Chapter 337: Stepping into the Center, Ten Thousand Dragons Lie Dead (Ten-Thousand-Character Chapter)

"Truly bad luck!"

After officially going solo, Yinhu of the Fudong Immortal Sect still appeared extremely displeased; the more he thought about it, the more he felt Chenlong had died in vain.

"Let's focus on the Dragon Palace matter first. *Cough, cough, cough. * Now that Chenlong has died suddenly and early, Haizhu's whereabouts are unknown, and Maotu hasn't returned either—in all likelihood, they are already dead. However, although only three of us remain, the True Monarch's orders must still be completed; otherwise, even if we manage to return alive, we will be swallowed whole."

Hearing Zishu say this, and thinking of the cruelty and gluttony of True Monarch Taotie, Yinhu and Xugou could not help but feel their hair stand on end, nodding repeatedly to show their agreement.

They seemed to have other trump cards and did not mind acting alone; next, they chose a direction and charged directly toward the center of the Dragon Palace.

The Zhijing Immortal Sect has yet to make a move, the generals of the Xiulin Immortal Sect don't know what they are doing, and then there are Du En and Jiang Ying, who disappeared before and have now appeared... I need to reach the very center as quickly as possible; I cannot let the duck be eaten!

On the other side, the Cangmu Immortal Sect.

"Hmph! A bunch of crude beasts. Later, I must peel their skin and pull their bones, torture them severely for a thousand or ten thousand days, and then refine their true spirits to be enslaved and driven by me, never to be reincarnated for eternity!"

Yongshi spoke viciously.

"Although that will certainly be the case, for now, let us take a step forward. We must see what exactly Luoyu is playing at over there. The Supreme is concerned about this, so we must give it our all!"

Liushi spoke thus, instantly causing the expressions of the five people on this side to change, becoming incomparably serious, and then they silently sought a path forward, likewise approaching the center of the Dragon Palace.

There are also the Zhijing Immortal Sect and the Xiulin Immortal Sect.

"This fellow Daoist, if I have committed any fault, you may point it out directly; there is no need to be so fixated on killing and fighting."

Ruiyi, who was accompanied by her personal junior sister, looked at the excessively refined person blocking the path ahead.

Beneath that person's seat were piled a dozen corpses, which were, shockingly, the others from the Zhijing Immortal Sect.

"I killed them all, but I discovered something was not quite right. Could fellow Daoist Ruiyi resolve my doubts?"

"Fellow Daoist should not have come to target our sect; the current conflict between our sect and your noble sect is not considered deep."

"Are you trying to say that I should go and trouble those two?"

The general of the Xiulin Immortal Sect said this and shook his head. "Not to mention that they previously appeared to avoid battle, lingering in the peripheral zones without any behavior of overstepping or acting rashly, just speaking of Luoyu's side and our sect, we are currently in a period of ceasefire. No matter what, I, Tao Shao, must consider the overall situation and cannot offend that True Monarch Changmeng prematurely."

Speaking of this, a trace of mockery actually appeared on Tao Shao's face, which was so handsome it didn't seem human, looking only like an exquisite piece of porcelain.

"Conversely, fellow Daoist Ruiyi is acting sneakily, laying out plans in advance on the only path. I fear you have long since approached the center of the Dragon Palace and seen something you shouldn't have, or even disturbed something you shouldn't have."

"... Since fellow Daoist is so blunt and open, I am ashamed and can only speak frankly."

The complexion of Ruiyi beneath her veil seemed to become grave and serious.

However, before her words could be uttered, very suddenly, an anomaly occurred!

"ROAR!!!"

Just as the two sides were about to say something, and just as people from other directions were all advancing toward the center, suddenly, bursts of long cries rang out.

It was four fifth-tier great flood dragons, which suddenly poked their bodies out from the water vortex nodes leading to the center of the Dragon Palace toward the four divided spaces in the four directions, opening their giant maws to spit turbid currents, raging flames, wild winds, and miasmic poison directly at the people approaching this place.

The target was exceptionally clear!

"Not good! It wants to destroy this space and let annihilation swallow us!"

Nangong Sheng's heart was clear and bright; he did not realize he was the target, but he immediately realized the true intent of its breath and, without a second word, stepped forward.

Then, he was knocked back by a mouthful of miasmic poison.

