Chapter 309: Over the River and Dismantle the Bridge

Zu'an was prepared. With a tip of his toes, he leaped away from his spot.

Seeing the large stone where he had just stood instantly melt under the intense flames, Zu'an swallowed hard. If he had been hit, he probably would have turned to ash in the blink of an eye.

However, he had no time to think, as the dragon unleashed another burst of flames.

Zu'an swiftly employed the Sunflower Phantasm movement technique to dodge. Even so, the scorching air around him singed his hair, making it curl slightly, and he could faintly smell burning.

Worried that Zheng Dan might be burned, he quickly activated the Snowfall Divine Sword technique, enveloping them both in a layer of chilling air. They immediately felt much more comfortable.

The Red Dragon spewed flames several times in succession, but its magical movements allowed Zu'an to evade every blast. The dragon realized that continuously breathing fire was too taxing and might not even be effective.

It decided to stop breathing fire, instead flashing its massive body and lunging at Zu'an.

Zheng Dan hastily cried out, "A'Zu, run! Don't worry about me."

Given the teleportation-like movement technique he had demonstrated earlier, he still had a chance to escape.

And she could help him by delaying the Red Dragon.

At that moment, she was prepared to sacrifice herself, even if it meant sacrificing her purity.

Zu'an smiled faintly, "While I may not be a gentleman, I have never abandoned a friend."

Seeing the carefree smile on his face, Zheng Dan's eyes became slightly moist. "A'Zu..."

She had made up her mind; at worst, they would die together.

They might not live together, but they would die together.

Thinking this way, she felt much luckier than Chu Chuyan.

Just then, the Red Dragon let out a laugh. "Got you!"

In that moment, it had figured out the patterns of Zu'an's movements.

No matter how wondrous the Sunflower Phantasm was, the difference in strength between them was too vast.

In Zu'an's arms, Zheng Dan watched helplessly as a massive claw appeared as if foreknowing their next landing spot. At such a close distance, she could even see the lingering bloodstains on its talons.

That was Chen Xuan's blood from earlier. If Chen Xuan's indestructible body couldn't withstand this attack, how could Zu'an, with his lower cultivation, possibly fare?

Zheng Dan had intended to shield him, but his arms holding her were too firm, and she was too weak to move in front of him.

Instead, she pressed herself tightly against his chest, so that when the dragon's claw pierced his chest, it would also impale her, allowing them to truly become one.

At this moment, Mi Li's voice roared in Zu'an's mind, "Are you crazy? Why didn't you dodge on purpose!!!"

While the Sunflower Phantasm couldn't bridge the gap in their cultivation levels, it shouldn't have been seen through so quickly.

With her keen sight, she naturally saw that Zu'an had done it intentionally.

Zu'an had no energy to spare for a reply. He simply turned his back and met the sharp dragon claw.

Seeing him with nowhere to dodge, the Red Dragon inwardly snorted, thinking, "Indeed, just an ant."

However, noticing Zheng Dan held tightly in his arms, it felt a sudden reluctance. After all, this woman was truly beautiful.

It was about to transform into human form, and this woman was meant to be used to celebrate its transformation.

Although they were different species, higher-grade dragons could transform into human form, so the aesthetic standards of dragons and humans were quite similar.

In fact, not just dragons, but other races also had very similar aesthetic standards.

This was because the human form was widely recognized as the most conducive body for cultivation, so high-ranking members of various races would generally transform into humanoids.

Of course, for some lower-grade races that could never transform into human form, a human beauty might not be as appealing as a sow.

Thinking it a shame for such a beauty to die, the Red Dragon slightly retracted its power in its claw. Even so, the force was still enough to punch a large hole through Zu'an's body.

However, to its surprise, when its claw tip pierced Zu'an's back, it didn't feel the expected sensation of sinking into flesh and blood. Instead, it was as if it had struck a transparent membrane.

It noticed a blue scale suddenly appear on Zu'an's back, which had forcefully blocked its sure-kill blow.

"This is a marine race's..." Before it could finish speaking, Zu'an seized the moment of its stunned surprise. A dark glint flashed in his hand, and a dagger directly cut through a layer of its flesh.

The Red Dragon was startled. "A weapon from an ant like you can wound me? This tiny thing is barely an itch."

Zu'an smiled faintly, "That may not be the case."

The Red Dragon didn't bother to respond. It simply raised its claw and struck at him again. "Ant, die."

Suddenly, its body trembled, and then it cried out in extreme terror, "What's happening... This... this is a curse... Argh..."

Its voice was filled with fear and unwillingness. Immediately afterward, its previously sharp eyes dulled, and its massive body, flying in mid-air, seemed to lose all power, crashing heavily to the ground with a deafening, earth-shattering roar.

"It's really dead!" Zu'an gasped for air. He had actually been unsure, not knowing if the Certain Death Dagger would work on it.

After all, with such a massive dragon and its high cultivation level, it wouldn't have been surprising if the Certain Death Dagger had no effect. He recalled that it hadn't worked on Zhang Han and others in the secret realm before.

However, Zu'an decided to take a gamble. Unlike items such as paralyzing poison bottles, which clearly stated their applicable level ranges, the Certain Death Dagger had no such description.

Theoretically, it should have no level restrictions. As for Zhang Han and the others, it didn't work because they were undead creatures.

No matter how powerful this dragon was, it was still a living being.

Of course, while the Certain Death Dagger's power was extraordinary, it had a drawback: he might not be able to stab the opponent.

