Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Lei Peng's body was formed from the Lei River; it was not a true living being, had no sense of pain, and was fearless in the face of death.

However, Ao Pan's dragon claws were covered with a layer of withered yellow color, exuding an aura of decay and death. Wherever it went, even the condensed lightning body withered and dissipated like autumn leaves.

Yuan Shuheng, who was far away, was making hand seals to command Lei Peng to fight. When he saw this, he hurriedly told Lei Peng to get out of the way.

If Ao Pan were to seize the silver lightning crystal within his body, he would no longer be able to maintain his Thunder Roc form, his strength would plummet, and he would no longer be a match for Ao Pan.

However, with the continuous supply of thunderous power from the Thunder Crystal, Lei Peng's wounds quickly healed completely.

With a thought, Yuan Shuheng sent Lei Peng soaring forward again, accompanied by a thunderbolt that struck Ao Pan. Although it was far less powerful than the thousands of thunderbolts summoned by Chen Yuan, it was still quite impressive.

Wei Changlin stood by, wielding a jade ruler to assist him. The ruler materialized into countless forms, descending from the sky, accompanied by celestial birds and auspicious beasts, and accompanied by the clear chanting of Buddhist hymns, completely untouched by any trace of worldly affairs.

It is said that the Wei family's ancestors had some connection with Buddhism, and their martial arts techniques incorporated Buddhist secrets, which now seems to be true.

Yuan Shuheng nodded secretly. He and Wei Changlin joined forces to block Ao Pan. Although it was a bit difficult for them to fight Ao Pan two against one, it was not a problem to hold him off.

That silver lightning crystal was a treasure bestowed upon him by his father, Elder Yuan. It was said to have been formed from the saliva of a Thunder Roc Demon Saint, containing a wisp of extremely pure lightning power, and was of great value.

Elder Yuan did not cultivate the path of thunder, but specially exchanged this thunder crystal from another Nascent Soul cultivator, entirely for Yuan Shuheng's sake.

He was given this as a reward before entering the Xuanli Realm, as a means of survival.

However, its greatest function is to temper true essence, imbuing it with a touch of violent nature, making it most suitable for cultivators of the Thunder Path.

Yuan Shuheng originally intended to keep it so that when he advanced to the Refinement of Void realm in the future, he could use the Thunder Crystal to temper his true essence, which would also greatly shorten the time required to stabilize his realm, killing two birds with one stone.

This was also one of Elder Yuan's intentions. However, after the arrival of the two saints' divided souls, the human race was at a disadvantage, and Yuan Shuheng dared not hold back any longer.

However, the Thunder Crystal was not a weapon of destruction, and the Thunder Roc it transformed into was also lacking in strength, far inferior to the Void Refining Puppet, and even less powerful than the Immobilization Talisman in Jiang Wangchen's hand.

However, the Huayu Peak lineage was led by Han Xuan on this trip, and Elder Yuan had bestowed other treasures upon them.

Yuan Shuheng stepped forward and held off Ao Pan, which was already a great achievement.

Seeing Chen Yuan display his divine power, condensing a thunder and fire prison to trap the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint, further excited him.

The outcome now hinges on whether the Azure-White Flood Dragon destroys the Black-Robed Puppet first, or whether Chen Yuan slays the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint's divided soul first.

If he and Wei Changlin could simply continue to hold Ao Pan back, preventing him from being able to attend to other matters, that would already be a great contribution.

Fortunately, the consumption of Thunder Crystals wasn't too great, so it could last for quite some time...

As Yuan Shuheng's thoughts raced, Ao Pan withdrew his gaze from the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint, a cold glint flashing in his dragon eyes.

Yuan Shuheng could see the key to this battle, and he was well aware that the demon race was in dire straits.

Yuan Shuheng certainly wanted to drag things out, but Ao Pan had to break the deadlock and rescue the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint in order to turn the tide.

Although he can now handle the combined attack of two people, his demonic energy is being consumed extremely quickly.

When Ao Pan summoned the fragmented soul of the Cold Shadow Demon Saint, it seemed effortless, but in reality, it consumed a considerable amount of energy.

Even with the replenishment of pure dragon energy emanating from the True Dragon Cave, he couldn't sustain it for long.

