37: Dragon Ball

The sky shattered completely! No longer just cracks, it transformed into countless shimmering fragments, collapsing inward!

At the core of that collapse, a point of incomparably brilliant and noble golden light suddenly erupted!

It was a golden orb about the size of a fist, perfectly round, emanating a vast dragon aura and pure Origin power!

“Dragon Pearl! The core treasure that opened this Grotto-Heaven!” Gao De’s heart shook wildly. This was a true Dragon Clan supreme treasure!

However, before anyone could harbor any improper thoughts, a flood dragon’s roar that shook the Soul and was filled with endless majesty and greed tore through the sky!

A massive flood dragon, over a hundred zhang long with a unicorn horn on its head, four claws on its belly, and dark green scales covering its body, suddenly lunged out from the collapsing energy turbulence. Its massive vertical pupils were locked onto that Dragon Pearl, filled with a desperate determination to possess it! That terrifying pressure was undoubtedly that of a Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon!

It opened its massive mouth, and a terrifying suction force enveloped the Dragon Pearl!

At the same time, another sharp screech rang out. A blurry shadow emitting an ominous black Qi also lunged toward the Dragon Pearl; it seemed to be another existence fighting the flood dragon.

To fight for the Dragon Pearl, the two terrifying existences clashed once more in the collapsing Grotto-Heaven, their final and most brutal collision!

BOOM—!!!

An indescribable explosion occurred.

Under the pressure and struggle of the two immense forces, the Dragon Pearl trembled violently. A tiny, almost negligible wisp of golden light, like a squeezed-out dewdrop, happened to escape from a gap in the struggle. It mixed into the violent energy turbulence and splashed toward the direction where Gao De was located!

Gao De’s heart almost leaped out of his chest!

This was a heavenly Opportunity! It was also a fatal crisis!

Without hesitation, almost instinctively, he pushed [Breath Concealment] to its limit. Simultaneously, he fully circulated the Dragon Transformation Merit and his Dragon Fish Bloodline, opened his mouth, and took a sharp breath!

He wasn't going to snatch it, but to "guide" it!

That tiny wisp of golden light seemed to be attracted by his pure dragon blood. Its speed increased slightly, and it entered his mouth with unerring precision!

Boom!

An inexpressible, extremely pure Dragon Clan Origin essence exploded within his body!

Warm, vast, and carrying supreme majesty, it instantly flowed through his limbs and bones, washing over his Bloodline, demon bones, and Meridians!

He felt his Dragon Fish Bloodline boiling and purifying at an unprecedented speed! That stagnant 81% Bottleneck loosened instantly and began to climb upward!

But he had no time to carefully experience this creation, because the entire Grotto-Heaven had reached its final moment of complete disintegration!

Spatial fragments peeled off like glass, revealing the normal colors of the Dongting Lake waters outside.

“The exit!”

Gao De endured the surge of energy from the Dragon Pearl essence. Spotting a place where the spatial rift was largest, he circulated the Basic Water Element Body Tempering Art he had just comprehended to its limit to protect his body. At the same time, he used [Water Escape], turning into a streak of light and charging out recklessly!

Behind him was the phantom of the completely annihilated Grotto-Heaven, the angry and unwilling roar of the Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon, and those two terrifying existences still fighting for the Dragon Pearl... Splash!

Gao De crashed heavily into the familiar waters of Dongting Lake, the massive impact sending him tumbling a great distance.

He quickly stabilized himself and looked around vigilantly.

He was still in the waters near Black Water Stream, but the abnormal energy field that had shrouded this place had mostly dissipated. In the distance, he could see some low-rank Yao Beasts and Cultivator remains that had been thrown out by the spatial collapse, looking lost and confused.

He didn't dare to linger, immediately activating [Breath Concealment] with all his strength while sensing the state of his body.

That wisp of Dragon Pearl essence hadn't been fully absorbed; most of the energy had settled deep within his Bloodline, requiring a long time to digest.

But even so, he could clearly feel that his Bloodline concentration had already broken through to 82%, and it was still growing on its own extremely slowly!

His Physical Body strength and Demonic Power purity had both seen significant improvements!

More importantly, he had returned safely.

