Chapter 768: The True Dragon Appears

Li Yi advanced cautiously along the way, avoiding the influence of the power of time, attempting to reach the precise location in the shortest possible time. Yet, even with sufficient caution, he still suffered several erosions from the power of time.

Fortunately, the time he spent lingering was short, and the power of time he encountered was not too strong; it was still somewhat difficult to strip away his entire lifespan in an instant.

However, the dangers within this area were not limited to these.

In the midst of countless times, some extraordinary perils could always be gestated.

Soon, Li Yi's footsteps stopped once again.

He saw that on the branch of an ancient tree towering into the clouds ahead, an extraordinary creature was actually crawling. That extraordinary creature resembled both a leopard and a dog, with two horns on its head; if placed outside, it wouldn't even count as a mythical creature.

But here, this extraordinary creature had endured the erosion of time without dying, and coupled with having come into contact with cultivation, the aura it emitted was actually more terrifying than that of a Great Demon.

"Back down, or I will slay you." Li Yi shouted, and the Red Gold Star-Shattering Spear appeared in his hand instantly.

Extraordinary creatures of this level all possess intelligence; even if they cannot understand human speech, they can still grasp Li Yi's general meaning. Therefore, he now displayed sufficient dominance, attempting to intimidate it into leaving.

If possible, he did not want to take action in a place like this, lest he pull one hair and move the whole body, inviting some great disaster.

However, the extraordinary creature's pair of aged and wise eyes were sizing up Li Yi, seemingly considering whether to take action and prey upon him. Although Li Yi brandishing his weapon made it feel some danger, it felt that it could still defeat its opponent.

It was just that this extraordinary creature took note of Master Yulian on the side; this woman who only knew how to lower her head and chant sutras made this terrifyingly powerful extraordinary creature feel a trace of extreme peril.

Finally, this extraordinary creature let out a low growl, leaped down from the ancient tree, and vanished in an instant.

Clearly, the opponent had given up on taking action.

Li Yi observed for a while, and after confirming that the opponent had truly left, he continued forward. He felt that this place could allow the exotic beasts of the Savage World to come and explore; as long as the resources were sufficient, one could truly obtain powerful assistance at the Mountain Lord level in a short period of time.

After walking for a moment.

That pile of rubble floating in mid-air was already not far away, but he was not impatient; he did not want to capsize on this final stretch of the road.

However, just as he continued to grope his way forward.

Suddenly.

The firmament above darkened abruptly, and a creature with a massive figure appeared abruptly above Li Yi's head. At the same time, an abnormally terrifying aura appeared suddenly, which startled him into looking up sharply.

He saw half a dragon's body manifesting, obscuring the firmament.

"A mythical creature, a True Dragon? Or perhaps some kind of dragon species?" Li Yi's eyelids twitched.

To tell the truth, in all his years of cultivation, crossing multiple worlds, he had never seen a real dragon; at most, they were flood dragons, or creatures possessing a portion of dragon blood. This was because no matter which world it was in, a True Dragon was a supreme existence, representing absolute power.

Even in the Savage World where gods appeared, True Dragons were difficult to find.

Could it be that a True Dragon was wandering in this place where the power of time was chaotic?

The sudden appearance of such a creature caused even Yulian, who had been chanting sutras the whole time, to stop. She slowly raised her gaze and also looked at the sky: "I did not expect that this world where the layperson resides would actually have Heavenly Dragons appearing."

"I thought you only knew how to chant sutras and couldn't speak." Li Yi glanced at her: "So in the Brahma Realm, True Dragons are called Heavenly Dragons?"

"Heavenly Dragons have been extraordinary since ancient times; one only needs to reach adulthood to attain the fruit status of a Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva." Yulian said slowly: "Unlike us monastics, who need to uphold precepts and cultivate, keep the six senses pure, steam dry the golden sea, and only then attain Bodhi."

"Bodhisattva fruit status, the strength is likely above that of a Tianyue Yao Wang." Li Yi speculated in his heart at this moment.

This Yulian before him could catch a red gold arrow with her bare hands; her strength was estimated to be at the same level as a Tianyue Yao Wang. But she was only one step away from the true fruit, so it was not difficult to infer that the Bodhisattva fruit status was very high, above that of a Tianyue Yao Wang.

And Master Buhuai, whom he had killed, if he had cultivated into a World-Dwelling Jin Gang, his strength should have been at the Tianyue Yao Wang level.

Therefore, Jin Gang and Bodhisattva—the true fruits attained between them were different, and their strengths would also be worlds apart.

Jin Gang is easy to cultivate, Bodhi is difficult to attain.

