Chapter 98: The Sword Lives as Long as the Person Does; It Perishes When the Person Does

“I don’t need you to teach me. I know how to handle it myself!” Touching the Dark Dragon and noticing its changes, Rod was momentarily stunned. Gritting his teeth, he declared firmly that he must not let the Dark Dragon get hurt—even if it meant facing the devil himself!
“Do you know where this Dark Dragon in your hands comes from? Do you know its past? Do you realize what will happen if you restore it now? Damn you! Hand it over!” Lilith glared fiercely at Rod, furious. It was the first time Rod had seen her like this, and the only time in their long acquaintance that he had witnessed such intense emotion from her. Even when she encountered that phantom earlier, she hadn’t reacted this way. Back then, Rod realized she must have some connection to that phantom, and even to his own father. Her reaction this time far exceeded his expectations, leaving him somewhat surprised.
“No!” Taking a deep breath, Rod lowered his head, gazing affectionately at the Dark Dragon. After stroking it gently once more, he spoke firmly again.
“Damn you! Hand it over, do you hear me? If you want a sword, I can give you one—something no less powerful than the Dark Dragon: the third among the continent’s top ten divine weapons, the Imperial Sword—Qinglin. How about that?” Rod’s reply drove Lilith to the brink of madness. She hated herself for not realizing the Dark Dragon’s strangeness earlier; if she had, she wouldn’t have ended up in this predicament.
“Boy… hand over the Dark Dragon! If you give it to us… we can resolve our hatred! I won’t pursue you anymore, how about that?” Somehow, Sognar had also arrived beside Lilith. He stared seriously at Rod, spat out some blood, and spoke weakly. Rod could sense his extreme weakness, but his sincere eyes made him realize that Sognar wasn’t lying this time.

Watching Rod, Sognar inwardly groaned in frustration—how could a Dark Dragon appear here? How did this damned calamity end up in this place? If he had known, he would never have tried to deal with this guy. Now, his dragon soul had been consumed, and his life was in the hands of the Dark Dragon, which in turn was in the hands of this boy. Not to mention that the existence of the Dark Dragon made his skin prickle with fear. Weren’t this calamity sealed away thousands of years ago? How could it appear here, and even seem to be breaking free from its seal? He had to destroy this calamity as soon as possible; otherwise, once it returned, everything would be ruined.

“I can give you the Imperial Sword—Qinglin, and even do more for you. Hand over the Dark Dragon, and everything will be fine!” Lilith, unimpressed by Sognar’s reaction, added, as Sognar also knew the origin of this Dark Dragon.

“The sword lives as long as I do; it dies when I do!” Rod remained firm in response to their words.

“Idiot! Do you know what the Dark Dragon is? Do you understand the consequences? Damn you! If I had known, I would have torn you apart back then! Don’t drag me along, Lilith! Why be soft-hearted now? Hurry up and kill this kid while the Dark Dragon isn’t restored, then destroy it!” Rod’s words enraged Sognar. He couldn’t understand where this battered and desperate guy, in a worse state than himself, got such strength and energy to shout like that. Naturally, Rod was quite satisfied with the outcome he had achieved.

“You little wretch, you’re quite something. The sword in your hands is the Dark Dragon—a weapon forged thousands of years ago by the Demon Sword Emperor, Night Dragon, who expended half of his life force. It is said that when it was forged, the heavens shook, thunder roared, purple lightning flashed, all creatures wailed, darkness covered the land, and the earth trembled! Since the emergence of the Dark Dragon, the world has been plunged into bloody battles! Relying on its power, the Demon Sword Emperor led millions of demons in massacres across the land, destroying countless lives and causing widespread suffering. Thus, the birth of the Dark Dragon came at the cost of millions of lives. Many righteous warriors joined forces to kill the Sword Emperor and, out of mercy for the difficult birth of this mystical weapon, sealed it away. The Sword Emperor’s soul was consumed by the Dark Dragon!”

Who would have thought that the Dark Dragon would never change its nature? More than three thousand years ago, it finally reappeared under the light of day, brought forth by none other than the famous war god of that era—Stuart Timothy. With the help of the Dark Dragon and his extraordinary abilities, he conquered the land and achieved the first complete unification of the continent! That time, it once again brought chaos and bloodshed, claiming countless lives and spilling vast amounts of blood. Perhaps after defeating Stuart Timothy, he too sensed the darkness of the Dark Dragon and decided to seal it away. Yet before he could do so, it vanished without a trace, and it is said that its soul was devoured by the Dark Dragon as well! From then on, the Dark Dragon was never heard of again, disappearing from the eyes of the world. With Stuart Timothy’s disappearance, the continent fell into war once more. This time, dark races such as the demons and vampires suddenly rose to power, causing great suffering. It is said that the rise of the demons was related to the Dark Dragon. From then on, everyone realized the terror of the Dark Dragon and resolved to destroy it. Yet no one could find its whereabouts, and of course, some tried to control it to rule the world—each with their own motives.

