“Fine. Since I have been merciful enough to explain all this to you for so long, you shouldn't have any regrets left, right? Now, stay here and be buried alongside our Gold Flame Dragon King!”
Under the threat of the pitch-black spear, Starlight’s breathing suddenly became rapid. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Starlight’s reaction clearly satisfied Salenzo. However, just as he was about to throw the spear and end it all, he saw Starlight suddenly lift his head.
“You’re right. Thank you for explaining everything to us,” Starlight said, looking at Salenzo with a burning gaze as he spoke loudly. “But I wonder if you know a certain saying that often appears in our human novels...”
“Oh? What is it?” Salenzo was somewhat surprised, and the movement of his hand involuntarily slowed by half a beat.
“It’s this—villains often die from talking too much! Do it!” Starlight shouted, throwing the Light Burst he had prepared in his palm.
The composite bomb, made of light, fire, and wind magic, immediately exploded not far from Salenzo.
Just as the intense light and shockwave were about to engulf the two Dragon Kings, Salenzo merely swung the pitch-black spear nonchalantly.
A black line as thin as a hair appeared out of thin air, devouring all the energy produced by the explosion. Not even a stray breeze escaped this bizarre consumption.
“Just this little trick?” Salenzo shook his head mockingly, the tip of his spear still emitting faint black smoke. “It seems I still overestimated you.”
Starlight’s pupils contracted slightly. This composite magic, which had never failed him before, was neutralized so effortlessly by the opponent.
More terrifyingly, Salenzo hadn't even moved a step; not even the corner of his clothes had fluttered.
Just as Salenzo intended to strike again, he felt a hint of something being wrong.
The other party’s behavior was far too calm—one could even say they were acting as if they had nothing to fear.
Something was wrong—very wrong.
In that split second of hesitation, the sound of something tearing through the air rang out right next to him.
“Air—Rending—Slash!”
The figures of Po Kong and Little Gold suddenly appeared beside Salenzo. The weapon shining with golden light in their hands was no longer the Sacred Wood Phantom, but the Divine Artifact Greatsword that had been slumbering within his body for a long time.
At the same time, the two figures behind Starlight shattered like bubbles.
That was the stealth spell Moen had once used in the Night Lotus Valley. Combined with Little Gold’s innate talent for concealment, it had allowed Po Kong and him to leave their original positions unnoticed. Not even a powerhouse like the Dragon King had detected them.
“Damn it!”
A golden light that sliced through space swept past like a crescent moon. Sensing the power of a Divine Artifact on the blade, Salenzo’s eyes widened, and he jerked his head aside at the last possible second.
Squelch!
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Salenzo’s body swayed violently as he stumbled back several steps.
Although he successfully avoided a fatal blow to the head, his right arm—the one holding Seranox—was severed clean at the shoulder by the attack!
“Ugh... Argh—!”
A roar that sounded barely human erupted from the Obsidian Dragon King’s throat. With a distorted expression, he turned his head to look at the exhausted Po Kong and Little Gold.
Dark red granulation tissue could be seen wriggling at the stump of his right arm. The wound that had been gushing blood moments ago was now plugged by countless microscopic tentacles.
“You... all of you shall die!”
As the pitch-black spear fell toward Po Kong and Little Gold, Seranox, who had broken free from the restraint, grabbed the two of them and retreated to a safe distance.
“Well done!”
Seranox crushed the severed arm still impaled in his chest. The golden flames that ignited instantly stanched the wound that was pouring blood.
Although golden blood continued to seep out, a raging battle intent had reignited in his eyes.
“Father! Are you okay?!” Little Gold asked urgently.
“I’m fine, don't worry,” Seranox replied gently, patting his head. He then looked up at the Obsidian Dragon King nearby. “Give it up, Salenzo. If it weren't for a sneak attack, you could never defeat me!”
Although the Crown of Gold Horn was completely shattered, the other sacred relic, the Dragon Ancestor's Legacy Scale, was still in Little Gold’s hands.
