The five human cultivators stared at the dragon before them—stunned into silence.
None of them expected a juvenile Azure Dragon to radiate this level of pressure. His Qi was deep and oppressive, far beyond Qi Condensation Layer 8 should allow. Space warped subtly around his form, and arcs of azure thunder danced over his limbs.
> "This spirit beast…"
"No—this is no ordinary beast!"
"He's cultivating a dragon art! Look at those thunder veins!"
The leader, a cultivator at the peak of Qi Condensation – Layer 9, narrowed his eyes. "He's strong… but still a beast. Kill him before he grows further."
They attacked in unison.
Three sword lights. One fire talisman. One dual-blade technique surged forth with precision.
But the moment they crossed the first barrier—
> Boom!
A ring of thunder cracked around them. Hidden arrays activated.
Chains of lightning erupted from the ground, binding their movements.
Illusion fogs veiled their vision.
One man screamed as a spirit mine trap exploded beneath his feet.
Long Tian moved like a tempest. One moment still—the next, already beside the weakest attacker.
> "Thunder Break."
His claw cleaved through the air, guided by the newly learned martial art he had bestowed upon the Giant Ape—a technique now refined by his own lightning trait.
Crack!
The man's chest exploded under the weight of thunder.
Four remained.
The leader growled. "Scatter!"
They split, each retreating in a direction.
But the entire area was already locked by four-layered arrays: Restriction, Detection, Counterattack, and Binding.
> "You think you're the first humans to come here?" Tian's voice echoed through the forest. "You will be the first… to fall."
---
The fight dragged for only minutes—but each second was disaster for the invaders.
Tian's companions appeared—Yunxiao weaving illusions, Baoyun smashing barriers, the Ice Phoenix freezing escape routes.
Two more cultivators fell under their combined efforts.
The fourth tried to fly up—
Only to be burned mid-air by a flame that tore through the clouds.
The leader turned—eyes wide.
> "That fire—wait! That's not normal flame!"
Tian's eyes burned.
From his palm rose a brilliant flame of pale gold and silver—Heavenly Fire, earned as a high-tier system reward. It didn't just burn Qi—it erased it.
He hurled it toward the last man, who tried to block with a defensive talisman.
The talisman melted.
Then his weapon dissolved.
Then his screams followed.
When the light faded, only ash remained.
---
Silence ruled the battlefield.
Long Tian stood tall amidst the ruin, his territory untouched, his enemies scattered to dust.
The beasts watching from the trees, the pond, and the air, bowed as one.
Even those at Qi Condensation trembled.
> "That… was our Lord."
"He destroyed five human cultivators alone…"
"Heavenly Fire… that's divine-grade."
---
Later that night, Tian sat once again before the Earth Dew Pond.
His companions rested, watching stars in quiet pride.
The moon reflected in the water as he closed his eyes.
> "I'm not ready to face the outside world. Not yet."
> "But when the world comes to me…"
> "I will show them what it means to awaken a dragon."
---
[System Notification – Territory Defense Success]
Reward: 1000 Spirit Stones, Advanced Array Blueprint (Thunderfire Seal Array), Reputation Increased: +300]
> "More is coming. I must prepare further."