Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Ruins of the Demonic Cultivators

Rou'er used her own bloodline to activate the Dragon Pearl and lifted its restrictions, allowing even someone like Chen Mu, who was not of the dragon race, to refine it.

Under Rou'er's guidance, Chen Mu began the process of refining the Flood Dragon Pearl. After a bout of dizziness, his soul entered a spiritual space—a misty realm where a pale flood dragon lay coiled in slumber. The oppressive aura emanating from the dragon made Chen Mu tremble; it was clearly a flood dragon of considerable rank.

Rou'er appeared beside him, surveying the dragon's phantom. "Well, well," she said, "the owner of this Flood Dragon Pearl was a flood dragon of the Primordial Soul realm. This phantom is the bloodline legacy it left behind. You are fortunate; if you refine it, you will not only inherit its divine abilities but may even awaken a strand of flood dragon bloodline—an offshoot of the true dragon race. Cherish this opportunity."

Sensing Rou'er's presence, the flood dragon phantom awoke abruptly. It glared at the two intruders and, realizing one bore no relation to its bloodline, began to roar furiously. The oppressive force surged toward Chen Mu, but Rou'er blocked it with her spiritual power, pressing her paw down to pin the dragon phantom beneath her feet.

Although the flood dragon phantom seemed to possess the strength of a fifth-tier beast in the Primordial Soul realm—apparently stronger than Rouer in her current state—Rouer's true soul had not been sealed. Her spiritual strength remained at the level of the Celestial Domain, far surpassing anything found on Yuan Yao Continent. With a casual crush, the flood dragon phantom surrendered, humiliated.

With the dragon phantom subdued, Rou'er gestured for Chen Mu to establish a connection with the legacy consciousness. Chen Mu approached, pressing his forehead to the dragon's body, and immediately the torrent of legacy knowledge flooded into his mind.

Within the legacy were two divine arts: "Flood Dragon Scale Feather Garment" and the ability to summon the "Thunder Flood Dragon Phantom." There were also scattered insights into the manipulation of thunder.

Absorbing the inheritance, Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief and lingered within the Dragon Pearl's space, digesting the newfound knowledge. At that moment, his body began to transform. As expected, a strand of flood dragon bloodline emerged; lightning arced across his skin, and the pattern of flood dragon scales flickered briefly before fading.

Nearby, Song Miao—who had been watching Chen Mu's refinement—was startled and regretful. He lamented having allowed Rou'er to choose the Flood Dragon Pearl for revenge; if the Cult Leader had refined it instead, the Nine Nether Sacred Land's power would have been strengthened even further.

Rou'er had already exited the spiritual space and, seeing Song Miao's expression, grinned slyly. "Without dragon blood, none of you could unlock the Dragon Pearl's permissions; you simply couldn't use it, so leaving it with you would be a waste. Even if you did unlock it, what awaits is a legacy phantom left by a fifth-tier beast. If it detects you lack the proper bloodline, it will destroy your soul and erase your existence. Knowing all this, do you still wish to refine it?"

Song Miao was shocked—there were so many intricacies to refining the Flood Dragon Pearl. But upon learning its legacy phantom possessed fifth-tier beast strength, he asked anxiously, "What about Chen Mu?"

"This little one not only has fox blood but also dragon blood—pure dragon blood, in fact. Naturally, I can suppress this flood dragon phantom," Rou'er replied proudly.

Song Miao clicked his tongue in amazement. This little fox clearly had extraordinary origins; no wonder she bore dragon horns.

Now, Chen Mu's physical bloodline continued to evolve. He possessed divine blood, the blood of the ancient Sun and Moon clans, and, now, a strand of flood dragon blood—granting him a body of immense potential.

When Chen Mu finished comprehending the legacy, his bloodline transformation was complete. He exited the Dragon Pearl's spiritual space, smacking his lips with satisfaction. "What a treasure. I've gained new insights into the power of thunder; it'll be useful for tempering my body and facing enemies. And these two divine arts are remarkable—one enhances my defense, the other can attack or defend, much like the three-tailed dragon fox phantom behind Rou'er in battle."

Chen Mu then tried to summon the Flood Dragon Scale Feather Garment. A robe of pale scales, crackling with arcs of lightning, appeared on his body. For now, the divine art was still weak, raising his defense by one minor realm; a full-force attack from a mid-stage Yuan Dan cultivator would not harm him, though late-stage attacks would still cause some injuries—albeit only superficial.

Next, he summoned the Thunder Flood Dragon Phantom; a five-meter-long lightning flood dragon took shape. In truth, it resembled a giant python more than a flood dragon, its body being too small and lacking the dragon's domineering aura. The fault lay not with the divine art, but with Chen Mu's cultivation—he was only at the Yuan Foundation realm, and could barely muster enough energy from his divine palace and dantian to form a five-meter lightning dragon. Even so, it was quite an achievement.

As expected, after conjuring the Thunder Flood Dragon Phantom, Chen Mu entered a state of energy depletion. This move could not be used lightly, as it consumed too much vitality.

