But what really drove him crazy was how the sea was even calmer than before—there wasn’t even a ripple left. It was like every living thing in the ocean had been scared off by Yamata-no-Orochi, leaving nothing behind.
A Divine Dragon is no ordinary creature—it sure as hell isn’t going to just pop out on command!
“Sigh, Ryan, you’re way too optimistic!” Inside his body, the Ghost Elder sighed, obviously disappointed—maybe even hopeless. It was clear that right now, nobody could save them. Death seemed like the only way out.
“You little bastard, no matter how strong you are, there’s no way you can beat Yamata-no-Orochi! You’ve totally pissed it off now, and trust me, what’s coming for you is worse than death! Hahaha!” Across from him, Matsumoto Saikon was yelling with excitement, looking like Ryan was about to get swallowed alive by Yamata-no-Orochi any second, then have his body and soul torn apart, tormented for eternity, and turned into a slave of Japan’s evil god.
Ryan gritted his teeth, burning with unwilling rage. He was the son of Huaxia’s Yama, for crying out loud—how could he let some Japanese evil god humiliate him? He had to fight back. He had to find a way!
And right at that moment, a voice suddenly called out from far away.
“Ryan, I know you’re Ryan Ling! I swore I’d belong to you in life and as a ghost in death—I’m not leaving you behind in a moment like this!”
Ryan was stunned—it wasn’t anyone else, it was Cindy Nang. This crazy girl hadn’t left at all, and now she was actually charging back into the jaws of death.
“Are you nuts? Why’d you come back?” Ryan was speechless. Yamata-no-Orochi was crazy strong and absolutely furious right now—Cindy Nang showing up was basically suicide.
“If you died, what’s the point of me living?” Cindy Nang smiled softly, her graceful figure landing right next to Ryan.
“Ha! I bet the Nang family’s precious princess tastes pretty damn good!” Matsumoto Saikon grinned darkly—he clearly wasn’t about to let Cindy Nang off the hook so easily.
“Screw you—go die!” But Cindy Nang was ready for this. Just as Matsumoto Saikon started his creepy laugh, she suddenly struck, hurling a strange talisman right at him. The talisman was weird—black and white, Yin-Yang on both sides—and the moment she unleashed it, it was like a million ghosts broke loose.
“Yin-Yang Life-Death Talisman? The Nang clan’s warding treasure, in this little girl’s hands? Cindy Nang really is the family favorite!” Inside, the Ghost Elder was shaken—this talisman was no joke.
Ryan was shocked too—the power of that talisman could decide life and death in an instant. It was easily on par with a Dao Artifact strike.
And Cindy Nang was smart about it. She knew that using the Yin-Yang Life-Death Talisman against Yamata-no-Orochi wouldn’t be a fatal blow—after all, it was only as strong as a Dao Artifact, not the real deal. But for Matsumoto Saikon, it was absolutely deadly.
It was obvious—Cindy Nang was planning to drag Matsumoto Saikon down with her, even if she died.
“E-Evil god, save me!” Matsumoto Saikon couldn’t help but scream, but Cindy Nang was way too fast. She totally dodged Yamata-no-Orochi’s gaze, and the talisman slammed hard into Matsumoto’s chest.
Matsumoto Saikon shrieked in terror—even Yamata-no-Orochi’s attack slowed for a second. But it was already committed, no time to change course. And Ryan instantly unleashed his Heavenwood Binding, making sure Matsumoto had zero chance to catch his breath.
“Nice!” Ryan couldn’t help but give Cindy Nang a thumbs-up. Matsumoto Saikon had taken a hit from the Yin-Yang Life-Death Talisman—half his life was gone.
“Heh, don’t celebrate yet—the real trick’s coming up!” Cindy Nang smiled, and suddenly, something tumbled out of Matsumoto Saikon’s chest as he screamed.
Ryan’s heart skipped a beat—that thing wasn’t just anything, it was the legendary Dragon Egg, a true national treasure!
“Genius move, seriously! You’re something else!” Ryan praised her again—he never expected this girl to be so sharp. She’d just pulled off a double kill: taking out Matsumoto Saikon and snatching the Dragon Egg.
Seeing the Dragon Egg roll toward their side, even the Ghost Elder inside Ryan couldn’t help getting excited: “Ryan, grab the Dragon Egg, quick! If you’ve got it, we might actually have a shot at surviving!”
Ryan knew exactly what to do—he’d already used his wood-element immortal arts to yank the Dragon Egg over with his Primeval Heavenwood roots.
