Chapter 210: Snatching the Dragon Pellet

The enormous black flood dragon, having withstood successive strikes of purple lightning and countless bolts of golden heavenly thunder, had undergone a transformation that left it looking entirely different from its former self. From a distance, it was no longer a flood dragon, but a true black dragon.

Just as the transformation reached completion, an eerie peal of thunder erupted from the red clouds hovering above its head. It was not the standard, rumbling boom, but a strange, indescribable sound. As this sound manifested, the red clouds began to disperse, shrinking and darkening. Just as Lingji thought the tribulation had concluded, several strands of red lightning silently intertwined and descended, striking the black dragon directly.

Following this strike, the red clouds vanished into thin air. The black dragon, hit by the interwoven red lightning, let out a cry distinct from its previous roars and plummeted to the seabed. The difference between the cry of a flood dragon and that of a true dragon is vast; judging by its physical changes and this new vocalization, it was clearly a true dragon.

Though it had successfully transformed, the dragon was severely weakened by the final red tribulation bolt.

"Fellow Daoist Lingji, it is time to strike."

Having observed the entire process, Zhou Qing moved, drifting toward the dragon. Lingji followed suit, closing in on the creature as it lay on the ocean floor. Lingji reached her position first, drawing a blade about a foot long from a small pouch at her waist—evidently a magical storage bag. She struck at the dragon, but the hide was so resilient that the blade merely clattered against it, failing to pierce the scales.

Weakened by the tribulation, the dragon felt the stinging sensation. It let out a faint, pained roar and swung its massive body, pushing Lingji away. As it did so, Zhou Qing, gripping his blade "Wuching," arrived at the dragon's underbelly.

Having slaughtered dragons and flood dragons before, Zhou Qing possessed the experience that Lingji lacked. Instead of hacking blindly, he targeted a specific protrusion on the dragon’s abdomen. With one clean, decisive stroke, he severed it and immediately retreated.

Stung by the blade, the weakened dragon let out a thunderous roar and began to thrash violently. Its tail inadvertently struck Lingji, sending her flying through the water. She stabilized herself nearby, looking at Zhou Qing with fury, a single word of accusation—"You!"—escaping her lips.

Zhou Qing merely smiled at her before darting away in a specific direction. The massive black dragon, eyes wide with rage, was already charging toward them. Seeing this, Lingji had no choice but to follow in pursuit.

"You said it would be weak after the tribulation! Why is it still so lively?"

"It is merely a death throe. Do not be impatient; once we exhaust it by leading it on a chase, we can slaughter it easily," Zhou Qing replied calmly, showing little concern for the pursuing beast.

As predicted, after a period of pursuit, the dragon’s speed began to wane. The two pursuers slowed down in turn, continuing to lure the creature. Finally, the dragon let out one last, exhausted roar and collapsed onto the seabed.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing lunged forward, his blade Wuching at the ready. Just as he had done years ago at Ghost King Lake, he began to carve along the dragon’s belly. Simultaneously, Lingji reached the head, pinning the dragon’s horns with one hand and driving her blade into its eyes with the other.

The exhausted dragon let out one final, frail cry—a sound filled with resentment and bitterness—before its life was extinguished forever.

It should have been a glorious day of ascension, but after enduring boundless agony to become a true dragon, it had perished less than an hour after its transformation.

At the moment of death, Zhou Qing had only managed to carve a five or six-foot gash into the creature’s thirty-foot-long body, not yet reaching the location of the dragon pearl. With the beast dead, the charade between Zhou Qing and Lingji ended. As he continued to slice open the belly, he kept a wary eye on his companion.

Just as he finished the incision, a blade of solidified energy (gang qi) whistled toward him.

"There is only one dragon pearl. If we split it, the effects will be negligible. It would be better if you let me have it alone. We can consider our past grievances settled. What do you say?"

Lingji’s meaning was clear: she would stop hunting him, but the pearl was hers.

"Ridiculous. I am not afraid of your pursuit, and I am determined to have this pearl. If you want it, you will have to beat me for it first."

With the lines drawn, Zhou Qing stopped holding back. Though many techniques were restricted underwater, he could still manifest his spiritual energy into solidified blasts.

As they exchanged blows, the calm seabed turned into a churn of mud and water. In the chaos, a stray strike of energy hit the dragon’s carcass, causing a thick, black mist to erupt from within the corpse. The mist spread instantly, enveloping both Zhou Qing and Lingji.

Caught in the fog, Zhou Qing felt a strange sensation. The mist was bizarre; as it enveloped him, his mind was suddenly flooded with chaotic, distracting thoughts, and he felt a strange, overwhelming impulse rising within him. Not far away, Lingji drifted in the black mist, her expression dazed and her cheeks flushed a deep, vibrant red.