The hundred-thousand-year Nine-Heavens Dragon Centipede King looked out over the Chaotic Star Sea region it ruled, where countless fish and bird spirit beasts floated lifelessly on the sea surface.
Their bodies were rapidly decomposing, and thousands of white, yellow, and purple spirit rings appeared one after another. It roared furiously toward the sky:
"Hisss—"
An enraged screech, resembling a dragon's roar, echoed throughout the entire Chaotic Star Sea.
Its 50-meter body spun rapidly, spiraling upward. The powerful fluctuations of its spirit power created countless towering waterspouts that reached toward the sky, sucking in the spreading poisonous gas with tremendous force.
In an instant, the earth shook as soil particles and fine sand from nearby islands and ocean habitats were drawn together.
The Nine-Heavens Dragon Centipede King flicked its massive tail lightly, and a spirit power blade sliced through all the waterspouts at their bases. Under its guidance, the soil and sand quickly condensed into massive earth-water spheres.
The Dragon Centipede King looked toward Ignaz, who had already fled one or two miles away and was leaping swiftly across floating ice floes.
With a heavy swing of its tail, the poison-filled earth spheres suspended in mid-air plummeted into the deep sea.
"What are you standing around for? Chase him down and kill that human who doesn't know when to quit!"
The remaining 200-plus Nine-Heavens Dragon Centipedes, seeing their furious king, immediately began pursuing Ignaz.
The Dragon Centipede King twisted its body and charged madly across the sea surface, its hundred legs moving at an astonishing speed.
At that moment, Ignaz looked back and saw the group of Dragon Centipedes chasing him. Although the terrain—mostly ocean and floating ice—was somewhat unfavorable for the earth-poison dual-attribute centipedes—
They were still sub-dragon bloodline spirit beasts, and their hundred-thousand-year leader was especially fast.
Just as the distance began to close, Ignaz pulled out countless small porcelain bottles from his storage bag.
While running, he tossed them toward areas with more spirit beasts on both sides, trying to distract the pursuing Dragon Centipedes and slow them down.
"Let's see what matters more to you—your territory and clan members, or killing me!"
The poisonous fog released from the bottles immediately began spreading. Within a second, spirit beasts following the Dragon Centipedes' pursuit orders scattered and fled in panic.
"Damn you, human!"
Seeing this, the Dragon Centipede King grew even more furious and shouted to the one behind it:
"Fifth Brother, take the clan members and collect this poisonous fog!"
It then gathered soil once more, condensing it into spheres. Over each sphere, it spat out large amounts of dragon centipede poison. Three purplish-brown earth spheres, each resembling a half-mountain, smashed toward Ignaz.
At the crucial moment when the spheres struck the ice floes, Ignaz used the impact to launch himself, channeling spirit power to his feet and briefly soaring about 100 meters through the air.
He landed gracefully on another ice surface ahead. Without slowing down, he kept running and continued throwing small porcelain bottles behind him.
"Let's see who lasts longer—I've got an endless supply of poison fog bottles!"
Wherever he passed, faint trails of black fog were left in his wake.
At this point, the Nine-Heavens Dragon Centipede King wanted nothing more than to tear Ignaz—now a mile ahead—into pieces.
It considered burrowing underground for rapid pursuit, but the sea was too deep. Sinking and resurfacing would waste too much time. Not only could Ignaz escape, but the Chaotic Star Sea might become a sea of poison.
Other spirit beasts, ordered to pursue him, were too afraid of being poisoned and did not dare chase any further.
Thus, as the Dragon Centipede King and its clan exhausted themselves trying to contain the poison, the distance between them and Ignaz grew wider.
Suddenly—
"ROOOAR—"
A deep, thunderous dragon roar echoed from the depths of the Northern Sea. Snowflakes turned to light rain, small ice floes rapidly melted and broke apart, and the entire region's temperature abruptly rose.
Ignaz, heading south, became even more alarmed and uneasy.
"If that Flowing Flame Crimson Dragon really emerges from the Northern Sea's depths, I won't be able to escape."
The deadly poison he carried could kill most spirit beasts, but it was useless against fire-attribute ones—especially a hundred-thousand-year fire-attribute spirit beast. Even one blast of dragon flame could burn away all the toxins he had released.
Fortunately, after running for several minutes, he saw no sign of the Flowing Flame Crimson Dragon. Upon reaching the border between the Northern Sea and Western Sea, he spotted a Violent Bite Shark—bearing three spear holes in its back—being pursued by an eight-to-nine-thousand-year Demon Whale.
"Well, well! Old buddy, we meet again!"
Ignaz immediately ran alongside the Demon Whale. The whale shuddered, turned sharply, and fled in another direction.
The aura from this human triggered a deep, primal fear in its bloodline.
"Think you can escape, Demon Whale? You dare chase my exclusive mount—Sharky? You're seeking death!"
"Storm Night: Thousand-Mile Pierce Extreme!"
Just as the Demon Whale was about to dive—
SPLURT—
A Blood Thunder War Spear pierced through its back and completely destroyed its brain. Whale blood and gel leaked from its skull. Without hesitation, Ignaz stored the corpse in his spirit tool.
Treading across the waves, he leapt onto the Violent Bite Shark's back. Patting its belly with his left hand and pointing ahead with his right, he shouted:
"Get me out of here—fast as you can!"
The shark, as if hearing something from the deep sea, flapped its tail fin hard and surged southward at high speed.
...
In the depths of the Northern Sea—
In an unknown sea region, bone-chilling water covered in thick ice was now rapidly boiling. The ice shattered and melted as red firelight grew ever clearer beneath the surface.
BANG—
Scalding water surged upward as a fifty-to-sixty-meter-long crimson fire dragon, wreathed in orange-red flames, erupted from the water and coiled in the frigid sky.
It roared once, then soared into the clouds above, flying toward the Chaotic Star Sea.
"Brother Centipede, how did you end up in such a sorry state?"
A mature yet fiery female voice came from the Flowing Flame Crimson Dragon, looking at the Nine-Heavens Dragon Centipede with open disdain.
"Sister Dragon, you came here just to mock me? If so, get lost! I don't have time to fight with you right now."
This was the first time the Nine-Heavens Dragon Centipede King had been seen in such a pitiful state by the Flowing Flame Crimson Dragon—also a sub-dragon species. If it weren't for that poison-spreading human, how could it have ended up like this?