Chapter 394

In the eighth year of Da Xia, the tenth day of the ninth month

At the southeastern end of Mo'ao Mountain, roughly sixty kilometers deep

Unlike most of Mo'ao Mountain, which was covered in snow, this entire region showed not a single flake

Moreover, the temperature here was noticeably higher than the outside world, as evident from the thickness of ice crystals coating tree trunks and the length of icicles hanging from branches

If someone stood on the ground and looked up, they would see that the sky above this area was entirely obscured by a massive section of mountain

This mountain mass extended from a towering peak to the east, like a colossal giant stretching out thick arms to embrace itself, completely shielding the dozens of square li below

But upon closer inspection, one would notice the giant's arms were actually propped up by numerous upright peak pillars—dense enough to block the cold winds sweeping in from north and south, leaving the space beneath nearly sealed on three sides except the west, forming an overall effect of a giant cavernous realm

The entire cavern realm was open only on the west side; not only could snow from above not fall in, but most of the cold air was also blocked, making the higher temperature inside perfectly understandable

Outside the western opening of the cavern realm lay a massive, horizontally reclining snow mountain

Given the scale of Mo'ao Mountain, few could rightfully be called a massive snow mountain

But this one was unquestionably deserving of the title

It stretched north to south, roughly sixteen kilometers long, four to five kilometers wide east to west, with peaks around two kilometers high—seen from afar, it resembled a giant rectangular block jutting abruptly from the earth

Yet closer observation revealed the entire snow mountain was composed of three distinct mountain masses: the northern section, five kilometers long, was the tallest and widest; the central section, ten kilometers long, rose gradually from north to south; the southernmost section was smallest, only one kilometer long, its end slightly upturned like the tail of a colossal beast

If someone hovered above the northern half of this giant peak and looked down, they would instantly recognize the entire snow mountain as resembling a massive tiger crouched low, its tail raised high, poised to pounce

What the human eye perceives depends on perspective, and perspective depends on position—thus, only a tiny number of Stage Stage Xianyang-level experts capable of aerial flight could discern the mountain's tiger-like form

And at this very moment, above the northern region of this snow mountain—the Tiger Head Peak—three Stage Stage Xianyang-level experts were locked in furious combat with a black dragon nearly a kilometer long, its entire body sheathed in black scales

"Roar…………"

The black dragon now glared with bulging eyes, its golden vertical pupils brimming with bloodthirsty killing intent; as it roared skyward, dark clouds swiftly engulfed the sky above Tiger Head Peak, lightning flashed and thunder crashed, silver serpents writhed wildly, and bolts of lightning rained down relentlessly—the surrounding air temperature plummeted several-fold, and the drifting snowflakes instantly hardened into fist-sized hailstones, hammering the ground furiously

In direct opposition stood the three Stage Stage Xianyang-level experts, each distinct:

To the left was an elderly man with half-white hair, clad in crimson robes, wielding a crimson-silver longsword; though countless sword blades circled him in defense, one could still faintly see red light racing along the veins on his face and arms—anyone with knowledge would instantly recognize it as the hallmark of having cultivated the Twelve Blood Scripture

To the right was a slender, tall middle-aged man dressed in golden brocade, gripping a twelve-ring silver greatsword with a blade as black as ink, unleashing dozens-of-meter-long silver sword blades that clashed violently with the black dragon's claws, which seemed capable of tearing space—the sound nearly drowned out the thunder

The central figure was the youngest, no more than early twenties, dressed in a high-quality black robe adorned with numerous gilded gold threads, edged with silver filigree at wrists and collar—his attire clearly surpassed the other two in splendor

As for his weapon, the young man in black was currently engulfed in fierce flames; his right hand's crimson broadsword glowed with a lustrous, glass-like hue under the firelight—dazzling, yet radiating an intensely bloodthirsty, alluring aura

"Shiiiiii…"

The black dragon's right claw slashed through the air, leaving a black blade extending over a hundred meters—just in length, it dwarfed all three Stage Stage Xianyang-level experts

The power was beyond comparison

"Boom… Boom…"

The two on the sides, though hastily raising their sword and greatsword, were struck by the black claw and hurtled toward the ground like meteors, exploding the water below Tiger Head Peak into a hundred-meter-high wave

"Lord Xia Hong, this black dragon's strength is too great—we can't win!"

"Let's come back another day—we three can't defeat it!"

Reascending from the pond, Xia Houzhang and Lord Lord Murong the Sinking's robes were now tattered beyond repair

Of course, the dragon's claws had torn more than clothing—each bore a massive claw mark: the former from left shoulder to right waist across the chest; the latter from right shoulder down the entire right arm

Beneath the marks, not only flesh and muscle, but even bones and their cracks were clearly visible—testimony to the black dragon's immense power

Strength alone was secondary; the critical issue was the black mist still seeping from the wounds, relentlessly corroding their flesh and bones—the dragon's claws carried poison, and a poison potent enough to threaten Stage Stage Xianyang-level experts

Given the black dragon's terrifying strength, Xia Houzhang and Lord Lord Murong the Sinking's decision to retreat and urge Xia Hong to leave was entirely understandable

"Shiiiiii…"

Yet Xia Hong in midair gave no reply to the two

He had already flown above the black dragon's head, ignoring the lightning striking him, focusing solely on raising his blade to slash toward the dragon's frontal eyes

"Roar…………"

Yet the black dragon's power was truly overwhelming—its thousand-meter body merely twisted, stirring violent winds; not only was it impossible to strike its eyes, Xia Hong could barely approach within ten meters

"Fifteen Jun—this is the strongest beast king I've ever encountered. As a dragon, it's a water-dwelling cold beast—so are aquatic cold beasts generally stronger than terrestrial ones?"