"*Cough, cough, cough! * Damn it!"

In the end, he had only recovered to a certain state; this was now adding frost to snow. Under the contamination of the miasmic poison, he became directly lethargic and unable to move, surrounded by the other seven nervous people.

"Since you are injured, don't try to be brave. Let us do it!"

Seeing that she could finally shake off this guy's complaints, Jiang Ying's spirit was instantly boosted. Her subconscious remark made Nangong Sheng curse and swear, and he was about to step forward to fight again.

Who says I can't do it? *Cough, cough, cough... *

"The key now is to stop it from destroying the space. There are ten support points in this divided space. Let Jiang Ying go and fight it face-to-face, while we guard these points; it will naturally be in vain."

Du En calmly gave them instructions and pointed out the specific points.

Eight people for ten points; it was still quite stretched thin.

"You know where the points are?"

Seeing that Du En did not look down on him, Nangong Sheng's anger immediately eased. As the others began to act on orders, he asked this via sound transmission, appearing somewhat concerned, fearing that this guy was just fooling him.

That would be even worse than Jiang Ying's actions...

But before he could finish his thought, he saw Du En releasing a group of magical artifacts to grind down the great flood dragon's miasmic poison while simultaneously raising his hand to scoop and harvest. A fifth-tier spiritual object, which had sensed something amiss and chosen to hide its spirit when they arrived, was immediately broken out of the ground, caught in his hand, and with a disturbance of its spirit, it stopped moving instantly.

"A fifth-tier high-grade earth dragon egg..."

Nangong Sheng said this and could not help but fall silent, feeling that Du En was quite good at putting on a show. He couldn't help but secretly curl his lip, yet he could not help but feel a bit shocked. Then, he said nothing more, turned around to shoulder his spear, and while coughing, went to the designated point.

The others were also quite shocked, because that fifth-tier earth dragon egg was quite unique; it absorbed dragon Qi to gestate in the earth and was born with a spirit, making it even harder to capture than other fifth-tier spiritual objects, let alone harvest it intact and complete.

It is said that if it can successfully advance to the sixth tier and hatch smoothly, it will be a brand-new earth-element true dragon!

So, how many more methods do you actually have that you haven't used?

Amidst the shock, everyone was even more impressed, because the unease caused by the sudden attack of the fifth-tier great flood dragon was also quickly smoothed over.

And the reason it could be smoothed over so quickly, besides Du En truly bolstering everyone's courage, was also because that fifth-tier great flood dragon was clearly a fake.

"Another corpse, is it?"

Du En put away the earth dragon egg and looked at the long half-body poking out, which was fighting Jiang Ying fiercely. At first glance, it had the prestige of a fifth-tier great flood dragon, but in reality, it couldn't even suppress a single Nascent Soul perfection stage cultivator. It truly lived down to the reputation of great flood dragons being formidable among their own tier!

"Wah!"

As if discovering Du En's contempt, or perhaps because of his act of showing off right in front of it, the great flood dragon suddenly erupted. Its four claws slammed out violently, directly knocking the caught-off-guard Jiang Ying back, sending her flying straight toward Du En's side.

He did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately used spatial movement. As their figures crossed, he appeared on the path Jiang Ying had just flown over, right before her eyes.

Hmm???

No, you should have reached out to catch me!

Jiang Ying only felt a bit dazed, followed by landing and crashing into a pit. Like skipping a stone, she hit the ground a dozen times, and then, amidst the calm and indifferent gazes of everyone, she wiped the little bit of blood from the corner of her mouth and stood up to counter-charge even more heroically.

There was absolutely no real injury; there was no need for anyone to catch her at all.

Even so, she still appeared unhappy.

Setting aside the facts, in short, they were aggressive and counter-attacked.

Just a moment before, Du En, who had taken her place up close, merely rose by controlling his artifacts to resist the portion of miasma poison the great flood dragon spat out while taking the opportunity to guard the two nodes he was responsible for.

He had no intention of getting any closer, which made the great flood dragon roar repeatedly in anger, straining to reach out and use its claws and teeth, yet it could not reach the edge at all.

Consequently, it became even more furious.

Then, the equally frustrated Jiang Ying charged back fiercely from the rear, her blood energy like a long river, and once again clashed with this behemoth.

Bang, bang, bang!

