Chapter 246: Chapter 245: Dragon Body Casting
In the vast lava lake, bubbles would occasionally surge up from the depths and burst with a POP, spattering magma like an exploding crimson sun. To gaze upon it was to feel as insignificant as an ant, as though peering into the deep void of a starry sea.
And the one responsible for making the True Dragon open its eyes, BaKi, hovered a thousand meters above the lava lake. At such a height, he could only vaguely make out the obsidian-black edge of the lake, unable to see its full extent.
He was now the one closest to Northern Boundary Mountain. [Feng] had long since fallen into the lava with the Enlightenment Fruit Tree, dissipating into white smoke.
Moreover, he was currently in his true form. His naked body was slender and straight, with obsidian-black scales covering the skin on his spine and elbows like a layer of black armor. His aura was dark and dense. However, perhaps due to the extreme heat, the side of his body closer to the lava lake glowed with an orange-yellow light as white steam rose with a SIZZLE.
This form was at the Ancestral Great Demon level. According to the old Cultivation System, he was just a hair’s breadth away from the Peeping Dao Realm. Breaking through that threshold was merely a matter of a single thought, a Realm he had deliberately suppressed.
At this moment, he clutched the Enlightenment Fruit in his right hand. He raised his head and glanced at the experts from the major factions and the prodigies eliminated from the Contest of the Chosen who were gradually entering the Northern Boundary high above. The corner of his mouth curled into a cold smirk. "To be able to witness me recast my body... it is truly your honor."
’By using the True Dragon’s skeleton to recast my body, I’ll inherit its potential to transcend the Demon Emperor Realm. It contains the key to breaking through to that level.’
Ever since the three peak factions of the Human Race performed the Severed Communication and the Celestial Profound Great Realm met its end, no living being had been able to break through to a realm higher than Demon Emperor as the True Dragon had. No matter how exceptionally talented one was, they would find no path forward after reaching the peak of the Celestial Ladder. It was like reaching the summit of a mountain only to gaze at the moon, forever looking up at the True Dragon’s silhouette.
Before the Celestial Profound Great Realm shattered, Demon Emperors were all mighty experts whose fame shook entire regions. Figures like Kun controlled vast territories, with the Ten Thousand Races coming to pay homage.
Yet, even when they reached the end of their lives, they still could not achieve immortality. Their finite lifespans would inevitably be claimed by the passage of time.
Even the top-tier Demon Emperor [Chen], who possessed the bloodline of the Dragon Race, had no choice but to follow the True Dragon on its campaign, rallying countless Demon Emperor-level experts to defy the heavens, only to ultimately perish.
Before the collapse of the Celestial Profound Great Realm, countless Demon Emperors fell in battle. The vast majority of them exhausted their entire lives without ever gaining the opportunity to break through to a higher Realm.
But now, BaKi had that chance!
’A piece of the True Dragon’s skeleton is right here, and its seal is already broken. I just need to use the Enlightenment Fruit as a medium to reshape my body, and I, too, can possess the aptitude of a True Dragon.’
’Even if I can’t ultimately reach a Realm as magnificent as the True Dragon’s, it will be enough to dominate the many Secret Realms formed from the shattered great worlds of the chosen, and even the so-called Human Race Ancestral Realm.’
"With my soul as the guide, the Enlightenment Fruit as the medium, the Dragon Vein of the Northern Boundary as the bridge, and the True Dragon Skeleton as the material... I cast the Dragon Form—"
The ancient spell tumbled from BaKi’s lips. Though not loud, his voice carried the piercing power of thunder splitting a rainy night, instantly sweeping through the souls of Zhu Weiyi, Tang Guang, and the others high above, turning all their faces deathly pale.
"Dragon Body Casting?!"
How could they not have heard of what a True Dragon was? Although its revered name was not recorded among the ruins of the various Secret Realms, there were countless related legends and texts, all of which referred to it by the title "True Dragon."
In the century since the reawakening of the Secret Realms, the Human Race had made numerous breakthroughs in their research. For instance, they had already learned that these realms were interconnected; ancient texts preserved in the ruins of one Secret Realm might mention a structure found in another.
