Chapter 259: Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi

Chapter 259: Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi

Outside the Crown Prince's Palace, numerous experts lurked, creating an extremely perilous situation. Yet, Ning Xiaochuan's heart grew strangely calm.

Absolute composure was essential—only by staying calm could he possibly escape this dire predicament.

Ning Xiaochuan appeared utterly unperturbed, smiling as he said, "It’s been a while since we parted at the Yunhu Gathering, Your Highness. I trust you’ve been well?"

The Crown Prince’s true form emerged from the palace gates, clad in a resplendent golden robe, a Dragon-Embroidered Jade Belt wrapped around his waist, and a Glazed Gold Crown upon his head. With each step, the jade beads adorning his attire clinked together, exuding both the majesty of a Martial Venerable and the noble aura of royalty.

All the Martial Artists present bowed respectfully toward the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince appeared amiable, smiling as he replied, "At the Yunhu Gathering, the Manor Lord left in such haste that we barely exchanged a word. Now that you’ve come today, why not stay? The Lingyi State Preceptor is also here. Let us enter the Crown Prince's Palace and have a proper conversation, shall we?"

The Lingyi State Preceptor was none other than the Third-Rank State Preceptor who had set up the barrier. Serving as the Deputy Minister of the Imperial City’s First-Rank Appraisal Bureau, he held immense authority, ranking just below the "Nine Dukes" among the court’s civil officials.

The Grand Preceptor and the Nine Dukes were Daoist sages. Though they still bore the title of State Preceptor, they lived in seclusion, devoting themselves to cultivation and rarely involving themselves in court affairs. Only during grand ancestral temple ceremonies might one or two of them be summoned.

Thus, in the imperial court, true power lay in the hands of the Third and Fourth-Rank State Preceptors, whose influence rivaled that of princes and marquises.

The Lingyi State Preceptor stood at the center of the street, anchoring the largest Heaven and Earth Spiritual Node in the surrounding space. Drawing upon the node’s power, he employed Dao Techniques to erect a barrier on the ground and weave Formation Souls in the air, transforming the surroundings into an inescapable gilded cage that firmly trapped Ning Xiaochuan within.

The two most formidable figures present—the Crown Prince and the Lingyi State Preceptor—posed an overwhelming threat to Ning Xiaochuan.

Dozens of countermeasures flashed through Ning Xiaochuan’s mind, but he dismissed them all, for they seemed far too feeble in the face of a Martial Venerable.

Just as Ning Xiaochuan began to despair of escaping today, the white Bone Bead in his bosom emitted waves of gentle light, releasing a dense surge of Profound Qi.

The Profound Qi was so concentrated that it liquefied.

This Bone Bead shared the same origin as the Mystic Beast Manual, aiding Ning Xiaochuan in cultivating the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi at an accelerated pace.

As the Bone Bead released the Profound Qi, the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi within Ning Xiaochuan’s body began circulating autonomously, forming a massive vortex centered around his Martial Arts Heart Palace.

The Bone Bead acted like a Spiritual Node—one even larger than the one beneath the Lingyi State Preceptor’s feet—becoming the focal point of Profound Qi in the surrounding space.

Overjoyed, Ning Xiaochuan immediately channeled all his strength into circulating the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, voraciously absorbing the Profound Qi from the world around him.

The Lingyi State Preceptor’s barrier and Formation Souls were fundamentally rooted in "Profound Qi." Under normal circumstances, standing atop the largest Spiritual Node in the vicinity, his defenses would be nearly impregnable.

However, Ning Xiaochuan, empowered by the Bone Bead, disrupted the very space the State Preceptor had anchored. Simultaneously, he began devouring the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi at a rate sixty-four times faster than usual.

In no time, Ning Xiaochuan drained the surrounding Profound Qi, absorbing it all into his body like rivers of energy surging toward his Martial Arts Heart Palace.