Boom, boom, boom!

For a moment, it did not feel like flesh and blood colliding, but rather like meteors and meteorites crashing into one another!

"Du En, things are not looking good. Although this great flood dragon is quite all show and no substance, its physical body remains tough. Jiang Ying won't be able to win in a short while. If this continues, I fear we might be worn to death!"

Nangong Sheng was also guarding two nodes alone at this moment, raising his spear to shatter the miasma poison and holding his breath to isolate the shockwaves, not wanting to inhale any more, while transmitting his voice to Du En with a grave expression.

"It's not just that; it is also attempting to use its own body to crush that water vortex space node."

Du En saw this clearly; the great flood dragon wasn't actually angry at his actions just now, but was subtly using the development of the situation to conceal its true purpose. "It seems that behind it lies the central area of the Dragon Palace."

"Then what should we do now?"

Nangong Sheng would have liked to launch a pincer attack, but this great flood dragon truly had no self-respect as a great demon; it didn't prioritize the battle at all, and whenever it found an opening, it would frantically spew miasma poison, wanting only to shatter this partitioned space.

He feared that if they really adopted a pincer formation, it would find a gap, and since they couldn't grind it to death in a short time, they would only lose their current favorable position in vain...

"Actually, it's quite simple."

Du En answered as a matter of course.

"Simple?"

"Yes, Jiang Ying, kick its head up and make its eyes look at the sky."

"Oh, oh, understood!"

Although Jiang Ying was somewhat resentful of his actions just now, she did not let it delay the task at hand and immediately transmitted a reply.

Then, she momentarily avoided the brunt of the attack, dodging the great flood dragon's claws, before suddenly dropping downward, disappearing from the great flood dragon's field of vision for a moment, and finally erupting upward with a fierce uppercut that struck the great flood dragon—which was taking the opportunity to spew miasma—forcing it to shut its mouth, its head involuntarily tilting toward the sky, its mouth and eyes momentarily twisted.

Those dead, murky white eyes thus saw the Falling Feather Heavenly Trace in the sky.

Consequently, a profound fear and despair immediately permeated from within them.

"Ang~"

Amidst a mournful cry, its eyes shattered on the spot, its obsession vanished in an instant, and the entire front half of its flood dragon body collapsed limply, a full five hundred zhang in length, truly like a mountain range toppling over, falling to the ground and returning to complete silence.

Huh?

We won just like that?

The others, who were busy dealing with the miasma poison in a flurry, saw the scene of the great flood dragon's demise once their vision cleared and were all left stunned.

"Eh? What happened?"

Jiang Ying landed back on the dragon's head and couldn't process it for a moment, subconsciously stomping hard. Because she used too much force and its head was too hard and already smashed into the ground, the recoil was quite strong, causing her to stagger and stumble until she reached the ground.

"What else could have happened? It's that we were too conceited about our own strength, always wanting to solve things ourselves, yet forgot that in the sky above, there is a Heavenly Trace that cannot be looked at directly, which is the projection of a Supreme's power."

Nangong Sheng's tone was somewhat emotional; he subconsciously wanted to look up at the sky, but his reason forbade him from doing so, making his mood even more complex.

Because beyond conceit, there was fear!

They dared not look directly, and dared not even think about it!

That was the handiwork of a Supreme; it could be called their eye, their will, it is...

Du En, however, didn't care about any of this; if something could be utilized, he would find an opportunity to use it.

In any case, it wasn't as if he hadn't looked up and stared directly at it before.

"So, what should we do now? This guy's corpse is blocking the water vortex node, and we can't get through. Are we supposed to dismantle it?"

While Nangong Sheng and the others were busy being shocked and silent, Jiang Ying noticed this and tried to take action with some distress, wanting to pull out a scale, but it took a great deal of effort to finally extract one.

This was clearly a big problem.

The main thing was that the great flood dragon's corpse was very strange; unlike the likes of Marshal Gui that Du En and the others had encountered before, it was very well preserved, so its scales and armor were tough...

Nangong Sheng also used his Battle Spear to poke it hard, but there was only a long-lost sense of obstruction, making it very difficult to penetrate its scales.

Even with his life-bound artifact like this, he feared that even with Du En's Myriad Control Art, even if tens of thousands of artifacts were used together, it would be difficult to dismantle it in a short time or punch a hole directly through the middle of its body.

