4: Chapter 4 The Fire Dragon of Withering and Flourishing

Lin Yan turned his head toward the sound and saw an elderly man with a weathered face and greying temples, yet still standing tall and straight, slowly walking down the hotel stairs.

Seeing the person approaching, Lin Yan's lips curved slightly into a gentle smile as he called out, "Uncle Lin."

"Young Master, is everything taken care of? Was the trip smooth?" Seeing Lin Yan safe and sound, the worry that Uncle Lin had harbored deep within his eyes for days instantly dissolved.

"Everything went smoothly. Sorry to make you worry, Uncle Lin."

As Lin Yan finished speaking, Uncle Lin arrived before him.

"That's good, that's good!" Uncle Lin raised a hand to stroke the grey-white beard under his chin, his expression warm. "Young Master must be exhausted after traveling so far. This old servant has already prepared a room for you. Let's go upstairs and talk in detail."

On the way upstairs, Lin Yan picked out what he could share and briefly discussed his previous experiences with Uncle Lin.

Uncle Lin's real name was Lin Shi. His Spirit was a defense-type Rock Turtle, and he was currently a Level 63 Spirit Emperor, making him the strongest person in the entire Lin Family at present.

However, although Uncle Lin shared the surname Lin, he was actually not part of the Lin Family line. He had been saved by Lin Yan's grandfather many years ago, and to repay the life-saving grace, he chose to stay with the Lin Family.

Having spent almost most of his life with the Lin Family, Uncle Lin's loyalty was beyond doubt.

But because matters regarding Electrolux were too significant, and Lin Yan couldn't explain his series of foresight-like actions, he had split up with Uncle Lin earlier.

He went to wait for 'Hao' and 'Yi', while Uncle Lin rushed ahead to the Myriad Fire Mountains to search out and confirm accurate information about their Spirit Beast target for this hunt.

As for the Lin Family where Lin Yan belonged, it was merely a Viscount Family in the Heavenly Soul Empire with less than two hundred years of Legacy.

As for Lin Yan's parents in this life, they had passed away when he was five years old—killed at the hands of an Evil Soul Master!

At the thought of this, a cluster of violent, cold flames ignited in the depths of Lin Yan's eyes, his gaze turning deep and chill.

Just you wait!

Sooner or later, he would settle this blood feud one by one, repaying it a hundredfold, a thousandfold!

...

The room Uncle Lin reserved was on the second floor, and the two arrived in a moment.

After taking a seat, Lin Yan cut straight to the point: "Uncle Lin, did you find the target Spirit Beast we decided on earlier?"

Speaking of business, Uncle Lin looked solemn and replied in a deep voice: "Fortunately, I did not fail my mission! Two days ago, this old servant located its lair and has been keeping an eye on it in secret ever since."

Lin Yan nodded slightly, a gleam of anticipation flashing in his eyes: "Since that's the case, we shouldn't delay. Complications arise with delays. Tomorrow morning, we set out immediately to hunt the Spirit!"

Afterward, the two briefly finalized some precautions for tomorrow's Spirit hunt, before Uncle Lin bowed and took his leave, exiting the room.

Left alone in the room, Lin Yan unconsciously spun a delicate porcelain cup between his fingers, musing secretly: I wonder what kind of Spirit Ability I'll get this time?

Thinking of his overpowered and formidable first two Spirit Abilities, a surge of fiery heat couldn't help but well up in Lin Yan's heart!

...

Early the next morning, the hot, desolate, and smoky Myriad Fire Mountains welcomed two outsiders.

"Young Master, that fellow is not far ahead."

Compared to other places covered in scorched earth where not a blade of grass could grow, here instead grew sparse, pitch-black trees that resembled withered wood yet harbored deep vitality inside.

Lin Yan nodded slightly, and the two tacitly lightened their steps, advancing carefully.

As they ventured deeper, the ancient black trees grew denser. Halfway through, the view ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a massive mountain cave right before their eyes.

Coiled inside the cave was a slender, agile, and colossal Dragon. Its body was entirely covered in cracked, rough scales resembling withered tree bark, with an overall dark, greyish-brown color. The Dragon was asleep on the ground, and with every breath, tiny sparks spilled from its mouth and snout, scorching hot.

This was their goal for this trip—the Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon!

The Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon was an extremely rare top-tier sub-Dragon, primarily fire-attributed with secondary life-attribute. Its innate dragon flame, the Withered-Prosperous Fire, was remarkably eerie, capable of plundering the vitality of all things to nourish itself and heal its wounds, making it extremely difficult to deal with.

Of course, the reason Lin Yan chose this Spirit Beast for his third spirit ring was also due to another crucial point—the Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon's ancestors used to be magnificent!

According to an ancient book Lin Yan had collected, the dragon Bloodline of the Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon could be traced back to the ancient Calamity Flame Ancient Dragon clan.

Legend had it that the Calamity Flame Ancient Dragon was a powerful Dragon species in ancient times that mastered the power of Calamity Fire. From birth, every Calamity Flame Ancient Dragon naturally controlled a type of Calamity Fire, giving rise to numerous clan branches depending on the Calamity Fire they mastered.

The dragon Bloodline possessed by the Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon originated from one of these branches—the Withered-Prosperous Calamity Flame Ancient Dragon. However, pure-blooded Calamity Flame Ancient Dragons had long gone extinct for unknown reasons, and even surviving sub-species were remarkably rare.

Lin Yan had also obtained information about this Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon by coincidence. Only after sending people to investigate and confirm its age and abilities did he finalize it as his target for his third spirit ring.

