Chapter 34: Evil Spirit Bone Dragon, Golden Awakening (4K)

Death Canyon.

Ink-black clouds coiled like giant serpents; torrential rain poured from heaven, and two figures advanced through the storm, evil winds everywhere, making the shadows trailing behind them flicker wildly.

“Forty-nine days…”

Mu Ye let out a heavy sigh, his face now etched with weariness, and turned to Zhao Xuanzhen: “Daily combat to the limit is a brutal test for both body and spirit. The forty-ninth day is the absolute limit for secondary awakening—beyond that, you damage the Soul Master’s root.”

“So today is your final chance—success or death!”

“Mm.”

Zhao Xuanzhen gave a slight nod, his form descending into the ghostly black canyon, his soul power slowly surging as three ten-thousand-year soul rings rose in concentric circles, solemn under the storm’s glare.

His fists clenched tightly, Mu Ye could not fathom it: True Self is the pinnacle of the body martial soul—secondary awakening should have been completed around day twenty, at the latest no later than day thirty.

By day thirty, Mu Ye had already felt dark clouds gathering; by day forty-nine, even the current head of the Body Sect was sweating profusely from nervous tension.

Secondary awakening is the foundational power that elevates the body martial soul beyond ordinary martial souls; Mu Ye dared not imagine what would happen if the legendary divine-tier body martial soul failed to awaken—would the Body Sect’s entire doctrine collapse?

“Xuanzhen.”

Mu Ye seemed to have made a decision, his gaze sharpening: “Today’s limit training differs from before—your enemy is no longer waves of weak undead, but the last surviving monster in Death Canyon.”

“I will break the ancestral seal and awaken a soul monarch far beyond the Soul Elder limit.”

Most Body Sect disciples undergoing secondary awakening are three- or four-ring Soul Elders; every Body disciple’s life is invaluable—the Body Sect forbids Death Canyon from harboring overpowered threats and regularly eliminates such monsters.

But one undead was an exception—its living bloodline was extraordinarily noble, so the Body Sect ancestors spared it, sealing it away and leaving behind a sect decree.

If the Body Sect ever produces a prodigy whose limits cannot be forced by ordinary pressure, then release this undead—let it become the final touchstone for the Body Sect’s successors’ secondary awakening!

Streams of dark-gold light surged into the core of Death Canyon; Mu Ye used the Body Sect’s secret art to shatter the seal—the slumbering monster began to awaken!

“Roar—”

A hoarse roar echoed from afar; a hurricane tore through Death Canyon, countless withered branches, rain, and gravel coalescing into a black vortex, soul flames igniting eerie emerald green in the pitch-black world!

Undead creatures crave life energy; sensing the alluring vitality, the monarch unfolded its vast bony wings and rose from the ground, unveiling its mystery!

A dragon-like creature, its body forged from black bone, unbreakable; its skull grotesque and terrifying, empty eye sockets flickering twin emerald flames, claws bristling with bony protrusions, joints sprouting three spear-like bone spines.

King of Death Canyon—Evil Spirit Bone Dragon!

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon roared to the heavens; wind and rain bowed like subjects of the dragon clan, shattered by the sonic wave. The monarch’s roar echoed across Death Canyon, filling every undead with primal fear—they trembled, crawled, dared not approach.

With a violent flap of its wings, the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon descended like a black meteor; even a hundred meters away, Zhao Xuanzhen felt his face torn by the gale’s cutting force!

First and third soul rings flared simultaneously!

His jet-black hair turned translucent pale as Liuli ; his entire body glowed with the luster of semi-transparent jade, black and white energy currents swirling into a rotating Taiji diagram. The third soul skill, Wuji Dao, amplified his power, layered upon the upgraded first soul skill, Qi Moves Mountains and Rivers!

With Zhao Xuanzhen’s godlike combat stats, a full-power Qi Moves Mountains and Rivers could effortlessly slay ninety-nine percent of Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent—yet the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon’s emerald eyes held a hint of human-like mockery.

Its forelimb claws slashed—gales exploded like shockwaves, circular black ripples churned the rain, overpowering Qi Moves Mountains and Rivers with sheer brute force!

“Boom!!!”

The earth cracked under the explosion of the two skills; vegetation instantly turned to ash. Zhao Xuanzhen’s pupils darkened to deep blue as towering walls of earth rose around him.

“Dark wind… foul water…”

The earth walls shattered under the strain; a trickle of blood ran from Zhao Xuanzhen’s lips, his blue aura chillingly cold—he recognized the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon’s attributes: corrupted wind and water elements!

