With the underground dragon soul freed and Dragon Essence bestowed upon him, Mo Yuan felt a gentle yet vast power surge into his meridians like a tide. The bottleneck at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining dissolved naturally, and his aura steadily rose to the sixth level of Qi Refining.
This advancement was not forcibly achieved. It came from the Dragon King's Dragon Essence nourishing and expanding his foundation with its superior nature, making it solid and stable.
He did not rush into battle simply because his strength had soared. Instead, he stood still and carefully sensed the changes in his body.
The range of his divine sense had more than doubled, and his perception of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy had become sharper. In particular, his affinity with earth vein energy and lightning power had increased significantly.
The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear in his hand conveyed waves of delight. The strand of Thunder Dragon Soul Essence within the spear seemed to have grown stronger as well. Purple-gold lightning patterns flowed endlessly across the shaft, blending perfectly with the aura of his Dragon Essence.
"Young friend, my remnant soul has only just escaped and must immediately enter slumber to gather itself. Otherwise, I risk dispersing.
The power I have bestowed upon you should last for roughly half a day. During that time, you may use my remaining dragon might and connection to the earth veins. Controlling magical artifacts should yield twice the result with half the effort.
Remember to use it wisely. Do not let yourself become entangled for too long..." The Thunderglory Dragon King's voice was clearly exhausted and came intermittently. Then, an even purer strand of origin dragon energy entered the depths of Mo Yuan's Dantian, allowing him to slowly refine and absorb it in the future.
After that, the aura of the Dragon King's remnant soul completely withdrew into the earth veins and vanished.
Mo Yuan felt grateful. He knew the Dragon King had already done everything he could to help. He calmed his mind and turned his attention back to the passage above.
The clamor of footsteps and angry shouts drew nearer. The Red Robe Elder and the Holy Maiden had clearly noticed the abnormality underground and were rushing over.
Mo Yuan took a deep breath. Rather than force his way upward, he drifted several yards back and hid once more in the shadows of the underground cavern. At the same time, he gripped the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear with both hands and slowly poured his spiritual power and newly acquired Dragon Essence into it.
The spear trembled faintly. A low dragon's roar echoed through the cavern as an incomparably condensed point of purple-gold light began gathering at its tip, as though it contained countless compressed bolts of lightning.
Just as the Red Robe Elder appeared first at the mouth of the passage and cautiously peered downward, Mo Yuan moved.
He did not charge forward. Instead, he held the spear level before him, his mind completely merging with the spear spirit.
"Go."
With a low shout, the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear left his hand. Yet it did not shoot straight ahead. Instead, it transformed into a twisting purple-gold lightning serpent that silently sped along the cavern wall, moving so fast that it was impossible to track with the naked eye.
This was an advanced application of the Object Control Art: using divine sense to control an artifact, making its path unpredictable.
The Red Robe Elder had only just sensed a trace of energy fluctuation when the lightning-serpent spear light bizarrely curved around to his side and stabbed straight at his temple.
The elder's face paled in horror. He hastily jerked his head aside and summoned a bone shield to protect his flank.
Screech!
The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear was far sharper than imagined. The bone shield was pierced like paper. Although the spear light did not strike the elder's head directly, it grazed his cheek and left behind a charred burn mark. The lightning power it carried instantly numbed half his body!
"Watch out! There's something strange about his artifact!" The Holy Maiden's voice was filled with shock and fury. She saw clearly that the spear seemed to possess intelligence. After missing its first strike, it curved through the air and continued toward the Red Robe Elder's back like a living creature.
Mo Yuan remained hidden in the darkness, controlling the spear with complete focus.
He felt as though his spiritual power had extended outward, forming one whole with the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear in the air. Its trajectory, speed, and power all moved according to his will.
This feeling of controlling an artifact to kill enemies from afar was entirely different from close combat. It placed greater demands on the strength of one's divine sense, control over spiritual power, and judgment of the battlefield.
