The next instant, Fu Chi's expression was one of utter astonishment.
Because the scene before him defied his comprehension. Under the crushing weight of his dragon pressure, that half-blood bastard barely reacted at all—he merely furrowed his brow. The image he had imagined, of his opponent being completely suppressed and falling to his knees in terror, never materialized.
How was this possible?
The man before him was nothing more than a half-blood of impure lineage, while he himself was an Eighth-Order Lightning Dragon—the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth. How could he remain completely unharmed? Where had something gone wrong?
While Fu Chi was gripped by shock and confusion, Li Jiao's heart surged with elation.
He'd blocked it. He had actually blocked it! Though he still felt some discomfort and was under a degree of suppression—the gap between the Third Order and the Eighth Order was simply too vast—he had finally been shown a glimmer of hope for his revenge.
The protective blessing of the Dragon Temple truly lived up to its reputation. As long as this blessing remained upon him, the gap in bloodline between himself and Fu Chi would no longer be so insurmountable, and he would possess the qualification to fight with everything he had.
And that was all he had ever asked for.
If Yang Kai had not intercepted this protective blessing from the Dragon Temple and imbued him with it, the blood debt owed by Lü Sanniang could never have been repaid in his lifetime.
All of this was thanks to Yang Kai, and in his heart, Li Jiao was filled with gratitude.
"You have the Dragon Temple's protection?" Fu Chi finally grasped the truth, his eyes widening as he snarled: "How could you possibly receive the Dragon Temple's blessing?"
After Fu Chi had departed, the Fourth Elder had communed with the Dragon Temple and called down the protective blessing, so naturally he had been unaware of it. What he could not fathom was why this dragon descendant would receive the Dragon Temple's protection at all. Moreover… it seemed as though the man bore some deep hatred toward him; otherwise he would not have followed him all the way here, let alone stared at him with such venom in his eyes.
"What are you trying to do?" Fu Chi's expression darkened, a cold sneer rising within his heart. Did this fool think he could bully him simply because he was wounded? He was indeed injured, but he was still an Eighth-Order Lightning Dragon.
Li Jiao did not answer. He merely said flatly: "My name is Li Jiao!"
As he spoke, a flash of golden light appeared in his hand, and a long halberd materialized.
An Emperor Treasure—the Golden Lion Halberd.
This halberd had been forged from the remains of the Twelfth-Order demon beast, the Imperial Golden Lion, which Li Jiao had come upon years ago. The Imperial Golden Lion was an ancient relic species, long since extinct, that had once commanded wind and rain in the primordial era and was even capable of contending with certain Sacred Spirits. Li Jiao had obtained the Imperial Golden Lion's remains through a fortuitous coincidence, and later commissioned a master artificer to forge them into this halberd. It had accompanied him for nearly five hundred years, nurtured continuously with his own essence blood—this halberd was, without question, Li Jiao's most powerful weapon.
With the halberd in hand, Li Jiao's aura climbed rapidly, reaching its peak in the span of three breaths.
Facing an Eighth-Order Lightning Dragon, he dared not show the slightest carelessness. Even though his opponent was wounded, he did not consider himself guaranteed victory, so from the very first moment he adopted an all-out, do-or-die posture.
Fu Chi clearly sensed this. His brows drew together in surprise. He did not know what deep enmity Li Jiao harbored toward him that would drive the man to such lengths.
In a sudden burst—wind stirred, figures blurred, the halberd thrust forward, and cold light bloomed.
Li Jiao had already closed the distance to Fu Chi, his halberd striking like a dragon, transforming into a sky full of halberd shadows that engulfed Fu Chi completely.
"Insolent!" Fu Chi roared with fury. Yang Kai had humiliated him. Zhu Qing had humiliated him. And now even a half-blood dared to humiliate him? The pride of the Dragon Clan would not be trampled upon by just anyone! As he bellowed, a deafening crackling erupted across the sky as bolts of lightning crawled through the air, then transformed into lightning bolts that hammered down upon Li Jiao. Simultaneously, Fu Chi opened his mouth and a massive sphere of lightning hurtled toward the Golden Lion Halberd.
A blood-red glow surfaced across Li Jiao's body. Every pore on his skin dilated as essence blood seeped outward, and the crimson luminescence was unmistakably the result of burning his own essence blood.
He knew this battle had to be decided quickly. Only by riding the momentum of his fury did he stand a chance of trading blows with Fu Chi to a decisive end. The longer the fight dragged on, the slimmer his hopes of vengeance would become. So he did not hesitate to burn his essence blood, praying he could force a life-or-death conclusion within just a few exchanges.
Arc after arc of lightning crashed down upon Li Jiao's body, hammering against the blood-red glow and sending it flickering wildly—as though it might shatter at any moment.
The sphere of lightning hurled from Fu Chi's mouth also slammed into the Golden Lion Halberd. With a tremendous boom, Li Jiao was sent tumbling backward, while Fu Chi, seated cross-legged on the ground, also lost his balance and was blasted back over a dozen zhang.
"Seeking death!" Fu Chi bellowed. Every humiliation he had suffered today erupted from within him like a volcano. When his gaze snapped forward, his expression shifted involuntarily.
Because Li Jiao, sent flying as he was, had spat a mouthful of essence blood onto his Golden Lion Halberd. His hands formed several intricate seals, then he thrust a finger directly toward Fu Chi.
"ROAR!"
A beast's roar shook the heavens. The Golden Lion Halberd suddenly warped and transformed, giving shape to a colossal male lion. The majesty of a beast king radiated outward as it became a streak of golden light and hurtled toward Fu Chi.
Sensing the terrifying power of this strike, Fu Chi did not dare be careless. A dragon's cry rang out as he revealed his true dragon form, and he raked a massive claw forward—meeting the incoming golden light head-on.
The great lion dissipated, and the Golden Lion Halberd reappeared, its luster dimmed—clearly having sustained severe damage, its spiritual essence diminished. The most direct consequence was Li Jiao vomiting a mouthful of fresh blood, his aura plummeting dramatically.
"Dare to provoke the Dragon Clan, and today you will die without a doubt!" Fu Chi's dragon body coiled with its head held high, like a divine sovereign descending from the heavens, rendering merciless judgment upon Li Jiao's doom.
But the next instant, his expression changed drastically as a sudden, overwhelming sense of unease gripped him. He looked carefully and saw that from the mouthful of blood Li Jiao had spat, a small bead no larger than a dragon's eye shot forth at blinding speed.
The bead appeared perfectly ordinary, yet it came like lightning.
Fu Chi could clearly feel a threat emanating from that bead that made his heart clench with dread.
"A Dragon Pearl! You've actually cultivated a Dragon Pearl!" Fu Chi cried out in alarm.