Leaving the treasure vault, Song Miao headed to the main demon hall to report to Gongsun Qingyang. Chen Mu, meanwhile, arrived at the headquarters of the Nightshade Organization, which had taken on the task of exploring the legacy site of the demonic cultivators. As deputy commander, he was obliged to participate.

Xu Changye was already waiting for him. The entire Nightshade Organization, including its four Nightshade sons, greeted Chen Mu and pledged to obey the commands of Xu Changye and himself.

Not only Nightshade would be exploring the demonic legacy; the Battle Demon Hall's Yuan Dan and Yuan Foundation disciples would join as well. The leader of the Battle Demon Hall was a late-stage Yuan Dan cultivator whom Chen Mu had met during the defense of Nine Nether Sacred Land.

As they were not well acquainted, Chen Mu hadn't greeted him before, though he was somewhat known within Nine Nether Sacred Land. This time, the Battle Demon Hall's leader took the initiative.

"Deputy Commander Chen Mu, we meet again after the defense of Nine Nether Sacred Land. Perhaps you don't know my name—I'm Yan Chong, the chief disciple of Battle Demon Hall. My master often reminds us to learn from you," Yan Chong said with a cheerful smile.

Chen Mu scratched his head modestly. "Not at all, Uncle Yan. I should be learning from all of you. That battle showcased the spirit of Nine Nether Sacred Land, especially your coordinated spell attacks. I could never manage such teamwork myself."

Hearing Chen Mu's high praise, Yan Chong was delighted and began to chat with him.

Xu Changye then approached, greeted Yan Chong, and said to Chen Mu, "Brother Chen, Yan Chong and I are the Yuan Dan representatives of Nine Nether Sacred Land—the twin pillars of our core strength. Your own reputation is rapidly catching up. Keep working hard; perhaps you'll surpass us both someday."

"Uncle Xu, you're flattering me to the heavens! I didn't realize Uncle Yan was so famous. I'm new to Mingyue Empire, so I don't know much yet. Please forgive my ignorance."

"Ah, it's nothing—just empty reputation. It's a pleasure to meet you, Brother Chen. After the exploration, let's have a meal together—my treat."

"Old Yan, you said it yourself. I'll drink you dry if you don't keep your word—that's what you get for inviting us."

"Old Xu, with your drinking capacity, you think you can bankrupt me? We'll drink until neither of us can stand!"

Chen Mu was left on the sidelines, realizing that true men could hold their liquor—a pity, since he was still underage and remembered his father's admonitions well.

Thinking of his father, Chen Mu swore to himself: once he reached the Yuan Dan realm, he would seek out his father, who wandered in exile. Then, even against Yuan Ying cultivators, he'd have a better chance of survival.

After some brief conversation, Xu Changye and Yan Chong led the Battle Demon Hall and Nightshade Organization beyond the borders of Mingyue Empire, heading toward the demonic cultivator legacy site.

Despite their falling out with Mingyue Empire, the empire's Yuan Ying cultivators were all injured, unable to confront Nine Nether Sacred Land. Thus, when Battle Demon Hall and Nightshade left the city, imperial soldiers did not try to stop them.

So, over two hundred members of Battle Demon Hall and Nightshade marched out in impressive fashion, and the empire dared not hinder them—their strength spoke for itself.

Of course, Nine Nether Sacred Land was not the only group heading to the demonic legacy; the empire had its own spies who learned of the opportunity. There were also the Nether Ghost Sect and Crow Fortress, whose sect leaders had just died, as well as a coalition of smaller sects.

Now, those heading from Mingyue Empire were divided into three major factions: Battle Demon Hall and Nightshade from Nine Nether Sacred Land; the imperial royal family; and an alliance of other sects.

Nine Nether Sacred Land and the royal family were the strongest, while the coalition of minor sects was weakened by the deaths of their Yuan Ying leaders. Their original strength was feeble, now even more so.

Because Nine Nether Sacred Land's followers were widespread throughout the empire—making it the dominant force—the royal family sought to suppress and eradicate it. Though they failed this time, they sacrificed the entire imperial capital, killed a Yuan Ying elder of Nine Nether Sacred Land, and seriously wounded their leader, Gongsun Qingyang. They even blamed Nine Nether Sacred Land for the blood ritual, causing its followers to be persecuted—a temporary equalizer.

On the Daxia side, the distribution of power was more balanced, so more groups participated: Daxia Empire itself, the Azure Dao Sect, Mingyue Blade Sect, Seven Star Pavilion, and neutral sects like Green Cloud Mountain and Fenghua Mountain...

Although Daxia's power was less than Mingyue Empire's, their numbers far exceeded it—their combined forces were several times larger.

When the righteous forces of Daxia Empire and the demonic cultivators of Mingyue Empire met, the atmosphere became immediately tense. Daxia Empire had always excluded demonic cultivators, which was the root of its longstanding conflict with Mingyue.