188: Chapter 188 The True Meaning of the Azure Dragon

The wind and rain atop the city walls came to a sudden halt.

Augustus looked down at Lin Mo, his blue eyes devoid of any ripple, filled only with the indifference of a god looking down at an ant. He shook his head slightly, his golden hair remaining motionless in the night wind, as if even the wind and rain feared to touch his body.

"You are not yet worthy."

His voice was soft, yet it clearly overpowered the sounds of the storm, carrying a suffocating pressure.

"The Protocol stands: those above the Seventh Rank shall not lightly initiate conflict. This is the Covenant of the Gods, and even I am unwilling to violate it lightly."

Augustus paused, his lips curling into a mocking arc. "Besides, why would I need to personally take action against the likes of you?"

He raised his scepter, and the golden crystal at its tip tapped the air lightly.

"Edmond."

"Present."

Among the ten knights, the figure at the very front of the cross formation stepped forward in response.

He was a full head taller than the other knights. Dark gold patterns flowed across his pure white power armor, and four light-wings unfurled from his back, each measuring a full thirty feet in length, resembling the judgment wings of an angel in the rainy night.

His faceplate rose, revealing a resolute and cold face. His hawk-like eyes locked onto Lin Mo, burning with pure Battle Intent and killing intent.

Edmond, the Chief Knight of the Holy Temple Knights, was at the Peak of the Sixth Rank, with half a foot already in the Seventh Rank. He was a peerless and ferocious man who had once single-handedly slain three Sixth Rank Late Stage Awakeners from Great Xia.

"Legion Commander." Edmond placed his right hand over his chest, performing a standard knight's salute.

"Apprehend him," Augustus said indifferently. "Do not kill him; I want him alive. As for the others..."

His gaze swept over Han Xiao, Ji Wuchen, and the others on the city wall, as if they were merely weeds by the roadside.

"Kill them."

"By your command."

Boom—!

Edmond turned, his four light-wings shuddering violently, and he instantly vanished from the spot.

In the next instant, he appeared thirty feet above Lin Mo's head. He held a two-meter-long dragon spear high above him, its shaft wreathed in blinding Holy Light, and thrust it downward!

"Divine Art: Heavenly Punishment!"

Before the spear even arrived, the terrifying pressure caused the city bricks beneath Lin Mo's feet to crack inch by inch.

The power of this single thrust was actually thirty percent more concentrated than the holy spear formed by the combined efforts of the previous ten men. This was power that truly touched the threshold of the Seventh Rank!

Lin Mo's pupils constricted. He swung the longyuan blade out in a horizontal slash, as gold-red lightning cinders condensed into a roaring dragon shadow on the blade.

"Thunder Dragon Break!"

Clang—!!!

The blade edge and spear tip collided in the void, producing a deafening metallic roar.

A visible shockwave exploded outward with the two at its center, shaking all the raindrops within a hundred-foot radius into a fine mist.

Lin Mo let out a muffled groan. His feet plowed two deep furrows into the city bricks as he retreated seven steps, each step leaving an inch-deep footprint on the hard wall.

His right arm trembled slightly, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger had split, and blood dripped down the hilt of his blade.

Edmond, however, only swayed slightly before stabilizing himself in the void. His four light-wings flapped gently as he looked down at Lin Mo from above. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which then turned into deep contempt.

"To be able to take a strike from my spear and not die, it seems you have the strength of a Sixth Rank Late Stage. No wonder Aiken fell at your hands."

Edmond's voice came through his armor, carrying a metallic hardness.

"But it ends here. In the face of absolute power, everything is futile!"

Before his voice had even faded, he vanished again.

This time he was even faster, so fast that not even an afterimage could be seen. Only a sky full of spear shadows poured down like a torrential rain, each thrust aimed at Lin Mo's vital points!

Lin Mo gritted his teeth, the longyuan blade turning into a gold-red light curtain that protected his body so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.

Ding ding ding ding—!

