An ominous ghostly cold aura began to spread from Aldric’s transformed body.
Dark mist swirled around him, obscuring his form. When it cleared, his appearance had changed drastically.
His skin was now pitch black. Bony spikes protruded from his back, shoulders, and forearms.
His fingers had razor-sharp claws. His face had dagger-like teeth. Glowing red eyes burned with malevolence.
“HAHAHA,” Aldric laughed menacingly and looked up to Iris, “Iris, come and become my woman. I’ll consider sparing your life if you submit to me now.”
“Do you think I’d ever agree?” Iris replied in disgust.
She then turned to Lucian and said through her Qi Sense, “You should back off. You can’t handle this monster.”
Without waiting for his answer, she leapt higher into the air.
“ROOOOOOARR!!!”
An arrogant Dragon roar erupted from her throat, shaking the Earth.
Her body began to change, growing larger and more majestic.
As a descendant of the Dragons race, believed to be blessed by the Heavens, their true might was only unleashed in their true draconic form.
Her purple scales gleamed like polished amethysts. Her limbs elongated, becoming powerful and muscular. A long, serpentine tail unfurled behind her, with a sharp tip. Two magnificent horns adorned her Dragon head.
In her full Dragon form, Iris was truly awe-inspiring. Her Dragon body stretched nearly a hundred meters from snout to tail-tip.
The sky seemed to darken, thunder rumbling ominously. But instead of white, the lightning flashed deep purple, mirroring Iris’s scales.
Lucian’s jaw dropped as he saw Iris’s true form for the first time. Her massive body dwarfed everything around them, casting a shadow over the landscape.
The oppressive pressure released by Aldric paled in comparison to the aura emanating from Iris.
Aldric’s body trembled as he looked at Iris in horror.
“No! It can’t be! In my previous life, she didn’t enter her True Form! Then h-how could…!!” Aldric stammered, his red eyes wide with disbelief and shock.
Despite using a Forbidden Demonic Technique to increase his strength, he stood no chance against a True Dragon of the same cultivation realm.
Perhaps only the chosen Heirs and Core Disciples of those Ancient Sects and Families possessed the strength to face a Dragon, with their ancient bloodlines and powerful cultivation techniques.
As one who had reincarnated into the past, he also knew of a place where someone from his previous life had entered that place and later become one of the strongest cultivators of his generation.
He already had one of the keys to enter that special place and wanted to go there after obtaining a specific item from this Secret Realm, for which he joined a Demonic sect.
And along the way, he wanted to control Iris too. In their previous life, she had also become one of the most powerful. However, the current situation was not something he anticipated…
He suddenly looked towards Lucian, realization dawning on his twisted face.
“It’s all because of you! You should not be here. Your existence changed the future. I will kill you even if it’s the last thing I do!” He roared in fury and desperation.
Indeed, in his past life, Iris never crossed paths with Lucian. Without him, the Runes on her horns remained intact.
Their destinies had never intertwined, and the current events were vastly different from what Aldric had remembered.
Aldric bent his knees and crouched low, his eyes fixed on Lucian.
He didn’t care about Iris for now, as he still had a “backup plan” in case things went wrong. So he directly moved towards Lucian, intending to kill him first.
Black flames covered his long, beastly nails as he charged forward.
His monstrous body moved with unnatural speed, closing the distance between them in two heartbeats.
Although Lucian observed Iris, his Qi Sense remained fixed on Aldric.
So the moment he moved, Lucian didn’t back off as he wanted to feel just how strong this transformed Aldric was.
He circulated his cultivation base, feeling the Crimson Flame Spiritual Energy surge through his meridians.
The blade of the Halberd glowed with blood colored flames!
As the claws drew near, Lucian pushed his Halberd with all his might. A faint dragon image coiled around the heavy weapon.
The claws and blade collided with a thunderous crash.
Bang!! Boom!!
They both stood firm, refusing to back down.
An invisible shockwave spread outward, with Lucian and Aldric at its center.
The force of their clash rippled through the air, uprooting nearby trees and destroying the mountains. The ground beneath their feet cracked, unable to withstand the immense pressure.
