"Stay here and don't move. I'll go in and catch some prey, and then we'll have a picnic.
Don't worry, I know what I'm doing..."
To prevent them from worrying or constantly dissuading her, Ding Yun found a casual excuse and left the children in the care of her eldest disciple, Liu Yun. She then turned and leaped into the outermost jungle of the Sky Dragon Thunder Valley, disappearing without a trace.
As soon as Ding Yun left, Zhu Zhaoyun, with a hint of melancholy, climbed to the highest point of a green pine tree and gazed into the distance.
After this period of acquaintance, he couldn't shake the feeling that Ding Yun wasn't here merely for a casual visit. The elaborate preparations and arrival at Sky Dragon Thunder Valley made him suspect Ding Yun intended to establish a sect here.
Yet, Ding Yun insisted she was only here for sightseeing.
He couldn't argue with her.
So, he could only helplessly worry and watch from afar.
He hoped his guess was wrong. If, by chance, he was right and their new mistress were to be killed by the dragon, he vowed to raise Ding Yun's child with all his might, even at the cost of his remaining years.
Many others shared his concern. Thus, while they outwardly prepared for a picnic, all their actual preparations were done in the carriages. If there was any movement from within Thunder Valley, or if danger leaked out,
they would be able to flee in the shortest possible time.
Meanwhile, Ding Yun, as they had anticipated, did not go hunting for prey but headed straight for the center of Sky Dragon Thunder Valley. Along the way, she also utilized the accumulated editing points to enhance her cultivation, pushing herself towards the peak of Martial Saint.
Her martial arts also underwent modifications, aiming for comprehensive improvement. This meant a simultaneous enhancement of essence, qi, and spirit. Her body-refining techniques were to reach the peak Martial Saint level, and her qi-refining techniques were also to reach the peak Martial Saint level.
The most mysterious realm, the spirit-refining martial path, was also to reach the peak Martial Saint level.
Only then could she have the confidence to confront a dragon, a creature inherently stronger than humans, capable of overwhelming all humans in the same realm.
Next, she naturally headed straight for the lake at the heart of Thunder Valley and quickly used the Real-World Editor to examine the dragon's cultivation. If the opponent was still at the peak Martial Saint level, she would have the confidence to fight. But if it had already become a Martial God, what would be the point of fighting?
Was she there to die, becoming a meal for the dragon?
The result, however, was less than optimistic.
The opponent's cultivation column clearly stated "Peak Martial Saint," but there was an additional note:
"Pseudo Martial God."
This was rather troublesome. Whether the opponent's strength was comparable to a Pseudo Martial God, or if the dragon had already taken that step and was now at the half-step Martial God realm,
her current peak Martial Saint realm
might not be enough.
Just as Ding Yun was contemplating whether to upgrade her cultivation to the Martial God realm, the dragon, slumbering deep in the lake, sensed the intrusion of a strange Martial Saint and abruptly opened its eyes, surging out.
The power unleashed by its emergence swiftly stirred up a massive wave, directly surging towards Ding Yun standing by the lake.
Ding Yun leaped aside to evade.
She decided to test the waters with a battle first. If she could win, that would be best. If not, she still had other means.
She would treat it as practical combat training.
Therefore, Ding Yun soon leaped into the air, flying up to the sky to formally engage in a fierce battle with the dragon.
The magnitude of the commotion was such that it could be felt a thousand miles away.
Zhu Zhaoyun also observed the situation from afar. While marveling at Ding Yun's power, his heart was filled with anxiety, fearing she might not be a match for the dragon. However, he was powerless to intervene in a conflict of this magnitude. Not only could he not help, but even getting close could result in him being torn to shreds. Thus, he could only watch anxiously from the periphery.
After fighting for a while, Ding Yun discovered that the dragon was truly formidable. Not only was its hide thick and resilient to attacks, but it also wielded thunder magic. The purple-gold horn on its head could unleash lightning at any moment. It was likely that previous legends of it absorbing lightning for cultivation were true.
What was most terrifying was its powerful soul, no less potent than a peak Martial Saint specializing in soul cultivation. In fact, due to its larger size, it might even be stronger.
Of the three core aspects of cultivation – essence, qi, and spirit – the dragon excelled in each more than ordinary humans who specialized in one.
No wonder one dragon could contend with several peak Martial Saints.
Facing such a quasi-divine beast.
Even a slight disadvantage would be unbearable.
Before long, Ding Yun found herself being dominated by the dragon. The amount of blood she coughed up in this battle exceeded all the blood she had coughed up in the past hundred and eighty worlds combined. Realizing that continuing this way would not only be humiliating but could also cost her her life, Ding Yun had no choice but to open the Real-World Editor again and cheat. She upgraded her cultivation to the half-step Martial God realm while simultaneously stacking weakness and poison buffs on the dragon.
Before long, under the effect of the Real-World Editor, the dragon inexplicably felt weaker than after battling a hundred and eighty different beasts for eight hundred rounds. It couldn't muster any strength, and its internal dragon essence felt as if it were poisoned and not circulating smoothly.
Meanwhile, Ding Yun's injuries were fully healed,
and her aura surged.
Finally, she was able to gain the upper hand against the dragon.
At this point, Ding Yun, acting with righteous indignation, repaid the dragon's aggression in kind. Seizing the dragon's weakness, she took the opportunity to settle her scores and exact her revenge, thoroughly thrashing it. Later, feeling that her size was too small for a satisfying fight, Ding Yun directly manifested a Martial Saint-level Dharma Idol tens of meters tall.
She further intensified her dominance over the dragon.
She was only a step away from stripping its skin and tendons, like Nezha.
Subsequently, without bothering to ask the dragon if it submitted or was willing to become her master, Ding Yun used the Real-World Editor to modify the dragon's attributes, designating it as her pet. Why bother with lengthy persuasion when things could be directly resolved?
What if it was a stubborn one?
That would only make her angry for no reason.
After this was done, the dragon, which had roamed the world for three thousand years, became a pet that would obey Ding Yun one hundred percent. Of course, pets shouldn't be mistreated, as mistreated pets might turn against their masters. Therefore, Ding Yun quickly used the Real-World Editor again to erase all negative attributes from the Sky Dragon Thunder Dragon.
Only then did she ride it to pick up her disciples and son.
Needless to say, the astonishment of everyone involved was immense. By the time Ding Yun brought everyone to Sky Dragon Thunder Valley, aside from the children who were too young to understand and were excitedly playing everywhere, most of the adults were in a daze.
After their initial shock, they became immensely excited, feeling as if their ancestors' graves had emitted a great fortune to allow them to encounter such a powerful mistress. Even though the sect had not yet been established, they believed that once it was, it would be on par with the current three major top martial arts sacred lands, and perhaps even surpass them.
After all, even the three major top martial arts sacred lands.
Had no one who could subdue the Sky Dragon Thunder Dragon.
As for the scene they had witnessed earlier, of Ding Yun being thrashed by the dragon, it was undoubtedly a ploy by their mistress to lure the enemy deeper, fearing the dragon would be scared away, and she had intentionally acted that way.
It was absolutely impossible that she couldn't win at first.
After the victory, any embarrassing moments from before were mentally reinterpreted by people as various clever strategies, accompanied by awe and admiration. This demonstrated the marvels of the human mind.