Azure Snake Appears, Azure Dragon Transforms

As Ren Xiaoyao stepped into the depths of the Wild Frontier, a subtle tremor emanated from the bluestone slabs beneath his feet. The tremor wasn't from the earth's pulse, but rather carried the harsh, scraping sound of scales scraping against rock, emanating from the far reaches of the earth, as if some colossal creature were traversing the rock strata. Wherever it passed, the roots of ancient trees were silently severed, the sap seeping from the cuts instantly solidifying into grayish-black crystals. The crystals gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen, and upon closer inspection, the painful patterns of the severed branches were sealed within. The hard rock layers cracked like thin paper, revealing spiderweb-like fissures. Deep within these fissures, a flowing, dark green aura could be faintly seen, interspersed with countless tiny black particles—the remnants of devoured Remnant Souls of Living Beings, emitting a chilling, putrid stench. Inhaling even a single breath felt like countless needles piercing one's lungs, sending a chill down one's spine.

"Hiss--"

A piercing, earth-shattering scream suddenly erupted, more ear-piercing than the sound of ancient ice shattering, more chilling than the roar of Primordial Giant Beast. The sound seemed to possess the power to freeze the very soul; wherever it passed, the wings of birds in the air were instantly covered in a layer of White Frost, upon which tiny Ice Crystals condensed, each Ice Crystals preserving the bird's final, terrified gaze. The birds plummeted to the ground, instantly turning into ice sculptures upon contact with the earth, the patterns of feathers clearly visible on their surfaces, even the details of the quills. The fur of beasts on the ground stood on end, pale blue frost seeping from their pores, condensing into tiny icicles on their fur. They collapsed stiffly into the sand, their limbs stiff, without even a chance to cry out. As it was released, its body stiffened at a visible speed, eventually merging with the surrounding rocks, leaving only a blurred outline. Suddenly, the black mountain range in the northwest cracked open, and millions of tons of rocks poured down like a torrential rain. The dust and smoke kicked up when they hit the ground blotted out the sun, turning half the sky a murky gray-yellow. Even the sunlight was refracted into an eerie dark gold, making the leaves of the grass and trees gleam with a metallic sheen. A dark shadow that blotted out the sun suddenly burst out from the depths of the mountain, half of its body suspended in mid-air, blocking out half the sunlight. This plunged the thousands of miles below into a twilight-like darkness, and even the air seemed to solidify, making it difficult to breathe.

It was a Azure Snake.

Its entire body is covered in dark blue scales, each about ten feet in size, with edges that gleam with a metallic sheen. Upon closer inspection, the surface of the scales is covered with fine barbs, the tips of which are coated with a viscous, grayish- Black Mucus. Within the liquid, tiny bubbles can be seen constantly bursting, each burst carrying a trace of the lingering remnant of a corroded life form. When dripped onto the ground, it corrodes deep, smoking pits, and the black mist rising from these pits causes the surrounding vegetation to wither visibly, turning from emerald green to withered yellow in an instant, finally crumbling into dust at the slightest touch. As the dust drifted in the wind, one could still hear the final sighs of the grass and trees. Its body, as thick as a ten-foot-tall tree, coiled and twisted, encircling three small hills. The hills groaned under the immense pressure, their surface rocks constantly peeling away to reveal reddish-brown layers interspersed with shimmering metallic veins. These veins clanged and jingled under the pressure, as if they could crush the hills into dust at any moment. Most terrifying of all was its head—no pupils, only two bottomless Black Hole from Black Hole gushed forth... The Gray Mist concealed countless distorted phantoms of creatures: birds poised to take flight, yet pulled by an unseen force, their wings torn and deformed, feathers scattering in the air; beasts frozen in mid-flight, limbs still in running posture, muscles taut; cultivators meditating cross-legged, their faces contorted in terror, fingers poised at the moment of hand seals, the Daoist aura between their brows dissipating; tribal ancestors roaring, bone spears raised, their cries forever locked in their throats, the blood on their spears dried. They all perished in the Gray Mist. The snake struggled, emitting silent, mournful cries, as if the souls it devoured were forever trapped in this Void. When the snake opened its mouth, the gap between its upper and lower jaws was enough to swallow an entire mountain. There were no fangs in its mouth, but there were swirling gray vortexes. These vortexes emitted a terrifying suction force that devoured the sky and the earth. The surrounding sand, rocks, vegetation, and even the low-lying clouds were all forcibly pulled into its mouth. The moment they touched the edge of the vortex, they turned into Void, leaving not even a speck of dust behind, as if they had never existed. Only the ripples of being devoured remained in the space.

