C588 A Drop of Dragon Blood!

Beyond the confines of the Sword Prison, a piercing dragon's cry suddenly erupted from a small carriage suspended a hundred meters from the shimmering silver hilltop.

The enigmatic woman concealed within the carriage briskly drew back the curtain and stepped out with an air of unmistakable grace.

Adorned in a golden dragon robe, her exquisite features exuded an aura of untold nobility as she stood atop the hovering carriage, her gem-like eyes gazing intently at the Sword Prison.

Her skin bore a rare hue of purple-red, horns graced her forehead, and the air around her was thick with the essence of dragon's breath.

"Qiao Mi Zhen!" exclaimed Chung Miao, a practitioner of the Bright Sect's Spiritual Spell, upon laying eyes on her.

Zhao Jie's lips curled into a knowing smile. "You're mistaken."

Tan Yuan, Shen Feiqing, Yan Qiling, and the others also watched with intrigue as the mysterious woman, who had thus far remained unseen, commanded the floating carriage.

"A single drop of my father's dragon blood has escaped from within him!" The woman, emerging from the carriage, inhaled deeply and raised her eyes to the white robe aloft. "Could my father perish within the Sword Prison?"

The bloodline of the Nagas was enshrouded in mystery, and as a scion of the dragon lineage, she felt a keen awareness the moment a drop of Loong Jie's dragon blood departed from his body.

"Father, dragon blood..."

Chung Miao paused, a tremor of realization passing through her. Suddenly, it all became clear.

Qiao Mi Zhen of the Qiao family, hailed as a prodigious talent of her generation, second only to Chen Qingyan and Lau Ying.

Qiao Mi Zhen had been the focus of widespread adulation in the Kingdom of Driliwyr, heavily promoted by her own family.

Chung Miao had encountered her before and the memory was vivid, enabling her to identify her instantly.

Yet, the Qiao Mi Zhen Chung Miao remembered had been declared dead by the Qiao family, a casualty of a catastrophic Qi deviation during her Yin God cultivation.

Chung Miao's surprise stemmed from her belief in Qiao Mi Zhen's demise.

Earlier, at the forest's edge, the female general Lee Yuchan had confronted Yu Yuan in a fit of rage, claiming the mysterious woman was an acquaintance, possibly Qiao Mi Zhen.

Lee Yuchan's rush to the carriage was driven by a need to verify whether Qiao Mi Zhen, whom the Qiao family had pronounced deceased, was indeed inside.

In that moment, Chung Miao witnessed someone who was supposed to be dead emerge from the floating sedan chair and stand atop it to speak. Her astonishment was palpable, and she couldn't help but cry out.

Yet, as Qiao Mi Zhen spoke of her father and dragon blood, Chung Miao understood the truth. The Qiao family of the Kingdom of Driliwyr had long been entangled with Hidden Dragon Lake. This generation's prodigy, Qiao Mi Zhen, had been nurtured by Hidden Dragon Lake, which had imbued her with a dragon's soul and breath.

The fate of the dragon, whose true form was elsewhere, was unknown—whether it had perished or suffered some mishap. Regardless, it had consumed Qiao Mi Zhen, reviving itself with her blood, physique, and spirit.

Qiao Mi Zhen hadn't been as fortunate as Zhao Yafu; she never crossed paths with Yu Yuan. And the Qiao family, unlike the Zhao family, didn't resist when they learned of the calamity that befell the young dragon within Zhao Yafu. Instead of devising a plan to "swallow the dragon" as the Zhao family had done in secret, they resigned themselves to fate and sacrificed Qiao Mi Zhen in accordance with their agreement.

Despite the Qiao family's formidable power within the Kingdom of Driliwyr, they lacked the Zhao family's resolve when it came to their kin. The result was the tragic death of the family's most radiant member, Qiao Mi Zhen, through which the dragon was reborn from her body.

The former leader of the Nagas, confined within Sword Prison, was none other than the father of the matriarch dragon that now lived through Qiao Mi Zhen. The potential scandal of sacrificing the family's most promising member to resurrect a matriarch dragon could devastate the Qiao family's reputation.

Such a revelation would lead any sect or clan with a shred of integrity to disdain the Qiao family. That's why they concealed the truth, claiming Qiao Mi Zhen's death was a cultivation accident. The dragon, cloaked in Qiao Mi Zhen's guise, remained hidden in the sedan chair, likely to keep the truth veiled.

"Loong Jie is your father, the former patriarch of the Nagas, imprisoned in Sword Prison for a mere five hundred years," the room's host said with a soft chuckle. "Loong Yang, there's no need for undue concern. From what I know of your father, while others may perish in Sword Prison, he will surely survive."

"If my father dies, all agreements with Hidden Dragon Lake are null and void!" declared Loong Yang, the female dragon, her voice icy as she assumed the guise of Qiao Mi Zhen.

