Chapter 952: Situation Changes

The night was deep, and stars filled the sky.

Lu Ye left Haotian City, soaring directly in one direction. He flew for three hundred *li* before finding a desolate area to land.

The Sect Master had brought the Dragon Seat, and Lu Ye naturally needed to familiarize himself with its power.

Although Lu Ye brought the Dragon Seat from the Dragon Soaring Realm, it was not native to that realm. As for its exact origin, Lu Ye wasn't very clear.

His master said its quality was extraordinarily high, beyond the scope of what Kyushu cultivators could repair. From this, it seemed the Dragon Seat's quality was likely above the Spirit Treasure level.

However, this item was ultimately different from spirit treasures in the usual sense. Normally, treasures above the spirit treasure level could not be activated by someone of Lu Ye's cultivation level.

But in the Dragon Soaring Realm, Lu Ye had once activated the power of the Dragon Seat. Aided by the Dragon Spine Blade, with one strike, the altar painstakingly built by the Blood Race shattered, the Blood River collapsed, and the power of that strike even severed into the very core of the realm.

Of course, the price paid was immense; with just one strike, Lu Ye was completely depleted of energy.

The power of that strike was not solely derived from Lu Ye himself. At that time, he was blessed by destiny, and the entire Dragon Soaring Realm served as his backing. While it was true he unleashed that strike, it was also the power of the entire Dragon Soaring Realm itself, channeled through the Dragon Seat's counterattack, which allowed it to possess such formidable might.

In any other setting, even with Lu Ye's current True Lake Realm (third-layer) cultivation, he could not unleash such an earth-shattering strike.

It could be said that that strike was, to date, the most powerful one Lu Ye had ever unleashed. He suspected that even if he advanced to the Divine Sea Realm, he might not be able to unleash such a strike again relying solely on his own power.

The subsequent events need no mention. Depleted and close to death, he was aided by the fragmented origin of the Dragon Soaring Realm, which brought him back from the brink, even altering his cultivation aptitude and granting him the ability to reflect the Dragon Soaring Realm's origin.

Lu Ye could be said to have high expectations for the Dragon Seat. However, his master could only perform simple repairs on the Dragon Seat. How much power the Dragon Seat could now unleash was unclear to anyone.

That was why he needed to try it out himself. This place was desolate and remote, and with the night deep and quiet, it was the perfect time for an attempt.

Lu Ye took the Dragon Seat out of his storage bag. It was a spherical object about the size of a baby's head, crimson in color. Its surface bore scale-like patterns, which should have been genuine dragon scales...

Without rushing to activate its power, Lu Ye first consumed a large quantity of spirit pills and then swallowed a drop of Soul Cleansing Water, making full preparations. Having learned from a previous experience, Lu Ye knew well the immense price required to use the Dragon Seat. Although the current Dragon Seat might not unleash the same power as before, and the cost would not be as great, he still had to be cautious.

Taking a deep breath, he channeled his spiritual power into the sphere in his hand, then guided it with his own aura. With a clattering sound, the sphere suddenly disintegrated, transforming into countless tiny scale fragments. Guided by Lu Ye's aura, these fragments seemed to come alive, attaching themselves to his body.

Crackling and popping sounds continuously emanated. The tiny scale fragments enveloped Lu Ye, and in the blink of an eye, a crimson figure appeared where Lu Ye had stood.

The crimson figure was tall, a full three *zhang* (approx. 10 meters) in height. Its physique was slender, with smooth, flowing curves, as if crafted by the heavens, with supernatural skill.

A faint groan emanated from within the crimson figure. Inside the Dragon Seat, Lu Ye frowned deeply. Just like last time, the moment the Dragon Seat enveloped him, it brought an extremely intense sensation of pain. That was no illusion, but a genuine piercing pain. It felt as though countless tiny, almost invisible, sharp points had emerged inside the Dragon Seat, piercing into various parts of Lu Ye's body. Even with Lu Ye's current physique, it was difficult to resist.

When Lu Ye used the Dragon Seat previously, he was only at the sixth layer of the Cloud River Realm, so the sensation wasn't too profound. Now, being at the third layer of the True Lake Realm and having developed divine sense, he immediately detected the subtleties upon careful perception. What was piercing into his body was not the tiny sharp points he had imagined; those things weren't even physical entities. As for what they truly were, Lu Ye wasn't sure.

Moreover, this piercing pain not only affected his physical body, but even his divine soul was trembling slightly. The Soul Cleansing Water took effect, slightly alleviating the pain in Lu Ye's divine soul. He could clearly feel that the Dragon Seat was ravenously devouring everything it could from him.

Spiritual power, physical strength, and even divine soul power... With this absorption, his reserves were constantly draining away.

