Chapter 36
"If you want to leave this secret realm," the red dragon said, its voice calm and steady, "you'll have to kill me and claim the Immortal Heart." It radiated utter confidence, completely unshaken by the fact that Li Ji had absorbed some of the Phoenix Force.
"Then let's find out who wins," Li Ji answered coldly, his figure suddenly vanishing and leaving a fiery afterimage in his place.
"You learned to control it this quickly? Impressive… as expected from the Kunlun descendant who could trigger the strongest trial. But it's a pity, really — you were tricked by Phoenix." The red dragon dodged Li Ji's attack, its massive body soaring backward through the air.
Li Ji had only ever heard bits and pieces about the ancient conflict between Kunlun and Phoenix. The Marvel comics he'd read barely touched on it — only a vague mention of Wu Fengji, the Iron Fist of Kunlun, shattering the Phoenix upon its arrival on Earth ages ago, sealing part of its power, and fusing it with the immortal dragon's strength before vanishing into the cosmic void. But based on how Lei Gong and Shou Lao had acted, Li Ji was starting to realize the truth wasn't so simple.
"Whatever," Li Ji muttered to himself. "Now that it's part of my power, what's the point in hesitating to use it? There are too many beings in this universe far stronger than Phoenix anyway." Letting go of those doubts, his aura surged outward, and a layer of crimson flame wrapped around his entire body.
"Hmph. The Phoenix Force is powerful, yes… but you've only absorbed a fraction of it." The red dragon bellowed, firing a massive fireball hundreds of meters wide into the sky. The blazing sphere lit up the entire darkened realm like a second sun.
"You're making the same mistake again. Haven't you already taught me what happens when you overreach?" Li Ji sneered. The enormous fireball was so large it moved sluggishly, barely faster than a crawling beast when compared to Li Ji's speed.
"With an attack that slow, I could sit down and sip a cappuccino before it hits me." Li Ji smirked, vanishing and reappearing high above the red dragon's head.
"Damn, did the Phoenix Force boost my speed this much?" he muttered, a little embarrassed. He'd only meant to fly over to the red dragon, but ended up overshooting it entirely.
With a fierce beat of its wings, the red dragon rose to Li Ji's height, its massive eyes locked on him, steam puffing from its nostrils.
Li Ji grinned and struck out with both fists, unleashing dozens of fist shadows in a storm-like barrage. They slammed down on the red dragon, the air itself trembling under the onslaught.
"Roar!" the red dragon howled, curling its wings around its body to shield itself. At the same time, its powerful tail whipped toward Li Ji's back.
But Li Ji ducked and twisted sideways in midair, the tail narrowly grazing past him.
The red dragon spread its wings again, releasing a flurry of transparent wind blades. In the darkness, they were nearly invisible, the only warning being their shrill whistling through the air.
Li Ji didn't bother dodging this time. Clenching his fists, he gathered his Qi, and with an explosive burst, his fiery aura blazed outward. The storm of wind blades disintegrated instantly, leaving behind only a rain of glowing sparks — phoenix fire mixed into his aura.
"The wind fuels the fire… thanks for that." Li Ji snapped his fingers, and the scattered phoenix flames spiraled back around him, burning even brighter than before.
"Hmph." The red dragon growled and lunged at him, but Li Ji darted aside like a ghost. He appeared behind the beast and kicked down hard against its back. The massive creature shuddered and lost control of its flight, plummeting toward the ground.
"I think I'm starting to get a feel for this Phoenix Force," Li Ji mused. "It's not just raw power — it amplifies everything, and it's great for throwing people off."
He raised both hands, condensing an air bomb about the size of a basketball, encircled by phoenix flames. With a flick, he hurled it down. The bomb struck the red dragon's back, blowing open a deep crater in its flesh, exposing bone. One of its wings was torn off entirely, and the phoenix fire clung to its wounds like a curse, searing through muscle and scale alike.
"Phoenix… I'll never forgive you!" the red dragon howled in pain, finally managing to flap its remaining wing and dive into the crater below.
Li Ji frowned, noticing something odd. The giant fireball the dragon had spat earlier was now falling into that same crater.
"Wait… that wasn't meant for me?" Li Ji realized too late. Before he could act, the dragon threw itself directly into the falling fireball.
"Release… the Divine Power of the Immortal Dragon!" The red dragon's crazed voice echoed across the realm. As it roared, golden patterns lit up across its body. It spat a golden dragon flame skyward, signaling the awakening of its ultimate power.
At the same time, a female voice rang out in Li Ji's head. "Kill him, kill him now!" It was the Phoenix, urging him to strike. Li Ji narrowed his eyes, silently debating his next move.
"You know…" the red dragon said grimly, hovering awkwardly with just one wing. "For someone caught up in all this, you're surprisingly honorable. You could've attacked me while I was down… yet you didn't. I almost admire you for it."
"But even if you act noble, I won't let you live. Blame that scheming Phoenix of yours!" The dragon let loose a blast of golden flames. Li Ji instinctively summoned his aura to shield himself, but the divine fire burned through it, leaving a charred mark on his chest. He coughed, feeling a trace of the Immortal Dragon's power invading his body, running wild.
He conjured a ball of phoenix fire, pressing it against his chest to stave off the corruption. His gaze sharpened.
"This just got a whole lot worse."
Li Ji's body blurred, and several afterimages formed around the sky, each carrying phoenix fire and circling the red dragon.
"Pathetic trick." The red dragon sneered. The golden patterns on its body flashed, and a radiant flame enveloped it. The phoenix fire clones Li Ji had conjured were immediately dragged into the golden blaze one after another, vanishing on contact.
"What the… why can't I control those phoenix flames?" Li Ji reappeared in midair, his face grim.
"Phoenix, no matter how many schemes you weave… it'll all be for nothing in the end!" The red dragon's furious voice boomed through the dark realm.
(Note: Honestly, even as the translator of this chinese fanfic, I'm having a hard time digesting this. Its really hard to translate and my head aches just from reading this its cringe and everything here doesn't fit. I'm doing my best to make this as easy as possible to read but even that doesn't seem enough. I just want a second opinion, if you guys think I should keep going I would but if you guys feel the same way as me I'll stop translating this.)
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