Blood vessels bulged and writhed all over his body, like worms wriggling beneath his skin. His skin itself was a dark crimson due to the surging blood, and a power that kept emerging made Li Xi's entire aura ascend. The surrounding lightning and misty clouds were forcefully pushed back, creating a zone within a meter of Li Xi that seemed like an energy forbidden area; no energy could approach his body.
Seeing this, Adrian, standing before him, exchanged glances with his two dragon heads, their expressions filled with disbelief. They could both tell that Li Xi's surging aura was powered by pure physical strength, not magic or battle qi. To reach such a state with just the body was something even their seven-level Golden Twin-Headed Dragon form could not achieve.
"With this, I can take you down," Li Xi said with a slight smile, having adapted to the explosive power within him. He moved slightly, and it was as if a bomb had detonated in the air. A single burst of movement could suppress the roar of countless thunderbolts, causing the air to churn and winds to swirl, like the harbinger of a coming typhoon.
Adrian's four dragon eyes frantically tracked Li Xi's movements. In his sight, though Li Xi was fast and left afterimages in the air, he was still within his visual range.
"I can still see you."
As if to bolster his own courage, Adrian shouted. But his voice had barely fallen when the sky behind him erupted. Li Xi's crimson figure appeared.
"Bang."
Li Xi's leg chopped down, striking the joint between Adrian's wing and his back.
"Crack."
Half of Adrian's wing instantly drooped powerlessly. Adrian, like a bird with a broken wing, spiraled uncontrollably in the air.
If there was one thing Li Xi was most familiar with in this foreign world, besides Aisi and Avril, it was dragons. After all, he was a dragon descendant himself, and naturally knew the weak points of dragon flight.
For a dragon weighing hundreds of tons to fly, these wings were indispensable. Therefore, as long as the wings were broken, Adrian had no choice but to descend and engage Li Xi in a head-on, man-to-man confrontation.
Furthermore, while Adrian's eyes could keep up with Li Xi's movements, his body could not match Li Xi's speed. His massive physique was his advantage, but also his disadvantage. Such a large frame prevented him from making fine, precise movements.
"Ah!"
Adrian's pained groans could be heard throughout the ancient castle. Li Xi did not let up just because Adrian was injured; he retaliated with the same ferocity he had been suppressed with earlier. Sudan Novel Network.
Two lightning breaths and the aerial lightning controlled by Adrian relentlessly pursued Li Xi, but such attacks now seemed as weak as a snail's threat in Li Xi's eyes.
As if appearing by tearing through space,
"Bang!"
Another downward kick. Li Xi's leg split the very air as it moved.
"Crack!"
The other wing was, without surprise, also kicked off.
"No!"
This time, Adrian plummeted towards the ground without any suspense. The mercenaries below, seeing this, scattered in panic once again. Previously, it was just Li Xi falling; now it was a dragon of Adrian's size, half a hundred meters long. The affected area could only be larger. Only those who were unafraid of death and sought liberation would foolishly remain to watch the spectacle.
"Li Xi has such a trump card. His combat power instantly increased by dozens of times. This trip was not in vain. Aside from not having a domain, Li Xi is now indistinguishable from an eighth-level expert."
"Magnificent, magnificent! Adrian is definitely going to lose. Spectacular, absolutely spectacular!" Adler lavished praise without reservation, his entire body trembling like a sieve, as if he were the one displaying divine might and defeating Adrian in the sky.
"Hmph, as if you needed to say it. Has Princess Philin's judgment ever been wrong?" Kellychia's lips curved upwards in a smile as she watched Li Xi display his might. Few people in this world earned her praise, and Li Xi's performance clearly satisfied her. To achieve such accomplishments at such a young age was indeed proof that heroes emerge from youth.
The Grand Princess, watching Li Xi kick the fifty-meter Golden Twin-Headed Dragon out of the sky with just two kicks, nodded rarely. Such strength was indeed beyond that of ordinary people. If Li Xi had not had those two confidantes, perhaps Grand Princess Filmer might have accepted him as her brother-in-law at this very moment.
"Pursue the routed enemy with the momentum of victory; do not imitate the arrogant King of Western Chu." Seeing Adrian, who had crashed heavily onto the ground and had not yet recovered, Li Xi naturally could not let such a good opportunity slip away. A Golden Dragon at the peak of seventh level like this could heal minor injuries like fractures in an instant if given a chance to breathe.
