Chapter 322: Mirage Dragon Immortal, Supreme Divine Weapon

Finally found it!

Li Yuan's spirit surged; among the vines on the mountain wall, that Mirage Dragon Belt lay hidden like ordinary vines, and had he not possessed the Commanding Weapon Talisman, even passing right by it, he might not have seen it.

【Mirage Dragon Belt (Ninth Rank)】

【……One thousand five hundred years ago, a strange beast fell from beyond the heavens, and after passing through nine layers of gale winds, shed its dragon scale…】

【A divine smith obtained it, using it as the primary material, combining it with the essence of a hundred refined irons, then subjected it to heavenly fire baptism, and nurtured it with the divine consciousness of a Grand Master, until its spiritual nature was sufficient…】

【Commanding Conditions: Form of the Spiritual Dragon, Transformation of the Serpent-Dragon, Shape of Wind and Clouds】

【Commanding Effects: Ninth Rank (Red): Transformation of Void and Reality, Immortality of the Mirage Dragon

Eighth Rank (Gold): Bend and Straighten at Will, Form of the Mirage Dragon

Seventh Rank (Pale Gold): Mirage Dragon Transforms into Armor】

【……The Mirage Dragon is a strange beast from the stars, possessing the characteristics of a hundred spiritual beasts, combining the ferocity of a dragon with the illusionary power of a mirage, thus having the ability to roam between dream and reality】

【Thirteen Common Forms are Serpent-Dragons, Thirteen Spiritual Forms are Spiritual Dragons, Hundred Forms are Mirage Dragons】

【The Mirage Dragon is not a snake; its divine essence is hidden within the shed scale; through the transformation of life and death, it can become a Dragon of Heaven or Stars】

Within the red light, all sorts of information cascaded down like a waterfall.

Hundred Forms Mirage Dragon, Divine Essence Hidden in the Shed Scale, Dragon of Heaven, Dragon of Stars…

The red light struck his eyes, and Li Yuan felt somewhat dazed.

As if sensing Li Yuan's arrival, a dazzling burst of red light shot upward, piercing the clouds like a sword; it was like a vicious beast suppressed for a thousand years, eager to break free.

"Aaaah!"

Outside the forest, Xin Xin Wenhua suddenly stopped, looked up, and felt that the red light, like a waterfall and a tide, churned, and within it seemed to swim a creature like blood jade, resembling both dragon and snake.

It was half-real, half-illusory, roaming in mid-air; even from several li away, Xin Xin Wenhua could sense the immense power it contained, as well as a human-like joy.

"Mirage Dragon Whip?!"

Outside the mountain, Shan Qing Song, who had not yet recovered from the shock of the successive flashes of divine light, narrowed his pupils and recognized this Mirage Dragon phantom.

This was precisely one of the four supreme divine weapons in the mountain.

"This whip actually recognizes a master?!"

Inside the Divine Weapon Hall, the disciples and elders, startled by the dragon's roar, were all in an uproar.

The Mirage Dragon Whip was the only supreme divine weapon among the four in the mountain that had never had a master, and for a time, people even suspected it would never recognize one.

"Aaaah!"

The red light surged like a tide, spreading rollingly outward.

Inside the forest, a hundred beasts scattered in panic; the mountain wall trembled violently, and earth and stones rolled down.

Boom~

Li Yuan casually smashed the rolling boulders, looked up, and saw that the long whip, originally only as thick as a thumb and about a meter long, resembling a vine, accompanied by the blooming red light, moved with the wind; in an instant, it had transformed into a massive whip as thick as a person and at least three hundred meters long.

Crack!

The massive whip danced in the air like a dragon and a snake.

Li Yuan's eyelid twitched; without a moment's thought, he retreated violently dozens of meters, landing behind Shan Hong and Lin Lin Fangzhui, who were rushing forward with wide, horrified eyes.

"He doesn't even want such a divine weapon?!"

Lin Lin Fangzhui was still wondering why Li Yuan was leaving when his voice reached his ears:

"Run!"

What?

Lin Lin Fangzhui was stunned, but Shan Hong had already grabbed his arm and fled for their lives.

Crack!

A piercing, ear-splitting crisp sound exploded in the air, louder than the most violent thunderclap.

Shan Hong grunted, nearly falling to the ground; he turned back in horror and saw that the massive whip, resembling a long dragon, with a single flick, had split a small mountain three hundred meters high right down the middle!

"Damn it!"

Amidst the flying earth and stones, Lin Lin Fangzhui hurriedly activated his true energy to block the debris shooting at him like projectiles, his heart filled with extreme terror.

"Aaaah!"

With a single flick in the air, splitting the small mountain, the faint dragon roar seemed filled with joy; hearing only the sound, the few people in the forest thought it was some clan's pet spiritual beast acting spoiled to welcome its master.

"This whip…"

Li Yuan, having retreated a hundred meters, digested the information seen in the red light; his heart rate accelerated. This was, up to now, the strongest weapon he had ever seen, aside from the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing.

And…

"Divine Essence Hidden in the Shed Scale—this whip is still alive?"

Li Yuan felt shock and doubt in his heart.

"Aaaah!"

As Li Yuan's thoughts turned, he heard the dragon roar intensify; a beam of red light shot toward him with lightning speed, too fast to cover one's ears, and a wild wind howled, blowing his clothes and hair.

