Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

Cohen was naturally unaware of, and had no intention of knowing, about, the storm of discussion that was taking place at the highest power center of the Eastern Empire, a storm that was closely related to him.

The Middle Empire, Constantine.

The Noble Martial Arts Festival concluded with Cohen's awe-inspiring and glorious victory, tearing the phantom of the Demon Whale apart in an energy storm.

The final four teams of the Gold Group, the ultimate stage representing the pinnacle of combat power in the Gold tier on the continent, have finally been decided and confirmed.

However, when those four names finally appeared clearly on a light screen large enough to cover half the sky.

The entire world of King's End... no, the entire civilized world that watched this grand event through tens of thousands of projection crystals, experienced an incredible mental storm.

The result was something that many people had not anticipated at all.

Three of the four finalists come from the same country, which is neither one of the five great empires that have stood for millennia, nor a powerful kingdom with a long and rich history.

Instead, it was a small, little-known country called Efein.

It can be said that at this Noble Martial Arts Festival, Effie made a name for herself in the most shocking and undeniable way, and her name resounded throughout the continent!
From the stunning debut of the Bronze Group to the undisputed crowning of the Silver Group, and now to the terrifying three-way siege of the Gold Group.

Cohen Corleone and Effie, who is behind him, are making history time and time again.

After a brief respite, the battle to determine the ultimate owner of the Golden Scepter—the semi-finals—has officially begun!

The celestial mirror that covered the entire sky had dark golden runes flowing like molten gold. All eyes were fixed on the grouping of the celestial mirror, and finally, the light condensed.

The matchups have now been determined:

Viscount Melanie Tinuvel of the Rose of Effie versus Princess Isabella Winzer of Effie.

King Cohen Corleone of Effie faces off against Prince Shazo Tang of the Eastern Empire.

Xia Zuo's expression darkened slightly; he hadn't expected that the two of them would meet in the semifinals.

He took a deep breath; the news from Dragon Land gave him a bit more confidence.

The emperor has granted him permission to use the dragon blood and bones of that "immortal" quality.

He stared in Cohen's direction, a cold glint in his eyes.

I will definitely defeat you completely under the spotlight!

……

The first match of the semi-finals was an internal battle between Melantha and Isabella.

Cohen leaned back in a chair covered with a deep red velvet carpet, his eyes calmly watching the fierce battle below.

As the man who knew his two wives best, he had already made his judgment.

Judging from their usual evening sparring sessions, certain images unconsciously surfaced in Cohen's mind:
Melantha's astonishing endurance and explosive stamina are like an endless volcanic lava.

She can maintain her impact even in the most intense collisions, as if she never gets tired.

In comparison, Isabella is much weaker.

Well, you can tell just by looking at their endurance. At least in terms of physical fitness, Isabella is no match for Melantha.

As Cohen had predicted, Isabella used every trick in the book but couldn't gain any advantage over Melantha, and eventually had to concede defeat.

After Melanie and Isabella's match, it was Cohen and Shazo's turn.

Many people present were well aware of the grudges and feuds between the two.

Even before Cohen rose to power, Shazo had secretly supported the rebellion of the Grand Duke of the South, intending to overthrow the Corleone royal family.
At the Northwest Regional Exchange Conference, all of Xia Zuo's plans were crushed by Cohen in front of everyone, resulting in heavy losses and a humiliating retreat back to the Eastern Empire.

Then came the Ceylon Civil War, where Shazo's meticulously planned scheme was completely thwarted by Cohen's swift and decisive actions. The wealth that Shazo had extorted from the prince of the Southern Empire at great cost all went to Cohen...

What made Xia Zuo hate him even more was that Isabella, the daughter of the Golden Wing whom he regarded as a goddess and pursued relentlessly, was also taken into the other party's harem and became a queen.

Xia Zuo Tang, the first prince of the continent, suffered repeated defeats at the hands of King Aifei, bringing him one great humiliation after another.

Every failure, every humiliation, is like a brand etched deep into Xia Zuo's soul.

