85: The Bone Dragon's Road to Revenge 1

Beneath the abyss, time seemed to stand still.

Ming Gu lay coiled deep underground, his skeletal remains winding like a pale mountain range.

He could no longer remember how many years he had slept in this darkness—perhaps a thousand, perhaps ten thousand.

He did not like conflict, nor did he long for prosperity; he only wished to be accompanied by the lava flowing underground, listening to the whispers of growing rocks.

Until that day, a piercing sword light tore through the eternal darkness.

"Found it, the final material."

A cold female voice came from above.

Ming Gu slowly raised his massive head; within his hollow eye sockets, a ghostly blue Soul fire flickered slightly.

He saw a woman in white standing in mid-air, holding a shimmering longsword, surrounded by a suffocating pressure.

Qin Ya, a sword dao Genius rarely seen in ten thousand years in the Cultivation World, was known as the "Heavenly Sword Fairy."

"Your dragon bones will be the perfect material for the advancement of the heaven slaying sword."

Her voice was calm and indifferent, as if stating a predetermined fact,

"To be used by me is your honor."

Ming Gu's Soul fire flickered violently.

He had done no evil, nor had he troubled the mortal world; why must he suffer this tribulation?

He wanted to question, to roar, but as a bone dragon, he had long since lost the ability to speak and could only convey emotions through Soul fluctuations.

But Qin Ya didn't care at all.

The sword light rose again, pouring down like the Nine Heavens' Milky Way.

Ming Gu did his best to resist, ancient runes appearing on his dragon bones—the defensive secret techniques of the Dragon Clan Legacy.

But in the face of absolute power, all resistance was futile.

The heaven slaying sword easily tore through the runes and pierced his indestructible bones.

Before his consciousness faded, the last thing Ming Gu saw was Qin Ya's cold and heartless eyes.

"Trash."

She spat out those two words, sheathed her sword, and began stripping the dragon bones... Ming Gu thought he would completely perish, turning into a wisp of dust between heaven and earth.

However, after an unknown amount of time, he actually sensed his existence again.

"Do you hate her?"

Qin Jiuge's voice echoed in the depths of his consciousness.

Ming Gu could not answer, but the resentment churning in his Soul already said everything.

"Then, take this."

In the next moment, power as vast as the sea surged into Ming Gu's broken Soul.

The Demon King Inheritance, Cultivation Techniques, and understanding of the Laws of heaven and earth were all imprinted into his consciousness.

At the same time, the Devilish Qi at the bottom of the abyss gathered frantically, reshaping his body.

Flesh grew over white bone, dragon scales covered his body, and a pair of black dragon wings that could blot out the sun burst from his back.

The originally pale bones were dyed a deep dark gold, and demonic runes appeared on every scale.

His size was twice as large as before, three rows of sharp bone spurs grew on his back, and the tip of his tail was like a reaper's scythe.

The most astonishing change occurred in his head; within the originally hollow eye sockets, two purple-gold flames ignited,

Those were the newly born eyes that fused the Demon King Power with the dragon Soul.

Ming Gu roared toward the sky, the dragon's cry echoing through the abyss, and even the rock layers above began to collapse.

The disturbance in the abyss immediately attracted the attention of nearby Cultivators.

Three Golden Core Stage Cultivators were ordered to investigate,

When they saw the black dragon soaring from the abyss, they were all scared until their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

"What kind of monster is that?!"

"Quick, notify the Sect!"

Ming Gu's purple-gold dragon pupils swept over the three; a thought surfaced in his mind—Qin Jiuge's Legacy contained a Demonic Technique,

Named the "Soul-Devouring Spirit-Seizing Art," it could rapidly increase strength by devouring the Divine Souls of Cultivators.

He opened his dragon mouth slightly, and a terrifying suction force erupted.

Before the three Golden Core Stage Cultivators could even scream, their Souls were pulled out, and they fell as dried corpses.

Their memories, Cultivation Techniques, and cultivation were all devoured and absorbed by Ming Gu.

"Not enough, far from enough."

Ming Gu felt the growing power within him and looked into the distance,

"Qin Ya is already a Tribulation Crossing Stage expert; to seek revenge, I need more power, and even more... a force of my own."

He thought of the Dragon Clan.

After the rise of human Cultivators, the Dragon Clan gradually declined and could now only live in a corner, struggling to survive.

