Deep within the East Sea Dragon Palace, inside the Crystal Immortal Abode.
A pool of blood churned and bubbled like boiling magma.
It continuously pulsed with an intimidating presence that struck dread into the heart. The entire hall trembled under the weight of this raw power.
Right then, an authoritative voice resonated from within, making onlookers shudder uncontrollably.
"The East Sea Dragon King isn't actually about to emerge, is he?" Gu Sang asked, swallowing hard.
Ice Fairy, Zhu Qingyu, Little Celestial Master Chunyang, and the rest couldn't help retreating several paces.
"It's the aura of a dragon, and of an exceptionally high bloodline rank," said the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Highly sensitive to such presences, it knew the creature inside was no ordinary beast. It was a dragon—remarkable in both heritage and strength.
The Spirit Monkey gripped its iron rod even tighter, every hair on its body bristling as it stared intently ahead.
This place was suspected to be the mythical Crystal Immortal Abode, the residence of the East Sea Dragon King. Under such circumstances, keeping calm was nearly impossible for anyone. They feared that a being straight out of myth might truly step forth.
Lu Yuan, however, still stood at the front, his gaze grave and focused. Through his own senses, he too could tell that the creature within the blood pool was formidable.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz—*
Before long, as time ticked by, the blood pool surged furiously.
A massive shadow emerged from within.
It truly was a dragon. Bearing shades of cyan and white, its body was not exceedingly large, spanning only several dozen meters. It possessed a pair of feathered wings and three talons on each foot. Towering over everyone present, it looked down upon the assembly from on high.
With every breath, white plumes of vapor billowed from its snout. Glistening scales clung to its body like divine armor. A fierce, imposing majesty—surging like towering mountain ranges—cascaded down relentlessly.
The surrounding seawater trembled in response, rippling outward under the sheer force of its pressure.
"The Yinglong from Mount Kunlun?" Zhu Qingyu blurted out, having recognized it. She had seen the photos and video footage from before and was able to confirm its identity.
Aside from its size, there was no difference at all.
This was indeed the Yinglong that had walked out of Mount Kunlun.
Lu Yuan naturally recognized it as well, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. No wonder they hadn't crossed paths upon entering the Dragon Palace—it had headed straight for the Crystal Immortal Abode.
Even so, Lu Yuan had only arrived here smoothly thanks to the sea chart. How had this creature accomplished it? Shattered folded space was by no means easy to traverse.
Just look at the extraterrestrial beings outside: even knowing boundless fortunes lay within the Dragon Palace, they lacked any direction and had to rely entirely on luck. Whether they had even found the herb garden by now remained an open question.
Yet Lu Yuan quickly understood. After all, this creature was a true dragon, and this was a dragon palace.
"Mortals, did you not hear this Venerable One?"
Seeing that no one had answered its words, the Yinglong spoke once more.
This time, accompanying its voice, every scale across its body radiated shimmering light. An aura erupted from within, sending tremors rippling through the crystal hall.
Simultaneously, it locked its gaze onto Lu Yuan. Sensing the boundless power concealed within the man's physique, even the dragon felt a pang of shock.
Seeing this, Chunyang and the others glanced back slightly. Still, they kept quiet, waiting for Lu Yuan to speak.
Lu Yuan remained composed and solemn. Having sensed no murderous intent from the Yinglong, he smiled faintly. "We did not intrude recklessly. An earthquake here affected the land above, so we came to investigate."
"Investigate?" A look of doubt surfaced in the Yinglong's eyes, followed by a low rumble. "This is no place for you."
"Now that this Venerable One has discovered you, depart on your own. Do not force me to act in person."
It possessed immense majesty—a dragon in every sense of the word. Its words carried a royal authority, sounding as though an emperor were issuing a decree.
In myth and legend, Xuanyuan the Yellow Emperor was said to have ascended to heaven riding a Yinglong, so exuding an imperial aura was only natural.
"We will naturally leave," Lu Yuan said evenly. "However, by my estimation, your recent transformation using the dragon blood should be just about complete. How about this: I will offer a trade of items in exchange for that Dragon Blood Pool?"
Though the Yinglong had displayed hostility, it harbored no intent to kill and had not struck immediately, showing that it could still be reasoned with. As such, Lu Yuan saw no need to be aggressive and sought to defuse the tension, especially since he truly had great need for that pool.
First, a portion of its essence could be extracted and added to the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace to enhance medicinal potency. Second, the Golden-Winged Great Peng required dragon blood to purify its bloodline. And lastly, Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the others would reap immense benefits from absorbing the dragon blood essence.
Furthermore, he had offered an exchange of treasures so the dragon would not be cheated.
"Hm? You seek the Dragon Blood Pool?"
Upon hearing this, the Yinglong's aura flared dramatically. "You appear to possess decent strength. This Venerable One has been sealed away for countless years and hasn't engaged in battle for ages. Let us see if you have the qualifications to claim it!"
With that, it surged forward, brilliant strands of light swirling around its frame. The draconic presence unleashed fully, and its body brought waves of crushing pressure.
"Step back to the side, all of you,"
Lu Yuan realized that a fight was unavoidable. Issuing the instruction without another word, he took a stride forward.
*Boom!*
Before the two even traded blows, their auras collided head-on.
On one side was billowing dragon qi that gripped the soul; on the other was surging qi-blood capable of suppressing all creation. These were two entirely distinct forces and auras, but both were terrifyingly mighty as they clashed together.