"Relax, when I say he won't die, he won't die," came the reply from within the white robe.

Yan Qiling smirked, eyeing Loong Yang. "So, you're the old dragon's daughter. That makes Loong Tianxiao your brother or sister. And you just stood by while the jade dragon devoured him bit by bit on his way here?"

"Loong Tianxiao is a mongrel!" Loong Yang retorted fiercely.

Yan Qiling's face twisted in bemusement.

"I've personally slain seven mongrels like him!" Rage swirled in Loong Yang's eyes. "Impure mixed breeds don't deserve to live! And Father certainly doesn't care whether such mongrels live or die!"

"The ways of the dragon race are truly... bizarre," Yan Qiling muttered, shaking his head, withholding further judgment.

...

Deep within the Sword Prison.

Yu Yuan gripped the sword sheath, traversing the stone path shrouded in sword intent, and re-entered the cavern where Zhongli and Chen Qingyan resided. "Loong Jie is quite reasonable. He gave us a drop of dragon blood without a second thought!"

The instant that drop of dragon blood entered his dantian, Yu Yuan's parched realm of Qi and blood was revitalized as if infused with the waters of life.

The Blood Sacrificial Altar within him trembled, releasing a surge of hidden Qi and blood essence.

This vital essence, crucial for the altar's operation, was generously redirected to fortify Yu Yuan's battered body.

After enduring a barrage from Zhongli, his wounds were immediately suffused with vital energy.

That's why the old dragon felt a sudden improvement in his condition.

The Blood Sacrificial Altar had released its hidden reserves of Qi and blood because it sensed fresh prey, one that could mend all imperfections, and it was intent on assimilating that drop of dragon blood!

Yu Yuan sensed that the altar's craving for the dragon blood surpassed all else.

As he passed the colossal crocodile, the Ancient Desolate Sect cultivators, like Du Huang, consuming the beast's Qi and blood, also detected the altar's insatiable hunger and greed.

But now, the situation was incomparably more intense!

Yu Yuan realized the significance of this single drop of dragon blood to the Blood Sacrificial Altar was unparalleled—nothing else could match its importance!

With a tearing sound, hundreds of purple-red lightning bolts erupted from the middle dantian in his chest.

Upon closer inspection, these bolts of lightning were transforming into slender purple-red dragons.

In a different cave, an ancient dragon bellowed and cursed, employing the bloodline techniques of the Nagas to retrieve the drop of dragon blood that had made its way into Yu Yuan's Blood Sacrificial Altar.

"Hahaha! Kid, you've really got something up your sleeve!" Zhongli bellowed with unrestrained laughter.

The hundreds of purple-red lightning bolts scattered, chaotically darting around the cave.

Between the caves, barriers of sword intent and sword light had been erected, which the delicate purple-red dragons dared not touch.

"Return to me!"

Yu Yuan stood unyielding as a mountain, letting out a cold huff, and once again engaged the Evil Body Refining Skill, channeling the Blood Sacrificial Altar to draw in the dragon's blood essence.

Those hundreds of purple-red lightning bolts were merely manifestations of that one drop of dragon blood, with just a fraction of its essence swirling within.

As Loong Jie's drop of dragon blood entered his microcosm of Qi and blood, it unleashed its savage and bloodthirsty nature, aiming to shatter his world with the sheer might of that single drop.

The instant the dragon blood penetrated his defenses, Yu Yuan understood that Loong Jie harbored malicious intent—he was out for Yu Yuan's demise.

What Loong Jie hadn't anticipated was the presence of a Blood Sacrificial Altar within Yu Yuan's realm, forged from Giant Beast Amber!

The altar locked onto the dragon blood the moment it made contact!

Releasing a formidable magnetic force, the altar ensnared the drop of dragon blood, gradually drawing it in.

Unable to escape, the dragon blood released strands of dragon breath that enveloped it, materializing as hundreds of purple-red lightning bolts around Yu Yuan.

With Yu Yuan's cold snort, the altar ultimately devoured the drop of dragon blood.

As soon as the dragon blood was absorbed by the altar, the once translucent and enigmatic structure erupted with a radiance so dazzling it was blinding!

The fleeing strands of purple-red dragon breath, still in mid-flight, were abruptly seized by an unseen force and forcibly compressed back into Yu Yuan's domain of Qi and blood.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hundreds of dragon breath lightning bolts vanished one by one into the altar, absorbed by the dazzling blood sacrifice altar.

Yu Yuan abruptly took a seated position, tuning into the torrent of life essence emanating from within the altar. He channeled it through his limbs, bones, and the myriad pathways of his meridians.

The grievous wounds inflicted by Zhongli's mighty blow began to heal rapidly, his battered body recovering significantly in mere moments.

…