Under the continuous work of the excavator's breaker hammer, the remaining half-meter rock layer from the dragon vein was also broken, revealing the true form of the dragon vein for the first time.
Instantly, a surge of green light shot into the sky, illuminating the dim night. The entire southern region of Jiangnan City was enveloped in a green glow. The rain had stopped, but the thunder grew louder. Upon closer listening, it sounded like an angry dragon's roar, a furious cry!
Zhang Yang re-donned his cloak, Li Dabai carried Han Xiyao on his back, and Luo Yiren followed closely beside him. The three arrived by the edge of the deep pit, their eyes filled with disbelief as they gazed at the swirling green light at the bottom.
Was this the dragon vein? It was indeed a creation of heaven and earth, truly miraculous. Just by being close to it, the three felt an incredibly potent energy. However, this energy was filled with volatility, giving them a sense of oppressive palpitations.
"Sister Yiren, have everyone leave. They can't stay here," Zhang Yang said.
"I've already notified them. The operators have climbed up through the safety passage," Luo Yiren nodded, pointing towards the safety passage where figures were moving not far ahead. Those were the excavator operators who had been at the bottom of the pit.
The anomaly at the bottom of the pit had already panicked them. They were hurrying, their steps disordered, their hearts filled with curiosity yet also fear, as they scrambled upwards from the pit. They were the first to come into contact with the green light and had felt an extreme sense of dread. At this moment, curiosity was no longer important; survival was paramount.
After about five minutes, most of the people in the deep pit had evacuated.
"Dabai, let's go down. We need to hurry!" Zhang Yang said solemnly.
"Alright, leave it to me," Li Dabai nodded seriously and stood by the edge of the deep pit, then leaped down. The ground was a full 9.9999 meters below. However, for Li Dabai, a master of the Yin Yuan realm, this was of no consequence. Even carrying Han Xiyao, Li Dabai landed easily at the bottom of the pit.
With a thud, as Li Dabai landed, the powerful impact stirred up a cloud of dust. Upon reaching the bottom, Li Dabai placed Han Xiyao aside and walked towards the center of the pit. That was the heart of the dragon vein, the location of the dragon's head!
At this moment, that place was erupting with an extremely violent aura. Before Li Dabai even approached, the feeling of palpitation intensified. However, Li Dabai knew he couldn't be afraid. Only by absorbing the violent, angry aura could Han Xiyao be saved!
"Come on, I want to see how powerful this damn dragon vein's violent aura truly is." Li Dabai's face hardened, and he opened his hands, walking directly into the most dazzling area of green light. The spot where his feet landed was precisely the dragon's head. Beneath his feet was a lifelike green dragon, its eyes like copper bells, glaring at Li Dabai.
The dragon vein now was different from over a decade ago. It had matured and possessed self-awareness. It knew that the person appearing now was here to contend with and extinguish it. Instantly, an aura of anger, even more intense than before, surged.
With a roar, terrifying dragon breath erupted. Li Dabai, bathed in it, let out a scream, his face turning pale, forgetting even to imitate Zhang Yang's voice.
"Ah!"
"Damn it, this hurts so much!"
"..."
Li Dabai continued to curse, the feeling of fear and palpitation growing stronger, yet he did not retreat a single step. Whether for Han Xiyao, for Zhang Yang, or for himself, Li Dabai would not back down. As long as he could withstand this violent aura of the dragon vein, Han Xiyao would be saved. Zhang Yang's worries would also be resolved. Similarly, by enduring this violent aura, Li Dabai's own strength would advance by leaps and bounds!
"Come on, keep it coming! Whoever flinches is a coward!" Li Dabai glared down at the dragon's head, unsure if the dragon vein could understand. In any case, he wanted to say it to boost his own morale.
Instantly, the frequency of the dragon's breath increased, and the green light became even more dazzling. Correspondingly, Li Dabai's screams grew louder.
This scene filled a slender figure hiding at the edge of the deep pit with horror. Even though she had prepared herself mentally, knowing that Zhang Yang's purpose was not simple, seeing the actual outcome made her heart falter! Because... just now, she had actually seen a dragon! A green dragon! A living, blinking green dragon! She never imagined that dragons, existing only in legends, were real in this world! At this moment, her worldview, her understanding, collapsed once more.
However, she also felt a surge of eagerness. The saying that risk and opportunity coexist was not false. Perhaps this would be an opportunity for her? Though excited, seeing Li Dabai in such pain, she dared not step forward rashly, continuing to hide within the excavator's cabin. She secretly peeked out with her eyes, observing everything.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yang and Luo Yiren, standing on the edge of the dragon pit, could naturally hear Li Dabai's miserable cries from the bottom.
