Chapter 1828: Again Acting as the Mastermind Behind the Scenes

This dragon had bulging eyes and a beard. Its body was perfectly proportioned, unlike Jiaotu with its short, flat face. Its large head and spine were black, but its scales were gray because it was formed from the city wall's stones. It bore the characteristic weight and mottled texture of the Southern Dragon City Wall, even flecked with specks of grime.

Those were ancient, stubborn bloodstains, solidified on the wall.

There were no eyeballs in its sunken dragon eyes, only two points of red light.

The horn on its head was not multi-branched like a deer's antler; instead, it had only one branch, resembling half of the "艸" radical from a distance because its other horn was broken.

This was not the true Dragon God; it couldn't be. Yet, Miaozhantian indeed felt the unique, oppressive power of a mighty dragon emanating from it.

For a moment, he had even wondered if it was the dragon's might, left by the Dragon God in Qianhuan's Sea of Consciousness.

But no.

The oppressive power of the Black Dragon, so close to the Heavenly Dao, was something one could never forget after facing it even once.

Though this dragon was powerful, it was definitely not the Black Dragon.

When the gray dragon stretched its body, Miaozhantian then discovered it was missing its left hind leg and its upper left tusk. Many of its scales were damaged, there were several large holes in its body, and even the tip of its tail was gone.

It certainly wouldn't bleed, but anyone could tell, just by looking, that this dragon had previously endured successive fierce battles and was covered in combat damage.

Yet, despite this, it remained powerful and swift, its dragon might exceptionally strong.

"You dare to act wild in front of the Dragon God?" Jiaotu burst into laughter and leaped down from the city wall, ready to challenge Miaozhantian again.

Just now, with two Heavenly Demons ganging up on one, he had indeed struggled a bit. Now that the gray dragon had drawn Miaoyuntian away, it greatly alleviated Qianhuan's combat pressure.

He couldn't just rely on the gray dragon to do all the heavy lifting. He and Miaozhantian, both remnants against a defeated foe, could still fight.

Miaozhantian looked at Jiaotu's grinning face, recalling the vast ocean outside the city. This Coiling Dragon City was clearly an isolated city in the sea, surrounded by raging white waves that seemed eager to swallow it whole.

With his extensive experience and insight, and remembering Qianhuan's fondness and skill for ambushing others and leveraging power, he instantly understood:

"You want to refine this Coiling Dragon City? You want to use me?"

These two sentences seemed unrelated, puzzling anyone else who heard them, but Helingchuan, before the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, understood at once.

Miaozhantian's perception aligned with his own: Coiling Dragon City in Qianhuan's Sea of Consciousness represented something he had yet to refine.

Something difficult to refine, yet connected to Coiling Dragon City—

Helingchuan could only think of the Grand Evolution Celestial Pearl!

Qianhuan obtained this pearl over 150 years ago, then handed it to the Red Dust of Yaoguo for refinement, and took it back 60 years ago to cultivate in seclusion at the Inverted Sea...

Sixty years had passed, and it seemed he hadn't fully refined the Grand Evolution Celestial Pearl yet?

That's right, if he had succeeded long ago, why would he have remained in sealed seclusion until yesterday?

The Coiling Dragon Wilderness had already become an ocean, indicating that Qianhuan had conquered seven or eight tenths of the Grand Evolution Celestial Pearl; the isolated city in the sea, seen in the mirror, represented the portion of the Grand Evolution Celestial Pearl that had not yet been fully refined.

So—Helingchuan carefully examined the gray dragon on the wall. What did it represent?

Qianhuan directly called it "Dragon God," and from ancient times until now, there was only one being in the world worthy of such a title.

But Helingchuan also knew that this dragon was not the Dragon God.

Since Qianhuan said so, this gray dragon likely did have some connection to the true Black Dragon God.

It makes sense, considering Qianhuan's knowledge and state of mind as an ancient true immortal; few indeed from ancient times could block his prying gaze.