Depending on their living bloodline, bone dragons possess different attributes. Ten thousand years ago, the Bone Dragon King under the Saint Spirit Sect’s master was dual-element wind and fire; this one, controlling wind and water, was even more formidable in this stormy night—its environment was nearly a domain-level boost!

Mu Ye watched Zhao Xuanzhen and the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon from afar; after forty-nine days of high-frequency combat, he had seen True Self’s three soul skills, Tai Chi Fist, and Earth Disc Art countless times—he knew Zhao Xuanzhen’s limits better than anyone.

To quantify the gap between man and dragon: the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon’s combat value was three times Zhao Xuanzhen’s—this was outright crushing. Unless Zhao Xuanzhen achieved secondary awakening, he had no path to survival!

“Roar—”

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon opened its maw in a snarl—human soul skills could not touch it; after a thousand years of rebirth, it would savor the thrill of hunting life!

The great dragon flapped its wings, circling the sky, the screech of bone grinding filling the air; its monstrous shadow loomed below, the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon eager to see fear on the human’s face—like a hunter admiring prey’s struggle before the killing strike.

Zhao Xuanzhen disappointed it—he showed no sign of prey. He stood unmoved, like an unyielding peak, gazing straight into the dragon’s eyes; deep within his blue pupils, a flicker of gold appeared.

The air pressure seemed heavier. The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon knew it was no illusion—it was happening. Blue and golden light interwove; in the human’s solemn gaze, deep killing intent surfaced.

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon sensed danger and decided to end the hunting game—its tail lashed down like a whip, swift and powerful enough to create phantom afterimages even in the storm!

In the next instant, Zhao Xuanzhen’s three black ten-thousand-year soul rings flashed; a brilliant golden light erupted, intricate golden patterns tracing his exposed skin like liquid gold flowing beneath his flesh.

A golden silhouette rose—slender, handsome, unmistakably Zhao Xuanzhen himself, his pupils transformed into twin molten-gold whirlpools, a wave of qi surged, his hair flared like burning fire, his heartbeat thundered, shattering the rain curtain.

“Golden-level secondary awakening!”

Watching the dazzling golden silhouette reflected in his eyes, Mu Ye’s blood boiled—hard work never betrayed the diligent! On the forty-ninth day, True Self had awakened!

Secondary awakening has four tiers: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold.

Upon secondary awakening, the body martial soul undergoes a qualitative leap—like a hundred-thousand-year soul beast breaking its limit to become a world-dominating beast.

Most body martial souls achieve only Iron-level awakening; Bronze is already exceptional.

Silver is the backbone tier, appearing only on key body parts—when activated, the body Soul Master’s combat power leaps one full rank!

The Body Sect once believed the strongest innate secondary awakening was Silver-level; Gold-level was achieved only by past Body Sect heads through threefold awakening via the Body Secret, their overall power multiplying threefold!

Mu Ye had once speculated that True Self might break ancestral assumptions and achieve innate Gold-level secondary awakening—but Zhao Xuanzhen’s forty-eight days of silence crushed his hopes; he dared not dream, silently praying only for any awakening at all!

Now witnessing innate Gold-level secondary awakening, Mu Ye was so excited he nearly danced!

On the battlefield of Death Canyon, Zhao Xuanzhen clenched his right fist and unleashed the Yang Hand of Taiji with absolute ferocity; the Golden-level awakening’s silhouette mirrored his motion, radiating an aura of supreme dominion—the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon’s Dragon Tail Strike halted mid-swing, the entire dragon spinning backward a hundred meters, countless twisted trees snapped clean in half!

A thunderclap struck perfectly—sky and earth roared with thunder, lightning bleaching the heavens white.

The second battle between man and dragon began.

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon shook its dazed head, its soul flames surging—Zhao Xuanzhen had finally enraged this undead monarch.

Dark wind and foul water—the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon’s two prideful elements erupted. Gales howled, air turned chaotic, leaves and mud swirled into a black water tornado, forming a devouring maw that swallowed the world; the dragon’s roar echoed everywhere.

Clothes flapping, Zhao Xuanzhen’s golden eyes were cold and stern; the earth’s brown veins surged like a coiling dragon, rock walls now thrice as thick, effortlessly blocking wind blades, shattered stones colliding with roaring foul water, exploding into glowing red sparks.

True Self’s Golden-level secondary awakening provided comprehensive enhancement, erasing the vast gap between Zhao Xuanzhen and the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon—they stood on equal footing.

