Chapter 244: Slaying the Dragon to Take Its Essence! The Black‑Hearted Nameless!

The Soul Palace absorbed fragments of Deva's primordial spirit, and some fragmented information also appeared in Chu Yang's mind, including news about dragon essence.

Dragon essence is the dragon's quintessence, and a dragon appears among mortals only once every ten Jiazi on the "Auspicious Day of Wonder."

The appointed time has not yet arrived, but Chu Yang already knows the exact location and intends to forcibly slay the dragon.

In the Wind and Cloud World, dragons possess no sentience; they are soulless beasts, the most ferocious of the auspicious beasts, even more brutal than the fire qilin.

The danger is far greater than that of the fire qilin.

Even Deva's dragon‑slaying requires the aid of seven great masters and seven divine weapons, with seven people simultaneously stabbing the dragon's seven vital points.

The difficulty of slaying a dragon is evident.

But it is only difficult for them.

For Chu Yang, it is not that complicated.

Knowing where the dragon hides, Chu Yang set off at once; it didn't take long, and Chu Yang simply gave Wuming a quick greeting.

The dragon resides in a fire lake on a lake‑center island overseas, where a clan called the Water Clan regards the dragon as a protective deity and guards it.

A group of ignorant people—Chu Yang did not wish to meet them—so he slipped into the fire lake and, at its deepest point, saw the dragon in slumber.

The massive body undulated like a mountain range, its jet‑black scales glittering, bearing a few old scars.

A gigantic black dragon stood before Chu Yang.

Many years ago, others also tried to slay the dragon, but all failed.

The dragon eye, the size of a millstone, suddenly opened, seemingly stirred by Chu Yang's aura, its gaze filled with violent murderous intent.

The dragon's maw opened, and a roar like thunderclap erupted, shaking heaven and earth.

"If the world's tier were higher, perhaps I would find it hard to strike you, but alas, this is the Wind and Cloud World."

Chu Yang looked at the black dragon, feeling a tinge of regret.

The dragon was originally an omen of good fortune, yet in this world it is a ferocious creature, like the fire qilin.

"Move the mountain!"

Chu Yang used source Qi to drive the power of the Five Spirits, shifting the mountain rocks to seal the path completely, preventing the divine dragon from escaping by luck.

Seeing the Fire Lake passage sealed, the black dragon sensed trouble; its massive body rose on clouds and mist, charging toward Chu Yang.

Though huge, its speed was extreme, reaching Chu Yang in the blink of an eye.

"Perfect time to test Deva's martial arts."

Again channeling source Qi, Chu Yang invoked Seven Void Despair, turning his body into countless strands of rosy mist to evade the black dragon's charge.

The mountain‑like towering dragon body shattered the mist, yet in the flash of an eye Chu Yang reappeared.

The effect of Seven Void Despair rivals the elementalization of natural‑type fruits—truly marvelous.

The black dragon rammed Chu Yang several times, each in vain, and instead shattered the surrounding mountain mass.

Realizing physical attacks might be ineffective, the black dragon employed a classic skill.

Dragon Breath!

Super‑high‑temperature flames spewed from the dragon's mouth, nearly melting the mountain rocks entirely.

"Yellow Springs."

The icy, bone‑chilling Yellow Springs water suddenly drenched the black dragon, back‑flowing into its mouth and extinguishing the Dragon Breath; only a wisp of black smoke remained.

The black dragon was stunned…

The human before it seemed all wrong—its attacks missed, its fire was doused by water—how could it continue? Being a beast, it wouldn't kill a fool; sensing the dire situation, it prepared to flee, slamming into the mountain wall Chu Yang had erected.

Boom—boom—boom! Several massive booms shook the sealed fire lake violently, as if the heavens collapsed and the earth fell.

"Stop struggling; eventually you'll revive anyway. Let me borrow your dragon essence for a while."

Hearing Chu Yang request the dragon essence, the black dragon's movements suddenly grew frantic, recklessly trying to carve a way out.

"So emotional? Could it be that without the dragon essence you can't revive?"

Chu Yang thought that even the weakest of the auspicious beasts, the fire qilin, could revive; there was no reason other auspicious beasts couldn't.

The four great auspicious beasts are products born of this world's will; as long as the world does not utterly perish, they should not become extinct.

Fine, whether they revive or not has nothing to do with me…

Source Qi drove the Evil Blood Tribulation; Chu Yang used his own qi and blood to draw the black dragon's blood, and in the next instant the massive dragon body began to tremble wildly.

From beneath the jet‑black dragon scales, dragon blood gradually seeped out, forming threads of blood that Chu Yang drew into his hands.

These are valuable—do not waste them. Fire qilin blood not only boosts Chu Yang's cultivation, but also greatly strengthens his Source Martial True Body.

With a mindset that each art has its specialty, Chu Yang considered dragon blood of comparable rank; even if it lacks the fire qilin's potency, it should still be decent.

As for Deva becoming a living corpse…

Better leave it at that.

Bathing in human blood is too perverse; Chu Yang can't do that, so extracting phoenix lineage factors is preferable.

