Chapter 156: Dragon Rider, Full Moon Blade Qi, Meeting Xue Jing's Man in the Mirror (4K)

Chapter 156: Dragon Rider, Full Moon Blade Qi, Meeting Xue Jing's Man in the Mirror (4K)



The fire dragon frantically thrashed about in the sky, its body engulfed in raging flames as it sought to burn or shake off the rider on its back, Xue Jing.

However, the Shadowflame that had reached Level 6 exuded an enhanced material strength that far surpassed its previous state.

At this moment, Xue Jing was encased in a shadowy armor, and the flames raging on the dragon's body were not as potent as the dragon's breath it exhaled.

One was stronger than before, while the other was weaker, and the outcome was naturally different. The Shadowflame armor withstood the searing heat, melting only slowly and even capable of self-repair.

Xue Jing endured the burning sensation as tendrils of shadow extended from the armor, binding the fire dragon and securing himself firmly to its back, preventing him from being thrown off.

He then twisted the black spiral spear embedded in the dragon's body once more.

The countless black thorns that had blossomed like lotuses within the dragon's body reverted to their true form with this twist, transforming into black flames that erupted inside the dragon.

"Roaaarrrrrrrrr!!!"

The fire dragon let out an even more agonized draconic roar as its internal organs began to annihilate, as if a hideous beast were devouring it from within.

Even so, to everyone's surprise, the dragon remained lively and vigorous, its struggles becoming more violent by the second. Its vitality was astonishing.

Xue Jing was caught off guard by the dragon's resilience, but he didn't hesitate in his actions.

He drew out black airflow from the shadows beneath him, igniting it with black flames to form a set of reins, which he then looped around the dragon's mouth and neck.

Although it had no concept of 'riding', the fire dragon instinctively understood the humiliating implication of Xue Jing's actions.

It immediately let out an angry roar, thrashing about in an attempt to break free from the Shadowflame reins.

"Vile beast, you seemed to be enjoying spitting at me just now?"

Xue Jing wrapped the reins around his palms several times before pulling forcefully.

The muscles in his arms bulged, and with his powerful martial arts, enhanced Level 10 physical strength, the doubled might of [Twin Power], and the control over his mount granted by [Riding], he momentarily surpassed the dragon in raw strength, forcing its head back with a mighty pull.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!"

The angry dragon's roar reverberated through the heavens.

...

On the other side, the group from This Land watched the strange behavior of the Flame-Crying Dragon in the distance, their faces filled with shock.

"There... there's someone on the Flame-Crying Dragon?!"

"Wait, what is he doing?"

"It's a rope! He's put a rope on the Flame-Crying Dragon's head!"

"Is that a rein? How dare he treat the offspring of the Dragon God as a mount?!"

The group couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.

"Putting aside his blasphemous behavior, how did he even manage to get on the Flame-Crying Dragon in the first place?"

"Is he from That Land?"

Hiding in the shadow of a large tree, Renia held a bowl of water and stared at the figure on the back of the Flame-Crying Dragon in the distance, her eyes glued to the spectacle.

"Oh? I didn't expect the natives of this borderland to be so capable."

Something incredible happened. The water in the bowl that Renia was holding suddenly spoke, its voice that of a young child, tinged with surprise.

"He has actually reached the level of solo hunting high-danger dragon species."

Renia looked down at the surface of the water in her bowl, which reflected her delicate appearance. Sitting on her left shoulder was a small creature, no taller than ten centimeters, dangling its tiny feet as it looked up at the sky.

By the river's edge, she had just met this mysterious being that lived in reflections.

This magical being called itself a 'Man in the Mirror'... Renia regarded it as a very special kind of Daruka, one that could speak and resembled a human.

"Natives?"

For some reason, although the Man in the Mirror was speaking a language Renia had never learned, she could understand the meaning of its words.

She thought for a moment, then hesitated as she spoke uncertainly, "That person... I don't think he's a 'native' from around here."

"But an outsider."

The Man in the Mirror's spirit lifted, and he asked, "An outsider?"

"Hmm? From the way you're talking, it sounds like you know him?" Renia asked, puzzled.

The Man in the Mirror on the water's surface immediately stood up on Renia's shoulder, his tiny hands grasping her hair as he urged, "What's his name? Is he called Xue Jing?"

Renia was taken aback. "Huh? Yes, his name is Xue Jing. How did you know?"

A delighted expression appeared on the Man in the Mirror's youthful face as he exclaimed, "Break the cauldron and sink the boat... Oh, no need to break anything, it came easily!"

"So, the one riding that dragon is indeed Xue Jing? Take me to him quickly!"

Renia pointed at herself, confused. "Huh? Me?"

