Chapter Eleven: Gravely Wounded

“Exactly. No matter how strong Zhao Yuan is, there must be a limit. I don't believe he could possibly surpass the Dragonbeast,” someone said. The faces of the Zhu family members were pale as they spoke these words—how could they forget how they had just been utterly crushed by Zhao Yuan moments ago? If even the Dragonbeast couldn’t restrain him, just how terrifying would such a Zhao Yuan be?

With an earth-shattering roar, the Dragonbeast let out a bellow that stirred a tempest, scattering the clouds in the sky.

“How can this be?” Zhao Ling’er covered her mouth, astonished and awed. Even though the Dragonbeast had managed to replenish itself with some other energy after that attack, it still showed a moment of weakness and left itself open. She was truly shocked on Zhao Yuan’s behalf. Just now, she hadn’t believed Zhao Yuan could possibly defeat that colossal creature—who could have imagined…

“Zhao Yuan is so strong!” Even she, who knew him well, could think nothing else at this moment. Her breath quickened as she awaited the outcome of this battle.

Zhao Yuan did not disappoint. His precise grasp of the situation was one of his greatest strengths. The Dragonbeast’s response quickly revealed a glaring weakness to Zhao Yuan: it had just awakened and could not yet skillfully command the energy within its body! This was his chance, and Zhao Yuan seized it. He had to admit, the previous attack had been an incredible stroke of luck, landing right on the creature’s vulnerable spot.

He could only press his advantage!

Zhao Yuan’s fists flew in a relentless barrage, giving the Dragonbeast no chance to recover. Blow after blow rained down; the sheer size of the beast left it unable to dodge, forced to endure his assault head-on.

But soon, Zhao Yuan sensed something was wrong, and so did Zhao Ling’er, who was watching anxiously. She cried out, “The Dragonbeast isn’t moving! It’s pulling back all its spiritual energy—its defenses are growing stronger and stronger!”

The members of the Zhu family were in shock; they hadn’t expected the Dragonbeast to be this powerful. Overjoyed, they didn’t need any prompting to surround Zhao Yuan, waiting for him to exhaust himself so they could capture him.

Zhao Yuan realized it too. At first, attacking hadn’t been so difficult, but now each punch felt as if he struck a sandbag—one that terrifyingly managed to absorb all his force. It wasn’t like striking steel, which would cause harm to both parties, but rather, the Dragonbeast simply neutralized his attacks.

He had no choice but to keep attacking—he couldn’t stop. If he did, the others would seize him at once, and the Dragonbeast was no mindless creature; it, too, knew how to protect itself.

Blow after blow, Zhao Yuan’s fists began to stiffen. At last, the Dragonbeast lifted its head, staring straight at him.

In that instant, Zhao Yuan sensed danger. With no time to hesitate, he spun around and bolted toward Zhao Ling’er.

Zhao Yintian reacted quickly, forging a path ahead. After so long enduring Zhao Yuan’s attacks, the Dragonbeast had grown accustomed to his rhythm, so his sudden retreat caught it completely off guard. All along, Zhao Yuan had left himself an escape route, not a particularly good one, but at this point, he couldn’t afford to be choosy.

Working together, they broke through their encirclement, desperate to escape.

But just then, the Dragonbeast’s attack descended—a fierce wind blasted forth, not so much a wind as a giant palm, threatening to slam Zhao Yuan into the ground.

“Zhao Yuan!” Zhao Ling’er suddenly realized someone was missing behind her—Zhao Yuan, who had been covering their retreat, was gone. Sure enough, when she looked back, she saw the Dragonbeast had pinned him beneath its foot.

No one could guess how much force that foot possessed; even Zhao Yuan’s formidable physique could not withstand such a blow.

Zhao Yuan hadn’t expected the Dragonbeast to be so overwhelmingly powerful. Why had he thought he could stand against it? No—he truly was its match, but he had yet to fully unleash the potential within his body.

His mind raced. Seeing Zhao Ling’er pause, unwilling to flee, he glared at her and roared, “Run! Go, don’t worry about us!”

She was a moment too slow; trembling, she was seized by the Zhu family.

Zhao Yuan’s brow furrowed—he hadn’t wanted to drag her into this. But now, gravely wounded, there was nothing he could do. He cursed his helplessness, when suddenly, the Dragonbeast’s foot rose and stomped down on him again.

Zhao Yuan’s heart lurched—he had no way to dodge! What now? His mind went blank as the attack struck him full force.

Blood spurted from his mouth as he collapsed.

His eyes reddened, breath growing ragged, his body convulsing. Already severely wounded, this fresh blow left him in dire peril.

“Zhao Yuan!” Zhao Ling’er cried out desperately.

He did not answer. His body was enduring an agonizing torment—as though he were about to be consumed by flames, a heat beyond his endurance.

A black rune appeared on his body, burning with fierce black fire.

Zhao Yuan squeezed his eyes shut as the flames seared his flesh, making him tremble violently.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open—dark as the midnight abyss.

“What’s wrong? Are you all right?” Zhao Ling’er barely finished speaking before the Zhu family surrounded them once more.

“Hah! Did you really think you could pit yourself against the Dragonbeast? How laughable. If you die, so much the better—less chance of trouble later.”

“That’s right, weren’t you so arrogant just now? Why aren’t you moving anymore?” They sneered, moving in to kick him, but Zhao Yuan glared at them, startling them so much they froze as he slowly rose to his feet.

Zhao Yuan had awakened, though in a state that was almost terrifying—his body wreathed in ghostly black flames that burned with a chilling intensity.

“Is that really Zhao Yuan?”

Even Zhao Ling’er and Zhao Yintian were stunned—never had they seen him like this.

What had happened to him? Though Zhao Yuan looked strange, the aura he exuded was dangerous—dangerously strong.

A sudden hope rose in Zhao Ling’er’s heart, and she quietly took a step back.

The Zhu family members eyed this transformed Zhao Yuan warily—more fearful of him now than they had been moments before.