184: Chapter 183 The Secret of Resurrection

Meanwhile, at the Dragon Abyss Palace branch in Star Continent Anchorage.

Elder Yuheng stood upon a high pavilion, clutching a message Jade Slip in her hand.

Contained within the Jade Slip was a message from Master Xue Mu.

"...The matter regarding the dragon marrow is mostly settled with the Sea Quelling Department. However, they seem to be withholding information. I suspect that besides the dragon marrow, there is something else within the jiaolong remains."

"Junior Sister Yuheng, you are familiar with the Sea Quelling Department; go there yourself and sound them out."

Yuheng put away the Jade Slip and gazed toward the eastern horizon, the direction of the Sea Quelling Department headquarters.

She was silent for a moment, then turned and headed downstairs.

An incense stick later, a cyan flying boat soared from the Star Continent Anchorage branch and sped toward the east.

The Sea Quelling Department headquarters was located on a massive island deep within the East Sea.

The island was a hundred miles in circumference, its surrounding cliffs resembling cut stone, with only one port on the south side for ships to dock. Dozens of dark mysterious warships were moored in the port, each thirty zhang long, their hulls engraved with dense Formation patterns.

On the island, pavilions and towers stood in close succession, with palaces and Immortal Caves built into the mountain slopes.

At the highest point, a nine-story high tower stood majestically, with a giant bright pearl suspended at the top, shining day and night to illuminate the entire island.

This was the Sea Quelling Tower, the command center for the Sea Quelling Department.

At this moment, inside a spacious meeting hall on the seventh floor of the tower, Yuheng sat upright on a sandalwood chair, clutching a teacup with an indifferent expression.

Opposite her sat a middle-aged man in purple-gold robes.

The man was about fifty years old, with a dignified face, thick eyebrows like swords, tiger-like eyes containing authority, and three long whiskers on his chin. Around him, a faint purple light lingered, with thunder flickering and low dragon roars echoing within that light.

He was the Deputy Commander of the Sea Quelling Department—Lei Wanjun.

He was at the Peak of the Dragon Elephant Mutual Harmony, a half-step into the Mysterious Glimpse Realm.

"Elder Yuheng has come in person; is it for the matter of the jiaolong remains?" Lei Wanjun spoke, his voice low and thick, like muffled thunder rolling across the sky.

Yuheng set down her teacup and nodded slightly: "Exactly."

"Master Xue Mu has already discussed it with me," Lei Wanjun said. "The dragon marrow goes to you, the method for refining the dragon blood pill goes to us, plus the usage rights to the Red Fire Peak's earth fire for thirty years. You are not losing out with these conditions."

Yuheng shook her head: "Deputy Commander Lei, I did not come today to negotiate conditions."

Lei Wanjun raised an eyebrow: "Then why have you come?"

Yuheng looked at him, a sharp light flashing in her cold eyes.

"For the thing hidden within the dragon marrow."

Lei Wanjun's expression changed slightly, though it was so fleeting that one might have thought it an illusion.

"The hidden thing?" He returned to a calm demeanor and said indifferently, "Elder Yuheng is joking. We have carefully examined the jiaolong remains. Apart from dragon scales, dragon bones, and dragon marrow, there is nothing else."

Yuheng did not reply. She simply took a Jade Slip from her bosom and placed it gently on the table.

"Deputy Commander Lei, please look at this."

Lei Wanjun took the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense.

Three breaths later, his expression changed completely.

In the Jade Slip was an image—it was on Black Stone Island, with Blood Bone Venerable standing above a blood pool, the jiaolong remains floating beneath his feet.

There was half a dragon head, a section of the spine, and a remnant claw.

But the focus of the image was not those remains.

It was the severed neck of the half-dragon head. There, a shriveled dragon heart was faintly visible, and deep within the dragon heart, a streak of faint golden light.

That golden light was extremely weak, so weak it was almost invisible.

But Lei Wanjun saw it. His pupils constricted slightly.

"This is..." His voice was low, "Dragon Soul?"

"No." Yuheng shook her head, "It is the 'Dragon Element Imprint' remaining in the dragon marrow."

She paused and said slowly: "Deputy Commander Lei, you should know that creatures like jiaolong are different from ordinary Yao Beasts. After they die, their flesh will decay, their bones will fossilize, and their Dragon Soul will dissipate. But there is one thing that can be preserved for thousands of years without extinguishing—"

"Dragon marrow."

"The Dragon Element power contained within the dragon marrow, if the concentration is high enough, can form a special 'imprint'. In that imprint, part of the jiaolong's memories, part of its will, and even part of its—instincts remain."

"If this imprint is utilized by someone with ulterior motives..."

She did not finish. But Lei Wanjun's expression had already turned extremely gloomy.

He certainly knew what this meant.

If the Dragon Element Imprint in the dragon marrow was obtained by a Demon Martial Artist practicing evil arts, they could use it as a foundation to attempt to resurrect that dead jiaolong!

It would not be a complete resurrection, but rather using the Dragon Element Imprint as the core and their own flesh as nourishment to forcibly merge that jiaolong's remnant soul, will, and instincts into themselves!

By then, what would be born would no longer be a human, nor a pure jiaolong, but a kind of—monster.

Just like—Dragon Slaying True Person.

Yuheng looked at him and spoke slowly: "Deputy Commander Lei, there is one thing you might not know yet."

Lei Wanjun looked up at her.

Yuheng said every word clearly: "After the Dragon Slaying True Person was resurrected, our Dragon Abyss Palace secretly investigated his trail. Although we did not find him, we discovered one thing—"

"His current Physical Body is no longer human."

"His body is an 'Immortal Spirit Body' reshaped using the secret arts of the Innate One Qi Sect by fusing the remains of a certain ancient exotic beast."

