Right now, Ryan Ling could hear everything crystal clear. After fighting those black wizards just now, the dragon qi he’d absorbed was nearly exhausted. No matter how strong he was, there was no way he could withstand the terror of the Infernal Raksasha Ksitigarbha any longer.
At this moment, he could clearly sense that the Ksitigarbha’s power was absolutely on par with the Century Witch. It was obvious that the reason Niyama’s black wizards dared to go after China’s Divine Dragon was because they had the Infernal Raksasha Ksitigarbha backing them.
Ryan didn’t hesitate for a second. Facing a monster like this, there was only one thing he could do—run.
He immediately glanced at Guihai One-Blade and Paula Bloom inside the Divine Dragon Hide, then swept a blast of Golden Core qi across them. In an instant, the two were sent flying toward the open sea, wrapped in the dragon hide. Since all the enemy’s power was locked onto him, their guard was lowered against the others—giving them a real shot at surviving!
But doing this completely exposed him for a split second. The terrifying Infernal Raksasha Ksitigarbha slammed an invisible black fist straight at Ryan’s chest.
With a deafening boom, the dragon phantom surrounding Ryan was instantly shattered. All his defenses, inside and out, were pierced in a flash. Even worse, the leaves of the Primeval Heavenwood were stripped clean, and the Hell Furnace—which had already become a supreme Dao artifact—even showed cracks under the impact of that punch.
Ryan spat out four or five mouthfuls of blood in an instant, his mind going fuzzy, feeling like every bone in his body had shattered at once. Even with his powerful Glazed Golden Core, it seemed like it all collapsed in a heartbeat!
"Ryan!" Guihai One-Blade and Paula Bloom both screamed at once, watching helplessly as Ryan crashed hard onto the beach—his former dominance totally gone in an instant!
"Ryan, hang in there! Get out, now—go!" Ghost Elder couldn’t help but yell from inside his body. Clearly, this blow was world-ending for Ryan; the Infernal Raksasha Ksitigarbha was just way too strong!
"Heh, you’re supposed to be Lord Yama’s successor? You think you’re worthy? Hahaha!" The Ksitigarbha, straight from hell, obviously knew all the details and couldn’t help but sneer.
"Yaaah!" Ryan shouted, mustering all his strength as he jumped straight into the sea—his speed was insane, and in a flash he dove right into the Divine Dragon Hide!
"Trying to run?" The Ksitigarbha wasn’t about to let them off that easy—he instantly threw another punch at them.
"Close up!" Ryan gritted his teeth and shouted. The entire Divine Dragon Hide quickly folded into a sphere and dove straight into the depths of the sea. But even then, the Ksitigarbha’s monstrous power warped the hide, denting and twisting it. The three inside were tossed around; Guihai One-Blade, the weakest, shielded Ryan with his own body and was knocked out cold, coughing up blood. Paula Bloom pressed hard against the hide, driving it desperately toward the deep sea.
They got lucky, honestly—the area was full of undercurrents and seaweed, which helped cushion the impact and also weakened the Ksitigarbha’s attack. Plus, even though the dragon hide was technically a dead thing, once it hit the ocean, it came alive, giving them a real shot at getting away!
Just like that, more than an hour passed. Paula Bloom finally caught her breath. Ryan and Guihai One-Blade were both seriously injured—she was the only one still in decent shape. Now, deep under the sea, they’d escaped their enemies, but there was no one to call for help, nowhere to turn.
"Ryan, Ryan!" Paula Bloom was so anxious she was almost in tears. All her hopes were pinned on Ryan now. She shook him hard, and finally, Ryan started to come around.
"Ugh, that hurts—you’re crushing me!" Ryan coughed lightly, trying to speak.
"Crushing you?" Paula was startled, but quickly realized—her chest was pressing down on Ryan’s chest, making it hard for him to breathe. His face was practically turning blue.
"Sorry!" Paula blushed and quickly rolled away.
Ryan coughed again, his face finally regaining a bit of color.
"You—you really should lose some weight!" Ryan swallowed and teased.
"You!" Paula was stunned, biting her lip. "Like there’s anywhere to lose weight down here, seriously!"
"Heh, I’m just kidding!" Ryan grinned. Paula immediately shoved him, a little annoyed.
"How can you joke at a time like this? I’m scared out of my mind!" Paula said, tears threatening to fall.
But even though Ryan had lost—and lost badly—for him, it was almost a win. The Ksitigarbha was insanely strong, but escaping alive from his hands was a victory in itself!
If he could find the Divine Dragon in the depths and break through to his own Nascent Soul stage, he’d absolutely be able to destroy the Ksitigarbha.
But for now, he had to stabilize himself first!
"Quick, check on Guihai One-Blade!" Ryan steadied himself, dropping the jokes.
"I already did—he’s fine, just passed out!" Paula shot Ryan a slightly reproachful look. "But you’re really hurt, and you’ve got multiple fractures!"
"It’s not like I could move just now!" Ryan closed his eyes, then suddenly tensed—several broken bones snapped back into place all at once.
"What is this guy made of, anyway? He can heal himself!" Paula Bloom stared at Ryan in awe, her hand unconsciously reaching out to touch him.
"What’s wrong?" But just then, Ryan’s eyes snapped open.
"N-nothing, I was just curious, that’s all!" Paula quickly pulled her hand back, embarrassed.
[Irrelevant passage: End-of-chapter prompt. Skip translation.]
"Alright, you must be exhausted too. We’ll probably be drifting down here for a while, so let’s rest. Once we’re far enough from Southcape Island and it’s safe, we’ll surface and see what’s going on." Ryan knew that drifting in the deep sea, they might find some clue to the Divine Dragon’s whereabouts by following the hide’s aura. If not, they’d have to brace for a long fight.
"Okay! I really am a bit tired, I’ll lie down for a bit." Paula Bloom had been fussing over Ryan and Guihai One-Blade nonstop—her body was worn out, so she didn’t hesitate to stretch out and rest.
Ryan sat cross-legged on the ground. His injuries were serious this time. He’d underestimated the Niyama black shamans and hadn’t expected a peak master like the Infernal Raksasha Ksitigarbha to be lurking behind them. That punch proved the Ksitigarbha was even stronger than the Century Witch!
"Divine Dragon Hide, take us to your master, please!" Ryan gritted his teeth. South of them was the Ksitigarbha, north was the Century Witch. If he didn’t find the Divine Dragon soon and level up, even Li Jianguo and the others wouldn’t be able to hold Jiangnan—the whole region could collapse at any moment.
Just then, it was like the Divine Dragon Hide heard Ryan’s call—its speed suddenly increased, and soon Ryan felt the temperature around him dropping fast.
Ryan was surprised—the South Sea was tropical, always above twenty degrees, but now it was freezing, almost below zero. He even saw ice crystals in the water.
Even more incredible, beneath those ice crystals appeared a magnificent, mysterious palace—built entirely of ice, radiating endless cold.
At the sight of this palace on the ocean floor, one word flashed through Ryan’s mind—Crystal Palace!
Could it be that the hide had really led him to the Divine Dragon’s location?
Ryan’s heart pounded—the situation was critical, but if he could find the Divine Dragon, maybe he could still turn things around. He gathered his strength and headed straight for the Crystal Palace…