Then, they saw Du En take out two fifth-tier artifacts and begin to work with both hands.

Pfft~

Through the gaps in the scales, he easily and quickly dismantled the tough and hard outer layer of scales, then continued to cut and dismantle along the muscle texture in an orderly fashion, very quickly and skillfully.

After all, this great flood dragon had been dead for nearly ten thousand years, and now that the residual supporting energy had gradually dissipated, it was nothing but a pile of dead meat, unable to resist the cutting of same-tier artifacts.

Nangong Sheng: "..."

The others: "..."

While we were fighting for our lives, what exactly were you doing? How do you even have fifth-tier artifacts now? Could it be that you really have some unique intelligence, or did you stumble upon the Dragon Palace's treasury by accident?

At this moment, looking at the fifth-tier low-grade artifacts Du En was controlling, the others couldn't help but think this.

But the latter was actually unlikely; after all, the intelligence the upper echelons of their sect had regarding the Dragon Palace should be basically the same, so it could only be the former—that is, the most likely situation was that Du En had rushed to refine them himself...

So, just how many fifth-tier spiritual materials did you use to practice with before?

Recalling the incredibly skillful, fluid, and master-like movements Du En displayed when he had just found and harvested the fifth-tier spiritual materials, their thoughts could not help but proceed further in this direction.

For a time, Nangong Sheng and the others all fell into silence.

When they came back to their senses, this same-tier leading general couldn't help but glare at Jiang Ying.

Huh?

Why are you glaring at me?

She was instantly stunned; it was clearly Du En who was showing off, so why was the target pointed at her?

"You clearly knew he possessed such means, yet you intentionally brought up this topic and line of thought; if it doesn't point to you, who does it point to?"

Nangong Sheng explained considerately, somewhat gritting his teeth, which made her unable to help but retort immediately: "I didn't know! Although I helped him dismantle and find many fifth-tier spiritual objects, I didn't know he had already refined a fifth-tier magical artifact."

So it turns out it was you who helped him find them... No, why does it sound like you're feeling quite aggrieved? For what reason exactly would you help him do work?

The others were suddenly full of curiosity.

Nangong Sheng, however, felt even more depressed hearing this: "You've stayed with him for so long, yet you didn't discover this point? Could it be that he specifically set up an array to conceal it when refining artifacts?"

He even knows how to use arrays?

Then what is there that he doesn't know?

Nangong Sheng couldn't help but think this; although his fighting spirit remained the same, he inevitably felt a sense of looking up at a high mountain.

It has clearly only been a few years since the Grand Competition, so why does it feel like he has already been overtaken at high speed?

"I don't know how to set up arrays."

Du En replied in his spare time, then continued to dismantle the dragon body.

Anyway, looking at how shocked they were just now, if people from other immortal sects had the same encounter, they would likely not think of this shortcut of quick killing. Therefore, there is actually still some time now, allowing him to completely dismantle this fifth-tier great dragon.

"That's right, he hasn't set up any arrays; he just produced an extra-large artifact embryo furnace. Many materials are just thrown directly inside, and it's very easy to pre-set them into an artifact embryo."

Jiang Ying provided corroboration, which made Nangong Sheng and the others inevitably heave a sigh of relief, and then.

He was suddenly even more furious: "Since Du En wasn't hiding anything, you actually didn't discover it? A fifth-tier magical artifact! A magical artifact that only a Great Cultivator can use! In ancient times, they were called spiritual treasures; they are rare things that have spirits gestating within them, which would trigger all kinds of strange phenomena!"

Regarding this, Jiang Ying also couldn't help but subconsciously look at Du En, her large eyes filled with nothing but confusion.

That's right, a fifth-tier magical artifact seems to be exactly that kind of thing, but why were there no signs at all when you were refining it before?

For a magical artifact used for self-detonation, if it had a spirit and dared to gestate within it, that would purely be seeking its own death.

It is precisely because there is no spirit gestating that it proves it truly has a spirit.

Du En returned such a look, which seemed like some kind of twisted logic, but the claim that a magical artifact has a spirit is itself very mysterious. At the same time, in the fragments of some ancient texts, there really are similar claims.

After all, he is not the only one who knows how to refine magical artifacts for self-detonation and self-destruction.

