390: dying

"xuanhuang primordial qi? That means Jian Wanzhong must have been here."

Ye Hei looked around in all directions.

Ever since he opened his Bitter Sea, his five senses had become increasingly sharp, and everything within his line of sight was crystal clear.

Unfortunately, he only saw the xuanhuang primordial qi lingering among the sandstone, but he did not see Jian Wanzhong or Jian Linran.

As for traces of a battle, he also could not detect any at all.

'Maybe they didn't come here, but something happened that caused the xuanhuang primordial qi to slip out of control and drift here?'

Ye Hei was an absolute novice when it came to cultivation, even more so than newbies like Wan Lin.

Because he lacked player privileges, he could not access the relevant foundational knowledge base, nor could he communicate effectively with other players, and naturally, he had never read any useful strategy posts among the players.

Therefore, he could not judge what had actually happened here earlier.

Furthermore, he had no means to subdue the xuanhuang primordial qi; he could only pin his hopes on the green copper within his Bitter Sea to subdue it.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The xuanhuang primordial qi drifted toward Ye Hei, stirring up air currents and making a whistling sound.

Then, this supreme treasure of heaven and earth quickly flowed into Ye Hei's body, coiling within his Bitter Sea to accompany the bronze fragment.

This time, the amount of xuanhuang primordial qi was quite large, so the bronze fragment did not completely refine it; it seemed it was unable to do so.

Turning his thoughts, Ye Hei realized the crux of the matter.

'xuanhuang primordial qi is the top-tier Qi for Artifact Refining in the world, and the xuanhuang primordial qi I have obtained now is the top of the top.

'If used for Artifact Refining, I'm afraid even a piece of scrap iron could be refined into an Immortal Artifact weapon.

'According to what Jian Wanzhong said earlier, many Cultivators also refine life-bound Treasure Artifacts. If I use xuanhuang primordial qi to refine one, it would truly be of the highest quality!'

Carrying this supreme treasure, Ye Hei knew that the best thing for him to do right now was to leave immediately.

As long as he took the xuanhuang primordial qi and left, found a good place, and figured out how to perform Artifact Refining, he would have great prospects in the future.

But...

Ye Hei looked around, but still saw no traces of Jian Wanzhong.

What had happened to that youth?

Just as Ye Hei was filled with doubts.

Suddenly!

Bursts of yellow sand filled the sky, only to shatter and turn into nothingness.

Jian Linran emerged, drifting out wearing a yellow Daoist robe, his long hair unbound, flowing wildly behind him.

Veins bulged on his forehead, as if he were exerting his whole body.

From the sides of his head, horns had shockingly grown out; they were short, but one could tell they were sharp, filled with a primitive sense of power.

His left hand reached out from his dragon-patterned sleeve; it had already transformed into a Dragon claw.

His right hand was still a human hand, tightly gripping the jian xie sword, veins bulging, stained with bright red blood, and trembling uncontrollably.

The boots on his feet had long been discarded, replaced by ferocious Dragon claws that grasped at the clouds, as if he could ascend on the clouds at any moment.

"This..."

Ye Hei stared at the strangely transformed Jian Linran, his heart pounding wildly.

He felt a terrifying aura.

This aura was invisible, yet it was tangibly present, pressing down on him so that he could not move or think.

It was as if a True Dragon were right before his eyes, suppressing the creatures of the Lower Realm until their breathing was nearly at a standstill.

"Sacred Body."

Suddenly, Jian Linran's voice drifted over.

His figure swayed, and he actually landed directly in front of Ye Hei.

His face no longer looked human; it seemed to be twisting and shifting between a human face and a Dragon head, appearing eerie, yet it bore a smile that made one feel even more uneasy.

"Tell me, between the Sacred Body and the True Dragon, which is stronger and which is weaker?"

Jian Linran let out a sinister laugh, his right hand holding the long sword high, pointing far away toward the sun.

His whole person stood high above, as if looking down upon the world with disdain.

"Today, the Sacred Body is a crippled body, while the True Dragon remains a True Dragon!

"And I am the only True Dragon in this world!

