Dragon Power and Light Energy harmonized under Hong Fei's control, every scale on the White Dragon's body—even its mane—shifting to molten gold streaked with crimson. The dragon's aura surged in tandem, warping the surrounding void like heat haze over a wildfire.
"White Dragon" no longer suited it. This was a Dragon King reborn.
Across from it, Shou-Lao the Undying gleamed like solid gold—so immobile but for the gleam in its eyes and the slow beat of its wings that it might've been a statue. Yet it too bore the title of Dragon King. Two true Dragon Kings faced each other. No posturing, no tricks. The White Dragon's transformation had taken less than a breath.
"Too bullying," Shou-Lao hissed. Its gaze tracked Hong Fei's shift from human to dragon with icy detachment.
Then—
Gold-red light engulfed Hong Fei's form as his aura ignited. Shou-Lao's jaws gaped wide, revealing dagger-length fangs. The afterimage it left behind dissolved into motes of light while its true body materialized before Hong Fei in the space of a thought.
No hesitation.
Shou-Lao struck like a viper, clamping its jaws around the Divine Dragon's neck. A metallic clang reverberated as razor-sharp teeth scraped against reforged scales. Sparks erupted, intense enough to scorch the air itself. Yellow smoke plumed outward like cannon fire.
The bite couldn't pierce Hong Fei's defenses, but the impact sent a needle-sharp jolt through his nerves. Shou-Lao moved faster than thought—equal to Hong Fei's own light-speed flight. The thunderclap of its golden body tearing through the atmosphere dwarfed any storm. Only the Eyes of Death's foresight had let Hong Fei brace energy at the impact point.
Dodging might've been impossible. And retreat now would forfeit future advantage. So when those fangs locked onto his neck, Hong Fei didn't thrash. Just tensed, muscles coiling like steel springs beneath his scales.
His tail swayed idly behind him. A deceptively casual motion—until Dragon Power and White Hole energy ignited along its length, ripping visible furrows through the fabric of space.
In sheer bulk, the Golden Dragon dwarfed Hong Fei's gold-red form. But where Shou-Lao had mass, Hong Fei had reach and flexibility. With their energies so evenly matched, victory would hinge on who wielded their strengths better. Hong Fei exhaled slowly. Shou-Lao couldn't kill him in one strike. He couldn't end this quickly either.
The older dragon knew this too—why else lay a trap? Reinforcing its own advantages. So what were his? His slender body bent rapidly in a graceful posture, and his...
Shou-Lao the Undying clung fiercely to the Divine Dragon's neck, its massive fangs driving Dragon Power relentlessly against the scales. A single crack would unleash its power unchecked into the Divine Dragon's body, securing victory. This was no mere skirmish—it was a battle for survival.
The Golden Dragon harbored no doubts about its actions. Both Dragon Kings stood unwavering in their conviction, each convinced of their own supremacy.
The Divine Dragon's tail lashed through the air, drawing a flicker of disdain from the Golden Dragon. Yet there was no room for carelessness. Swiftly, it extended its golden claws, fingers curling like blades, and slashed at the incoming tail.
As the tail approached, the Golden Dragon unfurled its wings, which had been coiled slightly against its back. The powerful bones snapped open, spreading wings that spanned a hundred meters wide. A vast shadow fell over the earth. Shou-Lao the Undying's response was straightforward—it had already seized the momentum of its initial strike to clamp down on Hong Fei's neck.
Now, if it could just seize the dragon tail, both ends of the slender Divine Dragon would be under its control. With that, it might even tear the creature in two. The tail swung closer, and a glint of triumph flashed in Shou-Lao the Undying's eyes. Its Golden Claw tightened, catching the tail firmly.
The satisfying grip brought a surge of joy deep within Shou-Lao the Undying. Its jaws clamped down harder, and golden ripples spread across its scales like waves on a lake. Dragon Power surged toward its head in layered tides.