From any perspective, the two were sworn enemies with an irreconcilable bond of life and death.

Now, on this arena of the noble martial arts festival, which symbolizes the highest honor, is absolutely the best opportunity to wash away all the shame.

Here, external factors are meaningless; one can only rely on one's own true strength.

Without a doubt, Xia Zuo's near-legendary level of transcendence gives him a huge advantage.

In particular, he also possesses the power of a dragon, at the same level as Cohen.

A battle between two dragons has officially begun.

The air seemed to freeze, and everyone's eyes were focused on the two figures who slowly walked into the arena from the two side passages.

On the left, Cohen Corleone, the Shadow Lord of Effie.

His face was cold and stern, and beneath his calm eyes lay a will powerful enough to tear the heavens apart.

The miracles and legends created along the way have numbed everyone.

First, he single-handedly trained the champion and runner-up of the Bronze Group.

Then, with an overwhelming dominance, he won the title of "Strongest Silver".

Then, after breaking through to the Gold level, just when everyone was ready to laugh at him, he defeated a group of peak ninth-level opponents with his extraordinary seventh-level cultivation and stood on the stage of the semi-finals.

He is the epitome of miracles!
On the right is Xia Zuo Tang, the First Prince of the Continent.

He was handsome, yet possessed a chilling ruthlessness and an intense, suppressed rage.

A pair of golden pupils, burning with a hatred powerful enough to incinerate reason.

The aura emanating from his body was powerful and intense, like lava about to erupt.

The terrifying pressure emanating from a pure-blooded golden dragon, approaching legendary level, perfectly embodied the title of "Dragon Vein Warlock."

With the referee's whistle, the match officially began!
"Roar--!!!"

Xia Zuo stopped talking nonsense, and the dragon blood flowing through his body instantly boiled.

A roar carrying pure dragon might exploded from the depths of his throat, and visible golden dragon flame ripples spread out from him.

The scorching heat distorted the air at the edge of the ring, and then, he thrust his hands forward with a sudden burst of energy—

The Dragon Vein Warlock's innate skill - Dragon Vein Surge: City-Burning Breath!
Boom!

A golden torrent, over three meters in diameter and composed entirely of blazing dragon flames, resembled a celestial river bursting its banks.

With terrifyingly high temperatures capable of incinerating everything, it instantly crossed the distance between the two and devoured Cohen.

Wherever the dragon flames passed, the solid runestone ground was carved with a crimson trench by the surrounding scorching air, which crackled and popped.

Xia Zuo had no intention of testing them at all; he started with the most ferocious frontal attack of a Dragon Vein sorcerer.

Faced with this torrent of dragon fire capable of instantly vaporizing steel, Cohen advanced instead of retreating.

He lowered his body slightly and flicked his left index finger.

Enhance the runes, shrink the rays!
A dark ray, carrying the aura of law-corroding, arrived first and struck Xia Zuo precisely.

Xia Zuo felt the surging dragon blood magic within his body suddenly stop, as if it had been put in shackles, and the power of the dragon flame breath was visibly weakened by at least 20%.

Immediately afterwards, Cohen conjured a golden longsword in each of his hands and began to wield it rapidly.

The sword vibrated rapidly, emitting a low hum.

An indestructible force field instantly unfolded around him.

Professional Skills, Counterattack Storm!

laugh--! ! !
The weakened torrent of dragon flames crashed heavily into the absolute defensive force field constructed by the "counterattack storm".

The flames, powerful enough to incinerate a city, were forcibly diverted and deflected by an invisible force field, surging and exploding to both sides like waves crashing against rocks, forming two spectacular walls of fire behind Cohen.

Just like the biblical story of Moses parting the sea, this breathtaking scene once again drew cheers from the audience.

Sparks flew everywhere, but they couldn't harm Cohen in the slightest.

Just as the impact of the dragon flame reached its peak, a sharp glint flashed in Cohen's eyes, and he suddenly flicked his wrist.

hum!
An overwhelming, dizzying force surged upwards along the energy connection of the dragon flame.