If he could truly trace back along the Bloodline connection to its source and obtain that legendary ability of the Calamity Flame Ancient Dragon, then combining it with his first two Spirit Abilities would cause his strength and foundation to undergo another qualitative leap!

"Young Master, this Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon's age has reached over seven thousand years. Once the battle begins, this old servant might not be able to protect your safety."

"Uncle Lin, please fight with all your strength. You know my current power well, so there's no need to worry."

Hearing this, Uncle Lin recalled his young master's terrifying battle power that far exceeded his Realm. The tight string in his heart loosened slightly, and a relieved smile surfaced in his eyes. His young master was indeed a true peerless Prodigy!

"Alright! Then this old servant will go all out to resolve this quickly and take down this Spirit Beast for Young Master as soon as possible!"

The moment his words fell, Uncle Lin's body suddenly charged forward, as dense and majestic Soul Power exploded from within him!

An earthy-yellow wave of Soul Power swept across all directions. Six spirit rings rose one after another around him—two yellow, two purple, two black—bringing a heavy, suffocating pressure.

A deep, resonant turtle roar vibrated across the wilderness, as the heavy, ancient Rock Turtle Spirit instantly possessed his body.

As Uncle Lin's first spirit ring lit up, a layer of rough, heavy greyish-brown rock armor covered his entire body. Rock patterns intersected across it, looking like poured and solidified rock, releasing an immensely heavy aura into all directions.

Immediately following, his second Spirit Ability activated instantly. A giant rock shield several meters wide condensed in front of him, engraved with intricate turtle patterns. Heavy and solid, it floated nearby, steadily protecting his whole body.

Inside the mountain cave, the sleeping Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon was abruptly jolted awake by the Soul Power fluctuations outside!

Rumble!

Its massive dragon body stretched violently, dark greyish-brown scales shuddering layer by layer. Streams of greyish-green Withered-Prosperous Fire spewed from between the cracked scales. The moment it hit the ground, it scorched the black rocks until they sizzled with smoke, wantonly plundering all vitality in the surroundings.

The originally dead-silent cave was instantly enveloped in violent Dragon Majesty, as rolling heatwaves swept through the entire forest.

The Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon's vertical pupils turned crimson red, locking firmly onto Uncle Lin as he charged in. Its massive dragon body swung hard, charging straight out while wrapped in a surging heatwave. Opening its dragon maw, a thick, majestic breath of greyish-green dragon fire tore through the air, heading straight for Uncle Lin's face with a strange power that devoured life!

"Third Spirit Ability—Earthen Rock Impact!"

Uncle Lin maintained a calm expression, stomping hard onto the ground as dense Soul Power poured into the earth.

In an instant, the ground within a ten-meter radius heaved violently. Dozens of sharp rock spikes burst out of the soil, clashing upward layer upon layer, slamming hard into the sweeping Withered-Prosperous dragon fire.

Rock collided with fire, exploding into an ear-splitting rumble!

Scorching blastwaves burst outward. The surrounding black trees instantly lost all vitality and burned to ashes, while the hard mountain rocks shattered layer by layer into powder.

The Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon possessed alarming brute force. The physique of a top sub-Dragon crushed Spirit Masters of the same level. Borrowing the impact force of the exploding flames, its massive body suddenly dived down, dragon claws wrapped in thousand-catty force, tearing through the air with a sharp sound as it slashed violently at Uncle Lin's rock shield.

A crisp, piercing cracking sound rang out, and the sturdy rock shield was instantly covered in dense, fine fractures.

"Fourth Spirit Ability—Turtle Mountain Prison Suppression!"

The fourth purple spirit ring suddenly shone brightly. An ancient, several-zhang-tall Rock Turtle phantom emerged behind Uncle Lin. Its turtle body was as heavy as a mountain, covering the entire airspace. A majestic suppressive force descended, tightly binding the Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon's body and forcefully halting its attack.

Man and dragon instantly became locked in fierce combat.

The seven-thousand-year-old Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon excelled in both offense and defense. Its Withered-Prosperous Fire could burn all things and devour life; every time the flames swept past, Uncle Lin had to defend cautiously to avoid being burned by the pervasive fire and having his vitality drained away.

But as a veteran Spirit Emperor, Uncle Lin possessed rich combat experience. Relying on the ultimate defense of his Rock Turtle Spirit, he advanced and retreated with poise, using defense as offense. He used his solid defense to stubbornly endure the dragon's wild onslaught while constantly looking for a flaw to counterattack.

After battling for dozens of rounds, the Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon failed to breach his defense for a long time. Its already low intelligence was completely taken over by violent animalistic instinct, becoming increasingly enraged.

After a brutal ramming attack, its middle opened wide, revealing a fatal vulnerability on its chest and belly.

Uncle Lin's eyes narrowed. Seizing the fleeting Opportunity, his fifth black spirit ring burst with light!

"Fifth Spirit Ability—Raging Rock Tides!"

Majestic earth-attribute Soul Power erupted wildly. Centered around Uncle Lin, a surging, heavy wave of rock swept out, slamming layer upon layer into the Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon's chest and belly.

Hard dragon scales shattered at the impacts, and crimson dragon blood gushing out splashed onto the earth. The moment the boiling dragon blood hit the ground, it ignited tiny sparks.

Severe pain swept through its entire body. The Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragon's body trembled violently as it threw back its head, letting out a tragic dragon roar that echoed through the mountains!

Sharp and violent, the dragon roar rapidly spread across the entire Myriad Fire Mountains.