Chapter Eighty-One: The Dragon and the Doom

“Die!”
The Yellow Toad Daoist spoke with chilling coldness, raising the Azure Heaven Bamboo in his hand and pointing it skyward. Three devouring divine cores erupted at once, unleashing an endless, abyssal darkness that shrouded the cosmos.
A sinister black mist engulfed the area.
In an instant, all the spiritual energy of the stars was sucked dry—the icy cosmic wind swept up drifting stardust, which vanished without a trace into the blackness.
Feng Shang’s heart surged with battle fervor, fearless and undaunted, as he struck directly at the devouring gloom.
But he was swallowed up, appearing from the outside as a flickering point of light in the dense darkness.
“This black mist… it’s scorching me?”
The moment he entered, Feng Shang sensed the peculiarity here: threads of devouring law crazily seared his flesh, potent enough to melt even divine treasures.
“Be careful. You’ve entered his domain of devouring law—here, nothing is spared. Even the Azure Doom cannot withstand it. Make sure your divine aura covers every inch of you, leave not a single gap.”
Qing Tian’e’s voice sounded in his mind.
“Understood!”
Feng Shang’s heart tightened.
This was a contest between divine lords. He had descended to this realm only briefly, relying on a precious treasure—there was no room for carelessness.
Quickly, the energy of creation boiled up, surging desperately to protect him in this deadly battle. It wrapped him tightly, even his eyes shrouded in white flames, repelling the force of the devouring law.
“If you do not show yourself, I will cut down this boy. Do not doubt my resolve!”
Yellow Toad Daoist’s aura was cold and detached as he approached with the bamboo in hand, each step reverberating through the darkness like a celestial drum, unsettling the heart.
“In the ancient, turbid world, the Cosmic Dragon devours the heavens.”
A weighty voice echoed out.
Then, tendrils of devouring law streamed from the Yellow Toad Daoist’s three shadowy divine cores, spiraling slowly, until they coalesced into a terrifying dark dragon—ten-scaled, nine-clawed, its brow marked with radiant sigils.
“What is that?” Feng Shang was taken aback. Ten scales, nine claws, a radiant mark on its brow, its body long as a serpent, exuding power and majesty—he had never encountered such a creature in the spiritual cosmos.
“That is a primordial fiend, known as a dragon. Even older than my Azure Doom clan. Once, in a bygone cosmic era, they were the first sentient beings, but have long since vanished in the river of time.”
Qing Tian’e’s voice was grave.
Both the earlier spiral dragon and this devouring dragon now bore the true form of a dragon. This yellow toad, it seemed, had stumbled upon a fragment of that ancient beast—perhaps a scale, perhaps a claw.
“A dragon?”

Feng Shang’s mind stirred. Cosmic fiends were vanishingly rare, their natural gifts extraordinary. Their bodies were treasures; some parts could forge sacred arms, making them coveted and hunted by the mighty—almost all were now extinct.
Yet here and now, he beheld a prehistoric fiend; though not its true body, there was a trace of its divine presence.
“Very well—let’s see which of the two great fiends is stronger.” Feng Shang murmured, eyes flashing, eager to witness a clash between cosmic titans.
The dark dragon roared, swallowing sky and sun, its presence infinitely menacing.
“Azure Doom Howls at the Cosmos!”
Feng Shang struck the dragon’s head with his fist, unleashing his clan’s supreme art. In that instant, a fiery red divine core floated from his body.
Part of its essence ignited, burning brilliant and splendid, suffusing him with an aura of eternity. The runes on his body gleamed with newfound radiance, as if injected with wild energy.
This was the divine core gifted to him by the Sea of Flowers.
In his collection, this core ranked above average—its stored power rivaled the Yellow Toad’s devouring core, and when burned, it flooded the Azure Doom Howls at the Cosmos talisman with boundless might.
The World God Talisman had always needed a divine core to be fully activated; relying just on the talisman’s spirit, it could only muster the strength of an ordinary lord. Now, as the core blazed, its power soared.
A deep roar sounded, as if pent up for ages—an ancient Azure Doom phantom appeared in the stars, clearer than ever before.
Its colossal, icy head, with eyes like blood moons—huge as planets—reflected endless gloom. It glanced indifferently at the true dragon, without a trace of emotion, as if lord over all creation, overlooking the myriad beings.
Two true fiends of the cosmic spirit, each rulers of their own era, commanding countless ancient beasts—now met by fate, shaking the heavens and earth as if myth returned to life!
The devouring dragon lashed its tail and roared, spewing a tide of darkness to extinguish the void. Azure Doom, cold and merciless, gripped the dragon’s tail in a divine claw, its baleful gaze twisting as it squeezed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two fiends battled fiercely, unleashing their primal fury. The explosions deafened the stars, the void shattered, the light of law blazing rampant—even the heart of the star system was swept up in the chaos.
Two great stars—one blue, one crimson—hung in the distance, their ancient light now flickering like lamps in the dusk, as frost and flame drew in tightly.
“What fiend is this?”
The Yellow Toad Daoist’s face was grave—he had once acquired an ancient dragon scale, inscribed with a broken imprint of the Dao, allowing him to imitate a hint of the dragon’s presence.
Through long study, he merged it into his law, achieving formidable strength.
The true dragon was famed as the cosmos’ first sentient being.
Thus, even mimicking a sliver of its presence was extraordinary. Yet now, faced with a true rival, he had no advantage.
“Damn it all!”

Smoke flared from the Yellow Toad Daoist’s nostrils—he was incensed. Though he had not lost ground, he was fighting with Feng Shang, who was not a true divine lord.
Would he really need to burn an entire cultivation core to force out the hidden foe?
“Brother Feng Shang is so strong!”
At the edge of the star system, Ying’er’s bright eyes sparkled, her delicate brows soft, her fragile air stirring pity. She gazed at the cataclysmic collision, her lips parted in awe.
Nearly all the stars in the system had been destroyed.
“It’s Uncle Azure Doom who is powerful—Brother Feng Shang is only a minor realm king.”
Qing’er shook her head and said, “Grandpa Nine Mad forged this unique divine talisman with his peerless skill—even saints would covet it.
But though Brother Feng Shang possesses the talisman, he can’t command its full power; its might is greatly diminished. Otherwise, only a peak divine lord could stand against him.”
The World God Talisman’s threshold is sixteen seals, yet Azure Doom Howls at the Cosmos has seventeen.
With just the talisman spirit, it rivals a divine lord. If its wielder is also at that level, their combined strength is far more than the sum of their parts—they would be among the very strongest of this realm.
But Feng Shang is merely a minor realm king.
In his hands, the Azure Doom Howls at the Cosmos talisman is a pearl gathering dust.
…
Thunder rumbled!
The waves of divine power were vast.
Azure Doom and the true dragon tangled together, their enormous bodies blotting out the sky, shattering the stars as if a primeval legend had come to life—an awe-inspiring sight.
This battle was incomparably fierce.
“What are divine lords? Even now, I can fight them!”
Feng Shang threw back his head and howled, his spirit soaring, laughter bursting out uncontrollably. The destruction of stars and the clash of cosmic fiends were his handiwork—his heart thrilled with satisfaction.
The Yellow Toad sneered, lifting the Azure Heaven Bamboo and charging at Feng Shang. He was unwilling to burn his cultivation core—a crystallization of countless years of divine essence—unless at the point of life and death.
He already had a plan. No matter how strong this boy was, he was only a minor realm king. He couldn’t fight endlessly; sooner or later, he would falter!