But right then, the furious Yamata-no-Orochi snapped free of Ryan’s Heavenwood Binding and charged straight at them, its massive body crushing everything in its path.
Ryan couldn’t hold out at all—a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. Cindy Nang was even weaker; she coughed up blood and collapsed limp in Ryan’s arms. She was in agony, but somehow at peace inside.
“Dying in your arms—that’s not so bad.” Cindy Nang murmured, snuggling closer to Ryan, her eyes already closing.
“You idiot, I’m not letting you die so easily!” Ryan took a deep breath and summoned a powerful defense—not just any wood-element shield, but one powered by the Dragon Egg’s shell itself. The moment he touched the egg, he knew what to do. Plus, with the Dragon Scale’s recognition, the Dragon Egg felt naturally close to him.
But Yamata-no-Orochi was just too strong. Saint-Realm power was unstoppable—no force could block it. Even the Dragon Egg’s shell was fragile in front of it.
Ryan barely managed to catch his breath for a few seconds before the Dragon Egg’s defensive wall started to crumble, almost instantly on the verge of shattering completely.
“This guy’s insane!” Ryan swallowed hard, coughing up blood again. Forget Cindy Nang—even his own face was pale as a ghost, and the whole ground of Sansha Island was sinking.
“Ryan, jump in the sea—now!” The Ghost Elder screamed inside him. Ryan gritted his teeth. Whether he’d live or die didn’t matter—as long as he dove into the ocean, he’d draw Yamata-no-Orochi’s attention, and that might give the innocent people on Sansha Island a shot at surviving.
Ryan didn’t hesitate for a second. With the last bit of his strength, he leaped and plunged into the vast ocean.
Right away, the power of the Dragon Egg, Primeval Heavenwood’s defense, and even the Ghost-King Robe all wrapped around Ryan and Cindy Nang—layer after layer, like they were both sealed inside a giant ‘Dragon Egg.’
Yamata-no-Orochi roared wildly around them, clearly tracking their every move. Diving into the ocean gave them a brief chance to hide, but Ryan could feel that terrifying serpent sealing off the entire sea—its aura covered thousands of miles.
Saint-Realm power really was terrifying.
No matter how you tried to run, in the end there was nowhere to go.
“Ryan!” Suddenly, Cindy Nang looked up from his arms and shouted his name.
“Huh?” Ryan instinctively answered.
Cindy Nang started laughing through her coughs. “You really are Ryan Ling. I feel so lucky right now—getting to die with the guy I love most. If this is the end, it’s perfect. I swear, I’m the happiest woman on earth!”
“Idiot, you’re almost dead and you’re still saying you’re happy? What’s so great about me anyway? Always running for my life, looking like a mess. You could’ve survived—why’d you come here just to die…” Ryan looked at Cindy Nang, totally speechless.
“If it were Su Qing or Angie Chen, they’d probably do the same. That’s what loving someone does, you know? Idiot, you’re the real idiot—if you call me an idiot again, I’ll fight you!” Cindy tried to hit Ryan, but she was way too weak to lift her hand.
“Alright, I’ll stop—besides, I probably won’t get another chance anyway. At least I’ve got a beautiful girl with me at the end, that’s something… too bad…” Ryan hadn’t finished before Cindy Nang started giggling.
“You were gonna say it’s a shame you can’t sleep with me, right?”
“What are you talking about, you brat? Listen, I swore to the heavens the moment I met you—never hooking up with any other girl again!” Ryan shot back instantly.
“Really? You really don’t want me? Or am I not pretty enough? If I really cut loose, I’m not much worse than Angie Chen! She’s a top model in Jiangdong, but I’m a famous bust model in Yan Capital!” Cindy Nang seemed to know everything about Ryan—even copied Angie Chen’s flirt moves, using the last of her strength to pull her shirt open, showing off her lingerie.
“We’re literally about to die and you’re still joking around? You’re something else!” Ryan was speechless, but with the two of them so close, he couldn’t help but notice Cindy’s figure—she had curves in all the right places. Plus, being from a top Yan Capital family, her looks were top-notch. And when she mentioned ‘bust model,’ Ryan’s mind couldn’t help but wander—her assets weren’t just big, they were perfectly shaped, practically begging to be touched. There was just something weirdly tempting about it.
“My photos in Yan Capital go for tens of millions. Tons of rich guys and high officials would pay billions just to touch me. But right now, I’ll let you do it for free—go on!” Cindy even pushed out her chest, though she knew neither of them had the strength for anything more.
Ryan was just speechless. That part of her really was hard to ignore.