Chapter 28: Lizard Drake

Yun Ho casually lit the kiseru pipe for Wong Yazhu, the match's small flame casting fleeting shadows on the walls. He handed the lit pipe to her, a smirk on his lips as he asked, "Are you sure you want to leave your friends behind?"

They were seated in a luxurious cart, the interior spacious and richly decorated. Velvet cushions lined the seats, and golden accents adorned the wooden frame. The cart was large enough to comfortably accommodate six people, yet only Wong Yazhu and Yun Ho sat within, facing each other. The walls were paneled with polished mahogany, and a small, ornate table rested between them.

The cart itself was an imposing sight on the road, its four large wheels made of reinforced wood with gold-plated hubs, designed to handle even the roughest of paths with ease. Suspensions—advanced even by this world's standards—kept the cart stabilized, ensuring a smooth ride despite the uneven dirt roads. It was pulled by two majestic black horses, their manes flowing in the wind as they ran at a surprising speed of over 50 meters per second, faster than many modern vehicles on Earth. These horses were no ordinary animals; they were each 30-year-old spirit beasts tamed to total obedience, with the reins held by a rank 17 Spirit Master.

Wong Yazhu took the pipe, eyeing it. "Tang San's personality will make him a lot of enemies in the future," she replied, her tone matter-of-fact. "I'd rather keep a distance because of that. But I'll maintain a relationship with him—he has the potential to become a Title Douluo."

Yun Ho chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound. "Enemies, you say?" He grinned, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and menace. "I have plenty of enemies myself, bad blood formed through gambling and cultivation."

Wong Yazhu stared at the fat man, nodding slightly. "You do look like the typical villain type," she remarked, her tone flat.

"Depends on perspective." Yun Ho let out a hearty laugh. "I'm a hero to some, a villain to others."

Wong Yazhu took a tentative puff from the kiseru pipe, drawing the smoke deep into her lungs. The taste hit her immediately—bitter and acrid, far worse than she had expected. Her face contorted in disgust as she hastily pulled the pipe from her mouth, coughing and using all her willpower not to spit on the carriage floor. 

"Disgusting!" she exclaimed, her voice hoarse.

Yun Ho took the pipe back, a bemused smile on his face. "It's tobacco for a reason, child," he said, taking a deep puff himself. He expertly blew out a ring of smoke, then inhaled it back in. "As your master, I don't recommend becoming addicted to this."

"I thought these things wouldn't affect us," Wong Yazhu muttered, still grimacing from the lingering taste.

"It won't harm your body, but it's not a good habit," Yun Ho explained, his tone more serious now. "It can mess with your mind." 

Wong Yazhu nodded, making a mental note never to try it again. She then noticed Yun Ho staring at her blindfold. "Are you really blind?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. "The way Tang San was asking about it made me think otherwise."

Without a word, Wong Yazhu removed her blindfold, revealing her eyes. They were pure white, irises included, with only a pronounced white circular line in the middle mimicking the pupil. The veins around her eyes bulged to an almost horrifying degree, something visible putting though it.

"This is one 'mode' of my martial soul," she explained as her white eyes slowly gained color, the veins receding. "I can see through things with these eyes."

Yun Ho's eyes widened in surprise. "You had it activated since you entered the casino," he mused, realization dawning on him. "So no one would notice the sudden shift of your soul power."

"Exactly." Wong Yazhu nodded. "It's not that hard to act blind."

Yun Ho burst out laughing, patting Wong Yazhu's shoulder with his free hand—so hard that she feared her shoulder might dislocate. "Smart, you're a smart one," he praised, his grin wide. "I didn't even notice."

Wong Yazhu groaned under the weight of his large palm. "I would assume so," she replied dryly.

Yun Ho's eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned back, studying her. "So, you had it activated for that long without running out of soul power?" he asked, clearly impressed.

"It doesn't take much soul power if all I'm doing is looking through a piece of cloth and a few cards," Wong Yazhu explained. "The change in soul power movement isn't that different either, so it would be hard for someone to notice unless they were paying close attention."

Yun Ho nodded, taking another puff from his pipe. "Anything else those eyes can do?"

"I can also see far—about two kilometers—and everything in a sphere around me with a radius of about one kilometer," Wong Yazhu responded. 'Will keep the soul power sight to myself for now.'

Yun Ho exhaled a cloud of smoke, his eyes narrowing as he pointed behind him with his pipe. "Tell me what you see."

