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

"call--!!"

The sharp whistling of the wind filled their ears, and before them stretched the rapidly rising, shrinking entrance to the collapsing cavern, followed by the blood-red dragon's breath that surged forward but was ultimately left behind. Then came endless darkness and scorching heat.

Lu Zhao plummeted into the depths of the crevice like a meteorite. The deeper he went, the higher the temperature rose, and the violent, chaotic earth fire spiritual energy, like countless red-hot needles, relentlessly pierced his mangled body. The surrounding rock walls turned a dark red under the intense heat, and in some places, they had even melted into lava, slowly flowing. The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and a scorching, violent earth elemental energy, mixed with wisps of dragon's might, refined by the earth fire, becoming purer but also more difficult to absorb.

"puff!"

Lu Zhao spat out another mouthful of blood, which evaporated before it even hit the ground due to the intense heat. His skin throbbed with pain. If he hadn't just broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, which strengthened his physical body and provided automatic protection from the Annihilation Dragon Qi, the intense heat and violent spiritual energy during the fall would have been enough to completely incinerate his severely injured body.

He took a deep breath and channeled his spiritual power, attempting to slow his descent. At the same time, he retrieved several high-quality defensive magical artifacts and talismans from his [human skin pouch], activating them without hesitation to form several layers of dim light shields around himself. However, in this raging environment of subterranean fire, the light of these artifacts quickly dimmed and shattered, turning to ashes after only a few breaths.

"The earth fire spiritual energy here is too violent, and it is mixed with the dragon's might and evil energy. Ordinary magic artifacts cannot last long." Lu Zhao felt a chill in his heart, knowing that he could no longer rely on external objects.

He took a deep breath (inhaling scorching hot air through his mouth and nose), no longer trying to slow down, but instead activating the True Dragon Body Forging Technique and the Nine Netherworld Annihilation Scripture. The Annihilation Dragon Qi surged within his body, repairing his injuries, while simultaneously forming a thin layer of protective Qi on his body surface, flowing with a gray-gold luster, isolating, devouring, and refining the scorching earth fire spiritual power and the dragon's mighty aura.

The True Dragon Body Forging Technique operated frantically, utilizing the violent pressure and heat of the place, as well as the wisps of dragon's might that had been tempered by the earth fire and were now more "pure" (though still filled with resentment) to relentlessly pound his bones, fascia, and internal organs. Each heartbeat was accompanied by a slight hum in his bones and the reorganization and strengthening of his flesh. Pain surged like waves, but Lu Zhao's will had already been honed to rock-solid through countless brushes with death. He gritted his teeth and endured it, even actively guiding more earth fire spiritual energy and dragon's might into his body for an even more brutal tempering.

I don't know how long I fell; it felt like a moment, yet also like an eternity.

"Thump!"

With a dull thud, Lu Zhao finally crashed to the ground. Beneath him wasn't hard rock, but a thick layer of soft yet scorching hot ash and solidified lava fragments accumulated over countless years. The immense impact caused him to cough up blood again; his bones felt as if they had shattered, and his internal organs had shifted.

But he is still alive.

He struggled to sit up and looked around.

This place seemed to be a much larger space deep within the earth's veins. The dome was extremely high, hidden in the swirling, scorching air currents and dark red light; the top was invisible, with only a few faint rays of light filtering through the massive fissure entrance above. All around were jagged, dark red rock walls, covered with traces of erosion from the intense heat and the passage of time. Faint, large, indistinct patterns resembling scales and claw marks could be seen, exuding an ancient and desolate aura.

In the center of the space was a huge, dried-up crater, its shape vaguely resembling… a dragon's claw mark? Scattered at the bottom of the crater were some huge, dark gold bone fragments, as well as some "Earth Fire Fiend Crystals" that resembled black crystals, containing terrifyingly high temperatures and malevolent energy. Further away, countless deep ravines crisscrossed the ground, some of which had dark red, viscous magma flowing at their bottoms, radiating astonishing heat.

The entire space was permeated with a dragon's might that was even more ancient, heavier, and more chaotic and violent than the cave above! This dragon's might lacked the forced corruption and distortion of the "Blood Fiend Dragon's" resentment, but possessed more of the warrior's killing intent and unyielding spirit, as well as the frenzy and chaos eroded by countless years and the earth's fire. In the air, besides the scorching earth fire spiritual energy, there was also the dragon's mighty aura, refined by the high temperature, making it even more condensed and untamable. Taking a single breath felt like having one's internal organs scorched by fire.

"Is this... the true burial site of that ancient general? Or perhaps, a deeper node within the 'Ten Thousand Dragons Devouring the Heavens Formation'?" Lu Zhao realized. The "Blood Dragon Fiend Pool" above was merely an evil formation created by the Soul Devouring Demon Sect using the resentful aura and some remains from the surrounding area. The true origin and most of the remains should be in the sealed space deep within this earth vein. Due to the constant tempering by the earth fire and the existence of the seal, the dragon's might and fiendish aura here are actually more "pure" (though still chaotic), making them difficult to utilize, but also more completely preserved.

