The sea breeze was briny and salty, and the waves surged.
Long Tao's aura exploded, like a Demon God walking out of the deep sea.
Ling Tian's eyes narrowed slightly, but a monstrous killing intent ignited in his heart. He stomped his foot, and the seawater exploded. His figure shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, the jade dragon sword in his hand emitting a dazzling cold light, aiming straight for Long Tao's throat!
"Child's play!"
Long Tao sneered, sweeping his great Saber. Saber Qi, like a wild Dragon emerging from the sea, fiercely collided with the Sword light.
"Boom!"
A deafening roar shook the heavens. The sea surface was forcefully split into a bottomless gully, and water splashed down like a torrential rain.
Ling Tian was forced back dozens of zhang, his sword-holding hand trembling slightly, a tearing pain coming from the tiger's mouth of his hand. He was secretly shocked: "The power of the Golden Core Realm is truly terrifying!"
"Hahahaha! Little thief! With just this much skill, you dare to covet my Sea Clan's supreme treasure!?"
Long Tao laughed madly, his figure flickering. He appeared before Ling Tian like a ghost, his great Saber carrying the force of ten thousand jin, striking down like Mount Tai pressing on him.
Giant waves surged, closing in like a cage.
In Ling Tian's pupils, a crimson-gold flame suddenly ignited.
"Boom!"
The jade dragon sword let out a deafening Dragon's roar. The sword body shone with brilliant golden light, and the Dragon patterns on it seemed to come alive, coiling and swimming.
Beneath Ling Tian's feet, the sea surface suddenly collapsed, forming a huge whirlpool. Crimson flames erupted from his seven orifices, actually burning a gap in the surging giant waves!
"Flame Dragon First Transformation! Burning Body!"
The young man roared, his voice shaking the nine heavens.
As the incantation fell, Ling Tian's entire body began to crack, and before blood beads could seep out, they were evaporated into a blood mist by the high temperature. He was like a Fire God walking out of magma, treading on the boiling seawater, soaring into the sky!
By forcibly activating the Flame Dragon First Transformation's boost, Ling Tian also temporarily possessed the power of the Golden Core Realm!
"That kid is burning his essence blood!"
Above the waves, the Swordfish Leader's expression changed drastically, filled with shock and anger, "Form the Myriad Waves Dragon Lock Array!"
Hundreds of Sea Clan soldiers roared in unison, fiercely plunging their tridents into the sea surface.
In an instant, countless water chains broke through the waves, each chain adorned with the phantom of a ferocious Dragon head, weaving into a gigantic net that covered the sky and obscured the sun.
"Lock!"
Tens of thousands of Dragon heads opened their mouths simultaneously. Amidst the deafening Dragon's roar, the flames around Ling Tian were actually suppressed back into his body by this terrifying sound wave!
"Pfft!"
Ling Tian spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, the jade dragon sword almost slipping from his grasp.
He looked at the gigantic net of water chains slowly closing above his head, but a cold sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Sea Clan, do you really think you have me cornered?"
He saw him suddenly slap his Dantian with his right hand, and a crimson-gold Dragon shadow burst out of his body. That Dragon shadow was completely different from before, with nine eyes on its forehead and lightning patterns on its claws — it was precisely the Dragon Clan's original essence sleeping within the jade dragon sword!
"Jade Dragon! Lend me a breath of Dragon Qi!"
Ling Tian bit the tip of his tongue, and his essence blood transformed into a blood arrow, shooting into the Dragon shadow's brow.
"Roar—!"
The Dragon's roar shattered a hundred miles of clouds. The Nine-Eyed Flame Dragon remnant soul roared to the heavens, spewing a golden pillar of fire.
Wherever the pillar of fire passed, the water chains completely vaporized, and even space was scorched with spiderweb-like cracks!
"Not good! Retreat quickly!"
The Swordfish Leader's eyes were splitting with rage, but it was ultimately half a step too late.
