Evil Spirit Bone Dragon, Golden Awakening

Death Valley.

Ink-black storm clouds coiled like giant pythons, while torrential rain blanketed the world. Two figures arrived through the downpour, evil wind everywhere, making the shadows trailing behind them sway unsteadily.

"Forty-nine days..."

Muye let out a heavy sigh, his face bearing a few more traces of weariness. Looking at Zhao Xuanzhen beside him, he said, "Fighting to the limit every day is a harsh test for both body and mind. The forty-ninth day is the limit for Second Awakening. Any longer, and it will damage a Soul Master's foundation.

"So today is our final chance. Succeed... or die trying!"

"Mm."

Zhao Xuanzhen nodded lightly and descended into that ghostly black valley. Soul Power slowly surged around him as three Ten Thousand Year Spirit Rings rose one after another, appearing exceptionally solemn against the storm.

Muye clenched his fists tightly, unable to understand it no matter how much he pondered it. True Self was the pinnacle of Body Souls. Second Awakening should have been completed in around twenty days, and should not have taken more than thirty at the latest.

By the thirtieth day, gloom had already settled in Muye's heart. By the forty-ninth day, even a generation's Body Sect Master had become so tense that sweat poured madly from his palms.

Second Awakening was the foundation that allowed Body Souls to surpass ordinary Soul Souls. Muye did not dare imagine whether the Body Sect's beliefs would utterly collapse if the legendary God-tier Body Soul could not undergo Second Awakening.

"Xuanzhen."

As though he had made a certain decision, Muye's gaze gradually sharpened. "Today's extreme training will differ from before. Your enemies will no longer be waves of weak undead, but the few remaining monsters of Death Valley.

"I will undo the ancestor's seal and awaken an undead king far beyond the limits of a Soul Elder."

Most disciples undergoing Second Awakening in the Body Sect were Three-Ring Soul Elders or Four-Ring Soul Masters. Every Body Sect disciple's life was immensely precious, and the Body Sect did not permit dangers beyond the norm to exist in Death Valley. They periodically dealt with those monsters themselves.

Only one undead creature was an exception. Its bloodline had been extraordinarily noble in life, and the ancestors of the Body Sect had been reluctant to kill it lightly. So they sealed it away and left behind a sect precept.

If the Body Sect produced a monster whose limits could not be forced out by ordinary pressure, then release this undead and let it become the final touchstone for the Second Awakening of the Body Sect's descendants!

Streams of dark-gold light surged into the core of Death Valley. Muye used a secret technique of the Body Sect to break the seal, and the sleeping monster began to awaken!

"Roar—"

A hoarse roar came from afar, and a hurricane swept through Death Valley. Countless withered branches were swept up in the rainstorm, sand and stones forming a black vortex as soul fire lit up an eerie ghostly green within the pitch-black world!

Undead creatures craved the aura of life. Having captured that tempting Life Energy, the king spread its broad skeletal wings and rose from the ground, unveiling its mysterious visage!

A dragon-shaped creature, its jet-black bones forged into an indestructible body. Its skull was savage and terrifying, two clusters of green flame leaping within its hollow eye sockets. Its dragon claws were covered in bony protrusions, with three spear-like bone spikes growing backward from every joint.

The king of Death Valley—the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon!

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon raised its head and let out a dragon roar. Wind and rain seemed like subjects of the dragon race, shredding the clouds in the wake of its sound waves. The king's roar spread throughout Death Valley, and fear rose instinctively within the undead creatures. One after another, they trembled and prostrated themselves, not daring to come any closer.

Its skeletal wings beat violently, and the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon descended like a black meteor. Even from a hundred meters away, Zhao Xuanzhen felt as if his face were being sliced apart by the fierce wind!

The First and Third Spirit Rings flashed at the same time!

