Chapter 308: The Nine Transformations of Hou Bianfa and the Ancestral Dragon Transformation, Divine Court Decree, All Dragons Listen

The architectural style of the Dragon Ascension Platform, besides the inherent vastness of the Dragon Clan, is mostly majestic and solemn.

However, on a Dragon Ascension Platform named 'Mu' in the south, the surrounding architectural style becomes mysterious and bizarre, and even the environment turns gloomy and chilling; the originally tall and straight trees have lost all their leaves, their dense and sharp branches resembling demons baring their fangs and claws.

"Whoosh—!"

A sinister wind roars, swirling around a purple figure.

In the tornado, the Purple Bone Venerable stands tall like a green pine, his deep purple long robe seemingly merging with the void. His face is withered, his flesh and blood nearly dried up, as if on the verge of death.

Yet his eyes shimmer with mysterious purple light, as if capable of piercing the soul.

In his hand, he holds a Purple Flame Demon Bone Staff, its shaft crafted from mysterious purple bones,

with wisps of purple flame swirling around it, as if capable of incinerating all things in the world. Every swing brings forth a terrifying storm of purple flames.

He is attempting to alter the laws of heaven and earth, yet this is not for attack.

Beneath the Mu-character Dragon Platform where the Purple Bone Venerable stands lies a massive dragon skull, placed upon an artificially constructed altar.

It is nearly half the height of the Dragon Ascension Platform; the dragon skull itself is not small, lying flat on the altar with a height exceeding eight hundred meters.

On both sides of the dragon skull on the white bone altar are two blue flying dragons exceeding five thousand meters in length.

They are pinned to the altar by chains, completely unable to struggle.

As the Purple Bone Venerable waves his staff, a beam of blue light from the two peak Lord-class flying dragons enters the dragon skull.

Below, there is a red figure; his face is handsome yet sinister, with burning red light flickering in his eyes, as if capable of igniting a person's soul.

The Red Bone Venerable!

In his hand is the Blood Bone Sword, its blade entirely red like blood, emitting a bloodthirsty aura that makes one's heart tremble,

and with every swing of the Purple Bone Venerable, he continuously drains blood from the two peak Lord-class blue flying dragons.

Soon, the two peak Lord-class blue flying dragons are completely dead.

Their flesh, blood, and souls all turn into sacrifice, merging into the massive dragon skull.

"Bone One, Bone Two, send two more over."

The Purple Bone Venerable's voice is hoarse as he speaks to the two elders beside him.

"Yes, Venerable."

The two elders, Bone One and Bone Two, are pseudo-first-rank; they have no flesh or blood left, only skeletons and fire seeds, standing over ten meters tall, their entire bodies wrapped in black Daoist robes.

Their skeletons are not their own; they are all refined from the bones of other powerful beings or top-tier lifeforms they have sought out.

"Mu" in the Dragon Tongue means "summoning souls"; it grows in the Netherworld.

At this moment, what the two Venerables are doing is attempting to refine the massive dragon skull below by utilizing the Dragon Ascension Platform here.

Because this is the skull of a Great Dragon King they excavated from a secret realm!

"Sixteen Venerable-class beings jointly dug open the Great Dragon Tomb and divided the corpse and bones of the Great Dragon King 'Wu'."

"With the support of the Purple Long Wang Ting, our Shen Sect seized the dragon skull; if it can be refined into a magical artifact, it will be at least a Treasure-class item!"

The Purple Bone Venerable's gaze is greedy as he looks down at the dragon skull.

Especially in a place like the Ancient Long Wang Ting, the power it can unleash is even greater!

Because the laws of heaven and earth favor the Dragon Clan; the strength of a Dragon King-level being is generally superior to a human first-rank expert. If it were in Wang Cheng, it would be even stronger. Otherwise, the Dragon Kings of the various kingdoms would have long been beheaded by humans to seize their treasures. Why would they need to pay tribute?

The power unleashed by a Treasure-class divine artifact of the Dragon Clan here is also stronger than that of a Treasure-class divine artifact crafted by humans.

As for the Great Dragon King, there is no comparable target, because human super-first-rank experts simply cannot enter this place.

However, according to this rule, a living Great Dragon King here would certainly be stronger than a human super-first-rank expert.

"The Great Dragon King Skull Refinement Plan has been planned back and forth for a thousand years; if I can succeed with it, the next Divine Lord will be born between me and him."

"If he does not contend with me, so be it; if he contends with me—"

The Purple Bone Venerable looks down at the red figure below, a hint of deeply hidden killing intent flashing in his eyes.

However, just at this moment,

Bone One and Bone Two, who had just flown out to catch living dragons for sacrifice, suddenly returned rapidly.

"Reporting to the Venerable, a powerful expert has breached the southern part of the Dragon Ascension Platform; they are about a thousand li away from us. The ten Lord-class dragons and thirty-two City Lord-class dragons stationed in that area are all dead."

"Elder 'Bone Thirteen' is also dead."

"Hmm?" The Purple Bone Venerable immediately furrows his brows. "Which faction is responsible?"

"Not yet ascertained."

The Purple Bone Venerable rotates his staff and begins to calculate.

As a Venerable-class expert at the first-rank Fate Palace realm, almost all possess the art of divination.

However, as soon as the staff began to rotate, a skull upon it lit up with Jin Guang, and a backlash emerged.

"A Fate Palace realm expert has breached our territory; it is not someone from the Alliance."

