39: Chapter 39 Clouds Follow Dragons

In Gu Xiao's words, this trip could be considered a business trip.

Everyone had gained something; Lu Xingyun resolved the potential threat at Dongting Lake, while Li Xiuyuan swallowed the Merman inner core, gaining the ability of Water Control and an increase in his Spirit Qi value.

Even Gu Xiao could count this as a merit.

Having completed his plans, Li Xiuyuan set off on his return journey.

The White Flood Dragon rolled up a ball of white mist, crossing mountains and ridges; that silvery-white figure within the mist flickered in and out of sight under the moonlight, like a cloud blown by the wind.

By the time he returned to Yunfeng Mountain, it was already late at night.

Although he had occupied many water territories while out, only when he returned to Yunfeng Mountain could Li Xiuyuan feel complete tranquility.

These past few days, Li Xiuyuan had occupied quite a bit of territory and formed contracts with many water bodies, gaining 200 Spirit Qi points every day.

Added to the Spirit Qi he had already obtained, it wouldn't be many days before his bloodline rank would break through again.

On the ninth day of returning to Yunfeng Mountain,

the power that had been dormant within his body for a long time finally began to surge.

Li Xiuyuan was coiled on the summit of Yunfeng Mountain when he suddenly felt something waking up deep within his bloodline; a majestic force began to wash over the inner core inside his body.

The beasts and birds in the mountain were startled and fled in all directions; far away on Phoenix Mountain, Ao Wu, who was guarding that cave, felt the powerful aura from deep within Yunfeng Mountain, and the awe in his heart grew once more.

Inside the cave, Qing'er, sitting atop the tree crown, also slightly opened her eyes; a hint of surprise appeared in her clear, bright eyes, as the speed at which Li Xiuyuan was breaking through and growing was truly beyond her imagination.

Those water territories that had previously been occupied by Li Xiuyuan also reacted as the White Flood Dragon grew.

The water of Dongting Lake surged without wind, ripples spread across the surface of Ezhou, and the undercurrents of Hong Lake changed course.

Meanwhile, Gu Xiao, who was keeping watch at the foot of Yunfeng Mountain, also felt the aura pouring down from the summit.

His fingers suddenly became uncontrollable, and the cigarette he was holding dropped to the ground; his half-demon blood felt an unquestionable pressure from deep within his bloodline!

Gu Xiao sat down hard on the ground, staring blankly at the summit, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

That sudden pressure was a level higher than yesterday's.

"It, it leveled up again?!"

"Wait, before he leveled up, he was a Spirit Rank Rising Beings; after leveling up, is he Desolate Rank?"

He swallowed hard, his eyes wide as copper bells.

"What the hell, he's already Desolate Rank?!"

Gu Xiao stared at the mountaintop in astonishment.

Meanwhile,

the communicator in Gu Xiao's pocket began to beep, the sound as urgent as a death warrant.

After he picked it up, his superior's urgent voice came from the other end: "Gu Xiao, what the hell is happening again?!"

It was no wonder his superior's reaction was so intense; it was truly because the commotion Li Xiuyuan was causing was too great.

At the Jiantian Bureau, they were originally following routine, recording the auras of all Rising Beingss, and Li Xiuyuan, as a key object of concern, had even been assigned someone to watch him specifically.

Not long ago, Li Xiuyuan's aura was still very stable, and then, within just a few seconds, the curve representing Spirit Qi intensity shot up, going from Spirit Rank straight to Desolate Rank!

"He is leveling up; we need to update his intelligence immediately. He is about to be a Desolate Rank Rising Beings."

Gu Xiao's voice was a bit hoarse.

There was silence on the other end of the communicator, followed by the sound of gasps one after another.

"That's too outrageous, right?"

"What exactly is he? He levels up every once in a while?"

"The first Desolate Rank Rising Beings in the Xia Kingdom."

"Boss, he won't turn directly into a True Dragon, right?" Gu Xiao asked.

The superior took a deep breath: "Not necessarily; the pressure of a True Dragon would definitely be stronger than this."

After speaking, the superior immediately pulled up the aerial surveillance; in the footage was Yunfeng Mountain, obscured by clouds and mist, with a massive figure clearly moving within.

Although the view was covered by clouds and mist, advanced instruments still penetrated the layers of fog, rendering Li Xiuyuan's current appearance.

Thermal imaging, spectral analysis, Spirit Qi fluctuation charts—all data related to Li Xiuyuan was updating, all growing exponentially.

Li Xiuyuan's body had changed; his scales were tighter, and the golden patterns along the edges wound like rivers, extending from his head to the tip of his tail. His form was more slender and athletic than before, with robust muscles hidden beneath his scales.

That pair of dragon horns had also changed, growing from a short segment to half a foot long, branching into two prongs, silvery-white throughout, with the tips glowing with a faint golden light.

"He is still a flood dragon, but that majestic aura already meets the criteria for Desolate Rank."

The technicians at the Jiantian Bureau headquarters stared at the data that was still rising, feeling quite shocked.

After a good while, the data recording Li Xiuyuan finally stabilized.

All data indicated that Li Xiuyuan's current strength was indeed Desolate Rank.

Regarding Li Xiuyuan's uncontrollable improvement, the Jiantian Bureau was still a bit panicked, but fortunately, this flood dragon did not actively cause trouble.

...

On the summit of Yunfeng Mountain,

after Li Xiuyuan finished his breakthrough, he began to examine himself,

[Bloodline Rank: 5]

[Spirit Qi Value: 21 / 50000]

[Abilities: Mirage Qi, Water Control, Cloud and Rain Manipulation.]

After his bloodline rank increased to level 5, Mirage Qi, Water Control, and Cloud and Rain Manipulation had all evolved.

The original Mirage Qi could only summon a ball of white mist to conceal his form and isolate sight and aura, but now, not only could it conceal his form, it could also create illusions within it, and could even turn the illusions into reality for a short time.

And Water Control had combined with Cloud and Rain Manipulation to become a new ability.

He could now freely raise water from all water territories into clouds and slam them onto another piece of land, and could also condense a heavy downpour into a long, suspended river.

He could even drain the moisture from a certain region, causing the earth to crack, or make rivers overflow their banks.

Raindrops were his eyes, and the wind was his ears; he could perceive any place touched by the wind and rain, no longer restricted to the territory he occupied.

At the same time, Li Xiuyuan could use the wind and rain to lift his massive body and fly briefly; he only needed to hide within the clouds.

Li Xiuyuan named this new ability Sovereign of Heavens Water.

He raised his ferocious dragon head and looked up at the sky; the mountain mist gathered, and the wind and rain lifted his body up into the sky.

Yunfeng Mountain beneath him gradually drifted away, and the temple on the opposite Phoenix Mountain became the size of an ant.

This was Li Xiuyuan's first time flying into the sky, and it felt very novel.

Choosing a direction at random, Li Xiuyuan hid in the clouds and flew away slowly.

Behind him, the white mist of Yunfeng Mountain gradually closed, wrapping the summit once again.

Half an hour later, he was already familiar with flying, rising and falling within the clouds, sometimes diving, sometimes swimming.

A plane passed by nearby, and a passenger by the window noticed the figure rising and falling in the clouds; just as they wanted to take a picture with their phone, the White Flood Dragon suddenly vanished.

Mirage Qi gathered, concealing his form.

Li Xiuyuan felt a little tired and landed on the ground, wrapped in clouds.

Just as he was about to return to Yunfeng Mountain, a cry for help suddenly rang in his ears.