At the same time, its Golden Claw pulled in the opposite direction. The sharp claws scraped against the dragon scales, producing a grating screech. Just as Shou-Lao the Undying prepared to rend the gold-red Divine Dragon apart—
A brilliant white meteor shot up from the ground, accelerating as it streaked toward the Golden Dragon's lower abdomen. Instantly, a chill ran down Shou-Lao the Undying's spine. The rippling scales froze in place, and a dense golden shadow rose to shield its abdomen.
Clang!
The meteor struck true, piercing a third of the way into the Golden Dragon's flesh before halting. It transformed into a golden spear—Gungnir. The thrower was a clone Hong Fei had left behind upon entering Kunlun, crafted through Kamar-Taj's magic—Ikonn's Image.
Hong Fei had risked exposing a flaw, all for this single strike. Despite Shou-Lao the Undying's swift reaction, the spear had already sunk deep. Odinforce erupted from the spearhead, clashing invisibly with the Dragon Power that formed the Golden Dragon's essence.
Hong Fei watched as streaks of white light mingled with the dense golden glow in the dragon's abdomen. The two forces churned violently, making the dragon's belly flicker and turn translucent, revealing the spearhead within. Seizing the moment, Hong Fei twisted his body, wrenching his tail free from Shou-Lao the Undying's grasp.
Then, his rolling form caused the dragon scales and dragon teeth to grind violently, filling the sky with the harsh clang of metal. After a breath, Shou-Lao the Undying released its bite, and the Divine Dragon swung free from its grasp. Shou-Lao the Undying reached out, plucking Gungnir from its abdomen—a mere needle in its massive claws.
Shou-Lao the Undying's claw slammed onto the spear shaft like flesh meeting molten iron. Smoke hissed and billowed as the scorching metal seared its skin. Yet the pain didn't deter the beast—if anything, it only enraged it further.
With a vicious grip, it yanked Gungnir free in one swift motion. The spear tore from its abdomen and plummeted toward the earth. Golden blood, molten and glowing, gushed from the wound. It flowed like liquid gold, tinged with crimson, radiating a heat so intense it might as well have been magma erupting from the planet's core.
Where the blood struck the ground, everything ignited. In moments, the earth was reduced to fine black ash, scattering like dust on the wind. Yet the golden liquid persisted, spreading relentlessly, carving a fiery pit that deepened with every passing second.
Above, Hong Fei twisted his dragon form free from Shou-Lao's jaws. He swung his massive head around, his piercing gaze locking onto the golden dragon. Shou-Lao's body was a fortress of muscle and scale, every inch radiating raw, untamed power. As it reached for the spear, Hong Fei seized the moment.
Inside him, a skill card activated. Energy surged, and a purple card flared to life.
Active Skill Card: Dark Veil (Purple) — Malekith. Summon dark energy to envelop an area, transforming it into an absolute void of darkness. Strengthen your own power while weakening your enemy. The range of the darkness scales with energy consumed.
Without warning, a vast expanse of black mist erupted into the sky, swallowing more than half the heavens. Within the Dark Veil, light ceased to exist. Even with eyes wide open, one might as well have been blind. But Hong Fei, as the caster, could see everything with perfect clarity.
Shou-Lao's pupils contracted as its vision vanished. Instinctively, it flapped its wings, its massive body soaring upward with unnatural speed. The motion defied logic, driven by the beast's primal awareness of danger.
From the ground, another white meteor streaked upward. Hong Fei had prepared more than one Gungnir for this battle—he wasn't about to waste such a precious resource on a single strike. His clones below had ensured that.
As Shou-Lao ascended, the Dark Veil clung to it like a second skin, moving in perfect sync. Before the dragon could gain distance, Hong Fei struck. His tail whipped through the air with a thunderous crack, slamming into Shou-Lao's forehead.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling across the dragon's body, following the pattern of its scales. When the force reached the tail, it concentrated into a single point. The air exploded with a deafening roar, visible flames flashing briefly before dispersing the surrounding clouds.
