Chapter Ninety-Nine: Heaven-Seizing Art

The three supreme techniques each belonged to a different nature, and among them the Rising Dragon Formula was especially extraordinary, a peerless art imbued with the aura of creation. With his pride, he naturally refused to merge it with the other two.

Even though those two powers were themselves immensely formidable peerless techniques, they still fell somewhat short beside the sacred aura of creation.

And yet Dragon Cloud insisted on forcibly fusing the three great arts, using the condition of his own body to create a brand-new cultivation method. That in itself was a vast undertaking bordering on the impossible.

Let alone merging three peerless techniques; even creating a single method suited to himself was an extraordinarily difficult task. Adding to that the fusion of three different powers made it as hard as reaching the heavens.

But Dragon Cloud had died twice already, and had brushed against death countless times besides. His will was beyond the reach of ordinary men. The more impossible a thing seemed, the more it stirred his fighting spirit.

Within his sea of consciousness, the power of his primordial spirit was spreading outward in a frenzy, linked on one side to the meridians and the countless pores of his body, and on the other controlling the sources of the three great techniques, beginning the initial fusion.

A mouthful of blood burst from Dragon Cloud’s lips. Failed again. This was already the seventh time he had been repelled by the inherent recoil of the three techniques themselves.

Even with his extraordinary will, Dragon Cloud could not help but feel a touch of urgency now. Looking at the three flickering silhouettes suspended in midair, he forced a wry smile.

The hardest one to subdue was the Rising Dragon Formula. Once it could be brought to heel, merging the other two arts would become far easier.

At that thought, Dragon Cloud’s eyes lit up, and a look of grim resolve rose in them. Yes, the Rising Dragon Formula had been derived from the Dragon God Formula.

In other words, it too belonged to a portion of the power controlled by the Creator Dragon God. The reason he could not subdue it was because his body lacked the aura capable of making it yield.

Perhaps others could not accomplish this, but he might be different, because what flowed through his veins was the bloodline of the Creator Dragon God.

With that thought, he bit open all ten fingertips. Under his deliberate urging, a streak of blood shot from his finger, and that blood was actually golden, radiating a sacred brilliance.

“With my blood, I summon creation. The majesty of the Dragon God brooks no desecration. Submit to me!”

Dragon Cloud shouted, and his entire aura exploded outward. Although the technique itself had not yet been created, after such a long period of effort he could already control part of the true energy within his body.

Now, with true energy surging, he forced forth the power of his bloodline and merged it into the dragon phantom hovering in the air.

Once the blood of the Dragon God stained the phantom, the fading dragon suddenly became vivid and solid. Its pair of eyes snapped open, and a sovereign aura descended as though ruling all beneath heaven.

Then the dragon tail swung, the enormous dragon maw opened wide, and in one bite it swallowed the phantoms of the Wheel of Life and Death and the Celestial Demon into its belly.

To the naked eye, the two powers vanished swiftly within the dragon’s body. On the phantom dragon’s brow, a small, straight taiji symbol emerged.

At the same time, the golden dragon scales actually transformed into a blood-red hue, like a blood dragon come to life. The hard scales radiated a fierce and overwhelming presence, majestic beyond words.

Dragon Cloud narrowed his eyes and pointed with one hand. The divine dragon suddenly darted forward, and with a flash too swift to follow, plunged into the crown of his head.

In his sea of consciousness, strands upon strands of obscure golden script began to arrange themselves of their own accord. Golden light once again blazed around Dragon Cloud’s entire body, while his aura grew faint and elusive.

On his arm, the tattoo of the little golden dragon appeared once more, but it had turned blood-red. Every one of the countless pores across his body opened wide.

The golden radiance surrounding him poured into his body like a whale drawing in water, at a speed dozens of times greater than when he had condensed energy through the nine apertures.

Dragon Cloud’s hands flashed through countless seals in rapid succession. His meridians were activated in an instant, and true energy coursed through them, constantly refining the energy in his body. Flesh, blood, and the dragon bones that had replaced his own fused together perfectly, leaving not the slightest gap.

A thunderous crash rang out, as though something had shattered. Dragon Cloud felt an indescribable ease and comfort flood through him, while countless streams of energy descended from above and formed a seven-colored halo over his head, sacred beyond measure.

A seven-colored halo of merit.