Without a doubt, these Secret Realms had once been connected, only to disintegrate due to some irresistible force. Furthermore, that world had been incredibly vast; the Secret Realms that had appeared so far were merely the tip of the iceberg, far from the complete picture.
Take the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm, also known as the Northern Boundary, for example. According to some ancient texts, it was merely a corner in the northern part of the Great Realm. Experts predicted it accounted for less than one percent of the whole.
And many of those texts mentioned a powerful being capable of tearing through time and space—the True Dragon.
It certainly possessed the power to shatter smaller worlds, but the connection between this ability and the Great Realm’s collapse could not be verified, as there were too few surviving texts from that final era.
But the True Dragon was, without a doubt, the most legendary and powerful being known from the ancient texts. Only it possessed the might to prop up the entire Northern Boundary with a single "eye"!
’If its skeleton were used for Dragon Body Casting?’
’Heaven knows what kind of terrifying existence that would create!’
Zhu Weiyi instantly grasped the extraordinary implications. His entire aura grew heavy as an Overlord Spear materialized in his hand. Killing intent began to rise from him as the Vast Thunder Spirit Charm gathered around the weapon.
He recognized BaKi’s identity at a glance. ’After all, that unique aura is unmistakable. Anyone who cultivates on Sang Island is bound to be tainted with a sinister, malicious air.’
’It’s strange,’ he thought. ’Why would BaKi, the Demon King of the Sang Island Demon Clan, appear in the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm at such a Low Realm? And what’s with this unique, ancient aura? But what’s more important right now is to kill him immediately and prevent a catastrophe!’
’Xia Country is already in a precarious position. The Kunlun Demon Clan in the west are at the zenith of their power, and the forces of East Coast Sang Island are launching a full-scale invasion. I absolutely cannot let a "Demon King" like this make it back alive!’
BOOM—
Zhu Weiyi struck with the force of a thunderbolt, the move coincidentally drawing lightning from the dark clouds above. The bolts spread out like branches, turning the world day-bright and illuminating his figure as it flashed past like an aurora.
In that moment, he was like an old general from the heavens, taking up his spear once more. He infused it with a surging torrent of Vast Thunder Spirit Charm and locked onto the hovering BaKi below, his killing intent boiling over!
Most of the onlookers hadn’t even processed what was happening. ’The Grandmaster from Xia Country stationed at North Border City attacked so suddenly?’
’He must be after the Enlightenment Fruit!’
The Grandmaster Level leaders from the other major factions were a split second too slow, not having anticipated Zhu Weiyi’s sudden move. But the Cardinal from the Western Church acted, instantly unleashing his Realm. A phantom image of a Six-winged Divine Bird Dharma Aspect materialized, and Holy Light enveloped the path of Zhu Weiyi’s charge!
BANG—
An earth-shattering bang echoed out, accompanied by the wild discharge of colliding Spirit Charm. Zhu Weiyi’s Overlord Spear was intercepted. The thunder surrounding it crashed into the Holy Light, the two energies tangling together. He was forced to a halt, his white brows arching sharply as the killing intent in his eyes sharpened to a fine point. "Airey, what is the meaning of this?"
ZZZT—
The aftershocks of the thunder crackled in mid-air. The red-robed old man, Airey, narrowed his eyes, meeting Zhu Weiyi’s glare head-on. He spoke unhurriedly, "Since he has obtained the Enlightenment Fruit, it belongs to him. Are you, a great and powerful Grandmaster, truly going to stoop to robbing a junior?"
Hearing this, Zhu Weiyi’s face turned ashen, and his gaunt fists audibly creaked.
’With that ancient aura, he calls him a junior?’
’And now you’re stepping forward to protect him.’
’No wonder there were traces of your Western Church in the Belli Family’s secret research. The chaos with the demon-blood hybrids in North Border City... I’d bet my life you’re involved.’
’I’d almost forgotten—Sang Island is a place of "co-prosperity" for the Human and Demon Races. Of course there’s a connection between you!’
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