Shou-Lao's body plummeted toward the earth, its descent swift and uncontrolled. The white meteor from below pierced its massive form from behind. A roar of agony echoed across the battlefield, raw and primal, as the golden dragon writhed in pain.
The colossal form slammed into the ground where a mountain had just vanished. The Earth shuddered violently, the surrounding peaks swaying uncontrollably as fissures tore open and spread rapidly across the landscape, soon forming a vast, jagged web of black cracks. A cloud of dust erupted, mingling with the Dark Veil to engulf the Golden Dragon.
A hundred miles away, the people of Kunlun paled in terror. The deafening roar tore through their ears. Before they could even turn toward the source, the distant mountains began to quake violently. The buildings around them trembled incessantly, roof tiles scattering and shattering as the ground beneath their feet buckled and shook.
People staggered, struggling to keep their footing, but the ground suddenly split into gaping cracks. Some stumbled into the fissures, caught off guard, while others fought to stay upright only to tumble over the edges. The chasms, like demonic maws, swiftly swallowed lives one after another.
Hong Fei descended alongside the Golden Dragon, both crashing to the ground almost simultaneously. Shou-Lao the Undying writhed in agony, unable to stifle its piercing howls. The moment Hong Fei landed, he dove headlong into the Dark Veil.
With one foreclaw clamped tightly around Shou-Lao's neck and the other pressing down on its chest, Hong Fei used his hind claws to pin its tail. One sharp claw dug mercilessly into the fresh wound left by Gungnir.
Unsurprisingly, before Shou-Lao's first howl had even faded, a second erupted. If both Dragon Kings had been in human form—and if Shou-Lao weren't so ancient—the scene might have carried an odd eroticism, given their male and female forms and lack of clothing. But now, staring into Shou-Lao's massive dragon head, Hong Fei had only one thought: Kill it!
All four claws bore down simultaneously, the immense force crushing the solid Earth beneath them. The two dragons sank deeper into the ground as Hong Fei opened his massive jaws and clamped them onto the Golden Dragon's protruding ribs.
Each of Hong Fei's teeth was infused with Dragon Power, their exteriors wrapped in blazing Light Energy. The erupting energy resembled flames spat from a blowtorch—intensely hot, concentrated, and razor-sharp. Sizzling filled the air as his rows of sharp teeth plunged into the Golden Dragon's chest cavity.
The sound of burning flesh was relentless. Wisps of white smoke rose only to be instantly snuffed out by the overwhelming pressure radiating from the two dragons. At the edges of the wound, streams of scorching red liquid sprayed outward.
In that instant, Hong Fei felt as though he'd bitten into a red-hot coal fresh from the furnace. The searing heat assaulted his mouth, scalding his very brain. Instinct screamed at him to spit it out immediately.
But years of combat experience told him to tear a chunk of flesh from this bastard—and fast. Besides, though it burned unbearably, the aroma was intoxicating. It seeped deep into his soul, impossible to resist. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Hong Fei clamped his jaws shut once more.
Shou-Lao's howling in his ears seemed to transform into a battle cry, urging him onward. His upper and lower jaws tore through flesh and bone, his teeth colliding with brutal force.
The Golden Dragon slammed Shou-Lao the Undying beneath its four massive claws, jaws clamped tight around the ancient beast's flesh. Without warning, the dragon began shaking its head violently.
Shou-Lao's chest writhed under the tearing pressure. Agony forced its four limbs to scrabble uselessly at the air as the Golden Dragon arched its body upward, keeping its prey just out of reach. The sickening crack of bone mingled with Shou-Lao's howls in a gruesome symphony.
With a final brutal twist, the Golden Dragon wrenched its head sideways. A massive chunk of golden flesh tore free—scaled on the outside, jagged with broken bone within. Arterial spray arced through the air, each droplet bursting into inextinguishable flames where it landed.
The dragon's blood sizzled where it met Shou-Lao's golden ichor, energies warring until both dissolved into nothing. Had this been normal red blood, the scene would've been too gory to witness. Yet the metallic scent hung thick in the air—strangely intoxicating.
