Daqin Zhentiansi

Behind Venerable Azure Sky stood dozens of powerful Azure Dragon Clan Saint Realm experts.

These sacred beasts include those that can transform into human form and those that retain their original dragon bodies.

Their gazes, without exception, were filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and hidden arrogance, all focused on Zhang Yuan, who had just stepped onto the altar.

As for the Vermilion Bird, who arrived first and hovered in the air beside the altar, they only maintained a superficial show of courtesy.

Elder Cangqiong's gaze swept over Zhuque, and he nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist Zhuque has come from afar, I am sorry for not welcoming you properly."

His voice was like rolling thunder, carrying the unique majesty of the dragon race.

"Fellow Daoist Cangqiong, you are too kind." Zhuque's voice was clear and melodious, and the flames flickered slightly. "I have brought the outstanding human Zhang Yuan here this time because I was entrusted by Fellow Daoist Leiyu to help you solve the problem of the depletion of the Thunder Pool."

"Oh?" Elder Cangqiong's gaze finally fell on Zhang Yuan.

Those gazes were like two cold, sharp lightning bolts, carrying undisguised scrutiny and indifference.

It was as if they were looking not at a Saint Realm expert, but at an insignificant object.

He sized Zhang Yuan up and down for a moment, then a sneer appeared on his lips:
“Fellow Daoist Zhuque, my Azure Dragon clan has been trapped in the Thunder Pool for hundreds of thousands of years, and despite our best efforts, we have been unable to reverse the loss of our origin.”

"This is a disaster caused by the theft by the Heavenly Palace, involving the Chaos Thunder Source, which cannot be resolved by mortal power."

He paused, his contempt growing even stronger, striking Zhang Yuan like a heavy hammer.

"Even if this human has had some fortuitous encounters and gained some favor from Fellow Daoist Lei Yu, how could he possibly control the Chaos Thunder Source of my race?"

"Fellow Daoist, could it be that you've been bewitched by Lei Yu and are grasping at straws in your desperation?"

As soon as these words were spoken, a burst of suppressed laughter erupted from the altar.

The Azure Dragon Clan experts looked at Zhang Yuan with mockery and ridicule, as if they had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"A mere human dares to challenge the very essence of my race? They truly know no bounds!"

"Is Venerable Vermilion Bird blinded by his victory at Thunderfall Abyss?"

"Senior Lei Yu is barely able to protect himself, yet he dares to instruct the human race to cause trouble for our race?"

"I think it's tired of living and wants to be turned to charred bones at the Thunder Pool!"

The sarcastic remarks were made without any restraint.

The dragon race was already considered one of the top divine beast races in the primordial world.

Even though the Azure Dragon Clan here is not the strongest among the dragons, the pride of the dragons is already etched into their bones.

Why should the insignificant human race be allowed to save the dragon race from its peril?
In the eyes of the powerful Azure Dragon warriors, this was a joke.

"boom--"

The flames around the Vermilion Bird suddenly surged, and the temperature in the space rose sharply, clearly indicating that it was truly enraged.

Just as he was about to reprimand them, a voice, tinged with arrogance yet containing a barely perceptible hint of urgency, suddenly rang out from among the dragons, drowning out the laughter.

"Elder!"

The dragons looked in the direction of the sound and saw Ao Qing stepping out from the crowd and bowing to Elder Cang Qiong.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Zhuque before finally landing on Zhang Yuan, who appeared calm and detached.

"Elders, uncles! Since this human friend has gained the personal approval of Venerable Lei Yu, he must indeed have extraordinary abilities!"

"The Venerable Vermilion Bird also traveled a great distance to bring him here, which shows his sincerity!"

He abruptly changed the subject, raising his voice with a deliberate fervor: "In any case... our clan's Thunder Eye is about to extinguish, and the depletion of our source is irreversible! Rather than waiting for our bloodline to degenerate and our clan to decline, why not... let him give it a try?"

Ao Qing stared intently at Zhang Yuan, his tone filled with a sense of desperation, as if he were telling a cruel joke.

"If it succeeds, it will be a blessing for our clan! If it fails... it will just be another charred skeleton of a fool who overestimated himself by the edge of the lightning pool! What loss would it be for our clan?"

Upon hearing this, the altar fell into an instant silence.

All the mocking laughter stopped abruptly.

Stepping into that dangerous zone is a matter of life and death.

Even powerful dragons, once inside its core, dare not claim to have escaped unscathed.

Can humans set foot here?
Elder Cangqiong's ancient face was expressionless, but his deep purple eyes were slightly narrowed, like thunderclouds brewing a storm.

At the edge of the Nine Heavens Thunder Pool, the aura of thunder suddenly became oppressive and heavy.

How could a human being control the source of chaotic lightning?

It's like an ant trying to shake a tree!

Elder Cangqiong remained silent for a moment, his withered fingers twirling lightning patterns, before finally coldly snorting, "Since you insist on seeking death, I will grant you a try. But once you enter this lightning domain, you shall bear your own life and death; do not blame heaven or others!"