"Hahahaha—"

Amidst the unsettling, wild laughter, Jian Linran's figure swayed, his Dragon claw swept up, and his human-like form actually swam through the clouds like a Dragon, disappearing in a majestic yet eerie manner.

Leaving only Ye Hei, drenched in cold sweat, panting heavily in place.

"What happened?"

Ye Hei was completely bewildered; he didn't know what had actually happened.

He still remembered that Jian Wanzhong had mentioned the Jian Family's cultivation method, called the Dragon Sword Dao.

It was a Dao Lineage that simultaneously cultivated the physique and swordsmanship; each Realm required honing Sword Intent and using Sword Intent to temper the physique, subsequently realizing Dragon intent.

The major Realms were divided into Viper Sword (ninth to sixth grade), Flood Dragon Sword (fifth grade), Hornless Dragon Sword, Coiling Dragon Sword, Horned Dragon Sword, and Responding Dragon Sword.

From the perspective of imagery, it corresponded to the growth path of a snake hiding, becoming a flood dragon, transforming into a dragon, and subsequently growing horns and wings.

It could be said that the entire cultivation system was about using Sword Intent to transform into Dragon intent, which was "Dragon Transformation."

Therefore, there was some controversy within the Jian Family regarding this.

One faction believed that the Dragon was the main subject and Sword Intent merely served the Dragon Transformation; therefore, if one could directly transform into a Dragon using Dragon blood, one could save themselves the bitter cultivation, and could even break through the limit of the "Responding Dragon" imagery to rival a true True Dragon.

This faction was called the "Dragon Transformation Faction."

Another faction believed that Dragon Transformation was merely an imagery of Sword Intent, and the Dragon Sword Dao was essentially a type of Sword Dao; therefore, what was truly important was honing Sword Intent, and one should not be obsessed with Dragon blood, nor should one force themselves to conform to the Responding Dragon imagery, but should instead sublimate the Sword Intent after reaching the limit, slaying the Dragon to prove the Dao.

This faction was called the "Dragon Slaying Faction."

The two factions argued endlessly, each with its own pros and cons.

Ye Hei thought that Jian Linran's behavior was likely the hallmark of the Dragon Transformation Faction.

But...

"Jian Wanzhong said that although the Dragon Transformation Faction had studied it for a long time and had once captured many Dragon descendants.

"But no one had ever truly transformed into a Dragon.

"So in recent years, the Dragon Slaying Faction within the Jian Family had gained the upper hand, believing that the Legacy left by the ancestors was originally a Sword Dao Legacy, and the Dragon intent corresponding to each Realm was actually the intent of Slaying the Dragon.

"But Jian Linran's posture... had he truly succeeded in transforming into a Dragon?"

Ye Hei muttered a few words, quickly reined in his thoughts, and stopped dwelling on it.

Jian Linran was a second grade powerhouse, and with this eerie posture, it was not impossible to say he was already first grade.

It was truly a miracle that such a powerhouse hadn't casually crushed him to death.

"Eh?"

Suddenly, Ye Hei saw ripples in the void not far away.

A youth-like man fell from the sky and crashed onto the yellow sandy ground.

Ye Hei's heart trembled, and he quickly approached.

It was indeed Jian Wanzhong.

A large hole was torn in his chest, likely a sword wound; it had not healed for a long time, and it was likely a fatal wound.

His face was deathly pale, his eyes staring helplessly at the sky, tears swirling in his eye sockets.

One hand was raised powerlessly, reaching toward the direction of the sun, as if wanting to grasp the morning sun of tomorrow.

But it soon fell powerlessly, and he coughed up another mouthful of clotted blood.

Finally, Ye Hei entered his line of sight.

His vision was already blurred, his Spiritual Sense was unusable, and the expression on his face was filled with pain.

But the moment he saw Ye Hei, he still managed to curl his lips into a miserable smile.

"Ah, it's you...

"Sorry, I won't have time to help you find a way to solve the Sacred Body problem later...

"And for This Time Bu Ge, tell him for me, sorry, I can't help him anymore..."