“His physical strength is pretty impressive. Are you confident you can kill him with one strike?”
After briefly assessing the Protector’s condition, Hua Jian turned to ask Linglong.
Don’t be fooled just because the Protector was under her control—this was merely a restraint, and his health hadn’t dropped at all.
They’d have to deal the damage themselves, and if they unleashed too much at once, he’d snap out of it.
But if the damage wasn’t enough, Linglong would have to keep fighting the Protector, wasting time and effort.
“No, his physical abilities are no longer ordinary. Even I can’t seriously injure him in one strike.” Linglong shook her head.
She’d slashed the Protector several times before, but each time only left wounds that healed rapidly.
She hadn’t held back in any of those strikes. This was simply her damage limit.
“Got it. I’ll handle it.” Hua Jian flashed an OK sign.
Linglong specialized in physical attacks, but with the monster’s physical resistance so high, her attacks were barely a tickle now.
Time for Hua Jian, the one who dealt spiritual damage, to step in.
With Mirage Qi for control and Illusory Dream Flower for the kill, this skill set was the bane of anyone with low godsoul strength—one shot, one success.
Lost in the illusion, the Protector never noticed Hua Jian approaching.
Completely defenseless, he was shrouded in the mist of the Illusory Dream Flower and pulled straight into the Godsoul Space.
Hua Jian closed her eyes and sat down cross-legged not far away, ready to handle the monster’s godsoul within the Godsoul Space.
If there was any flaw in her tactics, it was this: while she slaughtered in the Godsoul Space, her physical body was completely defenseless—fragile and in need of someone else’s protection.
Fortunately, Linglong was here beside her, so she had nothing to worry about.
“I’ll deal with this guy as quickly as I can!”
“Mm, be careful.” Linglong knew she needed to guard Hua Jian. They couldn’t both enter the Godsoul Space.
If the Hei Long Gang still had cultivators around and tried to ambush them while both were inside, things would turn ugly fast.
“Don’t worry, it’s just an ordinary spirit master. Won’t be much trouble.”
……
Roooar!
An ordinary spirit master?
Hua Jian wanted to slap herself from a few seconds ago. Who could tell her what in the world was this black dragon radiating pitch-black aura?
She looked around and saw a half-human creature trampled under the dragon’s claw—body already battered and on the brink of death.
So that thing underfoot was the Protector? Then what was this black dragon, and how could the Protector’s body have two consciousnesses?
Confused, Hua Jian had no time to sort it out before the dragon’s blood-red eyes locked onto her.
“Roar!”
The black dragon let out a furious howl and lunged straight at Hua Jian.
She immediately used her escape art to dodge the impact, but to her surprise, the dragon twisted its head and spat a jet of pitch-black fire, hitting her even as she was mid-escape.
A burning sensation seared her body. Hua Jian tumbled out of her escape technique, rolled twice on the ground before she finally managed to put out the black flames.
It has ranged attacks too?
Staring at the black dragon hovering in midair, Hua Jian’s hands were tied. How was she supposed to deal with this thing?
She wasn’t some monster hunter. How was she supposed to fight a flying dragon like this?
‘Don’t be intimidated. Battles in the Godsoul Space are contests of godsoul. The form of attack is only symbolic.’
A Meng reminded her not to overthink things.
You’re in the Godsoul Space. You don’t need to figure out how to defeat the dragon—just unleash your power.
As long as your godsoul is stronger, the enemy will be hurt, regardless of your attack method.
And hitting it shouldn’t be hard…
Hua Jian clenched her hand in the air, conjuring the short spear she’d used before in the Godsoul Space, and unleashed a barrage at the black dragon.
Colorful points of light rained down, exploding into fireworks around the dragon.
But the black dragon remained completely unscathed.
“What is this thing, cheating?!” Hua Jian was stunned. Her attacks could even threaten Ling Kings, yet this dragon took them as if nothing had happened. How was this possible?
Could it be that its godsoul was actually stronger than a Ling King?
If that were true, it would have torn the Godsoul Space apart by now!
The dragon didn’t give her time to ponder. After tanking her attacks, it opened its mouth again and spat another wave of black fire at Hua Jian.
The black flame pressed forward, pushing through her bullets and forcing Hua Jian to put away her spear and run.
Can’t win a direct clash—better retreat for now!
Boom!
The fireball hit the ground, shaking the entire Godsoul Space.
Hua Jian couldn’t estimate the damage, but A Meng quickly calculated the power from experience.
It was equivalent to a full-force strike from an ordinary Ling King—but an ordinary Ling King shouldn’t be immune to your attacks.
The dragon’s offense was reasonable, but its defense was far too abnormal.
“So the damage isn’t high, but it’s ridiculously tough?” Hua Jian pondered, deciding to probe further so A Meng could gather more clues.
She wasn’t knowledgeable in this area, so she had to rely on A Meng’s judgment.
Since the spear was useless, she switched tactics.
Throwing aside her burning stick, Hua Jian raised her hand at the black dragon in the sky. A colorful vine shot from her wrist, stabbing straight at the dragon.
Just like before, the dragon didn’t dodge. The vine struck its body, then abruptly bent, as if hitting something impossibly hard.
“So tough!”
Hua Jian twisted her wrist. When brute force failed, the vine turned cunning—snaking around the dragon’s claw like a clever serpent.
