Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The northern part of Tushan City was heavily guarded. Although there was no city wall thirty feet high, a ten-foot-high wall still completely isolated the northern part of the city.

The heavy gate was no less imposing than a city gate. On the high watchtower, the warriors of the Hidden Scale Realm looked around with sharp eyes, carrying quivers on their backs and holding longbows beside them.

Above the high walls stand sturdy square cauldrons, shaped like dragon's breath platforms, from which pure dragon energy surges forth, condensing into a dark yellow array that envelops the entire northern city.

Only a few gates were open, without any barrier, and people were coming and going in droves.

When they passed through the gate, they would stop, take out a token, and hand it to the gatekeeper for inspection.

In Tushan City, soldiers from the Cangnan region patrolled the area to deter villains and maintain order. This was also the reason why other dragon people were willing to reside in the city and pay dragon crystals.

Inside the northern part of the city, there were even more patrolling soldiers.

However, apart from the beast tide, Cangnan has not fought with other tribes for a long time, and it also has a defensive formation, making it as solid as a rock.

Therefore, the soldiers in the north city were not on high alert and their expressions were somewhat lazy, but they still stood up straight and dared not be completely lax.

Dragon people also cultivate divine sense. Although the range is not large, the divine sense of a cultivator in the Manifestation Realm can cover a radius of a hundred feet.

The southern part of Cangnan is incredibly powerful, with over forty cultivators at the Manifestation Realm.

If any Manifestation Realm cultivator happens to pass by and sees their laxity, they will surely punish them.

Although there won't be a severe punishment, even just deducting some dragon crystals would be enough to make people feel the pinch.

The northern part of the city is filled with numerous buildings, standing side by side. There are also a few extremely rare wooden buildings, exquisite and elegant, which stand out particularly against the backdrop of the magnificent and ancient stone houses and palaces.

Dragon people have long lifespans, sometimes reaching a thousand years, and are often attacked by waves of dragon beasts.

Therefore, their dwellings are either built of hard rock, making them extremely sturdy and not easily damaged.

Alternatively, they are woven from tough vines such as dragon tendon grass, making them extremely easy to build, and even if destroyed in the tide of dragon beasts, it won't be a big loss.

Smaller tribes, such as the Qiushi and Qiucao tribes, with few people and limited strength, mostly built thatched huts and focused on reinforcing a few large halls to defend against beast tides.

The southern part of Cangnan is wealthy and powerful, and was able to build a strong city. Naturally, it would not build simple thatched huts, but stone houses and palaces.

Only wooden buildings existed, neither sturdy nor convenient, and not a single one could be found in Tushan City.

These exquisite wooden buildings in the center of the northern city, along with the surrounding palaces, were designated as a forbidden area, and the patrolling soldiers dared not approach them easily.

The person living there was naturally extraordinary; it was none other than Wang Xuanyue, the chieftain of the Cangnan tribe.

Several miles away, in a stone house, Chen Yuan and his three companions stood by the window. Separated by layers of buildings, they could see this place clearly with their divine senses, even though their eyes could not reach it.

Wang Shi and Chen Yunjie stood aside, watching the restored Shen Yu Demon General, their expressions still respectful, completely bewitched by the illusion.

As for Li Chongshan and Zhang Fengyue, they are still in Cuiyixuan at this moment.

After learning about the situation in the northern city, Demon General Shenyu first used illusion magic to bewitch four Cangnan cultivators who were enjoying themselves in Cuiyixuan and took their tokens.

This is a pass for entering and exiting the North City. In addition to proving identity, it is also connected to the defensive array.

Anyone who enters or leaves the North City without a token will be immediately identified by the defensive array.

Then, Shen Yu, the demon general, used illusion magic to transform the four of them into the appearance of the four dragon people, disguised as Wang Shi and Chen Yunjie's followers, and successfully entered the North City, arriving at Chen Yunjie's residence.

This place is closer to Wang Xuanyue's cave, making it easier to carry out our plans.

The four of them quietly spread their divine senses to secretly explore Wang Xuanyue's cave, but were blocked by an invisible array and could not make any progress.

This formation only has the effect of shielding divine sense. It is not difficult for a high-level demon general to break through it, but it would also alert Wang Xuanyue, so he had to give up for the time being.

