Chapter 997: Ascending Ten Levels

Thick dragon blood in the rune array bubbled, as if heated, and gradually the dragon blood boiled, steaming out clouds of blood mist.

At the same time, the massive energy in Dragon Valley was stirred.

The intangible ripples spread across most of the canyon; the ever‑present energy in the air coalesced, surging from all directions toward the center of the rune array, forming a massive storm a kilometer in diameter.

Every gust of this storm is pure energy!

The dragon soul energy merged with the blood mist, converging on the Golden Three-Headed Dragon at the array's center, enveloping it, then seeping through tiny gaps between its scales, blending into the great dragon's body, coursing through every part, and finally entering its soul.

"Ah…"

The three dragon heads roared in unison, in extreme agony.

The pain from the Dragon Blood Soul Shedding Technique is comparable to a Soul Transformation ceremony, perhaps even greater.

Bo Erqi is a great dragon; unlike human transcendents who must ascend via Soul Transformation because of the Blood Soul Curse, he has never undergone a Soul Transformation ceremony, so his tolerance for pain is lower.

Yet from the start he felt it was extremely difficult, and caught off guard his Willpower nearly collapsed.

Lei En's holy blood amber in his hand radiated light.

A Divine Technique descended, bestowing the "Dawn Will" upon Bo Erqi's golden dragon head. Both Reslin instantly activated a seven‑ring mental shield, granting protection to the red dragon and black dragon heads respectively, greatly easing his pain, and the expression on the dragon's face softened immediately.

Lei En controlled the rune array, converting dragon blood into energy and infusing Bo Erqi's body at a steady rate.

The dragon blood contains divinity; although the imprint has been worn away, it remains dangerous.

Even if he slowed the pace, the dragon blood still maximally stimulated Bo Erqi's dragon soul, tearing it apart into fragments. His massive dragon body swelled like a blown‑up balloon, scales stretching apart, exposing the skin beneath, bleeding dragon blood, as if it could burst at any moment.

Simultaneously, the primordial dragon's dragon soul energy swiftly repaired the torn soul and healed the body's injuries.

The two energies acted in completely opposite ways.

One tears the soul and body, the other heals and restores in sync, creating a tug‑of‑war.

Through repeated destruction and reconstitution, Bo Erqi's great dragon body gradually grew, as if time accelerated thousands of times, becoming larger, longer, stronger each minute.

In less than five minutes, the Golden Three-Headed Dragon reached seventy meters in length!

The dragon soul, under such excruciating stimulation, rapidly strengthened, approaching the critical point of soul metamorphosis, yet still fell short.

According to a great dragon's growth cycle, a lifespan of two thousand years is required to enter the Ancient Dragon stage, demanding a long accumulation of years and representing the hardest bottleneck in a dragon's life; the vast majority cannot surpass it and remain in the elder stage until death.

Bo Erqi is a prime adult dragon just over five hundred years old, still fifteen hundred years short of the Ancient Dragon.

This fifteen‑hundred‑year deficit is extremely hard to make up.

Even with the unconventional Dragon Blood Soul Shedding Technique, it is hard to achieve in one go; at least twenty minutes must be sustained in the rune array before a Soul Transformation might be triggered.

But before ten minutes elapsed, Bo Erqi began to falter.

"Boss, it hurts!"

"Ah… I'm about to collapse."

Bo Erqi's soul, under wave after wave of excruciating shock, grew hazy, gradually losing control over his body.

Clap— Clap—…

Scales cracked apart, spewing massive dragon blood, and even the dragon soul energy couldn't repair in time.

Ao Xiliya, watching from afar, couldn't help but remind, "Lei En, he's about to give out."

If he falls into a coma, this ascension will not only fail, but Bo Erqi's soul and body will be severely damaged, possibly resulting in sudden death.

"I know," Lei En replied calmly.

The Soul Eye has been monitoring Bo Erqi's condition; given his temperament and Willpower, sustaining this long is already a great effort, beyond his own expectations.

