Chapter 177: Dragon Cherry Blossoms Transform into Cherry Dragon, the Black Dragon Knight! Xue Jing

Chapter 177: Dragon Cherry Blossoms Transform into Cherry Dragon, the Black Dragon Knight! Xue Jing Becomes an Urban Legend (4K)



"Beriru!"

Bazeb, below, widened his eyes.

The cat perched on Xue Jing's shoulder also paused, then spoke, "What's that? An electromagnetic railgun?"

"Does Dragon Lightning have magnetic properties too?" Cat asked.

Xue Jing raised an eyebrow, "Lightning is lightning; how could it not have magnetic properties?"

Cat nodded, "I just thought that the 'lightning' in Dragon Lightning was merely an expression of the energy unleashed by the Dragon species and wasn't actually lightning, just like how your Shadowflame only appears to be flame..."

Her words gave Xue Jing pause, and he too became uncertain.

He called the silver lightning he could unleash with the [Dragon Horn] 'Dragon Lightning' because of its ability to manipulate gravity.

And indeed, this silver Dragon Lightning did possess magnetic properties.

But he hadn't noticed if the golden Dragon Lightning used by the true dragon in the Borderland had the same property.

It didn't matter, though. He could just ask Bai Wu to send over some pure-blooded Dragon species data later, and he'd know.

"Then, one more to go..."

Xue Jing looked at the remaining Lion Saint Church member below and reached for the half-rebar floating beside him, intending to fire off another supersonic electromagnetic railgun shot.

At that moment, the bisected corpse and flesh chunks in the air began to converge.

Like a reversal of time, the bisected corpse stitched itself back together, the blood flowed back, and in no time, it reformed into an intact body in midair.

Xue Jing was taken aback, "Huh? What's going on?"

Beriru, who should have been dead, opened his eyes and laughed heartily, "The mighty and wild Battle King, He who presides over victory, has 'rejected' my defeat!"

"You're a dead man, brat..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a silver-white arc of electricity flashed along a length of rebar, piercing through the air with a sonic boom and impaling Beriru's newly resurrected body.

"Craaack!"

Compared to the tiny surface area of the nail, the half-rebar was larger and denser, carrying more momentum. Beriru's body instantly exploded into a shower of blood and meat in midair.

But then, the scattered flesh and blood halted in the air and began to flow back together, and Beriru reappeared once more.

As he fell toward the ground due to gravity, he shouted, "It's useless, kid! Battle King has rejected my defeat! I won't truly die until I achieve victory!"

"Hand over that woman who stole the holy artifact, and I'll spare your life!"

Xue Jing stood in the air, his body wrapped in silver-white lightning tendrils. Facing an opponent who seemed unkillable, he remained unmoved, merely sighing softly.

"Lately, I've been running into these cockroaches that just won't die... Are resurrection abilities this common?"

His [Twin] resurrection ability had a two-month cooldown, for goodness' sake...

Why did these random schmucks have what seemed like unlimited resurrection capabilities?

"What do you think, Miss Wan?" Xue Jing glanced at the cat on his shoulder.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Cat's face, as if she were human, "Such a convenient ability must have a weakness; otherwise, the Lion Saint Church would be unstoppable."

Xue Jing stroked his chin, nodding, "Yeah, there's probably a time limit, or a usage limit, or maybe there are certain mental conditions that must be met."

"...But it doesn't matter what restrictions this ability has. They don't have the raw power, and there are plenty of ways to deal with them."

Xue Jing thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and took out a black Dragon Cherry Blossom seed, about the size of a walnut. He tossed it to the side and extended his index finger, shooting a bolt of Dragon Lightning at the seed.

Silver lightning coiled around the seed, nullifying its gravity and causing it to float in the air.

Then, with a thought from Xue Jing, the Dragon Cherry Blossom seed rapidly sprouted numerous thick, black roots that entwined, twisted, and merged, forming a 'true dragon' made entirely of Dragon Cherry Blossoms.

Nearly twenty meters long, with an elegant and slender body, massive wings, a swaying slender tail, and two sharp, upward-curving dragon horns...

It was almost identical to the true dragon in the Borderland!

Dragon Cherry Blossoms?

Cherry Dragon!

Xue Jing floated up and stood on the Cherry Dragon's back, the silver-white lightning tendrils spreading from his body and wrapping around the dragon.

