Inside the Dragon Prison, waves of formidable auras raged violently.
From time to time, massive arcs of lightning materialized in the surroundings. This place truly looked like a perilous forbidden ground.
In the deepest depths, several figures stood tall. Lu Yuan hovered midair, his right hand pushed slightly forward as immense power welled from it ceaselessly.
Bursts of Buddhist light surged forth. At this moment, his temperament was completely different from before, resembling an eminent monk who had attained the Dao. His face showed neither grief nor joy; nothing seemed capable of swaying his mind, as though he were an enlightened Buddha.
Not far away stood ancient temples, alongside bodhisattvas and buddhas bearing benevolent expressions. Sitting cross-legged in place, they chanted Buddhist scriptures without pause, transforming that entire expanse into a Buddha Kingdom.
Suppressed within the Buddha Kingdom was an enormous Black Dragon, scales shattered across multiple parts of its massive body.
Blood seeped continuously from the wounds, and its fire of life had withered to an absolute low. Upon closer inspection, one would also discover that the Black Dragon now exuded an aura that did not belong to this world.
Wild and bloodthirsty, this aura seemed entirely out of place in heaven and earth. It was a terrifying extraterrestrial power—weaker living beings of this world could not endure it at all.
Yet now, Lu Yuan harbored killing intent. The power of the Buddha Kingdom steadily intensified, bearing down upon the Black Dragon.
He had already learned almost everything he needed to know. As for this Black Dragon that had embraced the power of the Extraterrestrial Demons, he naturally could not spare it. As stated before, it was a traitor in a certain sense, abandoning everything merely in pursuit of power.
Allowing it to live would only breed future catastrophe—not to mention that it had previously intended to devour him.
And at this moment, the Black Dragon genuinely felt mortal peril.
It had lived for far too long, spending most of that time imprisoned within the Dragon Prison. The reasons it had endured were, first, the power of the black blood, and second, the hatred burning in its heart—the conviction that it would eventually get out to exact vengeance upon the Dragon Clan and everyone else. It had never imagined that right after emerging, it would run into such a figure, someone so exceptionally powerful. What it had assumed to be a blood meal possessed power capable of utterly restraining it.
It did not want to die, nor could it bear the thought of death. For if it died, truly nothing would remain.
Therefore, the instant Lu Yuan moved to strike, the Black Dragon spoke once more: "If you spare me, I will sign a Blood Contract with you and become your war beast! I am a Black Dragon, the most outstanding chosen pride of the Dragon Clan all those years ago. In talent or bloodline, few in this cosmos could ever surpass me!
"And most importantly, once I recover to the peak of my strength, I will be a Creation Immortal—top tier even across the entire cosmos!
"You must know that this level of strength is more than enough to do many things for you in this era, as long as you spare my life!"
Though the Black Dragon had not escaped, it still knew of the Severance of Heaven and Earth, having experienced it firsthand. Even setting that aside, a Creation Immortal—the third sub-realm of the Immortal Realm—was formidable enough that no one could ignore it.
Thus, when those words were spoken, both Yinglong and Jiang Ningxian showed shifts in their eyes, finding it somewhat unbelievable.
Particularly the latter. As the Holy Maiden of the Jiang clan, she understood entirely what a Creation Immortal represented.
Even within the Jiang clan, there were only a handful of such beings.
And then there was Yinglong. Being of the Dragon Clan, it knew the pride of dragons; they would rather die than submit unless facing someone of Xuanyuan the Yellow Emperor's stature. Yet here was the Black Dragon offering just that.
Regardless, it also knew very well how powerful the Black Dragon was. To still retain such immense strength after being suppressed for so long—if it restored its peak power, it would be even more terrifying.
Hence, when the Black Dragon made that offer, both Yinglong and Jiang Ningxian felt tempted.
A Creation Immortal! Bound as a war beast, it could resolve countless troubles.
However, in the distance, Lu Yuan seemed entirely unmoved. Still standing proud in midair, he spoke softly, "Sorry, but you are not qualified."
With that, there was no hesitation left in his movements.
In the very next instant, he clenched his fist.
*Crack!*
In a flash, the Buddha Kingdom shattered.
Tremendous force surged, sending violent shockwaves through the space. Suppressed within, the Black Dragon had no room to resist.
Having been imprisoned for so long, it was essentially at the end of its rope, and now that its black blood was gone, how could it resist Lu Yuan, who stood at his peak?
*Splurt! Splurt!*
A moment later, not only its physical body, but its soul was crushed into nothingness.
Lu Yuan gave it no chance of survival.