Of course, this also has something to do with the Dragon Palace itself.

"Death—it is permeated with this feeling everywhere. This is actually a place that died long ago. It looks like there are still fifth-tier spiritual objects gestating, but in reality, it is just lingering on its last breath, with no future to speak of."

Du En's words made the others fall silent again.

That's right, even a fifth-tier great dragon—a being that is already quite rare in the outside world and can dominate among its own tier—is just a cold corpse with a lingering obsession here.

After that dragon corpse, what will there be?

A living corpse of a True Dragon?

A True Dragon! That is a being equivalent to a Void Refinement True Monarch. Even a corpse with an obsession could probably wipe them all out with a flip of its hand!

Thinking of this, everyone could not help but fall into a deathly silence. For a time, thick unease began to breed. Only Du En was still calmly cutting and disassembling, putting away the parts of the great dragon that looked useful.

*Crunch, crunch... *

For a time, only this sound remained. The others looked at Du En, and at this moment, they couldn't help but think: if possible, they really hoped he would cut a little slower!

A little slower, a little slower to face the scene after the great dragon!

However, Du En was incredibly steady; his movements became increasingly skillful, and the parts he discarded casually became more and more numerous.

Because they were useless; the closer to the lower body, the more rotten and degenerate it became...

"No, is the remaining essence being extracted? Or is it returning to its original state, and it was actually in a state like a crack in time before?"

Du En fell into thought while accelerating his cutting.

His gaze shifted slightly toward the fifth-tier storage bag he had transformed. Inside, whether it was the dragon horns, dragon teeth, dragon bones, or dragon pearls, they all remained as intact as when they were just dismantled, appearing very normal, only that they had been dead for too long, and their vitality seemed damaged.

"It is not the latter possibility, so, is the former possibility more likely?"

He cut off another piece, did not touch it, just retracted his magical artifact, and with a spatial movement, appeared beside the others.

Did he break through?

Their spirits were suddenly shaken; for a moment, no one spoke to ask.

And then.

*Whoosh! *

In their eyes, the dragon body, which was actually still very massive and only had a pit chiseled out of it, suddenly turned into a pile of ash, very abruptly.

Everyone could not help but hold their breath and close their eyes. Being brushed by the ash moving with the wind, they only felt a sense of horror, as if they themselves had become part of the dead ash.

Fortunately, three powerful geniuses attacked together, shaking away and resisting the dead ash, which made them suddenly snap out of it, their emotions surging even more.

After steadying their minds and looking up again, they only saw from afar that the water vortex node, which had appeared normal, was now a gray swirling vortex, looking very strange and naturally unsettling.

"Let's go."

Seeing no other anomalies, Du En spoke and was the first to walk forward.

His figure remained calm; all terror could not shake him, and all resentment could only be borne by him.

*Gulp! *

Jiang Ying couldn't help but swallow her saliva, hesitating to move forward. She was about to look at Nangong Sheng to ask if they should support the wounded from a distance, hiding her desire to retreat.

Then she saw him shake his head violently, plant his Battle Spear into the ground, take a deep breath, defeat his unease, and advance with his head held high, refusing to be outdone.

He is a Conqueror, he is a Battle-Seeker; how could he let others take the spotlight while he stops in cowardice?

It was just that he had to admit that, perhaps, Du En was even more suited to walk this path than he was.

Fighting spirit is not just the passionate and heroic side; it can also be the side as still as the water in an abyss...

A sentence that True Monarch Zhuding said to him a few years ago echoed in his ears at this moment.

It is I who lost; I lost in the superficial appearance, I lost in the obsession, which is why I seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough, yet always felt it was not enough.

Nangong Sheng watched as he followed, gradually having a realization, but it was impossible to achieve God Transformation on the spot.

It requires careful chewing and deep realization, combing through it from beginning to end, to truly grasp this brand-new, better, and superior opportunity... if they can still return this time.

He chuckled calmly, with no anxiety or worry in his eyes.

The Nascent Soul stage may have been lost, but the Spirit Severing stage might not be!

I only have expectations for the future!

He trotted a few steps quickly, catching up to Du En completely, his fighting spirit high yet tending toward calmness.

Hm?

How did you figure something out all on your own?

Jiang Ying was a bit dazed by this, but seeing that both of them had run far away, she subconsciously followed after them.

