Chapter 222: The Fierce Battle Between Dragon and Beast, Man’s Helplessness and the Loss of the Sword of Sad Dreams

At the same time, the white ice fragments condensed even faster. As light spread everywhere, the trees around were frozen under the scorching sun. Within that white light, a pair of blood-red eyes gradually appeared. Watching the ice dragon about to reappear, Liu Yi’s emotions fluctuated—partly out of caution regarding the dragon’s power, and partly out of hope to tame it for his own use.

As the white ice fragments continued to form, the cold air grew increasingly intense. Three feet in front of Liu Yi, it was clear to see the separation between the white, misty cold air and the red, fiery hot air, resembling a colorful painting. But Liu Yi knew that if the white air invaded him, though he might not freeze solid, his movements would be severely hindered. Without further thought, he summoned a fire dragon to protect himself.

As the white light spread violently, a dragon roar followed. Gray clouds rolled in the sky, and echoes of the roar could be heard in the distance, scaring birds and beasts to scatter. The lake’s surface shimmered, with a white ice dragon circling above it, majestic in appearance. Its entire body coiled in the air, surrounded by a layer of white gas. From within that gas, more white ice fragments formed and fell onto the lake.

The ice dragon’s blood-red eyes stared at the tiny human before it, while Liu Yi focused intently on the dragon, subconsciously gripping his sword tighter. Having learned from his previous experience, he knew how powerful the ice dragon was and was prepared to act at any moment. With Tie Shi’s help, he wouldn’t flee in disarray like before.

The ice dragon clearly disliked being disturbed. Seeing Liu Yi there, it could tolerate no further interference. Its huge white mouth opened wide, and a layer of white mist, as solid as matter, shot straight at Liu Yi.

Liu Yi wouldn’t dare neglect this. Having suffered greatly at the hands of this ice dragon before, he knew exactly how dangerous it was. Though the white mist seemed tangible, it was merely mist. If this had been his first time here, he would have used the sharpness of the Sword of Sad Dreams combined with his powerful spiritual energy to cut through the mist. But now, he didn’t think so anymore.

The ice dragon’s special abilities were unimaginable. Even if he tried to cut through it, even if it worked, he would likely freeze solid from the cold. At this moment, Liu Yi had no intention of confronting it head-on. Using the 12th-level mental technique “Lanerfina Qing,” he activated “Hidden Spin Nine Shadows,” combining the “Float” technique with the “Swift” technique. He moved lightly, leaping upward with nine colored afterimages, rising through the mist and landing on a thirty-foot-tall ancient tree.

As he leaped, Liu Yi didn’t want to miss any opportunity. He turned, stretched out his right hand, and with a clang, his black sword drew from its sheath. Empowered by the fire dragon’s special energy, its dark purple blade emitted a scorching glow as it shot straight at the dragon’s head.

Although the ice dragon possessed formidable special powers, Liu Yi had never admitted that it was fast or skilled at evasion. The sword strike at this moment was delivered as he leaped upward, infused with the power of a fire dragon. Regardless of whether its strength could harm the ice dragon, its speed was such that the dragon could never dodge it. With a clang, the sword light struck like hitting stone, producing a clear sound, as a small piece of white ice fell from the dragon’s head into the lake.

Kneeling halfway up a tall tree, Liu Yi observed the ice dragon’s movements, but it was impossible to tell whether the sword strike had actually harmed it. However, the attacked ice dragon seemed extremely enraged, continuously letting out furious roars that echoed throughout the primeval forest.

As the dragon’s angry roars faded, its massive body began to swirl. Its white, angular tail, like a meteor falling from the sky, swept toward Liu Yi’s location. Instantly, wherever the tail passed, ice formed rapidly, knocking down countless trees. The giant tree Liu Yi was perched on was also split in two. Using the momentum of the fall, he activated the “Float” technique from “Hidden Spin Nine Shadows” and dropped to the side. He flipped mid-air and drew his sword, striking again with a clang. The dark purple sword light hit the same spot on the dragon’s head once more, causing another piece of ice to fall. Liu Yi knew that against such a powerful foe, direct confrontation was impossible; he had to seize an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

The ice dragon, now even more enraged after another attack, swung its two ice claws simultaneously. Instantly, six white ice shards shot toward Liu Yi from different directions. Liu Yi dared not be careless—he had already experienced the severity of those ice shards. Using his Level 12 mental techniques, he activated the “Swift” and “Float” techniques to evade as much as possible. Since those ice shards would rapidly freeze anything within ten feet of them upon landing, Liu Yi kept moving as far away as possible.

Despite the chaotic flashes of afterimages, Liu Yi managed to dodge the six ice shards. But the ice dragon refused to stop, its claws continuing to move. The white ice shards fell like snowflakes, not very dense but still posing a serious threat to Liu Yi, making any counterattack impossible for now. If he had the “Four Sorrowful Styles,” he might have a chance, but he couldn’t use them now. He could only focus on avoiding this attack for now and think of a way to counter once the dragon rested.