Li Yuan hesitated for a split second before being engulfed by the red light; then, he felt a searing, fiery qi-aura completely cover him and drill into his pores.

Creak~

Li Yuan slowly raised his hand; he seemed to feel the cracking sound of bones grinding. Visible to the naked eye, patterns resembling dragon scales appeared on his skin and rapidly spread across his entire body.

In the blink of an eye, it was completely covered.

"Li…"

Shan Hong stopped, feeling a sudden pang of dread.

Not far away, Li Yuan stood in place; at this moment, layers upon layers of scales, like armor, wrapped him, and the whole person radiated a terrifying aura that made Shan Hong's heart skip.

"No wonder Old Dragon Head said that among all weapons, armor is number one!"

What he'd read in books and heard from others couldn't compare to experiencing it firsthand; only with the armor on his body did Li Yuan truly grasp this.

The Thunder Dragon Juntian Hammer is a weapon of slaughter—its burst of power and armor-piercing force in an instant could overwhelm even a Chengdezhun Sect master who had achieved Great Accomplishment in Blood Exchange. With the armor on, however, it was different.

It wasn't just all-around protection, but all-around empowerment.

The armor layered over his body in tier upon tier, yet instead of appearing bulky and heavy, it made him even lighter and more agile.

"Are the other divine armors the same?"

With a tap of his foot, Lin Lin Fangzhui and the others a hundred meters away saw only a blur before them. When they whipped their heads around, Li Yuan was already a thousand meters away, leaving behind a terrifying trail where a gale had swept through.

Grass, trees, mud, and sand drifted and scattered in the air.

"That fast?!"

The sudden surge of speed caught even Li Yuan off guard. When he came back to himself, his heart was filled with pleasant surprise.

This armor transformation was only one form of the Mirage Dragon Belt; in essence, it was a long whip!

With a thought, Li Yuan spread his five fingers. The armor on his body flowed like water into his palm, and with a flick of his wrist, it transformed into a dark-red cloud-patterned long whip.

The whip was over a meter long, cool to the touch, with a snake-scale-like slickness. Its body was covered in fine, dense patterns, giving it a strangely beautiful appearance.

The whip's head was like a dragon's head, and seeming to sense Li Yuan's gaze, it even blinked.

"What a fine treasure!"

Li Yuan raised his hand and casually lashed the whip through empty air. The meter-long whip actually shot out over three hundred meters; the force he exerted, transmitted layer by layer to the whip's tail, multiplied by who knows how many times—tens of times, even.

A tremendous "Crack!" rang out, leaving a terrifying scar over three hundred meters long in the mountain forest.

"What kind of whip is that?!"

A thousand meters away, Shan Hong and the other stared dumbfounded.

That single strike had already reached the standard of Great Accomplishment in Blood Exchange within the Yishi Sect!

"Truly worthy of a top-grade divine weapon!"

Playing with the long whip, Li Yuan couldn't put it down. But after lashing it a few times, he had to stop—his true qi was fairly abundant, but it still couldn't fuel more than a few strikes.

Moreover, the whip was still draining his blood; in just this short while, he already felt somewhat dizzy.

"I wish all of you senior brothers find divine weapons to your liking."

What was harder to swallow than failing to gain a divine weapon's recognition was watching someone else gain it.

Li Yuan naturally understood this principle and had no intention of provoking them. Cupping his hands in farewell, he left Xin Xin Wenhua and the others exchanging helpless glances.

The only one not too affected was Wang Lue. He was now holding over a dozen divine weapons, touching this one, looking at that one, earnestly trying to find the one suited to him.

"How does every divine weapon have a fate with him?"

Lin Lin Fangzhui's chest felt so tight he could barely breathe. He'd only ever read in storybooks about so-and-so being born with 'Kingly Aura,' causing all heroes to bow their heads wherever he passed.

But wherever this one passed, divine weapons bowed their heads.

"Divine weapons..."

Staring at Li Yuan's departing back, Xin Xin Wenhua truly felt the disparity of the world. The top two on the Dragon Ranking had both found divine weapons on their first entry into the mountain.

One had obtained the Qianshan Qianshan Qilin Armor, and the other had gotten a whip that looked extremely unusual.

As for himself, ranked third...

Gritting his teeth, Xin Xin Wenhua hardened his resolve: "I refuse to believe it!"

"According to the old dragon-head, there are at least three more top-grade divine weapons in the mountain."

Playing with the long whip at his waist, Daoist Li felt his own greed had no upper limit—he was already eyeing the other three top-grade divine weapons.

But it was only a thought. Not to mention the sect rules didn't allow taking two, even if he could, walking away with two top-grade divine weapons in a single day would be far too conspicuous.

Setting aside the divine weapons inherited by the Dao Lord's lineage, this was the accumulated foundation of Dragon Tiger Temple over more than two thousand years. Taking half of the total four would simply be too impolite.

"To want a second divine weapon, one must either Li Xia Da Gong for the sect, or ascend above the seventh level of Dragon Tiger—both are not easy. Would that old ghost Mount Mo Tian count as one great merit?"

Musing to himself, Li Yuan swallowed a few blood-replenishing pills. After his complexion recovered, he finally walked out of the mountain forest.