*Thud—*
In an instant, the surrounding undersea world trembled faintly. Rumbles echoed through the Crystal Palace. Fortunately, crafted from extraordinary materials, it suffered no structural damage beneath such formidable power.
"This Yinglong is in the Sovereign King Realm and possesses a fully formed dragon body. Its bloodline rank is immensely high and its talent exceptional—far beyond that of the Nether Bull Clan before. It is incredibly strong," the Golden-Winged Great Peng spoke up. Sharing a mythical bloodline itself, it understood much about such matters.
To put it another way, if its own Great Peng bloodline was only twenty percent awakened, the Yinglong's had reached at least thirty or forty percent. While the difference might not seem massive at a glance, at this stage, the gap was as vast as clouds and mud. Such was the terrifying strength of ancient bloodlines, growing ever more pronounced the further one progressed.
"He should be fine. King Lu's combat strength is peerless within the same realm," Ice Fairy said, brimming with confidence in Lu Yuan.
"The circumstances are somewhat different now. This dragon clearly didn't begin its evolution in the New Era; it reached the fifth stage in an ancient era long ago. It is truly formidable," the Spirit Monkey added, clarifying the situation.
Every person present belonged to the Heavenly Court, so they naturally wished to see Lu Yuan remain invincible. Yet both the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey possessed profound cultivation and vast inherited memories, granting them deeper insight. They could easily discern the gravity of the situation.
Hearing their words, Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the others turned slightly pale.
On the other side, Lu Yuan had already engaged the Yinglong.
Golden qi-blood surged forth, erupting into a dazzling brilliance that illuminated the undersea world. With a single exchange, the battle spilled out of the Crystal Palace. The interior was simply too cramped to unleash their full power, whereas the open waters outside offered ample space.
*Roar—*
The Yinglong bellowed, its body swelling drastically until it reached a thousand meters in length. A cyan-and-white sheen enveloped every single scale across its frame. Its dragon claw stamped downward like a heavenly blade, collapsing the seabed floor as it lunged straight toward Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan remained entirely undaunted. At his current realm, underwater combat exerted no dampening effect on his prowess. Golden qi-blood churned, churning the surrounding seawater into violent eddies. Facing the oncoming dragon claw, he threw a punch without the slightest hesitation.
*Rumble!*
Water and earth shook in unison as though a cataclysmic explosion had erupted. Under the immense fallout, the Spirit Monkey and the other spectators were forced backward, unable to withstand the shockwaves even from outside the battlefield.
In the distance, Lu Yuan and the Yinglong fought fiercely, though neither engaged with intent to kill.
From the very beginning, the Yinglong had simply been curious about the human's strength and wished to test his mettle. But after multiple clashes, it could not help feeling shocked.
Lu Yuan was terrifyingly strong. A single swing of his fist parted a thousand meters of seawater. That golden fist struck like forged divine iron against its body, numbing it from head to tail. Had it not possessed a peerless draconic constitution and an extraordinary bloodline, its physical form might have shattered on the spot, spilling dragon blood.
"Hahaha! Not bad, human!"
The more the Yinglong fought, the more exhilarated it became, its body blazing with incandescent light. Arcs of lightning danced across its cyan-white frame. Opening its maw, it unleashed a bolt of lightning thicker than a water vat.
The seabed trembled again as if a horrific disaster had struck. Anyone watching could tell how devastating this attack was.
Yet Lu Yuan did not retreat an inch. His internal organs hummed, and his golden qi-blood flared to its absolute zenith. Facing the incoming lightning bolt, he struck outward.
*Boom—*
The lightning was cleaved in two by sheer force.
Lu Yuan strode forward, eyes blazing like brilliant stars. Bearing the likeness of a true deity, he closed in on the Yinglong and rained down a barrage of punches like a torrential downpour.
The seabed floor gave way, and the ancient structures in the distance shook violently. Had this battle taken place on the surface, it would have been enough to redraw the local landscape.
Facing a dragon of ancient myth, he fought just as he always had—without backing down, continuously pounding forward. While the Yinglong could initially hold its own, it quickly fell into a disadvantage. The luster of its scales flickered erratically, as though pushed to its absolute limit.
Beneath the distant Crystal Palace, the Spirit Monkey and the Golden-Winged Great Peng watched with dropped jaws.
Dragons were formidable, yet with their own bloodlines and innate gifts, they had little reason to fear them. The crux was that this Yinglong's cultivation realm was exceedingly high. Even across the various star sectors, its combat strength would rank among the very peak of the Sovereign King Realm, rivaling the foremost sequence prodigies.
Yet before long, it had been thoroughly suppressed. What was more, both onlookers could tell that Lu Yuan hadn't even gone all out.
He had not summoned his Golden Body Dharma Idol, nor had he manifested the Great Sun Smelting Furnace or invoked any supreme divine arts. From start to finish, he had relied solely on the raw strength of his physical body.
The worldview of the two beasts was upended once again, and they traded dumbfounded glances. They couldn't help thinking: if Lu Yuan were to advance to the next evolutionary stage, wouldn't he be able to battle the Saint Domain Realm of the sixth stage while still in the Sovereign King Realm?
*Boom!*
While they were lost in thought, Lu Yuan struck again, ramping up his power as he swung a kick outward.
The Yinglong's colossal frame tumbled backward relentlessly, crashing into a massive hall before finally coming to a halt.
By now, the light radiating from its body had completely dimmed. Most humiliating of all, several of its scales had cracked apart, oozing droplets of brilliant dragon blood.
The Yinglong was defeated!
Chapter 140