Chapter 20: The Dragon Crystal's Transformation
Even Derinkoort, who had once reached the peak of the Saint Realm, had no other way to preserve his life when his physical body was destroyed.
If the physical body is destroyed, death is inevitable.
If the physical body could be easily repaired, that would be the power of a god.
As the vitality of his physical body faded, the Saint Realm Purple-Patterned Black Bear also felt its soul being drawn by the Underworld, believing that within a few seconds its soul would enter that realm: "Sathias!!!" In its final moments on the Yulan Continent, the Saint Realm Purple-Patterned Black Bear frantically used its two bear paws to savagely claw at the Spiked Armored Dragon's head.
The Spiked Armored Dragon had one eye clawed blind, and the scales on its neck and head were torn and mangled, with blood flowing ceaselessly.
However, the Spiked Armored Dragon did not resist at all, because it too was at the end of its life. Having fired that crucial row of spines, the vitality within its body was also slowly dissipating.
"I refuse to accept this!!!"
A furious roar echoed out.
"BOOM!" The massive body, a full twelve meters tall, crashed heavily to the ground, and the soul of the Saint Realm Purple-Patterned Black Bear, unable to resist, was drawn and devoured by the Underworld, vanishing forever from the material plane of the Yulan Continent.
Lin Lei and Bei Bei stared blankly at the scene.
"Mutual destruction?" Lin Lei looked at the fallen Purple-Patterned Black Bear and the Spiked Armored Dragon still biting its arm. The dragon was already in its death throes, blood flowing from both its tail and neck, its eyes quietly closed.
Suddenly—
The Spked Armored Dragon opened its single uninjured eye. The dark golden pupil held nothing but emotionless coldness, fixed intently on Lin Lei within the passage.
"Ah." Stared at by that eye, Lin Lei's heart involuntarily clenched painfully.
Both the Spiked Armored Dragon and the Saint Realm Purple-Patterned Black Bear had long noticed Lin Lei, but simply couldn't be bothered with him.
However—
The Spiked Armored Dragon did not want its body to be defiled by this human after its death. Dragons were proud, and the Spiked Armored Dragon was one of the proudest and most arrogant groups among them. Even in death, it would not let its foe off easy, and it certainly wouldn't allow its corpse to be desecrated by a human.
"Not good." Lin Lei turned without hesitation and dashed deeper into the passage.
"Even as it's dying, it still wants to kill," Lin Lei thought, his heart filled with rage.
The Spiked Armored Dragon's dark golden eye remained locked on Lin Lei. Then, with the most piercing roar of its life, the Spiked Armored Dragon transformed into a streak of black lightning, arriving almost instantly before Lin Lei. Its dragon claw swung ruthlessly towards him.
Sensing the sharp wind behind him, Lin Lei wanted to dive down. He knew that one blow from that claw could tear apart a ninth-level magical beast, let alone him. The jade armor on his body couldn't possibly withstand the Spiked Armored Dragon's razor-sharp claws.
"Whoosh!"
A piercing shriek rang out as Bei Bei's small body slammed violently into the dragon's claw.
"Bei Bei!" Connected to Bei Bei by a soul link, Lin Lei sensed its action almost simultaneously, and his heart lurched in terror.
"Crack!"
With a sharp impact, Bei Bei's body was violently smacked away by the dragon's claw. The small frame rebounded at even greater speed, crashing directly into the stone wall tens of meters away, embedding itself deeply within the rock.
And on that stone wall, there was a smear of stark, vivid blood.
"Bei Bei's blood." In this moment, Lin Lei felt a silent agony far, far worse than Alice's betrayal.
Scenes of Bei Bei with him flashed through his mind.
He remembered their first meeting, Bei Bei hiding fearfully behind the ruined ancestral stones, watching him.
He remembered Bei Bei looking proud, scrunching its nose adorably.
He remembered Bei Bei sleeping peacefully and cutely in the pocket inside his clothes.
From the year he was eight until now.
Bei Bei had truly been his longest companion. Though it was a bit boastful and greedy, it had unquestionably occupied an important place in his heart.
"HAAH!" The Spiked Armored Dragon, feeling its soul already being drawn by the Underworld, immediately opened its massive jaws and lunged for Lin Lei's head.
"AARGH!" Lin Lei let out a deep, guttural roar. His eyes were completely bloodshot. As the dragon's jaws snapped towards him, Lin Lei's speed reached an unprecedented level. He also opened his mouth wide and bit down ferociously on the Spiked Armored Dragon's neck.
"Crunch—" A large chunk of muscle was torn from Lin Lei's shoulder.
But Lin Lei's teeth also sank deep into the dragon's wound.
"Die! Die! Let's die together!!!"
Scenes of Bei Bei flashed relentlessly through his mind. Tears streamed uncontrollably from Lin Lei's eyes, while his teeth madly chewed, biting into the tough neck muscle of the Spiked Armored Dragon, all the while swallowing huge gulps—
"Gulp, gulp~~~"
The light in the Spiked Armored Dragon's eye dimmed. Its soul could no longer control its physical body, and flew out, forcibly dragged away by the Underworld. The entire massive body collapsed weakly to the ground.