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

The core area is a scene that defies description, resembling purgatory.

This appears to be a vast, naturally formed underground cavern, its dome so high it seems to disappear into the swirling, crimson mist. At the center of the cavern lies a colossal pool, hundreds of feet in diameter, resembling a boiling sea of ​​blood—the Blood Dragon's Fiend Pool!

The "water" in the pool was not a liquid, but an extremely viscous, bubbling mixture of dark red blood and thick, malevolent energy! Countless contorted faces of agony appeared, wailed, and sank on the surface of the blood pool—the souls of the sacrificed living beings, condemned to eternal damnation. A pungent, sweet-smelling stench and a soul-piercing, venomous intent permeated every inch of the air.

In the center of the blood pool, atop a grotesque altar constructed from countless coarse bones and black rocks, floats a fist-sized, dark red, rhomboid crystal—the Vengeful Dragon Soul Crystal—with an inner swirling, grayish-black mist that pulses continuously! The crystal emits an eerie light, each pulse like the beating of a heart, causing the entire blood pool to boil and emanate a chillingly malevolent aura. Furthermore, a pure yet twisted dragon's might emanates from it.

Most striking of all is the enormous, half-illusory, half-real creature above the blood pool, which almost fills most of the cave space—the Blood Fiend Wraith Dragon!

It was not a physical entity, but rather a terrifying phantom formed from endless bloodlust, the resentment of the dragon race, and a corrupted portion of the dragon's soul essence. Its form was serpentine like a mountain range, with indistinct five claws, a ferocious head, and two enormous, hollow eyes burning with crimson flames, filled with madness, pain, and a tyrannical will to destroy everything. Its massive body was tightly bound and pierced by dozens of thick chains covered in crimson runes, extending from the surrounding rock walls and altar, as if it were forcibly imprisoned here, serving as an energy source and "material" for refining the "Vengeful Dragon Soul Crystal."

At this moment, the Blood Fiend Dragon was in a state of extreme rage. Due to the reverse flow of energy from the backup blood pool and the loss of control over its own power, it was struggling madly, emitting deafening roars. With each struggle, the blood-red chains rattled and flashed with blood-red light, causing the entire cavern to shake violently. Huge boulders kept falling from the ceiling, crashing into the blood pool and stirring up towering waves of blood.

At the edge of the blood pool and near the hideous altar, several groups of people were engaged in a fierce battle, their target being the "Wraith Dragon Soul Crystal" on the altar!

With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Liu Jingyun joined forces with another late-stage Foundation Establishment elder of the Xuantian Sword Sect (who hadn't appeared before but must have arrived later). Their swords flashed, and they were locked in fierce combat with three powerful late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Demon Sect, clad in blood-red bone armor and clearly confidants of the Blood Bone Demon. Sword energy and blood light clashed repeatedly, creating deafening roars.

A short distance away, a scholar surnamed Li from the Yunmeng Sect and two fellow disciples were working together to activate a jade ruyi-shaped magic weapon, releasing a hazy, clear light to defend against the attacks of various monsters formed from blood-fiend energy that were constantly surging out of the blood pool. At the same time, they were vigilantly watching their surroundings, clearly also looking for an opportunity to seize the soul crystal.

General Zhao of the Great Jin Dynasty led several of his men, forming a simple battle formation, to fight against another team of five black-robed men from the Soul Devouring Demon Sect (not from the Blood Bone Demon lineage). The two sides fought fiercely and were evenly matched.

The Blood Bone Demon himself hovered diagonally above the altar, facing the frantically struggling phantom of the Blood Fiend Dragon. His hands moved rapidly, forming hand seals, and he chanted ancient and evil incantations, attempting to stabilize the dragon and accelerate the condensation of the "Fiend Dragon Soul Crystal." His face was pale, clearly indicating that the explosion of the backup blood pool and the dragon's loss of control had also caused him considerable backlash.

"Almost there! Almost there! Just a little longer and the Soul Crystal will be fully formed, giving us initial control over this Blood Fiend Dragon. Then... um?!" The Blood Bone Demon's eyes gleamed with greed and madness, but just as the Soul Crystal was about to solidify completely, he suddenly turned his head and looked towards the entrance of the cave!

Not only him, but also Liu Jingyun, the scholar surnamed Li, General Zhao and others in the fierce battle, and even the crazed Blood Fiend Dragon, all seemed to sense something and turned their gazes in the same direction!

A streak of grey-gold light rushed in from the entrance at an astonishing speed! Within the light was a young cultivator dressed in black robes with an ordinary face. But what shocked everyone was that this person emanated a strange grey-gold aura, imbued with the ancient might of a dragon! This aura was completely different from the corrupted dragon might permeating the cave; it was purer, more ancient, and more… supreme! It seemed… to be the true source of the Blood Fiend Dragon's power in its previous life!

What made the Blood Bone Demon's eyes widen in disbelief was that a complex and mysterious dark golden mark between the man's eyebrows was radiating a scorching light. It resonated strongly with the "Vengeful Dragon Soul Crystal" on the altar, the frantically struggling "Blood Fiend Vengeful Dragon" phantom, and even the seal of the entire cavern!

"What...is that?!" "Who is this person?!" "Why does he possess such pure dragon might?!" "That mark..."

