The Inverted Dragon's Scale

As Song Gudu was talking, his chest that had been scratched by Li Muyang’s claw was recovering at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Red blood was no longer flowing out, and the broken flesh was healing itself.

The wound was surrounded by a circle of white light, which then turned to fragments of stars, flashed over the wound, and soon even the cracks and holes visible in the inner organs were gone without a trace.

Song Gudu——his self-healing ability seemed a little more powerful than the dragon Li Muyang.

Li Muyang’s body was severely wounded and needed some time to recuperate.

“You should be well aware that such injuries do not have any damage to me——” Song Gudu said, looking at Li Muyang. “Just as no matter how many knives I cut into you or how many bones I break, if I don’t chop off your head——or even if I severe your head, you still have a chance to bounce back as long as I don’t destroy your soul. Your presence has already illustrated the accuracy of this sentence.”

The eye of the starry sky can pry into the starry sky.

It had to be said that it made sense for Song Gudu to be called ‘the strongest in the starry sky’ for decades. Based on only his extensive study of the dragon clan that have disappeared for more than tens of thousands of years, as well as his knowledge of Li Muyang’s situation, it was evident that his mind was meticulous and his vision was venomous.

It was as though there was nothing that Song Gudu did not know under the Starry Sky.

Song Gudu was indeed right. Li Muyang, although possessed the Tear of the Dragon King, was only in the early days of integration. He was a bystander, searching and observing the black dragon’s remarkable moves for his own use.

However, it only had the form and appearance, and not the soul.

It should be said that, in the cultivation of martial arts, to advance onto the great Dao depends on one’s hard work, efforts and ability of understanding.

How would you know about the soul of the sword if you don’t personally smelt the sword?

How do you know about the bitterness and sweetness of food if you don’t cook a meal with your own hands?

How would you smell and appreciate the fragrance of a plum blossom without picking a winter plum blossom yourself?

Without the process of experience and appreciation, the direct use of the results of other people’s labour——is similar to a pavilion in the air, a rootless tree, in that it is unstable.

The Dragon clan’s cultivation technique and method were really mysterious, powerful, and had unknown characteristics.

Such moves can deceive ordinary people, can trick a lot of masters, but before Song Gudu’s eyes he could instantly find the flaws——

It was the same with Mu Dingyi. He was also able to notice the flaws of Li Muyang’s moves. Therefore, at the beginning of the battle, every sword attack was aimed at these flaws and Li Muyang had no choice but to run and suffer a beating.

In a battle between masters, one mistake can make a huge difference.

Had it not been for the two powerful intruders, the Wolf King and the Heart of the Weak Water, the defeated contestant would have been unknown. The one that was most likely to die on the Sword God Square of Mist Mountain would have been Li Muyang.

It was extremely dangerous for Li Muyang to use these moves to compete with Song Gudu, a cultivator of the Astral projection realm.

The price he had to pay would be losing his life.

However, for the present Li Muyang, death was a relief——

He was even unafraid of death, would he be afraid of Song Gudu?

The blood mist in his eyes had dissipated, revealing pitch-black eyes.

Instantly, his consciousness was blurred again, as more bright red blood water completely drowned his pupils.

The fierceness on his face had disappeared, and then turned into a calm and cold expression, like a starving wolf or mad dog eyeing on his prey.

His two arms were covered with scales, and the sharp claws flashed a dark glow.

He knew that Song Gudu was incredibly powerful, so powerful that it was terrifying.

There were nine countries in the Divine continent, and the strongest in a country indeed possess awe-inspiring and terrifying power.

If possible, Li Muyang did not wish to fight against such a master.

However, his luck wasn’t good.

Li Muyang did not answer Song Gudu when he asked him ‘do you still want to try?’.

His body sprang up, speeding towards Song Gudu in midair.

Fight!

This was the best answer.

Boom——

Li Muyang leapt over to above Song Gudu’s head, aiming his sharp claws at the top of his head.

Just as Song Gudu struck one netherworld nail after another into Li Muyang’s body, Li Muyang also wanted to split open Song Gudu’s head——

The Dragons were vengeful.

