Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The Demon General of Lieshan revealed a look of delight: "This dragon aura is extremely domineering, it must be related to a true dragon, and there may be some treasure inside."

After saying that, he descended into the light and flew into the stone platform.

Chen Yuan and the other two followed closely behind. The dragon energy inside the stone platform was even purer and more violent, and the pressure on the four of them increased, making them slightly more strained.

Even when they unleashed their divine senses, they were blocked by the dragon energy and could only probe out a few thousand feet. Below them lay an endless expanse, with no bottom in sight. Only the Xuanhuang dragon energy surged forth.

Qin Yuan, the Demon General, frowned and said, "Even a Blood Condensation Realm Dragonman can freely come and go from this place, but we, as high-ranking Demon Generals, are finding it a bit difficult."

"This is only because the dragon energy tide has not yet erupted; otherwise, wouldn't we be unable to move an inch?"

The Demon General Chen Yu's expression turned slightly solemn: "The methods left behind by the True Dragon are no ordinary matters."

"This is only the lowest grade of Dragon Breath Platform. If what Li Chongshan and Zhang Fengyue said is true, there are at least a hundred Dragon Breath Platforms in this Xuanli Realm."

"The dragon energy in those high-level dragon breath platforms must be incredibly violent."

Chen Yuan's eyes flickered, but he remained silent, listening to the three people's conversation as he flew downwards.

After entering the Dragon Breath Platform, the jade pendant in his body suddenly lit up with a red light and became warm.

Chen Yuan was overjoyed, but the jade pendant quickly returned to its original state, then shone with a red light that kept flowing.

Chen Yuan had never seen the jade pendant behave so strangely before. He was secretly alarmed and carefully observed the changes in the jade pendant, having no time to pay attention to anything else.

The jade pendant showed no other unusual behavior, and the cycle continued in the same way.

Chen Yuan pondered to himself that the jade pendant would only behave this way when it discovered the blood of a true spirit within a thousand feet.

However, he had already used his divine sense to investigate, and within a thousand feet below, there was nothing but the ever-emerging dragon energy, with no trace of true spirit blood at all.

A hint of doubt arose in Chen Yuan's heart. His divine sense remained on the jade pendant and slowly descended downwards.

As they ventured deeper, the dragon energy surged forth in ever greater numbers, increasing the pressure on the four.

However, for high-ranking demon generals, this pressure is still bearable, and they cannot even break through the demon power shield.

But if it were a demon general, it would have already been reduced to dust by the endless pressure of the dragon energy, leaving no trace of its body.

At the same time, their divine senses were being continuously compressed, only able to extend a few hundred feet.

A quarter of an hour later, the four of them plunged ten thousand feet into the stone platform and finally arrived at the end of the passage.

Below, the space suddenly opened up, revealing a vast underground space, at least a thousand feet in size, whose boundaries were beyond the reach of the four people's divine senses.

A massive stone dragon snaked out, stretching for hundreds of feet. Its rough body was more than ten feet wide, and its scales, formed from massive boulders, were thick and heavy, engraved with intricate and complex spiritual patterns.

The dragon's head is right below the crowd, facing the passage. Its horns and whiskers are made of bright yellow rock, and it looks very lifelike.

However, the dragon's two eyes lack pupils, making it look like a real dragon in a painting that has not yet had its eyes painted, losing some of its charm and appearing somewhat stiff.

The dragon's mouth opened wide, and countless strands of mysterious yellow dragon energy surged out, gathering on the stone dragon's body and flowing into the passage.

The four of them arrived at the underground cavern. The dragon energy surged like giant waves and rushed straight towards them, but was blocked by the demonic energy shield.

Beneath the stone dragon's body, white clouds churned and trembled under the stirring of dragon energy; these clouds were clearly formed from incomparably pure spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy and the dragon energy are clearly distinct, separated by the stone dragon.

Qin Yuan, the demon general, stared at the giant stone dragon with surprise in his eyes: "This dragon energy actually originates from a spiritual vein, and it's only a small one, yet it's so domineering. It must be the work of a true spirit."

Looking at the intricate and complex spiritual patterns on the stone dragon's body, Demon General Shen Yu said solemnly, "This spiritual vein actually makes me feel a sense of fear from the depths of my bloodline, as if I were facing a demon king or demon saint. Do the three of you feel the same way?"