Hong Fei's head jerked back, jaws parting just enough for the meat to slide down his throat. But before he could swallow, the flesh dissolved into pure golden energy, flowing directly into his Dragon Dimension.
His Dragon Power fusion rate spiked—the progress bar dropping another 0.01%. Understanding hit him like a thunderbolt. That wasn't just flesh he'd torn away—it was condensed Dragon Power in physical form. The moment it entered his mouth, it transformed back into its purest state. The taste lingered on his tongue, rich and electric.
This wasn't metaphor. This was literal consumption. Hong Fei stared down at the churning golden liquid in the gaping chest wound, his pupils contracting into crimson slits. One thought consumed him: More.
Shou-Lao caught the ravenous gleam in the dragon's eyes and shuddered. Battle was one thing—but this naked hunger chilled its ancient bones. Yes, it had bitten Hong Fei first, but only to kill. The thought of devouring the dragon had never crossed its mind.
When Hong Fei opened his maw again, Shou-Lao saw only void where flesh should be. Dread coiled in its gut. A disoriented lurch—as if part of itself had vanished without warning.
"Impossible!"
The Undying's roar shook the battlefield.
The sound snapped Hong Fei from his feeding frenzy. Meeting Shou-Lao's stunned golden gaze, he bared bloodied fangs in a vicious grin.
"Beats me," he drawled, voice dripping with mockery.
No time for rebuttals. Hong Fei buried his snout in the wound and sucked hard. Molten gold streamed down his throat—scorching pain layered under addictive sweetness. On the ground, Shou-Lao felt its very essence being siphoned away.
Every time the Golden Dragon's throat moved, it inflicted severe damage upon it. Yet the four crushing claws held fast. That cursed spear buried deep in its flesh demanded most of its focus—the weapon's power threatening to unravel its very existence if left unchecked.
Hong Fei's sneak attack succeeded—his jaws tore a massive hole straight through Shou-Lao the Undying's chest. The ancient dragon's eyes sharpened under the pressure. Its four claws clenched, and in an instant, the spear lodged in its hindquarters shot free, embedding itself into the stone wall beside the pit with a resounding clang.
Golden light erupted from Shou-Lao's body, flooding the deep pit in an instant. With a monumental effort, it twisted its head, aiming its maw at the Golden Dragon. Its throat pulsed with scorching, ferocious energy as it unleashed a torrential breath attack.
Hong Fei jerked his head up with a pained roar, twisting his body to evade the volcanic eruption of Shou-Lao's breath. The onslaught didn't cease for a moment.
Shou-Lao's wings thrummed violently as it righted itself. Its blade-like talons lunged out, clamping onto the scales of the Golden Dragon. The two dragons now faced each other head-on. Boom! With a deafening explosion, they shot into the sky, tearing through the pit and ascending into the clouds in the blink of an eye.
As he dodged, Hong Fei coiled his long dragon tail around Shou-Lao's. In this position, only their heads remained as weapons. The lava breath's destructive power was immense, but Hong Fei didn't fear it.
When it came to energy projection, could Shou-Lao's ferocity surpass a White Hole? The Golden Dragon's hue shifted abruptly from golden-red to blue-white. Facing the raging lava breath, Hong Fei opened his maw, and the energy of the White Hole—a convergence of myriad lights—erupted in a dazzling display.
Hummmm—
The two energies clashed head-on with immense force, filling the air with violent, high-frequency vibrations. One beam golden, the other multicolored. The dragons were locked in a deadly stalemate. Within seconds, the water vapor within a hundred-mile radius evaporated entirely.
A scorched atmosphere swept across the land. Intense heat curled the leaves and petals of trees and flowers, their edges blackening and smoking at a visible speed. Ten seconds later, whoosh! The treetops burst into flames.
Driven downward by the energy shockwave, the fire ignited the parched branches and leaves below. Flames raced from treetop to shrub, consuming everything in their path. Soon, houses caught fire. The entire land seemed to descend into hell.
