Thick, dark clouds seemed to divide the sky and earth into two layers.
Below the clouds, the sky was dark and the rain was torrential. There were muddy mountains, villages reduced to ruins, soldiers braving the rain to carry out rescue operations, and a city with dazzling neon lights in the distance.
Above the clouds.
The cool moonlight spilled over the dark clouds. In the tranquil sky, only the bright moon illuminated everything, like a fairyland, like another world beyond the mortal realm.
The joys and sorrows of the mortal world seem to have nothing to do with this place.
But at this moment, in this world, there is still a human and a dragon facing off against each other.
"Roar, roar, roar—!!"
...
The roar of the dragon echoed under the sky, and a blinding beam of fire pierced through the air, shooting straight toward Lin Qiye's position!
Lin Qiye's figure flashed, and the next moment he appeared directly above the earth dragon. His black military coat fluttered in the wind as he gripped a straight knife and slashed at the earth dragon's back!
"Away from the earth, your power is indeed greatly diminished," Lin Qiye said calmly.
The reason he shifted the battlefield to the air was not only to avoid the aftermath of their battle involving Instructor Hong and the others, but also for another important reason... it was too powerful on the ground.
Although Lin Qiye now carries the soul of the Goddess of the Night, it does not mean that he possesses god-level strength. Due to the limitations of his own realm, the divine power of the Night that he can unleash is less than one percent.
Although he didn't know his exact current realm, Lin Qiye estimated that he was at the peak of the "Sea" realm or at the beginning of the "Boundless" realm. In a sense, he was now at the same realm as the Flame Vein Earth Dragon.Of course, Lin Qiye, who carries the soul of a god, is now far stronger than those who are "at the same level".
But this doesn't mean he can underestimate his opponent. Letting the Earth Dragon leave the ground and come to his home field is the best tactic.
Under the cover of darkness, Lin Qiye's figure appeared on the back of the earth dragon like a ghost, his straight sword plunging fiercely into the dragon's spine!
A patch of darkness instantly spread outwards from the wound at an alarming rate!
The excruciating pain caused the Fiery Earth Dragon to roar, its tail lashing against its back, but Lin Qiye's figure had already vanished without a trace... At the same time, it could clearly feel an icy power within its body constantly devouring it!
[Darkest Erosion]!
Under the encroaching darkness, a third of the flame patterns on its body quickly dimmed.
In the sky, Lin Qiye indifferently looked down at the tormented Flame Vein Earth Dragon, his left hand outstretched, and he slowly murmured:
"[The Night Lord's Judgment]."
The black military overcoat seemed to blend into the dark sky, and the next moment, more than a dozen huge black spikes pierced down from the sky, piercing the earth dragon's body like lightning!
Dragon wings, dragon body, dragon claws, dragon spine... Under these black thorns of the sky, the Fiery Dragon's form was completely locked in the air, like a sinner nailed to a cross, awaiting the judgment of the Night Lord.
The Fiery Dragon struggled and twisted its body, blood seeping from its wounds, yet it remained motionless.
Lin Qiye, stepping into the darkness, slowly walked to the top of the Fiery Vein Earth Dragon's head and spoke again:
"[Falling Thousand Stars]."
Above the night sky, the twinkling stars suddenly shone brightly. Thousands of star trails streaked across the dark sky, creating dazzling flames in the atmosphere, and fell to earth with long, bright fiery tails!
It was like a breathtaking meteor shower!
Of course, these were merely phantoms of stars, not real stars, but Lin Qiye could clearly sense that this ability originally summoned real stars...
In other words, if Nyx were at his peak, he could actually pull meteorites from space to fall to Earth!
That is the true power belonging to "God".
Even if it's just a phantom fallen star, it's more than enough to deal with the Flame Vein Earth Dragon.
The burning meteorite, carrying terrifying power, crashed into the Fiery Dragon. The shockwave exploded in visible form, and shattered star fragments and howling flames shattered in the air, completely engulfing the dragon's body in flames!
The air itself seemed to tremble!
Lin Qiye stood quietly in the air, looking down at the scene, his eyes filled with supreme majesty.
When the firelight and stars faded, the giant black spikes that had imprisoned the earth dragon's body had disappeared, and the Flame Vein Earth Dragon... was already a bloody mess.
Its tattered wings could no longer support it as it flew through the air, and its broken body continuously oozed blood and bits of flesh. Its dim eyes stared intently at Lin Qiye, as if it had seen some extremely terrifying being, its eyes filled with terror!
The dying Flame Vein Earth Dragon, powerless, fell from the lightning-streaked clouds, returning to the rain-soaked human world, and crashed to the ground.
Rain streamed down its scarred body, its gaze fell upon the approaching earth, and a glimmer of hope reappeared in its eyes…
As long as it can return to the earth, it can survive!The moment the thought flashed through its mind, a blinding white blade of light fell from the clouds, like a straight bolt of lightning, instantly piercing its skull!
Meanwhile, thunder rumbled in the distant dark clouds.
This thunderous slash descended from the sky to the ground, as if it were truly a divine punishment descending, severing a dragon's head in one strike!
The life force of the Flame Vein Earth Dragon was completely extinguished.
Boom—!!
The massive remains of the Fiery Earth Dragon crashed into the mountains with a dull thud, billowing dust...
On the mountaintop not far away, Lin Qiye slowly stood up, his gaze calmly falling on the corpse of the Flame Vein Earth Dragon, drops of blood dripping down the stained blade of his straight sword.
A familiar warmth flowed from his palms into his entire body; it was the soul of the Fiery Earth Dragon.
"The corpse of a dragon at the peak of the 'Sea' realm is excellent summoning material. It can't be wasted..." Lin Qiye murmured, his figure flashing as he ran towards the dragon corpse.
Just then, he suddenly groaned, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
A powerful soul left his body, and an unprecedented weakness and exhaustion surged into his soul. He felt as if his entire being had been emptied out, leaving him hollow and empty.
The figure of the soul Nyx gradually faded into the air, and her voice whispered in Lin Qiye's ear.
"Your body and soul have reached their limits. Continuing will cause irreparable damage. You need to rest and recuperate for a while. You absolutely cannot bear my soul for at least six months..."
After Nyx's figure disappeared, Lin Qiye's body completely relaxed. He tried to stand up, but he could no longer muster any strength.
His hair returned to its original size, his skin tone darkened back, and his entire appearance completely transformed back into the Lin Qiye he once was. These changes were due to the presence of Nyx's soul; once Nyx departed, he would naturally revert to his original form.
The sound of rain around him grew fainter and fainter, and the scene before him gradually dimmed. Lin Qiye felt his consciousness rapidly leaving his body, and he was about to fall asleep.
"My dragon corpse... I've lost big time."
Lin Qiye murmured one last sentence before losing consciousness completely and lying weakly in the mountains.