C897 Dragon Binding!

The green dragon, its body a mangled mess of blood and flesh, writhed in pain, each movement driving more thorns and branches deeper into its flesh.

This eighth-level green dragon, a transcendent being within Dragon Lake, was known as Loong Qi. With bloodthirsty eyes, it glared at Wen Lu, who had risen into the air above the cauldron.

Whoosh!

A series of slender, dragon-shaped remnant souls shot from the corners of Loong Qi's eyes, silently targeting Wen Lu.

"Little wretch, I'll flay you alive!"

Loong Qi's words, spoken in the ancient dragon language and carried by the remnant souls, seemed to pierce straight into Wen Lu's mind.

With a thunderous crash, Wen Lu plummeted to the ground.

An uncountable number of trees and plants vied with each other to entwine her.

In an instant, Wen Lu appeared to be engulfed by the multitude of trees, transforming into a bizarre and towering "tree," with layers of green halos swirling around her.

Crackle!

Loong Qi's remnant souls and the concealed dragon's breath manifested as slender green lightning dragons, clashing with the plant essence of the Serpent Spine Mountains.

Trees shattered, sending a shower of wood chips into the sky.

Wen Lu was now clad in an odd armor of woven dead branches, her form enveloped in green halos. With each gesture, she drew the plant essence back to her.

"The bloodline of the seventh-level Shadowkin..."

At that moment, the Frost Queen, having arrived beside Yu Yuan, observed Wen Lu below. Her deep blue eyes brimmed with contemplation as she spoke with a detached voice.

"Seventh level, Shadowkin bloodline?" Yu Yuan was taken aback.

In his conversations with Yan Qiling, he had learned that the Otherkin and the evilkind of the Everlands, much like the Nagas, categorized their bloodlines in the simplest terms: one to ten.

A newly awakened bloodline at the seventh level?

Yu Yuan was astounded. He immediately reached out to Yu Yiyi again. Could her father be a tenth-level powerhouse, perhaps even the chieftain of the Shadowkin?

What does the tenth level represent?

It's a tier where the human race's primordial spirit, the evilkind's Dark Deity, and the Naga's former supreme beings reside!

When Wen Lu first awakened her bloodline, it was already at the seventh level, suggesting that her enigmatic father could very well be one of the most powerful members of the Shadowkin.

Yet, it seemed implausible for a Shadowkin of the tenth level to elude the notice of the many powerful beings in the Everlands and secretly descend, leaving behind offspring.

It just didn't add up logically.

"There's another possibility: her Shadowkin father, knowing his end was near, transferred all the intricacies of his bloodline to her through mystique," Yu Yiyi pondered before explaining. "That would mean her initial bloodline level is quite high. But it also implies that her father has either perished or suffered a drastic fall in his bloodline level."

Yu Yiyi's memories had been reawakening, especially after the trials in the Land of Terror and the gathering of many Banes at Fiendpeak.

She even remembered details about the extraterrestrial Star River and provided Yu Yuan with two explanations.

"Only an Otherkin of at least the ninth level could pass down such a bloodline," she continued. "Therefore, even with the second possibility, this young lady's father must be a ninth level Shadowkin. A figure of such stature would undoubtedly be renowned among the Shadowkin."

Yu Yuan gave a thoughtful nod.

He planned to take Wen Lu to Fiendpeak to inquire with the Shadowkin emissaries once this affair was settled.

A Shadowkin of at least the ninth level had come to the Everlands and given life to Wen Lu...

He was confident that a few inquiries would lead to some answers.

"Someone is approaching, very strong, formidable..."

The Frost Queen, akin to an ice goddess, spoke again, her words scattered and not entirely clear.

Yu Yuan understood that if the Frost Queen advanced one more level to become a tenth level Bane, she could fully awaken and come to life in a different sense.

At that stage, the Frost Queen would regain her intelligence, possess independent consciousness, and be capable of clear communication, complete with a sense of self.

She was just one level shy of this awakening. Currently, her spiritual wisdom was just beginning to stir, hence her disjointed speech.

But Yu Yuan grasped the essence of what she was trying to convey.

Sages Tianjing and Chong Xiao from the Ethereal Void Sect were en route!

"How many?" Yu Yuan demanded.

