Dragonblood: Book 2 of the Coiling Dragon Saga

by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi

  “But if I were able to find a light-style or a water-style magus, I should be able to recover even more quickly.” Linley knew that certain types of magical healing could be extremely powerful.

  When Linley had been imprisoned within the Radiant Temple, virtually every single bone in his body had been broken. But when he had been bathed in that holy light of the Radiant Sovereign, his body completely healed in the blink of an eye, and was restored to peak condition. This sort of astonishing recuperative ability was very formidable.

  Linley continued to generate his Dragonblood battle-qi.

  The Dragonblood battle-qi absorbed the elemental essence from nature, and it also absorbed the unique Dragonblood lineage in Linley’s veins. As it gradually strengthened, it nourished every part of Linley’s body. Linley’s internal injuries were now almost completely healed. The only tricky part remaining was his shattered ribs.

  “Hrm?”

  Linley’s eyebrows shot up, and he felt a hint of delight.

  The Dragonblood battle-qi circulating throughout his body suddenly began to tremble, and the liquefied Dragonblood battle-qi in his dantian suddenly roiled about like the waves of the sea. Linley immediately guided all of the Dragonblood battle-qi in his veins into his lower dantian. Very soon… the density of Dragonblood battle-qi in his lower dantian reached its maximum peak.

  “Rumble…”

  A radiant smile blossomed on Linley’s face as he sensed the Dragonblood battle-qi in his dantian begin to transform.

  Every single shred of battle-qi was changing. Changing in quality and nature.

  “I’m finally beginning to break through,” Linley calmly waited. At first, only a small amount of Dragonblood battle-qi had been transformed, but as time went on, more and more transformed, and at a faster and faster rate. At the end, in the space of time it would take a person to breathe ten times, the remaining half of the battle-qi all transformed successfully.

  “Haha…”

  Linley rose to his feet, dispersing the totally transformed Dragonblood battle-qi in his veins to every part of his body. Some of it was sent to his shattered ribs, assisting them to recover more rapidly.

  “Boss?” Bebe looked at Linley with curiosity.

  Linley hugged Bebe, lifting him into the air. Laughing, he said, “I’m fine. Let’s prepare to go home.”

  At this time, Linley was extremely happy. Ever since he had reached the peak of the eighth rank, he had been waiting for this day. Although in the past month, Linley had the feeling that he could break through at any moment, that moment somehow just wouldn’t come. But now, while he had been healing his injuries, he had suddenly broken through.

  The ninth rank!

  From this day forward, Linley was a warrior of the ninth rank… but that was just his nominal level of power. In reality, after Dragonforming, Linley was already an early-stage Saint-level combatant. In terms of defense, speed, or power, he had dramatically grown.

  “If I were to encounter that Four-Winged Angel again, just by using the adamantine heavy sword, I would be able to dispose of her.” Linley was very excited.

  The Saint level!

  That was a brand new level of existence. Even the mighty Dawson Conglomerate desperately desired to have a Saint-level warrior amongst their ranks. The mighty Jacques clan was mighty, precisely because they had a single Saint-level combatant. This was their pride and the source of their arrogance. This was why they had the confidence and the ability to administer the O’Brien Empire’s Northwest Administrative Province in perpetuity.

  An expert of the Saint level.

  Before a Saint-level combatant, even the Grand Dukes and Kings who administered and ruled over populations of millions or tens of millions meant nothing at all.

  Before a Saint-level combatant, even an ancient clan that had existed for thousands of years would have to lower their noble heads.

  Even the Radiant Church, the Cult of Shadows, and the Four Great Empires would deeply desire to pull Saint-level combatants into their orbit!

  In the entire Yulan continent, aside from those three humans who stood at the peak of the world— the High Priest, the War God, and the King of Killers— or the two deity-level Kings of magical beasts, Saint-level combatants were the cream of the crop. Upon entering the Saint level, one would immediately possess an unlimited life. The King of Killers, Cesar, had lived for five thousand years as a Saint-level, had he not?