The people of Kunlun scrambled amidst the chaos, fleeing into the distance, desperate to escape the scorching purgatory. At first, Shou-Lao the Undying brimmed with confidence.
It refused to believe the thief who had stolen a fragment of its body could match its breath power. It was the embodiment of Dragon Power itself, while Hong Fei had only fused with half of it. If not for that Aesir spear, the thief would never have landed a blow.
However, the thief had to die—not only because he had stolen its property, but because he had proven capable of fusing with Dragon Power. That was terrifying. If Dragon Power could be easily fused by anyone, it would have ceased to exist millions of years ago. When Hong Fei unleashed the White Hole breath, Shou-Lao's disdain only deepened.
The thief couldn't even harness Dragon Power to unleash a proper breath attack—what was the point of fusing with half of it? His energy was vast and surging, sure, but its properties were a chaotic, uncontrolled mess. He was done for. Shou-Lao the Undying smirked inwardly, though it kept a wary eye on the ground below.
Anyone foolish enough to pull that spear free would meet instant destruction. It wasn't about to get stabbed in the backside again. As for Hong Fei? His thoughts were simple: Eat this! The seconds ticked by, relentless.
At first, the two colossal energies clashed in perfect balance, each occupying half the space—neither gaining nor losing ground. But then, in a single decisive moment, the iridescent energy of the White Hole surged forward by an inch. Shou-Lao's Dragon Power was forced back by the same measure. The Undying's pupils narrowed to slits.
The shockwaves rippled outward, shaking mountains, rivers, and plains alike. The earth itself trembled, rocks and soil leaping and writhing as the energies clashed. Shou-Lao clenched its claws, and the Golden Dragon mirrored the motion. Pain twisted both their faces, yet neither relented.
Neither side yielded. Then, abruptly, a deep black fissure tore through the space between them. Hong Fei's brow twitched, but he dismissed it. Shou-Lao's reaction was far more pronounced—it stared intently as the rift appeared from nothingness and slowly faded. A flicker of mockery danced in Hong Fei's eyes.
But the next instant, three rifts opened simultaneously.
"Stop! We can't keep fighting like this!"
Shou-Lao's voice echoed directly in Hong Fei's mind, hoarse and grating. Hong Fei frowned.
"The fight isn't over. Why should I stop?"
"Do you even know what's happening here?"
"A spatial rift. Nothing to fear."
Given the intensity of their clash, a few rifts were hardly surprising. But Shou-Lao's voice grew agitated.
"Nothing to fear? You're from Earth—you must know Kunlun is just a pocket dimension."
"So?"
"Pocket dimensions have defined boundaries. Their stability is nowhere near that of the universe."
As it spoke, the three rifts vanished. Before Shou-Lao could even exhale, six more appeared. Seeing this, Shou-Lao hurried on.
"If this continues, the rifts will tear through Kunlun's barrier and destroy it."
Hong Fei sneered.
"You actually care about Kunlun? Don't kid yourself. Besides, Kunlun isn't just a simple pocket dimension. An alien spaceship crashed on Earth, right on its edge. The aliens became Kunlun's people. I didn't find the ship, though—must've merged with the dimension, right?"
"It did merge, but that ship was useless! After millions of years of technological stagnation, just reaching Earth was its limit. Stop. This is pointless."
"Easy for you to say. I'm about to win."
"You won't win."
"I will."
As if to prove Hong Fei's prediction correct, the White Hole's energy surged forward another notch. Shou-Lao fell silent. Hong Fei grinned.
"Sorry, but I'm really about to win."
Shou-Lao's gaze turned venomous. As it ramped up its energy output, it hissed, "This isn't your own power, is it? Borrowed energy comes at a heavy cost. How much longer can you keep this up?"
Hong Fei's voice was cold and unyielding.
"Until you're dead."
The reply came without hesitation.
Shou-Lao the Undying's sharp eyes hadn't missed the truth—the energy coursing through Hong Fei wasn't his own. It flowed from the White Hole, harnessed through his Binary Form. In truth, the chaotic energy spewed by the White Hole belonged to no one. It was free for the taking—if one dared, and if one could withstand it. Few possessed the ability to open a channel to such power, let alone a body robust enough to endure its violent transfer.
