“Long Qing are you still in there? Try to remember your family and the members of your clan, do you really want to devour their lives just to defeat me? Is that what the Azure Emperor would do? Sacrifice his whole clan so that he can survive?”

Zhang Dong called out to Long Qing who was clutching his head. His mind was a battleground between the corruption that had consumed him and the remnants of his true self. The cries of the trapped souls echoed in his consciousness, a constant reminder of the horrors he had unwittingly wrought upon his own people.

"Long Dong... you... I can't... control... the power."

Long Qing's voice quivered as he spoke, his words barely audible amidst his torment. Zhang Dong knew that Long Qing was fighting against overwhelming odds, trapped between the insidious influence of the Goliath and the guilt of his actions. The thread continued to weaken, and there was a glimmer of hope that Long Qing could be saved from his own descent into darkness.

"Long Qing, I know it's difficult, but you have to resist. Remember who you are, the Azure Emperor, the protector of your clan and your people. You don't have to sacrifice them to this abomination. Embrace the fragments of your soul and break free from this darkness."

The inner turmoil within Long Qing intensified as he clutched his head, the struggle manifesting physically. His body trembled, and for a moment, his eyes regained clarity, filled with a mixture of agony and longing. It was a small victory, a sign that the true Long Qing was still buried beneath the corruption.

The Goliath, on the other hand, was in its death throes. Chunks of its colossal form crumbled away, and its energy shield finally shattered, leaving it vulnerable. The combined efforts of Zhang Jin and the fleet outside were paying off, and the once-unstoppable monstrosity was now teetering on the brink of destruction.

Zhang Dong looked at his faction interface and noticed that his allies were closing in from all sides. The Goliath had been depleted of approximately half of its energy resources and teetered on the brink of collapse. Long Qing was the brains behind this operation, and as long as he remained incapacitated, the monstrous machine would remain immobilized. Perhaps, by exerting more pressure, victory could be secured. With this in mind, Zhang Dong focused on what mattered most to the man and exploited that vulnerability.

“Yes, that’s it, you are almost there, remember your family! Do it for them!’

“M-my family… I… no what did I do…”

However, this was when things started going wrong. Instead of drawing strength from the memories of his loved ones, Long Qing went berserk. It was at this moment that Zhang Dong realized that the Azure Emperor may have inflicted irreparable harm upon his children. As this realization gnawed at Long Qing's already fragile psyche, his mind began to shatter, and the Goliath reactivated with a vengeance.

The Goliath's resurgence was swift and brutal. It roared to life, its remaining energy surging through its colossal frame. The energy cage surrounding the city began to reform, trapping Zhang Dong and everyone once again. The momentum had shifted, and the battle seemed to have restarted.

Zhang Dong's heart sank as he watched Long Qing's transformation back into a puppet of the Goliath's malevolence. The Azure Emperor, consumed by his guilt and despair, had lost all control. The dark azure energy that had once been contained within the barrier now raged unchecked. The Goliath's influence over Long Qing was stronger than ever, and it seemed that any hope of saving him had vanished.

‘His changing? The soul fragments, what’s happening to them?’

The fragments were an integral part of Long Qing's very being, and they should have been the key to restoring his sanity. However, at this very moment, they were undergoing a strange and twisted transformation. This change was beyond his control, as even the core of his soul was being altered, rendering him powerless. It exceeded the capabilities of his Dao of Souls; at most, he could only deliver a blow to provide himself with a fighting chance.

As the Goliath regained its strength and the energy cage solidified once more, Zhang Dong felt a sinking feeling of despair. His efforts to save Long Qing had seemingly backfired, and the Azure Emperor was now more under the Goliath's control than ever before. The soul fragments that were meant to be a lifeline for Long Qing had transformed into a strange and twisted energy, leaving Zhang Dong at a loss for what to do next.

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His plan was to pacify his estranged brother and to set the citizens free of Goliath's control. The plan had almost worked until he started mentioning Long Qing’s family members. It was clear that he had done something to them, something that had made his mind break and to transform even more. His body was transforming into something twisted and not human anymore.

“Shit, he is breaking out…”

Zhang Dong shifted into an attacking stance, extending his palm forward. The barrier containing his brother was on the verge of shattering, so he aimed to strike before Long Qing could break free. His palm emitted a radiant glow, causing the entire throne room to tremble. The radiant technique collided with a swirling vortex of dark azure energy, resulting in a powerful explosion.

