The Light Holy Dragon's incantations blazed through the air, bursts of brilliant light exploding across the sky. At the same time, its two wings swept like divine blades—slashing horizontally, chopping vertically—as it fought against the Fallen Angel.
Terrifying primal energy surged violently. Everyone on the ground could clearly sense it: this was a battle of absolute dread.
Through Yi Zhen's quiet explanations, Xiao Chen came to understand something of the Fallen Angel race. They were an ancient race, akin to gods, though few in number—as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Yet every one of them possessed overwhelming battle prowess; the strongest among them could be called true deities.
Many of the weaker races in the World of Immortality worshipped them as gods. This had incurred the hatred of certain foreign deities, and it was said the Fallen Angels had been hunted to the brink of extinction. For over a century, they had not appeared upon the mainland.
An ancient divine race.
The more Xiao Chen learned, the more he felt the profound mystery of the World of Immortality.
“Two semi-divine beings, locked in such a ferocious battle!” Yi Zhen sighed with emotion.
Yalode, the young Forest Clan master, exclaimed, “The Light Holy Dragon is clearly losing. The Fallen Angel's methods are ruthless. She drove it here, likely intending to force it down onto Dragon Island!”
Kai'ao, the three-meter-tall barbarian youth, nodded. “That must be it. Even an unsealed Winged Dragon, once it falls onto Dragon Island, will lose its divine powers forever.”
“Roar…” The Light Holy Dragon bellowed in fury. Finally, it transformed into human form, churning up a mist of multicolored radiance. Amid the glowing fog, it clashed fiercely with the Fallen Angel. The terrifying aura enveloped the surrounding ten directions, sensed by the other dragons on the island. From deep within the island came wave after wave of dragon roars.
At last, the Light Holy Dragon was forced back into its massive original form. With a roar of utter rage, it plummeted toward Dragon Island. Its wings had been slashed by the energy greatsword in the Fallen Angel's hands, and a wave of netherlight had struck its body.
Thus the battle ended. The onlookers knew that once the Light Holy Dragon entered Dragon Island, it would forever lose its former divine powers—its beast nature would overwhelm its divine nature.
Even the Fallen Angel dared not approach the island. After her victory, she turned into a streak of black light and vanished beyond the horizon.
For a long time afterward, the coconut grove remained silent. This battle between semi-divines had shaken every one of them.
Kai'ao, the barbarian youth built like cast iron—tall and powerful—was the first to speak. “A semi-god is a semi-god.” Then he turned to Yan Qingcheng, Lande, and Yi Zhen. “Since we've all safely reached Dragon Island, let us part ways here. Yalode and I will go ahead.”
Yalode, the young Forest Clan master, nodded to the three of them and strode into the island's depths alongside Kai'ao. One was three meters tall, strong as a giant ape; the other was slender, frail as a willow—a strange pair. But the Barbarian and Forest clans had been allies for generations, their abilities highly complementary, so it was no surprise they traveled together.
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly. The two who had departed seemed to have overlooked him.
Lande, the golden-sun-like Western spellmaster, smiled at Yi Zhen. “Reverend Yi Zhen, the Celestial Maiden Yan and I have decided to join forces. Will you join us?”
Yan Qingcheng, peerlessly elegant, also revealed a smile that could captivate the masses. “If Brother Yi Zhen is willing to join, the three of us are sure to gain greatly.”
Yi Zhen belonged to the Dharma lineage. Ever since Laozi, the Buddha, and other great powers had vanished, Dharma had become one of the top post-ancient powerhouses in the East. Even the undying evil king Shi Zhixuan, that peerless man of a thousand ages, dared not challenge him lightly. Hence, those of the Dharma lineage were highly regarded.
“Hehe, no. A senior brother of mine may also come to Dragon Island. I think it's better I wait for him a few days by the seaside.”
“Very well. We'll go ahead, then.” Lande and Yan Qingcheng took their leave of Yi Zhen and disappeared into the depths of the coconut grove, seeming to forget that Xiao Chen existed.
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly again, but said nothing. In this real world, strength was everything. If he were a renowned powerhouse, no one would dare slight him. Yet he would not belittle himself. The great waves wash away the sand; time would prove who were the true warriors of steel.
After gathering enough sea salt, Xiao Chen bade farewell to Yi Zhen and left. He had to deal with Gu Luo and Zhao Lin'er as soon as possible, before any unexpected changes occurred. Fallen Angels and Light Holy Dragons—semi-gods like these had already appeared. He could foresee that Dragon Island would soon be seething with activity. Within days, a great number of experts would converge here, contending for the Ancestral Dragon and its attendant dragon kings. This place was a cauldron of conflict.
When he neared the Death Swamp, the three skeletons—King Qinguang, King Yanluo, and King Samsara—emerged silently from the dense forest. These undead truly regarded Xiao Chen as a companion.
To his surprise, the three skeletons seemed to be trying to convey some information. Their jaws clattered ceaselessly, rattling, and their bone claws kept gesturing. Finally, they grabbed him and sped off in a certain direction, moving at incredible speed.
Had they found Zhao Lin'er and Gu Luo? Xiao Chen quickly guessed as much.
Through layers of forest, after advancing about three li, the three skeletons led Xiao Chen to the entrance of a valley he had never visited before—a relatively unfamiliar place.
Outside the valley, tall trees stood lush and green, but few beasts roamed. Xiao Chen intuitively sensed that a terrifying creature might dwell nearby. A closer look revealed huge claw prints on the ground outside the valley—dragon claws!
Inside the valley sprawled a vast stone forest, barren of vegetation. Except for the entrance, the other sides were sheer cliffs. Xiao Chen keenly detected a powerful dragon aura.
King Samsara gestured with its bone claw for Xiao Chen to look ahead. In the wide-open stone forest, a massive silver creature lay crouched there.
It was… a dragon!
Though he could not see its entire form, it seemed familiar. Xiao Chen instantly guessed it might be the Light Holy Dragon that had fought the Fallen Angel. Faintly, he heard the sound of gentle snoring—the silver dragon appeared to be slumbering.
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