Xia Hong parried the black dragon's claw with a turn of his blade, retreating a hundred meters, glanced briefly at the shallow claw marks on his arm and chest, then looked up at the black dragon, his expression thoughtful

"Roar…"

The black dragon stared at Xia Hong—its eyes held not only rage, but clear wariness; its skyward roar sounded identical to before, yet all three present could hear the threat within

The black dragon was ordering them to leave immediately

Xia Hong's face remained calm, but Xia Houzhang and Lord Lord Murong the Sinking exchanged a glance—and their expressions grew uneasy

A beast king threatening them to leave could be interpreted in multiple ways: either it was about to unleash its true power, or it lacked the certainty to kill them—if it could, it wouldn't need to threaten

"Lord Xia Hong's strength is surely at least thirteen Jun"

"No, far more—likely over fifteen Jun, stronger than Shangguan Yang, Yang Zun, and Qin Feng!"

Lord Lord Murong the Sinking's face showed disbelief, then remembered Xia Houzhang had witnessed the Battle of Ba River—he knew far more than he did—and his expression turned to shock

"Then what shall we—"

"Please, both lords, block this beast's flanks—I, Xia, shall slay this dragon today!"

Lord Lord Murong the Sinking was about to speak to Xia Houzhang about whether to fight or flee, but before he could finish, Xia Hong's voice cut through

"Attack!"

Xia Houzhang acted far more decisively—he heard Xia Hong's command and without hesitation charged forward, his back erupting into a five-hundred-zhang bone phantom silhouette; his twelve-ring greatsword slashed through the air, unleashing a dozen sword blades that all struck the black dragon's left flank

"Clang! Clang! Clang…"

The black dragon's black scales were no mere decoration—Xia Houzhang's dozen strikes only dislodged a dozen scales

Yet even so, with his five-plus Jun strength, his full-force strikes forced the black dragon to recoil dozens of meters to the right

"Roar!"

No sooner had the black dragon roared than a dozen crimson sword lights slashed toward it from the right—who else but Lord Lord Murong the Sinking

With Xia Houzhang engaged, Lord Lord Murong the Sinking would not be left behind

His own five-hundred-zhang bone phantom silhouette appeared behind him, wielding a longsword to slash a dozen sword blades across the black dragon's right flank—like Xia Houzhang, he could not pierce its defense, only cutting off a dozen scales, yet still restricting the dragon's movement

Both were now in position, sealing off the black dragon's escape routes

Now, it was Xia Hong's turn

"Boom…"

The instant Xia Hong's thousand-zhang bone phantom silhouette appeared, the temperature of the entire realm surged—he charged forward through midair, holding the Cold Blood Blade, reaching the black dragon's head in an instant

"Die!"

Xia Hong switched from one hand to two, circling the blade around his shoulder, raising it high above his head, then roared as he brought it down—on the elongated final syllable of "die," he slashed toward the black dragon's forehead

The bone phantom silhouette was merely an external projection of Xia Hong's power—it too held a slender, hundreds-zhang-long broadsword; as Xia Hong raised his blade to slash downward, the phantom mirrored him exactly

"Whooosh…"

As the blade fell, surrounding air was instantly sucked dry—the blade's radiance stretched over a hundred meters, momentarily blotting out the sky's cold glow; for that moment, the entire realm seemed to contain only this single slash

Though Xia Houzhang and Lord Lord Murong the Sinking on either side continued restraining the dragon's movement, their own sword blades could no longer form energy blades—they realized Xia Hong's slash had drained all surrounding air; both men's brows twitched violently, their pupils filled with horror

"That… wasn't even his true strength!"

"He was holding back before? How is that possible?"

"Boom…"

Leaving their inner shock aside, Xia Hong's Cold Blood Blade, amid the black dragon's horrified gaze, finally struck its forehead

This time, the black dragon had no such luck

Its forehead scales exploded outward, spraying dozens of fragments; then its forehead flesh ruptured, spurting crimson blood hundreds of meters—nearly drenching Xia Hong's face

It wasn't over!

"Crack…"

"Roar!"

A crisp sound of shattering bone echoed through the heavens—the agonized black dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a thick column of black mist, instantly extending three to four hundred meters

"What the hell is that?!"

Xia Hong's face darkened—he recalled the black mist seeping from Xia Houzhang and Lord Lord Murong the Sinking's claw wounds, realized this mist must be dangerous, and swiftly dodged left

"Shiiiiii…"

Yet then, a shocking sight occurred

The black mist spewed from the dragon's mouth rapidly solidified into a tangible form—like a three-hundred-meter-long black blade

It resembled a blade for a reason

The mist column had a sharp edge—just as Xia Hong dodged left, the dragon whipped its head sharply leftward, and the mist blade sliced into Xia Hong's left shoulder

"Crack…"

Xia Hong's left shoulder flesh instantly ruptured, black smoke bursting from the wound; the flesh on both sides darkened at alarming speed—the poison was clearly active

Fortunately, Xia Hong's bone strength far exceeded ordinary humans—otherwise he would have suffered the same fate as Xia Houzhang and Lord Lord Murong the Sinking, with his bones tainted by the poison

"You wretched beast—you've been hiding this trick!"

Though caught off guard and wounded, Xia Hong's fear vanished instantly—he regained his composure and charged again toward the black dragon

The black dragon's massive head was now drenched in blood; as it stared at Xia Hong charging toward it—especially at the Cold Blood Blade in his hand—its pupils held only wariness and terror

The instant its forehead was breached, though brief, the black dragon had clearly sensed that the crimson blade was devouring its blood

"Roar…………"