Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Elder Yuan faced the dark red arrow head-on, its sharpness overwhelming him, but he ignored it.

Elder Yuan looked around, then flicked his sleeve, causing a strong wind to rise and clouds to surge, once again enveloping the main peak and blocking everyone's view and divine sense.

He then looked at Elder Su and calmly said, "Whether the remnant soul of that true dragon exists or not, and whether Junior Nephew Chen has been possessed by that remnant soul of the true dragon, are still just my guesses and have not yet been confirmed."

“But the fact that Junior Nephew Chen produced a Tai Xuan Token is undeniable. Not to mention that he also brought news of the Sect Leader’s old friend, which is of great importance. How can we let Senior Brother handle it at will?”

"It would be safer to take him back to the Spirit Realm and report to the Sect Leader for a decision."

Elder Su said coldly, "Master is currently in seclusion. If we rashly disturb him and find out that what this person said was false, or that he has even been possessed by the remnant soul of the True Dragon, thus incurring Master's wrath, no one can bear the consequences. We must investigate first."

"Junior brother, get out of the way immediately! Don't be fooled by this person!"

"This matter is of great importance and must be reported to the Sect Leader. If you insist on making things difficult for Junior Nephew Chen, then please step over my dead body." Elder Yuan changed his previous yielding attitude and became extremely firm.

"So, Junior Brother, you're determined to make things difficult for me on this matter?" Elder Su's eyes blazed with anger, which he forcibly suppressed as he gritted his teeth and spoke.

"Senior brother, you are mistaken. It is not that I want to make things difficult for you, but that you are insisting on your own way. Please forgive me for being unable to comply." Elder Yuan's expression was proud, his clothes billowed, and his combined aura slowly spread out. He was only six feet tall, but he was as majestic as a mountain.

"Junior Sister Mei, Fellow Daoist Wei, Fellow Daoist Ma, Fellow Daoist Luo, Junior Brother Yuan must have fallen under this person's bewitching spell. Please join me in capturing this person and helping Junior Brother Yuan break free from his influence." Elder Su coldly uttered these words, and the dark red arrow trembled slightly, as if it was about to be shot out at any moment.

However, the other four did not heed his call to action, and even Elder Mei, who was closest to him, showed hesitation.

"Senior Brother Su, since Junior Brother Yuan has objections, let's discuss this matter further. We can't possibly violate the sect rules and attack Junior Brother Yuan," Elder Mei advised softly.

“Fellow Daoist Mei is absolutely right. I also think this matter should not be handled hastily. We might as well stop fighting for now and find a safer solution.” Wei Wushang changed his previous attitude and began to persuade Elder Su.

"Fellow Daoist Wei is right..."

The leaders of Xuanji Sect and Chonghua Sect spoke up one after another, and Elder Su's expression turned completely gloomy. The violently trembling dark red arrow slowly stopped.

None of the four wanted to make a move. He couldn't even defeat Chen Yuan on his own, and with Elder Yuan added to the mix, there was a risk of defeat. So naturally, they didn't dare to take action.

But when Elder Su looked at Chen Yuan, whose body was shimmering with azure light, and the majestic Azure Dragon Dharma Image behind him, his heart bled. He angrily said, "Did you all not see that this person's cultivation has reached the peak of the Void Refinement stage, and his physical body is comparable to that of a Fusion Demon Saint?"

"He is just a minor cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage. If he hadn't been possessed by the remnant soul of a true dragon, his progress would never have been so rapid."

"What we need to do now is to join forces to capture him, search his soul and refine his spirit, instead of letting him leave this blessed land and release him back into the mountains!"

Upon hearing this, the four exchanged glances, but none of them spoke up in agreement. Instead, they continued to urge Elder Su to stop.

Elder Yuan further refuted, "Senior brother, your words are completely wrong. If Junior Nephew Chen was truly possessed by the remnant soul of that True Dragon, he must be extremely familiar with this place. In fact, when he left behind the remnant soul, he may have also planted a backup plan."

"This fiery array has blocked us for over two hundred years. He could have taken the opportunity to escape long ago, or used this fiery array to launch a counterattack."