"Then it must be a master from Great Zhou."

The information he received was very, very little, yet even by guessing, he could deduce it.

"Bone One, Bone Two, take Dragon Clan Lords to investigate the situation."

"Kill if you can; if you cannot kill, drive them east, west, and north."

The Purple Bone Venerable does not know the strength of the intruder.

He can only go and probe the depths first.

"Yes." Bone One and Bone Two immediately accepted the order.

"A first-rank expert of Great Zhou." The Purple Bone Venerable gazes toward a certain direction, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

The Purple Bone Venerable once fought experts of Great Zhou; during the Great Campaign to Pacify the Barbarians, Great Zhou once attacked Yin You Mountain and killed many experts of the Purple Long Wang Ting.

Later, although the Liang Wang rebellion incident occurred, causing Great Zhou's invincible glory to dim somewhat,

he still had a deep understanding of the strength of Great Zhou's experts.

"The Alliance's battlefield is the Fire Prison Plain; the Ascending Dragon Platform is not the main objective. Just drive them away and let the other three sects deal with them."

"As long as they don't provoke me, I'll turn a blind eye. Everything must focus on refining the Great Dragon King's bones."

On the Dragon Emperor's Ascending Dragon Platform, a thousand li away, the originally ink-black massive stones had been rendered golden.

The ancient dragon patterns carved on every stone emitted the power of laws.

The dark clouds had turned into golden auspicious clouds. To the east of the Ascending Dragon Platform, a colossal Dragon Emperor statue rose. The Dragon Emperor statue shimmered with golden light, as if forged from pure gold.

The majestic dragon head was raised high, its pair of dragon eyes like brilliant stars, radiating boundless majesty and dominance. The dragon scales were layered, seemingly containing the mysteries of time and space.

"Whoosh~"

The fire at this moment had shrunk by a circle, as if suffering from 'excessive blood loss'.

"Activating it is truly not easy."

Zhao Xing felt a sensation of being drained dry in his body.

The Dragon Emperor Codex, in its complete form, is a peerless treasure of the supreme grade; once torn apart, even the fragmented chapters are the strongest treasures of the artifact grade.

Hou Bianfa's six transformations are truly a bit insufficient.

"I'll eat!"

Zhao Xing scooped up the two bottles placed on the ground and violently inhaled the Kiss True Blood within.

Originally, this was a resource Ling Ling Tianchen had given him for cultivation to break through to the seventh transformation.

But at this moment, Zhao Xing had no choice but to use it to restore himself first.

Otherwise, he would be sucked dry into a 'dragon jerky'.

"Akulama, the Realm of Sotu—. —"

"Ancient Dragon Canon, Divine Protection Hua Zang———. —"

After receiving replenishment, Zhao Xing continued chanting the unsealing incantation in Upper Dragon Tongue.

Thanks to Shi Wenxuan's teachings and the materials he consulted in the Great Dream Academy, Zhao Xing's unsealing speed was now quite fast.

However, the enemies arrived even faster.

Half a ke after the ritual was activated.

"Swish swish~"

Bone One and Bone Two, riding a white bone warship, appeared on the outskirts of the 'Dragon Emperor Ascending Dragon Platform' with ten Heavenly Fortune Realm elders and fifty Dragon Clan lords.

"What, this—.."

Bone One and Bone Two were instantly stunned.

"Is this the Dharma Body of Dragon Emperor Jie?"

"This Ascending Dragon Platform is obscure and has never displayed any strange phenomena; why has the Dharma Body of Dragon Emperor Jie appeared here now?"

"Bone One, could it be a mistake·——"

"How is that possible! Look at them!" Bone One pointed to the lord-level dragons surrounding the warship.

Originally, they all obeyed the Dragon King War Command standing on the white bone warship; relying on the might of this hundred-meter-high war command, Bone One and Bone Two could mobilize these lord-level dragons.

However, at this moment, they all became agitated. Without waiting for their orders, they let out long roars towards the direction of the Ascending Dragon Platform.

"Aaaah~~"

"Aaaah roar!!"

Fifty lord-level dragons all prostrated themselves before the Dragon Emperor Dharma Body.

"It truly is Dragon Emperor Jie! Otherwise, such a situation could not occur!"

"Could the powerful ones of Great Zhou be sacrificing to the Dragon Emperor?"

"Attack inside!"

Bone One waved the huge dragon bone staff in his hand and struck the 【Dragon King War Command】 standing at the bow of the ship.

The dragon bone staff struck a specific position, and the crowd of dragons immediately fell silent.

Yet, making them attack the Dragon Emperor Ascending Dragon Platform was completely unfeasible.

"We can only go up ourselves!"

After notifying the two Heavenly Venerables, Bone One and Bone Two led the ten second-grade elders under their command and continued forward.

"Vroom~"

Upon flying to twenty li from the Ascending Dragon Platform, a formation barrier appeared.

"Great Zhou's Boundary Stele Array? A mere trifle!"

Bone One sneered coldly. If a ninth-grade Boundary Stele Array were set up within Great Zhou's territory, they might have been wary, but here, it could not stop them at all.

"Dragon King Bone Spikes! Go!"

Bone One's black robe tore, revealing his white bone war body; nine bone spikes grew from behind his spine.

The shortest was three meters, the longest five meters.

Under his control, three bone spikes detached from his body and instantly pierced the barrier ahead.

"Puff puff puff!"

Every Dragon King Bone Spike stabbed into the barrier, as if planted upon it.

