"Reached Dao-Entering Realm Complete?"

With a hint of surprise in his eyes, Cheng Junie furrowed his brows and questioned doubtfully, "You still haven't reached Dao-Entering Realm Complete?"

This youngster's aura was incredibly potent, hundreds of times stronger than that of an average Cultivator of Dao—yet he still hadn't reached Dao-Entering Realm Complete? What True Scripture Volume had he cultivated? The cultivation techniques of the Shenxiao Sect were definitely not this terrifying. He must have obtained an Ancient Sect inheritance!

Qi Xiu's mention of "Dao-Entering Realm Complete" shocked Cheng Junie into a whirlwind of wild thoughts, leaving him utterly baffled.

The Dragon Demon, on the other hand, gave a thoughtful look upon hearing this. His green eyes narrowed slightly as he mouthed two syllables in the Dragon Language that ordinary people could not understand.

"Hunyuan?"

Sitting cross-legged, Qi Xiu picked up a Dragon Origin with one hand, his gaze deep and unyielding.

The Dragon Demon couldn't leave the Dragon Pond Forbidden Area. Moreover, the Golden Armored Corpse Demon Nie Biao was naturally suspicious and cautious. Sensing that Yong Jue Monk and the other four had disappeared, he would definitely not rashly enter the Dragon Pond Forbidden Area. Therefore, using the Dragon Demon to eliminate Nie Biao seemed quite unlikely. To leave this Crystal Palace, he estimated he would have to force his way out.

Nie Biao's strength was formidable, practically at the Pinnacle of the Bloodstained Realm. With his and Cheng Junie's current combined battle prowess, they were far from being a match.

The only way was for him to form three hundred sixty-five Mixed Primordial Beads, step into Dao-Entering Realm Complete, and fully complete the Hunyuan Body Refinement. Perhaps then he would have the strength to contend with Nie Biao.

I wonder if there's enough time...

Muttering to himself, Qi Xiu opened his mouth and swallowed the Dragon Origin—this glittering treasure, overflowing with brilliance and enveloped in layers of mist—into his stomach.

Brilliant light shone through Qi Xiu's skin, making it clear from the outside that the Dragon Origin had been swallowed and was settling in his lower abdomen.

The moment he swallowed the Dragon Origin, a burning sensation, as if thousands of suns were rising at once, exploded from within it. This inferno rapidly spread to every corner of his body, causing his veins and arteries to emit a glaring halo. From his eyes, tangible beams of light erupted, piercing through the void!

The mountain-crushing, earth-shattering impact made Qi Xiu grunt. Blood streamed from all seven of his orifices, only to be instantly evaporated by his extremely high body temperature.

Yin-Yang Annihilation Art, Hunyuan as One!

Striving to maintain his composure, Qi Xiu supported his left hand with his right, forming a Daoist Incantation!

With the sounds of a dragon's roar and a tiger's howl, the Mo Jiao and a purple tiger materialized, roaring as they appeared! They encircled Qi Xiu, faintly forming a naturally spinning Tai Chi Diagram.

However, the power contained within the Dragon Origin was still too overwhelming and ferocious; the force of the Hunyuan Dragon and Tiger alone was not enough to suppress it. After all, this was a precious treasure meant for the Dragon Clan, and Qi Xiu, a member of the Human Race, possessed a physical body that could not compare. If not for his foundation in Hunyuan Body Refinement, he would have been pulverized into mush by the surging power the moment he swallowed the Dragon Origin.

Unable to suppress the power contained within the Dragon Origin, Qi Xiu's eyes shut tightly as his internal organs were chaotically ravaged, his life hanging by a thread.

Suddenly, a burst of golden light revived within his sea of consciousness. Qi Xiu's forehead blazed with golden splendor as intricate gold patterns spread downwards, enveloping his entire body. Faintly, these patterns formed a stout and majestic "Suppress" character!