Once her pace moved, the anxiety she had just felt was carelessly cast aside by her.

"..."

Seeing that the three leading generals had all left and no one had called out to them, the remaining seven could not help but look at each other, falling into silence for a moment.

A moment later, seeing Du En about to reach that water vortex node, they finally had their own reaction.

"Are those three letting us choose for ourselves?"

"What does Senior Brother think?"

"What is Junior Sister's opinion?"

"Heh, how could we stop here? We are also geniuses and have our pride. If we stand out in the sect's grand competition only to perform worse than those who were eliminated in the end, even if we could survive and go back, we would only be ridiculed!"

"... Simply put, if the mission fails and we survive to go back, the True Lords will no longer value us, and we might even have to go to the battlefield to 'gain experience'."

"... Junior Sister, don't be so clear and explicit; wouldn't it be better to save some face for yourself?"

"Hahaha, the future is bleak anyway, so it's better to follow one's heart; I learned this from Du the Talent."

"Hiss! You think so too? He is indeed quite casual at times, and his tongue is venomous!"

The subsequent conversation shifted to divine sense transmission, and the discussion became intense in an instant.

Discussing it right in front of the person involved was a bit too direct.

With his divine sense scattered to prevent any contingencies, Du En, who was listening in directly, glanced at them as they chased after him, but he did not point it out sharply, simply stepping into the water vortex node first.

The group stepped in one after another, becoming more nervous the further they went.

Then, they finally arrived at the center of the Dragon Palace and saw a massive palace that looked as if it had been bitten by some terrifying giant beast, covered in hideous cracks and appearing precarious.

This was the true Dragon Palace!

Their location was on the square of the straight path leading to the main hall of the Dragon Palace.

It was silent, filled with deathly stillness, and the spiritual energy environment was also dead; not a shred of vitality remained, making it a complete dead zone that felt incredibly oppressive.

Their hearts felt heavy, as if burdened by such a dead world, a dead heaven and earth, to the point where even negative emotions could not arise.

Thus, they stopped again.

Then, they stepped forward again.

Du En took another step.

He was a person with a firm Dao heart, possessing a foundation far exceeding that of ordinary people, and having constantly endured the burning of the Phoenix's Remnant Hatred, experiencing the torment that covered his body, mind, and will from time to time, like true gold refined in fire, he had long since forged an unimaginably strong resistance!

At the same time, in practical terms, his divine soul Nascent Soul had begun to step beyond the category of a genius, and his physical magic power was also ceaseless and inexhaustible.

A comprehensive, all-around strength that combined both the virtual and the real!

Therefore, the oppression here could not suppress him at all.

All around, a layer of dead ash several feet high was spread out, solidified and stagnant, but as long as one stepped on it or touched it, one would sink directly in without it flying up.

Because the large flood dragon from before had cleared a path that was still passable, leaving only the half-foot of dead ash that had collapsed and remained, the group did not sink directly in as soon as they entered.

Otherwise, many people might have lost their mental anchor due to not seeing others, causing their Dao hearts to collapse in the suddenness.

Yet even in such a situation, Du En continued to move forward calmly as if he had not felt this terrifying oppression, while his gaze and divine sense perception remained functional, seeing the hindquarters of the other three large flood dragons on the straight square outside the main hall.

They were like solidified stone statues; if not for the flowing power of obsession within them, they would truly be stone statues, but even so, no matter what their front halves were encountering now, their hindquarters had not and would not move a single bit.

"Stone statues blocking the road and sealing the gate..."

Thinking this, Du En focused his gaze on the main hall, which his divine sense perception could not penetrate, as if he had encountered a wall of sighs.

Looking over, he could only see a deep, pitch-black void within the thousand-foot-high, collapsed, and broken gate, truly like the entrance to the underworld!

Then, his pace clearly quickened.

Nangong Sheng and the others followed his pace in a stiff, mechanical manner; at this moment, they could not even generate emotions, and it was only because Du En was still in their sight, moving straight ahead, that they were driven to move along with him.

In this way, one after another, they arrived before the Dragon Palace main hall.

Upon reaching it, it appeared even more towering; the thousand-foot gate entrance and the thousands-of-feet-high ruined walls were ancient, heavy, majestic, and luxurious, difficult for even time to erode.

