Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Xuanli Realm.

In a desert, a strong wind blows, sand and stones fly, and withered wild grass is snapped and swirled into the sky, disappearing into the horizon.

Amidst the vast expanse of yellow sand, a patch of green stands out—a sizable oasis situated at the foot of a mountain range.

Clear springs flow into the lake, nourishing the trees, flowers, and the oasis of the Qiusha tribe.

But this once peaceful oasis is now a scene of devastation and ruin.

The stone house painstakingly built by the dragon people of the Qiusha tribe was destroyed, and the rough dragon statue in the center of the oasis was broken in two.

Trees were engulfed by the fire, and thick smoke billowed out.

Hundreds of dragon-man corpses lay scattered on the ground, their faces bearing the marks of fear and despair. Blood stained the streams and lakes, and the stench of blood filled the air.

Within the mountains, the Dragon Breath Platform, upon which the Qiusha tribe relied for its foundation, has been destroyed, and the dragon energy is now chaotic and turbulent.

Before long, these remaining dragon energies will dissipate and merge into the heavens and earth.

This mountain range will no longer be anything special; even the oasis will wither away, becoming no different from any other place in the Gobi Desert.

A dozen or so dragonmen survived, some of them staring blankly at the raging dragon energy vortex in the mountains, their lips trembling as they couldn't utter a word.

Several others gazed at the two massive figures locked in fierce combat in the distant sky, their teeth clenched, their eyes flashing with hatred mixed with a hint of worry.

This Gobi Desert is barren and desolate, and the dragon energy is extremely thin. No tribe is willing to live here, and there are not even many dragon beasts.

The Dragon's Breath Platform in this mountain range was originally occupied by a group of dragon beasts.

More than two thousand years ago, the Qiusha tribe was defeated in a battle with other tribes and was forced to leave the land where they had lived for thousands of years. They traveled over mountains and rivers to migrate to this desolate Gobi Desert.

The ancestors of the Qiusha tribe fought with all their might to wipe out the dragon beasts and settled down in the oasis, where they have lived a peaceful and secluded life ever since.

But today, this tranquility that has lasted for thousands of years has been shattered.

A strange-looking person descended from the sky and, with a wave of his hand, killed the clan leader, who was in the mid-stage of the Manifestation Realm, and four other elders, slaughtering most of the clan members.

Not only that, this person also went into the mountains and destroyed the Dragon Breath Platform.

The surviving members of the Qiusha tribe were filled with rage, their eyes wide with fury, then their hearts turned to ashes, and they became walking corpses.

The death of a person is a minor matter; there are no other dragon tribes in the Gobi Desert.

The dragon people outside the Gobi Desert also look down on this barren Gobi.

No one is competing with the Qiusha tribe for this oasis. They can slowly rebuild their tribe and one day restore it to its former glory.

However, with the Dragon Breath Platform destroyed, the dragon people of the Qiusha tribe could no longer advance to the Manifestation Realm and were unable to resist the dragon beasts in the Gobi Desert.

In other words, the Qiusha tribe was completely wiped out.

These dozen or so dragon people from the Qiusha tribe no longer even bothered to flee. Even if they managed to escape the Gobi Desert, they knew they could never rebuild their tribe, so they simply stayed and faced their deaths with equanimity.

After the tribes in the Xuanli Realm were destroyed, many dragon people were scattered in all directions.

But they could not understand the deep-seated obsession the Qiusha tribe, who lived a life of hardship and struggle for survival in the desolate Gobi Desert, had with their tribe.

Just as the dragon people of the Qiusha tribe were in despair, and two of them even threw themselves into the flames, willingly seeking death, the strange man who had destroyed the Dragon Breath Platform and was flying towards them was stopped.

A dragon-man flew in from the horizon, his powerful dragon might sweeping across the sky and crashing towards the strange man, also waking the dragon-men of the Qiusha tribe from their deathly silence.

This is... a cultivator at the Cloud Soaring Realm!

