Chapter Thirty-Seven: Battle with the Thunder Dragon

The treasure they sought was within reach. Suddenly, the thunderous domain was cast into turmoil. Before the two old men—Divine Lord Liyang and the Herbal Sage—appeared a colossal dragon, stretching ten thousand feet long. This dragon bore no resemblance to the dragons of the Lixingtian Star Domain, nor to the exotic dragon Lord Liyang had tamed a century prior. It was a thunder dragon, its scales a deep purple-black, its entire body crackling with violent lightning.

This dragon was among the earliest beings born in the Domain of Storms, a child of thunder, favored by the very lightning itself. In Lord Liyang’s perception, its power was not quite as formidable as the nine-headed aberrant dragon he had once encountered.

The tempestuous thunder dragon, wreathed in lightning, remained steadfastly in its true form. Whether it was unwilling to assume human shape or simply had never learned the art of transformation, neither Lord Liyang nor the Herbal Sage could say. The black dragon’s voice rolled forth like thunder.

“Mortal wielders of lightning, why do you trespass in my domain?” the thunder dragon demanded.

Lord Liyang stepped forward. “I am Liyang, and this is my brother, Lu Yishan. We come to save a life, seeking from your land several medicinal herbs aged beyond a hundred thousand years. If you would grant us these, I would be deeply grateful.” His tone was humble and earnest.

Alas, the black giant was not so easily persuaded.

“Your business of saving lives is no concern of mine. I have no need of your gratitude,” it replied curtly, offering no courtesy to these ancient men.

Unruffled, Lord Liyang asked, “What terms would you require? Speak freely.”

The black dragon was silent for a moment before replying, “If you agree to two conditions, I will give you the herbs.”

“What conditions? Speak plainly. If it is within my power, I will do all I can,” Lord Liyang responded calmly.

“The first: you shall serve me as my slaves for a thousand years. After that, you may reclaim your freedom,” the dragon replied carelessly.

Such terms were impossible for Lord Liyang and the Herbal Sage to accept. It was clearly meant to make things difficult for them, and besides, time was of the essence if they were to save the one in peril.

“State your second condition,” Lord Liyang said, a flicker of irritation in his heart, yet his demeanor remained placid.

The black dragon answered nonchalantly, “The second is simple: defeat me.”

At this, Lord Liyang could not help but smile wryly. He thought that this creature must have dwelled in this lonely place for too long and, overcome by boredom, now sought a worthy opponent for battle.

Here, the black dragon enjoyed every advantage—mastery over the very laws of thunder and lightning that governed this realm. In all, it was perhaps even stronger than the nine-headed aberrant dragon of old.

But the years had elevated Lord Liyang’s cultivation to even greater heights. Moreover, in his war halberd dwelled the mighty mutated nine-headed dragon. Lord Liyang’s only thought was to quickly gather the necessary herbs and heal his grandson, Li Hao.

Lord Liyang wondered what further schemes the thunder dragon harbored. He asked with suspicion, “Speak—do you have other conditions?”

The thunder dragon, surprised at having its intent so swiftly perceived, replied, “Human, you are indeed shrewd. I wish to battle you with only our own strength. No weapons—no war halberd—and your companion must not interfere.”

The “old man” he referred to was Lu Yishan, the Herbal Sage. Lord Liyang felt a pang of bitterness; without his weapon, a third of his strength would be diminished.

Nevertheless, confident in the depth of his own cultivation, he agreed readily. “Very well, I accept.”

Hearing this, the Herbal Sage grew worried. Dragon scales were like sacred armor; ordinary weapons could not harm such a beast, and the black thunder dragon held every advantage. It was clear the dragon sought to exploit its strengths against Lord Liyang’s weakness.

“Be careful, Brother Liyang,” the Herbal Sage cautioned.

“Rest assured, brother. I will be fine,” Lord Liyang replied with confidence.

“Come then! Show me what you are capable of!” With a sweep of his will, Lord Liyang gathered the laws of heaven and earth. Behind him, a colossal divine avatar appeared, exuding a sovereign, commanding aura.

The black dragon was undaunted, summoning the power of thunder and lightning throughout the domain. Its aura grew several times stronger than before as it surged at Lord Liyang, thus commencing their epic battle.