Then, Xue Jing activated Shadowflame, and black flames burned silently in the Cherry Dragon's eye sockets.

The ebony dragon flapped its massive wings, coiling silver-white lightning around itself as its eyes burned with black flames, a symbol of death. This terrifying display, akin to something out of a myth, left the two Lion Saint Church members below stunned.

Ever since Xue Jing had appeared in the air, they had sensed that something was amiss. But it was only now that the sheer absurdity of the situation truly sank in.

"Isn't this guy named Xue Jing a martial artist? What the hell is going on here?" Bazeb shouted hoarsely.

Xue Jing stood atop the Cherry Dragon, his arms folded across his chest as he looked down at the two members of the Lion Saint Church, his expression unperturbed.

Cat sat perched on his shoulder, experiencing the thrill of being a 'dragon knight' and looking on with curiosity.

"Why did you turn into a dragon? Is it because the Dragon Cherry Blossoms came from a pure-blooded dragon species, and transforming into a dragon gives you some kind of special boost?" she asked.

Xue Jing shook his head. "No."

"Then why?" Cat wondered.

"Don't ask. It's just cool," Xue Jing replied.

Cat: "..."

She extended her cat paw, pointing downwards.

In Maple City, many people had already noticed the Cherry Dragon in the sky and stopped in their tracks, pointing and whispering among themselves.

"Don't you think this is a bit too flashy? Are you trying to make the news?" Cat asked.

"No need to worry." Xue Jing snapped his fingers, and black flames ignited around him, transforming into the Shadowflame Encompassing Armor. The elaborate full-body armor enveloped him, leaving only his eyes visible.

The black flames also enveloped Cat, giving her a cute little cat suit of armor.

"After today, Maple City will only have one more urban legend—the Black Dragon Knight!"

Xue Jing activated Shadowflame again, materializing a dragon saddle and reins, which he promptly fitted onto the Cherry Dragon. With a flick of the reins, he commanded, "And so, my little Sakura, execute Dragon God Dive!"

The Cherry Dragon opened its massive jaws and let out a silent dragon roar. Then, with a mighty flap of its enormous wings, it dove towards the two Lion Saint Church members below!

The sheer mass and volume of the dragon created a shockwave as it plummeted, striking fear into the hearts of those who witnessed it. The two members of the Lion Saint Church immediately took on the form of four-legged beasts and fled in different directions as fast as they could.

However, although the Cherry Dragon appeared to be flying by flapping its wings, it was actually manipulating gravity by coiling the silver lightning around its body. This gave it incredible agility, even allowing it to stop instantly and reverse direction mid-flight.

No matter how the two Lion Saint Church members weaved and changed their routes, the massive Cherry Dragon always stayed right on their tails, never once falling behind.

This breathtaking chase was also witnessed by countless onlookers, some of whom quickly pulled out their phones to capture the incredible scene.

"Holy crap, what is that?!"

"What a huge dragon, and there's someone on its back!"

"Hey, I think I see a cat up there too..."

"What awesome armor! A dragon knight?!"

"Damn, I'm so jealous..."

"Stop gawking and run for your lives!"

As countless onlookers expressed their awe, envy, and fear, Xue Jing rode the Cherry Dragon in a sweeping pass, stirring up powerful air currents that lifted many a skirt.

"Bazeb, what do we do now?!"

As they fled, the terrifying dragon drew closer and closer, prompting Beriru to turn to his companion.

"Split up!" Bazeb replied decisively.

No matter what, he didn't think the two of them stood a chance against this monstrosity...

Their only option now was to split up and run, increasing the odds that at least one of them would escape.

That damn old Feng Menzies had definitely hidden the most crucial information from them.

That bstrd! The protector of that woman who stole the holy artifact was unbelievably formidable! If they managed to escape, he would tear that old fart Feng Menzies limb from limb!

"Whoosh—!!"

The piercing sound of the air being ripped apart came from behind as the Cherry Dragon closed in on them.

Xue Jing, astride the Cherry Dragon, held the reins in one hand and stared at the pair through the visor of his black helmet.

"Run!"

At Bazeb's shout, he and Beriru instantly split up, veering off in different directions.

Bazeb had assumed that Xue Jing would make a snap decision and pursue one of them, ensuring the other's escape.