"The Wild Frontier have been silent for too long, and have bred such arrogant and ignorant beasts."

Ren Xiaoyao's eyes flickered with Cyan-Gold Flame, the leaping flames reflecting his serene face. The light of the flames danced within his pupils, as if stars were rising and falling within them, the alternation of light and shadow perfectly matching the Rhythm of Life and Death in the Wild Frontier. The instant his right hand grasped the Emerald Green Staff, the Chaos Pearl at the top of the staff suddenly erupted with boundless brilliance, cascading down like a waterfall and transforming into a semi-transparent wall of light before him. This wall of light was no ordinary object, but rather woven from the Laws of Life and Death, its surface flowing with alternating azure-gold and gray-gold patterns, like countless tiny rivers flowing within them, in which the phantom images of fish and shrimp could be seen swimming, their scales shimmering. A faint light, flickering with life and death, clung to the wall of light, firmly blocking the Azure Snake's Devouring Power. The clouds that had been sucked away instantly reversed, tracing graceful arcs in the sky, their edges shimmering with a seven-colored halo, within which the seven colors of a rainbow could be seen. The sand and gravel fell back to the ground, piling up into small hills, where tiny Grass Seeds began to sprout. The tender shoots pushed through the sand and gravel with the tenacity of breaking through the soil. Even the severed roots of the ancient trees, nourished by the azure-gold vitality, sprouted new buds, each adorned with glistening dewdrops. The dewdrops reflected the sky's image, refracting a faint light, which fell to the ground, creating Light Spots.

Enraged by this power, the Azure Snake's body suddenly straightened, its dark blue scales instantly bristling like ten thousand unsheathed blades, reflecting a chilling light. In the light, one could see the fine patterns on its scales, within which flowed faint Black Airflow. With a flick of its long tail, it lashed out at Ren Xiaoyao with the force to shatter mountains. Along the path of its tail, the air was compressed into a tangible wall of energy, its edges crackling with faint black arcs of electricity and emitting a series of popping sounds, as if even space itself was being shattered by this attack. Boulders along its path were struck by the energy wall and instantly turned to dust. The dust drifted through the air, vanishing without a trace in the wind, leaving only the astringent smell of pulverized stone in the air.

Ren Xiaoyao lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure fluttering backward like a willow leaf. His robes fluttered in the wind, and where his robes swept, tender green shoots sprouted from the withered grass, the leaves of which were still covered with downy hairs. At the same time, his left hand clenched, and the Laws of Life and Death within his body suddenly activated, transforming a giant shield into Cyan-Gold Flame before him. The shield's surface was filled with the illusory images of newly sprouted vegetation in the Wild Frontier: bamboo shoots breaking through the soil, their tips still covered with damp earth, and tiny earthworms visible in the soil; and blooming wildflowers, their petals adorned with tiny blossoms. Pollen, carried on the wind, carries a faint fragrance; towering ancient trees stand, their trunks etched with the marks of time, each mark a whisper of past storms. Every leaf bears the indelible mark of life's resilience; yet, the shield's edge is entwined with a gray-gold, Annihilation current, within which one can see the fall of stars and the withering of vegetation. Even as stars fade, they retain their last glimmer, a glimmer that holds the memory of their existence; even as vegetation withers, it bears the imprint of life, an imprint that carries the tenacity of the plants, each wisp of air sharp with the edge of annihilation.

"Boom!"