After speaking, his black robe billowed, and his withered arm suddenly swung forward!
The voice, like rolling thunder, crushed the hearts of all the dragons: "A hundred feet is the boundary. If you draw back the thunder, you will live; if you retreat, your bones will shatter and your soul will vanish!"

"Boom—Crack!!!"

Nine pillars of chaotic lightning, drawn from the depths of the Nine Heavens Thunder Pool, suddenly rose from the ground!

Each one was over a thousand feet thick, with a deep, ink-like color, and its edges crackled with dazzling purple-gold lightning, exuding a violent aura that could destroy everything.

They are not static.

Instead, under the precise control of the heavens, they roared and twisted like nine enraged ancient thunder dragons, instantly weaving into a massive net of thunder that blotted out the sky!

The area covered by the lightning net groaned under its own weight, and the purplish-black lightning crystals on the ground instantly melted into a glassy state, hissing and crackling.

Even more chilling is that several huge, charred and curled dragon scales are scattered along the path leading to the core of the Thunder Eye!

The patterns on the scales were dull and even cracked, emitting a burnt smell and the lingering aura of the sacred dragon.

This is the mark left by Elder Canglong, who recently tried to forcibly activate the Thunder Eye but was severely injured instead!

This road once buried a sacred dragon!
"hiss……"

A series of suppressed gasps rose around the altar, and fear appeared in the eyes of many dragons.

Even Ao Qing, who had just provoked him, suddenly narrowed his dragon eyes, staring intently at the remaining scale, his knuckles turning slightly white as he gripped the dragon spear.

The Vermilion Bird hovered to the side, its flames flickering slightly. It remained silent, its gaze fixed intently on Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan remained calm, his gaze sweeping over the menacing lightning net and the charred dragon scales on the ground, his deep eyes showing no fear whatsoever.

He took a step forward, and his figure disappeared from the spot in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already standing at the edge of the giant lightning net, no more than ten feet away from the first lightning pillar!
"Sizzle—!" As if completely enraged, the moment he stepped into the lightning domain, hundreds of purple-gold lightning snakes as thick as buckets on the nearest lightning pillars tore through the air and slashed down fiercely, like a group of sharks smelling blood!

Without any probing or buffer, it immediately unleashed a terrifying power capable of instantly injuring a cultivator in the early stages of the Saint Realm!
"Pfft! Sizzle—!"

Zhang Yuan's tough black Daoist robe was torn apart, charred, and turned to ashes in an instant, just like fragile cloth!
His powerful physique was exposed to the destructive lightning.

The tough skin was as if it had been cut by an invisible giant blade, revealing deep, charred cracks that showed the bone!
The golden blood that had just seeped out was instantly evaporated by the high temperature!

"Hahaha! Look! The insect-human hybrid is about to turn into charcoal sticks!"

"Overestimating himself! He can't even withstand dragon scales, who does he think he is?"

"Look, look! It's cooked! It's cooked!"

At the edge of the altar, some young dragons let out piercing laughter and mockery.

They were unaware of the crisis facing their race, and only felt that the human who had trespassed into the forbidden area would inevitably suffer a miserable fate.

However, just as the destructive lightning was tearing through Zhang Yuan's flesh and trying to penetrate his bones and internal organs—

"Buzz!"

Within Zhang Yuan's body, deep within his muscles, bones, and flesh, countless dense and complex dark golden runes suddenly lit up!
These runes are like divine and demonic marks branded into chaos, exuding an ancient, primordial, and all-encompassing aura!

Chaotic God-Demon Body!
The violent purple-gold lightning struck the dark gold rune, but instead of shattering or annihilating it as expected, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, being frantically pulled and decomposed by an invisible devouring force originating from the beginning of chaos!
The Great Qin Original Dao Scripture operates to its fullest extent at this moment!

The chaotic lightning power, powerful enough to destroy stars, was forcibly incorporated into the strange furnace formed by Zhang Yuan's chaotic god-demon body.

Under the flow of the dark gold runes, the destructive violence was quickly stripped away, and it was transformed into countless fine and gentle blue lightning snakes!

These electric snakes were no longer destructive; instead, they contained pure, primordial power of thunder, flowing swiftly along Zhang Yuan's damaged meridians like a gentle stream.

As the electric snake passed through the charred wound, the muscle fibers visibly wriggled and regenerated!
Beneath the cracked skin, the newly formed tissue shimmered with a faint jade-like luster, and was even more resilient than before!
Instead of being reduced to ashes by the lightning, he used the destructive power to temper his body, repair his wounds, and replenish his energy!
"He's...refining Chaos Lightning?!"

The mockery on Ao Qing's face froze instantly, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he gasped in shock.

He was more perceptive than the young dragons and clearly "saw" that the violent lightning power was being devoured, transformed, and absorbed by the strange power within Zhang Yuan's body!
This completely overturned his understanding of chaotic lightning and flesh and blood!