The strain of the Binary Form was immense. The White Dragon had already screamed herself into unconsciousness—or perhaps death. She'd fallen silent shortly after the battle began. Now, the spatial rifts before them vanished once more. Shou-Lao the Undying kept its mouth agape, staring intently at the empty air.
One second. Two. Three. A full half-minute passed without a single rift appearing.
"Old thing, your prediction missed the mark," Hong Fei taunted.
Shou-Lao was about to retort when both dragons' eyes snapped toward the sky in unison. A thin black line streaked downward, widening rapidly as if sensing their gaze. In moments, it tore open a horrifying dark rift—a jagged gash marring the pristine sky.
Shou-Lao turned back to Hong Fei.
"Old thing," Hong Fei drawled, "your prediction was spot on."
Shou-Lao swallowed its fury, forcing calm into its voice.
"Let's both stop. We can resume this fight after we leave Kunlun."
"No. What if you run?"
"Run?!"
Shou-Lao's composure cracked.
"That's not certain. I'm about to win, and..."
Hong Fei's gaze flicked to Shou-Lao's chest, where the wound still lingered beneath a crystal-clear film of healing.
"Besides, I took a bite out of you."
That was the wrong thing to say. Shou-Lao's eyes blazed with barely contained rage.
"If it weren't for that spear, do you think you could have pierced my body?"
"The spear is mine too."
"Bullshit! That's Odin's spear!"
"Oh? You know about that?"
"I know more than you can imagine."
Hong Fei fell silent, focusing his energy. The White Hole's power surged through him, spilling from his mouth. He could feel the White Dragon's body riddled with holes, barely held together by Dragon Power. The Little Dragon Maiden had made a worthy sacrifice.
The massive spatial rift nearby continued to grow, spawning smaller rifts at an alarming rate.
"Rest assured," Shou-Lao said, "I won't run. I want to live to reclaim what's mine."
"You're dead."
"You—! Forget it. Let's stop this, leave Kunlun, and fight in the main universe."
"I'm about to win."
"Can't you say something else?"
"You're about to lose."
Shou-Lao glanced at the rapidly multiplying rifts and spoke quickly.
"If we don't stop now, the dimension will shatter. We'll both be swept into spatial turbulence. Even if we resist the spatial fragmentation, we'll be thrown into the void between multiverses—a death sentence for us both! I can't survive that, and neither can you!"
Hong Fei hesitated only a second before growling, "Fine."
Shou-Lao the Undying exhaled in relief.
"When I count to three, we stop together."
Hong Fei gave a curt nod.
"Sure."
"One. Two. Three!" Shou-Lao barked.
The moment the numbers faded, twin roars of pain erupted from both dragons' nostrils, sparks spraying like shattered gemstones. Their claws only dug deeper, and the torrents of energy from their maws flared brighter than before.
Shou-Lao, "..."
Hong Fei, "..."
This old fox. This little fox.
The dragons locked eyes in silent accusation. Around them, spatial rifts erupted like a storm, darkness swallowing every gap as howling winds tore through reality.
"Enough!"
Shou-Lao snarled.
"I'll stop first—but you must cease as well, or we perish together."
Hong Fei's reply came clipped, "Sure."
"Good. Now release your claws—"
A golden streak tore through the sky beneath them, swift as the earlier white meteor. It erupted from the ruins where Hong Fei had slain the Jade Emperor and Lei Gong. Simultaneously, another white meteor flared where the dragons had first risen.
In perfect unison, both beasts cut their breath attacks and wrenched their claws tighter—each refusing to let the other escape.
Thunk.
Gungnir punched through the Golden Dragon's neck, golden blood arcing. Across from him, the Divine Dragon dissolved into light. Shou-Lao's claws closed on empty air as the radiance scattered.