She looked at the Flame-Crying Dragon, its roars shaking the heavens, far away in the distance.

Even from such a distance, Renia still felt her bones trembling from the roar.

Her mouth twitched.

"How am I supposed to get over there now?"

...

Xue Jing rode on the fire dragon's neck, gripping the reins wrapped around its head as he steered it left and right like a dragon rider.

The fire dragon rampaged, crashing into the ground, slamming into mountains, and toppling massive trees.

The cacophony of crashes and smashes continued as Xue Jing enjoyed himself, thinking that he was probably gaining quite a bit of experience in [Riding].

However, he did not forget his original purpose and was just about to continue infusing Shadowflame into the fire dragon's wound.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, he paused, noticing that the wound created by his Black Spiral Spear had somehow healed?

"What the hell? Its vitality and regenerative abilities are ridiculous!"

Xue Jing frowned.

"ROARRRR!"

The fire dragon, unable to shake off Xue Jing, let out an angry roar. Then, it flapped its wings and soared into the sky, climbing to a height of several thousand meters before assuming a posture similar to a falcon's to reduce air resistance. It unleashed its innate draconic bio-energy field and began a vertical dive toward the ground, reaching terrifying speeds as a faint circle of white airflow appeared at the tip of its head.

That was—the sound barrier.

"You cunning beast, quite the idea there. Playing a game of chicken with me, eh?"

Xue Jing narrowed his eyes.

This fire dragon intended to use its incredible speed to crash into the ground, a move that would harm its opponent and itself.

But it was a useful strategy.

At near-sonic speed, if it made contact with the ground, the resulting impact would create a massive shockwave. The fire dragon might survive due to its sturdy body, but Xue Jing would undoubtedly perish.

If he wanted to avoid death, he would have to leave the fire dragon's back, thus achieving the dragon's goal.

During the high-speed dive, Xue Jing endured the tremendous air resistance and wind pressure, only managing to stay on the fire dragon's back due to the Shadowflame tendrils binding him to it.

From a height of several thousand meters, at near-sonic speed, it would take only about ten seconds to cover the distance.

As the fire dragon neared the ground, Xue Jing had no choice but to release the bindings of the Shadowflame tendrils and jump off its back.

Sensing the absence of the annoying 'bug' on its back, the fire dragon also tried to stop its dive, using its bio-energy field to slow down. However, due to its speed, it was difficult to halt, and it eventually crashed into the ground.

"BOOOM!"

A thunderous explosion shook the earth, sending dust and debris flying and forming a massive mushroom cloud that obscured everything.

Xue Jing, who had been in the air, was blown away by the fire dragon's landing gust to a distance of over a hundred meters.

He adjusted his posture and came to a stop, then made his way back toward the fire dragon's crash site, stepping on thin boards of Shadowflame.

As the dust in the air gradually dissipated, the scene below was revealed.

The massive fire dragon lay in a huge crater, its scales shattered, blood flowing freely. Half of its head was gone, exposing a skull riddled with cracks, and one of its eyes was missing. Its claws and feet were torn and tattered, limply hanging by its side.

"Tsk, I salute your driving skills... the kind that drives a hearse."

Xue Jing clicked his tongue.

Even in this miserable state, the fire dragon was still alive.

It glared at Xue Jing with its remaining eye, its gaze filled with extreme anger and hatred.

"ROARRR!"

As it roared, its wounds began to writhe, healing at an incredibly fast rate, while its mouth opened to gather its fiery dragon breath.

Xue Jing raised an eyebrow, "Still unwilling to meet your end? Fine, let's finish this face-to-face then."

Visible to the naked eye, thick black airflow was drawn from the shadows of the sun-drenched trees and mountains, flowing toward Xue Jing.

He ignited with black flames, and a giant of Shadowflame armor, now taller and more profound in color, emerged once more, towering over a dozen meters high.

Subsequently, the clanging and banging sounds continued incessantly for a long time.

...

Nearly three hours later.

[Killed a divine-natured special creature. Divinity +233]



Xue Jing panted slightly, gazing at the fire dragon lying on the ground before him. Its body was in tatters, with a nearly waist-cutting wound on its torso.

The surrounding area was in ruins, with deep craters, broken trees, and pools of lava everywhere. The temperature was so high that the air itself seemed to distort.

The giant of Shadowflame covering Xue Jing slowly transformed back into black flames and dissipated.

He wiped the black grease off his face with his hand, looking a bit disheveled.

"What a stubborn life force. Its health bar is too thick."

Xue Jing exhaled.

Fortunately, it was finally over.

The rewards were quite good, too—over two hundred points of divinity, equivalent to half a divine artifact.

"How many are left?"