Under the watchful eyes of the dragon people of the Qiusha tribe, the cultivator at the Tengyun Realm rapidly grew in size, becoming half-human and half-dragon, his dragon might astounding the heavens. He flew straight towards the strange man, blocking his path.

A glimmer of hope rekindled in the eyes of the dragon-man of the Qiusha tribe. This cultivator at the Cloud Ascension Realm had come to deal with that strange man and to avenge the Qiusha tribe!
They didn't know why this strange man wanted to destroy the Dragon Breath Platform of the Qiusha Tribe, nor did they know why this cultivator at the Cloud Soaring Realm wanted to fight the strange man.

They only wanted revenge for the destruction of their tribe, to watch this ferocious monster die before their eyes, and to pay tribute to their dead people.

They believed that no matter how ferocious the strange man was, he was no match for a cultivator at the Cloud Ascension Realm.

A cultivator in the Cloud Soaring Realm can fly through the air and is only one step away from transforming into a dragon.

After performing the Dragon Transformation Technique, one can transform into a half-human, half-dragon body, possessing the strength to move mountains.

The dragon energy of heaven and earth that it can mobilize is a hundred times greater than that of the Manifestation Realm.

Although that strange man could also fly, he had no dragon scales on his body and his supernatural abilities had no dragon energy whatsoever. He was clearly a heretic and evil person. How could he possibly be a match for a cultivator in the Cloud Soaring Realm?
The dragon people of the Qiusha tribe have a deep-rooted faith in true dragons, which has even made them overlook the powerful pressure emanating from the monster.

Under the expectant gaze of the dragon people of the Qiusha tribe, the cultivator of the Cloud Soaring Realm, like a meteor shower, crashed into the strange man with dazzling light.

But the scene that everyone expected—the monster being crushed—did not happen. In front of the Cloud Transformation Realm cultivator's dragon-transformed battle body, the monster was as small as an ant, but instead, it knocked the Cloud Transformation Realm cultivator away.

After the two separated, the strange man transformed into a ferocious giant beast.

It resembles a giant python, but has three pairs of bat-like emerald green membranous wings, and its body is tens of feet long.

The giant python spewed out emerald green venom, and the edges of its membranous wings were as sharp as knives, making it extremely ferocious and firmly suppressing the cultivator at the Cloud Ascension Realm.

The dragon-man of the Qiusha tribe was stunned; this strange man was actually a dragon beast!
But why is there no dragon energy in the giant python's body, and how did it transform into human form?
The dragon people of the Qiusha tribe were completely baffled, which even slightly lessened their grief over the destruction of their tribe.

Their experience today is too bizarre, far surpassing that of their ancestors and even the vast majority of dragon people in the Xuanli Realm.

To their delight, the cultivator at the Cloud Soaring Realm, though at a disadvantage, did not immediately fall into defeat.

He wielded a massive bone spear, his body imbued with Xuanhuang dragon energy that transformed into thick green vines that coiled around the giant python, slowing its advance.

Although the giant python's aura was superior, it did not use any other supernatural powers besides the emerald green miasma.

Although it had a significant advantage, it couldn't take the life of a cultivator at the Cloud Ascension Realm in a short time.

The man and the beast fought for seven or eight hours. Half of the sky was filled with emerald green miasma, and the other half with black and yellow dragon energy, spreading for dozens of miles. They annihilated each other without giving an inch.

The cultivator at the Cloud Ascension Realm was covered in wounds, with vibrant emerald light flashing at the wounds, preventing them from healing and continuously consuming the dragon energy within his body.

His vital energy had greatly diminished, and he could only struggle to hold on, with no strength left to fight back. He looked extremely disheveled.

The six-winged serpent, however, moved with ease. The bone spear struck him, leaving only a shallow wound that healed instantly.

It spewed out emerald green miasma, and its three pairs of membranous wings were like six sharp long knives, forcing the cultivators in the Cloud Ascension Realm to constantly use their supernatural powers to condense layers of wooden shields to resist.