The golden pillar of fire swept across, and hundreds of Sea Clan soldiers in the front row, without even having time to scream, turned into a wisp of green smoke and dissipated between heaven and earth.
Long Tao, wearing whale-patterned battle armor, was still severely wounded!
Half of his battle armor shattered, one arm went missing, and fresh blood gushed out like a fountain!
"Roar!!"
Long Tao roared, his eyes filled with disbelief. He hadn't expected Ling Tian to be able to unleash such terrifying combat power!
Then he clenched his single arm into a fist and fiercely punched out! The punch wind swept like a tornado, heavily striking Ling Tian's chest!
"Boom!"
The Qi wave exploded, and the sea surface violently shook!
"Thud!"
Ling Tian flew backward like a kite with a broken string, falling heavily onto the sea surface, blood continuously flowing from his seven orifices.
This punch, coupled with the backlash from forcibly awakening the Dragon Soul, made Ling Tian's entire Meridians feel as if they were being cut by a thousand knives, causing him unbearable pain.
"Cough... cough cough... So this is what Master meant by not using the Dragon Clan's original essence unless absolutely necessary..."
A thousand li away, above the clouds.
The silver-haired young man stood with his hands behind his back, the Devil patterns between his brows flickering unsteadily.
His closed "eyes" seemed to penetrate the Void Realm, taking in the entire battle.
"My Lord, are you going to make a move?"
Qing Sha looked at the phantom of the battlefield appearing in her palm and asked softly.
"No hurry." Xuan Xiao's lips curved into an intriguing arc, "I want to see just how hard the bones of a disciple taught by the True Dragon Immortal Long Daozi ten thousand years ago can be."
On the sea surface.
Ling Tian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes resolute. Suddenly! He plunged the jade dragon sword into his Dantian with a backhand motion!
"Pfft!"
The sword blade penetrated three inches into his flesh and stopped. The Dragon patterns on the sword hilt lit up with an eerie blood-red glow.
Using the sword as a medium, the remaining Flame Dragon Power in his Dantian surged wildly into his limbs and bones — this was a life-saving forbidden art that Long Daozi had taught him before he left: Weapon Devourer to Aid the Master!
"Buzz—buzz—buzz——"
The jade dragon sword let out a mournful cry, and dense ancient incantations appeared on the sword body.
Ling Tian's aura soared, rising steadily!
In the blink of an eye, it broke through the shackles of the Golden Core Realm, with half a foot stepping into the Nascent Soul Realm!
"One incense stick's time..."
He pulled out the blood-stained jade dragon sword, feeling the destructive energy surging within him, his eyes cold, "Enough to kill my way out!"
"Bang!!"
The sea surface exploded with a hundred-meter giant wave.
Ling Tian transformed into a crimson meteor. Wherever he passed, the seawater boiled and vaporized, actually dragging out a thousand-meter-long vacuum channel behind him!
"Stop him!" Long Tao roared hoarsely.
The remaining Sea Clan soldiers quickly formed a fish-scale battle array. In the center of the battle array, eerie blue light spheres condensed one after another. In an instant, ten thousand arrows were fired simultaneously!
"Get lost!"
Ling Tian swept his sword horizontally, and crimson Sword Qi spread out in a fan shape, colliding with the eerie blue light spheres.
"Rumble!"
Dazzling aurora lit up between heaven and earth.
The shockwave generated by the explosion evaporated all the seawater within a ten-li radius, instantly revealing the ferocious reefs on the seabed.
The water mist dissipated.
Everyone was horrified to discover that Ling Tian had actually charged against the explosion, his body a bloody mess, yet his speed showed no signs of decreasing!
"Madman! This is a madman!"
A Sea Clan soldier shouted in collapse.
They saw that Ling Tian's blown-off left arm was still dangling from his shoulder, and the bones at his right knee were exposed, a shocking sight. Yet, the sword in his hand remained straight as a Dragon, pressing forward relentlessly!
"Dragon Spirit! Transform! Golden Dragon's Roar to the Heavens!"
