Treasure Seizure Meets Resistance, Battle Against the Dragon Clan Guard

The alarm rang like thunder through the Dragon Palace Treasury, shaking the entire hall violently. The moment Xuan Chen rushed out of the hall, he saw a figure appear at the passage entrance. The man wore golden dragon armor, with Five-Clawed Golden Dragon horns upon his head. His face was stern and dignified, his gaze sharp as blades, and an immense Early-Stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal aura radiated from his body. He was Ao Lie, the elder stationed at the Dragon Palace Treasury.

As a core member of the Dragon Clan, Ao Lie possessed profound cultivation and commanded powerful water-element divine abilities. He had been ordered to guard the treasury's core region. When Xuan Chen had broken through the Dark-Ice Dragon-Pattern Gate and taken the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron, he had concealed his aura as much as possible. Yet the energy fluctuations caused by the treasure's disturbance had still been keenly detected by Ao Lie.

"You brazen madman! You dared infiltrate the Dragon Palace Treasury and steal the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron! Leave the treasure behind, and I will spare your life!" Ao Lie roared. Dragon might erupted, and the entire passage was enveloped in vast water-element energy. The water pressure surged explosively in an instant, crushing down upon Xuan Chen. A golden spear appeared in his hand, its shaft coiled with dragon patterns and radiating chilling sharpness. It was the innate spirit treasure, the Sea-Calming Dragon Spear.

Xuan Chen stopped, chaos mist surging around him as he resisted the impact of the dragon might and water pressure. He looked at Ao Lie calmly, without the slightest hint of fear. "The Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron has already acknowledged me as its master. How could you possibly take it back? If you wish to stop me, you should first see whether you have the ability!"

"Arrogant!" Ao Lie flew into a rage. With a sweep of the Sea-Calming Dragon Spear, he condensed an enormous Water Dragon spear aura that shot toward Xuan Chen with a world-destroying force. Wherever the Water Dragon spear aura passed, space twisted and warped, while the seawater within the passage was torn apart, forming a massive vacuum.

A glint flashed through Xuan Chen's eyes. Rather than retreating, he advanced. The Primordial Unity Sword reappeared in his hand as he poured all his Primordial Unity Power into it, causing the blade to erupt with dazzling chaos light. He swung the Primordial Unity Sword, condensing a sword radiance capable of cleaving through ten thousand arts, which collided with the Water Dragon spear aura.

Boom! With an earthshaking blast, the chaos sword radiance and the Water Dragon spear aura collided in the center of the passage, unleashing a vast energy shockwave. Cracks instantly covered the walls on both sides, countless stones fell, and seawater surged in wildly, forming enormous whirlpools. Xuan Chen was forced three steps back by the shockwave, his blood and qi churning. Yet the formidable physique of his Chaos Imperishable Body left him uninjured. Ao Lie was likewise forced two steps back, astonishment flashing through his eyes. He clearly had not expected the infiltrator before him to possess such formidable strength.

"Late-Stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal? Who exactly are you? Since when did the Primordial World produce an expert like you?" Ao Lie asked in a deep voice, a trace of wariness in his tone. He could sense the Primordial Unity Power emanating from Xuan Chen. Though it was deliberately restrained, that aura containing the origin of the Great Dao was something no ordinary Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal could possess.

Xuan Chen did not answer. Instead, he swung his sword again, sending an even sharper sword radiance slashing toward Ao Lie. He knew this was no place to linger. He had to drive Ao Lie back as quickly as possible; otherwise, once other Dragon Clan experts arrived, escaping would become difficult. The Primordial Unity Sword was a chaos spirit treasure of boundless power. Wherever its sword radiance passed, Ao Lie's dragon might and water-element energy were forcibly torn apart.