Lei En's thought shifted; his body swelled to over fifty meters tall, stepping forward before the Golden Three-Headed Dragon, towering above, his right hand pressing on the golden dragon's head, his left hand supporting a divine artifact that radiated dazzling light, forming a sacred and intricate rune that fell onto the golden dragon's head.

Legendary Element Morning Light Holy Blessing!

A Xina watched the scene, her eyes bulging wide.

She had long known Lei En possessed a divine artifact, so it wasn't surprising, but seeing him at his full power for the first time, she gasped, "So tall! Elder Suo Limu's Titan Giant form is only half Lei En's height; this can't be Titan divine power…"

"It must be some Legendary Element related to size!"

A Xina's eyes were filled with zeal.

The giant is the king of strength, and strength depends on size, so giants endlessly pursue greater stature.

Bigger is better, bigger is stronger, the larger the better!

Lei En's massive form was cloaked in radiance, solemn and divine, like a deity descending to the mortal realm, bestowing blessings upon the Golden Three-Headed Dragon.

Meanwhile, both Reslin also activated the rune array's constant function.

The "Flame Demon Crown" and "Ultimate Darkness Domain"—two Law Seals—soared upward, crystal shards shattered, releasing two strange runes: one a crown of flame, the other a mass of impenetrable black mist, drawing surrounding fire elements and shadow forces, emitting a strong aura of energy.

Reslin and the Mirror Image each controlled a Legendary Element rune, sending them toward Bo Erqi's other two heads.

Morning Light Holy Blessing, Flame Demon Crown, and Ultimate Darkness Domain.

Corresponding respectively to the golden dragon's holy light power, the red dragon's flame power, and the black dragon's shadow power.

The three Legendary Elements merged almost simultaneously into the three dragon heads; the divine artifact and rune array took effect in sync, stabilizing them within Bo Erqi's dragon soul.

Boom!

The moment the stabilization succeeded, an invisible shockwave erupted in the sky over Dragon Valley, echoing across the canyon hundreds of miles long.

Lei En and the two Reslin stepped back immediately.

Bo Erqi slowly rose within the rune array; on his three heads, six dragon eyes spewed tri‑colored flames—gold, red, and black—three energies surged at the heads, coursing down the massive neck to the body, instantly spreading throughout, and the dragon scales continuously shifted colors.

The Golden Three-Headed Dragon's body expanded again, its dragon soul fluctuated violently, yet pain was gone.

"He's beginning the Soul Transformation!"

Ao Xiliya and A Xina both saw it, instantly overjoyed.

The three Legendary Elements proved formidable, directly triggering the great dragon's soul metamorphosis, saving Bo Erqi over a thousand years of accumulation and propelling him straight into the Ancient Dragon ranks.

They were happy for Bo Erqi, but more for themselves, since Lei En promised to replace the elements of the soul contract, which must also be Legendary Elements. With Bo Erqi's success as precedent, their own ascent to Saint Rank felt more certain.

Lei En halted the Dragon Blood Soul Shedding Technique by controlling the rune array, to conserve the Green Dragon King's dragon blood.

However, the gathering of dragon soul energy did not stop.

Endless dragon soul energy surged from all corners of Dragon Valley, wildly pouring into the Golden Three-Headed Dragon's body, accelerating its transformation, making Bo Erqi's form grow ever larger, the dragon scales darkening, and the claws, wings, and tail enlarging every second.

The primordial dragon's soul power is immensely beneficial to a Giant Dragon, especially during advancement, where one minute equals several years of a Giant Dragon's strength growth.

From elder dragon to ancient dragon, the dragon soul transformation takes a long time.

Lei En judged it would take at least half an hour.