Even though he was heavily injured, Seranox still possessed absolute confidence in his combat power.
“No... Brother, you’ve forgotten this.” Salenzo gave a sinister laugh, raised his intact left hand, and ripped open the clothing on his chest.
Torn along with the clothes was the flesh of his chest.
Everyone watched as a golden heart throbbed within Salenzo’s chest cavity. However, the originally holy gold was now covered in crimson bloodshot veins.
“The Dragon God's Heart!” Seranox’s expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected that the Dragon God's Heart, which he thought Cantia had taken, would now appear on Salenzo.
What was even more chilling was that to conceal the relic’s aura, he had actually hidden it within his own flesh and blood.
“Now, will you still be as confident as you were just now?” Salenzo laughed loudly as he slowly ascended into the air. The Dragon God's Heart in his chest beat faster and faster, making a muffled thumping sound like a drum as he flew toward the black dragon embedded in the rock wall.
“Not good! Everyone, stop him!”
Even without the Gold Flame Dragon King’s warning, Starlight and the others understood the gravity of the situation. They launched their attacks at Salenzo’s figure simultaneously.
Dozens of spells and three Sacred Wood Arrows followed Seranox’s golden flames, striking toward the seemingly defenseless Salenzo. It looked as though he would be engulfed.
But the Obsidian Dragon King didn't even look back; he simply snapped his fingers.
Thump-thump!
The Dragon God's Heart in his chest gave a violent throb, and a dark golden light curtain suddenly unfolded behind him.
Every attack that hit the light curtain disappeared without a trace, like a stone sinking into the ocean.
“That’s the elemental stripping effect of the Dragon God's Heart! Salenzo can't maintain it for long. Keep going!” Seranox shouted sharply, golden flames reigniting between his palms.
However, by this time, Salenzo had already reached the chest of the black dragon. He looked up at the terrifying wound pierced by the golden giant sword, a bizarre smile curling his lips.
“My ancestor, the body of the Dragon God Versolion... what a perfect vessel...”
The Obsidian Dragon King slowly spread his arms. A blinding blood-red light suddenly erupted from the Dragon God's Heart in his chest, and it gradually detached from his body.
Countless wriggling blood vessels extended from him, carrying him toward the cavity in the dragon’s chest. He soon disappeared inside.
After Salenzo’s body vanished into the massive hollow, numerous blood vessels immediately wriggled to seal the opening, stitching the final gap completely shut.
For a moment, only dead silence remained.
The entire underground space felt as if someone had pressed the pause button; even the most basic sounds had vanished.
“What’s the situation now?”
Po Kong was only halfway through his sentence when the black dragon’s body convulsed violently.
The shattered black scales began to recover at a visible rate, and the originally withered body swelled up like a balloon being inflated.
Starlight could see that the newly formed scales were covered in the same blood-red patterns as the Dragon God's Heart.
Thump—thump—
A massive heartbeat like a war drum echoed through the rock walls, each pulse shaking loose a shower of rubble.
That divine body, which had been silent for tens of thousands of years, was awakening. Each heartbeat caused the entire underground space to tremble.
Under the suppression of this sound, Starlight and the others found it difficult to breathe. It wasn't just pressure; the surrounding air itself seemed to be dominated by that terrifying heartbeat.
Those with weaker cultivation could even feel their blood beginning to surge uncontrollably in rhythm with the sound, and their eardrums throbbed with a tearing pain.
More terrifyingly, the aura radiating from the black dragon was climbing frantically at a geometric rate.
“Damn it... if this is how it is.” Seranox narrowed his eyes, looked at the others around him, and finally abandoned his plan to continue the attack.
His current state was poor. If he were to fight a life-and-death battle against Salenzo, who held the Dragon God's Heart, his chances of winning were definitely not high.
Moreover, the opponent had now merged with the Dragon God's legacy husk. If a real fight broke out, everyone present would be in mortal danger.
END
Rate on N.U.