As the black and blood-colored flames met, the black flames, fueled by Aldric’s demonic energy, seemed to fade and wither. They flickered weakly against the blood-red flames of Lucian’s.
Lucian even opened his mouth and abruptly spat the blood needle!
The thin needle silently moved through the air with incredible speed.
Although caught off guard, Aldric moved his head sideways at the last moment. The needle pierced through his cheek, drawing a line of dark blood.
“Argrrhhh!!!” Aldric howled in pain and rage.
At this moment, Lucian kicked out with all his might. His foot, wreathed in blood-colored flames, connected with Aldric’s chest.
The force of the blow sent the demon prince flying through the air towards the ground.
Aldric’s monstrous body crashed into the earth, creating a deep crater. Dust and debris billowed up, obscuring him from view.
Though it took time to explain, all of this happened in the blink of an eye.
High in the air, Iris looked dazed as she watched Lucian handle Aldric with such ease.
Her giant dragon eyes widened in shock as she saw Lucian not only match Aldric’s monstrous strength but even push him back.
A sudden realization struck her like lightning.
‘So, doesn’t that mean, without my true Dragon form, back then he could have subdued easily me if he had wanted to!? Was he hiding his true strength this whole time?’
She had truly underestimated him.
“Did I transform for nothing?” she thought inwardly, feeling a mix of awe and embarrassment.
From the deep crater on the ground, Aldric’s crazed voice echoed, “Impossible! This can’t be happening!”
Aldric emerged from the crater, his face even more bizarre than before.
Lucian’s blood-colored flames had spread across his body, burning away chunks of his demonic flesh.
Half of his face was gone, the eye on that side a melted, oozing mess.
At this moment, Iris moved. She didn’t want to waste any more time, knowing others surely sensed what was happening here.
She fell from the sky as if the whole heavens were descending.
Aldric trembled, but his voice only seemed to grow crazier, “Just you wait. I’ll kill both of you. HAHAHA…!!!”
A giant palm descended from the sky, purple lightning crackling all around it. Iris’s massive dragon claw filled the entire view, blocking out the sun.
Boooom!!
The impact was devastating. The area around nearly 50 meters became a wasteland in an instant. Trees were uprooted, rocks pulverized, and the earth cracked and split.
Even Lucian’s body went flying as the shockwave hit him. He tumbled through the air, using his Qi to stabilize himself.
When the dust settled, a massive crater remained where Aldric had stood. His monstrous body had been completely obliterated by Iris’s overwhelming power.
Her purple lightning had also completely destroyed his ghostly spirits.
Not a trace remained of Aldric or his demonic form.
Iris hovered above the massive crater, her draconic eyes scanning for any trace of Aldric. When she was certain he was dead, a thick purple cloud began to form around her colossal body.
It swirled, gradually shrinking in size. As the cloud dissipated, Iris stood there in her human form, a beautiful gown wrapped around her curvaceous body, her long hair flowing in the wind.
She raised her hand, and Aldric’s storage ring flew towards her.
Then she moved to where Lucian had landed.
But seeing his serious face, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
Lucian turned to Iris and said solemnly, “He didn’t die!”
“Ehh! What do you mean? I clearly destroyed his body.” She asked back, her eyes flashing suspiciously.
Lucian shook his head, “I can still sense his aura. It’s faint, but it’s there.”
Iris’s eyes widened, “How is this possible?”
Lucian’s expression grew grim, “I don’t know. Maybe he have some kind of secret technique!”
What Lucian didn’t say was that he didn’t receive any System’s notification. Nor did the rewards after completing the side quests appear.
So after giving Iris an excuse, he willed in his mind, and an ethereal arrow appeared in his field of vision.
Previously, he didn’t interact with Aldric, but it was different now.
Experience new tales on empire
The arrow moved swiftly.
“Follow me,” he said to Iris, his eyes fixed on the invisible arrow only he could see.
Despite her doubts, she decided to trust him and follow his lead. In any case, she wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, so it also went with her thoughts.