His black hair turned a glass-like pale white, and Zhao Xuanzhen's entire body took on the translucent luster of jade. Black-and-white streams of air converged into a spinning Tai Chi Diagram. The Third Soul Skill, Way of the Limitless, provided enhanced amplification, layered with the advanced version of the First Soul Skill, Qi Follows Heart—Qi Moves Mountains and Rivers!

With Zhao Xuanzhen's heaven-defying combat power, a full-force strike of Qi Moves Mountains and Rivers could easily slay ninety-nine percent of Soul Masters at the same rank on Douluo Continent. Yet a trace of human-like mockery appeared in the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon's green beast eyes.

Its pair of forelimb dragon claws slashed out, and a gale blasted forward like an exploding shockwave. Circular black ripples stirred the rainwater, forcibly suppressing Qi Moves Mountains and Rivers with even more brutal raw power!

"Boom!!!"

The earth cracked beneath the explosion of the two skills, vegetation instantly shattering into flying ash. Zhao Xuanzhen's eyes turned dark blue, and thick walls of earth rose all around him!

"Yin wind, evil water..."

The walls of earth shattered, unable to bear the burden. A trickle of blood ran from Zhao Xuanzhen's lips as bone-piercing dark-blue cold spread through him. He had seen through the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon's attributes: corrupted Wind Element and Water Element!

Depending on the bloodline they possessed in life, Bone Dragons possessed different attributes. The Bone Dragon King under the Holy Spirit Cult Master ten thousand years ago had possessed dual wind-and-fire attributes. But the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon before Zhao Xuanzhen controlled wind and water, making it even more troublesome on this stormy night. The environmental amplification was practically a domain!

Muye watched Zhao Xuanzhen and the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon from afar. After forty-nine days of high-frequency combat, after repeatedly observing True Self's three Soul Skills, Tai Chi Fist, and Earth Disk Dao Arts, he understood Zhao Xuanzhen's limits all too well.

Put into numbers, the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon's combat power was fully three times Zhao Xuanzhen's. It was a crushing disparity. Other than Second Awakening of his Body Soul, Zhao Xuanzhen had no path to survival!

"Roar—"

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon opened its enormous mouth in a savage grin. Human Soul Skills could not shake it. Reborn after countless centuries, it would thoroughly enjoy the thrill of hunting life!

The giant dragon beat its skeletal wings as it circled continuously through the air. The sharp scraping of bones filled the heavens, and its body cast jagged shadows below. The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon longed to see fear on the human's face, like a hunter admiring its prey's struggle before launching a fatal blow.

Zhao Xuanzhen disappointed it. He showed none of a prey's self-awareness, standing utterly still like a towering mountain range. He lifted his head to stare directly at the dragon, and deep within his dark-blue eyes, a trace of gold was vaguely visible.

The air pressure seemed to grow heavier. The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon understood that it was absolutely not an illusion. It was truly happening—dark blue and golden radiance intertwined, while deep killing intent emerged in the human's majestic eyes.

A sense of danger rose within the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon. It decided to stop playing the hunter's game. Its dragon tail descended from the sky like a long whip. Dragon Tail Sweep was so fast and so powerful that it even lashed out afterimages amid the storm!

The Next Moment, the three black Ten Thousand Year Spirit Rings beneath Zhao Xuanzhen's feet flashed. An incomparably brilliant golden radiance lit up, and mysterious golden patterns appeared across his exposed skin, resembling veins of liquid gold flowing beneath it.

A Golden Light and Shadow rose from the ground. Tall and slender, with handsome, refined features, it was precisely Zhao Xuanzhen himself. Its pupils became two whirlpools of molten gold, and waves of air Swept Out. Its hair flew wildly like blazing flames, its heartbeat thundered, crushing the curtain of rain.

"Gold-tier Second Awakening!"

That dazzling Golden Light and Shadow reflected in his eyes, and Muye's blood surged with excitement. Heaven did not disappoint those who worked hard. On the final day of forty-nine days, True Self had undergone Second Awakening!

Second Awakening was divided into four levels: Black Iron, bronze, silver, and gold.