This place is, after all, the territory of the Cangnan tribe, which has been passed down for tens of thousands of years and has laid countless traps.

With only two or three hours left until sunset, the four decided to proceed cautiously and wait until late at night to make their move against Wang Xuanyue.

They didn't intend to slaughter the entire Cangnan region, but rather to capture Wang Xuanyue alive and interrogate her soul. Naturally, they wanted to do it unexpectedly and with as little fanfare as possible.

In this way, we can defeat them one by one, saving a lot of trouble.

While waiting, the unique wooden building in Wang Xuanyue's cave caught the attention of the four.

Qin Yuan, the demon general, exclaimed in amazement, "Wang Xuanyue's residence is completely out of place with the other dragons in Cangnan, lacking any ancient and majestic aura."

"On the contrary, it is very similar to the palaces in our cave dwellings, with flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted rafters, exquisite and elegant, and unique ingenuity."

Shen Yu, the demon general, frowned slightly: "This matter is indeed a bit strange. I have never seen such a building in Tushan City. The dragon people also admire grandeur and magnificence."

"Why is Wang Xuanyue's residence in such a state, given that he is the chieftain of the Cangnan tribe?"

The Demon General of Lieshan said dismissively, "Why bother with such a trivial matter? Just capture Wang Xuanyue and ask her."

Chen Yuan listened silently to the sound of the towering stone wall outside the window, but his divine sense was focused on Wang Xuan Yue's cave. His gaze was deep and unfathomable, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

……

The moon set and the sun rose, and several hours passed quickly. The stars shone brightly, and night fell.

A curfew was imposed in Tushan City, and the dragon people of Cangnan returned to their residences one after another to absorb dragon energy and improve their cultivation.

Although dragon energy is the foundation of dragon people's cultivation, it is too domineering. When meditating and cultivating, one is also using dragon energy to temper the physical body, which is difficult even for dragon people to withstand.

The dragon energy gushing from the Dragon Breath Platform cannot be directly absorbed.

The thin dragon energy that has already spread into the world cannot be absorbed in too much, otherwise it will damage the meridians and harm the foundation.

Therefore, dragon people cannot meditate and cultivate all day long; they can only use half an hour a day to absorb dragon energy.

As cultivation level increases, the physical body becomes increasingly powerful under the tempering of dragon energy, the meridians become more resilient, and the cultivation time can be gradually extended.

If one cultivates to the Manifestation Realm, a single seclusion can last for several months without causing any damage to the meridians.

To remain in seclusion for years like Wang Xuanyue, one must possess the cultivation level of the Cloud Soaring Realm to withstand the tempering of the body by the pure dragon energy.

Only the dragon energy contained in the flesh and blood of dragon beasts has been refined by the dragon beasts and has become much milder. Low-level dragon people do not need to worry too much and can absorb it directly.

However, this method can only consume the flesh and blood of dragons of the same attribute. Dragons and dragon beasts, like humans and demons, are also divided into the five elements.

Consuming the flesh and blood of dragons of other attributes is even more dangerous than directly absorbing the dragon energy in the world.

The dragon energy in the Dragon Energy Stone is the purest, but it is just as domineering as the dragon energy gushing out from the Dragon Breath Platform.

A low-grade dragon energy stone requires at least the cultivation level of the Hidden Scale Realm to refine, and it will take at least a month.

For low-level dragonkin, high-grade dragon energy stones are no different from poison.

Most of the warriors in Cangnan are at the Hidden Scale Realm or Blood Condensation Realm. Three or four hours of cultivation a day is already their limit; any more would be harmful.

As the northern city quieted down, with only a few soldiers patrolling around, Chen Yuan and his companions quietly left Wang Shi's residence, avoiding the dragon people along the way, and headed towards Wang Xuanyue's cave.

Wang Shi and Chen Yunjie only had the cultivation level of the early stage of Manifestation Realm, and their status in Cangnan was not high. Not to mention Wang Xuanyue, they had no chance to meet even the other three elders of Cangnan, so they were of no use.

The four of them arrived safely near Wang Xuan Yue's cave and stopped before the invisible array. The northern city was heavily guarded, with many patrolling soldiers, but here, no one approached, and not a single squad of soldiers was on patrol.