Hong Fei shifted back to human form, both hands gripping the spear embedded in his opponent's throat. A third arm sprouted from his back, fingers clamping around the Jade Emperor's neck.
"Your third avatar?"
Before the words finished, Hong Fei twisted. Bone snapped. Dragon Power flooded the Jade Emperor's body, reducing it to cinders in a heartbeat.
Between them, Shou-Lao's neck muscles convulsed around the spear. Golden light seared along the shaft as the dragon thrashed. Hong Fei yanked the weapon free, retreating a hundred meters while spinning it one-handed.
The spear's wake hissed. With a downward slash, the Dragon Dimension yawned open behind him—a golden Divine Dragon surging forth like a living shadow.
Shou-Lao met it head-on. The phantom dragon shattered.
"Parlor tricks before a master?"
The Undying gave chase.
"If your strength comes solely from Dragon Power, you'll never defeat me."
Hong Fei's retort came between breaths, "You know better than that."
Dragon Power, Light Energy, and white hole energy wreathed his form. Though his body stood under two meters, the corona of multicolored energy around him towered thrice that height. The void trembled with his movements, spatial fractures spiderwebbing the air.
Around Shou-Lao's colossal frame, black lines scored reality itself.
"What I said earlier holds true," the dragon rumbled. "The Kunlun Dimension's barrier is breaking. If we don't leave, we will both die here."
"Do you think I can still believe you?"
"Don't sound so strange; aren't you the same as me?"
"Then forget it, let's just die together."
Shou-Lao the Undying fell silent. The two continued to maintain a high-speed, high-intensity battle. At this time, the surrounding spatial rifts grew larger and larger. The large rifts swallowed and merged with the smaller surrounding ones, and soon, dark holes of varying sizes appeared in the sky. Boom! Suddenly, a loud noise spread. On the Earth, an irregular piece of land suddenly sank directly downward.
Before long, the land suddenly shattered, and then countless fragments of various sizes turned into powder simultaneously. A strange hurricane swept past, the land was directly annihilated, and an extremely terrifying large hole was left on the ground. The completely dark and void cave was like a demonic eye of the abyss, staring motionlessly at the man and the dragon still fighting in the sky.
"It will be too late if we don't leave!!" Shou-Lao the Undying shouted in a deep voice.
"I don't want to leave because I'm not afraid of death."
"Hmph, you're not afraid of death? Do you think I don't understand you?"
"Isn't that so?"
"Of course I understand you. Ever since you took away the other half of my body, I have been watching you every moment."
Upon hearing this, Hong Fei curled his lips, "If you really understand me, then you should know what is missing from my body?"
Shou-Lao the Undying's brows furrowed instantly, and a pair of eyeballs as large as lanterns began to sweep rapidly across the Divine Dragon. Suddenly, its gaze focused on Hong Fei's arms. In its impression, Hong Fei's arms should have been wearing a set of ten bronze-colored rings. But now, they were gone.
"Did you find it? Guess where they are?"
The corners of Shou-Lao the Undying's eyes twitched wildly, and its chest and abdomen began to contract and squirm rapidly. That's right, the Ten Rings were inside its body! When Gungnir fired the second shot, the clone on the ground put all the Ten Rings onto the spear shaft, and the Ten Rings entered Shou-Lao the Undying's body along with the spear body.
The reason Shou-Lao the Undying didn't notice was that after the Ten Rings entered its body, taking advantage of the gap when the Odinforce inside Gungnir was released, they first shrank rapidly and then quickly entered a dormant state. Compared to the Golden Dragon's massive body of over a hundred meters, the shrunken Ten Rings were no larger than a speck of dust that could only be glimpsed in a beam of light.
While Shou-Lao the Undying began to self-examine, Hong Fei also quickly took action. A piece of paper, if it rotates fast enough, can still cut wood or even metal of average hardness; a high-speed water gun can also cut through steel pipes. When Hong Fei clenched his fists and rotated his arms, the Ten Rings hidden deep inside Shou-Lao the Undying immediately expanded rapidly in the ultra-high-speed rotation!
