[Ding!]
A notification flickered before Ye Fang's eyes.
[Ding!]
[The Host has successfully obliterated 15 Flame Soldiers. 150 System Points have been awarded for this magnificent feat. Additionally, the ancient 'Flame Element' has been successfully integrated into the Host's Supreme Root.]
With this announcement, Ye Fang felt an intense, pure heat blooming at the center of his being. It was not a destructive fire, but a divine energy that merged into his Supreme Root, amplifying his latent potential manifold. His Qi now hummed with a faint, golden-red luster. The Little System, currently dressed in traditional ancient Indian attire, did a backflip in mid-air, landing directly before him with a playful smile, her hands clasped as if to suggest that this was merely the beginning.
Meanwhile, in the labyrinthine depths of the inner domain, a vastly different and far more violent scene was unfolding in the second rocky corridor.
Yang Kai Long, the Holy Son of the Long Tian Sect, and the young Princess Wang Ling of Sanmiao City were facing a peril that eclipsed the trial Ye Fang had just cleared. As they stepped into a wider section of the passage, the walls erupted. The stone soldiers that emerged were not of the standard variety; they emitted a blinding, heavy golden radiance. The flames raging in their eyes exerted a pressure akin to that of true Golden Core Stage cultivators.
There were five of them. The mere presence of these Golden Core-level Flame Soldiers raised the ambient temperature to such a degree that an average cultivator's skin would have blistered and charred in seconds.
Wang Ling felt the crushing weight of their aura and tightened her grip on her twin blades. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her breathing ragged under the oppressive heat. Confronting five Golden Core warriors simultaneously was a death sentence for even the most gifted genius.
But for Yang Kai Long, this was no insurmountable wall. He was the Holy Son of the Long Tian Sect; his true prowess was leagues beyond the comprehension of the average cultivators on this continent.
"Stay back, Wang Ling," Yang Kai Long's voice boomed—heavy, resolute, and dripping with absolute confidence.
He stepped forward, releasing his Qi in its entirety. In the next heartbeat, azure lightning crackled violently around his form. The power of a true 'Thunder Dragon' surged through his arms, causing the very ground beneath them to tremble. Simultaneously, mysterious, deep-blue scales began to emerge across his skin—the legendary 'Blue Dragon Body', turning his flesh harder and more impenetrable than celestial vajra.
To eradicate the threat entirely, Yang Kai Long did not stop there. He closed his eyes, and when they snapped open, a massive, majestic figure of snow-white ice manifested in the air behind him. It was his supreme 'White Dragon Martial Soul'. As the soul appeared, his cultivation aura erupted to its absolute zenith.
Witnessing the impossible fusion of three great dragon powers, the five Golden Core Flame Soldiers raised their massive lava blades in unison and charged.
A calm, almost detached smile played on Yang Kai Long's lips. He moved with the speed of a thunderbolt. With the roar of a Thunder Dragon, his blade slashed through the air. Thanks to his Blue Dragon Body, the lava attacks simply slid off him, ineffective. His White Dragon Martial Soul imbued every strike with such devastating force that even the soldiers' golden stone shields shattered like glass.
With a thunderous explosion, Yang Kai Long pierced the chest of the first Flame Soldier. Its golden core disintegrated into the void. He did not pause; spinning through the air, he unleashed four more precise, lethal strikes. The combined energy of lightning and dragon-might gave the five guardians no chance to recover.
In mere moments, Yang Kai Long had single-handedly pulverized all five Golden Core Flame Soldiers, reducing them to nothing but golden ash floating in the stagnant air.
Wang Ling stood frozen, her eyes wide with unadulterated shock. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined a youth of her own age could dismantle five Golden Core-level guardians as if they were nothing more than toys. Yang Kai Long's boundless, regal power felt like a scene plucked from an ancient epic.
Following the complete annihilation of the guardians, a heavy, eerie silence descended upon the rocky corridor. The lingering static of azure lightning crackled in the air, and the sharp scent of ozone mingled with the smell of scorched earth.
Yang Kai Long casually swung his massive blade once before sheathing it on his back. The mysterious scales of his Blue Dragon Body receded beneath his skin, and the crackling blue energy of the Thunder Dragon calmed. Behind him, the majestic White Dragon Martial Soul dissipated into a white mist, merging back into his consciousness, though the oppressive, regal aura he projected still seemed to make the very walls of the corridor tremble.
