The Ancient Tyrant Dragon

Suddenly, Xiao Chen's expression changed drastically. He saw Prince Feng reveal a sinister smile, his entire body turning nearly translucent as it blazed with blinding radiance. Cracks appeared on his skin like a shattered porcelain vase—crisscrossing lines spreading across his surface.

Xiao Chen retreated with all his might, his body turning into a bolt of lightning.

An overwhelmingly vast power exploded in the mountain forest.

"Boom!"

A terrible energy storm erupted, and Prince Feng's body shattered. The surrounding trees were flattened in a wide arc. Though Xiao Chen's body was shrouded in a faint halo, he could not withstand the blast—he was hurled backward, crashing through several ancient trees before hitting the ground.

Xiao Chen wiped the blood from his mouth and struggled to sit up. He let out a relieved laugh. His killing intent had been unwavering, his actions decisive—he had finally eliminated two powerful foes and resolved the threat to his life.

On the cliff above, crimson light blazed, radiating waves of terrible heat. The cliff top had actually melted, flowing with searing-hot magma!

A great fire spread beneath the cliff, and the surrounding forest echoed with the roars of panicked beasts as they fled in all directions.

The flames spread through the woods, leaping into the sky, dazzlingly bright in the darkness of night!

Dragging his injured body, Xiao Chen picked up the sword Prince Feng had dropped and retreated to a river not far away. He watched the towering flames for a moment, then began tending to his wounds by the water's edge.

Half an hour later, thunder and lightning still raged, but not a single drop of rain had fallen. A large swath of the primeval forest had already been burned away.

Xiao Chen's eyes snapped open. At that moment, he sensed a terrifying killing intent!

By the clear river, a peerless beauty approached, as graceful as a startled swan, as light as a flickering shadow, as ethereal as a banished immortal. She drifted forward like a goddess stepping out of a painting.

"Zhao Lin'er!" Xiao Chen had not expected her to appear at this moment. The towering flames must have drawn her here.

Her gauze veil was long gone. Her skin was like congealed fat, her eyes like autumn pools, her nose delicate and straight, her lips moist and red, her teeth like fine jade. The Royal Celestial Maiden's city-toppling beauty was dreamlike, breathtaking—as if a goddess had descended from the Nine Heavens to the mortal world.

Zhao Lin'er was hailed by gossips as the most beautiful woman in the Nine Provinces. But facing such a peerlessly graceful woman, Xiao Chen could only let out a helpless sigh. A battle to the death was about to begin!

The towering flames illuminated both banks of the river. Zhao Lin'er stood there silently, truly like the Luo Goddess incarnate. She seemed as light as clouds veiling the moon, as drifting as wind brushing snow. From afar, she shone bright as the morning sun over rosy clouds; up close, she blazed like a lotus emerging from green waves.

Xiao Chen stood, leaning on his sword, and faced the Royal Celestial Maiden calmly. "I did not expect Your Highness to also enter the World of Immortality. Meeting someone from our homeland on this savage island is truly a stroke of fortune."

Zhao Lin'er was stunningly beautiful as she approached, her every movement elegant and refined. A cold smile crossed her ethereal face. "You certainly have a way with words. Do you think I would let homesickness stay my hand? Do not forget how we came to be here!"

Xiao Chen tightened his grip on the sword, already prepared for battle. He gave a resigned smile. "Entering the World of Immortality is a kind of celestial fate, is it not? How many people in a thousand years have achieved it? Perhaps one day you will attain eternal life here, and when you look back, these petty grievances will amount to nothing."

"Eternal life? I cannot see it. All I see is a land overrun with savage beasts, a primordial wilderness. I have been exiled to a barren wasteland, and you are the cause! You made me leave the splendors of my homeland, the prosperous capital, my father the emperor and mother the empress forever!" Zhao Lin'er stared coldly at Xiao Chen, killing intent rising on her beautiful face.

The fire leaped through the forest, turning night into day. Above, thunder rolled more violently, lightning splitting the sky. The churning clouds pressed down almost to the ground, and a heavy rain seemed imminent.

Xiao Chen looked at Zhao Lin'er and said earnestly, "On this island, savage beasts roam and mysteries abound. For now, we are the only two here, both from the mortal world. Your Highness, do you truly wish to fight to the death? That would be a great pity. We are from the same homeland—it would be wrong to slaughter each other in a foreign land. Since we have entered the World of Immortality, perhaps we can set aside mortal恩怨? To begin anew. On this desolate island, we have much need of each other's help."

Zhao Lin'er's laughter was like silver bells, clear and pleasant, but the killing intent spread with it. She sneered, "If there were no past grievances, we could coexist. But that is impossible now. Leaving you alive on this island is like raising a tiger. You are only speaking so humbly because you are severely wounded. If you were at your peak, you would have struck without mercy."

Xiao Chen had nothing more to say. Both of them were intelligent; saying more would only be redundant.

The Royal Celestial Maiden had already noticed the corpses nearby. She looked at Xiao Chen and said, "You were wounded because of them, weren't you? Who are they, and why are there others on this deserted island?"

"The disciples of the Evil King Shi Zhixuan!"

At these words, Zhao Lin'er was momentarily stunned.

Xiao Chen's body exploded with dazzling light, and like a dragon he leaped up, fleeing into the dense forest. He truly could not fight Zhao Lin'er in his current state. Prince Feng's final demonic self-destruction had sent a surging wave of life essence that had inflicted terrible damage on Xiao Chen. Though he had retreated and defended in time, he was still gravely wounded.

Zhao Lin'er snapped back to attention. With lotus steps that stirred the wind, she pursued like a flickering shadow. She knew this was a rare opportunity; once Xiao Chen recovered his strength, she might not be able to suppress him.

"Boom!"

A thunderclap, and the rain finally poured down in torrents. A curtain of water descended between heaven and earth, quickly extinguishing the forest fire.

The rain was heavy, and within moments Xiao Chen's clothes were soaked through. His injuries were severe; his footsteps were sluggish and faltering. The vast downpour seemed to wash away all traces of life, and his consciousness began to blur.

He knew he could not escape Zhao Lin'er like this. In his desperation, he suddenly remembered the territory of the Ancient Tyrant Dragon—a region he had scouted earlier. If he could lure her there, perhaps the beast would devour them both, or at least give him a chance.

With that thought, Xiao Chen changed direction and staggered toward the dragon's lair.

Zhao Lin'er followed close behind, her movements swift. Suddenly, she sensed an extremely dangerous aura. She halted, her face changing color. Ahead, a colossal creature covered in cyan scales was glaring at them with eyes like cold lightning. Its single horn pierced the rain, its body like a mountain, and its roar shook the earth.

The Ancient Tyrant Dragon!

Even Zhao Lin'er paled. She stopped her pursuit, and in the moment of hesitation, Xiao Chen had already vanished into the rain and mist.

Finally, she turned and fled. Behind her, the earth trembled as the beast bellowed again.

Xiao Chen ran until he could run no more. He collapsed in a muddy depression, the rain washing over him. He had escaped for now, but his body was at its limit.

When Xiao Chen awoke, the rain had stopped. Dawn light filtered through the canopy. He was lying in a shallow stream, his wounds still seeping blood. He forced himself to sit up and look around.

Nearby, a small creature stood watching him curiously. It was only about a foot long, covered in pure white fur, with a single jade-like horn on its forehead and black gem-like eyes. It tilted its head, then, as if startled, darted away in a blur.

A Celestial Horse foal.

Xiao Chen's lips curled into a bitter smile. He was still alive.

He crawled to a mossy boulder and sat up, then began to circulate what little spiritual energy he could muster to begin the slow process of healing.