Chapter 64: Now That's What I Call Strength

"I never expected you to possess two abilities. To wield such formidable power at just the First Restriction is truly perfection. Did the heavens know that I currently lack a physical body and am merely a soul, and therefore sent you right to me!"

At this, the Black Prison Dragon slapped its front limbs together, mimicking human applause.

Suspended in the air, Li Chenqiu reached out, tore off his shirt to reveal a well-proportioned and sturdy upper body, and asked coldly, "When I strike you, will you feel pain?"

"I will, but can you even manage it?" The Black Prison Dragon stared at Li Chenqiu with greedy eyes.

"You've been suppressed to the First Restriction as well. Being on the same level of the First Restriction, I don't believe anyone can defeat me." With a fierce gaze, Li Chenqiu raised his hand and made a grasping motion in the empty air; an axe formed entirely of solid ice materialized in his grasp.

The moment this monster stepped out of the darkness, Li Chenqiu's sixth sense had clearly perceived that his opponent had weakened. Evidently, this beast was likewise suppressed by the Underworld.

"How foolish. Wouldn't it be better to obediently let me take over your physical body?" The Black Prison Dragon beat its wings and flew to a position parallel to Li Chenqiu.

The fierce battle was on the verge of erupting.

With a flap of his wings, Li Chenqiu vanished from the spot with a muffled boom and charged at the Black Prison Dragon's head, wielding the giant ice axe. The terrifying force caused ripples to spread across the fragile space of the Underworld.

Faced with such a strike, the Black Prison Dragon casually raised a front limb and swatted at Li Chenqiu.

Boom!

Accompanied by a loud crash, the Black Prison Dragon's claw effortlessly blocked Li Chenqiu's axe.

The Black Prison Dragon turned its head, opened its blood-red maw toward Li Chenqiu, and a deep blue flame rose from its throat, sending a searing wave of heat surging forward.

Realizing something was amiss, Li Chenqiu immediately released his grip on the giant axe and retreated swiftly.

Even so, Li Chenqiu's fingers were still scorched by the blue flame.

"My fingers..." Li Chenqiu's pupils constricted as if he had realized something.

Before he could delve deeper into the thought, a shadow fell over his head. The Black Prison Dragon's razor-sharp claw descended upon him like a human swatting a chick.

Li Chenqiu flapped his wings, evading the claw with an intricate maneuver, soared into the sky, and gazed directly into the monster's eyes. "You're somewhat interesting after all."

With that, Li Chenqiu triggered his intent, causing countless droplets of water to spin around him. With a downward gesture of his joined fingers, the myriad water droplets shot out like arrows.

The Black Prison Dragon opened its mouth, spewing forth the deep blue flames.

The moment the two forces collided, a sizzling sound erupted from the flames, and Li Chenqiu's water droplets vanished without a trace in an instant.

"Don't struggle. Although I am at the First Restriction, the Underworld's suppression upon me is not complete. For instance, my strength is only restricted down to the Second Restriction," the Black Prison Dragon mocked.

"Your strength is merely a bit greater, that's all." Li Chenqiu smiled faintly, side-stepping the oncoming blue flame. Simultaneously, he thrust one of his fingers straight into the fire.

Seconds later, the corners of Li Chenqiu's mouth curled upward, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

At that moment, he finally understood why he had consistently failed to awaken his third ability. It turned out that awakening an ability required not only color infusion but also experiencing death—specifically, a death related to the nature of the ability.

Much like Extreme Water; because he had drowned to death in the Lujiang River two years ago, he had been able to awaken Extreme Water immediately after the color infusion.

"So that was how it was!" Li Chenqiu withdrew his finger.

He could feel that as the flames scorched his skin, a dormant power within his body was beginning to stir restlessly.

"Since only death can awaken the third ability, there is no need for me to hold back my power and think about running away."

Having figured this out, Li Chenqiu lowered his arms, flapped his wings, and dive-bombed toward the Black Prison Dragon.

Seeing Li Chenqiu charging straight at him, the Black Prison Dragon opened its maw and unleashed a torrent of flames.

Just as it expected Li Chenqiu to dodge aside, Li Chenqiu ignored the fire entirely and plunged directly into the blazing inferno.

Before the Black Prison Dragon could react, Li Chenqiu's figure had already materialized right in front of its mouth.

"Keep roaring!"

Acting like a madman, Li Chenqiu reached out, grabbed the Black Prison Dragon's tongue, and pulled outward with all his might.

Rip!

Black mist billowed from the Black Prison Dragon's mouth as that tongue dissolved into black smoke and vanished between heaven and earth.

"Aah—!" The Black Prison Dragon emitted a cry of agonizing pain, though lacking a tongue, it could no longer utter a single word.

Whoosh!

A sharp claw tore through the air, lunging at Li Chenqiu's back.

At the very critical moment, Li Chenqiu controlled his wings to surge upward into the sky.

High above, Li Chenqiu's entire body was scorched pitch-black, venting wisps of white steam, with only his eyes remaining undamaged thanks to the protection of Extreme Water.

"Roar—!"

The Black Prison Dragon widened its eyes, its mountain-like form slamming toward Li Chenqiu.

"You mangy beast, did you really think you had taken my measure?"

With those words, Li Chenqiu's entire body suddenly burst apart, transforming into a sky full of water mist.

Seeing Li Chenqiu vanish from sight, the Black Prison Dragon opened its mouth and spat flames in all directions in an attempt to burn him, but it was all in vain, for Li Chenqiu was now high in the heavens.

Beneath the crimson moon, an arm roughly thirty meters long, formed entirely of condensed water, hovered in mid-air, absorbing moisture molecules from the clouds.

This thirty-meter arm was formed by Li Chenqiu transforming his own body into water, representing his ultimate, unreserved strike!

As time passed, the arm grew thicker and sturdier, and the pressure it exuded grew increasingly terrifying, finally stabilizing at a length of fifty meters.

"This is what you call strength." Li Chenqiu's indifferent voice echoed from beneath the clouds, and then the gigantic hand opened wide and pressed down toward the Black Prison Dragon, a sound resembling weeping ghosts and howling wolves resounding across the realm.

The Black Prison Dragon raised its head, its deep blue pupils revealing a very human-like horror.

Yet at this moment, the Black Prison Dragon had nowhere left to run. It spread its wings to fly upward and raised its front limbs to collide with Li Chenqiu.

"I will not lose! How could I possibly lose to someone at the First Restriction!" the Black Prison Dragon roared inwardly.

Boom!

Visible ripples expanded outward from the sky, and the space of the Underworld was torn open like paper.

The two terrifying forces deadlocked in mid-air.

Just as the Black Prison Dragon thought it had successfully blocked the blow, a light chuckle came from within the arm: "Are you even worthy of measuring me?"

The instant the voice fell, an explosive force that suffocated the Black Prison Dragon erupted from the arm, and the strength it took such pride in was thoroughly crushed by Li Chenqiu.

The hundred-meter-long dragon body was slammed straight into the ruins by Li Chenqiu, creating a deep crater tens of meters deep upon the flat ground.

"Roar!" The Black Prison Dragon let out a roar of bitter reluctance, twisting its body and struggling frantically, but to no avail.

"It seems you like playing games just as much as Jing Chenqiu did. I'll play along with you."

Li Chenqiu spoke calmly, manipulating the giant hand to grab the Black Prison Dragon's tail, and repeatedly smashed its body into the ground like a whip, pulling it back up, and slamming it down once more...