Only the blood of the Mysterious Turtle among the four auspicious beasts remains unattained; it's unclear whether Xiao Sanxiao or the Mysterious Turtle is easier to locate.

After an unknown amount of time, the black dragon let out a mournful wail.

It was like a fully automatic water heater, scalding dragon blood constantly pouring out, drenching Chu Yang.

The moment it touched his skin, the dragon blood vanished completely, as if his body had consumed it.

Only after squeezing out the last drop of dragon blood did the dragon head crash down, its pupils filled with terror toward Chu Yang.

In the next life, I never want to see this human again!

The dragon eye's glow gradually dimmed.

Chu Yang, without hesitation, extracted the dragon essence, absorbed it on the spot, and sat upon the massive dragon head.

Dragon essence is the condensation of a dragon's entire essence, a substance of utmost rigidity and yang; once ingested, one becomes immune to all poisons and can swiftly heal wounds.

However, the more severe the injury, the slower the recovery; dragon essence is not limitless—it depletes as the body does.

Dragon Essence harbors the dragon's intense beastly nature; the taker's personality is gradually corroded, mildly leading to madness, severely causing the body to burst and die, just as the host of Qilin Blood does.

In fact, all this is caused by the lingering primordial spirit; once the remaining dragon spirit is eliminated, the so‑called beastliness will disappear as well.

The most important effect of Dragon Essence, like Phoenix Blood, is to grant the user immortality.

Refining Dragon Essence is very easy for Chu Yang; he finished it in less than a minute, and after the refinement he felt refreshed, even more exhilarating than a grand health session.

The transformation of Life Essence is, in the true sense, a cleansing of the spirit and marrow.

He can't wait to return and transplant Phoenix Blood.

Stepping out of Fire Lake, a light drizzle fell outside; the dragon had died, the heavens and earth mourned deeply, and the rain seemed like the tears of this world.

Chu Yang smacked his lips.

When the fire Qilin died, why didn't you shed a single tear? A son is still just a son.

After Chu Yang left, the water‑tribe people arrived near Fire Lake, saw the area reduced to ruins, and instantly felt a bad omen.

"The divine dragon is dead?!!!"………………………

More than a month has passed since the dragon‑slaying.

During this period Chu Yang implanted phoenix lineage factors, also used the factors to create artificial Phoenix Blood, took several Phoenix Blood baths, but overall the effect was still a bit lacking.

Of the four auspicious beast bloods, Chu Yang's body has already absorbed three, and a marvelous transformation has occurred.

At first the three bloods repelled each other; within Chu Yang's body water and fire could not coexist, creating a very intense backlash that even affected his Original Martial True Body.

In the most critical moment, Chu Yang even considered keeping only one type and expelling the remaining auspicious beast bloods from his body using lineage‑factor technology.

After much deliberation, he chose to grit his teeth and persist for a while.

The pain intensified, becoming almost the strongest he had ever felt since attaining the Original Martial True Body.

It was at this moment that Chu Yang's bodily limits began to break through under the stimulus of the severe pain.

After the breakthrough, Qilin Blood, Dragon Blood, and Phoenix Blood fully merged, their effects greatly amplified, and all previous drawbacks vanished.

If Dragon Turtle Blood were also fused, even more wondrous changes would occur.

Finding Xiao Sanxiao's heart suddenly surged with intensity.

Xiao Sanxiao is even more legendary than Di Shi Tian, having lived for four thousand years, yet his temperament is steadfast; unlike Di Shi Tian, who is lost in time, this elder still tirelessly roams the world for all living beings.

In his youth, by chance he encountered the Mystic Turtle among the four auspicious beasts, gaining longevity; after a blissful mortal life, he fathered two sons.

Later in life, Xiao Sanxiao often felt uneasy; to uncover the cause, he began to deduce heavenly mechanisms.

After expending a great amount of Life Essence, Xiao Sanxiao observed the night sky and, using the Five Elements, drew the "Ten Demon Diagram", glimpsing the future "Millennial Catastrophe".

To prevent the catastrophe, Xiao Sanxiao abandoned his wife and roamed everywhere seeking a sliver of hope.

However, he did not know that the ones who would trigger the Millennial Catastrophe were the two sons he had abandoned.

"Great Demon God" Xiao Jingtian!

"Great Master" Xiao Aoshi!

When Xiao Sanxiao, after many years away, returned to his homeland, his wife had long since passed, and his two sons had each established their own factions, leading hordes of evil demons and heretics.

The two brothers, still resentful toward their father, became obstinate, ignoring Xiao Sanxiao's advice; Xiao Sanxiao had no choice but to use force, never expecting that they were not actually opponents of the two sons.

The wounded Xiao Sanxiao did not leave; instead he used "Great Compassion Extreme Bliss Powder" to poison his two sons, who suffered immense pain and nearly died.

As a father, Xiao Sanxiao, moved by a single compassionate thought, gave the two brothers an antidote.

But he did not anticipate that the elder son Xiao Jingtian would obtain the antidote, his body quickly recovering, and he immediately fled with his brother Xiao Aoshi.