He hadn't been drawn into the central struggle, nor had he perished in the Grotto-Heaven's collapse. Instead, he had obtained the most substantial benefit—a wisp of Dragon Pearl essence—along with some miscellaneous gains from his search on the periphery.

He glanced back at the area where the energy was still chaotic and the faint roars of the flood dragon could be heard. A flash of relief and calmness passed through his cold vertical pupils.

This was no place to stay for long.

Gao De moved, turning into an almost imperceptible undercurrent, and silently yet swiftly headed toward his Water Mansion.

This adventure was a close call but very rewarding... Without a word along the way, Gao De combined [Breath Concealment] and [Water Escape], moving like a true shadow on the lake bottom. He bypassed all possible eyes and ripples, quietly returning to his secret Water Mansion beneath the deep pool.

He immediately used a transmission talisman to issue the command to the ten Demon Soldiers waiting outside to "conceal your tracks and return on your own."

These Demon Soldiers were well-trained and hadn't entered the dangerous area, so returning safely wouldn't be much of a problem.

It wasn't until the familiar spiritual light of the Formation completely cut off the outside world that Gao De's tensed mind finally relaxed slightly.

He coiled himself atop the core Spiritual Vein of the Water Mansion and began to carefully tally the gains from this trip to Black Water Stream.

First and most important was that wisp of Dragon Pearl essence from the collapsed Grotto-Heaven.

Though this wisp was as thin as a silk thread, it contained an unimaginable amount of pure Dragon Clan Origin.

He cautiously sank his Divine Sense into his body, guiding this golden light, preparing to slowly refine it and merge it into his Bloodline.

However, an unexpected change occurred!

When this wisp of Dragon Pearl essence flowed near his Dantian where he kept that mysterious dark-red blood stone, the stone, which had been silent, suddenly emitted a scorching light!

Buzz—!

As if drawn by an irresistible attraction, the Dragon Pearl essence actively broke away from Gao De's guidance and, like a swallow returning to its nest, instantly vanished into that dark-red blood stone!

The dark-red color of the blood stone's surface became vivid and bright at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if life had been injected into it.

The pure Bloodline Power that had been slowly emanating now became active and vast, taking on an ancient and noble aura identical to the Dragon Pearl essence.

What shocked Gao De even more was that after absorbing that wisp of Dragon Pearl essence, some extremely complex and profound natural patterns faintly emerged inside the blood stone. These patterns were fifty to sixty percent similar to the Dao patterns on the surface of the Dragon Pearl he had caught a glimpse of in the collapsing Grotto-Heaven!

“This... this blood stone... could it be that it wasn't some ordinary dragon beast relic, but a... fragmented dragon pearl fossil?!”

Gao De’s heart was filled with crashing waves!

A dragon pearl fossil! This meant it had once been a true Dragon Pearl that had lost most of its vitality and energy over the long years, but its essence remained unchanged, still containing the most fundamental Dragon Clan Laws and power!

No wonder it had been able to slowly increase his Bloodline purity all this time!

Now, this wisp of fresh, pure Dragon Pearl essence was like a spark, reigniting the hidden potential of this fossil!

With a sudden flash of inspiration, Gao De immediately began to operate the "flood dragon pearl" condensation method recorded in the Dragon Transformation Merit, which could only be attempted once his dragon blood concentration reached a certain standard.

He tried to no longer keep the blood stone outside his body for absorption but instead wrapped it in Demonic Power and slowly swallowed it into his Dantian Qi Sea, using his own Essence Blood and Demonic Power for long-term nurturing!

The process was unexpectedly smooth.

As soon as that dragon pearl fossil entered his Dantian, it resonated strongly with his 82% Dragon Fish Bloodline. It suspended itself in the center of the Demonic Power vortex, slowly rotating like a second heart.

It was no longer just an external object but began to merge with him, continuously releasing pure and gentle Dragon Clan Origin, subtly strengthening his Bloodline and laying the firmest foundation for condensing a true "flood dragon pearl" in the future!

This was undoubtedly a long-term project, but the prospects were incredibly bright!

At the moment the dragon pearl fossil entered his body and deeply combined with his Bloodline, Gao De’s entire body shook violently!

He felt a certain sleeping power deep within his Bloodline being triggered!