Outside, the Gray Wolf King, who had been watching the situation all along, changed color drastically. At once thrilled that Dragon Cloud had finally completed his own technique, he was also struck by a shock he could scarcely believe.

A halo of merit could only appear around one who possessed great virtue. He vaguely remembered that after the legendary Creator Dragon God created the Dragon Realm, such a halo had once appeared above his head.

But now Dragon Cloud had merely created a technique and already received a halo of merit. For a moment the Gray Wolf King could hardly believe it. The halo of merit was a reward bestowed by the unseen will of heaven.

Thus he did not doubt its authenticity. The question was, what did Dragon Cloud’s technique truly signify?

“The six senses open to the heavens, the dao enters the divine body. Innate realm, achieved!”

Dragon Cloud slowly uttered those words, then opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of black vapor.

This black vapor was all the acquired impurity within his body, now completely expelled by the innate true energy. The innate mixed-energy realm had been brought to perfection.

Slowly withdrawing his power, the stone chamber once more returned to silence. A faint smile spread across Dragon Cloud’s face. No one knew how many days and nights had passed during this cultivation session, but to him it had been worthwhile.

Not only had a new path been opened in the realm of technique, his body itself had undergone a fresh metamorphosis.

The attribute aura of the Nine Heavens Demon Art had once again tempered his flesh and bones. The strength of his physical body had now reached a terrifying level.

Dragon Cloud even had the feeling that his body now far surpassed ordinary weapons. Every inch of muscle was filled with explosive force.

Countless pores had fully opened, drawing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body. True energy circulated naturally, and the sword intent together with the sacred aura within his bloodline had now become fully integrated with it.

Beyond his fleshly body, Dragon Cloud’s true energy had also climbed to a new level. The Heaven-Defying Pill was indeed extraordinary, though it had its own flaw: it was a pill of destruction followed by rebirth.

It could save your life, but it also destroyed everything you had once possessed. By now, the true energy in Dragon Cloud’s body had not only fused the other three great techniques, but also carried a unique aura.

This strand of true energy had likewise fused together with the three powers when the three arts suddenly merged, and to Dragon Cloud’s surprise, the aura of creation had not resisted it in the slightest.

From the acquired realm to the innate realm, the first trial one had to endure was the innate body tribulation, the heavenly calamity aimed at the transformation of the flesh. Yet when Dragon Cloud broke through to the innate realm, no tribulation arrived.

At first he thought it was because the restrictions within the Gray Wolf Cavern had blocked the will of heaven. But after examining it carefully, he discovered that it was actually that newly added aura which had obscured heaven’s secrets.

When Dragon Cloud learned this, he suddenly understood, and at last recognized the origin of this power: it was the force of the Heaven-Defying Pill, the power to seize the fortune of heaven and earth.

It was precisely because this Heaven-Defying power had been added that the tracks of heaven’s law within his body had been concealed, so that the tribulation could not sense his presence, sparing him from a world of pain.

Silently circulating the technique, the true energy within him began to flow at great speed. His meridians were open and unimpeded, and as the energy circulated it spread to every limb and bone, bringing a warm and soothing comfort.

“Who would have thought? I set out to merge the three great techniques, yet in the end I unexpectedly incorporated the power of defying heaven. So be it. To achieve this rebirth through destruction, I owe much to the Heaven-Defying Pill. This technique shall be called the Heaven-Defying Art.”

Dragon Cloud gently clenched his fist, and strands of electric serpents coiled restlessly around it.

“I wonder how long this closed cultivation has lasted.”

Suddenly he thought of the Jade Sword Sect. He did not know whether his departure could truly buy them peace.

“Dragon Cloud, you have indeed not disappointed me. Good. Very good.”

The Gray Wolf King’s figure suddenly appeared before him, smiling as he spoke.

Dragon Cloud seemed not to have noticed the matter of the seven-colored halo above his head, and the Gray Wolf King did not mention it either.

Looking at the Gray Wolf King, Dragon Cloud felt a surge of gratitude. If not for the Gray Wolf King imparting the Nine Heavens Demon Art, this technique could never have become so complete.

At once he bowed deeply and said, “This junior’s success in creating a technique was made possible entirely by the selfless help of Senior Gray Wolf King. Your great kindness, I shall never forget it for as long as I live.”