Looking at the Heart-Piercing Lock in Lin Changqing's hand, the Ink Flood Dragon abruptly stopped in its tracks.
The blood-red spear had just self-destructed, and he had already suffered severe injuries.
The power of the true dragon within him had even been completely depleted. He no longer had any chance of tearing apart the formation around the Dragon Transformation Pool.
His strength was also nowhere near what it had been before. Badly wounded and furious, he had wanted to kill Lin Changqing immediately.
But when he saw another treasure appear in Lin Changqing's hand, along with his threat, the Ink Flood Dragon stopped.
"You wouldn't dare!"
The Ink Flood Dragon glared at Lin Changqing, his expression twisted with rage.
He had actually blown up a treasure just like that. This human was ruthless!
Even Grand Unity Golden Immortals treasured a thing like this! Yet Lin Changqing treated it with such disdain, blowing it up without a second thought!
Though he spoke boldly, the Ink Flood Dragon felt uneasy and didn't dare approach any further.
If that attack came again, he would surely die!
"By all means, try me."
"I'm a Saint's disciple. You couldn't begin to count how many treasures the Saint has given me. Blowing up one or two is no big deal."
"Of course, what I'm saying might not be true. You don't have to believe me."
"I'm sick of you anyway. Killing you might be a pretty good choice."
Lin Changqing spoke with utter confidence. His words sounded like a complete bluff, but even if just one-tenth of them were true, there was no way the Ink Flood Dragon would dare attack again.
Even if only one-tenth was true, the Ink Flood Dragon would be gambling with his life!
"Human, I'll remember this grudge!"
"Once I've recovered, you'll be a dead man!"
The Ink Flood Dragon roared and rushed toward the golden mist.
Dragging his badly wounded body along, he spat out the Dragon Pearl in his mouth once more. Its surface was dim, and the power of the true dragon within it was almost completely spent.
But with just a sliver of true dragon aura surrounding him, the Ink Flood Dragon was able to leave the Ancestral Dragon Pool without trouble.
Watching the Ink Flood Dragon disappear, Lin Changqing finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
What a joke. He'd only broken through four layers of restrictions on the Heart-Piercing Lock. It would be ages before he could make it self-destruct.
Besides, even if he could blow it up, Lin Changqing couldn't bear to sacrifice a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.
And with only two or three tenths of his Divine Demon Power left, Lin Changqing truly had no confidence.
If the Ink Flood Dragon had wanted to keep fighting, Lin Changqing would probably have had to use the Divine Demon Wings behind him to play an endless game of cat and mouse.
With no further need to stall for time, Lin Changqing put away the wings behind him and stowed the Heart-Piercing Lock. Then he slowly descended beside the Dragon Transformation Pool.
Golden divine light flowed around Ao Ying within the Dragon Transformation Pool, glimmering across her scales. The boundless power of the dragon race's bloodline continued to flow into her.
Ao Ying was just one step away from the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm, but that final barrier was no easy thing to break through.
After all, when Ao Ying had met Lin Changqing, she had only just broken through to the Golden Immortal realm.
Feeling that only around three tenths of his Divine Demon Power remained, Lin Changqing sighed softly. He'd have to speed up his recovery again.
Still, his Divine Demon Prison Suppression Art was astonishingly easy to cultivate. It was picky about nothing.
It could even absorb and refine the various auras of the dragon race in this secret dragon territory.
Lin Changqing had an idea.
The power of the dragon race's bloodline in the Ancestral Dragon Pool certainly hadn't been prepared for just one person, and Ao Ying wouldn't be able to absorb all of it.
Although a great deal had dissipated over the endless years, the power that remained was still immense.
Ao Ying was only one step away from the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm, yet around half of the power in the Ancestral Dragon Pool remained.
Lin Changqing's heart immediately stirred with excitement.
The power in the Dragon Transformation Pool came from the Ancestral Dragon. Its level was extremely high and it was incomparably pure. If he absorbed and refined it, perhaps he could use this opportunity to break through to the Golden Immortal realm as well!
