Chapter 456: The Power of the Bell Soul

After fully regaining its true dragon form, the demon dragon's physical defense far surpassed that of the previous Night Lord. Ordinary attacks were completely ineffective against it.

Furthermore, its inherent world-destroying dragon breath, with each blast filled with dense primordial dark energy, inflicted irreversible corrosive damage upon any living being it struck.

Boom!

In the sky, three more streams of dragon breath erupted in succession. The massive, scorching purple orbs radiated a suffocating, terrifying power.

"Quick, get clear!"

Long Kun immediately shouted the warning, and Yun Shu swiftly ordered all Xuanmen warriors to retreat.

Naturally, the only two captives in the group, Teda and Aisha, were also specially protected and evacuated; they were not left behind in the core battle zone to die.

Soon after everyone retreated, the very spot they had just occupied was completely engulfed by an incredibly potent darkfiend flame.

"Are you truly intent on utterly destroying the Northern Frontier?" Xu Yang asked, his voice cold. "At this rate, the very foundations deep within the Northern Frontier's ley lines will be corroded by dark energy, turning this place into a barren wasteland for millennia to come!"

The demon dragon stared icily at Xu Yang, who was causing wanton destruction without any hint of remorse, and spoke coldly.

"What does that have to do with me?" the demon dragon roared with unbridled laughter. "You pathetic humans dare to challenge me? This is merely a small interest payment. Once I crush you into oblivion, a far grimmer fate awaits the rest of them. This is only the beginning of the game, hahaha!"

The demon dragon laughed wildly and recklessly, yet it failed to notice that Xu Yang's aura had once again undergone a transformation.

The Nine-Colored Qiankun Bell manifested, with seven divine lights appearing one by one. With each additional light, Xu Yang's overall combat power increased.

What was different this time was that the Bell Spirit, concentrated behind Xu Yang, had also emerged.

"Kid, this worm seems rather proud. Let him experience the power of a human god-level being," the Bell Spirit said.

Xu Yang offered a wry smile. "You've been roused too, Bell Spirit?"

"I was sleeping soundly, and then this annoying worm kept setting off firecrackers; I couldn't stand him. Hey, big worm, your dark elemental energy seems quite strong, doesn't it? Try hitting me."

The Bell Spirit's voice was incredibly deep and seamlessly merged with Xu Yang's aura.

In fact, the Bell Spirit had originally not intended to become a bound divine artifact for anyone other than Daoist Xiaoyao. However, after witnessing Xu Yang's Heavenly Eye state of mind, it resolutely chose to pledge itself to him.

It could be said that across the vast continent, apart from Daoist Xiaoyao and the girl Xiaohua, Xu Yang was the only one the Bell Spirit willingly obeyed and acknowledged.

In its eyes, dragons, Qilins, and such were merely insignificant.

Upon closer thought, this was indeed true.

Even Feng Xiu, who had mastered the Heaven-Defying Demonic Art and inherited the power of the Qilin, coveted the Nine-Colored Qiankun Bell after achieving his goal. This clearly demonstrated that its defensive capabilities were absolutely on par with a divine artifact.

Boom!

Another massive blast of demon dragon breath erupted, precisely targeting Xu Yang.

However, in the next moment, the Qiankun Bell taught the demon dragon a profound lesson through its actions.

The seven-colored radiance enveloped Xu Yang like a cocoon. The incredibly potent dark elemental energy from the dragon's origin, the moment it touched these seven lights, was astonishingly broken down into countless tiny energy particles. Not only did it fail to cause Xu Yang the slightest impact or harm, but it instead formed a protective layer of light, coalescing around the bell's outer rim.

"What?! You..."

The demon dragon was dumbfounded. It truly hadn't expected the ancient bell's defense to be so perverse. More importantly, the bell's defensive mode was completely different from other defensive artifacts; it didn't rely on a hard surface to withstand attacks, but possessed the ability to decompose and transform external elemental energy, rapidly converting and breaking down the opponent's power!

This was truly outrageous.

Seeing that its demon dragon breath posed no threat to Xu Yang, the demon dragon decisively changed its combat strategy, transforming into a half-humanoid form and charging directly at Xu Yang.

It's important to understand that a human transforming into a dragon and a dragon transforming into a human are two entirely different concepts!

The former constitutes an energy overdraft, while the latter is a process of refining and transforming energy and combat power.

Using a human's limits as a vessel compared to using a dragon's body as a vessel results in a world of difference.

At this moment, the demon dragon was undoubtedly utilizing the more powerful latter variation.

Boom!

The half-humanoid demon dragon, embodying the ultimate state of both speed and strength, appeared to outsiders like a mutated form of a super-human.

Xu Yang knew that without numerous accumulated advantages, he would find it very difficult to contend with this half-humanoid demon dragon for an extended period.

The Asura Sword reappeared in his hand.

However, this time, Xu Yang deeply realized that until he obtained the Heart of an Angel and awakened his truly complete divine power, he would still struggle somewhat when facing top-tier continental predators like the demon dragon.

This struggle was evident in his combat power output and his dominant performance in the two preceding stages.

Previously, Xu Yang had effortlessly crushed the Night Lord with overwhelming force. But now, facing a true peak dragon, Xu Yang was merely holding his own, neither gaining an advantage nor falling behind.

Alarmingly, the demon dragon's destruction of the entire Northern Frontier battlefield meant Xu Yang had no room for further delay. He had to exert his utmost effort to conquer the demon dragon as quickly as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

"It seems it's time to unleash my peak form once more."

Xu Yang and the Bell Spirit were in perfect sync. Under the half-humanoid demon dragon's fierce onslaught, Xu Yang decided to activate his Heavenly Eye state of mind, using a higher-level perspective to fully control and restrict the demon dragon's movement limits.

After all, the demon dragon's current speed far exceeded the limits attainable by most beings on the continent. Among the Xuanmen elders watching from afar, only Elder Bing, who was at the mid-stage of Tribulation Transcendence, could faintly discern the demon dragon's movements; the other four couldn't even see its trajectory with their naked eyes.

"My head is spinning... I can't even see a shadow now," Lei Zhen muttered, staring blankly into the void. "Thank goodness for Lord Xu Yang; otherwise, if we had truly angered the true mastermind behind this Blood Barbarian clan, we wouldn't even know how we died!"

Lei Zhen's eyes were glazed as he stared into the void, feeling as if he were watching an alien war. The gap between his own strength and the intensity of this confrontation was vast.

"Roar!!"

The half-humanoid demon dragon brought down another palm, striking heavily against the protective barrier formed by Xu Yang's Nine-Colored Qiankun Bell Spirit.

This time, it unleashed its full power. Even the powerful protective light of the Bell Spirit began to tremble under this divine-level pressure.

Xu Yang's expression turned incredibly cold. "You... are courting death!"