Standing again on this elevated platform not built for humans before the gate and looking back, he saw only the dead ash covering the empty square; it was hard to imagine how many large flood dragons had died to be able to cover this square evenly to a height of several feet!

Finally glancing at the others, Du En did not pause and took the lead, stepping directly into the main hall.

Drip-drop~

The sound of flowing water dripping, an incredibly vivid sound, suddenly appeared in everyone's ears, making them feel suddenly enlightened, as if seeing the light of day again; the terrifying oppression vanished at once, and their emotions instantly returned.

Then, they were struck with horror, feeling that it would have been better to remain as they were just before.

Horns like a deer, head like a camel, eyes like a rabbit, neck like a snake, belly like a clam, scales like a fish, claws like an eagle, palms like a tiger, ears like an ox... this is what is called a dragon, this is a True Dragon!

Inside the Dragon Palace main hall, which contained its own universe, the first thing the group saw was the corpse of a True Dragon, undulating like hills and coiling like a mountain range!

A True Dragon's corpse, immortal for ten thousand years!

One after another, one by one, piece by piece, countless massive corpses, cold as mountain ranges, were piled together, leaning against one another.

They were lifelike, cold and hideous, as if they were still alive, with their pressure lingering and contained within their bodies, giving them the terrifying illusion that if it were released, it would surely shatter the heavens and split the earth.

"But after all, it is only an illusion."

Du En paused for a moment, having already quickly adapted, and then followed the sound to observe his surroundings, but he did not see the source of the dripping sound from just before.

Taking a few steps forward, looking at the dragon body that was several hundred feet high, and facing the True Dragon scale in his eyes that was enough to cover nearly ten square feet with just one piece, he reached out his hand to grab the cold edge and pulled hard with a sudden burst of strength.

Not moving a single inch!

"There's no way to take the parts off."

He couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.

So many True Dragon corpses were truly a wealth of resources that could be called astronomical; even a True Monarch would drool at the sight of them, but now, with only their own small arms and legs, it was simply impossible to obtain even a tiny scrap from them.

He did not make any more pointless attempts, and while the others were still struggling to adapt, he directly moved on to the next step.

He attempted spatial movement, but it did not succeed; it was completely restricted.

This was as expected, because after stepping inside, he had vaguely felt this.

He tried flying again; he could fly, but the consumption was several times higher than normal, and because the spiritual Qi in this place was also zero, it was impossible to effectively recover mana under normal circumstances, so this action was actually just continuously depleting his mana reserves.

However, for Du En, whose mana was endless, this problem was equivalent to non-existent, and the impact was not significant.

Glancing at the group, he did not choose to fly off alone, but landed back down and said calmly: "It seems we can only climb the corpses."

Hearing this, the group, who had just managed to recover a little, immediately wore expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

Listen to what you are saying?

Go climb these mountain-like corpses of True Dragons?

Aren't you afraid they will move like the Great Flood Dragon and slap them, these ants, into a pulp, shattering them on the spot?

"Or, you can tie yourselves together, and I will take you to fly?"

Du En proposed this suggestion again.

"No need, climbing is fine!"

Nangong Sheng, acting as the representative, directly refused, leaving the others wanting to cry but having no tears.

Losing face is one thing, but we don't care!

Unfortunately, the general's opinion was set, and as pawns, they only had the duty to obey and act.

Moreover, there was actually no time for them to hesitate, because very soon, three distinct but still quite obvious movements came from far away, one after another.

The other three blockades had been opened, and people from other Immortal Sects were about to arrive.

They immediately felt a sense of urgency; the hard-won head start must not be snatched away by others!

Thus, they immediately gritted their teeth, and even though their hands and feet were trembling and they were terrified in their hearts—unable to suppress it at all—they had to follow behind the three who were already climbing upward.

Even though these True Dragon corpses did not actually emit any influence, and even though they all had physical bodies far stronger than ordinary people, possessing the strength of a thousand jun with ease and capable of jumping a hundred or so zhang high with a simple leap.

However, they still spent half an hour, which was completely unimaginable in the past, before they all stumbled and climbed onto the spine of the True Dragon.

The road ahead would be a little easier to walk.

Walking along the side of the dorsal fins that were like towering sharp swords, and walking on the undulating dragon corpse that was like hills, it really felt like walking on a cold wilderness.

