Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 432 Transformation into a True Dragon
As time went by, Chen Ye had not transformed into the form of a dragon for a long time.

Chen Ye had to put in some effort to find the long-sealed dragon pearl from the depths of the sect's treasury.

The pearl felt warm and smooth to the touch, with wisps of moisture rising from it, as if it were leaping with joy. Chen Ye had always felt that this dragon pearl possessed a spirit, and seemed to be no ordinary inanimate object.

Holding the precious pearl, Chen Ye once again activated the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique, and his physical body began to stretch and change, growing scales and sharp claws, quickly transforming into a dragon.

However, during this change, Chen Ye noticed a subtle difference.

Perhaps it was the improvement in his cultivation, or perhaps three hundred years of sword practice had given him a new understanding of the Dao of Change; in any case, this change was accompanied by all sorts of strange sensations...

The reason wasn't important; all Chen Ye knew was that his transformation had indeed brought about a change.

At first, he couldn't quite pinpoint the difference. Then, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he loosened his grip on the dragon's claws, placing the four dragon pearls, once considered the foundation of change, on the ground.

In the past, without the help of the dragon pearl, he would have been forced back to his original form.

But now, his true form as a dragon remains real and undeniable, showing no signs of disintegration.

At this point, Chen Ye finally understood the difference.

These four dragon pearls had transformed from something he relied on into something external to him.

This means that Chen Ye has completely mastered the transformation technique of the dragon's body, and his physical body and soul have become one, making him a true dragon!

This is precisely a manifestation of the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts reaching a new level—from "similar in form" to "similar in spirit," and now to "truly real and not false."

This transformation is no longer a mere simulation; it represents a complete metamorphosis into a dragon. Even the legendary ancestor of dragons would likely find it difficult to detect the flaw.

This is undoubtedly a good thing. At least in the future, there will be no need to worry about the dragon pearl being accidentally damaged or lost, and being reduced to its original form at a critical moment.

Chen Ye simply put those treasures away again, then flicked his dragon tail and rode away on a cloud.

Before long, they arrived at the seaside. Chen Ye dispelled his cloud-riding and plunged into the sea.

As the dragon entered the sea, the surrounding waters seemed to come alive. Endless aquatic energy cheered and leaped, swirling around Chen Ye as if welcoming their long-lost master back.

"I wonder if the legendary mermaids also receive such treatment when they travel through the sea?"

A flicker of curiosity crossed Chen Ye's mind. His only impression of merfolk was that of fellow Daoist Fang Zhixuan, who was said to have some merfolk blood, but looked no different from ordinary people. This cooperation with Tianxin Island would be a good opportunity to see for himself.

In the blink of an eye, he had already dived into the endless deep sea.

The dragon's body swam through the sea at an unimaginable speed. What used to take several days to reach Guixu could now be seen in the distance in just one day and one night.

Even from a great distance, Chen Ye could already see the location of Guixu.

Ahead, there were concentric circles of milky white, shimmering light, like a giant, upside-down jade bowl on the seabed, completely isolating this world from the outside world.

Although the Ruins of Guixu had previously emitted light, it was as dim as a firefly, far less dazzling than it is today.

This must be the so-called Return to the Void Restriction.

Chen Ye had already heard that the Tianxin Island cultivators who approached to investigate were severely injured by the sharp aura contained within. After returning to the island, they consumed countless elixirs and medicines, but were unable to completely eradicate the sword-like sharpness that had invaded their bodies. They could only rely on painstaking effort, spending years or even decades to slowly dissipate it.

With such a terrifying restriction, it's no wonder that Tianxin Island had no way to deal with it.

Chen Ye composed himself and continued forward. Before long, dozens of magic boats of varying sizes came into view.

The most conspicuous of them all was the magnificent immortal ship, seemingly carved from a single piece of white jade and shaped like a giant whale. Around it, dozens of small boats of various shapes and sizes cruised, their crews constantly tossing colorful, shimmering objects into the sea. Some of these objects floated on the water, while others slowly sank to the dark seabed. Among them, countless mysterious runes flickered and intertwined, forming a vast and complex pattern. Chen Ye recognized at a glance that this was the setup of some unimaginable underwater array.

Setting up an array in the endless deep sea is hundreds or thousands of times more difficult than on land, and only sects like Tianxin Island, which live by the sea, have the means to do so.

