Chapter Seventy-One: The Struggle for Supremacy

Woof! Woof! Woof!
At that very moment, the family’s little Blackie suddenly charged out, its head turned toward that direction, filled with greed and urgency.

“You stay here, I’ll go check out what’s happening,” Yi Tian said to Blackie.

Yet Blackie looked utterly pitiful, clearly unwilling. After all, the treasure’s radiance had an immense pull on it. But Yi Tian would not let it follow. He needed Blackie to guard the Yi Tribe, in case anything unforeseen occurred, to provide at least some resistance and protect his mother and the others.

Ignoring Blackie’s protests, Yi Tian unleashed his Feather Flight Technique, sprinting across the land like a streak of lightning, weaving through forests, hills, and rivers.

Meanwhile, at the heart of Black Dragon River, the Dragon Pearl of the legendary beast Black Dragon soared into the air, attempting to escape. In the next instant, a gigantic blood-red hand pierced the void, reaching out to seize it.

As the blood-red hand nearly grasped the precious pearl, the Dragon Pearl seemed to sense danger. Streams of water flowed from it, instantly forming water dragons that roared and crashed toward the hand. Simultaneously, the river’s waters erupted, raising pillars like drills, encircling the blood-red hand, seeking to grind it to pieces.

“Hm, I didn’t expect its spiritual consciousness to still linger; after years of nurturing, it has gained a trace of sentience!” the unknown demon lord murmured in surprise.

“No matter how you struggle, it is all in vain. You are the treasure that will break my seal. I have waited tens of thousands of years, only recently awakened. I will take you!” The blood-red hand unleashed terrifying power, shattering the water dragons and pillars.

In the next moment, the blood-red hand closed around the Dragon Pearl. Yet at that instant, the pearl refused to submit. It suddenly erupted in dazzling, misty light, water currents swirling within. Vapors from hundreds of miles converged in an instant.

The Dragon Pearl’s power nearly slipped from the blood-red hand’s grasp. It spun, water swirling furiously, relentlessly resisting the grip.

“Blood Sacrifice!” came the voice.

Immediately, the blood-red hand radiated a hazy crimson glow, continuously corroding the pearl. Though the Dragon Pearl’s power fought back, the blood-red light seeped everywhere, infiltrating the pearl bit by bit, etching strange crimson patterns.

Still, the pearl refused to be subdued. Water currents spun swiftly, erasing the crimson patterns and glow. Thus, both sides were locked in a stalemate.

The first to arrive was the Black Dragon Society’s leader, accompanied by a squad of his secret guards. Each was a peak ninth-tier warrior, formidable, numbering twenty.

“What?” The leader of the Black Dragon Society was stunned by the scene before him.

The Dragon Pearl was locked in combat with a blood-red hand, their unleashed power collapsing the surrounding space, destruction sweeping in all directions, the river in turmoil.

Distant towers and massive ships swayed precariously, on the verge of capsizing. Smaller boats were smashed by waves, sinking to the riverbed.

The leader’s expression shifted constantly; this terrifying clash was beyond their ability to interfere. His only confidence lay in several low-grade treasure talismans he possessed. Amid such peril, there was a slim chance to seize the pearl, though that hope was extremely faint.

After all, the power unleashed by the pearl and the blood-red hand was more fearsome than any human-tier expert. As a secret guard leader of the Tianfeng Empire in Black Dragon City, he knew human-tier strength, and it was nothing like this.

Gradually, the blood-red hand gained the upper hand. The Dragon Pearl retained only a fragment of broken spiritual consciousness, a trace of sentience, and in the ongoing struggle, that consciousness began to dissipate.

Just as the blood-red hand was about to subdue and claim the pearl, the warriors of Black Dragon City arrived.

“What is that?” Each warrior stared, deeply shaken, at the millstone-sized Dragon Pearl in the river’s center and the towering blood-red hand. Their struggle unleashed terrifying power, devastation all around.

The eight great families, the Great River Gang, and leaders of various factions gathered, each greedily eyeing the dazzling Dragon Pearl.

Everyone could see that the pearl was an unparalleled treasure.

Though their desire was overwhelming, greed in their eyes, the terrifying battle forced them to restrain it.

Suddenly, a change occurred.

As the demon lord behind the Dark Demon Sect was about to suppress the Dragon Pearl, it erupted with unprecedented radiance, blasting the blood-red hand apart and shooting off as a beam of light toward the distant land.

“Seize it!”

“That unmatched treasure is mine!”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—if I obtain it, my martial path will be assured!”

Thus, all the warriors went mad.

They forgot the terrifying struggle between the blood-red hand and the pearl; besides, the hand had been shattered, and the pearl was fleeing—an opportunity not to be missed.

For that peerless treasure, they risked their lives.

Thousands of warriors charged after the pearl; the Black Dragon Society’s leader and his guards pursued closely.

The first warrior to spot the millstone-sized pearl found it resting on the ground, glowing with a misty radiance under the moonlight, crystal-clear, like a celestial jade fallen to earth.

“Ha! This peerless treasure is mine!” crowed a fifth-tier warrior, the first to discover the pearl, losing himself in triumph.

But in that instant, a sharp sword light swept across.

With a sickening sound, the warrior’s throat was pierced by a single strike.

A moment later, a small-statured warrior emerged, a flash of wild joy on his face as he rushed to collect the pearl into his storage bag.

Yet no matter what he tried, he could not fit the Dragon Pearl inside.

“The treasure’s here!” someone cried from afar, alerting his faction.

The pearl’s discovery set all the warriors in motion.

Soon, all the factions and warriors converged, unwilling to yield, locked in a tense standoff.

Quickly, someone broke the deadlock.

An eighth-tier warrior, unaffiliated with any faction, rushed forward like the wind, lifting the pearl, trying to break through the encirclement.

“Kill!” The others attacked at once.

Chaos erupted, factions plunged into frenzied slaughter. The Dragon Pearl changed hands repeatedly, countless deaths and injuries followed.

The eight great families, the Great River Gang, and others were swept into the carnage.

Just then, the Black Dragon Society’s leader arrived with his twenty guards.

Together, they carved a bloody path through the throng like a sharp blade, their terrifying slaughter causing warriors to flee in fear.

Soon, the Black Dragon Society reached the Dragon Pearl at the center.

The eight great families, the Great River Gang, and several ninth-tier experts from major factions surrounded it, battles erupting constantly.

The Black Dragon Society’s forceful arrival drew the attention of all factions.

“Stop! We of the Black Dragon Society have searched for this Dragon Pearl for thousands of years. It is not yours to covet,” declared their leader.

“Hah! How arrogant! Do you think you can resist dozens of factions here with just these men?” someone sneered.

Yet the eight families, the Great River Gang, and a few major factions fell silent.

As one of Black Dragon City’s major powers, they had always feared the millennia-old Black Dragon Society, though its true depth remained hidden. It never competed for profits with other factions, making it all the more formidable.

Though the Society inspired fear, it would be exceedingly difficult to persuade them to relinquish the Dragon Pearl, now within reach. They would not give up.

“With the Black Dragon Society as secret guards of the Tianfeng Empire!” declared their leader.

The entire scene instantly fell silent.

Even the warriors locked in combat ceased fighting.