Ontological rank

He acted as soon as the thought struck him.

Si Chen stopped tangling with the maddened demons and humans. Thunderbolt Flash activated again, and his figure streaked like lightning.

He was no longer merely dodging, but deliberately moving swiftly around the enormous blood pool.

As he moved, he gathered the vitality of plants and trees within him. Every so often, he pressed a hand against the ground and "planted" a Thunderbolt Spear.

Half the spear's shaft sank into the ground, giving off a crisp sound like birdsong.

This was the same formation-setting method he had used to kill Lü Yan, except this time, his goal was not to kill his enemies...

Before long, Thunderbolt Spears ringed the blood pool.

Meanwhile, the vast vitality of plants and trees accumulated through his Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art had surged to its peak. Gentle, soothing emerald radiance almost spilled out of his body.

The time had come!

Si Chen hesitated no longer. His figure flashed, and he leaped straight into the thick, dark-red blood pool!

Splash!

The pool's liquid was cold enough to pierce his bones, a stark contrast to the immense vitality within him.

Almost the instant he entered the water, the vast vitality of plants and trees hidden deep in his flesh erupted like a flood bursting through a dam!

Humm-!

Centered on him, rich emerald light abruptly spread outward, forcibly driving back the surrounding dark red.

The small patch of liquid around him began to lighten visibly, changing from an unsettling dark red to a warm red brimming with vitality.

Yet this act was like poking a hornet's nest.

The red-eyed humans and demons seemed to sense the presence of a natural enemy. Roaring uneasily, they turned and surged like a tide toward Si Chen in the blood pool!

Just then, Si Chen formed a seal with one hand and drew it upward.

"Rise!"

Crackle-!

The Thunderbolt Spears Si Chen had planted activated simultaneously. Dazzling arcs of electricity burst from their shafts and connected, instantly forming an enormous Thunderbolt Grid that enveloped the entire blood pool!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The foremost maddened attackers crashed into the grid. Electricity sent their entire bodies convulsing, and they flew backward with agonized screams, charred black smoke rising from them.

The grid successfully kept most of the frenzied cultivators and demonic beasts outside.

Yet the real trouble remained those two enormous figures.

"Roar-!"

Black Mountain let out a heaven-shaking roar. His enormous bear paw slammed into the grid with enough force to tear everything apart!

Bang!

The grid shook violently, lightning scattering everywhere. He had actually smashed a gap through it!

On the other side, Red Wind was even more agile. Wind blades circled him, weakening the lightning, and he too was on the verge of forcing his way through.

Si Chen frowned slightly, considering whether he should halt the purification for now and find a way to subdue them first.

For instance, break their legs first...

At worst, I can heal them afterward.

Just as he was truly about to do it...

"Chirp-!!!"

Red Bean, who had been circling anxiously overhead, let out a clear, ringing cry!

Immediately afterward, the little fellow's crimson feathers blazed with light. In an instant, Red Bean transformed once more into a magnificent giant bird with a wingspan exceeding thirty feet!

Even more astonishingly, roaring flames now burned across those crimson feathers, bathing the entire gloomy hall in red light!

A wave of heat swept over them, making even Black Mountain and Red Wind pause for an instant.

"Chirp!"

Red Bean cried again and beat those wings. Countless crimson fireballs poured down on Black Mountain and Red Wind like a meteor shower of flame!

The flames landed on the two demons' thick fur. They inflicted no serious burns, but brought wave after wave of searing pain.

The attack utterly enraged the two great demons who had lost their reason.

Their attention instantly shifted to the "annoying firebird" above them.

"Roar!"

Black Mountain reared onto his hind legs, swinging his enormous paws in an attempt to swat Red Bean down.

Red Wind leaped upward with all his strength again and again, his sharp claws carrying fierce wind blades as he slashed at the air.

Yet the flight-prohibiting restriction in the Dragonfall Land remained in place. Even though they could jump high, they could not truly threaten Red Bean, who wheeled nimbly through the air.

For a time, Red Bean actually held both great demonic beasts at bay single-handedly, exploiting the restriction to gain an air-to-ground advantage!

Si Chen watched Red Bean overhead, majestic and wreathed in flames, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

He had long suspected that the little fellow was extraordinary, but he had never expected Red Bean to unleash such power at a critical moment.

"Good job, Red Bean!"

He could not let this opportunity slip away! Si Chen immediately focused his mind, sinking his entire awareness into his body. He drove the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art even more fiercely, pouring vast vitality into the blood pool.

The emerald radiance kept expanding outward from him, purifying more and more of the blood.

