Beneath the merciless blaze of the sun, a man of middle years sat unmoving, his weathered face carved by hardship, the light etching stark shadows across his features. The air quivered with heat, and the sand beneath him pulsed with a furnace’s breath, as though the earth itself exhaled fire. The faint scent of scorched salt lingered in the air, mingling with the dry tang of dust. Every sound seemed swallowed by the oppressive silence, broken only by the faint hiss of wind dragging grains of sand across the dunes. Wu Tian approached with deliberate respect, his steps crunching softly against the brittle ground. “Uncle, may we trouble you for a moment?” His voice carried a note of urgency, yet tempered with courtesy. The man lifted his gaze slowly, his eyes steady and unyielding, like embers that refused to die. “What is it you wish to ask?” His tone was calm, but beneath it lay a weight of sorrow. Wu Tian’s voice was firm, his chest rising with restrained anticipation. “Is this

Explosions continued to erupt violently from within Wu Xiang’s body, each blast shaking the desert floor and sending waves of heat into the air. Wu Tian, desperate to reach his friend, was hurled back by the sheer force of the energy radiating outward. The sand beneath him scorched his palms as he struggled to rise, his heart pounding with regret. “Forgive me, Wu Xiang… I should have stopped this from the beginning. I should never have allowed the seal of Martial Genius to be opened so soon!” Wu Tian cried, his voice breaking with guilt. DUUUAAARRR! Another deafening explosion tore through the air, forming a shimmering barrier of energy around Wu Xiang. The shield pulsed like molten glass, impenetrable, keeping anyone from approaching. Wu Tian tried again, but the force threw him back, his body tumbling across the dunes. Tian Kui’s voice thundered above the chaos. “What is happening, Wu Tian?” Wu Tian’s eyes burned with anguish. “The energy within Wu Xiang is out of control.

The Desert Dragon loomed in the heart of Lo Han Island, its body grotesque and terrifying. Its scales were hardened like stone, jagged ridges rising along its spine, each protrusion sharp as a blade. The air around it shimmered with heat, the sand beneath its claws scorched black from countless battles. Contrary to Lo Hui’s warning, the dragon did not unleash its deadly spines when Angel descended from the sky. Instead, it allowed her to land before its lair, its eyes glowing with a sinister light. “What business brings you here, Angel of Death?” the Desert Dragon growled, its voice deep and resonant, echoing across the barren dunes. Angel’s eyes narrowed, her wings folding as she stepped forward. “You know me?” The dragon’s lips curled into a grim smile. “Of course. Your name is whispered among dragons. You are feared, yet admired. Tell me, why have you come?” Angel’s voice was sharp. “Why have you drained the life from Lo Han Island? Why condemn its people to suffering?”

The Desert Dragon had altered beyond recognition, its body now towering and encased in golden armor that blazed beneath the merciless sun. Each scale shimmered like molten bronze, radiating heat and brilliance, while its claws struck the sand with the precision of a seasoned warrior, each impact echoing like thunder across the dunes. In its grasp, it wielded a colossal golden spear, spinning it with terrifying velocity, slicing the air into sharp currents that whistled like blades tearing through the silence of the desert.The air itself seemed to tremble under the dragon’s transformation. The dunes glowed with reflected light, the grains of sand glittering like shards of glass. The atmosphere was heavy with the scent of scorched earth, mingled with the faint metallic tang of heated armor. The desert wind carried the dragon’s roar, vibrating through the bones of all who heard it, a sound that was both primal and divine. The heat pressed against the skin like a burning shroud, and the

BOOOOM! A thunderous detonation erupted from within the Desert Dragon’s body, hurling the Angel Dragon backward in shock. She had not anticipated such a violent burst from the creature she faced. Blinding streaks of white light tore through the dragon’s scales, surging outward in every direction like arrows of fire piercing the night. The Desert Dragon’s defeat unleashed the vast reservoir of cosmic energy it had consumed over centuries. That power streamed endlessly from its collapsing form, flooding the air with a shimmering radiance that made the very sands tremble. “You should have listened to me, Desert Dragon! This was never my fault—it was your choice!” the Angel Dragon cried, her voice echoing across the battlefield. “You defend humans too much,” the Desert Dragon rasped, writhing as torrents of energy bled from his body. “They hunt us, they wish to erase us! We dragons should stand united against mankind!” The barren dunes of Lo Han Island began to transform. Where