"Rikudo Sennin..."
Li Xi's low growl still echoed in the air, while his figure disappeared with even greater speed, leaving behind a rumbling spatial corridor as he charged towards Adrian.
"Danger, danger, danger!"
Every scale on Adrian's body screamed of life-threatening peril, urging his main body to flee this dangerous place quickly.
However, Adrian, who had just crashed heavily onto the ground, had not yet recovered. His internal organs were shaken to the point of wanting to vomit violently. No matter who fell from such a height, surviving was a miracle. Adrian not being injured was already impressive; where would he find the time to react?
His four dragon eyes frantically searched for Li Xi's figure. Suddenly, he saw it. His eyes widened to be rounder and redder than lanterns on the fifteenth of the lunar month, because he saw a seemingly tiny, yet immensely threatening fist coming towards his face.
"Boom!"
The mercenaries nearby had long since stopped fighting. Such a rare battle scene had to be witnessed firsthand; it was a spectacle that money could not buy.
However, facing Li Xi, who had unleashed 'Rikudo Sennin', apart from a few top-tier sixth-level professionals like Bruce, Alisa, Ivan, and the Barbarian Kai Chi, no one could even see Li Xi's shadow. All they could hear was the 'boom, boom' of shattering air and the vacuum left by Li Xi's passage.
Li Xi's punch landed squarely on the forehead of one of Adrian's dragon heads, the hardest part of a dragon's bone.
How monstrous Li Xi was now! With a single punch, one of Adrian's dragon heads was almost torn off at the neck, like soft noodles. The air behind the dragon head even formed a large, swirling vortex, and the water vapor in the air was condensed into white mist, allowing onlookers to directly experience Li Xi's ferocity.
As everyone witnessed the air vortex, it felt as if their hearts were being squeezed by an invisible hand, about to be crushed in the next moment. Consequently, they all held their breath, fearing that even a slight sound they made would make them Li Xi's next opponent.
The second dragon head opened its maw, intending to breathe fire at Li Xi. This was the fastest skill dragons could unleash. Adrian wanted to use his innate abilities to force Li Xi away and gain a moment to breathe.
Unfortunately, Adrian's current speed was utterly insufficient against Li Xi, who had opened the fifth gate. With another simple straight punch, the second dragon head, just as it was about to open its mouth, also had a large air vortex blasted behind it. Both dragon heads then slumped limply to the ground.
The next moment, the fifty-meter-long Golden Twin-Headed Dragon shrunk. A golden man lay unconscious on the ground, his face pale, his limbs twitching involuntarily. A clear fist imprint was etched onto his forehead.
Seeing this, Li Xi was certain that Adrian, the Golden Dragon, was no longer able to fight. He quietly dispelled the fifth gate, the Gate of Closure. Even in this short time, Li Xi could feel a slight ache in his muscles. Although it was far from the state where Little Li's entire body would shatter after usage, there were indeed aftereffects appearing.
With the five gates dispelled, and having absorbed the Flame Demon's bloodline, the first four gates could still be sustained. In any case, the most formidable Golden Dragon had been dealt with. There was no one here who could warrant him using the fifth gate. Li Xi turned and fixed his gaze on the other stunned attackers.
He formed a hand seal.
"Earth Style: Earth Flowing Rampart!"
A thick earth wall rose from behind the ancient castle's dilapidated outer wall, its height directly matching three times that of the original wall. Since Li Xi had decided to act, he had to improve his defenses. The original wall was too broken; Li Xi worried it might not withstand the aftershocks of his next battle.
Li Xi leaped onto the wall formed by the Earth Flowing Rampart and looked down at the attackers. His powerful aura, which had defeated Adrian, made everyone unconsciously break out in a cold sweat.
"Leave, or die."
He uttered these ruthless words, offering the attackers their last two options.
"Heh heh, Mr. Li Xi, do you think you can make us all retreat with just a word? Aren't you being a bit overconfident?"
The Barbarian Kai Chi, who had been so frightened last time that he almost lost his shoes, was determined to regain his lost dignity this time. With their nearly two-thousand-strong contingent, even Adrian wouldn't dare claim victory. Why should Li Xi expect them to flee in disarray with a single word?
