I picked up skill fragments in the demon world

“Is the Old Ancestor about to undergo the transformation from a Flood Dragon to a real Dragon?” Zhang Xiaohua's eyes lit up upon hearing this, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

The chief steward frowned, glancing at Zhang Xiaohua's expectant face, a sense of unease stirring within him, because the current celestial phenomenon seemed somewhat abnormal?

Whose dragon transformation looks like this?

Inside the underground cave, accompanied by increasingly louder dragon roars, the crystal coffin slowly began to open, as if a great force was pushing the coffin lid away.

Then, a terrifying dragon pressure erupted, and a monster slowly crawled out of the coffin.

The monster had a human body and a fish tail, its body covered in scales, its limbs already transformed into dragon claws gleaming with cold light, and streaks of cyan lightning flashing between the scales.

Only the face still retained its human form, but it looked somewhat stiff.

“You two bastards, you ruined my momentum for transforming into a dragon, I will make you pay with your lives!” Zhang Shicheng roared, suddenly soaring into the air, wrapped in streaks of cyan lightning, directly pouncing towards the two.

“Crap! This guy is not a ninth-order existence at all, he has already stepped into the tenth order!” Xie Xuan's expression changed as he looked at Zhang Shicheng's imposing aura, and he quickly retreated:

“Quick, run! We are no match for him underwater. Retreat quickly and use the army to kill him!”

Wu, the elder of the Yellow Heaven Dao, also saw that the situation was unfavorable, and without saying a word, he rushed out directly, following closely behind Zhang Shicheng.

“Escape? Can you escape?” Zhang Shicheng sneered, accompanied by the sound of a dragon's roar, wrapped in cyan lightning, chasing after them, and in an instant, the two sides were engaged in a chaotic battle, the crystal palace constantly shaking and cracking.

“Interesting.” The ice surrounding Zhang Chen melted, and Zhang Chen emerged from the ice, his eyes looking at the experience points dropped by Zhang Shicheng, and he quickly stepped forward to pick them up:

【Experience +53000】

“As expected of a tenth-order existence, even a little something that falls from him is enough for me to have a great harvest.” After Zhang Chen collected the experience points, he summoned the fox spirit: “Go quickly and explore the crystal palace, see if there are any good things inside.”

The fox spirit didn't move, but instead looked at Zhang Chen as if he were an idiot: “Who discovered this crystal palace first?”

“Of course, it's the Pingbian Royal Mansion.” Zhang Chen said without thinking.

“If the Pingbian Royal Mansion discovered the crystal palace first, after hundreds of years, would they leave the benefits for you? All the good things in this Spring Court Lake Dragon Palace have probably been taken away by the Pingbian Royal Mansion, how could it be your turn?” The fox spirit Nannan's eyes began to shine: “If you want to search the crystal palace, you might as well search the Pingbian Royal Mansion. The Pingbian Royal Mansion has obtained the inheritance of an entire dragon palace, its foundation is not simple!”

“The Pingbian Royal Mansion?” A hint of longing appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes: “In the future, when I become strong, I will definitely go to the Pingbian Royal Mansion for a visit. I possess the True Dragon Destiny, in principle, everything in the Dragon Palace and Water Mansion should be my inheritance, but now it has been moved away by the Pingbian Royal Mansion, it's simply hateful. The Pingbian Royal Mansion's thieving methods are truly disgusting!”

The fox spirit Nannan rolled her eyes secretly, slandering in her heart: 'You hadn't obtained the True Dragon Destiny at that time, how could it be your inheritance? You should thank me for obtaining the inheritance! If it weren't for me leading you to obtain the True Dragon Destiny, would you have today's good fortune?'

Just thinking about the various unpleasant things between herself and Zhang Chen during this period, the fox spirit Nannan still felt that she shouldn't bring up the past, lest she stimulate a certain man's fragile nerves.

“What are you planning to do now? When are you going to take action? There are currently two ninth-order existences watching, it's not easy to snatch chestnuts from the fire.” The fox spirit Nannan wisely changed the subject.

“Now Zhang Shicheng is preparing to transform into a dragon, he will definitely have a life-and-death struggle with those two ninth-level powerhouses, when Zhang Shicheng severely injures the two ninth-order existences, and is about to succeed in transforming into a dragon, I will reveal the True Dragon Destiny, do you think Zhang Shicheng will give up transforming into a dragon after noticing the True Dragon Destiny, and instead return to snatch my True Dragon Destiny, gambling to see if he can transform into a real dragon? At that time, the other party will be close to completing the transformation, his blood essence will be incomparably pure, and I will extract the other party's soul, and devour the blood in the dragon corpse in the other party's eyes, what do you think?” Zhang Chen looked at the fox spirit.

