Wind Dragon

"You finally made it. Hurry and help me." The voice from before rang out again.

"Who are you? Where are you?" Lu Chen replied.

"Look up. Can you see a Wind Dragon? I am that Wind Dragon, but I cannot control myself. I can sense a familiar aura on you. I need your help."

The voice rose and fell, but Lu Chen could feel the urgency within it.

"How can I help you?" Lu Chen shouted.

"Do you see the sword above my head? I need you to pull it out. That sword has controlled me for a long time. I cannot control the power of the wind, which is why the valley has become like this." The Wind Dragon's voice grew weaker and weaker.

"You need to be quick. I can feel that I will not be able to hold on much longer. If I completely lose control, this entire Secret Realm will be destroyed as well."

"My cultivation is too low. I am only in the Qi Gathering Realm. I cannot reach your side," Lu Chen explained.

"Believe in yourself. I can sense the bloodline within you. Wind belongs to wood. Release your most primordial blood; the wind will not harm you."

Listening to the Wind Dragon, Lu Chen used spiritual energy to make his blood boil and flow. Slowly, the Azure Emperor Divine Tree grew rapidly within his body. Branch-like tentacles extended from the space around Lu Chen, shielding him from the storm.

The Wind Dragon looked at the tentacles around Lu Chen. "Try using them to enter this area. Nothing will happen."

Lu Chen nodded slightly. "I'll try."

Thin tendrils split from the Azure Emperor Divine Tree and slowly entered the plaza under Lu Chen's command.

After the Azure Emperor Divine Tree entered, it was not ground away by the wind. Instead, it constantly absorbed wind-attribute energy. This state was the same as when it had absorbed other attribute powers before. Slowly, the power of wind appeared upon the Azure Emperor Divine Tree, intertwining with the lightning attribute and growing stronger without pause.

Lu Chen watched it all unfold. The Azure Emperor Divine Tree had gained another elemental attribute, and the wind in the plaza seemed to have no effect on the tentacles.

Lu Chen stepped out of the cave, using the tentacles to support his body as he trudged forward with difficulty.

The moment he entered the plaza, he could feel the dense wind element. The wind element within his body accumulated even faster.

Within the Heavenly Pool in his body, a fierce wind mixed with lightning began to rise around the Azure Emperor Divine Tree, gathering at its crown and brewing without end.

The Azure Emperor Divine Tree now possessed four attributes: water, fire, wind, and lightning.

The Azure Emperor Divine Tree continuously transformed the spiritual energy of various attributes in the Heavenly Pool's sea of qi into Spirit Liquid, which dripped along the branches into the pit below the tree. Wind and lightning belonged to wood, occupying the east and southeast. The Yin Sea Pearl belonged to water, occupying the north, while the Yang Sea Pearl belonged to fire, occupying the south.

Lu Chen raised his head and looked at the Wind Dragon. "What should I do now?"

"I will lower my head and let you climb onto my back. Climb along my back to the top of my head, then pull out this giant sword."

"It's that simple?"

"It is that simple. But I do not know what will happen while you pull it out. You must be careful."

"Understood. I'll be careful. Come on."

The Wind Dragon lowered his head, and Lu Chen climbed along his body to the top of his head.

"I'm starting. Bear with it." Lu Chen grabbed the giant sword's hilt and tried to pull it out with all his strength.

Lu Chen gripped the hilt with all his might, but the giant sword did not move in the slightest.

Roar!

Suddenly, the Wind Dragon let out a dragon's roar. His eyes turned red, and he carried Lu Chen into the sky. The entire Secret Realm could see the sight.

"Second Uncle, look! What is that? A dragon-shaped creature flew into the sky." Young Master Jun and his group had long since gathered. They were searching one area of the Secret Realm as they waited for Lu Chen to arrive.

"Do not overthink it. The Azure Emperor's Secret Realm is bound to have powerful demonic beasts guarding it. We only need to find the Yuanyang Tianhe Grass. We cannot stay in this place for long. I fear we might provoke some creature sleeping in the depths of the Secret Realm."

Jun Wudi spoke to Young Master Jun. At that moment, Jun Wudi suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The people from Fengtian Prefecture around him hurriedly gathered around. These people had been brought out from the Jun Household by Jun Wudi long ago, all for the purpose of searching for this Azure Emperor Secret Realm in the Jianghai Region.

"Second Uncle, has your illness worsened again? Hold on a little longer. Once we find the medicinal herb this time, your illness can be cured. Once you cross the Chongtian Realm, shed mortality and become immortal, you can save Second Aunt." Young Master Jun gently rubbed Jun Wudi's back.

"It is nothing. I can still hold on. Let us continue searching for the Yuanyang Tianhe Grass." Jun Wudi smiled faintly at Young Master Jun, then gestured for everyone to disperse again.

By then, the Wind Dragon had vanished from the sky. However, Nantian Yijian stared upward. He had become quite familiar with Lu Chen, and the person atop that dragon-shaped figure had clearly been Lu Chen.

At that moment, Lu Chen was being flung back and forth atop the Wind Dragon's head.

"Wind Dragon, what is wrong?" Lu Chen hurriedly asked.

"I do not know... When you touched the giant sword, I could feel an enormous, violent power... rushing straight into my mind. My mind can no longer control itself." The Wind Dragon roared continuously, speaking in broken fragments.