However, to his surprise, Xue Jing halted the Cherry Dragon right between them, its massive body seemingly unaffected by inertia, a bizarre sight.

"What's going on? Having trouble making a choice?" Bazeb wondered aloud, though he realized this was a chance to escape and prepared to sprint at full speed.

But then, the Cherry Dragon extended its two front claws, one aimed at each of the fleeing Lion Saint Church members.

Soon, the cherry dragon's two front claws morphed and extended, each sprouting five black tendrils that rapidly lashed out at the two Lion Saint Church members, who had slowed down from their abrupt change in direction. In an instant, they were bound tight like stuffed dumplings.

The two men paled in fear and immediately struggled to break free, but the tendrils binding them were unnaturally strong. Even with their confidence in being able to snap steel rebar with their bare hands, their full-force burst of strength only caused the tendrils to creak slightly without any signs of breaking.

The extending tendrils retracted, pulling the two Lion Saint captives back towards the cherry dragon, which now held one in each of its front claws.

The life force-draining properties of the Dragon Cherry Blossoms took effect, and the life force within the two captives was relentlessly siphoned away. Their robust physiques began to wither and shrivel.

"Damn it, kid, what have you done to me!"

Beriru cursed furiously.

Xue Jing remained silent, merely controlling the tendrils binding Beriru's mouth to extend and gag him.

With his arms folded, he watched them quietly.

Little by little, their life force was drained away, and after about a minute, their bodies had withered like those of septuagenarians.

Beriru, who had been confident in his resurrection ability, now wore a look of fear in his eyes.

He wanted to beg for mercy, but his mouth was tightly sealed by the tendrils, allowing only incoherent mumblings to escape.

Finally, under Xue Jing's impassive gaze, their life force was drained dry.

Looking at the two men, now devoid of any signs of life, Xue Jing commented nonchalantly, "Oh? They're not that impressive after all."

"You heard him bragging about his 'refusal to accept defeat' and his supposed god-like immortality. I thought it would be some conceptual-level ability," Cat remarked.

Xue Jing nodded, "Yeah, maybe it's something like that."

"Speaking of which, I forgot to ask if they had anything to do with Mr. An... Never mind, no need to ask. They're definitely connected. Next time I see him, he's dead," Xue Jing said.

With a snap of the reins in his hand, the cherry dragon flapped its massive wings, its body coiled in silver-white lightning, and it soared straight up into the sky.

...

"Woo—"

The horn of the cruise ship bellowed as it slowly docked at the port.

After a day's journey without any further incidents, Xue Jing and Xue Wan returned to Qing City by cruise ship.

Leaning against the railing on the deck, Xue Jing breathed in the salty sea breeze, feeling a sense of emotion as he gazed upon the familiar city.

A lot had happened during their trip to Feng City.

In just over ten days, their return to Qing City felt like a lifetime had passed.

"A-Jing, look at this!"

Beside him, Xue Wan, dressed in a cool and revealing outfit that showcased her plump, white legs, held up her phone and pointed to the screen, gesturing for Xue Jing to take a look.

Xue Jing glanced at the phone, which displayed a news article.

The headline read, "Real or Fake? Special Effects or Real Footage? Maple City Urban Legend - The Black Dragon Knight."

Below it was a picture of Xue Jing, clad in Shadowflame Encompassing Armor and riding the massive cherry dragon.

It was unclear if it was intentional or due to the photographer's skill, but the photo was slightly blurry, making it hard to discern if it was edited or genuine.

Much like how human photography technology seemed to regress by decades whenever paranormal photos or UFOs were captured.

The article featured interviews with bystanders who described their encounter with the Black Dragon Knight, witnessing him pursuing two beast-like monsters. At the end, the interviewees expressed their beliefs that the Black Dragon Knight was a heroic figure safeguarding the city's peace.

"This must be you!"

Xue Wan asserted with certainty.

"Were you doing this when you said you had business to take care of?" she asked.

Xue Jing laughed it off, "How could I be so tacky..."

Xue Wan gave him a skeptical look and zoomed in on the shoulder area of the Black Dragon Knight in the photo.

Despite the blurriness, one could make out the silhouette of what appeared to be a cat wearing black armor perched on the knight's shoulder.

"You brought Xiao Fengwan along for something so fun, and you didn't bring your sister? How could you!"

Xue Wan expressed her anguish.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end