Future Overlord shot forward, his body cutting through the air—
Then crashed down with overwhelming force.
The ground trembled beneath him.
He looked like a warrior carved from endless battles… a hero forged in blood and ruin.
Behind him, the old man quietly closed the door.
"…How didn't Renewal find you?" he asked.
Future Overlord remained silent.
The old man shook his head lightly.
"Yao Ming is distracting him. He's negotiating… buying you time."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"So… the deal is made."
Future Overlord crossed his arms, then slowly pulled out an artifact.
A heart.
Burning.
Flames pulsed inside it as if it were alive.
He held it out.
The old man's eyes gleamed beneath his hood as he reached forward, fingers brushing the surface.
"…This is your second heart, Future Overlord."
Future Overlord nodded.
"Flame Heart," he said calmly. "It lets you withstand almost any attack… and live for hundreds of years."
A pause.
"…But you already know the cost."
The old man smiled faintly.
"So that's how you lived for five hundred years… and appeared in this era."
His gaze sharpened.
"But how did you obtain it? This shouldn't exist outside the Peak Artist Realm."
Future Overlord's expression didn't change.
"It was given to me," he said.
"By the one who nearly killed me."
"…My killer. And my father figure."
Silence filled the room.
"But I survived," he continued. "Because of another
artifact."
Future Overlord's voice remained steady.
"The Revived Nest Artifact. As long as my heart isn't completely destroyed… it restores my state."
The old man's smile deepened, interest flickering in his eyes.
"And now," he said softly, patting his chest, "you're giving this to me?"
Future Overlord nodded once.
"It's a secret I can't explain."
A pause.
"…But you know why I'm giving it to you."
The old man held his gaze for a moment—then turned around.
"Of course."
He lifted his hand.
"Then let me show you your reward…"
He snapped his fingers.
The space around them distorted—
And his realm opened.
A roar erupted.
Not just sound—
Power.
A dragon's roar shook the heavens themselves. Even the Immortals outside staggered, their bodies trembling as fear crept into their bones.
Among them, Wo Shong Tin nearly collapsed.
Then—
It appeared.
A massive dragon stepped out from the fracture in reality.
Its two horns burned with raging flames.
Its scales shimmered like molten armor, each one radiating heat strong enough to incinerate flesh.
Its teeth—razor-sharp—glowed as if they could burn a man to ash with a single bite.
Its tail, strangely, was feathered—yet no less terrifying.
Six powerful arms extended from its body, each ending in clawed hands capable of tearing space itself.
Smoke poured from its nostrils… from its ears… even from its mouth.
The old man smiled.
"You cannot take the artifact directly," he said calmly.
"First—you must weaken it."
He glanced at Future Overlord.
"But sadly… this dragon is already at the Sage Artist level."
A slight pause.
"Someone like you, at Little Grade Stage Three—"
"Who decides that?"
Future Overlord's voice cut through the air.
He rose into the sky.
Power surged around him as he summoned his artifact.
The old man's smile widened.
"If you succeed in enslaving it…" he murmured, "this dragon could reach Peak Artist Stage Five."
The crowd froze.
Raising a mystical beast to that level…
It was a dream.
No—
A legend.
Yet everyone knew the truth.
A beast awakened at such a level would carry resentment. Even if enslaved, it would one day rebel… and devour its master.
No wonder Future Overlord was willing to risk his life.
It was a fair trade—
And a deadly scheme.
If he failed…
He wouldn't just lose.
He would die.
But Future Overlord didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward.
His fist clenched.
"I traded everything," he muttered.
"All my artifacts from the Wood Realm…"
"…for this one."
A faint laugh escaped him.
"Let's see what it can do."
A small blue light appeared in front of him.
It expanded—
Growing larger…
And larger—
Until it formed a massive hand, woven from roots and ancient energy.
It expanded—
Growing larger…
And larger—
Until it formed a massive hand, woven from roots and ancient energy.
The air trembled.
Then—
It slammed down.