They were all professionals, and there were precedents for high-level professionals being defeated by lower-level ones through sheer numbers. Whether they could win or not could only be determined through battle.
"You're right. In that case, I'll give you this opportunity. I'll fight all of you alone. If you win, I will no longer interfere with your mission. If you lose, you will give me half the treasure in your spatial rings and will not participate in this mission for the next few days."
Before the attackers could respond, Gallidos looked at Li Xi with concern. There were still over a thousand combat-ready professionals here, most of them at level four or five. Such strength, aside from an eighth-level domain expert, would exhaust anyone else in a fight against so many. Li Xi, no matter how strong, had his limits.
"Brother Li Xi, ......"
"It's fine, I'm confident."
Li Xi's confident demeanor stopped Gallidos. Watching Li Xi, whose aura was as imposing as a towering mountain, Gallidos clicked his tongue in amazement. If Li Xi truly managed to defeat over a thousand attackers alone today, he would be deified. It was a feat only an eighth-level domain expert could achieve. For Li Xi, at seventh level, to accomplish this, his fame after victory would surely surpass all mercenaries, including himself, an S-rank.
Although Gallidos still felt Li Xi's move was somewhat risky, for some reason, he felt a sense of aging.
The three great mercenary groups below also stopped their skirmishes with the attackers, gathering them together to discuss whether to accept Li Xi's challenge.
In fact, the members of the three great mercenary groups were also whispering amongst themselves, wondering if Li Xi could defeat these thousand-plus people. If Li Xi lost, their mission would surely be lost. If he won, how many lives would they save!
"Kai Chi, you have the strongest defense among us. How confident are you in withstanding Li Xi's attack?" a top-tier sixth-level expert asked the barbarian. Seeing Kai Chi hesitate and remain silent, he added, "We want the truth, not empty pleasantries."
All the attackers gathered around Kai Chi. As long as Kai Chi could withstand Li Xi's attack, they would dare to fight Li Xi alone.
The Barbarian Kai Chi rolled his eyes and glanced towards Adrian's position, sneering, "You all saw how Lord Adrian was defeated in two punches. Do you really think my defense is stronger than Lord Adrian's?"
As soon as the Barbarian Kai Chi said this, the others' spirits deflated. Adrian was a Golden Twin-Headed Dragon at the peak of seventh level, and he was knocked unconscious by two punches right before their eyes. It was too... too... too brutal.
"If no one can withstand Li Xi's attack, what's the point of us going up? We're just sending ourselves to our deaths."
"Exactly. While Li Xi might not be able to withstand our thousand-plus people in a war of attrition, whoever goes up first is definitely dead."
"I'll say it right here: if someone goes up first, I'll go up second."
"If you go up second, I'll go up third."
"If you go up third, I'll go up second."
All the attackers chattered like housewives bargaining at a market, discussing endlessly but with no one willing to be the first to charge. Even the hot-headed Barbarian Kai Chi dared not declare he would go up first. He was reckless and headstrong, but not foolish. Judging by the power of Li Xi's punch, if it landed on him, half his body would be blasted into dust.
This clearly showed they were a mob. They would swarm forward for profit in smooth sailing, but would retreat one by one when facing death. If they could truly sacrifice some members to delay Li Xi, Li Xi would never have dared to propose a one-on-one fight. These thousand-plus people were not just farmers wielding hoes, but seasoned mercenaries with actual combat experience. If they were determined to fight, Li Xi would indeed hesitate. Unfortunately, it was they who hesitated now.
Watching these people, who were unwilling to go forward yet feigned righteousness, the Barbarian Kai Chi glared with anger. But he knew his anger was useless. These people were not his subordinates; why should they listen to him? Even if he wanted to test Li Xi's skills, going alone would likely result in one move, so it was better not to fight.
Listening to the buzzing discussion around him, his mind racing, the Barbarian Kai Chi finally lost his temper. His battle qi surged, and he slammed his mountain-splitting axe heavily onto the ground, creating a crack several meters long. "Enough! How can we fight like this? It's shameful! It's a disgrace to be on a mission with you!"
Disregarding the embarrassed faces of the others, the Barbarian Kai Chi shouted towards Li Xi, "We refuse to fight you one-on-one! Let's have an all-out battle to decide the victor!"