"Zhang Yang, can Li Dabai hold on?" Luo Yiren asked worriedly.
"He should be able to. If not, I'll go next," Zhang Yang said, remaining vigilant of his surroundings while also paying attention to what was happening below the dragon pit. For some reason, even though Li Dabai had reached the dragon pit, he still felt a sense of unease.
"Sister Yiren, I'm leaving. Remember, the person below is Zhang Yang." After giving the instruction, Zhang Yang concealed himself in the shadows.
...
Outside the old residential area, Grandpa He, Jiang Pan, and the abbot of Lingtai Temple gathered. Clearly, they were among the first to know of the dragon vein's appearance.
"Old friend, that voice doesn't sound like Zhang Yang's. What's going on?" Jiang Pan frowned.
"Amitabha, it seems the situation has gone awry," the abbot of Lingtai Temple echoed. Grandpa He extinguished the cigarette in his hand, his heart filled with suspicion. The plan had already succeeded by more than half. As long as Zhang Yang followed their instructions and completely absorbed the dragon vein's violent aura, their plan would be completely successful. Because there was something they had never told Zhang Yang: once Zhang Yang followed their advice and absorbed the dragon vein's violent aura, he would be unable to stop. Unless the person absorbing the dragon vein died.
"Let's go and take a look." Grandpa He, also feeling concerned, hurried towards the deep pit. The abbot of Lingtai Temple and Jiang Pan exchanged glances and followed. However, when they reached the deep pit, they became even more suspicious.
"Strange, the person below is indeed Zhang Yang," Grandpa He mused. With their eyesight, they could naturally see the face of the person below. But the face was Zhang Yang's, yet the voice was different. What was going on? Grandpa He then walked towards Luo Yiren, who was above the deep pit.
"Luo girl, is the person below Zhang Yang?" Grandpa He asked.
"Ah?" Luo Yiren's strength was not enough to detect the approach of Grandpa He and the other two. Hearing someone call her, she jumped. Luo Yiren recognized two of the three. However, remembering Zhang Yang's earlier instructions, she decided to conceal the truth.
"Yes, Zhang Yang went down carrying Xiyao, but it seems the situation isn't good," she replied.
The person below is Zhang Yang? Grandpa He and the other two exchanged glances, finding it strange. But upon closer inspection, the person below indeed had Zhang Yang's features. Could it be that these shrill screams were because the dragon vein's violent aura was too terrifying, causing Zhang Yang to lose his voice?
"I'll go down and take a look," the abbot of Lingtai Temple suddenly said. As a guardian of the dragon vein, he had a thorough understanding of it. The dragon vein's ferocity was indeed strong, but with Zhang Yang's strength, he should have been able to withstand it easily. Why was he in such pain? Had something gone wrong?
Grandpa He and Jiang Pan nodded in agreement with the abbot of Lingtai Temple's idea. However, just as the abbot of Lingtai Temple was about to descend, a sudden change occurred outside. Several True Yuan realm auras enveloped the area, accompanied by angry roars.
"Five Dragons of Huaxia, you stray dogs are truly despicable and shameless!"
"How dare you trick us? Can you bear the consequences?"
"The past is only the past. The Patrol Division and the Dragon Group will eradicate you completely!"
"..."
The external changes made the three inwardly exclaim "Not good!" Not good! Have they discovered it so quickly? The abbot of Lingtai Temple immediately abandoned his original plan and walked out with Grandpa He and Jiang Pan, but he positioned himself in a hidden corner. No one knew what he was tinkering with, but the nine-ringed Zen staff in his hand emitted a green light.
At this moment, outside the old residential area, a large number of figures began to appear. Leading them were four experts of the True Yuan realm: Zhang Xiao, Tuoba Hong, Gao Zhan, and Zuo Xiuming! Behind them followed a host of experts from the Yin Yuan realm and Qi realm!
The people brought by Grandpa He, seeing the danger appear, all revealed themselves. They were now confronting the opposing forces!
"He Ao! It's you!" Zuo Xiuming and Gao Zhan recognized Grandpa He and glared at him angrily!
"Do you think you're worthy of calling me by my name? Are you tired of living?" Grandpa He snorted coldly.
"Heh, worthy? Do you really think you're still the former Minister of the Battle Dragon Department, one of the Five Dragons of Huaxia? Pfft!" Gao Zhan sneered. Zuo Xiuming's attitude was slightly better, as He Ao had helped the Dragon Group a few times in the past. However, "better" was relative. Compared to the dragon vein, what Grandpa He had done for the Dragon Group was insignificant!
"He Ao, the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves before, and the new replace the old. The Five Dragons of Huaxia are no more. If you intend to resist to the death, don't blame me for being ruthless!" The threats from the two held no sway over He Ao. Tonight, they had planned this meticulously and were prepared for a fight to the death.