"Did I get him?"

The two energies repelled each other, pushing Zhang Dong back a few steps. As he gazed at the swirling dust that had formed, he received his answer: the Azure Emperor was undergoing a transformation, morphing into a monstrous dragon-like creature. His limbs elongated, his hands turned into obsidian claws, and his once-pale skin became dark and corrupted, resembling more a zombie dragon than a true dragon.

“Is that supposed to be his final phase or something?”

He didn't like it, but it had become abundantly clear that there was no way to make any further progress. Long Qing's corruption had taken a deep hold, and even his soul had lost all of its previous brilliance. Zhang Dong had no knowledge of what had befallen this man's children, but if they had perished during the creation of the Goliath, it seemed unlikely there was any way to bring Long Qing back from the abyss. To rekindle his humanity at this stage would necessitate presenting him with someone he held dear. It could only be either his children, who were most likely deceased, or his wife, who, in reality, was the Overseer.

‘Are we really just puppets that are dancing in their hands? Is there no other way?’

Zhang Dong's thoughts raced as he considered his options. He couldn't bear to see his someone become a puppet of the Goliath, but it seemed that all his efforts had failed. He glanced at the remnants of the soul fragments, now twisted and corrupted, and realized that they held the key to Long Qing's transformation.

The situation was undeniably dire. Even if his comrades managed to bring down the Goliath, Long Qing was beyond salvation. The transformation had fundamentally altered his soul, and this draconic form had become his true self. Despite the system's assistance, there was no way to reverse what had happened to his brother. The only way to escape this predicament was to eliminate him and put an end to his suffering.

The transformation into the monstrous dragon-like creature was complete, and there was no way to reach the true Long Qing buried beneath the corruption. As he looked at the twisted soul fragments, he knew that they had become a part of this dark, new entity. Now only fighting remained and he would be the one to end it all.

His power surged as Zhang Dong finally abandoned the idea of saving the Azure Emperor. While he wasn't entirely convinced that Long Qing was solely responsible for all of this chaos, it was clear that he had played a significant role in it. When they had first encountered each other after Zhang Dong was forcibly teleported underground, his brother had still been able to communicate normally.

The corruption had not taken hold at that point, and even then, Long Qing had shown hostility towards him. It appeared that there was truly no other option, and he had to prioritize the safety of his own people over Long Qing's well-being. Allowing this monster to leave the throne room would put not only his sect but also everyone in the Empire at risk. This was not something that he could allow to happen.

With a heavy heart and a sense of grim determination, Zhang Dong prepared to face the transformed Long Qing. The monstrous dragon-like creature let out a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the throne room, and its eyes glowed with a malevolent, otherworldly light.

As they clashed once again, the battle raged on with even greater intensity. The transformed Long Qing possessed immense power and ferocity, and Zhang Dong found himself pushed to his limits. Each blow he landed was met with a devastating counterattack, and the throne room continued to crumble around them.

Outside, Zhang Jin and the fleet were locked in a desperate battle with the resurgent Goliath. The energy cage had reformed, trapping them once more, and the Goliath's power seemed to have increased. It was clear that the fate of the entire city hung in the balance, and Zhang Dong knew that he had to end this battle as quickly as possible.

Zhang Dong tapped into the full extent of his Dao of Heavenly Lightning and all the rest, channeling his energy into his attacks with precision and determination. He dodged, weaved, and countered with all his might, refusing to let the transformed Long Qing gain the upper hand. The battle was fierce, and both combatants were pushed to their limits.

Long Qing's bizarre draconic form was unrelenting, resembling a crazed beast hell-bent on swallowing him whole. His limbs moved with such speed that Zhang Dong struggled to keep up. It was only his martial expertise that allowed him to anticipate the demonic creature's attack patterns. Long Qing was in a frenzied state, and this heightened state had amplified his latent abilities several times over.

Fortunately, Zhang Dong's mastery of the Dao of Souls, which he had previously employed against Long Qing's soul fragments, allowed him to read his opponent like an open book. He anticipated the claw's swipe before it even came and swiftly moved to another position, delivering a powerful punch to the monster's face. The battle raged on, and he was determined not to let it continue for much longer.

‘I guess there is no way around it, I must go all out … It’s now or never!’