The red dragon’s breath represented its rage. Its high-speed dive reflected its bravery. Its thunderous roar was a testament to its violence. The great red dragon, Rex Sanchez, would prove its fearlessness and strength even in a foreign world.
Yes. That was exactly how it should be.
“I didn’t expect us to meet again. It’s truly nostalgic,” a calm, young voice echoed, startling the dragon. It was Xu Xi’s voice—the voice of the man known as the first beneath the gods, the demon who had once single-handedly subdued Dragon Island.
At this moment, Xu Xi had just received word from Zhang Yaoguo.
To assess his strength as a Holy Domain Magister, one of the top powerhouses from the Extraordinary General Administration, the sanctuary-level red dragon was rapidly approaching Yanshan City.
Xu Xi remained unfazed.
His strength was built on solid foundations forged through rigorous simulations. Even if a demigod appeared, he had full confidence in his ability to win.
What Xu Xi hadn’t expected, however, was that this so-called sanctuary-level red dragon was a familiar figure from the simulated world—the very dragon who had helped him cultivate dragon blood grass in his courtyard.
“Fate is truly wondrous,” Xu Xi remarked. “It seems I’ll have the chance to grow dragon blood grass in the real world as well.”
The wand shimmered, charged with the forbidden spells of four elemental attributes:
[Earth Attribute: Disintegration of All Things]
[Fire Attribute: Flame of Silent Destruction]
[Thunder Attribute: Thunder of Doom]
[Light Attribute: Thousand Blades of Radiance]
As the elemental powers converged, Xu Xi smiled faintly and flicked the wand with practiced precision. The tip lightly struck the dragon’s head.
A soft tap. The forbidden spell’s version.
[Ding!]
The world fell silent, save for the dragon’s cry.
“Woo—!!!”
The red dragon’s scales shattered, its blood sprayed into the air, and its enormous body was sent hurtling backward.
The power of four forbidden spells exploded at the point of contact, tilting the dragon’s head and propelling its body like a blazing red meteor across the sky.
The air roared with the force of its trajectory, and the wind howled in Xu Xi’s ears.
The dragon crashed into a distant mountain with earth-shaking force. Rocks tumbled down, dust billowed skyward, and the dragon was deeply embedded in the mountain’s side.
Dizzy and disoriented, Rex Sanchez groaned.
But years of battles had given it a remarkable ability to endure head-on attacks, and it quickly regained its senses.
“By the Dragon God! I must retreat immediately!”
“Strategic retreat!!!”
The dragon flapped its damaged wings, struggling to lift off. Its scarlet scales were tarnished, and its movements were shaky. Yet, as soon as it took to the skies, a figure appeared above it, wreathed in volatile magical elements. Flames crackled, lightning surged, and explosions filled the air with a palpable intensity.
The red dragon’s eyes widened in terror
. With a forced laugh, it stepped back. “Hahaha! What a coincidence! I didn’t expect to meet you here. It seems I’ve come at a bad time…”
“No, you’ve come at the perfect time,” Xu Xi replied with a smile.
Hovering in the sky, Xu Xi looked down at the trembling dragon.
His expression was gentle, almost kind, but the overwhelming aura of magic surrounding him told a different story.
In the simulated world, Xu Xi had become a Sanctuary Mage by his fifties. However, relentless pursuits by gods and churches had denied him the opportunity to unleash his full power. Now, with the red dragon as his sparring partner, he finally had a chance to test his strength.
“Domain, expand,” Xu Xi said softly.
In an instant, a super-complex domain of a dozen elemental attributes engulfed the surroundings. The red dragon’s fire domain was crushed as Xu Xi’s domain established a small world where his power reigned supreme.
The red dragon roared in defiance.
“No! You can’t do this! I demand a complaint!”
“Curse you, human! I’ll show you the true power of a dragon!”
Rex Sanchez charged forward, its enormous body shrouded in surging flames. Every muscle bulged, and the air around it vibrated with the force of its dragon language magic.
Xu Xi’s expression turned serious as he prepared for the attack, but before he could respond, there was a sudden bang. The dragon had abruptly stopped its charge, flapping its massive wings as it retreated at full speed.
“Hahaha! You’ve fallen into my trap! This was my escape route all along!”
“Dragon Whisperer, goodbye!”
Hearing the dragon’s triumphant voice, Xu Xi was momentarily confused. “Strange. Do I look that scary?”
He shook his head, suspecting that the red dragon’s fear stemmed from the second simulation, where Krisha’s relentless attacks had left a psychological scar.
Xu Xi raised his hand slightly, and the power of his domain surged forth. It bound the fleeing dragon mid-air and sent it crashing heavily to the ground. Rex Sanchez was stunned. Its bewildered expression was almost human-like as it realized how effortlessly it had been subdued.
The dragon broke into a cold sweat and hastily adopted a flattering demeanor. Rubbing its claws together, it began praising Xu Xi’s skillful capture, desperate to save itself.
“Your name is… Rex Sanchez, right?” Xu Xi asked.
“No, no, no! That’s too formal. Just call me Xiao Hong!” the dragon stammered, trying to appear docile.
Despite its efforts, its ferocious face made any attempt at looking pitiful seem laughably ineffective.
“Don’t worry. I’m not interested in your life,” Xu Xi assured. “I captured you for a simple test.”
“Thank you for your kindness!” the red dragon exclaimed in relief. But its joy was short-lived.
Xu Xi’s “test” involved using the red dragon as a target to analyze forbidden spell evasion and defense techniques.
Sanctuary-level magic battles often involved forbidden spells, and Rex Sanchez had witnessed many in its clashes with human mages.
But this…
“Gulp!”
The dragon nervously swallowed as it looked up at the twenty forbidden spells descending from the sky.
With a resigned smile, Rex Sanchez muttered, “By the Dragon God… I—Rex Sanchez Astarte Neltharion Akunologia Kakalogita—am no coward!”
The brave red dragon roared with determination.
Compared to dying outright, the challenge of surviving twenty forbidden spells didn’t seem so bad. It unleashed its most potent dragon language magic and red dragon breath to counter half the spells, then flapped its wings furiously, doing its best to dodge the rest while helping Xu Xi measure their range and speed.