The Demon General of Lieshan's eyes burned with fervor: "Like Fairy Chenyu, I felt a vague sense of fear upon seeing this spiritual vein, but it wasn't very strong and has already been suppressed."

"It's just a small spiritual vein, which we could destroy with a flick of our wrist, yet it gives us this feeling. There must be something fishy about it."

Shen Yu, the Demon General, suddenly looked at Chen Yuan, her beautiful eyes sparkling: "Fellow Daoist Bei Ming has been silent since entering this Dragon Breath Platform, seemingly lost in thought. Could it be that you have made a discovery?"

Upon hearing this, both Qin Yuan Demon General and Lie Shan Demon General turned to look at them.

Qin Yuan, the Demon General, looked on with a questioning gaze and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Bei Ming possesses the bloodline of the Kun fish and is proficient in spatial supernatural powers."

"The location of the spiritual vein is both real and illusory. If you notice anything unusual, please feel free to enlighten me."

The Demon General of Lieshan revealed a hint of suspicion in his eyes: "Indeed, the four of us have received the Demon King's decree and are entrusted with a heavy mission. We will work together and cooperate sincerely."

"If Fellow Daoist Beiming makes any discoveries, please inform him. If you can find any signs of the True Spirit Relics, the Demon King will bestow a generous reward upon you."

Meeting the gazes of the three men, Chen Yuan said solemnly, "If I gain anything, I will naturally not keep it to myself."

"Just now, I was pondering in my heart why that true dragon would build the Dragon Breath Platform, but I still couldn't understand its meaning."

"Now that I have seen this small spiritual vein, I have finally gained something."

Shen Yu, the Demon General, flashed her beautiful eyes and said softly, "I hope Fellow Daoist Bei Ming will not hesitate to give me your guidance."

Chen Yuan looked down at the stone dragon, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes, and slowly said, "The spiritual patterns on this ley line are intricate, clearly indicating that an array has been set up to transform spiritual energy into dragon energy, causing the Xuanli Realm to be transformed."

"Such a grand undertaking is very likely the work of that true dragon himself, and it shouldn't just be for the purpose of modifying this spatial secret realm."

"According to Li Chongshan and Zhang Fengyue, there are over a hundred Dragon Breath Platforms scattered throughout the Xuanli Realm, which reminds me of the array flags and array bases used when setting up the formation..."

Qin Yuan, the Demon General, brightened up: "Fellow Daoist, do you mean that this Dragon Breath Platform is an array base?"

Chen Yuan nodded: "That's right. We will all set up formations outside the cave, based on the spiritual veins. The spiritual energy will be inexhaustible, so there is no need to consume spirit stones. The defensive capabilities are also incomparable to ordinary formations."

"The array set up by that true dragon covers the entire Xuanli Realm, consuming a great deal of energy. Naturally, it needs spiritual veins as its foundation to sustain it."

"Before seeing this spiritual vein, I was unaware that dragon energy was actually transformed from spiritual energy."

Therefore, it was not connected with the defensive array of this world, but rather it was thought to be related to the Dragon Breath Platform and the True Spirit Relics.

"But now it seems that dragon energy is spiritual energy, and there are many of these dragon breath platforms, and they are even of different levels, which is very similar to the foundation of a large formation."

The Demon General of Lieshan nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense. It seems we are quite lucky. We have found the foundation of the great formation as soon as we entered this realm."

"If we destroy all these array bases, the great array covering this world will naturally be destroyed, and we will have done a great service."

Qin Yuan, the Demon General, stared at the stone dragon below and said in a deep voice, "If Fellow Daoist Bei Ming's speculation is true, we must hurry up."

"This Dragon Breath Platform is the base of the Xuanli Realm's defensive array. It must be widely distributed and so conspicuous that other demon generals would not have difficulty discovering the mystery."

"First, destroy this array base, then destroy the Dragon Breath Platforms in Qiushi Tribe, Tushan City, and other places, and leave the energy in the remaining spiritual veins. When the Demon Saint and Demon King arrive, it will be clear proof of our merit."

