Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Chapter 538: Locking Yuan Ascension Dragon Technique!

He Zhi almost passed out from anger. The sight that greeted him made his eyes burn with fury: all the trusted confidants he had sent to transfer the treasures of the Secret Vault had been beheaded, with not a single one spared.

"Ning Xuan! You bastard, why did you do this to me?!" He Zhi’s composure shattered. His face twisted with rage as he glared at Ning Xuan, ready to strike.

Ning Xuan remained motionless, but the six people who came with him acted at once. Some blocked He Zhi’s path, while others stood in front of Ning Xuan.

"Elder He, calm down!"

"Exactly! What does this have to do with Ning Xuan?!"

"We all came here together!"

"You showed up right after we arrived! Don’t make baseless accusations!"

Their voices rang out one after another, all six of them looking displeased.

He Zhi gave a bitter laugh, took a step back, and said to Ning Xuan, "I’ve lost. I know you did this. Can you tell me how you managed it?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. By the way, where is the Secret Vault?" Ning Xuan replied with a question of his own.

PFFT!

Upon hearing this, the already seriously injured He Zhi spat out another mouthful of blood.

This little bastard Ning Xuan is doing this on purpose! He’s rubbing salt in the wound—killing me and crushing my spirit! How I hate him! I hate myself for ever provoking Ning Xuan! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have ended up like this.

"He Zhi, what is the meaning of this?"

"That’s right! The Young Master is asking you a question!"

"Don’t forget, this place belongs to the Young Master now!"

The six men, sensing an opportunity, immediately began to kick him while he was down.

He Zhi remained silent and turned to leave. One man, eager to curry favor, cursed and reached for He Zhi’s shoulder. "You son of a..."

He Zhi countered with a palm strike.

PFFT!

The man was sent flying backward, his chest caved in. As he hit the ground, his back burst open, revealing a bloody hole. It was clear he wouldn’t survive. Although He Zhi was injured, he was still not someone these lackeys could handle.

"You... you dare to kill someone from the Domain Lord’s Mansion?!"

"He Zhi, are you trying to declare open war on the Domain Lord’s Mansion?!" someone shouted. But He Zhi ignored them and continued to walk away. Some of them looked toward Ning Xuan, hoping he would take action.

"My earlier exertions have left me drained... I wish I could help, but..." Before Ning Xuan could finish, he vanished.

"You little bastard, you brought this on yourself!" He Zhi’s voice rang out. The five men looked closely and saw Ning Xuan appear where He Zhi had just been, while He Zhi himself had shifted more than ten feet away. Ning Xuan’s strike had missed.

"Do you really think I, He Zhi, am so easily bullied?!" He Zhi locked his murderous gaze on Ning Xuan.

A hint of a smile flashed in Ning Xuan’s eyes.

Having learned from their previous encounter, He Zhi reacted with lightning speed. He shifted sideways again and threw a palm strike.

BANG!

The Ning Xuan that appeared behind him was struck, and its body instantly exploded.

He Zhi’s expression changed drastically. He knew he had fallen for a trap. The first Ning Xuan wasn’t the Dao Body—it was his true form!

As he shot away at his top speed, He Zhi blindly threw a palm strike toward where he presumed Ning Xuan’s true body was. Unexpectedly, Ning Xuan’s voice sounded right by his ear. "Wrong."

Immediately, the threat of death enveloped his entire body. He wanted to break free, but it was too late.

PFFT!

A beam of light entered through his left ear and pierced his skull. The terrifying killing intent instantly obliterated his Divine Soul.

THUD!

He Zhi’s body collapsed.

PFFT!

Ning Xuan also fell to the ground, spitting blood. His face was ashen. This time, he had completely drained all his Element Force, and he did so by practically burning his own True Blood.

Whether it was the four elders or He Zhi, they were all enemies far stronger than me. Just as He Zhi had said, it would have been incredibly difficult for me to succeed, even if they had been careless. Killing just one person was this challenging; one could only imagine the difficulty of eliminating all five! Although I cleverly used the Dao Body to set a trap, I had to give it my all each time to ensure success. The consumption of Element Force under such conditions was terrifying! In that short time, I’ve already consumed an entire petal of the Fire Lotus. Fortunately, Jin Li entered the He Family’s Secret Vault ahead of me. If the carp had also been absorbing the energy from the Fire Lotus petals, it’s truly uncertain whether I would have succeeded.

"Young Master Ning, are you alright?" the five men asked with concern after coming to their senses.

Ning Xuan shook his head, taking a good while to regain even a sliver of strength. "I’ll have to trouble you all to stand guard for a while. I’m going to take a look at our Secret Vault," he said. With just the word "our," he had the five men willingly taking on the role of guards.

Ning Xuan then entered the Secret Vault.

As he had expected, Jin Li was frantically absorbing energy. Not to be outdone, Ning Xuan immediately activated his Cultivation Technique. What he needed most right now was energy. After all, his empty body was like a parched field. If it wasn’t irrigated with energy soon, it would start to crack.

Jin Li glanced at Ning Xuan but continued to absorb energy at a steady pace.

Vortices instantly formed around Ning Xuan, and soon, a terrifying howling sound filled the air as energy moved with violent intensity. The Divine Crystals in the Secret Vault began to lose their luster at a visible rate, turning into ash. The various Magical Treasures did the same.

"Huh!" Suddenly, Ning Xuan’s expression shifted. He was now absorbing energy from a bamboo scroll! The energy was not only remarkably pure, but upon entering his body, it flowed into his Sea of Consciousness and transformed into text.

When Ning Xuan had completely absorbed the energy from the bamboo scroll, his eyes flew open.

This haul is far greater than the one from raiding the Lu Family’s Secret Vault! Putting everything else aside, this fully evolved secret technique alone is an invaluable treasure!

Ning Xuan closed his eyes again and immediately began to circulate the technique. The next moment, with the point where he touched the ground as the epicenter, endless energy surged toward him from all directions. His body was like a tree, instantly sprouting countless roots that dug deep into the earth, frantically absorbing nutrients.

「Outside.」

Within the He Family residence, the lush vegetation withered at a visible rate, eventually turning to ash. This power was strikingly similar to the Azure Dragon’s Power from the twelve Divine Veins, but it was even more domineering. It took everything to its absolute limit, extracting every last drop.

Lock Element Ascend Dragon Technique!

This was a terrifying secret technique, one that could allow even a true dragon to ascend to the Extremity Realm.

The reason He Ang was able to recover so quickly was likely because he had cultivated this secret technique. However, his version definitely wasn’t as complete as the one I just obtained! The moment I noticed the anomaly, my consciousness swept over the bamboo scroll. What was recorded on it was merely a fragment, and it wasn’t even called by this name!

"Alright, you can continue absorbing at your own pace. I’ll leave you be."

Ning Xuan not only recovered quickly but also broke through to the Third Layer Heavens of the Holy Realm. This filled him with elation. He immediately stopped absorbing energy, casually picked up a few Magical Treasures, and left.

Behind him, Jin Li seemed to purse its lips. Its gaze was fixed on the very bamboo scroll from which Ning Xuan had acquired the Lock Element Ascend Dragon Technique.