The Elven Cultivator

”So you’re Canglan.”

Isaac had now recognized Anton’s identity.

He had heard of Canglan’s signature fighting style from Aurion, and the sight of the sword light immediately brought it to mind.

Anton ignored him, silently focusing on the feedback from the Sword Pill.

The Scale Armor of a Legendary Giant Dragon was indestructible. Not only was it highly resistant to Magic, but Magic Weapons below the Extraordinary Level couldn’t even break through its defenses.

Even an Extraordinary Level Magic Weapon would inflict only negligible damage on a Legendary Giant Dragon.

If this had been his old Magical Artifact-grade Sword Pill, it would have been impossible to harm Isaac so easily, even if it could injure him at all.

But for a Profound Artifact-grade Sword Pill, breaking through his defenses was effortless.

And as long as he could break through its defenses, it meant he had the power to fight a Legendary Giant Dragon.

Seeing Anton’s silent confirmation, Isaac’s gaze grew colder.

He glanced down at the wound on his body.

His scales were shattered, and blood dripped freely.

Although they were only superficial wounds that didn’t affect his combat strength, the humiliation was more unbearable than any grievous injury.

He, a member of the noble Dragon Race, the most exalted bloodline on the Dawn Continent, had actually been wounded like this by a Golden Peak from an inferior race.

If word of this got out, how could he ever show his face among the Dragon Race again?

”I will make you understand how foolish it is to anger the great Dragon Race!”

Isaac opened his massive maw, and a torrent of scorching, grayish-white gas erupted from the depths of his throat.

His Dragon Breath, now infused with the Law of Embers, was far more powerful than before. The blistering heatwave instantly incinerated the surrounding green vines, allowing him to briefly break free of his restraints.

At the same time, the Dragon Breath cascaded down on Anton like a bursting dam.

But instead of being alarmed, Anton was delighted.

This was the moment he had been waiting for!

Anton thrust his hand up, and a crimson pearl the size of a pigeon’s egg flew from his palm. It shot toward the overwhelming grayish-white torrent and, with a WHOOSH, disappeared inside.

In an instant, the grayish-white torrent, powerful enough to melt refined steel, visibly thinned and dimmed, as if consumed and dissolved by some invisible force, before finally vanishing completely.

The crimson pearl reappeared, its color now visibly deeper than before.

Anton beckoned, and the crimson pearl drifted back into his palm.

A hint of joy flashed across his face as he felt the dense energy within it.

This was the Fire-Imbibing Pearl.

It was a Magical Artifact he had specifically forged to collect Dragon Breath.

’I was hesitating whether to take the risk and seek out Isaac.’

’But now that he’s delivered himself to my doorstep, there’s no need to hesitate.’

The Fire-Imbibing Pearl was perfect for this.

The battle quickly reached a fever pitch.

Anton released the Separation Fire Shield, which hovered above his head. A Crimson Gold Light Curtain shimmered like flowing water, enveloping him.

Simultaneously, the eight streams of Profound Gold Sword Light split again, becoming sixteen. They converged on Isaac from all directions like swimming dragons, aiming to shred him.

Whenever Isaac unleashed his Dragon Breath, Anton would immediately use the Fire-Imbibing Pearl to block and absorb it.

The grayish-white torrent surged forward with world-destroying momentum, only to be mostly swallowed by the Fire-Imbibing Pearl mid-air. The small remainder that struck the Separation Fire Shield caused nothing more than faint ripples.

Although the Fire-Imbibing Pearl consumed a great deal of True Essence, in a way, it was a perfect counter to Dragon Breath.

Isaac roared in fury. Each time he used his Dragon Breath to briefly escape the vines’ entanglement, he would flap his wings and try to approach Anton, only to be anticipated and sniped by a release of Dark Heavy Water.

The jet-black, jade-like drops of water struck the Giant Dragon’s body silently, yet they caused its massive frame to slow ever so slightly.

