Chapter 58: Divine Spirit Essence

The demon dragon’s roar was truly formidable. The blast of air sent me flying; while suspended in midair, I struggled to regain control of my body. The Frost Sword tapped lightly against the ground, and I somersaulted to land safely. The old man fared better, leaping high into the sky; as the shockwave subsided, he descended from above like a god returning to earth. The Corpse King lay motionless on the ground—I couldn't tell if he was dead. The demon dragon gave us no time to catch our breath, springing up and swooping down toward our position.

As expected, dragons can soar through cloud and mist. Its colossal form blocked out the sunlight. I retreated swiftly, and the old man flickered to the left in a blink. The roaring wind rushed at me; the dragon’s ferocious maw grew larger before my eyes. I pressed my toes to the ground, channeling my inner energy to glide backward. The dragon opened its blood-red mouth, exuding a foul stench. Seeing that it was about to swallow me, I stopped abruptly and dropped to the ground, letting its body sweep over my head.

The demon dragon turned, coming at me again. It seemed fixated solely on me, completely ignoring the old man and the Corpse King sprawled nearby. Damn it, if I don’t show you some real skill, you’ll think I, Li Yunfei, am nothing but a pushover. Sword in hand, I stood firm before the demon dragon. The wind howled, and I pushed the energy of my shield to its utmost limit. The Frost Sword radiated thick mist, ready to freeze the dragon as soon as it drew near. The sword was called Frost Sword because its blade gathered cold currents, freezing all things. I didn’t know how it worked, but it could truly conjure ice—there are many things in this world that science cannot explain, like the soul, for instance.

I could already release ice, and with the Frost Sword’s power, its blade was shrouded in a thin layer of frost, emitting wisps of white fog. My freezing technique was acquired in the dungeon’s Yin-Yang Pool; after absorbing the inner core of the Yin-Yang Monster, I mastered this skill and could also unleash blazing fire. That is, my left hand could summon ice while my right released flames—I called it "Ninefold Heaven of Ice and Fire." As soon as the demon dragon entered attack range, I aimed my sword at it. A bolt of white lightning shot from the tip, continuously striking the beast. Instantly, the dragon was frozen solid; suspended in midair, it plummeted down, the ice shattering on impact. It stirred, about to attack, but was immediately frozen again by another blast from the Frost Sword.

The crisis was temporarily averted. I dispelled my shield and tapped the frozen dragon lightly with my finger. “Nothing more than this!” Striding toward the old man, I saw him move his lips as if speaking, but I couldn’t hear him. There was a hundred meters between us, and the wind blew from behind me, carrying his words away. Seeing my lack of response, he pointed at me, and I suddenly understood, quickly dropping to the ground. A wave of heat swept over my head; I rolled three meters away and stood up. It was the demon dragon—it had somehow ignored the ice binding. My freezing technique wasn’t perfected, but it shouldn’t have thawed so quickly. When I saw flames spewing from its mouth, I finally understood. I hurriedly thrust out my left hand, releasing ice; fire and ice intertwined, emitting wisps of white mist. Soon, dense fog enveloped everything, obscuring my vision.

While releasing ice, I retreated, feeling my inner energy depleting rapidly. Freezing consumed a great deal of energy—if I kept this up, I’d lose my only bargaining chip. I dared not be careless, quickly withdrawing my arm, focusing on defense, and storing the Frost Sword in my spatial ring. I summoned two revolvers, firing in turn, bullets sparking off the black dragon’s hide. Damn, its skin was tough. The bullets ran out, having no effect. I spun the cylinders, using my mind to retrieve twelve rounds from the ring, tossing them into the air and catching them deftly one by one. The whole movement was smooth and precise—on the battlefield, slow reflexes lead to only one outcome.

Ammo loaded, I fired two shots and dashed to the right, widening the gap with the old man. The demon dragon wasn’t attacking him now; I couldn’t let it notice his presence. It pursued relentlessly while I ran for my life; whenever it got close, I turned and fired a shot to slow it down. With the last bullet, I stopped, spun around, and took careful aim. The bullet pierced the sky, striking the dragon. I poured a huge amount of energy into this shot, making it several times faster than usual.

The bullet hit the demon dragon’s eye dead-on. It howled in agony, the ground shuddered, and ripples spread across the river. It seemed astonished that a creature as insignificant as me could inflict such pain. Its remaining eye locked onto me, the other sunken and bleeding profusely. I drew the Frost Sword, ready for a life-or-death battle. As soon as I held it before me, the dragon attacked. I didn’t even see how it moved—it seemed to appear before my eyes out of nowhere. Despite my ability to track movements, I couldn’t follow its speed. Clearly, it was using its full strength, ready to risk everything.

Before I could react, the demon dragon grabbed me in its foreclaw and lifted me up. The immense pressure left me immobilized, bones creaking under the strain. This was the end—really the end, just as the old saying goes about cold winds at the River Yi. I closed my eyes in despair. A gust swept by, and I fell uncontrollably. Opening my eyes, I looked up; the old man was astride the dragon’s back, forming a sword seal with his hand, beams of light striking its body. At the critical moment, he had saved me. I looked at him gratefully, and he gave me a confident smile. “Young man, hurry to Black Dragon Pool and fetch the Primordial Spirit. I’ll hold it off. Swim east-southeast for a thousand paces; you’ll find a coral. Dig three feet down to retrieve the spirit.”

“Hold on, old man, I’ll be right back.” With a leap, I dove into Black Dragon Pool, plunging to the bottom. Following his instructions, I swam east-southeast for a thousand paces and indeed saw a red coral ahead. I tried stabbing the ground with the Frost Sword, but it only penetrated a few centimeters before stopping, as if an impenetrable stone lay beneath the soil. I used my hands to clear the loose earth, muddying the water, and quickly swam upward.

Luckily, I could survive underwater without breathing; otherwise, in such deep water, I’d never reach this point without an oxygen tank. After the Corpse King pierced my chest and I lost my heart, I discovered I could hold my breath for an hour. Still, I was used to breathing—though my heart was gone, my lungs remained. A blessing in disguise, really—I owed thanks to the Corpse King for making me a heartless man. Once the water cleared, I dove again; beneath the soil lay a slab of green stone, bearing an inscription: “Whoever breaks the seal dies.”

A seal? Trying to scare me, are you? I’ll open it anyway. I found the slab’s edge and pried it up. So much for a seal—it was just a broken stone slab. I tossed it aside, revealing a round opening beneath, large enough for a person. As I threw the slab away, a strange shriek echoed from the hole, like ghosts wailing underwater—a disturbing sound. After the scream, the ground shook, and I hurried downstream, peering into the opening.

The ground began to crack, and a creature the size of a basketball court emerged from beneath. I saw clearly—what else could it be but a Flesh Emperor? Its form surpassed anything I’d known. My understanding was that the Flesh Emperor was an entity neither plant, animal, nor fungus—a fourth form of life. This being shattered all my beliefs.

(The author’s note: Here’s a bit of clarification—the Flesh Emperor truly is a fourth type of life, neither plant, animal, nor fungus. Its energy can grant immortality... a bit far-fetched, I know. Please continue following my work, add it to your collection, and vote! Your support is my endless motivation.)