Chapter Sixty-Four: The Mysterious Power of Bloodlines

Within Long Yun’s body, the true energy had already reached its limit, yet his consciousness remained razor-sharp. He had endured the grueling torment of Divine Dragon Island, surviving even the agony of replacing his spiritual bones. His willpower was beyond compare.

Even when disaster struck suddenly, Long Yun did not give up. Mobilizing his true energy with all his might, he spread it through his muscles and blood. What a powerful force this was! Gritting his teeth, Long Yun forced himself to endure, his entire body emanating a sacred aura. He knew this was a rare opportunity—if he succeeded in tempering his body, his cultivation could break through to the Transcendence Realm.

Shedding the mortal shell, becoming an immortal body!

This was a crucial transformation for any cultivator. Once one reached the Bone Transformation stage and replaced their spiritual bones, the spiritual energy within would slowly begin to nourish the flesh. Only when all flesh was transformed into a spiritual body would the Transcendence Realm be truly achieved.

Long Yun intended to harness this power to forcibly break through to the Transcendence Realm—a perilous decision. A single misstep would mean utter annihilation.

The Dragon God's energy seeped into his flesh, and before their very eyes, Long Yun’s body began to change dramatically. Each cell seemed to thrum with wild energy. Scales—distinct and dazzling—emerged on his skin. Two protrusions grew from his crown, and in a flash, golden dragon horns sprouted. Bathed in radiant light, Long Yun’s form vanished completely.

In its place was a divine dragon, seven or eight zhang long. The clanging roar of its cry rang out, sounding to Qiu Di like a death knell.

“Die—!” The Dragon God soared through the sky, its voice thunderous as it spoke. With a sweep of its tail, it lashed viciously at Qiu Di!

Qiu Di’s face turned ashen; terrified, he mustered both hands and struck out, not daring to hold anything back. His full power surged forth in a raging tide!

With a deafening crash, the dragon’s tail swept across, shattering all the light in its path into fragments, then slammed brutally into Qiu Di’s chest.

Bones cracked audibly. Qiu Di didn’t even have time to groan before his body was flung hundreds of zhang away, landing far beyond any hope of survival.

The divine dragon raised its head in a furious roar, its massive body twisting, then once more transformed into Long Yun, who fell heavily to the ground.

At this moment, Long Yun’s eyes were blood-red. His flesh, having been tempered by the Dragon God’s power, had successfully become an immortal body, and his cultivation had reached the Transcendence Realm.

However, the boundless energy still raged within him.

Long Yun could feel the surging power swelling inside. If he did not unleash it, it would surely tear him apart.

With a sudden bite to his tongue, the sharp pain brought his mind back to clarity. Not daring to linger, his figure turned into a streak of light, charging straight toward the summit of Jade Sword Sect!

At that moment, the martial arena of the Heavenly Sword branch was locked in a life-and-death struggle. Countless lower-ranked disciples had fallen, and the air was thick with the stench of blood. High above, Shangguan Yu was locked in a desperate battle with two demonic masters, his situation growing ever more dire.

The two were on par with him in cultivation and worked together seamlessly. If not for the Morning Sun Sword, the Jade Sword Sect’s treasured artifact in his hand, he would have already fallen.

Even so, defeat was inevitable. Pressed relentlessly by the two demonic experts, he was forced to yield ground again and again, his life hanging by a thread!

Elsewhere, Xue Renqi and the four elders, including Li Huafei, held the line in a tenuous stalemate, but the Jade Sword Sect’s disciples were suffering heavy losses.

Although Xiao Leng and the other two disciples of the Transcendence Realm did their best to hold the front, the enemy’s superior numbers pressed them hard, leaving Xiao Leng and his companions feeling enormous strain.

Shangguan Yu bit down hard. Would the Jade Sword Sect’s millennia-old legacy be destroyed by his own hands today? Regret gnawed at him.