The green vines seized the opportunity, coiling around his limbs and wings once more, trapping him in place.

For a moment, the battle in the sky reached a stalemate.

On one side was a Legendary Giant Dragon, a so-called member of the Gold race. On the other was an Elf who wasn’t even a Legend.

The two clashed back and forth above the Silver Moon Forest, neither giving an inch, leaving the Elves below utterly dumbfounded.

”This...”

Elena opened her mouth, but found she couldn’t say a word.

She knew Anton was strong, but she had never imagined he could be *this* strong.

That was a Legendary Tier Giant Dragon!

Only a Legend can fight a Legend. This was a recognized truth on the Dawn Continent, one that had never had an exception.

But now, that ironclad rule was being broken right before her eyes.

Even if the one doing it was Anton, who had repeatedly worked miracles, it was still utterly shocking.

This was a living myth!

「At the same time.」

Several kilometers from the battlefield, on the outskirts of the Silver Moon Forest.

Numerous figures hid behind low hills and bushes, their gazes locked on the shocking battle in the sky, their faces etched with astonishment and disbelief.

After learning that Isaac had once again left Dragon City, the various powers had immediately investigated through their channels and quickly discovered his destination was the Silver Moon Forest.

Though surprised, these factions decisively sent scouts to investigate.

They had assumed that the unlucky Silver Moon Clan would be wiped from the Eldron Plain starting today and that the Silver Moon Forest would be turned into a sea of fire. Instead, they were met with this scene.

An Elf and a Giant Dragon were actually locked in a dead heat!

This absurd and bizarre scene made the scouts feel as if they were in a dream, wondering if they were hallucinating.

”How... how is this possible?”

”Who is that Elf?”

”I think... it’s Canglan?”

”That’s right, it’s him! No one else uses that kind of sword light besides Canglan!”

”I never would have guessed! Canglan’s real identity is an Elf!”

”No wonder Kresol Dragon City could never find Canglan. He’s been disguised this whole time!”

”That can’t be right. If it were an Illusion Technique disguise, how could that group from the Dragon Race not have seen through it?”

”Is that really what we should be worrying about right now? That’s a Giant Dragon! Canglan is actually going head-to-head with a Giant Dragon!”

The scouts looked at each other, utterly flabbergasted.

In the sky, the battle raged on.

Anton’s expression was calm. While commanding the sword light to fight the Giant Dragon, he was also silently observing its every move.

By now, he was certain that Isaac had indeed lost the protection of the Dragon God’s power.

Otherwise, with a Giant Dragon’s arrogance, it would be impossible for him to have refrained from using the Dragon God’s power—his trump card—for this long.

’It seems the Dragon God has most likely fallen. Even if not, he’s at least weakened to the point where he can no longer protect the Dragon Race.’

The thought flashed through Anton’s mind.

Either way, it was good news for him.

Without the Dragon God’s protection, the Dragon Race’s power would decline significantly. They would no longer be a sublime race that couldn’t be killed.

He glanced down at the Fire-Imbibing Pearl.

After his Dragon Breath was blocked by the Fire-Imbibing Pearl several times in a row, Isaac seemed to have noticed something. He stopped his futile exhalations and switched to attacking with his claws and tail.

Fortunately, the Fire-Imbibing Pearl had already collected a good amount of Dragon Breath essence.

Anton made a rough estimate. This Dragon Breath essence, combined with the Sun Essence he had gathered over the years, was enough to refine Yang-attribute qi.

He now had the last main ingredient for the Condensing Essence Pill.

A genuine smile touched Anton’s lips before he quickly suppressed it.

He looked up at Isaac, who was still entangled with the green vines nearby, and his gaze gradually sharpened.

’Since I’ve gathered all the materials, there’s no need to drag this out any longer.’

’I was saving this move to deal with the Dragon God’s power, just in case.’

’But using it now is fine too. Perhaps it can be the final nail in the coffin and end this fight for good.’

