The enormous Flood Dragon slowly stirred.
Its massive eyelids opened slightly, revealing a pair of ancient golden pupils that seemed capable of seeing through one's soul.
The countless chains binding its body immediately rattled.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The sound echoed throughout the underground cavern.
Although its cultivation had long since declined, the pressure released by even that slight movement caused several black-robed cultivators to instinctively step backward.
The youth leader, however, remained calm.
Instead, excitement filled his eyes.
"It has sensed us."
He slowly turned toward the disciples behind him.
"Begin."
"Set up the Dharma Altar."
"Immediately."
The disciples no longer dared hesitate.
Several storage bags were opened one after another.
Countless ancient jade pillars, spirit crystals, beast bones and engraved bronze plates were taken out before being carefully arranged according to a predetermined pattern.
Within moments...
An enormous circular altar gradually took shape.
The altar emitted an ancient aura completely different from modern formations.
Unlike the refined methods of contemporary cultivators...
This felt primitive.
Ancient.
Yet strangely profound.
The youth leader quietly watched everything being assembled.
The Dharma Altar...
It was one of the greatest inheritances preserved within the Seven Star Palace.
In the ancient cultivation era, Dharma Altars served countless purposes.
They could replace artifact arrays, meditation chambers, strengthen cultivation and aid breakthroughs. It could also suppress enemies and assist in refining talismans.
Even complete formations could be substituted through sufficiently powerful Dharma Altars.
It was a path completely different from the current era.
As the saying went: the ancient path is not inferior to the modern path nor is the modern path inferior to the ancient. Each simply walked a different road toward the Dao.
The youth leader looked toward the chained Flood Dragon.
His breathing gradually became heavier.
Originally...
The Seven Star Palace had only ordered him to create chaos within the surrounding provinces.
The collapse of several Golden Core powers would naturally allow the Palace to intervene later.
That was his mission.
But...
Now?
Everything had changed.
If he could enslave this Flood Dragon...
Then what were a few surrounding provinces worth?
Even if this dragon's cultivation had fallen...
Its bloodline remained.
Its origin remained.
As a Core Disciple...
He naturally understood its value.
"If I can refine it..."
"My position within the Palace..."
"...will rise beyond imagination."
His eyes flashed greedily.
"The sect never forbade using opportunities for oneself."
"It merely ordered me to complete the mission."
"As long as chaos is created..."
"The rest..."
"...belongs to me."
He slowly walked onto the completed Dharma Altar.
"This dragon has been drained for countless years."
"It is already on the verge of collapse."
"Using the Dharma Altar..."
"I possess nearly a seventy percent chance of successfully branding its soul."
"And if I fail once..."
A smile appeared.
"I'll simply try again."
"And again."
"...Until it submits."
---
Not far away...
Lin Jinxing lay hidden among the shadows.
His breathing remained almost nonexistent.
His gaze, however...
Had become completely fixed upon something else.
Blood.
Dark crimson dragon blood slowly dripped from one of the massive wounds where an ancient chain pierced through the Flood Dragon's side.
Each drop contained astonishing vitality.
Even from dozens of meters away...
He could feel his turtle beast becoming restless.
It desperately desired that blood.
Lin Jinxing himself couldn't help swallowing.
Just a little...
Only a little...
If my beast refines even a portion of true dragon blood...
Its bloodline might undergo another transformation.
Carefully maintaining the concealment ability, he slowly crept closer.
His movements were almost imperceptible.
At one point he even passed within several meters of the black-robed cultivators setting up strange bronze vessels and ancient ritual objects.
Fortunately...
Their attention remained completely focused upon the altar.
No one noticed him.
Finally...
He reached the dragon's wounded side.
Dark crimson blood slowly pooled beneath the massive body.
Lin Jinxing carefully took out several jade containers.
Just as he bent down—
A voice suddenly exploded inside his Sea of Consciousness.
"Human..."
The ancient voice seemed to shake his very soul.
Lin Jinxing's vision blurred.
His concealment technique nearly collapsed instantly.
His knees almost gave way beneath him.
The Flood Dragon had discovered him. Its golden eyes slowly shifted.
They looked directly toward his hiding place.
For one terrifying instant...
Lin Jinxing felt as though death itself had descended.
Fortunately...
The dragon's condition was simply too poor.
Its soul had become exceedingly weak after countless years of imprisonment.
Before it could continue—
The Dharma Altar suddenly erupted with dazzling light.
The youth leader stepped forward.
Ancient incantations flowed continuously from his mouth.
Every syllable carried strange power.
The altar beneath him gradually awakened.
Countless runes rose into the air.
The Flood Dragon immediately turned its attention away from Lin Jinxing.
Its enormous pupils became filled with hatred.
Then it opened its mouth.
A weak roar echoed throughout the underground cavern.
Yet despite its weakness the roar directly struck everyone's souls.
Boom!
Several black-robed cultivators instantly coughed blood.
Others staggered backward.
Even the youth leader's chanting paused momentarily as his face turned pale.
The dragon's might had not completely disappeared.
---
Lin Jinxing did not hesitate.
The instant the dragon's attention shifted—
He gathered several liters of dragon blood into the jade containers before immediately retreating.
Every movement became several times faster than before.