"To sit idly by and watch us break through this formation, only to fall into the encirclement of the six of us, is that not courting death?"

The four powerful cultivators nodded secretly, for Elder Yuan's words were exactly what they had in mind.

The moment Chen Yuan revealed himself, it was impossible that he had been possessed by the remnant soul of the True Dragon. This was merely a clumsy excuse fabricated by Elder Su.

However, they didn't care whether Chen Yuan had been possessed by the remnant soul of the True Dragon or not. They only wanted to use this excuse to capture Chen Yuan and find the True Dragon's relic from him. Naturally, they were happy to see Elder Su take action.

If Chen Yuan were merely a Nascent Soul cultivator, they certainly wouldn't have been able to stop Elder Su, and even Elder Yuan wouldn't have been so resolute in protecting Chen Yuan.

Even if Chen Yuan possesses the Tai Xuan Token, and is very likely a disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect in the human realm with a deep connection to Master Fu, it is nothing compared to the True Dragon Relics that he may possess.

But now Chen Yuan has demonstrated strength comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator, and Elder Yuan is also supporting him.

Capturing him again would not be a simple matter, but a major battle, inevitably involving the internal strife among the elders of the Tai Xuan Sect, and very likely attracting the attention of Master Fu, which would be a completely different story.

Most importantly, Chen Yuan's cultivation level has advanced by leaps and bounds in just two hundred years, and he has most likely already consumed the True Dragon's Relic Treasure.

Even if they were to fight a major battle and capture Chen Yuan, they would most likely not find anything of value.

To offend this ascended cultivator and Elder Yuan, who are very likely to have a close relationship with Master Fu, is simply a losing proposition.

Anyway, they didn't directly fight Chen Yuan, so even if they were a little dismissive just now, they would have a chance to make up for it later.

Why follow Elder Su down this dark path, only to end up with nothing to show for it?

Elder Su's face was ashen, and his refined features now looked extremely terrifying as he stared intently at Chen Yuan.

He was well aware of what the four were thinking. There was a world of difference between casually capturing a Nascent Soul cultivator and fighting two Integration Realm cultivators.

However, he single-handedly led the exploration of the Xuanli Realm, contributing the most effort in setting up teleportation arrays and dispatching true disciples.

He even personally begged his master for a ray of starlight that could break through boundaries, incurring a considerable debt of merit, but in the end, the reward was far from enough to make up for it. How could he accept that?
But none of the four were willing to make a move, and no matter how unwilling he was, he dared not confront Chen Yuan and Elder Yuan alone.

He had no choice but to suppress the raging anger in his heart. With a change of hand seals, the dark red arrow disintegrated into wisps of smoke and fell into the ancient bronze furnace.

He put away the broken Tongtian spiritual treasure, gave Chen Yuan a deep look, and said coldly, "Since Junior Brother Yuan has pleaded for you, then I will show leniency."

"Three days from now, I will personally guide you into the spirit world to pay your respects to Master."

"However, you are not a disciple of our sect, and there are still many suspicious aspects about you. We cannot completely rule out the possibility that you have been possessed by the remnant soul of a true dragon. Before entering the spirit realm, you must not leave this peak even half a step!"

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, the jade dragon horn on his forehead disappeared, the azure light around him subsided, and the azure dragon dharma image behind him let out a slightly unwilling dragon roar before slowly dissipating.

He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Elder Su, saying calmly, "This junior will certainly follow Elder Su's teachings."

Elder Su snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Chen Yuan has been on the main peak for over two hundred years. Whatever treasures there may be, he must have already taken them all. Leaving them behind would be useless.

Elder Mei sized up Chen Yuan, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and her red lips parted slightly: "Just now, I mistakenly thought that my junior nephew had been possessed by the remnant soul of the true dragon. I hope my junior nephew will not mind."

"Elder Mei, you flatter me. How could I dare?" Chen Yuan returned the greeting and replied calmly.

"I have offended you greatly, but since young friend Chen has just escaped, I will not disturb you any longer. Once we return to the Spirit Realm, I will personally visit you to apologize," Wei Wushang said with a smile, bowing respectfully.