"Although this place is dangerous, with raging subterranean fires and violent baleful energy, it is, for me, an excellent place to seclude myself, heal my wounds, and consolidate my cultivation!" A glint of light flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. He possessed the power of the Annihilating Dragon, which could devour and refine all kinds of energy, including this violent dragon's might and baleful energy. Although the environment here was harsh, it also meant that few people came here, making it safe for the time being.

He forced himself to move to a corner relatively far from the lava ravines, sheltered by huge rocks. First, he took out several sets of array flags from the black-robed man from his [human skin pouch]. These flags had extremely strong protective and concealment effects. Enduring the excruciating pain, he barely managed to set up a simple concealment and protection array to isolate some of the high temperature of the earth fire and the impact of the evil energy, as well as to prevent possible detection.

After doing all this, he sat down cross-legged and first took out the fist-sized, gray-gold essence of the Annihilation Dragon Qi.

The essence of dragon energy floated quietly in his palm, radiating a warm yet powerful force. Within it, countless tiny gray-gold light points seemed to slowly circulate, exuding a supreme dragon might that also carried the meaning of annihilation and return to nothingness. Just by getting close, the "Annihilation Demon Dragon" Dao Foundation within Lu Zhao's body spontaneously accelerated its rotation, conveying an intense desire.

Without further hesitation, Lu Zhao opened his mouth and inhaled. The essence of the dragon energy transformed into a warm current, flowing into his mouth, down his throat, and into his dantian.

"boom!"

Like a drop of water falling into a boiling oil pan! The pure and boundless Annihilation Dragon Qi exploded within his body, rapidly merging into his limbs and bones, into every meridian, and into the foundation of his "Annihilation Demon Dragon." His newly broken-through, not yet fully stable late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, under the nourishment of this identical and incomparably pure primordial power, stabilized at an astonishing speed and began to steadily advance towards the peak of the late-stage Foundation Establishment!

At the same time, the pure dragon energy was rapidly repairing his severe injuries. Broken bones healed and strengthened with a "crack" sound, severed meridians were reconnected and widened, and damaged internal organs were nourished and restored to life. The deep wounds on his body that exposed bone were also growing new granulation tissue at a visible speed, healing quickly and leaving only faint scars, which soon disappeared completely.

The True Dragon Body Forging Technique operated at its maximum, guiding the pure dragon energy to conduct a deeper cleansing and strengthening of his physical body. Beneath his skin, the faint gray-gold dragon scale phantom reappeared, becoming clearer and more solid. Deep within his bones, a faint gray-gold luster flowed.

Lu Zhao was enveloped in a dense gray-gold light, his aura was steadily increasing, and his injuries were rapidly healing.

However, just as he was immersed in the pleasure of healing and consolidating his cultivation, a sudden change occurred!

After absorbing a portion of the dragon's essence, the "Reverse Scale Pact" between his brows flashed slightly, seemingly resonating with this ancient sealed space on a deeper level.

"Thump...thump...thump..."

A faint yet incredibly heavy heartbeat, seemingly emanating from the depths of the earth or from ancient times, faintly reached Lu Zhao's ears and struck directly upon his soul!

This heartbeat did not come from the mad, bloodthirsty dragon, but from something far more ancient, deeper, and more... ferocious! It carried an endless rage and destructive impulse accumulated over countless years of being sealed and tormented by the earth's fire!

Lu Zhao suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in his gray-gold pupils. He extended his divine sense to the fullest extent, probing towards the direction from which the heartbeat came—the bottom of the dried-up pit in the center, which resembled a dragon claw mark, the depths of those huge dark-gold bone fragments, and even further down to the scorching ley lines.

The next moment, his expression changed slightly.

In his divine sense, among the scattered bone fragments and the rock layers deep at the bottom of the pit, there seemed to be some enormous, heavy "thing" filled with chaotic and violent will, being attracted by the aura of the "Reverse Scale Pact" and the essence of the Annihilation Dragon Qi that he had just absorbed, slowly awakening from its deepest slumber...

It's not a complete soul, but more like a wisp of remaining intelligence, its wisdom mostly worn away by the earth's fire and the passage of time, leaving only the purest destructive instinct—an undying fighting spirit. Or... it's a fragment of the ancient warrior's remains, not yet completely corrupted but certainly not lucid, a part of his remnant soul's obsession, combined with the earth's malevolent energy to form some kind of... Earthly Fiend Dragon Soul?

"Trouble... It seems this place isn't entirely safe after all." Lu Zhao's heart sank, and he quickened his pace in healing and absorbing the dragon's essence. He knew he had to recover his strength as much as possible, or even... try to subdue it, or escape again, before that "thing" fully awakened or was completely drawn to him!

In the silent yet scorching underground space (except for the gurgling of subterranean fire and the faint sound of a heartbeat), time quietly passed. The gray-gold light emanating from Lu Zhao grew stronger, his aura becoming increasingly stable and powerful. And deep underground, the ancient being, stirred and imbued with a destructive will, seemed to be accelerating its awakening…