"Come closer," the man said to Chen Fan. He hadn't expected Chen Fan to take such a high risk, and the decision subtly altered his evaluation of the young cultivator. He could now see that Chen Fan's choice wasn't made out of pride or arrogance but based on rational judgment. He also recalled Chen Fan's earlier statement about having reached the twentieth stage of Qi Refining—something unheard of. This piqued his curiosity, making him eager to see how well Chen Fan would fare.
Chen Fan had already stepped forward, standing before the colossal dragon. Up close, even the dragon's eyes were several times larger than him. His gaze shifted to the man who had just descended, standing right before him. Chen Fan couldn't help but wonder—how powerful was this person to have subdued such a mountain-sized creature?
"Stretch out your palm," the man instructed, extending his own hand. As their palms overlapped, Chen Fan immediately felt a surge of energy flow into him.
"I've granted you a portion of the authority over the seal," the man explained. "Now, all you need to do is touch the dragon's head. If you can absorb at least one-fifth of its soul, I'll be able to sever the connection immediately. But if you fail…" His voice grew heavier. "There is a high chance your soul will either be devoured or taken over by the dragon. Do you still wish to proceed?"
Without hesitation, Chen Fan nodded. "I'll do it."
Stepping forward, he pressed his hand against the dragon's head.
In an instant, his surroundings changed.
Darkness.
Chen Fan couldn't see a thing. Every direction was engulfed in an abyss so deep that even when he summoned fire to illuminate his hands, they remained invisible. The void seemed to swallow everything.
"A Foundation Building cultivator?"
A voice, cold and mocking, reverberated from all directions. A chilling shudder ran through Chen Fan's body.
"Hahaha… HAHAHAHA!" The laughter was filled with derision.
"To think he would rely on a mere Foundation Building cultivator. How desperate he must be!"
Chen Fan's lips curled into a sneer. "That just means you're worth that much."
The laughter cut off abruptly.
Suddenly, an immense force crashed down on him, pressing against his entire body. His legs trembled slightly under the pressure.
"YOU VERMIN! IF NOT FOR THIS SEAL, I WOULD HAVE DRAGGED YOU TO HELL ALREADY!"
Chen Fan merely chuckled. "And yet, here I stand, a Foundation Building cultivator defying you. Just accept it—you're nothing but a disgrace."
"INSOLENCE!"
The pressure intensified—but then something changed.
One by one, stars began to emerge from the void. Celestial bodies of all sizes, distant yet impossibly vast, formed around Chen Fan, illuminating the abyss with their cosmic glow.
The dragon's voice faltered.
Then, from the shadows, he revealed himself—a monstrous, obsidian-scaled dragon, twice as large as the corpse outside. His eyes burned with fury—but also something else.
Unease.
"How can your Soul Realm be this powerful at the Foundation Building stage?"
The Soul Realm—an inner world that formed when a cultivator gathered Qi and awakened their spiritual sense—varied in form. Some manifested as vast oceans, others as lava fields or endless darkness. Chen Fan's, however, was a cosmos filled with stars. Each stage of cultivation increased the number of stars within his Soul Realm. Because his Qi Refining had reached the unprecedented twentieth stage, the density of his Soul Realm far surpassed that of others at his level.
The reason the man had said that a Golden Core cultivator would be best suited for this battle was because, at the Golden Core stage, a cultivator could actively strengthen their soul. In the Foundation Building stage, unless he had special means, Chen Fan Soul Realm could only grow by advancing realms. However, in the Golden Core stage, even if he remained at the first level, Chen Fan could still add more stars to their Soul Realm.
Even with his soul force suppressed to Foundation Building, the dragon's Soul Realm was still superior to most at the same level because he had already strengthened it during his time in the Golden Core stage.
To put it simply, if a typical Foundation Building Stage 4 cultivator had four stars in their Soul Realm, this dragon—despite being suppressed—would not have only four. In his Golden Core Stage 1, if he had already cultivated twenty stars. Even with the suppression reducing his strength, it would only bring him down to fourteen stars—still leagues above normal cultivators.
But now, faced with Chen Fan, the dragon was forced to question the limits of what was possible.
"Scared already?" Chen Fan chuckled at the dragon's silence.
If his Soul Realm had been weaker, the dragon's presence would have overwhelmed and suppressed him. However, now that their Soul Realms were evenly matched, neither of them held an advantage. This balance meant that their Soul Realm abilities were nullified, forcing them to rely on pure combat.
"It seems we'll have to settle this the old-fashioned way," Chen Fan mused, a smirk playing on his lips. Right now, their stats were equal. Victory would depend entirely on skill, and if there was one thing Chen Fan prided himself on, it was his combat efficiency and technique.
The dragon's expression darkened, his pride stung by the realization. He had lived long enough to recognize when an opponent was abnormal, and the man before him was nothing short of monstrous. Without hesitation, the dragon's massive body began to shrink, shifting into human form—a tall man with long black hair.
As a dragon, his defense and raw strength were superior, but in this fight, mobility was key. Against Chen Fan, speed would determine the victor.
Swish—
A crackling sphere of black lightning shot through the air as Chen Fan launched his first attack. In soul form, cultivators had the ability to fly, and he wasted no time propelling himself toward his opponent.
The dragon remained unfazed, raising his hand. Darkness oozed from his palm, consuming Chen Fan's lightning as though it had never existed. Then, with a mere clench of his fist—
Whoosh!