Under normal circumstances, even stabbing Chen Xuan would be difficult, let alone this Red Dragon whose cultivation far surpassed Chen Xuan's.

So, he had no choice but to trade injuries, using the opportunity to stab the Red Dragon.

His body had been tempered several times by the Primordial Chaos Scripture, and his recovery ability was astonishing. Even if the Red Dragon stabbed him, he didn't think he would necessarily die.

He just hadn't expected the jade pendant Shang Liuyu had given him earlier to activate.

Recalling what Shang Liuyu had told him, he felt a shiver of post-traumatic fear. Clearly, the jade pendant had determined that the Red Dragon's strike was fatal enough to take his life instantly, which was why it had blocked the attack for him.

At this moment, Mi Li's furious roar filled his mind: "Do you know you almost died just now? If you didn't have such a magical artifact on you, I would have been buried with you..."

Rage from Mi Li +444 +444 +444...

Clearly, she was truly angry.

"But I didn't die, did I?" Zu'an said, somewhat lacking confidence.

Mi Li's spirit form had appeared, staring at him with a grim expression.

Zu'an gave a dry laugh. "Queen Sister, don't be angry. This time was indeed a bit reckless, it absolutely won't happen again."

"Next time? How many lives do you have to play like this? Do you have another magical artifact like that one that can block fatal attacks?" Mi Li sneered.

Zu'an weakly replied, "No, I don't."

At the same time, he secretly marveled at how miraculous the jade pendant Shang Liuyu had given him was, able to block a dragon's earth-shattering blow.

"Where did you get that?" Mi Li asked with some curiosity.

"A friend gave it to me," Zu'an explained Shang Liuyu's situation briefly.

"Next time you have a chance, ask her for a few more," Mi Li said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Zu'an: "???"

"It's such a precious item; it feels a bit awkward to ask her for more."

Queen Sister's cheek was simply too thick.

"Are the words 'awkward' in your dictionary?" Mi Li snorted. "If you truly feel awkward, then just make her your woman. It'd be easier to ask her then, wouldn't it? Anyway, from what I've seen recently, you're quite the philanderer."

Zu'an: "..."

"Queen Sister, what you said makes so much sense, I'm speechless."

Just then, Mi Li spoke again, "Go quickly and retrieve the Red Dragon's inner core. That's a valuable item."

As Zu'an walked towards the Red Dragon, he wondered aloud, "Are there inner cores in this world?"

Last time, when he dealt with the Fiery Jackal, he had also expected to find inner cores or magic crystals like those described in novels, but there was nothing.

As if sensing his confusion, Mi Li explained, "Lower-grade ferocious beasts naturally don't have them, but dragons certainly do. Moreover, this dragon's strength was already at the Grandmaster level."

"Grandmaster?" Zu'an secretly clicked his tongue. This was the first Grandmaster-level being he had encountered. He wondered what Mi Li's full strength had been like.

Mi Li said, "It's well known that ferocious beasts of the same level often have greater combat power than humans. So, even though it was only a Grandmaster, several human Great Grandmasters might not have been able to defeat it. I didn't expect you to trick it to its death."

Zu'an's eyes lit up. "This way, won't I be able to brag about instantly killing a Grandmaster-level expert... wait, no, according to you, it was equivalent to a Great Grandmaster. Wouldn't everyone else be trash?"

"Look at you," Mi Li gave him an exasperated look. "I advise you not to. First, no one would believe you; they'd think you're crazy. Second, if they did believe you, it would be even more troublesome, inviting endless disasters."

"Can't I just satisfy my craving to boast?" Zu'an mumbled, annoyed. As he spoke, he had already followed her instructions and retrieved an inner core from the Red Dragon's head.

A dragon's body was incredibly resilient, even in death, and not easily pierced by ordinary swords or knives. Fortunately, he had the Certain Death Dagger, truly an artifact for breaking defenses.

The entire inner core was rose-red, faintly emitting a gentle warmth.

"A Grandmaster-level inner core is extremely rare, truly a priceless treasure," Mi Li praised.

Whether used to assist fire-element awakened cultivators, or for refining weapons and elixirs, it was a top-grade item among the best.

Mi Li glanced at the dragon's corpse beside them. "Moreover, a dragon's entire body is a treasure. It's a pity it's too large to carry away. If only we had a spatial ring or something."

However, she quickly shook her head. Even a spatial ring wouldn't have such a massive capacity.

Just then, a seductive groan drifted from nearby. Zu'an slapped his forehead. "Oh, no, I almost forgot about her."

The poison Zheng Dan had ingested must have fully taken effect. He wondered if her body could withstand it much longer.

He rushed over to help her up. At this point, Zheng Dan's skin was as red as a cooked shrimp. He quickly channeled a surge of chilling energy into her body.

Zheng Dan finally regained a sliver of consciousness. Seeing Zu'an, she immediately pushed him away. "Don't touch me!"

Zu'an: "..."

"My lady, you're burning bridges a bit too quickly, aren't you?"

"A'Zu is dead, I don't want to live either!" Zheng Dan showed a desolate expression and directly swung her hand towards her head.

Zu'an was startled. He quickly went to stop her. "What's wrong with you? I'm right here, perfectly fine. Are you delirious from the heat?"

Zheng Dan glared at him resentfully. "Evil dragon, don't think I don't know you killed A'Zu and then deliberately disguised yourself as him! Do you think I'd submit to you like that?"

Zu'an: "???"