Turn Into a True Dragon, Live Out a New Lifetime

"Everything is because of the mysterious Chaotic Body origin."

"I have already refined the origin of the Chaotic Body Wang Bo, and the moment I regained consciousness just now, I resonated and harmonized with this realm."

"To think fellow daoist is actually the Demon Venerable!"

"I truly thank fellow daoist for helping me expel the entanglement of the Dark Strangeness."

"Otherwise, I really might have died."

Boundless Heavenly Venerable became extremely youthful, looking like a twenty-year-old young man.

A quiet and serene expression appeared on his face, no longer wearing that eerie look from just now.

Li Ming nodded, accepting the gratitude of Boundless Heavenly Venerable.

He smiled and said, "Legend has it that Boundless Heavenly Venerable slew a Chaotic Body of the Eighth Heavenly Layer of the Quasi-Emperor, but it turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory, damaging his Dao foundation and causing him to perish in his second lifetime."

"Now it seems that these rumors are largely untrue..."

Boundless Heavenly Venerable nodded. "Most people in the world are foolish and pass on false rumors."

"That Chaotic Body was certainly powerful, but to say he killed me, Boundless Heavenly Venerable, is really overestimating him."

"This matter is a long story, let's chat slowly."

Boundless Heavenly Venerable simply conjured a tea table and sitting mats on the spot.

The two sat opposite each other, sipping the divine liquid of the True Dragon Elixir.

Chaos Qi filled the air here, and the Thunder Sea surged turbulently above like wave upon wave of heavenly tribulations, truly breathtaking.

Li Ming looked at Boundless Heavenly Venerable. "I didn't expect you weren't on the brink of death from severe injuries as the legends say, but rather hiding here to live out a new lifetime!"

Boundless Heavenly Venerable nodded. "After I killed the Chaotic Body, I refined his body into the Big Dipper formation. In fact, before that, I had already extracted all the Chaos Origin of the Chaotic Body."

"The reason I announced my death was precisely to quietly undergo transformation in this Chaotic Dragon Nest."

"I happened to discover this Chaotic Dragon Nest by chance, and I never expected you to discover it as well."

"I used the Chaotic Dragon Nest here to mask the heavenly secrets, wanting to defy the heavens and transform into a Chaotic Body."

"Yet I didn't expect that this Chaotic Body truly is the darling of Heaven. After I devoured that Chaos Origin, I actually encountered heavenly punishment, almost perishing and failing my transformation."

"A mere Chaotic Body was originally defeated by my hands, yet I never expected he still had such a mysterious backup plan."

Li Ming smiled and said, "A mere Chaotic Body? He fought you to a standstill when he was merely at the Eighth Heavenly Layer of the Quasi-Emperor, and you still say the Chaotic Body isn't formidable?"

"I am also a Chaotic Body. How much do you reckon you can win against me?" Li Ming said with a smile.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable took a deep look at Li Ming and shook his head. "I am not your match!"

"You are not the same as him!"

"We cultivators strive in our cultivation for nothing more than to attain immortality."

"This is the Ascension Land rarely seen through the ages, the place where ten thousand dragons soar, the True Dragon Nirvana Land."

"This place definitely originates from the Immortal Domain, and it can surely nurture a True Dragon within the Immortal Domain!"

"Do you know why I hold the Chaotic Body in contempt?" Boundless Heavenly Venerable said. "I have truly seen the remains of a True Dragon here, suspected to be the remains of an Immortal King."

"It's a pity that all the Divine Substance had long since vanished from those remains."

"I witnessed with my own eyes that Immortal King's remains undergo Nirvana and give birth to the True Dragon Elixir."

"That True Dragon Elixir contains Immortal Dao Laws."

"I failed to transform into a Chaotic Body, but I found a way to live out a new lifetime by transforming into a True Dragon."

"I refined the remaining remains of that True Dragon, incorporating them into my body."

"Although the Divine Substance had already vanished, the Immortal Dao Runes contained within benefited me immensely."

"I want to build my foundation with these dragon bones and achieve the True Immortal Dao fruit."