Subsequently, the dense small holes on the bone spikes began to devour the power of the barrier.

"Open!"

Bone One waved his hands, and the three Dragon King Bone Spikes propped open a triangular window.

The ten Heavenly Fortune Realm elders immediately drilled through, followed closely by Bone One and Bone Two.

"The first layer of the barrier is broken."

The Divine Luo King stood beside the dragon ship.

"A total of ten Second-Rank and two First-Rank."

"They brought the Dragon King's Bone Spikes."

"Why are there only so few people?"

Jiang Chuan, Xiao Huang, Ye Yukong, Tong Jin, and Ji Mengjun were all puzzled.

According to the intelligence Bone Thirteen provided, the Baigu Sect had four First-Rank and sixteen Second-Rank members, with over a hundred Dragon Clan Lords.

Of course, Bone Thirteen knew nothing about the matter of refining the Great Dragon King's skull.

Though they didn't understand, the battle still had to be fought.

"Miu Miu~"

Xiao Huang's flute sound sounded the horn of battle; among the six, apart from him, the other five flew out one by one to meet the enemy.

When the five flew out of the Dragon Boat, the figures of Tong Jin, Ye Yukong, Shen Luo Wang, and Jiang Chuan distorted, finally vanishing completely.

Great sound is silent; great form is formless!

By using the Dao of Great Sound to twist the rules of heaven and earth, completely hiding the traces of the four companions, this was a supreme method of invisibility, capable of concealing even the fluctuations of Qi, True Intent, and even the Dao.

Of course, Ji Mengjun did not need this.

Some of her battle dances conflicted with this method; she needed to be seen.

Zhao Xing's clone watched the four figures vanish into invisibility.

"Second-Rank Heavenly Fate Realm, spells can twist the rules of heaven and earth; I can still understand a tiny bit of the changes."

+

"First-Rank Fate Palace Realm, changing the rules of heaven and earth, I simply cannot understand at all."

"Before mastering the Dragon Emperor Codex, I cannot participate."

"But it doesn't matter; once the Dragon Emperor Codex is mastered, the situation will be different."

"Right now it is just the unsealing process; once the Dragon Emperor Ascension Platform is opened, those Dragon Clan Lords will not attack."

"After I unseal it and master the Codex, I will have permissions higher than the Dragon King!" Zhao Xing glanced once, then lowered his head again.

The Ancient Dragon Court is the Dragon Clan's world; here, the rules of heaven and earth favor the Dragon Clan.

It is about Dragon Clan permissions!

It is not about judging human martial power.

Everyone knows the Dragon King Yin Xiu has so many treasures; Yin Li must have treasures too. The Dragon King corresponds only to First-Rank, yet why did so many First-Rank experts gather in the Ancient Wang Cheng, yet dare not go plunder, but instead obediently follow the rules to pay tribute and exchange?

The reason is simple: they cannot win.

If they could force their way through, the Ancient Dragon Court would have long become the human race's backyard garden; why would they need to learn Dragon Language? Just push through directly and it would be done.

After the battle outside the Ascension Platform began, Zhao Xing also entered the final stage.

From the start of the ritual to the unsealing, thanks to the kiss of the refined blood and what was learned at the Great Dream Academy, Zhao Xing shortened it to one and a half ke.

The Purple Bone Venerable, from the moment of knowing to sending people over to probe, also takes time; after all, the Ascension Platform is a relatively large area for the human race!

"Kaka~"

On the Dragon Emperor Ascension Platform, the last fragment of the carved shell fell off!

Zhao Xing's expression trembled; he stopped the incantation, a trace of excitement appearing in his eyes. He immediately bent down and landed in the center.

"Let out more than half a tube of my blood; finally, the unsealing is complete!"

At this moment, the Codex finally revealed its true form.

Nine five-clawed true dragons circled a golden ancient book ten meters long and three meters wide.

'Merely holding it, I will at most not be infringed upon; to truly utilize it and gain the Codex's power support, I must at least be able to open it and gain preliminary mastery!'

"Roar!"

Zhao Xing opened his huge mouth and swallowed the Codex in one gulp.

Boom!

After swallowing the Codex, Huo immediately fell heavily, smashing onto the ground.

The weight of the Divine Artifact was like swallowing heaven and earth!

"Ahh~"

A majestic and primal dragon roar issued from within his body.

"Boom Boom Boom~"

Huo's body immediately erupted with waves of Jin Guang; the fiery red scales and aura on his body were dyed gold.

The Codex inside his belly emitted Jin Guang particles that washed over Zhao Xing's body back and forth, like a great explosion.

"This is a trial of bloodline!"

"The Dragon Emperor Codex can be called the strongest Divine Artifact of the Post-Dragon Court era; even a part of it cannot fall into the hands of other races!"

"If we talk about other things, I might not necessarily handle it, but this is the Hou Transformation Method! In terms of bloodline, I am a true Dragon Clan!"

What Dharma Manifestations, Dragon Blood Golden Body—speaking purely of bloodline purity, they simply cannot compare to the Hou Transformation Method.

It must be known that once the Hou Transformation Method cannot be reversed, one truly belongs completely to that race!

Even if killed while in the Hou Transformation state, one remains in the form of the corresponding race.

The inheritance of the Ten Thousand Transformations Cave Heaven, passed down generation after generation, preserved the bloodline closest to purebred Dragon Clan.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom~"

Jin Guang washed over again and again; every surge of power penetrated to the deepest layers of flesh and blood!