“How insidious can you be! If Zhang Shicheng knew of your plan, he would probably be driven mad. However, your Soul Hooking Technique only lasts for three days, once three days have passed, with the other party's Yang God realm soul, wanting to chase and kill you is still as easy as flipping your hand, I'm afraid you won't be able to escape by then.” A hint of worry appeared in the fox spirit Nannan's eyes.

Zhang Chen certainly knew his own weight, that ninth-order Yang God existence was definitely not something he could deal with.

But aren't there two suckers outside?

If he takes down Zhang Shicheng's body, he doesn't believe that those two ninth-order existences will let go of Zhang Shicheng's soul! The two sides are already irreconcilable, having formed a life-and-death feud, once a Yang God realm existence seizes and reincarnates, it won't take long for them to revive, how could the two of them leave such a big hidden danger for themselves?

Moreover, Zhang Shicheng's soul has returned to his body, and his strength has already stepped into the tenth order, I'm afraid he is not comparable to ordinary ninth-order existences.

“That Xie Xuan is the genius I told you about, he once entered a meditative state at a glance in the Great Compassion Temple, he has been missing for more than twenty years, I thought he was in the Great Compassion Temple in secluded cultivation, I didn't expect him to have defected to the imperial court and become the leader of the Northern Inspection Department, if you can defect to him, your future will be bright.” The fox spirit Nannan said.

“It's actually him?” Zhang Chen's expression was surprised upon hearing this, he personally observed the visualization diagram, and only then did he know how difficult it was to enter the door, how high should Xie Xuan's talent be to directly enter a meditative state at a glance?

“Defecting to Xie Xuan is probably impossible, I am about to take action against Zhang Shicheng's body, how can this matter be hidden from Xie Xuan? At that time, this person may kill and seize treasures to plot my secrets, I can't take the risk. I'd better fake my death, and then quietly go back to dig my Empress Tomb.” Zhang Chen rejected the fox spirit's suggestion.

The fox spirit was silent upon hearing this, and had to admit that Zhang Chen was right. It must be known that it is difficult to know a person's heart from their face, although Xie Xuan is famous all over the world, only those close to him know what kind of person he is.

Zhang Chen's mind flashed with thoughts, while injecting the light of the True God into the ice sculpture mask on his face, the next action will definitely be earth-shattering, if his true face is noticed, he will probably be chased and killed to death.

Just then, an explosion echoed within the underground palace, causing the Crystal Palace to shake incessantly. Xie Xuan's voice, filled with curses, reverberated: "You beast! Your time to undergo the dragon ascension tribulation is at hand! Instead of facing the tribulation outside, you waste your energy here with us? Are you not afraid of failing the ascension?"

"Heh heh, do you think I don't know? Outside, there are tens of thousands of soldiers. If I dare to undergo the dragon ascension outside, I would surely become fish on your chopping block. Do you take me for a fool?" Zhang Shicheng's voice was filled with mockery.

"But if you don't experience the lightning tribulation, how will you transform during the dragon ascension?" Huang Tiandao's Elder Wu's voice was full of surprise.

"Heh heh, you two mortals, how much do you understand the secrets of dragon ascension? I, your ancestor, have my own reasons for doing things this way." Zhang Shicheng paid no heed and continued to relentlessly attack the two.

At this moment, after Zhang Shicheng's soul returned to his physical body, his strength had already reached the tenth rank. Azure lightning flashed around him, forcing Xie Xuan and the Taiping Dao's Elder Wu to avoid a direct confrontation, and they could only flee in a disheveled manner.

"I refuse to believe that he can transform into a dragon without experiencing the lightning baptism. Let's stall him. I want to see who collapses first," Elder Wu's voice was filled with ruthlessness.

As he spoke, a bolt of azure lightning, as thick as a thumb, struck directly at Elder Wu. The surrounding soil and rocks flowed like water, forming dozens of defenses in front of him. However, the earthen walls were as fragile as paper, and they were instantly shattered by the azure lightning, startling him so much that he dared not hesitate and fled deeper into the Crystal Palace.

Seeing the two figures, one chasing and one fleeing, Xie Xuan had no choice but to follow closely behind, assisting Elder Wu in relieving the pressure. The current Zhang Shicheng was terrifyingly strong. With the slightest carelessness, both he and Elder Wu would capsize. At this moment, the two must not separate.

Zhang Chen stood inside the Crystal Palace, listening to the explosions echoing within, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes: "Why isn't Zhang Shicheng undergoing his dragon transformation? What is he doing rampaging underground?"

Zhang Chen said to the fox spirit, "Go and gather intelligence and report back to me at any time."

"There's no need to gather intelligence. I already know the reason." The fox spirit said thoughtfully, "Could it be that he is transforming not into an ordinary dragon, but into one of the nine sons of the dragon, the Taotie?"