Faced with the lightning strikes from the sky, Ao Pan caused all the trees and plants around him to sprout and grow, blocking all the lightning that the other demon generals feared. The trees and plants that he created even grew back to life and became more and more lush.

He repelled Lei Peng once again; wherever the withered dragon claws reached, decay and death ensued.

The countless jade rulers, imbued with both Buddhist and Taoist mysteries, could not break through the formidable barrier erected by Ao Pan.

This treasure is most effective at countering demonic supernatural powers, but Ao Pan possesses pure wood-elemental spiritual energy, and his supernatural powers are full of vitality, so the effect is mediocre.

After blocking the two attacks, Ao Pan suddenly let out a long roar. His pair of azure dragon horns shone with a bright light, and his demonic power surged out, transforming into a huge life force that gathered in his dragon eyes.

But the next moment, his golden dragon eyes turned a withered yellow and grayish-white color, and his enormous vitality was completely transformed into withered and lifeless power, shooting out two grayish-white divine lights that went straight towards Wei Changlin.

Wei Changlin was startled, a chill ran through him, and he immediately recalled the jade ruler, which split into thousands to protect himself.

Still not reassured, he flipped his hand and took out a bronze bell, which swelled several times larger and was placed in front of him as a shield.

However, all the jade rulers that were struck by the two beams of gray-white divine light turned into dust and vanished without a trace, showing no power to resist.

Even the jade ruler itself, as a third-grade spiritual treasure, was covered with a layer of decay and shattered after being hit by the divine light.

Next was the bronze bell, also a third-grade spiritual treasure, which was easily pierced by the divine light. The gap seemed to have weathered into dust over countless ages.

The gray-white divine light pierced through two spiritual treasures in succession, leaving a deadly path. Its momentum did not diminish, and it struck Wei Changlin, who was retreating rapidly, silently merging into his body.

Wei Changlin froze, an incredulous look on his face, and slowly lowered his head.

His body was covered with a layer of grayish-white color, starting from his feet, turning into dust like sandstone weathered for thousands of years in the Gobi Desert, and dissipating with the wind, his vital energy rapidly declining.

Ao Pan's eyes returned to normal, but his golden dragon eyes, which had originally burned like raging flames, were now much dimmer.

His once vibrant green dragon scales were now covered in a layer of grayish-white, like a forest after a sandstorm, buried by dust and lifeless.

Yuan Shuheng's expression changed: "Fellow Daoist Wei!"

At this moment, Wei Chang calmed down, stared at Ao Pan, and said, word by word, "Even if I die today, I will make you pay with your life!"

He flipped his hand and took out a Buddhist rosary, threw it with all his might, and the next moment, his whole body turned into ashes and vanished into thin air, leaving only a mustard seed ring.

The prayer beads flew towards Ao Pan, shattered, and burst forth with Buddhist light, transforming into a gigantic golden hand with its five fingers spread wide. It descended from the sky and grabbed at Ao Pan.

Ao Pan frantically channeled his demonic power, condensing layers upon layers of the Netherworld Barrier in front of him, but it was mercilessly destroyed by the golden hand, which grabbed Ao Pan and squeezed him hard!
The golden hand dissipated, and Buddhist light enveloped Ao Pan's entire body, leaving no trace of injury.

But Ao Pan let out a miserable howl, his dim dragon eyes filled with pain.

The golden hand did not truly disappear, but instead appeared in his soul space and seized his demonic soul.

The Buddha's light merged with the demon's soul, like the most intense flame, and the solidified demon's soul quickly became illusory.

After shooting out two beams of divine light, Ao Pan was only slightly injured.

But Wei Changlin's dying blow severely damaged his demonic soul.

Fortunately, the Azure Dragon bloodline also filled his demon soul with vitality, preventing it from completely dissipating. Instead, it slowly recovered after the Buddha's light faded.

Ao Pan transformed back into human form, took out a jade bottle, poured out a few cyan pills, and swallowed them.

Yuan Shuheng would not allow him to heal peacefully. With a thought, Lei Peng let out a sharp cry, opened its mouth and spat out a bolt of lightning more than ten feet thick. Suddenly, it flapped its wings and grabbed at Ao Pan.