It is both a trial and an evolution!

Zhao Xing could feel that Huo's life structure was now developing toward a more perfect Dragon Clan form!

The bottleneck between the sixth and seventh transformations of the Hou Transformation Method, which had existed before, melted away at an astonishing speed at this moment!

At the same time, the fire dragon scales began to molt; flesh and blood burst apart and rapidly repaired themselves.

"Aaaah~"

At a certain moment, Zhao Xing let out a roar.

The pressure of the Codex sharply decreased; he flew up!

A transformation, an astonishing transformation, occurred!

His Marquis Transformation Art, at this very moment, broke through to the Seventh Turn and the Eighth Turn!

"Aaaah! At this time, Zhao Xing's Dao was no longer the Fire Transformation, but the Qilin Transformation!"

However, his form differed greatly from Ling Tianchen's form!

"Legend says the Qilin has a dragon head and fish body, with no claws, yet I have grown claws."

"The power of the Codex has opened a new Marquis Transformation Art for me, but this art is not yet perfected." Zhao Xiu looked at his appearance and quietly waited for the second trial.

"Yuuu~"

In his sea of consciousness, the laws of heaven and earth descended, carrying the Great Dao of the Dragon Court, and struck his Fate Soul. "Merge!"

Zhao Xing immediately merged his seven major souls into one, becoming the Seven-Star Fate Soul; simultaneously, the Seven-Star Fate Soul changed shape, transforming into a dragon form.

The foundation of the Fate Soul in the Expansive Spirit Art lies in the seven Fate Stars; as for appearance, it is unimportant. Soul-type secret arts have similar transformations, such as Soul Blade, Soul Sword, Soul Spear, and so on.

"Crack crack crack~"

The Fate Soul teetered on the brink of collapse; Zhao Xing seemed to return to the situation when he first cultivated the Expansive Spirit Art.

Back then, it was the oppression of the Secret-Runed Stars; now, it is the oppression of the Dragon Court's Heavenly Dao.

Although Zhao Xing had only reached the Great Success of the first layer of the Expansive Spirit Art, his divine sense reached 49,999 strands; many who reached the second layer of the Expansive Spirit Art were no better than this, and he also possessed seven Fate Stars, fully capable of withstanding this trial of will.

Facing the laws of heaven and earth, the trial of the Dragon Court's Heavenly Dao, his Fate Soul continuously appeared with wounds, yet continuously repaired itself.

At the same time, his body also underwent changes, perfecting the new Marquis Transformation Art.

"Crack crack crack~"

Zhao Xing's face showed a look of pain; under this extreme oppression, he subconsciously recalled the scene of the Ancestral Dragon Opening Heaven from the "Ancestral Dragon Chant".

At the same time, his body could not help but let out a roar: "!"

This time, Zhao Xing finally heard his own voice.

"Huang!"

Like a bell and drum striking, the heavy sound of the Great Dao rose from between heaven and earth, piercing the rules between sky and earth.

At this moment, Zhao Xing completed a true transformation.

The Marquis Transformation Art reached the supreme Ninth Turn!

Voom~

The Dragon Court Codex within his body produced no further anomalies.

Zhao Xing looked down at his own body.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with the Qilin Transformation; a dragon head, five claws, golden scales, and an overwhelming bloodline are a completely different level; the fire essence blood in the acupoints has completely vanished."

"Trending toward the form of the Ancestral Dragon!" Zhao Xing evaluated thus.

That was the world's first true dragon, and his current form was almost exactly the same as the Ancestral Dragon's, only not so large.

A trace of the Ancestral Dragon's divine charm emanated from his Fate Soul.

This was because, while cultivating the Dragon Language Spells, he had captured a trace of the divine charm from "Ancestral Dragon Opening Heaven".

This was also the reason he passed the second trial of the Codex, the Fate Soul trial.

"The new Marquis Transformation Art shall be called the 'Ancestral Dragon Transformation'."

"All dragon race Marquis Transformation Arts ultimately pursue becoming the first true dragon."

"The ultimate goal of this method is the same."

Indeed, it has created a method with hope of pointing directly to the ultimate!

Of course, it is only hope for now, after all, only a trace of the Ancestral Dragon's divine charm was captured.

"It is only at the supreme level now; if it reaches the ultimate level, then it will be the strongest Marquis Transformation Art!"

Eggll~

Zhao Xing's body shrank rapidly, finally transforming into human form; a golden outer light appeared in his hand,

a heavy Codex that seemed to shimmer with a metallic luster.

"Voom~"

At the moment his hand touched it, several clear images floated in Zhao Xing's mind; one image was the deep black seabed, the second image was floating in the dark abyss.

"The locations of the other scattered pieces."

"So at this time, the Codex in Yin Xiu's hands was already in a three-in-one state?"

Zhao Xing originally thought that the Dragon Court Codex split into nine meant this was only one-ninth of it.

But now, having mastered it, he discovered it was one-third.

Because he had just obtained the locations of the other two places.

That proves that at this time, the Dragon Court Codex had only been split into three parts.

"I see now; no wonder the trial intensified and even made me create the Ancestral Dragon Transformation." Zhao Xing closed his eyes and linked them with memories from his past life.

"The reason I knew the Codex was in Yin Xiu's hands was because it was used in the past life."