"What do you mean?" Zhang Chen curiously asked.

"The Taotie possesses true dragon bloodline and can devour everything to evolve. As long as there are enough natural treasures, it can continuously upgrade itself, bringing its bloodline infinitely closer to a true dragon. Of course, he doesn't need to take risks." The fox spirit, Nannan, said.

"Taotie? If that's the case, if I want to wait for him to undergo the tribulation to cleanse his bloodline, and then go and snatch his soul when his bloodline is halfway evolved, wouldn't that be impossible?" Zhang Chen said thoughtfully.

"He must possess the infinitely evolving Taotie bloodline! Otherwise, ninth rank is ninth rank. How could he be ninth rank Yang God, and then tenth rank when the Yang God returns to his body? That's because even without the lightning tribulation, his physical body can evolve, because he swallowed the fortune within the Dragon Palace, so he evolved to the tenth rank. And the reason why he is chasing after Xie Xuan and that Huang Tiandao cultivator is probably not out of hatred, but to devour them. He may have hope of breaking through to the eleventh rank. Once he breaks through to the eleventh rank, even if he doesn't evolve into a true dragon twelfth rank, he will be invincible in the world. Who can resist him then?"

The fox spirit Nannan was so alarmed that her fur stood on end: "I'm afraid we've all underestimated Zhang Shicheng. This fellow actually obtained an opportunity and is walking the Taotie path, which is why his strength could be raised to the tenth rank before undergoing the dragon ascension. His bloodline has already undergone a transformation! We should also take action! Once he evolves to the eleventh rank, we won't have the slightest chance of resistance. Even with Xie Xuan and Elder Wu, we will only have one path: death."

"I finally understand now why your true dragon fate is afraid of him, because he is the Taotie, the Taotie who devours everything! Even the true dragon fate can be devoured," the fox spirit Nannan said.

Zhang Chen was startled by these words. He suddenly felt somewhat fortunate that this fox spirit had become his pet, and that he hadn't completely killed her, otherwise, how would he have known so many secrets at this critical moment?

"So, should I lure him back now?" Zhang Chen asked.

"The tenth rank and the ninth rank are worlds apart. Xie Xuan and that old fellow from Huang Tiandao won't be able to hold out for long in his hands. Once he devours the two of them, it will bring you even greater trouble," the fox spirit Nannan said.

Zhang Chen's scalp went numb upon hearing this, and then, without saying a word, he directly activated the true dragon fate in his soul.

Over there, Zhang Shicheng was chasing after Xie Xuan and Elder Wu. The fox spirit Nannan hadn't lied. The tenth rank and the ninth rank were indeed worlds apart. Facing Zhang Shicheng, Xie Xuan and Elder Wu only had the power to flee. They couldn't even parry, it was a complete rout.

However, even in their flight, the two were extremely disheveled and were about to be forced into a corner with no escape.

"Find an opportunity to escape to the surface and use the army to surround and kill him!" Xie Xuan said to Elder Wu.

"If I could escape back to the surface, would I need you to remind me? That fellow doesn't know what means he used, but the entire earth's rock layer has been imbued with a strange power, so we can't penetrate it at all. We can't run out at all," Elder Wu's voice was anxious and burning: "I came to eat dragon meat, preparing to extend my lifespan, but I never thought that I would be eaten by a dragon today."

Xie Xuan ignored Elder Wu's cursing and instead pondered on how to break the situation while fleeing: "We must find a way to break the feng shui grand formation here. After breaking the feng shui grand formation, the water energy will surely backfire, and we might still have a chance."

As he spoke, a dragon's roar echoed, and then they saw a stream of azure flames chasing from the rear passage. Wherever the flames passed, the stones were directly melted into magma, and the lake water turned into terrifying steam, rushing towards the two in a mighty manner.

The two quickly activated their abilities, mobilizing rocks to form earthen walls to resist, but facing the imposing flames, it was merely a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Just as the two were about to find themselves with no way up to the heavens or down to the earth, suddenly the dragon's roar stopped shouting, and then Zhang Shicheng's aura actually quickly receded.

At this moment, the two stopped their movements, you looked at me, I looked at you, both were looking at each other in dismay.

"He was about to successfully kill us, why did he suddenly stop chasing?" Elder Wu muttered with lingering fear.

"There's something going on! Either he can't withstand the water energy, and the water energy has already begun to backfire, or this fellow's dragon ascension has encountered a problem and he can't care about us anymore. No matter which situation it is, it seems like there's a lot to be done." Xie Xuan muttered, then looked at Elder Wu opposite him: "Are you going?"

"I only have three to five years of life left anyway, when should I gamble if not now?" Elder Wu said.