He was invincible from the beginning of the Heaven-Covering Era.

"To tear the universe apart with my body, to freely enter and exit various parts of the universe, and to travel at will—it won't be long before I have such a physical body." The Zhou family patriarch's face showed anticipation.

The third-generation Yuan Tian Master has already extracted the Human World Immortal Pill from his body and placed it in the hands of the Zhou family patriarch. After returning to the family and handing it over to his original self, and undergoing a short period of seclusion, he should be able to take that step soon.

“Let’s go take a look inside that dragon’s lair. I encountered the Third Ancestor not far in before, so this time we’ll go deeper,” Zhou Qing said, before taking off and entering the dragon’s lair.

The Zhou family patriarch and the third-generation Yuan Tian Master followed closely behind. As soon as they entered the Dragon Cave, they felt the incredibly surging dragon energy within, which was almost liquefied.

"For the people of the Great Xia Dynasty, this is truly the most suitable cultivation ground for them, allowing them to easily evolve the attack power of the Taihuang Scripture to its true extreme."

"Limit it, so that your attack power can rival the Dou Zi Secret Technique." The Third Generation Yuan Master exclaimed.

“It’s too difficult to immobilize such an ancient dragon and turn it into a cultivation paradise that you can control. Just immobilizing the ancient dragon alone would require the intervention of a Source Master. Otherwise, you can only watch as the dragon sinks into the ground and moves elsewhere,” Zhou Qing said.

As they ventured deeper into the ancient dragon's lair, the dragon energy Zhou Qing encountered became increasingly pure, advanced, golden, sacred, and majestic, carrying an aura that commanded the submission of all beasts.

This is the current number one dragon vein in Zhongzhou. More than 200,000 years ago, the number one ancestral dragon vein in Zhongzhou was located in the heart of Zhongzhou and was controlled by the Feathered Divine Dynasty. Unfortunately, that ancestral dragon vein was broken by the Ruthless Great Emperor after he attained enlightenment.

After the ancestral dragon vein disappeared, the remaining dragon veins of the Central Plains finally had the opportunity to claim the title of the number one dragon vein in the Central Plains, and the Qinling dragon vein was the most recognized of the remaining dragon veins.

“If you retreat now, I can pardon your crime of trespassing. If you dare to go any further, I will send you to the cycle of reincarnation.”

Suddenly, a cold voice came from the depths of the dragon's lair, carrying a trace of imperial might, which made people unconsciously feel fear.

This imperial aura was undeniably real; no one would believe it to be an illusion. Moreover, everyone knew that there was indeed a Holy Spirit nearing the Great Perfection within this ancient dragon's lair. At this moment, the group already knew who was speaking to them.

"We're determined to come in. If you have the ability, then come and fight us. Let me see what kind of strength this Holy Spirit really has," the Zhou family patriarch sneered.

"Boom"

A giant hand reached out from the depths of the Dragon Cave, containing the sun, moon, and stars, and spreading the laws of the Emperor's Way, seemingly wanting to grab the group.

However, at that very moment, the giant hand stopped in mid-air and remained motionless.

Seeing the large, motionless hand, Zhou Qing felt a surge of admiration for the Azure Emperor. Just as the Azure Emperor had predicted, this Holy Spirit was truly unable to harm him.

Deep within the Dragon Cave, a figure wearing an emperor's crown and ancient imperial robes underwent a drastic change in expression. He was resisting this action, and his entire being was caught in a violent internal struggle.

Rationally speaking, he really wanted to take action, to capture that person and see what was going on with that person, and why he felt an indescribable fear towards him. But once he actually took action, it felt like he was fighting with himself.

Zhou Qing ignored the large, outstretched hand and continued to venture deeper into the area.

On the way, he saw other minor holy spirits, which could also be called spiritual jades, but they were different from normal spiritual jades. These jades were all companion holy spirits.

There was a small purple Qilin over a foot long, a small blue dragon over a foot long, and a crimson divine phoenix over half a foot long. These were all extraordinary divine jades, and they had already gained cultivation and embarked on the path of cultivation.

There was an ancient chariot, and on the chariot stood a humanoid creature more than a foot tall, like a deity, surrounded by one hundred and eight divine rings.

Although it was only a little over a foot tall, it possessed an overwhelming and terrifying power that threatened to shatter the heavens and earth.

However, after Zhou Qing passed by, the creature, which was over a foot tall, knelt on the ground, trembling all over, and dared not look up at all.

"A Great Completion King? Your cultivation is quite impressive," Zhou Qing said calmly.

"Young man, leave here, and I will give you a branch that grew from the mother plant of the Dream Immortal Essence." The even more majestic voice rang out from the depths of the Dragon Cave.

"Just one? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?" the Zhou family patriarch sneered.

It was clear that the Holy Spirit inside did not want Zhou Qing to enter, and had already taken a step back. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the Zhou family patriarch, the conditions were too unacceptable.

Chapter 289 Obtaining the Dreamlike Essence

After traveling for an unknown amount of time, Zhou Qing and his companions finally reached the end.

"Are you the Holy Spirit here? Considering the difficulty of your formation and your imminent perfection, I do not wish to have any discord with you. I will leave after taking the Dream Essence." Zhou Qing coldly looked at an ancient dragon chariot.

Standing atop the dragon chariot was a being radiating divine light, the same height as an ordinary person, with nine orifices, exuding an aura that made heaven and earth tremble.

This is the Holy Spirit within the ancient dragon's lair, referred to as the "Great Emperor" by the foot-tall divine jade spirits outside.

There, heaven and earth unite in harmony, the Great Dao resonates, auspicious colors flow like water, and countless threads of golden and purple auspicious energy coexist, making it the most supreme sacred place for cultivation in this world.

This place is filled with the aura of the Dao. All the essence of the ancient dragon's lair has gathered here, and there is also the blessing of heaven and earth from the unseen realm, making the cultivation environment here countless times better than that of the outside world.

The closer a Holy Spirit is to the Great Perfection, the more favored they are by Heaven and Earth. At this Holy Spirit's current stage, killing them would surely bring unimaginable calamities from Heaven and Earth.

If a cultivator is inherently on the path of defying the heavens, that's fine, but if not, killing this holy spirit means they can forget about attaining enlightenment in this lifetime, as the Heavenly Heart Mark will resist that person.

Even if Gai Jiuyou came here, he would have to consider things carefully before this Holy Spirit. In the end, he would just like the Azure Emperor and would not take the initiative to act, unless this Holy Spirit really wanted to cause damage to the outside world.

"You're nothing but a minor saint. I could kill hundreds or thousands with a single breath. How dare you negotiate with me?" the holy spirit, radiating divine light, said coldly.

"Although the Azure Emperor has left this place, he has told me your true strength and weaknesses. Who do you think you can scare now?" Zhou Qing said calmly.

As soon as the words "Azure Emperor" were uttered, unexpectedly, the Holy Spirit's expression changed drastically, revealing a ferocious look.

"The Azure Emperor? The Demon Emperor? Back then, he was nothing more than an immortal divine herb! He awakened his powers a few tens of thousands of years earlier than me, yet he's so arrogant, truly believing he can see through everything about me?"

Zhou Qing's expression froze. It seemed there was more to this story than met the eye.

"Stop putting on that emperor act! Don't think I don't know his true nature; he's been dead for ten thousand years!" the almost perfected Holy Spirit roared.

"Do you know the Azure Emperor?" Zhou Qing asked.

"The Immortal Transformation Pool and the Qinling Dragon Vein are located at opposite ends of the naturally formed Yin-Yang divine land. He was nurtured in the Immortal Transformation Pool for millions of years, and I took shape in the Ancient Dragon Cave for millions of years. Is it strange that I know him? I saw him successfully transform and walk out of the Immortal Transformation Pool with my own eyes!" The Holy Spirit's face was very indifferent.

Zhou Qing seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed that there were many hidden reasons why the Azure Emperor had been unwilling to take action against this Holy Spirit all these years.

If this Holy Spirit hadn't been so determined in the original timeline to use the Qinling Dragon Vein to fight against the Central Plains' ultimate imperial weapon and destroy the Central Plains' great fortune, perhaps the Azure Emperor wouldn't have appeared.

Even when it appeared later, the Holy Spirit was given another chance to sever his evil thoughts, but he failed to seize it, leaving the Azure Emperor stunned. After a sigh, the Emperor killed him.

The third-generation Source Master stepped forward and said, "I can use my Source Arts abilities..."

"We've set up a colossal, all-encompassing Origin Heaven Array here in the Ancient Dragon's Lair to accelerate your formation, but afterwards you mustn't interfere with anything we do within the Ancient Dragon's Lair. How about that?"

The third-generation Source Master cultivated for 70,000 years in a daze. Although this life has ended, half of his true self remained in his physical body and did not dissipate into light rain. Therefore, he continued to improve his Source Techniques.

The source techniques of the third-generation source masters may not be as good as those of the first and second generation source masters, but they are much stronger than those of the fourth and fifth generation source masters. In terms of source techniques alone, they are comparable to the Heavenly King level and can compete with people of the level of the Divine Silkworm Princess.

The Holy Spirit was very tempted when he heard that the third-generation Source Master wanted to set up the Source Heaven Array for him. There are very few people who practice Source Arts, and even fewer Source Arts masters who can reach the peak.

Source Masters of the Cai family's ancestor's caliber are extremely rare in the entire universe. The Source Heaven Array set up by such a figure would definitely accelerate his formation speed and shorten the time to reach the Great Perfection stage.

However, when the Holy Spirit's gaze fell upon Zhou Qing, a feeling of fear and longing arose in his heart, and he blurted out, "If this young man can nourish me with his own essence and blood for a month, I will personally deliver the Dream Divine Marrow Mother Plant to you!"

The Zhou family patriarch's expression changed, and he was about to unleash a torrent of curses when a voice spoke even faster than his.

"How dare you! Who gave you the audacity to covet my essence blood!" A voice, cold to the extreme and almost devoid of any emotion, came from Zhou Qing's mouth.

"Rumble"

Tens of thousands of thunderclaps suddenly resounded from the Dragon Cave, as if the heavens and earth were roaring in anger, and an extremely sacred and majestic will appeared.

This world seemed to have come into being; a terrifying creature had awakened, and Zhou Qing exuded an aura that could crush the heavens.

At that moment, all the auspicious signs and omens around the Holy Spirit vanished, and a dark cloud descended upon the Holy Spirit's head, with rolling lightning snakes moving about, as if it were about to fall at any moment.

An aura of destruction and divine retribution appeared above the head of a holy spirit, a change unprecedented in history. The Zhou family patriarch and the Cai family ancestor were both stunned.

The Holy Spirit was also bewildered. His birth could be described as favored by Heaven and Earth, and the Great Dao favored him. Once he was born at the Great Perfection stage, he could directly attain the Dao. The place where he was born was always a sacred land, with auspicious energy and flowing light. But what was going on now? He couldn't understand it.

He suddenly looked at Zhou Qing, whose indifferent and ruthless eyes stared at him, causing him to feel an inexplicable and boundless fear. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he lost his balance and knelt down, like a servant being punished by his master. He wanted to speak, but dared not utter a word.

He felt fear, but even more so, doubt and confusion. Clearly, in terms of pure strength, he was far superior to that young man, yet now he was utterly useless.

An individual's strength is suppressed by an inexplicable aura, seemingly stemming from status, power, or even the very essence of life; it certainly doesn't originate from the opponent's strength.

Zhou Qing suppressed his nameless anger, his expression gradually calming down, and said, "You can only take it if I give it to you; you can't open it if I don't give it to you."

"You need to understand?"

As the nameless fire in Zhou Qing's heart subsided, the dark clouds above the Holy Spirit's head also slowly dispersed. The Zhou family patriarch and the Cai family ancestor were somewhat stunned, looking at all this without knowing what to say.

"Understood." The Holy Spirit trembled, his aura plummeted, and he lost his so-called imperial majesty, choosing to submit.

This was clearly a being extremely close to an emperor, who should have been awe-inspiring and domineering, with an imperial presence that could overshadow the ages. Yet, at this moment, he dared not utter a single word of rebuttal in front of a sage, trembling with fear, like a commoner encountering an emperor, leaving everyone bewildered.

However, when the gazes of the Zhou family patriarch and the Cai family ancestor shifted to Zhou Qing, they sensed an indescribable aura emanating from him.

At first glance, it was as if one could see the origin of this world, and countless profound truths arose in one's mind, like a bright lamp hanging in the sky, with heavenly sounds and profound truths appearing one after another, terrifying great paths, too numerous to count.

"Zhou Qing's understanding of the Great Dao is too abnormal. It is so numerous and profound. Any one of them could be compared with the most powerful geniuses in the world, yet he has comprehended so much." The Zhou family patriarch murmured.

More than a year ago, when Zhou Qing returned from the Ziwei Star Region, he discussed the Dao with the Zhou family patriarch and the Kunpeng patriarch under the Fusang Divine Tree. At that time, although Zhou Qing had a high level of understanding of many Dao principles, he was still very immature in terms of their depth.

But now, when the Zhou family patriarch looks at Zhou Qing's Dao again, he feels that those once immature Daos are like fish leaping into dragons or butterflies breaking out of their cocoons, and many of them have reached the realm of sages.

The Cai family ancestor was stunned. His cultivation of the secret realm technique was not high, and he had not even reached the level of severing the Dao. However, with his level of source technique, he could make connections with other things. But looking at Zhou Qing's cultivation from another perspective, he was also shocked.

"I thought that the sixth generation's talent in Source Arts was already unparalleled, but compared to his talent in orthodox magic, it seems that his talent in Source Arts is really nothing."

After hearing what the Cai family ancestor said, the Zhou family patriarch sighed. He wanted to say that compared to Zhou Qing's talent in the Heavenly Secrets Technique, his talent in the orthodox methods was weak. However, the Heavenly Secrets Technique was even worse than the Origin Technique. Apart from deduction, it had no offensive capabilities and had always been just an auxiliary tool in the cultivation world.

Zhou Qing calmed down. Although the sudden surge of anger was strange to him and he had some guesses, the result was good. He had already shocked the Holy Spirit.

"I will only take the Dream Essence; I will not touch the Dragon Pool. At the same time, the Third Ancestor can also set up a Source Heaven Array for you to compensate for your losses. Do you have any objections?" Zhou Qing said calmly, forcefully taking the initiative in his conversation with the Holy Spirit.

"Whatever you say goes," the being radiating divine light said, bowing his head.

He was truly terrified. This person had actually caused him, a Holy Spirit, to be hated by heaven and earth, and it seemed that divine punishment was about to descend. He had never seen anything like this before.

If he is no longer favored by heaven and earth, then what kind of holy spirit is he? He will never be able to achieve great perfection in this life. Compared with great perfection, losing a Dream Essence is nothing.

At the end of this dragon's lair, besides a holy spirit being nourished here, there is also

There is a marrow pool.

That marrow pool was only a meter square, yet it was filled with endless dragon energy. Within it rippled a pool of liquid, crystal clear, as if containing a small dragon, swimming back and forth, dazzling and fragrant enough to make one intoxicated.

That pool of liquid was entirely dragon marrow, and all of it was top-grade dragon marrow, which was unbelievable.

In the outside world, such dragon marrow is counted in drops, with each drop worth tens of thousands of kilograms of source. But here, there is an entire pool filled with it!

"Dragon Pool, the essence of the Dreamlike Realm must be inside," Zhou Qing sighed.

Dragon marrow is extremely rare in the human world, something that can only be encountered by chance. Even more precious divine marrow exists, but it is extremely rare to see even once in thousands of lifetimes. Legend has it that it has become sentient and transformed into a living being, comparable to an elixir of immortality.

The ancestral roots of the finest dragon veins can sometimes give birth to incredible celestial treasures.

First, a dragon pool must evolve before a living divine creature can be conceived within it. The small pool in front of us, about one meter square, is definitely a dragon pool, because its inner wall has patterns like dragon scales.

This is the most obvious feature, a mark of what the Dragon Pool produces: shimmering, vibrant green scales, brimming with life.

The Dream Essence—the reason it has this name is because such a divine object has appeared in the past.

Within ten thousand miles of Qishi Mansion, there is a dried-up Dragon Pool, where the Dream Essence was once born. Now, after many years, it has accumulated a lot of high-quality Dragon Essence, but it should have been taken away by a guy called Seeking Dragon Master.