"After Yin Xiu awoke, he waged war, relying on it to become the Great Dragon King; he wanted to enter the Sin Sea to retrieve the other scattered pieces and fought a earth-shattering battle with that rebellious dragon."

13

"It seems that at that time, the Dragon Court Codex was shattered, and he ultimately failed to unify the Dragon Court." Zhao Xing, now combining the background story of that time, suddenly understood many things.

"The seabed of the Sin Sea matches what I know; the death scene I saw on the Chosen Island back then was indeed the Sin Sea."

"The second location is the Tianyuan Demon Clan."

"The Dragon Emperor Jie divided the Codex into three parts: one to suppress the Naihai, one to suppress the Tianyuan, and one to govern the world."

"After his death, the Governance Chapter of the law passed through many hands until it came into Yin Xiu's possession."

In a flash, Zhao Xing understood everything.

"Hmph, this time it's in my hands—it won't be scattered again! Yin Xiu— — who understands the Dragon Clan better than I do?"

Just then, Zhao Xing heard a faint sound of air being pierced from afar.

A Dragon King's bone spike pierced through space, heading straight for the Shenglong Platform.

As it neared the edge of the Shenglong Platform, a figure appeared and punched the Dragon King's bone spike.

"Heaven-and-Earth Dragon Fist!"

Tong Jin's muscles swelled, the veins on his skin writhing like Shilong beasts; he threw a punch, and seven Heavenly Dragon phantoms emerged.

"Bang!"

The Dragon King's bone spike was instantly smashed away into oblivion.

Without even glancing back, Tong Jin's figure vanished.

At this point, Zhao Xing could now track the battlefield's movements.

He had only just completed his trial; the battle for offense and defense had just begun.

"First-rank against first-rank, second-rank against second-rank—the battlefield is divided."

"Xiao Huang's initial cover was excellent; three of the Baigu Sect's ten second-ranks were slain in a single clash."

"Now the number of first-ranks is even, but the Baigu Sect has three more second-ranks."

The number of first-ranks is even, but their strength is not balanced.

Ji Mengjun faces Bone One.

While Zhao Xing observed the battlefield, Bone One's soul had already been driven out; his White Bone Battle Body exploded—the earlier spike was launched by Bone One's battle body.

He was trying to disrupt the Dragon Emperor's Shenglong Platform ritual.

Tong Jin had the upper hand against Bone Two, but Ji Mengjun dispatched Bone One too quickly; after the explosion, he was forced to retreat from Bone Two to protect Zhao Xing from the bone spikes.

Killing enemies is not the main goal—protection comes first.

In the second-rank battlefield: Ye Ye Yukong fights three, Jiang Chuan fights two, Shen Luo Wang fights two, and Xiao Huang supports the second-rank battlefield.

All had the upper hand initially, but after Bone One's explosion, the situation changed.

Bone spikes were fired toward the second-rank battlefield, attempting to aid the Baigu Sect's second-rank elders in retreating.

"Ancestral Dragon Transformation!"

Zhao Xing's combat instincts triggered an instant reaction—he surged toward the southern side of the Shenglong Platform.

Arriving beside Jiang Chuan, his dragon body curled tightly.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

Three bone spikes struck his scales; the Dragon King's bone spikes, comparable to ninth-rank divine weapons, were blocked by the Codex's Jin Guang defense.

The immense impact force left not even a mark on the dragon scales.

He rescued Jiang Chuan first because this fellow was a fragile spellcaster; even at a distance and without precise aim, he risked severe injury from a first-rank self-destruction.

As for Shen Luo Wang, he was protected by the Shen Luo Mechanized Armor—no spike could pierce through its layered defenses to harm him. Tong Jin guarded Ye Ye Yukong; Ji Mengjun and Xiao Huang were not targets.

"Marquis Shenwei?" Jiang Chuan looked bewildered, staring at the massive dragon body.

Zhao Xing ignored him; he soared through heaven and earth, swiftly flying to the edge of the barrier.

He spat out the golden Codex, which flipped open to a page.

Then, draconic speech echoed across heaven and earth.

"Imperial Edict of the Divine Court, words of truth as command—I, in my dignity as Great Dragon King, strip you of your Dragon Clan identity!"

Giant golden characters flew out from the Codex.

The golden characters twisted and merged rapidly, forming a colossal dragon that surged toward the fleeing Bone Two and the seven Baigu Sect elders.

After mastering the Dragon Emperor's Codex, Zhao Xing could wield Dragon Language surpassing upper ninth-rank—【Dragon Emperor Golden Script】.

It was a language created by Dragon Emperor Jie, its essence identical to the Nine Divine Spells.

To cast the Nine Divine Spells, one must master 【Dragon Emperor Golden Script】.

If one holds the Dragon Emperor's Codex and masters 【Dragon Emperor Golden Script】, one may cast—【True Word Edicts】.

The first page of the Governance Chapter is the 【Vein-Stripping Edict】.

It can strip away a Dragon Clan member's title, identity, and reduce their bloodline power.

Zhao Xing wanted to test the Codex's power—he chose Bone Two and the others as his trial.

The effect was astonishingly effective; after the golden characters transformed into a dragon, they crossed space and caught up with Bone One and the seven elders.

Zhao Xing wanted to test the Codex's power, so he used Gu E and the others to gauge the waters.

The dragon shadow seemed to pass through the eight of them, then ignored space and returned to the Codex.

"What?!" Bone One froze in shock. "My Dragon Title's protection has vanished—"

The dragon shadow seemed to pass through the eight men, then disregarded space itself and returned into the Codex.

