Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 435 Dragon Heart
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Xu Xuan couldn't care less about the other scriptures at this moment, and instead began to study the "Suspended Heavenly Thunder Book".

He glanced through it and saw that besides the Dao Hun Xuan, he also remembered Luo An's words about self-cultivation and reflection.

【Dao Hun Xuan】, the chaos is cleaved and cut down, seeking the mystery of the Dao.

This supernatural power is recorded in only this short line of text; the rest of the scripture is obscured by a chaotic aura and remains invisible. However, another passage recorded within it, "Self-Cultivation and Reflection," can be clearly seen.

【Self-cultivation and reflection】 means cultivating oneself and reflecting on one's past actions, and not being tainted by them. The use of this supernatural power is to wash away past karma, cultivate oneself and cut off transgressions, which is in line with the virtue of being free from karma by thunder, and can avoid the three calamities.

If "riding without blame" means to retreat from calamity and punishment from one's own nature so as not to fall into the land of lightning, then this path of "self-cultivation and self-reflection" means to be completely free from karma and calamity at the root of one's own nature.

Even with just a brief glance, a strange feeling arose in his heart.

Cultivating these two supernatural powers would likely be quite far removed from the destructive intent of the Heavenly Tribulation.

'If one cultivates this path, is there truly a chance to achieve perfect harmony simply by harmonizing the [Thunderous Marsh]?'

He had gained profound insights into this golden position and was now able to see the strangeness of this supernatural cultivation method. The combination of life and death, rise and fall, meant that the two natures of Zhenshe must be connected.

However, once the skills of "Riding Without Blame" and "Self-Cultivation and Reflection" are mastered, calamities will likely follow. Without divine punishment, how can one bear the wrath of the gods?

Luo An, unaware of Xu Xuan's thoughts, continued to explain:

"The Heavenly Dragon Lord also left a record, and once wrote a profound treatise called [Thunder Void], which is an explanation of the true thunder without any external intention, upholding the righteousness of thunder."

"Although it has been lost now, some records have been left. There is a discussion about this path of self-cultivation and reflection, which says that if one seeks a higher level of attainment, one should cultivate this supernatural power last."

Xu Xuan listened silently, his mind racing. Of the five thunderbolts, the Zhen Thunderbolt was the one that best embodied the essence of thunder.

Thunder can purify the spirits and cleanse impurities, and can control wind, rain and clouds; divine thunder is the killing intent of heaven, and its power is unfathomable; earth thunder is the punishment carried out on behalf of heaven and governs the morality of heaven and earth.

As for the last spiritual lightning bolt, it was the furthest from the true meaning of thunder, without even a sound of thunder, and did not resonate with heaven and earth. It would be more appropriate to describe it as radiance or aura.

Only the thunderous roar, complete in its entirety without any superfluous human intention, can be considered the purest form of Daoist tradition.

'Since this [Dao Hun Xuan] is not a dragon's inheritance, why has it appeared here?'

Xu Xuan was subtly moved, but he felt that this supernatural power could not be discussed with others at the moment and should be kept hidden in his heart.

"Unfortunately, the [Fenglong] Drum has never been born and is still submerged in the sea abyss. Once these two spiritual treasures are combined, their wonders will far surpass those of a single artifact."

Luo An's words contained a hint of regret, but Xu Xuan immediately touched the sensitive spot on his neck.

As the dragon pattern on the black sword manifested, a deep purple light shone from the dragon pattern on it, echoing the distant sea abyss below.

"I'll go and investigate."

Xu Xuan was immediately tempted. The Lieque sword corresponded to "Ye Zhaoye", which is why it had the wonder of purple extreme pressing and condensing lightning. The Fenglong continuous drum should correspond to "Zhentianqu".

Both of these supernatural powers are offensive techniques of the Thunderclap method. When the two are combined, they become lightning, and their power is naturally greatly enhanced.

“Brother Mingdu, be careful. In this abyss, there is the resentful lightning left behind by the Void Dragon King. It has been lingering for a long time and can entangle one’s soul. If one is not careful, one’s Purple Mansion will also be injured.”

Luo An wasn't afraid that this Minglong would take away the spiritual artifact. On the contrary, she was willing to let him get more involved in the karma of the Yeguang Dragon Vein. If he could truly achieve the Golden Core in the future, she would remember this kindness.

“I have cultivated the skill of ‘Riding Without Blame,’ which has the wonder of escaping. If things are impossible, I will be able to escape on my own.”

Xu Xuan frowned slightly as he looked down at the thunderous sea below. Most of the dragon bones were sinking into the abyss, and thunder could be faintly heard from the dark abyss.

At this moment, Lie Que's sword energy surged, and lightning leaped, pointing towards this abyss, seemingly echoing its presence.

With a heavy heart, he activated the wondrous power of the Thunder Chariot of [Riding Without Blame], manifesting a thunder chariot and lightning whip, a heavenly horse and rainbow scenery, with the force of breaking the formation, and headed towards this sea abyss.

【乘无咎】At this point, it is already quite close to perfection, and the wonder of this Thunder Chariot has increased even further, and it can even be used to travel in all directions.

Upon entering the seabed, he saw countless twisted, snake-like purple-black lightning bolts. As soon as they saw someone enter the sea, they seemed to come alive and lunged at him with deep resentment.

The supernatural power of 【乘无咎】 was quickly worn away. Xu Xuan's mind sank, and he immediately activated 【天鹏极阳遁光】.

