Chapter 58: The Fierce Battle Against the Crimson-Horned Crystal Dragon King

Lu Zhe stared in astonishment at the enormous opening, feeling the entire cavern tremble incessantly. Stones occasionally fell from the ceiling, crashing into the pool of magma below.

Suddenly, a figure darted swiftly out of the cave entrance—it was Dieyu! After emerging, Dieyu glanced around, quickly spotting Lu Zhe perched atop a stone pillar. She turned and flew straight toward him.

Moments after Dieyu appeared, a colossal fiery-red silhouette burst forth from the cave. The creature roared, “Human woman, how dare you trespass into my lair!”

Dieyu paid him no mind, continuing her flight toward Lu Zhe. Lu Zhe inhaled the hot air and shouted at the approaching Dieyu, “Why did you lead it here?”

Dieyu felt helpless and frustrated; during her battle with the Crimson-Horn Crystal Dragon King, her spiritual power suddenly failed her. The wings formed by her spiritual energy vanished swiftly—likely because she’d moved more than fifty yards from Lu Zhe. She used her last reserves to return to the surface, plunging directly into the dragon king’s lair. The dragon, seeing an intruder, had roared and chased her inside.

Dieyu called out to Lu Zhe, “How did you end up in such a deep cavern?”

Lu Zhe pulled out the Crimson Dragon Horn from his storage ring. “Because this thing is here.”

Dieyu’s lips curled into a faint smile when she saw the horn in Lu Zhe’s hand. She quickly flew to his side and said, “Well done! You actually got it. Let’s go.”

She meant to grab Lu Zhe and fly away, but the Crimson-Horn Crystal Dragon King’s eyes burned with fury, fur bristling at the sight of the horn. With a furious roar, it lunged at them.

Dieyu pushed Lu Zhe backward, her wings trembling as she brandished her sword and rushed to meet the dragon, engaging it in fierce combat.

Lu Zhe watched, transfixed, as the battle raged overhead. The dragon king flapped its wings, soaring through the air, jaws wide as it tried to bite Dieyu.

Dieyu evaded the attack, flying to the dragon’s head. She gripped her sword tightly, her left hand forming swift, intricate seals. Raising her sword high, she brought it down upon the dragon king.

A blade-like wind burst from Dieyu’s sword, cleaving straight toward the dragon and striking its flank with force.

The dragon king howled in agony at the blow, its mouth opening wide as fiery-red spiritual energy gathered within. A glowing red sphere formed and rapidly grew larger.

Dieyu’s eyes widened in alarm. “Beast King’s Fury?”

The crimson energy orb expanded swiftly, soon becoming a sphere with a radius of several yards. The dragon king bit down, holding it in its mouth, then raised its head and unleashed a massive pillar of red energy directly at Dieyu.

The force of the energy column was immense—a blood-red beam with a radius of several feet, radiating heat intense enough to crack stone. Even Lu Zhe, standing some distance away, could feel the searing temperature. If struck by that energy, not even a Spirit Emperor would escape unscathed.

Dieyu’s brows knitted in concentration as she stared at the incoming beam. Suddenly, she held her sword horizontally before her chest, its tip pointing toward the approaching pillar. Releasing her grip, she stepped back—the sword remained upright, unmoving in the air.

After stepping back, Dieyu’s hands moved in a dizzying flurry of seals. With each change, Lu Zhe felt the spiritual energy around him surge toward her, coiling around her like a vortex.

“She’s drawing spiritual power from such a distance—what is she planning?” Lu Zhe wondered in confusion as the energy gathered around Dieyu.

Her hands flashed through seals, the nearby spiritual power intensifying. Abruptly, she halted her motions and extended her right palm toward the sword hovering before her chest. The amassed energy rushed into the blade, swirling around it in a tornado.

Dieyu took a deep breath, her brows furrowed, and shouted, “Cyclone Sword—Break!”

