Chapter 51: Evil God's Seed · Fire (3)

A colossal roar suddenly echoed from within the enormous cave. The earth-shattering sound was so powerful that even from a considerable distance, Yun Che's ears were instantly deafened.

Amidst the roar, a flash of fire suddenly appeared within the cave. Following this, a pillar of flame, dozens of meters thick, abruptly surged out of the cave, coiling towards the five figures in the air. A scorching heatwave instantly filled the surrounding several miles. Yun Che's face burned with a stinging pain, and he was secretly astonished. It seemed the legend of the Blazing Dragon must be true! Even if it wasn't a dragon, it was certainly an incredibly terrifying fire-attributed profound beast!

This obscure Crimson Dragon Mountain Range, whose periphery was only inhabited by the lowest-level profound beasts, actually concealed such a fearsome creature.

"Dodge!"

The sudden surge of flame caught the five individuals by surprise, and they rapidly shifted positions in different directions in mid-air. The fire pillar soared hundreds of meters high before slowly dissipating in the sky. At that moment, a massive dragon silhouette appeared before the cave entrance.

It stood a hundred feet tall, its entire body crimson, like incandescent steel. Its enormous wings and tail blazed with intense flames. It raised its draconic head, its two crimson eyes exuding an intimidating aura without needing to express anger. To their astonishment, it spoke in human tongue: "Audacious humans, how dare you trespass upon this king's domain!"

Its voice was deep and guttural, imbued with an invisible, heart-palpitating majesty. The Grand Elder of the Burning Heaven Clan stepped forward and declared arrogantly, "I never expected this nameless place to actually harbor a dragon... and a fire dragon at that! However, with your noble body and immense power, dwelling in such a place is truly demeaning. Once we retrieve your Profound Core, we will surely display your power at the pinnacle of the Azure Wind Empire. What do you think?"

Fen Moli, the Grand Elder of the Burning Heaven Clan, was arrogant by nature. He wasted no words with the Blazing Dragon, directly stating his purpose with an air of absolute certainty, as if the dragon's Profound Core was already his possession. Based on the profound energy aura emanating from the Blazing Dragon, it appeared to be a Level Nine Heavenly Profound Beast, consistent with their intelligence. Fen Moli himself had been at the peak of Level Ten Heavenly Profound Realm for seven years, just half a step away from the Emperor Profound Realm. He believed he could defeat the Blazing Dragon alone, let alone with four other powerful Heavenly Profound Realm disciples by his side.

Furthermore, their clan's profound art, the Burning Heaven Art, gave them a significant advantage against fire-attributed profound beasts.

Fen Moli's words instantly ignited the Blazing Dragon's fury. The flames on its wings and tail immediately flared more intensely, and the surrounding temperature rapidly ascended with its rage. "Greedy humans, you will pay the most severe price for your arrogance and avarice. This king will burn you all to ashes!"

The enraged Blazing Dragon flapped its wings, its colossal fiery body lifting into the air and charging directly towards the five individuals. From a distance, it looked like a massive fireball soaring skyward.

"Engage!"

With a low roar from the Grand Elder, the five figures quickly dispersed, positioning themselves in five different directions around the Blazing Dragon. The Blazing Dragon let out a furious roar, and five crimson flames suddenly erupted from its body, transforming into five ferocious fire dragons. They lunged at the five individuals, and the scorching heat, even from a distance of over a thousand meters, made Yun Che sweat profusely and gasp for air.

The five fire dragons struck the protective profound energy shields of the five individuals, repelling all but Fen Moli. Fen Moli forcefully dispersed his fire dragon with his profound energy, then let out a furious roar as his body transformed into a blur. He instantly closed in on the Blazing Dragon's massive form, his long blade unleashing countless slashes that fell upon the dragon's body like a fierce storm, accompanied by jarring metallic clangs.

Enraged, the Blazing Dragon violently thrashed its body, its enormous tail lashing out with explosive power towards Fen Moli. Fen Moli leaned back, instantly erecting a protective profound energy shield before him. With a heavy thud, the colossal dragon tail smashed against Fen Moli's profound energy shield. The resilient shield shattered instantly like glass, and Fen Moli recoiled rapidly, his face turning pale. He quickly yelled, "Its body is too formidable! Don't get close!"

The other four Heavenly Profound practitioners heard the warning and quickly halted their movements. Each of them now held a long blade, its surface ablaze with flames.

"Burning Heaven Blade – Blazing Dragon Overturning Seas!""Burning Heaven Blade – Thousand Suns Scorching Blaze!""Burning Heaven Blade – Prairie Cleaver!""Burning Heaven Blade – Sun Scorching Clouds!"

The four were not only fellow disciples of the Burning Heaven Clan but also blood brothers. Having grown up and cultivated profound energy together since childhood, they shared an unparalleled familiarity and high degree of synergy. They almost simultaneously raised their long blades, striking towards the Blazing Dragon from dozens of meters away. Terrifying blade qi carved visible ripples in space, hurtling straight at the dragon. One strike came from the left, one from the right, one from above, and one from below, effectively sealing off all the Blazing Dragon's avenues of advance and retreat.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Blazing Dragon's massive body made its movements less agile. All four blade strikes landed on its body, leaving four shallow marks on its surface amidst jarring impact sounds, and causing its body to momentarily lose balance. Fen Moli's counterattack arrived abruptly at this very moment. He had appeared above the Blazing Dragon at some unknown point and brought a tremendously heavy blade down fiercely onto its head...