He addressed Chen Yuan as "young friend," but his manners were impeccable, treating him entirely as a fellow cultivator of the same level.

Chen Yuan's cultivation level was only at the peak of the Void Refinement stage, but his physical body was already comparable to a Nascent Soul Demon Saint. For body cultivators, once the physical body breaks through the bottleneck, a breakthrough in cultivation level is only a matter of time.

Chen Yuan had withstood another attack from Elder Su, so in the eyes of the others, he was already regarded as a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chen Yuan returned the greeting: "Before being taken to this place, Fellow Daoist Wei spoke of your deeds to me several times. I have long admired your name. If I were to ask you to apologize, wouldn't that be beneath me?"

"Oh? I wonder who this fellow Daoist you speak of is?" Wei Wushang's eyes lit up.

“Fellow Daoist Wei Zhaoning,” Chen Yuan replied.

Wei Wushang nodded secretly, said no more, and took his leave.

The leaders of the Chonghua Sect and the Xuanji Sect both expressed their apologies to Chen Yuan, but did not stay long and left one after another.

Chen Yuan was neither humble nor arrogant. He was neither overly modest nor arrogant. After seeing off the five Nascent Soul cultivators, he came to Elder Yuan's side.

"Thanks to the elder's strong support today, I was able to escape unscathed. I will remember the elder's great kindness forever." He bowed deeply to Elder Yuan, his expression extremely sincere.

Elder Yuan waved his hand, his face showing a hint of reproach: "Why do you say such things, nephew? Putting aside the connection between you and the sect leader, you were personally introduced to Huayu Peak by Han Xuan. How could I not stand up for you?"

"If my nephew hadn't intervened in time to save Han Xuan, I would have lost a beloved disciple. Shu Heng was also saved because my nephew spared him. I have always kept these two things in mind."

"I was heartbroken to hear that my junior brother had perished in the Fire Realm. I never expected that you would be so fortunate to escape this calamity and even turn misfortune into blessing, making great progress in your cultivation. This is truly something to celebrate."

As he spoke, Elder Yuan returned the Tai Xuan Token.

Chen Yuan accepted it with a smile, and then bowed to Han Xuan: "Today, in front of several seniors, my senior brother still spoke up for me. I will always remember this kindness."

Han Xuan looked ashamed and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "I am ashamed. I am but a humble person. It was only thanks to your own strength that we were able to survive this calamity."

"I haven't yet congratulated you on your great progress in cultivation, Junior Brother. Two hundred years ago, you were still in the late stage of Nascent Soul, but now you have leaped to the peak of Void Refinement. You survived a great calamity and are indeed blessed with good fortune."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "It was by chance that I absorbed some of the dragon essence left behind by that true dragon, which is why my progress has been so fast."

"It's a pity that only a thin layer of those dragon essences remained, as I absorbed them all, leaving only a dragon transformation pool."

The dragon essence left behind by a true dragon?
Elder Yuan was shocked. This was a treasure unique to the Dragon Clan, formed in the Dragon Transformation Pool, capable of transforming a person and greatly improving their cultivation.

But only dragons can absorb dragon essence, so why can Chen Yuan also refine it?

Elder Yuan immediately recalled the jade dragon horn on Chen Yuan's forehead and the azure dragon dharma image coiled behind him, and his heart trembled once again.

Han Xuan and Yuan Shuheng recounted in detail the great battle more than two hundred years ago, in which Chen Yuan slew the divided souls of the Demon Saint and condensed a total of three True Spirit Dharma Images. When his appearance changed drastically, he no longer had dragon horns on his forehead.

Where did these extra jade dragon horns and the Azure Dragon image come from?

Suddenly, he remembered what Han Xuan had once said: after the death of Ao Pan, the demon general with the bloodline of the Azure Dragon, Chen Yuan took his demon core...

Could it be that Chen Yuan's cultivation technique can truly continuously refine the true spirit bloodline?
Elder Yuan's heart was filled with turbulent emotions, but his face remained calm as he smiled and said, "The True Dragon's Relic is inherently ethereal. To have obtained this blessed land is already a worthwhile trip. May I ask where that Dragon Transformation Pool is?"

