Chapter 119: The Realm of Nine Dragons

"Fellow Daoist Xu, I will take over after half a quarter of an hour," Yun Daier’s voice rang out.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Yun, I won't leave you to deal with the aftermath," Xu Chen replied.

His gaze locked onto the high-ranking race of the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court, and he slowly drew the Ink Shadow Blade from his back. A phantom of a sea of blood emerged, featuring a Dragon Gate rising above the crimson waves. A giant whale leaped through the gate, transforming into a dragon mid-air.

"Boom!"

With a single step, Xu Chen launched himself a hundred feet into the sky. Like a meteor, he plummeted toward the high-ranking member of the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court, whose aura was the most terrifying of them all. Massive force surged through the Ink Shadow Blade, extending its reach to fifteen feet.

"Ten Thousand Waves!"

The blade, condensed to the limit with raw power, slashed downward.

"Are all you humans so arrogant?"

The high-ranking alien, standing ten feet tall like a giant bear, watched the descending blade of force. His previously indifferent eyes turned blood-red.

"Spear!"

He reached out, and two mid-ranking aliens immediately hoisted a Tyrant Spear toward him. "I will crush your skull!"

A phantom of the long spear thrust directly at Xu Chen.

"Bang!"

The two forces collided, sending the surrounding aliens reeling. Both sides were pushed back dozens of steps. Xu Chen stood firm, blade in hand, his eyes burning with battle intent as he stared at the enemy.

"The power of the Nine Dragons bloodline... that hits the spot."

As if this were the signal for war, the surrounding aliens swarmed the encircled humans. Both sides had cleared this section of the battlefield, knowing that for the average grunt, stepping into such a duel meant certain death.

"You are qualified to be my footstool," the bear-like alien grinned, a hint of appreciation in his eyes. "You belong to the Ganglan Clan, a high-ranking race of the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court. Since you are a prodigy of your people, once you die, I will take your weapon and place it in my collection."

With a sonic boom, Xu Chen charged toward the Ganglan warrior, his bloodline power climbing steadily. Each of his strikes carried twelve layers of force, rolling like ocean tides. Although the Ganglan warrior’s spear was domineering and his bloodline power could suppress Xu Chen, the relentless, cascading waves of force made him feel as if he were drowning in an endless sea of wild blades.

The alien swept his spear, meeting the waves with a violent blast of energy. "Bang!"

"Hundred-Fold Blade Sea!"

Xu Chen swung the Ink Shadow Blade rapidly, carving out river after river of force that surged toward the enemy. In the distance, Yun Daier, who was battling another high-ranking alien, felt a surge of shock.

"What kind of combat talent is this? Forcing his bloodline power from under seven dragons to over eight, and going head-to-head with a nine-dragon prodigy?"

Distracted, she flicked her sword, her energy blooming like a thousand flowers, adding several new wounds to her opponent. She felt irritated by the alien’s lack of nine-dragon-level strength, finding the fight uninspiring. "Hurry up; I need to take over for Fellow Daoist Xu soon." Her sword light shimmered, illuminating the entire battlefield.

Nearby, Li Chenfu, Zong Changshou, and two others maintained a Four-Phase Battle Formation, trading blows with the surrounding aliens.

The two even found time to chat. "It seems our junior brother’s anger hasn't cooled yet. These aliens are in for a rough time," Li Chenfu said, punching back an attacker.

"Doesn't matter. Rough or not, they’re all going to die," Zong Changshou replied, his sword flash slicing an alien in half at the waist.

The battle raged on. Though the humans appeared to be at a disadvantage on the surface, their actual casualties were minimal.

In the main arena, a phantom of a Star Giant appeared behind Xu Chen, wielding a blade forged from starlight. Xu Chen’s blade grew more ferocious with every strike, and the resulting rivers of force made the Ganglan warrior increasingly desperate. Despite having a higher bloodline power, he found himself helplessly suppressed.

"Human, die!" The Ganglan warrior swung his spear, transforming it into a sky full of stars aimed at Xu Chen.

"Interesting, but still too weak!"

The Ink Shadow Blade expanded into a fifteen-foot-long beam of pure force as Xu Chen forcefully pushed his bloodline power to the nine-dragon level. At that moment, he felt he had broken through to a new realm.

He unleashed a surging, unstoppable river of blade light. The sheer momentum of the strike cleared the rage from the Ganglan warrior's eyes. As he realized his every move was being swallowed by that torrent, a desperate desire to flee took hold—but it was too late.

"Boom!"

The river of light tore through the Ganglan warrior and, without losing momentum, continued for hundreds of feet to strike down the high-ranking alien Yun Daier had been fighting.

