Chapter 137 – Transforming into a Dragon

The three treasures, which had been passed down for who knows how long and buried for nearly a thousand years, formed a formation of immense power. In an instant, the tremors within the Inner Mountain ceased. The three golden lights clashed with the rising black energy, instantly locking them in a stalemate.

Standing by the lake, the man’s refined and handsome face finally showed a deep and somber expression. The ground before him had already cracked. According to the original plan, the lake water should have drained completely by now, allowing the dragon vein to form, the spiritual aperture to transform, and ultimately, the dragon energy to be absorbed by him. This was truly a feat of seizing the creation of heaven and earth. As long as he wasn’t overwhelmed by the dragon energy, achieving immortality wasn’t out of the question. This was the true power of the Soul Stealing Grand Formation, the strength and opportunity he had longed for. Yet now, the lake water refused to drain, instead struggling violently, as the three golden lights outside stirred the yin energy of the spiritual aperture, causing the Soul Stealing Formation to teeter on the brink of collapse.

He had spent years, wasting countless disciples and followers, not for this outcome!

The man swiftly retreated a few steps, a peach wood sword appearing in his hand. Without hesitation, he thrust the short sword into the cracked soil by the lake. With this single action, the phosphorescent flames burning by the lake were extinguished with a puff, and the withered, zombie-like formation stakes all collapsed. Yet, the power of the formation didn’t dissipate; instead, it grew even stronger, as if it would break through the lake’s surface and directly seize the dragon energy!

As this happened, the three golden lights in the Outer Mountain trembled. The roaring returned, along with the earth-shaking tremors!

“Not good!” Zeng Jingxuan’s face paled as he saw the cracks spreading across the surface of the bronze mirror before him. He hadn’t expected the enemy to still have such strength, nor that his power could rival the combined force of the three ritual instruments. If the Black Bird Formation was broken, the Tiger Tally on their side would immediately backlash, and there was no way Xiao Qi could reverse the situation with just a single Mirage Artifact.

With a flick of his hand, another golden needle appeared between his fingers, and he swiftly stabbed it into the back of his neck. At the same time, a chicken throat and two yellow flags were inserted into the acquired trigrams diagram before him. As he did this, blood began to drip from his ears.

“Pfft!” Beside him, Yao Wei spat out a mouthful of blood. The seven wooden puppets before him had completely shattered, and even his meager inner core was on the verge of being crushed into dust. At his side, the battle between several vengeful spirits had reached a conclusion, but the victorious Evil Buddha showed no signs of dissipating. Instead, it turned in mid-air and charged toward Zeng Jingxuan, who was still forming hand seals.

However, its attack was interrupted as a bottle flew through the air, exploding with a loud bang. Flames erupted from the bottle, and the Evil Buddha let out a piercing shriek. Yao Wei coughed up blood with difficulty, wiping a hand across his pockmarked beard as he cursed, “Fuck, you think you can touch him? Laozi’s magic might not be great, but how does this Crimson Sun Burning Bottle taste?”

The remnant spirit could no longer hear him. This burning bottle wasn’t just filled with fire and oil; it also contained intensely yang substances like red nitre and quicklime, which were particularly effective against yin and malevolent entities. The Evil Buddha, being a centuries-old relic, had no way of anticipating this and was utterly defenseless. In an instant, it was reduced to a wisp of smoke.

After finally eliminating the danger beside him, Yao Wei took a deep breath, ignoring the searing pain in his chest and abdomen, and focused his gaze on Zeng Jingxuan. At the end of his rope, all he had left was his life.

At the same moment, on the other side, Zhang Xiuqi’s expression also changed. The small flags surrounding the Mirage Dragon Armor snapped in half, and the remaining ones fell to the ground. This was a clear sign that the formation’s power was being suppressed. The plan to use the true dragon to subdue the aberrant dragon was failing. Although his uncle had two ritual instruments, the true reversal of the situation depended on the power of the Mirage Dragon at his side.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Xiuqi inserted three blood-imbued copper coins into the soil, along with three short incense sticks. These were soul incense, essential for the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain when performing righteous rituals. As long as the incense didn’t extinguish, it could summon the true soul of the caster to assist the formation’s power, a method that involved burning one’s own vital essence.

In this moment, Zhang Xiuqi had no time to speak, but Wei Yang could see that something was wrong. He immediately grabbed the Bone Formation with his blood-stained fingers and activated the spell! A soft golden light emanated from the Bone Formation, intertwining with the radiance spilling from the Mirage Artifact.

The three beams of light flashed in unison. By the Yanlong Pond, the man’s throat constricted, and he spat out a mouthful of heart’s blood! He could no longer suppress this grand formation! The formation of dragon veins in the world was usually a silent process, and it was rare for anyone to seize the moment of their birth, let alone a unique dragon vein formed through the transformation of a spiritual aperture. However, such creations of heaven and earth also had their vulnerabilities. If interfered with by powerful external forces, the dragon vein might not only fail to form but could transform into a trapped dragon or a calamity dragon, becoming impossible to seize. He had already forcibly activated the formation’s power within the spiritual aperture. If the dragon vein were to fail now, he wouldn’t even be able to perform the Soul Stealing!