In the past, soldiers patrolled around Wang Xuanyue's cave, and the patrols were most heavily guarded in the northern part of the city.

Even if someone did infiltrate the North City, they would never attack Wang Xuanyue, who was in the late stage of the Cloud Soaring Realm, unless they were courting death.

This array, capable of shielding divine sense, also ensures that all those with ill intentions have nowhere to hide.

According to Wang Shi and Chen Yunjie, when Wang Xuanyue occasionally went out of the pass and saw the soldiers patrolling, he was somewhat displeased and bluntly said that they were "a real eyesore" and asked them to leave.

Over time, Wang Xuanyue's cave remained peaceful and undisturbed. In order not to disturb the clan leader's cultivation, the Cangnan elders stopped allowing soldiers to patrol the area, which became a fixed rule.

Therefore, the only thing the four of them needed to deal with was this invisible array that shielded their divine sense.

Chen Yuan flipped his hand and took out a blue ore the size of a human head. It was covered with orange spots, which shimmered slightly like eyes, making it look very eerie.

He raised his hand and pushed, and the ore slowly flew towards the Demon General Chen Yu. He said in a deep voice, "As previously agreed, this Hundred-Eyed Stone will be given to the Fairy."

Demon General Qin Yuan and Demon General Lie Shan each took out a top-grade spiritual material and handed it to Demon General Chen Yu.

She accepted the three spiritual materials and said with a smile, "I will set up the formation now, and when we make our move later, we will not alert anyone."

With that, she flicked her sleeve, and dozens of array flags appeared out of thin air in front of her, emitting a hazy jade light. They flew around, stuck into the ground, and swayed gently, quite conspicuous in the night.

Fortunately, there were no soldiers from Cangnan patrolling nearby, and the dragon-man's divine sense had a very small coverage area, so no one noticed this strange phenomenon.

The array flags flickered with spiritual light, and a jade-colored array curtain quietly rose, enveloping Wang Xuanyue's cave.

The figures of Chen Yuan and his three companions also disappeared.

After the array was formed, a hint of reluctance flashed in the beautiful eyes of the Demon General Chen Yu. With a flick of her finger, the array plate quietly shattered, turning into dozens of beams of spiritual light that shot into the surrounding array flags.

She then took out four bronze mirrors, threw them into the sky, and they flew in all directions, transforming into four full moons that sprinkled down moonlight like water, merging into the array.

The jade-colored array thickened and became even brighter, standing out prominently in the pitch-black night.

Chen Yuan and the other two's expressions changed slightly. Just then, a group of soldiers from Cangnan came running from a distance and stopped a hundred feet away. They looked at this place from afar with very serious expressions.

Lieshan Demon General frowned and was about to make a move, but was stopped by Shenyu Demon General: "Fellow Daoist Lieshan, please calm down."

He put his hand down with some doubt, only to see the soldiers look around for a moment, then turn and leave, without noticing the jade-colored array or Chen Yuan and his three companions inside.

Shen Yu, the Demon General, smiled charmingly: "Since I have agreed to this matter, there will naturally be no mishaps."

With that, she flicked her sleeve, and the jade-colored array disappeared in a flash, blending into the night.

Of the four round moons formed by the bronze mirrors, three slowly disappeared, leaving only one, which shone even brighter, revealing every detail of the earth.

The full moon that was originally in the sky has disappeared, leaving only a sky full of stars.

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he praised, "Fairy Chenyu has excellent skills. Now we can proceed with our actions with peace of mind."

After learning that there was an invisible formation around Wang Xuanyue's cave, the four of them discussed how to break it.

However, none of them were skilled in formations and had no strategy to break them.

In the end, Fairy Shenyu suggested setting up an illusion array to completely conceal all movements within the array, so that even if a high-ranking demon general made a move, it would not be detected at all.

However, the materials used in this illusion array are extremely rare, and Wang Xuan Yue's cultivation level is not low. In order to conceal the movement, the full power of the illusion array must be activated. After this, it will be rendered useless.

Therefore, each of the three needs to contribute a top-grade spiritual material to compensate for her loss.

Although top-grade spiritual materials are precious, they are nothing to high-level demon generals, let alone top-level high-level demon generals. Chen Yuan and the other two immediately agreed.

The Demon General of Lieshan turned around and sneered, "Now that the illusion array has been set up, there's no need to hold back!"