With the appearance of the "Suppress" character, a powerful restraining force instantly emerged. Countless tiny chains crisscrossed within his body, forcibly suppressing the tumultuous power of the Dragon Origin!

Under the dual suppression of the Hunyuan Dragon and Tiger and the Suppression Character Talisman, Qi Xiu finally found a moment to breathe as the ferocious power of the Dragon Origin gradually subsided.

Next, I need to quickly absorb this Dragon Origin!

Having subdued the Dragon Origin's backlash, Qi Xiu immediately activated "The Secret of the Primordial Dragon-Tiger Scripture." The two hundred Mixed Primordial Beads within his body worked in unison, voraciously absorbing the Dragon Origin's power and forming new Mixed Primordial Beads in the remaining one hundred sixty-five acupoints.

「Outside.」

Cheng Junie watched as Qi Xiu first shone with dazzling light, his veins and arteries radiating brilliance. He looked as if he were about to transform into a luminescent being, on the verge of ascension to immortality. Then, blood spurted from all seven orifices, and his entire body became covered in countless tiny cracks, like shattered porcelain, threatening to explode.

After a brief hesitation, Cheng Junie stepped forward, ready to lend Qi Xiu a hand. After all, if Qi Xiu perished, he alone would be even less likely to defeat the Golden Armored Corpse Demon Nie Biao.

But the Dragon Demon raised a hand to stop him. "The power of the Dragon Origin has already been released inside this child. If you touch him now, it'll only trigger a more intense backlash from the Dragon Origin.

"This trial he must endure on his own. Survive, and he lives; fail, and he dies. There's no third option."

"The Dragon Origin is so dangerous, why didn't you warn him beforehand?" Cheng Junie frowned, glancing at the Dragon Demon and speaking sternly.

"If I had told him, would he have had the courage to consume it?" the Dragon Demon spoke flatly, neither humble nor arrogant. "If he didn't, the Dragon Origin would still fall into the hands of thieves." It seemed that in his view, his actions were completely normal and not wrong in the slightest.

"You..." Cheng Junie's eyes widened slightly. Seeing the Dragon Demon's matter-of-fact demeanor, he desperately wanted to give him a couple of hefty slaps. However, considering the significant disparity in their strength, he just muttered a few curses to himself and turned his gaze back to Qi Xiu, whose face was pale and uncertain.

Little brother, you must hold on.

「Crystal Palace doorway.」

Nie Biao sat cross-legged, propping his cheek on one knee and picking his teeth with his little finger. Around him, a dozen or so white skulls had rolled.

"It's been so long, why isn't there the slightest sound?" Nie Biao frowned, glancing at the empty pouch tied to his waist. The efficiency of these five is too low. When they come back... I'll just eat them too.

His pitch-black tongue slithered out, licking his lips twice. Nie Biao took a deep breath, his chest expanding greatly, and then—ROAR! A terrifying roar burst forth, transforming into a howling black wind that swept from Nie Biao, instantly flooding every corner of the Crystal Palace.

He sat silently, his fingernails scraping against the floor, producing a sharp, grating noise. Half an incense stick's time later, Nie Biao's movements abruptly halted. He lifted his crimson eyes, which gleamed with ferocity.

"Those two little runts are quite capable, huh."

BOOM!

The ground shook violently, and Nie Biao vanished. A visible shockwave rumbled out, wave after wave, like a surging tide.

In the Dragon Pond Forbidden Area, a paper effigy ghost suddenly entered, its face wearing a sinister smile as it relayed the news of Nie Biao's actions.

"So soon?" Cheng Junie's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Nie Biao to learn of the annihilation of Yong Jue Monk and the others so quickly. He rubbed his fingertips, glancing at Qi Xiu, who was deep in cultivation with his eyes closed, and then at the calmly indifferent Dragon Demon nearby.

Hopefully, this kid can finish up soon.