Yet reality often fell short of dreams. No matter what Liu Yi planned, the ice dragon wouldn’t act according to his wishes. It seemed determined not to stop, its claws continuing to move, with white ice shards flying like snow, constantly attacking Liu Yi.

While dodging, Liu Yi racked his brains for a solution. Just then, with a thud, his body slipped, and he fell backward. The ground had been completely frozen into ice by the ice shards emitted by the dragon. At first, Liu Yi could still move somewhat, but as more and faster ice shards were released, he lost his balance and slipped on the ice.

At this moment, how could the Ice Dragon let Liu Yi go? With a roar, six ice shards shot straight at him. Although their speed wasn’t as fast as Liu Yi’s sword, they were deadly to him who was already on the ground. Without hesitation, Liu Yi quickly drew his long sword with his right hand, flipped it, and plunged it into the ice surface. Then, using his vital energy, he leveraged the force of the sword embedded in the ice to launch himself upward into the air.

He flipped mid-air, dodged the six ice shards, and landed back where he started. Anxious, Liu Yi looked at the Ice Dragon across from him and muttered to himself, “Where is Tieshi? Why hasn’t he come out yet?” Just as he was talking, he suddenly heard a faint chewing sound. Instinctively, he looked up and saw a black monkey perched on a three-zhang-tall tree nearby. The monkey had its ears upright and a pair of horns on its head, and it was chewing on a large red wild fruit.

Seeing this, Liu Yi said, “Come down and help!”

It turned out that the monkey was Tieshi. Tieshi glanced at Liu Yi and said, “Okay, I’m full. Otherwise, I won’t have any strength.”

Hearing this, Liu Yi was almost furious. “By the time you finish eating, I’ll probably be done too,” he said. As soon as he finished speaking, another roar came from the Ice Dragon. The white Ice Dragon left the area above the lake and flew straight toward Liu Yi… The moment the Ice Dragon left the lake, it instantly froze. Wherever the Ice Dragon went, it turned into blue-white ice, pure and beautiful under the sunlight, like a well.

But Liu Yi didn’t have time to admire such beautiful ice, because he knew that if he didn’t dodge the Ice Dragon, he too would become part of that pure, beautiful ice.

Just as Liu Yi gathered his vital energy to dodge, another loud roar was heard. Then, with a thunderous crash, like a bolt from the blue, it echoed throughout the forest. Two mountains descended from the sky, blocking the path between Liu Yi and the Ice Dragon. These mountains weren’t real mountains but rather the giant black monster transformed from Tieshi.

The Ice Dragon itself was also extremely huge, seemingly even larger than Yinlin Xian, but still not as big as Tieshi before him. The Ice Dragon stopped instantly upon seeing the suddenly appearing giant beast. Meanwhile, Liu Yi continued to gather his vital energy while saying to Tieshi, “So you’re finally full and willing to come down and work.”

Tieshi roared back with a deep voice, “I’m not full yet. But if I keep eating a bit longer, you’ll really be done.”

As Liu Yi and Tieshi were talking, the Ice Dragon let out a long roar. Clearly, it was also very annoyed by these unexpected intruders. Its red eyes grew darker, and the white mist around its body thickened, becoming almost solid. Within that mist, white ice shards kept forming and falling to the ground.

Tieshi didn’t care whether the ice dragon was happy to see him appear. His massive claws grabbed the dragon’s tail and, with a single swing, flung it back into the lake. The tremendous force left the ice dragon unable to control its body, and after colliding with the ice surface, it finally stopped moving. It seemed the ice dragon hadn’t expected the giant beast before it to attack so quickly. Angered by the attack, it spat out a mouthful of white mist straight at Tieshi.

Tieshi wasn’t afraid of that cold mist. As his body had grown larger, his resistance had also increased, so the floating gases around the ice dragon couldn’t harm him yet. But the cold energy emitted from the ice dragon in its fury was beyond Tieshi’s ability to withstand. Tieshi wasn’t made of wood either—he wouldn’t just stand there and take hits. With a powerful leap, he soared into the air…

However, Tieshi’s body was simply too large. Despite his fast leap, a little of the white gas touched his feet. It was just a tiny amount, but it was enough. Instantly, the white gas spread from his feet, covering his entire body. In an instant, Tieshi was surrounded by the white gas, and with a flash of white light, his whole body froze into a giant iceberg.

But the nightmare wasn’t over. With his body frozen mid-air, Tieshi lost his strength and plummeted downward. Liu Yi, who was behind him, knew clearly that if Tieshi landed like this, he would surely be shattered into countless ice fragments.

Liu Yi didn’t hesitate. He immediately channeled the condensed true energy throughout his body. His right hand, clad in black gloves, stretched out, flipped, and gripped a sword. With a clang, the long sword emerged, glowing with four colors. Harnessing the power of a dragon and speed, along with the abilities of fire and water, it formed a rainbow-like crescent of light that slashed toward Tieshi’s body.

With a crack, just a few feet before hitting the ground, the ice surrounding Tieshi’s body was shattered by Liu Yi’s sword light. Then, with a thud, Tieshi’s mountain-sized body landed on the ground. The force of the impact sent ice shards flying everywhere. Seeing this, Liu Yi finally felt relieved. If he had been half a second slower in drawing his sword, Tieshi’s body would have turned into scattered ice fragments.