Zhang Xiao and Tuoba Hong's faces were even more grim. The four major powers had been tricked by a centipede that, though dead, refused to lie still!
"Why waste more words with him? Kill them first, and we'll settle our own matters later!"
"Precisely!" Tuoba Hong agreed. Instantly, the two young prodigies made their move, their terrifying Yuan Qi erupting and heading straight for He Ao. Seeing this, Jiang Pan unleashed his own Yuan Qi and stepped forward to block the two.
"Talented people emerge in succession, but many are also struck down by fate. Today, your time is up!" Jiang Pan's gaze was icy as he snorted. Fighting two opponents at once, he did not seem to be at a disadvantage.
Gao Zhan and Zuo Xiuming followed suit, their Yuan Qi surging. With a boom, the two veteran True Yuan realm experts, one on the left and one on the right, charged towards Grandpa He. Seeing this, Grandpa He's expression became serious, but he inwardly sneered. Zuo Xiuming knew his identity and his strength. Yin Yuan realm. However, that was He Ao's strength back then. Now, his injuries had somewhat recovered. As for his strength...
With a boom! "Today, I'll let you know that even a dragon in shallow waters cannot be trifled with by mere fish and shrimp!" He Ao roared. As the two approached him, his Yuan Qi suddenly erupted, locking onto Gao Zhan. He threw a punch, and the surrounding air was instantly incinerated. The Yuan Qi in his fist faintly transformed into a faint blue flame, striking Gao Zhan directly in the chest.
With a bang! A pfft~ Gao Zhan's expression changed drastically. Before he could react, his body flew out like a kite with a broken string. And Grandpa He was not faring any better. To launch a surprise attack and heavily injure one person first, he had chosen to forgo defending against Zuo Xiuming's attack and focus entirely on attacking Gao Zhan. As a result, he had also taken a blow from Zuo Xiuming, staggering backward. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura weakening considerably.
"You're actually in the True Yuan realm!" Gao Zhan's face turned somewhat pale. He Ao's previous blow had damaged several of his meridians. Although Gao Zhan had taken a pill immediately, it was impossible for him to exert his full strength again. Zuo Xiuming was equally shocked and felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, He Ao had not intended to ambush him earlier, otherwise, his current fate would likely not have been any better than Gao Zhan's.
"The Five Dragons of Huaxia are indeed not to be underestimated! He Ao, if you retreat now, my Dragon Group will let bygones be bygones." Zuo Xiuming's offer, though seemingly kind, was merely an attempt to gain the greatest reward with the least cost. How could Grandpa He let him succeed? He sneered.
"Heh, not only am I in the True Yuan realm, but if I weren't injured, I could crush all of you here with one hand!" Zuo Xiuming's brow furrowed, and he said sternly.
"It seems we cannot reach an agreement? In that case, let's bring about destruction!" As his voice fell, Zuo Xiuming's Yuan Qi surged, and a five-inch dragon ruler suddenly appeared from his sleeve! The ruler was golden yellow throughout, covered in dragon scale patterns. Under the reflection of the green light, it exuded an aura of majesty. Then, Zuo Xiuming leaped into the air. Amidst the lightning and thunder, he appeared like a god descending to earth.
Gao Zhan, on the other hand, was not to be outdone. He took out a banner from his embrace and began to wave it. After a moment, the Yuan Qi within his body converged onto the banner.
"Yuan Qi restraint, wind sweeps the clouds!" Gao Zhan shouted, waving the banner downwards. Instantly, the lightning in the sky seemed to be summoned, and a lightning snake descended, striking the banner. The Yuan Qi on the banner was fully attached to the lightning snake and shot towards He Ao.
This was serious! At this moment, Grandpa He's expression changed drastically. Both of them had used their signature items, but he had nothing! It seemed he had miscalculated. These two were clearly wary of him and had even used their trump cards in advance. He might not be able to withstand this full-force attack!
At the same time, Jiang Pan, fighting two opponents, clearly sensed this. He immediately shouted anxiously, "Old friend, be careful!"
"Heh, you should be careful of yourself!" Zhang Xiao sneered. Taking advantage of Jiang Pan's distraction, he struck Jiang Pan with a punch, sending him flying backward. Then, he, along with Tuoba Hong, pursued closely.
...
The overall situation now was a complete collapse on He Ao's side. Except for the battlefield of the Yin Yuan realm, which could still maintain its position, the True Yuan realm was completely outmatched. Zhang Yang, hidden in the shadows, even considered intervening. However, just as he was about to act, a Buddhist chant resounded through the sky.
"Amitabha!"