Boundless Heavenly Venerable suddenly erupted with an astonishing aura, and a faint dragon might even vaguely radiate from his entire body.

Yet this man's words seemed to anger the dim heavenly secrets, causing the thunder above to churn, and the Nine-Colored Divine Thunder seemed about to strike down.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable soared into the air, and with a deafening crash, he actually shattered the Nine-Colored Divine Thunder.

The myriad Daos of heaven and earth roared, and in a daze, a dragon shadow flew out, entangling with the phantom of the Immortal Spirit in the thunder.

A mysterious dragon might emanate from his body, yet that terrifyingly peerless thunder was completely unable to harm him in the least.

Instead, it turned into dazzling light rain, actively flowing into his body or swirling around him.

It set off Boundless Heavenly Venerable as if a divine dragon had descended to the world!

Boundless Heavenly Venerable had actually truly transformed into a true dragon!

And he was going to become a True Immortal with the body of a true dragon!

Despite having some suspicions, Li Ming was still startled.

The Heavenly Venerables of this era truly could not be underestimated, especially this Boundless Heavenly Venerable.

No wonder that after tens of thousands of years, Netherworld Emperor Duan De still muttered Boundless Heavenly Venerable whenever something happened.

It seemed that this Boundless Heavenly Venerable had truly left a very deep impression on Netherworld Emperor Duan De back then.

Li Ming's gaze burned brightly as he carefully observed Boundless Heavenly Venerable.

Just as he had guessed, Boundless Heavenly Venerable was no longer a pure human.

Besides his own origin, his body had also fused with the origin of the Chaotic Body and was mixed with the bloodline of a True Dragon.

The True Dragon's bloodline should have come from that refined True Dragon corpse.

According to what he said, all the divine substance of that Immortal King True Dragon corpse had already undergone Nirvana to become the True Dragon Elixir.

As for the dragon bones that lacked divine substance and possessed only some residual Immortal Dao Runes, he had refined them into his body.

With the Chaotic Dragon Nest, the mysterious True Dragon Nirvana Land, the place that nurtured divine dragons, and the origin of the Chaotic Body as his Dao foundation, Boundless Heavenly Venerable had actually managed to live out a new lifetime.

If according to Boundless Heavenly Venerable's deduction, perhaps he could truly walk a path of a True Dragon.

He could become a True Dragon at the True Immortal Immortal Spirit level.

"So, the thing that almost made you fail was that dark strangeness?!" Li Ming exclaimed.

No wonder that upon seeing this Myriad Dragon Nest, it seemed that fierce battles had taken place in some areas, and some dragon wood had even been shattered.

So an earth-shattering battle had truly happened here.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable slowly descended from the thunder sea, retracting the mysterious dragon might on his body.

"Yes, I almost failed at the very last step!"

Boundless Heavenly Venerable said angrily, "I didn't expect that there would still be residual dark strange substance lingering within those dragon bones."

"If not for that dark strange substance, perhaps I would have successfully transformed long ago!"

Boundless Heavenly Venerable suddenly pointed toward the Chaos Thunder Sea above.

"Did you know that within that thunder sea, there is still a cluster of strange substance sealed inside!"

Following Boundless Heavenly Venerable's indication, Li Ming indeed spotted a cluster of dark light suspended in the thunder sea.

Strange! Ominous!

Having read the Shrouding the Heavens Trilogy, Li Ming naturally knew just how powerful the polluting nature of this terrifying strange substance was.

The strange race was the source of destruction for the heavens, myriad realms, and Heaven.

They carried out grand sacrifices across the heavens, destroying countless epochs and countless living beings.

They treated all living beings as sacrifices.

Today, this Shrouding the Heavens universe seemed incomparably vast, but in truth, it was merely a tiny lower realm among the heavens and myriad realms.

It didn't even count as a single drop of water in the ocean.

In the Perfect World era and the Sacred Ruins era, the terrifying nature of the dark strangeness had been described.

The original text of Shrouding the Heavens hardly described the dark strangeness.

Yet from a certain perspective, Emperor Zun should have fallen victim to the black hands of the dark strangeness.

It seemed undescribed, but in reality, there were hints.

