As the Flood Dragon began to go berserk, Ling Qingping moved to a place where she would not be caught in the blast. Lu Jiuyuan, meanwhile, stood firmly atop the Flood Dragon's head, brandishing the Qingfeng Sword as he hacked down at its head again and again.
"Damn human, get down here!"
The Flood Dragon roared furiously, but its claws were too short to reach Lu Jiuyuan. It could only thrash its body wildly in an attempt to fling him away. At last, it succeeded.
Except Lu Jiuyuan had jumped off voluntarily. He had realized that fighting atop the Flood Dragon's head was inconvenient; coming down would make it easier to kill the Flood Dragon with a single sword strike. Something this large should last him quite a while as food.
"Human, die!"
Seeing Lu Jiuyuan flung away, the Flood Dragon immediately soared toward him. Lu Jiuyuan merely gripped the Qingfeng Sword unhurriedly, a sharp and fierce aura rising around him.
At that moment, the Flood Dragon sensed something. Its entire body abruptly froze. It had actually detected the aura of death from someone at the Qi Refining Peak.
"What? That's impossible!"
The Flood Dragon said in disbelief. Then it gathered itself and prepared to charge at Lu Jiuyuan once more. By then, Lu Jiuyuan had finished building up his momentum. He suddenly drew the Qingfeng Sword, unleashing a terrifying Sword Qi.
"Clear Wind Slash!"
Lu Jiuyuan spoke softly, but the Sword Qi was anything but as tranquil as a clear breeze. It was more like a raging gale, carrying the force to destroy everything in its path.
I can't take this strike head-on. I'll die.
The Flood Dragon thought without hesitation, then cried out in panic, "Stop, human!"
The Clear Wind Slash only dispersed at the last possible moment, roughly three meters away from the Flood Dragon.
"Oh? Do you have something to say?"
Lu Jiuyuan said blandly. He could still unleash the Clear Wind Slash several more times, so he was not afraid of any other tricks the Flood Dragon might have.
"Huff... I am willing to acknowledge you as my master! I only beg that you spare my life!"
The Flood Dragon spoke with a solemn expression. Lu Jiuyuan frowned slightly at its words. It was not that he did not wish to take in the Flood Dragon, but that he did not know whether he could bring it out with him.
As though it had sensed Lu Jiuyuan's concerns, the Flood Dragon hurriedly said,
"My lord need not worry. Once we establish a spirit pet contract, I will be regarded as your possession. When the secret realm closes, I will be teleported out along with you."
Hearing this, Lu Jiuyuan gave it some thought. Having a true dragon as a mount seemed rather impressive. Everyone else traveled on flying artifacts, while he would ride a true dragon. His prestige would soar in an instant.
With that thought, Lu Jiuyuan extended his hand. "Hand over your true spirit!"
A flicker of struggle crossed the Flood Dragon's face. Yet when it thought of how it could not break through to a stronger realm or transform into a true dragon within the secret realm, it reluctantly handed over a portion of its true spirit.
True spirits were exceptionally precious to every cultivator. By possessing a portion of another person's true spirit, one could hold that person's life and death in one's hand, no matter how powerful that cultivator might be.
"Human, you do know how to establish a spirit pet contract, right?"
The Flood Dragon looked at Lu Jiuyuan suspiciously, while Lu Jiuyuan gave a disdainful snort.
"It is merely a spirit pet contract. What difficulty is there in that? Watch carefully."
Lu Jiuyuan formed a hand seal with a confident expression. At once, an exceedingly profound force emerged around him. The Flood Dragon sensed something, and surprise appeared on its face.
"This is... a Heavenly Dao Contract!"
A spirit pet contract could originally restrain a spirit pet's loyalty to its master. However, if the spirit pet's realm exceeded its master's by two major realms, the spirit pet contract would automatically dissolve.
But the Heavenly Dao Contract was different. Once a Heavenly Dao Contract was established, even a Qi Refining Stage cultivator could control a spirit pet whose cultivation had reached the Immortal King Stage.
"Damn it, stop!"
The Flood Dragon roared furiously. Its original plan had been to break through to the Golden Core Stage immediately after following Lu Jiuyuan out. Once it stood two major realms above Lu Jiuyuan, the spirit pet contract would automatically be lifted.
It had not expected Lu Jiuyuan to know how to establish a Heavenly Dao Contract. The Flood Dragon was fast, but Lu Jiuyuan was even faster. By the time it reacted, Lu Jiuyuan had already successfully formed a Heavenly Dao Contract with it.
"Alright. From now on, you are my spirit pet."
Only after sensing an indescribable connection between himself and the Flood Dragon did Lu Jiuyuan say this in satisfaction. The Flood Dragon, meanwhile, stood frozen in place.
It was on the verge of becoming a true dragon, so it could naturally sense things others could not. Only after signing the Heavenly Dao Contract with Lu Jiuyuan did it detect the luck residing within him—luck at least a hundred times more abundant than that of ordinary people.
After signing the Heavenly Dao Contract, it naturally received the feedback of Lu Jiuyuan's immense luck. That overwhelming luck caused the bloodline barrier that had hindered its transformation into a true dragon to vanish without a trace.
At the same time, the skies throughout the secret realm darkened.
"This is... the birth of a Supreme Treasure!"
Countless Qi Refining Stage cultivators were stunned upon seeing this scene and immediately rushed in this direction. They had not expected that it was merely a Flood Dragon transforming into a true dragon.
"Go on. Go become a true dragon. Otherwise, I'll stew you."
Lu Jiuyuan looked at the Flood Dragon with a smiling expression. That smile, brimming with killing intent, made the Flood Dragon's rear tighten. It immediately flew out of the underground cavern.
After the Flood Dragon left, Lu Jiuyuan looked at Ling Qingping with a grave expression.
"This place will probably be discovered by others very soon. Absorb the Glazed Treasure Liquid as quickly as possible."
Ling Qingping naturally understood. The two no longer dared to waste time and hurriedly jumped into the pool of Glazed Treasure Liquid. As their bodies were completely enveloped by the liquid, both of them felt an incomparably pure energy improving their talents.
The most obvious change was in Ling Qingping. She had initially possessed only Yellow Grade talent, but with the help of the Glazed Treasure Liquid, she broke through to the Mysterious Grade in just a few minutes. It did not stop there, as she continued charging toward an even higher level.
As for Lu Jiuyuan, he already possessed Heaven Grade Peak talent. For him to transform once more, he naturally had to evolve into Immortal Grade talent, which would require far more time.
At the same time, countless cultivators were rushing toward this place, all seeking to contend for the Supreme Treasure that had supposedly appeared. They had not expected to be greeted by nothing more than a Flood Dragon transforming into a true dragon.
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