Chapter 33
"Maybe a little… but you're just a little lucky."
The red dragon's gaze was cold as it stared down at the dark cracks torn into the earth. A ball of fire burned in its throat before it spat the flame down into the crevices.
"Train for another year and a half before you come back. With your current strength, no matter what you try, you won't pass."
The red dragon took to the sky, seemingly no longer interested in Li Ji's movements.
But then —
"Is that supposed to work?"
Li Ji's voice rose from the cracks, drawn out by the echo of the narrow space. Along with it came a barrage of air bombs, shooting upward at high speed toward the red dragon.
"What—?!"
The red dragon's eyes widened. It had seen Li Ji use these before, but the speed now was on a completely different level. Before, the dragon had time to counter with a mouthful of dragon flame, but now — impossible.
Li Ji floated up from the cracked earth, his clothes still smoldering. He grabbed what remained, yanked them off, and tossed them aside, revealing a physique of lean, powerful muscle — though marred by a dozen blood-streaked wounds, large and small.
"…He got stronger?"
The red dragon wasn't sure if it was imagining it, but Li Ji's muscles seemed to have swelled slightly.
"My turn."
Li Ji cracked his neck and vanished from his spot, reappearing beside the red dragon. His hand, shaped like a blade, slashed at the dragon's thick neck. The blow caused the massive creature's body to jolt in the air, struggling to remain aloft. It took several seconds for it to stabilize.
"Kunlun martial arts?" the red dragon growled through gritted teeth. "I thought you didn't know how to use it."
"I didn't think it was worth using before."
That single sentence was like tossing a torch into a barrel of gunpowder. The tension exploded. One man and one dragon charged at each other. No energy attacks. No distance strikes. Just fists, claws, flesh, and scale clashing head-on.
The more Li Ji fought, the more exhilarated he became. Since arriving in the Marvel world, this was the first time he could truly fight without holding back. His body roared. His blood sang. A war song pounded in his head. The aches, exhaustion, and injuries meant nothing. He was alive in this moment.
The red dragon, equally fired up, felt the old battlelust igniting in its chest. Though its body was under Shou Lao's control, its violent, warlike nature remained intact. In its mind, Li Ji was just an insolent little reptile — and one who dared injure it. Insulting. Unforgivable. It would defeat Li Ji in a fair fight, with brute strength, and crush him utterly.
In the beginning, they still exchanged the occasional taunt, but as the battle escalated, words vanished. There was only the crash of fists and claws, the sound of stone splitting, ground shattering, and the world itself warping around them.
The ground was reduced to rubble. Hills on either side had long since been flattened. A nearby lake had been half-filled with debris. The largest crater nearby had been carved dozens of meters deeper, stones falling into the molten magma below and dissolving into nothing.
Boom! Boom!
Each time their bodies collided, the air across the secret realm trembled. Shockwaves swept outward, stripping trees bare, snapping smaller ones clean in half.
Then —
A huge splash.
Li Ji was sent flying into the lake by a tail swipe, waves tens of meters high erupting on impact. He sank to the bottom, gulping down a few mouthfuls of water before he burst back out with a roar, suspended above the surface. The energy radiating off him carved a vortex dozens of meters wide across the water.
Glaring at the dragon, Li Ji shot forward once again.
It was already six in the evening when Li Ji had entered the secret realm. By now, it was three in the morning. The fight had raged for nine hours straight.
After another fierce exchange, Li Ji finally caught an opening. His elbow smashed into a half-healed wound on the red dragon's back, splitting it open again. The dragon let out a furious roar, its wings flailing in pain, the wind almost blowing Li Ji off his feet. He grabbed hold of a giant boulder, fingers digging deep into the rock to hold himself in place.
The red dragon hovered in the air, panting, unwilling to land but also too wounded to press its advantage.
Li Ji tested the waters several times but found no chance to strike. He stood atop the crater's highest point, staring up at the hovering beast and the moon hanging bright overhead.
"This moonlight… it's messing with me. My head feels cloudy, my instincts dulled."
The moonlight dimly affected his clarity. It was subtle, but in a fight this fierce, every fraction of a second mattered.
Noticing the dragon hesitating, Li Ji took the chance to sit down and regulate his breathing. His body was beyond exhausted, his energy drained, and his injuries starting to pile up.
But the red dragon wasn't done.
Enduring the pain, it dived, launching a surprise attack.
Li Ji barely dodged in time. He leapt back, the light in his eyes sharp. His pupils darkened, a faint flicker of gray appearing at their edges.
"Fine. Let's keep going."
The battle reignited, even more brutal than before. At this point, the naked eye could no longer track their movements. Only the craters forming across the terrain told the story of their fight.
The red dragon's power had clearly increased. Li Ji struggled to match its rhythm. The moonlight's interference worsened, slowing his reactions just enough to let several perfect chances slip by.
And then —
"Damn."
A sharp swing of the dragon's tail caught him cleanly. A sharp, blinding pain erupted in his chest as he was sent flying. Blood sprayed from his mouth. His internal organs churned painfully, his body trembling as it struggled to stay upright.
Before he could recover, the dragon was already upon him. Its massive claws snatched Li Ji from the air, trapping him within their crushing grip.
"Ahhhh!"
Bones cracked. His ribs pressed against his organs. The stinging sensation was unbearable.
But —
Li Ji's voice tore through the secret realm once more.
This time, it wasn't a scream of agony.
It was a battle cry.
*******
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