Chapter 52: Seed Spark of the Evil God (Part 5)

What... is this thing?

Cloud Chuo held the strange, crimson jewel and asked in bewildered surprise. Though he had it firmly in his hand, he felt utterly unaware of its weight or temperature. Its glow was monstrous and intense, presenting the unmistakable shade of crimson red—yet it bestowed upon Cloud Chuo a strange sensation he had never experienced with such a color before.

His heartbeat, which had been racing wildly, suddenly steadied, but a profound current surged through his meridians. In an instant, the blood coursing through his entire body began to simmer gently. Another peculiar sensation then swept into his heart... He was certain he had never laid eyes on this crimson jewel before, yet holding it in his hands gave him an undeniable sense of stability, as though it had always belonged to him, now finally returning to his possession.

"I do not know what this thing is, but I can say with certainty—you are doomed."

The voice of Jade—Jade, from within the Poisonous Jade—dropped to a deep, ominous register. Her small face had taken on an expression of grim finality. She had tried repeatedly to dissuade him, but his relentless adventures had led them to this desperate juncture.

If only she could use her tiny hands to strike down this reckless, foolhardy man who was willing to sacrifice his life for some illusory "opportunity"!

As Jade's voice faded, a thunderous roar erupted beyond the cavern.

"ROAR!! You despicable humans! The treasure you coveted belongs to me! You wretched vermin—you cannot be forgiven! FORGIVENESS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!"

A lowly king-beast, a creature so primitive that even ten masters of the Azure Mysticism realm at the tenth level might not best it—let alone a tenth-level Azure Mystic and four individuals below the sixth level—was driven to the brink when, upon unleashing its true power, the five disciples of the Flaming Sky Gate were suddenly thrust into desperation. Those torrents of dragon-shaped flames, blazing with unbearable intensity and bearing immense tearing force, began dragging the five masters of the Flaming Sky Gate one by one into the maw of death.

Each of the five high masters bore expressions of utter despair. Yet at that moment, the dragon suddenly erupted like a raging beast, its entire being radiating a terrifying surge of fury, letting out a deafening roar of rage. Within that roar, a massive fireball—dozens of meters in diameter—smashed into the five, causing them all to cry out in anguish... But the dragon did not press its attack further. Instead, it abruptly turned, charging with tremendous wrath back toward its hidden lair.

The five masters of the Flaming Sky Gate scrambled from the dragon's flames, each bearing injuries of varying severity—hair, beards, and clothing reduced to ash. Gazing upon the dragon's sudden retreat, they stood in stunned horror.

"What happened? Why did it suddenly bolt back?" one gasped, wheezing.

"Listening to its voice just now, it sounded like someone slipped into its nest while it was battling us..."

"We don't have time to worry about that now! Retreat! We can't have been chasing a king-beast and still alive—we've dodged death itself!"

"Just move! Quickly!"

The five masters of the Flaming Sky Gate no longer dared to linger. Gathering their strength, they withdrew at breakneck speed, daring not to glance back. In that moment, their thoughts were unanimous: upon returning to the Flaming Sky Gate, they would beat senseless the one who claimed that dragon was a high-level Azure Mystic beast.

Inside the cavern, Cloud Chuo too had felt the immense peril. His brow furrowed deeply; he dared not waste another second, rushing outward at top speed. But before he had even emerged halfway, a thunderous stomping sound echoed ahead, followed by a torrential wave of furious, scorching qi that slammed into him. The cavern walls and floor trembled visibly. Not long before, the dragon's massive head appeared in his line of sight.

Cloud Chuo's breath had grown weak, causing the dragon to pause noticeably. When it noticed the crimson jewel in his hand, its pupils blazed with angry fire: "You presumptuous human—daring to covet my treasure! Prepare to face my fury!"

Woe is me!

Cloud Chuo shivered, quickly regaining his composure, contemplating an escape route—of course, that jewel in his hand must be returned. But the dragon gave him no chance to speak. A powerful force locked onto him, and in the next instant, he would be turned to ash.

"If you don't want to die, spare me!"

As death's shadow loomed, a delicate, icy cry rang out from above. At that moment, an overwhelming force of terror and pressure swept across the entire Flaming Dragon cavern.

The dragon's movements ceased. Under that colossal pressure, its body began to tremble uncontrollably. It lifted its draconic head, gazing upward at the red-haired girl who had appeared overhead. Its pupils' anger had transformed entirely into shock—and then fear.

