Roar! Roar! Roar! Three Dragon-Saber Soldiers surged after me, but at this moment, with my speed at full throttle thanks to the Wind-Howling Ring, plus my already considerable natural pace, I easily shook off their pursuit.

I ran for quite a while along the path I had taken, finally stopping only when I could no longer hear any sound behind me.

Damn it all, I made a total fool of myself this time. If I hadn't run fast enough, I probably would have left my life back there. Although the clash with the Dragon-Saber Soldiers lasted barely two seconds, it was enough to make me realize just how terrifying the combined might of those three was.

Their coordination and mutual support were so practiced; they didn't give me a single opening.

It was clear that trying to defeat the trio by dealing with their charge attacks one by one was impossible.

I needed to find another way! I located a large rock, sat down, and began to analyze the situation.

In terms of strength, speed, and skill, I originally had a slight edge in speed, but the clever defensive and offensive coordination of the three Dragon-Saber Soldiers had entirely negated that advantage, leaving me with no loophole to exploit.

At this moment, I truly felt like I had reached a dead end.

Perhaps it was time to unleash the final trump card! With that thought, I began to strip off my specially crafted, heavy War God Armor! The time had come to see the results of my long-term weighted training.

Ten minutes later, I had replaced all the heavy gear with a set of light blue armor. I wore a Taoist helmet, kept my Zu Ma jewelry, and added the Steel Belt and Soul-Fleeing Boots.

Hah! So light and quick! I instinctively hopped a few times.

I could barely feel the weight of my body now! This sensation was something even the nimble feeling I got from activating the Wind-Howling Ring could not compare to. With just a slight flicker of my Electric Step!

Swish! I darted thirty meters instantly!

Good heavens! This, this was my speed! It wasn't even on the same level as before! Thirty meters disappeared in the blink of an eye, almost like instantaneous teleportation. I couldn't believe how freakishly fast I was now.

Perhaps, right now, I truly was the undisputed Blue Lightning.

Next, I tried executing a Three-Sword Flash!

Swish! Perhaps due to the extreme velocity, the three short, sharp sounds of air being torn mixed into one single sound! Although I hadn't tested it scientifically, I knew very well that my sword speed had increased by a massive margin again! I figured I wouldn't fare too badly even against Eagle-True Man now.

Now this was my true strength. I refused to believe that with my current speed, I still couldn't deal with three Dragon-Saber Soldiers!

However, quickly dispatching them wasn't going to be easy. At this moment, I remembered the scene from my training in the Skeleton Cave, where I beheaded several Skeleton Warlords with a single strike of my Hundred-Battles Blade.

Perhaps the same technique could be used on the Dragon-Saber Soldiers, but their bodies were taller than the Skeleton Warlords, and the distance between them was greater. With the length of my Dragon Shadow Sword, there was simply no way to sweep their heads with one arc!

Thinking of this made my head ache again.

If only I had forged an extended longsword before entering this pass, one that needed to be at least six meters long to cover the intervals between the three Dragon-Saber Soldiers in a single swing!

A six-meter super longsword! Perhaps only someone as insane as me would harbor such a wild idea. Besides, even if I had such a longsword, wielding it effortlessly wouldn't be easy! This idea was clearly impractical!

It seemed I had to focus on the battle energy aspect! If the angle was right, launching a sword energy blast at close range could still kill them by striking their vital throats. The Half-Moon Scimitar was undoubtedly the most ideal technique for this. If I used the upgraded Blazing Half-Moon powered by Thunder Battle Energy, no matter how tough the Dragon-Saber Soldiers were, they wouldn't be able to defend against the Blazing Sword Qi striking their necks, which lacked armor!

The train of thought in my mind became clearer and clearer. I decided to take the risk. If this move truly succeeded, perhaps in the future, even when facing more Dragon-Saber Soldiers, I could slay them just as easily as I had the Skeleton Warlords in the Skeleton Cave.

For a moment, I was exhilarated by my own wild speculation. If it really worked out that way, life ahead would be much easier.

Having made up my mind, I continued walking towards the area where I had first encountered the three Dragon-Saber Soldiers.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Three urgent, fierce roars! From far away, the three Dragon-Saber Soldiers spotted me and charged maniacally! Just like the previous charge, the three soldiers maintained extremely tight formation, but this time, I was prepared.

While maintaining a certain speed towards them, I carefully calculated their distance! They soon closed to within the thirty-meter mark, which was the most reliable range for my instantaneous acceleration.

Hesitation gone, I took a deep breath and suddenly accelerated!

Swish!

My entire body seemed to teleport, traversing the thirty meters in an instant and flashing before them!

Roar! They seemed completely unprepared for me to suddenly appear right in front of them, and all three Dragon-Saber Soldiers staggered slightly! They tried to halt their momentum to attack! But how could I possibly give them the chance!

I leaped lightly while moving at high speed! The blue Dragon Shadow Sword, saturated with Thunder Battle Energy, instantly flared brilliantly! Then, it slashed out!

Swish! The dazzling Blazing Half-Moon burst forth instantly. Amidst the light, three streams of blood shot skyward! There wasn't even a hint of resistance; the Blazing Half-Moon easily sliced through their throats.