Besides this, there seemed to be a Buddha fruit status even further up. The dragon high above was just passing by at this moment and did not take action against any creature, but Li Yi did not dare to gamble, so he could only wait for that dragon to fly away before he dared to continue forward.

"Layperson, if you can comprehend the physical image of the Heavenly Dragon Vast Power Bodhisattva, and then uphold the cultivation of the White Bone Contemplation, you will surely be able to attain Bodhi in the future. Why struggle in this turbid world? It would be better to return to the Brahma Realm with me to attain great tranquility and great freedom."

Yulian tried to persuade him again, not letting go of any opportunity to convert Li Yi.

Only by successfully converting Li Yi could her Zen heart be repaired, and only then could she take the final step.

Therefore, no matter where he went to the ends of the earth, she would not give up.

"Master Yulian, why not follow me in cultivating the Dao? With Master Yulian's potential and aptitude, coupled with the power of time here, it won't be long before you can achieve the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and the Five Qi Returning to the Origin. At that time, you will be immortal, your lifespan will be equal to the heavens, and you will roam the heavens and earth—wouldn't that be carefree and happy? Why be a wooden puppet in that temple?" Li Yi also tried to persuade the other party.

"Without attaining the true fruit, even if one is immortal, one is ultimately shackled, and it is difficult to find tranquility. What fun is there in roaming this turbid world? It is nothing more than observing the birth, aging, sickness, and death of all things, suffering all the hardships of the human world, and when looking back again, all things are empty, and everything is like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, or a shadow." Yulian said slowly with her hands pressed together.

Li Yi said: "Master's Buddhist Dharma is indeed profound, but how do you know that my path will not lead to great tranquility and great freedom in the end?"

"The Buddha illuminates the path ahead, and the Bodhisattva dwells in the world to save people; I naturally will not be lost." Yulian said: "But who is there to save those who cultivate the Dao?"

"There are so many worlds; can your Bodhisattva save them all? If it all relied on Bodhisattvas to save, then where did the first Buddha of the Brahma Realm come from? Relying on Buddhas to save is not as good as relying on oneself." Li Yi realized something when he said this, and he continued: "So Master Yulian wants to convert me, this demon king, to achieve perfect merit, cross the final barrier, attain Bodhi, and achieve the Bodhisattva fruit status?"

Yulian pressed her hands together: "Buddha and demon are but a single thought apart; it depends on how the layperson chooses. I simply do not wish to see the layperson go astray into the demonic path, and that is why I am sacrificing myself to save you—nothing more."

"Then you should continue to work hard." Li Yi understood the other party's intention, but hindered by his own strength being a bit weak, he could do nothing about her and could only let it go.

Following the departure of the Heavenly Dragon above his head.

He finally arrived at the coordinate location without any danger. He took a step forward and stepped onto a stone floating in mid-air, and immediately felt his body aging at an unimaginable speed.

But Li Yi's realm was already relatively high, and his lifespan was also very long. Although the speed of decay was fast, he was still within the range of what he could bear.

Yet even so, the Qi and blood in his body were drying up rapidly, and the magic power within his body was also decreasing crazily.

Because for a cultivator to maintain a normal state, they are consuming Qi, blood, lifespan, and internal magic power at every moment. If it were just during normal times, it would be nothing, but the flow of time here was too fast, and the usual consumption appeared extremely terrifying.

Li Yi retreated rapidly before his body's energy was exhausted.

In less than a minute, he felt as if he had passed a long period of time; his body was withered, and his lifespan had been reduced.

However, he took out the Tianyi Palace and took a deep breath. Rolling life essence poured from the palace into his body, and his withered body recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. The divine blood within his body churned like thunder, and the streaks of lightning on his body bloomed with divine light, becoming even more extraordinary.

Moreover, on other parts of his body, several new lightning divine patterns emerged.

This meant that after Li Yi had undergone a period of erosion by time, his divine blood had become rich once again, and his physique and strength had directly increased.

"Thirteen dragons, thirteen tigers of strength."

After Li Yi recovered, he clenched his palms tightly; his physical strength had directly increased by the strength of one dragon and one tiger. This transformation was truly terrifying.

There was no need to do anything; one only needed to let time act upon the body, and the direct-lineage divine blood warriors would become stronger on their own.

It could be seen that there was still a great deal of room for Li Yi's physical strength to be tapped into; it had not yet reached its peak.

"However, this stone is not suitable for cultivation; the power of time is still a bit too strong, and I don't even have time to absorb cosmic energy." Li Yi then secretly thought to himself.

He needed to continue to select a place more suitable for his own cultivation.

Because he not only needed his physical body to grow, but he also needed to nurture his Primordial Spirit Dharma Image, preparing sufficiently for the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown in the future.

(End of chapter)