Chapter 518

"Poisonous Dragon"

Han Li silently gasped, his face showing rare signs of fear.

The beast had a vivid red hue, its body stretching a hundred zhang long—nearly identical to the Ink Dragon Han Li had encountered before—and it was a genuine dragon, specifically the notorious Poisonous Dragon among dragonkind.

From the spiritual light swirling over its crimson scales, which seemed almost tangible, it was undoubtedly a genuine Level Eight beast.

The inexplicable pressure this beast exerted on him was something Han Li had only felt before from the group of Nascent Soul elders.

Dragons are among the few primordial celestial beasts that have survived since ancient times; such beasts not only cultivate far faster than ordinary beasts, but once they achieve success, their magical power and abilities vastly surpass those of their peers. Even defeating opponents of a higher rank is not impossible for purebred dragons.

If the records in the classics are accurate, this Poisonous Dragon, though a Level Eight beast, could hold its own even against a Level Nine beast in direct combat.

How could Han Li not be shaken?

Han Li immediately considered fleeing, but his reason restrained him from acting rashly.

Two other aura trails were still approaching from afar, their intentions clearly hostile; slipping away in the chaos was better than revealing his position by acting prematurely.

Even so, Han Li quietly draped the Blood Cloak over his shoulders and subtly flicked his hands, causing the Five Elements Ring and the Flower Basket to appear in his palms.

Only then did Han Li feel somewhat reassured.

At this moment, the Poisonous Dragon had ceased its roar and twisted its massive head to glance at the giant turtle still struggling fiercely against the lightning; a flicker of unusual expression passed through its eyes.

Then, it emitted a terrifying blue light, and its enormous body rapidly shrank and reshaped within the glow.

Moments later, a humanoid dragon of roughly human size appeared in its place.

Its head remained the same fearsome dragon maw, unchanged, but its body and limbs had transformed into human form, its entire frame covered in crimson scales, with a thick dragon tail still trailing behind, swaying incessantly.

Seeing this transformation, Han Li was filled with dread.

The humanoid Poisonous Dragon stood barehanded atop the waves, yet moved as if walking on solid ground, not a single tremor in its body.

Yet after taking human form, the Poisonous Dragon's emerald eyes casually glanced toward Han Li's hiding spot; the icy malice in its gaze instantly chilled Han Li to the bone, his palms slick with cold sweat as he gripped the two ancient treasures.

Fortunately, at that very moment, the golden aura and the crimson glow from another direction arrived almost simultaneously.

The Poisonous Dragon immediately ignored Han Li and turned its cold gaze toward the three figures who had appeared in the air.

Within the golden aura stood an elderly Daoist, of noble and ethereal bearing, carrying a treasure sword on his back, holding a fly whisk, clad in a golden-bright Eight Trigrams Daoist robe, stroking his beard as he studied the humanoid Poisonous Dragon, his face filled with shock. Yet beneath his astonishment, a trace of greed flickered in his eyes.

Near the Daoist stood a pair of middle-aged men with identical faces—pale, corpse-like complexions, blazing red robes, indistinguishable in every detail. The only difference: one bore a massive red gourd on his back, the other held a ghost-headed staff over a zhang tall.

They first glanced at the giant turtle and the Poisonous Dragon below, then at the Daoist across from them, expressionless and silent.

Of the three, the Daoist was at the early stage of Nascent Soul, while the two middle-aged men were merely at the late stage of Core Formation. But what puzzled Han Li was that these two red-robed men displayed overwhelming presence before both the Poisonous Dragon and the Nascent Soul elder, showing not the slightest sign of fear.

"Hehe! Who would have thought to meet two of the Huo Daoists? This humble Daoist offers his deepest apologies!" The Daoist's eyes darted a few times, then he smiled at the two red-robed men.

"We didn't expect to encounter Senior Jin Xia here. Are you intending to hunt the two beasts below? If so, my brothers will gladly yield them to you." The red-robed man with the gourd twitched his face slightly, his expression unchanged.

Hearing this, the Daoist felt a surge of frustration.

The Poisonous Dragon below was equivalent to a Level Nine beast; even if he were arrogant, he knew he could not defeat it alone.

Had he not relied on the potency of his treasures, he wouldn't have dared even consider targeting it!

