More blood mist spewed from the pill furnace, pouring into the ancestor dragon’s dragon pearl from the spout.
“Roar!”
The ancestor dragon’s dragon pearl suddenly gave off a roar. It looked like a small dragon would leap out.
A powerful dragon might spread out.
Plop!
Countless dragon race guards outside dropped to their knees, with shocked and horrified expressions, apparently in instinctive worship.
The Southern Sea Dragon King also knelt before this dragon might.
“What a powerful dragon might! Even I cannot endure it. Ao Shun and Ao Sheng must have died long ago; it’s just that the drop of the ancestor dragon’s essence blood has not been completely extracted. No, if this continues, it won’t be me receiving the ancestor dragon’s inheritance. The dragon might will probably render me immobile. How would I get the ancestor dragon’s inheritance then? It might even startle the Purple Jade Heavenly Demon, and she might snatch it away.” The Southern Sea Dragon King showed an unsightly expression.
The Southern Sea Dragon King struggled to his feet, barely resisting the dragon might. Then he turned into a red dragon and flew to the pill furnace, opening its mouth and sucking.
Boom!
The Southern Sea Dragon King swallowed the dragon pearl oozing surging dragon might.
“Roar!”
A dragon roar came from its body, the dragon pearl apparently resisting the Southern Sea Dragon King.
“Mine! You are mine! Suppress!” the Southern Sea Dragon King roared.
Boom! A loud sound came from its body.
The Southern Sea Dragon King managed to suppress the dragon pearl.
The Southern Sea Dragon King now radiated an overwhelming might that kicked up enormous waves in the lava pool.
“Power! Unlimited power! Hahaha!” the Southern Sea Dragon King guffawed maniacally.
The Southern Sea Dragon King returned to human form and sat cross-legged to refine the dragon pearl with all his might.
Half a day later:
The longer the Southern Sea Dragon King cultivated, the stronger the aura coming from him. He felt his cultivation climb rapidly.
“I’m still a distance away from the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace. However, this cultivation speed is very fast. It would be great if I could break into consummation. I would no longer have to be subservient to others. Dragon pearl! Dragon pearl, help me! Haha!” the Southern Sea Dragon King raved with maniacal excitement.
Buzz!
The dragon pearl gave off an azure radiance. The Southern Sea Dragon King’s cultivation continued increasing for a while before halting.
“What’s going on? The dragon pearl’s inheritance suddenly stopped? Furthermore, it seems like it is lacking something? That’s right! The ancestor dragon’s essence blood. There is still a small portion in the pill furnace. To think it can’t lack even a little bit. Never mind. Ao Shun and Ao Sheng should be dead by now. The last bit of the ancestor dragon’s essence blood is in the pill furnace. It should be sufficient after I consume the last bits.” The Southern Sea Dragon King turned to the pill furnace with a ferocious expression.
Buzz!
Just as the Southern Sea Dragon King walked towards the pill furnace, countless peacock plume feathers suddenly appeared, filling the surroundings in an instant, even the lava pool.
“Your Reverence, the Southern Sea Dragon King, Ao Sihai, is here!” Kong Xuan said with pleasant surprise.
“Who is it?!” the dragon race guards shouted outside.
Boom!
A loud sound rang out as Kong Xuan knocked out all the dragon race guards.
Gu Hai and Kong Xuan approached the lava pool in nearly an instant.
Whoosh!
Many Kong Xuan clones appeared around the lava pool.
“What?” The Southern Sea Dragon King’s expression changed.
“Southern Sea Dragon King, where are Shangguan Hen and Ao Shun?” Gu Hai shouted while glaring.
There were two Earthen Flame Burning the World Furnaces above the lava pool. When Gu Hai saw these two pill furnaces, he had an awful premonition. As he questioned the Southern Sea Dragon King, he approached the two pill furnaces.
The sudden change caught the Southern Sea Dragon King off-guard.
“You bastards, why are you here? Get lost!”
The Southern Sea Dragon King turned violent, transforming into a gigantic red dragon.
The red dragon opened its mouth and headed for the pill furnace containing Ao Shun and Ao Sheng. It wanted to swallow them together with the pill furnace.
“Block him!” Gu Hai shouted while glaring.
“Six-colored divine light!” One of the Kong Xuan clones waved.
Boom!
Another loud sound rang out as the attack knocked the Southern Sea Dragon King back, covered in blood.
The six-colored divine light was too powerful. Even with its increased cultivation, the Southern Sea Dragon King still could not overcome this.
However, the ancestor dragon’s azure light protected it, so it did not sustain significant damage.
“You bastard!” The Southern Sea Dragon King’s expression changed.
It rushed towards the pill furnace, disregarding everything else. It needed to consume the essence blood in the pill furnace quickly.
“To think you still want to move with me around? Humph!” Kong Xuan snorted coldly.
Boom!
One thousand Kong Xuans rushed at the Southern Sea Dragon King and grabbed its tail firmly. Despite its improved cultivation, it was still not Kong Xuan’s match in the peacock domain.
“Scram! Roar!”
The red dragon opened its mouth to bite Kong Xuan and tried to attack Kong Xuan with its claws.
However, this was a domain. There was no touching Kong Xuan. How could it struggle free? Kong Xuan trapped the Southern Sea Dragon Kong just one step away from success. Just one step.
“No! That’s mine! Let me go! Let me—” Crack! The Southern Sea Dragon King suddenly froze in mid-roar, horror dawning on its face.
“Huh? What’s wrong with you?” Kong Xuan said in surprise.
