Cultivating with Bragging System-Chapter 617 - 285: Dragon Emperor? Or Demon Dragon?_1

Meanwhile, high above the Nine Heavens.

CRACK!

A shattering sound echoed, accompanied by cries of alarm.

"My son!" an elder cried out in anguish, his expression turning grim. A Soul Tablet he carried on his person had fractured, signifying the fall of one of his clan's prodigies.

That prodigy was an extraordinary talent. He had been expected to become a pillar of the clan, someone who could be entrusted with great responsibility. Yet now, he had fallen so suddenly within the Secret Realm.

Someone remarked, "We all knew this trial was destined to be a bloodbath. If it wasn't one of your juniors, it was bound to be one of ours..."

Many others, however, wore indifferent expressions. They had long grown numb to such things, having witnessed far too much life and death. In truth, if the Origin of Zhulong had appeared in the Nine Heavens, the resulting conflict would have been ten thousand times more brutal than in the Lower Realm. Seas of blood and mountains of corpses would not even begin to describe the carnage. Even experts at the Earth Immortal realm and above would have perished in droves. The current losses were simply not enough to faze them.

CRACK! CRACK!

Suddenly, two more Soul Tablets split apart. Two white-haired figures opened their eyes, their gazes hardening and their moods growing heavy.

Before they could say a word, a rapid succession of shattering sounds followed.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

First more than ten, then over thirty Soul Tablets broke at once! The sounds melded into a single, crisp report, like bamboo snapping under the weight of winter snow.

The entire scene fell silent. An intangible pressure spread through the crowd. In the darkness, the gazes of the powerful experts changed, their earlier calm completely gone.

In total, over twenty factions were participating in this trial. Each was limited to sending three of their own prodigies, with the rest of the participants being recruited from local sects in the Cangyuan Realm. This meant that fewer than a hundred prodigies had descended from the Nine Heavens. In just this short time, nearly half of them had fallen.

"It seems a great battle has broken out below," an elder said, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Could the Origin of Zhulong have appeared?"

Their hearts leaped into their throats. But before they could voice their thoughts, another volley of shattering sounds erupted. Nearly all the Soul Tablets had cracked. Only a handful remained, hanging forlornly from the waists of the assembled experts. The vast majority of the prodigies were dead.

Everyone shot to their feet, their expressions turning utterly grim. So many had died in just an instant.

What in the world happened? Even if the Origin of Zhulong appeared and the prodigies of the various houses fought over it, it's impossible for so many to die in a single moment! The ones we sent are the most outstanding members of the younger generation, not just fillers to make up the numbers. Even if there are gaps in their strength, the disparity shouldn't be this great. Besides, if the situation was truly hopeless, those young people wouldn't have insisted on fighting to the death. There's no way to explain this.

Amidst the crowd, a green-robed elder with a kind face and an immortal-like bearing formed a hand seal. In his other hand, he held a tattered, ancient book. Ancient runes flickered across its pages, constantly shifting before finally settling into several distinct markings. He abruptly stood up, his pupils shrinking. "This is not good! I sense Demonic Qi!"

HUM!

At the same time, the previously dim Guantian Mirror reacted once more. A mass of dark, murky fog blotted out all light, exuding an incredibly sinister and bizarre aura.

How could this be? 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Could it be..."

"This is terrible!"

「Before the Dragon Emperor's Mausoleum.」

"They're all alive?" Meng Ran and the others exclaimed, their brows furrowed.

Wang Xiu shook his head. "No. They're dead through and through."

The area was now packed with dense rows of figures, forming an impenetrable perimeter around Wang Xiu's group. Most of them were cultivators who had already died in the earlier struggles. Some hadn't charged into the front lines with Wang Xiu's group but had continued to fight for treasures at the various sites in the rear. Now, all of them were completely and utterly dead.

Not a single trace of a living person's aura remained on them. Eerie streams of black mist billowed from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses like burning flames. Their bodies glowed, enveloped by a strange power. Some who had lost limbs in previous battles now had them fully restored, though they were formed from black mist and radiated a terrifying, heart-pounding aura.

Zhao Qingyu frowned. "It's Demonic Qi!"

It was indeed Demonic Qi. Only Demonic Qi could be so cold and sinister. But this was Longhuang Island, the former dao plaza of the Dragon Emperor. How could Demonic Qi appear here?

There was no time for further thought. The surrounding horde of black shadows was already charging, surging toward them like a tidal wave.

"ROAR—!"

Ao Canghai took the brunt of the first impact. His body erupted with a burning divine light as a magnificent golden Dragon Qi surged from him, as dazzling as a great sun. He swept his Great Halberd horizontally, and the terrifying force transformed into a bolt of energy that violently knocked back more than a dozen of the charging demonized cultivators.

However, those figures merely staggered for a moment before rushing forward again, their momentum even more ferocious than before.

Meng Ran also engaged the demonized cultivators. His Judge Pen unfurled into hues of black and white as he effortlessly painted ancient characters in the air. These characters blazed with a brilliant golden light, radiating an upright, magnificent, and awe-inspiring aura. As they descended upon the horde, runes instantly filled the sky and a surge of golden light blotted out the sun, engulfing a swath of the battlefield.

A chorus of agonized wails rang out as the demonized figures scrambled back in fear.

Wang Xiu's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Righteous Qi!"

Yu Xiaolong clicked his tongue in admiration. "The Heaven Dao Academy has stood in the Yaoguang Heavenly Realm for tens of thousands of years, and its disciples can be found all across the Nine Heavens. Yet, those who can truly cultivate a breath of Righteous Qi are few and far between. In the last several thousand years, aside from the current Confucius, he is the only one!"

Like the Thunder Technique, Righteous Qi was one of the few forces in existence that could completely suppress the Demonic Path.