Ambushed Outside the City, the Sacred Dragon Descends

After deciding to head to the Star Dou Great Forest in search of Thunderclap Nethervine, Yu Yuanchen did not set out immediately. He knew this journey would be perilous; every additional trump card meant another measure of security. The Ring Fusion Secret Technique that had caught his attention was precisely the power he urgently needed to master.

He explained to Principal Lei Dongtian that he needed to enter seclusion for a time to digest and study his findings. Lei Dongtian naturally agreed and arranged the quietest cultivation room in the academy for him.

For the next half month, Yu Yuanchen devoted all his focus to practicing the Ring Fusion Secret Technique.

He had already thoroughly grasped the principle behind the secret technique. The key lay in practice. Using his formidable Spiritual Power, far surpassing that of a Soul Emperor, as a guide, he cautiously attempted to direct his Soul Power and connect different Soul Rings.

His initial attempts did not go smoothly. Each Soul Ring was independent, containing the origin characteristics and Soul Skill laws of different Soul Beasts. Forcing them to fuse was like trying to make water and fire coexist, immediately triggering violent Soul Power clashes and spiritual backlash. Had his Spiritual Power not been resilient enough and his physique not so powerful, he would have been injured long ago.

Yet he did not lose heart. He failed again and again, adjusting each time. He first chose the Soul Rings most closely linked through their coordinated use—the First Soul Ring, Thunder Dragon Claw, and the Third Soul Ring, Wrath of Thunder. Both originated from dragon-type or sub-dragon-type Soul Beasts and were related to basic thunder enhancement.

His mind was intensely focused, like the finest carving blade, etching bridges of connection across the invisible barriers between the Soul Rings' origins. His immense Spiritual Power forcibly restrained the two streams of Soul Power, slowly drawing them closer, bringing them into contact, and attempting to blend them. The Soul Power raged like wild horses breaking free of their reins, while tearing pain ran through his Meridians, yet he did not even furrow his brow.

Finally, on the seventh day, a low hum sounded. The lights of the First and Third Soul Rings beneath his feet abruptly merged, transforming into an even more brilliant, profound bolt of lightning. Though it dispersed in less than a breath due to insufficient follow-up power, the might that erupted in that instant far surpassed the sum of the two. Delight burst from Yu Yuanchen's eyes!

"Success! It's only a prototype, but the direction is right!"

With the experience of that success, his subsequent cultivation went much more smoothly. He repeatedly practiced fusing the First and Third Soul Rings, extending the duration of the fusion, and began attempting to incorporate the Second Soul Ring as well. The process remained dangerous, but the demands on his Spiritual Power and control happened to fall within the limits he could bear.

As he continuously practiced Ring Fusion, causing his Spiritual Power and Soul Power to resonate at a high level and deeply excavating his own potential, an unexpected change occurred—

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Bloodline within him, already increasingly active and continuously refined due to the Thunder God Power and his repeated level-crossing absorption of dragon species Soul Rings, seemed to receive some intense stimulation and suddenly began to boil!

"Roar—!"

A Dragon Roar seemingly from the Primordial Era sounded from the depths of his bloodline, shaking his entire Sea of Consciousness with thunderous reverberations! Purple-gold light burst uncontrollably from his body. The lock of purple-gold hair before his forehead was particularly dazzling, shining like the blazing sun! His blood surged like magma, his bones crackled explosively, and an aura far more ancient, majestic, and close to the Thunder Origin than before slowly awakened like a slumbering dragon!

A realization struck Yu Yuanchen, and he immediately guided this surging Bloodline Power. He could feel that his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul was undergoing some essential leap under the cleansing of this power! The phantom dark-blue dragon scales became more solidified, while fine, ancient purple-gold runes began to emerge in their patterns. Beyond its domineering nature, the Dragon Might now carried an additional sense of holiness and judgment!

This is... a further awakening of my bloodline? No, it's a temporary evolution! Yu Yuanchen understood inwardly. He had already been only one step away from the true top-tier Dragon Clan—the Thunder Sacred Dragon. Now, stimulated by the Ring Fusion Secret Technique drawing out his potential and the deep resonance between his Spiritual Power and bloodline, he had actually broken through that boundary for a brief moment!

With a thought, he actively triggered this boiling Bloodline Power!

"Buzz!"

Even more dazzling purple-gold light completely enveloped him, and his entire body seemed to transform into a miniature source of lightning! Behind him, an enormous dragon-shaped phantom appeared proudly. Its entire body was covered in purple-gold runic scales, its eyes held the majesty of a god, and tangible purple-gold electric snakes coiled around it! Though it was still somewhat illusory and unstable, its terrifying pressure had already far exceeded that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!

Thunder Sacred Dragon! Though it was only a temporary, incomplete evolved form, its status and power had undergone a qualitative leap!