The divine girl's aura was beyond its comprehension. Standing before that force, it felt as tiny as an insect destined to be incinerated. Its dragon mouth opened, releasing a voice choked with uncontrollable trembling: "W-who... who are you?"

"You do not deserve to know my name." Jade's voice was cold as ice, her beautiful eyes blazing like twin blades: "This cavern is ours. If you wish to survive, vanish from my sight at once."

Cloud Chuo looked up at Jade, his heart pounding with sudden realization—this young girl's power had subdued a king-beast! What level of mystical cultivation did she possess?

But at that moment, he suddenly noticed the dragon's trembling had ceased.

"Ha ha..." the dragon laughed. "I understand now—you two devious humans—nothing more than empty threats! Though I do not know how you conjured such an astonishing pressure, do you think I'd be as foolish as you to fall for it?"

Jade's eyebrows shot up sharply: "Y-you... a-want... to die?"

"I certainly do not wish to die, but you two cannot kill me!" The dragon sneered: "If you truly had the power to end me, you would do so openly. Yet you chose to sneak into my lair while we battled another. If you could kill me, your companion would not look so terrified when he saw me!"

Cloud Chuo's heart struck cold—dragons possessed intelligence far beyond ordinary mystical beasts!

"And you, little girl. Your gaze is cold and merciless, your killing intent intense enough to astonish me. With such eyes and such intent, you must have slain countless beings. If you truly intend to kill me, and have the power to do so, you would have already struck—no idle talk. Your age is far too young. By human standards, even with rapid cultivation, one so young could not wield such overwhelming pressure. It is all an illusion—I would not be so foolish as to be deceived!"

"Coveting my treasure and mocking me—you do not deserve forgiveness! Become ash!"

The dragon opened its massive maw and unleashed a torrent of scorching flame at Cloud Chuo.

"Boom!" A powerful force slammed into Cloud Chuo's shoulder, sending him sprawling, narrowly avoiding the dragon's lethal fire. Jade appeared at the spot where Cloud Chuo had stood, her pale face smothered in terrifying killing intent.

"Since you wish to die—let me grant your wish!"

Whirl!

A force unparalleled in mystical power erupted from Jade, this aura so terrifying it swept across like a violent storm, extinguishing the flames of the burning dragon in an instant.

Cloud Chuo crashed into the stone, losing consciousness for nearly half a day. When he awoke and saw Jade's form, his pupils shrank in shock: "Jade! Stop! Do you want to die!!"

"All because of you! When you die, I die too!"

Jade's angry, delicate cry locked onto the dragon with infinite killing intent. Under that unimaginably terrifying mystical aura and killing intent, the dragon stood frozen like a statue, its eyes filled with profound fear and disbelief. It could not fathom how a human girl could release such overwhelming mystical power!

"Die... Star God Radiance Severance!"

"Jade, stop!!" Cloud Chuo's action left him stunned, but before he could rise, Jade's graceful body shot through the air like a meteor, piercing straight through the dragon's form.

In that instant, all elements in the world seemed to halt. The howling wind froze mid-cry, the burning embers ceased their dance, all sound in the ears vanished—even his own screams were unheard. The dragon's massive body froze in place, a crimson "X" clearly etched across its entire form.

"Impossible... cannot... be..."

The dragon's pupils convulsed violently, as if witnessing the most horrifying, incomprehensible sight. Slowly, those pupils lost all color and focus. Its colossal body split into four flat pieces, scattering upon the scorching ground.

The mighty dragon perished in a single heartbeat beneath Jade's hands.

The dragon's body was extraordinarily resilient—the ancient master of the Flaming Sky Gate, Feng Mo Li, even with his Flaming Sky Sword, could only carve a shallow wound upon it. Yet Jade, wielding no weapon save her smooth, pale hands, sliced through the dragon's body as easily as through tofu.

Looking at the dragon's body divided into four parts, Cloud Chuo gaped silently. Suddenly, a violent tremor struck his heart. His gaze shot forward, and he bellowed, "Jade!"—racing forward with desperate speed.

Jade lay upon the ground, her face, neck, limbs all ghostly pale, devoid of any hint of blood. Though only a few seconds had passed, the massive release of mystical power triggered an explosion of venom within her soul—venom so insane it ravaged her wildly. The months of suppressing and purifying the poison within the Poisonous Jade had been utterly destroyed in an instant.

"This time... should... truly... be... my end..." Jade murmured, her voice as light as a breeze. That pair of eyes that usually held icy disdain now showed only a pitiable, desolate darkness.