His heart pounded wildly.
I've succeeded!
Dragon blood!
My beast can evolve again!
Excitement filled his heart.
He rapidly ascended the ravine.
His joy, however...
Lasted only a few breaths.
Suddenly—
A terrifying aura exploded from below.
The entire ravine shook violently.
Lin Jinxing's expression froze.
He slowly turned his head toward the depths beneath him.
His face immediately lost all color.
"...He failed."
The youth leader's attempt to subdue the Flood Dragon...
Had gone terribly wrong.
Unknown to Lin Jinxing, the core disciple was not the type of person to fall into despair after a single setback.
The instant the first attempt failed, the youth merely frowned before waving his sleeve.
"Reset the altar."
"Quickly."
"No mistakes this time."
The surrounding black-robed cultivators immediately moved into action.
The extinguished spirit crystals were replaced.
The damaged bronze ritual vessels were rearranged.
Fresh beast blood was poured into the grooves carved throughout the Dharma Altar as ancient runes once again began to glow with a faint crimson radiance.
The youth leader remained standing calmly at the center.
His expression showed neither panic nor frustration.
"If one attempt isn't enough..."
"We simply perform another."
His voice was indifferent, as though discussing something insignificant.
"A weakened Flood Dragon cannot possibly resist forever."
The disciples immediately nodded.
No one dared question him after witnessing him casually execute two companions earlier.
---
Several hundred meters above...
Lin Jinxing had already retreated a considerable distance.
He suddenly felt another surge of energy erupt from below.
His expression changed.
"They're... trying again?"
The violent fluctuations continued for several breaths before gradually fading.
Then...
Silence.
Lin Jinxing frowned.
Moments later another burst of power erupted.
Soon after...
It vanished once more.
A third wave followed.
Each one carried traces of the Flood Dragon's furious aura before quickly disappearing.
Feeling those repeated fluctuations, Lin Jinxing finally released a long breath.
"It failed again..."
He didn't understand what those cloaked individuals were attempting.
But one thing was certain.
Whatever their objective...
It definitely wasn't something beneficial for the surrounding provinces.
If they repeatedly failed...
Then that was naturally good news.
Without lingering any longer, he accelerated his retreat.
The further away he got...
The safer he would be.
---
Deep beneath the ravine...
The youth leader's expression had finally darkened.
Three consecutive failures.
Even someone as confident as him began feeling irritated.
His fingers tightened unconsciously.
"...Damned beast."
He cursed softly beneath his breath.
His originally elegant demeanor had disappeared.
Instead his eyes gradually filled with cold killing intent.
The black-robed cultivators surrounding him lowered their heads even further.
No one dared speak.
After taking several deep breaths, the youth finally calmed himself.
He looked toward everyone.
"Reset it."
His tone left no room for refusal.
"And listen carefully."
"This attempt..."
"...must succeed."
"If anyone makes even the slightest mistake..."
His gaze swept across every disciple.
"I'll personally send you to accompany the previous two."
Everyone immediately shivered.
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
They moved with unprecedented speed.
Within moments, the Dharma Altar had been reconstructed once again.
The youth stepped into its center.
This time...
He bit his fingertip.
A drop of bright golden blood floated into the air before landing upon the altar.
Boom!
The entire formation erupted with dazzling brilliance.
Countless ancient runes rose into the air like stars.
The youth closed his eyes.
Ancient incantations flowed continuously from his lips.
Unlike before...
Each syllable now carried traces of his own essence blood.
The Dharma Altar immediately resonated.
The countless runes condensed into chains of light before shooting directly toward the Flood Dragon.
The dragon instantly sensed the danger.
Its enormous golden pupils widened.
A furious roar erupted from its mouth.
ROOOOAAARRR!!
The sound shook the entire underground cavern.
The altar trembled violently.
Yet...
This time the runes did not scatter.
Instead...
They ignored the dragon's physical defenses altogether.
Like ghosts...
They passed directly through its scales.
Through its flesh.
Through its bones.
Straight into its Sea of Consciousness.
Within that vast spiritual world...
A colossal dragon-shaped soul slowly revealed itself.
Although weakened, it still radiated overwhelming majesty.
The countless runes immediately wrapped themselves around it.
Gradually...
They converged upon its forehead.
A strange seal slowly began taking shape.
The dragon spirit struggled violently.
Its massive body outside responded immediately.
BOOM!
The imprisoned Flood Dragon convulsed.
The enormous chains piercing its body clanged violently as it attempted to rise.
Its claws dug deeply into the stone floor.
Its wings struggled desperately.
Yet the ancient chains tightened further, suppressing every movement.
The dragon could only roar in unwilling fury.
Its roar echoed throughout the cavern, carrying indescribable hatred.
The youth leader ignored everything.
His chanting became faster.
The seal upon the dragon spirit gradually solidified.
Ten percent...
Thirty percent...
Fifty...
Seventy...
Finally—
The last rune sank into the dragon spirit's forehead.
The struggling gradually weakened.
The violent resistance disappeared.
The dragon's enormous eyes slowly became dull.
Seeing this...
The youth leader slowly opened his eyes.
His previously tense expression broke into a brilliant smile.
"It's finally succeeded."
A triumphant laugh echoed throughout the underground cavern.