"Then what do we do now? Continue or stop?"

"Continue. Try once more. I have waited for many years. If it is not pulled out, I fear my mind will be completely ground away by this sword."

Roar...

"Fine. We'll try once more. If it still happens, we must think of another way."

With that, Lu Chen wrapped his hand in spiritual energy, grabbed the giant sword again, and pulled with all his strength.

Ha!

This time, Lu Chen forcibly pulled the giant sword out by a single centimeter, but he could clearly feel the Wind Dragon's life aura plummet.

Lu Chen immediately released the sword. It plunged back in, and the Wind Dragon's life aura gradually recovered.

"Wind Dragon, this will not work. I can feel that every time the giant sword is pulled out a little, your life aura declines with it."

"No. Even if I die, I cannot let it erase my mind. I am the spirit beast of the Beast King, the Sixth Ancestor Incarnation of the Azure Emperor. This is the dignity of us spirit beasts."

"If only the Seventh Ancestor Incarnation were here. He had studied artifacts most deeply and would certainly be able to help me remove this giant sword." The Wind Dragon roared painfully at the sky. "But so much time has passed. The Beast King has already disappeared, and the Seventh Ancestor Incarnation may be gone as well. Help me pull it out. You possess the same bloodline as Lord Azure Emperor. You can definitely do it."

"Sixth Ancestor Incarnation? Seventh Ancestor Incarnation?" Lu Chen recalled how Feng Tiancheng had said that he was the Azure Emperor's Seventh Ancestor Incarnation.

"I know the Seventh Ancestor Incarnation. He is inside my body," Lu Chen said to the Wind Dragon.

"What? You are saying that the Seventh Ancestor is inside your body?" The Wind Dragon was greatly shocked.

"That's right. He was my first master, but after passing his memories to me, he fell into slumber and has yet to awaken."

"Really? Hurry and search his memories. See if there is a way to solve this."

Lu Chen began searching through Feng Tiancheng's memories for a method to deal with an artifact invading one's mind.

Again and again, just as Lu Chen was about to give up, he suddenly found a text recorded by Feng Tiancheng: On How Artifacts Can Coexist with the Human Body.

It recorded the entire process of how Feng Tiancheng had once encountered a dying man and ultimately used an artifact to turn him into an Artifact Spirit. Though that man could only exist as an Artifact Spirit in the end, he had still survived. Lu Chen felt that this method could serve as a reference.

"Wind Dragon, are you willing to become an Artifact Spirit? That way, you can avoid having your consciousness eroded, but you will lose your freedom and can only remain an Artifact Spirit forever."

"As long as I can break free from this sword, I am willing to become an Artifact Spirit. Hurry and begin. I can feel my consciousness is about to be completely ground away." The Wind Dragon kept urging Lu Chen. He did not have much time left.

"Hold on. I'll go prepare the materials."

Lu Chen prepared everything according to the memories, but then he suddenly realized that aside from the Twin Fish Token, he did not possess a single artifact capable of housing the Wind Dragon as an Artifact Spirit.

Roar... Hurry... My consciousness...

As Lu Chen considered what to do, the Wind Dragon's last shred of consciousness gradually wore away. The surrounding winds became even more violent, repeatedly smashing Lu Chen into the nearby mountain peaks.

Just then, Lu Chen's hands touched the giant sword atop the Wind Dragon's head.

"Isn't this an excellent artifact? Since it can torment the Wind Dragon to this extent, it can surely withstand the Wind Dragon's power as well. The Wind Dragon has been tormented by it for so long. It is time for the Wind Dragon to control this artifact instead."

Lu Chen grabbed the giant sword with his left hand, while his right hand swiftly used a drop of blood to draw an array from his memories onto the sword.

Spirit Sealing Array, go!

The instant the array was completed, countless thin threads emerged from it, binding the Wind Dragon and the giant sword together. The giant sword's erosion of the Wind Dragon immediately stopped.

Seeing this, Lu Chen knew that it had basically succeeded. All that remained was to wait for the Wind Dragon to become the giant sword's Artifact Spirit.

Slowly, the auras of the Wind Dragon and the giant sword intertwined, twisting and tangling without end.

The Wind Dragon had been tormented by it for so long. Now that he could fight to occupy the giant sword, he put every ounce of strength into swiftly defeating the violent aura and taking control of it.

However, the giant sword was no ordinary object. The violent power within it was inexhaustible, and before long, the Wind Dragon fell into a disadvantage.

Lu Chen saw that something was wrong. The violent power grew greater and greater, while the Wind Dragon's aura was gradually worn away.

Boom!

A thunderous roar rang out. Dragon and sword separated, and the Wind Dragon's body was blasted away. The red-black violent aura transformed into a black dragon, pouring endlessly from the giant sword as it attacked the Wind Dragon, seeking to devour him completely.

At the summit of Wind Valley Mountain.

Blind Lu, who looked young, was watching Lu Chen's situation with another person.

"Lord of Ceremonies, I fear the Young Master has encountered danger. This sword was not part of our arrangements. Should we step in and stop it?"

Blind Lu shook his head. "No rush. All of this is part of his experience. Unless he faces a life-or-death crisis, do not intervene. It is enough to protect the Young Master in secret."

"Also, this sword does not seem to be made of material from this continent. Investigate its origins. Do not let this sword ruin the plan."

"Yes, my lord. I will handle it at once."