What gave Lu Ye a slight sense of relief was that this time's absorption was much gentler than the previous one. The last time he used the Dragon Seat, the depletion of his reserves was completely uncontrollable and terrifying. This was the fundamental reason why Lu Ye had been utterly depleted after that single strike. While the power of that strike was indeed augmented by destiny and backed by the Dragon Soaring Realm, Lu Ye, as the one wielding the Dragon Seat, was bound to pay an immense price.

Although the rate of reserve depletion this time was not slow, it was at least within an acceptable range. This meant that as long as he removed the Dragon Seat, Lu Ye's foundation would remain unaffected.

His mind was elevating, and the entire world appeared vastly different. Multicolored radiance flowed through his vision; it was the vibrant essence of heaven and earth spiritual energy. Normally, Lu Ye could only see these colors by activating the Insight Spirit Rune to enhance his eyes. Everything around him seemed to slow down considerably.

Amber and Yiyi were observing from not far away, both marveling at the sight. From the perspective of the spirit and the tiger, the overall form of the Dragon Seat hadn't changed much, but the current Dragon Seat had many more intricate patterns than before. Intersecting patterns extended from the cheeks downwards, winding across the neck, chest, arms, legs, and even the spine... It was like an extremely wild totem.

This was clearly the work of Lady Yun; she had inscribed some spirit runes on the Dragon Seat's surface. The tall, crimson figure stood erect, with two points of dark red light shining from its eye sockets. Coupled with the wild totem, it exuded an extremely domineering and violent aura, as if it could tear apart everything in the world!

Lu Ye silently sensed the current Dragon Seat. Compared to before, the Dragon Seat's absorption from him was undoubtedly much weaker. This was a good thing, but it likely meant the power it could unleash would also be affected.

He then took out the Dragon Spine Blade from his storage bag. The one *zhang* and six *chi* (approx. 5 meters) long blade seemed to be cast from fresh blood. The blade surface was not smooth; every *chi* (approx. 0.33 meters) had a slightly bulging node, like a bamboo joint. Crimson light flowed over the blade, making it seem as if it had its own breath.

With the blade in hand, an even more ferocious aura diffused outwards. Even knowing Lu Ye harbored no ill will towards them, Amber couldn't help but tremble, and Yiyi felt a chill run through her entire body.

The long blade began to dance. The three *zhang* tall figure, wielding the one *zhang* and six *chi* long blade, was an unstoppable force within thirty *zhang*! Blade shadows overlapped. Amber and Yiyi had already retreated several hundred *zhang* away. From afar, they saw the towering figure wielding the blade, and as the figure moved, the two points of light in its eye sockets trailed two dark red streaks across the deep night.

After approximately the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lu Ye suddenly stopped and stood still, sheathing the blade. Within a hundred *zhang* radius, the area was a mess.

Amidst crackling and popping sounds, the Dragon Seat was removed, reverting to a spherical object the size of a baby's head. Lu Ye's face was slightly pale, and he was covered in sweat. In just the short time of an incense stick, Lu Ye had almost exhausted all his strength, showing how much energy the current Dragon Seat consumed. Even though its power was greatly reduced, and consequently its consumption lessened, it was still not something that could be maintained for long periods.

Nevertheless, he ultimately gained a treasure he could use to fight to the death against powerful enemies. After this recent attempt, Lu Ye had a rough understanding of the Dragon Seat's enhancement to him. However, this item could not be easily revealed to others, only to be used when fighting for his life.

All in all, Lu Ye was very satisfied with the current Dragon Seat, even more so than before. While the previous Dragon Seat's power was indeed immense, its side effects were also strong, making it unsuitable for his current situation. The current Dragon Seat, as long as used appropriately, had virtually no side effects. His master had clearly put a great deal of thought into repairing this item.

He called out to Yiyi and Amber, leading them to fly back towards Haotian City. Once back in the Sect Master's small courtyard, he found a room and entered to meditate and recover.

The next day, Lu Ye, who had just recovered, received a message from Qian Wudang, asking him to come to the Ministry of Law immediately. Lu Ye didn't know what he wanted, but since he was currently serving under him, he naturally had to obey the Section Chief's command.

He left the small courtyard and headed straight for the Ministry of Law's main hall. He soon met Qian Wudang.

"My Lord."

"Mhm." Qian Wudang nodded slightly, gesturing with his hand, "Sit!" Lu Ye sat on the chair opposite him, with a desk between them.

"My Lord, why have you summoned me?"

"Well, it's like this..." Qian Wudang showed a somewhat troubled expression, as if he had encountered something difficult. "Didn't I tell you before that you'd be assigned to Team A3?"

"Has something changed?" Lu Ye asked.

