Chapter 1618: Dragon Bone Divine Spear

Swoosh! Water droplets, imbued with the power to pierce through air, appeared before him in the blink of an eye, threatening to pierce him through.

“Such immense power from casually flicked water droplets?” Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted, his heart profoundly shaken. He had wondered about the origin of these droplets, but witnessing them firsthand revealed their true horror. The creature in the pool, with just a casual shake, could unleash ordinary water droplets that were irresistible. How powerful must it be? Whether Teacher Yang could defeat it was an unknown!

“Bloodline combustion…” He had no time for reflection. With a mental command, the remaining half-drop of his blood began to burn again. Time around him seemed to slow down once more, and the charging water droplets appeared sluggishly before him. “I must address the source, otherwise, it’s useless!”

He flickered, weaving through the myriad water droplets, reaching the pool's edge in a few strides. No sooner had he done so than the half-drop of blood was consumed. The water droplets behind him continued to shoot out, striking the rock wall with distinct 'thudding' sounds. Only then did Zhang Xuan look at what lay before him.

Emerging from the pool was a colossal skeleton, its head and tail connected, towering dozens of meters high. Every bone was translucent and sparkling, like jade. Though its precise hardness was indiscernible, a mere flick from it imbued water droplets with the power to kill a Saint 9-dan pinnacle expert. Its strength was truly terrifying.

“Is this… a dragon skeleton?” Upon discerning its true form, Zhang Xuan was startled. Having tamed the Infernal Azure Dragon Beast, he was intimately familiar with the skeletal structure of such creatures. This skeleton before him was far more rationally and perfectly constructed than that of the Azure Dragon Beast. If he wasn't mistaken, it was definitely a dragon's bones. Even if it wasn't a pure-blooded dragon, its bloodline density must be immeasurably superior to that of the Azure Dragon Beast.

“You possess the ability to control time? No, wait, you rely on a bloodline… Who are you? Whose descendant are you?” The skeleton, surprised that he had evaded the water droplets, spoke with a booming, deafening voice.

“I am Zhang Xuan!” Seeing that the creature didn't attack, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed and clasped his fists, simultaneously scrutinizing the colossal entity before him.

The skeleton before him was pitch-black all over. At the dragon's head, where it spoke, two empty sockets glowed with a faint green light. Were it not for its speech, one could not imagine that it was alive and possessed an independent consciousness.

“Zhang? Not a disciple of Master Kong?” The bone dragon questioned.

“No,” Zhang Xuan shook his head. The Zhang clan only began its rise after the Hundred Schools of Thought departed. Indeed, the Zhang clan's ancestors did not receive Master Kong's legacy.

“Not a disciple of Master Kong, yet you comprehend the Law of Time, which only Master Kong could wield. It seems later generations also possess formidable talents!” The bone dragon nodded, then looked at him again. “You have some strength to resist my pressure and evade water droplets, but that alone is useless! To gain my recognition, you must defeat me!”

“Gain your recognition?” Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned.

“Precisely. Among the ninety-nine passages, this one offers the greatest opportunity, yet it is also the most dangerous. If you gain my recognition, you can take me with you. If not, I will kill you!” The bone dragon stated indifferently.

“Take you with me?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. This bone dragon, with just a few flicked water droplets, could slay a Saint 9-dan pinnacle expert. Its own strength was likely on par with or even superior to Teacher Yang’s. If he could take it with him, his overall power would increase significantly!

“Yes, but to earn my approval, you must possess strength surpassing mine. Other methods are useless. Back then, Saint Ran also subdued me with sheer power, after which I swore eternal loyalty and slept here for tens of thousands of years, awaiting a successor!” The bone dragon nodded.

“Saint Ran… You are Saint Ran Qiu’s weapon? Could it be… his Dragon Bone Divine Spear?” Something struck Zhang Xuan, and his entire body trembled. He had read books about Ancient Saint Ran Qiu, knowing some aspects of this ancient saint's life. A Dragon Bone Divine Spear had fought in and out of the Spirit Tribe ranks seven times, displaying incredible might, earning even Master Kong’s high praise… Could it be that this bone dragon before him was that very spear? If so, this passage was indeed too important.

“Precisely!” The bone dragon nodded. “However, my power was sealed by Saint Ran, allowing me to only exert combat power at the Great Saint level. If you can defeat me, you may take me with you. If not… I apologize, but no matter who you are or your background, you will be pierced through! You will become a corpse.”

“That makes sense, but…” Zhang Xuan looked up, a slight, sincere smile gracing his face. “Look, I only possess Saint 9-dan pinnacle strength right now. Even if you can only exert Great Saint level combat power at the moment, I would certainly be unable to defeat you… Could you perhaps suppress your cultivation to match mine before we compete?”

“Suppress my cultivation?” The bone dragon's voice carried a hint of displeasure.

“Precisely. You’ve been here for a long time, haven't you? You must want to go out and display your might! Right now, I’m the only one who has chosen this passage. If no one else comes later, wouldn’t that mean you’d be trapped here forever? For a divine weapon with peak combat power, wouldn’t that be too tragic?” Zhang Xuan explained, “Either way, it’s a competition. As long as you suppress your strength to match mine, it’s still a battle. At the same rank, it wouldn't be considered bullying the weak…”

The bone dragon hesitated.

“It’s settled then! You are Saint Ran’s divine weapon. Even if you suppress your cultivation, your combat power will surely be at the peak of your suppressed rank. You wouldn't… think that suppressing yourself to Saint 9-dan pinnacle would make you no match for me, would you?” Zhang Xuan looked at it questioningly. “Could it be… that an Ancient Saint's divine weapon fears losing?”

“Hmph, even with suppressed cultivation, I will not lose!” Provoked by his taunt, the bone dragon snorted. “Very well, I shall now suppress my cultivation to Saint 9-dan pinnacle!”

Rumble! As its words ended, the powerful aura emanating from the bone dragon receded, level by level. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed to match his own Saint 9-dan pinnacle cultivation.

“Let’s begin…” Having suppressed its cultivation, the bone dragon wore a calm expression, preparing itself to engage the fellow before it. Suddenly, its vision blurred. The young man who had been standing a short distance away was now right in front of it, slamming a fist down onto its dragon head.

“You…” It had not expected such speed, nor such a direct attack, completely disregarding any rules. The bone dragon felt a surge of frustration. It flicked its tail, intending to send Zhang Xuan flying, when it suddenly felt the surrounding space instantly sealed. Its entire body felt as if it were frozen in a river, unable to move a single inch.

“Ancient Saint Qiuwu’s spatial seal?” Its body stiffened, and the bone dragon was startled. Just as it was wondering what to do, it felt a sharp pain in its head as the opponent’s fist landed.

Thud, thud, thud, thud! Fists and feet rained down. In the blink of an eye, intense pain surged through its entire body. The opponent’s power was like a surging river, continuous and relentless, like the overflowing Yellow River, utterly unstoppable. Under the continuous assault, not only were its bones damaged, but its very soul was also impacted, seemingly on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

“How can he be so strong…” The bone dragon was filled with frantic disbelief.