Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Ao Pan's expression changed, but he soon realized something was wrong.

Although this pressure was extremely powerful, upon closer inspection, it revealed a sense of emptiness, far inferior to the demon kings he had seen, seemingly merely having a facade.

Lin Yuanzi slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were extremely bright, like two burning stars, radiating a scorching light.

He raised his hand and made a hand seal. The black-robed man beside him trembled, as if an ancient corpse had awakened from its slumber, and then opened his eyes.

But there was no life in his eyes, as calm as a stagnant pool, giving people an eerie sense of stiffness.

The black-robed man slowly emitted a pure and righteous spiritual energy, progressing through Qi Refining, Foundation Building, and Core Formation... In just a short while, he ascended to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, almost identical to Lin Yuanzi before taking the pill.

But this energy continued to rise until it crossed the invisible boundary between the Nascent Soul and Void Refinement stages, merging with Lin Yuanzi's energy and becoming one with him.

The pressure grew increasingly powerful, finally erasing any sense of emptiness and making it comparable to that of a true Void Refinement cultivator.

Lin Yuanzi stared at Ao Pan with his eyes as bright as stars, a murderous glint in them, and coldly said, "Go!"

Without warning, the man in black flew out like an arrow released from a bow, rushing towards Ao Pan.

His speed was extremely fast, comparable to teleportation. In the blink of an eye, he covered a distance of over a thousand feet and arrived in front of Ao Pan, throwing a punch with a blank expression.

Caught off guard, Ao Pan had no way to dodge, but in the blink of an eye, his body swelled to more than two times its original size, transforming into a half-human, half-dragon form. His physical strength increased greatly, and he swung out his dragon claws to meet the attack.

The next moment, Ao Pan flew thousands of feet away, but he was no match for the man in black robes.

The man in black robes stopped abruptly. There were three deep claw marks on his fist, but no blood flowed out. Instead, they were like fine jade, shimmering with spiritual light, and quickly healed as before.

He seemed to feel no pain whatsoever, still staring blankly at Ao Pan, before spitting out a golden stream of light that shot straight towards Ao Pan with lightning speed.

Ao Pan barely managed to steady himself, filled with shock and anger, when a blurry image of a blue dragon appeared behind him.

The Azure Dragon Dharma Form let out a long roar, exhaling countless wisps of azure energy that swirled around Ao Pan and condensed into a set of azure armor.

clang!
The golden light struck the armor, piercing through it, but this also slightly reduced its momentum.

Ao Pan raised his dragon claw to block in front of him, but it was still pierced by the golden light, and blood spurted out.

Only then could it be seen that it was a flying sword. After piercing through one of Ao Pan's dragon claws, it did not stop and stabbed at his vital heart, but it was blocked by the dragon scales.

Ao Pan reached out and grabbed, but the black-robed man in the distance raised his hand and beckoned. The golden flying sword, like a nimble fish, dodged the dragon's claw and flew back, circling around Ao Pan and piercing him.

However, the power contained in the flying sword was far less sharp than the previous sword strike. It was blocked by the blue armor, and the sound of metal clashing against metal was incessant.

The black-robed man's attack did not stop there. He expressionlessly took out a slingshot, and four longan-sized bullets, gleaming silver and perfectly round, appeared between the five fingers of his right hand.

He suddenly pulled back the slingshot and fired four silver bullets in succession. The bullets quickly grew into boulders over ten feet in size, falling like meteorites and heading straight for Ao Pan, blocking his path of evasion.

Seeing the black-robed man's relentless attacks, Ao Pan dared not hold back any longer and immediately transformed, revealing his true form.

The cyan armor shattered, and the blurry cyan dragon image merged with it, transforming into a hundred-zhang-long dragon.

Unlike ordinary dragons, Ao Pan has two horns on its head with intricate branches, golden eyes like fire, and a long mane on its neck. Its dragon head is no different from that of a real dragon.

The enormous dragon body pushed aside the fire and poisonous aura and took the initiative to meet the four meteorites. With a sweep of its claws, it shattered two silver bullets, and then opened its mouth to spit out a bolt of blue lightning. The thunder roared and smashed the remaining two meteorites to pieces.

However, in front of the golden flying sword, Ao Pan's huge body, which was hundreds of feet long, was almost full of flaws, and its defensive ability was greatly reduced. It was easily pierced by the golden flying sword and let out a deafening howl.

Although the golden flying sword was small, it was a genuine second-grade spiritual treasure, with unparalleled sharpness that no demon general could withstand.

With a furious glare, Ao Pan's horns flashed with azure light, and his body shrank to ten zhang in length, becoming much more agile. He finally dodged the golden flying sword that shot towards him.

A true dragon can be large or small, can rise or hide.

If Ao Pan only possessed the bloodline of a dragon, it would be difficult for him to control his true form at will.

Unlike humans, demons do not have a dantian within their bodies to contain a vast ocean of true essence.

The higher the realm of a demon, the larger its physical form becomes, in order to contain its immense demonic power.

Only a few special bloodlines can break this restriction.

The golden flying sword remained sharp, but with white clouds supporting Ao Panlong's body, it was light and graceful, always managing to dodge in time.

