C3 The Holy Dragon Fell

Who is Ao Xingyun? None other than a core member of the mightiest Dragon Clan in existence, a prodigious young talent from the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon lineage. He carries within him the most potent, venerable, and ancient of bloodlines. With just over a millennium of cultivation, he has already ascended to the pinnacle of the Saint Level. His aptitude is nothing short of demonic!

A millennium may seem lengthy, but to the Dragon Clan, accustomed to slumbering for tens of thousands of years, it's merely a brief doze. Within the context of their typical lifespan, which spans a staggering hundred thousand years, a millennium passes in the blink of an eye.

Pride is the hallmark of the Dragon Clan, and Ao Xingyun is no exception. Were it not for Yugong's assistance when he was still vulnerable a thousand years ago, he would never have deigned to form a brotherly bond with a human. It's precisely because he has so few friends that he values Yugong so highly, going so far as to share the existence of a secret realm—a closely guarded secret within the Dragon Clan. Little did he know that one can never truly understand another's heart.

But now, Ao Xingyun has completely lost faith in Yugong. In a battle for survival, there are no brothers—only adversaries. And now, the immensely talented and formidable Seatopple Great Sage has made his return!

Feeling Ao Xingyun's overwhelming presence and unwavering resolve, the four warriors' faces betray a hint of apprehension. Gritting their teeth, they resolve to fight with everything they've got, knowing that if they don't succeed, they will at least die with honor.

These four have reached the zenith of the Saint Level, their understanding of the Laws complete, and have begun constructing their own Great Dao, earning them the title of Quasi Sovereign. Though the difference between Quasi Sovereign and Sovereign is but a single word, it signifies a chasm as vast as heaven and earth. Sovereigns represent the most formidable and exalted rank in the cosmos, which is precisely why they are willing to risk the wrath of the Dragon Clan for a chance at Ao Xingyun's fortune.

With a resolve as firm as burning one's boats, they aim to break through to the Sovereign realm and exist in harmony with the universe. They believe that even the mighty Dragon Clan would not dare to provoke four Sovereigns over one fallen genius. Thus, they commit fully from the outset, pushing their combat abilities to the extreme.

Saint Level experts, also known as Sovereigns, could harness the laws to create their own realms. Within these domains, they were akin to gods.

Yugong, a master of the rain law, formed a domain of torrential rain. The downpour was relentless, with each drop reflecting his profound insights into the essence of rain.

Lei Chongshan wielded the law of thunder, exuding a potent aura of destruction. A purple thunder orb, crackling with lightning, slowly emerged around him.

Feng Wuya controlled the law of wind. His silk garments fluttered in a breeze of their own making, followed by a howling gale that seemed to pierce the soul. His form was elusive, making him the swiftest and most enigmatic of the group, posing the greatest threat to Ao Xingyun's escape.

Xue Wuheng had mastered the law of snowflakes, radiating a chilling presence. Snowflakes whirled around him, seemingly capable of freezing the very heavens and earth.

Ao Xingyun had mastered the Five Elements, with each claw representing a different law. Gold, green, blue, red, and yellow orbs—representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—flew out intermittently. His might was unmatched, bolstered by the Dragon Clan's formidable physique and powerful secret arts. Despite having the lowest cultivation realm, his strength was truly the greatest.

The Rain Domain lay to the east, the Thunder Domain to the west, the Wind Domain to the north, and the Ice and Snow Domain to the south. These vast domains, spanning thousands of miles, tightly encircled the hundreds-of-miles-long Five-clawed Golden Dragon, leaving no avenue for escape.

The four Sovereigns and the dragon unleashed their full might, each attack altering the very fabric of the world. In their quest for immortality, they each brought forth their unique abilities; Ao Xingyun, fighting for survival, was merciless in his counterattacks. He was relentless, not just against his adversaries but also in the ferocity with which he pushed himself.

Aware that his fate was sealed, Ao Xingyun's sole focus was to break through the encirclement. He targeted one opponent at a time, dodging the others' assaults when possible. If evasion was not an option, he would endure the blows, trading wound for wound in a display of sheer madness.

The four warriors found themselves at a loss. The Dragon Clan possessed formidable physical strength, with the Five-clawed Golden Dragon outmatching the typical members of its kind by a significant margin. Their strikes landed on Ao Xingyun, spattering golden blood and tearing flesh, yet his vital areas remained unscathed. Such wounds failed to impact his combat abilities, let alone prove fatal. In contrast, humans were far more fragile and couldn't withstand Ao Xingyun's onslaught; they had no choice but to evade.

On several occasions, Ao Xingyun nearly broke through their defenses, only to be thwarted by the elusive Xue Wuheng. If there was anyone he despised the most, it was Feng Wuya, who became the primary target of his relentless attacks.