However, the wooden shield can still be cut by the membrane wings, and if one is not careful, a deep wound will appear on the body.

The hopes of the Qiusha tribe's dragon people gradually faded. Even cultivators at the Cloud Ascension Realm were no match for this strange dragon beast. It seemed that the grudge of the tribe's destruction could never be avenged.

Gradually, the dragon aura behind the cultivator in the Cloud Soaring Realm weakened, and the emerald green miasma spread out, dyeing the entire sky with a layer of green.

The six-winged giant python grew increasingly arrogant, while the cultivators at the Cloud Ascension Realm were in a sorry state, facing constant danger.

Just then, a streak of purplish-black light appeared from the horizon and flew towards them at an astonishing speed. After a few flashes, it traversed hundreds of miles and rushed into the battle.

The dragons of the Qiusha tribe were overjoyed; they even had cultivators at the Cloud Soaring Realm to lend a hand!
Yes, this strange dragon beast destroyed the Dragon Breath Platform without saying a word, so other tribes must have suffered as well.

It must have fled into this desolate Gobi Desert and dared to attack the Qiusha tribe, which attracted these two cultivators at the Tengyun Realm to eliminate this ferocious beast!

But as the beam of light drew closer, the dragon-man of the Qiusha tribe was stunned.

The person in the escaping light did not conceal their aura; their powerful pressure was even greater than that of a cultivator in the Cloud Soaring Realm, and comparable to that of the six-winged giant python.

However, this aura was not the dragon aura that the dragon people of the Qiusha tribe were familiar with, but was exactly the same as that of the six-winged giant python.

This person was not a cultivator at the Cloud Ascension Realm, but a strange dragon beast that had transformed into human form to help the six-winged giant python.

The dragon people of the Qiusha tribe were completely plunged into despair. Even a cultivator at the Tengyun Realm was already in grave danger just dealing with that six-winged giant python.

What if there's another, even stronger, strange dragon beast?
The six-winged giant python clearly knew that reinforcements were coming and was caught off guard. It merely turned around and glanced at the cultivator before pouncing on him again, its attack even more ferocious than before.

Under the despairing gaze of the dragon-man of the Qiushi tribe, the escape light rushed to the side of the six-winged giant python and suddenly stopped. A huge purplish-black light blade suddenly flew out and swept past the body of the six-winged giant python.

The six-winged serpent froze on the spot, its head flew up, blood gushed into the sky, its membranous wings drooped limply, and its massive body fell to the ground.

The dragon-man of the Qiusha tribe, gazing at this scene from afar, froze in place. This person wasn't actually an accomplice of the six-winged giant serpent?

……

The purplish-black light faded, revealing Chen Yuan's figure, who grabbed the demon core that was trying to escape into the distance.

A verdant python demon emerged, staring intently at Chen Yuan. Its eyes were filled with shock and rage as it cried out, "Bei Ming! We have no enmity between us, why are you attacking me?"

It fought the dragonman for a long time and was about to win when the Northern Underworld Demon General suddenly appeared and secretly sent a message to help it.

The six-winged giant python had no doubts. Although it had never heard of the name of the Northern Dark Demon General, the demonic aura emanating from him was undeniable.

But just as the giant python was overjoyed and intensified its attack, the Northern Dark Demon General turned against it, condensing an incomparably sharp purplish-black light blade and severing its head, which shocked and enraged the giant python.

Instead of answering, Chen Yuan asked, "Which demon saint are you under? Did you come here on your own, or are you here on someone's orders to destroy this Dragon Breath Platform?"

The python demon was even more incredulous: "You don't even know my name, yet you want to take my life?"

"The human race's Nascent Soul stage will soon arrive in this realm, yet you disregard the greater good and turn against your own kind. Aren't you afraid of being punished by the Demon Saint?"

Chen Yuan said calmly, "I have my reasons for taking action. If you answer truthfully, I will spare your life. What do you say?"

The python demon laughed in fury: "Do you think I'm a three-year-old human child?"