Ao Pan threw out a willow branch and exhaled a breath of vibrant green air. The willow branch quickly grew into a towering ancient willow, its branches hanging down and densely weaving a net.

Ao Pan's aura weakened further, but Lei Peng was also blocked by the towering ancient willow. This branch, taken from a million-year-old willow and infused with the life force of the Azure Dragon's bloodline, was beyond the reach of ordinary supernatural powers.

The Cold Shadow Demon Saint bestowed two willow branches upon Ao Pan, and the black-robed puppet used a giant mechanical cannon to destroy one of them.

However, due to Yuan Shuheng's cultivation level and the characteristics of the Thunder Crystal, Lei Peng was only infinitely close to the Void Refinement stage and did not have the means to break through the defense of the towering ancient willow for the time being.

Ao Pan took the opportunity to swallow a few more pills, but he was too exhausted, his injuries were too severe, and his soul was tainted by the Buddha's light, so his recovery was extremely slow.

Under normal circumstances, facing only Wei Changlin would not be difficult.

However, he first engaged in a fierce battle with the black-robed puppet, and then summoned the demigod's divided soul to descend, so he was not at his peak.

Yet he still had to unleash those two beams of gray-white divine light to forcefully kill Wei Changlin, and he would inevitably have to pay a price.

However, Lei Peng was unable to break through the towering ancient willow for the time being. Ao Pan, while intensifying the refining of the pills, looked at Zhuang Buhui, Feng Zhihe and Zhou Lang and said loudly, "If the three seniors do not go all out now, when will they?"

The three men were locked in a fierce battle with their opponents when they heard this, and all of them hesitated.

Their lifespans are nearing their end. If they were to fight with all their might, they would deplete their life essence, which would also shorten their lifespan. The cost would be too high.

Even if we do defeat the human race, what's the point if we exhaust our lifespan and sever our path to enlightenment?
Ao Pan said sternly, "If the three seniors continue to stand by and watch the human race win, they will ultimately perish!"

The three were still somewhat hesitant. Since it concerned their lifespan and path to immortality, no matter how shrewd and calculating they were, they couldn't help but have doubts now that they were in the thick of it.

Han Xuan, who was struggling to control the sword formation to defend against Zhou Lang's attack, suddenly shouted: "Seniors, my human race and the demon race have a blood feud, but we have no enmity with the dragon people. We are from the same source, so why make a big fuss?"

"At present, our human race has gained the upper hand, and the three seniors do not need to turn against us. They can simply sit on the sidelines and watch the outcome unfold."

"If our human race wins and breaks through the True Dragon Cave Formation, then I, Han, will definitely help the three seniors break through their bottlenecks and continue their cultivation!"

All three were somewhat tempted, and Zhou Lang even subtly slowed his offensive, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

He was only focused on breaking through his bottleneck, and his alliance with the demon race was at Feng Zhihe's urging, but he had no loyalty to the demon race whatsoever.

If one could utilize the pure dragon energy within the True Dragon Cave without transforming into a dragon, that would be ideal.

Ao Pan sneered: "The three seniors should not listen to this person's instigation. If my demon race is defeated and these human cultivators are freed up, we will immediately turn against them."

"Senior Zhuang, you have a long-standing grudge against Chu Weicai, and you even have a blood feud with the Yingmo and Yingqian tribes. Would he allow you to break through your bottleneck?"

Zhuang Buhui's face darkened, and Ao Pan looked at Feng Zhihe: "Senior Feng personally slaughtered the Xuanji Sect cultivators, and Han Xuan even said that he would not let Senior escape and would avenge the Xuanji Sect cultivators. At this time, such a promise is nothing more than a delaying tactic."

A hint of regret flashed in Feng Zhihe's eyes. Ao Pan then said, "At present, Lord Hanying has a great advantage. It's only a matter of time before he breaks that Void Refining Puppet."

“Ao has already killed Wei Changlin. Once he recovers from his injuries, Yuan Shuheng will also be unable to escape death.”

"Chen Yuan seems to have the upper hand, but the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint is only temporarily avoiding the limelight."

"How could a mere Nascent Soul cultivator outlast a Demon Saint's divided soul? He was merely struggling in his death throes."