After a Body Soul underwent Second Awakening, it would instantly undergo a qualitative leap, like a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast breaking through its limits and becoming a ferocious beast that roamed the world.

Most Body Souls only achieved Black Iron-grade Second Awakening. Bronze-grade was already considered outstanding.

Silver-grade was the backbone level, appearing only in important body parts. With silver-grade Second Awakening, a Body Soul Master's combat strength would rise by an entire rank!

The Body Sect had once believed that silver-grade was the strongest innate Second Awakening. Gold-tier could only be attained through Third Awakening, achieved by successive Body Sect Masters cultivating the secrets of the Original Body. Their overall abilities could even increase threefold!

Muye had once guessed that True Self might break through the fixed understanding of its predecessors and possess innate Gold-tier Second Awakening. But Zhao Xuanzhen's prolonged silence over forty-eight days had made him afraid to hope for such a thing. He had silently prayed that awakening at all would be enough!

Now that he had witnessed innate Gold-tier Second Awakening, Muye was so excited he nearly started dancing!

On the battlefield of Death Valley, Zhao Xuanzhen loosely clenched his right fist and launched the supremely fierce and powerful Tai Chi Yang Hand. The Gold-tier Second Awakening projection mirrored his movements, and an aura of sovereign majesty spread outward. The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon's Dragon Tail Sweep Abruptly stopped, and its entire body spun as it flew back a hundred meters, snapping Vast Expanse after Vast Expanse of twisted trees in half!

A thunderclap exploded at just the right moment. Thunder rumbled between heaven and earth as lightning dyed the sky a blazing white.

The second round between man and dragon had begun.

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon shook its muddled head, its soul fire surging violently. Zhao Xuanzhen had completely enraged this undead king.

Evil wind and yin water—the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon's two most prized attributes—erupted into chaos. A raging gale rose, and the air became frenzied. Shattered leaves and mud were Rolled Up into a pitch-black waterspout, transforming into a gigantic maw that devoured heaven and earth. The whole world could hear the Bone Dragon's furious roar!

His clothes snapped in the wind, while Zhao Xuanzhen's golden eyes were full of icy solemnity. Earth veins churned like brown dragons turning over, and the rock walls were several times thicker than before, easily blocking the Wind Blades. Crushed stones struck the roaring evil water, bursting into blazing red sparks.

True Self's Gold-tier Second Awakening provided all-around enhancement, erasing the vast gap between Zhao Xuanzhen and the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon. Man and dragon now stood on equal footing!

Watching a human use a cheat to match it, the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon found it difficult to accept the cruel reality. With a beat of its skeletal wings, a wild gale Rolled Up towering torrents and attacked Zhao Xuanzhen. The water was not rain falling from the sky, but a viscous, foul-smelling black marsh that corroded through the earth!

"Xun Character, tempest.

Kan Character, frost."

The Wind and Water Elements defected in the midst of battle. The black marsh froze in mid-air as frost spread across it, transforming it into a tidal wave of ice crystals that surged back at its master.

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon's soul fire abruptly jolted. After spending so much of its strength and painstakingly releasing that Soul Skill, it had been turned against it in one second!?

When their raw power was close, combat came down to mechanics. Even the Silver Dragon King would suffer against it. How could an Evil Spirit Bone Dragon controlling merely two elements possibly be a match for Eight Trigrams Qimen!

It let out a furious howl, swinging its tail back in a horizontal sweep. The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon's terrifying brute strength, capable of shaking mountains, crushed the ice tide into powder, while the hurricane raised by its wings uprooted the twisted trees scattered throughout Death Valley.

Panting Heavily, the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon stared at Zhao Xuanzhen like an impotent husband in a rage, the Golden Light and Shadow opposite it reflected in its vertical pupils.

"Zhen Character, thunder."

Thunder explosions resounded above Death Valley, branching lightning spreading gold-white across the black sky. Under the illumination of thunder and lightning representing the righteous energy of the world, undead creatures fled in terror. Even the Evil Spirit Bone Dragon could not help retreating, an unprecedented trace of cowardice arising in its heart.

