Lizarius steadied himself within the raging storm.
Dark lightning crackled endlessly across his scales while blue flames coiled around his massive body like living destruction, constantly twisting and reforming as if the storm itself refused to let him remain still.
Far ahead—
Sect Leader Yuan floated beneath the shattered heavens in a state of full transformation.
Golden scales now covered large portions of his body.
Black, curved horns rose from his forehead like those of an ancient draconic monarch.
A scaled tail lashed violently behind him, each movement distorting the surrounding air under immense pressure.
In his grasp rested the Starfall Dragon Halberd.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Dangerous.
It hummed with a deep, resonant energy that seemed to echo from another era entirely.
Lizarius observed him in silence.
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
*So this is a human carrying a bloodline.*
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He had sensed unusual pressure from cultivators before—strange, diluted traces of beastly heritage mixed into spiritual energy—but never anything this direct.
Never anything this complete.
The Sect Leader no longer felt entirely human.
Not physically.
Not spiritually.
The dragon bloodline coursing through him had altered both body and soul in tandem.
And unlike ordinary cultivation techniques that relied on refinement or comprehension—
this power was instinctive.
Natural.
Almost feral in nature.
Within Lizarius's thoughts, a calm curiosity surfaced.
*I have never seen one before.*
The white lizard's tail swayed slowly behind him as he studied the transformed human with quiet precision.
*How much stronger can a human become through bloodline inheritance?*
The system remained silent for a moment longer than usual.
Below them—
the Azure Root Forest continued collapsing under the aftermath of their earlier clashes.
Burning mountains crumbled.
Storm-wracked winds howled through broken valleys.
Rivers had turned into rising torrents of debris and shattered stone.
And high above all that destruction—
two monsters stared at each other across the heavens.
Then—
Sect Leader Yuan moved.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
Golden spiritual energy erupted outward violently.
The surrounding storm clouds were forcibly split apart under the overwhelming pressure as dragon-shaped currents spiraled around his body in chaotic, roaring loops.
His transformed eyes locked onto Lizarius with absolute killing intent.
Then he roared.
Not fully human anymore.
A draconic sound echoed through the sky itself, shaking even the fractured heavens.
The Starfall Dragon Halberd ignited with blinding golden radiance.
And Sect Leader Yuan lunged forward.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The heavens shattered behind him as he crossed the distance in an instant.
Golden dragon-shaped energy coiled around his body while the halberd tore through the storm like a descending meteor, carrying enough force to split mountains and sever rivers.
His speed had increased drastically after the bloodline transformation.
Even space itself seemed to warp under the pressure of his charge.
Far ahead—
Lizarius watched calmly.
His golden eyes tracked every movement without haste.
Interesting.
The Sect Leader's movements had become sharper now.
More instinctive.
Less restrained.
Almost like a true beast released from shackles.
Then—
impact.
CRAAAAASH!!!
The halberd descended like divine judgment.
Lizarius raised a single flaming claw.
The collision detonated instantly.
Dark-blue lightning and golden dragon energy erupted outward across the heavens, tearing apart surrounding storm clouds in a single explosive wave.
The Azure Root Forest below was pressed further into collapse under the shockwave alone.
Rivers reversed and surged upward.
Entire mountain ridges fractured and exploded apart.
Yet this time—
Sect Leader Yuan did not retreat.
ROOOOAR!!!
His scaled arm twisted violently.
The halberd rotated mid-collision with unnatural fluidity before whipping sideways toward Lizarius's neck in a sudden, lethal arc.
Fast.
Heavy.
Precise.
Lizarius tilted his head slightly.
The blade narrowly missed him.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A distant mountain range behind him exploded into dust from the sheer force of the passing strike.
Then the Sect Leader struck again.
And again.
And again.
The halberd blurred through the sky like a raging golden dragon, each movement leaving afterimages of tearing space.
Every swing shattered clouds.
Every clash distorted reality itself.
For the first time since the battle began—
someone was matching Lizarius directly in close combat.
The crimson sword elder, watching from afar, froze in disbelief.
"…Sect Leader…"
The transformed Yuan moved like a true battlefield monster.
Golden scales shattered incoming lightning on contact while his draconic pressure continuously resisted the oppressive force of the storm domain.
Meanwhile—
within the storm's core—
Lizarius's golden eyes sharpened further.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
This human had genuinely become stronger.
Not merely through spiritual enhancement—
but through physical transformation itself.
Durability.
Strength.
Reaction speed.
Instinct.
All elevated to a terrifying degree through the bloodline awakening.
BOOOOM!!
Another collision shook the heavens.
This time—
Lizarius's claw locked directly against the halberd's blade.
Lightning erupted between the opposing forces.
Golden dragon energy roared outward violently as the storm itself bent under the pressure.
Then—
Sect Leader Yuan's scaled hand suddenly shifted.
In an instant, he formed a complex seal with impossible speed.
His eyes flashed sharply.
"Dragon Vein Suppression!"
ROOOOOOM!!!