He controlled the spear to continuously harass and attack the Red Robe Elder, forcing him into a frantic, exhausting defense.
As for the ordinary sect members who rushed in afterward, Mo Yuan split his focus in two. With his feet planted on the ground, he drew upon a thread of earth vein energy.
"Earth Bind."
As he spoke softly, the ground beneath the sect members suddenly became muddy and viscous. It was as if invisible hands had grabbed their ankles, slowing their movements and throwing their formation into chaos.
This was the crudest application of earth vein energy, yet it provided excellent support at this moment.
The Holy Maiden's expression turned icy. She saw that Mo Yuan intended to rely on the advantage of his artifact and the terrain to wear them down from a distance.
She did not hesitate any longer. Forming hand seals with both hands, she chanted an obscure incantation. Dense yin-fiend energy radiated from her body, resonating with the remaining power of the blood pool.
"Glug... glug..." The blood pool began boiling once more. Driven by the incantation, the massive Corpse King Protector slowly rose to its feet. Its crimson eyes locked onto the direction where Mo Yuan was hiding, and it let out a deep roar.
It had absorbed enough yin-fiend energy and dragon power. Its aura was savage, and every step it took carried immense force.
Mo Yuan frowned slightly. The Corpse King Protector placed enormous pressure on him. He recalled the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear and held it in his hand, feeling the surging power flowing from its shaft.
Against an opponent with such thick defenses and terrifying strength, simple long-range harassment would have little effect. He needed a stronger burst of power.
He recalled the Dragon King's mention of "drawing upon earth vein lightning" before his remnant soul disappeared, and realization dawned upon him.
He no longer hid. Stepping out from the shadows, he calmly looked toward the charging Corpse King Protector.
At the same time, he raised the spear in one hand toward the sky—the cavern ceiling—while his other hand rapidly formed seals. He wildly poured the Dragon Essence within him and his own spiritual power into the spear, while also attempting to communicate with the lingering lightning aura in this underground space, which had become active after the Dragon King's escape.
The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear seemed to become a lightning rod. Brilliant light burst from its tip as intense electric currents crackled.
Above the cavern ceiling, faint, low thunder rumbled. Strands of the lightning power of heaven and earth were forcibly drawn in and gathered at the spear tip.
The Corpse King Protector roared as it charged closer, its claws tearing toward him with the force to rip apart anything in their path.
Just as the claws were about to strike him, a sharp light flashed in Mo Yuan's eyes. The hand forming seals suddenly pointed at the Corpse King Protector!
"Lightning Draw, Evil Execution!"
The spear itself did not thrust forward. Instead, the highly compressed sphere of energy gathered at its tip—a fusion of Dragon Essence, spiritual power, and heavenly lightning might—shot out like a cannonball.
This beam of lightning was only as thick as an arm, yet it was condensed almost into solid form. Its color was so deep it bordered on black, while its center shone with a blinding white point. The air twisted in its wake, releasing a terrifying hum.
The Corpse King Protector instinctively sensed mortal danger. It crossed its arms before itself, and dense corpse-fiend energy formed a black shield.
BOOM!!!
The lightning beam collided violently with the corpse-fiend shield! There was no earth-shattering explosion. Instead, there came a dull sizzling sound, like red-hot iron plunged into cold water.
The suppressive effect of the supremely yang, supremely rigid lightning power against the evil corpse energy was fully displayed. The black shield visibly melted and collapsed.
The lightning beam tore through it like dry bamboo before smashing fiercely into the Corpse King Protector's chest!
"Aooow—!" The Corpse King Protector let out an incomparably shrill scream. Its massive body was pierced through by the lightning, leaving a large charred hole in its chest as countless lightning serpents ravaged and destroyed its insides.
It staggered several steps before crashing to the ground. After twitching a few times, it fell silent, completely purified.
That strike had nearly drained more than half of Mo Yuan's spiritual power and the power bestowed by the Dragon Essence. His face turned slightly pale, and his breathing grew somewhat hurried.