Having said that, he flipped his hand and took out a pale yellow nine-section iron whip, held it in his hand, and swung it down heavily!
A phantom of a mountain, ten zhang in size, appeared and descended from the sky, instantly shattering the invisible array that could only shield divine sense.

The mountain phantom continued to crash down on the exquisite wooden buildings, when a furious shout suddenly rang out: "Who dares to cause trouble in my Cangnan region!"

A figure flew out of the wooden building, soared into the air, and threw a punch that shattered the mountain phantom!

The man turned around and looked at Chen Yuan and the other three. His pupils contracted, and he was about to speak when Qin Yuan, the Demon Commander, flipped his hand and took out a three-pointed, double-edged sword. He teleported in front of him and slashed down on his head.

The man had no choice but to swallow his words, and instead took out a long spear and held it in front of him.

clang!
With a loud bang, the man, unable to withstand the immense strength of the Demon General Qinyuan, was sent flying backward, passing through two wooden buildings before crashing heavily to the ground, carving a deep furrow and raising a cloud of dust.

Upon seeing this, Demon General Lieshan and Demon General Qinyuan immediately seized the opportunity to pursue and attacked with their spiritual treasures and divine weapons.

Shen Yu, the demon general, also flipped his hand and took out a handkerchief, which he threw forward. It quickly expanded in the air and flew towards where the person had fallen.

She glanced at Chen Yuan and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Beiming, aren't you going to make a move?"

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he flipped his hand to take out the Demon-Slaying Blade. In a flash, he teleported above the man and swung the blade down.

Death energy surged forth, like snakes and pythons, reaching into the dust and exuding a sense of deathly stillness.

The Demon General of Lieshan unleashed his nine-section whip, which once again conjured a phantom mountain, a hundred feet in size, which pressed down with immense force.

The three-pointed double-edged sword in Qin Yuan Demon General's hand remained unchanged, but a chilling light gathered on its blade, making it clear at a glance that it was exceptionally sharp.

They were swift and decisive, and the four of them attacked together, seemingly about to capture Wang Xuanyue in one fell swoop.

But just then, a furious shout came from the dust: "Don't even think about it!"

As soon as the words fell, a dragon's roar soared into the sky, its momentum sweeping across all directions. The full moon formed by the bronze mirror distorted and rippled like water.

A spear emerged from the dust, identical to the spear used by the warriors of the Qiu Cao tribe in the Zhe Lin realm. It was unremarkable, but now it grew wildly, enveloped in the phantom of a true dragon, baring its fangs and claws, and came rushing towards them.

Wherever the phantom of the true dragon passed, the phantom of the mountains shattered, and the deathly snakes vanished. Qin Yuan Demon General and Lie Shan Demon General were swept by the dragon's claws and were sent flying backward without any power to resist.

The phantom of the dragon opened its mouth to bite Chen Yuan, but his expression tightened, and a pair of jet-black wings unfurled from his back. With a gentle flap, his figure disappeared from the spot, avoiding the attack.

The illusory dragon lost its target, let out a long roar, ripped the handkerchief to shreds with its claws, then soared into the sky, biting down on the full moon formed from the bronze mirror and swallowing it.

The jade-colored array reappeared, while the other three bronze mirrors dimmed.

Shen Yu, the demon general, turned pale and spat out a mouthful of blood. The specks of light returned to her hand and condensed into a handkerchief, but it became much rougher.

The phantom of the true dragon crashed headfirst into the array barrier, causing it to shake violently and nearly shatter.

However, the true dragon phantom exhausted all its power after severely injuring three demon generals in succession. Before the array shattered, it turned into specks of light and vanished into nothingness.

At the same time, under the impact of the dragon's energy, the dust dispersed, and a huge human figure emerged.

He was ten zhang tall, his body covered with dark golden scales that shimmered with luster, and a pair of dragon horns on his forehead that were as red as fire coral, crystal clear. He held an ordinary-looking spear and pointed it at Chen Yuan and his companions.

His gaze swept over the four men, finally settling on Chen Yuan, who was unharmed.

His golden eyes held a complex expression, a mixture of shock and pain, as he spoke, each word distinct: "How did you all come to this place? Why do you fight among your own kind?" (End of Chapter)