Chen Tian fled into the sky, accelerating to outrun the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant. In their aerial pursuit, the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant continuously spewed fireballs from its maw, which streaked towards Chen Tian. He activated his perception of heaven and earth along with extreme evasion, skillfully dodging every fiery projectile. Yet, the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant relentlessly pursued.
Chen Tian saw the Infinite Valley approaching, almost within reach. "Just a little longer," he thought, a flicker of hope igniting within him. He plunged into the valley. The Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant followed without hesitation, its mission clear: Chen Tian, an anomaly, a bug that must be eradicated.
Inside the Infinite Valley, Chen Tian reached the location of the final trial. Spotting the pursuing Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant, he opened his system interface and clicked 'yes' on the quest. A colossal stone statue began to shake, cracks appearing and spreading across its surface. The Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant landed, promptly unleashing a fireball directly at Chen Tian. He vanished using his teleportation skill, reappearing in the sky as the fireball struck the statue.
With a boom, the statue shattered, revealing a colossal entity. Chen Tian gazed at the ferocious Tyrant Dragon, its aura undeniably terrifying, on par with the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant. He activated his Heaven-Concealing skill to mask his presence, setting the stage for a battle between the two behemoths. "When the clam and the oyster fight, the fisherman benefits," Chen Tian mused, his strategy clear.
The ferocious Tyrant Dragon fixed its ferocious gaze upon the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant, its territory violated by the presence of another creature. It let out a series of roars, asserting its dominance and authority.
Its four claws dug into the ground, causing it to tremble. With immense speed, it appeared before the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant, its massive maw opening as if to swallow it whole.
Facing the Tyrant Dragon's gaping maw, the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant's expression grew serious. This creature was obstructing its directive and had to be eliminated.
Blood-red dragon claws manifested on its own claws, and two beams of light flashed. The Tyrant Dragon retreated a few steps. It looked at the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant and spoke, "An ant, not bad. You're almost on my level. You might just make me exert myself."
"Obstruction. You hinder my actions. You must die!"
The Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant had been implanted with the command to kill Chen Tian. Anyone who impeded it would also be eliminated.
The Tyrant Dragon retorted, "Leave my territory, and I shall spare you. Otherwise, you shall remain here!"
"Impossible! I will kill you and complete my mission."
"You seek death!"
The Tyrant Dragon roared, and a barrier materialized above the Infinite Valley. Chen Tian watched from the shadows, satisfied. "Yes, fight it out. When you're both weakened, I'll reap the rewards. I'll defeat the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant and complete the quest. Two birds with one stone!"
Normally, the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant would not provoke the Tyrant Dragon. However, its implanted directive to kill Chen Tian overrode caution. Its enhanced power only applied to Chen Tian; against the Tyrant Dragon, it lacked a crushing advantage.
The Tyrant Dragon roared to the heavens and transformed into a humanoid form. In a mere second, the transformed youth locked eyes with the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant. Fists clenched, they clashed.
Immense energy fluctuations erupted in the sky, shattering space and creating voids. Chen Tian was pulled into the chaos. "This terrifying power," he marveled, "is truly beyond my current capabilities."
Within the void, the Tyrant Dragon and the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant exchanged blows. Their fists collided with thunderous impacts; their power was nearly equal. The Tyrant Dragon unleashed a sweeping left fist, and the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant arched back to narrowly avoid it. With a side kick, the Tyrant Dragon's right arm intercepted, its claws firmly grasping the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant's leg and flinging it away. The Tyrant Dragon reappeared behind the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant. Before it could regain its balance, the Tyrant Dragon's left leg swept upwards, sending the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant flying towards the void above.
The Tyrant Dragon reappeared above the void. This time, the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant was prepared, spitting a blood-red energy wave from its mouth. The Tyrant Dragon crossed its arms, dark dragon scales manifesting to resist the impact. The Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant used this opportunity to stabilize itself, performing a series of flips to land on the void.
The Tyrant Dragon spread its arms as the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant's assault rained down. Its fists, imbued with terrifying energy, were unleashed. The Tyrant Dragon extended its claws, and the impact of claws against fists sent shockwaves rippling outwards. Chen Tian, standing to the side, erected a barrier, defending with all his might. These shockwaves were enough to kill him instantly. If he stayed any longer, he might perish.
"Ding! Player can use Ancestral Dragon Power to ignore this shockwave!"
"Right! How could I forget? Thank you!"
