Winning Him Over

Above the Dragon God Temple, the Black Water Mysterious Snake and the Black Robed Figure engaged in fierce combat. Although the Black Water Mysterious Snake was powerful, the Black Robed Figure was equally powerful. Therefore, the two were evenly matched in the battle, and neither could gain the upper hand.

However, the Black Robed Figure kept uttering sarcastic remarks, which provoked the Black Water Mysterious Snake to roar repeatedly.

"You bastard, you say I was used by the Dragon Ancestor? What do you know? Back then, in order to transform into a dragon, I tore apart and devoured nine Dragon Clan alive, which led to the Dragon Ancestor's defeat. It would have been only right for the Dragon Ancestor kill me, but he didn't. He only imprisoned me here and gave me the hope of leaving. The Dragon Ancestor treated me so well, so naturally I should repay his kindness. How dare you insult the Dragon Ancestor..."

Hearing the black-robed man repeatedly say that he was stupid and that he had been used, the Black Water Mysterious Snake, enraged and ashamed, attacked in a fit of rage, and couldn't help but shout loudly.

"Hahahaha..." As soon as the Black Water Mysterious Snake finished speaking, the man in black robes suddenly stopped fighting, clutching his abdomen, and burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest thing in the world.

"What are you laughing at!?" Looking at the black-robed man's appearance, the Black Water Mysterious Snake knew that it was not so easy to defeat him, so it stopped attacking. However, its face was still full of anger. It gripped its serrated longsword tightly and asked in a deep voice. If the black-robed man answered incorrectly, it would raise its sword to attack again.

"That's why I said you're foolish. You think the Dragon Ancestor gave you a hope of freedom, but... so many years have passed. Haven't you ever thought about why you haven't successfully transformed into the Black Water Profound Dragon yet?" The black-robed man suppressed his laughter, his tone still carrying a hint of sarcasm.

"Naturally, it's because I haven't collected enough Dragon Blood. As long as I sincerely believe in the Dragon Ancestor and collect enough Dragon Blood, I will be able to shed my mortal body and transform into a dragon in the future," the Black Water Mysterious Snake replied matter-of-factly to the man in black robes.

"Utterly foolish," the black-robed man shook his head and sneered, "If what the Dragon Ancestor said back then really worked, why have you remained the same for thousands of years? Why haven't you successfully shed your mortal body and become the Black Water Profound Dragon? The fundamental reason is that the Dragon Ancestor deceived you back then. He merely gave you an illusory hope, allowing you to peacefully guard its tomb, nothing more."

"You..." The man in black robes spoke these words with an air of superiority, causing the Black Water Mysterious Snake's pupils to shrink slightly. Its reaction was more intense than ever before. It angrily pointed at the Man in Black and roared, "Impossible! You are talking nonsense! You have no way of knowing about the agreement between me and the Dragon Ancestor. How could you possibly know whether the Dragon Ancestor has lied to me?"

"Regardless of how I know, haven't you thought about it yourself? Millions of years have passed without success. Are you still going to keep waiting for a hope that you don't even know if it exists..." The black-robed man remained calm in the face of the Black Water Mysterious Snake's roar.

The more intense the Black Water Mysterious Snake's reaction, the more it showed the man in black robes that it lacked confidence. It seemed that his prediction was correct; after thousands of years of failure to transform into Black Water Profound Dragon, the Black Water Mysterious Snake itself harbored some doubts about the agreement made back then.

"This..." The black-robed man's words were like a needle in a haystack, striking the softest spot in the Black Water Mysterious Snake's heart.

Yes, for thousands of years I have not succeeded, and I don't know if I will succeed in the future. Should I continue to stay here and guard the tomb of the Dragon Ancestor? Although my cultivation is powerful, my lifespan is not endless.

The Black Water Mysterious Snake slowly lowered the serrated longsword it held, its face filled with contemplation. It pondered the promise it made to the Dragon Ancestor years ago—was his promise truly true? It also considered its future path. Would it have to remain here, guarding the Dragon Ancestor's tomb until its death?

Looking down at himself, he saw the appearance of a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. This meant that his lifespan was already equivalent to that of a middle-aged human. His remaining lifespan would be no more than a few thousand years, at most ten thousand years. Was he destined to guard the Dragon Tomb until he died of old age?

Seeing the Black Water Mysterious Snake deep in thought, the man in black robes neither moved nor spoke, simply standing silently. For a moment, the two who had just been locked in fierce combat fell into an eerie silence...

After an unknown amount of time, the Black Water Mysterious Snake suddenly let out a long sigh and said, "Perhaps what you say makes sense, but I am sealed and suppressed, confined to a thousand miles around this Dragon God Temple, unable to leave. What other choice do I have but to guard the Dragon Ancestor's Dragon Tomb?"

Although he was dressed in a black robe, obscuring his face, as the Black Water Mysterious Snake finished speaking, a faint smile appeared on the lips of this mysterious figure beneath the black robe.

He knew that the Black Water Mysterious Snake had been swayed by his words, or rather, that he had exploited a weakness in its heart.