Except for the lack of sky and clouds, everything was so similar, even the towering heights in the distance were very much alike.

No!

That is?!

When they reached a raised, relatively high place, the incomparably tiny group was finally able to look out from afar and see the relatively comprehensive and clear scene of this vast and boundless Prostrate Dragon Hall.

Ten thousand dragons were all dead, their corpses lying horizontally, all worshipping toward a spot in the center.

Those were coiled True Dragons, five in total, five of them, their bodies even more massive, as if they connected heaven and earth, towering, unfathomable mountain peaks supporting the sky!

"C-could it be..."

"Dragon, Dragon King?"

Nangong Sheng stammered, Jiang Ying's speech was not fluent, and with her supreme physical body here, she had long since shrunk like a quail; at this moment, seeing the corpse of the Dragon King from afar, she wished even more that she were just air.

"Dragon King, King of True Dragons, Dragon Lord, True Monarch."

Du En calmly recited these four words, whose meanings were actually equivalent and consistent.

In the Dragon Palace upheaval back then, not only did ten thousand dragons die out, but the successors of the five Great Dragon Venerables, their direct blood descendants, the designated Dragon Kings at the time, also fell and died here, becoming five high and unreachable isolated peaks.

While gazing at these isolated peaks, before the group's astonishment could subside, human figures smaller than sesame seeds suddenly appeared from four directions in the distance.

The main force of the Mu Cang Immortal Sect, the Fu Dong Immortal Sect, the Rotten Forest Immortal Sect, and the two women, Tao Shao of Rotten Forest and Rui Yi of Stop-Boundary.

Although they were far apart from each other, Du En and his group still captured them clearly at a glance.

Their brows could not help but furrow one after another.

The Rotten Forest side was easier to explain; as the instigators, they were well-prepared, so they could still maintain a relatively good state at this moment, although their eyes also appeared distracted and they felt terrified to the extreme at the scene here.

However, what was going on with the others?

Those three from Fu Dong were not panicked despite their surprise, and even vaguely felt like fish in water, as if they had returned to their hometown; it was simply like seeing a ghost!

On the Mu Cang side, under the interception of the Great Flood Dragon, one had died, leaving only four; at this moment, they were drifting and floating, as if they were truly ghosts, and thus they were exempted from some of the influence, looking quite spirited.

Then looking at the Rotten Forest general Tao Shao, she was striding with her head held high, ten zhang per step, appearing quite disdainful.

And then there was Rui Yi of Stop-Boundary; the little junior sister behind her looked terrified, while she herself was mysterious and unfathomable, clearly unaffected, and while helping the other walk, she displayed a leisurely and relaxed demeanor.

These two sides did not know why they had gotten together and actually appeared in the same place.

Although from the subtle details, they were on guard against each other, and that Tao Shao was still approaching from behind, and the direction of their appearance was also quite strange, as if they were sneaking in through the cracks instead of walking through the main entrance like the main force of their sect.

But both were people who could not be underestimated, so Du En naturally would not be careless.

"Uh, Du, Du En, why do I, feel, that they all, are prepared, all, possess unique skills, and, and only our side doesn't?"

Jiang Ying's lips were not very nimble, her speech was stuttering, and looking at the performance of the several major Immortal Sects opposite, the contrast was even stronger, and she felt very awkward.

"It is indeed true that we have no head start; after all, we were not instructed by the Sect Master."

Du En directly stated the crux of the matter that the group was currently being affected by, making their brains not work very well, so they hadn't realized it for a moment.

They were indeed people from various factions of the upper echelons of their sect, but there were actually differences between the upper echelons—the five deciding True Monarchs of the Falling Feather Immortal Sect chose to group together to resist the Sect Master Supreme above their heads, so in fact, they appeared quite fractured.

The current encounter of Du En and his group was clearly an extension of this situation.

And the other Immortal Sects, although also led by True Monarchs, did not have this kind of fracture; they came representing the Supremes, which could be clearly seen from the fact that they had the means to protect the Taotie True Monarch earlier, to the current situation where these Nascent Soul peers were all well-prepared and could maintain their states.

For a moment, everyone felt even heavier at heart; no longer bothering to say anything more, they simply gritted their teeth and hurried to quicken their pace.

(End of chapter)