178: Chapter 177 Refining Dragon Yuan

The warship cut through the waves, sailing toward Dragon Abyss Palace.

Jiang Hanzhou was assigned a quiet room on the second deck of the ship.

Although the Sea Quelling Department's warships were primarily for combat, they were equipped with quiet rooms for injured personnel to recover; the four walls were inscribed with simple soundproofing and spirit-gathering Formation, which, though rudimentary, provided sufficient quiet.

He sat cross-legged on a cushion with the tiger soul saber resting across his knees.

Outside the cabin, the faint sound of waves crashing against the hull could be heard, along with the intermittent cursing of Huo Qingfeng.

That guy had been assigned a cabin on the third deck, but even with two decks between them, he could still hear him shouting things like "One hundred contribution points" and "Not a single cent less."

Jiang Hanzhou ignored it all.

His entire focus was fixed on the tiger soul saber before his knees.

The blade remained a dull blood-red, but within that crimson, the layer of dark golden luster was slightly more intense than before.

Those dense, dark golden patterns slowly flowed across the blade, and with every cycle, a trace of extremely faint Dragon might drifted out from the saber.

He could sense it.

Deep within the blade, the devoured dragon heart—or rather, the residual Dragon Essence power of that dragon heart—was slumbering.

That Dragon Essence power was immense, so immense that given the current grade of the tiger soul saber, it was impossible to digest it all at once.

Most of the Dragon Essence was currently in a "slumbering" state, curled up deep within the blade like a dormant giant beast, waiting for the day it would be awakened and refined.

But the problem was—

Within this Dragon Essence, there remained a trace of a Dragon soul.

Although that flood dragon had died three thousand years ago, its flesh decayed and bones fossilized, a Dragon soul was a nearly indestructible existence; even if only a wisp of residual thought remained, it was by no means an ordinary thing.

When Jiang Hanzhou had devoured the dragon heart earlier, he had vaguely sensed the existence of that wisp of Dragon soul.

It was very weak, so weak it could almost be ignored.

But being weak did not mean it didn't exist.

And it certainly did not mean it wouldn't strike back.

Jiang Hanzhou stared at the tiger soul saber, silent for a long time.

Then, he closed his eyes.

His Divine Sense slowly extended, like an invisible thread, probing deep into the blade.

At first, everything was calm.

On the surface of the blade, those dark golden patterns flickered slightly, as if welcoming his Divine Sense to enter.

But when he passed through the surface, delved deep into the interior of the blade, and touched that slumbering Dragon Essence—

A sudden change occurred!

Boom—!!!

An indescribable pressure erupted from the depths of the blade!

That pressure was so strong, so intense, and so overbearing that Jiang Hanzhou's Divine Sense was instantly repelled by three zhang!

He let out a muffled groan, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

But he did not open his eyes.

He just locked his focus firmly on the source of that pressure, deep within the slumbering Dragon Essence, on that wisp of Dragon soul consciousness that was awakening!

"Roar—!!!"

A dragon roar exploded deep within his Sea of Consciousness!

The dragon roar was not a real sound, but a pure mental shock, containing the innate dignity and dominance of the Dragon Clan!

Jiang Hanzhou's Sea of Consciousness trembled violently in that instant!

The memory fragments, Cultivation Technique insights, and True Intent imprints floating in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness swayed wildly under the impact of the dragon roar, as if they would shatter at any moment!

He gritted his teeth and frantically circulated his Tidal True Intent!

Azure light surged out from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, sweeping through his entire Sea of Consciousness like a tide, weakening and dissolving the impact of the dragon roar layer by layer!

But would that residual Dragon soul give up so easily?

Inside the tiger soul saber, that patch of slumbering Dragon Essence began to churn violently!

Dark golden light surged out from the blade, illuminating the entire quiet room as if it were broad daylight!

The blade was scorching hot!

That heat was not a normal temperature, but a searing intensity imbued with Dragon might, enough to burn the palms of an ordinary Primal Form Realm Cultivator into ashes on the spot!

Jiang Hanzhou gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, the Lihuo True Flame in his palms burning crazily, contending against that Dragon might!

But what was even more terrifying—

That residual Dragon soul began to follow his Divine Sense, invading toward the depths of his Sea of Consciousness!

It was the phantom of a flood dragon.

About ten zhang long, its entire body was dark gold, covered in dense scales, with towering dragon horns.

Although it was only a wisp of residual thought, and although it was so illusory it was almost transparent, that pressure from the Dragon Clan, that innate dominance, still made Jiang Hanzhou's Sea of Consciousness tremble wildly!

It opened its massive maw and bit down fiercely toward that golden light in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness—the Golden Sharpness True Intent!

It wanted to devour!

To devour his True Intent, to devour his cultivation, to devour everything he had!

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils suddenly constricted!

He wanted to resist, wanted to mobilize all three True Intents to attack that Dragon soul phantom simultaneously—

But it was too late.

The Dragon soul was too fast, so fast he couldn't react at all.

It was over—

Just at this critical moment.

In the deepest part of his Sea of Consciousness, a light suddenly shone.