"You defied the Demon Saint's decree and destroyed my physical body. If the Demon Saint finds out, he will surely take your life."

"Make your move. I'll go first and wait for you in the depths of the Netherworld!"

With over a hundred demon generals entering the Xuanli Realm, and coming from different demon saints and demon kings, it was naturally impossible for them to be united.

However, when facing the human race's gods, even internal strife cannot lead to mutual slaughter.

The python demon knew very well that since Chen Yuan dared to do this, he would not leave any future troubles and would never keep his promise.

Chen Yuan frowned: "Since you are so determined to die, I will grant your wish."

After saying that, he released a wisp of true essence, crushed the python's demon soul, and put away the demon core.

The cultivator at the Cloud Reaching Realm returned to normal and stepped forward, glancing with lingering fear at the corpse of the six-winged giant python below.

He bowed to Chen Yuan with clasped hands and spoke in broken human language: "Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Chen came to our aid in time. The miasma spewed by this demon general is extremely poisonous. If the battle continues, I fear my chances of survival are slim."

He was covered in wounds, his scales were broken, and he looked like he was seriously injured, but in fact they were just superficial wounds and nothing serious.

However, he was only at the mid-stage of the Cloud Soaring Realm, far inferior to the six-winged giant python. He tried his best to resist, but his dragon energy was being severely depleted, and he could not hold on for much longer.

Chen Yuan clasped his hands in return: "I must thank Fellow Daoist Zhou for keeping this python entangled. If it had escaped, I don't know how many more dragon tribes would have been destroyed."

"Fellow Daoist's injuries are quite severe, and it is not advisable for you to continue fighting the Demon Commander. How about returning to Iron Frost City to recuperate?"

The cultivator at the Cloud Ascension Realm laughed and said, "That's fine then, I'll take my leave."

He clasped his hands in a bow and was about to turn and leave when he caught a glimpse of the remaining dragon people of the Qiusha tribe in the distant oasis and stopped.

Chen Yuan followed his gaze and shook his head slightly: "This tribe is too unlucky. Despite being in this barren land, they were still targeted by the Demon General and ultimately could not escape their fate."

The dragon-man from the Cloud Realm sighed: "The demon race is ferocious and bloodthirsty. Wherever they go, they not only destroy the Dragon Breath Platform, but also slaughter tribes."

"Before those demon generals are completely wiped out, the entire dragon race will face a catastrophe."

"I am no match for the Demon General, so I will take these dozen or so people back to Iron Frost City and settle them properly, doing my bit in the process."

He paused for a moment, bowed deeply to Chen Yuan, and solemnly said, "Whether Xuanli Realm can be spared this calamity depends entirely on you, fellow Daoist."

"Once Zhou recovers from his injuries, he will continue searching for the Demon General's whereabouts."

Chen Yuan returned the greeting with clasped hands and said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I will do my best."

The dragon-man of the Cloud Realm flew towards the distant oasis. Chen Yuan sighed inwardly, descended his escape light, and put away the mustard seed ring of the six-winged giant python, but did not collect the monster materials.

According to the agreement between Chen Yuan and Zhou Muyun, the demon core and mustard seed ring of the high-level demon general that he and the elders of Yingshan tribe jointly killed would belong to Chen Yuan, while the demon beast materials and flesh would belong to Yingshan tribe.

Three days ago, Chen Yuan, Wu Xuan, and Zhou Muyun left the Wanyan Mountains and arrived at Tielin City, which was built by the Yingshan tribe.

Zhou Muyun summoned the elders of Yingshan Village, and everyone was extremely surprised by the sudden return of the Supreme Elder to the tribe.

When they learned from Zhou Muyun about the demon race's invasion of the Xuanli Realm to seize the True Dragon Cave, and about Chen Yuan's identity as a human cultivator, they were even more shocked.

Zhou Muyun then ordered the elders of Yingshan tribe who were at least in the mid-stage of the Tengyun Realm to go out and search for the Demon General's whereabouts.