Darkness swallowed Chen Fan once more. But this time, he could tell it wasn't a suppression from the dragon's Soul Realm—it was a technique.
Boom!
Before he could react, a crushing impact slammed into his stomach. The force alone was enough to kill him instantly had he not instinctively reinforced his body with Qi.
Another attack came from his right. Sensing it, he activated his Annihilation Armor, reinforcing the area just in time.
The dragon's hand snapped back the moment it touched the armor, his instincts warning him of the immense destructive power. Without hesitation, he withdrew, his body drifting further from Chen Fan as he retracted his darkness. The technique was far too taxing at the Foundation Building level—maintaining it for too long would drain him quickly.
Still, the encounter left him shaken. Even his Devouring Power would likely be useless against Chen Fan.
The longer he stared at the man before him, the heavier his heart felt. The stars surrounding them were proof of a Soul Realm unlike any he had ever encountered. Even with the aid of soul-nourishing pills, ancient artifacts, or specialized soul-cultivation techniques, he had never heard of anything that could enhance a Foundation Building cultivator's Soul Realm to such an extent.
"Why so quiet?" Chen Fan's voice cut through the tension, his expression mocking. "Where's all that arrogance from earlier?"
Veins bulged in the dragon's forehead. The taunt stung deeper than any wound. But wasn't it his own arrogance that had led him to this situation in the first place?
He took a deep breath, suppressing his fury. Losing composure now would only make things worse.
Raising his palm, he conjured a small sphere of darkness and fired it. Chen Fan moved to evade, but the moment he did, he felt an invisible force pulling him toward the ball.
Damn it!
The dragon's eyes glinted coldly as he clenched his fist. In an instant, the dark sphere expanded, morphing into a massive spiked sphere.
Chen Fan barely had time to react. He activated Annihilation Qi, enveloping himself in a protective barrier, but it wasn't fast enough. Sharp spikes tore through his shoulder and stomach, sending waves of pain through his body.
His gaze darkened.
This technique… it was a superior version of Jiang Haoran's ability.
For the first time, Chen Fan found himself at a disadvantage against someone at the same level. Even though the only reason the dragon could match him was because of his suppressed true power, his refined Qi and naturally superior body made him a formidable opponent.
Seeing the dragon panting, Chen Fan immediately understood—the previous techniques had consumed an enormous amount of Qi. For a Foundation Building cultivator, such moves came at a steep cost.
But the dragon refused to back down. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, engaging in close combat.
Chen Fan gritted his teeth. With his right arm missing, he was at a clear disadvantage. Fresh wounds accumulated with every passing second as the dragon's relentless attacks pressed him back. But his extraordinary battle sense allowed him to adapt swiftly. The moment the dragon's fist came hurtling toward him, Chen Fan infused Annihilation Qi into his counterattack.
The dragon sensed the danger but reacted too late. His fist connected, only for the skin to instantly disintegrate, exposing bare bone beneath.
His expression darkened as he retreated.
Even his advantage in close combat had been neutralized.
Chen Fan's Annihilation Qi placed him in a severe predicament. At the same realm, he simply had no reliable countermeasure.
Determined, the dragon conjured two of the black spheres from earlier. With both hands gripping the orbs, he charged at Chen Fan.
Chen Fan raised his left hand in preparation to counter, but just as he moved, the dragon abruptly hurled both spheres—one to his left, the other to his right.
A powerful suction force erupted from both sides.
Before he could break free—
Shkk!
Black spikes shot out, piercing his legs and torso from both directions.
And then—
Squelch.
The dragon's fist tore through Chen Fan's stomach.
A victorious grin spread across the dragon's face as he gazed at his bloodied hand, now protruding from Chen Fan's back.
But then he saw it.
Chen Fan… was smiling.
Blood trickled from his lips, yet his eyes gleamed with confidence. The dragon's grin faltered.
Then his gaze lowered—
Chen Fan's palm was pressed against his chest.
An overwhelming sense of danger crashed into him.
He tried to retreat—
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted. The dragon staggered, eyes widening in horror as he looked down. His chest… his stomach…
Gone.
Chunks of what remained were barely clinging to his form. His soul was rapidly weakening, and the surrounding darkness was now littered with an increasing number of stars, twinkling ominously.
The dragon's body trembled. He could feel it—his soul was being devoured.
10 percent… 15 percent… 25 percent… 35 percent…
It finally stopped at 45 percent.
An immense loss.
Chen Fan exhaled slowly, feeling his soul growing significantly stronger. He smiled in satisfaction.
This is the limit for now. Maybe I'll return when I reach the Golden Core realm.
The world around him trembled as the dragon's dwindling soul power destabilized everything. Chen Fan knew he needed time to fully absorb and process this newfound strength.
His gaze shifted to the dragon, who was slowly reverting to his original form. Fury burned in the beast's eyes.
"I WILL DEFINITELY KILL YOU!"
This is the limit for now.
But next time?
He would take everything.
The dragon's final, enraged roar echoed as Chen Fan's vision was abruptly swallowed by darkness.
Chen Fan's eyes fluttered open.
He was back.
Before him stood two figures.
A middle-aged man, watching him with a knowing smile.
And a white-haired woman, eyes glistening with tears.
Chen Fan tried to speak.
But before a single word could escape his lips—
His vision blurred.
His body swayed.
Exhaustion crashed down on him like a tidal wave.
And once again—
Everything went dark