Its last appearance was a thousand years ago, with the rise of a great emperor—Tiger Leoport. Leoport’s emergence came alongside that of the Dark Dragon. Wielding it, he led his forces to repel the demons and other dark races and unify the continent, yet again through chaos and bloodshed. Many advised Leoport to destroy the Dark Dragon after unification, but he was reluctant to part with it and kept this monstrous creature. Decades later, Leoport too disappeared without a trace, and the continent gradually fell into chaos once more!

Three appearances led to three great wars, and the Dark Dragon became well-known to all and was listed as one of the greatest taboos in the continent!

Its final appearance was a hundred years ago. This time, the Dark Dragon followed an unparalleled warrior. That old monster surpassed the divine realm but violated the rules by interfering in human affairs, attempting to restore the glory of unity from a thousand years ago. As a result, he attracted the pursuit of countless people. That time, the entire continent was thrown into chaos. That old monster, wielding the Dark Dragon, killed indiscriminately, claiming countless lives. Eventually, he was chased to the outskirts of the Source of Darkness. Unable to withstand the pursuit of over thirty powerful warriors, he refused to destroy the Dark Dragon before dying and instead chose to seal it. After sealing it, he threw it away, and thus the Dark Dragon disappeared once again from the world’s sight!

Four times, bloodshed occurred four times. You should know the terror of the Dark Dragon, but its horror goes far beyond that. It is said that if fully restored, it can devour its master’s soul and take control of their body to achieve its goals! So, before it recovers, hand it over quickly so I can destroy it. Such a forbidden entity does not belong in this world!”
Looking at Rod, Lilith took a deep breath and patiently explained that she could not allow such a thing to exist.
At that moment, Rod looked at the Dark Dragon in his hands, feeling somewhat confused and uncertain. He had not expected the Dark Dragon to have such a past, nor had he imagined it to be so evil! Four appearances, each accompanied by bloodshed—truly evil. Although he had learned a little from the two sword sellers, he never imagined it to be even more terrifying than what he knew!
Suddenly, his expression changed. Those two said the sword belonged to their ancestors—so were their ancestors that old monster? Thinking of this, Rod frowned!
It’s also possible that the sword has appeared more than four times, but in those other instances, it appeared in an incomplete form and went unnoticed! In that case, the Dark Dragon awakening in his hands now could be considered the true fifth awakening!
“The sword follows the heart. If the heart is pure, the sword is pure; if the heart is evil, the sword is evil! I don’t believe these claims. Maybe they’re true, but I still can’t hand it over. When the time comes for it to fulfill its purpose, I will give you a full explanation!” Taking a deep breath, Rod looked resolutely at the two of them and spoke firmly.
“Don’t worry. I’ve made a contract with it. It can’t harm me, and I won’t abandon it! You don’t need to worry!” Rod added.
“You… damn you! I’ll tear you apart!” With a roar, Sognar held back his anger and prepared to attack Rod again! But at that moment, a flash of black light from the Dark Dragon caused Sognar to suddenly fall to the ground, writhing in pain and screaming. It took a long time before he could barely stabilize himself.
“You…” Sognar said, his face pale and filled with fear as he stared at Rod.

“Hey, maybe this is fate. Well, since you’re so confident, go ahead. I’ll watch from the side. If one day you lose control, I’ll act without hesitation to destroy you, even if you try to stop me! If necessary… if that moment comes, I’ll destroy you as well! Now, Sognar’s soul has been consumed and controlled by the Dark Dragon; he’s now your subordinate. We’ve completed our first task. Let’s rest for a while here. Once your injuries heal, we’ll head to the next location!” Seeing this, Lilith pondered and hesitated for a long time before finally uttering a weak sigh. Rod refused to let her interfere; she couldn’t kill that man’s descendant! Besides, Sognar’s soul was under control, and if the Dark Dragon was destroyed, Sognar would surely die. He wasn’t afraid, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it either. Despite a thousand years of conflict, a bond of friendship had formed between them! Unconsciously, they had become friends.

“Lilith… you… don’t worry about me. My death is insignificant. As long as the Dark Dragon is destroyed, it’s all worth it!” Hearing Lilith’s words, Sognar shouted loudly. He knew the consequences of destroying the Dark Dragon, but he didn’t care!

“Hey, forget it. This is settled then. I’ll watch. Don’t worry. If we work together, he doesn’t have the strength to defeat us. Even if the Dark Dragon recovers, we still have the power to kill it! We’ll discuss it later. Go and recover first!” With a sigh, two water-based healing spells were cast, covering both of them. Then Lilith slowly spoke. Thanks to the healing magic, their injuries were recovering at a visible pace. It was an ultimate healing spell wielded by a divine-level advanced dragon, with terrifying effects!