For years, he had seen through Elder Qiu Di’s ambition and knew he had secretly cultivated many mountain bandits. Yet he dismissed them as mere rabble, incapable of causing real trouble, so he never bothered to deal with Qiu Di. Never did he imagine Qiu Di would collude with the Demonic Sect and invite two of their formidable masters. Now, Shangguan Yu bitterly regretted not killing Qiu Di with a single sword strike. Had he done so, perhaps today’s calamity could have been avoided.

"Jade Sword Sect’s master is just so," one demonic expert said with a shake of his head. "A thousand years ago, the sect was glorious, but now, not a trace of that honor remains. No matter how mighty a sect, it cannot withstand the erosion of time."

Shangguan Yu gritted his teeth. "The righteous path is eternal, as long as heaven and earth endure! If one sect falls, another shall rise. Your Demonic Sect will never be recognized as orthodox!"

“Hmph! If that’s the case, you can be the first sect master to be exterminated!” one of the demonic experts sneered, his attacks coming even faster.

Shangguan Yu felt the mounting pressure. The Morning Sun Sword in his hand flared with golden light, like the first rays of dawn—strikingly bright even under the black shroud of demonic energy.

With a thunderous explosion, Shangguan Yu struggled to defend himself against two opponents. His true energy was nearly spent, and under their relentless attacks, he was struck on the left shoulder by one of the black-clad men.

He grunted, spitting a mouthful of blood, and was sent flying back more than twenty zhang, left hovering in midair, his face pale, his sword arm trembling uncontrollably.

Shangguan Yu was utterly spent. His true energy was nearly gone, and though the blow to his left shoulder wasn’t fatal, the insidious demonic energy had already invaded his meridians. If not expelled quickly, it would only do him further harm.

But the two demonic experts gave him no time to recover. Flanking him from both sides, they closed in once more!

Shangguan Yu’s face turned deathly pale as he found himself in mortal peril.

“Master, beware!” Xue Renqi, seeing Shangguan Yu falter, dared not hesitate. With a sword strike he forced Li Changfeng back, then flashed forward, his blade gleaming with brilliance.

The Great Chaos Sword was unleashed, shooting straight at one of the demonic masters!

"Such a feeble light dares vie with the moon’s radiance?" sneered his foe. With a wave, a massive black palm appeared from thin air, shattering Xue Renqi’s sword energy in an instant.

The black palm, its force unspent, landed squarely on Xue Renqi’s chest.

He spat a great mouthful of blood, a strange feeling flooding his body as a wisp of blackness rose in his eyes. The evil energy rampaged through him, and he crashed heavily to the ground, shattering the flagstones beneath him.

Xue Renqi’s face was ashen, his robes torn open at the chest, where a black palm print twisted and clawed, draining his life away.

"Master—!" All the disciples of the Heart Sword branch surged forward. Xiao Leng fought his way back as well, his sword flashing like falling snow, felling several traitors in an instant.

"Master—!" The disciples of the Heart Sword branch howled in anguish, powerless to save him, forced to watch as Xue Renqi’s life ebbed away.

"In the future... the Heart Sword branch... will be entrusted to... entrusted to..." Xue Renqi barely managed to utter these words before his breath ceased, dying in Yuan Chen’s arms.

"Master—!" A wave of overwhelming grief swept through the Heart Sword disciples. Xiao Leng’s brow furrowed deeply. He neither spoke nor wept, but his sword became as a thing possessed—in a flash, over twenty more traitors fell beneath his blade.

Shangguan Yu saw the scene below, but could not go to their aid. In that instant of distraction, another demonic expert struck him in the chest, searing him with pain.

"Today, the Jade Sword Sect will be destroyed. Shangguan Yu, surrender! You are a talented man; spare yourself, and we will let you live," a demonic expert suddenly called.

Shangguan Yu laughed bitterly. "My death is of no consequence. The Jade Sword Sect will never perish. So long as a single soul survives, the sect will one day be rebuilt!"

A colder glint appeared in the demonic experts’ eyes. "Rest assured, there will be no revival. None of you will survive!"

Yet as their words faded, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended. Amid the swirling demonic energy, a sacred aura surged forth, dispersing all traces of darkness in its wake.