Ling Tian's hoarse roar pierced through the clouds.
The jade dragon sword completely shattered, transforming into thousands of golden light particles, merging into his right arm.
His entire arm instantly underwent Dragon transformation. Blazing flames erupted from the gaps in his scales, as if burning the heavens!
He punched out! Time seemed to stand still!
Long Tao only had time to bring his great Saber across his chest before he felt as if he had been hit head-on by a meteor.
His proud Profound Sea Battle Blade shattered inch by inch at this moment, and the essence blood attached to it was directly evaporated.
Next were his breastplate, ribs, internal organs... Before his consciousness dissipated, the last thing Long Tao saw was the lower half of his body being vaporized.
"The... the General is dead! General Long Tao is dead!!"
The Sea Clan battle array instantly fell into Chaos.
Ling Tian seized the opportunity to break through the defense line and sped towards the northeast.
With each step, large chunks of flesh fell from his arm, but he seemed oblivious.
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
In the distant sky, a world-shaking roar came!
That was Long Ming!
Upon receiving the Clan Chief's order, Long Ming immediately led his elite troops and rushed to the battlefield!
However, he was still a step too late!
Looking at Long Tao's half-remaining body, Long Ming felt his Qi and blood surge, his eyes turning crimson!
After hearing the description from the Sea Clan soldiers on the scene, he said with red eyes: "Kid! I've marked this grudge! The next time we meet! I will definitely tear you to pieces!!"
"All units! Retreat!!"
Sea Clan, Violent Wave Hall.
"Report—!"
A Sea Clan soldier rushed into the main hall in a hurry, kneeling on one knee, "Clan... Clan Chief, General Long Tao unfortunately died in battle while fiercely fighting that treasure thief on the sea surface!"
Ao Lie suddenly stood up, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by gloom.
"Didn't I tell Long Ming to inform them to come back!?"
"Clan Chief, General Long Ming hadn't arrived yet when the fight had already started." The Sea Clan soldier lowered his head and reported the entire battle situation in detail.
"This is not Xuan Xiao at all!!" Ao Lie said in a deep voice, suppressing his anger, "Pass down the order, after Long Ming returns, have him guard the West Dragon Gate!"
"Long Yu, heed my command!"
"Long Yu is here!"
"I now order you to lead an elite squad to pursue that kid! Regardless of life or death! No matter who it is! Anyone who kills a person of my Sea Clan must pay with their life!"
"Long! Yu! Receives! Order!"
A young man clad in dark gold armor knelt on one knee, his eyes filled with endless killing intent!
At the edge of the God Forbidden Forest.
After sprinting at full speed for about half an incense stick's time, Ling Tian finally entered the edge of the God Forbidden Forest. The backlash from forcibly using the forbidden art, along with the wounds left by the battle, made him unable to hold on any longer. Ling Tian stumbled and fell onto the beach, dragging a shocking trail of blood behind him. The fragments of the jade dragon sword re-condensed between his eyebrows, but it was already dim like common iron, having lost its former luster.
He struggled to raise his head, looking at the dense forest that covered the sky before him, tears of blood flowing from his eyes, and burst into wild laughter.
"Nine years ago, I fled from here like a stray dog, and nine years later! I return in the same manner! Hahahaha! Villainous heavens! Why do you treat me like this!!"
Ling Tian laughed up at the sky, his laughter filled with unwillingness and sorrow, startling the crows in the forest.
In the instant before his consciousness plunged into darkness, he seemed to see a figure in black robes floating over, with silver hair like snow.
"Tsk tsk..."
The person who arrived was precisely Xuan Xiao.
He bent down, lightly touching Ling Tian's Dragon-transformed right arm with his fingertips. Devil patterns spread along his arm, actually slowly suppressing the rampaging Flame Dragon Power.
Immediately, a Devil Seal flashed and disappeared on Ling Tian's shoulder.
"Long Daozi, I have repaid your favor." Xuan Xiao said indifferently.
"How much this Phantom Devil Seal can exert depends on your own fortune."