He did not idle; he continuously activated Holy Blood Amber, sparing no Holy Light Power to bless Bo Erqi, embedding Divine Technique runes into the Giant Dragon's soul one by one: Dawn Sword, Light Holy Fire, Flaming Angel Wings, Sacred Storm, Morning Light Technique, Holy Light Echo, Protective Aura, Resurrection Technique, Holy Shield Technique, Dawn Will…

Any Divine Technique that Holy Blood Amber possessed but Bo Erqi had not yet mastered, Lei En blessed him with.

Both Reslin also produced dozens of Law Seals.

These Law Seals were all fire spells and Shadow Magic, some stripped from Baro Flame Demon and Shadow Ghost Mother's demonic souls, others purchased from the Empire's magic market, nearly collecting every dual‑element spell available on the market.

Using a rune array, Reslin stabilized dozens of spells for Bo Erqi one by one, and after stabilization consumed additional energy to permanently solidify three Legendary Elements and some rarer powerful spells.

Stabilized spells can be erased by "Dispel Magic" and "Anti‑Magic Field", but after solidification, even if dispelled they recover, eliminating the need to gather materials.

For the Golden Three-Headed Dragon, Lei En truly spared no expense this time.

Ao Xiliya watched with a hint of jealousy.

A Xi Na fared better; her craving for spells wasn't as intense as the Iridescent Dragon's, and her focus now lay entirely on the Legendary Element that enlarges size.

With Divine Technique and spell stabilization complete, Bo Erqi's dragon soul transformation concluded.

The dragon soul energy storm also subsided.

At this moment, the Giant Dragon's size had grown to over eighty meters; its three heads were ferociously snarling, the dragon aura they emitted almost visible to the naked eye, warping the air itself.

"Boss!"

Bo Erqi shouted excitedly, "I did it! I am already an Ancient Giant Dragon!"

Lei En's expression remained calm as he surveyed the Golden Three-Headed Dragon's body and soul; having absorbed massive dragon soul energy and being a rare hybrid dragon with three Giant Dragon talents, Bo Erqi's power far exceeded that of other Ancient Dragons.

Level 8 'True Dragon Body', Level 14 'Power', and the might of Flame Dragon Breath, Holy Light Dragon Breath, and Shadow Dragon Breath, amplified by three Legendary Elements, equate to a Nine-ring Technique.

Bo Erqi's melee strength rivals a Destruction Demon King.

His casting ability was also forcibly elevated, far surpassing legendary casters, yet still lagging noticeably behind true Grand Mages and Holy Soul Wizards.

"Too weak!"

"Just an Ancient Dragon; I could smash it with a flick of the hammer."

Lei En shook his head, dissatisfied with Bo Erqi's power growth, then took out a handful of Soul Diamonds from the Pixel World, saying, "Absorb all these Soul Diamonds immediately."

"Huh?"

Bo Erqi's three dragon faces were all stunned, staring at the floating Soul Diamonds before Lei En—at least a hundred—he blinked dumbfounded and hesitated, "Boss, absorbing so many Soul Diamonds will take a long time; otherwise it's such a waste…"

"Just absorb as instructed; cut the chatter," Lei En interrupted, ordering, "Open your mouths."

The three dragon mouths opened instinctively.

Over a hundred Soul Diamonds were split into three portions, flew into the three mouths, and fell directly into the throats, releasing the soul energy they contained.

"Ugh…" Bo Erqi's six dragon eyes turned white in unison, choked by the massive soul power, dizzy and nauseous, nearly collapsing on the spot.

Ao Xiliya and A Xi Na stared dumbfounded.

Earlier, Lei En had let them absorb Soul Diamonds directly without worrying about waste, and he himself had refused. Now it seemed the number of Soul Diamonds in Lei En's hand far exceeded his imagination, seemingly endless, otherwise he wouldn't stuff them into Bo Erqi's mouths like feeding a pig.

Absorbing so many Soul Diamonds produced an instant effect.

The Golden Three-Headed Dragon's newly steadied breath surged violently again, its colossal dragon aura carelessly radiating outward.

Its dragon soul expanded as if riding a rocket.

