Chapter Thirty-Six: The Merciless Azure Dragon

“Damn it!” Seeing himself toyed with by the White Tiger, Zhang Yang’s eyes flashed with a terrifying glint, one only seen in the gaze of a cornered beast or a madman.

Noticing the madness in Zhang Yang’s eyes, the White Tiger felt a tinge of threat. “This guy is really tough to deal with. Well then, let me send you off with my Tiger’s Roar Wave!” With that, the White Tiger abandoned its games and unleashed the Tiger’s Roar Wave, clearly intent on finishing Zhang Yang in an instant. As the deadly attack surged forward and with nowhere left to leap, Zhang Yang let out a ferocious roar like a trapped animal, sprinting from one side of the stone platform to the other. After a brief dash, he jumped toward the far edge where the White Tiger stood, narrowly evading its fatal blow. It seemed Zhang Yang had spotted a broken stone pillar protruding above the nearby magma, hoping to use it as a springboard to reach another platform.

But perhaps the distance was too great; Zhang Yang’s body was still a sword-length away from the pillar.

Watching Zhang Yang plummet toward the magma, the White Tiger burst into laughter. This stubborn opponent had finally been forced into the molten depths—what a difficult adversary he had been.

Just as the White Tiger was feeling triumphant, Zhang Yang’s sharp-featured face suddenly appeared before him, as if by some trick. No one could fathom how he managed to leap here. Seeing Zhang Yang’s mocking gaze, the White Tiger was caught off guard, and Zhang Yang’s fist struck him squarely in the face, sending his body tumbling toward the magma below. The momentum was so great that Zhang Yang himself vanished behind the stone platform along with the White Tiger.

As it turned out, when faced with imminent doom in the magma, Zhang Yang had acted on instinct, plunging his spirit sword into the broken pillar. Using the rebound, he treated the sword as a bamboo pole, launching himself toward the unsuspecting White Tiger, startling him and knocking him off the platform.

“Zhang Yang!!”

Seeing Zhang Yang fall as well, Qin Xiaochuan cried out in terror. If he landed in the magma below, it would be all over.

While Qin Xiaochuan’s emotions surged, Feiyan’s sharp eyes caught something and pointed at the platform where Zhang Yang had fallen. “Wait, look over there!”

Following Feiyan’s gesture, Qin Xiaochuan saw the corner of Zhang Yang’s clothing snagged on a protruding stone. Apparently, as he fell, his clothes became caught on a sharp spike jutting from the platform. What luck! Were it not for the snagged garment, Zhang Yang would have joined the White Tiger in the magma, burnt to ash.

“What are you staring at! Hurry up and pull me up, I’m about to fall!” Hearing Zhang Yang’s cries for help, Qin Xiaochuan excitedly leaped onto the platform and dragged him up. Once Zhang Yang was safe, Qin Xiaochuan pounded his head furiously. “You idiot, why didn’t you answer before? You scared me to death! Scared me to death! Scared me to death! Scared me to death!”

“Ouch, you fool! That hurts, stop it, I’m about to fall again! Are you happy or trying to kill me? Stop! It hurts, it hurts…”

“That was quite the move back there. If you use it against the next opponent, you might take them down too,” Feiyan remarked coolly, watching Zhang Yang sit on the ground.

“Are you crazy? No way I could pull off something that terrifying twice…” Hearing Feiyan suggest he repeat the stunt, Zhang Yang was visibly shaken—it was clear he’d only used it in a moment of desperation.

Seeing his teammates unharmed, Qin Xiaochuan pointed excitedly toward the exit. “Alright, let’s go! The White Tiger is dealt with!”

And so, the four left the White Tiger’s deadly chamber, following the corridor to a strange place. Strange, because at the end of the passage stood a row of iron doors—nine in all, identical in appearance. It seemed each door led to the next challenge, but which was safe? Zhang Yang stepped forward, pressed his finger to his forehead, closed his eyes to sense, then pointed at one of the doors. “This is the one!”

“Alright, let’s go!” With Zhang Yang’s confident answer, Qin Xiaochuan followed without hesitation, while Feiyan muttered skeptically, “Are we sure we can trust him?”

