The rumbling of the sky signaled that something great was about to happen.
The wind blew fiercely, swaying giant trees until some were uprooted. Birds and wild animals fled, moving away from the center of the catastrophe that would soon erupt.
A battle between a Mythological Beast and a Demon Beast was about to shake the region.
The Five-Tailed Tiger, a creature that had slumbered for fifty thousand years, was getting closer to the old residence. The residence of the Dragon Emperor's successor.
The old grandfather, whose body was covered in wounds, woke up in pain, then shot off with all his might. With the last of his strength, he tried to stop the ferocious beast. Every footprint of the Five-Tailed Tiger burned the ground and left trails of lava, turning the lush forest into a barren land filled with fire.
The once green scenery had now turned into hell on earth.
The old grandfather finally stood before the Five-Tailed Tiger.
"Stop! I am your opponent! Why are you avoiding me?!" he shouted, pointing at the tiger with determined eyes.
The Five-Tailed Tiger stared at him sharply, then... laughed.
"You? Just a dying loser. You are not the one I'm waiting for."
With a single flick of its tail, the old grandfather's body was thrown far away and slammed into the hard ground. Blood flowed profusely from his mouth. However, with one hand, he continued to crawl. He knew his body was broken, but his heart refused to give up.
"Damn... I have to protect that child. He... is the last hope of the Azure Dragon..."
With gritted teeth and panting breath, he drew his last talisman using his own blood: 'Thousand Swords of the Night Blood'.
"I'd rather die a warrior... than live as a coward."
As soon as the talisman was complete, the night sky turned red. Clouds swirled, and from the vortex, thousands of blood swords shot down, raining upon the Five-Tailed Tiger.
The old grandfather breathed his last, his eyes open, looking at the sky, full of hope.
The Five-Tailed Tiger roared towards the sky. The swords struck him, but he endured. A massive boom exploded, and the red clouds shattered without a trace.
"Such a foolish human..."
Then, the sky changed. The moon shone, but not as usual. It transformed into a dragon's eye, burning sharply and staring at the earth with viciousness.
The voices of nine dragons echoed from the sky, circling the old house.
The Five-Tailed Tiger grinned. "Yes... yes! You have finally awakened, Dragon Emperor!" he roared with excitement and vengeance. "Fifty thousand years! I will avenge everything!"
Inside the house, Xiao Jun opened his eyes.
His human form had vanished, replaced by the figure of the Dragon Emperor with blue-golden scales that emitted lightning from his entire body. His eyes glowed, and before him stood a large sword, the 'Night Chaos Destroyer', vibrating, awaiting command.
With a deep voice mixed with dragon echoes, he whispered,
"Five-Tailed Tiger... let's end this feud."
Xiao Jun's body, controlled by the Dragon Emperor, shot out, grabbed his sword, and went out to face the Five-Tailed Tiger.
"Dragon Emperor, finally we meet again after fifty thousand years," the Five-Tailed Tiger looked at the Dragon Emperor using Xiao Jun's body.
The Dragon Emperor looked at the Five-Tailed Tiger with a sneer and drew his sword.
"No need for much talk, let's finish it here."
"You seem very enthusiastic," the Five-Tailed Tiger smiled, looking down on the Dragon Emperor.
"I don't have much time to fight a lowly creature like you!" the Dragon Emperor shouted, looking at him with a sneer.
The Five-Tailed Tiger growled, its massive body filled with an aura of fire and lava. Each step it took left behind trails of cracked earth, emitting hot smoke.
"You think your strength is still what it used to be, Dragon Emperor?" the Five-Tailed Tiger mocked, ready to attack.
The Dragon Emperor (in Xiao Jun's form) raised the 'Night Chaos Destroyer' sword, blue-golden lightning surrounding its blade.
"You are but dust in history. I will erase you once more."
The Five-Tailed Tiger opened its mouth, spewing a breath of fire that blazed like an erupting volcano. The fire shot forth like a river of heat, scorching everything in its path.
The Dragon Emperor did not move. Calmly, he raised his hand - "Sky Cleavage."
ZZZZZT - BOOOOM!
Blue lightning struck from the sky, splitting the breath of fire in two. The colliding energy created a massive explosion, shaking the earth until it cracked.
The Five-Tailed Tiger laughed. "Good! You are still strong!"
With incredible speed, the Five-Tailed Tiger lunged, its massive claws burning with dark energy. It swung a deadly attack towards the Dragon Emperor.
CLANG!
The 'Night Chaos Destroyer' sword blocked the claw, but the ground beneath the Dragon Emperor sank due to the pressure of the Five-Tailed Tiger's power.
"You are weak, Dragon Emperor! This human body cannot withstand my power!"
The Dragon Emperor smiled coldly. "Fool."
Suddenly, his scales glowed, and lightning struck from his body - ZAP!
The Five-Tailed Tiger was thrown backward, smoke rising from its body. It growled in pain.
The Dragon Emperor raised his sword high. The sky changed color, clouds swirling to form a giant vortex.
"Dragon Judgment - Eternal Destruction!"
Thousands of lightning swords descended from the sky, locking the Five-Tailed Tiger in place. It tried to fight back, but its power was shattered.
"NO! I WILL NOT LOSE AGAIN -"
BOOOOOOM!
An explosion of blue light swept across the entire region. When the smoke cleared, the Five-Tailed Tiger fell, its body slowly turning to stone.
"You... remain the same... Dragon Emperor... But remember, the threat is not over, there are many demonic beasts who still hold grudges against you," it said before finally turning to dust.
The Dragon Emperor took a long breath. Xiao Jun's body began to tire.
"This child is still too weak... But at least, the immediate threat is gone."
The Dragon Emperor (Xiao Jun), with the little strength he had left, restored the forest to its original state before the Five-Tailed Tiger attacked.
He also revived the old grandfather. He looked at him.
The old grandfather woke up and was shocked by Xiao Jun's form, which had transformed into a Half-Dragon Human.
"W-Who are you?!" The old grandfather fell to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief, pointing at Xiao Jun's body.
"I am the Ancient Dragon Emperor. I don't have much time. You must take care of this child (Xiao Jun). This is my last strength to protect him. Perhaps I will fall into a long slumber within this child's body." The Dragon Emperor held the old grandfather's shoulder.
"A-Are you serious about entrusting him to me?" The old grandfather trembled slightly, cold sweat breaking out.
"Yes. I entrust my descendant to you. I will awaken from my long slumber if this child has reached the Spirit Void realm. I entrust him to you."
With heavy steps, the Dragon Emperor (Xiao Jun) returned to the old house, leaving the old grandfather still in disbelief and shock.
However... in the distance, a pair of glowing red eyes watched him.
"This battle is not over, Dragon Emperor..."