He had invested too much in this grand formation, and now he was caught in a dilemma. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out a blood talisman. This talisman could instantly unleash all the true energy within his body, but using it would render his physical form unusable. Yet, the man let out a sinister laugh and activated the talisman without hesitation.

With a crack, the Black Bird Mirror split in two. Zeng Jingxuan was struck as if by a heavy blow, blood seeping from all seven orifices. But his hands didn’t stop moving. He pulled out another golden needle, this time aiming not for his neck but for the philtrum above his lips. The seventh needle! As the needle pierced his body, his hair instantly turned gray, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. Yet, his hands continued moving, and he pulled out yet another golden needle.

“Brother Xuan!” A hand grabbed his, filled with a pleading desperation, “Six needles are already the limit!”

Yes, six needles were the limit, yet he had inserted a seventh. A faint smile appeared on Zeng Jingxuan’s usually stern lips. Even if it meant the destruction of his body and the dissipation of his Dao, he would stop that man. Not just for himself, but for Xiao Qi, and for… the person beside him…

However, before his needle could descend, an unexpected phenomenon occurred on the other side!

The three copper coins lasted less than two breaths, and the faint glow on the soul incense flickered unsteadily. Zhang Xiuqi’s eyes were already closed, using his newly repaired soul to drive the formation’s power. Wei Yang watched the man before him intently. Neither of them noticed the Old turtle slowly dragging itself over, its shell covered in glowing talismanic patterns that appeared and disappeared one by one, as if peeling away from its body and dissipating into the air. As the last talisman vanished, the Old turtle paused for a moment, then with great effort, extended its neck. A few tiny drops of blood fell onto the dim shell of the Mirage Dragon.

The Mirage Dragon, suspended in mid-air, suddenly transformed. The heavy turtle shell on its back disappeared, replaced by a dragon’s head with whiskers, a serpentine belly, and clawed feet, its body covered in fine scales. The Mirage Dragon, originally yellow, had now transformed into a true five-clawed Yellow Dragon! With a flick of its long tail, it lunged toward the Yanlong Pond!

This transformation shocked everyone. In orthodox Daoist traditions, the central divine beast of the Four Symbols wasn’t the mythical Qilin, but the Yellow Dragon, which guarded the central Earth position and was even higher in rank than the Azure Dragon, the leader of all creatures. The sudden appearance of the Yellow Dragon signified something extraordinary!

Before anyone could react, faint thunder rumbled in the sky. Dark clouds gathered in an instant, obscuring the Blood Moon, as if the immortals and buddhas beyond the heavens had finally noticed the anomaly in this corner of the world. A golden-purple bolt of lightning descended from the nine heavens, crashing down with a thunderous roar!

Even a sudden clap of thunder wouldn’t be as fast as this lightning! The heavenly thunder followed the Yellow Dragon into the Yanlong Pond, and in an instant, the entire lake was illuminated by a dazzling electric light! A burning smell rose from the man’s palm. He had reacted swiftly, but his fingers were still scorched by the electric current from the wooden sword. He didn’t look at the lake, which now resembled a boiling cauldron, but turned and fled into the distance.

This was the grand formation he had painstakingly set up, pouring all his effort into it, but he had no intention of being buried with it.

Behind him, two roars echoed in succession, followed by violent tremors, as if the mountains were collapsing and the earth was overturning. After running several hundred steps, he finally turned to look back at the lake. In the distance, a portion of the mountain had inexplicably collapsed, and the massive boulders had completely obliterated the Yanlong Pond. Not a trace of the lake remained, and even the camp they had set up earlier was wiped out, leaving only a pile of jagged rocks.

A mouthful of blood sprayed out, and the man wiped it from his lips with his hand, his gaze darkening as he looked toward the area where the three golden lights had flashed. This borrowed body of his was already failing. Since these people dared to ruin his grand plan to steal the dragon energy, they would have to provide him with a new body!

Without hesitation, he turned and ran toward the Outer Mountain.

“What the hell…” Yao Wei stared at the Yellow Dragon and the purple lightning, his mind nearly blank. “…what kind of creature just ascended?”

This was the kind of phenomenon that only appeared during legendary tribulations! The tremors that followed clearly indicated a major change in the spiritual aperture. The Soul Stealing Formation, which had been wreaking havoc, had just collapsed?

Beside him, a crisp sound reached his ears. Yao Wei turned his head and saw that the Black Bird Mirror, which had been barely holding on, had now split in two. The Tiger Tally no longer exuded its cold, murderous aura but instead quickly corroded, covered in layers of green rust. In the blink of an eye, the two treasures were completely destroyed, whether due to the Forbidden Technique or the damage from withstanding the grand formation.

However, his gaze only lingered on the ritual instruments for a second before returning to the man swaying unsteadily beside him. Although he himself was seriously injured, Yao Wei immediately reached out and supported Zeng Jingxuan’s back, gently laying him down in his arms.

