I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

The withered old man, wielding a jet-black bone staff and with sunken eyes, cast a gaze across the boundary between illusion and reality that, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around Lu Zhao's soul. It wasn't just the tremor of the "Demon Lord's Mark" that was striking; rather, a terrifying will emanating from a higher level, filled with scrutiny, greed, and a hint of doubt, subtly emanated from that gaze, sending chills down Lu Zhao's spine as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his hair standing on end.

"Found you, little mouse." The withered old man's lips curled into a strange smile, his voice dry and hoarse, resounding directly in Lu Zhao's mind. "Bearing the mark of the Holy Lord, and tainted with the aura of the 'Nine Netherworlds'... Whose pawn are you? Or... an unexpected gain?"

At the same time, the other black-robed figures beside him also stopped absorbing the negative obsessions within the "Dragon's Resentment Illusion," their gazes all locking onto the direction where Lu Zhao and Elder Yun were. The aura emanating from them was that of the Foundation Establishment stage, with the withered old man at the head having reached the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, only one step away from the Pseudo-Core stage!

"The lackeys of the Soul Devouring Demon Lord!" Elder Yun's beautiful eyes flashed with cold light. The "Moonlight Sword" emitted a clear, melodious sword cry, and the power of moonlight suddenly condensed on its blade, transforming into a cold, crescent moon phantom that hovered behind her. "Lu Zhao, be careful, their target is you!"

"Heh heh, not only him, but also the 'Dragon's Lament' in this valley." The withered old man chuckled strangely. "I never expected that a Golden Core elder from the Azure Cloud Dao Sect would bring such an interesting little fellow into this place. Perfect, let's take them all in and present them to the Holy Lord; that would surely be a great achievement!"

"Move! Grab that kid, capture him alive! As for the woman, kill her or leave her!"

At the withered old man's command, the four black-robed figures at the early and mid-stages of Foundation Establishment beside him simultaneously transformed into four black shadows, carrying dense demonic energy and a foul stench, and pounced on Lu Zhao and Elder Yun from different directions! Their objectives were clear: three would entangle Elder Yun, while one would go straight for Lu Zhao!

"Hmph!" Elder Yun snorted coldly, and the crescent moon phantom behind him shone brightly. Countless condensed, silken moonlight sword energies, like blooming fireworks, swept towards the three black-robed men rushing towards them! Wherever the sword energies passed, the dark red flames in the illusion were temporarily "frozen" and "purified," displaying astonishing power. The three black-robed men dared not take the attack head-on, and each summoned their magical artifacts (bone staffs, poison banners, skulls, etc.) to defend themselves. For a moment, they were temporarily suppressed by Elder Yun alone.

However, the mid-Foundation Establishment stage black-robed man who rushed straight at Lu Zhao was already in front of him! He was a middle-aged man with a hideous scar on his face, holding a blood-dripping short blade, and his eyes were full of cruelty and bloodlust.

"Kid, come with me!" The scarred man grinned maliciously, his short blade tracing a strange arc as it aimed straight for Lu Zhao's dantian. Simultaneously, his left hand formed a claw, its five fingers black and reeking of poison, grabbing at Lu Zhao's shoulder, clearly intending to cripple his cultivation before capturing him.

Faced with the full-force attack of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, alarm bells rang in Lu Zhao's mind. He knew that a direct confrontation was futile. However, within this "Dragon's Resentment Illusion," the dragon-shaped imprint within his body and the pulsation of the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale reached an unprecedented level, as if creating a violent resonance and confrontation with this illusion and the bone staff in the withered old man's hand (which seemed to be the key to guiding and absorbing the Dragon's Resentment)!

"Don't take it head-on!" A fierce glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. He pushed his [Flowing Cloud Step] to its limit, his figure retreating rapidly to the side and rear like a ghost. At the same time, he no longer suppressed the dragon-shaped mark within his body. Instead, he actively poured a wisp of his spiritual power and will into it, attempting to draw upon the trace of the annihilating primordial dragon might contained within it, originating from the Nine Netherworld Evil Dragon! Without hesitation, he took out the Netherworld Dragon's Reverse Scale, which he had always carefully treasured, from his [Human Skin Pouch]!

"Buzz—!!**"

The moment the Reverse Scale appeared, the entire "Dragon's Lament Illusion" trembled violently! The scattered, gigantic bone phantoms hummed; the negative obsessions of pain, anger, and resentment permeating the world, as if finding an outlet, surged madly towards the Nether Dragon Reverse Scale in Lu Zhao's hand! The deep, dark golden light at the center of the Reverse Scale suddenly erupted with blinding light, and a purer, more ancient, and more majestic dragon's might, filled with the desolation of death, exploded forth from Lu Zhao!

"roar!"

A dragon's roar, seemingly from eternity past, filled with supreme majesty and a will to annihilate, erupted from the Reverse Scale, resonating powerfully with the "dragon's roar" throughout the entire illusion!

The scarred man who had lunged forward was caught off guard by the sudden and overwhelming dragon's might, his movements involuntarily halting, a look of horror flashing in his eyes! He felt his spiritual energy circulation become sluggish, and the oppressive feeling emanating from the depths of his bloodline and soul filled him with fear!

"Now!" Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Lu Zhao stopped retreating and instead stepped forward to face the scarred man! He brought his right index and middle fingers together, gathering all the annihilating spiritual power within his body, along with the origin of the dragon-shaped mark and the wisp of pure dragon energy from the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale, into a single, extremely condensed, deep gray light point—a point that seemed to contain the roar of a miniature gray dragon! Furthermore, a powerful will to "annihilate all obstacles and restore my freedom" was imbued upon it!