Xia Zuo felt as if his head had been hit by a heavy hammer, his vision went black, and his body swayed violently uncontrollably.

Counterattack Storm's counter-stun effect is now active.

The dizziness lasted only a moment, but in a fight of this caliber, it was a fatal flaw.

The fighter plane is fleeting!
Cohen did not waste a single ounce of his strength.

Almost at the same moment that dizzying force struck him along the reverse flow of dragon flames, his action had already begun.

No longer needing to maintain the absolute defensive stance of "Counterattack Storm," he withdrew the shock field, and the golden longswords in his hands shone brightly as he thrust them downwards.

boom--!
A dull, bone-chilling sound of ice freezing echoed.

The arena beneath Cohen's feet, which had been repeatedly scorched by the high-temperature dragon flames, cracking and even melting in some places, was instantly covered by a layer of crystal-clear, shimmering ice with an extremely cold light.

The ice, like a living plague, spread wildly in all directions at an unbelievable speed, instantly covering the entire arena.

Strengthen the runes, freeze the foundation!
Right where Xia Zuo stood, four massive ice walls, each over a foot thick and several feet high, gleaming with the cold light of the far north, suddenly rose from the ground.

They leaned against each other, their sharp edges at the top like inverted glaciers, instantly forming a frigid, icy cage that imprisoned Xia Zuo within.

The skill transitions are breathtakingly fast, seamlessly switching from frozen land to imprisoned cages.

Even the most skilled ice mage cannot achieve this level of mastery.

It can only be said that the ice-type divine essence within Adel's body is incredibly useful. Xia Zuo had just managed to break free of a sliver of consciousness from the dizziness that was enough to tear his soul apart.

With barely focused vision, what came into view were four thick, cold ice walls that exuded a deadly chill and an aura of solidity.

Panic and rage surged through Xia Zuo once more, and he swung his fist violently, slamming it against the ice wall in front of him.

Just as Xia Zuo's attack was thwarted and his body was trapped in the narrow ice prison, unable to dodge smoothly, Cohen's figure suddenly disappeared.

In the next instant, it appeared on the side of the cage, without the slightest pause, and directly pierced through the small gap at the top of the cage that was not completely closed.

They transformed into eight illusory figures and rapidly thrust towards Xia Zuo.

All that remained in the audience's eyes were eight blurry, almost continuous golden arcs of light, which intertwined into a deadly web of light under the refraction of sunlight and ice.

The air was repeatedly cut, penetrated, and vibrated at high speed by the sword energy, producing a continuous buzzing sound.

Sword light cascaded down around Xia Zuo like a waterfall.

The protective dragon blood magic field was as fragile as an eggshell under such high-frequency piercing attacks.

Dozens of terrifying, deep sword wounds, revealing bone, appeared on his body, and excruciating pain instantly overwhelmed Xia Zuo's senses like a tidal wave.

"Ugh—!"

A piercing dragon roar, a mixture of pain, rage, and disbelief, finally erupted from the icy cage, shaking the entire arena.

Xia Zuo forced himself to calm down, and his golden dragon eyes burst forth with unprecedented light.

He held nothing back, and the dragon blood within him ignited completely!

Golden Dragon Possession - Indestructible Barrier!

Roar--!
A louder, more majestic dragon roar resounded through the sky.

A blinding divine light suddenly shone on Xia Zuo's body, and countless fine runes, flowing like liquid gold, appeared on his body.

His body seemed to have swelled up, his muscles were bulging, and the faint phantom of a golden dragon could be seen under his skin.

An indescribable, absolute pressure that made the souls of mortal beings tremble surged out of his body like a tangible tsunami.

It is no longer a simple energy shield, but an absolute exemption from the laws of physics and elemental magic, originating from the source of one's bloodline.

This is precisely the ultimate defensive stance that the Golden Dragon bloodline bestows upon Dragon Vein Sorcerers.