  “The Saint level!”

  Linley raised his head to the sky.

  Suddenly, flakes of snow began to drift down from the heavens, melting when they touched Linley’s face.

  “I still remember those two Saint-level experts doing battle in the town of Wushan when I was a child. At that time, Saint-level combatants were unfathomably high entities, far beyond the likes of me. Even that magus of the eighth rank who rode on a Velocidragon was an expert. But now?” A sense of pride swelled up in Linley’s heart.

  At last, he had accomplished something.

  Most likely, if the current Linley were to encounter the Stellar Sword Saint, Dillon, he would be able to defeat him.

  “Ancestors of the Baruch clan, keep watching me. I will restore the fame and the legend of the Dragonblood Warriors, and spread it across the continent.” Linley felt a sense of absolute self-confidence.

  Linley was only twenty-six years old, this year. But upon Dragonforming, he was a Saint-level warrior.

  “There will come a day when I reach an even higher peak of power.” A hint of a smile was on Linley’s face.

  Linley knew exactly how powerful he was. Although he was only an early-stage Saint-level after Dragonforming, the hardest part of advancing from the early-stage to the peak-stage of the Saint level was not in accumulating battle-qi. Rather, it was in gaining a deeper level of understanding and insight regarding the world. But Linley’s level of understanding was already at that of a peak-stage Saint-level.

  In truth, sometimes two people who had the same amount of battle-qi and similarly deep levels of understanding would still have major differences in their power.

  This was because different people would walk different paths to wisdom, even if they were in the same realm.

  For example, another combatant might also be training in the Laws of the Earth, but after the ‘impose’ level, he might have taken a totally different route. After all, the Laws of the Earth were as boundless and infinite as the oceans, and there were many paths one could take in understanding them. Different paths would result in different results. Linley’s path was akin to the throbbing pulse of the earth itself, using those strange vibrational attacks. It was entirely different from the usual types of force and power based attacks used within the Yulan continent.

  Just as Linley was preparing to head back to Cloudpeaks Village, suddenly…

  “Linley, right?” a voice rang out from not too far behind him.

  Linley’s heart jumped in fright. He hadn’t noticed that there was someone nearby. He immediately turned his head to look, only to see a black-robed, skinny old man with a few flecks of white in his hair, standing in mid-air. The old man was staring down at Linley from mid-air.

  Linley immediately understood. “McKenzie?”

  “Right.” This person was indeed McKenzie.

  Linley had just suffered a serious wound, and had been focusing on healing himself. He had totally forgotten that this major battle he had just fought against those six Angels definitely would not escape the attention of the nearby Saint-level combatant, McKenzie, who was residing in the provincial capital.

  Linley carefully looked at McKenzie. McKenzie looked as though he were in his early fifties. Although his hair had a few streaks of white, there wasn’t a single wrinkle on his face. He stood in mid-air with his waist ramrod straight, with an immovable aura that made Linley feel secretly amazed. This McKenzie was definitely more powerful than that Four-Winged Cherub.

  “How long have you been here?” Linley asked.

  McK
enzie laughed. “Not too long. When I arrived, I managed to witness you and the Four-Winged Cherub exchanging your final blows to each other and injuring each other.”

  Linley raised an eyebrow.

  This McKenzie should have been watching the entire time as Linley had been healing himself. Since he didn’t act against Linley when Linley was injured, he probably didn’t have any ill intentions towards Linley.

  “I am very surprised that you actually managed to kill a Cherub.” McKenzie sighed in appreciation. “Although the Four-Winged Angels are only temporarily able to use their full strength, for you to be able to kill one without dying is quite amazing. Dragonblood Warriors… the legendary Dragonblood Warriors really are powerful. Linley, after Dragonforming, you should be at the Saint level, I believe. Only, given how difficult it was for you to kill a Cherub, you should only be an early-stage Saint-level warrior, right?”

  Linley started, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry.

