Boom~~~
Xiao unleashed a punch, and its immense power directly shattered the Dragon-Human Elder before him.
However, to everyone's surprise, the fragments did not die. Instead, they rapidly reassembled, once again forming the Elder's original appearance.
These Elders unexpectedly possessed the power of immortality as well, and their immortality was even stronger.
Upon closer inspection, Xiao could even see that these pale Elders all bore marks similar to the white patches on Wolf's cheeks. Those white patches were the side effects of excessive use of the Dragon's Heritage.
This indicated that they might all have once been second-generation users of the Dragon's Heritage like Wolf, and the ultimate fate of all second-generation Dragon's Heritage users was to become these Half-Dragon Elders within this dream, eternally serving the Sakura Dragon.
"Leave..."
"Leave our god..."
A series of low, mysterious voices echoed among the Dragon-Human Elders, sending chills down one's spine.
As the voices reverberated, more Half-Dragon Elders emerged from the mist one after another, continuously surging toward Xiao.
These Elders, with dragon heads and human bodies, poured out from the fog, surrounding Xiao like a pack of hyenas facing a lion, their eyes filled with both fear and greed.
Facing these Dragon's Heritage users who possessed the power of immortality, Xiao unhesitatingly drew his Hunting God Greatsword, intending to bestow Destined Death upon these crazed beings.
The Hunting God Greatsword swept through the air with fierce momentum, cutting through the horde of monsters as the Elders' bodies shattered one after another.
Then, under the black-red flames, they crackled like burning grease and were completely destroyed.
This time, the power of immortality they possessed could no longer restore them.
Under the burning black-red flames of Destined Death, the Elders' dry, wood-like bodies ignited like kindling, becoming excellent fuel for the fire.
As the flames rose higher, their bodies gradually charred, eventually turning to ash and dying completely.
Xiao stepped forward, advancing toward the ancient Sakura tree ahead.
From within the mist came a faint low roar, as if a dragon's cry echoed through the fog.
Yet in Xiao's ears, the sound transformed into words:
"Newborn god, leave my world. Do not approach."
"Do not advance. You are not welcome here..."
"I do not wish to become an enemy of the Greater Will!"
However, Xiao was not moved by these warnings.
The Sakura Dragon's weakness and his desire for Great Runes caused him to ignore all warnings and continue forward.
Realizing that its warnings were futile, the Sakura Dragon finally acted, revealing its true form from within the mist.
From the blooming ancient Sakura tree, a slender and graceful pale dragon slowly emerged.
Its neck and head were entirely those of a four-clawed Eastern dragon, while its lower body resembled the robust, wingless body of a Western dragon.
The dragon's limbs appeared incomplete. Of the two claws it should have possessed, only one remained, clearly showing signs of severe injury.
Looking farther down, most of the Sakura Dragon's body had already become woody, merging with the gigantic ancient Sakura tree. Its roots spread throughout the entire land of Ashina.
This bizarre combination made one feel distinctly uncomfortable, and Xiao could not help but frown.
"There's no beauty in this at all."
Immediately afterward, the Sakura Dragon pulled a treasured sword from the ground.
The sword possessed a peculiar design, with branch-like forks extending from its blade and a soft glow resembling moonlight.
More than a weapon, it looked like a ceremonial artifact—a beautiful work of art.
The Seven-Branched Sword.
Accompanied by a deafening dragon roar, the Sakura Dragon swung the great sword and attacked Xiao.
The sword wind surged forth with the force of a collapsing mountain and a reversing sea, majestic and unstoppable.
However, for Xiao, who had experienced the Shattering War, such an attack was hardly unfamiliar.
Compared to this, Radahn's meteor had been a hundred times more spectacular and awe-inspiring.
Faced with such a powerful assault, Xiao did not move.
He stood firmly in place and received the incoming sword wind head-on with his body, absorbing all the attacks rushing toward him.
These attacks possessed no enhancement from laws whatsoever.
They were purely physical force, and no matter how numerous they were, they merely supplied energy to Xiao.
After absorbing the Sakura Dragon's attack, Xiao swung the Hunting God Greatsword with all his strength, unleashing an even more powerful and ferocious sword slash infused with Conqueror's Haki.
For a moment, the sky darkened and the weather changed.
Countless cracks spread around the sword slash like a spiderweb, producing sharp sounds resembling shattering glass.
As the sounds echoed, the cracks rapidly expanded before exploding outward.
Xiao's strike was astonishingly powerful, already exceeding the limits the dream world could withstand.
This world could no longer contain such overwhelming force, and the attack directly blasted the Sakura Dragon out of the dream realm.
Seeing this, the Sakura Dragon hurriedly swung the Seven-Branched Sword, attempting to block the terrifying slash.
However, the attack was simply too fast.
The Sakura Dragon could only continuously swing its sword, barely resisting the strike with all its strength.
Yet the fierce Conqueror's Haki slash still landed upon its body, carving a massive wound into it.
"Awooooo~~~"
Realizing that Xiao's strength was far beyond its expectations, the Sakura Dragon no longer held back.
It released a sky-shaking dragon roar.
In an instant, the heavens darkened beneath dense storm clouds.
Golden bolts of lightning descended from the sky like giant dragons baring their fangs and claws, viciously lunging toward Xiao.
Facing the Sakura Dragon's attack, Xiao sneered.
"Trifling tricks, daring to show off before an expert!"
He watched as the Great Rune within him instantly transformed, switching from the Necromancy Rune to the Sky Rune.
Although the Sakura Dragon's lightning appeared grand in scale, it was actually loose and weak.
This level of attack was child's play before the Sky Great Rune, which had storms and lightning as its very foundation.
"Lightning Reversal!"
Xiao spoke softly.
The golden lightning bolts, which had already come within a finger's breadth of him, suddenly halted.
Then they reversed direction and shot back toward their caster, crashing heavily into the Sakura Dragon.
The Sakura Dragon let out a miserable cry.
Its scales were blasted away, and blood sprayed from its wounds.
With a pained wail, its slender body finally swayed before collapsing heavily to the ground.
Xiao floated before the Sakura Dragon and looked down at it with cold eyes.
A disdainful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"A completely one-sided battle. It doesn't even pique my interest."
"Is this truly the Dragon God?"
His voice was filled with mockery and contempt, as though the enemy before him was not worth mentioning at all.
The Blasphemous Serpent suddenly spoke, reminding Xiao:
"It's more like a rotten tree spirit than a dragon."
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