The Thunder Emperor Dragon, who had been flying above the lake, was utterly dumbfounded.
He was still processing what Xiao Lin had just said.
It didn't sound like a lie—and the soul power in Xiao Lin's body was real.
The dragon's heart began to waver.
This offer was simply too good to be true.
Becoming a god—wasn't that the opportunity his father had been searching for over two hundred thousand years?
And even now, his father was still up there undergoing tribulation!
While the Thunder Emperor Dragon pondered, Tang San's palms were already sweating.
Brother Lin was way too good at talking nonsense.
Artifacts, innate level-twenty soul power—who could believe that?
Seeing the dragon still hesitate, Xiao Lin continued to push.
"To tell you the truth, both Tang San and I have already been chosen as candidates for the inheritance of the Sea God. Once we arrive at Sea God Island, we'll undertake the trials and inherit the divine thrones."
"I'm not lying to you."
Xiao Lin's tone was upright and confident, full of righteous grandeur.
"A true man should have the ambition to swallow mountains and rivers. Don't you want to become a divine dragon?"
Each of Xiao Lin's words struck right at the Thunder Emperor Dragon's heart.Yet, as a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast with the bloodline of the Azure Dragon, he wasn't about to be swayed so easily.
"You don't believe me? Or you just don't trust humans?"
Xiao Lin had been thinking for a while, unable to figure out why the dragon refused to sacrifice himself.
At last, he guessed—the dragon might be afraid that after the sacrifice, his consciousness would completely dissipate, leaving him with no will of his own.
If that was the issue, Xiao Lin already had a countermeasure in mind.
After all, he knew that even Tang San's two brother-in-laws, after sacrificing themselves, never once spoke to him again.
Most likely, their spirits had faded, unable to maintain clarity.
Even Xiao Wu had needed a special immortal herb to regain consciousness.
"If you're worried about losing your consciousness, then there's no need to be."
After saying this, Xiao Lin summoned his Coiling Dragon Staff.
The moment the staff appeared, the surrounding air froze.
It was as if the Coiling Dragin Staff knew Xiao Lin's intentions—it unleashed its full power immediately upon manifestation.
Under Tang San's and the dragon's astonished gazes,the staff expanded rapidly, stretching skyward, glowing with flashes of lightning.
In an instant, it pierced the clouds, accepting the baptism of thunder.
Bathed in lightning, the intricate dragon patterns on its surface shimmered with dark-golden light, faintly echoing with dragon roars.
What shocked the Thunder Emperor Dragon most was that Xiao Lin seemed completely at ease controlling this thousand-meter-long divine staff.
Moments later, four glowing figures appeared around the Staff.
They gradually took shape— the Mighty Vajra Bull, the Thunder Shadow Leopard, the Blazing Flame Titan, and the Comet Snow Wolf.
These were Xiao Lin's former soul beasts, now conscious once more, animated by the Coiling Dragon Staff's power.
The Thunder Emperor Dragon could tell—their consciousnesses were real, not mere illusions, and likely not enslaved by the staff.
At that moment, the dragon finally began to believe Xiao Lin.A weapon capable of this level of soul resonance—this was indeed an artifact.
However… if Xiao Lin thought that alone was enough to earn his sacrifice, he was gravely underestimating him.
He needed status.
Even as a spirit ring, he demanded equal standing with Xiao Lin.
The dragon soon voiced his condition and demanded that Xiao Lin swear upon his own martial spirit—the Coiling Dragon Staff.
But this was the one thing Xiao Lin could not agree to.
Because within his spiritual domain, he was already equal—well, almost equal—to the two Dragon Kings.
To be precise, they were "mutual equals" in friendship.
And those two Dragon Kings absolutely would not allow this little Thunder Dragon to call himself their peer.
That would be outright rebellion!
Even if the Thunder Dragon's grandfather came, he'd still have to call them "Dragon Kings."
But since Xiao Lin couldn't explain their existence, he just looked extremely guilty.
"Ha! As expected of a human—full of lies! You dare deceive me!"
Realizing Xiao Lin's hesitation, the Thunder Emperor Dragon erupted in fury.
In an instant, the skies shifted—the lake darkened, thunder rolled, and black clouds gathered overhead.
A crushing pressure descended upon Xiao Lin and Tang San.
"Ugh!"
Tang San, whose physique was weaker, groaned under the strain.
He forcibly circulated his Xuan Tian Technique to suppress his surging blood and stabilize his body.
Yet as the dragon's aura intensified, even Tang San could barely keep control.
The Thunder Emperor Dragon still hadn't unleashed his full might—this was already him holding back.
At that moment, the soul bone in Xiao Lin's right leg glimmered faintly.
A Chaos Domain spread beneath him, its chaotic energy enveloping a ten-meter radius.
Instantly, Tang San's pressure lightened.
Feeling the suppression weaken, even the Thunder Emperor Dragon was startled.
If he could obtain such power, he might actually have a chance to overcome his hundred-thousand-year tribulation.
But then he thought again—even if he survived this one, what about the next? Or the one after that?
Could he ever surpass the million-year tribulation?
No—becoming a divine dragon was indeed his lifelong dream.
But seeing a mere Soul King like Xiao Lin stand firm against his dragon might shocked him deeply.
That's when a thought took shape—a test.
If Xiao Lin wouldn't treat him as an equal, then he'd have to prove his strength.
Only then would the Thunder Emperor Dragon willingly sacrifice himself.
And Xiao Lin, at this point, understood perfectly.
He needed to prove that his ascension to godhood did not depend on the Thunder Emperor Dragon—that the dragon's sacrifice would merely be a bonus, not a necessity.
Their minds met.
Man and dragon prepared for their second clash.
If dragon might couldn't subdue Xiao Lin, then they would battle through soul power.
This time, the Thunder Emperor Dragon released his full, unrestrained aura as a hundred-thousand-year beast.
The entire Thunder Canyon trembled.
Even heavenly lightning paled in comparison, as his pressure spread indiscriminately across the land.
Under that force, Xiao Lin's body began to strain—his bones creaking as if crushed under an infinite weight.
Soul Weapon True Form—Activate!
"Heaven and Earth Throw! Flowing Shadow Lightning Flash! Heart of Flame! Comet Star Scar Slash! Blood Power, ignite!"
Four soul rings—yellow, purple, purple, black—flared in succession.
Xiao Lin's body ignited with golden-blue flame, the fusion of ultimate fire and ultimate ice, intertwined with arcs of lightning.
Finally, the Coiling Dragon Staff's silvery-white energy surged into him, reinforcing his body with the Diamond Indestructible Form.
Even so, the oppressive might was overwhelming.
Tang San, bolstered by the vitality of the Blue Silver Emperor, could barely stand.
Xiao Lin had to hold him up with one hand and grip his staff with the other, glaring defiantly at the dragon.
In the next moment, a pair of dragon horns erupted from Xiao Lin's head—the Dragon King Horns (a name he decided to keep).
Their own dragon might surged forth, colliding head-on with the Thunder Emperor Dragon's aura.
And somehow, the moment Xiao Lin's dragon might appeared—the Thunder Emperor Dragon's oppressive force shattered, like a balloon pricked by a needle.
Xiao Lin's dragon might wasn't much in quantity,but in quality, it completely surpassed the Thunder Emperor Dragon's.
"What—!?"
The dragon's eyes widened in disbelief.
That kind of supreme dragon aura—even his father had never possessed it!
"Tang San! You hear me? Time for our blood-boiling combo attack!"
Even on the brink of exhaustion, Xiao Lin wasn't done—he was ready to go out with one final, shocking strike against the Thunder Emperor Dragon.
(End of Chapter)