Ao Lie did not dare let down his guard. He circulated all his cultivation, dancing the Sea-Calming Dragon Spear and transforming it into streak after streak of golden spear shadows that formed an airtight defensive net. At the same time, he continuously unleashed powerful water-element divine abilities. Water Dragons, ice spikes, tidal waves, and countless other attacks poured down upon Xuan Chen. The seawater within the passage was brought under his control, forming enormous walls of water that blocked Xuan Chen's advance.

Seeing this, Xuan Chen snorted coldly and activated the Chaos Dao Art. The chaos mist around him swelled furiously, transforming into a massive chaos vortex that devoured every water-element attack Ao Lie released. Chaos Power was the nemesis of all arts. The moment the water-element divine abilities encountered the chaos vortex, they were instantly broken down and assimilated into the most fundamental energy.

What kind of cultivation art is this? It can actually restrain my water-element divine abilities! Ao Lie was greatly alarmed. He cultivated the Dragon Clan's orthodox Water Dao and was almost invincible in water, yet the Chaos Power of this mysterious man rendered his divine abilities utterly useless.

Seizing the instant Ao Lie lost focus, Xuan Chen flashed forward and arrived before him like lightning. The Primordial Unity Sword carried a momentum that could sever everything as it thrust toward Ao Lie's chest. Ao Lie reacted swiftly, hurriedly swinging the Sea-Calming Dragon Spear to block it. Clang! The deafening clash of metal rang out as sparks scattered in all directions.

As the edge of the Primordial Unity Sword collided with the Sea-Calming Dragon Spear, Ao Lie felt a tremendous force travel up the spear shaft. His arms went numb, his tiger's mouth split open, and blood streamed down. Xuan Chen's strength sent him staggering backward again and again, and the wariness in his eyes grew deeper. He knew he was no match for this mysterious man and had to summon reinforcements immediately.

Ao Lie suddenly opened his mouth and let out a deafening dragon roar. The roar carried a plea for aid and spread throughout the entire Dragon Palace. At the same time, he activated a Dragon Clan secret art. The dragon scales around him expanded rapidly, and his body instantly grew larger, transforming into a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon dozens of zhang long. His dragon might became even more immense as he lunged fiercely at Xuan Chen.

"Trying to summon reinforcements? Too late!" A cold gleam flashed through Xuan Chen's eyes. How could he possibly allow Ao Lie to succeed? Xuan Chen unleashed the full strength of a Primordial Golden Immortal, and the chaos mist around him condensed into a gigantic Chaos Dharma Avatar a hundred zhang tall. The avatar held the Primordial Unity Sword and radiated an awe-inspiring might capable of suppressing heaven and earth.

The Chaos Dharma Avatar had been condensed through Xuan Chen's fusion of the Chaos Dao and his own cultivation. Its power was boundless, far surpassing ordinary dharma-avatar abilities. The avatar swung the Primordial Unity Sword, instantly condensing a sword radiance that blotted out the sky and covered the earth before slashing toward the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. Wherever the sword radiance passed, space shattered, seawater boiled, and even the laws of the Heavenly Dao trembled.

A trace of terror flashed through the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon's eyes, but there was nowhere left to dodge. He could only grit his teeth and spew out a mouthful of dragon flame containing origin power, while swinging his dragon claws toward the sword radiance. The dragon flame was instantly torn apart upon colliding with the sword radiance, while a deep wound was carved into the dragon claws. Blood burst forth in torrents.

Pfft! The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon let out a pained wail. His massive body was sent flying backward by the sword radiance, crashing heavily into the passage wall. The wall collapsed at once, and rubble buried more than half of the Golden Dragon's body. Ao Lie struggled free from the rubble, reverting to human form. Blood gushed wildly from the corner of his mouth, and his aura was weak and listless. He had clearly suffered severe injuries.

Xuan Chen did not press him to the bitter end. His goal was to take the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron, not to fight the Dragon Clan to the death. He glanced at the grievously wounded Ao Lie and snorted. "I will spare your life today. If you dare obstruct me again, I will show no mercy!" With that, Xuan Chen turned into a streak of light and sped toward the passage exit.