At the same time, he clenched his fists, and golden dragon flames condensed on his fists into a ferocious dragon head shape, carrying the power to shatter mountains, and smashed fiercely towards the frozen cage in front of him.

The cage shattered with a crash.

Having broken free from the shackles of dizziness and excruciating pain, and dispelled the remaining negative forces within his body, he was now blessed by the "Golden Dragon Possession."

All that remained in Xia Zuo's golden vertical pupils was a berserk battle intent that could burn everything.

Without pausing, his body shone with a divine light like liquid gold, reaching its peak, and he raised his hands high, as if supporting the entire sky.

The next second, he suddenly pulled his hands up towards the sky.

Boom—Rumble—Rumble—

The sky suddenly turned crimson, as if an invisible giant hand had torn apart the curtain. The vast sky was no longer azure, but was completely swallowed by a chilling molten gold color.

Against a blood-red background, thick clouds of destruction churn.

Those were not natural clouds, but rather the manifestation of Xia Zuo's boiling dragon blood will in the world.

Immediately afterwards, beneath the crimson and molten gold sky, a strange phenomenon occurred:

Woo——woo——woo——

A deep, oppressive, yet devastating rumble, like a slumbering sigh from a dragon at the edge of the sky, shook the entire Roaring Dome building.

Then, to the horrified eyes of countless spectators, one, two, ten, a hundred... hundreds of giant meteorites, burning with dazzling golden flames and trailing scorching lava, appeared out of thin air.

Each of these meteorites is over five meters in diameter.

The core, however, was not cold rock, but rather a series of clearly visible, ferocious, roaring golden dragon head phantoms made of concentrated dragon flame.

They are like miniature suns that have been ignited, radiating terrifyingly high temperatures that can incinerate everything.

They did not fall randomly; the trajectory of each one was guided by Xia Zuo's will.

With immense weight and incinerating heat, it tore through the sky, like a golden rain of fire that annihilated the world, saturating and crashing down upon the tiny figure on the ground.

Xia Zuo's figure appeared incredibly majestic in the golden light, like a fiery dragon king who wields the power of doomsday judgment.

This power has already touched the edge of the legendary rank!
This is the true strength of the number one prince on the mainland!
Faced with this indiscriminate and all-encompassing attack.

Cohen's eyes remained calm.

He slowly raised his left hand, palm up, as if grasping some invisible authority in the void.

Behind them, the space itself seemed to be violently torn open by a pair of invisible giant hands, creating a rift that stretched across the void.

Within the rift, there was not darkness, but a chilling projection of an eternal battlefield, as if time and war had been frozen in time.

A weapon god's tomb standing atop mountains of corpses and seas of blood, piled with countless remnants of eras!
One after another, legendary weapon phantoms, each radiating different eras, regions, and power attributes, seemed to be summoned from the dust of history by an invisible hand.

Like ancient heroes forcibly awakened from the silt of the river of time, they eagerly released their destructive aura, which had been dormant for countless years, as soon as they appeared.

In an instant, countless rays of light shot into the sky:

A demonic sword burning with hellfire, a holy spear coiled with lightning, a runic axe inscribed with ancient spells, a serpentine dagger flowing with deadly venom...

Thousands upon thousands of weapon phantoms, each with a different shape and radiating terrifying energy, instantly unfolded behind Cohen, releasing their own destructive auras—some arrogant, some cold, and some ferocious.

It transformed into a silent arsenal of judgments that made heaven and earth pale in comparison.

The King’s Treasury – When the king opens his eyes, the stars are but dust in his treasure!
Gazing at the legendary weapons in the treasure vault that had made a name for themselves in ancient times, several extremely blurry fragments of memory, like faded oil paintings, appeared out of nowhere deep in his mind:
A hand stained with divine blood, its knuckles clearly defined, grasped the hilt of the arrogant demonic sword. The sword hummed unwillingly in the hand before being forcibly pressed into a cold void...

A bolt of lightning pierced the heavens and earth, striking a holy spear that attempted to resist. The spear's radiance dimmed under the absolute power, and its shaft was bound and dragged by invisible chains, disappearing into endless darkness...