She thrust the wind-charged sword forward, sending it streaking toward the heart of the incoming red beam.

A hissing sound echoed as Dieyu’s sword collided with the dragon king’s crimson ray, both forces locking in midair, neither yielding.

The sword pierced the center of the red pillar, seeming to split it, while the red beam wrapped tightly around the blade, threatening to consume it.

Dieyu’s brows were tightly drawn, her gaze fixed on the sword lodged in the beam. Her left hand pressed atop her right, which formed a sword gesture, directing unwavering focus at the blade.

The dragon king, meanwhile, continued to spew blazing red light from its mouth, refusing to back down.

Locked together, the struggle was fierce and deadlocked.

Minutes passed, and neither side relented. They endured, locked in combat for five agonizing minutes.

As the sixth minute arrived, Dieyu’s face suddenly flushed red, and before she could react, a mouthful of blood burst forth, staining her clothes crimson.

As she coughed up blood, her sword wavered, then was flung backward. Without the sword’s resistance, the red beam surged forward like an unbridled beast, its terrifying power barreling toward Dieyu, suspended in midair.

Lu Zhe was alarmed, preparing to summon his Blackwing to rescue her, but Dieyu quickly wiped away the blood from her lips, activated her spiritual wings, and darted aside.

An explosive crash followed as the dragon king’s beam struck the cavern wall above, sending deafening echoes through the chamber. Massive stones tumbled from the ceiling.

Terrified by the falling rocks, Lu Zhe turned to flee.

But he found the only path behind him blocked by a collapsed boulder.

“No way…” He looked despairingly at the shore, several yards away.

Before he could finish his thought, a wave of intense heat swept over him. Turning, he saw a stone plunging into the magma, sending a towering wave toward his perch.

Seeing the approaching surge, Lu Zhe hurriedly summoned Blackwing, but before he could take flight, the pillar beneath him was toppled by the wave of magma.

“Ah!” Lu Zhe cried, frantically beating his wings to hover in the air.

Fate intervened—in that moment, as his mouth hung open in shock, a red object flew from above, landing squarely in his mouth.

He reflexively swallowed.

“What did I just eat?” Lu Zhe muttered, clutching his stomach.

His gaze drifted to the stone pillar now submerged in magma. Though most was engulfed, the top remained exposed, especially the flat stone and the triangular stone atop it.

Lu Zhe looked closer, realizing something was missing—the red bead atop the triangular stone was gone.

“Could it be?” He stared blankly at the tip of the triangle, instinctively touching his stomach.

Before he could process it, a thunderous voice boomed in his ears.

“Human, you dare to consume my Crimson Spirit Crystal!”

Lu Zhe looked up—it was the Crimson-Horn Crystal Dragon King.

“Huh? Me?” Lu Zhe pointed at himself in confusion.

Before he could finish, the dragon king was already beating its wings, flying straight toward him.

“Oh my god,” Lu Zhe cried, watching the dragon approach.

Before he could react, someone grabbed his collar. He turned to see Dieyu.

“Quick, this place is collapsing,” she told him, pulling him toward the gaping hole blasted in the ceiling by the dragon king’s red beam.

They flew swiftly upward, the dragon king in hot pursuit.

At last, Dieyu and Lu Zhe escaped the cavern.

Once outside, they sped toward the forest below, disappearing from sight.

The dragon king flew out, searching in vain for Dieyu and Lu Zhe, then erupted in a rage, roaring furiously.

Dieyu dragged Lu Zhe three hundred miles away before finally landing by a small stream.

She gently lowered him, wiped the blood from her lips, and said, “It’s alright. We’re safe now.”

But after a moment’s silence, she turned to Lu Zhe and was shocked.

Lu Zhe’s entire body was flushed red, as if scorched by fire, struggling in agony.

Dieyu hurriedly touched him, only to find his body burning hot, impossible to touch.

“What’s happening?” Dieyu cried in panic, staring at Lu Zhe.