Under Boundless Heavenly Venerable's guidance, Li Ming stared intently at that pitch-black, ink-like dark light in the void.

At that moment, it was tightly surrounded and besieged by the nine-colored Immortal Dao Runes and Immortal Dao Divine Thunder.

Li Ming had never expected that besides polluting Lingbao Tianzun, another separate cluster of strange substance had unexpectedly branched out.

This kind of thing spread like wildfire from person to person, truly terrifying.

Trapped within the thunder sea of the nine-colored divine thunder and honed by the Immortal Dao Runes, it was growing increasingly weak. Judging by its state, perhaps in another several hundred thousand or a million years, it would be completely obliterated.

Yet this cluster of strange substance was still struggling incessantly.

The aura of strangeness and ominousness, of decay and death, made one's hair stand on end.

No wonder that when Li Ming entered this place, he always felt vaguely that something was amiss.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable said, "It was at the most critical moment that I was ambushed by the strange substance lurking within the True Dragon corpse."

"It actually tried to pollute my physical body and primordial spirit, seizing my Dao foundation."

"It wanted to devour my primordial spirit and take control of me."

This was Li Ming's first contact with such dark strangeness, and his heart was deeply shaken as well.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable was also someone with heaven-defying luck, having slain a Chaotic Body and seized the Chaos Origin.

He had found such a mysterious True Dragon transformation land.

He had witnessed the birth of the True Dragon Immortal Medicine.

In this Chaotic Dragon Nest, he had refined the Chaotic Body, wishing to live out a new lifetime.

He had even refined the skeleton of a True Dragon Immortal King.

He had neither entered the Road to Immortality nor slashed himself with the knife.

He seemed like a gambler who had staked everything, wishing to achieve Mortal-World Ascension in the mortal dust.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable had indeed seen the hope of success, as though he only needed to step past that barrier to undergo Nirvana and be reborn, transforming into a true dragon.

He would become an unprecedented true dragon of True Immortal grade, creating an unimaginable miracle.

Perhaps at the time of Emperor Zun and when the Road to Immortality opened, he really could have entered the Immortal Domain and charged at higher realms.

It was even possible that he could have transformed into a genuine Dragon Race Immortal King within the Immortal Domain.

The pity was that he had not expected that the Dark Strangeness substance, which entrapped people, was still hidden within that Dragon Clan Corpse Sea.

It seemed that this true dragon had also died a tragic death.

The corpse after death must have undergone countless rounds of purification, yet unexpected dark strangeness still remained hidden.

"That strange thing wanted to replace me, sacrifice the entire universe, and devour the living beings of the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands," said Boundless Heavenly Venerable. "How could I let him succeed!"

"I did not agree to his temptation, and even risking the destruction of my body and soul, I kept entangling with that dark strangeness."

"I even wanted to perish together with it!"

According to Boundless Heavenly Venerable's account, the true form of Boundless Heavenly Venerable had already been completely destroyed by the dark strangeness.

Only the primordial spirit of Boundless Heavenly Venerable was left struggling bitterly within this Thunder Sea.

Li Ming also learned for the first time that the body of Boundless Heavenly Venerable was actually not inside that coffin.

Inside the coffin was the corpse of that true dragon.

Regrettably, it had not successfully revived, but instead underwent Nirvana to become the True Dragon Elixir.

Li Ming had also not anticipated that the strength of Boundless Heavenly Venerable would be so formidable, fighting the strange substance to a standstill.

Although it was close to mutual destruction and perishing together, it ultimately thwarted the world-destroying scheme of the strange being after it attempted possession.

This Boundless Heavenly Venerable had endured for so many millennia on the brink of exhaustion, yet miraculously did not die, which could also be considered a blessing in disguise.

That Dark Supreme still needed to slash himself with a knife, whereas this Boundless Heavenly Venerable wandered on the edge of life and death, which was probably one of the reasons why he lived out a new lifetime immediately after expelling the dark strangeness.

If it were anyone else, once possessed by a strange being, it would be nearly impossible to break free.