But the results were obvious. The strongest Corpse King Protector had been killed in a single blow.
The Red Robe Elder and the Holy Maiden stared in stunned disbelief, cold dread rising in their hearts. Their greatest reliance had been destroyed so easily.
The Holy Maiden reacted quickly. Knowing the situation was hopeless, she decisively crushed a jet-black jade talisman. A spatial fluctuation enveloped her and the heavily wounded Red Robe Elder.
"Retreat!" she shouted.
Their figures instantly blurred and vanished from where they stood.
Mo Yuan did not attempt to stop them. He sensed that the escape talisman was of no low grade, and forcibly intercepting them might not succeed. Besides, his own condition needed adjustment. He swept his gaze over the ruined headquarters, where the few surviving sect members had already collapsed to the ground in terror.
He quickly gathered the valuable items, especially the records containing information about the Black Fiend Sect and some of their resources. Then he drew upon the remaining lightning power and completely destroyed the core structures of the blood pool and altar. Only after ensuring this place could no longer be used did he calmly depart.
When he emerged from the collapsed cave entrance, it was already deep into the night. Cold moonlight spilled over the hills.
Mo Yuan found a secluded, safe cliffside, set up a warning formation, and sat down cross-legged.
He did not immediately inspect his gains. Instead, he first turned his awareness inward.
His cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refining had fully stabilized. The spiritual power in his Dantian was richer and purer, while the strand of origin dragon energy gifted by the Dragon King rested quietly like a small dragon, waiting for him to slowly refine and absorb it in the future.
His spiritual power had grown slightly from the intense artifact control, while his command over the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear had clearly become much more skillful.
He gently stroked the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear beside him. The lightning patterns on its shaft glimmered faintly beneath the moonlight.
After this fierce battle, especially the final strike that drew upon earth vein lightning, his connection with the spear had grown even closer. He could almost sense the spear spirit's faint yet distinct consciousness.
This magical artifact had truly begun to become a part of his body.
"The way of controlling artifacts is indeed profound. Long-range attacks, close combat, changes at will—it is more flexible and powerful than relying solely on martial techniques or talismans."
Mo Yuan came to an understanding. In the future, I must place greater emphasis on cultivating my divine sense and nurturing and refining my magical artifacts.
He took out several spirit stones and held them in his hands, beginning to circulate his cultivation technique and regulate his breathing to restore his depleted spiritual power.
Half a day had not yet passed, and the lingering effects of the Dragon Essence's enhancement remained. He absorbed spiritual energy several times faster than usual.
When dawn finally began to break and his spiritual power was fully restored, Mo Yuan took out the records he had plundered from the Black Fiend Sect headquarters and carefully read through them in the morning light.
The contents of the records were shocking. They not only confirmed the Black Fiend Sect's plot to refine Evil Corpse Pills and extract dragon soul power in an attempt to awaken the Ancient Tomb Corpse King, but also mentioned several other strongholds and vague information regarding dealings with mysterious forces.
"The Black Fiend Sect's influence runs deep. It cannot be uprooted in a day or two.
That Holy Maiden who escaped is deeply calculating and possesses strange methods. She will surely become a grave threat in the future."
Mo Yuan closed the records and looked in the direction of the mortuary in Ren Family Town. "This matter is of great importance. I must report it to Master as soon as possible and make long-term plans."
He stood up, stretched his body, and felt the abundant power within him and the reassuring weight of the spear in his hand.
After facing powerful enemies alone and unraveling this conspiracy, his state of mind had become steadier. He also had a clearer plan for the path of cultivation ahead.
After packing his belongings, Mo Yuan determined the direction and turned into a streak of green smoke, speeding toward the mortuary in Ren Family Town.
Mountain winds swept past his Daoist robe, making it snap loudly. The youth's figure appeared resolute and composed beneath the morning light.
Before you continue