Confused, Wong Yazhu activated her Byakugan again, using its X-ray and telescopic vision. Her vision zoomed forward at a speed of over 80 meters per second, scanning the surrounding area. At first, she saw nothing unusual, but then she zoomed back, reducing her range from 1.9 kilometers to about 1.7 kilometers—and that's when she noticed.

"We're being followed," she stated, her voice steady despite the tension in the air.

Yun Ho smiled, "How many?"

"Three," Wong Yazhu replied, leaned forward, her gaze intensifying as she added soul sight. "An elder and two grandmasters."

Yun Ho nodded, setting his pipe down. "And I assume one of them is a player from the game we just had?" 

"The woman who never won a round." Wong Yazhu confirmed. "The elder."

Yun Ho nodded knowingly, his expression shifting to one of calm resolve. "They've started moving faster," Wong Yazhu noted. "The elder probably noticed we've spotted them."

"Likely," Yun Ho agreed, reaching forward with a deliberate motion. Wong Yazhu shifted to the side, allowing him to pull open the curtain behind her, revealing a glass window with the coachman's back visible. Yun Ho knocked on the window, and without turning around, the coachman pulled it open.

"Stop here," Yun Ho commanded, his voice firm.

The coachman gave a curt nod, closed the window, and gradually slowed the cart to a stop in the middle of the unpaved road. The surrounding area fell into silence, broken only by the distant cries of birds and the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze.

It didn't take long for their pursuers to catch up. The woman appeared first, emerging from the trees to the right of the carriage and stopping about 15 meters away, followed closely by her two companions—a man and a woman who looked like twins—each standing on either side of her.

"Why would fellow Daoists come to attack my carriage?" Yun Ho's voice, enhanced by soul power, boomed out, filling the quiet air with its resonance. "What wrong have I done to deserve this?"

The woman stepped forward, her demeanor calm. "You've done no wrong, but you have something I want," she replied, her voice smooth and confident.

She was tall and lean, standing at 178 centimeters. Her long, straight black hair was pulled into a high ponytail that cascaded down her back, swaying slightly in the breeze. Her face was sharp and angular, with high cheekbones and piercing green eyes that glinted with malice. She wore a fitted, dark green robe that accentuated her slender figure, its edges embroidered with intricate golden patterns.

"I came to the table with 90 black gold," she continued, her tone hardening. "The most out of everyone there. I can't simply leave with less than that—it would be a disgrace. I'd lose all face."

"So you've chosen to rob me of my winnings?" Yun Ho's jovial demeanor evaporated as Wong Yazhu pushed open the carriage door, allowing Yun Ho to step out onto the road, his towering frame of 2.17 meters standing tall and casting a long shadow in the afternoon light. "How shameless can you be?" His purple irises glared down at the woman.

The woman met his gaze without flinching. "It's not shameless," she retorted, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "I'm merely taking what's rightfully mine."

Yun Ho chuckled, though the sound was devoid of humor. "Rightfully?" His voice dripped with sarcasm. "You assume you'll win because your cultivation is two minor stages higher than mine, and you have two Grandmasters in tow." He glanced briefly at the two. Rank 23 and rank 25. "But you fail to understand that there's a vast difference between trash and a godly martial soul."

The woman scoffed, her smirk growing wider. Three rings floated up from below her feet, glowing with power—a white, a yellow, and a purple. 

The woman's smirk widened as her body began to transform. Her height grew from 178 centimeters to nearly 195 centimeters, her muscles bulking up, and her shoulders broadening. Her once sleek black hair grew longer and more voluminous, breaking free from its ponytail to cascade down her mid-back. Her eyes shifted to a fierce yellow hue, her jawline became more pronounced, and her canines elongated, giving her a more predatory appearance. 

Behind her, the two Grandmasters activated their martial souls. Two yellow rings materialized at their feet, glowing briefly before disappearing above their heads. The girl on her right manifested a spear, the spearhead gleaming with a faint metallic sheen. The man to her left summoned green vines that wrapped around his arms like living serpents, their tendrils writhing and coiling with a life of their own. 

Yun Ho chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that seemed to mock their efforts. Suddenly, the spear woman dashed forward, her movements a blur of speed, with the man's vines trailing behind her, ready to strike. But before they could reach him, a small lizard darted out from within the carriage, landing squarely on Yun Ho's head. 

Opening its mouth wide, and despite its small size, the roar it released was immense, a deafening wave of sound that reverberated through the air. The shockwave expanded outward, slamming into the dashing woman and sending her flying back. The force of the roar shattered the vines into pieces, scattering them like leaves in a storm.