The dense sounds of collision were like rain hitting banana leaves, each explosive bang accompanied by a shower of sparks.

Lin Mo's figure was forced back continuously amidst the spear shadows, driven from the eastern corner of the city wall to the western corner. His light armor was soon covered in cracks, and his left shoulder, right leg, and waist were grazed by the spear tip one after another, leaving trails of blood.

He had indeed fallen into a disadvantage.

Edmond's strength was too great—Sixth Rank Peak, and the very top tier at that. Whether in terms of power, speed, or combat experience, he completely suppressed Lin Mo, who had only just broken through to the Fifth Rank Middle Stage.

If not for the powerful Physical Body granted by his dragon blood, Lin Mo would have been heavily injured or dying long ago.

And even worse, the other nine Temple Knights had already begun their slaughter.

"For the Holy Light!"

The nine knights turned into nine streaks of light, charging into Ironwall City's defensive line.

They didn't bother with Lin Mo, instead pouncing directly toward Han Xiao, Ji Wuchen, and the others, as well as the city guards.

"Form up! Stop them!" Han Xiao roared, his metal staff dancing so fast it was airtight as he met a knight head-on.

Thud!

Han Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying, crashing into and collapsing half of an archery tower.

His previous injuries hadn't healed yet, and against a Sixth Rank Peak Temple Knight, he had almost no power to fight back.

"Commander Han!" Ji Wuchen's eyes nearly split from rage. His longsword turned into a flash of light as he stabbed toward that knight's back.

But another knight simply waved his hand, and a Holy Light Slash shattered his Sword Qi. The aftershock sent him flying several yards, where he slammed heavily into the battlements, breaking at least three ribs.

Gu Yunting silently struck out with his sword, his Sword Intent sharp. He exchanged five moves with a knight, but on the sixth move, his sword was melted by the Holy Light. He took a sweep from a light-wing to his chest and fell from the city wall, spraying blood.

A knight set his sights on Shen Yi, grinning as he raised his spear and thrust it down!

"Retreat!" Lin Mo caught this scene out of the corner of his eye. His heart shook, and he wanted to go to her aid, but he was forced back by Edmond's spear. The sharp spear tip carved a foot-long bloody gash across his chest.

"You dare to be distracted while fighting me?" Edmond sneered. His dragon spear swept across, sending Lin Mo flying. He crashed into a pillar of the gate tower, shattering the stone column that would have taken three men to encircle.

Lin Mo stood up from the ruins, coughing blood. The scene before him made his eyes burn with fury.

The defenders of Ironwall City were being routed.

Han Xiao was being besieged by two knights; covered in blood, he could no longer stand steadily.

Ji Wuchen and Gu Yunting lay in pools of blood, their fates unknown.

Shen Yi was locked onto by that knight's spear tip, with nowhere to retreat.

Even more guards were being slaughtered by the Holy Light, and the city wall was already dyed crimson.

Meanwhile, Augustus remained suspended in the distance, hands behind his back, as if admiring a grand performance.

"Are you angry? Are you in despair?" Edmond walked over slowly, his dragon spear dragging on the ground, making a piercing sound.

"This is the gap in power. Your talent is indeed terrifying, but you are too weak—so weak you can't even protect your own companions."

He raised the dragon spear and pointed it at Lin Mo. "Kneel and surrender. I can give you a quick death, and I might even leave your companions' corpses intact."

Lin Mo lowered his head, blood dripping from his chin and staining the dragon scale reverse-pattern on his chest.

His breathing was ragged. His Meridians had been torn in several places under Edmond's violent attacks, and his dragon blood surged through his vessels, bringing a burning pain.

But at this moment, his heart grew strangely calm.

He heard it.

He heard that dragon roar from deep within his Bloodline, a sound that had traversed eons of time and space.

The Azure Dragon, of the East, of Wood, governs growth and holds the power of life.

At this moment, he finally understood. The true True Intent of the Azure Dragon did not lie in destruction, but in protection!