If they do not hold a grudge, the hatred that the black dragon had towards the human race would not have lasted for thousands years and not diminished in the slightest, and time and time again wanted to wipe out human race.

Whoosh——

Song Gudu’s body disappeared in the air.

Li Muyang did not turn his head back, lashed out with a kick behind.

It was the divine dragon’s tail swaying move.

Bang——

Song Gudu, who was ready to sneak up from behind, was kicked flying, and then disappeared at the same time. By the time he reappeared he was already in front of Li Muyang, retaliating with a palm strike to Li Muyang’s head.

Li Muyang operated the ‘Traveling through Clouds’. As Song Gudu’s palm thrust forth, he took advantage of the force and wind to rapidly retreat.

The fiercer his palm strike, the faster Li Muyang was able to retreat.

Dig out heart, dig out eyes, slam the top of the head, and punch the head——

For a moment, the figures crisscrossed, powerful qi overflowing.

The two were quick and fierce, and every move was a killing move.

In the sky, Li Muyang and Song Gudu couldn’t be seen. There were only two shadows entangled in a struggle, going all out at the risk of their lives.

Bang——

Song Gudu punched out, sending Li Muyang ‘s body flying. This time, he had hit Li Muyang head-on.

Li Muyang’s body swiftly shot out, and then spurted mouthfuls of blood before he could come to a stop.

His mouth overflowed with blood, and his blood-red eyes were glowering at Song Gudu who had wounded him once again.

Pain!

The pain of the heart!

The pain was not brought by the punch. The punch just now was not felt at all.

Each of the pain meridians in his body was occupied by the eight netherworld nails that had been punched into his body, and compared to the pain inside the body, the external injuries could only be called ‘superficial injuries’ or ‘mosquito bites’——

However, the pain of the body can cause the netherworld nail to flare up.

If you have a thorn in your flesh or a nail in your bone, what was the best way to treat it?

The best way, of course, was to pull it out.

However, it was certain that Li Muyang had no way to pull them out one by one for the time being. To pull the netherworld nails out of a dragon body was not an easy thing to do, including for the black dragon inside of Li Muyang——

More importantly, how would Song Gudu give him such time and opportunity?

The best way was to not move, stand there motionless, or lie there motionless.

Because once one had experienced the pain of the Netherworld Nail, the heart will fear ‘movement’. It would be painful to stand there, but the pain can be slowly absorbed, adapted. However, as soon as there is movement, the pain will increase several hundreds times.

The most deadly thing was that, once punched in the body, it was as though someone was hammering the top of the nail, and the nail would be drilled deeper until it pierced the bones.

Adding to this, the nail stretches infinitely, and it will never be punched completely into the bone——

This was that feeling that Li Muyang had just endured.

The netherworld nail inside his body, affected by trauma, was million of times more painful than before, to the extent that the body was constantly twitching, chest felt like it was being crushed by thousands of heavy stone, and spraying out mouthfuls of blood.

When he spurted out blood, it instead became his only way of reducing the pressure and pain.

Because at the moment he felt relaxed, it was like spitting out the thick phlegm that had been stuck in his throat for a long time.

“The martial arts of the dragon clan are indeed mysterious.” Song Gudu looked at Li Muyang, eyes glistening, like he was looking at a huge treasure. “But you’ve used it too many times in front of me, and the laws and rhythm of your movement have long been seen through by me——if you don’t change, you’ll only die——”

The blood mist in Li Muyang’s pupil was boiling, which was the reaction he had when he was furious.

He did not answer Song Gudu, but looked skywards and let out a thunderous roar, his body once again pouncing toward Song Gudu.

Battle!

Only the battle could make him forget the pain for a while.

Only the battle made him forget that his body had been inserted with eight netherworld nails——

Boom——

Li Muyang punched at Song Gudu’s head.

Bang——

Li Muyang’s body was sent flying.

Boom——

Li Muyang lashed out with a kick to Song Gudu’s ribs.

Bang——

Once again, Li Muyang’s body was sent flying out.