"If the other dragons are as difficult to kill as this one, then I'll need to come up with some strategies..."

Xue Jing beckoned, and the Shadowflame crow that had been perched on his backpack in the extreme distance flew over.

He then reached into his backpack and pulled out the map showing the dragon species' distribution, studying it.

"Hmm... There are two more dragons in the same layer as this fire dragon, and the remaining three are located around the 'Roaring Great Waterfall.'"

Xue Jing's finger brushed over the three thick red dots in the center of the map.

"The strength of these three should surpass that of the fire dragon. I'll need to come up with some ideas..."

Xue Jing's eyes narrowed in thought.

"Should I use the Snake-Slayer Spear that Teacher Wan gave me...?"

He believed that as long as he used it appropriately, this concept-level divine power would definitely have a significant effect.

Even he himself, having only practiced a dragon-related martial arts style, could feel the immense threat posed by the Snake-Slayer Spear.

It was like an animal encountering its natural enemy, an innate wariness etched into the depths of its soul.

"If I really can't handle those three, then I won't have a choice but to use it..."

"And then there's the last pure-blooded dragon species..."

As he thought, Xue Jing used his spiritual power to ignite the Life Fire, healing the various wounds on his body.

The curls in his hair caused by the searing dragon breath also straightened out as his vitality nourished them.

After [Contemplation·Truth] reached Lv6, his manipulation of spiritual power became even more precise.

He then tidied up his appearance, using Shadowflame to burn away any dirt on his body, and took out a new black tactical outfit from his backpack to change into.

Xue Jing opened the panel to take a look.

First, he saw a row of experience gains, which he didn't bother to examine closely, instead focusing on the end.

【Health Cultivation increased to Lv9 (118/8000)】

【Martial Strike increased to Lv8 (255/6000)】

【Riding increased to Lv5 (569/2000)】

Another substantial harvest.

"Fighting feels great."

Xue Jing nodded in satisfaction.

During his time in the borderlands, he had either been slaughtering dragon species or on his way to find more.

It was challenging, but the rewards were just as significant.

After killing the fire dragon, three regular skills had leveled up again.

He closed his eyes and turned his attention inward, contemplating the changes within himself.

First was the Life Fire, which burned even more vigorously. It was about a third stronger than when it had been at Lv8.

The physical and mental exhaustion from his fierce battle with the fire dragon had almost entirely dissipated, and he felt so energized that he believed he could take on three more dragons.

Then, Xue Jing reached out and touched the Fu Tu knife hanging from his backpack.

"—Breathing, it's even more noticeable now."

A more pronounced feeling of expansion and contraction emanated from the Fu Tu knife, as if it were a living creature rather than a blade.

Additionally, he felt even more at ease holding the knife than he had at Lv7.

"Clang—"

Xue Jing drew the Fu Tu knife from its sheath and casually slashed at the air beside him.

This was an impulsive move; he hadn't thought about it at all and had simply acted on instinct.

A full moon-like ring of knife qi burst from the blade, slicing through the earth and extending dozens of meters away.

"Hmm? This is..."

Xue Jing was taken aback.

Previously, he had to activate the Heaven-Defying Knife Intent and enter a state of 'Heaven's Will is as Sharp as a Knife, Defying it is Futile' before he could unleash knife qi.

But now, without employing any martial arts, he had instinctively swung his knife and produced knife qi.

"I can release knife qi in my normal state now..."

Xue Jing gripped the hilt of the Fu Tu knife.

"So that's how it is... It's only now that I've truly entered the profound realm of the Martial Strike where I can release knife qi. Before, I could only do it because the Heaven-Defying Knife Intent was too strong, forcibly enhancing my spiritual power to a level that influenced my self-reality."

"Awesome, time to roast some dragon meat..."

Xue Jing strode towards the fire dragon's corpse lying on the ground.

...

On the other side, Renia hesitated, bowl of water in hand. "Are we really going over there?"

The middle-aged man glanced at her and asked curiously, "Didn't you suggest it yourself? We need to check on the Flame-Crying Dragon's situation... I suspect that the reason for the disappearance of the nearby dragons might have something to do with the person on the Flame-Crying Dragon's back."

"The Flame-Crying Dragon is one of the dragons closest to the Dragon God's bloodline. As the blessed people of this country under the Dragon God's protection, it is our duty to investigate. If it turns out to be a plot by those despicable people from the other country, we must be prepared to respond."

"It's rare for you to speak like a Dragon God's priestess, and I'm glad to hear it."

The middle-aged man sighed.

"This..." Renia's delicate face showed her hesitation.

"Alright, let's not delay. We should head over quickly."

The Man in the Mirror, hidden in the water's reflection on Renia's shoulder, smiled.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end