The power that erupts for the sake of protection—that is the true True Intent of the Azure Dragon!

Lin Mo slowly raised his head. The gold-red vertical pupils in his eyes underwent a qualitative change at this moment, transforming from a blazing molten gold into a deeper, more majestic pale cyan.

The dragon scale reverse-pattern on his chest began to spread at a visible rate—from his chest to his neck, from his neck to his cheeks, then to his arms, and finally his entire body.

Plates of cyan-gold dragon scales covered his skin. On his forehead, two small dragon horns broke through the skin, and behind him, a pair of dragon wings condensed from wind and thunder were faintly unfurling.

"True Intent of the Azure Dragon..."

Lin Mo murmured softly, his voice becoming deep and grand, as if ten thousand dragons were whispering at once.

"So that's how it is."

Edmond's expression changed. He felt an aura awakening that made his very Soul tremble. That aura was more than ten times stronger than it had been just moments ago!

"Playing tricks! Die!"

Edmond didn't dare wait any longer. He thrust out his dragon spear with all his might, turning it into a streak of Holy Light that pierced through heaven and earth!

Facing this lethal spear thrust, Lin Mo simply raised his hand.

He didn't draw his blade; he used only his bare hand to reach out and grab the dragon spear that was capable of piercing mountains.

Bang!

He caught the spear tip firmly in his palm. The sharp Holy Light grated against the cyan-gold dragon scales on his palm, producing a tooth-aching sound of metal twisting, but it could not advance another inch.

Lin Mo looked up, his pale cyan dragon eyes staring at Edmond, his voice terrifyingly calm:

"You said just now that I couldn't protect them?"

Boom—!

A violent airwave exploded out with Lin Mo at the center. The wind-thunder dragon wings behind him fully condensed, and with a sudden flap, he instantly vanished from the spot.

Edmond's pupils constricted. Before he could even react, a fist covered in cyan-gold dragon scales slammed heavily into his faceplate.

Thud—!!!

It was like a god beating a drum!

Edmond's faceplate caved in instantly. He was sent flying back like a meteor, tracing a perfectly straight line through the air. He smashed through the city wall, collapsed a derelict artillery tower outside the city, and without losing momentum, plowed a thousand-foot-long furrow across the wasteland before finally slamming into a hill, shattering it into pieces!

The entire field fell into a deathly silence.

The nine Temple Knights who were in the middle of their slaughter all froze at once, looking in absolute horror at the figure on the city wall covered in cyan-gold dragon scales with wind-thunder wings on his back.

Lin Mo slowly retracted his fist. His pale cyan dragon eyes swept over the nine knights, his voice like thunder rolling across the earth:

"Now, it's your turn."

He took a step forward, and his figure instantly appeared before the knight who was about to stab Shen Yi. Under the other's terrified gaze, he brought down a dragon claw strike.

Boom!

The burly knight carrying the ship-cutting blade fell like a meteor, smashing a ten-foot-deep crater into the base of the city wall, sending dust flying in all directions.

He struggled to get up but spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with metallic fragments. Although Lin Mo's claw hadn't crushed his armor, the violent dragon energy had already shattered his internal organs.

"Marc!"

A female knight wielding dual swords cried out sharply, her figure retreating rapidly as she tried to aid her companion. But her movements in Lin Mo's eyes were as slow as a snail's crawl.

"Don't be in a hurry. It's your turn."

While his voice was still in its original position, Lin Mo's figure had already dissipated like a streak of cyan-gold lightning.

The female knight's scalp prickled with alarm, and her dual swords instinctively crossed in a block above her head.

In the next instant, a foot covered in dragon scales appeared out of thin air, stepping heavily onto the intersection of her blades.

Clang—!

The sound of clashing metal echoed across the city wall. The female knight felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. The bones in her arms let out groans of being overburdened, and she was kicked straight down from the air, plowing a sixty-foot furrow in the ground before finally stopping when she hit an archery tower.

She knelt on one knee, the webbing of her hands split, blood dripping down her sword hilts. Her face under the faceplate was as pale as paper.