The surrounding air froze.
Golden chains erupted directly from the storm clouds above as though the heavens themselves had answered his command.
Not formation constructs.
Not spiritual illusions.
Bloodline manifestation.
Ancient draconic pressure that sought to bind and suppress all lesser beast-kind instinctively.
The crimson sword elder's expression changed immediately.
"So that's why the Sect Leader never used it…"
This technique consumed blood essence directly.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
Extremely taxing even for a Golden Core cultivator.
Yet—
Lizarius merely stared at the descending chains without a trace of concern.
Then—
his pupils narrowed vertically.
For a brief moment—
something ancient flickered within his gaze.
Not fear.
Not submission.
Irritation.
The storm around him erupted violently.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Dark lightning surged upward like an answering roar.
The descending golden chains trembled mid-air.
Then shattered one after another under overwhelming pressure.
Sect Leader Yuan's eyes widened slightly.
Because the suppression…
had failed completely.
Not weakened.
Not resisted.
Simply ignored.
The broken fragments of golden chains dissolved into the storm, scattering into fading motes of draconic energy.
Sect Leader Yuan's expression darkened.
For the first time, a faint trace of disbelief surfaced.
His bloodline suppression—
one of the Azure Sky Sect's deepest hidden techniques—
had done absolutely nothing.
Far across the battlefield—
Lizarius floated silently within the storm's eye.
Blue flames coiled around his body while dark lightning crawled endlessly across his moon-pale scales like living veins of destruction.
His golden eyes remained locked on the transformed Sect Leader.
Then inwardly—
he spoke calmly.
*System.*
*What exactly is this draconic bloodline?*
The cold mechanical voice responded immediately.
**[Bloodline Detected: Earth Grade — Golden Tyrant Dragon Bloodline.]**
**[Classification: Incomplete Human-Integrated Draconic Bloodline.]**
**[Primary Traits:]**
**— Vast increase in physical strength.**
**— Enhanced durability and accelerated recovery.**
**— Explosive combat amplification during prolonged engagement.**
**— Bloodline pressure capable of suppressing weaker beast-type creatures instinctively.]**
A brief pause followed.
Then—
**[Warning: Ability consumes blood essence continuously.]**
**[Extended combat will accelerate bloodline exhaustion.]**
Lizarius listened in silence.
Then his eyes narrowed faintly.
*Interesting.*
So the human's strength would continue increasing as the battle prolonged—
but at the cost of consuming his own life force.
A self-destructive enhancement.
Primitive.
Yet undeniably effective.
Far ahead—
Sect Leader Yuan's aura grew increasingly violent.
Golden scales now fully armored both arms.
His pupils had become completely beastlike, slit with draconic intensity.
Even his breathing carried faint dragon-like roars beneath it.
BOOOOM!!
He charged again.
The heavens split apart behind him.
This time—
even faster than before.
The Starfall Dragon Halberd screamed through the storm, wrapped in spiraling dragon aura powerful enough to distort surrounding space itself.
The crimson sword elder immediately rejoined the assault beside him.
His damaged manifestation condensed once more behind his crimson blade.
Two Golden Core cultivators attacked simultaneously.
One from the front.
One from above.
Perfect coordination.
Yet—
Lizarius simply watched.
Then—
his wings spread slightly.
And the storm responded.
ROOOOOOOAR!!!
Countless storm serpents hidden within the clouds descended all at once.
Not one.
Not two.
Hundreds.
Gigantic constructs of lightning and blue flame erupted downward like divine punishment from the shattered heavens.
The sky itself vanished beneath their descent.
The crimson sword elder's expression tightened.
"So many…?!"
BOOOOOOM!!!
His sword collided with the first serpent, triggering an explosion of lightning that lit the entire battlefield.
Then another serpent struck.
Then another.
And another.
He was immediately swallowed in an endless cascade of detonations.
Meanwhile—
Sect Leader Yuan tore straight through the storm.
Golden dragon aura flared violently as he destroyed serpent after serpent with sweeping arcs of the halberd.
Each strike shattered massive constructs of lightning.
Yet more immediately replaced them.
Endless.
Relentless.
And within that chaos—
Lizarius vanished.
Sect Leader Yuan's instincts screamed.
Behind.
BOOOOM!!!
He spun instantly.
The halberd collided against a flaming claw at point-blank range, the impact tearing open the heavens once again.
Shockwaves rippled outward for kilometers.
The two monsters locked eyes at close range.
Golden draconic eyes.
Cold, predatory golden reptilian eyes.
Then—
Sect Leader Yuan roared.
His bloodline aura surged violently once more.
Golden veins spread across his neck as draconic spiritual energy erupted outward uncontrollably.
The pressure emanating from him intensified further.
More violent.
More unstable.
The storm itself trembled beneath it.
Even Lizarius's flames shifted subtly under the pressure.
And for the first time—
a faint glimmer of genuine interest surfaced within the white lizard's gaze.
Because this human…
was still growing stronger.