As a member of the Dragon Clan, Ming Gu knew well the pride and pain of his kin.

"I shall start by reviving the Dragon Clan."

With a flap of his wings, Ming Gu turned into a streak of black lightning, tearing through the sky and flying toward the Dragon Clan's habitat in the east... Dragon Abyss Valley, the last sanctuary of the Dragon Clan.

At this moment, the valley was surrounded by three major cultivation Sects.

"Ao Guang, hand over ten adult true dragons to serve as mountain-protecting Divine Beasts, or today will be the day the Dragon Clan is exterminated!"

An old man in a green robe stood in mid-air, his voice echoing throughout the valley.

He was the Grand Elder of the Qingyun Sect, a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator named Xuan Mingzi.

The Dragon Clan Chief Ao Guang had taken human form as a middle-aged man in golden armor, his face now livid:

"Xuan Mingzi, you go too far! Though my Dragon Clan has declined, we are not cattle or sheep to be slaughtered at will!"

"Hehe, then don't blame us for being impolite."

Xuan Mingzi sneered,

"Form the Formation!"

Hundreds of Disciples from the three Sects responded in unison, and a massive Dragon-Trapping Formation quickly took shape, enveloping the entire Dragon Abyss Valley.

Thunder and lightning flashed within the Formation, and countless golden chains shot toward the Dragon Clan in the valley like venomous snakes.

Ao Guang roared and transformed into a hundred-zhang-long golden dragon, facing the enemy along with several Dragon Clan Elders.

But they were outnumbered and quickly suppressed.

"Chief, watch out!"

An Azure Dragon cried out.

Taking advantage of Ao Guang's distraction, Xuan Mingzi sacrificed his Lifebound Treasure, the "Soul-Suppressing Bell," and brought it down toward him.

Once trapped, Ao Guang's Divine Soul would be refined alive!

At the critical moment, the sky suddenly darkened.

As if night had fallen early, a heart-palpitating pressure descended from the heavens.

Immediately after, a bolt of black lightning struck down, accurately hitting the Soul-Suppressing Bell.

"Clang!"

The bell wailed; the top-grade Spirit Treasure, claimed to be able to suppress Divine Souls, actually had a crack struck into it!

"Who is it?!"

Xuan Mingzi was both shocked and furious.

The black lightning dissipated, revealing Ming Gu's figure.

A hundred-zhang dragon body coiled in mid-air, purple-gold eyes looking down on all living beings like a descending demon god.

"Ming... Ming Gu?"

Ao Guang recognized those unique bone dragon characteristics and could hardly believe it,

"You're still alive? And you look like..."

"Chief, we can discuss the details later."

Ming Gu spoke, his voice like rolling thunder,

"Now, first deal with these ants."

With a sweep of his dragon tail, hundreds of black dragon phantoms condensed from Devilish Qi roared out, crashing into the Dragon-Trapping Formation.

With a "crack," the Formation that required the combined effort of the three Sects to maintain shattered like paper!

"Impossible!"

Xuan Mingzi turned pale with horror,

"What kind of power is this?!"

Ming Gu did not answer; his purple-gold pupils locked onto Xuan Mingzi:

"A Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator, barely worth looking at."

He opened his mouth and inhaled, and a suction force ten times more terrifying than before erupted.

Xuan Mingzi discovered in terror that he could not move; his Nascent Soul and Divine Soul were being pulled out of his body bit by bit!

"No! I am the Grand Elder of the Qingyun Sect. If you kill me, the Qingyun Sect will surely..."

Before he could finish, Xuan Mingzi had already turned into a dried corpse.

The demonic power within Ming Gu grew once again, leaving him just one step away from breaking through to the Late Stage of the Soul Transformation Stage.

The rest of the Cultivators were already scared out of their wits and fled in all directions.

"You think you can come and go as you please?"

Ming Gu sneered, his wings spreading out to blot out the sun,

"Today, not a single one of you shall leave!"

The slaughter lasted for half an hour.

Over three hundred Cultivators from the three Sects, including seven Nascent Soul Elders, were completely wiped out.

Their bodies piled up outside Dragon Abyss Valley like a small mountain.

The members of the Dragon Clan stared blankly at all this, then looked up with awe at the black dragon shadow in the sky.

Ming Gu slowly descended and withdrew his pressure, but the kingly aura originating from the depths of his Soul still made all the dragons involuntarily bow their heads.

"Ming Gu, you..."