"Nirvana Finger - Breaking Boundaries!"

He growled and pointed a finger, not at the scarred man, but at the void behind him, towards the direction of the withered old man's black bone staff, towards the "barrier" between this "Dragon's Lament Illusion" and the real world!

He will use the resonance between the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale and the Illusion, the "annihilation" property of the power of annihilation, and his own desire for "freedom" to forcibly break the illusion's seal!

"laugh--!!**"

The deep gray, annihilating finger force, like a gray lightning bolt, tore through the void of the illusion and slammed fiercely into the invisible "barrier"! The annihilating dragon's might and the will to break boundaries contained within the finger force clashed violently with the power of the "Dragon's Lament Illusion"!

"Boom!"

The entire illusion suddenly shook and distorted violently! The sky collapsed and the earth cracked, flames surged backward, and the figures engaged in battle, including the phantom of the Nine Nether Dragon, began to blur and shatter! Dark cracks spread wildly across the illusion's "sky curtain," centered on the point where Lu Zhao's finger strike had struck!

"What?!" The withered old man's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Lu Zhao to be able to unleash such power and so decisively choose to attack the illusion itself! "Quick! Stabilize the illusion! We can't let him break it!"

He frantically urged the black bone staff in his hand, attempting to stabilize the collapsing illusion. Simultaneously, a jet-black beam of demonic energy, brimming with a devouring aura, shot from the tip of the staff, heading straight for Lu Zhao!

"You little brat, you're asking for death!" The scarred man, recovering from the shock of the dragon's might, was enraged and quickened his pace with his short blade and poisonous claws, fiercely attacking Lu Zhao!

However, at this moment, another unexpected event occurred!

"Break it for me!"

A thunderous roar erupted from outside the "sky curtain" of the illusion! Immediately afterward, an immensely thick, azure blade of energy, carrying destructive wind and thunder power, cleaved the "sky curtain" of the illusion like a giant axe splitting the heavens and earth, striking precisely near the crack created by Lu Zhao's Annihilation Finger Technique!

It was Elder Tie Xing! He had been waiting in the shadows, and seeing the illusion falter, he immediately seized the opportunity and made his move!

"Crack... Boom—!!"

Under the combined attack from both inside and outside, the already crumbling "Dragon's Lament Illusion" finally succumbed to its strain, letting out a deafening roar before utterly collapsing and disintegrating!

The world of destruction, the phantom of battle, the crimson flames... everything vanished like a mirage. The greyish-white mist returned, but was much thinner. Lu Zhao, Elder Yun, and the black-robed figures reappeared in the real valley filled with giant bones. However, this time, a huge crack appeared in the valley floor, along with scattered fragments of illusory energy that hadn't completely dissipated.

"Pfft!" The withered old man, suffering a backlash from the forced shattering of the illusion, turned pale and spat out a mouthful of black blood. The red light in his eyes dimmed slightly. He looked at Elder Tie Xing, who had descended from the sky and landed in front of Lu Zhao and Elder Yun, with a mixture of shock and anger.

"Another Golden Core cultivator?!" The scarred man and the others' expressions changed drastically. Elder Yun, a Golden Core cultivator in the early stages, was already difficult to deal with; now, with the addition of Tie Xing, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator with terrifying combat power, they were at a complete disadvantage.

"Heh heh, old ghost, trying to capture our people? Don't you know whose territory this is!" Elder Tie Xing sneered, carrying his giant sword.

"Go!" The withered old man made a decisive decision without hesitation. He knew that today's operation had failed, and staying would likely mean certain death. He waved his bone staff, and a thick cloud of black smoke erupted, instantly engulfing their figures.

"Trying to run?" Elder Yun and Elder Tie Xing attacked simultaneously, their sword light and blade energy slashing into the black smoke. Several muffled groans came from within the black smoke, but soon, the smoke dissipated, and the figures of the black-robed men had vanished, leaving only a few pools of black blood and some fragments of magical artifacts on the ground.

"You ran fast, didn't you?" Elder Tie Xing snorted, sheathing his giant sword.

Only then did Lu Zhao breathe a sigh of relief, his body swaying as he nearly collapsed. That "Annihilation Finger - Breaking Boundaries" attack had almost drained all his spiritual power and spirit, and the impact of the shattering illusion had left him extremely weak. The light on the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale in his hand also receded once more.

"Lu Zhao, are you alright?" Elder Yun quickly helped him up.

"It's nothing, just a bit too much energy." Lu Zhao shook his head, his gaze fixed on the direction where the withered old man had disappeared, his heart heavy. The forces of the "Soul Devouring Demon Lord" had indeed set their sights on this place, and on him as well.

"Let's leave here first and find a place to rest," Elder Tie Xing said. "That old ghost is injured and shouldn't be coming back anytime soon. However, the secrets of this 'Dragon Roar Valley' are probably more complicated than we imagine."

Just as the three were about to leave, the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale in Lu Zhao's hand suddenly emitted a faint but clear pulsation, pointing towards the deepest part of the valley, to the place where the giant bones were most concentrated.

At the same time, an extremely faint thought, filled with weariness and desolation, yet carrying a trace of expectation and pleading, seemed to have traversed endless years and vaguely entered Lu Zhao's sea of ​​consciousness:

"Those of the same origin...help...to...be liberated..."

The source of this thought was the largest section of the giant bone at its center, a section that was entirely dark gold and, even after countless years, still exuded a chilling aura... the dragon spine!

Lu Zhao's body stiffened abruptly. He understood. Elder Xuanjizi's deduction was correct. There truly was a remnant of an ancient dragon soul within "Dragon's Roar Valley," and it seemed... to be asking him for help?