Global Awakening: I'm the Only One Ready

BOOM!

The collision elicited a noise that sounded like the amalgamation of a thousand thunderclaps. Even space itself trembled like an aspen tree, looking as if it was going to tear apart at any moment.

The collision between the two was that terrifying.

The power Lu Yuan displayed was truly terrifying. As an Immortal, his power was on a whole new level compared to when he was still a Sage. The fist he swung at the oncoming flow became shrouded by a golden light as it slammed directly into the claw.

Crack!

In an instant, the black dragon claw shattered. The scales coating it burst apart, and drops of black blood trickled down the wounds. It was a gruesome sight.

In mere moments, Lu Yuan established total dominance and wounded the shadow-like figure.

”What an impressive strength and a vigorous vital qi to match. And an Immortal, no less. You will definitely make an excellent meal,” the figure remarked. It didn’t seem to care about its injury in the slightest.

Just then, a pair of crimson eyes fixed themselves on Lu Yuan. Surprise, greed, savagery, and a host of other emotions churned within them.

Behind Lu Yuan, both Yinglong and Jiang Ningxian felt a shiver down their spines the instant they met that gaze. Their souls recoiled with discomfort, screaming at them to get away.

”Who are you?” Ao Ze asked. It was the first one to speak. This was the Dragon Penitentiary, and whatever had been imprisoned here was certainly connected to the dragon race, so it had every right to ask.

It hadn’t expected anything to still be alive in the Dragon Penitentiary after all these years. What was even more alarming was the immense power the figure had demonstrated in its brief exchange with Lu Yuan.

If it still possessed this much strength after being imprisoned for so long, how powerful had it been at its peak? Yinglong needed to know the figure’s identity, as only then would it know what to do.

”Oh? A dragon?” the figure remarked, a hint of amusement in its voice. ”If we’re going by time, you should be calling me Ancestor.”

With that, it stepped out of the dark cell, revealing itself. It had a human’s physique but a dragon’s head. Its scales were black, and for reasons unknown, it looked dessicated, as though every last drop of moisture had been wrung from it.

It was a deeply unsettling sight.

Lu Yuan and Jiang Ningxian instantly knew that the shadow-like figure was a dragon, and a black dragon at that.

”A black dragon?” Ao Ze seemed to have recalled something, and disbelief spread across its face. ”My father once told me that long ago, a black dragon was born within our clan. Its talent was extraordinary, and the clan believed it would one day become a True Dragon.

”For some reason, however, the black dragon grew bloodthirsty and violent, treating the creatures of every race as feed to fuel its own power. The dragon race had no choice but to pay an enormous price to restrain it, but I had never imagined that it was locked away in the Dragon Penitentiary.”

Ao Ze shook its head and added, ”But that black dragon existed in the ancient era, even before my father’s time. At this point, that black dragon should be dead, as it has been so long since then.”

The passage of time was ruthless to anyone, and surely, no one could withstand its ruthlessness for so many years. Even Lu Yuan and Jiang Ningxian nodded in agreement. There was the Separation of Heaven and Earth, after all. Even an Immortal would continuously deteriorate until they were dead, unless they decided to leave Earth entirely.

The Eastern Sea Dragon Palace had a unique environment, but it wouldn’t have been enough to change that fact. Despite that, a living creature had endured through those years. Moreover, it was clear that the black dragon in question had been here for a long time.

”I didn’t think any dragons still remembered me,” the black dragon remarked, but it seemed uninterested in explaining things. It looked at Lu Yuan and Jiang Ningxian, then said, ”Enough talk. I need to recover as quickly as possible, or I will really die.”

With that, it attacked again. The claw that had shattered moments ago had already regenerated. The black dragon knew that the strongest person present was Lu Yuan, so it decisively attacked. Immense power erupted from it, and a terrifying pressure spread outward, causing the entire Dragon Penitentiary to tremble.

Fortunately, the Dragon Penitentiary was built by the dragon race. Its sturdiness was beyond anything found in the outside world. Even an Immortal could not do serious damage here.

The black dragon was powerful, but it had been imprisoned for far too long. Its evolution had regressed, falling far short of its peak. Even so, it could still display the power of an Immortal.

Lu Yuan saw no reason to hold back. The figure before him was no respected dragon elder. It was a criminal. From here on, he had no intention of pulling his punches.

The Heaven-Earth Furnace manifested once again. Golden vital qi surged and churned, sweeping out like tidal waves. The next moment, the two clashed head-on. They performed no flashy techniques and made no elaborate moves.

It was a contest of pure, brute strength. Dragons were formidable in both body and soul. Their physical bodies, in particular, were virtually unmatched among all living beings, and this was an innate advantage.

Moreover, the black dragon was considered exceptional even among its own kind, and it believed that it was a being without equal among its peers at the time.

Upon exchanging blows with Lu Yuan, a strange life crept into its eyes. Its formidable physical body was somehow being overwhelmed. ”No wonder your vital qi is so powerful. Once I devour you, I should be able to recover at least a tenth of my peak strength.”

Greed burned even brighter in its gaze, and the force behind its strikes intensified. It had chosen the wrong opponent, though, as Lu Yuan had already reached the Immortal Realm, and every aspect of his being had undergone a qualitative transformation.

The black dragon tried its best, but all of its attacks were neutralized with ease.

Once Lu Yuan had gauged the full extent of the black dragon’s strength, he stopped holding back. He mustered his power and opened his palm, unleashing the Jade Emperor’s Divine Thunder Art.

Rumble!

In the proverbial blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of lightning bolts materialized. They flooded the entire Dragon Penitentiary at once. Each bolt was several meters thick, and every last one carried a terrifying, destructive force.

Lu Yuan stood at the center of that sea of lightning, and he looked as if he were the God of Lightning himself. The black dragon tried to retreat, but there were too many lightning bolts. There was simply nowhere to run or dodge.

Crackle!

Beneath the shower of lightning bolts, the black dragon suffered many injuries. Gashes split open across its figure, and black blood poured freely from them. If it hadn’t been for the black dragon’s innate toughness, it would have died right there and then.

Even so, by the time the last lightning bolt fizzled out, the black dragon was already covered in wounds. Its energy had grown faint and unstable. Clearly, it had taken serious damage in the exchange.

”A mere human who has just reached the Immortal Realm already has such power. How truly unexpected,” the black dragon remarked, and its gaze emitted a crazed light as it said, ”It seems I must take this seriously.”

With that, wisps of black mist slowly emerged from its battered figure.