Chapter 56: A Reed Against a Wolf, Both Sides Afraid

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: A Reed Against a Wolf, Both Sides Afraid

Thousands of miles away.

Li Ye, whose power had been steadily growing, finally crushed the black dragon completely. A single punch shattered its defenses and obliterated its tough head.

The clouds scattered.

The black dragon spiraled down from the sky, its form gradually reverting to its true draconic body as it fell.

BOOM!

Its body, over three hundred meters long, crashed into the jungle, crushing swaths of trees.

Li Ye let out a long sigh of relief.

And then,

an immense wave of dizziness and exhaustion washed over him, striking every cell in his body. His tremendous power receded like a tide.

It felt as if a massive hole had opened in his Dantian; his dense, liquid Inner Strength swirled and vanished from it...

Li Ye was horrified. He hurriedly mobilized what little Inner Strength he had left and descended from the sky as fast as he could. He had no intention of defeating the final boss only to die from a fall.

Although he reacted quickly enough, his strength gave out when he was still thirty-odd meters from the ground. He plummeted downward and fell into a coma...

When Li Ye opened his eyes again, it was the middle of the night.

He was lying on the stiff corpse of the black dragon, a bright, clear moon hanging in the sky.

All was silent; there wasn’t a single sound.

The Team Emblem’s relieved voice echoed in Li Ye’s mind. "You’re finally awake! What kind of Derived Skill did you awaken? Why was every last drop of my Demon Qi wrung dry?"

"Overdraft!"

Li Ye answered vaguely.

’This "Sacrifice Teammate" Derived Skill is too powerful, and the way it’s used is completely immoral. There’s no way I can let anyone else know about it.’

’Who would dare team up with me otherwise?’

’Most importantly, while the skill’s burst of power is certainly impressive, the weakness that follows is a real bitch.’

’Right now, every part of my body aches. My Demon Qi and Inner Strength are completely gone. I can’t even move a single finger...’

It was a good thing he had chased the black dragon out of Sirius Valley. The place where he finally killed it was a desolate, primordial forest.

If he had killed the dragon back in Sirius Valley and then fallen unconscious, who knows what that bunch with Yu Hai would have done to him?

Li Ye felt a wave of relief at the thought.

’Maybe I subconsciously anticipated how bad this weakness would be, and that’s why I dragged the black dragon all the way out here to this deserted place to finish it off!’

’Still, I have to be careful with this skill. It’s more like an overdraft, using up all the energy in my body in a single explosive burst.’

’The black dragon was just too weak. If it had held on a little longer, until I’d exhausted all my accumulated power, I bet this damn skill would have dared to knock me unconscious right in the middle of the fight.’

Of course, this was just Li Ye’s speculation.

After all, nothing related to Demon Qi was ever normal. He couldn’t use ordinary, conventional logic to deduce a skill’s effects.

’The skill isn’t completely useless. As long as I sacrifice all my teammates when I use it, I can guarantee my own absolute safety...’

’Sacrificing all my teammates... that’s a straight-up evil ritual offering!’

’What kind of Derived Skill is this?!’

Li Ye sighed to himself. He decided it was best to keep this skill hidden and use it as a trump card to save his life only when absolutely necessary.

’Beating up teammates at least strengthens them.’

’But sacrificing them?’

’Compared to the Derived Skills his teammates awakened, his was far too abnormal. If all the skills he awakened in the future were like this, even if he didn’t lose his mind, the Demon Hunting Bureau would probably hunt him down as a demon one day!’

...

"Overdraft?" The Team Emblem paused for a moment. "Derived Skills really are unreasonable, to think it even borrowed my power. Still, it’s a good thing you won. Quick, quick, put me on the black dragon’s corpse! Let me absorb its Demon Qi. Once I have some Demon Qi, I can help you recover."

"Can’t move. Wait a bit," Li Ye said.

With that said,

he ignored the clamoring Team Emblem and silently began circulating the Dragon Emperor Spell to restore his Inner Strength.

The place where the black dragon fell was indeed remote, but the battle he fought with it in the sky had created such a huge commotion that it was impossible no one would come to investigate.

Someone would eventually find their way here, no matter how far away they were when the dragon fell.

He had to hurry and recover his ability to move, or at least get away from this troublesome place.

Fortunately, the black dragon was at the top of the food chain. Even in death, its aura lingered.

None of the predators dared to approach, and even the insects had fled. Otherwise, if he had been eaten by wild beasts while unconscious, he would have truly died a pointless death.

However, he had now eliminated both sources of Demon Qi. He had passed the most difficult test. There was nothing left in this world that could threaten him.

