Yang Feng hovered high in the sky, his eyes locked on the massive creature below him—the **Dì Lóng**, the legendary Earth Azure Dragon. The creature was the embodiment of ancient power, a being so vast that it seemed to stretch across the horizon. Its long, serpentine body, covered in deep azure scales, rippled through the ground like a river carving its way through stone. Each movement it made caused the earth to tremble, the air itself vibrating with the sheer intensity of its qi.
For a moment, the two beings were locked in a strange silence. The sky above Yang Feng crackled with faint streaks of blue lightning, while the earth below writhed beneath the dragon's immense weight. The beast's scales shimmered under the faint moonlight, each one the size of a house, and its sheer mass was enough to make anyone's heart stop. The entire battlefield was dwarfed by the presence of the Earth Azure Dragon, a creature so ancient that even the Immortals and Celestials had forgotten its name.
But here, in the testing grounds, it was awake. And its eyes were locked on Yang Feng.
Yang Feng clenched his fists, feeling the dampened qi swirling through his veins. His power was restrained here, reduced to a mere fraction of what it was in the upper realms. The testing grounds, designed to strip away the power of outsiders, made him nothing more than a **Qi Zun**, a level far beneath what he had once been. But the Dì Lóng—this was its home, its domain. Its qi remained untouched by the rules of the ancient testing grounds, and its power surged through the air like a tidal wave.
The contrast was stark. To the Earth Dragon, Yang Feng was nothing more than an insect—a tiny fly buzzing around its realm. But to Yang Feng, the dragon was just another beast. A formidable one, yes, but still just a beast. One that could be fought. One that could be defeated.
For a moment, Yang Feng's calm demeanor faltered. His mind raced with questions. *Why was the dragon awake? What had disturbed its slumber? And what the hell was Ling Bing doing there in the first place?* The image of Ling Bing, clutching the dragon's egg, flashed through his mind. It all made sense now—Ling Bing had stolen the dragon's egg, awakening the ancient guardian. But why? Why would Ling Bing risk everything to steal something so dangerous?
There was no time for answers. The dragon was moving.
Its massive body coiled and twisted through the earth, each movement sending tremors through the land. Yang Feng's eyes narrowed as he watched the dragon rise, its massive head emerging from the ground like a mountain coming to life. The creature's eyes, glowing with an eerie light, locked onto him with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine.
In a split second, Yang Feng's instincts kicked in. His body moved before his mind could catch up, and in a flash of blue light, he shot into the sky, dodging the dragon's initial strike. The creature's massive tail whipped through the air, cutting through the clouds like a blade. The force of its movement sent shockwaves through the atmosphere, scattering the clouds and shaking the mountains below.
Yang Feng barely had time to react. His body flickered as he dodged, his movements blurring as he weaved through the sky, avoiding the dragon's attacks. The air crackled with electricity as he summoned his **Blue Lightning Blade**, a weapon formed from the pure energy of his qi. The blade hummed in his hand, its edge glowing with a bright, electric blue light that danced across its surface.
Without hesitation, Yang Feng charged toward the dragon, his blade raised high. The wind howled around him as he descended from the sky, aiming for the creature's massive body. The force of his attack was enough to split mountains, and the lightning blade crackled with deadly energy as it made contact with the dragon's scales.
But as soon as the blade struck, Yang Feng felt something strange. The blade, which could normally slice through even the toughest of materials with ease, stopped cold. The dragon's scales didn't even flinch. They were harder than any material he had ever encountered—impenetrable, like a fortress of stone and steel.
Yang Feng gritted his teeth, his hands shaking as the force of his own attack reverberated through his body. The lightning blade shuddered in his grip, and the energy that had once crackled with such ferocity now felt weak and insignificant against the dragon's immense power.
The Dì Lóng didn't even react. It was as though Yang Feng's attack had been nothing more than a gentle breeze, barely noticeable against the sheer magnitude of its strength.
"*Damn it,*" Yang Feng muttered under his breath, his mind racing as he struggled to come up with a new plan. His attacks were useless. The dragon's scales were too tough, too impervious to his qi. He couldn't defeat this thing with brute force alone.
The dragon let out a low growl, its massive jaws opening as it prepared to strike again. Yang Feng barely had time to react as the creature lunged forward, its mouth snapping shut inches from where he had been just a moment ago. He dodged to the side, his body flickering as he moved with lightning speed, barely avoiding the dragon's attack.
"I can't fight this thing head-on," Yang Feng thought to himself, his heart pounding in his chest. "Not like this."
He needed a different approach. Something the dragon wouldn't expect.
That's when the idea hit him.
His **Double Pupils**—an ability so powerful it could trap even the strongest minds in an eternal illusion. He had used it many times before in battle, but never against a beast of this size, this magnitude. Still, it was his only chance.
Yang Feng stopped mid-air, his body hovering above the battlefield as he gathered his energy. His bright blue eyes glowed with an otherworldly light as he focused his qi into his pupils. Slowly, a second pupil formed within each of his eyes, the power of the **Double Pupils** taking hold.