"Fortunately, this great formation is based on spiritual veins; otherwise, it would have taken much more effort to leave evidence and prevent others from stealing the credit."

Chen Yuan said, "Fellow Daoist Qin Yuan, please be patient. Before we set off, the demon kings made it clear that finding clues to the True Spirit Treasure was our priority, and there was no need to rush to break the formation." "I also heard that the demon saints have sent out quite a few formation masters, and they will naturally prioritize breaking the formation."

Qin Yuan, the Demon General, said solemnly, "How could I forget the Demon King's decree?"

"But the demon kings instructed us to prioritize finding the true spirit treasures, rather than completely disregarding our task of breaking the formation."

"Now that we have arrived at the Dragon's Breath Platform, what harm is there in destroying it as we please?"

"After leaving this place, we will go to Tushan City to inquire about the situation of this world from Wang Xuanyue and other cultivators at the Tengyun Realm. We will inevitably become enemies with them."

"Destroying the Dragon Breath Platform in Tushan City is a natural course of action and won't waste much time."

"The Cangnan region has a history of tens of thousands of years and must have many treasures. Let's just loot them all."

"In this way, we can gain some benefits first, and perhaps even find clues to the True Spirit Cave. It's a win-win-win situation, isn't it wonderful?"

The Demon General of Lieshan said, "This is exactly what I wanted to say. We can kill people to seize their treasures, search their souls, and destroy the platform. It's the best of both worlds."

"As long as you conceal your identity and don't reveal your presence, even if there are Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators in this world, you won't cause trouble."

Shen Yu, the demon general, frowned slightly: "If it is really as you two fellow Daoists say, then it is naturally the best of both worlds."

"But as far as I know, this kind of array that covers an entire world is extremely mysterious. The array spirit may have already developed intelligence and its methods are extraordinary. It is absolutely impossible to fight against it."

"If we destroy this Dragon Breath Platform, we might alert the array spirit and bring about unforeseen disaster."

Both of them were taken aback. Qin Yuan, the demon general, asked in confusion, "I have heard that there are spirits in the defensive formations, but they have no intelligence, only instinctive thoughts."

"If the array spirit also possesses sentience, wouldn't it be no different from us?"

Shen Yu, the demon general, said, "I also heard from a fellow Daoist who is skilled in the art of formations that all the arts of cultivation lead to the same goal. Just as there are different levels of spiritual treasures and divine weapons, there are also differences in formations."

"The array spirit that Fellow Daoist Qinyuan mentioned is no different from the weapon spirit of a spiritual treasure or divine weapon."

"The spirit of a Tongtian Lingbao can take form, develop intelligence, and speak human language. Such spirits naturally exist in the world as well."

"It is extremely difficult for a formation spirit to awaken its intelligence. It must be a formation that covers an entire world, and the formation must be extremely profound."

"That fellow Daoist's lifelong pursuit was to set up such a heaven-reaching array, so that he could die without regret."

"This array was set up by a true spirit, and it is based on at least a hundred spiritual veins, covering an entire realm. Even a demon saint cannot forcibly break it."

"If there is a spirit within the array, it is highly likely, as that fellow Daoist said, that it has already awakened its intelligence and could kill us in the blink of an eye. We must not be careless."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Qin Yuan Demon Commander and Lie Shan Demon Commander turned ugly.

Chen Yuan's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Is what you say true, Fairy? A spirit array that has awakened its intelligence is even rarer than a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure?"

Seeing this, Demon General Shen Yu assumed that he was afraid of the array spirit and comforted him, saying, "I am only guessing. Even if the array spirit has really awakened its intelligence, there are many array bases in this array, and our cultivation is low. It should not specifically target us."

"Moreover, according to that fellow Daoist, even if the array spirit gains intelligence, it is still subject to constraints and has no physical form. It is like a divine soul and cannot act arbitrarily."

Chen Yuan's expression softened somewhat: "Thank you for your guidance, Fairy. In that case, we must not destroy this Dragon Breath Platform..."

His mind was in turmoil as he thought of the green-robed array spirit on Tongtian Island.

If what Demon General Shenyu said is true, and it is so difficult for a formation spirit to awaken its intelligence, even rarer than a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, then how was the green-robed formation spirit born?
That Master Fu Huaixiao was merely a Nascent Soul cultivator, but in the mortal realm, he was naturally a powerful cultivator with unparalleled abilities.