Although Li Ye was exhausted, he felt completely and utterly at ease.

Thinking about it that way, any price he had paid was worth it.

...

Under the moonlight,

Li Ye’s Inner Strength slowly accumulated. Using this small amount of power, he managed to painstakingly take out the Team Emblem and place it on the black dragon’s corpse.

A golden light flickered and enveloped the dragon’s body.

In just a few moments, the Team Emblem finished its consumption.

As the last wisp of Demon Qi was stripped from the dragon’s body, it began to shrink, finally transforming into a large lizard about two meters long.

"Ah, satisfying. I never expected you’d let your bro Hui devour two sources of Demon Qi in less than four months. To be honest, I’m getting a little reluctant to switch partners."

The Team Emblem let out a satisfied burp, completely forgetting its cowardly display in the face of the black dragon. It boasted smugly, "You were right. I should just keep traveling with a Time Traveler. Facing one or two sources of Demon Qi alone is so much more comfortable than competing with a whole crowd of them back on Earth. One day, I’ll become the most powerful demon in the world."

As it spoke,

Demon Qi flowed back into Li Ye, healing the injuries he sustained from the fall and driving away the soreness in his body.

With the Demon Qi’s assistance, the circulation of his Inner Strength gradually quickened, and Li Ye finally regained his ability to move.

Looking at the large lizard on the ground, Li Ye shook his head and turned to walk into the dense forest. He didn’t plan on going back until his Skill Level was fully restored.

’I’ve already taken out the big boss; I can’t capsize in a ditch now. Caution is the key to long-term survival.’

...

After staying in the primordial forest for five days, Li Ye fully recovered his Inner Strength.

This was thanks to the rapid recovery of the Team Emblem’s Demon Qi.

After all, the black dragon had only affected Sirius Valley; the soccer leagues in other places hadn’t stopped.

As long as there were soccer matches, the Team Emblem’s Demon Qi would grow, and as its holder, he would also enjoy the corresponding benefits.

After restoring his Inner Strength, Li Ye didn’t rush back to Sirius Valley. Instead, he made a trip to the Western Regions.

He had to figure out why the black dragon had coexisted peacefully with Xiangli for three years, and then, three months after he killed Xiangli, it had suddenly come to kill him without any warning.

Reviewing what happened was a good habit. It allowed him to identify his own shortcomings and avoid making the same mistakes next time.

...

Even without the help of Demon Qi, Li Ye’s Martial Force was greater than that of a Grandmaster. After suppressing the Western Regions’ National Preceptor, Fu Runbo, he quickly learned the reason for everything.

It wasn’t that the large lizard, corroded by Demon Qi, didn’t want to devour more Demon Qi.

Rather, for the past two years, it had been molting and transforming into a dragon. During this transformation, all its Demon Qi was used to nourish its draconic body.

That was why it had remained docile in the Western Regions and had not invaded the Chu Country.

When he first arrived in this world, it had shown a moment of frenzy but had still settled back down.

But three months ago, when he killed Xiangli, the black dragon realized that only one of the two sources of Demon Qi remained. It could no longer restrain itself. It forcibly tore its own skin, accelerating its transformation, and finally, a few days ago, it finished molting and became a black dragon, gaining the ability to ride the clouds and mist.

The very day it became a black dragon, it tore through the sky to come and duel him...

As for the spies Li Ye had sent?

The black dragon possessed its own Divine Abilities, allowing it to easily discern whether those who approached had hostile intentions. Not a single spy survived; they all became its food.

...

Having uncovered the truth, Li Ye was speechless, unsure whether to feel relieved or miserable.

’The lizard was transforming into a dragon, using its Demon Qi to nourish its own body. Its combat power should have been at its weakest then.’

’If I hadn’t waited passively and had taken the initiative to attack, I might have taken down the black dragon long ago. I wouldn’t have ended up in a life-or-death battle with a fully-formed black dragon...’

’Son of a bitch!’

’Well, that’s a lesson learned.’

’But fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin. Although I fought a fully-formed black dragon, I also gained a trump card to save my life. All things considered, it wasn’t a loss.’

’Besides, the black dragon wasn’t patient either. If it had just taken some time to stabilize its power after transforming, or even raised the dragon whelps it had sired, I might have been the one to lose...’

’No, that’s not right.’

’The soccer leagues were getting bigger and bigger, so my Demon Qi was constantly growing at a rapid pace. The black dragon must have sensed the threat and decided to strike first!’

Heh!

’Like hitting a wolf with a hemp stalk—both sides were scared!’

’No matter which way things went, there were risks. But in the end, I was the one who won...’