At the same time, Ning Xiaochuan felt an earth-shaking transformation occurring within his body, as if he was about to break through to the Transcendent Realm Fifth Layer.

Recently, Ning Xiaochuan had refined two Transcendent Pills in succession, and his cultivation had long been on the verge of reaching the Transcendent Realm Fifth Layer. Now, by harnessing the power of the Bone Bead, he had devoured vast amounts of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi into his body, on the verge of breaking through his bottleneck and steadily advancing toward the Transcendent Realm Fifth Layer.

Because the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi had been drained, the barriers and Formation Souls set up by Lingyi State Preceptor collapsed on their own, and the gilded cage crumbled without resistance.

"How could this happen?"

Lingyi State Preceptor could never have dreamed that Ning Xiaochuan possessed a treasure like the Bone Bead—something akin to a massive Spiritual Node capable of devouring other Spiritual Nodes.

Lingyi State Preceptor attempted to re-establish the barriers.

But Ning Xiaochuan would not give him another chance.

"Swish!"

He summoned the Demonic Sword, which radiated a blinding crimson light.

With a single swing, the stone slabs on the ground were torn up, and the entire street was sent flying backward, blasting away over twenty martial artists from the Crown Prince's Palace. The Sword Qi severed their limbs and bones, dismembering them as if they had been torn apart.

Ning Xiaochuan grabbed Situ Fengwu and unleashed his ultimate movement technique, escaping the encirclement.

"Young Master Chuan, you won't get away!" An elderly man from the Crown Prince's Palace charged forward, wielding a cyan-colored Mystic Artifact Iron Fan.

Though he appeared frail with white hair and beard, his martial cultivation was formidable—he had reached the Transcendent Realm Sixth Layer.

Channeling Profound Qi into the iron fan, each of its Bone Leaves emitted a rustling sound, elongating to nearly five meters. With a single swing, a violent gale surged forth, sweeping the houses on both sides of the street more than ten meters away.

Afraid of being recognized, Ning Xiaochuan dared not use the "Wings of Rage" and could only anchor himself firmly in the fierce winds, his feet sinking into the ground like iron nails.

Using the Wings of Rage would indeed allow him to fly against the wind, but it would undoubtedly expose his true identity.

The "Wings of Rage" were one of Ning Xiaochuan's Martial Arts Divine Abilities, and his current identity was Young Master Chuan.

The reason Ning Xiaochuan had no qualms about using the "Demonic Sword" or the "Annihilation Path Founder's Phantom" was that he had rarely displayed these techniques in public. Even if someone knew Ning Xiaochuan possessed such abilities, that person was already dead.

Amid the fierce winds, a red light gathered in Ning Xiaochuan's palm, coalescing into the Demonic Sword.

"Swish!"

The Demonic Sword cleaved through the gale and struck the Mystic Artifact Iron Fan.

The iron fan was no match for the Demonic Sword—it shattered under the Sword Qi, breaking into fragments of iron and Bone Leaves.

The Transcendent Realm Sixth Layer elder let out a miserable scream as both his hands were severed by the Demonic Sword's Sword Qi.

His severed palms fell to the ground, blood gushing endlessly from his wrists.

The power of the Demonic Sword had invaded his body, and even with his Martial Arts Profound Qi, he could not stop the bleeding.

Ning Xiaochuan's gaze was resolute as he thrust the sword through the elder's body. Crimson blood gushed out like a waterfall, spilling across the ground.

The Demonic Sword absorbed the blood, and the demonic veins on its blade grew even more vivid red.

After refining the vast Blood Qi, the Demonic Sword fed a surge of power back into Ning Xiaochuan's body, bolstering his strength and accelerating his breakthrough to the Fifth Level of the Transcendent Realm.

The Demonic Qi around Ning Xiaochuan grew denser, turning the ground beneath his feet black with tainted footprints wherever he stepped.

Because the Elderly Man had momentarily blocked Ning Xiaochuan, the Crown Prince had already caught up, standing atop a high wall. A golden cloud surged within him as he unleashed his Martial Arts Divine Ability, condensing a golden dragon.

This was his divine technique—the Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi.

Every emperor of the imperial lineage cultivated a single breath—Dragon Qi.

Only emperors were permitted to practice it. Any other Martial Artist who dared steal this technique would be seen as violating imperial authority.

The Crown Prince possessed the cultivation of a Martial Venerable. Once he unleashed his Martial Arts Divine Ability, the heavens and earth trembled, Space itself grew chaotic, and the overwhelming draconic might forced every Martial Artist present to kneel.

This was the oppressive force of a Martial Venerable—no one could resist it.

Ning Xiaochuan felt as though a 5,000,000 kg mountain pressed down on his head, crushing his heartbeat to a halt and threatening to burst his Meridians.

Though he wielded the Demonic Sword, his Martial Arts cultivation was still far below that of a Martial Venerable—they were not even on the same level.

If a Martial Venerable struck with full force, Ning Xiaochuan would have no chance of resisting.

Had it been any other Transcendent Realm Fourth Layer Martial Artist, they would never have been able to match Ning Xiaochuan’s methods. Merely the Martial Soul Avatar of a Martial Venerable would have been enough to suppress them into immobility.

Even before a direct confrontation, Ning Xiaochuan’s internal organs were already injured, damaged by the Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi.

"Even after I displayed the Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi, Young Master Chuan remains so composed. Could his cultivation have reached a level where he can counter it?"

To the Crown Prince, Young Master Chuan was a Martial Venerable-level adversary. The calmer Ning Xiaochuan appeared, the more uneasy the Crown Prince grew.

Little did he know, Young Master Chuan was already severely wounded—merely putting on a brave front.

The Crown Prince dared not hold back any longer, attacking with full force to settle the battle against the Manor Lord of Ghost Manor.

"ROAR!"

The golden Dragon charged toward Ning Xiaochuan, its massive claw descending upon his head.

Before the overwhelming divine ability of a Martial Venerable, Ning Xiaochuan had no strength to retaliate. He could only watch as the dragon’s claw descended, slowly closing his eyes in resignation. "My life ends here."

The gap in cultivation was too vast—even escape was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

But the unexpected often happens.

Just as the dragon’s claw was about to strike Ning Xiaochuan, the Dragon Vein within his Martial Arts Heart Palace erupted with a surge of draconic energy, absorbing the golden Dragon and converting it into its own power.

"BOOM!"

A deafening explosion resounded from Ning Xiaochuan’s Martial Arts Heart Palace as the Dragon Vein shimmered gold, a faint trace of Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi coiling around it.

This Dragon Vein had been left behind by the Small Red Dragon within Ning Xiaochuan’s Martial Arts Heart Palace, symbolizing his identity as the War God Dragon Envoy. It could absorb draconic energy and convert it into his own strength.

Ning Xiaochuan had never expected this Dragon Vein to play such a crucial role, saving his life at the last moment.

What made Ning Xiaochuan even more delighted was that after absorbing this strand of Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi, he immediately broke through his bottleneck and advanced to the Fifth Level of the Transcendent Realm.

The Crown Prince was utterly shocked, never expecting that his Martial Arts Divine Ability, "Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi," would be effortlessly neutralized by Young Master Chuan.

Young Master Chuan's cultivation was truly terrifying.

No one had ever seen someone dissolve the Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi so effortlessly.

The Crown Prince immediately retreated, filled with fear toward Young Master Chuan.

Ning Xiaochuan let out a loud laugh, channeling the power of the Dragon Vein, and struck out with a palm, unleashing his own Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi, which condensed into a massive golden dragon.

The Crown Prince countered with a Thunderous Hand, shattering the golden dragon, but Young Master Chuan and Situ Fengwu had already vanished from the ancient street.

"Farewell, Crown Prince!"

Young Master Chuan's arrogant and cold laughter echoed from afar, lingering in the Crown Prince's ears.