Not only did he lead ancient cultivators to conquer all the heavens and myriad realms, but 40,000 years later, the Tongtian Island he left behind still retains most of its techniques, and even Nascent Soul cultivators dare not easily set foot there, which shows his extraordinary supernatural powers.

However, if placed in the upper realm, Nascent Soul cultivators are not worth mentioning at all.

The Tongtian Island Grand Array set up by that Master Fu did not cover an entire realm, yet it gave birth to an array spirit. What methods did he use...?

Chen Yuan's mind raced with thoughts, but he knew this was not the time to dwell on them, so he suppressed them.

Qin Yuan, the Demon General, said solemnly, "That's right, even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, we absolutely cannot take the risk."

"But even if we don't destroy the Dragon's Breath Platform, we cannot leave now."

"We still need to investigate further. If we can discover its secrets, it may be helpful for our search for the true spiritual treasure."

Chen Yuan and the other two nodded in agreement and immediately began to use their respective methods to investigate the spiritual vein.

However, after hearing about the array spirit from the demon general Chen Yu, they dared not be careless and were extremely cautious, fearing that damage to the spiritual veins would attract the attention of the possible array spirit, and it would be too late to regret it.

Since the spiritual veins cannot be damaged, the only option is to focus on examining the intricate spiritual patterns on the stone dragon's body.

However, none of the four of them cultivated the Dao of Arrays, and these spiritual patterns were extremely complex. They only knew that they were exceptionally mysterious and formed a great array, but they did not know the secrets behind them.

Chen Yuan kept an eye on the strange behavior of the jade pendant. After arriving in the underground space, the jade pendant was still the same as before, sometimes emitting a red light and sometimes calming down, repeating the cycle.

However, the crimson light was extremely intense, and the jade pendant itself changed from warm to scalding hot, indicating that there must be true spirit blood here.

However, the jade pendant sometimes shone brightly with crimson light, and at other times it showed no abnormality. Could it be that the true spirit blood suddenly appeared and then suddenly disappeared, causing the jade pendant to react in this way?

Chen Yuan was completely baffled. He kept an eye on the changes in the jade pendant while carefully observing the stone dragon. After half an hour, he finally made a discovery.

The dragon energy gushing from the stone dragon's mouth is not constant, but fluctuates, sometimes dense and sometimes thin, with intervals of about ten breaths.

Whenever the dragon breath spewed from the stone dragon's mouth becomes thick and pure, the jade pendant will glow with a red light.

When the dragon energy becomes thin, the jade pendant will calm down and show no abnormalities.

Chen Yuan's heart stirred. It seemed that this True Spirit Blood was related to the Stone Dragon, and was very likely inside the Stone Dragon's body, or even left by that True Dragon.

Chen Yuan's heart burned with excitement. The essence blood of a true dragon was a hundred times better than the blood of an ordinary true spirit. Even obtaining just a drop would be a treasure of heaven and earth.

But he dares not destroy the stone dragon now, so how can he obtain the true spirit blood?

Chen Yuan frowned, and after thinking about it for a while, he finally gave up the idea.

In this Xuanli Realm, there is more than one Dragon Breath Platform, but this Dragon Breath Platform is nothing special.

Since the spiritual vein beneath this Dragon Breath Platform contains the blood of a true spirit, the spiritual veins beneath other Dragon Breath Platforms should also contain it.

There's no need to rush and risk disturbing the array spirit just to obtain the true spirit blood from this small spiritual vein.

Moreover, since this Dragon Breath Platform was built by a true spirit, it is very likely that it left behind countermeasures. Even if this spiritual vein is destroyed, it may not be possible to obtain the blood of a true spirit.

Chen Yuan sighed inwardly. The other three had tried everything they could, but to no avail.

Qin Yuan, the Demon General, frowned and said, "It seems that unless this small spiritual vein is destroyed, we won't be able to discern any secrets of the formation."

"However, we cannot disturb the possible spirit of the formation, so we have no choice but to leave this place first and head to Tushan City to investigate the situation in this realm before making further plans." (End of Chapter)