BOOM!
A sonic explosion rippled outward, shaking the land.
The Immortals watching stood froze
their minds unable to process the sheer force of the impact.
Dust and shockwaves swallowed the battlefield.
At the center—
The dragon's head was forced downward.
For a moment…
It seemed like it worked.
The massive hand of roots pressed against its skull, bending its posture, cracking the ground beneath its weight.
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Impressive."
But then—
The dragon's eyes flared.
A deep, furious glow ignited within them.
ROOOOAR!!!
With terrifying strength, it pushed back.
The root hand trembled—
Then shattered.
Wood fragments exploded in every direction as the dragon tore itself free, its six arms ripping through the construct like it was nothing.
In the next instant—
It vanished.
Then—
Reappeared above Future Overlord.
Too fast.
Way too fast.
Future Overlord's eyes widened slightly—
But he reacted.
He threw another punch forward—
BAM!
The air exploded again.
But the dragon twisted midair, narrowly dodging the attack, its massive body moving with impossible agility.
Then it struck.
Its body slammed into Future Overlord like a falling star.
BOOOOM!!
He was sent flying—
A straight line through the sky, like a cannonball tearing through clouds.
Then—
CRASH!!
His body smashed into the ground, carving a deep crater into the earth.
Silence.
For a brief second…
Silence.
Then—
A low sigh echoed.
The old man waved his sleeve lazily.
"…What a foolish deal."
He turned away.
"Thanks for the artifact."
The door opened.
Then—
SLAM.
Closed.
The battlefield remained.
And in the crater—
Future Overlord slowly moved.
Blood dripped from beneath his
mask.
A thin line of red ran down his neck, dripping onto the shattered ground below.
For a moment…
He didn't move.
Then—
His fingers twitched.
He pushed himself up.
Slowly.
Unsteadily.
But his aura—
Didn't weaken.
If anything…
It grew sharper.
His head tilted slightly—
And his gaze shifted toward the crowd.
They froze.
Every single one of them.
Immortals. Clan elites. Wanderers.
Even the strongest among them felt it—
That cold, suffocating intent.
Wo Shong Tin was the first to react.
He clenched his teeth—
Then shot forward like an arrow, tearing through the air toward Future Overlord.
"Master!" he shouted. "What do you need me to do?!"
Future Overlord didn't look at him.
His eyes remained on the dragon… now descending from the sky, its massive wings casting a shadow over everything.
"…Good," he muttered.
Then—
He moved.
In a flash, he appeared behind Wo Shong Tin.
"Be the victim."
And then—
He dropped.
Wo Shong Tin's eyes widened.
"…What?"
Too late.
A massive shadow loomed above him.
The dragon's tail rose—
Then slammed down.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The air itself compressed into a violent torrent, crashing downward like a heavenly punishment.
Wo Shong Tin was struck midair—
His body shot straight into the ground like a meteor.
CRASH!!!
The earth split open.
A massive crater formed instantly, cracks spreading like a web across the battlefield.
At the center—
Wo Shong Tin lay broken.
Blood burst from his mouth.
Several teeth
from its nostrils as it stared down at the fallen figure.
Wo Shong Tin's vision flickered.
Pain.
So much pain he couldn't even scream.
His body lay twisted at the center of the crater, barely holding together.
Above him—
Death hovered.
The dragon slowly lifted one of its massive claws…
Preparing to finish it.
But then—
A presence appeared behind it.
Silent.
Cold.
Future Overlord.
Blood still dripped from beneath his mask, but his posture was steady—unshaken.
His fist rose.
The air around it began to distort.
"Heh…" a faint, broken chuckle escaped him.
"Got you to look away…"
The dragon's eyes shifted—
Too late.
Future Overlord stepped forward and punched.
Not at the dragon—
But at the air itself.
"Curse Flower… Crushing Power."
For a split second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The space around the dragon
Twisted with a small cry
Of eagle
As then a wooden eagle appeared as if open it beak and roar at the dragon