The entire battlefield fell silent. The remaining aliens of the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court were struck with terror, and those on the periphery fled as fast as they could. The stragglers were easily slaughtered by the united humans.

Xu Chen stood panting, Ink Shadow Blade in hand, surveying the field. He had used the "Fish-Dragon Transformation" secret technique to force his power to nine dragons; while he had touched a new realm, he had nearly exhausted his bloodline energy. He pulled a bottle of bloodline pills from his robes, swallowed one, and felt his strength begin a slow recovery.

Yun Daier walked over, her expression complex. "Is it worth it to burn through all your potential for this desolate battlefield?" Using a secret technique to boost one's bloodline power by more than two dragons risked overdrafting one's potential and even life force.

"..." Xu Chen looked at her, confused. "I just consumed a bit more bloodline energy, Fellow Daoist Yun. No need to worry." As the potent life force from the pill took effect, his bloodline energy began to restore at an incredible speed.

"Leave the strong enemies to me in the future. You don't need to fight like that," she added.

"Uh, thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Yun," Xu Chen replied, feeling inexplicably pitied.

The team’s designated scavengers had already collected all valuables: six artifacts of inheritance, three foundational cultivation methods of the Profound Immortal race, and four damaged ancient treasures. After some deliberation, Xu Chen received two inheritance items, one foundational method, and one ancient treasure of his choice.

He walked to the remains of the Ganglan warrior, whose body had been severed by the blade river. "I keep my word. I will keep your weapon in my collection." He picked up the ten-foot-long Tyrant Spear and hung it beside his Phantasmal Dragon Horse.

The group resumed their journey, the surrounding area now devoid of alien scouts. Two days later, after traveling five thousand miles, they reached the Rainbow Tower.

The tower was a hundred miles in diameter and stretched into the heavens, its height unknown. Upon entering its vicinity, it felt as if they had stepped into a fairytale world. Countless ribbons of rainbow light fell from the sky like meteors, illuminating the surroundings with brilliant splendor. Xu Chen felt as if he had arrived at a rainbow-themed playground.

"Do you know what race this spirit treasure belonged to?" Xu Chen asked Zong Changshou.

"Records from the prehistoric era are scarce, but there is a record of this Rainbow Tower from the First Human Emperor," Zong replied, contemplating his knowledge of human history. "It was one of his great fortuitous encounters."

"Anything good inside?" Xu Chen asked, intrigued.

"History doesn't specify, but after the First Human Emperor emerged, our people suddenly gained a vast amount of bloodline-based foundation methods and arts. It must be related."

Outside the tower gates, the humans and the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court stood in a standoff, neither side willing to back down, both eyeing the other for an opening to strike.

"This area doesn't seem suitable for combat," Xu Chen noted, quietly circulating his bloodline power, only to find his strength suppressed by 99 percent. The others and the aliens were in the same state.

The gates were majestic, six hundred feet wide and three hundred feet high. Seven-colored light swirled around the entrance, which was etched with arcane, indecipherable runes. Every time a human or alien stepped into the tower's range, a new rune would appear on the gate. Realizing this, both sides scrambled to call for reinforcements.

After some 500,000 beings had gathered, the gates slowly opened. A wave of humanity and aliens surged inward. However, a divine light curtain separated the interior from the exterior; as soon as anyone stepped through, they transformed into a colorful butterfly.

Xu Chen and his companions paused, watching from the rear until they saw that those who passed through the light barrier regained their original forms. Only then did they step forward.

The moment Xu Chen crossed the divine light, he turned into a butterfly, entering the tower from a unique perspective. The interior was a labyrinth, with walls covered in runes. Viewed through the eyes of the butterfly, Xu Chen found, to his surprise, that he could actually understand them.

He flew along, reading the walls until he reached the second floor. Passing through the next light barrier, he transformed into a rabbit. Li Chenfu and Zong Changshou followed, and the three rabbits hopped along, studying the second-floor runes.

Time passed, and upon reaching the third floor, the rabbits became cats. With every new level, their forms changed. By the time they reached the ninth floor, Xu Chen had become a small deer. Just as he finished reading the ninth-floor runes and prepared to ascend to the tenth, he was inexplicably teleported outside the tower and restored to his original form.

"What happened?" Xu Chen looked up at the tower that spanned the heavens.

"You've been eliminated," someone nearby said.

"What are the criteria for elimination?" Xu Chen asked, feeling unsatisfied.

"Unclear. It depends on your talent, your comprehension, or perhaps your mind is simply too full of runes to hold any more."

Hearing this, Xu Chen suddenly realized that despite what he had seen, he could barely recall any of the runes he had studied inside. He immediately sat down, closing his eyes to frantically recall and memorize the knowledge he had glimpsed within the Rainbow Tower.