Chapter 51

"Roar!!!!"

In the vast cave, a tremendous roar suddenly echoed, so powerful that it shook the heavens and the earth. Yun Che, standing at a considerable distance, was instantly rendered deaf by the sound.

Amidst the roar, a flicker of firelight suddenly appeared in the cave. Then, a massive pillar of fire, several dozen meters thick, abruptly shot out from the cave, surging towards the five people in the air. An intense wave of heat instantly filled the surrounding area for several miles. Yun Che's face immediately felt a burning pain, and he was secretly astonished... It seemed that the legend of the Flame Dragon was true! Even if it wasn't a dragon, it must certainly be an incredibly terrifying fire-type mystic beast!

This obscure Chilong Mountain Range, which only had some of the lowest-level mystic beasts on the outer perimeter, actually hid such a terrifying creature.

"Get out of the way!!"

The sudden fire pillar startled the five people, who quickly moved in different directions in the air. The fire pillar shot up hundreds of meters before slowly dissipating in the sky. At this moment, a huge dragon silhouette appeared at the front of the cave.

Standing a hundred feet tall, with a body as red as burning steel, the dragon had massive wings and a tail burning with scorching flames. It lifted its head, and its two blood-red eyes exuded a terrifying aura even without anger. It spoke in a deep, rough voice: "Bold humans, how dare you intrude on my territory!"

Its voice was heavy and rough, exuding an intangible and heart-stirring majesty. The Grand Elder of the Funtian Sect, Fen Molin, stepped forward and said proudly, "I never expected that this unknown place would actually be home to a dragon... and a Fire Dragon at that! However, with your noble body and powerful strength, it is truly a waste to live in such a place. Once we take your mystic core, we will surely display your power at the pinnacle of the Cangfeng Empire. What do you think of that?"

Fen Molin was naturally arrogant and did not waste any words with the Flame Dragon, directly stating his purpose. His demeanor was one of absolute confidence, as if the Flame Dragon's mystic core was already in his possession. From the mystic energy aura released by the Flame Dragon, it should be a Level 9 Heavenly Mystic Beast, which matched the intelligence. Fen Molin had been at the peak of the Level 10 Heavenly Mystic Realm for seven years, just a step away from the Sovereign Mystic Realm. He could defeat the Flame Dragon alone, let alone with four other fellow sect members at the Heavenly Mystic Realm by his side.

Moreover, their sect's mystic technique, the Funtian Art, gave them a significant advantage against fire-type mystic beasts.

Fen Molin's words instantly ignited the Flame Dragon's fury. The flames on its wings and tail burned even more fiercely, and the surrounding temperature rose sharply with its anger: "Greedy humans, you will pay the heaviest price for your arrogance and greed. I will burn you all to ashes!"

The enraged Flame Dragon flapped its wings, and its massive fiery body soared into the air, charging straight at the five people. From a distance, it looked like a huge fireball rising into the sky.

"Engage!!"

The Grand Elder roared, and the five people quickly dispersed, positioning themselves around the Flame Dragon. The Flame Dragon let out a fierce roar, and five streams of red flames suddenly burst from its body, transforming into five ferocious fire dragons that tore towards the five people. The intense heat, even from a distance of over a thousand meters, made Yun Che sweat profusely and feel suffocated.

The five fire dragons struck the protective mystic energy of the five people, forcing back all four except Fen Molin. Fen Molin used his mystic energy to forcefully disperse the fire dragon, roared, and his body turned into a shadow, instantly approaching the Flame Dragon's massive body. His long sword swung, creating a storm of sword shadows that rained down on the Flame Dragon, producing a series of ear-piercing metallic clashes.

The Flame Dragon, enraged, thrashed its body, and its massive tail, carrying a violent force, smashed towards Fen Molin. Fen Molin leaned back, instantly building a protective mystic energy barrier in front of him. A loud crash echoed as the massive tail struck his protective mystic energy, which shattered like glass. Fen Molin was forced back, his face turning pale. He quickly shouted, "Its body is too strong, don't get close!!"

The other four Heavenly Mystic Realm experts, hearing this, quickly stopped and each held a long sword, with flames bursting from the blades.

"Funtian Blade — Dragon Sea Inversion!!"

"Funtian Blade — Thousand Suns!!"

"Funtian Blade — Wildfire Slash!!"

"Funtian Blade — Scorching Cloud!!"

The four, all from the Funtian Sect and blood brothers, had grown up and cultivated together, with an extremely high level of默契 (coordination). They almost simultaneously raised their long swords and slashed at the Flame Dragon from a distance of dozens of meters. The terrifying sword energy cut through the air, creating clear ripples, directly targeting the Flame Dragon. One strike from the left, one from the right, one from above, and one from below, sealing all of the Flame Dragon's paths.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Flame Dragon's massive body, though not very agile, was struck by all four sword energies. The ear-piercing clashes left shallow marks on its body, causing it to lose balance. Fen Molin's counterattack arrived at this moment, appearing above the Flame Dragon and delivering a heavy strike to its head with his sword...

