying the weight of mountains. With a deafening "boom," the ground trembled. The Water Dragon let out a miserable, piercing cry that echoed through the clouds.
The Black Dragon circled above, its eyes burning like black flames, staring down at the Water Dragon with a chilling pressure. Feeling the bloodline suppression and the insurmountable gap in power, the Water Dragon could hardly mount an effective counterattack. Covered in wounds and with shattered scales, blood streamed from its injuries. Yet, even so, it climbed shakily from the dust and rubble. Each movement brought excruciating pain, but the Water Dragon gritted its teeth, refusing to surrender.
Driven by an indomitable will, the Water Dragon took to the air once more. Though bedraggled and scarred, its pride as a dragon forbade it from showing weakness. It tilted its head back and released a low, resonant roar that seemed to traverse time and space.
At the same time, its broken body began to emit a soft blue light. The glow, like moonlight on water, bathed its wounds, which began to knit together at a visible rate. Droplets of water scattered across the ground were drawn by some mysterious force, converging into the blue light to provide a constant source of healing and energy.
The Black Dragon hovered like a silent mountain, its majestic presence radiating a terrifying aura. It knew well that even if the Water Dragon returned to its peak, it would still be like an egg striking a rock.
Time passed, and the healing reached its end. Just as the Black Dragon was contemplating its next move, the Water Dragon suddenly drew upon all its remaining Soul Power. A brilliant, dazzling blue energy sphere materialized in its mouth, shimmering with endless power. Seeing this, the Black Dragon frowned in anger. It had allowed the creature time to recover, only for it to persist in its resistance.
The Black Dragon threw its head back, opened its maw, and released a roar like rolling thunder that shook the heavens. A beam of deep purple dragon breath shot toward the clouds like an arrow. Instantly, the breath pierced the cloud bank, triggering a series of startling changes. The light rain was abruptly halted, as if restrained by an unseen force. Simultaneously, the dark clouds were stained with a deep purple hue. Bolts of purple lightning danced like wild silver serpents, exploding in a cacophony of terrifying roars.
"Torch Dragon Star: Lament of the Dragon Galaxy!"
As the low, resonant voice of the Black Dragon sounded, a dazzling purple lightning bolt—like a meteor cutting through the night—slashed down from the clouds with world-ending momentum. It was so powerful that it split the purple thunderclouds in two, scattering them into countless fragments that vanished into the sky.
The Water Dragon stared in disbelief, its heart surging with tumultuous waves of shock. Both were dragons, so why was the disparity between them so vast? It was merely a Water Dragon focused on healing, while its opponent was a Torch Dragon, born of violence and slaughter. Yet, despite the fear and confusion, there was no turning back.
The Water Dragon bit its lip, pouring all its Soul Power into one final, desperate strike. Its massive body trembled as the power flowed into its mouth, forming an energy sphere the size of a mountain, radiating a heart-stopping glow. Simultaneously, a dazzling golden beam of light materialized in the sky, hurtling toward the Water Dragon with blinding speed.
The Black Dragon, having already turned away, flew toward the distant woods. It cradled Qian Renxue in its arms, covering her body with a layer of pale scales. At almost the same instant, a faint purple brilliance radiated from the Black Dragon, quickly spreading to form an incredibly sturdy barrier of dragon scales that sealed off the entire area.
With a thunderous boom, the golden beam slammed into the Water Dragon's energy sphere. Light blinded all, accompanied by a deafening explosion. The full-force strike, painstakingly gathered by the Water Dragon, was utterly crushed in an instant, scattering into fragments. A violent, gale-force wind swept through the surroundings, turning everything in its path to dust and rubble.
Fortunately, Mo Chen had been prepared and had sealed the area in advance. Otherwise, the shockwave alone would have reduced the entire town to ruins in an instant. Even so, the giant mushroom cloud that rose became a nightmare for everyone within a hundred miles.
Mo Chen had reverted to human form. Sensing the faint life force of Danyu, he shook his head slowly.
"Sigh..."
As someone with a Dragon-type Martial Soul, Mo Chen knew that unless you conquered or subdued your opponent with absolute strength, it was impossible to make someone with a dragon soul follow your lead.