Lightning churned as electric serpents danced wildly in the clouds. A bolt of lightning suddenly struck down, condensing into a thunder spear in Zhao Xuanzhen's hand. The spear shaft was wrapped in Eight Trigrams Zhen Character runes, its lightning illuminating his stern profile, sharp as a stone carving.

The Evil Spirit Bone Dragon sensed mortal danger. Its wings beat madly, yin wind and evil water merging into a black curtain that covered the heavens. Countless skeletal ghost faces lurked within, baring fangs and claws as they pounced at Zhao Xuanzhen.

At that moment, Death Valley seemed split in two. One half churned with the filthy black curtain summoned by the Bone Dragon; the other was reflected by Zhao Xuanzhen's Second Awakening projection into a flowing ocean of brilliant gold.

Blazing golden light erupted from Zhao Xuanzhen's body as the Earth Disk of Eight Trigrams Qimen surged outward. The black curtain of yin wind and evil water halted, Suspended In the heavens and earth with a strangely layered beauty.

The tip of the thunder spear pierced through everything Along the Way, tearing apart the yin wind. The evil water evaporated into nothingness, and the spear finally nailed itself precisely into the Bone Dragon's brow center. Its bones shattered inch by inch, and its anguished dragon cry resounded through the nine heavens.

A strand of moonlight pierced through a gap in the clouds, illuminating the radiant golden figure. Beneath his feet, black dragon bones turned to dust and vanished into the night with the wind.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Muye descended to the ground and shouted "good" three times in succession. There had been no movement for forty-eight days, only for Gold-tier awakening to arrive on the final day. After such a wild emotional plunge, the old comrade was truly exhilarated.

This was the only innate Gold-tier Second Awakening in the Body Sect's ten-thousand-year history!

And the Body Soul still had Third Awakening. Muye simply did not dare imagine how powerful True Self would become after Third Awakening!

Compared to Muye's ecstatic surprise after darkness gave way to light, Zhao Xuanzhen appeared far calmer. Because he had been in a weakened state for the first thirty days, the extreme training had not fully stimulated the potential of his Body Soul. On the surface, this was the forty-ninth day, but in truth it was little different from the nineteenth.

No one knew himself better than he did. Zhao Xuanzhen had long noticed the unusual changes in his True Self Soul. Today's Second Awakening was simply the natural course of things.

"Xiao Hong."

"I'm here."

Muye called out loudly, and a red mecha appeared. It stood around six meters tall, with strands of exquisite and magnificent dark-gold patterns. Its streamlined design made it look like a Work of Art.

Red-tier, God-tier mecha.

"Today is a good day. I'll reward you with a ride in this Sect Master's red-tier mecha!" Muye chuckled as he opened the mecha's cockpit and beckoned Zhao Xuanzhen to join him.

Once they were both seated, a beam of flaming light erupted from the red-tier mecha's back, carrying the two of them toward Heaven Dou City.

Muye activated autopilot mode and said leisurely, "Your Golden Awakening was really difficult. It didn't happen until the forty-ninth day.

"Fine, good things take time. When future generations record your glorious life, Zhao Xuanzhen, they will have to write that the current Body Sect Master, Muye, contributed greatly to True Self Second Awakening. At least sixty percent of the credit!"

Glancing at the credit-seeking Muye, Zhao Xuanzhen Teased, "I think there's a problem with that. For True Self Second Awakening, Senior gets thirty percent of the credit, Na'er and Gu Yue get ten percent each, and the remaining half is unquestionably due to my own persistence and hard work."

I didn't use cheats. It was all persistence and hard work.

Muye nearly choked, turning to look at Zhao Xuanzhen. "Is that reasonable?"

"Very reasonable."

Zhao Xuanzhen wore an expression of complete certainty. Yes, you couldn't start the game without the host!