If discovered, do your best to hold it back and communicate with a conch shell.

Zhou Muyun and Chen Yuan will personally take action to kill the Demon General.

As for the elders in the early stages of the Cloud Soaring Realm, their strength was too weak to hold out until the two came to their aid, so they could only stay and guard Iron Frost City.

Elder Ying Shan was skeptical, but dared not disobey the Supreme Elder's order. He could only leave Tielin City and carefully search along the Dragon Breath Platforms.

The Xuanli Realm was only slightly larger than the Demon King's Cave, and the more than three hundred Dragon Breath Platforms were even more densely distributed. The six elders of Yingshan Sect went out to investigate separately, and news was quickly sent back.

Chen Yuan has already killed two high-level demon generals in two separate attacks, and this six-winged giant python is the third.

These high-ranking demon generals who entered the Xuanli Realm were all stronger than the elders of the Yingshan Clan.

However, if Elder Yingshan were to adopt a defensive stance after reaching such a level of cultivation, it would not be easy to take his life.

Moreover, because the Xuanli Realm is filled with dragon energy, demonic power is not easy to recover. In order to conserve demonic power, the demon generals encountered by Elder Yingshan relied mostly on physical strength and a few innate supernatural abilities to fight.

They were unaware of the existence of the conch shell and held the dragon people in utter contempt.

They thought that these dragon people in the Cloud Realm were just a chance encounter and that they would be difficult to kill in a short time, so they decided to slow down their attack and delay the attack for a while.

When Chen Yuan arrived, he disguised himself as a demon general to come to the rescue, then took out the Cangming Halberd and launched a surprise attack, catching the enemy off guard and making it easy to succeed.

These demon generals never imagined that one of them would join forces with a dragonman to fight against their own kind.

Moreover, Chen Yuan was very cautious. To prevent any accidents, he spared no effort to consume his true essence and condense the power of spatial destruction, making it even more difficult for them to resist.

However, these three demon generals, as expected of the powerful figures under the Demon King, were all extremely tough. None of them were willing to submit and surrender. They would rather have their souls erased by Chen Yuan than reveal any information.

Zhou Muyun also received a message from Elder Yingshan that a demon general had been killed.

However, one dragon-human at the mid-stage of the Cloud Soaring Realm died at the hands of the Demon General.

The message he sent back before his death using a conch shell conveyed a sense of panic. He had encountered three demon generals and was about to flee when they caught up with him, and then nothing more was said.

Dragon people also have a method similar to the natal lamp, used to distinguish between life and death, called "Dragon Fish Pool".

This method involves using a rare spiritual material called Warm Soul Jade to construct a jade pool about ten feet in size. After a hundred years, a pool of jade liquid will be produced.

At this moment, the dragon man separates a wisp of his divine soul and puts it into the dragon, which will then condense into a dragon fish, and will dissipate only when the dragon dies.

After the elder of Yingshan sent the message, the dragon fish that remained vanished in just a few breaths, killed by the demon general.

Afterwards, Zhou Muyun went to investigate, but he couldn't even find the elder's body. All that was left was a tribe that had been completely slaughtered and a collapsed Dragon Breath Platform.

Several Dragon Breath Platforms had already been destroyed, but the demon general who carried out the attack had already left and disappeared without a trace.

Elder Yingshan was shocked to realize how rampant the demon race was. However, when they made their move, they also slaughtered the entire dragon tribe, and no news of it even came out.

Elder Zhou quickly returned with a dozen or so dragon people, carried the giant python's corpse, and took his leave.

Chen Yuan did not return to Iron Frost City; instead, he turned and flew southeast.

While waiting for Elder Yingshan's message, he also searched for the Demon General's whereabouts along the Dragon's Breath Terrace.

Just as he was about to fly out of the Gobi Desert, Chen Yuan suddenly slowed down his escape, flipped his hand to take out a conch shell, placed it to his ear, and listened intently. (End of Chapter)