In just a few minutes, the man’s face had become covered in blood, his lips turning purplish-blue, and his hair turning mostly gray. The composed and elegant demeanor he had always carried was now completely gone, replaced by a state of messy fragility. Yao Wei used his own body to support him, whispering, “Hang on.”

As he spoke, he carefully pulled out the golden needle from the man’s lips, then those from his neck, chest, and shoulders. Each extraction caused the man to tremble slightly, but now, he didn’t even have the strength to resist. One by one, the golden needles fell to the ground. After removing the last one, Yao Wei gently touched the man’s parched lips and leaned down to kiss them.

It was a stolen kiss. He didn’t dare linger too long, only tasting a hint of blood before quickly pulling away, burying his forehead deeply into the man’s shoulder. “Brother Xuan, you’ll be the death of me someday…”

Zeng Jingxuan didn’t respond, nor did he chastise him for the inappropriate act. Instead, he simply closed his eyes for a long moment before finally raising a hand to pat Yao Wei’s shoulder, whispering, “The walkie-talkie, Xiao Qi’s team…”

This reminder snapped Yao Wei back to reality. He grabbed the walkie-talkie beside them and pressed the call button. “Xiao Qi, how are things on your end? What just happened?”

“The Mirage Dragon transformed,” Zhang Xiuqi answered straightforwardly. “The Life-Saving Disk and the Old turtle played a role. Even we didn’t expect it. Is Uncle alright?”

Since Yao Wei was the one answering the call instead of Uncle, Zhang Xiuqi couldn’t help but worry. Yao Wei glanced at the man in his arms and replied firmly, “He’s fine, just exhausted. The two ritual instruments are completely destroyed. I think the grand formation in the Inner Mountain has been shattered too. If you two can still move, come meet us here. Once we’ve recovered a bit, we’ll head into the Inner Mountain together to check.”

This was a prudent and responsible suggestion, and it was the most urgent matter at hand. Any formation could backfire, and with such a commotion, it wouldn’t be surprising if lives were lost. However, regardless of whether the people who had set up the formation in the Inner Mountain were alive or dead, now wasn’t the time to act rashly. It would be better for the four of them to regroup before heading into the mountains to investigate. Moreover, with so many deaths overnight, along with the earthquake and thunder, people would undoubtedly come to investigate the next day, and they needed to have a plausible explanation ready.

Glancing at Wei Yang, who was still crouched on the ground petting the Old turtle, Zhang Xiuqi nodded. “We’ll head over right away.”

Wei Yang was still in a daze, staring blankly at the Old turtle’s shell. The black patterns on its back had completely vanished, leaving the entire turtle looking dull and gray. The Life-Saving Disk beside it was completely ruined, the Heavenly Pool split in two, and the outer ring of iron had melted as if burned. Even he knew how precious this artifact was, and now it had been destroyed?

“Old turtle, just what kind of creature are you…”

He had asked this question countless times, but Wei Yang couldn’t help but ask again. Just a few drops of the turtle’s blood had transformed the Mirage Dragon into a Yellow Dragon—this was something beyond imagination. However, as if annoyed by the question, the Old turtle lazily turned its head and bit him, then retracted all its limbs and head into its shell, determined to remain a “turtle in its shell.”

At that moment, Zhang Xiuqi, standing beside him, reached over and took hold of his arm. Lowering his head, he licked away the bloodstains on the jagged wound. A shiver ran through Wei Yang, and he immediately snapped out of his daze, turning to look at his lover. However, Zhang Xiuqi didn’t look up, instead carefully tending to the wound on his arm and wrapping it with a clean cloth.

Even though they had just survived a life-and-death battle, Zhang Xiuqi didn’t seem happy, and Wei Yang knew exactly why. With a soft laugh, he leaned in, pressing his forehead against Zhang Xiuqi’s. “Brother Qi, as long as we can kill that guy, it’s fine. This little injury is nothing. Let’s focus on Uncle for now.”

Zhang Xiuqi took a deep breath and cupped the back of Wei Yang’s head, pulling him into a kiss. A deep, lingering kiss. Both of their tongues were cut, and the mingling of their blood brought a faint, uncomfortable pain, but neither of them stopped, continuing the kiss with intensity.

After what felt like an eternity, Zhang Xiuqi finally pulled away, whispering, “In the future, I won’t use…”

Use him? Or use the Witch Blood flowing in his veins, or the Witch Bone he possessed? Wei Yang chuckled softly. “Scared? Then let’s stick to you being the sharp one and me being the fishy one. We won’t steal each other’s thunder.” Glancing at the ground, he added, “Besides, the two of us combined might not even be as powerful as a turtle.”

The remark was too lighthearted for the aftermath of such a brutal battle, but Zhang Xiuqi still managed a small smile. He picked up the curled-up Old turtle and the two ritual instruments, saying, “Let’s go. We need to regroup with Uncle’s team.”

The situation in the Inner Mountain still needed to be investigated, and now wasn’t the time to fully relax. Nonetheless, Wei Yang couldn’t help but smile as he followed the Little Celestial Master, heading southwest.