Thump! As I lightly landed back on the ground, three massive heads rolled simultaneously onto the earth! The astonishing relative speed, coupled with the profound Battle Energy coating the Dragon Shadow Sword, made this attack nearly flawless in its perfection.

I succeeded! The long-absent Head-Chopping Saber Technique had reappeared at last.

I hadn't expected that removing the weights would increase my power to this extent. I had achieved a one-hit instant kill. My initial guess was correct. In the face of absolute speed, even mighty dragon creatures like the Dragon-Saber Soldiers couldn't withstand a single sweep of my blade.

At this moment, I finally confirmed the method for dealing with groups of Dragon-Saber Soldiers.

Next, I continued heading northeast! I encountered groups of three to five Dragon-Saber Soldiers from time to time, but under my astonishing speed, they were decapitated before they even had a chance to draw their sabers to attack. It felt like I had returned to the days of slaying Skeleton Warlords in the Skeleton Cave.

I didn't pause at all along the way. As time marched on, my Aerial Blazing Half-Moon became increasingly proficient; the timing, angle, and speed of my strikes grew ever more perfect, and my Battle Energy was increasing rapidly. Although I still seemed a long way from the peak of Scarlet Moon cultivation, I believed that at this rate, I wouldn't need much longer to reach that peak power level.

Half a month later, I finally entered the central heartland of the Old Dragon Fortress—strictly speaking, this was the Dragon-Saber Soldiers' main lair.

From this point on, the Dragon-Saber Soldiers I encountered became more numerous; gradually, they stopped appearing in small groups of three or five and began forming groups of ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sometimes hundreds huddled together.

And as the number of Dragon-Saber Soldiers I met increased, my combat strategy constantly evolved.

From the experience gained, I knew my greatest advantage was speed—absolute speed advantage. Therefore, under no circumstances could I stop and allow them to lock onto my silhouette.

Thus, the tactic I adopted was a charge attack involving piercing deep into their formations and retreating. Every engagement involved maintaining full sprinting speed to directly cut through their lines. Any Dragon-Saber Soldier that fell within my direct line of charge would be swept away like fallen leaves, their heads removed, before I pierced through. Then I would create distance again and launch the second wave of attack, repeating this process of repeated insertion and retreat.

The inspiration for this piercing charge attack came from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, specifically Zhao Zilong’s seven entries and exits at Changban Bridge; I never thought it would prove so useful.

Theoretically, as long as their speed couldn't match mine, the Dragon-Saber Soldiers were utterly helpless against me. In reality, facing my near-perverted speed, no matter how many Dragon-Saber Soldiers there were, they couldn't cause much trouble, as they couldn't even track my shadow. To me, they were little different from immobile wooden stakes. Often, a few rapid charges and returns were enough to annihilate them completely.

For a time, I genuinely felt an arrogant sense of invincibility.

Slicing and charging all the way, I finally reached the northeastern limit of the Old Dragon Fortress after another half month.

Before me stood a majestic mountain gate, flanked by towering cliffs on either side. The central gate perfectly blocked the area between the cliffs. On a massive plaque in the center were inscribed four ancient, powerful characters—Demon Dragon Altar.

I had finally arrived. Beyond the mountain gate lay the Demon Dragon Altar.

It had been three months since I entered the Dragon World, and I had successfully passed three trials, about to enter the fourth. So far, the journey had been eventful but safe. After slightly calming my somewhat nervous state, I stepped through the large gate.

Behind the gate was a narrow, long passage. After traversing it, I finally stepped onto the Demon Dragon Altar.

Above me was the same dim sky; the surroundings remained a world shrouded in gray mist. Everything seemed no different from the Old Dragon Fortress.

According to the Ranger's Handbook, this territory belonged to the Dragon-Armor Breaker Soldiers.

In ancient legends, the Dragon-Armor Breaker Soldiers were also one of the main troop types of the Dragon Legion. In terms of strength, they were even more formidable than the Dragon-Saber Soldiers, and their combat style was very similar to them—both were powerful melee units. In the past, they served as powerful shock troops for seizing cities and territory, wielding heavy-backed cleaving axes that could easily split solid city gates. Facing such terrifying opponents, no one willingly engaged them head-on.

But in my view, as long as their speed couldn't keep up with mine, no matter how great their strength, it was useless.

After carefully discerning the direction, I set off toward the southeast. The southeast of the Demon Dragon Altar led to the entrance of the next level, the Dragon Ridge.

Not long after starting, I encountered three Dragon-Armor Breaker Soldiers. After witnessing the group combat tactics of the massed Dragon-Saber Soldiers, my psychological tolerance had greatly increased. Although I hadn't formally clashed with the Dragon-Armor Breakers yet, I felt no tension.

In the mist, the Dragon-Armor Breakers were the same height as the Dragon-Saber Soldiers, and their armor appeared largely the same; the only difference was their weapons—axes instead of sabers.

The three Dragon-Armor Breakers instantly detected my presence.

Three massive figures charged rapidly towards me, their attack method identical to the Dragon-Saber Soldiers. I also maintained speed and rushed towards them. Upon entering the optimal distance, I suddenly accelerated, my speed skyrocketing!

