Chapter 897

A stone dragon, vast as a mountain, coiled through the void, radiating terrifying pressure that filled the sky and earth, causing the very air to tremble slightly.

Li Luo and the others stood on a green stone disc, gazing up at the stone dragon, feeling as insignificant as ants, a deep reverence rising within them.

At that moment, a grand, resonant voice drifted slowly from the void, its echoes lingering.

"This is the first step of the Dragon Head Contest: Ascend the Dragon."

"All participants must climb the dragon. This stone dragon stretches three thousand zhang; each step forward demands enduring its terrifying dragon pressure. To overcome this pressure and ascend step by step is not merely a test of your strength, but a trial of your will."

"Only those who harbor no fear may reach the dragon's end."

"The dragon's pressure is also a rare opportunity for you. With every step you take, a thread of heavenly dragon qi will seep into your body, laying the foundation for your future forging of the 'Heavenly Dragon Battle Body.'"

"So, make the most of it."

Listening to the booming voice, Li Luo stared at the stone dragon coiled before him in the void; during these two days of intensive study, he had learned all the details of the Dragon Head Contest.

This first step—Ascend the Dragon—is especially crucial.

For during the ascent, not only does one strengthen one's heavenly dragon qi, but the qi within the body is also refined and fused more tightly with the flesh through repeated hammering by the stone dragon's pressure; only after passing this trial does the prototype of the Heavenly Dragon Battle Body take shape.

Otherwise, if the heavenly dragon qi within remains scattered, and with their current strength they cannot control it, then this so-called heavenly dragon qi will fail to enhance their combat power at all.

And without enhanced combat power, this mysterious "heavenly dragon qi" is merely a useless burden.

"To aspire toward the highest form—the 'Nine-Scale Heavenly Dragon Battle Body'—you must reach three thousand zhang. Only then will the heavenly dragon qi within be perfectly fused with the flesh under the stone dragon's pressure, ultimately forming the prototype of the 'Nine-Scale' form."

In simple terms, this "Ascend the Dragon" is like the "mold" step in forging a weapon: only by first hammering your body into the shape of "Nine Scales" can you later pour in the material and more easily transform it into the true "Nine-Scale Heavenly Dragon Battle Body."

Li Luo's eyes gleamed; he naturally held great interest in the highest form of the "Heavenly Dragon Battle Body," for such a rank of battle body was rare beyond the sect, and now that he had a chance to touch it, it was a tremendous opportunity, greatly beneficial to his own strength.

So Li Luo intended to give it a try—though if the difficulty proved too great, there was no need to force it.

As Li Luo thought this, clouds in the void coalesced into a misty bridge, connecting their green stone disc to the distant stone dragon in the void.

"Go."

With the booming voice echoing, all twenty Great Flag Captains hesitated not—a flash of movement, their phase power erupting as they became streaks of light, crossing the misty bridge and racing toward the stone dragon.

After a dozen breaths, the mountain-like stone dragon loomed ever larger before their eyes, and their figures landed upon its tail.

Their soles touched the gray-white, hardened stone steps.

The steps were weathered, bearing traces of countless years; as Li Luo and the others stepped onto the first step, their bodies suddenly grew heavy, as if ten thousand jin of stone pressed upon them.

Simultaneously, a terrifying dragon roar exploded in their ears, carrying an indescribable pressure that instantly slowed the flow of their phase power, even clouding their thoughts, stirring fear in their hearts, urging them to turn and flee.

This must be the stone dragon's pressure.

Yet all twenty Great Flag Captains were among the elite of this generation of the Five Dragon Bloodlines; though their expressions flickered in surprise, none lost composure—they quickly endured it.

After all, this was only the beginning; if they could not withstand this, there was no point in continuing the "Ascend the Dragon."

The stone steps were wide, and the twenty Great Flag Captains spaced far apart, none speaking, each silently taking their first step.

Ascend the Dragon—began.

As Li Luo and the others began climbing the endless body of the stone dragon, clouds in the void formed elevated platforms, upon which numerous figures sat, gazing down.

The foremost seats, naturally, belonged to the Five Bloodline Heads.

Below them sat the heads of each bloodline's academies.

Li Li Tianji, head of the Dragon Bloodline, stared at the tiny black dots slowly climbing the stone dragon's body and chuckled: "Come to think of it, how many years has it been since anyone completed the full three thousand zhang of 'Ascend the Dragon'?"

The other four bloodline heads nodded slightly; ascending three thousand zhang was extremely difficult—recently, the best result had been two thousand nine hundred zhang, still a short distance from the goal.