Ao Guang transformed back into human form, his expression complex.

"Chief, I have obtained the inheritance of a mysterious Demon King."

Ming Gu got straight to the point,

"I have returned this time, first for revenge, and second to revive the Dragon Clan."

"Human Cultivators view our clan as livestock and Materials, hunting us at will; this debt must be repaid."

A Dragon Clan Elder said worriedly:

"But the human Cultivators are powerful, and they have Tribulation Crossing Stage experts like Qin Ya..."

"Qin Ya?"

The flames in Ming Gu's purple-gold pupils flared,

"She killed me once, so I will wipe out her entire Sect."

"Not just her; all Cultivators and Sects that view the Dragon Clan as Materials will pay the price."

He looked around at the dragons, his voice firm as a vow:

"From this day forward, the Dragon Clan will no longer live in hiding."

"We will let the Cultivation World know who the true overlord of heaven and earth is!"

Ao Guang was silent for a long time, then suddenly knelt on one knee:

"Ming Gu, you have obtained power surpassing the Dragon Emperors of past generations."

"I, Ao Guang, am willing to honor you as the new Emperor of the Dragon Clan, to lead us in reclaiming our lost glory!"

The other dragons followed suit and bowed.

Ming Gu did not refuse and accepted the responsibility.

Having fused with the Demon King Inheritance, he knew well the way of governance.

Over the next month, Ming Gu did three things:

First, he used Demon King secret techniques to increase the strength of the Dragon Clan.

He selected Cultivation Techniques suitable for the Dragon Clan from Qin Jiuge's memories,

Including ancient secret arts such as the "Dragon Transformation True Art" and "Dragon Demon Transformation," causing the overall strength of the Dragon Clan to advance by leaps and bounds.

Second, he rebuilt the Dragon Clan army.

The Dragon Clan was naturally brave and skilled in battle; they just lacked organization.

Following the demonic army structure in Qin Jiuge's memories, Ming Gu formed the "Black Abyss Dragon Riders,"

Every dragon was equipped with custom-made demonic armor and weapons.

Third, he set up a defensive Formation.

Using the Demon King's Formation knowledge, Ming Gu laid down the "Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Immortal-Slaying Formation" in Dragon Abyss Valley, which could withstand any attack below the Tribulation Crossing Stage.

After completing these, Ming Gu announced he would go into seclusion for seven days to break through to the Late Stage of the Soul Transformation Stage.

In his place of seclusion, Ming Gu took out a blood-colored Jade Slip; this was the most dangerous secret technique in Qin Jiuge's Legacy—the "Blood Sacrifice Heaven-Reaching Technique."

Through large-scale blood sacrifice, one could obtain power surpassing their own Realm for a short time.

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken."

Ming Gu muttered to himself.

On the seventh day, tribulation clouds gathered over Dragon Abyss Valley, and purple thunder rolled.

All the dragons nervously looked toward the sky.

The Soul Transformation Stage Heavenly Tribulation was powerful enough to destroy everything within a hundred-mile radius.

The tribulation thunder finally fell, a purple bolt as thick as a bucket striking directly at the mountain peak where Ming Gu was in seclusion.

However, Ming Gu did not dodge or avoid it, letting the heavenly thunder strike his body.

The lightning roamed over his scales, and instead of causing damage, it was absorbed and refined.

One, two, three... nine consecutive bolts of heavenly thunder were all endured and absorbed by Ming Gu.

When the last bolt of heavenly thunder dissipated, Ming Gu soared into the sky, his aura several times stronger than before.

The Late Stage of the Soul Transformation Stage was achieved!

He roared toward the sky, the pressure contained in the dragon's cry making all the Yao Beasts within a thousand-mile radius crawl on the ground.

"Congratulations to the Dragon Emperor on his Breakthrough!"

Ao Guang led the dragons in congratulation.

Ming Gu landed and transformed into human form; he was a handsome young man with black hair and black clothes, only those purple-gold eyes were exceptionally eerie.

"It is time for the Cultivation World to hear the voice of the Dragon Clan."

Ming Gu said calmly,

"The first target: the Qingyun Sect."

...The Qingyun Sect, one of the ten major Sects in the Cultivation World, possessed three thousand miles of Spiritual Mountain Blessed Lands.

On this day, the Qingyun Sect was holding its once-in-a-century Disciple recruitment ceremony; tens of thousands of seekers gathered outside the mountain gate, making it exceptionally lively.