The woman flipped midair, stabbing her spear into the ground to steady herself as she slid back on one knee. The shockwave reached the Spirit Elder next, but it only fluttered her clothes and hair, while the man with the vines was pushed back several feet, struggling to maintain his balance.

The woman chuckled, her voice filled with condescension. "That's your godly martial soul?" she taunted, clearly unimpressed at the lizard that was no longer than a foot in length. Its scales a shimmering mix of vibrant blues and dark purple, with its eyes, glowing with a faint blue light, seemed to pulse with electricity. 

Yun Ho didn't respond as the lizard leaped forward toward the woman, its movements swift and fluid. Yun Ho's voice, now somber and commanding, resonated through the air, "First transformation, Thunder Drake." As he uttered the skill's name, a purple ring rose from his body, shooting towards the lizard and merging with it.

Immediately, the lizard was enveloped in a purple aura, its body swelling and growing at an alarming rate. In less than a second, the small creature transformed into a massive beast. The woman barely had time to react before the newly transformed Thunder Drake's massive head collided with her chest. The impact sent her hurtling backward, crashing through the trees and into the forest beside the road.

The Thunder Drake landed on the ground, its weight trembling the ground, its full form now revealed in all its glory. From its once tiny form, it had grown into an oversized monitor lizard, standing about 2 meters tall at the shoulders. Its body was bulky and muscular, covered in thick, armored scales, each one shaped like a jagged piece of obsidian and arranged in overlapping layers. They glinted with a dull metallic sheen, dark purple scales on its body while its underside was a light blue.

The Drake's body was about 8 meters long from snout to tail, with a tail that alone stretched nearly 4 meters behind it, whipping through the air like a living weapon. Its legs were powerful and muscular, ending in massive, clawed feet that dug into the earth. Its neck was thick and strong, leading to a broad, wedge-shaped head with a short, blunt snout lined with razor-sharp teeth and glowing blue eyes that radiated predatory intelligence. 

Ignoring the two Grandmasters, the Drake dashed forward with a speed that belied its massive size. The ground shook beneath its legs that powered it forward in a smooth, coordinated motion, its tail lashing out behind it like a whip. The two Grandmasters leaped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the massive creature as it barreled into the forest.

The Drake's massive body crashed through the dense forest, its enormous shoulders tearing through trees as though they were mere twigs. The towering pines splintered and shattered, their trunks snapping like brittle bones under the sheer weight and force of the beast. The Spirit Elder, having regained her balance, growled in frustration as the Drake caught up to her, its massive right paw raised, claws gleaming, and brought it down with the intent to crush her.

Before she could retaliate, thick vines shot out from behind the Drake, wrapping themselves around its forelegs in a desperate attempt to halt its momentum. The vines tightened, straining against the creature's immense strength, but they snapped like brittle glass under the pressure. The Drake's paw continued its descent, but the momentary delay was enough for the Elder to dash backward. The paw slammed into the ground with a shattering boom, sending shockwaves through the earth. The impact created a crater, splintering the ground and sending debris flying in all directions.

Behind the Drake, the man controlling the vines clapped his hands together, a yellow ring briefly appearing around him as he knelt and slammed his palms onto the ground. Multiple thick, thorny vines erupted from the earth, growing rapidly and wrapping around the Drake's tail, legs, body, and forelimbs. The vines coiled tightly, their thorns attempting to dig into the beast's scales, but they shattered against the Drake's tough hide. The creature merely flexed its body and swished its tail, snapping the vines as though they were twine.

The distraction, however, was enough for the Spirit Elder. She leaped into the air, her right arm cocked back as a white ring flashed around her. With a powerful uppercut, she drove her fist into the Drake's jaw, sending its head rocking back. The force of the punch was so great that the scales beneath its jaw cracked slightly. 

But the Drake's body responded almost instantly, its scales lighting up with a yellow aura as arcs of lightning began to crackle around it. The air around its neck charged with electricity, and the Drake turned its head toward the Elder as she landed, opening its mouth wide.

With a deafening crack, a concentrated stream of pure destructive electricity, nearly a meter in diameter, shot from the Drake's maw, cutting through the atmosphere like a hot knife through butter. 

The Elder reacted, her body becoming a blur of speed, dashing to the side as the beam trailed behind her. Wherever the beam struck, it left a trail of devastation—trees exploded into splinters, undergrowth was incinerated instantly, and the earth itself was scorched black. The acrid smell of burning wood and ozone filled the air, mingling with the sound of crackling electricity and the distant roar of the Drake.

