Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

"I hate looking up at anyone but a king," Dragon Nash said, glancing up at the golden dragon floating in the sky. He casually swung a claw, and a powerful aura of the Ice and Fire Dragon King erupted from within him.

As Nash unleashed his bloodline power, the golden dragon hovering mid-air, locked in a standoff with Dugu Bo, suddenly trembled. A massive dragon claw appeared above the golden dragon's head, descending without warning, and struck it forcefully.

Boom!

With a deafening crash, the intense pressure emanating from the golden dragon disappeared instantly. It plummeted uncontrollably to the ground, its two pairs of dragon wings pinned down, unable to resist.

With a calm gaze, Dragon Nash pressed his foot against the ground and vanished, reappearing in mid-air.

The sight before them turned the faces of the Golden Iron Triangle ashen. They wanted to intervene, but their limited strength prevented them, especially with Dugu Bo watching their every move.

Hovering in the air, Nash raised his head and let out a long roar—a dragon's roar. In consideration of Cheng Xiao's cultivation, he refrained from using the terrifying power of "Dragon Fear," a formidable force that affects all in its range, regardless of friend or foe.

Yet, even without using Dragon Fear, Nash's dragon roar, infused with the essence of the Ice and Fire Dragon King, shook the golden dragon to its core. Fear overcame it, and it struggled desperately to escape Nash's grip.

The Golden Holy Dragon, born from the fusion of the three masters' martial spirits, lacked high intelligence, possessing only basic draconic abilities. Normally, Nash could defeat it with sheer strength alone, but with the Ice and Fire Dragon King's bloodline, he didn't even need to strike.

The roar carried a primal essence from the Ice and Fire Dragon King, and the already weakened Golden Holy Dragon surrendered to this dominance embedded in its bloodline.

"Roar…" Recognizing the overwhelming power of the creature before it, the Golden Holy Dragon emitted a soft dragon moan, submitting to Nash as a superior being.

Nash ignored this display of submission. Instead, he extended his hand, clenching his claw with a fierce grip.

Boom! The claw that restrained the Golden Holy Dragon crushed it instantly. A golden light burst forth as the Golden Holy Dragon's energy dissipated completely, and the fusion-born dragon dissolved into stardust, scattering into the sky.

Witnessing this, Dugu Bo's face filled with shock. Although he had anticipated Nash's strength, he hadn't expected it to reach such overwhelming levels! "How… how is this possible?" Dugu Bo wasn't the only one; the Master's face turned pale. Trembling, he stammered, "It's not real… all of this is fake. How could our Golden Holy Dragon be so easily destroyed?"

Before his words settled, the backlash from the Golden Holy Dragon's death hit the three members of the Golden Iron Triangle. In a chorus of pained cries, blood spurted from their mouths like fountains. They staggered back several steps before barely steadying themselves.

The Golden Iron Triangle had never imagined their proud Triangular Martial Soul Fusion technique could be so easily dismantled—and nearly annihilated.

Drained of their energy after casting the fusion technique, they stood helpless against Dugu Bo, who hadn't even used a single soul skill to defeat them. The three felt an intense frustration but could do nothing about it.

Nash slowly descended to the ground, casting a cold gaze as he extended his claw. An invisible force gripped the throats of the Golden Iron Triangle. "You dared disturb the king's cultivation—your offense is unforgivable."

"Nash, wait!" Just as Nash was about to execute them, Dugu Bo rushed over, whispering, "Spare them for now. I just concocted a new poison, and they'd make the perfect test subjects."

Hearing this, Nash hesitated, frowning. Although he wanted to refuse, as a shadow soldier, he understood the strong relationship between Dugu Bo and the king. It was only proper to agree.

"Fine. I'll leave them to you." Nash released his grip, and the three collapsed onto the ground. With a glance at them struggling to rise, he turned and vanished, leaving only a gust of fierce wind as evidence he had been there.

The wind swept their disheveled hair, and Dugu Bo glanced at the Golden Iron Triangle with mockery. "I thought you were impressive. This is all you've got? How did the 'mighty' Golden Iron Triangle survive until now?"

"Dugu Bo, don't get cocky!" The Grandmaster spat angrily, clutching his sore throat. "We didn't lose to you. If you're so confident, wait until our soul power recovers and fight us head-on. Then we'll see who's truly strong!"

"Heh-heh… you, Master, are as stubborn as a mule. I see now that you inherited nothing worthwhile from Yu Yuanzhen's dragon bloodline. Since you're so defiant, let's start with you," Dugu Bo sneered. With a wave of his arm, an invisible force pulled Master to him.

"Let's see if your stubbornness matches your strength, Level 29 weakling."

"Dugu Bo, let him go! If you're brave, start with me!" Liu Erlong, desperate to protect Master, cried out, her emotions ignited.

"Kill you? That's too merciful." Dugu Bo sneered, casting a glance at her before kicking Master aside. In a flash, he appeared before Liu Erlong and Flender, releasing a dark green gas that seeped into their mouths. They widened their eyes before collapsing, unconscious.

With them subdued, Dugu Bo turned back to the terrified Master, his face menacing in the dim light. "So, you still want to act tough? I'll see if it's your mouth or my poison that's tougher!"

---

Hours passed, and as dawn broke, a bizarre scene unfolded beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well: four people hung naked from a large tree, stripped of their clothing.

Master's hair had turned green, and he groaned in agony, blood trickling from his eyes and mouth, though he was not fatally wounded. Dugu Bo had stripped the clothes off Master, Liu Erlong, Flender, and Tang San to observe the effects of his new poison directly.

To prolong the experiment, he had even diluted the poison to avoid killing them too soon.

"Damn, what an eyesore," Dugu Bo muttered, spitting in disgust at The Grandmaster's sight. Despite his experience, Dugu Bo had never encountered such a strange scene.

Master's body appeared unnaturally smooth in a particular area, almost as if something essential had never existed. Combined with his poison-green hair, the image was disturbingly grotesque.

"Well, let's test this out." Dugu Bo covered his eyes with one hand, while gripping a whip of green energy in the other. After a few swings, he lashed it against Master's skin, leaving red welts with each strike.

"Go on, scream again for me," he sneered, as another painful howl escaped Master's throat. Without his clothes for protection, the strikes cut deep, leaving Master's skin raw and bleeding.

"Dugu Bo, let her go! Hit me instead if you dare!" Flender's patience snapped at the sight of his beloved Erlong being tormented.

Dugu Bo's smile twisted. "Which man are you talking about?" He gestured to the bound Flender nearby. "Him? Or this waste?"

"You bastard!" Liu Erlong yelled, her face flushed with anger.

"Oh, the fun I'm having…" Dugu Bo laughed, his twisted joy growing with each lash against Master, who screamed in pain.

"Dugu Bo, if you're a man, then hit me! Stop hurting Xiaogang. His soul power is only at level 29—he won't survive this!" Liu Erlong cried, feeling helpless and heartbroken.

"Tch, what a stubborn woman," Dugu Bo sneered. Pointing to Master, he coldly retorted, "A man, you say? This thing?"

He laughed before continuing his torment, while Liu Erlong and Flender were left helpless, forced to endure Dugu Bo's cruel "experiment."