Witnessing the human nullify his advantage, the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon could not accept this cruel reality—it flapped its wings, summoning a tidal wave of water to strike Zhao Xuanzhen; the water was not rain from the sky—it was thick, stinking black bog, corroding the earth!

“Xun character—storm.”

“Kan character—ice.”

The wind and water elements turned traitor—the black bog froze mid-air, frost spreading, transforming into an ice tidal wave that surged back at its master.

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon’s soul flames flickered violently—it had spent half a day pouring all its power into this soul skill, only to be reversed in a single second!?

When combat values are close, victory lies in mechanism— even the Silver Dragon King, ancestor of dragons, would suffer defeat; how could this bone dragon, controlling only two elements, stand against the Eight Trigrams Mystic Gate?

With a furious roar, the dragon whipped its tail around, its monstrous strength shattering the ice tide to dust, its wings’ gales uprooting the twisted trees of Death Canyon.

Panting, the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon glared at Zhao Xuanzhen like a powerless husband, its vertical pupils reflecting the golden silhouette before it.

“Zhen character—thunder.”

Thunder exploded above Death Canyon, lightning forks painting the black sky gold and white. Under the radiant light of thunder—the embodiment of righteous qi—the undead fled in terror; even the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon hesitated, a flicker of fear rising in its soul for the first time.

Lightning surged, clouds writhed with electric serpents; a single bolt struck down, coalescing in Zhao Xuanzhen’s palm into a thunder spear, its shaft wrapped with the Zhen character of the Eight Trigrams, glowing with lightning, illuminating his stone-carved, cold face.

Sensing mortal peril, the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon beat its wings wildly, dark wind and foul water merging into a sky-covering black veil, countless skeletal ghost faces lurking within, claws outstretched, lunging at Zhao Xuanzhen.

Death Canyon now split in two—one half roiled with the dragon’s foul black veil, the other bathed in the flowing golden radiance of Zhao Xuanzhen’s awakened silhouette.

Zhao Xuanzhen erupted in blazing golden light; the Eight Trigrams Mystic Gate’s Earth Disc surged outward—the dark veil of wind and water froze, suspended in midair, beautiful in its chaotic harmony.

The thunder spear pierced through all in its path, tearing apart dark wind, evaporating foul water, finally piercing the bone dragon’s brow—its bones shattered inch by inch, its agonized roar echoing through the nine heavens.

A sliver of moonlight pierced the clouds, illuminating the radiant golden figure; beneath his feet, the black dragon bones turned to dust, blown away into the night.

“Good! Good! Good!”

Mu Ye landed on the earth, shouting “Good!” three times in succession. Forty-eight days of silence, then Gold-level awakening on the final day—the emotional whiplash left the old veteran trembling with excitement.

This was the first and only innate Gold-level secondary awakening in the Body Sect’s ten-thousand-year history!

And the body martial soul still had a third awakening—Mu Ye could not even imagine how powerful True Self would become after that!

Compared to Mu Ye’s sudden joy, Zhao Xuanzhen remained calm; the first thirty days had been a weak phase, and the limit training had not fully triggered the body martial soul’s potential—on the surface, it was day forty-nine, but in reality, it was no different from day nineteen.

He knew himself best—Zhao Xuanzhen had sensed True Self’s stirrings long ago; today’s awakening was inevitable.

“Xiao Hong.”

“Here.”

Mu Ye called out, and a red mecha appeared—six meters tall, exquisitely detailed with fine dark-gold patterns, its streamlined form resembling a work of art.

Red—divine-tier mecha.

“Today’s a great day—I reward you with a ride in my Red-class mecha!” Mu Ye chuckled, opening the cockpit to invite Zhao Xuanzhen aboard.

Once seated, the Red-class mecha’s back erupted in a beam of light, carrying them both toward Heaven Dou City.

Mu Ye activated autopilot, lounging comfortably: “Your Gold awakening was tough—took forty-nine days.”

“Fine. Good things come to those who wait. When future generations chronicle your glorious life, they’ll have to write that the current Body Sect head, Mu Ye, played a major role in your secondary awakening—at least sixty percent of the credit!”

Zhao Xuanzhen glanced at Mu Ye’s self-congratulatory face and teased: “I think that’s flawed. For True Self’s secondary awakening, you contributed thirty percent, Na’er and Gu Yue each ten percent—the remaining fifty percent is entirely due to my own persistence and effort.”

Mu Ye choked. He turned to Zhao Xuanzhen: “Is that reasonable?”

“Extremely reasonable.”

Zhao Xuanzhen nodded firmly. Yes—without the landlord, the game can’t even start!

(End of Chapter)