Suddenly, the sky darkened.

The mountain-guarding Disciples looked up and saw a mass of dark "clouds" appearing in the distant sky, moving rapidly toward them.

"What is that?"

The "clouds" drew closer, and finally, someone saw clearly,

That were not clouds, but hundreds of giant dragons!

Leading them was a massive black dragon with wings spanning a hundred zhang, its purple-gold dragon pupils like two blazing suns.

Behind it, dragons of various colors were arranged in battle Formation, overflowing with Killing Intent.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The alarm bells rang out.

The Qingyun Sect's Mountain-protecting Formation opened instantly, a layer of green light enveloping the entire Sect.

Sect Head Qingyunzi flew into the air with the Elders, his expression grave.

"The Dragon Clan? You dare to take the initiative to attack a human Sect!"

Qingyunzi shouted sternly.

The black dragon transformed into a young man in black and stood in mid-air:

"The Qingyun Sect's Grand Elder, Xuan Mingzi, led a crowd to besiege Dragon Abyss Valley, intending to capture my clansmen as slaves."

"Today, I have come specifically to seek an explanation."

Qingyunzi was startled; Xuan Mingzi had led people to Dragon Abyss Valley a month ago and had not yet returned; it seemed he had met with misfortune.

But he could not show weakness:

"A mere Dragon Clan dares to run wild at my Qingyun Sect? Since you've come, don't even think about leaving!"

He waved his hand, and the Mountain-protecting Formation shone brightly as countless green Sword Qi shot toward the Dragon Clan.

A cold sneer curled at the corner of Ming Gu's mouth:

"A mere Mountain-protecting Formation dares to stop me?"

He formed seals with his hands and chanted an ancient demonic incantation.

A crack opened in the sky, and a giant claw covered in black scales reached out from it, slamming hard onto the Mountain-protecting Formation.

"Crack!"

The Qingyun Formation, claimed to be able to withstand three strikes from a Tribulation Crossing Stage expert, was actually shattered by a single claw!

A deathly silence fell over the Qingyun Sect.

"Wh-what kind of Divine Ability is this?!"

Qingyunzi was horrified.

Ming Gu did not answer; he looked down at the tens of thousands of Cultivators and seekers below, his voice reaching the entire field:

"The Qingyun Sect has made an enemy of the Dragon Clan; today, it shall be destroyed."

"Those unrelated, leave quickly; after fifteen minutes, those who remain will die."

The crowd immediately fell into chaos as countless seekers and low-level Cultivators fled in panic.

But many loyalists of the Qingyun Sect remained, prepared to live or die with the Sect.

Fifteen minutes later, Ming Gu raised his right hand and slowly clenched his fist.

"Kill."

With a single command, a thousand dragons set out.

The battle was a completely one-sided slaughter.

Having just obtained the Demon King Inheritance, Ming Gu's strength was already comparable to the Early Stage of the Tribulation Crossing Stage, while the strongest person in the Qingyun Sect, the Sect Head, was only at the Middle Stage of the Soul Transformation Stage.

As for the mountain-protecting Divine Beasts and Sect-guarding Magic Treasures, they were like toys before Ming Gu.

Half an hour later, the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate was razed to the ground, and Sect Head Qingyunzi was personally killed by Ming Gu, his Divine Soul devoured.

"Next, the Burning Heaven Valley."

Ming Gu gave the order calmly.

Over the next three months, a bloodbath swept through the Cultivation World.

Burning Heaven Valley, Mystic Ice Palace, Divine Sword Villa... seven Sects that had participated in hunting the Dragon Clan were trampled one by one by the Dragon Clan army led by Ming Gu.

Each time was an overwhelming crush, without any suspense.

Ming Gu's fierce reputation quickly spread throughout the Cultivation World; human Cultivators turned pale at the mention of dragons, calling him the "Abyssal Dragon Emperor."

On this day, the Dragon Clan army arrived at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, the Sect Qin Ya came from and the number one sword Sect in the Cultivation World.

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect was different from the previous sects; it had three full Tribulation Crossing Stage Grand Elders presiding over it, and even the ancient "Ten Thousand Swords Immortal-Slaying Formation."

In front of the mountain gate, the Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, Jian Wuji, had a grave expression:

"Ming Gu, you have already committed boundless slaughter; if you turn back now, you might still have a chance at life."