Even if it cannot avoid it, it can still use its dragon claws to block the flying sword.

After transforming into his true form, his four dragon claws were comparable to second-grade spiritual treasures, in no way inferior to the golden flying sword.

Ao Pan wouldn't just defend without attacking; he opened his mouth and spat out a bolt of azure lightning, which split into countless forms, twisting and turning like dragons, and struck towards the man in black robes and Lin Yuanzi.

This is the Divine Thunder of Wood, containing boundless vitality. It started as a tiny spark, then grew and expanded, transforming into a vast thunderous power, emanating an aura of deathly stillness.

With a flick of his dragon claw, the blood that gushed from his body coalesced into a giant blue leaf, shaped like a banana leaf, its life force intertwined within it.

But Ao Pan still wasn't satisfied, so he opened his mouth and spewed out a breath of vibrant green air that blended into the green leaves, making them lush and verdant, as if washed by spring rain.

Ao Pan slammed his dragon claws together, crushing the ten-foot-long blue leaf into specks of light that vanished without a trace.

The next moment, these streams of light appeared above Lin Yuanzi and the man in black robes, turning into hundreds of falling leaves that drifted down and enveloped the two of them.

Lin Yuanzi remained motionless, glancing only at Yi Mu Shen Lei and Lu Ye with an indifferent expression, his hands constantly changing hand seals.

The man in black robes remained expressionless. With a swift movement, he faced the divine lightning of the Wood element, allowing countless bolts of lightning to strike him.

It even actively emitted a pulling force, drawing all the azure lightning bolts that were striking Lin Yuanzi towards it.

The man in black robes was like a bottomless abyss, absorbing all the divine lightning in the sky without leaving any trace.

His black clothes and fair, delicate skin also turned a pale blue.

Only now could one see that the black clothes and fair skin were completely integrated, and the collar and belt were all made with ingenious techniques.

It appears flawless until it absorbs violent lightning power, at which point it begins to show some signs of imperfection.

The man in black robes absorbed all the divine lightning of the Yi Wood element, and the falling leaves landed on him without any hindrance.

These fallen leaves harbor hidden dangers, capable of shortening one's lifespan and damaging one's very essence; Han Xuan once suffered a loss as a result.

But this strange supernatural power was ineffective against the man in black robes. The fallen leaves vanished upon touching him, like snow melting under the scorching sun, leaving no trace.

The man in black robes remained expressionless, showing no signs of pain, though his vital energy had slightly weakened.

Lin Yuanzi looked up at the falling leaves above him, his eyes shining even brighter. He flicked his sleeve and uttered a single word: "Disperse!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible storm arose out of nowhere, containing immense power, and scattered all the fallen leaves.

Ao Pan's heart sank. He could not see the storm, nor could he hear any sound, but he could feel it.

This was a storm of divine thoughts. Lin Yuanzi released a massive amount of primordial spirit power, which shattered the divine power that Lin Yuanzi had used at the cost of his life force.

Ao Pan was powerless to do anything about it. The supernatural power he used originated from the Azure Dragon bloodline and was something that even a Nascent Soul cultivator could not withstand. Even Han Xuan had twenty years of his lifespan cut off.

However, the primordial spirit power released by Lin Yuanzi was comparable to that of a Void Refinement cultivator, and it was extremely violent, unlike the neutral and peaceful divine sense of ordinary cultivators and demon races.

If the demon race is said to rely on their physical bodies, they can overcome any technique with sheer force.

Lin Yuanzi's primordial spirit power was enough to crush Ao Pan's supernatural abilities, even brutally erasing the profound laws contained within.

While fending off the golden flying sword, Ao Pan stared at Lin Yuanzi, his huge golden dragon eyes burning with cold flames: "With your Nascent Soul body, aren't you afraid of backfiring on yourself by mastering the Void Refining Divine Thought?"

Lin Yuanzi coldly replied, "You need not trouble yourself. I will take your life before I suffer any backlash."

"The Azure Dragon bloodline is nothing special!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man in black robes raised his slingshot again and fired four gleaming silver pellets.

Ao Pan transformed into his true form and briefly merged with the Azure Dragon Dharma Image, greatly increasing his strength. He was now only a hair's breadth away from becoming a Demon King.

However, he still dealt with the four meteorites formed from projectiles with caution. He unleashed the Divine Lightning of the Wood element to shatter two of them, and then used his dragon claws to shatter the other two. His dragon body was still shaken back a hundred feet by the immense force.

Ao Pan had already seen through the black-robed man's true nature. He opened his huge mouth, and a desolate and deep dragon roar resounded through the sky: "Refining Void Puppet, the Tai Xuan Sect has quite the grand scale. No wonder you dare to speak so arrogantly."

"With this puppet in hand, I'm afraid even the Demon King can't do anything to you..."

Lin Yuanzi narrowed his eyes, remained silent, and with a thought, commanded the black-robed man to rush towards Ao Pan.

Ao Panlong's eyes revealed a look of fear. He flicked his tail and retreated, coldly saying, "Before I left, the Cold Shadow Demon Saint also bestowed upon me two treasures."

