Chapter 480

Chapter 480: Underground Dragon Tower

The four fighters from the Flame Serpent family couldn’t believe their eyes.

Was it really over?

How was this possible!

From start to finish, Dakhni had only used the "God of War Step" skill before Midi took center stage.

Midi’s display didn’t last long—he simply unleashed the black flame with one sweep, then chased her down with a sudden teleportation that gave no warning. The battle ended just like that.

"One-sided annihilation" might be a better description.

But the one being crushed wasn’t some nobody—it was the famously powerful Dakhni!

The Flame Serpent family’s Chief core disciple, that genius blessed with Dragon bloodline!

Yet Midi’s greatsword had batted her away like a ragdoll. Her protective necklace shattered, her dimensional teleportation ring activated automatically, and she now lay near death.

How?

Whether due to the skirmish’s brevity or the outrageous outcome, the four fighters struggled to process what they’d witnessed. It felt unreal—like a bad dream.

Then the Black Flames radiating from Midi crashed over them. The suffocating pressure left no room for resistance—only despair.

"Fight to the death," Midi asked flatly, "or drop everything and leave?"

In the Shaded Realm, total slaughter was ordinary. But since these fighters hadn’t attacked Risen’s group directly, Midi saw no need for bloodshed. Though his reincarnation had been marked by a path littered with countless bones, he wasn’t a mindless killer.

As for retaliation? The Flame Serpent’s Chief disciple had fallen in two moves. What threat could these leftovers pose?

The four exchanged uneasy glances. Surrendering without fighting violated every code of honor. Their family would strip their fighter titles and punish them harshly—Risen’s past disgrace proved that.

But facing Midi? Their strength paled next to Dakhni’s. Without her rare necklace or teleportation ring, fighting meant certain death.

Silence stretched—until Midi frowned and stepped forward.

"I surrender!" A core disciple blurted, trembling. He dropped his weapon, slowly removed his storage ring and valuables, then raised empty hands.

Midi nodded approval. "Go."

The man bolted like a spooked hare, fleeing the nightmare-inducing riverbank. The remaining three quickly followed suit, abandoning their gear in panicked haste.

Soon, Midi held a pile of storage rings, with Dakhni’s specially collected Black Crystal Grass and Black Crystal Flowers being the most valuable among them.

"Level 64…" Zaknavan studied Midi, momentarily speechless.

Beside him, Mason wore a complicated, almost bitter expression.

Advancing one level in a week was shocking enough—Midi always delivered various surprises. But how could a Level 64 practitioner nearly kill Dakhni, clad in epic-grade equipment, in just two strikes?

When Midi had charged at Dakhni earlier, all three had braced for a desperate battle to escort him out. Yet before they could act, Midi had already ended the fight. The remaining four fighters surrendered without him lifting another finger.

Though Midi’s strength benefited them, Mason—prideful and competitive—struggled with the widening gap. Meanwhile, Risen gaped in awe.

The Black Dragonkin wasn’t just stunned by Midi’s power, but by the Black Iron Dragon Flame. Compared to his own Blood Flame, this was leagues stronger.

Blood Flame drew power from dragon bloodline energy in the blood, creating defensive fire barriers. The Black Iron Dragon Flame, however, required no blood stimulation—it manifested directly through Midi’s pure draconic aura. The "Black Iron" denoted its attributes: metallic, erosion-like sharpness akin to sword light. Worse, Risen sensed this flame would evolve as Midi grew stronger. This was the true might of Dragon Heritage.

"Midi, you obtained Dragon Heritage here? The Crystal Dragon Fortress has treasures beyond the underground Dragon Tower? With such purity… is this the True Dragon Heritage?" Risen fired off questions eagerly.

Midi only smiled.

The Black Dragonkin quickly realized his overstep—heritage secrets were core intelligence, even among allies. Midi understood Risen’s excitement, sharing a dragon bloodline himself. He showed no irritation, though leadership had quietly shifted to him.

"Now that we’re united, it’s time to enter the underground Dragon Tower," Midi declared. "What of the Death Scorpion family’s fighters?"

"They abandoned you and entered first," Risen snorted.

"The Two-Headed Warwolf and Death Scorpion also went in, loaded with Black Crystal Plants," Zaknavan added.

"Then we descend," Midi stated.

The four plunged into the icy lake. Cold meant little to fighters. Deep below, they found a massive altar-like structure. Stepping onto it teleported them to a grand hall adorned with dragon scales, claws, and wings—earning its "Dragon Tower" name.

A colossal Dragon Head loomed centrally, gazing down at a delicate altar below—a dormant Teleportation Array, the true entrance per Death Scorpion records.

As Midi approached, the Dragon Head glowed, its voice rumbling:

"Trial participants, choose: path of power or path of wisdom?"

"Explain both," Midi replied calmly.

"The array sends you to any layer between First and Tenth. Deeper layers mean nearing the end. Strength tests determine layers by your group’s strongest member. Wisdom tests rely on alchemy skill—choose your difficulty. Fail, and restart from First Layer."

Power offered stability: their cultivation guaranteed Sixth Layer or beyond. Wisdom was riskier—unknown difficulties meant gambling progress. In this perilous tower, most would avoid such uncertainty.

Midi didn’t hesitate.

"Path of wisdom."