The shock of the True Dragon's manifestation had seared itself into virtually everyone's mind as an indelible lifelong memory. Every face in the venue remained frozen in astonishment, unable to break free from the sheer disbelief.
The most stunned of all was none other than the Asura Great Emperor, who had been facing Jiang Chen across the dueling platform.
His expression had turned completely dark, his face black as he watched the True Dragon and the Black-Winged Dragon Fang lock in combat.
In terms of cultivation level, the Black-Winged Dragon Fang appeared to have the upper hand. But when it came to temperament, presence, and every other conceivable advantage, the Black-Winged Dragon Fang was utterly outclassed before the True Dragon bloodline — like a great-grandson trembling before the patriarch of his clan. It simply could not summon a shred of its ferocity.
Dragons. The True Dragon bloodline commanded a dragon's majesty all its own.
This was a quality inherited through the True Dragon bloodline itself, something that every other dragon-related bloodline could only look up to in awe.
The Black-Winged Dragon Fang actually retained very little dragon blood. Though it was a hybrid of the dragon and fang clans, the dragon lineage running through its veins had grown exceedingly thin.
But thin as it was, it still existed.
Before Long Xiaoxuan's True Dragon presence, that meager trace of dragon blood was overwhelmed by his aura in an instant. All of the Black-Winged Dragon Fang's ferocity vanished completely.
It was an instinctive wariness, an instinctive fear.
Once the Black-Winged Dragon Fang could no longer unleash its savagery, its combat power could no longer multiply as it normally would. And though Long Xiaoxuan was only at the early stage of the Imperial realm, the combination of his various dragon techniques allowed him to go head-to-head against opponents at the high stage of the Imperial realm.
Moreover, through his time alongside Jiang Chen, Long Xiaoxuan had learned numerous combat techniques and tricks, and had grown increasingly adept at leveraging the unique advantages of his True Dragon bloodline.
With all of this combined, it took less than a quarter of an hour before the Black-Winged Dragon Fang was wailing miserably, beaten by Long Xiaoxuan into complete helplessness.
Watching the Black-Winged Dragon Fang flee in every direction, the Asura Great Emperor felt his heart nearly bleed. Something called dignity was draining from his face, bit by bit.
He had subjugated the Black-Winged Dragon Fang for dozens — perhaps nearly a hundred — years. In all that time, he had only ever seen the creature bully other ferocious beasts and Spirit Beasts.
Never had he witnessed such a pathetic side of it. The way it scrambled in panic was like a child fleeing a parent's thrashing — flustered and humiliated.
This was something the Asura Great Emperor had never seen in all the years he had possessed the Black-Winged Dragon Fang.
The scene was like Jiang Chen slapping him across the face, again and again, on his aged cheeks.
Just before the True Dragon's manifestation, he had been boasting that the other side had no chance whatsoever. And now, in the blink of an eye, he had been proven wrong for all to see.
Young Master Zhen had called him a frog at the bottom of a well.
Looking at this now, he really did seem like one.
The True Dragon bloodline! The Asura Great Emperor's face had gone pale. At that moment, he would have given anything to find a crack in the earth and crawl inside.
Anxiety, jealousy, defiance, and even a touch of fear all churned within him.
He had heard the murmuring from the crowd below. The phrase "True Dragon Son of Heaven" in particular had pierced his pride like a barb.
True Dragon Son of Heaven?
He refused to believe it. Even if Young Master Zhen had summoned a True Dragon, he refused to believe this person could be any sort of True Dragon Son of Heaven!
He had to win. He absolutely had to win.
The Asura Great Emperor's eyes burned with a frenzied light as he glared at Jiang Chen. "You with the surname Zhen — this Emperor cannot help but wonder, what exactly is your background?"
Jiang Chen could read the Asura Great Emperor's intentions perfectly. The man was clearly trying to fling another handful of mud at his reputation.
But at this point, everyone had been stunned into silence by the True Dragon's manifestation. Attempting to sow suspicion now was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Even if Jiang Chen were to admit right then that he was not a native of the Glazed Glass Royal City, people would probably trip over themselves to find excuses and justifications on his behalf.
Who cared where he came from? As long as he was not of the demon race, as long as he did not act against the natural order, even if he hailed from some other plane entirely, most people in the Glazed Glass Royal City would likely raise no objection.
Because the spectacle of the True Dragon's manifestation had dealt too powerful a psychological blow. In that single instant, it had rewired their thinking and left the most indelible impression possible in their hearts. In that moment, Jiang Chen had gained a legion of staunch supporters.
Under these circumstances, the Asura Great Emperor could shout himself hoarse and no one would care.
The battle between contracted beasts did not last much longer. After Long Xiaoxuan's lesson, the Black-Winged Dragon Fang soon surrendered completely, sprawling on the ground and playing dead, unable to rise again.
Fortunately, Long Xiaoxuan did not press the attack. Instead, he held his proud head high and circled through the void — clearly bolstering Jiang Chen's momentum.
"Brother Long, that's enough." Jiang Chen waved his hand toward the sky.
Long Xiaoxuan instantly transformed into a streak of light, shooting toward Jiang Chen before vanishing entirely without a trace. This ability to conceal his form drew a fresh wave of gasps from the crowd.
Jiang Chen had been observing everyone's reactions throughout. All of it was exactly as he had anticipated. The True Dragon bloodline had almost never appeared in this world before. So even if their reactions were a bit exaggerated, he could understand.
When your entire understanding of the world was overturned, your mind could not help but go blank for a time. It took a while to process everything.
"Asura — care to continue fighting?" Jiang Chen looked at the Asura Great Emperor with a half-smile.