"Where did the remains of that exotic beast come from?"

"From a Peak Mysterious Glimpse Realm—Chi Dragon."

The meeting hall fell into a deathly silence.

Lei Wanjun's expression changed repeatedly. He knew about the resurrection of the Dragon Slaying True Person, knew that the old monster had escaped, and knew that all parties were investigating. But he did not know that the Dragon Slaying True Person's Physical Body was no longer human, and even less did he know that the body had been reshaped by fusing with Chi Dragon remains.

"You mean..." His voice was hoarse, "The key to the Dragon Slaying True Person's resurrection is also dragon marrow?"

Yuheng nodded.

"We have investigated the secret arts of the Innate One Qi Sect. That method of resurrection requires three conditions—complete memory fragments, sufficiently vast essence, energy, and spirit, and an exotic beast remain that can be fused."

"He has the memory fragments. As for the essence, energy, and spirit, he devoured those Primal Elephant Realm Cultivators who entered the Immortal Cave, which was enough."

"And the exotic beast remains—"

She paused, her gaze fixed on Lei Wanjun: "The dragon marrow in those remains must preserve a sufficiently complete Dragon Element Imprint. Otherwise, it would be impossible to fuse."

Lei Wanjun was silent. For a long time, he slowly spoke: "What do you want?"

Yuheng looked at him, a sharp light flashing in her cold eyes.

"The dragon marrow goes to the Dragon Abyss Palace. But we can use the Dragon Abyss Palace's Alchemy to help you refine the hidden dangers in that Dragon Element Imprint."

"The condition is—"

"Sharing the research rights of the dragon marrow."

Lei Wanjun frowned: "Research rights?"

"Yes." Yuheng nodded, "This jiaolong has been dead for three thousand years; the Dragon Element Imprint in the dragon marrow is more complete and stable than ordinary jiaolong. If we can research it thoroughly, perhaps we can find a way to restrain the Dragon Slaying True Person."

She paused and added: "You should know that the Dragon Slaying True Person has escaped. No one knows where he fled. But to fully restore his cultivation, he must constantly devour the essence, energy, and spirit of Cultivators."

"The West Sea, East Sea, South Sea, North Sea—countless Cultivators will become his prey."

"Including your people in the Sea Quelling Department."

Lei Wanjun's expression turned completely gloomy. He knew what Yuheng said was the truth. Once an existence like the Dragon Slaying True Person fully recovered, let alone the Dragon Abyss Palace, even the entire Great Qi would face a catastrophe. And the Sea Quelling Department would bear the brunt.

He was silent for a long time. Finally, he looked up at Yuheng.

"You can have the research rights." His voice was low, "But the disposal rights of the dragon marrow must belong to the Sea Quelling Department. If you want to research it, you can only do so under the eyes of the Sea Quelling Department."

Yuheng nodded slightly: "Agreed."

Lei Wanjun stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the surging sea in the distance.

"The Dragon Element Imprint in the dragon marrow does indeed exist." He said slowly, "We discovered it when we inspected it. The reason we didn't tell you is because—"

He paused, turned around, and looked at Yuheng.

"We suspect that the jiaolong did not die simply."

Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "Not simply?"

Lei Wanjun nodded.

"In its dragon marrow, besides its own Dragon Element Imprint, there is another aura."

"That aura is extremely weak, so weak it is almost undetectable. But it does exist."

"That is an aura that—does not belong to the Dragon Clan."

Yuheng's pupils constricted slightly. An aura that didn't belong to the Dragon Clan? What was that?

Lei Wanjun looked at her and said slowly: "So, we hid the matter of the dragon marrow. Because we wanted to know what that aura actually was."

"But now, since you have discovered it, and since the Dragon Slaying True Person might be related to this—"

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Then let's investigate it together."

Yuheng was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Good."

The flying boat continued to speed westward.

Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged by the ship's rail, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Deep in his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade floated quietly, the cold light on the blade edge flowing endlessly.

In his heart, however, the news from Master Xue Mu lingered.

Dragon Blood Pool. A treasure land that only True Disciples were qualified to enter.

As a Named Disciple who had just joined for three months, he was actually qualified to enter. This Opportunity was too great.

So great that even he found it hard to believe. But since Master Xue Mu said it, it must be true.

He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and looked into the distance.

Where the sea and sky met, the outline of an island gradually appeared.

The island was not large, about a few miles in circumference, with jagged rocks and sparse vegetation. In the center of the island, a few simple stone houses were faintly visible, and dozens of figures were busy around the stone houses.

That was the lair of the Blood Bone Venerable. The destination of the cleanup.

Jiang Hanzhou stood up and pressed his right hand on the tiger soul saber at his waist.

The blade trembled slightly, as if responding to his Battle Intent.

Deep in his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade shook gently, and the cold light on the blade edge suddenly brightened.

It was time to test the blade.

The flying boat slowly descended and hovered over the island.

The cyan-armored captain turned around, looked at the six people in the cabin, and bowed: "Fellow righteous warriors, please prepare. After an incense stick, we will land and clear the area."

Jiang Hanzhou nodded, his gaze falling on the island that was becoming clearer.

The busy figures on the island had now discovered the arrival of the flying boat and began to run and shout in panic.

Faintly visible were evil Cultivators in blood robes, Blood Puppets with dull eyes, and some ragged villagers tied with chains.

He gripped the hilt of his saber.

On the blade, dark golden patterns flashed slightly. The Heart Blade trembled gently in his Sea of Consciousness, as if it couldn't wait.

He took a deep breath.

Then, he stepped off the ship's rail and swooped down toward the island! Behind him, Teng Yuzhi, Huo Qingfeng, Zhao Yuanjing, Song Hu, and Liu Ningshuang followed closely.

The cleanup had begun.