"If the three seniors hesitate any longer and intentionally hold back their strength, even if my demon race wins, our previous promises will be invalid!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Zhihe finally stopped hesitating and shouted, "Brother Zhuang, Brother Zhou, things have come to this point, we have no way out, let's fight with all our might!"

After saying that, he forced Zhou Muyun back, put away the Ruyi Divine Weapon, raised his hand to form a hand seal, and his body was surrounded by dragon energy, forming a giant cocoon of black and yellow.

Zhou Muyun, who was wielding a divine weapon and locked in a fierce battle with him, changed his expression slightly upon seeing this and retreated, refusing to take the opportunity to attack.

The next moment, a black dragon emerged from its cocoon, about a hundred feet long, resembling a real dragon, but with many differences.

It had a single rhinoceros horn on its head, and rows of bony spurs along its spine, making it look extremely ferocious. It pounced.

Seeing this, Zhou Muyun knew he could no longer hold back.

Feng Zhihe spared no expense to transform into a dragon; if he did not transform into a dragon, he would die at Feng Zhihe's hands.

He sighed softly, and his body was engulfed by the Xuanhuang Dragon Qi, forming a giant cocoon.

The ink dragon that Feng Zhihe had transformed into remained in place, coldly watching the giant cocoon of black and yellow.

When he transforms into a dragon, the dragon cocoon is incredibly hard and extremely difficult to break, so he certainly wouldn't waste his efforts.

Before long, a yellow dragon flew out, its dragon might was mighty, its four claws were like those of a crocodile, and its two horns were like those of a bull.

Mo Long immediately pounced forward, his momentum fierce, but Huang Long did not give way and met him head-on.

The two dragons were locked in a fierce battle, yet neither could gain the upper hand.

There are only five Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators in the Xuanli Realm. Their cultivation has stagnated for tens of thousands of years. They are already very familiar with each other's backgrounds. It would take several days and nights to determine a winner.

However, Ao Pan forced Feng Zhihe to transform into a dragon and fight in order to break through his bottleneck with the help of pure dragon energy after the battle, even if it meant consuming his precious lifespan.

In order to save his life, Zhou Muyun had no choice but to follow the dragon.

This is the tragedy of the weak. They may seem to have higher cultivation levels, but in front of demon generals and Nascent Soul cultivators, they can only obey orders.

Zhuang Buhui and Chu Weicai exchanged a glance, and without further hesitation, they each transformed into dragon forms.

Past grudges and the desire for the True Dragon Cave intertwined, and the two dragons fought fiercely, showing no mercy, to determine who was superior and to decide life and death.

Zhou Lang was still somewhat hesitant. He had not yet incurred the wrath of the human race, and there was still room for maneuver.

But the black dragon that Feng Zhihe had transformed into let out a long roar, its voice deep and resonant: "Brother Zhou, how can you bear to turn your back on me and forget the kindness you showed me back then?"

Zhou Lang's eyes narrowed as he recalled how he had nearly gone mad with his cultivation and slaughtered the dragon tribe to vent his anger, which had enraged Chu Weicai and the other two, and how Feng Zhihe had intervened to mediate the situation.

Without further hesitation, he raised his hand and formed a hand seal, ignoring the flying swords and bamboo leaves that attacked him. Dragon energy surged out and formed a giant cocoon of black and yellow.

A hint of joy flashed in Ao Pan's eyes. He had long known that it would be difficult to determine a winner when four cultivators at the Dragon Transformation Realm fought.

However, if Zhou Lang were to face Han Xuan without restraint, he would not have difficulty winning and would surely break the stalemate, allowing the demon race to regain the upper hand.

Han Xuan's heart sank. After Chen Yuan left, he was alone to fight Zhou Lang. It was extremely difficult for him to fight against a stronger opponent.

Fortunately, Zhou Lang held back, and he was able to barely hold on.

But if Zhou Lang transforms into a dragon and attacks with all his might, I will undoubtedly be defeated.

Han Xuan's eyes sharpened, and he flipped his hand to take out a wooden box. The lid popped open, and a bright light shone out, like the rising sun illuminating all directions.

Wherever the light shone, it was accompanied by a chilling sword aura, tearing through the sky; the magnificent sword power was so penetrating that it pierced the soul and bones! (End of Chapter)