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Lin Changqing brought out a Dragon Pearl.
He hadn't given this treasure away yet, so there was no harm in making use of it.
A pearly white light shone from the Dragon Pearl. A white jade divine dragon soared into the air, then circled down and wrapped itself around Lin Changqing.
This was the Dragon Pearl of a Quasi-Sage of the dragon race! Its grade was far beyond that of the Dragon Pearl the Ink Flood Dragon had carried.
Wrapped in its pearly white light, the dragon aura around Lin Changqing was far stronger than the Ink Flood Dragon's. He took one step forward and easily passed through the golden barrier protecting the Ancestral Dragon Pool, meeting not the slightest resistance.
If the Ink Flood Dragon were still here and knew Lin Changqing had a Dragon Pearl like this, he would probably have risked his life to take it.
Fortunately, he'd left, giving Lin Changqing a chance to enter the Ancestral Dragon Pool.
Lin Changqing stepped into the Ancestral Dragon Pool. The thousand-zhang-wide area was half occupied by Ao Ying, but there was still enough room for him to sit cross-legged.
Incomparably pure power of the true dragon surged toward him in an endless torrent. Because of the true dragon aura around Lin Changqing, even more of it flowed toward him than toward Ao Ying!
The golden power of the true dragon streamed toward him as if being sucked away, forming a vortex around Lin Changqing.
Lin Changqing rapidly absorbed the golden energy. It gathered in his dantian, then flowed into his three thousand six hundred apertures.
The Divine Demon Prison Suppression Art surged into motion. Boundless crimson light transformed into streaks of divine radiance, carving divine patterns into each aperture.
They formed the perfect number of a great cosmic cycle, spreading around the apertures like an endless sea of stars.
Within the apertures, the three thousand six hundred phantoms of divine demons sat cross-legged. Crimson light raced around them, and their suction grew ten thousandfold as they drew in strands of the true dragon's power and rapidly refined them!
This was the power of a true dragon, and it came from the Ancestral Dragon! It was incomparably pure. Absorbing it now was nothing like absorbing the blood and vital energy from before.
The Divine Demon Power within Lin Changqing rapidly recovered, and in just a short while, it was completely restored.
But the divine demon phantoms showed no sign of stopping. Instead, they revolved faster and faster.
Lin Changqing's aura began to surge. The crimson energy drifting beyond the divine demon phantoms gradually converged toward them. The phantoms, once as indistinct as mist, slowly began to solidify.
Flesh and blood took shape at astonishing speed, while bones and sinews were gradually forged. Even their skin, every crease, and each strand of hair rapidly formed.
At this moment, every one of the divine demon phantoms looked exactly the same: they were all identical to Lin Changqing!
Time passed swiftly in the outside world. At some point, Lin Changqing and Ao Ying occupied opposite sides of the Ancestral Dragon Pool, yin and yang, continuing to absorb the power of the true dragon within.
Lin Changqing's aura surged rapidly. He was already more than twice as powerful as before.
Golden patterns now covered the green scales on Ao Ying's body, while the divine patterns of the dragon race quickly faded.
The Azure Dragon's body had grown to twelve hundred zhang long!
The might of a mid-stage Golden Immortal slowly gathered. A powerful aura shook everything around her!
With a slight tremor, the power of the true dragon in the Ancestral Dragon Pool was completely absorbed.
Ao Ying slowly opened her eyes. Divine light flashed in them for an instant, a glimmer of gold appearing before quickly fading away. At last, even the divine patterns of the dragon race around her body disappeared.
Her cultivation: mid-stage Golden Immortal!
Ao Ying looked around in delight. Only then did she spot Lin Changqing nearby, and her excitement surged.
"Daoist Brother Changqing!"
"I broke through!"
Her two exclamations interrupted Lin Changqing's cultivation, and he finally came back to himself.
He turned to look at Ao Ying, sensing the pressure she gave off as a mid-stage Golden Immortal. It was even stronger than that of the Golden Condor and Green Vine. He gave a faint, rueful smile.
Just a little short!
Before you continue