Several sixth- and seventh-order dragons quietly compared notes among themselves, privately conceding that even without the suppression of bloodline authority, they probably wouldn't gain any advantage against such a fellow. Their expressions grew considerably more solemn, stripped of the contempt and arrogance they had worn moments before.
Revealing his half-dragon form, Yang Kai immediately channeled his own dragon might toward Fu Zhun.
Fu Zhun's expression didn't change. The jade-like palm she thrust forward only grew more translucent and crystalline.
In the span of a lightning flash, the two had already clashed.
Before every watching eye, Fu Zhun's hand broke through all of Yang Kai's defenses as though they were nothing, pressing lightly against his chest.
Without a sound, Yang Kai's broad chest caved inward as if struck by a massive boulder, while his back bulged outward simultaneously. A visible shockwave erupted from behind him, a concussive force that shook the soul.
Crack, crack, crack…
Only then did sound arrive—the noise of countless bones shattering, a sound that chilled the blood of all who heard it.
The towering half-dragon body, a full eight zhang in height, froze for a brief instant before being sent hurtling backward like a thunderclap, like a streak of lightning. In the blink of an eye it had been blasted thousands of zhang away, golden blood raining down along the path and tracing a straight golden line through the air.
"Overestimating yourself!" The thought arose simultaneously in the minds of the gathered dragons as they watched Yang Kai get swatted away.
Zhu Yan and Zhu Kong exchanged a glance and silently shook their heads.
Yang Kai may have possessed the origin power of the Golden Holy Dragon, and his own strength was far from weak, but the Second Elder was a powerhouse comparable to a Great Emperor, and she possessed a tenth-order dragon bloodline. His attempt to overwhelm her with dragon might at the outset had failed to impose any bloodline suppression whatsoever. Without that advantage, how could he possibly withstand a single palm from the Second Elder?
That feather-light palm instantly made Yang Kai realize the gulf between himself and a Great Emperor.
He hadn't even managed to scratch a single hair on Fu Zhun.
The scene fell utterly silent, with nothing but an ice-cold, bone-piercing aura blanketing the surroundings. Fu Zhun gazed coldly at Yang Kai, who had barely managed to stabilize himself, her expression one of detached indifference.
Suddenly, her eyelids narrowed. She slowly turned her head to look off to one side, her eyes gradually narrowing to slits as she spoke in a level voice: "Zhu Qing, do you have any idea what you are doing?"
Only at her words did the crowd snap back to their senses, all turning to look in that direction.
What they saw left every one of them dumbfounded.
There, at some point, Zhu Qing had moved to Fu Chi's side. Her dragon might billowed outward, enveloping Fu Chi completely. One delicate hand had already transformed into a dragon claw, clamped firmly upon Fu Chi's skull. She stared at Fu Zhun with the taut vigilance of someone facing a mortal enemy.
When Yang Kai had been struck, she had shown little reaction. It wasn't that she didn't care about his life or death—she simply dared not allow her focus to waver. Before a Great Emperor-level powerhouse, the slightest moment of inattention would be enough to bring Yang Kai's entire plan crashing down. She hadn't even dared to cast a single glance back at his injuries. The razor-sharp dragon claw had already pierced into Fu Chi's flesh, and with the faintest exertion of force, she could end his life on the spot.
Fu Chi clearly hadn't expected this turn of events either. Moments ago he had been mocking Yang Kai for trying to shake a tree with an ant's strength, gloating inwardly when he saw Yang Kai suffer at the Second Elder's hand, wishing that one palm had finished Yang Kai for good.
His thoughts hadn't even finished cycling when a figure blurred before his eyes—Zhu Qing had already appeared behind him. In the next instant he felt the oppressive weight of a ninth-order dragon bloodline bearing down on him, and felt the sharp sting of pain from above.
Fu Chi's face turned a ghastly shade of iron, twisted into the ugliest expression imaginable.
Ninth-order against eighth-order—the suppression wasn't crushing. In a straight fight, Fu Chi could have held out for a time. But Zhu Qing had been fully prepared and seized the initiative. Now she held absolute dominion over his life and death.
The expressions of everyone present became a spectacle in their own right.
The scene before them was utterly bizarre. Today was supposed to be the wedding day of Fu Chi and Zhu Qing—both were dressed in brilliant red, a match made in heaven, a pair beneath the heavens. Yet at this very moment, the bride appeared poised to kill the groom. No matter how one looked at it, the sight was deeply unsettling.
Zhu Qing did not respond. Every shred of her attention remained fixed on Fu Zhun.
"Your seal actually broke…" Zhu Kong's brow furrowed, a note of disbelief in his voice. "When did this happen?"
After all, these past days Zhu Qing's dragon bloodline had been suppressed and her cultivation sealed. But looking at her now, there was no trace of suppression or restriction—she had clearly fully recovered, which was how she had been able to catch everyone off guard.
"So that's how it is!" A flash of understanding crossed Zhu Yan's eyes as he stared in shock at Yang Kai, who had come flying back while clutching his chest and shaking his head.
"Your doing!" Fu Zhun's face was livid as she glared at Yang Kai and barked the words.
There was no reason for Zhu Qing's seal to break on its own. From beginning to end, the only person who had been in contact with her was Yang Kai. If anyone could have undone her seal without anyone noticing, it could only have been him.
But how could he possess such ability? That seal had been personally laid by her own hand!
"You're allowed to strike first, but I'm not allowed to strike back? What kind of logic is that?" Yang Kai's expression was somewhat savage, golden blood still smeared at the corner of his mouth. His chest had not fully recovered and remained partially caved in. Fu Zhun's palm was no joke—even though it hadn't claimed his life, it had sent his qi and blood into violent turmoil and shattered several ribs. His towering eight-zhang frame strode through the air, planting itself before Zhu Qing like a small mountain, facing head-on the combined pressure of the three great dragon elders.