  “This McKenzie… jeeze…” Linley was speechless. He thought to himself, “Only after I killed the Four-Winged Angel did I gain the ability to reach the Saint level in Dragonform. This McKenzie actually thinks that I had already reached the Saint level when I was fighting with the Cherub.”

  “What, you haven’t reached the Saint level?” McKenzie said disbelievingly.

  Linley smiled. “I admit that after Dragonforming, I am indeed at the early-stage Saint-level.”

  McKenzie laughed and nodded with satisfaction. “Haha, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Saint-level combatant. I really am quite happy to see you today. How about this. Come with me to my residence for a time. That way, the two of us can spar a bit. I’m sure that this will definitely help both of us improve our abilities. Don’t worry, I won’t go full force; this is just a sparring match.”

  Seeing that Linley suffered serious injuries while killing a Four-Winged Angel, McKenzie believed Linley was not truly a match for him.

  “McKenzie, my Dragonform is indeed at the Saint level. However…” Linley looked confidently at McKenzie. “I just broke through to that level now, after the battle. When I was fighting against the Cherub, I hadn’t broken through yet.” Right now, as far as Linley was concerned, although he wasn’t confident in his ability to deal with peak-stage Saint-level experts, he was still confident in dealing with people at McKenzie’s level.

  Having reached the Saint level, there was no longer a need for him to conceal himself or hide his power.

  “What? You broke through just now?” McKenzie was shocked to hear this.

  139

  An Appointment

  McKenzie’s view of Linley had totally changed.

  “Haha…” After being silent for a moment, McKenzie laughed loudly. He descended from the skies, slowly walking towards Linley, his attitude noticeably more warm and friendly. “Linley, the legendary genius magus, supposedly the second greatest genius in history. But in my opinion, your talent as a warrior is even greater than as a magus. To be so young and yet already have the power of the Saint level… the Dragonblood Warriors truly are Supreme Warriors.”

  Linley had always been proud of his clan’s heritage. But whenever he thought back to how his clan had all but been destroyed, with only himself and his younger brother remaining, he couldn’t help but feel a thread of grief in his heart.

  “Mr. McKenzie, is there anything else? If there isn’t, I need to go back now,” Linley said.

  McKenzie hurriedly said, “My friend Linley, this is our first meeting. Why don’t we have a nice get-together? I’m very curious about you legendary Dragonblood Warriors as well. If there’s enough time, I truly do wish to have a sparring contest against you, Linley. After all, sparring against experts of the same level is one of the best ways a Saint-level combatant can improve.” As he finished speaking, McKenzie looked very earnestly at Linley.

  Spar?

  McKenzie was the local hegemon of the Northwest Administrative Province. Being able to get on good terms with McKenzie was of benefit to him. And in addition, Keane belonged to the Northwest Administrative Province as well. This could be considered helping Keane out as well.

  Considering for a moment, Linley nodded. “I’m still wounded. Even if I did go to your residence, I wouldn’t be able to immediately spar with you. How about this? I’ll go home first, but after a period of time, I’ll come back and pay a visit to you. It won’t be too long, a month or so at most.”

  McKenzie happily nodded. “Wonderful. Then I will await your arrival within the Jacques clan’s castle.”

  “I’ll definitely come.”

  Linley smiled and nodded.

  It had begun to snow, and snowflakes were flying everywhere. McKenzie and Linley, these two Saint-level combatants, smiled at each other, then flew off in different directions.

  In the vast wilderness, only Linley and Bebe were left present.

  “The winter’s snow.” Seeing the endless snowfall, Linley suddenly thought back to that huge blizzard that winter when he was young and in love with Alice.

  The next year, also on a day of a blizzard, Linley and Alice had separated.

  And then, within the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, on another snowy day, Linley had come to understand the ‘impose’ level.

  Now, on a fourth blizzard, tonight, Linley had broken through to the ninth rank as a warrior, with his true power now fully within the realm of the Saint-levels.

  “Snow…”

  Linley felt extremely moved. But when he lowered his head and looked at himself, his smile disappeared. Astonished, he said, “I chatted with a Saint-level combatant for such a long time, looking like this?”