Soon after, every trace of its aura vanished.
The entire Dragon Prison returned to its previous stillness.
Sensing no trace of the Black Dragon's aura, Lu Yuan let out a soft breath of relief.
It was only because the other's cultivation realm and strength had regressed; otherwise, even if Lu Yuan exerted his full strength, he likely wouldn't have been able to slay it.
Putting further thoughts aside, he turned and walked over to Jiang Ningxian's side, saying gently, "It's fine now. We can leave."
Jiang Ningxian did not respond immediately, instead asking, "Lu Yuan, that Black Dragon already submitted just now. Why didn't you agree?"
"Why should I have agreed?" Lu Yuan replied with a slight smile.
"In its peak, the Black Dragon was a Creation Immortal!" Jiang Ningxian said with some helplessness, continuing, "Creation is the third stage of the Immortal Realm. Across all races in the cosmos, there are very few of them—they are truly top-tier powerhouses. You should know that some Domain Lords of the top hundred star sectors are only Heavenly Position Immortals of the fourth stage. If you had its assistance, you wouldn't have to worry about malicious foreign races in the future."
She truly found it hard to comprehend. After all, a Creation Immortal was immensely powerful, and it was a member of the Dragon Clan.
Restoring its peak strength would be terrifying indeed. If present-day Earth had such a figure presiding over it, even the great clans of the top ten star sectors might hesitate to act rashly. Thus, Jiang Ningxian felt he had acted somewhat impulsively.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan immediately shook his head. "You must understand, it accepted the power of the Extraterrestrial Demons. What kind of existences the Extraterrestrial Demons are, you should know very well in your heart.
"An existence like this betrayed countless people, even its own clan and world, purely for power. How could you expect the Black Dragon to genuinely aid me later? Moreover, if the Extraterrestrial Demons appear one day, what choice would it make then?"
At this point, he continued, "For an entity like that, not to mention a Creation Immortal, even if it were Domain Lord-level, I would still execute it without hesitation."
This was precisely why Lu Yuan had said the Black Dragon was not qualified: it devoured living beings for power.
Such conduct was no different from a demon, so executing it directly was the only path.
Hearing this, Jiang Ningxian was slightly taken aback.
Now that she had calmed down and thought about it, that was indeed the truth. Since the Black Dragon could betray once, there would inevitably be a second time.
Having said that, Lu Yuan turned his gaze toward Yinglong and continued, "Logically speaking, the Black Dragon was your ancestor, a member of your Dragon Clan. Now that I've slain it, what are your thoughts?"
Hearing this, Ao Ze was briefly startled before replying, "It deserved death. In my inherited memories, its existence nearly brought about the annihilation of our Dragon Clan. Back then, it was only suppressed because there was no way to kill it."
At these words, Lu Yuan nodded and said no more.
He knew that elsewhere in the world, the Dragon Clan must still exist, such as in the Heavenly Dragon Star Sector. If killing the Black Dragon caused the Dragon Clan to hold a grudge against him, it was indeed something to keep in mind.
Yet if the Dragon Clan truly chose to stand against him because of this, there was no need to dwell on it. Lu Yuan then cleared his mind.
He took another look around the Dragon Prison. Without another word, he led Jiang Ningxian and Ao Ze away.
With the matter settled and the greatest crisis resolved, it was time for him to return, refine the seventh of the Nine Cauldrons, and obtain another surge of providence to bolster the Heavenly Court's strength.
On the journey back, Lu Yuan continually observed the condition of his body. The black blood was indeed entirely gone, leaving not a single trace.
At the same time, wisps of purple aura within him were even denser than before. That was the power belonging to the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, which had previously aided him in transforming his soul and physical body, as well as stepping into the Immortal Realm. Now, in the moment of greatest peril, it had effortlessly refined the power of the Extraterrestrial Demons.
This made Lu Yuan immensely curious about what other functions the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token might hold. Naturally, merely pondering it on his own would yield no answers.
Even so, Lu Yuan seemed to notice that as his strength grew, the mysteries of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token were gradually unlocking, as there were many powers he now seemed capable of wielding.
Particularly after reaching the Immortal Realm, he could even begin to actively control that purple radiance. Though only a sliver, he considered it quite remarkable already.
"To think the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token has become my greatest trump card," Lu Yuan murmured, shaking his head. He glanced at Jiang Ningxian beside him, wondering when he might ask her for more details.
Of course, he kept the fact that he possessed the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token to himself for now.
Although he had absolute trust in her, the item was likely tied to matters of monumental consequence, so exercising caution was paramount.
Chapter 366