"Roar!!!"

The Flame Dragon, in pain, let out an angry roar. A large mass of scorching flames burst from its body, the intense heat forcing the five people far away. Their Funtian Art allowed them to resist the flames to some extent, but they were not immune. They did not give the Flame Dragon a chance to rest, quickly closing in again, their sword energy, capable of tearing through space, mercilessly striking the Flame Dragon's body.

Clang! Boom! Bang! Whoosh~~~~

The sounds of sword energy slicing through the air, flames exploding, and ear-piercing clashes almost echoed throughout the entire Chilong Mountain Range. The low-level mystic beasts in the surrounding area all fled in panic. Small hills were continuously cut off, and the ground was riddled with countless cracks.

Yun Che hid far away on a hill, holding his breath as he watched the battle between the Heavenly Mystic Realm experts. One side was a Heavenly Mystic Beast, and the other was five Heavenly Mystic Realm experts. Such a lineup and battle were rare even in the history of the Cangfeng Empire, and he, a mere Level 4 Initial Mystic Realm, was witnessing it firsthand.

He did not dare to get closer, as even the slightest touch from the Flame Dragon's flames or the Funtian Sect's sword energy would mean certain death for him.

The battle grew more intense, and the temperature of the surrounding air continued to rise. The Flame Dragon's strength was undeniable, but it faced five opponents of similar strength. From the beginning, it was at a disadvantage, but its body was far stronger than any human's. The five Funtian Sect members, despite having the upper hand, could not defeat it in a short time.

"It seems this Flame Dragon will eventually be taken down by them," Yun Che whispered.

"You underestimate dragons too much," Jiaoli said coldly. "Although this is a low-level dragon, it is a true dragon, not a false one like a water dragon or a lizard dragon. True dragons have high intelligence and can hide their true strength to protect themselves. These people think it's a Heavenly Mystic Beast, so they brought a half-step Sovereign Mystic Realm expert. But unfortunately, it is a... genuine Sovereign Mystic Realm beast!"

Yun Che was surprised.

"It is merely toying with its opponents, feigning weakness to lure them into a deadly trap. When it truly reveals its fangs, these five people, including the half-step Sovereign Mystic Realm expert, will not leave alive."

Yun Che felt a chill. This dragon was so devious and cunning!

As the battle intensified, the location of the fight gradually moved south, farther away from the cave. This was clearly intentional on the Flame Dragon's part to prevent the battle's aftermath from damaging its cave...

Hmm? The cave?

Yun Che's gaze fixed on the massive cave.

This was the cave where the true dragon, a Sovereign Mystic Realm dragon, resided!

The name Chilong Mountain Range had been around for an unknown amount of time, but it was at least a hundred years. This meant the Flame Dragon had been living in the cave for at least a hundred years. Given the lifespan of dragons, it could be even longer, perhaps a thousand or even several thousand years. Dragons, as noble mystic beasts, would not choose to live in ordinary places. This cave might hide some heavenly treasures that it did not want to leave!

Even if there were none, after living here for so long, it must have shed some dragon scales, skin, and horns. Even these shed parts were treasures!

He was currently at Level 4 Initial Mystic Realm, the result of four months of cultivation. Although his progress was astonishing, his strength was still at the bottom of the Cangfeng Continent. If there were any heavenly treasures in the cave, they would greatly benefit his mystic energy cultivation.

Looking at his current hidden state, he clenched his teeth: "I'll take the risk! Great rewards often come with great risks. Being hesitant will only let opportunities slip away. The timid can never reach the peak!"

Moreover, he had a vague feeling... the thing that had called him before seemed to be in this cave!

"What are you going to do?" Jiaoli asked, seeing Yun Che suddenly stand up and fix his gaze on the cave.

"I'm going to sneak into that cave and see if there are any good things. Since it's a dragon's nest, there might be some treasures," Yun Che said slowly.

"Hmph, there are no ungreedy humans! The aftermath of their battle is everywhere. If you get hit even slightly, you will die instantly! Don't you care about your life?"

"Relax, the concealment ability of the Star Concealment Grass is so strong that even a Sovereign Mystic Realm expert can't detect it! They are now far from the cave, and as long as I take a detour, I won't be affected."

"Princess just told you, true dragons have high intelligence. Even if there are treasures in its cave, you won't be able to get them easily."

But Yun Che ignored Jiaoli's warnings, carefully concealing his presence and aura, descending from the left side of the hill and making his way to the cave entrance.