The Grand Pure Dao Venerable

The giant beast's attack had not struck Yellow Dragon directly, but its shockwave slammed into the protective light cast by the Pure World White Lotus, sending ripples across it.

Even with the white lotus protecting him, the impact left Yellow Dragon's blood churning.

Yellow Dragon fled without looking back, using every trick he had to race through the valley. In the blink of an eye, he had covered tens of thousands of miles.

The pangolin-like beast followed close behind, toying with him like a cat with a mouse. Its enormous eyes gleamed with mockery and greed.

Faster! I have to go faster!

As it watched Yellow Dragon flee, countless lights flowed across the great demon's scales, slowly gathering in its claws, which glowed with an eerie light.

Boom!

A colossal claw formed from light blotted out the sky and smashed straight toward Yellow Dragon, sealing off every route of escape.

Yellow Dragon struggled to look up. All he saw was a huge claw that seemed pieced together from shattered stars, wreathed in currents of destruction. It had crossed the distance between them and now hung over his head!

With the claw about to fall, Yellow Dragon brought out an azure dragon scale. It was a token from the Azure Dragon Patriarch and a means of saving his life, with one of the patriarch's divine abilities sealed inside.

A flicker of pain crossed Yellow Dragon's face.

This treasure could even kill a Great Luo Golden Immortal. But to save himself, he had no choice but to use it on this beast.

Yellow Dragon poured all his Magic Power into the scale, on the verge of releasing the sealed ability to kill the pangolin.

Then everything around him froze.

The wind stopped.

Drops of blood he had coughed up hung in midair.

The raging wind from the claw and the deafening roar vanished.

The silence was deathly, so oppressive he could scarcely breathe.

Yellow Dragon remained with his head raised and the azure scale pinched between his fingers, as though sealed inside a vast block of transparent amber.

To his shock, he could not even move his eyes.

Only his thoughts still moved.

The claw unleashed by the Taiyi Realm beast hung motionless over his head.

Some incomprehensible power had locked down this entire space.

"Ding, ding... clang, clang..."

In that suffocating silence, a clear ringing pierced the frozen space unhindered and sounded directly in Yellow Dragon's mind.

The chime was ethereal, like jade striking jade, and carried a strange, soothing power.

As soon as it rang, Yellow Dragon felt his body again.

The power holding the space still receded like a tide!

He could move again! The sudden change left Yellow Dragon momentarily dazed.

Seeing the claw still suspended overhead, Yellow Dragon turned into a streak of blazing golden light and shot into the distance at a speed beyond his limits!

In a blink, he was a thousand miles away and out of danger!

Then he glanced back.

The pangolin, dozens of yards tall, still stood rigidly where it was, claw raised in a savage pose like a stone statue. But its life force was fading.

A faint breeze blew from nowhere and brushed against the beast's immense body.

At that slight touch, the pangolin-like beast looked like a mound of dust, ancient beyond measure, stirred by the wind.

Its enormous body swayed, then began to collapse and come apart.

Starting at the tip of its claw, it crumbled inch by inch into countless tiny, faintly glowing particles that drifted away.

It was as if the Taiyi Realm beast that had chased Yellow Dragon until he had nowhere to run had never existed.

Yellow Dragon stared wide-eyed at the empty space and the last glimmers lingering in the air.

A chill seeped from his bones like an icy snake, climbed his spine, and seized every thought in his mind.

Only an instant had passed between the freezing of space and the Taiyi Realm beast's annihilation.

This was far beyond the means of an ordinary Great Luo Golden Immortal!

Whoever had done this handled the laws of time and space as easily as a toy, erasing a Taiyi Realm being without effort! His cultivation was terrifying. He had to stand at the very pinnacle of the Primordial World!

Yellow Dragon suppressed his shock and bowed deeply toward the sound of the bells, his voice trembling despite his show of utmost respect.

"I am Yellow Dragon. Thank you for saving my life, Senior!"

"Moo—"

A low, gentle bellow answered him, its sound carrying like thunder from the highest heavens.

A sturdy Azure Ox appeared, its hide as smooth and lustrous as fine blue-green jade. Its hooves stepped through empty air, each footfall sending out small ripples like a dragonfly touching water.

On its back sat an old man in a loose, wide-sleeved Daoist robe embroidered with a Taiji pattern. At first glance, yin and yang seemed to flow across the design, giving off traces of Daoist resonance. Yet when Yellow Dragon looked closely, he could see nothing remarkable about it.

The old man had a thin face and snow-white hair and beard. His expression was calm, his gaze warm and deep, like two ancient wells reflecting all things without a single ripple.

He sat cross-legged on the Azure Ox's back, apparently moving at an unhurried pace. Yet the ox took only a few leisurely steps to cross the tens of thousands of miles and arrive before Yellow Dragon.

A memory buried deep in Yellow Dragon's bloodline suddenly cut through his tangled thoughts.

Riding an Azure Ox through the void, bearing the Taiji pattern... This was Supreme Pure Laozi, foremost of the Three Pure Ones born from Pangu's Primordial Spirit, the future Sage of the Humanity Sect!

The realization shook Yellow Dragon to his core.

He quickly lowered his head further, his voice full of awe and excitement. "Yellow Dragon pays his respects to the Grand Pure Dao Venerable!"

"Oh?"

Supreme Pure's gentle gaze settled on Yellow Dragon, carrying the faintest hint of surprise.

Behind him, the Taiji pattern seemed to sense it. It trembled almost imperceptibly, and yin and yang appeared to begin flowing through it.

"I see..."

The Grand Pure Dao Venerable's voice broke the silence.

"An Earth Vein gained sentience and became a dragon." He nodded slightly, his tone even, yet he seemed to see straight through Yellow Dragon's bloodline. "A dragon's body untouched by the karmic burden of heaven and earth. Rare. And you're protected by Heavenly Dao merit..."

His gaze seemed to penetrate Yellow Dragon's Primordial Spirit and settle on the rich glow of merit within. A note of curiosity entered his voice. "Hm? Some of the Heavenly Dao merit from Junior Sister Nuwa's creation of humanity and ascension to Sagehood... has merged with you as well?"

The Grand Pure Dao Venerable looked back at Yellow Dragon's bowed head, held rigid with reverence. A faint but genuine smile of approval appeared on his face. "Little one, you have good fortune and fine opportunities. You're a blessed innate spirit."

"Thank you for your praise, Dao Venerable," Yellow Dragon said hurriedly. Praise from him was an immense honor.

"I wish to see the Human Race that Junior Sister Nuwa created. Since she entrusted them to your protection, take me to visit them!"

Supreme Pure's words rang through Yellow Dragon's mind like a great bell!

The Human Race? The Grand Pure Dao Venerable is going to see the Human Race?!

Yellow Dragon's gaze sharpened!

A feverish thought exploded in his mind: Supreme Pure is about to become a Sage! The key to his ascension lies with the Human Race!