Elder Cangqiong sat on the Thunder Crystal Throne, a look of surprise and doubt appearing on his ancient face for the first time. The dragon claws resting on the armrests of the throne unconsciously tightened, and the hard thunder crystal made a faint "crackling" sound.

Zhang Yuan ignored the excruciating pain of his torn flesh and the clamor of the dragons.

He walked steadily, step by step, resolutely heading towards the core of the Thunder Eye.

With each step, a clear blood-red footprint would be left on the scorched lightning crystal ground beneath their feet, only to be swept away and evaporated by the subsequent lightning.

Ten zhang... twenty zhang... thirty zhang...

The deeper you go, the more terrifying the power of the lightning net becomes.

The color of the thunder gradually changed from purple-gold to jet black.

The laws of destruction it contains have almost solidified into reality.

Zhang Yuan's body was constantly being torn apart, but it was continuously repaired by the powerful self-healing ability of the Chaos God-Demon Body and the transformation and absorption of the "Great Qin Origin Dao Scripture".

This process was extremely painful, like being repeatedly tortured and stitched up.

But his eyes were sharp as knives, always fixed on the dry, lifeless core area of ​​the Thunder Eye ahead.

Forty zhang!
The lightning here was no longer scattered electric snakes, but condensed into a thick, almost pure black pillar of lightning, sweeping and lashing like a giant python!

Each impact caused Zhang Yuan's body to tremble violently, and the dark gold runes flashed wildly.

The speed at which the lightning was being converted was beginning to fall behind the speed at which it was being destroyed.

New wounds appeared more and more frequently, and golden blood continued to drip down, only to evaporate into a faint golden mist.

The laughter on the altar had long since disappeared, replaced by a deathly silence.

All the Azure Dragons, young and old, held their breath, staring in disbelief at the figure stubbornly trudging through the destructive Thunder Prison.

Ao Qing pursed his lips, his eyes filled with complex emotions—shock, confusion, and even a hint of anticipation that he himself didn't realize.
Finally, Zhang Yuan stepped into the area fifty feet away from the core of the Thunder Eye!

"Boom——!!!"

As if a forbidden line had been crossed, the remaining violent power in the entire Thunder Pool boiled over!
The nine thousand-foot-tall lightning pillars suddenly erupted with unprecedented light!
The color turned into a deep, viscous, dark purple that seemed to devour light!

They no longer intertwine into a net, but instead, like nine colossal pillars supporting the heavens and the earth, they rotate and contract inward!
The space was completely frozen and crushed!
The laws of destruction have materialized into shackles, threatening to crush intruders into the most primitive particles!
The pressure surged more than tenfold in an instant!
The dark gold runes on Zhang Yuan's body were suppressed, causing them to flicker unpredictably, and the repair speed could not keep up with the destruction!
New wounds upon old wounds, deep cracks that reveal the bone are all over his body, and golden blood gushes out like a spring!
For the first time, his steps faltered noticeably, as if he were carrying the weight of the entire Azure Dragon Mountain!

"It's over! Fifty zhang is the limit!"

"The chaotic thunderstorm has gone completely berserk! Elder Cangshi was here all those years ago..."

"He's dead!"

Desperate sighs and whispers echoed among the dragons.

Even Elder Cangqiong shook his head slightly, seemingly feeling that the outcome was already decided.

Ao Qing's heart sank, and the glimmer of light that had just ignited in his eyes instantly dimmed.

Just when it seemed like a life-or-death moment, a resolute light flashed in Zhang Yuan's eyes!
"Disperse!"

With a low growl, he actually dissipated all the protective qi supporting his body!
"boom--!"

Having lost its last line of defense, the body was instantly engulfed by the raging dark purple lightning!

The blinding lightning completely engulfed him, as if it would vaporize him in the next moment!
"He's gone mad?!"

"Seek death!"

Before the exclamation had even faded, a sudden change occurred!

Just as Zhang Yuan's physical body was about to collapse, an indescribably brilliant golden light suddenly shone from his chest!

The light was not intense, but it carried a supreme majesty that transcended all things, as if it contained the birth and death of the universe and the operation of the Great Dao!

The illusory image of the golden pearl of the Great Dao!

Although it was just a tiny projection, the moment it appeared, the extremely violent dark purple lightning pillar showed a very slight pause!

It was as if even the laws of destruction instinctively felt awe and hesitation before this supreme Dao!

"What...is that?!" Elder Cangqiong suddenly stood up from his throne, a look of horror appearing on his ancient face for the first time!

Ao Qing, who was closest to the object, felt his soul tremble violently!
The moment the phantom of the Great Dao Golden Pearl lit up, the trace of chaotic attribute in his body, which originated from the depths of the Azure Dragon bloodline, was extremely thin and had almost never been truly awakened. It resonated with the faint primordial aura, which also originated from chaos, that remained at the core of the dried-up thunder eye in front of him!
A primal, blood-rooted stirring and yearning erupted within him like a volcano! (End of Chapter)