As a member of the Dragon Clan, Yinglong was deeply familiar with such things.
Though cast aside as if at random, it had actually been placed under a restrictive seal. Even though an immense amount of time had passed, the ward remained, albeit with much of its former might diminished.
Ao Ze was not at all certain whether Lu Yuan could take it away; his only role had been to guide him here. After all, he knew full well that the stronger Lu Yuan became, the greater the benefits for this world. Down in his heart, he truly hoped Lu Yuan could pull it off.
"Is that so?" Lu Yuan nodded upon hearing this. Then, he walked slowly to the side of the Nine Cauldrons vessel.
He did not act at once, choosing to observe it first. The rust on the cauldron was plainly visible, completely covering even the carved patterns until only their rough outlines could be discerned.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Yuan placed his hand upon the cauldron. Hum—
In the very next instant, a powerful force surged forth without any warning. Dong—
Accompanied by a deafening crash, the entire Dragon Prison trembled.
Lu Yuan discovered that the force residing within was extraordinarily strong. The moment he made even slight contact, a terrifying backlash flared up. Fortunately, he was formidable enough and possessed an astounding physical constitution, keeping him from being thrown off. Had it been him prior to reaching the Immortal Realm, enduring it would have posed a considerable challenge.
"And this is only because the erosion of time has stripped away most of the restriction's strength. Otherwise, even I would be hard-pressed to withstand it," Lu Yuan murmured to himself, inwardly astonished. It was truly worthy of a seal laid down by what Yinglong referred to as a prominent figure.
That great power of the Dragon Clan had likely reached a cultivation realm far higher than his current one. Unfortunately, after so long, does it still expect to hold me back?
Lu Yuan merely smiled at the thought and channeled more power from within his body. In an instant, golden qi billowed continuously from him.
The power of the Immortal Realm was fully unleashed, roaring incessantly and rippling layer upon layer as it countered the warding power upon the cauldron. And seemingly because Lu Yuan had increased his force, the resistance from the restriction grew fiercer than before, thundering relentlessly.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
All at once, the Dragon Prison shuddered anew. The ground beneath their feet cracked wide open. The impact generated by the clash of these two mighty forces was simply overwhelming. Were they outside, it likely would have triggered a massive earthquake.
"The person who laid this restriction on the cauldron was indeed tremendously powerful—perhaps having reached the Domain Lord level. But countless ages have passed after all, and its power is already near exhaustion. Before long, Lu Yuan will be able to wipe it away completely," Jiang Ningxian spoke slowly as she watched ahead. Though she had not touched it directly, she could distinctly sense the force within.
That was why she offered her assessment so decisively, knowing this would not take long. Having attained immortality, Lu Yuan was worlds apart from before.
Rumble—
Sure enough, just as Jiang Ningxian had predicted, this state of affairs did not last long before Lu Yuan seized the upper hand.
The aura radiating from his body abruptly swelled several times over. Even if the ward had been placed by a prominent figure, vast stretches of time had ultimately taken their toll.
Almost in the very next instant, all of its power gave way, and the restriction upon the cauldron dissolved completely.
All barriers were gone.
"It worked." Feeling that the restriction had been thoroughly erased, Lu Yuan let out a soft sigh of relief. It was, after all, a potent seal placed by a great power of the Dragon Clan; his ability to break it owed much to the immense passage of time.
Without lingering in thought, he reached out directly and stored the cauldron away. With this, his objective was fully achieved.
Having accomplished all of this, Lu Yuan prepared to head back. His sole purpose in coming had been the cauldron, and now that the matter was resolved, there was naturally no reason to linger.
Boom—
Yet at that exact moment, the Dragon Prison trembled once more, and a powerful, freezing chill erupted without warning.
This sudden development caused both Ao Ze and Jiang Ningxian behind him to pale slightly, their gazes turning toward the direction of the aura.
It came from the cell situated at the deepest recess of the Dragon Prison. Fractures were spreading across its surface, looking as though it were about to burst apart. As time ticked by, the aura emanating from within grew steadily stronger.
"Is something coming out?" Jiang Ningxian narrowed her eyes, then turned to Ao Ze beside her. "Do you know what is locked in that cell?"
Hearing her question, Yinglong shook his head blankly. "I don't know. Even if something was imprisoned there, so much time has passed that it should have died long ago. It's impossible for it to have survived."
While immortals could live for extraordinary spans of time, that was contingent on favorable conditions. Following the Severance of Heaven and Earth, the power of heaven and earth on Earth had completely dispersed. Even those of high realms would suffer a decline unless they had attained the absolute pinnacle.
In other words, under such circumstances, even an immortal would suffer realm regression. Especially after so long, any prisoner should have degraded into a mortal. Therefore, from Yinglong's perspective, nothing ought to have survived.
"Be careful, you two. That power is formidable," Lu Yuan warned at this moment. Looking toward the cell, a beam of light surfaced in his eyes—the Martial Dao Heavenly Eye.
Yet to his surprise, he found himself utterly unable to see through what lay within.
Boom—
Accompanied by another massive crash, the entire Dragon Prison shook violently as the cell shattered to pieces in an instant. Simultaneously, a figure walked slowly out of the debris.
He was shrouded entirely in black mist, and the aura rolling off him was terrifying beyond measure—like a demon crawling out from the depths of hell.
"Finally... out," the figure rasped. His voice sounded like the scraping of metal, grating and unsettling. Then, as if sensing something, he turned his gaze toward Lu Yuan. "Oh? The Immortal Realm? Powerful vitality? Excellent... just enough to make a hearty meal."
The moment his words fell, the figure thrust out a palm.
That hand was pitch-black, shriveled, and devoid of moisture. In the next instant, black scales began surfacing across it, presenting an eerie sight. In the end, it transformed directly into a dragon claw. It had four talons, brimming with peerless, overpowering might.
"Hmph!" Seeing this, Lu Yuan let out a cold snort. Golden vitality erupted violently from his body.
The Furnace of Heaven and Earth manifested in an instant, radiating light capable of banishing all bizarre and sinister miasma. Then, without a shred of hesitation, he threw a punch straight toward that black dragon claw.
Chapter 361