Anton took a deep breath, and his Divine Sense sank into the golden seal.

Meanwhile, furious flames burned in Isaac’s vertical pupils.

As time passed, his shock and anger grew.

He was shocked by how difficult his opponent was.

He had never imagined a Golden Peak could be so formidable.

Even the Dragon Race, favored by the world itself, was never this powerful before reaching adulthood.

’He’s already this strong at the Golden Peak. What will happen when he ascends to the Legendary Tier?’

At this thought, the killing intent in Isaac’s heart blazed even hotter.

Now or in the future, he would never allow anyone to threaten his dominant position on the Eldron Plain.

But what infuriated him was that even though he was fighting with all his might, he still couldn’t take down this damn Elf.

The Elf was as slippery as an eel. Hampered by the surrounding green vines, he was completely unable to launch a fierce assault.

On the few occasions he managed to land a blow, it was blocked by that strange Crimson Gold Light Curtain on the Elf’s body.

Everything about this situation was incredibly frustrating.

”Damn it...”

Just as Isaac was about to launch another fierce attack, he suddenly sensed something and froze.

He looked around and was stunned to see countless streams of cyan light surging up from the forest below. In an instant, they converged into a tide of emerald light so dense it was almost tangible.

Within the tide of light, a figure slowly took shape.

The figure was over a hundred feet tall and composed entirely of pure emerald light. Its face was blurry, yet it exuded an indescribable majesty, like a deity walking out of an ancient myth.

It wore a long robe woven from thousands of leaves and branches. Each leaf trembled slightly, creating a rustling sound like wind through treetops, which blended into an ancient, distant rhythm.

But most captivating were its eyes.

They held a profound and indifferent divinity, like an ancient will that had watched oceans turn into mulberry fields—at once compassionate and merciless toward all things in the world.

Isaac’s draconic body tensed instinctively, the muscles beneath his scales knotting and bulging.

He felt an unprecedented threat from this illusory figure before him.

”Enough with the cheap tricks!”

Isaac roared, trying to dispel the strange unease in his heart.

He opened his giant maw, and grayish-white Dragon Breath poured out like a volcanic eruption, forming a destructive torrent over ten meters in diameter that surged toward the illusory figure.

Wherever the Dragon Breath passed, the air scorched and distorted, and even space itself seemed to tremble slightly under the intense heat, letting out a groan as if overwhelmed.

But the illusory figure merely raised its right hand slowly.

The hand, formed of light, was long and steady. It tapped its index finger forward gently, a motion as soft and almost poetic as a spring breeze brushing against a willow branch.

Yet that single tap brought the entire world to a standstill.

Isaac’s pupils contracted violently.

He clearly felt a completely opposite rhythm spreading from that finger.

If what he had felt from the green vines before was ”Life”—the budding of all things, the cycle of flourishing and withering—then what this single point touched upon was ”Annihilation,” the ultimate reversal of life force.

It wasn’t destruction and incineration, but a more thorough withering and decay that started from the very source.

In front of the illusory figure’s fingertip, the void suddenly collapsed, as if an invisible vortex had formed in an instant.

The life force of the world seemed to be forcibly extracted, gathered, and compressed at this moment, condensing at the fingertip into a speck of eerie, almost ink-black light.

The eerie light was no bigger than a grain of rice, yet it radiated an aura of death that could silence all things.

It was like the moment before the last leaf of late autumn falls to the ground.

Or the withering of dry grass as the first frost-laden wind of winter sweeps past.

It was the apex of life, the terminus of reincarnation.

Isaac wanted to dodge, but he found his massive draconic body locked in place by some invisible force, making escape impossible.

He could only watch helplessly as the illusory figure’s finger pointed forward. The eerie light drifted out, instantly annihilated the Dragon Breath, and landed silently on his chest, right over his heart.

Cyan Emperor Subdues the Demon!