Previously, Ye Xuan had tried once but failed to obtain the Dragon Blood. That was because his body had just undergone a transformation; he needed time to recover or become stronger before he could absorb more. Last night, he attempted to establish a connection with the Dragon Blood again. Although he didn’t succeed, he could sense that he was close.
At the same time, in the Ning Family’s conference hall.
Ning Junze gathered all the higher-ups. His face was as cold as iron.
"Junze, you called all of us here. Has something major happened?" an Elder asked.
Ning Junze remained silent, instead pulling out a shattered Life and Death Jade.
"A Life and Death Jade? Whose is it?"
"Yeah, who died?"
The expressions of everyone present changed.
Only then did Ning Junze speak. "This is Hanyu’s Life and Death Jade."
"Ning Hanyu is dead! That can’t be right, I just saw him last night."
"What exactly is going on? Who dares to touch a member of our Ning Family?"
"It’s not just Ning Hanyu’s Life and Death Jade that broke," Ning Junze explained. "Ning Zheseng’s Life and Death Jade shattered as well. It’s all my fault. I underestimated the enemy and caused Hanyu’s death."
Ning Junze’s expression was filled with sorrow; Ning Hanyu was his third son. The agony of a parent having to bury their child was unbearable.
"Patriarch, what on earth happened?"
"It’s like this." Ning Junze finally revealed everything about Ye Xuan to the rest of the clan.
"What? A nameless nobody actually killed Ning Zheseng and Ning Hanyu? We must make him pay a bitter price!"
"But we can’t underestimate the enemy either. If that kid could kill Ning Hanyu, either his strength is terrifyingly high, or he has a powerful backer supporting him."
Ning Junze nodded. "That is why I called you all here. I underestimated him before, but this time, I must treat this seriously. I invited you all here because I want..."
Before Ning Junze could finish, a white-haired Elder interrupted. "I understand what you mean. Let’s do it this way. Fourth Elder, Fifth Elder, Sixth Elder, Seventh Elder. The four of you will go and fetch that kid’s head. I will personally act as your backup."
As soon as the white-haired Elder finished speaking, Ning Junze asked in surprise, "First Elder, you’re going too?"
It was evident that this Elder held a very high status within the Ning Family.
The First Elder’s eyes flashed with ruthless intent. "I watched the boy Zheseng grow up. I expended no less effort than any of you to help him achieve what he had. Therefore, I must go."
"First Elder, you can’t. You are the pillar of our Ning Family. How can you go personally? Isn’t this thinking too highly of that kid? Sending four of us Super Spirit Realm experts is already his supreme honor."
The Fourth Elder and the others frowned. They felt that this was demoralizing themselves just to inflate their enemy’s ego.
Ning Junze, however, nodded in agreement. "First Elder, if you are willing to go, I couldn’t ask for more. With you there, nothing can possibly go wrong."
"Good, then we shall set off now." The First Elder was also a decisive man.
About ten minutes later, a giant crow flew out from the Ning Family estate. On top of the crow’s head were a few colorful feathers. This was a Level Two Beast, a Colorful Feathered Giant Crow.
Although the level of the Colorful Feathered Giant Crow wasn’t high, it was completely priceless, as it was a Flying Mount that could be tamed by humans. At this moment, five Super Spirit Realm experts from the Ning Family were sitting on the back of this giant crow.
"First Elder, I still don’t think you should have come with us. Do you really think the four of us combined can’t handle a little brat?" the Fourth Elder’s voice rang out, still feeling that the First Elder tagging along was making a mountain out of a molehill.
"That’s right. How about you go back? The Ning Family cannot afford to lack your presence! As you know, the Zhang Family Main Town has been eyeing our Ning Family’s Main Town like a hawk lately."
The rest of the Elders voiced their agreement.
The First Elder replied indifferently, "It’s fine. Although the giant crow’s speed is inferior to a Lightning Dove, we can still make it back before dark. Being away for this little bit of time won’t hurt."
"Very well, since you insist, we won’t say any more." The Elders dropped the subject. They figured it wouldn’t take much time to kill that kid anyway. They might as well treat it as the First Elder coming out for a breath of fresh air.
Meanwhile, in Hongtu Town.
Ye Xuan knew the Ning Family would send people again, but he estimated that even at their fastest, they wouldn’t arrive until after dark. This gave him plenty of time to activate the Dragon Blood. Right now, within his Sea of Consciousness, Ye Xuan’s Spiritual Body appeared beside the Dragon Capturing Cauldron. He touched the cauldron, carefully sensing the power of the Blood of the War Dragon inside the Dragon Pillar.
He was certain that he could already resonate with this drop of blood. The residual Soul Power left behind in this drop of Blood of the War Dragon had already acknowledged him. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have boiled that night, nor would he have entered the wondrous state of the Gathering of Ten Thousand Spirits. But why couldn’t he take out this drop of Essence Blood?
"Dragon Capturing Cauldron..." Ye Xuan murmured.
At this moment, he finally realized where the problem lay. It was still the Dragon Capturing Cauldron. This cauldron seemingly didn’t want him to obtain the Blood of the War Dragon; it was the one imprisoning the blood inside the Dragon Pillar. But that shouldn’t be the case. The last time he had just undergone the Dragon Blood transformation, the cauldron didn’t give him any more blood, perhaps out of concern that his body couldn’t handle it—which made sense.
But this time, his cultivation had already advanced to the 4th Layer of the Frenzy Spirit Realm. Could it be that he still couldn’t continue consuming Dragon Blood? What level did he need to be to qualify for it? What confused him the most was that the Dragon Capturing Cauldron was already his item and was bound to him. Logically speaking, his will should be the cauldron’s will, so why wasn’t it listening to him?
After pondering for a long time, Ye Xuan’s eyes suddenly lit up. He seemed to have been wrong from the very beginning. Since his ancestor called it the Dragon Capturing Cauldron, that meant its primary ability was to imprison Dragon Blood and Dragon Souls. In other words, its fundamental purpose was imprisonment and suppression. Suppression and confinement were its default state. To reverse this default state, he needed to find the right method. So, what was this method? Did he need to actively release this drop of Dragon Blood himself?
"It seems I still don’t understand you well enough," he muttered.
Shaking his head, Ye Xuan stopped trying to sense the Dragon Blood and focused entirely on the cauldron itself. Time flowed by. At first, he gained nothing. He didn’t know how long had passed when he suddenly saw an image.
In that vision, at the dawn of the universe, a Divine Dragon soared through the highest heavens, looking down upon all living beings. After an untold number of years, a rift tore through the void. A Shadow stood proudly above it. This person was covered in blood, his entire body radiating light, making his face indistinguishable. The moment he appeared, the order of heaven and earth collapsed.
Big Mountains crumbled, and rivers flowed backward. The firmament collapsed, and the earth was severed. The resilient bodies of the dragon race began to bleed, their scales falling off inch by inch. The humans on the ground slowly turned to ash amidst a brilliant flash of light.
Ye Xuan could even hear the dragons roaring in the sky and the humans weeping in despair on the ground. At this moment, everything in heaven and earth was being destroyed. All things perished, dissolving into streaks of vibrant light that surged toward the blood-soaked man. The man smiled—a smile that was both thrilled and bloodthirsty. The scene was deeply shocking.