"Three," the Frost Queen replied.

Yu Yuan's expression shifted. Anyone the Frost Queen considered strong and powerful must be on par with her. The thought of three such individuals...

"Wen Lu, forget the green dragon for now. We're heading to the Moonfall Sanctuary!" he commanded.

Wen Lu, having reached the seventh bloodline level of the Shadowkin, had taken advantage of the numerous trees in the Serpent Spine Mountains to surprise the green dragon, causing it significant harm.

Yet, inflicting serious injury on this eighth-level green dragon was no simple task.

After observing for a while, Yu Yuan concluded that Wen Lu could only trap and wound the dragon further.

But this was depleting the bloodline power within Wen Lu's body.

The bloodline of a seventh-level Shadowkin couldn't provide endless power to Wen Lu. Once her bloodline power ran out, the eighth-level green dragon would break free.

Then, the green dragon would turn the tables and hunt Wen Lu.

"Okay."

Hearing this, Wen Lu, already somewhat fatigued, dutifully manipulated the plant essence and drifted back to the Crucible of Evil.

"The three Sages from the Ethereal Void have arrived from the Crimson Sun Empire. I have a dear friend who's currently away from the Serpent Spine Mountains due to some complications..." Yu Yuan briefly explained as the Crucible of Evil soared over Loong Qi's head and the numerous fallen Dragon Attendants.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Green vapors of blood emerged from the bodies of the deceased Dragon Attendants, twisting and turning like serpents, making their way toward the eighth-level green dragon.

"Huh!"

Yu Yuan's eyes gleamed. In that instant, he unleashed the Altar of Rebirth.

The glistening, ruby-red altar began to spin, leaving Yu Yuan's little world of vitality and materializing before Wen Lu and Wen Xin.

The strands of green blood, initially drawn to the eighth-level green dragon, were now forcibly redirected by the appearance of the Altar of Rebirth.

In a fleeting moment, the lifeblood that once belonged to the Nagas, and specifically to Loong Qi, was ruthlessly claimed by Yu Yuan's Altar of Rebirth!

"Move! We need to get out of here now!"

Below them, Loong Qi was in a frenzy, cursing in dragon language as the Crucible of Evil soared away.

He decided against taking a detour and instead followed the original path from the Serpent Spine Mountains toward the Moonfall Sanctuary.

He had considered turning back because of Loong Qi's presence, but now that Wen Lu had temporarily ensnared him, preventing his escape, there was no longer a need to change course.

As the Altar of Rebirth settled back into the little world of vitality, Wen Lu's eyes sparkled. She smiled and asked with curiosity, "Brother Yu, are you... like me?"

"He is too?" Wen Xin, leaning on her Dragon Head Staff, exclaimed in surprise.

"No, it's different," Yu Yuan said with a smile, shaking his head. "What you've seen, though it contains unusual vitality, has been refined by me, rather than being innate."

Without further elaboration, he focused on the Altar of Rebirth, which was already processing the harvested dragon blood.

Once cleansed, the bright crimson glow of the blood was eagerly absorbed by the Seven Star Aegis.

"So many bodies..."

Wen Lu didn't press the issue. Squinting slightly, she felt as if every tree had become her eyes, revealing much to her. "Many from the Sacred Hands have been slain by the green dragon and his protectors."

"How could he dare?" Wen Xin was astounded. "The Sacred Hands have the support of the Order of Healing! There are few in this world who would cross the Order of Healing! Even Dragon Lake would seek medicines from them!"

The Serpent Spine Mountains, home to the Sacred Hands, lay between the Crimson Sun Empire and the Silvermoon Empire. None of the families or cultivator forces from either empire dared to offend the Sacred Hands.

On one hand, both empires relied on the Order of Healing, and on the other, there was the influence of the Order itself.

"So many have perished?"

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he activated his Third Eye, scanning the horizon. Indeed, he spotted several scattered corpses deep within the forest.

From their attire, they were mostly herbalists and alchemists from the Sacred Hands.

The corpses were strewn about in disarray, likely the work of a savage green dragon that had torn them apart with its claws.

A severed head caught Yu Yuan's attention, prompting a soft sigh from him.

He recognized the face—it belonged to Bai Shenshen.

​