Having searched the entire Crystal Palace, Nie Biao, enveloped in a dense black aura and wearing a crazed smile, arrived before the gates of the Dragon Pond Forbidden Area.

"Is this it?" Nie Biao sniffed the air, and his crimson pupils suddenly blazed with two piercing beams of blood-red light.

Finally, I can have a good feast...

Just as Nie Biao reached out to push open the grand door, a small, adorable, golden-furred marten with a tail shaped like a Golden Yuanbao suddenly scurried out from a gap in his bulky armor. It landed on his shoulder and began to hop frantically, waving its tiny paws.

"Hmm?" His action to push open the door was interrupted by his tamed Spirit Treasure Mouse. Nie Biao frowned. "Is there danger inside?"

"Squeak squeak!" Striking a pose with paws on its hips, the Spirit Treasure Mouse nodded earnestly. It then mimicked opening the door, followed by a dramatic collapse, clutching its throat as if in pain. It seemed to be indicating that Nie Biao would be killed instantly if he opened the door!

"But if I don't go in, I can't complete the Flood Dragon King's task," Nie Biao said, slowly retracting his hand and grating his teeth, producing a metallic scraping sound. "I can't defeat that old Flood Dragon."

"Squeak squeak." The Spirit Treasure Mouse pointed around, then pulled open the pouch on its belly, revealing a thievish grin.

"No, nothing here can be touched. That old Flood Dragon has a keen sense of smell. If you steal his things, he'll boil you into mouse soup. Go on, back to your spot. You're not needed here."

Stuffing the disgruntled Spirit Treasure Mouse back into a crevice in his armor, Nie Biao sat down, resting his hands on his knees.

"If you don't come out, then I'll just wait here. I refuse to believe you can stay inside forever." The Spirit Treasure Mouse was a celestial spirit beast, innately attuned to sense danger. It was thanks to this creature, which he had raised from a young age, that Nie Biao had reached his current level of power. Therefore, he trusted its warnings implicitly: behind this heavy, dark gate, there was definitely something capable of killing him.

"He didn't come in?" Pressed against the door of the Dragon Pond Forbidden Area, Cheng Junie faintly heard someone muttering. It had to be the Golden Armored Corpse Demon Nie Biao; no one else was alive in the Crystal Palace. Evidently, the fearsome entity was now standing right outside the gate but, for some reason, had not entered, choosing instead to wait.

What a pity. If he'd come in, everything would be resolved, Cheng Junie thought, shaking his head. His gaze subconsciously shifted to the Dragon Demon standing tall beside Qi Xiu. But as he looked closer, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Your aura..." Approaching the Dragon Demon, Cheng Junie's brows knitted together, forming deep vertical lines, his expression a mixture of surprise and suspicion. He clearly remembered the Dragon Demon's aura had been at the Pinnacle of the Bloodstained Realm. But now... it was merely at the ninth layer of the Blood-Stained Realm. The Dragon Demon's strength is waning!?

"Dragon Origin is the foundation of this temporary palace and also my anchor," the Dragon Demon stated, his tone as calm and indifferent as ever, betraying no concern for his impending disappearance. "It is being absorbed by this child, so my power is rapidly diminishing. Once all three Dragon Origins are absorbed by him, I will also completely vanish."

Your disappearance might not matter to you, but if you're gone, we'll probably be next! Cheng Junie clenched his fists subconsciously, turning to look at the Dragon Pond Forbidden Area's entrance. That Corpse Demon surely can't detect the changes in the Dragon Demon's aura, can he?

"Don't worry," the Dragon Demon said, his indifferent words nonetheless revealing absolute confidence. "Even if I only have the strength of the first layer of the Blood-Stained Realm, as long as that half-corpse dares to enter, I can still suppress and kill him!" As the chief guardian of the Dragon Pond Forbidden Area, invincibility within his own realm was a given. If necessary, engaging in cross-realm battle was not a difficult task for him either.

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