Thus, after frowning several times, the Daoist cleared his throat and spoke bluntly:

"You two are jesting. I alone cannot defeat the Poisonous Dragon below. Likewise, even with your Break-Heaven Divine Sand, you cannot trap and kill this beast. If we join forces, there is still a slim chance. Are you interested in trying? Level Eight beasts haven't been encountered in many years. If we are fortunate enough to succeed, I will not claim the Level Eight beast core—but I must extract the dragon's essence." Jin Xia Daoist fixed his gaze on the two red-robed men and spoke slowly.

The Daoist's words seemed to surprise the two red-robed men. After exchanging a glance—without any verbal exchange—the man holding the ghost-headed staff gave a brief nod in reply:

"Very well. Since the Senior has said so, it is settled. We two also do not wish to miss this opportunity—we shall fight with all our might!" As soon as he finished, the other man flipped his hand, and the crimson gourd on his back had mysteriously appeared in his grasp.

Upon hearing this, the Daoist was overjoyed. He raised his hand, and a green jade ring shot out from his sleeve, expanding instantly with a resonant hum.

The Poisonous Dragon, which had been coldly observing the three, clearly understood their words.

A flash of murderous intent crossed its eyes; without a word, it opened its mouth and shot a streak of crimson light toward the Daoist, vanishing instantly. Simultaneously, its body flickered, disappearing from the sea surface.

The next instant, the Poisonous Dragon appeared behind the two red-robed men, raising both hands, ten fingers flashing with blue light as it drove them down fiercely.

A loud clang rang out as a massive green hand suddenly blocked the strike.

It was the ghost-headed staff of the red-robed cultivator, which had transformed automatically into a monstrous, ten-zhang-tall demon to save them.

Even so, the Huo brothers were greatly startled.

Their corpse-like faces revealed a flicker of terror.

But at the same time, they gently launched the crimson gourd. After a phoenix-like cry, countless crimson crystal sands erupted from the gourd in a torrent, transforming the hundred-zhang radius into a sea of crimson fire, trapping the Poisonous Dragon within.

Meanwhile, the crimson light the Poisonous Dragon had spat out writhed like a living thing, entangling and battling with the Daoist's jade ring.

The grim expression on Jin Xia Daoist's face, and his refusal to let the crimson light near him, made it clear that the light was no less dangerous.

The Poisonous Dragon, forced to fight three opponents at once, was clearly buying time for the giant turtle's tribulation.

Likewise, the Daoist and the two red-robed men feared the Poisonous Dragon might flee if it sensed defeat, so they were content to slowly drain its magical power before striking decisively. As for the giant turtle, even if it completed its tribulation, it would be severely weakened and no longer a threat.

Thus, the three humans and the beast clashed high above, while below, the giant turtle's tribulation reached its critical phase—the lightning no longer fell in single bolts, but in clusters of silver thunderballs, striking the turtle relentlessly, causing it to shudder and roar in agony.

Seeing this, Han Li, hidden nearby, felt immense joy.

He certainly did not harbor the foolish notion of reaping the benefits of others' strife—this level of conflict was beyond his capacity to interfere in; whichever side won, whether beast or human, could easily dispose of a Core Formation beginner like him.

Now that a rare chance to escape had arisen, he immediately channeled all his magical power into the Blood Cloak, instantly transforming into a streak of crimson light that shot through the sky.

Han Li's astonishing speed startled the three humans and the beast in combat, but they immediately ignored him.

Though the crimson light moved at incredible speed, they could instantly discern Han Li's cultivation level—a Core Formation beginner. To them, he was utterly insignificant.

Afraid his hidden lair might be discovered by these beasts and cultivators, Han Li's crimson light did not head toward the Mist Sea, but fled in another direction.

With the astonishing speed of the Blood Cloak, Han Li fled thousands of li in one breath.

Seeing no pursuit behind him, he finally relaxed, switched to ordinary aura travel, and continued flying forward.

After flying for half a day, Han Li finally landed on a random desolate island to rest.

After lingering in the nearby waters for several days, estimating the great battle must have ended, Han Li cautiously flew back.

Indeed, the Mist Sea was now calm and quiet—the beasts, cultivators, and heavenly thunder had all vanished, as if nothing had ever happened.

Han Li stood on the sea surface, pondering briefly, then slowly extended his spiritual sense to scan the surrounding waters.

Suddenly, he felt something stir—a flash of blue light, and he plunged abruptly into the sea.

After the time of a meal, Han Li emerged from the sea, each hand holding an object.

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