The moment the serpent's tail collided with the giant shield, the entire Wild Frontier seemed to tremble three times. A continuous echo reverberated from the distant valleys, like countless war drums beating simultaneously, the echoes mingled with ancient shouts. The dark cyan scales rubbed against the Principle light shield, creating countless sparks. These sparks, an eerie dark green, burned deep, bottomless holes in the ground, constantly emitting black smoke with a pungent sulfurous odor. Wherever the smoke passed, the stones turned black, revealing corroded patterns on their surfaces. Ren Xiaoyao felt an immense force, like a mountain collapsing, as the ground beneath his feet instantly caved in, creating a basin a hundred miles in Fang Yuan. The rock layers at the basin's edge fractured, revealing a deep darkness beneath. In the darkness, unknown creatures seemed to writhe, their eyes flashing a faint red light, filled with a yearning for light. On the giant shield of life and death, three fine cracks appeared, emanating a faint cyan-gold light, as if it were repairing itself. As it repaired, tiny specks of light appeared, coalescing in the air to form tiny, illusory images of grass and trees.

"Interesting." Ren Xiaoyao's lips curled slightly. He gently twirled his staff in his palm, the vine patterns on the staff swaying softly with his movement. Dewdrops rolled off the vines, dripping onto the ground and turning into small puddles, reflecting the gray clouds in the sky. "The Origin Power the Wild Frontier isn't for you to use for evil."

Before he finished speaking, he abruptly plunged his staff into the ground. The vine-like patterns on the staff suddenly lit up, like streaks of green lightning piercing the earth, instantly connecting with the Principle network of the Wild Frontier. Ripples spread from the connection point, within which the phantoms of Wild Frontier creatures could be seen worshipping. The next second, the ground beneath the Azure Snake's feet suddenly surged, like boiling water, and millions of thorns imbued with a gray-gold essence burst forth from the earth. These thorns were no ordinary objects, but rather formed from the Laws of Life and Death of the Wild Frontier over billions of years, their entire bodies displaying a hue of interwoven cyan and gray-gold, their spikes shimmering with the resilience of "life" and the corrosiveness of "death." They coiled around the Cang Serpent's massive body at incredible speed, the points where the thorns touched the serpent's body constantly emitting a "sizzling" sound and white smoke, within which sparks of colliding Principle could be seen.

"Hiss--!"

The Azure Snake, in pain, writhed frantically, trying to break free of the thorns' restraints. Each twist shook the earth, causing ripples to spread across the distant river. Its dark blue scales clashed with the thorns with a piercing, metallic sound. Some scales were pierced, oozing dark green blood that arced through the air, leaving a trail of corroded air. The blood, falling to the ground, instantly melted the hard rock into pus. Tiny bubbles burst within the pus, their collapse accompanied by a faint sound, a sound that seemed to echo the agonizing screams of the rocks.

Just then, the Azure Snake's head suddenly swelled to three times its original size, and the Gray Mist gushing from its Black Hole -like eye sockets grew increasingly dense, almost engulfing its entire head. From within the Gray Mist came wailing sounds, filled with endless pain and resentment. The gray vortex in its mouth suddenly accelerated, emitting a strange "whooshing" sound. This time, it no longer devoured the surrounding vegetation and sand, but instead targeted the fundamental Principle of the Wild Frontier —the gray-golden currents flowing in the air were forcibly drawn away, transforming into visible bands of light. On these bands, one could see scenes of the birth and death of life in the Wild Frontier: the cries of infants, filled with curiosity about the world; the passing of elders, their deaths marked by acceptance of the past; the moment a flower blooms, a fleeting moment of joyful blossoming; the instant a leaf falls, a moment of serene return, all surging wildly into its mouth.

"Oh no! It's Devouring Origin to evolve!"