"I originally intended to use it to break the True Dragon Cave Formation, but since you are determined to die, I will grant your wish!"

He suddenly turned his head and looked at Zhong Ding, who was fighting Jiang Wangchen in the distance. He let out a long roar: "Brother Zhong! Don't hold back! Quickly use your trump cards and kill these human cultivators. Then we can join forces to break the great formation!"

The dragon's roar shook the heavens and resounded for miles around, alarming everyone on both sides.

The demons were terrified to see Ao Pan at a disadvantage.

The three cultivators at the Dragon Transformation Realm had ashen faces.

Ao Pan repeatedly claimed he was confident he could kill all the human cultivators, but he was firmly suppressed by Lin Yuanzi. Even after Lin Yuanzi revealed his true form, Ao Pan was still in a sorry state, which greatly disappointed them.

The human race's morale soared. If Ao Pan were killed, the demon race would lose a true spirit descendant, and their victory would be assured.

At this moment, Chen Yuan, Han Xuan and Zhou Lang were locked in a stalemate. Chen Yuan looked at the black-robed man who was attacking relentlessly and immediately recognized that it was a puppet.

He had fought against the Void Refining Puppet in the hands of the Wood Erosion Demon King and was very familiar with the puppet's aura.

Everyone knows that Lin Yuanzi, Han Xuan, and Jiang Wangchen possess treasures bestowed by the combined elders of the Tai Xuan Sect, but they do not easily reveal them, and outsiders are unaware of this.

Chen Yuan was also surprised to find that Lin Yuanzi's trump card was actually a Void Refining Puppet.

But this put his mind at ease, as having this puppet's assistance would greatly increase his chances of winning.

The giant tortoise formed from the bell and cauldron had firmly suppressed Jiang Wangchen, gaining the upper hand and still having some strength left.

Upon hearing this, he turned and looked back, frowning as he saw Ao Pan being forced to retreat by the man in black robes.

After weighing the options in his mind, he realized that if he didn't use his trump card, Ao Pan would be hesitant and wouldn't go all out, and the demon race would surely lose this battle.

But Zhong Ding didn't want to be a stepping stone for Ao Pan. He opened his huge mouth and let out a deep roar: "Brother Ao, make the first move, and I, Zhong, will follow closely behind!"

Ao Pan no longer hesitated, turned back to his dragon head, his body swayed, quickly shrank, and transformed back into human form.

At this moment, the man in black robes had arrived in front of Ao Pan, but he was not in a hurry. He flipped his hand and took out a three-foot-long willow branch, opened his mouth and spat out a stream of vibrant green energy, which he then incorporated into the branch and threw it out.

The willow branch took root in the void and quickly grew into a willow tree. Ten thousand willow branches hung down, weaving a dense fortress to protect Ao Pan.

The black-robed puppet unleashed a punch with a force comparable to that of a Void Refining Demon King, which shattered the willow branch instantly.

But new willow branches fell, endlessly, layer upon layer, blocking the black-robed puppet and the golden flying sword.

This willow branch originated from an ancient willow that had lived for millions of years. It was a gift from the Cold Shadow Demon Saint. After Ao Pan infused it with life force, it would transform into a willow tree, containing some of the ancient willow's power.

Even if a true Void Refinement cultivator were to descend, they could hold out for a short while.

Under the protection of the willow tree, Ao Pan raised his sleeve and flicked it. A green brocade pouch at his waist flashed slightly, and a dragon appeared out of thin air in front of him.

Lin Yuanzi stared intently. The dragon was not large, only about three zhang in length. It was pure white, but covered with a faint green tinge, like a thin layer of blue moss growing on an ancient ice plain, giving it a strange feel.

The dragon's eyes were tightly closed, its aura deeply concealed, and it did not exude a trace of life, making it extremely similar to the black-robed puppet.

Lin Yuanzi's eyes narrowed, and then he flicked his sleeves, unleashing a torrent of primordial spirit power.

Only the soul of a Void Refinement cultivator can activate the puppet. After Lin Yuanzi infused it with his soul power, the black-robed puppet suddenly stopped.

He raised his left hand, his five fingers spread out, and the skin on his palm spread outwards, revealing a dark hole.

The black-robed puppet pointed its left hand at Ao Pan, its cold eyes suddenly brightening, and the pressure emanating from it retracted completely into its body.

The world seemed to freeze for a moment. The next moment, the black-robed puppet's left palm suddenly lit up, shooting out a slender beam of light as dazzling as the sun. It evaporated all the crimson-gold fire poison along the way and landed on the Senluo Barrier in front of Ao Pan!
boom!
All eyes were drawn to the sight of the slender beam of light piercing through the barrier of the forest, penetrating even the willow trees, and heading straight for Ao Pan.

Ao Pan's expression changed drastically, but it was too late to dodge. He raised his hand, grabbed the three-zhang-long dragon, and held it in front of him.

The slender beam of light struck the dragon's body, but failed to pierce it. The immense force contained within sent the three-zhang-long dragon flying a thousand zhang before finally stopping. (End of Chapter)