Dragon Power Integration: 26.81%
With over a quarter of the Dragon Power integrated into his being, Hong Fei's mastery of it had grown increasingly refined. He could now manipulate its fundamental characteristics to create personalized applications. At this moment, he effortlessly shaped the Dragon Power into various forms, achieving a preliminary mimicry effect. Boom!
A sonic blast ripped through the air as Hong Fei surged forward, leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake. In an instant, he stood before the Soul-Eater leader. Compared to the monstrous creature's grotesque, massive head, Hong Fei's frame seemed almost insignificant. But size alone could never dictate the outcome of a battle.
Hong Fei raised his right arm, and Dragon Power erupted in a brilliant flash. A colossal pale-gold fist materialized around his arm, dwarfing his own body in scale. Five rings spun rapidly along his forearm, their metallic clang echoing through the air. The intricate patterns etched into the rings glowed brightly, amplifying his already formidable strength with a steady, unyielding surge.
To onlookers, Hong Fei vanished in a blur of motion. He reappeared before the Soul-Eater leader in a flash, his movement a cascade of afterimages. Without hesitation, he drove his fist forward before the monster could react. The massive pale-gold fist collided with the Soul-Eater's head in a deafening thud. The force of the blow snapped the creature's head violently to the right, its colossal body stumbling in the same direction. Its four legs scrambled for balance while its fleshy wings flapped wildly, struggling to steady itself.
Hong Fei moved like a relentless boxer, his feet dancing through the air as he adjusted his stance with precision. He delivered punch after punch, each strike landing squarely on the Soul-Eater's cheek with brutal efficiency. Bang! Bang! Bang! The air shuddered with the weight of each impact.
Three punches later, the Soul-Eater crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar, sending up a massive cloud of dust that obscured the battlefield. Within the swirling haze, a tail lashed out with lightning speed, wrapping around Hong Fei's body. More tails followed, coiling around him one after another until only his head remained free.
A howling gale swept through the area, dispersing the dust. The Soul-Eater flapped its wings and soared into the air, its tails dragging Hong Fei upward. With an excited howl, it opened its cavernous maw, poised to strike. Not far away, Xu Wenwu's heart skipped a beat. He instinctively moved to intervene, the Ten Rings already humming with energy as he prepared to unleash their power.
But Big Head stopped him with a firm hand.
"Wenwu, don't be in a hurry."
Xu Wenwu frowned, his brow creasing with concern. Big Head offered a calm explanation.
"We have to trust the Boss's ability. If he truly needed our help, he would've called us in from the start. He chose to face it alone for a reason."
Xu Wenwu's expression softened slightly, though his tension remained.
"Is this the kind of understanding you two share?" he asked. "Exactly," Big Head replied with a grin.
"Even if I didn't say it, you'd figure it out eventually."
Xu Wenwu nodded thoughtfully, then added, "So, he enjoys challenging the strong?"
Big Head chuckled.
"Uh... not quite. It seems the Boss prefers beating up the strong." After a moment's consideration, he added, "Though the weak are fair game too."
Xu Wenwu couldn't help but frown again, his mind racing with questions.
In Ta Lo Village, after the Soul-Eater leader appeared, the smaller Soul-Eaters began circling high above, patrolling the skies in an endless loop. They neither attacked nor retreated, as if waiting for their leader to demonstrate its dominance before joining the fray. The earlier casualties had clearly made them cautious. Observing this, Frank and the others held back, choosing not to rush into battle.
From their vantage point overlooking the Black Mountain's main battlefield, the group maintained a tense vigil. When Hong Fei was captured, Frank's team remained impassive, but the Ta Lo warriors struggled to contain their agitation.
"He's in grave danger," Ying Nan declared, his expression grave. Yingli furrowed her brow but countered, "He'll find a way to turn this around."
"We can't rely solely on others," Ying Nan shot back before barking, "Stay alert!"
The Ta Lo warriors tightened their grips on their weapons, their focus razor-sharp. Under the crushing restraint, Hong Fei felt an overwhelming force pressing against every muscle and bone in his body, leaving no inch untouched. Yet he knew this was merely the prelude to the enemy's true assault.
As the Soul-Eater's maw gaped wide, Hong Fei experienced a strange, irresistible pull—not on his physical form, but directly on his Soul. In that instant, he felt his very essence tremble and quake, teetering on the brink of being ripped from his body.
Acting swiftly, Hong Fei accessed the Dragon Power dimension within his mind. With practiced precision, he cast his Soul into this otherworldly realm, then channeled the Dragon Power to surge through his physical form. Simultaneously, he harnessed the enemy's Soul-sucking force to unleash the Dragon Power fused with his Soul in a torrential flood.
Hong Fei's body erupted in golden-red light as the Dragon Power surged toward the Soul-Eater's gaping mouth like water through a broken dam. Sizzling burns echoed as thick, acrid black smoke billowed forth. The Soul-Eater let out a piercing, agonized shriek. The Soul-sucking force abruptly ceased, but Hong Fei wasn't about to let up.
Seizing the moment before the creature could fully retract its Soul-devouring power, he actively drove the Dragon Power deeper into its body.
"Take it! Harder! Faster, it's almost out!"
Hong Fei urged excitedly, pushing the Dragon Power toward the creature's throat. The Soul-Eater leader's beady eyes widened in pain and shock.
The intense heat scorched through its mouthparts, thick, foul-smelling mucus oozing freely from its maw like a grotesque waterfall. Golden Dragon Power seeped inward through its oral cavity, golden tendrils branching and advancing relentlessly. In moments, its chest glowed brightly. Finally, it regained its senses.
Its tails lashed out, hurling Hong Fei away as its Soul-devouring power dissipated. This stuff is poison; can't absorb it! Hong Fei, mid-air, twisted his waist sharply and activated his Eyes of Death, instantly slowing the Soul-Eater's movements.
Locking onto its chest, he completed the mark in a flash. With a punch through the air, the Dragon Power propelled the five rings to unleash a colossal golden energy cannon larger than his own body! Boom! The explosion sent brilliant sparks cascading in all directions.
The Soul-Eater, writhing in pain, opened its horrifying maw of charred black and glowing red teeth. Its long, mucus-coated tongue protruded involuntarily. With a flick of Hong Fei's left hand, the five rings shot out, expanding more than a hundredfold mid-air.
Xu Wenwu, the Master who had wielded the Ten Rings for over a millennium, stared in stunned silence at the suddenly massive rings. The first looped around the Soul-Eater's tongue; the second and third ensnared its wings; the fourth struck its neck squarely; and the fifth encircled its dozen tails completely.
Hong Fei's left palm clenched abruptly. The five golden rings tightened inward, each pulling in a different direction. A shrill screech tore through the air, only to be silenced as the golden ring dug deep into the Soul-Eater's neck, crushing its windpipe. The small Soul-Eaters hovering over the lake, previously mere spectators, now erupted into chaos.
In unison, they screeched and lunged toward Hong Fei. Xu Wenwu and his three companions, stationed atop the Black Mountain, sprang into action, intercepting and dispersing the swarm. By the lakeside, Frank led the charge, his armor roaring skyward as he pursued the redirected Soul-Eaters.
Hong Fei remained laser-focused. He trusted Frank, Xu Wenwu, and the others to hold the line. The Soul-Eater, its wings bound, plummeted once more. Its tails, once spread like grasping tentacles, were now tangled and useless, leaving it defenseless.
With a sweeping motion, Hong Fei extended his Dragon-Capturing Hand through the air, gripping the Soul-Eater's torso. He dragged it downward toward the lake's surface as he flew. The water below was eerily calm, still as a stagnant pool. Hong Fei withdrew his gaze and opened his left hand.
The five rings binding the Soul-Eater surged with force, tearing outward in all directions. Its body stretched grotesquely, as if on the verge of being ripped apart. Hong Fei spread his right hand, and the five rings on his right arm launched forward, aligning in a row. Each spun at blinding speed, flinging specks of pure gold into the air like dazzling fireworks.
The metallic clanging was relentless. Hong Fei swung his arm down in a decisive chop. The five rings obeyed instantly, slicing through the air with precision. The Dragon Power coursing through his body surged into the rings, enveloping them in radiant golden light.
The rings transformed into a massive golden blade, descending upon the Soul-Eater's head with unstoppable force. A flash of light and shadow crossed paths with the creature. A heartbeat later, a golden line erupted down the center of its body.
The line widened, beams of golden light bursting forth to form towering pillars. The Soul-Eater's corpse split cleanly into two symmetrical halves, plummeting into the lake. Hong Fei extended his hands, and pure golden Dragon Power ignited on the Ten Rings floating in the air.
The flames burned fiercely, incinerating the bloodstains and filth clinging to the rings until they evaporated into nothingness. As Hong Fei withdrew the Ten Rings, a deep undercurrent stirred beneath the lake. In an instant, a colossal creature surged upward, breaching the surface with explosive force.
Amid the towering white waves, a white dragon emerged, its mouth gaping wide. It devoured the two halves of the Soul-Eater's corpse in a single swallow. The dragon's slender body twisted gracefully skyward, its resonant roar echoing with triumph.
Hong Fei watched its ascent, his gaze settling on the dragon's head. His brow furrowed slightly. Like Ta Lo's "Phoenix" and "Qilin," this dragon was the spitting image of the mythical creature—almost indistinguishable. Yet, almost wasn't enough. Something about it felt... off.
Hong Fei looked at its body, his gaze gradually falling on the dragon's head, and his brows couldn't help but furrow slightly. Like Ta Lo's "Phoenix" and "Qilin," this dragon really looked like a dragon—its similarity was almost one hundred percent. But being close is still just being close.
Even at 99.999% similarity, that final 0.001% remained an uncrossable void—the difference between imitation and divinity.
It was like downloading a movie stuck at 99%. No matter how much you could already watch, without that final ping of completion, something always felt hollow. Incomplete. Wrong.