The Southern Sea Dragon King’s tail convulsed, giving off rumbles. Then, it withered at a visible pace, as though something was absorbing its flesh and blood.
Gurgle…! Gurgle…! Gurgle…! Gurgle…!
The Southern Sea Dragon King shriveled up.
“The dragon pearl? No! I’m an Ao Clan descendant! Why are you absorbing my flesh and blood? Ah! Also, the Southern Sea’s dragon deity? That’s my dragon deity! Don’t take it! Don’t take it! Give me! Give me the ancestor dragon’s essence blood!” the wizened Southern Sea Dragon King said with eyes wide with despair.
Nearby, Gu Hai waved his hand and stopped the flames of the two pill furnaces. Then he moved the pill furnaces to the nearby platform and quickly opened one.
Buzz! Buzz! The pill furnace containing Ao Shun suddenly trembled. Gu Hai could see a faint blood mist inside.
“Give me blood! Give me blood! Quickly! Give it to me!” the Southern Sea Dragon King roared as it extended a claw, staring at that blood mist.
However, how could Kong Xuan let it go?
When the dragon pearl failed to receive enough of the ancestor dragon’s essence blood, it became akin to a demonic object, frantically absorbing the Southern Sea Dragon King’s flesh and blood, urging the Southern Sea Dragon King to absorb the final portion of the ancestor dragon’s essence blood quickly.
Nevertheless, its repeated urgings were to no avail.
Buzz!
The dragon pearl suddenly flew out of the Southern Sea Dragon King’s mouth, as if it had lost its patience, and flew to the pill furnace.
“No! My dragon pearl! It’s mine! Mine!” the Southern Sea Dragon King roared with incredible shock.
Kong Xuan was stunned, but he continued holding down the Southern Sea Dragon King.
Whoosh!
That azure dragon pearl charged into the pill furnace.
Boom!
The pill furnace containing Ao Shun exploded with a loud report.
Gu Hai’s and Kong Xuan’s expressions changed.
The explosion had sent a clump of char into the air.
The dragon pearl absorbed all the blood mist in the pill furnace. Then it crashed into the char, entering what looked like a dragon’s mouth.
Roar!
A powerful dragon might and aura immediately came from within.
“This…this is?” Gu Hai’s expression changed.
One of Kong Xuan’s clones pulled over the charred object, looking shocked.
“No! It can’t be, right? This is… Are we too late?” Kong Xuan appeared horrified.
Finally, Gu Hai made out the silhouette of the charred object, and his chest tightened in horror.
“Ao Shun! This is Ao Shun’s dragon form. There is a scar from when his arms were cut off in the past. This is Ao Shun? Ao Shun died?” Kong Xuan said with some uncertainty.
Ao Shun died? Gu Hai turned sullen.
Crack! Crack-crack-crack!
Inside the charred shell, the dragon pearl entered Ao Sheng’s body. Ao Sheng suddenly awakened. As it squirmed, Ao Shun’s body cracked and broke.
“What is inside?” Kong Xuan’s expression changed.
Buzz!
The two could see something large within. That thing suddenly transformed, shrinking into human form. It was Ao Sheng.
Ao Sheng woke up with a shiver. Although his body was still slightly charred after taking human form, the dragon pearl quickly nourished his body upon entering. Furthermore, his dug-out eyes had reappeared and even seemed brighter than before. All his broken veins had mended and become more resilient. After Ao Shun’s blood had fused into his blood, Ao Sheng seemed to have undergone a rebirth.
Ao Sheng felt stupefied. He instantly understood what had happened.
Ao Shun had died to protect Ao Sheng. He had given Ao Sheng his dragon veins, his dragon eyes, and even his remaining blood when Ao Sheng had been burned dry.
Ao Sheng lived. He survived to see the hope that Ao Shun spoke about. But Ao Shun…
“Elder Brother! Elder Brother! Don’t die! Elder Brother! Elder Brother! Elder Brother! This is not real! Elder Brother!” Ao Sheng suddenly felt sorrow deep within his heart as he hugged the charred corpse, crumbling mentally as he roared. Now, only the various scenes of the past with Ao Shun flashed in his mind.
“Little Sheng, Father punished you with copying the books by hand again? Look at what this is! Elder Brother went to Heavenly Chen City to buy some deep-fried whitebait fillets! Eat up! Quickly finish it. Don’t let Father see.”
“Little Sheng, remember this. Don’t ever let Father know I sneaked you out to have fun.”
“Little Sheng, what happened to your face? Who hit you? Tell me. Who dares to hit my—Ao Shun’s—younger brother?!”
“Before Father died, he told me to take care of you. Elder Brother is useless and no longer has any more chances to take care of you. You have to take care of yourself in the future.”
“Little Sheng, take care!”
“Argh!” Ao Sheng let out a heart-wrenching cry as he hugged the charred corpse.
The dragon pearl in his body flared with azure light, as though acknowledging Ao Sheng as its master. However, Ao Sheng was in no mood to think about that. Right now, he drowned in grief.
Previously, Ao Sheng had been ignorant, fighting with Ao Shun over everything. His jealousy even cost him to lose sight of himself. However, Ao Sheng changed when Ao Shun died because of his ignorance. Now, he realized what he treasured the most. However, his elder brother had already died by the time he realized it.
When Gu Hai saw Ao Sheng cry, he immediately understood. He trembled as rage appeared on his face, filling it.
“Ao Sihai, you are seeking death!” Gu Hai roared with a ferocious expression.