Feng Wuya was in dire straits, managing to dodge each assault but at the cost of his clothing, which was shredded by the residual forces, leaving him in tatters like a beggar. Ao Xingyun didn't fare much better; in his efforts to strike Feng Wuya, he neglected the trio's attacks, doubling the injuries on his body, some narrowly missing his critical points.

There's a saying that when deities clash, mortals bear the brunt of their wrath. The four humans and the dragon were all formidable beings, capable of shaking the heavens and earth with a mere breath, let alone when five great powers clashed in a battle to the death.

Were it not for their battle taking place high above the nine heavens, the continent below might well have been obliterated. Still, the occasional shockwaves from their combat wreaked havoc on the land, causing the earth to fracture, mountains to crumble, and untold suffering among the living.

Yet, the four humans and the dragon were locked in fierce combat, paying no mind to the plight of the insignificant beings below them.

Each of the four warriors brandished their own relics, amplifying the ferocity of their attacks. Ao Xingyun's claws, though not relics themselves, were part of his immense true form, spanning hundreds of miles and proving nearly impossible to defend against. The occasional hit was negligible, but after countless strikes, his strength waned significantly, and defeat loomed on the horizon.

The Dragon Clan was an enigmatic and formidable race, endowed with innumerable arcane techniques. Although many of these techniques had fallen out of use, there were still those that proved invaluable.

"Burn, Blood!" Ao Xingyun bellowed. His eyes blazed crimson, menacing as if ready to devour someone whole. His body was shrouded in a thin veil of purple-golden mist, radiating an aura of immense power, even stronger than at his peak.

"Bind!" Ao Xingyun's eyes emitted two piercing beams of light. Feng Wuya sensed the impending danger, but could such a secret technique of the Dragon Clan be so easily shattered?

Feng Wuya felt as though he had plunged into a quagmire, his speed reduced to a mere fraction of its original. As Ao Xingyun's assault drew ever closer, Feng Wuya reluctantly abandoned his relic.

With a resounding "Boom!" the explosion shattered the binding and halted Ao Xingyun's advance. However, Feng Wuya did not emerge unscathed; his strength was now less than half of what it had been at full capacity.

Ao Xingyun sneered, "Impressive. I'm curious to see how many relics you can afford to detonate!"

The four onlookers were terrified, each contemplating escape. The adage rang true: the longer one lives, the more one fears death. Despite their millennia of existence, none were prepared to meet their end.

"No, he's burning his very lifeblood. He won't last long!" Yugong, who was well-acquainted with Ao Xingyun, interjected. His words steadied the others who were on the brink of fleeing.

Ao Xingyun seethed with resentment. He hadn't anticipated being outmaneuvered by Yugong. Indeed, his severe injuries were compounded by the excessive loss of his lifeblood, which threatened to exacerbate his condition and undermine his very foundation.

"Form the Four Seasons Array!" Xue Wuheng commanded. The Four Seasons Array was their ultimate strategy against Ao Xingyun, enabling their combined attacks to amplify exponentially in strength, enough to obliterate their foe.

The four unleashed a torrent of mystical incantations, and soon their individual domains began to swell, eventually merging into a singular, all-encompassing Four Seasons Domain. Torrential rain, bolts of lightning, howling winds, and swirling snowflakes worked in harmony, creating a realm as vivid and dynamic as the natural world itself.

The moment the quartet established their formation, their energies surged, ensnaring Ao Xingyun within their midst like livestock awaiting slaughter.

Ao Xingyun's face underwent a sudden transformation as he realized there was no escape. With a hardened resolve, he bellowed, "Let the five elements unite and perish together!"

Ribbons of light ascended, morphing into five vast domains that spanned thousands of miles, each representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The five elements unleashed their fury, and from Ao Xingyun, a wave of destructive energy emanated.

Yugong's complexion turned ashen. "Ao Xingyun, have you lost your mind? You can't possibly survive the fusion of the five fundamental laws!"

"To hell with survival—I'll take you all down with me!" Ao Xingyun's face twisted into a grotesque snarl, his madness undeniable.

Such is the bleakness of a hero's final stand.

"Run for your lives, or we'll all end up his funeral companions—he's completely insane!" Yugong's pallor deepened as he bolted away without a second thought. Sensing impending doom, the other three scattered in a desperate flight for survival.

A slight smirk played on Ao Xingyun's lips, a mix of satisfaction and scorn for the timidity of his adversaries.

In an instant, the space fell silent and began to expand. A lethal shockwave materialized behind the fleeing figures, swiftly engulfing them. Their screams echoed briefly before silence reclaimed the area, leaving no trace of their presence.

Ao Xingyun, the once-mighty Five-clawed Golden Holy Dragon, had met his end.