Just as the official aura of the Great Zhou protected its officials, Dragon Clan titles offered similar effects—though weaker, primarily enabling mutual sensing among Dragon Clan members.

It was a symbol of status and rank.

In the Dragon Clan, title and office were one; Bone One's Dragon Title was earned in the ancient Lei Kingdom's Grand Arena—it was 【Dragon Trainer Lord】, a rank higher than Lord but below Dragon King, responsible for training Dragon Clan war generals.

By rights, it was a heavenly bestowed position won through strength in the Grand Arena, not granted through tribute.

The dragon clan's titles and ranks are unified; Bone One's dragon title was earned in the Grand Arena of the Ancient Thunder Kingdom, titled 【Dragon Trainer Lord】, a rank higher than Lord but below Dragon King, responsible for training dragon war generals.

Logically, he earned this divine office through strength in the Grand Arena, not through tribute,

Even the Dragon King, without special equipment, could not strip his title.

But now, it has actually been reclaimed!

If he is like this, the other Second-Rank Elders are even more shocked; they have never seen such authority before!

A Divine Court Decree? Words are orders; one sentence strips away identity—such authority actually exists?!

The eight men experienced a brief lapse, completely failing to notice that the fifty Lord-level Dragon clans surrounding the warship were looking at them with changed eyes.

Having lost their Dragon identity, they are now aliens!

Entering the Divine Court requires Dragon bloodline and identity; otherwise, one is a heretic, and now Zhao Xing used the Divine Artifact to reclaim the power of Gu Yi and the others.

In the eyes of these Lord-level Dragon clans, these are no longer "our Dragons."

"People of the Dragon Court, hear my order: I command you to swiftly exterminate these aliens!"

Eight golden characters flew out from the Codex, transforming into the phantom images of five-clawed true dragons.

Only this time, they did not return; instead, they turned blood-red, circling above the eight men's heads.

The second chapter of the Divine Artifact, 【Extermination Decree】!

"Roar!"

The fifty prepared Lord-level Dragon clans swiftly charged toward Gu Yi and the seven elders.

At this moment, the eight men truly could not hold back their emotions.

They had fled back hoping to use these Lord-level Dragon clans as cover to escape.

But before they even boarded the ship, their authority failed, and instead, they were chased and hacked by the Lord-level Dragon clans!

"Ah, no!"

"I am the Thunder Dragon Great Lord; you cannot attack me!"

"I order you—pfft!"

They have gone mad!

The fifty Lord-level Dragon clans were completely like madmen.

A group of giant dragons soared into the sky, their massive bodies blocking out the sun and moon.

Some were Ji Meng Lords; they waved sharp weapons, dragon-patterned long swords with cold light flashing, runes flowing on the blades, each swing seeming to sever the void. Others gripped giant axes, their blades thick and fierce; one axe strike caused mountains to collapse and the earth to crack, smashing huge deep pits into the ground.

Some used their own dragon claws, dragon tails, and dragon flames against the enemy.

The roaring of the battle was deafening; the giant dragons' roars were like thunder exploding.

Fire, frost, and lightning intertwined on the battlefield; every attack contained the power to destroy heaven and earth.

A Red Dragon Lord spat out Xiong Xiong flames, instantly burning the surrounding air until it twisted; wherever it went, all became scorched earth.

Two Baigu Sect elders, unable to react in time, were burned to the bone by flames of extremely high level.

At the same Second-Rank level, Lord-level Dragon clans could basically crush humans, because this is the Dragon's world, let alone with so many of them now.

"!"

The Blue Dragon Lord spat out extreme cold air, emitting a piercing explosive sound; water vapor filled and intertwined.

These Lord-level Dragon clans even understood battle formation coordination.

The sight of ice and fire in two different heavens made Gu Er tremble with fear; how had he not realized these Lord-levels were so formidable before?

Why are they fighting so desperately just because I attacked them?

They cannot help but fight desperately because of the death order Zhao Xing gave.

That is to say, if the Dragon clans hearing the True Word Decree do not kill the eight marked men.

They will be executed!

So these Lord-level Dragon clans, each one acting like a madman, unleashed their ultimate moves immediately; various innate secret techniques, even cost-type secret arts that trigger a blood explosion, were all used!

Gu Er, a Dragon Training Lord, how could he possibly see this in normal times? Who would train someone to fight to the death with you?

"Bang bang bang bang bang!"

The seven Second-Rank elders had their physical bodies exploded instantly.

Under such intense attacks, their Life Souls did not last long either, being worn away by the distorted laws of heaven and earth.

Gu Er, however, though a pseudo-First-Rank, still counted as First-Rank; he held out for ten more breaths, even killing a Thunder Dragon Lord, before his skeleton was dismantled.

"Dragon King Bone Spikes!"

"Divine Bone Soul Sacrifice!"

In the instant his body exploded, Gu Er also triggered a self-destruction.

At the same time, golden marrow threads surfaced on his bone body, sinking into his Original Soul, transforming into a golden rainbow light, attempting to escape just like Gu Yi.

"Griii!!"

Seven Li Hun Dragons, gray dragon shadows emerging from their eyes, swiftly chased after him; the heaven and earth ahead twisted, and Gu Er was blocked again.

"The Li Hun Dragons actually triggered 'Heaven Soul Blood Sacrifice'—damn Zhou Dynasty officials!"

Gu Er hated Zhao Xing, this authority dog, to the core.