"Of course you have a choice. The power of the seal given to you by the Dragon Ancestor is in the Dragon Tomb. You, the tomb keeper, are only guarding the entrance to the tomb, but you have never actually entered it. Do you want me to accompany you into the Dragon Tomb, destroy Dragon Tomb, and set you free?" The man in black robes spoke with a unique allure as he proposed to the Black Water Mysterious Snake.

"Destroy the Dragon Tomb?" Although he had some doubts about the agreement he made with the Dragon Ancestor back then, the Black Water Mysterious Snake was suddenly startled when he heard the man in black robes say that he wanted to destroy the Dragon Tomb that he had guarded for thousands of years.

"That's right, the Dragon Tomb is the shackles that imprison you. Rather than placing your hopes on a promise you don't even know if you can keep, you'd better take your future into your own hands. As long as you destroy the Dragon Tomb, you will gain freedom. Do you really want to stay within this area of a thousand miles and pin your hopes on the endless future?" The black-robed man knew that it would be difficult to ask the Black Water Mysterious Snake to overturn something it had guarded for millions of years in a short time, so he continued to speak.

The Black Water Mysterious Snake looked troubled, torn between its own desires and its own conscience. On one hand, there was the protection it had upheld for millennia; on the other, the freedom it had longed for day and night. Which should it choose?

The dilemma lasted only a moment. Soon, the Black Water Mysterious Snake made its decision. Why had it guarded this place for millennia? Wasn't it all for freedom? Now, freedom was right before its eyes. Why look for something far away when it could be so important? Why put the cart before the horse?

Having figured this out, the Black Water Mysterious Snake nodded and said, "I can agree to your suggestion, but this Dragon Tomb was placed under Restriction Barrier by the dragon Dragon Clan back then. Those who are too old cannot enter. Neither you nor I should be able to enter."

"It's just Restriction Barrier. Even the Heavenly Dao can be deceived by me, let alone this mere Restriction Barrier..." The black-robed man didn't care about the issue that the Black Water Mysterious Snake was concerned about, and said with a faint smile on his face.

"Since that's the case, then it's easy. Let's go in..." Seeing that the man in black robes was indeed prepared, the Black Water Mysterious Snake transformed into its original form, which was tens of millions of feet long, and dived into the sea. It pushed the mountain where the Dragon God Temple was located and opened the entrance to the passage leading to the Dragon Tomb.

Inside the Dragon Tomb, Zhuge Xiang walked forward, holding the Immortal Slaying Sword. His aura had reached the Tenth Layer of the Spirit Severing Realm. As he walked, his injuries and the mana he had consumed were gradually recovering.

Having just slain that Ghost Dragon, Zhuge Xiang truly expended tremendous effort, comparable to Cultivator at the Great Accomplishment Stage, along with his combat experience with the Dragon Clan. That Ghost Dragon's power was even more difficult to deal with than the gray avatar.

Fortunately, the mysterious gray mist within the Dragon Tomb continuously repaired his injuries and restored his mana. Therefore, even though he was injured, as Zhuge Xiang walked, his injuries and depleted mana were gradually restored. In just the time it takes to drink One Incense Stick of tea, he had already recovered to about 70-80%.

The Ancient Dragon Tomb was shrouded in gray mist, which not only affected visibility but also suppressed the spread of Divine Sense. Therefore, Zhuge Xiang did not know the size of this Ancient Dragon Tomb. He could only rely on his intuition to move forward. When he encountered figures formed from the mist or Ghost Dragon, he would kill them to hone his strength and improve his cultivation...

And so he continued on, and Zhuge Xiang n't know how long he walked. In short, he killed dozens of the figures formed from the mist, and even slew more than a dozen Ghost Dragon. After about two days, Zhuge Xiang's cultivation broke through the Spirit Severing Realm and officially entered the Dharma Aspect Realm...

The Dharma Form refers to the Heaven and Earth Dharma Aspect. A Dharma Form body that is Hundred Zhang tall possesses the power to destroy Myriad Phenomena, and is also the meaning of the Heavenly Laws, which are wrapped around the body.

Although Zhuge Xiang's Demon Body, when fully extended, is also Hundred Zhang tall, the power of Demon Body at the Dharma Aspect Realm, being entangled by the power of the Heavenly Laws, will be multiplied.

The breakthrough in cultivation to a minor realm significantly enhanced Zhuge Xiang's overall strength. In Zhuge Xiang's view, his current strength should place him among the top ranks of the Cultivation World. If Zhuge Xiang wished, he might have now achieved his long-held goal.

Why does Zhuge Xiang cultivate? It's because when he was young, he was Beggar and suffered bullying and hardship. He experienced the coldness and warmth of the Mortal World, so he wanted to rely on cultivation to gain powerful strength, control his own destiny, and no longer be bullied.

Now, Zhuge Xiang's strength is among the top in the Cultivation World, so he no longer needs to worry about anyone bullying him.

However, it's not time to back down now. If this righteous act fails, no matter how strong I am, I'll find it hard to gain a foothold in the Cultivation World! (To be continued...)