Beside them, Li Li Qingying, head of the Dragon Scale Bloodline with silver hair, glanced at Li Li Jingzhe and smiled: "That boy, Li Luo, performed quite impressively in the Dragon Pool Contest—will he, like his father, shine brightly in this step of 'Ascend the Dragon'?"

Li Li Tianji smiled faintly: "He likely has some chance; otherwise, Li Jingzhe Head wouldn't have so readily agreed to wager the Dragon Head position for that 'Nine-Text Holy Heart Lotus' brought back by the Ancestor."

As Li Li Tianji uttered "Nine-Text Holy Heart Lotus," the academy heads below all shifted expressions, for this divine herb was highly alluring to them too—they had all petitioned their own bloodline heads, seeking to exchange contributions for it.

Li Li Jingzhe spoke coolly: "Just a trial."

Then he added: "But I am determined to obtain the 'Nine-Text Holy Heart Lotus'—regardless of the outcome, the other four heads must yield."

Li Li Tianji chuckled: "Of course, but I know Li Jingzhe Head values principles above all—if another bloodline claims it, you'll surely not let us suffer losses when you seek to trade for it."

Li Li Jinjiao, head of the Dragon Horn Bloodline, nodded with a smile, his golden horn glowing with strange light: "Li Jingzhe Head's 'Heavenly Treasure Lotus Seat'—I've coveted it for a long time. If possible, I'd like to borrow it."

Li Li Jingzhe's face remained expressionless, but inwardly cursed: old bastard—clearly planning to gouge him hard when the time came.

Wanted his "Heavenly Treasure Lotus Seat"? If he pushed too far, he'd snap off that "Cosmic Golden Horn" of his!

He said no more, turning his gaze to the mountain-like stone dragon, murmuring to himself: "Li Luo—whether you secure the 'Nine-Text Holy Heart Lotus' or get bled dry by them depends entirely on you."

Li Luo tapped his toe, leaping up and effortlessly clearing one stone step; as his sole landed on the weathered slab, he immediately felt a mysterious qi surge into his body through his foot—this qi was elusive, vanishing the moment it entered, impossible to sense.

But Li Luo knew: this was the so-called heavenly dragon qi.

As he climbed higher, the terrifying dragon pressure steadily intensified, accompanied by faint, distant dragon roars, as if every fiber of his flesh trembled in fear.

"Deep within my flesh, some subtle change is occurring."

Li Luo murmured to himself; as he continued climbing the stone dragon's body, he sensed a heat stirring deep within his body.

The dragon pressure fell like a heavy hammer, each strike forging his flesh into greater solidity.

Moreover, Li Luo felt subtle disturbances within his three phase palaces—phase power flowed ceaselessly, as if something within was gestating.

The seed of the demonic force.

Previously, within Li Li Jingzhe's fire cage, he had been refining the demonic force under intense heat; later, due to practicing the "Multitude of Phase Dragon Fang Sword Array," he had delayed it somewhat—but now, with the dragon pressure intensifying, that refining sensation returned.

This stirred a quiet excitement in Li Luo: perhaps this step of "Ascend the Dragon" was also an opportunity to refine his demonic force.

At this moment, Li Luo finally diverted his attention to survey his surroundings.

Half an hour had passed since the ascent began; all twenty Great Flag Captains were pushing hard, but the first half of the climb was not overly difficult—so all had gradually reached the five-hundred-zhang mark.

Yet upon reaching this point, the twenty Great Flag Captains began to separate into tiers.

The foremost tier was Li Li Qingfeng and Lu Lu Qingmei—their phase power was the most substantial, the dragon pressure affected them least, so they climbed fastest.

Behind them came Deng Deng Fengxian, Li Li Hongli, Li Li Senyan, and others; Li Luo himself was also in this tier.

Further back were those with slightly weaker foundations—Li Li Fengyi and Li Jintao were here, especially Li Jintao, who occupied the very rear of this tier.

But Li Li Jingtao's climb, though slow, was extremely regular; step by step, neither hurried nor sluggish, steadily upward, like a panting old ox, radiating a sense of steadiness.

Li Luo withdrew his gaze, glanced at the two figures leading far ahead, knowing that their current positions did not represent the final results.

The Stone Dragon is three thousand zhang long; there will be no great turbulence before the first fifteen hundred zhang. The true gap will appear in the latter fifteen hundred zhang.

Hoo.

Li Luo exhaled deeply, then calmed his mind. Now was not the time to fight for position; he intended to first use the might of the Stone Dragon to temper his flesh and refine his Phase Power.

His own foundation had already reached its limit at the Fiery Body Realm; he believed his Fiery Qi should be appearing soon.

Extreme Fiery Realm, wait for me.

(End of this chapter)