However, maintaining this state came at a tremendous cost. Yu Yuanchen could clearly feel his Spiritual Power, Soul Power, and Bloodline Power being consumed at a terrifying rate! At his current cultivation level of sixty-six, even at full strength, he could maintain it for no more than ten minutes! Once he exceeded the limit, he would exit this state from exhaustion and might even fall into weakness. Forcibly maintaining it would also damage the foundation of his bloodline.

What delighted him even more was that, in this Thunder Sacred Dragon state, inspiration struck him, and he attempted to fuse his first five Soul Rings!

Under the higher-status control of his evolved Martial Soul and the precise manipulation of his greatly increased Spiritual Power, the first five Soul Rings fused as smoothly as water and milk, becoming a massive, profound black Soul Ring rimmed with a purple-gold halo! An indescribable, terrifying power that seemed capable of drawing upon the thunder of heaven and earth condensed and sublimated within it!

Information about an entirely new Soul Skill originating from his bloodline source naturally surfaced in his mind—Bloodline Soul Skill: Thunder Sacred Dragon Descends!

"With this trump card, I can venture into the Star Dou Great Forest!" Yu Yuanchen dispersed his Bloodline Power. Though he felt a slight weakness in his body, his eyes were filled with confidence.

After leaving seclusion, he politely declined Lei Dongtian's offer to send someone with him, saying only that he wished to travel alone and verify what he had learned. Lei Dongtian knew he was exceptionally capable and needed to conceal his identity, so he did not insist.

Yu Yuanchen quietly left Elemental City and headed toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

However, he did not know that a pair of eyes hidden in the shadows had long since fixed upon him.

The spies planted by the Elephant Armored Sect in Boulder Academy had noticed the unusual resource movements among the five great academies and the frequent contact between their upper echelons during the research project. Though they could not learn the specific details of the Nature Transformation—the Boulder Academy principal's faction and the other four academies guarded it closely—they instinctively felt the matter was critically important. After making inquiries through various channels, they spared no expense to secretly bribe a teacher employed at another academy, a mere peripheral figure who knew part of the inside story.

From that teacher, they learned that an important project was led by a Thunder Academy lecturer named "Yu Chen," who seemed to have close ties with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!

"Yu Chen? The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?" The Elder of the Elephant Armored Sect in charge of this matter immediately thought of the commission his sect had secretly accepted from the Black Flame Demon Flood Dragon Family—to eliminate the peerless genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, Yu Yuanchen!

Although their names differed by one character, and the intelligence stated that Yu Yuanchen should be a Soul Emperor while this Yu Chen was a Soul King, their ages and sect backgrounds matched far too closely for the Elephant Armored Sect not to be suspicious!

"Better to kill the wrong one than let the right one go! Send men to watch him closely. The moment he leaves Elemental City, find a chance to 'invite' him back! If he really is Yu Yuanchen, it will be a great achievement! If not, capturing a young genius from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan can still earn us considerable benefits!" The upper ranks of the Elephant Armored Sect issued their orders.

Thus, shortly after Yu Yuanchen left Elemental City, two Soul Sages of the Elephant Armored Sect, their auras as heavy as mountains and their savage bearing impossible to hide even in plain clothes, silently trailed after him like ghosts.

After traveling more than a hundred li from Elemental City and entering a sparsely populated Hilly Area, Yu Yuanchen's powerful Spiritual Power keenly sensed the two deliberately restrained yet still heavy Earth Attribute Soul Power Fluctuations behind him, clinging to him like bone-deep poison.

"Two Soul Sages... Earth Attribute... the Elephant Armored Sect?" Yu Yuanchen's thoughts raced, and he immediately guessed their identities. He could not help but smile bitterly to himself. They really are impossible to shake off. They're just determined to clash with me.

He gave no outward sign and did not speed up to flee. Instead, he deliberately slowed down, as though admiring the scenery along the way, while secretly observing the auras and habits of his pursuers. At the same time, he searched for a suitable battlefield.

Finally, when a Desolate Valley filled with Rugged Rocks appeared ahead, its terrain relatively open yet sufficiently concealed, Yu Yuanchen turned and swept into the valley.

The two Soul Sages from the Elephant Armored Sect exchanged a glance and followed without hesitation. In their eyes, even if a Soul King possessed some tricks, he could not possibly stir up much trouble before two Soul Sages.

Upon entering the Desolate Valley, Yu Yuanchen stopped and slowly turned around. Looking at the two men who had followed him inside, he said mildly, "You two have followed me all the way. What guidance do you seek?"

One of the Soul Sages, exceptionally tall and arrogant-looking, gave a sinister laugh. "Kid, you're Yu Chen, aren't you? Come with us obediently, and spare yourself some physical suffering!"

The other Soul Sage looked more composed. His Sharp Eyes swept the surroundings as though confirming whether there was an ambush. He did not speak, but his aura had already locked onto Yu Yuanchen.

