Chapter 131: The Azure Dragon Essence Transformation Technique

Back when he first entered the Third Heaven, Qingyuan was already capable of contending with Lu Yushuang, a disciple of the Huanhua Pavilion at the peak of the Third Heaven. As for Sun Wenpeng, the outstanding prodigy of the Sun family who was also at the peak of the Third Heaven, he was no match for Qingyuan and had since been easily struck down by him.

At that time, Qingyuan possessed a profound grasp of the Dao, and in truth, he was already more formidable than many practitioners at the peak of the Third Heaven. Looking back, aside from those true disciples who inherited the lineage of the Dao Ancestors, he could not say he was certain to defeat everyone within the Third Heaven, whether they were from noble families, major sects, or wandering cultivators, but he no longer feared them.

Today, after long periods of combat against a "self" manifested from the ancient mirror within the empty chamber, his tempered skills had been fully unleashed, proving not a whit inferior to Lu Yushuang.

Once he refined the ancient mirror, his cultivation reached the peak of the Third Heaven, touching the limits of the human form, and his capabilities increased significantly.

Now, by fully exerting his peak Third Heaven strength, combining the profound essence of his practiced immortal techniques, his thunder-based supernatural powers, his Five Elements Dao arts, and his immense physical vigor, he had barely gained the ability to clash with a Superior of the Fourth Heaven.

Ganhuan, suffering from severe injuries, fell into a disadvantageous position while battling Qingyuan.

"You brat!" Ganhuan roared. Years ago, when he was at the peak of the Third Heaven, he had been defeated by a practitioner who had just entered that realm, but he had been lucky enough to survive. Ever since he stepped into the Fourth Heaven and surpassed the limits of the human body, he had stood at a great peak.

No matter how brilliant or talented an individual might be, as long as they had not entered the Middle Heavens, they were no match for him.

Yet this time, he was being suppressed by a junior whose cultivation was far inferior to his own.

"Since attaining the realm of a Superior, I have never known such humiliation!" Ganhuan gritted his teeth and suddenly formed a mudra.

Qingyuan’s expression remained unchanged, and he met the attack head-on.

At that moment, Ganhuan’s burned and twisted face twitched, and a glint of joy flashed in his eyes.

A sudden chill surged behind Qingyuan.

Then, a long, piercing cry suddenly echoed through the mountain path!

"Oh no..."

Qingyuan forced Ganhuan back with a burst of flame and looked to the side, only to see a green shadow crashing toward him.

It was a single-horned green dragon, shaped like a python, with two claws on its belly and a single horn atop its head. It roared as it lunged, as if it were a living creature.

The Sun family’s Green Dragon Transformation!

Qingyuan’s heart filled with alarm, and a chill spread through his entire body. It was too late to dodge.

A thunderous roar shook the air incessantly. The green dragon slammed into Qingyuan, its single horn piercing his chest, followed by the full force of its body.

Deep within the mountain path, a cold snort sounded—it was the voice of Sun Yu.

Ganhuan, seeing this, threw his head back and laughed, feeling utterly triumphant. The dragon’s roar echoed repeatedly, its momentum vast and overwhelming.

After a few moments, the dust settled.

Qingyuan stood where he was.

Ganhuan’s laughter came to an abrupt halt.

The voice from deep in the mountain path seemed to grit its teeth as it asked, "How could this be... how did you withstand my Green Dragon Transformation?"

Qingyuan closed his eyes slightly.

The green dragon’s horn had struck his chest.

Hidden beneath his garments was the ancient mirror.

This mirror, belonging to the Pre-Heaven category, was his natal artifact; though it had not reached the level of an Immortal Treasure, it was inextricably linked to Qingyuan himself.

When the green dragon’s horn struck, it did not tear him in two as Ganhuan and Sun Yu had expected. Instead, it struck the mirror. The dragon had been absorbed into the small world within the artifact.

Qingyuan’s true essence had been depleted by thirty percent in the process.

"This technique did not exceed the limit of what I and the mirror can withstand... but to neutralize one of Sun Yu’s Green Dragon Transformations costs thirty percent of my essence?" Qingyuan thought to himself. "I fear the cost for Sun Yu to unleash this technique is not small either."

Just then, his expression shifted, revealing a look of surprise.

"How did you withstand my Green Dragon Transformation?" Sun Yu’s voice came again.

Ganhuan was also in disbelief, as if all his previous understanding had been overturned.

Qingyuan suddenly opened his eyes, a brilliant light flashing within them. He pressed his hand against his chest and tapped it, pouring his essence into the ancient mirror, draining another thirty percent of his power.

Immediately, a dragon’s roar erupted!

In the narrowed pupils of Sun Yu and Ganhuan, a scene unfolded: a single horn protruded from Qingyuan’s chest, followed by a dragon’s head, and then the entire green dragon emerged, lunging toward Ganhuan.

The roar of the dragon was deafening.

In mid-air, the green dragon suddenly transformed; a layer of scales manifested, two more claws burst forth from its rear, and its single horn split into two.

In an instant, the single-horned green dragon had become a double-horned creature with four claws, fully armored in scales.

If the previous one was a mere flood dragon, this was now a true dragon!

The Green Dragon Transformation had struck Qingyuan only to be reflected back with greatly amplified power, evolving from a flood dragon into a true dragon.

Ganhuan desperately unleashed a Spirit-Capturing Hand, trying to suppress the dragon.

With a loud boom, the green dragon paused for a split second before shattering the giant hand and reaching Ganhuan.

As Ganhuan let out a final, agonizing scream, the dragon opened its jaws and swallowed him whole, then continued on to crash into the rock wall ahead.

The mountain path shook, and a stretch of several miles collapsed.

Ganhuan was dead.

"You... how do you know my Sun family’s Green Dragon Transformation?"

Sun Yu’s figure walked slowly out from the depths of the path. He was covered in wounds, though less severe than Ganhuan’s. His eyes held a complex mix of emotions, disbelief chief among them.

The Green Dragon Transformation just unleashed was even more perfected than what Sun Yu himself could manifest.

Could it be that this young man’s mastery of the Sun family’s secret art was far greater than his own? Yet, he had not even entered the Middle Heavens; even with high mastery, he should not have been able to produce such earth-shattering power.

"Who exactly are you?" Sun Yu asked in a deep voice.

Since escaping the fire chamber, Ganhuan had said that this young man, with Third Heaven cultivation, had suppressed Sun Wenpeng at the peak of the Third Heaven.

Reflecting on it, from the very beginning, the young man had shown no panic and no sense of being at the mercy of others. Later, he had deciphered the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces, broken Han Yu’s poison pill restriction on the stone bridge, used a strange, evil treasure carriage to suppress four Superiors, and finally, with the resolve to die together, shattered the fire chamber and triggered the subterranean flames.

His foundation, his accumulation, his skills, and his sheer courage in the face of death—in every respect, this young man far exceeded their expectations and surpassed any young junior they had ever encountered.

Sun Yu took a deep breath, his eyes filled with a grave, solemn light.