Tieshi’s massive body hit the ground, but it didn’t cause him much harm. On the contrary, he was now extremely enraged. He knew well that if Liu Yi hadn’t shattered the ice around him with his sword, he would have been shattered long ago.

His primal wildness as an animal made Tieshi even more furious. His eyes turned blood red, as if he wanted to tear the dragon to pieces. His huge body stood up again, and the barbs on his body stood upright, appearing extremely sharp under the sunlight. With a furious roar, Tieshi leaped into the air and dashed toward the frozen lake surface.

With a bang, the ice surface was crushed into a pit by the immense force of that footstep, sending white ice shards flying everywhere. Just as the ice dragon began to rise, Tie Shi’s right fist struck it. At that moment, Tie Shi’s fist was as large as a mountain, and its power was beyond human comprehension. With another thunderous sound, the dragon’s head was hit by Tie Shi’s punch, causing its entire body to recoil like an arrow shot backward.

Liu Yi, watching from behind, refused to miss such an opportunity. Using the 12th level of the “Lanerfina Qing” meditation technique combined with the “Ji” technique of “Hidden Spin Nine Shadows,” he grasped the sword hilt with his left hand and placed his right hand directly on the black sword handle. His feet moved swiftly, creating afterimages as he chased after the ice dragon.

Tie Shi did not stop. His animal instincts made him wild and restless. He leaped again, landing right next to the ice dragon, which had just stopped retreating. Raising his right fist, he swung it at the dragon’s body. The ice dragon, unwilling to yield, swung its massive tail. As the dragon was hit, Tie Shi’s body was also struck by its tail. With another bang, he flew backward and landed on the ice surface dozens of feet away.

The ice dragon was powerful, and although the attack was made in desperation, Tie Shi was still injured and unable to get up immediately. The ice dragon was also badly hurt. Tie Shi’s size and strength were hard to estimate, but the force of his punch was no less than that of a falling mountain. Having taken two punches from Tie Shi, the ice dragon could no longer rise above the ice.

While neither Tie Shi nor the dragon could get up, Liu Yi appeared in the sunlight with afterimages, quickly crossing the ice. When he was about ten feet away from the ice dragon, he stepped on the ground with his right foot, leaped diagonally upward, and shouted, “It’s time to end this.” Liu Yi flipped twice in the air before diving vertically downward…

As he fell, Liu Yi summoned the Four Divine Dragons using the 12th level of “Lanerfina Qing” meditation. The power of the Four Divine Dragon shadows formed a protective aura around him. Under the sunlight, Liu Yi descended vertically. With a clang, his black sword emerged from its sheath, radiating murderous intent.

Protected by the aura created by the Four Divine Dragon shadows, Liu Yi easily entered the white space around the ice dragon—where the cold atmosphere originated. But Liu Yi’s target wasn’t that. His black sword was aimed at the dragon’s head, which had already been slashed twice by Liu Yi’s “Sorrowful Dream,” leaving gaps in its armor.

Seizing this opportunity, seeing that the ice dragon could move no more, Liu Yi used the power of the Four Divine Dragons to penetrate the cold aura and subdued the dragon with the sharpness of his “Sorrowful Dream” sword.

Liu Yi didn’t think the protective aura could withstand the cold atmosphere, but there was no other choice. Such a good opportunity couldn’t be missed. As long as he could hold out for one strike, he would know the outcome. Though not overly confident, Liu Yi went ahead. Perhaps… only those who dare to try can get closest to success.

As expected, the combined power of the Four Divine Dragons broke through the Ice Dragon’s icy aura, and with the drive of their powerful vital energy, the “Sorrowful Dream” sword pierced the cracks that had appeared on the dragon’s head. Just as Liu Yi succeeded, he suddenly felt a cold aura entering his body along with the sword, along with surrounding cold air. Liu Yi thought to himself, “This is bad. The Ice Dragon is so formidable that even the protective aura generated by the combined power of the Four Divine Dragons cannot withstand it for much longer.” At this point, Liu Yi’s body could no longer bear the Ice Dragon’s icy aura. His only plan was to draw back the “Sorrowful Dream” sword and quickly leave the dragon’s body. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pull the sword out. With no time to think further, he turned around, channeled his vital energy, and leaped ten zhang away. Everything happened so strangely—the Ice Dragon had been struck by two powerful punches from Tie Shi and was unable to move, yet Liu Yi inserting the “Sorrowful Dream” sword, forged from the Dragon Emperor, into its head failed to subdue it. Not only that, but he couldn’t even retrieve the sword. Had he not caused any harm to it? Or was there another reason? Liu Yi kept pondering these questions. But it seemed the Ice Dragon didn’t give him time to think. With a roar, the dragon’s body spiraled upward into the air, made a few twisting movements, and reappeared before Liu Yi’s eyes. And right in the center of the dragon’s forehead was stuck a long black sword—the “Sorrowful Dream”.