Chapter 182. A Terrifying Battle, Fighting Yinglong, Suppression

The pool of blood inside the Water-Crystal Palace churned like magma. It pulsed with an extremely terrifying aura that shook the hearts of those present. Even the palace trembled in the face of it.

The majestic and booming voice echoing from the pool of blood only added to the stupefaction of those standing before it.

"The Eastern Sea Dragon King isn't actually going to come out of that, is it?" Gu Sang asked, swallowing hard.

Ice Fairy, Zhu Qingyu, and Chunyang couldn't help but retreat.

"That's the aura of a dragon, and its bloodline isn't weak." The Golden-Winged Great Peng was most sensitive to such auras and knew that what lay within was no ordinary creature, but a dragon whose bloodline and strength were both extraordinary.

The Spirit Monkey gripped its iron cudgel even tighter, every hair on its body standing on end as it stared straight ahead.

This place appeared to be the Water-Crystal Palace straight out of myth, the dwelling of the Eastern Sea Dragon King. Under such circumstances, no one could possibly remain calm. They feared a being of myth would truly appear.

Lu Yuan still stood at the front, looking extremely solemn. He, too, could sense that the creature within the blood pool was immensely powerful.

Just then, a massive shadow emerged from within.

It truly was a dragon, its scales a mix of azure and white, but it was not particularly large, only several dozen meters in length. It had a pair of wings, and its paws bore three claws. It looked down upon the assembled group.

With its every breath, wisps of white vapor would flow from its mouth and nostrils. Its lustrous scales gleamed like divine armor draped across it, and wave after wave of overwhelming pressure swept across the group.

The surrounding seawater quavered, clearly being affected by the waves of pressure emitting from it.

"Yinglong of Mount Kunlun?" Zhu Qingyu asked, recognizing it immediately. She had seen videos and images of it before, so she instantly confirmed its identity.

Apart from the difference in size, everything else was exactly the same. The dragon before everyone was indeed the same Yinglong that had just emerged from Mount Kunlun.

Lu Yuan naturally recognized it as well, and a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. No wonder they hadn't encountered it after entering the Dragon Palace. It had gone straight into the Water-Crystal Palace.

However, he had a map that allowed him to reach this place almost unhindered. How had the dragon managed to come here without anything like it?

This folded space was not easy to traverse at all.

Lu Yuan believed that it was like those creatures from the Outer Cosmos. Even if they knew great fortune awaited within the Dragon Palace, they had basically no idea how to find those boons and could only rely on luck.

In fact, Lu Yuan wasn't even sure if those figures had already found the medicine garden.

However, Lu Yuan eventually remembered a cold, hard fact. Yinglong was a dragon, and they were in the Dragon Palace.

"Human, did you not hear this Venerable's words?"

Realizing that no one seemed to have paid attention to its words, Yinglong spoke again. This time, every scale on its body radiated light. A surge of energy erupted from within it, and the entire Water-Crystal Palace trembled in response.

At the same time, it fixed its gaze on Lu Yuan. It could sense a boundless power within Lu Yuan's physique, and it was a power so formidable that it made even itself feel somewhat alarmed.

At the sight, Chunyang and the others snapped back to reality and turned slightly.

However, they remained silent, waiting for Lu Yuan to speak instead.

Lu Yuan remained solemn, but he sensed no killing intent from Yinglong. With that in mind, he smiled, saying, "We're here for a reason. The earthquakes here have been affecting the mainland, so we came here to investigate."

"Investigate?" Confusion flickered in Yinglong's eyes before it continued. "You should not be here. Since this Venerable has already discovered you, you should withdraw. Do not force my hand."

It truly possessed an imposing presence. It was a dragon in the truest sense of the word, and even its words were filled with its majesty. It was like a king issuing a decree to his subjects.

In myths, the Yellow Emperor, Xuanyuan, had ascended to the heavens riding a dragon, and the dragon was none other than Yinglong. In other words, the emperor-like aura it was emanating was not strange at all.

"Of course, we're going to leave," Lu Yuan replied. "However, from what I've seen, you just used a ton of dragon blood, and you should be almost done using it by now. How about this? I propose a trade. Let me take that pool of dragon blood away."

The dragon had some hostility, but it didn't harbor any killing intent toward them. It also hadn't attacked them the moment it saw them. It seemed that it was possible to negotiate with it.

With that in mind, he wouldn't be aggressive. He sought to dissolve the hostility between them, as he truly needed that pool of dragon blood.

First of all, he could refine part of it into blood essence and add it to the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace to boost its pill-refining capabilities. Secondly, the Golden-Winged Great Peng needed some dragon blood to purify its bloodline.

Lastly, if Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the others could obtain some dragon's blood essence, their strength would surely skyrocket. Besides, he had offered a trade. He wouldn't let Yinglong suffer a loss.

"

Oh?

You want this blood pool?" Upon hearing that, Yinglong's aura intensified. "I see your strength is impressive. This Venerable has been sealed for who knows how many years and hasn't fought in ages. Very well. Let me test whether you have the qualifications to obtain it."

With that, it charged forward, wreathed in streams of radiant light. Its dragon aura unfurled, stacking layer upon layer of pressure on Lu Yuan.

"All of you, stand back," Lu Yuan said. It seemed a fight was unavoidable. He took a step forward and—

BOOM!

—Their auras collided in midair. One side carried the majestic and soul-shaking might of a dragon, while the other resembled a deluge of golden vital qi that seemed capable of suppressing just about anything in the world.