High above the thunder domain, tens of thousands of feet in the air, the purple-black thunder dragon, radiating with violent lightning, faced off against an old man in golden robes, white-haired yet youthful in countenance. Far away, another old man in green robes, a kindly expression on his face and a small green medicine chest at his waist, watched with anxious eyes.

The thunder dragon opened its jaws wide, unleashing a thunder pearl—a sphere of pure lightning law, a hundred feet across—hurtling toward Lord Liyang at blinding speed. Just as the pearl was about to strike, Lord Liyang vanished. In that instant, he summoned a massive hand, formed of the laws of heaven, and struck at the dragon’s jaw.

With a thunderous crash, the palm landed squarely, reverberating like a peal of thunder. The space itself trembled, ripples of law spreading from the dragon’s jaw like waves upon a lake. The dragon’s head whipped around from the blow.

As the head pitched down at a forty-five-degree angle toward the earth, the dragon lashed out with its tail, a thousand-foot whip crackling with power, aiming for Lord Liyang. He retreated at lightning speed, simultaneously conjuring another great hand to seize the dragon’s tail. With a mighty twist, he spun the dragon a full circle, hurling its massive form from the heights down to the earth below.

A deafening crash followed. Within thirty thousand feet, mountains collapsed and rivers broke. The stronger creatures fled in terror; the weaker ones, caught unawares, were obliterated, vanishing from the world.

A storm of dust and lightning swept across the domain, filling every inch of space for thousands of feet. After a long moment, the dust settled. In the midst of a vast crater—thirty thousand feet long and a thousand feet deep—lay the purple-black thunder dragon, barely scathed, though battered in appearance. It was clear its body, tempered by a lifetime in this violent domain, possessed defenses of astonishing strength.

With a furious roar, the thunder dragon’s massive form contracted, and in a flash it soared from the crater into the sky. Its voice rang out, powerful and resonant: “Human, your strength is impressive. Again!”

Though the thunder dragon admired Lord Liyang’s might, it would not yield. It was itself a lord of this domain, proud and unwilling to lose face.

Though anxious to save a life, Lord Liyang refrained from wanton destruction. As the saying went, “A mighty dragon does not oppress a local serpent.” Were he to cause havoc here, he might attract other powerful beings, making matters more difficult—after all, two fists are no match for many hands. Even if he posed no further threat, acquiring the herbs would become near impossible.

His compassion compelled him to keep their battle in the sky, striving to limit collateral damage and spare innocent life.

High above in the thunder domain, Lord Liyang’s majestic form floated serenely. He watched the thunder dragon surge up from the crater, his face calm, as if the battle had not involved him at all. In truth, he was secretly astonished at the dragon’s defensive power.

He pondered how best to bring the fight to a swift conclusion. For beings of such profound cultivation, no single blow would decide victory.

The thunder dragon, racing upward, gathered the laws of lightning to its body, arcs of electricity crackling as it became a spear aimed straight at Lord Liyang.

At that moment, Lord Liyang’s eyes flashed. Worried about how to end the battle quickly, he saw his chance. With a thought, he summoned the laws of heaven and earth, sketching two yin-yang shields to either side, inverted in the air, and shot downwards from the heights at unimaginable speed, ready to risk all in a clash of pure force.

Their powers collided—a resounding boom, the space itself shuddering, the noise deafening. From their point of impact, the force of their powers spread outward, shattering the very fabric of reality.

After the blow, both figures hurtled in opposite directions. The dragon crashed to earth once more, though less violently than before. As it plummeted, the shockwaves died away. This time, the dragon was driven like a spear into a mountain, vanishing from sight.

Within the mountain’s heart, the thunder dragon hung upright—tail down, head up. Outwardly unscathed, its internal organs had been ravaged by Lord Liyang’s power. Beneath its scales, flesh tore, blood flowed from its orifices, and it was utterly spent, unable even to struggle free.

Lord Liyang himself was hurled a thousand feet upwards by the force of the clash. Calling upon the laws of heaven, he managed to steady himself, swallowing a mouthful of blood that threatened to rise. He had suffered only a minor injury—insignificant to a cultivator of his caliber.

Such was the measure of Lord Liyang’s power.