With that, Xuan Xiao waved his hand towards the far east, tearing space apart, his target being the Flowing Light Shadow Stone... Ling Tian felt himself continuously sinking.
Blood-red foam poured into his mouth and nose, and a viscous liquid with the taste of rust filled his chest.
He wanted to struggle, but found his limbs powerless, his body seemingly no longer his own.
"Am I... going to die...?"
In the fleeting moment of his blurred consciousness, he suddenly felt himself stepping on solid ground.
Opening his eyes, the world was blood-red.
In the sky, a giant tumor hung, pulsating like a heart. With each beat, blood rain poured down.
The ground was covered with dark red patterns like blood vessels, and in the distance stood a half-broken tombstone — that was the Thousand Souls Stele of the Ling family's ancestral shrine!
"This is..."
Ling Tian lowered his head, looking at his transparent hands.
In the distance, the sound of a child sobbing came. He followed the sound and his pupils suddenly constricted.
His six-year-old self was curled up in an ice coffin, clutching half a crystal red bean paste cake tightly in his arms.
His mother's blood-stained sleeve corner was caught outside the coffin seam, gently swaying in the wind.
"Mother...!"
He rushed over frantically, but his fingertips passed through the ice coffin.
Then the scene suddenly distorted, turning into Butler Chen's sneering face, and the scene of the Black Scale Arrow shooting into his father's heart played on a loop. Each time it hit, it brought forth a pillar of blood that shot to the sky.
"No!!!"
Ling Tian roared, punching the sea of blood.
Waves rolled, transforming into more fragments of memory: the burning Lingyun City, his mother's trembling when she held him, the moist breath of the Ink Scale Steed before it fell off the cliff... The blood waves boiled, condensing into a blurry figure. The figure had its eyes closed, and its voice seemed to come from the nine netherworlds:
"Kid, with your meager strength, you can't even protect yourself, so what are you talking about revenge?"
Ling Tian wanted to retort, but the figure pressed a finger against his brow: "Want to know why the Ling family was exterminated?" The figure chuckled, Devil Qi surging from its fingertips, "Because you have flowing in your body..."
"Tian'er!"
A clear female voice, like a sharp sword, cut through the sea of blood.
Ling Tian's entire body trembled violently, and something warm suddenly appeared in his palm — that half-eaten, blood-stained crystal red bean paste cake actually glowed with a faint white light in the illusion.
"Crack."
Fine cracks appeared on the surface of the pastry, revealing a blood-red crystal the size of a Dragon's eye inside. The moment the crystal touched his soul body, the entire sea of blood began to shake violently. Those vein-like patterns suddenly came alive, frantically climbing up his ankles.
Ling Tian stared blankly as the crystal merged into his heart.
Deep within his Dantian, something seemed to shatter.
"Roar—!!!"
Amidst the heaven-shaking Dragon's roar, he felt something on his back about to burst out of his body.
Excruciating pain!
Unbearable agony!
Ling Tian gritted his teeth, holding on for dear life.
He wanted to live!
He wanted revenge!
"Break for me!!!"
Ling Tian roared, his voice hoarse.
"Swish—!"
His back tore open, and a pair of blood-red wings that covered the sky suddenly unfolded!
Unlike the crimson-gold of Flame Dragon Power, this was the purest dark red. The wing bones were covered with barbs, and each feather shimmered with the light of dying stars.
The figure in the sea of blood shattered inch by inch under the Dragon's might, revealing a meaningful smile before dissipating: "Not bad."
Reality, on the beach.
Ling Tian's body slowly floated up, and dark red patterns appeared on his chest. The seawater within a hundred li surged into the sky, condensing into a giant black whirlpool in the air.
He suddenly opened his eyes, his left pupil crimson-gold, his right pupil profound night.
The fragments of the jade dragon sword re-gathered, but were stained black the moment they touched his palm.
At the hilt of the sword, a scarlet vertical pupil slowly opened, exhaling a chilling aura of Chaos.