Chapter 218

Hall Master Xu and Tang Yi were both dumbfounded.

The Mountain Protection Array could be exited, but not entered—or so they thought. They’d assumed that once they faced the dragon outside, returning would be impossible. Yet somehow… they’d just walked right back through it.

The dragon, however, had not been so lucky. It slammed into the glowing barrier with an earth-shaking crash, claws raking uselessly against the light wall only five or six feet away from them, utterly unable to reach its prey.

“What… what just happened?” the two men stared at the glowing talismans on their robes in confusion.

“It’s the girl’s talisman,” the old man explained offhandedly. “Lets us move in and out of the array freely.”

He’d only just remembered that Yun Jiao had once handed him such a thing—one of her “experimental” designs. Being the sect’s chief talisman expert, he’d received plenty of her prototypes (and homework). Who knew they’d save their lives today?

“Talisman…” Xu and Tang exchanged a glance, realization dawning. No wonder Yun Jiao had sent only them.

With these, the dragon wasn’t half as terrifying as it seemed.

Their eyes gleamed. In a silent moment of understanding, the three split off in different directions. Then the game began.

They dashed in and out of the barrier like ghosts—hurling a spell, dodging back inside before the dragon could retaliate. One attacked from the east, another from the west, a third from above. Fireballs, lightning bolts, thunder talismans—all thrown like teasing stones.

It wasn’t a battle. It was a playground chase.

Though the dragon’s scales were thick and its body massive, the constant barrage began to take its toll. Cracks formed; scales fell. Wounds opened along its limbs. Furious roars shook the mountains as the dragon thrashed in humiliation, its golden eyes bloodshot with rage—but no matter what it did, it couldn’t land a hit.

Every time it lunged, its prey simply slipped back into that shimmering wall of light, leaving it howling impotently.

“Ants! How dare you!” the dragon bellowed. Madness flickered in its eyes. It suddenly wheeled around and dove straight toward Tang Yi, its body a streak of molten gold.

Tang Yi tried to retreat into the barrier again, but the dragon exhaled a torrent of fire, conjuring a burning wall that sealed his escape route.

“Not good!” Xu and the old man cried out together, unleashing several spells in rapid succession. Explosions of light struck the dragon’s side—but it didn’t even turn around this time. Ignoring the attacks that shattered scales along its flank, it plowed forward, claws extended.

“Patriarch Tang!”

It was too late.

Tang Yi’s eyes narrowed. In a desperate surge, he gathered every ounce of spiritual power in his body and swung his peachwood sword in a single, fierce arc.

A deafening roar followed.

But it wasn’t Tang Yi’s voice—it was the dragon’s.

A flash of green light burst from the sword, forming a blade of pure spiritual energy that sliced clean through the dragon’s foreclaw. The cut was deep enough to reach bone. A fountain of dragon blood erupted, splattering Tang Yi from head to toe.

Hall Master Xu: “……”

Old Man Bai: “……”

What just happened?!

Σ(°△°|||)︴

When had Patriarch Tang become this powerful? Just a few days ago, he couldn’t even pass an exam without cheating!

Tang Yi himself stared blankly at the sword in his hands, dripping with blood. They’d thrown countless spells at this creature and barely dented its scales—yet one casual swing of his peachwood sword had wounded it so badly?

Wait… peachwood sword?

He remembered Yun Jiao’s words: Use wood-type techniques.

And in his panic, he’d subconsciously activated Spring Blossom Art—a wood-element heart method.

His eyes widened in realization. “Use wood-type techniques! They restrain it!” he shouted.

Xu and the old man didn’t hesitate. Their hand seals changed instantly, channeling wood-elemental spiritual power. Green vines and branches burst forth from their palms, lashing toward the dragon.

The effect was immediate. Every strike now left bloody marks on its body. For the first time, the dragon howled in genuine pain. Wounds opened faster than they could close.

For a fleeting moment, the three men shared a wild thought—they might actually win.

The dragon, however, wasn’t done yet. Realizing the danger, it let out a furious roar. The golden hue of its scales darkened; smooth armor turned to jagged rock. Shards of stone began to flake from its body, hovering in the air. Then—

With a thunderous crack, it shed its disguise entirely, revealing its true form: a Rock Dragon.

Stone-hard plates covered its body. The earlier gashes sealed as the blood turned to molten rock. The creature’s hide gleamed with earthen power—nearly indestructible.

Now, the wood spells barely left scratches.

The tide turned quickly. Their attacks weakened while the dragon’s counterblows grew more brutal. Even with the array shielding them, they couldn’t endure forever.

Within minutes, all three were wounded. Tang Yi took a direct hit from the dragon’s tail, sent hurtling through the air like a rag doll. Only Xu and the old man remained locked in a losing fight.

But at least—they had led the dragon directly above the grand hall.

“Master Yun! They’re in position!” cried Jiao Heng from the doorway.

At the same moment, the old man’s transmission talisman flared.

“Old man,” Yun Jiao’s voice said calmly, “withdraw.”

He didn’t even think. He grabbed Xu by the sleeve, ripped off the Wind-Chasing Talismans they were using to stay aloft, and let gravity do the rest. Both men dropped straight back into the protective barrier.

Up above, the dragon blinked in confusion, realizing too late that something was wrong. Its body felt heavy—as if an invisible force had caught it. Below its massive frame, a crimson sigil had appeared, glowing brighter and brighter across the top of the barrier.

Then came the sound of crackling—electricity.

The dragon’s pupils constricted. Fear—pure, instinctive fear—rose from the depths of its soul.

Before it could flee—

A blinding pillar of lightning erupted from the sigil, spearing straight upward through its chest. The beam pierced the clouds, turning the entire sky white. Within the light storm, endless blades of wind and surging flames joined in, crashing against its body in an apocalyptic roar.

For five full minutes, the heavens blazed.

When the light finally faded, a blackened mass came tumbling down from the sky. It crashed through the barrier unhindered this time, smashing half of the main hall to rubble.

Hall Master Xu: “……”

Old Man Bai: “……”

Disciples: “……”

(⊙_⊙)

“Th-this is…” Xu stammered, staring at the enormous, charred corpse. The dragon lay motionless, its body still smoking. “It’s… dead?”

The creature they had struggled against with all their might… had been obliterated in a single instant.

What kind of monstrous array was that?

“It’s the Reversal Array,” Jiao Heng said, having recovered first. His voice trembled with awe. “It reflects every attack back at the enemy. The Mountain Protection Array had been absorbing the dragon’s strikes this entire time… and now it simply returned them.”

Reflects attacks?!

No wonder the lightning, wind, and fire just now looked so familiar—those were the dragon’s own spells! Yun Jiao had merely given them back, all at once.

So the mighty Rock Dragon had… literally killed itself.

(⊙口⊙)

(End of Chapter)