Chapter Sixty-Five: The Harvest – The Reward Bestowed by the Divine Dragon King (Part One)

“Hahaha!” As the others were being baptized in dragon’s blood, the bald man, having been notified by Rudao Xuan, burst into loud laughter. He caught the massive dragon heart that had fallen, opened his symbiotic armor, and enveloped the heart, which was as large as a carriage. The armor began to writhe and squirm, resembling a carnivorous plant devouring its prey. In the blink of an eye, the dragon heart shrank, smaller and smaller, until it vanished completely. The bald man grinned with satisfaction, as if he had just enjoyed a sumptuous feast.

Zigui quickly darted forward, withdrew a book, performed a series of seals, and with a flash, collected every fragment of the shattered Dragon King’s body, leaving not even a drop of spilled blood behind. Producing a small vial, he siphoned up the dragon’s blood as easily as a rainbow drawing up water.

Meanwhile, the four mighty warriors who had battled the Dragon King were still frozen in shock by Gu Feng’s recent display.

“Shattering the Heavens… This is one of the legendary Five Ultimate Secret Arts, a technique only gods are said to wield!” The High Priestess of the Elves spoke in awe, her eyes suddenly brightening. “Could it be that the gods have finally heard my prayers and possessed this man’s body?”

The four warriors, learned as they were, instantly recognized this as a supreme spatial secret art. Xius let out a long breath. “Xiao Feng… you’re truly remarkable!” With that, he collapsed to the ground, utterly spent. Though the battle had been brief, it had drained him completely, and he hurried to recover his energy.

After Wood had absorbed the dragon soul, the system’s notifications rang out continuously: Ding… Bathed in dragon’s blood, all physical attributes increased by 120. Acquired S-grade item: Soul of the Dragon King. This soul was not produced by the Bureau of Temporal Management and contains some inherent skills of the Dragon King. The Plane Agent has acquired two of these skills as innate abilities, unrestricted by level.

Skill One: Shadow Seal Art. The Dragon King’s innate talent, representing the highest state of comprehension. Any technique or spell, once demonstrated, is instantly grasped in its essence and intent, including its flaws and weaknesses. Limits: does not apply to skills above SS-grade, or to other innate talents. If one’s power is insufficient and forcibly activates a skill, there will be backlash.

Skill Two: Undying Dragon Physique. The Dragon King’s innate talent. The soul is indestructible, the dragon soul unbreakable, and can regenerate automatically.

Seeing Wood lost in thought, Rudao Xuan asked, “What skills did you acquire?”

“I didn’t get the Dragon King’s previously learned skills, but I did obtain his innate Shadow Seal Art… It seems excellent, a truly powerful ability!” Wood sighed. “And the Undying Dragon Physique—this time, I’ve really hit the jackpot!”

“We all understand the Undying Dragon Physique, but what exactly does Shadow Seal Art do?” the bald man, who had just devoured the dragon’s heart, asked.

Wood explained, and everyone was astonished. They recalled the High Priestess’s words that the Dragon King had mastered the ultimate techniques of the ten great masters who once besieged him—surely it was due to this Shadow Seal Art. Pity that the Dragon King’s previous skills hadn’t been retained; otherwise, Wood’s power would have reached even greater heights.

“And you, Baldy?” Wood asked.

“Hahaha… I’ve made a fortune this time!” the bald man laughed. “The Dragon King’s Heart contains his source power. So far, it’s the best Beast God transformation I’ve obtained. The plane system rates it S-grade.”

“Wait! There’s something odd about your little dragon!” Gu Feng pointed. The Celestial of the Clouds, having absorbed the dragon’s essence, was transforming into human form in the sky but appeared shaky and unsteady, on the verge of fainting.

Wood immediately flew up and caught her. In a faint voice, she said, “My lord, I must cocoon myself now—please place me in the Harem.” Even as she spoke, white silk threads began to wrap around her. Realizing she was about to evolve, Wood quickly stored her in the Harem World.

With the Dragon King slain, his essence—soul, essence, and heart—fell to Wood and his companions. Though this recounting seems lengthy, it all happened in a flash. While it was Gu Feng’s SS-grade spatial magic “Shattering the Heavens” that dealt the final blow, everyone knew that Rudao Xuan’s contribution was the greatest. Without his mental assault to forcibly separate the Dragon King’s soul from his body, slaying the Dragon King would have been impossible. Thanks to Rudao Xuan’s strategy, not only was the Dragon King vanquished, but everyone’s strength was greatly increased—something none had expected during their life-and-death struggle.

