Chapter 439: Dragon Among Dragons

Chapter 439: Dragon Among Dragons

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Tai Cobu Xu could no longer remain seated.

He stood up and turned to Ji Xinghuo, his expression calm as he said, "I admit, I misjudged the situation earlier. I, Tai Cobu Xu, have always been one to take responsibility for my actions. In this dragon lance duel, if I lose, not only will I compensate you with a Doomsday Dragon Eye, but I will also offer a public apology."

As he spoke, Tai Cobu Xu took out a Doomsday Dragon Eye and placed it next to the Red Emperor Blood Crystal.

He then asked, "What if I win?"

"If you win, you can take the Red Emperor Blood Crystal. Nothing more." Ji Xinghuo replied in a nonchalant tone, "Besides, you're destined to lose."

"Arrogant!" Tai Cobu Xu coldly huffed.

A thunderous roar reverberated from the sky, as if the night sky had been torn open, revealing a massive dragon shadow amidst the lightning. It descended from the heavens, revealing itself to the spectators by the lake and the guests at the banquet.

Many were seeing a Titanium Cobalt Dragon for the first time, and their hearts were awed by its majestic presence. They couldn't help but gasp in wonder.

Ji Xinghuo, too, was observing the dragon.

It was a meteorite-level Titanium Cobalt Dragon, identical in appearance to the one he had seen in the Dragon Rearing Chamber. Its scales formed circular patterns, resembling armor that covered its entire body. They were smooth and shiny, and its body was well-proportioned and robust, like a perfect alloy statue.

However, the difference lay in its size—this Titanium Cobalt Dragon was nearly a hundred meters long!

Despite its massive size, it moved with incredible speed. When it flew down from the sky, it was like a bolt of lightning. Its wings spread out like a pair of gigantic silver triangular sails, with dragon bones protruding from the wing membranes, blocking out the sun.

An awe-inspiring aura emanated from it.

The magnetic field distorted, and the air crackled with electricity.

Tai Cobu Xu grabbed a dragon lance from thin air and flew onto the dragon's back, steadying himself. With a loud voice, he said, "Let's follow the rules of the dragon lance duel. Your Obliteration Dragon can breathe its annihilation beam, and I won't hold back either."

"No problem," Ji Xinghuo immediately responded.

"Tai Cobu Xu, Sixth Tier, Third Level."

"Obliteration Ash, Fifth Tier, Second Level."

After stating their names and tiers, they fell silent, each riding their dragon into the dragon lance arena above the lake.

A loud boom resounded.

Tai Cobu Xu's dragon flapped its wings, transforming into a giant lightning bolt hundreds of meters long. In the blink of an eye, it reached stellar supersonic speed. After a few seconds, it reappeared at the far end of the arena in the sky.

At the other end, Ji Xinghuo arrived a few seconds later.

Without hesitation, they charged towards each other.

A thunderous roar filled the sky, causing the million spectators by the lake to instinctively close their eyes. Only a few mutants adapted to the intense brightness and witnessed the massive Titanium Cobalt Dragon violently flapping its wings, creating a terrifying lightning storm that swept forward.

In a dragon lance duel, the use of mutant abilities was prohibited, and the same applied to the dragons. The Titanium Cobalt Dragon could only accelerate by flapping its wings, yet it still generated a formidable display of power.

At the same time, the neck of the Titanium Cobalt Dragon lit up with electric light.

A terrifying ion dragon breath was rapidly brewing in its mouth, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Ji Xinghuo remained fearless, riding the Obliteration Dragon in full flight towards his opponent.

When they were still over a thousand meters apart, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon spewed out a cone-shaped stream of bluish-violet ion flame. It rapidly expanded, covering a width of over two kilometers in front of it.

Even with the light barrier in place, the spectators by the lake felt as if they were in a furnace. Some of the closest spectators had their hair and clothes singed.

They screamed and ran away.

The lake below the arena began to boil.

As the ion dragon breath continued to spew forth, it engulfed the Obliteration Dragon and Ji Xinghuo, causing many onlookers to worry. But in the next second, a dark golden figure burst through the sea of bluish-violet flames.

It was Ji Xinghuo and the Obliteration Dragon.

Unbeknownst to everyone, they had flown to a higher altitude, remaining at the edge of the ion dragon breath. Even so, the temperature of the flames was astonishingly high, causing the scales of the Obliteration Dragon to turn slightly red.

Ji Xinghuo, too, was affected by the ion dragon breath, but he seemed completely unfazed, his expression unchanged.

Man and dragon sped forward through the flames, closing the distance.

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon raised its head, directing the hottest part of the flame towards its opponent. And at that moment, the Obliteration Dragon opened its mouth.

A flash of dark golden light.

The world seemed to dim for an instant.

Everyone's vision seemed to freeze for a moment as a hair-thin beam of light erupted, so bright that it could be seen from dozens of kilometers away. It was like a sharp sword, slicing through the world.

Annihilation beam!