Yet just as he devoted himself fully to purification, another sudden change occurred!

The savage energy driven back within the blood pool seemed to have been provoked. It began pouring madly back into Si Chen's body!

A cold, evil consciousness filled with hatred followed that energy and forced its way into his sea of consciousness!

Si Chen's vision blurred, and his surroundings changed completely.

The blood pool, the hall, the lightning, the flames, the roaring demonic beasts... everything vanished.

He found himself standing in an empty, gray, misty space.

Was this... a consciousness space?

Si Chen immediately understood his situation. He had once been a star, and his understanding of concepts such as consciousness and dimensions far exceeded the ordinary.

Just then, the gray mist ahead churned violently, slowly condensing into an enormous phantom.

A single horn crowned its head, scales covered its body, and its cold eyes had vertical pupils. It was none other than that Flood Dragon, dead but refusing to fade!

The Flood Dragon phantom looked down at Si Chen. Its icy voice echoed through the space with a hint of bewilderment. "A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator... can actually withstand the corrosion of my flood dragon blood?"

It "looked" closely at Si Chen. Before it was indeed nothing more than a human in the Foundation Establishment Realm, one who even seemed somewhat... utterly unremarkable?

Si Chen raised his head and looked at the enormous phantom. Remembering what Black Mountain had called it, he asked:

"Are you that old Flood Dragon who won't behave even after dying?"

He had meant no insult whatsoever. Black Mountain had simply repeated that description in front of him so many times that it had slipped out instinctively.

Yet to the Flood Dragon Remnant Soul, those words were nothing short of thunder crashing down from the nine heavens!

Won't behave even after dying?

Old Flood Dragon?

In life, it had been a Flood Dragon that roamed unchallenged across the world, only one step away from dragon transformation. When had anyone ever addressed it with such contempt?

Let alone a puny Foundation Establishment cultivator?

"Insolence!" The Flood Dragon phantom flew into a rage. "A mere ant dares pass judgment on me?!"

Hearing this, Si Chen seemed to realize that his earlier words had indeed been rather impolite. He solemnly cupped his hands and said sincerely, "I'm sorry. I chose my words poorly."

The Flood Dragon Remnant Soul froze, its anger easing slightly. It thought this human had finally learned fear.

But before it could say anything, Si Chen raised his head again, looked at it with utter seriousness, and added, "If you restore my two friends outside to normal right now, I can spare your life."

"..."

The Flood Dragon Remnant Soul was dumbstruck.

What had it just heard?

Had this little Foundation Establishment cultivator just said he would kill it?

Only after several seconds did it abruptly regain its senses.

"Ha ha... hahaha... HAHAHAHA!!!"

Wild laughter laden with mockery exploded outward, shaking the entire consciousness space.

"Spare my life? You? A little worm in the Foundation Establishment Realm?!"

The Flood Dragon laughed so hard its body trembled. "When I roamed heaven and earth unchallenged, eighteen generations of your ancestors had yet to be born! You dare make such outrageous boasts?!"

It thought this was the most absurd, most laughable thing it had heard in the thousand years since its death-no, even counting its years alive!

"So that's how it is..." It seemed to lose interest, its tone steeped in lofty contempt.

"I thought you might be someone of consequence. You're merely a fool."

It examined Si Chen again, offering its assessment with the air of bestowing charity. "Your foundations are reasonably solid. Unfortunately... your soul essence is pitifully weak."

Si Chen tilted his head slightly, seemingly trying to understand the term. "Soul essence?"

Seeing his bewildered expression, the Flood Dragon became even more convinced that he was an ant. It sneered. "Power without a matching ontological rank is like a child brandishing a divine weapon. Ultimately, you are strong on the outside and hollow within."

"Tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard... very well. Become nourishment for my revival, and sink into oblivion alongside those fools outside!"

Before the words had faded, it lunged at Si Chen's consciousness, carrying towering resentment and savage fury!

Faced with this terrifying sight, Si Chen merely raised his head again and looked at the Flood Dragon phantom that believed it controlled everything.

He showed no fear. Instead... he smiled faintly.

The smile was slight, yet it sent an inexplicable shudder through the Flood Dragon's heart.

"In my own domain..."

"You're discussing my ontological rank?"

The instant his words fell...

The entire consciousness space shuddered violently!

It was as though something... had descended.

Behind Si Chen, in the depths of the endless void, a speck of light appeared.

At first, that light was tiny. Yet in an instant, it swelled, spread, and filled every corner of their vision!

That was no ordinary light.

That was... a sun.