Chapter Twenty-Five: Sudden Encounter with a Dragon

Forget it, let’s deal with the enemy right in front of me first!

Although Wang Zitao’s battle aura possessed a devouring effect, he was still no match for Lu Xingchen. With a single "Void-Breaking Slash," Lu Xingchen left a wound on his chest deep enough to expose bone. Wang Zitao was startled and retreated in a hurry, a cloud of blood-colored mist manifesting around him.

"Heh heh heh! Kid, my Blood Garment Art has not yet reached perfection, so you got lucky this time. The next time we meet, I will surely take your life."

Lu Xingchen raised an eyebrow slightly and unleashed another "Void-Breaking Slash." The powerful battle aura split the blood mist in two, but Wang Zitao’s figure was no longer within it. Lu Xingchen sighed softly. He had let the enemy escape. By the time they met again, with that so-called "Blood Garment Art" perfected, he would likely be even harder to kill. But that was fine; he would not be standing still either. Lu Xingchen pulled out his Qingxia Bow and continued to pick off the disciples of the Blood Garment Sect.

Meanwhile, Wang Zitao appeared in a secret chamber within the sub-altar. The chamber contained a pool of blood, filled with a vast quantity of gore, and marked with mysterious, arcane patterns. In the center of the pool was a dragon. Yes, a dragon! Its entire body was purplish-black, though nearly half of it was stained red with blood. It had wings on its back and possessed a massive, imposing frame. At that moment, the dragon was firmly secured by several iron chains, and no matter how desperately it struggled, it was to no avail.

Wang Zitao stroked the giant dragon’s claw and said in a low voice, "Dammit, those Lingxiao Sect disciples arrived too quickly. I was just about to make you my own." He sneered, "It’s a pity my Spatial Blood Escape cannot carry large objects, otherwise I would have taken you with me. Since that’s the case, I’ll at least make things miserable for these Lingxiao Sect disciples!"

With that, he pulled out a key and unlocked the chains. The dragon immediately let out a roar and lunged at Wang Zitao, struggling wildly. Wang Zitao hurriedly activated his "Spatial Blood Escape," transforming into a cloud of blood mist and vanishing from the spot. The dragon charged out of the chamber, burst into the battlefield between the two sects, and began slaughtering everyone in its path. There were few Blood Garment Sect disciples left on the field; it was mostly the Lingxiao Sect disciples who were suffering heavy casualties, with several even being crushed to death by the dragon’s paws.

Lu Xingchen looked at the top of the dragon's head. A Tier 2, Ten-Star Demonic Beast! It was equivalent to a Ten-Star Martial Master among humans! This was the most powerful enemy he had encountered since his transmigration.

Lin Wanqing shouted urgently, "Lingxiao Sect members, retreat!"

However, how could ordinary disciples outrun a dragon? It exhaled a breath of dragon fire, and instantly, over a dozen disciples were severely wounded. Lu Xingchen frowned, hesitated for a moment, then drew his Shadow Sword and charged toward the dragon.

Lin Wanqing was shocked and cried out, "Dazhuang, have you lost your mind? That’s a dragon!"

Lu Xingchen turned to look at Lin Wanqing and gave a calm smile. "Don't worry, with the Shadow Sword in hand, it can't touch me. Right now, I'm the only one who can keep it occupied. You go find Peak Master Yi Hong to come and help!"

Lin Wanqing nodded heavily. "Then you must hold on!"

Lu Xingchen rushed before the dragon and unleashed a "Void-Breaking Slash" with all his might. As a Five-Star Martial Master, his full-strength strike, combined with a Mysterious-grade martial technique, managed to inflict damage on the dragon. The creature felt the pain, let out an angry roar, and spat a torrent of dragon fire at Lu Xingchen.

Lu Xingchen’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly activated the Shadow Sword to teleport behind the dragon, narrowly dodging the lethal blow. The dragon seemed to have lost its sanity, turning around to continue its assault on Lu Xingchen. Leveraging the double displacement of the Shadow Sword, Lu Xingchen firmly held the dragon’s aggro. The dragon continuously spat dragon fire and swiped at him with its claws, but he dodged every single attack.

He couldn't help but feel fortunate. It was a good thing he had upgraded the Shadow Sword to the high Mysterious grade, or he might truly have fallen here today. With Lu Xingchen drawing the dragon’s fire, Lin Wanqing organized everyone to carry the injured disciples to a safe zone. Although dozens were severely wounded, only five had died.

The disciples watched Lu Xingchen entangled with the dragon, their hearts filled with admiration. "If any of us were touched by that dragon, we’d be crippled, yet Senior Brother Lu is holding it off all by himself. His strength is just too incredible!"

"Senior Brother Lu put himself in danger just to save us. He is a hero!"

"If Senior Brother Lu survives this, I will definitely report this to the Peak Master and have him heavily rewarded."

Lin Wanqing said anxiously, "Stop with this useless talk and go find Peak Master Yi Hong! Only he has the strength to subdue this giant dragon!"

The group immediately turned and fled. Lin Wanqing, being the fastest, took the lead. A quarter of an hour later, she finally found Yi Hong, who was sitting at a table on a nearby peak, sipping tea.

"Peak Master, it’s bad! Lu Xingchen is in danger!"

Hearing the name "Lu Xingchen," Yi Hong’s brow furrowed slightly. He took a leisurely sip of tea and said calmly, "Lin Wanqing, don't be anxious, speak slowly."

How could Lin Wanqing not be anxious? Every second of delay could mean the death of her beloved! "The suppression operation was going smoothly, and we were about to wipe out the Blood Garment Sect disciples. But then, a giant dragon appeared in the sub-altar—a peak Tier 2 beast. It began attacking everyone indiscriminately, and our disciples suffered heavy losses. To cover our retreat, Lu Xingchen stayed behind to hold it off alone. Peak Master Yi Hong, please go save him! Lu Xingchen could die at any moment!"

Hearing this, Yi Hong felt a wave of secret delight. It was bad enough that the boy had inherited the "Shadow Sword Manual," but he had even defeated Hu Junfeng, whom he had meticulously trained. Even if Hu Junfeng had suppressed his cultivation, a loss was a loss. Wasn't that essentially announcing to the entire sect that the "Spirit Transformation Sword Manual" was inferior to the "Shadow Sword Manual"? It was infuriating. While in the sect, with Lin Qingzhu protecting him, Yi Hong dared not make a move against him. But now that he had chosen to go and throw his life away, he had no one else to blame!

Yi Hong said coldly, "Very well. Wait until I have escorted the injured disciples back to the Lingxiao Sect, then I will go save Lu Xingchen."

Hearing this, Lin Wanqing’s heart sank. She couldn't help but scream, "Peak Master, you cannot do this! There is a priority to all things. The other disciples are injured, but it makes no difference whether they return a little earlier or a little later. Lu Xingchen is risking his life to cover everyone else!"

Yi Hong took another sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "One cannot put it that way. The lives of those disciples are lives as well. What if they are ambushed by the Blood Garment Sect on their way back to the sect? I must prioritize the safety of the majority."

Lin Wanqing was enraged. She pointed at Yi Hong’s nose and cursed, "Yi Hong, you’re doing this on purpose just to watch Lu Xingchen die, aren't you? As a Peak Master, you lack even the slightest bit of character. I look down on you!"