The two brothers left the Central Land, crossed east to an island nation to recuperate, ready at any moment to trigger the Millennial Catastrophe.

Xiao Sanxiao thus withdrew from the world, focusing on confronting the catastrophe.

Xiao Sanxiao possesses two supreme arts.

The Four Heavenly Mix Absolutes!

Myriad Paths and Forests!

Elder son Xiao Jingtian is proficient in the Four Heavenly Mix Absolutes, while younger son Xiao Aoshi excels in Myriad Paths and Forests.

These two martial arts are far more profound than Di Shi Tian's Sacred Heart Technique and align better with Chu Yang's cultivation.

Especially the Four Heavenly Mix Absolutes, which, by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, harness the ever‑renewing natural force, elevating power to an unparalleled ancient‑modern realm! It coincides perfectly with the core Source Breath of the Original Martial True Body!

The Four Heavenly Mix Absolutes can also use the sun and moon as mediums, commanding wind, thunder, fire, and rain—forces that constantly oppose each other—for one's own use; as the four powers meld, yin and yang complement each other, and vitality endures endlessly.

The power is overwhelmingly supreme.

And Chu Yang, possessing the Five Spirits Power, can command these four forces with ease; under mutual reinforcement, their potency can be further amplified.

Although Myriad Paths and Forests does not match the Four Heavenly Mix Absolutes in compatibility, it is itself extremely profound, emphasizing thought as a blade to command the human heart.

Just this aspect makes it stranger than the Sacred Heart Four Absolutes.

Moreover, Myriad Paths and Forests can freely draw various distinct types for one's own use; depending on one's cultivation, it can produce different variations.

Chu Yang not only gathers the strengths of myriad families, but also the martial arts of various worlds; Myriad Paths and Forests in his hands differs completely from how Xiao Sanxiao wields it.

Both arts also benefit greatly from Mystic Turtle Blood for Chu Yang; to locate Xiao Sanxiao, he plans to spread news of the Millennial Catastrophe through Zhonghua Pavilion, actively luring the counterpart to appear.

At night, Chu Yang specifically sought out Wú Míng for a candlelit discussion, informing him of the existence of the Millennial Catastrophe.

After the incident with Di Shi Tian, Wú Míng developed a sincere respect for Chu Yang, subtly regarding him as an equal.

Because Zhu Yu preceded him, Wú Míng placed great trust in Chu Yang's words; it's not surprising that someone who knows Di Shi Tian's identity would know more secrets.

Having lived two thousand years, Xu Fu is already a rarity; Wú Míng felt there was nothing else that could frighten him more.

Until…

He heard that Xiao Sanxiao had lived a full four thousand years! "Just one short month truly overturns my lifelong observations; how can these people each outlive the other?"

Wú Míng's mouth tasted bitter; even the two‑thousand‑year‑old Di Shi Tian was so hard to handle, so what about the four‑thousand‑year‑old Xiao Sanxiao? With that thought, he instinctively glanced at Chu Yang.

Chu Yang chuckled, "Senior, rest assured, the one who's lived four thousand years is a good person."

Wú Míng exhaled in relief.

Chu Yang continued saying: "The ones pushing the Millennium Great Calamity are his two sons; those two are the villains."

Wuming's breath rose again, "How long have those two lived?"

Chu Yang replied: "Don't worry, none of them live longer than Shitian."

Wuming let his heart settle.

Chu Yang also said: "But the two are both more formidable than Shitian."

Wuming's heart jumped up to his throat again, and he clenched his fists.

Chu Yang laughed: "It's fine, neither of them can beat me."

With his heart pounding, Wuming finally behaved, grabbed Chu Yang's arm, and solemnly said: "Ayang, if you have something to say, say it all at once; I still haven't fully recovered from the aftereffects of the last Heavenly Heart Calamity."

"Okay, got it." Chu Yang hurriedly soothed Wuming, fearing that if he died of a heart attack in front of him, the venerable Heavenly Sword's death would be so clumsy that word of it would make him a laughingstock as well.

"Xiongba and Juewushen, plus the advent of Shitian, all signs indicate that the Millennium Great Calamity is imminent; we must take action first."

"I want to spread the news of the Millennium Great Calamity by strolling through the China Pavilion; first, to let the righteous be on guard; second, to lure out Xiaosanxiao, for with him we have a chance to stop the worst scenario."

Chu Yang spoke earnest nonsense; even without Xiaosanxiao, he alone could destroy the Eastern Ocean a thousand eight hundred times over, and the earthworms in the ground could be dug up and split in half.

He basically doesn't need anyone's help.

After hearing that, Wuming slapped his chest and declared solemnly: "Ayang, rest assured, I will make sure everyone in the martial world knows of the Millennium Great Calamity!"

"In order to force... erm, please Senior Xiaosanxiao show up to lead everyone against the Millennium Great Calamity; why not also broadcast his identity so the world knows?"

Chu Yang grew solemnly respectful, giving Wuming a thumbs-up.

I never expected, you bushy-eyebrowed, big-eyed guy are really quite wicked!

But I like...

(End of chapter)