Roar! Immediately, Shou-Lao the Undying was heard letting out a long roar toward the sky, the sound filled with pain. Underneath the golden scales on its body surface, spinning light shadows rapidly destroyed its body, shattering flesh, blood, and bones, leaving its internal organs in a mess. Hong Fei's fists were clenched until the veins popped, and his arms trembled slightly.
Suddenly, he let out a loud shout, and his hands opened abruptly. The Dragon Dimension behind him covered the sky and the sun, and the surging, roaring Dragon Power was poured into the Ten Rings from afar. Ten intersecting light rings rampaged wildly inside Shou-Lao the Undying.
Bang!
The explosion detonated like a thunderclap, Shou-Lao the Undying's colossal form erupting into fragments. Golden flesh and blood arced through the air like molten hail, only to sublimate mid-flight—solid and liquid twisting into vapor before coalescing into a shimmering golden cloud.
Hong Fei lowered his arms, the Ten Rings snapping back to his wrists. Gasping, he soared toward that radiant nebula. The moment he breached its glistening boundary, the mist convulsed violently. Shou-Lao's body rematerialized with a snarl, one claw locking around Hong Fei's torso. No words. Only action. The dragon's maw yawned wide, and a river of lava erupted down Hong Fei's throat.
Trapped.
Golden magma seared across his skin, energy shields flaring wild and thin as firelight on oil. He thrashed, muscles corded—useless against the dragon's vise-grip. Seconds pulsed. The protective energies around Hong Fei flickered, dimming like a dying star. Shou-Lao's eyes gleamed with ravenous triumph. Then—crack—the shield shattered. Lava engulfed flesh. The dragon's heart lurched. Ice flooded its veins.
"You're the only opponent I've ever met," a whisper licked its ear, "who's almost more cunning than me."
Shou-Lao's pupils flared—just before squelch! Gungnir speared through its skull from behind, steel erupting through one golden eye. Disorientation. Agony. Then—Sword of Sif's blade flared, extending threefold. A horizontal slash. The dragon's head toppled.
Its roar choked mid-air. From the Dragon Dimension, the Divine Dragon struck. Jaws crunched bone, swallowing the severed head whole. A whip-fast turn, and the decapitated body followed. Hong Fei floated limp, eyes shut, soul steering the beast. Gnashing teeth. Golden ichor.
The dragon's gullet churned the remains into pure Dragon Power, fusion percentages plummeting on some unseen scale. Shou-Lao's wails echoed—until a chunk of its half-swallowed body tore free, transmuting to light as it arrowed toward the nearest dimensional tear. Deny him everything. The thought rang clear.
But—BOOM!—white energy like a celestial hammer smashed it earthward. Overhead, the sky's wounds widened with sickening rips. The Divine Dragon dove, maw gaping. Dirt, stone, and that fleeing golden light vanished down its throat. Phantom teeth ground furiously. Shou-Lao's voice faded to a whimper.
A final slurp—the dangling tail-tip vanished. The Golden Dragon ceased to exist. The Divine Dragon retreated to its realm. Hong Fei's eyes snapped open. Bloated. His skin strained, organs swelling against ribs. Around him, Kunlun buckled—skies fractured, earth fissured, mountains drowning in their own wreckage.
A glance. No more. Then, enduring the surging energy that was unusually bloated in his body, he checked the nosediving fusion rate, inventoried the fresh skill cards burning in his veins, bared teeth in something too sharp to be a smile, and—gone.
A streak toward the exit, leaving the collapsing pocket dimension behind. Somewhere, in the dark starry sky, two brilliant, glowing eyes suddenly appeared, casting light on a massive, gleaming head. The eerie gaze pierced through the void, radiating an otherworldly presence.
Elsewhere, within the confines of a peculiar city, an ancient screen flickered faintly. Across its surface, a straight line segment lay motionless. Without warning, the line contorted violently, twisting into a gnarled, clawing branch that seemed to leap from the screen. A shrill, deafening alarm erupted, echoing through the air.