Since obtaining the "Dao Wang Hong Yang" of the Sun Dao, he has used this Sun Gold Stone to enhance his escape light, adding a touch of the majestic power of the Heavenly Sun. The light of the extreme Yang flashed, illuminating and repelling countless purple-black lightning snakes.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he simultaneously unleashed the Mountain-Driving Whip, using the Earthly Branch to immobilize the approaching electric snake. With the help of Lieque's senses, after circling the dragon skeleton many times, he finally found an entrance to the abyss.

Just dealing with these electric snakes had already depleted a great deal of his magical power. He dared not delay and instantly fled into the abyss.

The abyss was mostly filled with that magnificent, ferocious dragon skeleton. At the lowest point, there were bursts of thunderous waves that stirred the seawater, which stirred Xu Xuan's heart.

Upon entering the abyss, the countless purple-black lightning snakes above ceased their advance. Xu Xuan immediately withdrew his supernatural powers, took a pill, and headed towards the direction of the thunderous sound.

At the very end of the dragon's skeleton, there was a dark altar with a drum on it. There were five drums in total, with a purple background and white surface, and they were decorated with wind and thunder patterns. Every time they were shaken, a series of heavenly sounds resounded, and they were confined to the abyss.

'Fenglong.'

With a thought, Xu Xuan activated his divine power to sense the continuous drum, but there was no response. He stepped forward and directly extended his dragon claw, but he could not budge it even slightly.

The Fenglong Thunder Drum was so firmly rooted that even the Purple Mansion could not forcibly remove it.

'No wonder it's been sitting in the sea for so many years without anyone touching it.'

Xu Xuan looked at Lie Que in his hand. This spirit sword was the matching weapon with Feng Long. The sword and the drum were now in sync.

As the sword intent shifted, aligning perfectly with the cyclical nature of thunder, the continuous drums above the altar began to vibrate violently, accompanied by thunderous roars that shook the entire abyss.

'efficient!'

Xu Xuan's heart stirred slightly, and he continued to urge Lieque to respond to Fenglong. He saw the continuous drum rise from the altar little by little, and then detach itself and fall into Xu Xuan's hand.

From below, bursts of blood-red light rose up, extremely dazzling, causing Xu Xuan to immediately want to activate his divine power to leave, but he froze the next moment.

On the altar was a huge dragon heart, its blood-red light radiating outwards, and it was pulsating. But as the thunder drum that had been suppressing it above departed, it gradually turned into ashes.

As blood-red light rose, Xu Xuan's mind trembled. The divine travel ability of [Riding Without Blame] was activated on its own, and in a daze, he seemed to have arrived in another world.

As night fell and the sun began to set, the sky was filled with surging, malevolent light emanating from white bones, with water and fire clashing violently.

Still in this sea, this altar is located at the very center of the sea and sky. Xu Xuan is standing in front of it, as if he has transformed into another person, only able to watch as he offers various sacrifices little by little.

The surrounding seawater had been dyed crimson, with many purple-scaled dragons lying dead within, gradually turning into scattered bolts of lightning. Only three or five dragons remained alive, now under the protection of this altar.

A voice drifted down from the heavens, seemingly from beyond the nine heavens, carrying a hint of pity.

“Xu Zhi, why bother? If you fulfill your oath, you can naturally ascend to the position of Huo Shan.”

[Xu Xuan] was now in front of the Thunder Altar, but had transformed into a tall dragon king wearing a purple lightning patterned armor. Behind him were five constantly rotating thunder and fire drums, and in his hand was a dark black thunder sword with dim light.

He first glanced at the devastation at sea and the few young dragons with Qi Refining cultivation hiding under the protection of the altar, then slowly raised his head and looked up at the sky. At this moment, he spoke, his voice like rolling thunder.

"If I die, the dragon bloodline will not be extinguished, and future bloodlines will rebuild the [Yeguang Palace]. When death is due, then die. If you wish to covet [Huo Shan], then you must abandon that thought."

His gaze was cold as he looked up at the clouds. At this moment, he revealed his dragon form, which shook the vast lake and was filled with lightning, illuminating the twilight. His ferocious and majestic dragon form rose up, ready to charge into the sky.

But only a beam of dark blue light pierced through the sky and transformed into a coffin. At this moment, it opened, and a pale, skeletal hand reached out from within, grasping at the distance.

Blood mist burst from the heart of the thunder dragon, and dragon blood splattered across the sky. A still-beating dragon heart had been extracted, while the flesh and blood on the dragon's body instantly vanished, leaving only white bones.

A faint sigh came from above, and with a wave of the skeletal hand, the last remaining dragon seed below vanished into thin air. The dragon heart was placed on the altar and suppressed by the Lieque Spirit Sword and the Fenglong Lian Drum.

"What a pity, Xu Zhi."

A sigh came from the dead wooden coffin, seemingly filled with emotion.

"This dragon is arrogant and unfit for use. We should use divine thunder to unleash the metal element of [Xuanhao] into the world."

At this moment, another soft, feminine voice rang out, pale light flickered, white bones and malevolent energy manifested, a sense of tragedy and impending doom arose, and water and fire crisscrossed the sky.

All of this vanished in an instant. Xu Xuan opened his eyes and saw Lie Que and Feng Long lying across him, a sword and a drum. He could sense something, but the altar was completely empty.

'Huo Shan.'

A chill ran through him. If what he had seen earlier was true, the death of this illusory dragon king was probably not so simple.

(End of this chapter)