144: Dragon Ball

"Junior Brother Lin! Run!" Wang Feiyu was terrified, paddling desperately, yet he could not escape the pursuit of the flood dragon.

Lin Yan's eyes narrowed; he did not hesitate at all!

He took a deep breath, fully executing the Azure Emperor Longevity Art within his body, and spiritual power surged through his meridians like a tidal wave.

The willow-shaped Dao Foundation within his Dantian and the blood energy of his sixth-stage Foundation Establishment erupted simultaneously.

With a violent kick of his legs, he unleashed astonishing speed in the water. Like an arrow released from a bowstring, he instantly broke through the giant waves stirred up by the flood dragon and was the first to burst out of the lake surface!

"Eight Directions Sword Step, Wind Intent!"

Lin Yan stepped into the void, pushing his Wind Intent to the limit. His figure transformed into a blurred cyan afterimage, speeding toward the shore while skimming the lake surface!

Wang Feiyu followed closely behind, casting his sword-riding technique to escape with his life.

The flood dragon burst out of the lake surface, watching Lin Yan and Wang Feiyu flee into the distance. A trace of unwillingness and regret flashed through its blood-colored dragon pupils.

It looked down at its own claws, then back at the Water Palace at the bottom of the lake, whose spiritual light had dimmed from being submerged, seemingly more interested in the Opportunity inside.

In the end, it gave up the pursuit and turned to devour a few slower demonic Cultivators.

With a flick of its massive body, it submerged back into the lake bottom and swam toward the ruins of the Water Palace.

The cold lake breeze brushed against Lin Yan's face. He looked back at the turbulent lake surface, still feeling a lingering fear.

If the flood dragon hadn't prioritized devouring Mo Yuan just now, given its strength, he and Wang Feiyu would likely not have escaped unscathed.

"This place is not suitable for staying long…" Lin Yan looked at the still-shaken Wang Feiyu and said in a deep voice:

"Although Mo Yuan is dead, the appearance of the flood dragon has added another layer of danger to this Secret Realm. We must find the main force; preserving our lives is what matters most."

Wang Feiyu nodded heavily, his eyes full of the relief of having survived a disaster.

The two did not delay any further; they flew off on their swords and quickly disappeared into the horizon.

Passing over the mountains, the two arrived at the deepest part of the True Dragons Nest Secret Realm.

Here, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was so dense it was nearly liquefied, and the thick Dragon Qi gathered like a tangible sea of pale golden clouds.

Beneath the sea of clouds, a towering and magnificent Dragon Palace was suspended in the Void Realm.

Lifelike dragon reliefs were entwined among the halls and pavilions, and the Dragon Pearl lanterns hanging from the eaves emitted a gentle spiritual light.

Looking from afar, an aura of majesty and sanctity rushed toward them; even the surrounding Void Realm was slightly distorted by its presence.

"Is that… the Dragon Palace?" Wang Feiyu looked at the suspended palace, his eyes full of shock, and muttered:

"The rumored dwelling of a True Dragon is truly extraordinary."

They descended from the clouds and saw that the perimeter of the Dragon Palace had already been heavily fortified by Cultivators from the Righteous Alliance. The flags of various Sects fluttered noisily, with the Sword Pavilion's flags and Ten Thousand Beast Mountain's beast-head banners being particularly eye-catching.

These two Sects had the most Disciples who had entered the Secret Realm.

The two found the Sword Pavilion's encampment.

"Lin Yan!" A crisp female voice called out. Su Wan Yue was seen walking over side-by-side with Xiao Songlan and Zhao Qiyan.

Behind them followed several Sword Pavilion Disciples, including Luo Haoyu, Jiang Yizhou, and others.

The Disciples of the Spirit Herb Hall had been following the main force closely, so they had suffered no losses.

There was concern in their eyes, and Su Wan Yue smiled as she spoke: "We finally found you! We were all worried sick!"

"Senior Sister Su, Senior Brother Xiao…" Lin Yan cupped his hands in return.

He then introduced Wang Feiyu to everyone.

"Junior Brother Lin, you've finally arrived. I heard that demonic Cultivators are running rampant in the Secret Realm, and many Disciples have met a tragic end!" Xiao Songlan said with a furrowed brow.

