Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 329 How could Dragon Cave be without dragons?

"A true dragon?" Bane murmured softly, but did not express his opinion.

The White Snake Immortal was quite sensible. Although she had previously been able to teleport Bane directly using her strange magic, she felt the oppressive aura emanating from Bane the moment she first saw him.

Unlike Princess Ichikishima, what she felt was not only the majesty of the dragon, but also the oppressive feeling of its power.

As an old snake who has cultivated immortal arts for a thousand years, the White Snake Immortal is naturally very sensitive to natural energy. She could immediately sense the terrifying natural energy within Bane's body, which was inexhaustible and extremely dark.

The energy contained within this body alone was already greater than what she had cultivated for a thousand years, not to mention that she was convinced that the other party was a true dragon!

This is why she immediately transformed from the white-scaled serpent into human form; she dared not act presumptuously in front of Bane and implicitly acknowledged that he was more powerful than her!

Upon hearing Bane's murmur, the White Snake Immortal immediately said very respectfully, "Please forgive me, Spirit Lord, I am truly having some difficulty controlling my emotions."

"It's alright." Bane waved his hand gently, then said, "It's fate that we met. I appreciate your thousand years of cultivation."

At this point, Bane stopped talking and gently patted the Heart Crossing at his waist.

The next second, under the excited gaze of the White Snake Immortal, the Heart Crossing at Bane's waist quickly transformed into a majestic and ferocious azure dragon. The vast Dragon Land Cave seemed insufficient to display its size, but under Bane's control, the Heart Crossing shrank in size, standing on fiery clouds, its dragon head looking majestically at the White Snake Immortal.

At the same moment, Bane also changed form.

Azure dragon horns sprouted from its head, and a majestic dragon tail extended from its tailbone. Azure scales clung to its skin, and its fingertips were as sharp as dragon claws. The surging power of its soul combined with the power of darkness transformed into a kind of evil flame, burning fiercely on its body and between its horns.

Even before Bane released his full aura, the White Serpent Sage already felt a sense of oppression. Now, Bane unleashed both his Conqueror's Haki and his aura.

The oppressive force, like a tangible airwave, swept across the entire Longdi Cave. With a crack, even the plaque of Longdi Cave was shaken open with tiny cracks.

Not far away, Princess Ichikishima was so overwhelmed by Bane's aura that she could not stand up. Although she did not faint, she was trembling and lying on the ground, unable to even lift her head.

Almost all the giant snakes in the entire Ryuchi Cave were unconscious in their respective lairs. Only a few with extraordinary talents were able to maintain some will, but they were also suppressed by the pressure and unable to move.

Compared to these guys, the White Snake Immortal was clearly more capable. She did not tremble under the impact of the Conqueror's Haki. Although she also wanted to involuntarily submit to the aura of the 'Dragon's Might,' she had cultivated for a thousand years and still had some composure. Her eyes shone with longing, desire, greed, evil and other kinds of light. Her gaze was very complicated, but she stared intently at Bane's dragon form and the Azure Dragon transformed from Xin Du.

True dragon!

She had never seen a real dragon, but at this moment, she was certain that the spirit lord before her was a real dragon!

What was the White Snake Immortal's purpose in cultivating in the Dragon Cave for a thousand years? Was it power? Status? Wealth?

No, none of that. Otherwise, why would she be hiding in this Ryuchi Cave? Wouldn't it be better to go out and act like a tyrant?

She has cultivated here for a thousand years, with only one obsession: to transform into a dragon!

It's a pity that, although she was born with extraordinary talent and cultivated herself into a so-called "immortal" and had heard countless legends of true dragons, she had never actually seen a real dragon in all these thousand years!

This obsession had long been buried in her heart and would not easily surface.

Sometimes, she even felt that she had already given up on the idea of ​​transforming into a dragon.

Until today, she suddenly sensed the aura of dragons and gods in the mortal world while she was asleep. And now, she saw with her own eyes the body of a true dragon that was more majestic and sacred than her white-scaled serpent, and was the ultimate pursuit of all snakes!

At this moment, she finally found the result she had been searching for for a thousand years!

So, there really are legendary dragons in this world!

As he gradually calmed down from his excitement, the White Serpent Immortal shifted his gaze from the Azure Dragon form that Xin Du had transformed into to Bane's dragon form.

The eerie darkness and the power of the soul filled her with fear, and the moment that fear arose, she seemed to sense the threat of death hovering above her head, as if the spirit lord before her could seize her soul at any moment.

"Is this the power of the Spirit Lord?" the White Snake Immortal thought to himself.

As a true dragon spirit lord, could he take her life at any time, this "White Snake Immortal"? She even felt that she was powerless to resist.

At the same time, Bane's image is really too evil. If it weren't for his dragon body, as a snake, she could feel that Bane was also exuding the majesty of a dragon. He looks like a demon!

However, Ryūchi-dō has always been known as evil among the three holy sites.

Whether it's the White Snake Sage or the other great snakes and snake princesses, they cannot be defined as good or bad in the conventional sense.

They actually admired Bane's evil aura to some extent.

A moment later, Bane retracted the Azure Dragon that Xin Du had transformed into, and at the same time, he returned to his original appearance.

At this moment, the White Snake Immortal had no more doubts. Well, actually, she hadn't doubted anything before. At the same time, she had completely let go of the arrogance and reserve that came with being a thousand-year-old snake immortal.

She nodded respectfully and said in a devout tone, "The Spirit Lord is merciful, allowing this old woman to see the true dragon. I am deeply grateful."

Bane could sense greed emanating from her, and he had previously witnessed the complex gaze of the White Serpent Sage filled with desire, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. It would be strange if the White Serpent Sage simply wanted to see the so-called 'True Dragon Body'.

Greed is a good thing. It means she has needs from Bane, which makes it easier for Bane to control her.

With his thoughts settled, Bane waved his hand again with an air of nonchalance and said, "It's alright. You should all cultivate diligently. You will surely have the opportunity to transform into dragons in the future. Once this matter is settled, I will return to the Pure Land. I still have many interests in the mortal world, so I will not stay in Dragon Land Cave any longer."

With that, Bane calmly turned around and prepared to leave.

He could put on airs, but the White Snake Immortal couldn't. After a thousand years, he had finally encountered a true dragon. How could he just say goodbye so easily?

This time, she used her magic to "invite" the true dragon, and since the dragon was magnanimous, it didn't hold it against her.

Would she dare to do it again? The White Snake Immortal believed she wouldn't. She had just confirmed on a soul level that the Spirit Lord could kill her with a flick of his wrist. He might not care once, but if he did it twice, it would be because she was being disrespectful. If the Spirit Lord got angry, it wouldn't be impossible for him to tear down her Dragon Cave.

Therefore, we absolutely cannot let the Spirit Lord leave like this!

"Spiritual Venerable, please wait." The White Snake Immortal quickly spoke up to persuade him to stay.

"Hmm?" Bane turned to the White Snake Sage, feigning confusion, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the thousand-year-old snake no longer cared about its posture and knelt down before Bane in one breath, banging its head on the ground. It said in a sorrowful tone, "Please have mercy, Spirit Lord. We snakes have all failed to achieve anything in our cultivation, wasting a thousand years of our lives, and falsely calling ourselves 'immortals.' To this day, we know nothing about the way to transform into a dragon. However, we are fortunate to have met the Spirit Lord, which is probably the only opportunity in our lives. We humbly beg the Spirit Lord to enlighten us."

Seeing that even their ancestor, the White Snake Immortal, had knelt down, Princess Ichikishima didn't dare to delay either. She knelt before Bane in a pitiful manner, pleading with the Spirit Lord for mercy.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

"This," Bane said, sounding slightly hesitant, as if he was unsure how to respond.

As the saying goes, old people become wiser, and so do old snakes. The White Snake Immortal, this thousand-year-old snake, is certainly very intelligent. Just the word "this" was enough to make her feel at ease!

Judging from the Spirit Lord's tone, there was some difficulty, but it wasn't something that couldn't be done.

What does this mean? It means that the Spirit Lord truly has the ability to enlighten her and transform her into a dragon!

In fact, Bane does have this ability. Whether he can transform into the kind of true dragon that the White Snake Immortal imagined, Bane doesn't know, but transforming into a dragon similar to Xin Du is a sure thing.

After all, he still has a pink dragon Devil Fruit in his possession.

Judging from the White Snake Immortal's current needs, this thing is a sure thing, just like taking an elixir of immortality, once you take it, you'll turn into a dragon!

Moreover, theoretically speaking, this can be mass-produced. Vegapunk has complete technology and can continue to produce artificial Devil Fruits like this. Let alone turning the White Snake Sage into a dragon, it's only a matter of time before the entire Ryuchi Cave turns into dragons, depending on whether Bane is willing or not.

Amidst a whirlwind of thoughts, reality unfolded in an instant. Upon hearing the word "this," the White Snake Immortal immediately continued, "Spiritual Venerable, my Dragon Land Cave also has eyes and ears in the mortal world. As one of the three great holy lands, we wield some influence there. Whatever the Spiritual Venerable desires, our Dragon Land Cave can readily assist you."

"It's not anything important. I've just heard that over the past thousand years, besides immortal magic, some strange powers have appeared in the mortal world. I'm a little curious about this and want to figure it out. I don't need your help from Dragon Cave," Bane shook his head, looking indifferent.

"This is simple. My Ryuchi Cave has a contracted psychic named Orochimaru. He is obsessed with ninjutsu, which is the wondrous power that you mentioned that has been born over the past thousand years. He has made great achievements in these areas. If you wish to learn about these techniques, my Ryuchi Cave can summon Orochimaru to entertain you," the White Snake Sage said immediately.

Seeing that Bane's expression showed a slight change of interest upon hearing this, but he still seemed hesitant, the White Snake Immortal quickly added, "Moreover, since you, Spirit Lord, have returned from this Pure Land, even if you wish to travel the mortal world, you will need a place to stay, won't you? My Dragon Land Cave is willing to serve you."

Princess Ichikishima, kneeling on the ground beside her, had also been hinted at by the White Snake Sage and had no choice but to muster her courage and say, "Spirit Lord, how can our Ryuchi Cave be without dragons? For thousands of years, we have considered ourselves servants of dragons. This Ryuchi Cave exists for you, and we have been waiting for this day for thousands of years!"

Upon hearing this, the White Snake Immortal quickly replied, "Indeed, Spirit Lord, how can Dragon Cave be without dragons? Please, Spirit Lord, have mercy!"

The old snake and the little snake were both kneeling and crying, looking pitiful.

Bane finally softened, and he sighed, "I returned from the Pure Land, not wanting to... Alas, you have really caused me great suffering."

Although it wasn't said explicitly, the meaning was clear.

The White Snake Immortal's expression brightened, and he immediately called out, "Island Princess, the Spirit Lord is merciful. Considering the hardships we have endured in our cultivation, he is willing to become the master of Dragon Land Cave and enlighten us. Quickly go and summon all the snakes of Dragon Land Cave to come and pay homage to the Spirit Lord!"

Princess Ichikishima was quick on her feet. The White Snake Sage wanted to transform into a dragon, didn't she want to as well?

At this moment, he was also extremely excited. While thanking Bane for his "mercy", he quickly got up and called the snakes of Ryuchi Cave to come and pay homage to the Spirit Lord.

(End of this chapter)