A runic giant axe, cleaved through mountains and stained with the blood of a giant king, lay carelessly discarded on a hill of bones formed from countless broken and damaged legendary weapons…

These images flashed by, so fast they seemed like illusions, yet they carried a chilling sense of reality.

It seems that these legendary weapons, which had earned a fearsome reputation in ancient times and made countless creatures tremble, were all spoils of war that he personally collected, suppressed, and sealed in this eternal prison called "Gate of the King".

This thought caused a very subtle ripple in Cohen's usually calm mind.

Like the Shadow Dimension, the origin of the Gate of Babylon seems to be more profound than he imagined, and its connection to him is far more complex than a simple "summoning".

But at this moment, meteorites burning with destructive golden flames tore through the sky, carrying Xia Zuo's all-out rage and killing intent, crashing down like a doomsday judgment.

He clearly didn't have time to investigate further.

Cohen suppressed the turmoil in his mind and waved his left hand forward toward the center of the rain of golden fire.

Each summoned phantom of a legendary weapon transforms into a deadly spectacle that tears through space.

The demonic sword trailed a ghostly green comet-like tail, its trajectory a path of destruction; the holy spear roared like a thunder dragon, crushing the void; the runic battle axe cleaved through the thick air with a muffled sound, as if cleaving mountains; the serpent dagger moved silently, its speed surpassing the limits of sight…

They are no longer independent weapons, but have transformed into the spear of judgment extending from Cohen Corleone's will!
With a fierce and malevolent aura that could pierce through the stars and bury gods and demons, it surged upwards like a reversed celestial river.

It collided violently with the countless meteors summoned by Xia Zuo.

The sky became a stage for a symphony of destruction.

The roar of the golden meteorite clashed and intertwined with the piercing shriek of the legendary weapon.

The roar of energy annihilation, the hiss of ice crystals freezing, the sharp sound of metal cutting through rock, the silent annihilation of the conflict of laws... all together played a final, apocalyptic symphony that shook the dome.

The golden fire rain, a world-destroying attack capable of burning cities, was completely dismantled by the "Judgment Spears" composed of countless legendary wills.

Beneath the crimson sky, enormous golden fireballs exploded one after another like ignited fireworks, and molten lava fragments fell like a golden rainstorm.

The place where Cohen stood seemed to form an absolute forbidden zone constructed by the power of judgment.

Xia Zuo's furious and confident expression froze, and for the first time, his golden dragon eyes clearly reflected disbelief, horror, and a hint of wavering.

His ultimate, most prized weapon, was utterly and irrevocably thwarted by his opponent in a way that was both incomprehensible and overwhelmingly powerful.

The oppressive feeling of controlling all soldiers and deciding life and death made him feel that he was not facing a human king, but a cold god who held the power of war.

However, the judgment of the King's Treasury would not be limited to defense.

Just as the golden rain of fire was being torn apart, the overwhelming, still sharp and gleaming phantom of the legendary weapon finally broke through the smoke and clouds intertwined with destructive energy.

Their ultimate target was Xia Zuo Tang, who was below, gleaming with golden light but had already revealed his weakness in his shock.

Xia Zuo's pupils contracted sharply; he felt an unprecedented threat of death.

"No!"

Xia Zuo's roar was tinged with an undisguised terror.

He could sense the annihilating intent contained within those whistling weapons.

He frantically channeled the dragon blood within his body, pushing the power of the Golden Dragon Barrier to its limit. The dragon scale armor on his body erupted with a dazzling light like the sun, attempting to withstand the judgment from the Eternal Weapon.

puff!puff!puff!

Several weapon phantoms that were not completely intercepted pierced through the broken barrier defenses and rammed into Xia Zuo's body.

Blood instantly stained his golden armor.

He let out a painful and furious dragon roar, staggering backward, leaving a blood-soaked footprint on the arena with each step.

His aura instantly weakened! (End of Chapter)