"Roar!!!"

The pained Blazing Dragon let out a furious roar as a large burst of searing flames suddenly erupted from its body. The scorching heatwave instantly forced the five individuals far back. Their Burning Heaven Art allowed them some resistance to flames, but it certainly didn't make them fearless of fire. They gave the Blazing Dragon no chance to breathe, swiftly closing in again mere moments after being pushed back, their blade qi, capable of tearing space itself, relentlessly striking the dragon's body repeatedly.

Clang! Boom! Thud! Whoosh!

The sounds of blade qi tearing through air, explosions of flame, and jarring impacts... reverberated throughout the entire Crimson Dragon Mountain Range. All the lower-level profound beasts in the surrounding area fled in panic. Small hills were repeatedly severed, and countless cracks appeared even in the ground.

Yun Che remained hidden far away on the hilltop, holding his breath as he watched the battle between Heavenly Profound Realm cultivators. One side was a Heavenly Profound Beast, the other five Heavenly Profound Realm experts. Such a lineup and battle were rare even in the history of the Azure Wind Empire, yet now, he, a mere Level Four Elementary Profound Realm practitioner, was witnessing it firsthand.

He dared not approach, for even if he were to be touched by the Blazing Dragon's flames or the Burning Heaven Clan's blade qi – even just their residual shockwaves – he would surely die.

The battle grew increasingly fierce, and the surrounding air temperature continued to rise. The Blazing Dragon's power was undeniable, but it faced five opponents of similar cultivation levels. Almost from the outset, it was at a disadvantage. However, it possessed a formidable physique that humans could not match, so even though the five members of the Burning Heaven Clan held the upper hand, they could not overcome it in the short term.

"It seems this Blazing Dragon will eventually be defeated by them," Yun Che whispered.

"Then you truly underestimate dragons," Jasmine interjected coldly. "Though this is merely a lower-grade dragon, it is a true dragon! Not a flood dragon or lizard dragon, which are pseudo-dragons. True dragons possess not only extremely high intelligence but also the ability to conceal their true strength for an extra layer of protection. These people thought it was a Heavenly Profound Beast, so they brought someone who is half a step into the Emperor Profound Realm. But unfortunately, it is a... genuine Emperor Profound Beast!"

Yun Che's face showed his astonishment.

"It is merely toying with its opponents right now, feigning weakness to lure them into a deadly trap. When it truly bares its fangs, not one of those five, including the one who is half a step into the Emperor Profound Realm... will leave alive."

Yun Che's heart tightened upon hearing this. This dragon was surprisingly cunning and insidious!

As the battle intensified, their combat location gradually shifted southward, moving further and further away from the cave. This was clearly a deliberate act by the Blazing Dragon, to prevent the residual shockwaves of the battle from damaging its dwelling cave...

"Hmm? The cave?"

Yun Che's gaze immediately fixed upon the enormous cave.

That was the dwelling of this true dragon... an Emperor Profound true dragon!

The name Crimson Dragon Mountain Range had existed for an unknown period, but at least not less than a century, implying that this Blazing Dragon had resided in this cave for certainly over a hundred years. Given a dragon's lifespan, it might have been even longer, perhaps thousands of years. And noble profound beasts like dragons would never choose to dwell in ordinary places. This cave might well conceal some rare heavenly treasures that kept it from leaving!

Even if there were no such treasures, having been there for so long, there must be some shed dragon scales, dragon skin, or dragon horns, right? And anything from a dragon, even if it's shed, was a treasure!

He was currently at Level Four of the Elementary Profound Realm, a result of four months of effort. While his speed was astonishing, his power level remained at the bottom of the Azure Wind Continent. If there truly were any heavenly treasures in this cave, they would undoubtedly provide immeasurable benefits to his profound energy cultivation.

Glancing at his current invisible state, he gritted his teeth fiercely: "I'll risk it! Great rewards often came with great risks. Hesitation would only let opportunities slip away, and cowards would never reach the pinnacle!"

Moreover, he had an indistinct feeling... that the thing which had summoned him earlier seemed to be within this very cave!

"What are you doing?" Jasmine asked cautiously, seeing Yun Che suddenly stand up, his gaze fixed intently on the cave.

"I'm going to sneak into that cave and take a look! Since it's a dragon's lair, there might be some good things inside," Yun Che said slowly.

"Hmph, as expected, there are no humans without greed! The residual shockwaves from their battle are everywhere; even a slight touch would instantly kill you! Are you really so careless with your life?"

"Don't worry, the Star Concealing Grass's stealth ability means not even someone in the Emperor Profound Realm can detect me! Their current battle location is already far from the cave, so as long as I take a detour, I definitely won't be affected."

"I just told you, true dragons possess extremely high intelligence. Even if there truly are treasures in its cave, you won't be able to obtain them easily."

However, Yun Che disregarded Jasmine's dissuasion. Carefully concealing his form and aura, he descended the hill from the left side and began to circle towards the cave entrance.