  Because of his transformation and his battle against the Angels, Linley’s clothes and pants had been turned utterly ruined.

  The way he currently looked, even beggars would probably feel sorry for him.

  However, just now, McKenzie hadn’t paid any attention to his attire. In truth, when many Saint-level combatants engaged in training, they would sometimes train for months at a time. It was normal for their bodies to become incredibly filthy. Thus, they didn’t care too much about superficial appearances. What they cared about was what a person was like inside.

  For example, although Linley’s clothes were in absolutely wretched shape, no one would dare look down upon him as he stood there.

  This was a person’s aura and demeanor.

  “Boss, you said you have reached the Saint level? Transform and let me admire my Boss’s magnificence.” Bebe’s beady little eyes stared at Linley as he intentionally said those flattering words.

  An excited feeling entered Linley’s heart.

  That was not a bad idea at all.

  “Fine,” Linley said with a laugh. Bebe immediately leapt off of Linley’s shoulders as once again, those black scales emerged from Linley’s skin. Sharp spikes erupted from his forehead, knees, and elbows, while his eyes once more transformed into that dark golden color.

  He looked exactly the same as he had before.

  But Linley could feel the difference.

  “Whoosh.” Linley felt the unique energy of the exalted dragonblood hiding in his veins begin to flow into his bones, his muscles, and even his armor, spikes, and draconic tail.

  The originally pitch-black scales were actually beginning to shine with a hint of blue light.

  “What a feeling of power.”

  Linley could feel that his vision and his hearing had suddenly increased dozens of times in sensitivity. Nothing within several kilometers of him could escape his notice.

  “Such powerful strength. Such powerful battle-qi.”

  Linley balled his fist, and the air itself shuddered once. His mighty muscles now contained far greater power than before, and the amount of battle-qi in his body had vastly grown.

  “Haha…” Linley began to laugh excitedly.

  Late at night. Linley was flying across the desolate landscape. He, a fully transformed Dragonblood Warrior, looked like a m
onster as he floated through the air, occasionally letting out overjoyed bouts of wild laughter.

  His laughter echoed in the heavens and in the earth.

  “No wonder Barker was so excited when he reached the Saint level. I didn’t expect that my power would increase this much after reaching this level.” Linley was extremely excited as well.

  Dragonblood Warriors had many innate gifts. Once their power reached a certain level, they would naturally be able to fly. This was like the flight which flying magical beasts innately possessed; it was a natural ability that didn’t require any particular understanding or insights.

  “In terms of mysteriousness and exaltedness, the bloodline of the Armored Razorback Wyrm is far inferior to the lineage of us Dragonblood Warriors.” Flying high in the air, Linley felt a sense of awe.

  Originally, Linley had drunk a large amount of dragon’s blood as well as eaten the draconic crystal of the Armored Razorback Wyrm. But despite that, the dragonblood in Linley’s vein had been able to dissolve and absorb it all.

  And now, upon entering the Saint level, Linley could sense that the energy of the dragonblood heritage in his veins was continuing to transform and strengthen various functions in his body.

  “My speed has doubled, at least.” With but a thought, Linley suddenly transformed into a blur as he streaked across the sky.

  “As for defenses…” Linley looked at his now perfect, undamaged scales, paying special attention to that dim layer of blue light. “If I were to take another blow from that Four-Winged Angel, I would at most suffer some light wound.”

  Linley’s lips curved upwards.

  Confidence!

  Unmatchable confidence!

  Actually, most human Saint-level experts had very weak defense. Even experts of the peak-stage Saint-rank had far inferior defense compared to Saint-level magical beasts.

  But the Four Supreme Warriors possessed talents and gifts that were even more freakishly powerful than that of magical beasts.

  This was one of the reasons why, as soon as a Dragonblood Warrior reached the Saint level in human form, they would immediately be at the peak-stage of the Saint level in power after Dragonforming. They were invincible. Understanding and insight made no difference.