"Heavenly Venerable, save me—poof!"

Those were his last words before dying.

This pseudo-First-Ranker was thus surrounded and beaten to death by the suddenly "betraying" Lord-level Dragon clans; Gu Yi at least managed to escape with his soul, but he didn't even have a soul to escape.

Once all settled, only 48 of the fifty Lord-level Dragon clans remained.

"Ahhh~"

The 48 Lord-level Dragon clans obediently lined up and prostrated themselves beneath Zhao Xing.

When Ji Mengjun, Tong Jin, Jiang Chuan, Xiao Huang, Ye Yukong, and Shenluo Wang behind them saw this scene, they were also stunned.

"Old Luo, my Dragon Tongue isn't very good; translate for me, what did Zhao Xing just say,"

"What are they saying now?" Ye Yukong looked at the Shen Luo King beside him.

The Shen Luo King's gaze was also somewhat dazed: "Just now, Zhao Xing claimed to be the Great Dragon King, spoke of the 'Divine Court' and the 'True Edict', and then these Dragon Clan Lords obeyed him and wiped out the Baigu Sect people."

"Can authority be used across nations?" Jiang Chuan didn't understand, but was greatly shocked. "These are all Dragon Clan Lords of the Gu Lei Kingdom, right?"

"You ask me, who do I ask?" Xiao Huang pinched his flute, then looked at the Palace Second Seat, Ji Mengjun.

Tong Jin was the same; if anyone could understand this scene, it would likely only be Ji Mengjun, for her Dragon Tongue level and understanding of Dragon Clan civilization were the deepest among them.

"Don't look at me." Ji Mengjun's beautiful eyes flowed with layers of strange light. "I don't understand either, but those Dragon Clan Lords were indeed paying homage to the 'Great Dragon King'. The term Shen Luo King heard was accurate."

They naturally had never heard of the Dragon Emperor Code and the Dragon Clan Golden Script; originally, both were to emerge only during the Wu Di era, when Dragon King Yin Xiu held power. At that time, Yin Xiu attacked nine states, intending unification, which is why he became widely known.

Now they could not understand the content of the two edicts, nor comprehend the power of rules contained within, because they were not true Dragon Clan.

For humans to understand and comprehend, it would likely require the level of a Dragon King like Bai Yun Wu.

Counting Bai Yun Wu, the Great Zhou has only four Dragon Kings!

"Hoo~"

Zhao Xing swallowed the code again, transforming back into human form.

The forty-eight Dragon Clan Lords still waited obediently in place.

"Brother Zhao, this is—"

"Everyone, we'll talk on the way," Zhao Xing said. "Leave here first."

The Purple Bone Venerable and the Red Bone Venerable were genuine First Grade; figures titled Venerable were no simple folk, and Bone One and Bone Two could not compare to them at all.

Zhao Xing had only just mastered the code; he currently had no certainty of instantly killing the two Venerables.

There was no need to waste time.

"Seize!" Zhao Xing took away the enemy's Dragon Ship and the Dragon King War Order.

Swish, swish. Immediately, everyone boarded the ship, leading the forty-eight Dragon Clan Lords away from the Ascending Dragon Platform.

The Ascending Dragon Platform, the location of the Baigu Sect.

After Zhao Xing and the others left, Bone One's soul fled back.

"Hmm?" The Purple Bone Venerable frowned. "Bone One, what happened?"

"Venerable, a major incident has occurred!"

Bone One quickly reported everything that had just happened.

The Purple Bone Venerable and the Red Bone Venerable both flew up.

Hearing that Bone One was forced to self-destruct, they felt nothing unusual.

Ji Mengjun is the Palace's Six-Rank Great Dancer; without doubt, she will become the Dancer leader in the future.

Bone One was a weak First Grade; being blown up was normal.

But when Bone One mentioned that Zhao Xing subsequently descended from the Dragon Emperor Ascending Dragon Platform, transformed into a five-clawed True Dragon, and confusedly defected the Dragon Clan Lords of their Gu Lei Kingdom, the two Venerables' expressions changed drastically.

"This, how is this possible? Could that truly be the Ascending Dragon Platform related to Dragon Emperor Xie, and did the Great Zhou obtain some treasure?"

Facing something never seen before, the two Venerables were unwilling to believe it lightly.

If such a thing truly existed, it would cause great turmoil to the current situation! The siege of the Great Zhou would become a joke!

"Go quickly to the Ascending Dragon Platform!" The Purple Bone Venerable and the Red Bone Venerable stopped refining the Dragon Head Bones.

The two cast spells and quickly arrived at the Dragon Emperor Ascending Dragon Platform.

But at this moment, the Ascending Dragon Platform had returned to its original appearance, utterly unremarkable.

After ascending it, they used every known method, yet found no clue whatsoever.

The only thing they could confirm was that those Dragon Clan Lords had indeed fled with the Great Zhou's experts.

"This alliance action is doomed!" The Purple and Red Venerables exchanged glances, both realizing something.

"Venerable, should we inform the Wang Ting and the other sects?" Bone One asked.

"Tell half," the Purple Bone Venerable pondered.

"Correct," the Red Bone Venerable agreed.

What does "tell half" mean?

It means informing the Wang Ting and the allied forces, issuing a warning: the Great Zhou's experts may have obtained some top-tier authority related to the Dragon Emperor.

But conceal the fact that the Dragon Clan Lords were diverted, and mention nothing of the battle process.

