Chapter 1157: Aerial Maneuvers |
TL: GoldenLung
Hu Hongyu had already prepared himself, adopting a grinding, attrition-based strategy—using his opponent's force against them, slowly wearing down their Dragon Force, and relying on his advantages in attributes and Dragon Force to secure the final victory.
But he never expected that Lan Xuanyu would choose to soar into the sky right at the start of the match, rather than launching a direct frontal assault, not even a probing attack.
What surprised him even more came next. Under his watchful gaze, in the next instant, Lan Xuanyu was bathed in a brilliant golden light. He shook his form, and in the air, he manifested the "true form" of the Golden Dragon King's Avatar.
Higher-ranking dragons actually preferred to fight in human form. For powerful higher-ranking dragons, there was little difference in offensive and defensive capabilities between human and dragon forms. However, the human form, being smaller, was much more agile and advantageous for various combat scenarios. They would only reveal their true form for special fighting techniques or innate abilities that required it.
Lan Xuanyu revealing his true form right from the start surprised Hu Hongyu, who also grew more vigilant and puzzled. The five-colored light on his body flared up even more intensely. The next moment, Lan Xuanyu in the air had already wheeled around, plunging downward with a fierce, howling gale, charging straight at him.
Although Lan Xuanyu was not the largest among the competing dragons, his massive body still exceeded thirty meters in length. Plummeting from the sky with extreme speed, his power surged accordingly.
What Hu Hongyu did not know was that for a human soul master, combat effectiveness could nearly double when using their Martial Soul Avatar. This was entirely different from their dragon race. Thus, Lan Xuanyu in his Martial Soul Avatar state was at his strongest.
Precisely because Hu Hongyu was so powerful, Lan Xuanyu had unleashed his Martial Soul Avatar without reservation from the very beginning, aiming for a swift victory.
In his view, a dragon's true form was so large that evading a light-based attack was impossible. He did not understand why Lan Xuanyu would transform into his true form, but to him, it was clearly a blunder. Without agility, would he not just become a sitting duck?
While launching his attack, he glided sideways on a sheen of water beneath his feet, swiftly moving to avoid Lan Xuanyu's direct pounce.
But then, something astonishing happened. Just as his colored pillar erupted from the dragon lance, the massive golden dragon diving downward suddenly performed a sideways roll. The movement was peculiar. The golden dragon wings tucked against his body as he spun sideways three full times, a total of 1,080 degrees. This roll carried him dozens of meters away. Then, he abruptly spread his wings again, golden light blasting from his back. Not only did this not slow his descent, but it actually made him faster, and he was now heading straight for Hu Hongyu's direction of slide.
The five-colored pillar passed through the air harmlessly, missing Lan Xuanyu entirely, dodged completely. And the enormous golden dragon was now inches away.
Startled, Hu Hongyu quickly gripped the midsection of his dragon lance with both hands, spinning it before him. The five-colored light burst forth once more, forming a massive five-colored shield to block his front.
He had full confidence in his attributes. He was not afraid of a direct clash. The only thing he needed to guard against was that powerful shockwave.
He had already gathered information from Lan Xuanyu's opponent the previous day. That shocking attack technique could not be used consecutively; Lan Xuanyu needed time to recover after each use.
Thus, if he could withstand one shockwave, victory would be within reach.
But again, the unexpected happened. Just as the enormous golden dragon descended with overwhelming momentum, about to collide with the five-colored light, it suddenly seemed to be pressed down by some immense gravity, abruptly changing direction mid-air and plummeting straight down. His massive body slammed directly into the ground.
"Hmm?" Hu Hongyu was bewildered. But the enormous golden form immediately rebounded, springing up in the next instant with incredible speed, landing directly behind him, bypassing the five-colored shield he had raised for frontal defense.
This was a body over thirty meters long! Yet it moved with the agility of a cat. All Hu Hongyu could do was spin around instantly, releasing his colored light.
But there was still no attack from behind. Even when he turned, he did not see his opponent. Lan Xuanyu seemed to have vanished into thin air, not appearing behind him at all.
What was this—
"Roooar—" A startling dragon roar suddenly erupted directly above him. The terrifying mental shock instantly stiffened Hu Hongyu as if he had turned to stone. The five-colored light on his body began to visibly waver.
The other dragons watching this match witnessed something that left them dazzled: a display of aerial maneuvers.
When Lan Xuanyu had vaulted over Hu Hongyu's head and landed behind him, before he even touched the ground, he flapped his wings and launched himself back into the air. That was why Hu Hongyu had not seen him after turning around.
By then, Lan Xuanyu was directly above him, unleashing a Golden Dragon Roar straight at him.
The bloodline power within the Golden Dragon Roar erupted, and the immense pressure descending from above, combined with the inherent pressure of his bloodline, greatly affected Hu Hongyu. Even though Hu Hongyu had a strong bloodline and higher cultivation than Lan Xuanyu, he was still severely impacted.
At the same time, the enormous golden dragon fell out of the sky, spinning his body, and lashed out with his right wing, slamming it hard into Hu Hongyu.
This time, Hu Hongyu had nowhere to dodge. His body was frozen in stiffness.
But at this moment, this hot favorite in his group demonstrated his true foundation. The colored light suddenly burst outward, and his human form instantly expanded, as if a five-colored sphere had suddenly inflated.
With a dull thud, Hu Hongyu's body was sent flying sideways. But as he flew through the air, he had already manifested his true form as a five-colored light elemental dragon.
One could clearly see large patches of scales shattering under the strike of the golden dragon wing. The violent shockwave caused blood to spray from his wounds. However, by suddenly revealing his true form, he had managed to avoid a direct hit to his vitals, taking the strike on his right shoulder and wing area.
The Annihilation Shock was, of course, mercilessly injected. But this time, Lan Xuanyu noticed that the colored light on his opponent's body provided excellent defense. The five-element complementing each other, with the light element as foundation, formed a solid shield that, in a reflexive response, blocked most of the Annihilation Shock's destructive power. Although Hu Hongyu was still in a sorry state, he had avoided fatal injury. Only his right wing went limp, making flight obviously difficult.
But in the next instant, without any pause, Hu Hongyu spat a stream of five-colored light directly at Lan Xuanyu.
This breath attack was launched despite him enduring the ravaging shockwave within his body, having sustained significant injuries, yet without a moment's hesitation.
The strongest point was often the weakest. When Lan Xuanyu used Annihilation Shock, he had to endure its side effects. As a spectator in previous matches and now an opponent, Hu Hongyu had grasped this point very accurately.
He was a wild dragon, not affiliated with any family. He compensated for the lack of backing by seizing resources, and had fought far more battles than ordinary dragons. His practical combat experience was extremely rich.
- Share on X (Opens in new window)X
- Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook
