fifth form

Chapter 3357 The Weary Dragon Returns to Its Nest
The dragons in the Two Dragons Formation are two blood snakes, which are the same blood snakes that appeared on the golden statue used for sacrificial rites.

This blood snake, like a purple-gold gourd, collects and filters blood, thus forming a more potent blood within its body than blood essence. This blood can be combined with elixirs to enhance the effects of the Qi and Blood Creation Elixir.

Zhang Xuezhou originally thought that the spoils of the Two Dragons Formation would be blood snakes and dragon bones, but after the large cauldron where Dong Zhongshu was located erupted with a large amount of blood energy, Zhang Xuezhou quickly changed his mind.

"What a pity, I don't have any techniques for cultivating qi and blood!"

The eruption of blood energy was like a surge of spiritual energy. The new emperor, who was closest to the cauldron, was the first to benefit from it, followed by Wei Qing, who came in to help. Then, a captain named Su Jian entered the passage.

This blood energy was not a pervasive mist, but rather like a spirit snake seeking a vessel, constantly burrowing into the nostrils and other parts of the crowd.

Zhang Xuezhou took a breath and felt his body full of energy and blood.

Just like when he drank spiritual tea at the mouth of the Guanjiang River, excessive consumption would cause a stinging sensation in his body.

His main cultivation method is magic power, and his internal blood and qi are limited. Even though his physical body techniques are honed with magic power, when blood and qi surge, he can only rely on his body to endure it. At present, he can only seal his nose to prevent blood and qi from entering his body.

"My cultivation of qi and blood only accounts for half of my cultivation!"

Dong Zhongshu touched his nose and saw that his nostrils were full of blood, indicating that his body's blood and qi had been overwhelmed.

"Brother Dongfang, please lend me an Eight-Step Ascension Pill and two Magic Creation Pills. This is a perfect opportunity, and the Two Dragons Formation is being constructed here. My cultivation level is about to break through!"

Looking at his hands covered in blood, Dong Zhongshu felt that this was a golden opportunity.

He originally intended to complete the task of assisting Wei Qing and then ask the new emperor for pills to break through his cultivation realm. Now, however, he has an opportunity to advance the timeline, and this opportunity is even better. The existence of the Two Dragons Formation allows his body to maintain a balanced state.

With just the addition of the corresponding Mana Creation Pill, Dong Zhongshu felt confident that he would be able to break through the True Self Realm cultivation level he had previously given up.

Dong Zhongshu once discussed the ultimate state of true self with Zhang Xuezhou and Zhenyuan Shenjun, but Dong Zhongshu could not reach that moment.

He missed it once, then missed it again, and now he was attempting to break through to the True Self Realm for the third time. Dong Zhongshu could no longer ignore this opportunity.

He asked Zhang Xuezhou, who held the dragon bone and had captured the blood dragon, for the pills, and then swallowed them whole. The red light of his blood and the purple light of his magic power immediately appeared on Dong Zhongshu's body.

Dong Zhongshu's condition was not an isolated case. For example, Zhang Xuezhou's closed nasal breathing resulted in less impact on his body. Dong Zhongshu was able to maintain his consciousness despite the fluctuations in his internal magical power. Others, however, were swaying and struggling to support themselves after the infusion of energy. At the moment, they were desperately trying to refine this sudden surge of powerful energy and blood, and even uttering a single word was difficult.

Whether they were honing their cultivation level, breaking through to a higher level, or using techniques to refine their qi and blood, everyone's performance was different.

"After decades of hard work, Chanyu Junchen has only ended up doing all the work for nothing!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't need to think to know that this was most likely a cultivation opportunity created by the Great Chanyu of the Fiend Kingdom for his own sake, or a place managed by successive Great Chanyus to seek a boost after reaching the limit of their cultivation, or a collective effort to create top-level cultivators.

However, this arrangement was disrupted, ultimately benefiting others.

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the blood snake still coiled around his arm, then at the blood waves emanating from the cauldron, finding it hard to believe the blood snake's effects were so great.

Holding what appeared to be either a dragon's scapula or a sternum, he stood on tiptoe to look at the large cauldron where the new emperor and the others were.

After taking a few steps, he noticed that the underground area was starting to shake, so he had no choice but to obediently stand to the side of the cauldron.

Unable to observe the situation inside the large cauldron opposite him, and unable to move freely, Zhang Xuezhou could only wait for the new emperor and others to regain control of their bodies and shield their breath. He glanced at the large cauldron beside him, flicked the blood snake on the head, and then began to ponder the dragon bone he was holding in his right hand.

Unlike ordinary bones, which are grayish-white, dragon bones have a pale yellow tinge, like a faded piece of jade.

The easiest way to cultivate the physical body is to refine the skin and membranes. Simply using external impacts can cause calluses to form on the skin and membranes, thus giving the body the ability to withstand rough impacts. After refining the skin and membranes, the next step is to refine the tendons, making the body highly elastic and thus enhancing its cushioning ability. The next step is to refine the flesh and blood, making the body full and resistant to external blows.

The process progresses step by step, progressing to the internal organs of the body, and only after completing all of this will one proceed to the stage of strengthening the bones.

Zhang Xuezhou understood that the reason for all this was very simple, after all, his physical body techniques were cultivated step by step.

The difficulty of cultivating to the skeletal level is extremely high. The owner of this dragon bone in his hand is obviously not ordinary, and is very likely a dragon demon with an extremely powerful physical body.

"The blood, skin, oil, and tendons of a dragon after it dies are all invaluable treasures, each of which can give a cultivator confidence. It's a pity that only some dragon bones are left here!"

Zhang Xuezhou felt a pang of sadness.

If even a great cultivator like him acknowledges the blessings bestowed upon the dragon bone's owner after his death, it goes without saying that for other lesser cultivators, finding such blessings almost means changing their fate.

Of course, the higher the quality of cultivation resources, the more likely it is that the cultivator's body will be unable to support them. It is not uncommon for someone to die from indiscriminately consuming them, and it is also normal for someone to be unable to draw a bow due to the influence of dragon tendons.

In any case, this resource is indeed fantastic if used properly.

Even the dragon bones that Zhang Xuezhou still possessed could be used to make a top-grade hemostatic powder, just as Dong Zhongshu had suggested, thus enabling severely injured cultivators to stop bleeding and promote blood production, and even recover from broken bones.

Drug treatment causes less damage to the cultivator's body, and the recovery is more reliable than the Taiqingzhen technique used by Zhang Xuezhou and others for emergency treatment.

Zhang Xuezhou could only sigh that the gains from breaking into the Dragon City ancestral land were not bad, which could somewhat mitigate the impact of the destruction of Li Guang's army. If the news of the Dragon City ancestral land being breached were made public, it would likely disrupt the balance of power within the Xiong Kingdom.

"Ok?"

While waiting idly and glancing at the dragon bone in his hand, Zhang Xuezhou noticed a glint of light flashing within the pale yellow, jade-like bone.

Before Zhang Xuezhou could investigate further, he felt a chilling deathly aura envelop his body, followed by an extremely desolate dragon's roar.

"The Yinglong Huaxu clan?"

The chilling aura of death wasn't directed at Zhang Xuezhou, but rather at the approach of the departed souls.

Within the dragon skeleton, a golden dragon with a body riddled with holes emerged, its wings mechanical yet powerless to flap, thus maintaining the stability of its body.

Amidst the murmured dragon's roar, Zhang Xuezhou could only roughly guess the other party's identity, yet he could sense their regret and hatred.

At first, he was a little confused as to why the dragon's spirit kept talking to him, as if it were pleading for release from death. But when he felt nauseous and spat out the golden demon essence pill, Zhang Xuezhou suddenly remembered that he had once held the dragon pearl that had turned into stone in his mouth.

Golden light appeared on the dragon bone, like a weary bird returning to its nest. Zhang Xuezhou felt a chill creep into the Demon Essence Pill.

"I'm not a dragon demon, why are you bothering me!"

Inside the basement, everyone was either trying to break through their cultivation levels or honing their martial arts skills. Zhang Xuezhou never expected that he would be involved in the possession of a demonic spirit.

As if passing on its legacy to future generations, and as if contributing its last bit of light and heat, Zhang Xuezhou felt the Demon Essence Pill begin to become round and translucent, and a faint dragon shadow appeared on the Demon Essence Pill.

The demonic power within him did not increase significantly, but it seemed to have undergone meticulous refinement, and the quality of the demonic power appeared to be superior to that of his magical power.

Zhang Xuezhou was at a loss for words, only feeling that the benefits were somewhat off from what he needed.

But he soon noticed the strange feeling in his arms. The Cloud Technique, which he had previously struggled to improve, seemed to have opened up a space, no longer as blocked and difficult to progress as before.