Scott was of the dragon's blood and he was just half a step away from the Grand Realm level, so it was a given fact that he was physically much stronger than Darren.
"Let's leave this place, Scott."
Darren pulled Scott to his feet and held him tightly in his arms as he flew upwards. He had to leave the place immediately. As a human with blood and flesh, he would be scorched to death by the hot temperature from the lava if he lingered there for long. Darren felt astonished that with powerful one hit, the man was able to drive Scott to the center of the earth. Such was the strength of a Grand Realm warrior. Such power was sure to drive fear into anybody's heart.
A gush of air filled Darren's ears as he flew up with Scott at an extremely fast speed towards the surface of the earth. The moment they reached the surface, Darren felt the man's gaze burning through him.
"Spare his life, please."
Darren stared at the man's face for a long time before asking for mercy.
The man looked into Darren's eyes with a look full of both arrogance and coldness. Half hidden in the black smoke, the man kept silent for a while. Then, a voice resounded in Darren's mind, "You owe this to me."
Then the man turned around and walked away, still afloat in the air.
With each forceful step of his, the sky rumbled, making thunder-like noises as the air stirred.
Soon, the man completely disappeared from Darren's view.
The moment the man was out of sight, Darren was finally able to let out a sigh of relief.
Darren took in deep breaths as if he had never breathed better air before. It was as if he had just crawled out from under a gigantic mountain.
He had no idea why the man in black armor accepted his pleas and spared Scott. Nor did he understand what he meant by "You owe this to me." All he knew, and all he cared about in that moment was that Scott had to live, and he must do everything in his power to save him.
Darren went back to check Scott's injuries, and found him already woken up from his coma. To his surprise, Scott was staring at him with suspicion.
"Scott..."
Darren looked down at his body in transformation form—still ridden with scales. He had no idea how to explain this to his friend.
He was fully aware that it would still be easy for Scott to kill him in spite of his severe injuries.
But he trusted Scott, and he knew he would never do anything to hur
expect that that was the reason why Scott was refusing his offer.
"It's just a fruit with healing power. I don't think it is as precious as the friendship between us. You treat me as if I were your blood brother. And I see you the same way. I'll do anything for you no matter the cost!"
Darren meant it sincerely. The boy's words reminded Scott of the time he used to spend hanging out with his brothers when he was young. Darren looked so candid and sincere in saying it, and so Scott could not help but feel touched even though he was a tough man with a mind of iron and steel.
"You're my good brother, Darren." Scott spoke to Darren passionately. Although this boy was comparatively weak in the level of martial arts, he had already saved his life twice. Scott vowed to never forget it.
"We are good brothers, so please don't refuse me again." Darren ginned at Scott.
"No, Darren, you keep the fruit for yourself. It will prove to be invaluable to you in the future. It might even be the cornerstone for you to achieve the Grand Realm level. For me, however, the fruit is of less importance. It can only purify my dragon blood to a higher extent. It would be a waste of a precious fruit if it cannot help me achieve the Grand Realm level successfully anyway." Scott was determined to refuse Darren's offer.
"Achieve the Grand Realm level successfully?" Scott's last sentence captured Darren's attention.
"What do you mean, Scott? You mean you can improve the level of your cultivation base to the Grand Realm with the help of this fruit?" Darren asked, the curiosity plain in his voice.