Exclamations arose from different people, filled with shock, doubt, greed, and a hint of... unease.

The moment the Blood Fiend Dragon sensed the aura of the "Reverse Scale Pact" (Soul Devouring Seal) on Lu Zhao, its massive body stiffened abruptly. Then, the madness and savagery in its two giant, blood-red flame-like eyes receded for a moment, replaced by an extreme sense of bewilderment, confusion, and... a trace of a branding sensation from the deepest part of its soul, as if it had been forcibly awakened after countless years of slumber!

But immediately afterward, the branding sensation was overwhelmed by an even more surging resentment, pain, and corrupted madness! It seemed to regard the pure dragon might on Lu Zhao's body, imbued with the aura of "ashes," as a provocation, a mockery of them, the "fallen," a... incredibly tempting "nourishment" that could be devoured and defiled!

"roar--!!!"

A roar more furious and greedy than ever before erupted from the Blood Fiend Dragon's mouth! It temporarily abandoned its struggle against the chains, its massive head abruptly turning towards Lu Zhao, opening its enormous maw—a maw large enough to swallow mountains—formed from blood fiend energy. A dark red, blood fiend dragon breath, over ten zhang in diameter and condensed to its extreme, surged forth like a destructive torrent, carrying the terrifying power to incinerate all things and corrupt souls, crashing towards Lu Zhao! Wherever it passed, even space itself seemed to corrode and distort!

This dragon's breath was nearly as powerful as a full-force attack from a pseudo-core cultivator! Moreover, the resentment and filth contained within it caused even more terrifying damage to the soul!

"Watch out!" Liu Jingyun exclaimed instinctively. Although he did not know Lu Zhao, the strange dragon aura emanating from Lu Zhao, which seemed to restrain the place, made him instinctively feel that this person might not be an enemy.

"You're courting death!" The Blood Bone Demon was both shocked and furious. He was annoyed by Lu Zhao's unexpected variable, coveted the strange mark and dragon might on Lu Zhao's body, and was even more worried that Lu Zhao would ruin his grand plan to refine the Soul Crystal. However, he was currently focused on stabilizing the Vengeful Dragon and the Soul Crystal and was unable to spare any attention.

Faced with this terrifying dragon breath, powerful enough to instantly injure or even kill a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, Lu Zhao remained calm. He had anticipated this! The moment he rushed into this place, he knew that his aura of the "Reverse Scale Pact" would be like a beacon in the darkness, making him a target of everyone's attacks in this place filled with corrupted dragon souls!

Instead of retreating, he advanced! He unleashed the [Flowing Cloud Step] to its fullest extent, his figure leaving a trail of afterimages in the air like a ghost, narrowly escaping the edge of the destructive dragon's breath at an incredible angle and speed! The moment the dragon's breath brushed past him, the terrifying corrosive power and the impact of its resentment caused the gray-gold aura around his body to fluctuate violently, his blood surging, but he ultimately dodged it!

Not only that, while dodging, his hands moved swiftly, forming hand seals. The "Reverse Scale Pact" between his brows shone brightly, and a mysterious and obscure syllable with the ancient rhythm of dragon language was chanted softly from his mouth—this was part of the special method in the "Ember" inheritance used to communicate with, appease, and even command dragons (especially those with the attribute of annihilation)! Although the one before him was a vengeful dragon, its essence was still that of a dragon!

"Buzz—!"

A strange scene unfolded! The massive body of the Blood Fiend Dragon trembled violently once more upon hearing the ancient dragon chant, its breath-breathing action faltered, and its crazed eyes once again revealed intense struggle and confusion! The blood-red chains binding it also flickered with an uncertain light!

"It works!" Lu Zhao was overjoyed. Without stopping, he took advantage of the moment when the vengeful dragon was briefly affected by the dragon language, and like a nimble fish, he darted among the blood-red aura, chaotic energy currents, and falling boulders, aiming directly at the bright and soon-to-be-completely formed "vengeful dragon soul crystal" on the altar!

He knew that this Soul Crystal was the key to controlling and even utilizing this Blood Fiend Dragon, the object of the "Soul Devouring Demon Lord's" scheme, and the core of all the filth and resentment in this place! Whether it was to disrupt the Demon Sect's plan, to fulfill "Jin's" entrustment, or for the opportunity he might gain, he had to control it, or... destroy it!

"Stop him!"

"Seize the Soul Crystal!"

"Kill him!"

Almost simultaneously with Lu Zhao's movement, several angry shouts rang out! The Blood Bone Demon, filled with shock and rage, disregarded the backlash and sent a blood-red clone to pounce on Lu Zhao! Liu Jingyun, the scholar surnamed Li, General Zhao, and even the Soul Devouring Demon Sect squad fighting General Zhao, temporarily abandoned their opponents and rushed towards the altar and towards Lu Zhao! At this moment, everyone's focus was on this mysterious black-robed youth who had suddenly appeared and possessed a strange dragon's might mark!

The scene instantly transformed from a multi-party free-for-all into a siege of Lu Zhao alone, with the Blood Fiend Dragon struggling even more frantically and launching indiscriminate attacks! The situation was completely out of control, plunging into the most chaotic and dangerous state!

Lu Zhao, right in the eye of the storm, faced the attacks of everyone and the "Vengeful Dragon Soul Crystal" that symbolized endless power and danger!