"Second one."

Lin Mo suspended himself where she had been, his wind-thunder dragon wings flapping gently, generating fine arcs of electricity.

He didn't pursue her, instead turning to look at the third knight, the high-energy sniper who was trying to pull away.

The sniper was scared out of his wits, his finger frantically pulling the trigger. Six beams of azure high-energy light fanned out to block all of Lin Mo's evasion angles.

These beams, which were enough to melt through the protective Qi of a Fifth Rank Peak, only passed through the afterimage Lin Mo had left behind.

"Too slow."

Lin Mo appeared like a ghost beside the sniper. He didn't draw his blade, but simply delivered a backhanded slap.

Slap!

The crisp sound of the slap exploded in the rainy night. The sniper, along with his rifle, was sent spinning through the air seven or eight times before slamming heavily into the battlements, shattering the hard cyan-steel structure.

"Third one."

Lin Mo shook his hand and turned his gaze toward the defense-type warrior not far away, who held a tower shield and had the physique of a bear.

That knight was named Giant Rock, a shield guard known for his defense within the Holy Temple Knights. At this moment, he shuddered all over, terrified by Lin Mo's gaze.

He gave a roar and slammed his three-meter-high tower shield heavily onto the city bricks. Holy Light was poured into it as if it cost nothing, and six layers of thick divine runes instantly lit up on the shield's surface.

"Come on!!" Giant Rock bellowed, trying to use his roar to dispel his fear.

Lin Mo narrowed his eyes, his gaze landing on the void ten feet behind Giant Rock.

Instant Shadow, activate!

In the next second, his figure instantly vanished from the spot, crossing the spatial barrier to appear directly behind Giant Rock.

"Behind you!"

Watching from a distance, Edmond's eyes nearly split from rage as he let out a horrified roar, but the warning was too late.

Giant Rock didn't even have time to turn around before he felt an irresistible force slam into his backplate.

Lin Mo's right fist was wrapped in cyan-gold dragon energy. Like a heavy sledgehammer, it smashed into the rear connection point of the tower shield.

Crack!

The steel spine support structure snapped instantly. Giant Rock let out a non-human scream of agony, and his massive body pitched forward like a broken kite. The three-meter tower shield flew from his hands, spinning as it crashed into the city, slicing a watchtower in half.

Giant Rock himself tumbled a dozen times across the city bricks before finally lying flat on the ground. A clear fist print was indented into his back armor, and dark gold blood oozed from the gaps.

Only then did an irrepressible wave of gasps break out atop the city wall.

"Was that... teleportation?! He's actually mastered a high-level ability like teleportation?" Han Xiao climbed out of the ruins, leaning on his metal staff, his single eye full of shock.

Ji Wuchen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He looked at the slapped-away sniper, then at the female knight kicked into the archery tower, and suddenly began to grin. Although the movement pulled at his broken ribs, making him hiss in pain, he laughed, "Hahaha... You're only just finding out that Lin Mo, this freak, can use Instant Shadow..."

On the other side of the battlefield, the remaining six Temple Knights finally recovered from their extreme shock. Looking at their four fallen companions and the terrifying figure suspended in the rain, covered in cyan-gold dragon scales with wind-thunder wings, an emotion called fear finally crept into their hearts.

"Damn it... damn it! This guy can teleport. This is going to be trouble!" a knight holding a chain blade said with a trembling voice, instinctively taking a step back.

"Do not retreat! Do not forget the glory of the Temple Knights!" Edmond finally moved. Dark gold divine flames erupted like a volcano, making him look like an angry god of war.

But the shock in his heart was far greater than anyone else's. As a powerhouse with half a foot in the Seventh Rank, he knew better than anyone how troublesome it was to deal with an opponent who could teleport!

In the distance, Augustus, who had kept his hands behind his back the entire time, finally lowered them slowly. On his face, which had been as indifferent as a god's, a hint of solemnity and... greed appeared for the first time.