"Yes, there have been some changes." Qian Wudang nodded. "Team A3 is already full. As you know, law enforcement teams are usually made up of six people, primarily to facilitate the use of the Six-Element Spirit-Sealing Lock. A team of six can also look out for each other. Too few people makes missions difficult to execute, and too many is a waste of manpower. So, you probably can't join Team A3."

"If that's the case, I can join another team," Lu Ye said.

Lu Ye had no particular requirements regarding this. If he couldn't join Team A3, he could simply join another. Furthermore, as a member of the Ministry of Law, he naturally had to follow his superior's orders, and he wasn't in a position to be picky. He didn't even have that flaw to begin with.

"Hmm... the other teams aren't short on personnel either." Qian Wudang raised a hand to rub his brow.

Lu Ye's eyes narrowed slightly: "My Lord, please speak plainly what you mean."

If Qian Wudang no longer wished to accept him into the Ministry of Law due to some unmentionable pressure, Lu Ye didn't care. With the Sect Master currently in Haotian City, was he afraid of not finding a good place to go? At worst, he would just go to some pass, which wouldn't be a bad thing.

***

This time, Tang San had a very precise grasp of time, position, and distance.

He knew very well that even with his Tang Sect unique skills and his third-rank Xuan Tian Gong cultivation, the Wolf Demons were naturally gifted and physically strong. In a direct confrontation, he might not be their match. Especially being young and with insufficient vital energy, he definitely couldn't fight for long. If it weren't for the transformed human forcibly killing one Wolf Demon, he might not have even acted against two third-rank Wolf Demons. His own life was the most important.

However, if he were to strike, he had to ensure a hit.

The Wolf Demon was currently in a state of extreme rage. Thus, it only realized Tang San's presence when his palm had already slapped the side of its eye. It abruptly twisted its head, its fangs lunging straight for Tang San.

Tang San's other hand, however, grasped its clothing at that moment. Using his small frame to his advantage, he pulled on the wolf's fur, changing his direction. With a flip, almost brushing against the third-rank Wolf Demon's chest, he landed on its other side. His right index and middle fingers joined to form a sword-finger. Activating Xuan Yu Hand, his two fingers gleamed with a pure white jade luster, stabbing like lightning towards the Wolf Demon's eyes as it turned its head back.

*Pfft!* His slender fingers almost instantly pierced into something warm. In terms of physical strength, Tang San was certainly far inferior to this third-rank Wolf Demon, but once he struck a vital point with energy of the same rank, there was no chance of survival. With Xuan Tian Gong infused via Xuan Yu Hand, it almost spun as it plunged into the Wolf Demon's brain. Consequently, the Wolf Demon's other eye also burst open instantly, and its brain was pulverized into a pulp. Its roar abruptly cut off as if choked, and its strong body tumbled to the ground.

Tang San pushed off its body with the tip of his foot, and with a flip, landed some distance away.

This strike achieved such results thanks to his rich combat experience from his previous life. His small, slender body and the darkness provided the best cover, coupled with the third-rank Wolf Demon being in a furious state, which dulled its senses. In a direct confrontation, Tang San's Xuan Yu Hand might not even be able to break through the Wolf Demon's thick hide. However, the eyes were the most vulnerable spot. With an eye pierced and Xuan Tian Gong energy injected, it was beyond dead.

As his feet landed, the other third-rank Wolf Demon was already motionless. Only then did Tang San breathe a sigh of relief. He didn't rush to check on the human, but instead quickly lay flat on the ground, pressing his ears to the earth, listening for any sounds around him, to see if more pursuers were coming.

With his current strength, confronting a third-rank Wolf Demon head-on was very difficult. No matter how good his techniques were, his young body was too frail. If a Wolf Demon landed even one hit, it could very likely be fatal. The seemingly simple attack just now was actually his full effort, having elevated his mental will to the highest degree.

There were no other sounds around him. Clearly, only two third-rank Wolf Demons had been pursuing the transformed human. This also made Tang San sigh in relief; otherwise, he would have had no choice but to flee.

Only then did he walk towards the human, while also remaining vigilant. When he approached the person, he immediately noticed that the hair that had previously grown on the person's body had disappeared. This caused Tang San's heart rate to quicken slightly.

Given his young age and situation, and having no relation to the transformed human, the safest option would have naturally been to not intervene and wait for the Wolf Demons to leave. Yet, he still chose to act. One reason was that the person being pursued was human. Another important reason was the transformation he had just witnessed.

In Tang San's original Douluo Continent world, there existed Spirit Masters with Beast Spirits who possessed similar abilities. They could also continuously grow and become powerful by cultivating their Beast Spirits. If similar abilities existed in this world, it would be greatly beneficial for his own strength development if he could learn them, and it would also make it easier for him to integrate into this world!