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Of course, this wasn't enough. So the next step Chen Xuanfeng needed to take was to shatter the pride of the dragon race.

And the best target, naturally, was the highest peak representing the faith of the Dragon God—"Dragon-Sealing Summit."

Despite the residents of Sacred Dragon Mountain putting up a fierce resistance, the defenders, having lost most of their combat strength, and the dragons, whose fighting spirit had greatly diminished, ultimately couldn't withstand Chen Xuanfeng, whose power rivaled that of two Sword Saints. Soon, the enemy broke through to the mountaintop.

Then, under the despairing gazes of all the dragons and humans, the blizzard-like surge of sword aura erupted once more, engulfing not only the Dragon-Sealing Altar inlaid with countless gold and jewels but also slicing off half the mountain peak along with several dragons who attempted to resist.

Despair, fear, and discouragement—these emotions first affected not the weaker humans but the dragons circling high above. After suffering a series of losses and losing seventy percent of their kin, the dragon elders in the sky suddenly let out a long cry, and all the dragons received the same command—to flee together.

This was something many hadn't anticipated.

Dragons, with lifespans exceeding ten thousand years, possessed innately powerful bodies, scales impervious to magic, breath that spewed fire and lightning, wings that allowed them to soar the skies, an unbroken lineage of knowledge, vast and profound magical power, and an aura that dominated all creatures. Such beings were inherently quasi-divine, and on the continent, dragons were the very embodiment of strength and courage.

Thus, no one had expected that when over a dozen dragons faced a single beastkin, they would turn and flee.

Only Chen Xuanfeng had known this outcome from the start.

The one who had told him this was none other than Demon Dragon Dongye.

"A long lifespan means life is all the more precious—even if they lose once, they can always wait for the next opportunity to strike back. Innate strength means they've never struggled between life and death. Sturdy scales mean they've never endured the experience of pain. Mastery of flight means they can always escape easily, rarely engaging in fights to the death. Inherited knowledge means they lack the opportunity to explore and comprehend on their own. Dominance over all creatures means they've never been suppressed by a stronger being yet risen in defiance. Put simply, dragons are more corrupt than elves. Perched atop the hierarchy of all beings for ages, they are only adept at fighting those weaker than themselves. Once faced with a powerful foe, they not only don't know how to unite their kin's combat strength but also lack the resolve to fight to the death—because they see no need for it. Why fight to the death? Even if the entire world mocks them, so what? Everything has a lifespan. If they retreat into their dragon nests and sleep for a few thousand years, not only will their enemies be gone, but even the shameful records of their defeat will likely fade into oblivion. Why bother risking their lives?"

It was this analysis by the Demon Dragon that had solidified Chen Xuanfeng's strategy.

Having shattered "friendship" and trampled "dignity," all that remained was to destroy humanity's last vestige of "courage."

And now, among the five main peaks of Sacred Dragon Mountain, only the most resplendent "Jade Scale Peak" remained in human hands.

Since Chen Xuanfeng had arrived in this world, he had always seen Saint Masters restraining one another, battles always fought between evenly matched powerhouses. Though spectacular, it had felt more like a performance. Only today, with one man and one dragon toying with the famed Sacred Dragon Mountain at their whim, did the true power of such masters become apparent.

Power of this tier was inherently strategic in nature. As long as they weren't constrained by peers, wiping out a kingdom alone was no difficult feat—merely a matter of time. Thus, whether it was the Great Demon King and Abyssal Dragon King of old, or the Ancestor of Sword Saints Leinster and the Twelve Sages, or even the old lion Leimen, all had once achieved the glorious feat of sweeping across the continent alone, leaving behind legends of dread that endured for millennia.

And today, it was finally the silver-furred beastkin’s time to reign unchecked.

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On "Jade Scale Peak," a great battle was also unfolding. On one side was a six-winged, one-horned, golden-eyed Demon Dragon, and on the other, a dazzling seven-colored Crystal Palace.

"The Crystal Palace upon Jade Scale Peak" had always been one of the world's most renowned magical structures. This magnificent palace, spanning several square kilometers with its tallest building reaching seven stories high, was crafted from an entire large crystal vein, refined by dragonfire and inlaid with countless gold and jewels. It stood as a peer to the elven capital of *Xilinmeilidania*, hailed as the pinnacle where splendor and power perfectly converged. Though many elves scornfully dismissed it as garish, nouveau-riche excess, crammed with too many glittering jewels that overshadowed the architecture itself, none could deny the astonishing magical power contained within—surpassing even the Golden Tree—nor the staggering number of magic cannons it housed. Ordinarily, this palace served as the gathering place for Sacred Dragon Mountain's human elders. When guests arrived, it was a reception hall; in battle, it became the most reliable fortress.

Yet today, this palace found itself in a precarious situation.

Since Chen Xuanfeng and the Demon Dragon had split their forces earlier, Dongye arrived swiftly, leaving a great many Sacred Dragon Mountain residents no chance to enter the shelter beneath the Crystal Palace before being cut off outside. Faced with such a formidable enemy, the elders inside the palace naturally lacked the courage to confront him directly and immediately activated the palace's magical barrier, while ordering those still outside to scatter and flee.

But how could Demon Dragon Dongye let them succeed? With a single dragon incantation, hundreds of translucent orbs, each about eight meters in diameter, materialized in the space surrounding the Crystal Palace. The orbs resembled flawed crystal, their interiors swirling with arcane vapors. Arranged in a peculiar circular formation, they encircled the entire palace, with faint threads of light connecting each orb to others, like countless dewdrops caught in a vast spiderweb.

Sacred Dragon Mountain had no shortage of people knowledgeable in magic, so at the sight of this formation, the entire mountaintop fell silent. The fleeing crowds halted in their tracks, and the primed magic cannons powered down.

"Impossible—that’s a Void Exile Array!" A bewildered elder hiding inside the Crystal Palace exclaimed, baffled.