It was precisely because Li Ming utilized the mysterious power of the Bronze Mirror, attaching himself to the Heavenly Demonic Saber, that he was able to slay that dark strangeness with a single strike.

"Mortal-World Ascension is not so simple!" said Li Ming. "Now that you have transformed and lived out your third lifetime, you must have gained some insights as well."

"Every time you undergo transformation, you grow stronger once, and your lifespan will also surge, but you should be able to feel that you are still very far away from becoming an immortal."

"Wanting to ascend to the heavens in a single step and become an immortal in the mortal world is nearly impossible."

"Only through sufficient accumulation step by step can one perhaps truly achieve Mortal-World Ascension."

Although Li Ming had not yet become a Red Dust Immortal, he had read the trilogy, and of course he knew that the orthodox method of cultivating a Red Dust Immortal was nine lifetimes of transformation.

Whether it was the Desolate Heavenly Emperor, Ye Fan, Emperor Zun, Netherworld Venerable, the Empress, Beginningless Emperor, or the Undying Heavenly Emperor, all of them had weathered the baptism of ages.

They struggled bitterly through lifetime after lifetime of transformation.

Defying the heavens to live out their ninth lifetime, they finally became Red Dust Immortals.

Relatively speaking, the one who took the longest time was Netherworld Emperor Duan De.

From the early years of the Age of Mythology, enduring through the Primordial Era, Desolate Ancient Era, and Post-Desolate Ancient Era, he finally integrated his nine Reincarnation Seals to become a Red Dust Immortal.

The Chaotic Dragon Nest within this Myriad Dragon Nest indeed still retained Immortal Dao Runes and the aura of immortals.

Yet wanting to rely on these to achieve Mortal-World Ascension clearly meant the accumulation was still not enough.

"What you say is correct, I indeed felt this disparity!" said Boundless Heavenly Venerable. "The stronger one becomes, the more one feels how distant the distance to a True Immortal is."

"One cannot simply stride across it in a single step!"

After Boundless Heavenly Venerable lived out a new lifetime, both his soul and physical body had clearly sublimated.

He had gained a deeper understanding of how to achieve Mortal-World Ascension.

To express his gratitude to Li Ming, Boundless Heavenly Venerable condensed his own insights into a stream of light and bestowed it upon Li Ming.

Li Ming did not perceive any danger and smoothly accepted the information within it.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable actually passed down his Boundless Heavenly Art, as well as his Nine Secrets technique, the Nine Secrets: Dou, to Li Ming.

Li Ming was also taken aback.

He had guessed that what Boundless Heavenly Venerable created might be the Nine Secrets: Lin, or perhaps the Nine Secrets: Bing, but he never expected that what he created was actually the Nine Secrets: Dou.

Because when reading the original Shrouding the Heavens text, many people believed that during the Age of Mythology, there must have still existed a powerful being named Primordial Heavenly Venerable, who was Emperor Zun's previous moniker.

Primordial Heavenly Venerable ought to have been the creator of the Nine Secrets: Dou.

And Emperor Zun not only created the Nine Secrets: Dou, he also created the Nine Secrets: Jie.

Yet Li Ming now discovered with surprise that this Nine Secrets: Dou was actually created by Boundless Heavenly Venerable.

The complete insights concerning how Boundless Heavenly Venerable created the Nine Secrets: Dou were thus transmitted to Li Ming.

It seemed he truly felt deeply grateful toward Li Ming.

"Great kindness needs no thanks!"

"Please accept this small gift as a token of my appreciation!"

Li Ming discovered that apart from these cultivation techniques and secret arts of Boundless Heavenly Venerable, there were unexpectedly also insights regarding how to transform into a true dragon, the perceived Immortal Dao Runes, and the realization of living out his third lifetime, all gifted to Li Ming.

This was truly an astonishing fortune.

Even though Li Ming had relied on transforming into a perfect Chaotic Body to live out a new lifetime, the gift that Boundless Heavenly Venerable bestowed upon him was genuinely very heavy!

Li Ming said with a sigh, "I thank Boundless Heavenly Venerable for this bestowal!"

"I truly did not expect that top-tier secret arts like the Nine Secrets: Dou were actually created by you, Fellow Daoist!"

