Chapter Seventy-Four: The Dragon Pearl Acquired

The Dark Demon Sect’s master, Canglang, moved with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, he crossed several hundred feet and, in less than two breaths, was upon Yi Tian, his palm striking towards Yi Tian’s head with lightning swiftness.

So fast!

Yi Tian’s heart trembled. The opponent’s speed was as swift as a thunderbolt, tearing through the air and detonating violent waves of pressure. In an instant, he was at Yi Tian’s side. This was nearly as fast as Yi Tian’s own Feather Flight technique, yet Canglang had mastered no such mystical arts—he relied solely on his strength to reach this level, a feat that was truly awe-inspiring.

Boom!

A deafening crash erupted as Canglang’s palm nearly shattered the void itself. Yet, at the brink of life and death, Yi Tian suddenly vanished without a trace.

“What?” Canglang’s expression flickered.

His attack was about to land, yet in the next instant, his target disappeared, and he could not even glimpse Yi Tian’s evasive movement.

At that moment, Yi Tian reappeared twenty-five feet away.

“Kill!” Canglang pressed the assault, closing the distance in less than a breath, his fist crashing towards Yi Tian. Terrifying demonic energy tore rifts in the void, twisting the air. If Yi Tian were struck, he would be obliterated in an instant.

Once more, Yi Tian employed his divine shifting technique, narrowly evading the strike.

“What sort of martial skill is this?” Canglang could scarcely believe it.

To miss twice was a grievous blow, especially just after his breakthrough into the rank of Human Demon.

“I refuse to believe your movement technique is truly invincible!” Canglang’s face darkened, killing intent boiling within him. Each failure was a humiliation at Yi Tian’s hands, intolerable to him. Besides, he did not believe Yi Tian’s technique could truly rival the power of a Human Demon.

In a flash, Canglang unleashed a storm of attacks upon Yi Tian.

His form seemed to split into dozens of shadows, filling the land, his speed reaching its zenith as he hunted Yi Tian.

Their figures appeared and vanished in rapid succession.

There was no physical clash; Yi Tian, using his divine shifting technique to its fullest, evaded Canglang’s attacks again and again.

Even so, Canglang’s demonic energy, powerful and oppressive, swept across hundreds of feet, hindering Yi Tian’s speed at every turn. The pervasive demonic aura continually corroded Yi Tian’s pure yang energy.

Had Yi Tian’s true energy not held the quality of pure, unyielding yang, with its strong restraining effect on demonic energy, he would have collapsed instantly.

Through repeated instant movements, Yi Tian was forced into a life-and-death struggle akin to battling a mighty peak ninth-rank warrior, constantly enduring the dreadful impact of demonic energy. His pure yang energy was rapidly declining. Such was the might of a Human Demon; simply by radiating demonic energy, he could destroy ordinary ninth-rank warriors.

“He is indeed Black Dragon City’s strongest!”

From afar, the Black Dragon Society’s leader, having recovered somewhat from his wounds, witnessed the fierce duel between Canglang and Yi Tian. Canglang could not subdue Yi Tian, and the two remained locked in stalemate. Yi Tian’s ghostly, unpredictable movement shocked even him.

Yet the Black Dragon leader knew that, at this rate, Yi Tian was doomed.

Even he could barely protect himself.

He had suffered a grievous wound from Canglang’s punch, his strength reduced to a fraction of its former power, with no hope of escaping Canglang’s grasp.

As Canglang hunted Yi Tian, the star-mud clone, shaped as a small serpent, reached the Dragon Pearl.

In the next moment, the little snake opened its mouth and swallowed the enormous Dragon Pearl whole.

“What!”

Canglang, in pursuit of Yi Tian, suddenly noticed something amiss at the Dragon Pearl’s location. To his shock, the pearl had vanished, replaced by a small serpent.

The millstone-sized Dragon Pearl had been devoured by the snake, yet the snake’s body showed no sign of distension.

“Damnable beast, die!”

Canglang was now truly enraged.

The Dragon Pearl had been within his grasp, but unexpectedly, a twist occurred—a tiny serpent swallowed the pearl that the Demon Lord had demanded be brought back.

He immediately abandoned Yi Tian and attacked the snake.

But the serpent was extraordinarily agile, darting into the forest at lightning speed.

Canglang, furious and humiliated, was desperate to capture the snake and reclaim the pearl.

He strode through the air, surveying the land from above, searching for the snake’s trail. In moments, he had penetrated dozens of miles, blasting swathes of forest with demonic light, destroying vast stretches of woodland.

“Come out! Show yourself!”

Canglang roared in frustration.

“Sigh, it seems the treasure is not fated for me. I’d best leave at once!”

Yi Tian sighed, then employed his Feather Flight technique, soaring through the mountains and forests like a wild goose, vanishing into the distance.

Seeing this, the Black Dragon leader realized he could not seize the Dragon Pearl either. The situation had changed, beyond his control, so he too fled the scene.

If Canglang returned, he would surely vent his wrath upon him, leaving no hope of survival.

After searching fruitlessly for some time, Canglang finally abandoned the hunt.

When he returned to the original site, Yi Tian, the Black Dragon leader, and the others had all departed.

Canglang’s fury and hatred had no outlet.

He could well imagine the Demon Lord’s rage at his failure to retrieve the Dragon Pearl.

Nor did he dare defy the Demon Lord’s will.

He sensed vaguely that a trace of the Demon Lord's power resided within him—the Demon Lord had planted a backup in his body. If he tried to revolt or flee, his death would be swift and gruesome.

“If I must suffer, you shall all pay the price!”

A murderous gleam flickered in Canglang’s eyes. He resolved to annihilate the Yi Tribe, the Black Dragon Society, and every major power in Black Dragon City. Only then would his fury be assuaged.

His first target was the Yi Tribe.

He blamed Yi Tian for the Dragon Pearl’s theft. Were it not for Yi Tian, he would have had the pearl long ago, and it would not have been devoured by a snake.

“I will destroy the Yi Tribe first, then raze Black Dragon City!”

Demonic energy billowed, obscuring the heavens, as Canglang strode through the air towards the Yi Tribe’s territory.

Meanwhile, on a small hilltop,

Yi Tian picked up a mantis, which promptly transformed into a simple wristband upon his arm.

The star-mud clone could change into stones, trees, insects, and small animals—so elusive that even Canglang could not detect its presence. Its only flaw was its lack of wisdom, possessing only instinctive spirituality.

Only when Yi Tian’s consciousness descended upon it could he control its will.

After swallowing the Dragon Pearl, Yi Tian’s goal was achieved.

He could faintly sense the star-mud undergoing a profound transformation, invisible on the surface, beyond even his own ability to perceive.

Once the metamorphosis was complete, the star-mud would become even more marvelous, gaining miraculous abilities. Yi Tian eagerly anticipated this, for rare treasures like the Dragon Pearl were seldom available for such evolution.

When Yi Tian returned to the tribe, Little Black scampered over.

However, to Little Black’s disappointment, the treasure had already been devoured by the star-mud, and it had no share in it.

Shortly after Yi Tian’s return, overwhelming demonic energy blotted out the sky, rolling in from afar.

“What! The Human Demon is coming!”

Yi Tian’s face paled.

He knew that the approaching figure was a demon rivaling a human-level master. Even Yi Tian himself was not confident he could oppose such a foe.