The purple radiance seemed to appear out of nowhere.
It did not look to carry any power, yet as it diffused, everyone present—including the Black Dragon—felt an imposing, majestic aura wash over them.
It felt as though nothing could resist beneath this aura, as if it held dominion over all living spirits in the heavens.
"This is..." Jiang Ningxian was stunned, having no idea what was happening. Yet she noticed that the aura on Lu Yuan was growing intense again, and his fire of life, which had been smothered until it was incomparably tiny, flared up vigorously once more like raging flames.
"What's going on?" Yinglong was also shocked, completely baffled. But immediately afterward, Lu Yuan snapped his eyes open.
Sharp beams of light shot from his eyes, and the discomfort inside his body vanished entirely. At the same time, vast golden blood vitality surged forth like molten magma. Even more terrifying, a purple aura lingered within that golden blood vitality. As it spread, Lu Yuan seemed to become the absolute sovereign of this world.
When Lu Yuan carefully examined his own body, he suddenly discovered something.
The black blood within him was gone, completely imperceptible. His power was no longer subject to any restraint, returning to its peak. It seemed the power within the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token completely counteracted the black blood.
"Is it the power in the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token?"
"Did it completely obliterate the black blood?"
Lu Yuan muttered to himself.
Yet he did not dwell on it, seemingly understanding what had occurred. Furthermore, Lu Yuan sensed that if there were a way to refine that black blood, he might very well obtain a unique kind of power. Evidently, the black blood might not have been a power inherent to the Black Dragon itself.
"No... impossible! How could you suppress that kind of power?!"
The Black Dragon also recovered from its stupor, thoroughly shaken and incredulous. For it knew very well that no matter how mighty it had been in its prime, after so much time had passed, none of its ordinary methods would work anymore—yet that drop of black blood was completely different. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been left entirely helpless.
It knew that if Lu Yuan was no longer suppressed, it would be no match for him at all.
Right now, it had to seize this final chance to slay him! Yet the Black Dragon simply could not do so.
With a thunderous roar, it charged forward once more.
Right then, Lu Yuan took a step forward. Without exerting his full strength, he simply threw a straight punch.
*Rumble!* A mighty power came surging out.
Without the influence of the black blood, Lu Yuan's strength had returned to its peak. Against a Black Dragon that was already weakened to the extreme, he naturally suppressed it with absolute ease. In just an instant, the Black Dragon could no longer hold out. Its colossal body cracked open directly, drops of blood oozing out.
Curiously, however, that blood was red—not the black color it had expelled earlier.
"This..."
Seeing this scene, Jiang Ningxian and Yinglong could not help but exchange glances. Just moments ago, Lu Yuan had been at an absolute disadvantage, even in mortal peril. Yet in the blink of an eye, everything had reversed!
What exactly did that purple radiance represent? Was it another trump card of his? Why hadn't they seen it before?
However, none of that mattered for now. What mattered was that Lu Yuan had survived. At this moment, the weight in Jiang Ningxian's heart finally lifted completely. She turned her attention back to the battlefield.
Earlier, when he had fought the Black Dragon, Lu Yuan had noticed that after the dragon forced out that drop of black blood, its fire of life and strength declined crazily, even losing its foundational source. This showed just how crucial the black blood was to it.
Moreover, it was mysterious and formidable. The reason the dragon had managed to survive all the way to this era was likely also due to the Extraterrestrial Demons. As for why it had expelled the blood later, it had merely wanted to devour him, never expecting that he possessed the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, which neutralized that power.
And now?
Lu Yuan took a deep breath and extended his palm once again. He spread his hand, and ancient temples and Buddha figures manifested, completely locking down the surrounding space. In the Black Dragon's current state, escaping was entirely out of the question.
Sure enough, having done all this, Lu Yuan completely halted his movements. Since Lu Yuan had not killed the Black Dragon outright, he must have had questions to ask—undoubtedly regarding that black blood. Jiang Ningxian, in particular, was deep in thought.
Then, looking at the Black Dragon trapped within the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, Lu Yuan spoke slowly: "That drop of black blood just now doesn't belong to the power of this world, does it? Have you been in contact with Extraterrestrial Demons?"
"You... you actually know about Extraterrestrial Demons?!" Hearing this, the Black Dragon was instantly shocked.
Too much time had passed, and back in its era, Extraterrestrial Demons were known only to a few truly formidable figures. Yet the person before it, someone who had only recently broken through to the Immortal Realm, actually knew of them as well!
"It seems that is indeed the case." On this point, Lu Yuan had long had his suspicions, and now he was certain. Lu Yuan murmured to himself, then continued, "Back then, when you underwent that final change and began devouring the living beings of various clans, was it because you encountered Extraterrestrial Demons and made a deal with them, using that drop of black blood as your bargaining chip?"
"You!"
Hearing these deductions, the Black Dragon's eyes shifted drastically. Even though it remained in draconic form, the shock in its heart was palpable; clearly, he had hit the mark.
And precisely because of this, Lu Yuan had arrived at his conclusion. Indeed, from the very beginning, he had suspected that this was the power of the Extraterrestrial Demons. And the Extraterrestrial Demons were true archenemies of this world. Otherwise, neither the Ancestral Dragon nor those ancient predecessors would have treated them with such gravity.
As a member of this world's Dragon Clan, for the Black Dragon to choose to accept the power of Extraterrestrial Demons at such a time was indisputably an act of betrayal.
"It seems you betrayed this world to gain power," Lu Yuan said. To him, extraterrestrial beings were outsiders.
Its sore spot pricked, the Black Dragon immediately shouted in rebuttal, maintaining that it had only sought power and had done nothing wrong. "Power is everything! There is no betrayal! As long as I am strong enough, nothing is a problem!"
Hearing this, Lu Yuan shook his head and chuckled. "Blindly pursuing power will only make you a slave to power, never reaching the supreme peak. And you are especially so—truly pitiful."
"Oh? It seems you remain obstinately blind."
At this point, Lu Yuan had no desire to waste any more words, having learned everything he wished to know.
Not far away, trapped within the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, the Black Dragon's eyes filled with despair. For it knew that this time, it was truly going to die. What awaited it next was death in the truest sense. It was unwilling to accept it, yet powerless to reject it.
Chapter 365