Ren Xiaoyao's pupils contracted slightly as he witnessed the Azure Snake's body transform at a speed visible to the naked eye: fine dragon scale patterns began to emerge on its originally smooth, dark blue scales, each pattern carrying the aura of ancient times, with a faint golden light flowing between the patterns, interspersed with runes from the primordial era, the runes flashing with an ancient pressure; two prominent bone spurs grew from the back of its neck, their tips glowing with a faint golden light, as if they could pierce the sky, the bone spurs engraved with blurry patterns, the patterns containing the history of battles in the primordial era; most astonishingly, two fleshy tumors slowly rose on its head, and where the tumors ruptured, two jade-white dragon horn rudiments were revealed, the horns covered with ancient runes, exuding a majestic aura, the runes flashing with Mysterious Power that could slightly distort the surrounding space.

"Roar--!"

A roar, no longer the hiss of a snake but the majestic cry of a dragon, resounded throughout the heavens and earth. This roar shook the clouds, revealing the azure sky beneath, where wisps of cloud, still carrying the echoes of the roar, drifted in the air. The rocks on the ground bounced and leaped like startled rabbits; some small stones were even sent flying into the air, tracing parabolic arcs before falling back down. The Azure Snake's body stiffened completely, its dark blue scales shedding to reveal golden-blue dragon scales covering its entire body. Each scale was like a small shield, shimmering with the luster of Principle, and flowing from the gaps between the scales... A gray-gold aura flowed through the air, within which tiny Law Fragments could be seen, colliding with each other with a crisp "clinking" sound. The bone spurs on the neck transformed into two pairs of unfolding fleshy wings, covered with a gray-gold membrane. On the membrane flowed the Life and Death Patterns and death of the Wild Frontier, revealing the cycle of growth and decay of vegetation. Growth was filled with vigorous vitality, containing infinite possibilities; decay was filled with serene beauty, containing the sedimentation of time. The dragon horns on the head were fully formed, as white as jade and as hard as iron, their tips pointing straight to the sky. The runes on the horns shimmered with Dazzling Light, containing powerful energy that could make the surrounding Principle slightly submit.

In the blink of an eye, the heaven-devouring Azure Snake transformed into a ten-thousand-foot-long Azure Dragon!

"I am the Chaos Azure Dragon born from the Wild Frontier. Today I will devour you, the so-called Lord of Ten Thousand Wastelands, and seize this world!" The Azure Dragon's voice was no longer sharp, but carried a crushing weight, as if it came from the primordial era. Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking people's hearts and making their souls tremble. Deep within their souls, they seemed to hear the echoes of the primordial world.

It flapped its fleshy wings violently, unleashing a gale that shook mountains a hundred miles away, whipping up rocks that transformed into countless streaks of gray light in the air. Where these streaks passed, the air was torn open, revealing glimpses of Void darkness. Its golden-blue dragon claws, imbued with the power to tear apart Principle, lashed out at Ren Xiaoyao. The trajectory of its claws rippled even the space itself, like crumpled paper, within which distorted light and shadow, and within those ripples, Space Fragments.

Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, and the Laws of Life and Death and death within his body completely merged with the Origin of the Wasteland. The azure-gold vitality in his left eye and the gray-gold Annihilation in his right eye surged simultaneously, transforming into a pair of enormous wings of light behind him. When the wings unfolded, they blotted out the sky, their surfaces covered with patterns of the birth and death of the Wild Frontier. There were the magnificent sights of Nebula condensing into planets, their grandeur concealing the Mysteries of the Universe; there were the bustling scenes of life flourishing on the earth, their liveliness concealing the vitality of life; there were the cycles of civilization from rise to fall, their cycles concealing the wisdom of history. When the wings flapped, they even created a rhythm of the Cycle of Life and Death in the Wild Frontier, causing the surrounding plants and trees to sway gently to this rhythm, the swaying of the blades of grass perfectly matching the rhythm, as if they were dancing a dance of life.

"The Principle of the Wild Frontier will not tolerate your insolence."