Wang Ling remained motionless, her twin blades slack in her hands, her breath hitched in sheer awe. As the little Princess of Sanmiao City, she had seen many powerful elders and masters, but witnessing a peer crush Golden Core guardians like debris was beyond her comprehension. He seemed like an ancient god descended to the mortal realm.
But, lurking behind this tranquil scene, hidden in the deep, terrifying darkness at the mouth of the tunnel, a shadow was trembling violently.
This was no ordinary cultivator; he was a highly skilled, clandestine spy from the Blood Coffin Sect—the most ruthless, mysterious, and infamous sect on the continent. He had controlled his breath, stilled his heartbeat like a dead stone, and stalked the caravan into the domain. His objective was simple: strike from the shadows when the time was right and relay intelligence back to his sect.
But the sight he had just witnessed had shattered his soul.
His fingers clawed deep into the rough stone crack where he hid. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. The spy's entire body shook with an uncontrollable terror as his mind raced:
'This... this is impossible! He is no mortal, no ordinary cultivator! To crush five Golden Core guardians without a scratch, in mere moments... this is the manifestation of Calamity itself! That is why! I understand now! This is why the Supreme Grand Elders of our Blood Coffin Sect were desperate to obtain this boy's physical body, his meridians, and his majestic physique! This 'Blue Dragon Body' armor and the 'White Dragon Martial Soul' behind him... if our sect could capture Yang Kai Long, alive or dead, and forge him into our supreme 'Blood Puppet', the entire Blood Coffin Sect would become invincible! No top sect, not even the laws of the Heavenly Dao, could challenge our sovereignty!'
As his thoughts spiraled, the spy's face drained of all color, his eyes bulging in terror. A mysterious event from a few days ago suddenly clicked into place in his mind.
'So that's it... I wondered... A few days ago, some of our Blood Coffin Sect's most powerful, cruel Elders, with centuries of experience, entered the borders of Sanmiao City on a secret mission. They never returned. There was no trace of them, as if someone had erased their very existence. It was a terrifying mystery within the sect. I... I assumed the City Lord was powerful because he sits at the 'Peak of the Spiritual Ring'. I was certain the City Lord and his army had killed them. But no! Gods, what a fool I was! The real killer is standing right here! It must have been Yang Kai Long who surrounded and ruthlessly slaughtered all those Supreme Elders alone!'
The spy's grip tightened on the stone, his breath hitching.
'This boy is another name for Destruction! He is only at the 'Peak of the Golden Core Realm', yet his combat power, his dragon scales, and his destructive energy defy the very laws of his current realm! If he is this terrifying at the Golden Core level, what will happen when he steps into the next realm? He must be stopped here, but... there is no one on this continent with the strength to stop him!'
Overwhelmed by this intense, paralyzing mental fear, his consciousness and his control over his energy slipped for a fraction of a second. In the cruel world of cultivation, when a warrior is gripped by extreme fear or agitation, their hidden energy inevitably leaks past their body's boundaries.
A faint, noxious, and foul-smelling Demonic Qi began to seep from the spy's body, bleeding out through the cracks in the stone into the fire-element-charged air of the corridor.
Although the Demonic Qi was subtle, Yang Kai Long was no ordinary warrior. With the divine veins of the Thunder Dragon and the supernatural sensitivity of the 'White Dragon Martial Soul' fully active, the corruption did not escape him. The moment that foul, malicious black energy tainted the pure fire-element air, the nerves in Yang Kai Long's ears snapped to attention. His azure eyes glowed like lightning in the darkness.
He stopped in his tracks, his back rigid. He gripped the hilt of his blade so hard his knuckles turned white. Slowly, with the lethality of a coiled predator, he turned his body to face the dark, narrow passage where the spy was hiding.
Yang Kai Long's voice roared, echoing off the rocky walls like a thunderclap that shook the very foundation of the canyon:
"Who is there! Do not attempt to hide your vile, foul, and cowardly Demonic Qi from me! Step out of the darkness and show yourself at once, or my blade shall erase not only your nerves but your very soul from this world forever!"
Wang Ling, startled by the sudden, thunderous roar, snapped to attention. A shiver ran down her spine, and without a second's hesitation, she leveled her sharp blades toward the dark passage, her eyes scanning the shadows for the hidden threat.