Zhang Yang turned to Feiyan with a smug look. “Don’t underestimate me. Mazes and trap-dodging games are my specialty!”

Qin Xiaochuan nodded, and Feiyan, saying nothing more, followed the group through Zhang Yang’s chosen door. After traversing a dark passage, they arrived safely before a large iron gate. Zhang Yang’s intuition had proved spot-on; he’d chosen the safest route to the next chamber.

Beside the gate stood two bronze dragons, so lifelike they seemed to fly. Qin Xiaochuan hurried up the steps and pushed open the gate. As it swung open, white mist billowed out, and a wave of icy air swept through, making Zhang Yang, bare-chested, shiver. “So cold! What’s inside? How is there cold air?”

“This must be the Azure Dragon’s chamber. I sense a chilling demon aura within, much stronger than the Black Tortoise or White Tiger!” Seeing the cold mist, White Shadow broke into a cold sweat—clearly, a formidable demon awaited within.

Stepping inside, the room felt even colder. In the corners stood ice sculptures, and within them, strange creatures lay frozen, both large and small, their faces twisted in terror, clearly frozen alive.

“Well? Shocked by my collection?” As the four surveyed the room, a man emerged from the mist, dressed in martial attire with a flying dragon embroidered on his chest. He was evidently the master of the palace—the Azure Dragon.

“These works are my hobby, gathered at leisure. Isn’t it delightful? Hahahahaha.” The Azure Dragon strode to an ice sculpture, placed his hand on its face—a young boy, no older than ten, eyes wide with terror. Stroking the frozen face, the Azure Dragon boasted, “Look at that expression—so natural! You will join him as my next collection, displayed here! Hahahahahaha!”

As the Azure Dragon laughed triumphantly, footsteps echoed from the corridor behind the four. Someone was approaching, dragging heavy feet. Soon, the palace doors were pushed open by a massive figure, heavy steps moving toward the Azure Dragon.

“White Tiger!” Zhang Yang cried in shock. How could this guy still be alive and make it here? But now the White Tiger had lost all its former majesty—its white fur scorched to patches by magma, some spots bare and revealing flesh, the skin blackened and smoking, nearly cooked.

“Help me, help me…” Dragging his half-cooked body, White Tiger staggered past the four, pleading with the Azure Dragon. “Azure Dragon! Save me… If you give me some demon energy, I…”

Standing before the Azure Dragon, White Tiger raised a hand in supplication. “Save me… Azure Dragon! If you grant me a little demon energy, I swear I’ll repay you…”

Seeing White Tiger’s outstretched arm, the Azure Dragon’s eyes filled with disdain. “Fool! You dare come back? I have no use for you anymore—you disgust me!” He raised a hand, adopting the gesture of a dragon emerging from the sea.

“That pose…?” White Tiger gasped in fear. “Azure Dragon! What are you doing…”

“Die, you useless waste! You’re nothing but an eyesore!” With those words, the Azure Dragon moved, the surrounding chill condensing onto his fist. He struck out with his right fist. “Azure Dragon’s Frost Break!” A burst of freezing air shot from his fist, instantly encasing White Tiger in ice. Behind the frozen shell, White Tiger’s eyes showed disbelief—he’d never imagined his own teammate would so mercilessly freeze him. As soon as White Tiger was sealed, the Azure Dragon kicked, shattering the ice and sending White Tiger’s head rolling nearby. The Azure Dragon spat on it in disgust. “Ugh! Filthy creature, unworthy of being my masterpiece!”

“To murder your own teammate—utterly inhuman!”

Witnessing the Azure Dragon’s ruthless execution of White Tiger, Qin Xiaochuan was furious. Though he had little fondness for White Tiger, the Azure Dragon’s cold cruelty disgusted him even more. To someone who valued friendship above all, killing your own companion was an unforgivable crime.

“They have no sense of camaraderie,” White Shadow said, sharing Qin Xiaochuan’s anger. As a fellow demon, he felt White Tiger’s fate was undeserved. “All they care about is domination and appetite!”

Seeing White Tiger reduced to just a severed head, Zhang Yang felt a pang of sympathy for a fallen foe. “Though I fought White Tiger until now, seeing him killed like this leaves me deeply unsettled. For White Tiger’s sake, I’ll take you down, you bastard!”