Ghost-like, I traversed the thirty meters and materialized in front of them! By the time they registered my appearance, the crimson-gold Blazing Half-Moon was already sweeping toward their throats!

Slash! Slash! Slash! Three light, crisp sounds. Everything was the same as the previous instant kill on the Dragon-Saber Soldiers.

It seemed my prior analysis was correct. Thinking this, my heart eased considerably. If it was truly this straightforward, then the Demon Dragon Altar shouldn't pose much trouble. While the strength of the Dragon-Armor Breakers might be a major issue for others, I wasn't engaging them head-on by brute force, so their inherent power level barely affected me.

Following this, I charged directly toward my destination as I had in the Old Dragon Fortress, constantly running into large groups of Dragon-Armor Breakers who besieged me. However, using my method of piercing charges across the depth of their formations, I scattered them completely. For me, regardless of whether they were Dragon-Saber Soldiers or Dragon-Armor Breakers, sheer numbers couldn't cause me any real trouble.

This time, I spent only twenty days to successfully traverse the Demon Dragon Altar, reaching the southeastern end of the zone, where I saw another mountain gate—Dragon Ridge!

As with the previous stages, a narrow passage led past the entrance to Dragon Ridge. After passing through, I entered the Dragon Ridge.

However, I dared not let my guard down in the slightest, because according to Jidu's warning, this stage was guarded by the Dragon Legion's Dragon-Bow Archers! In ancient legends, the Dragon-Bow Archers were the only ranged combat unit in the Dragon Legion. They possessed physiques as robust as the Dragon-Armor Breakers, and their weapon was an incredibly strong iron-molded longbow. The arrows they fired were powerful enough to pierce sturdy shields and armor. Even more terrifying, they could shoot with perfect accuracy in darkness, with a range that exceeded that of typical mages, reaching a terrifying three hundred meters. Furthermore, they were inherently cunning and gloomy, never engaging enemies face-to-face. They always lurked at a distance, launching a fatal strike when the opportunity arose. By the time you saw their silhouette, the arrow had already pierced your throat.

It could be said that among all the dragon troop types, the Dragon-Bow Archers were the most daunting and fearsome opponents for me! They were practically the snipers of the Marfa World! Facing such terrifying assassins in this environment of pervasive gray mist and obstructed vision was enough to chill the blood!

For safety, I once again switched to the War God Armor and other heavy defensive gear! This set of War God Armor was specially handed to me by Jidu before departure, intended specifically for defending against the Dragon-Bow Archers in the Dragon Ridge. Reportedly, Jidu crafted this set using special materials tailored to my physique, blending Tungsten Steel, Star Iron, Diamond, and Black Iron Essence Stone to create super pure physical defense equipment.

Ordinary War God Armor, designed to balance both magical and physical defense, was usually forged from Black Iron Essence Stone, Hard Steel, Mithril Stone, and Diamond. This increased the weight considerably but offered formidable dual defense against magic and physical attacks.

However, even this was insufficient to withstand the heavy piercing shots of the Dragon-Bow Archers. It was rumored that their heavy arrows could penetrate a military-grade heavy shield.

This level of destructive power was a significant leap beyond the Enhanced Skeleton Archers in the Bone Demon Cave.

Therefore, to counter such powerful penetration, I had to use specially made, high-intensity War God Armor! And the super War God Armor crafted for me by Jidu possessed exactly this function.

The trade-off was sacrificing all magical defense.

Of course, no one cared about this; after all, in the Dragon World, no creature other than the Demon Dragon Lord possessed magical attack capabilities. Thus, to clear this stage, most warriors would forsake the relatively useless magical defense for enhanced physical defense.

Even so, the weight of this set was more than three times that of ordinary War God Armor. Without sufficient stamina and strength, wearing this armor would likely make even moving difficult.

But I had previously trained with a load of a full thousand jin (approximately 1,100 lbs), so the six hundred jin weight of this special pure physical defense War God Armor was negligible in comparison.

The helmet, belt, and boots were also crafted from the same materials, making them super pure physical defense gear! There was no choice; to deal with such a perverse opponent, I had to adopt a perverse method.

Even so, Jidu still cautioned me not to let my guard down! Though this defensive gear was formidable, it could still be pierced if a Dragon-Bow Archer managed a close-range shot within a hundred meters.

For this, I had to fully activate Thunder Body Shielding to gain extra defensive enhancement, and I even brought out a shield forged from the same bizarre materials!

With this full set—the armor plus my Thunder Body Shielding—I could withstand a piercing shot within fifty meters from a Dragon-Bow Archer, but if they got any closer, I would be in danger. However, this was the most comprehensive method we could devise.

With all preparations complete, I spread out the map and carefully determined my bearing.

In the Dragon Ridge, there were three exits leading to different locations: the Demon Dragon Swamp to the southeast, the East Dragon Pass to the northeast, and the West Dragon Pass to the northwest.

My objective was the West Dragon Pass in the northwest of the Dragon Ridge. From my current position, following the mountain wall directly west would lead me there.

After selecting the direction, I began advancing due west.