"Senior, please follow me." Chen Yuan gestured with his hand.

The three descended into the light of their escape and arrived at the Dragon Transformation Pool on the mountaintop. The bronze pool was now completely empty, with not a trace of dragon essence left behind.

Elder Yuan examined the dragon-shaped patterns carved on the edge of the bronze pool, his divine sense sweeping over them carefully. His eyes revealed amazement: "As expected of a treasure left by a true dragon, this divine object conceals itself, revealing no trace of its aura. If it weren't for your reminder, young friend, and my careful examination with my divine sense, I wouldn't have been able to detect its special features at all."

"It's a pity that the ability to condense dragon essence is an innate divine ability of the dragon race, otherwise this Dragon Transformation Pool could be used by our sect, and our disciples could have another path of body cultivation."

Chen Yuan said, "Although this Dragon Transformation Pool cannot condense dragon essence, its material is extremely hard, comparable to a heaven-reaching spiritual treasure. It can be used to store spiritual liquid and spiritual spring, and can remain intact for 100,000 years. It is quite a remarkable treasure."

"This junior wishes to present it to the senior as a small way to repay the senior's kindness today."

Elder Yuan smiled and said, "Nephew Chen's kindness is appreciated, and I will gladly accept it."

"This treasure was not easy to acquire, so I hope you will be careful, senior," Chen Yuan reminded him.

Elder Yuan nodded, then raised his hand and made a hand seal. Wisps of azure breeze surged into the Dragon Transformation Pool, as if trying to lift it up, but they disappeared without a trace, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

He frowned and tried several different methods, all to no avail.

Elder Yuan frowned, looking very troubled. Chen Yuan and Han Xuan watched quietly from the side, not daring to say anything to disturb him.

Chen Yuan certainly knew how to collect the Dragon Transformation Pool and also knew the secret method of condensing Dragon Essence, but he could not explain where he learned it from, so he could not tell Elder Yuan directly.

He had considered taking the Dragon Transformation Pool directly, but condensing the Dragon Essence required a large amount of rare and precious materials and a long time. It was a treasure for long-lived true dragons and large clans, but it was just a useless thing for Chen Yuan.

He simply left the Dragon Transformation Pool behind and used Elder Yuan to spread the word about the reason for his rapid advancement in cultivation, thus reducing the speculation of others.

Elder Yuan tried several more times, but the Dragon Transformation Pool remained motionless. Helpless, he had no choice but to give up and leave the Dragon Transformation Pool here for the time being.

He turned to look at Han Xuan: "I used up a lot of my true energy to break through this fiery array and I urgently need to recuperate."

"You stay and talk with Junior Nephew Chen. Junior Nephew Chen has been trapped in the great formation for a long time, and he must have many things he wants to ask. You must answer truthfully."

Han Xuangong responded respectfully, Elder Yuan bowed to Chen Yuan, and then turned to leave.

Chen Yuan returned the greeting with clasped hands, watched Elder Yuan flee into the distance, and then gestured to Han Xuan, saying, "Senior Brother, please follow me."

The two entered the thatched hut. Han Xuan looked at the simple furnishings inside and smiled, "Did you build this hut, Junior Brother?"

Chen Yuan shook his head: "This thatched hut already existed when I was captured here. Even if it wasn't left by that true dragon, it's still closely related to it."

Han Xuan's eyes narrowed, and he immediately spread his divine sense to investigate carefully.

“Senior brother, there’s no need to waste your energy. Over the years, I have explored this place countless times. This house is only made of precious materials, but there is nothing special about it.” Chen Yuan smiled and gestured for Han Xuan to sit down.

Disappointed, Han Xuan withdrew his divine sense and sat down at the table.

Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve, and a teapot and two celadon teacups appeared out of thin air on the table. He flicked a wisp of true fire with his finger, and the spiritual tea in the pot boiled on its own, wafting out a fragrant aroma.

Chen Yuan picked up the teapot and personally poured spiritual tea for Han Xuan, saying, "I am trapped here, unaware of the passage of time or my whereabouts. I beg you, senior brother, to enlighten me." (End of Chapter)