Boom——

Li Muyang tore into the back of Song Gudu with his claw, and just as he was trying to take his head off the claw was brushed away, catching nothing but air——

Bang——

Song Gudu’s hand flashed a white ball of light, which brought Li Muyang to the depths of the ground.

This was the gap between their cultivation realms.

That was the gap between their strength.

The flawed secret techniques of the dragon clan, before a peerless cultivator like Song Gudu, was like a bee nest hanging on a tree, full of small holes inside and outside——

And all Song Gudu need to do was to infinitely enlarge those small holes, until he severs off the head of Li Muyang or destroys his soul.

Li Muyang had only cultivated for a short period of time. His problem of a lack of experience was for the first time so seriously exposed.

“Li Muyang, accept your fate.” Song Gudu soared high into the air, condescendingly looked down at the ground. “Give me what I want, and I’ll give you what you want.”

Kacha——

Li Muyang once again got up from the snowy ground, raised his blood red eyes to look at Song Gudu high up in the sky, strong grievance and sadness in his heart.

The world was too bitter!

His legs trembled, body twitched, even two of his claws had been snapped by Song Gudu——

Li Muyang clenched his teeth and once again was ready to charge upward.

It was a fight to the death!

Die in battle!

When he dies, his family will die.

If he does not die, then his family will have a chance of survival.

For that little slim trace of hope, he——was willing to do anything.

Li Muyang clasped his hands together, and a huge golden ball of light appeared above his head.

The ball of golden light was like a living thing, fluttering and leaping above Li Muyang’s head. There seemed to be a little black dragon on the side of the ball of golden light that was summoning the lightning.

The golden light ball grew larger and larger, enough to ignite the wilderness, and the dark world suddenly lit up as bright as it was daytime.

Lightning of fire!

The power of the lightning was gathered into a bead of fire, this ball of golden light.

Extreme fire!

The most violent fire in the world, can incinerate all things, including the soul.

Li Muyang thrust his hands forward, and the Lightning of Fire, as though had grown eyes, sped toward Song Gudu.

Song Gudu’s face finally grew serious. He must not contend against the power of lightning, must not touch this extreme fire.

Song Gudu raised his head, pupils disappearing, eyes only left with the scene of the starry sky.

Whoosh——

The lightning fire fell into his eyes, and then rose slowly among the river of stars, looking like a meteor streaking across the night sky.

It was Song Gudu’s second time using ‘a glance of thousands of years’.

He had consumed a great amount of essence, qi, and spirit.

Li Muyang never would have thought that, before his lightning of fire had fully unleashed, before it had brought any significant harm to Song Gudu——it had fallen into the tunnel of time.

This was a remarkable technique that Li Muyang had found in the Tear of the Dragon King, and although he had secretly practiced it before it was never used.

Because although the power of this move was tremendous, it was not easy to control. The accumulation of lightning was originally an incredibly dangerous thing, and a slight carelessness could incinerate him to ashes.

More importantly, transforming the power of lightning into extreme fire was even more difficult and more dangerous——

Just as the Lightning Fire was incinerating and destroying everything it came into contact with, Song Gudu’s body suddenly duplicated into thousands, filling the entire sky.

Boom——

Song Gudu appeared out of nowhere, stomping Li Muyang into the ground, deep into the soil.

With his right foot on Li Muyang’s next, Song Gudu had a look of pity but more of reluctance across his face as he asked again, “Li Muyang, tell me your answer——this is your last chance.”

Li Muyang’s pupils were bright blood. He clenched his teeth and did not respond.

“You and your family are going to die.” Song Gudu said aloud.

It was not a threat, not a declaration, but stating a fact.

“It’s a pity.” Song Gudu uttered, and then a white sword of qi appeared at the tip of his foot, pressing into Li Muyang’s neck.

Clang——

A high-pitched and melodious voice broke open the sky, spreading from a distant place.

Beautiful and majestic, deterring the entire divine continent.

In the sky, there was a giant fiery-red bird.

The giant bird was bathed in fire, dragging its long tail as it sped towards Song Gudu.