Suddenly, the spear-wielding Grandmaster appeared above the forest canopy, dropping down on the Drake's head with her spear pointed downward. Two yellow rings materialized around her body, as her spear gained a golden glow and lengthened slightly. Her descent speed more than doubled, the air around her whistling as she plummeted toward the Drake's skull.

Before the spear could strike, the Drake, with immense agility for its size, abruptly ceased its beam attack, closing its mouth as it performed a powerful leap, jumping backward. The woman landed on one knee, her muscles tensed from the impact, as her spear stabbed into the ground where the Drake's head had been just moments before. The spearhead suddenly released an explosive burst, causing the ground beneath her to erupt in a shower of dirt, rocks, and shattered undergrowth.

The Drake didn't give her time to recover. Its forepaw came crashing down toward her with deadly intent, but before it could make contact, a vine wrapped around the woman's waist, yanking her out of the way. The Drake's weight slammed into the ground where she had just been, the force of the impact creating a crater and sending shockwaves through the earth as if struck by an earthquake.

Just as the Drake turned to face its remaining opponents, the Elder reappeared below it, crouched low. A yellow ring circled around her as she jumped from her crouch, punching upward with all her might. Her fist connected with the Drake's underbelly, and the impact was so powerful that rings of compressed air exploded outward from her arm. 

"Release." With a low mumble, she unleashed an unknown force as the scales around the Drake's underbelly gained cracks, the force sending its massive form flying into the air. Its body arched, and its tail trailed behind it as it was launched skyward, crashing through the branches above and soaring over the forest canopy.

As the Drake ascended, the Spirit Elder turned to the two Grandmasters. "I don't need your help!" she roared. "Go kill that fat man!" The duo nodded and dashed away toward Yun Ho, leaving the Elder to finish the fight.

Crouching low, the ground beneath her feet cracked before she shot up like a beam of light, with the cracked earth cratering as rings of compressed air followed her ascent. The Drake, now plummeting back to the ground, turned its head down toward her and released another beam of lightning with a crack, shooting it directly at her. The Elder casually punched the air, the force from her punch propelling her to the side as the beam missed her by mere inches.

The thick bolt of electricity shot down from the sky, rings of sonic boom trailing the pillar as it tore through the forest canopy, disintegrating trees into ashes, as it struck the ground with a thunderous boom. The impact sent out an expansive wave of electricity, like a detonated bomb, bolts of electricity ripping trees apart and scorching undergrowth in the area.

In the air, the Elder kicked off an invisible platform, the force shooting her toward the Drake. The Drake's eyes turned to her, its pupil shrinking as its body suddenly glowed with a yellow aura.

*ROOOR* A beastly roar escaped its mouth and with a scream that echoed like a thousand cicadas, a burst of electricity exploded out from its body, expanding omnidirectionally at a speed that exceeded the sound barrier. The sound was deafening, a high-pitched whine mixed with the crackle of electricity, with the blinding flash of lightning reflecting in the Elder's eyes as it reached her.

She quickly crossed her arms in front of her, forming an X and bracing for impact as the wave of electricity struck her. She grunted in pain as the energy coursed through her body, causing her muscles to spasm and her clothes to smolder. Her teeth clenched, and she endured the onslaught, her body shaking from the force.

When the burst of electricity finally passed, the Elder opened her eyes, turning her gaze toward the Drake, which was now crashing back through the forest canopy. With a resounding boom, the creature landed, its massive form flattening trees and creating another deep crater in the forest floor.

With her face twisted in a mask of rage, the Spirit Elder shot downward from the air, her muscles coiling with power. Her legs kicked out, driving her momentum straight toward the Drake. The beast roared again up at her, defiant, its body still crackling with the remnants of its last electric discharge.

Meanwhile, the two Grandmasters dashed out of the forest, explosions echoing behind them as the battle raged on. The spearwoman led the charge, her eyes locked on Yun Ho, who stood serenely with his arms crossed behind his back. His blue eyes glowed faintly as he stared past them, seemingly watching the battle in the distance, his expression unreadable.

The horse-drawn carriage was nowhere to be seen, having vanished down the street. The spearwoman, sensing that Yun Ho was distracted, pressed forward. With a powerful stomp, she halted her forward momentum, transferring it to her spear as she thrust it toward Yun Ho's head, aiming to skewer him in one decisive blow.

"Ho, have eyes but can't recognize mount Tia?" He smirked at the woman. "Do you think I am weak because my marital soul manifests outside my body."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Author's Note~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't know about this chapter. Not really well-versed in writing interesting fight scene. Might delete it if it is bad and just rework it.