This was the dragon breath of the Obliteration Dragon. The thin beam of light shot towards the Titanium Cobalt Dragon, hitting its target instantly and causing a deafening explosion.

The shockwave rippled outward, stirring up the lake below and forming huge waves that crashed against the shore. Some unlucky spectators were swept away by the waves.

It was then that the spectators witnessed the true power of the annihilation beam. A gaping hole had been pierced through the massive Titanium Cobalt Dragon's body, leaving a bloody mess on its back. The wound didn't seem large, but almost all the scales on its back had been blown off.

The audience gasped in shock.

Indeed, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon, known for having the strongest defense among the Seven Great Dragon Species, had withstood a direct hit from the annihilation beam without dying. Its wound was rapidly healing, but its flight speed and agility had been affected.

Ji Xinghuo was also surprised. The Doomsday Annihilation Beam had reached the third level! However, it was understandable.

This Titanium Cobalt Dragon was at the peak of the meteorite level; with just one more evolution, it could become a Star Destroyer-level being. When the annihilation beam hit, its electromagnetic field had distorted and deflected some of the damage. Such an injury was not fatal to it.

However, if it took a few more hits, even the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's formidable defense wouldn't be able to withstand it.

"It's only because we can't use other abilities during a dragon lance duel that the annihilation beam didn't hit the Titanium Cobalt Dragon easily. Otherwise, it would've been a much easier task," Ji Xinghuo thought.

Before he could finish his thought, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon pounced.

It exhaled another ion dragon breath.

Whoosh...

Obliteration Ash accelerated, and when the ion dragon breath was first exhaled, its range was at its smallest. Being closer, it was actually easier to dodge the breath.

Tai Cobu Xu made his move as well.

His dragon lance instantly extended a hundred meters, sweeping toward Ji Xinghuo from the front and forming a pincer attack with the ion dragon breath.

Ji Xinghuo lifted his lance and parried upward.

Boom!

Both lances shattered into countless fragments and then dissipated.

Tai Cobu Xu frowned as the counterforce transmitted through his lance was far beyond what he had expected. He had intended to block Obliteration Ash's path with that strike, but Ji Xinghuo had completely deflected it, maintaining his flight speed without any change.

Tai Cobu Xu channeled his stellar power into his lance again, condensing its form, but he found that Ji Xinghuo's lance had already taken the initiative and was piercing toward him.

"His stellar power output efficiency is even higher than mine!"

Tai Cobu Xu was astonished.

However, his reaction was swift. He thrust his lance forward, aiming the tip at Ji Xinghuo's head, intending to inflict an injury in exchange for one of his own, relying on his robust defense to ignore the attack and knock his opponent off the dragon's back.

Ji Xinghuo's hands suddenly trembled, causing the hundred-meter-long lance to wobble.

Clang, clang, clang...

Amid the rapid clanging of metal, Tai Cobu Xu's lance shattered.

Meanwhile, Ji Xinghuo's lance remained intact, and the tip pierced Tai Cobu Xu's head. The electric spiral energy blasted forth, and the tremendous force caused the lance to explode. Tai Cobu Xu's body reflected a silvery luster, and his upper body swayed, enduring the impact.

Tai Cobu Xu had anticipated this outcome and immediately condensed a hundred-meter-long lance again after the previous one shattered, seizing the opportunity to counterattack.

The lance shadow smashed downward.

Obliteration Ash suddenly turned, and its wings traced a graceful arc, barely avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth.

Just as Tai Cobu Xu was about to strike again, Ji Xinghuo had already recomposed his lance and easily blocked the attack, causing it to explode.

In the blink of an eye, the two clashed multiple times.

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon continuously exhaled ion dragon breath, chasing after Obliteration Ash. However, due to its massive size, it was challenging to turn, and Obliteration Ash stayed closely within a hundred-meter distance, maneuvering nimbly and unpredictably, occasionally rolling and dodging, always a step ahead of the ion dragon breath.

The two dragons differed in length by a factor of ten.

Their sizes differed by a thousand times!

Yet, the battle was evenly matched, and Obliteration Ash even held the upper hand and initiative. In the eyes of the spectators, Ji Xinghuo and Obliteration Ash were like dancers on a tightrope, yet they remained unscathed.

This was also the first opponent since Yeminyong's appearance who had managed to last more than one round against him.

"Here comes the annihilation beam again!"

Someone shouted.

After a round of pursuit and struggle, Ji Xinghuo had Doomsday charge up another annihilation beam but didn't release it. The dark golden light swirled in Obliteration's mouth, circling the Titanium Cobalt Dragon as if searching for the perfect angle to deliver a fatal strike.

As expected, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's eyes showed wariness and even panic.

The annihilation beam's destructive power was too overwhelming. If it hit the dragon's head, it might die instantly.

Ji Xinghuo wouldn't do that.

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon King wouldn't allow such a thing to happen, and he had no deep grudge against Tai Cobu Xu.

Tai Cobu Xu also knew that Ji Xinghuo wouldn't go all out to kill him.

However, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon was still reeling from the pain of the first annihilation beam, and its wound had not fully healed. Despite Tai Cobu Xu's constant reassurance, it was scared and becoming increasingly anxious.

He realized that his martial arts realm was inferior to Ji Xinghuo's, and he was at a disadvantage with each clash. If not for his sturdy defense and abundant stellar power, he would have been knocked off the dragon's back dozens of times.

When he had been spectating earlier, Tai Cobu Xu had felt disdain, thinking that the defeated dragon masters were all show and no substance.

Now, facing Ji Xinghuo, he understood the immense pressure they had felt.

"How could such a freak appear among the Barbarians!" Tai Cobu Xu cursed inwardly.

The two dragons chased and battled each other above the lake, from one end to the other, from the sky to the water's surface, with ion dragon breath sweeping through the sky and boiling the lake's water. The steam rose, and the spectators watched with a mix of tension and excitement.

After several rounds of back and forth, lasting just two to three minutes, the dragon lances had collided hundreds of times.

Just when everyone thought the stalemate would continue, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's ion dragon breath suddenly extinguished.

After exhaling for an extended period, it could no longer maintain its breath.

"Opportunity!"

Ji Xinghuo didn't hesitate. Doomsday had been waiting for his command, and it turned in the sky, aiming its mouth at the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's back and firing the annihilation beam at the same spot as before.

At the same time, the Obliteration Dragon accelerated and dived.

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon sensed the immense danger and vigorously flapped its wings forward, trying to dodge the Obliteration Dragon's beam attack.

However, Tai Cobu Xu had other plans. He knew this was the most dangerous moment, and he would rather take a direct hit from the annihilation beam than yield to Ji Xinghuo's attack. In this instant, the dragon master and his dragon were of differing minds.

Boom!

The Obliteration Dragon spat out another deadly beam of light.

But it missed its mark.

The annihilation beam grazed the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's back and struck the lake, sending a towering wave crashing in all directions.

However, this was intentional on Ji Xinghuo's part. The annihilation beam's target had been Tai Cobu Xu's dragon lance, and it merely grazed it, causing the lance to disintegrate. Ji Xinghuo's dragon lance then seized the opportunity and pierced through, taking advantage of the Obliteration Dragon's diving acceleration to aim directly at Tai Cobu Xu's head.

Just at this moment, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon sidled and rolled to avoid the annihilation beam, exposing Tai Cobu Xu on its back and leaving him with no leverage.

A loud bang echoed.

The electric spiral energy fully erupted, slamming into the side of Tai Cobu Xu's head.

The dragon lance shattered.

Tai Cobu Xu's "Titanium Cobalt Magnetic Pole Body" was activated, but it couldn't withstand the enormous force from Ji Xinghuo's dragon lance, and he was instantly dislodged from the dragon's back, flying like a cannonball and crashing into the lake.

The intense battle came to an abrupt end.

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon fled for over a thousand meters before realizing it had lost. It turned back to see Ji Xinghuo hovering in the air, looking down at the lake's surface.

Tai Cobu Xu emerged from the churning waters, his head's left side a bloody mess with blood flowing down.

He gazed up at the Obliteration Dragon and Ji Xinghuo atop it, slowly flying to match Ji Xinghuo's height. His expression was uncertain as he surveyed the millions of spectators around them, and after taking a deep breath, he said, "I lost!"

Ji Xinghuo looked at him calmly and asked, "Is that all?"

"Obliteration Ash, I was blind and mocked you earlier because of my prejudice against your identity. Please forgive me!" Tai Cobu Xu apologized loudly, his voice carrying across the entire dragon lance arena, clear to all.

Ji Xinghuo was a little surprised. While this person's behavior had been less than admirable, the fact that he could set aside his pride and apologize publicly showed that he had some redeeming qualities.

Ji Xinghuo nodded, accepting the apology.

Tai Cobu Xu remained silent, mounted his Titanium Cobalt Dragon, and transformed into a bolt of lightning, vanishing into the night.

Whoosh...

It was only at this moment that the millions of spectators by the lake burst into thunderous cheers, wildly applauding and shouting. Many faces were flushed with excitement as they chanted in unison, "Obliteration Ash! Obliteration Ash! Obliteration Ash..."

Amid the chorus of voices, Ji Xinghuo rode the Obliteration Dragon back to the rooftop where the banquet was held and landed amidst the gazes of the crowd.

The Obliteration Dragon transformed into a dark golden radiance and merged with his body.

"I suppose no one else will challenge me now?" Ji Xinghuo smiled calmly and collected the Red Emperor Blood Crystal and Doomsday Dragon Eye from the table.

At that moment, no one dared to meet his eyes.

The proud dragon masters lowered their heads.

Tai Cobu Qingwei approached, her eyes shimmering with tears, and her face flushed with emotion. She exclaimed, "Obliteration Ash, what happened tonight will become a legend. In the dragon lance duel, you are truly the dragon among dragons!"

I've been writing since 7 am, and it's almost 15,000 words split into three chapters, all updated together. Please don't unsubscribe... Begging for monthly votes!

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