The air around him began to warp, the space distorting as the sheer force of his illusion began to take shape. The sky darkened, thick clouds rolling in as the world around them shifted. A deep, purplish moon appeared in the sky, casting an eerie light over the battlefield. The twin pupils of the moon mirrored Yang Feng's own, rotating slowly as the illusion enveloped the dragon.
The ground below seemed to ripple like water, the very fabric of reality bending to Yang Feng's will. The dragon hesitated for a moment, its massive eyes narrowing as it sensed something was wrong. But before it could react, the illusion took hold.
"*Double Pupils!*" Yang Feng shouted, his voice echoing through the battlefield as the illusion solidified around the dragon.
The dragon's movements slowed, its massive body seeming to struggle against the invisible force that now bound it. The purplish light from the moon bathed the battlefield in an unnatural glow, and for a moment, it seemed as though the dragon was trapped.
But then, with a deafening roar, the dragon's tail lashed out, striking Yang Feng with the force of a collapsing mountain. The impact sent him flying, his body hurtling through the air as he crashed into the cliffs below. The rocks shattered upon impact, and Yang Feng's body broke through stone after stone, his momentum only stopping when he collided with the side of a mountain.
For a moment, everything was silent. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the battlefield in a thick haze. But slowly, Yang Feng pulled himself from the rubble, coughing as he tried to catch his breath. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his body ached from the force of the dragon's attack.
But he was still alive.
---
In the midst of the pain, a memory surfaced—his conversation with Xiao Mei just before they had split up.
"Yang Feng," she had said, her voice filled with a rare seriousness, "this dragon is a **Qi-Emperor**. We're nothing compared to it. If we fight it head-on, we'll die."
Yang Feng had smiled in his usual confident way. "When has that ever stopped us?"
Xiao Mei had sighed, her pink eyes glowing with determination. "Alright. But we need a plan. We can't just charge in like we always do."
Yang Feng's expression had turned thoughtful. "The **Slumbering Liquid**—it's our only chance. The smallest drop will put the dragon back to sleep."
Xiao Mei had frowned. "But where do we find it? And why me?"
"You're the only one who can find it," Yang Feng had said, his tone calm but firm. "I'll distract the dragon. You're better suited to find the liquid while I keep it occupied."
"But—" Xiao Mei had started to protest, but Yang Feng had cut her off.
"Your **Sakura Clones** won't work here. The dragon will see through them. I can use my speed to keep it focused on me. You need to find that liquid, and fast."
Xiao Mei had hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering between Yang Feng and the dragon. But eventually, she had sighed and nodded. "Alright. But don't you dare die on me."
Yang Feng had laughed softly. "You too."
---
Back in the present, Yang Feng coughed as he pulled himself to his feet. His body ached, but his mind was clear. Xiao Mei was counting on him. He couldn't afford to fail now.
____
Meanwhile underground
Xiao Mei moved swiftly through the earth, her body cutting through the dense soil like a blade through water. Her **Sakura Blossom Technique** enveloped her in a soft pink glow, allowing her to blend into the surroundings as she burrowed deeper. The air below ground was thick and oppressive, the weight of the earth pressing in on all sides, but Xiao Mei's focus was unwavering. The only sound she heard was the faint rumbling of the battle raging above, where Yang Feng faced off against the Earth Azure Dragon, or **Dì Lóng**.
She clenched her jaw, her heart pounding with urgency. Every second counted, and Yang Feng was depending on her to find the **Slumbering Liquid**, the ancient essence that could lull the dragon back into its deep, enchanted sleep. The liquid was hidden somewhere in these ancient grounds, perhaps buried beneath centuries of rock and soil. If she could find even a drop of it, they might stand a chance.
"Yang Feng, you better keep your promise," she muttered to herself as she tunneled deeper.
Despite their rivalry, Xiao Mei knew she and Yang Feng shared a mutual respect. He was the only one who could push her to her limits, who understood her strength as well as her determination. They had fought countless battles in the past, and in each one, their clash had been more than just a contest of power. It was a duel of wills, a constant push to surpass each other, to rise higher than anyone else. Yang Feng's calm and quiet confidence always contrasted her intensity, but they both knew the truth: they needed each other to grow stronger.
Her mind flashed back to the moment on the cliffside when they had locked eyes before the dragon had appeared. There had been no need for words. Yang Feng had smiled, that infuriatingly calm smile that always seemed to say he was in control. Xiao Mei had met his gaze with the same unshakable resolve, her pink eyes glowing with the power of her **Gravity Qi**, and for a brief moment, it felt like time had stopped. That silent connection between them, forged from years of rivalry and respect, was something they showed only to each other.
"I'll hold my end of the bargain, Yang Feng," she thought, her fingers digging into the soft, damp earth.
As the dragon's roar echoed across the battlefield, the sky darkened further. The battle was far from over, and both Yang Feng and Xiao Mei knew they were playing with forces far beyond their current strength.
But they had never backed down before. And they wouldn't now.
Yang Feng wiped the blood from his lips, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the dragon above. "This isn't over," he thought to himself, lightning crackling in the air around him.