"That's right, Senior Brother Lin, did you encounter any demonic Cultivators along the way?" Luo Haoyu asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan and Wang Feiyu exchanged a smile.

"We did, but fortunately, it was a close call without any real danger!" Lin Yan said.

Entering the encampment, Lin Yan scanned the crowd and saw the Five Great Prodigies leading the five lineages of the Sword Pavilion.

Xiao Suian, who led the Wood Lineage, was handsome and refined, carrying an ancient wooden sword on his back, his aura as steady as a mountain.

Lin Yan had met the Prodigy of the Gold Lineage once before; this person was the "Senior Brother Zhou" who had entered the Sword Tomb with Lin Yan previously, his full name being Zhou Muchuan.

The other three also possessed extraordinary bearing, and their cultivation levels were all at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, vaguely forming a command circle with them as the core.

"Lin Yan greets all Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters." Lin Yan bowed again.

Xiao Suian nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over him, and he said:

"I have long heard of Junior Brother Lin's name. Seeing you today, you are indeed extraordinary."

Lin Yan nodded and said: "Senior Brother Xiao, you flatter me."

He then solemnly recounted the details of the appearance of the Purple Mansion Realm flood dragon.

Upon hearing this, although the faces of the Five Great Prodigies became a bit more serious, they were not overly surprised.

Xiao Suian said calmly: "We had already heard about the flood dragon sneaking into the Secret Realm."

"Although it is strong, it is not invincible. We shall proceed according to plan."

Zhou Muchuan added, his tone steady:

"Indeed, the most important thing this time is to seize the Dragon Pearl and stabilize the Luck of the Righteous Path!"

"Dragon Pearl?" A look of confusion appeared on Lin Yan's face.

Seeing this, Su Wan Yue quickly explained:

"The core of the True Dragons Lair is this Dragon Palace, but the Dragon Palace is protected by ancient Restrictions, so we cannot enter it."

"However, every time the Secret Realm opens, the 'Dragon Pearl Platform' at the gate of the Dragon Palace releases one or two Dragon Pearls for those fated to contend for them."

"This Dragon Pearl contains the True Dragon's Origin and has infinite wonderful uses; it is useful even to powerful experts, making it the greatest Opportunity of this trip!"

"Does that mean we will have to compete with other Sects for the Dragon Pearl when the time comes?" Lin Yan asked.

"No, that won't happen. To avoid damaging the harmony between the Sects, the high-level officials of each Sect have already discussed the distribution of the Dragon Pearls," Su Wan Yue explained patiently:

"If there is only one Dragon Pearl, it goes to Ten Thousand Beast Mountain; if there are two, one will be allocated to our Sword Pavilion."

"I see." Lin Yan understood.

At this moment, the Five Great Prodigies spoke again.

"Fellow Junior and Senior Brothers, this opening of the Secret Realm has seen demonic Cultivators unexpectedly break in, leading to many unforeseen events."

"To prevent demonic Cultivators from seizing the Dragon Pearl that is about to emerge, the Righteous Alliance has organized the elites of each Sect to set up outposts and blockade the area around the Dragon Palace."

"The number of our Sword Pavilion Disciples is second only to Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, so our responsibility is heavy. Everyone must hold their posts and prevent demonic Cultivators from infiltrating the area near the Dragon Palace!"

The Five Great Prodigies assigned tasks to the Sword Pavilion Disciples, either patrolling or guarding the outposts.

Xiao Suian asked Lin Yan to take Zhao Qiyan, Luo Haoyu, and others to form a patrol team to look out for one another.

Lin Yan pondered for a moment and said: "I can agree to patrol, but I would like to patrol alone; I do not need to team up with others."

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding Sword Pavilion Disciples were all stunned.

Zhou Muchuan frowned slightly: "Junior Brother Lin, the patrol task seems easy, but demonic Cultivators are cunning, and it is inevitable that there will be surprise attacks or small-scale infiltrations. It is too risky to be alone; it is safer to form a team."

Xiao Suian also shook his head: "Lin Yan, although your strength is not bad, after all, one pair of fists cannot defeat four hands. There are too many variables in the Secret Realm, and I cannot agree to your request."