They were two completely different auras, but they shared one thing in common—both were extraordinarily powerful. Just like that, they collided in midair once again.

Rumble!

The seabed trembled as a thunderous roar echoed throughout the Water-Crystal Palace. Fortunately, its materials were unique, and even under such tremendous force, it remained completely unscathed.

"This Yinglong is at the Venerable King Realm, and it is a

real

dragon with an extremely powerful bloodline as well as exceptional talent. It's nothing like the Nether Bulls from before. It's incredibly powerful compared to those bulls," the Golden-Winged Great Peng remarked solemnly.

As a fellow possessor of a Mythical Bloodline, it knew a lot. If an analogy were to be made, if the Golden-Winged Great Peng had awakened twenty percent of its bloodline, then Yinglong had awakened at least thirty to forty percent of its bloodline.

The difference did not seem large at first, but at their level of strength, the gap could only be described as the gap between heaven and earth. This was the power of bloodlines. The difference between the quality of one's bloodline would only become more pronounced the purer one's bloodline became.

"It should be fine. King Lu is unmatched within the same realm," Ice Fairy said, full of confidence in Lu Yuan.

"This is a bit different. That dragon clearly didn't begin evolving at the start of the New Era. It had reached the fifth stage of evolution many years ago, and it is truly powerful," the Spirit Monkey explained.

Everyone present belonged to the Celestial Court, so they hoped Lu Yuan would remain invincible.

However, the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey were unlike the others. Their inherited memories meant they knew a lot, so they were a bit more objective about the situation.

The faces of Zhu Qingyu, Ice Fairy, and the others changed slightly.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan was already fighting Yinglong.

Golden vital qi erupted from him, illuminating the underwater world. The moment they clashed, the two left the Water-Crystal Palace. The palace was too small for them to fight properly, unlike outside, where there was ample room to fight.

Roaaar!

Yinglong bellowed, expanding explosively until it reached a thousand meters in length. Every scale shimmered in both cyan and white. Its claws descended like heavenly blades, causing the seafloor to collapse as they shot toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan showed no fear. At his current level of strength, fighting underwater had absolutely no effect on his overall combat prowess. Golden vital qi rushed forward, disturbing the seawater.

Facing the oncoming claws, he punched it without the slightest hesitation.

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted, sending violent tremors across everything nearby.

The Spirit Monkey and the others were forced to retreat in the face of such overwhelming attacks. The attacks were just too powerful. Even though they were watching from afar, they were still affected by the shockwaves.

Lu Yuan and Yinglong fought with all their might, yet neither chose to fight to the death. Yinglong was just curious about the strength of the human before it, so it wanted to test Lu Yuan's strength.

After multiple attacks, it reeled in shock.

Lu Yuan was too powerful. A single punch from him displaced a thousand meters of seawater, and his fist emanating a golden light was tougher than steel, making Yinglong feel numb with every hit.

Had it not been for its powerful bloodline and extraordinary physique, it would have long crumbled before Lu Yuan's fist.

"

Hahaha!

You're quite impressive for a human!"

The more Yinglong fought, the more excited it became. Radiant light erupted from it, and arcs of electricity crackled from it. It opened its mouth, and a bolt of lightning thicker than a water bucket shot forth.

The seafloor shook again, as if some terrible catastrophe were underway.

The energy fluctuations alone told everyone the might of the oncoming breath attack.

However, Lu Yuan didn't retreat at all. His organs rumbled as his golden vital qi blazed to its fullest. Facing the oncoming lightning bolt, he sent a punch toward it.

BOOM!

The sheer impact shattered the bolt of lightning. Lu Yuan strode forward with bright eyes. Like a true god, he closed in on Yinglong, and then punch after punch rained down like a storm on Yinglong immediately afterward.

The seabed sank, and the surrounding structures shook violently. If this battle were taking place on the surface, Lu Yuan's attacks would have been enough to reshape the terrain of a small region.

Facing Yinglong, a dragon straight out of the myths, Lu Yuan remained the same as always. No retreat, only relentless assault.

Yinglong, which could initially hold its own, quickly found itself at a disadvantage. The scales across its body flickered, seemingly reaching their limits.

The Spirit Monkey and the Golden-Winged Great Peng stood utterly dumbfounded at the sight.

Dragons were powerful, but with their formidable bloodline, the two mutated beasts would not be afraid of a dragon. However, the key here was that Yinglong was already at an extremely high stage of evolution.

In fact, it was probably stronger than all Venerable Kings across the starfield, and perhaps only a Ranker could compare to it.

Despite that, it was suppressed in just a few moments. Moreover, they could tell that Lu Yuan hadn't even gone all out. He hadn't summoned his Dharma Avatar, nor the Great Sun's Furnace. He hadn't used any of his divine arts as well.

From start to finish, he had only fought with his fleshly body.

As the two mutated beasts exchanged glances, their opinion of Lu Yuan changed once more. Wouldn't Lu Yuan be able to fight a Sage once he became a Venerable King?

BOOM!

Just as they were contemplating the crazy idea, Lu Yuan sent a devastating kick toward Yinglong.

Yinglong was blasted away, crashing into a palace before finally coming to a stop. The lights glimmering from its scales had dimmed. Most humiliating of all, some of its scales had even shattered, and drops of dragon blood seeped out of its wounds.

Yinglong had lost!