The fact that they started preparations so quickly shows that Tianxin Island is taking this cooperation very seriously.

Chen Ye observed from afar for a moment, then adjusted his direction and swam towards the white whale-shaped immortal ship.

Just as he approached, the area in front of him, which had been empty, suddenly flashed with light, and several shuttle-shaped warships appeared out of thin air! On the hulls, countless light and shadow runes flowed rapidly, and a massive amount of spiritual energy gathered at the muzzles of the cannons, condensing into a heart-palpitating ball of light, seemingly ready to unleash a thunderous strike at any moment.

The tense atmosphere made it seem as if Chen Ye was being treated like a real dragon.

Chen Ye stopped, not flustered. He cleared his throat and spoke in a clear voice, which echoed through the seawater: "Fellow Daoists of Tianxin Island, Chen Ye of the Yellow Spring Sect is here. I mean no harm, please do not misunderstand."

He used to be a dragon, and speaking was extremely difficult for him; every time he opened his mouth, it was like swallowing a mouthful of seawater. But now, he doesn't even need to open his mouth; his throat naturally produces the sounds he desires.

After a brief silence, the warships, which had been on high alert, withdrew their spiritual light and slowly retreated to the sides. The enormous white whale-shaped immortal ship then slowly began to move, arriving before Chen Ye.

"Om-"

With a deep roar, the giant whale slowly opened its mouth, revealing an incredibly wide jade deck. On the deck, Elder Qinglin led a group of cultivators from Tianxin Island, standing respectfully to greet them.

Chen Ye swung his dragon tail and swam towards the giant whale's mouth. Just as he was about to enter, his massive body flashed with light, rapidly contracted, and transformed back into human form. Then, he became a stream of light and landed steadily inside the White Whale Ship.

It was as if I had passed through a thin layer of water bubbles, and the immense pressure around me was instantly shut out, making my body feel suddenly light.

Upon landing on the solid deck, everyone from Tianxin Island immediately bowed and greeted, "Welcome, Sect Leader Chen!"

Although Chen Ye looked even younger than the youngest disciple present, the title of "Sect Master of the Yellow Springs" carried weight that was already on par with the Sect Master of Tianxin Island. Even knowing that he was only at the Tongxuan Realm, everyone remained respectful and dared not show the slightest negligence.

Elder Qinglin was even more impressed, saying that Chen Ye's transformation technique was truly extremely powerful.

Previously, I had only heard that Chen Ye had mastered the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, but I didn't know how powerful this secret technique was. Today, I saw it and I couldn't even see the true form of the various spells of Tianxin Island, which is why it attracted the attention of those guard ships.

To transform into a dragon is to become a true dragon; such a method is truly unbelievable.

After exchanging a few polite words with everyone, Chen Ye got straight to the point: "Elder Qinglin, have you found any trace of Demon Lord Feilian in the Ruins of Return?"

After all, the Ruins of Guixu are vast and boundless, several times larger than the imperial city of the Central Plains, and home to countless enormous ancient sea beasts. Trying to find a person in there is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Elder Qinglin quickly stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Reporting to the Sect Master, although we cannot directly see his figure using the Water Mirror Technique, the investigation by the Mirage Demon Clan, the Lord of Guixu, confirms that he is subduing the sea beasts in Guixu. Currently, seventy or eighty powerful sea beasts have become his puppets."

"So many?" Chen Ye frowned slightly. "Is he trying to use the sea beast army to forcibly break through the restrictions of the Ruins of Return?"

In his view, since Feilian was framed by Youluozi, everything he was doing now was not to save others, but to free himself.

According to Tianxin Island, even the full-force attack of the White Whale Immortal Ship could only leave a negligible scratch on the barrier. Fei Lian was probably out of options, which is why he thought of seeking help from external forces.

If that's the case, then there might still be a chance for things to turn around.

Chen Ye's mind raced. As long as Fei Lian's goal wasn't to rescue the real "prisoner" deep within the Ruins, then cooperation between them was possible.

With inside help and outside cooperation, they might be able to break through this barrier at a lower cost. At that point, the problem would return to the distinction between the righteous and the demonic paths, instead of having to confront the true immortal who had been imprisoned for so many years.

(End of this chapter)