Swinging like on a swing, Hua Jian closed in on the dragon as the vine reeled her in.
The dragon spat fire again to block her, but its movements were so mechanical that Hua Jian easily anticipated and dodged with a midair maneuver.
Failing to block her, the dragon twisted erratically in the sky, trying to shake her off.
Outside, that might have worked—but in the Godsoul Space, it was wishful thinking.
Hua Jian’s vine was connected to her own flesh and blood—impossible to shake loose.
With the vine’s help, Hua Jian climbed onto the dragon’s back, summoning more vines to bind herself tightly to the beast.
Up close, she realized the dragon’s body wasn’t like a normal godsoul—it was hollow. Literally, made of black smoke. She could even see the ground through it.
But no matter how ethereal it looked, its defense was absurd. Hua Jian couldn’t break through, whether using her spear or vine.
After repeated attempts, her own godsoul even began to ache.
The dragon’s godsoul quality was terrifyingly high, but its overall mass was too small. That’s why its offense wasn’t as strong as its defense… A Meng was starting to see the pattern.
The dragon had incredible godsoul quality, but its quantity was too little. This imbalance made its attacks weak compared to its defense.
Its defense was strong because its godsoul was far greater than Hua Jian’s, making her attacks useless.
But offense required more than just quality—other forces were needed, and the dragon lacked those.
‘It’s like a fragment of some powerful being’s soul—just quality, no substance.’
“I get it, so how am I supposed to deal with it? I can’t just let it run wild in the Godsoul Space, right?” Hua Jian half-understood—so the black dragon was basically a tough, smelly rock.
She didn’t care about its origins; she just wanted to know how to handle it.
She’d tried every method she could, but nothing worked!
‘Use the power of the Illusory Dream Flower! Illusory Dream Flower feeds on godsouls. No matter how strong, once entangled, nothing can escape.’ A Meng reminded Hua Jian not to forget her identity.
You’re the Illusory Dream Flower! Even a morsel of godsoul like this is just an appetizer—devour it!
The Illusory Dream Flower wasn’t some delicate spirit blossom that needed tender care to thrive.
It was a predator, a ruthless predator. No matter how strong its prey’s godsoul, it could be devoured.
That was its talent—and why it ranked in the top ten of the Hundred Flowers List.
“So what do I do?”
‘You’re the Illusory Dream Flower—how should I know!’
A Meng was helpless. She was the Dream Butterfly—her job was to help the flower chop up the godsoul. As for how to absorb it, only the flower knew.
She only knew the Illusory Dream Flower could eat any godsoul—nothing could withstand it.
As for how, that was up to Hua Jian to discover.
‘Devouring godsoul is the Illusory Dream Flower’s instinct. Try relying on instinct!’
That was all the guidance she could offer.
Instinct? I have an instinct for this?
Hua Jian was at a loss. How was A Meng’s advice any different from saying nothing?
Everyone said she’d merged with the Illusory Dream Flower, but she never inherited any devouring instincts.
Follow your feelings? She didn’t feel a thing!
With no better option, Hua Jian lay on the dragon’s back, opened her mouth, and chomped down.
Eat, right? Fine, let’s try a bite!
Crunch!
Nearly chipping her teeth, Hua Jian teared up, unable to bite through at all. What now?
Illusory Dream Flower, help me out! How do I eat this damn dragon?
But the flower gave no response. Instead, the dragon seemed enraged by her bite, twisting its head to spit another wave of fire at her.
The flames were massive, and Hua Jian, still dazed from her toothache, didn’t react in time. As she tried to let go and escape, it was already too late.
The black fire struck her, knocking her off the dragon’s back.
The flames didn’t extinguish but continued to burn her godsoul.
It hurt! Rolling on the ground, Hua Jian’s survival instinct kicked in.
As rainbow light shimmered from the little flowers on her wrist, the black fire was gradually drawn into the bracelet of blossoms.
“Huh? Why can I do it now?” Hua Jian was completely baffled by the Illusory Dream Flower.
Why no response earlier, but now it worked?
“Maybe it’s because you didn’t truly want to devour the black dragon just now!” A Meng saw more clearly than confused Hua Jian.
Earlier, on the dragon’s back, Hua Jian didn’t sincerely want to eat the black dragon. Deep down, she still resisted using the Illusory Dream Flower’s ability to consume godsouls.
But once she was burned by the flames, Hua Jian was truly frightened and in pain. Her genuine desire to get rid of the fire triggered the flower’s power instinctively.
“You mean I have to really want to eat it? But…” Hua Jian looked troubled. She didn’t deny what A Meng said; she never seriously considered devouring the dragon.
First, she wasn’t born an Illusory Dream Flower and couldn’t really see godsouls as food.
Second, she’d promised Linglong not to devour godsouls. If discovered, it wouldn’t be easy to explain.
With both reasons, she couldn’t truly see godsouls as something edible.
With her own resistance, the flower—being part of her—naturally remained inactive.
Because the Illusory Dream Flower was her. If she didn’t want to eat, why would the flower act?
A Meng fell silent. Nothing she could say would help; only Hua Jian could figure it out.
Still, she couldn’t quite understand. Not devouring a cultivator’s godsoul, she got—after all, Hua Jian was a cultivator herself.