Yu Yuanchen deliberately revealed a trace of "panic" and forced calm. "Who are you? Why do you want me to go with you?"

"Enough nonsense!" The arrogant Soul Sage grew impatient. Soul Power erupted from his body as two yellow, two purple, and three black Soul Rings rose around him. A massive Diamond Mammoth phantom appeared, and he moved directly to seize Yu Yuanchen. He truly looked down on him, believing that dealing with a Soul King would be effortless.

A cold glint flashed through Yu Yuanchen's eyes. This carelessness was exactly what he wanted! The instant the Soul Sage reached out to grab him, the "First and Third Soul Rings" beneath Yu Yuanchen's feet suddenly lit up—simulated Soul Rings. Lightning surged around him as he pushed Dragon Swimming Steps to the limit. Rather than retreating, he advanced like a phantom and closed in instantly! His right arm underwent Dragon Transformation, and his Dragon Claw, imbued with the intent of Thunder Dragon Shatters Void, thrust without flourish at the opening in the opponent's chest exposed slightly by his forward rush!

This strike was fast! Precise! Ruthless! It gathered his Physical Strength, Soul Power, and a thread of Thunder God Power, aiming to severely injure or even kill with a single blow!

"Watch out!" The composed Soul Sage's expression changed, and he shouted a warning, but he was already half a beat too late!

The arrogant Soul Sage had not expected a mere "Soul King" to dare counterattack, much less possess such horrifying speed and strength! In Haste, he could only gather Soul Power at his chest to defend himself.

"Splat!"

The Dragon Claw, containing extreme penetrating power, failed to completely break through the Soul Sage's abundant Soul Power defense, but it still tore through his clothes and left five bone-deep, charred wounds across his chest! Violent thunder force penetrated his body, making his Qi and Blood churn. He gave a muffled groan and staggered backward, his face filled with shock, fury, and disbelief!

"You... you're not a Soul King!" He clutched his chest and roared in both shock and rage.

The composed Soul Sage had now completely confirmed it, his gaze turning incomparably cold. "Such strength, such control over thunder, and this Dragon Transformation... You're Yu Yuanchen! That kid from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family!"

With his identity exposed, Yu Yuanchen no longer concealed himself. He dispersed the simulated Soul Rings and released the powerful aura of a level sixty-six Soul Emperor without reservation. One yellow, two purple, and three black Soul Rings shone brilliantly beneath his feet!

"Since you've recognized me, I can't let you leave today!" Yu Yuanchen's tone was chilling.

"Arrogant! Even if you're a Soul Emperor, we'll capture you today!" The wounded Soul Sage flew into a rage and activated his Martial Soul Avatar at the same time as the composed Soul Sage! Two Diamond Mammoths as large as small mountains appeared within the Desolate Valley, their terrifying pressure becoming almost tangible as it crushed down upon Yu Yuanchen!

A fierce battle erupted instantly!

Yu Yuanchen pushed Dragon Swimming Steps, Thunder God Mode, and Dragon Scale Armor to their limits. Lightning ran rampant between the sweeps of his claws as he fought against the two Soul Sages. He fought and retreated at the same time, constantly testing their Soul Skill traits and coordination.

The composed Soul Sage's defense was watertight, his attacks heavy and forceful, and his Combat Experience abundant. He could always block Yu Yuanchen's escape routes. Though the injured Soul Sage's offensive had slowed somewhat because of his wounds, it had become even more violent, as if he wished to tear Yu Yuanchen apart.

Although Yu Yuanchen remained undefeated for the moment with his elusive movement technique and powerful physique, even occasionally counterattacking and leaving marks on their heavy defenses, killing or severely injuring either of them in a short time was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Their defenses were simply too strong. Apart from Thunder Dragon Shatters Void, his other attacks could hardly pose a fatal threat. Thunder Dragon Shatters Void consumed a great deal of power, and now that they were prepared, it would be difficult to find another chance for a one-hit kill.

The battle continued for roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick. The Desolate Valley was in ruins, boulders shattered, and the ground charred black. Yu Yuanchen's breathing had grown slightly hurried, and he had expended a considerable amount of Soul Power. Meanwhile, although the two Soul Sages of the Elephant Armored Sect had gained a few scorch marks, they had suffered no Serious Injury, and their attacks grew increasingly fierce.

"I can't drag this out any longer! Who knows whether they have any backup plans!" Determination flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes.

He suddenly leaped back a distance, took a deep breath, and looked at the two Soul Sages pursuing him relentlessly. His eyes became incomparably calm, yet carried a heart-palpitating majesty.

"Forcing me to use this move means you can consider your deaths worthwhile."

The next moment, an ancient, holy, terrifying aura that seemed to originate from the Thunder Origin erupted from his body like a volcano that had slumbered for ten thousand years! Dazzling purple-gold light shot into the sky!

Bloodline awakened, Thunder Sacred Dragon Descends!