The river began to churn, sending up sprays of water that reached five to six meters high.
Yu Daohen's consciousness started to blur.
He knew clearly that this was a sign of suffocation.
Was he going to perish like this?
No, not yet!
Yu Daohen suddenly unleashed boundless strength, pulled out the Reincarnation Blood Tear longsword still lodged in Li Xinzhou's left eye, and thrust it forward again.
Li Xinzhou's face contorted in pain, but he still refused to let go of Yu Daohen.
Yu Daohen withdrew the Reincarnation Blood Tear longsword and thrust it forward once more.
A large amount of blood gushed out, dyeing the entire river surface red.
Li Xinzhou could no longer endure it and swam towards the water's surface.
Splash!
Li Xinzhou burst out of the water, covered in blood, and only then did Yu Daohen gasp for fresh air.
With severe injuries to his abdomen and face, Li Xinzhou's consciousness also began to blur.
Yu Daohen's left shoulder was mangled beyond recognition, blood splattering all over the dragon's mouth, with the bone clearly visible within.
Li Xinzhou continued to ascend into the sky.
Despite his blurred consciousness, Yu Daohen knew this dragon intended to smash him to death.
"Beast, go down!"
Yu Daohen roared, pulling out the Reincarnation Blood Tear longsword and repeatedly stabbing Li Xinzhou.
*Splat*
The Reincarnation Blood Tear longsword in Yu Daohen's hand plunged into Li Xinzhou's flesh again and again, blood splashing all over his face.
But Li Xinzhou seemed oblivious to the pain, continuing to fly skyward.
Higher… higher!
Li Xinzhou's mind held only this single thought.
Just twenty more meters, and he would be smashed to death!
This time, he would surely win!
"Let go!"
Yu Daohen bellowed, mustering his last ounce of strength, raising the Reincarnation Blood Tear longsword in his hand, and plunging it fiercely into Li Xinzhou's skull.
*Splat*
Brain matter and blood splattered out. Li Xinzhou instantly stopped flying, his eyes losing their light. His massive body plummeted rapidly, and the mouth that had bitten Yu Daohen loosened its grip.
Man and dragon fell to the ground simultaneously.
Yu Daohen narrowed his eyes, feeling his body plummeting.
A height of twenty meters was enough to kill him.
Yu Daohen felt no fear of death.
To have a dragon accompany him to the grave was a glorious death.
He had few friends in this life, but there were always a few people he couldn't let go of.
Qin Muyu, have you awakened yet?
Liu Feng, I'm sorry, I might be lost for words!
Little girl, Daddy might not be able to stay with you.
Grandpa…
Let his life end here.
Yu Daohen slowly closed his eyes; nothing mattered anymore.
Splash!
Yu Daohen landed directly in the lake, his head hitting a rock at the bottom of the river due to the impact.
This sudden pain gave Yu Daohen a glimmer of hope for survival.
But what of it?
What could his current body do? He had lost too much blood, and after unleashing the full power of his Ghost Horn, his heart had stopped beating.
Suddenly, an illusion appeared before his eyes: Qin Muyu's figure materialized.
No, I can't die yet.
At least I must see him one more time.
Yu Daohen once again mobilized the power of his Ghost Horn.
Since he was going to die anyway, he would use the power of the Ghost Horn again and again.
The black bead near his heart erupted with ghost energy once more.
Although this ghost energy was minuscule, it was enough for him to swim up.
With this bit of Ghost Horn power, Yu Daohen struggled towards the shore.
Surfacing and swimming to the bank, Yu Daohen knelt on the ground, looking at the blood-soaked ground around him.
The dragon was less than five meters away from him.
So this fellow wasn't as lucky.
He had fallen into the water, while the dragon had crashed onto the rocks by the shore.
It seemed the victory in this battle belonged to him.
But it was meaningless now.
The only burst of Ghost Horn power he had was depleted, and he would soon die.
"Cough… cough, I didn't expect you to win!"
Suddenly, the dragon in front of him spoke weakly.
Seeing that the dragon was not dead, Yu Daohen was stunned.
He hadn't expected it to survive such a fall!
The dragon in the pool of blood coughed violently, the Reincarnation Blood Tear longsword still embedded in its head.
"We are both dying men; I did not win against you."
Yu Daohen shook his head, his body barely able to support him.
He could feel his life force draining away.
"No, you won."
Li Xinzhou recalled his life-and-death battle with Xu Feng five hundred years ago and slowly said, "Back then, I had a life-and-death duel with Xu Feng. I was utterly defeated in that battle."
"I had made a pact with him: whoever lost would forfeit their life to the victor."
"I was severely wounded and near death in that battle. I thought Xu Feng would kill me then, but to my surprise, he let me go and told me that if I wanted revenge, I should wait five hundred years, and at that time, a young man named Yu would challenge me."
Yu Daohen was dumbfounded: "You mean Xu Feng knew we would fight?"
Li Xinzhou nodded: "That's right. This wasn't without a price, and the price was that if I lost, I would give him my inner core."
"I was already severely wounded then, my cultivation ruined. It was impossible for me to recover my cultivation through practice."
"To prepare for this battle five hundred years later, I hatched a wicked plan to make up for my damaged cultivation by relying on human lifespans."
Yu Daohen looked at Li Xinzhou and said angrily, "So you used water ghosts to possess the bodies of those villagers?"
"That's right, but I still lost."
Li Xinzhou seemed to have expected this outcome.
Knowing he would lose, yet he still insisted on fighting.
This was perhaps the pride of a dragon!
Yu Daohen shook his head, no longer holding any hope.
"I don't know why Xu Feng arranged for you to fight me, but it's no longer important. My heart has stopped beating; even a celestial being couldn't save me now."
"Although I don't know why Xu Feng made such an arrangement, I, Li Xinzhou, keep my word. Here is my inner core for you."
As soon as Li Xinzhou finished speaking, he raised his dragon claw and dug into his own chest.
Blood splattered, but he seemed oblivious to the pain.
Li Xinzhou yanked it out, revealing a bloody blue bead in his hand.
This bead emitted a faint blue light, so dazzling it was visible even in daylight.
"Is this the dragon's inner core?"
Yu Daohen looked at the inner core in Li Xinzhou's hand, feeling no interest.
What use was this inner core to him now?
He was already a dying man.
Li Xinzhou used his last ounce of strength to throw the inner core over.
Glancing at the inner core at his feet, Yu Daohen looked up at Li Xinzhou again.
Li Xinzhou's life force was rapidly fading, his body losing its luster.
These were the signs of death.
Li Xinzhou showed no fear of death; instead, he let out a hearty laugh and shouted, "Hahaha, I, Li Xinzhou, accept my loss, because I am a dragon!!"
This shout echoed throughout the world.
It was enough to prove his pride as a dragon!