Boundless Heavenly Venerable laughed heartily.

"We cultivators fight the heavens, fight the earth, and fight supremes throughout our lives; life never ceases, and battle never ends!"

"The Nine Secrets: Dou—with me, none can stand invincible!"

"Multiplying thousands upon thousands from a single origin, turning decay into magic!"

"As long as you comprehend its profound meaning, you will naturally understand where the essence of the Nine Secrets: Dou lies."

Li Ming watched as Boundless Heavenly Venerable actually began to execute the Nine Secrets: Dou right there, displaying this supreme and unexcelled taboo secret art.

The taboo secret art created by Li Ming naturally would not be weaker than that of Boundless Heavenly Venerable, but stones from other hills could serve to polish jade, and being able to absorb a myriad of strengths was naturally a good thing.

The Nine Secrets were renowned far and wide, and even when passed down to the era of Ye Fan, the Nine Secrets: Dou was still hailed as a taboo secret art with peerless offensive power.

This showed the unique nature of the Nine Secrets.

This kind of secret art was not limited to the physical body, nor to divine thoughts; every inch of skin and every single cell of the body could be used as an attacking weapon.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable, as the creator, displayed the highest profound meaning regarding the Nine Secrets: Dou.

Knowing that Boundless Heavenly Venerable was expressing gratitude to him, Li Ming therefore watched with extreme attentiveness.

After all, he also knew that karmic debts of human favor were hard to repay; since Boundless Heavenly Venerable wished to repay this favor, he would simply accept it.

Everything concerning the Nine Secrets: Dou was entirely imprinted within his heart as he carefully deduced it.

Rumble.

This Thunder Sea surged.

The boundless Nine-Colored Divine Thunder surged.

Having comprehended the Nine Secrets: Dou for a month, Li Ming abruptly opened his eyes and looked toward that mass of pitch-black, ink-like strange substance within the Thunder Sea.

The Heavenly Demonic Saber, carrying the aura from within the Bronze Mirror, shot forth and charged toward that cluster of dark clouds.

Heavenly thunder rolled, black bloody rain scattered in flight, and it seemed as though wails and cries of agony echoed across.

In the blink of an eye, that strange substance turned into flying ash, completely obliterated within the Thunder Sea.

This strange substance no longer had any chance to escape, nor the capability to revive from the dead and pollute other living beings.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable solemnly bowed to Li Ming.

"What does Fellow Daoist mean by this?" Li Ming asked in puzzlement.

"Many thanks to Fellow Daoist for slaying this strange creature," Boundless Heavenly Venerable said solemnly. "Mortal illusions shatter and all living beings suffer; I once made a grand vow that if I could attain immortality in this lifetime, I would definitely deliver all living things from their sufferings!"

With a loud crash, the Great Dao of heaven and earth resonated, and startling claps of thunder sounded on flat ground.

The divine thunder flashed like a fleeting phantom before returning to a state of absolute clarity.

"Good! Good! Good!" Li Ming exclaimed in admiration. "Fellow Daoist's spiritual realm is indeed far higher than mine!"

"I am inferior!"

No wonder Netherworld Emperor Duan De in the original text had been subdued by Boundless Heavenly Venerable.

This Boundless Heavenly Venerable truly possessed extraordinary capabilities.

At any rate, Li Ming did not possess such a lofty spiritual realm.

He only wished to live well and strive to climb toward higher realms.

As for saving the common people from suffering, that truly was not his life's goal; that was a moral shackles he was unwilling to shoulder.

Hearing of this spiritual realm of Boundless Heavenly Venerable, Li Ming could not help but offer several words of praise.

"Since Fellow Daoist harbors such a grand vow, perhaps you should pass down an orthodox lineage; even if you are no longer here, there will still be those to inherit your spirit and help more people."

"What Fellow Daoist says makes sense; I shall go right now to seek disciples and establish a sect!"

"Everything here shall be given to Fellow Daoist!"

"If possible, Fellow Daoist can also attempt transformation here and live out a new lifetime!"

"Perhaps when we meet again, Fellow Daoist will also have transformed into a true dragon!"