He took a step forward, his figure instantly appearing atop the Azure Dragon's head. Ripples spread across the space beneath his feet, carrying a faint light as they expanded, within which the Principle of the Wild Frontier could be seen flowing. He raised his Emerald Green Staff high, and within the Chaos Pearl Orb atop it emerged a chart of the Wild Frontier billions of years: from the initial Void to the birth of the first wisp of life, which appeared with a faint yet unwavering light, a light containing the courage of creation; from the growth of vegetation to the emergence of living beings, the growth of vegetation with a tenacious... Strong perseverance, within which lies the desire to survive; the appearance of living beings is accompanied by curious eyes, within which lies the desire to explore; from the formation of tribes to the rise and fall of civilizations, the formation of tribes is accompanied by the power of unity, within which lies the collective wisdom; the rise and fall of civilizations is accompanied by the sedimentation of history, within which lies the accumulation of experience... Those diagrams transformed into a pillar of light interwoven with lapis lazuli and gray gold, like a sword of judgment, carrying the creation of "life" and the end of "destruction," fiercely slashing down towards the head of the Azure Dragon.

"Clang!"

The beam of light collided with the Azure Dragon dragon's horns, producing a deafening roar that seemed to pierce the eardrums and reach the depths of the soul, echoing in the mind. The sound contained the thunderous roar of colliding Principle. The Azure Dragon felt an irresistible force surge through its body from its horns; thirty percent of its newly formed scales shattered instantly, the fragments falling to the ground like meteors, creating large craters. The craters still held the aura of the scales, aura imbued with the Azure Dragon's resentment. The fleshy wings on its neck were struck by the beam of light, tearing open a deep, bone-revealing wound. The flesh within the wound repeatedly healed and disintegrated within the Principle of "life" and "death." The healing brought the Hope of Life, the resilience of life; the disintegration brought the despair of shattering, the ruthlessness of the Principle, bringing pain worse than death, causing it to let out a painful roar, a roar filled with unspeakable torment.

"Impossible! How could you possibly control such pure Power of Life and Death!" Fear appeared in the eyes of the Azure Dragon for the first time. It could feel that the opponent's power was perfectly matched with the origin of the Wild Frontier. Every strike was as if this land was personally judging it, making it feel powerless from the bottom of its heart. It was as if all its resistance was in vain, and in the futility was a surrender to fate.

Without a word, Ren Xiaoyao flapped his wings and reappeared on the Azure Dragon's abdomen. This was the weakest point in the Azure Dragon's defenses, and also the place where it had absorbed the most of the Wild Frontier ' essence. A faint gray-gold aura could be seen flowing beneath its skin, and within this aura, one could see the phantoms of Wild Frontier creatures, their joys and sorrows hidden within them. He thrust his staff in heavily, and the Laws of Life and Death within the Chaos Pearl surged in like a tide, violently clashing with the Azure Dragon's Origin Power, producing a hissing sound, as if the two forces were engaged in a life-or-death struggle, a struggle containing a contest of Principle.

"Roar--!"

The Azure Dragon let out a piercing scream, a scream filled with pain and despair that terrified the birds in the sky, causing them to scatter in all directions. Their wings flapped so fast they almost left afterimages, the afterimages revealing their fear. The beasts on the ground also scrambled into their burrows, covering their ears with their claws, their movements revealing their panic. The massive dragon tumbled wildly through the air, smashing through three black mountain ranges. Rocks rained down, crashing onto the ground with deafening thuds, leaving the earth cratered and scarred. The potholes concealed the power of the mountain rocks, yet it could never escape the Law Conflict within its body. It could feel the devoured Origin Power backfiring, every inch of its muscles writhing in excruciating pain under the tearing force of the Laws of Life and Death, as if countless tiny knives were simultaneously slicing it away. The newly formed dragon form showed signs of disintegration; its scales began to dim, losing their former luster, like a dusty ancient mirror; its fleshy wings drooped limply, their membranes riddled with cracks, as if they would shatter at the slightest touch, each flap accompanied by tearing pain.

"I'll spare your life, so you'll remember the rules of the Wild Frontier." Ren Xiaoyao's voice, like a resounding bell, echoed in the Azure Dragon's ears. Every word clearly entered its mind, like a brand etched deep into its soul. "Life and Death in Order, not by arbitrariness."