Reminded, Chen Tian almost forgot about his Ancestral Dragon Power. However, without the primal aura of draconic bloodlines, his Ancestral Dragon Power was currently ineffective. He had forgotten this since losing his origin and bloodline, and regaining them was incredibly difficult.
Ancestral Dragon Power manifested, and the shockwave had no effect, instead parting around Chen Tian. He nodded in satisfaction. This was perfect; he could now fully observe the battle.
At the center of the battlefield, the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant's dragon claws clashed with the Tyrant Dragon's. The blood-red dragon and the black dragon claws met, neither giving way. According to the information from Chen Tian's Divine Eye, their levels were similar, but their attributes were all marked as question marks.
The Tyrant Dragon was an Emperor-class boss, and its purple light grade naturally allowed it to fight the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant to a standstill. Seeing that it couldn't defeat the Tyrant Dragon, the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant felt a surge of anger. Not only was it being obstructed, but now this creature was stubbornly entangled with it. It was courting death.
A terrifying aura erupted, accompanied by blood-red spectral energy and liquid coating its claws. Its entire body was encased in armor, making it appear like a demon from hell.
The Tyrant Dragon mirrored this. The moment it witnessed the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant's burst of power, its own aura surged. Dragon scales covered its claws, and dragon scale armor encased its entire body. The two forces collided, creating a tempestuous surge of energy.
Their eyes blazed with light, and their figures vanished. Chen Tian couldn't even track their movements; their speed was too great. The void was silent, as if they had both disappeared simultaneously.
However, a second later, they reappeared above the void. Blood flowed from the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant's body, and claw marks scarred the Tyrant Dragon's armor, etching into its flesh.
Chen Tian exclaimed, "What's going on? What happened?"
In just one second, what had transpired?
"Ding! Player, do not be surprised. Purple light grade players or bosses can compress time during combat. That single second was equivalent to several normal minutes, even tens of minutes, depending on the combat speed!"
"So that's how it is!"
Chen Tian understood. No wonder there had been no sound or visual cues; the compressed combat time had resulted in too many events occurring to be perceived by the outside world.
"Wait, if purple light grade can compress time, then that means...!"
'Ding! Reporting to player, this theory is indeed viable, but it requires a luck stat of 100, maximum. Furthermore, luck cannot be increased through leveling; it is fixed unless augmented by special items. Otherwise, the consequence will be becoming sustenance for the time rift, and the body will fall into eternal slumber within the time stream.'
Chen Tian was stunned. Was there such a thing? This made him hesitant to attempt it. Moreover, he felt his game system was different now, more human-like, even possessing its own consciousness. Was this an illusion?
However, the subsequent electronic voice did not reappear, and Chen Tian dismissed the thought, focusing back on the battle.
The Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant and the Tyrant Dragon rapidly healed their wounds. The Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant's recovery speed was noticeably slower than the Tyrant Dragon's. The reason was simple: the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant's bloodline was not as pure as the Tyrant Dragon's. After all, it was a co-produced entity, and the blood within its body was a mixture of two types, not a pure dragon bloodline.
After healing, the Tyrant Dragon did not attack but quietly waited for the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant to recover. It then looked towards Chen Tian's position. Chen Tian felt its draconic gaze fixed upon him, and sweat beaded on his brow. "No way! Was I discovered already?"
He had activated the Heaven-Concealing skill, hadn't he? Could purple light grade bosses and players detect it?
But why hadn't the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant noticed? Suddenly, a voice echoed in Chen Tian's mind – the Tyrant Dragon's voice.
Tyrant Dragon: "Do not worry, I will not attack you. This one is mine. Your task now is to grow. This is my mission. Observe our battle closely and comprehend your own time-related skills."
Chen Tian: "But to comprehend time skills, one needs a maximum luck stat. I haven't met the requirements!"
Tyrant Dragon: "When we are killed, you have a chance to choose one item. Do you understand?"
Chen Tian: 'Understood. Thank you!'
Tyrant Dragon: 'You are welcome, Divine Lord. It is my duty.'
Chen Tian: "Wait, you are, you are him!"
As the Tyrant Dragon spoke, a figure appeared in Chen Tian's mind, perfectly matching the Tyrant Dragon's form. The Tyrant Dragon said nothing. At that moment, the Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant's injuries had healed. Both looked at each other, and their next round of battle was about to commence.
The Blood Heavenly Dragon Ant spoke, "Why did you not take the opportunity to finish me off while I was injured?"
Tyrant Dragon: "That is not my style. I dislike pursuing victory this way. If we fight, we fight from the beginning to the end, a clean and decisive battle!"