By now, dense footsteps and dragon roars could already be heard outside the passage. Clearly, the other Dragon Clan guards had received the alarm and were rushing toward the treasury. Xuan Chen did not dare delay. He pushed his speed to the limit, and any patrolling soldiers he encountered were sent flying by casual waves of Chaos True Qi, utterly unable to hinder his advance.

After rushing out of the outer passage, Xuan Chen once again used the Chaos Breath Concealment Art, concealing both his form and aura as he evaded the Dragon Clan's approaching main force. He transformed into an invisible streak of light and sped toward the surface of the Eastern Sea. Behind him, furious dragon roars and pursuing footsteps rose and fell in succession, but Xuan Chen was incredibly fast. With the aid of his concealment art, he soon shook off the pursuing troops.

Half an hour later, Xuan Chen burst through the surface of the Eastern Sea and transformed into a streak of light, speeding toward Mount Buzhou. Feeling the aura of the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron within his storage space, he finally let out a breath of relief. Although Ao Lie had obstructed his infiltration of the Dragon Palace to seize the treasure, he had ultimately completed the task successfully. Not only had he obtained the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron, but he was also about to receive generous system rewards.

Xuan Chen knew full well that this treasure seizure would inevitably enrage the Dragon Clan. However, the Dragon-Han Calamity was raging fiercely, and the Dragon Clan's main forces were deeply embroiled in war against the Phoenix Clan and Qilin Clan. They could not possibly dispatch large forces to retaliate in the short term. Moreover, the Zichen Cave Abode was guarded by the Primordial Unity Defense Formation. Even if the Dragon Clan came, they might not be able to breach it.

Several days later, Xuan Chen finally returned to the Zichen Cave Abode. Outside the cave abode, Nüwa and Fuxi had long been waiting, their eyes filled with anxiety and anticipation. Upon seeing Xuan Chen return safely, the weight in their hearts finally lifted.

"Master! You're back!" Nüwa hurried forward, her voice filled with joy and concern. "Were you injured? Did you obtain the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron?"

Xuan Chen smiled faintly and took the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron from his storage space. A three-foot-long iron needle floated above his palm, radiating a gentle aura of water. "Rest assured, your master is unharmed. The Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron is already in hand."

As Nüwa looked at the iron needle in his palm, delight flashed through her eyes. She could sense the immense energy contained within it, as well as its compatibility with her own Water Dao. Fuxi also stepped closer, his eyes full of amazement. "As expected of the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron. It truly is a peerless treasure!"

Xuan Chen handed the iron needle to Nüwa. "This treasure has already acknowledged its master. From now on, it will be your weapon for self-defense. It can change in size according to your will, and it contains immense water-element origin power. It complements your Creation Dao and will greatly benefit your cultivation as well."

Nüwa accepted the iron needle, warmth filling her heart. She said solemnly, "Thank you, Master! Your disciple will certainly use this treasure well, protect the cave abode, perfect the Creation Dao as soon as possible, and never disappoint Master's expectations!"

At that moment, the system prompt sounded in Xuan Chen's mind:

[Ding! Main quest—Infiltrate the Dragon Palace and seize the treasure completed!]

[Rewards distributed: Chaos True Water ×1, Primordial Unity Origin Power +10%, Water Control divine ability unlocked!]

Xuan Chen was overjoyed. Chaos True Water and Primordial Unity Origin Power could greatly increase his cultivation, while the Water Control divine ability allowed him to command all waters under heaven. This would be of enormous help to his future cultivation and his response to the great calamity.

Within the Zichen Cave Abode, the arrival of the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron and the distribution of system rewards filled the place with an atmosphere of joy. Both Xuan Chen and Nüwa understood that this was merely a small interlude in the Dragon-Han Calamity. The Primordial World would face even more challenges in the future. They had to raise their strength as quickly as possible in order to gain a foothold in these chaotic times and protect this patch of pure land.