As Wood and the others examined their spoils, the mountain beneath them suddenly shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude. The entire space flickered between light and dark. The group was stunned. Gu Feng slapped his forehead. “Damn, this is a sealed space. That last move, ‘Shattering the Heavens,’ may have damaged the very structure of this realm.”

Wood immediately understood and exclaimed, “Gu, are you saying this whole dimension is about to collapse?”

Gu Feng pulled a wry face. “Congratulations, you guessed right!”

“Damn it—what are we waiting for? Run!” Zigui shouted. At the same time, the four recovering warriors sensed the shift in the space and leapt to their feet, realizing that Gu Feng’s earlier magic had destabilized everything.

“What do we do?” Everyone looked at each other in panic. Spiderweb-like cracks were spreading through the air itself; there was no time to retrace their steps. Gu Feng gritted his teeth. “We have no choice but to try. Rudao Xuan, Wood, lend me your strength!”

He pulled out a Stamina Fruit and swallowed it, feeling some of his depleted energy return.

Rudao Xuan understood and activated his skill: Dharma Wheel—Borrowing Divine Power! He placed both hands on Gu Feng’s back.

By now, the space was breaking apart; the ambient energy had lost all balance. Lightning and storms raged as if the world itself were ending. Wood hurriedly swallowed a Stamina Fruit as well, extracting what little energy remained from the chaotic environment and channeling it through Rudao Xuan into Gu Feng.

“Gate of Space: Open!” Fortunately, this spell didn’t require much energy. Soon, Gu Feng raised his staff, drew a line in the air, and a rift large enough for a person appeared, revealing the solid earth of the real world beyond.

At that moment, the collapse accelerated. An elven guardian and two surviving Sword Sects were caught by the shattering space and instantly sliced to pieces—so quickly they made no sound. The sight sent a chill through everyone.

“Quick, it’ll only hold for fifteen seconds!” Gu Feng cried, his stamina nearly spent. After casting “Shattering the Heavens,” he and Wood should have been unable to use any skills, but with the help of the Stamina Fruit and Wood’s energy, he forced himself to cast one more advanced spatial spell.

Hearing this, no one dared waste a moment; they sprinted for the Gate of Space.

Just then, the Demon Emperor Karan screamed, “No… I must become a god!” He threw himself onto the shattered altar. The collapsing space engulfed him, and in an instant, one of the world’s mightiest was reduced to bloody chunks—proof that before the wrath of the heavens, even the greatest powers are as fragile as insects.

“Forget him, move!” Wood shouted, seeing that everyone had hesitated at Karan’s demise. He quickly stored the Indomitable in the Harem World—the massive beast would never fit through the gate.

Jolted awake by his shout, everyone dashed through the Gate of Space.

Once their feet touched solid ground, the group breathed a sigh of relief. A thunderous crash echoed behind them, and the earth shook. Looking back, they saw the ancient ruins of the magical civilization collapse, the entrance lost forever. The High Priestess of the Elves murmured in disbelief, “The ruins are destroyed, the Apotheosis Altar lost to time. Deification will remain forever a legend.”

Whether or not gods could rise, survival was what mattered most. Centurion Lion strode up to Gu Feng, gave him a once-over, and said without ceremony, “Another mighty one walks the world—how fortunate!” With a flash of his golden sword, he vanished into the distance.

Xius approached Gu Feng, smiling. “In a hundred years, two supreme masters have arisen in the Canglan Empire. Ha! That’s never happened before on this continent. The Canglan Empire will surely become the promised land for all warriors and mages.”

The Elven High Priestess, Audrey Tatou, stepped forward and bowed deeply. “Mr. Gu, heroes, thank you for vanquishing the Dragon King and saving this world. On behalf of the Elven Queen—”

“No need to be so formal,” Wood interrupted quickly. “We did it for our own survival. We had no choice but to fight the Dragon King.” The High Priestess couldn’t help but laugh at how lightly he dismissed such a brutal battle as merely “a fight.” “Regardless,” she said, “thank you all for saving the lives of those on this continent. The elves will always remember your deeds. If ever you need us, our entire race will do all we can to help.”