Lei En controlled the rune array, and dragon soul energy in Dragon Valley converged again, surging into the Golden Three-Headed Dragon's body. Dual amplification caused rapid growth; three minutes after fully absorbing and digesting the Soul Diamonds, Bo Erqi's size reached ninety meters!

This is a truly massive creature!

The Soul Eye observed the Giant Dragon; Bo Erqi's soul had reached the rank limit, hitting the bottleneck of the eighth Soul Transformation.

A Giant Dragon ascends to Ancient Dragon after seven Soul Transformations, and the eighth and ninth transformations remain Ancient Dragons; compared to Demon Lord ranks, an eight‑time Soul Transformation Ancient Dragon corresponds to a mid‑tier Demon Lord, the ninth to a high‑tier Lord.

Only after the tenth Soul Transformation can a Giant Dragon become a Primordial Dragon.

Converted to human super‑beings, ten Soul Transformations equate to above level 35.

Under normal circumstances, a Giant Dragon must live beyond five thousand years to have a chance to become a Primordial Dragon; exceptionally gifted giants can advance earlier, achieving the rank without such longevity.

Among the strongest Giant Dragons Lei En has seen, Yu Yan on Ka Er Peak underwent nine Soul Transformations, though Yu Yan also serves as a part‑time mage, making its strength incomparable to ordinary Giant Dragons; Eternal Chosen Aikon's mount, the Hell Three-Headed Dragon Duo Er Ji Ha, also bears nine Soul Transformations.

Green Dragon King Zhanqing is a Primordial Dragon, having undergone ten Soul Transformations and being a demigod.

Bo Erqi has only seven Soul Transformations; he's far behind!

Lei En glanced at the dragon blood within the rune array; there was plenty, enough to sustain the Dragon Blood Soul Transmutation Technique for forty minutes, sufficient for Bo Erqi and Ao Xiliya.

The Golden Three-Headed Dragon, immersed in the joy of its soaring power, hadn't yet reacted when Lei En shouted loudly:

"Continue!"

"What…" Bo Erqi looked bewildered, then noticed the rune array beneath his feet activating.

Dragon blood boiled, turning into a blood mist; dragon soul energy surged from all directions, forming a massive storm, and endless energy once again poured wildly into its body.

The pain began again!

This time Bo Erqi, having gained experience, no longer panicked; with his power soaring, his tolerance for the soul‑tearing pain had risen greatly. He gritted his teeth silently, and laboriously applied Dawn Will and Morning Light Technique to himself.

The difficulty of the eighth Soul Transformation is actually lower than that of the seventh.

Moreover, Bo Erqi had just completed the seventh Soul Transformation, his dragon soul being in its most active state, making another Soul Transformation easier, further lowering the difficulty.

Lei En seized this moment, using Soul Diamonds to let Bo Erqi leap over the long years of accumulation, shortening the interval between two Soul Transformations.

But he could not guarantee success; he could only leave it to fate.

Unexpectedly,

Bo Erqi himself was remarkably resilient, enduring twenty minutes of the excruciating Dragon Blood Soul Transmutation Technique, triggering another soul transformation.

The eighth Soul Transformation lasted almost an hour, and Reslin's true Mirror Image completely disappeared.

After the Soul Transformation ended, Lei En took out another batch of Soul Diamonds, stuffed them into the Golden Three-Headed Dragon's mouth, directly feeding it to the limit before the ninth Soul Transformation, equivalent to the peak of Level 29 for a human transcendent, and then activated the Rune Formation. However, after trying for only a few minutes, Lei En gave up.

The ninth Soul Transformation was extremely difficult; Zhan Qing's dragon blood was insufficient, and Bo Erqi could hardly endure.

"What a pity."

"We can only gather enough dragon blood next time and break through the bottleneck of the ninth Soul Transformation." Lei En thought regretfully, and could only give up.

He looked at the Golden Three-Headed Dragon over a hundred meters tall before him, and nodded in satisfaction.

(End of chapter)