This pearl was likely obtained from Coiling Dragon City, which had always had an inextricable connection with the Black Dragon Mark and the Grand Evolution Celestial Pearl.

Moreover, the moment the gray dragon appeared in the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, the Clanging Dragon Armor suddenly emerged and automatically clad Helingchuan.

Everyone else was startled. Wanqifeng and others put their hands on their weapons, thinking danger was approaching.

Helingchuan raised a hand to stop them: "It's nothing. Put them away."

He could feel the fighting spirit surging from the Clanging Dragon Armor, eager to engage the gray dragon in the mirror.

Just then, as the gray dragon countered Miaozhantian's fierce blow, the middle section of its body suddenly became transparent. Miaozhantian's blade passed through it as if slicing into empty smoke, making no contact.

This was truly unfair; both true immortals and Heavenly Demons could only use soul power for attacks, yet this gray dragon could effortlessly use its natural abilities!

From this, it was clear that it was indeed not a living creature.

Facing True Immortal Qianhuan's prolonged efforts to wear it down, it had endured in the isolated city for sixty years, proving it possessed genuine capabilities.

"A Shadow Dragon," Helingchuan murmured. "Could it really be a Shadow Dragon?"

The Grand Evolution Celestial Pearl was the Shadow Dragon's dragon pearl. This wicked dragon once wreaked havoc upon the world, and was finally slain by the Black Dragon God, its dragon pearl extracted and refined into the Grand Evolution Celestial Pearl.

However, after Zhongshengguang obtained this pearl, he entrusted it to the Grand Flask for purification, and personally stated that the trace of malevolent aura from the Shadow Dragon within the Grand Evolution Celestial Pearl had been completely eliminated by Hun Dun, leaving no residue.

If Coiling Dragon City in the Sea of Consciousness represented the part Qianhuan couldn't refine, then what about this Shadow Dragon?

Why would it appear on the wall of Coiling Dragon City?

Regardless, it had become the final obstacle preventing Qianhuan from refining the Grand Evolution Celestial Pearl.

Helingchuan stared at the Shadow Dragon in the mirror, his thoughts racing, and suddenly murmured, "So that's it! No wonder!"

No wonder he had seen such a scene when he previously entered the Haoyuan Golden Mirror!

The Shadow Dragon on the high wall of Coiling Dragon City, Hun Dun in the Blessed Pool of the Mythical Temple, the eager Clanging Dragon Armor...

The Shadow Dragon, the True Immortal, and the Great Heavenly Demon locked in fierce combat.

The Grand Flask lurking in the shadows.

A new plan formed in Helingchuan's mind with lightning speed!

He would, representing the power of the Grand Flask, act as the mastermind once again!

Miaozhantian in the mirror had already said to the gray dragon, "Why are you attacking us?! He's the enemy; he's intent on refining you!"

The gray dragon ignored him.

"It won't pay any attention to you at all. Why did you attack it first?" Qianhuan burst into laughter. "The gray dragon is the guardian spirit of this isolated city. If you attack the city walls, it will hunt you down until you're dead!"

When he first encountered this gray dragon, he was also greatly startled.

So this thing was still here; no wonder the powers that had handled this pearl, including several small countries and Coiling Dragon City itself, all met tragic ends.

Later, he and this gray dragon had contended for decades, knowing well that wandering around the city normally caused no trouble, and the gray dragon would never appear. However, once the city was attacked, the gray dragon would erupt and retaliate!

Fortunately, this Sea of Consciousness was Qianhuan's territory, and he could enter and exit freely. Each time he left and returned, the gray dragon seemed not to recognize him.

But Miaozhantian had no such privilege. "Haha, since you've entered my Sea of Consciousness, don't expect to leave!"

As Qianhuan spoke, the gray dragon had already slammed Miaoyuntian several times. Seeing that he wasn't killed by the impact, it changed its strategy and directly shoved him into the wall!