This way, the warning is issued; if the siege operation on the Fire Prison Plain fails, the blame cannot be placed on the Baigu Sect afterward.

In the Purple Long Wang Ting, they are not the state religion, merely a top-tier sect; the state religion is occupied by the Shen Sect. Just consider the other top-tier sects: there are still the Four Saints, Qingyang, Guiyuan, Corpse Puppet, and others.

If the siege fails, the subsequent impact must be considered. The Great Zhou is far away in the Central Plains; they may not compete for profit with our Baigu Sect, but these 'allies' are neighbors. If the allies are weaker, we become stronger.

To the allies? State the matter in a calm tone. Internally? For instance, notifying the 'Seven Absolute True Lords' in the Gu Ting Wang Cheng, the tone must be a stern warning! This was the two Venerables' plan.

Gu Ting Kingdom, the Northern Sea region, the sleeping palace of Dragon King Yin Xiu.

"Respected Dragon King Yin Xiu, this is my tribute..."

The Crown Prince of the Great Snake Kingdom, 'Fengxiu Dajun', was currently transformed into a snake, prostrating on the Long Jing Avenue. He was conducting the tribute ceremony; after a long wait, he finally reached the fourth exchange.

Originally, everything proceeded smoothly.

But suddenly, "Aaaah~"

The Dragon Spirit of Dragon King Yin Xiu suddenly left the Long Jing Wang Zuo, shot into the sky, and vanished.

Fengxiu Dajun was instantly somewhat bewildered.

The items were taken, yet why did Yin Xiu suddenly leave?

He waited in place for a while and found the Long Jing Avenue and the Wang Zuo collapsing.

Clearly, he had no intention of returning.

"Damn it, can't take a loss—"

Prince Fengxiu cursed his way out of the Northern Sea Earth Dragon Palace.

Inside the palace of Yin Li, in the Wang Cheng of Gu Ting.

The dragon spirit of Dragon King Yin Xiu suddenly appeared.

"Li, do you feel it?"

"Yes, Xiu."

A dragon spirit flew out from the Wang Zuo; two dragon spirits swam in the mid-air.

"I feel a summons from the Dragon Court, as if a new Dragon King has been born."

"Li, you are wrong," Yin Xiu said. "It is not that a new Dragon King has been born; his power exceeds the King level, and even surpasses the Great Dragon King."

Yin Li was clearly shocked: "Xiu, what you mean is——"

Yin Xiu nodded: "Yes. As the inheritor of the Eastern Emperor's Golden Script, I have felt the power of the Dragon Emperor's Golden Script. The Nether Sea and the Heavenly Abyss also seem to have strange movements."

"The Dragon Emperor's Codex has appeared; someone has mastered the Codex."

"I feel a connection between him and me."

Yin Li fell silent; this news shocked him so deeply that he could not speak.

However, his elder brother Yin Xiu was different from the other Dragon Kings.

He could only feel that a new Dragon King had emerged, but as the inheritor of the Eastern Emperor's Golden Script, Yin Xiu's talent and power were stronger, and he knew more.

"Waiting for many years, all for this moment."

"Li, I will awaken early and go to the Dragon Court to follow his footsteps and reshape the Dragon Court."

"From today on, you must prepare for war. Especially, prepare to awaken the other ancient Dragon Kings."

Hearing his brother's words, Yin Li's dragon spirit surged: "Xiu, I will prepare immediately."

Central Dragon Court, above the Wilds.

"What? It can actually summon a Dragon King?" Ye Ye Yukong immediately cried out in shock: "What kind of divine artifact is this, to have such an effect!"

"The Dragon Emperor's Codex," Zhao Xing said with a smile. "You can understand it as a combination of the Dragon Clan's Imperial Seal, the Human Emperor Sword, and the Map of Mountains and Rivers."

"Hiss——"

After Zhao Xing said this, everyone understood, but immediately afterward they drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

"Then can't you rule the entire ancient Dragon Court territory?"

"Not that exaggerated," Zhao Xing shook his head. "The ancient Dragon Court territory has deep foundations; this divine artifact is only a part. I have only obtained the 'Imperial Seal' part."

Although he said this, it was enough for the current stage.

Why say the current stage? Because during the small-scale tide in the Wu Di period, the ancient Dragon Court territory would also be affected. At that time, the ancient Dragon Kings (Great Dragon Kings) of the Dragon Court territory would meet the conditions for awakening. At that time, relying solely on scattered parts would not be enough.

Of course, it is absolutely enough now.

A Dragon King with a divine artifact is an existence beyond the first grade. Zhao Xing does not need to awaken too many; just getting two with divine artifacts to assist is enough to sweep away all other human factions.

In the current human race, whether it is the Great Zhou or external enemies, the highest authority is the Dragon King level. Slightly special cases might have a chance to invite other Dragon Kings. But such exceptions are only 'inviting,' not mobilizing.

Zhao Xing now walked out of the Ascending Dragon Platform, intending to go to the teleportation array of the True Long Wang Cheng to recruit people from everywhere—no, recruit dragons!

"Marquis Shenwei, which Dragon King do you intend to summon?" Ji Mengjun asked.

The others looked over curiously.

For this kind of authority they had never seen, they were also very curious.

Zhao Xing was about to state his plan, but his eyebrows twitched.

"It seems I don't need to spend time searching anymore."

"Dragon King Yin Xiu has already arrived at the True Long Wang Cheng."