Chapter 1747 (Raw 1759):
An ancient dragon city!
On hearing these words, the cultivators in the team all felt somewhat excited.
The strength of the Dragon Race spoke for itself. This was especially so for the Dragon Race from the Ancient Era, the peak of the entire Dragon Race.
Although the Dragon Race was strong, many of the Great Desolate Hundred Races could compete with it. Furthermore, after the Noble Clans formed the dynasties, the Luck of the Great Thousand Realms changed subtly.
The dynasties flourished and their Luck prospered. Over the years, they had developed further to their peak.
The four dynasties abounded with major characters. Be it the aloof holy sects or the strong races of the Great Desolate Hundred Races, no one dared to challenge their sharpness.
However, the situation was very different during the Ancient Era.
After the age of the Fiendish Demons, the various races with Great Desolate Eon bloodlines split the Great Thousand Realms, fighting each other, recreating the chaos from the Hundred Race War.
During this time, the Dragon Race stood out, establishing hegemony over their surroundings.
However, there was no such thing as flourishing in perpetuity without any decline. The Dragon Race rose and fell several times already.
Furthermore, after the Noble Clans rose, they worked together and established dynasties in order to suppress the strong Holy Rank sects and the Great Desolate Eon bloodline clans.
From then on, the situation was set.
Now, although the Dragon Race was a peak faction, they were no longer as tyrannical and bold as they had been during the Hundred Race War.
Being able to enter an ancient dragon city was an astronomically fortuitous encounter.
However, this ancient dragon city had lain dormant for some tens of thousands of years. No one could guarantee that there would be valuable treasures in it.
After all, there were the Dragon Race bloodlines. Perhaps before this bloodline went into decline, the other bloodlines split the valuable treasures among themselves.
Without any valuable treasure, this was just an ancient city.
It was not a sect's inheritance land or a place for nurturing natural treasures, so it would not be anything special.
Furthermore, countless tens of thousands of years had passed already. This underground dragon city might have some other inhabitants.
For example, the Flame Demons that liked to stay underground.
Many ferocious beasts and Fiendish Demons in the depths of the Dragon Flame Ancient Land liked to establish tribes underground.
Everything was possible, so the team should not be happy too early.
At the very rear, Xiao Chen felt very excited. However, he did not want to appear strange and attract attention, which might give rise to wild speculation.
Without making a sound, Xiao Chen took in the surroundings.
He knew very little of the Azure Dragon bloodline in the Great Thousand Realms. As he looked around, his gaze brimmed with curiosity as well.
Based on what Senior Ma said, this city might very well be one that the Azure Dragon bloodline had constructed.
However, for some reason, since the dragon flame eruption, Xiao Chen sensed something off.
If this really was the Azure Dragon's conferred land, how could it spew out such a terrifying dragon flame?
The Azure Dragon was of the wood attribute and not very good with fire. That was the specialty of the Red Dragon.
However, the Red Dragon bloodline still existed—everyone was familiar with it—so it did not fit what Senior Ma said.
Doubts stirred in Xiao Chen's mind, unshakable.
"Senior Ma, I feel that this city is rather strange. It has been underground for tens of thousands of years. Logically speaking, there should be heavy yin-attributed energy. However, when we came down, we did not feel any of that. Something is not right," Leng Feng said in a somewhat low voice as he cautiously observed the surroundings.
Senior Ma nodded and said, "That's right. I sensed it as well. The Spiritual Energy fluctuation is also somewhat strange. It's like the fire-attributed Spiritual Energy is practically nonexistent. However, this is the Dragon Flame Ancient Land. The fire-attributed Spiritual Energy should be proliferating."
Before Senior Ma led the team to carefully search the city, he shouted, "Be careful. Everyone, follow closely. Do not move alone!"
However, it was clear that Senior Ma and the others somewhat underestimated the danger of this dragon city.
Before the team could go far, several pairs of scarlet eyes opened in the dilapidated pavilion in front. They looked like floating scarlet flames, giving off a charming glamor.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Fiery lights flickered in the dark dragon city. Several red Flame Demons rushed over.
Miserable cries rang out. Three team members were caught off guard and immediately burned to ashes.
Blood poured out and seeped into the ground. They died exceptionally miserable deaths.
"Be careful! They are Superior Grade Flame Demons!" Senior Ma cried out. Unexpectedly, they ran into so many Superior Grade Flame Demons.
A large battle commenced.
The combat prowess of a Superior Grade Flame Demon was exceptionally scary. Furthermore, its vision was not affected by the darkness.
The Flame Demons possessed strange Movement Techniques. They could turn into flames and enter the ground, then reappear at an opportune moment, moving unpredictably.
Fortunately, Senior Ma's team had recruited elites and outstanding talents and had fought Superior Grade Flame Demons before during experiential training.
After the initial fluster, everyone soon calmed down.
Xiao Chen used this opportunity to observe Xiahou Feng's and Leng Feng's strengths.
These two truly lived up to their reputations of possessing the strength of a Star Venerate. They fought several Superior Grade Flame Demons at the same time and held the upper hand. Furthermore, they could still lend others a hand.
"These two already formed the will of soul!"
After observing for a while, Xiao Chen finally noticed something. No wonder they were so strong, able to rival Star Venerates.
These two already materialized the will of souls, the greatest reliance of the Cloud Sea Realm. However, their cultivations were still lacking, so they did not rush to break through.
They were also wildly ambitious people. They understood the importance of foundations, of making a breakthrough when the time was right. Only by doing so could they go even further in the Cloud Sea Realm.
Xiao Chen did not find it strange that the two already materialized the will of soul before advancing to the Cloud Sea Realm.
The world was enormous, and there were all sorts of strange things. The Great Thousand Realms was far vaster and larger than what Xiao Chen had already seen.
Just like how Xiao Chen could practice the Dragon Blood Soul Breaking Finger, others might be able to practice Soul Energy Cultivation Techniques as well. Furthermore, these two's cultivations were very close to the Cloud Sea Realm.
Hence, they already scratched the surface of Soul Energy.
After a while, after losing a few Flame Demons, the other Flame Demons retreated, abandoning the fight.
"Don't give chase!"
Senior Ma reminded a team elite setting off in pursuit deeper into the city.
Who knew, just as Senior Ma spoke, a palm strike smashed that Major Primal Core elite cultivator backwards.
A black palm print appeared on that cultivator's chest, with a black flame burning in the wound.
That flame looked beautiful and ethereal, surreal.
Then, this elite cultivator's lips turned black, and his lifeforce continuously flowed out.
"Fire poison!"
The others were shocked. They had never seen such terrifying fire poison before.
Senior Ma looked up and spotted a Flame Demon with black flames covering its entire body in the darkness, leading hundreds of red Flame Demons forward.
The black Flame Demon's eyes shone with fanaticism, filled with killing Qi as it gazed at Senior Ma's group.
"Black Flame Demon!"
Senior Ma's expression changed slightly. He had never heard of or seen a black Flame Demon before.
"Leave half the people behind. The remaining half can return the way you came from." The black Flame Demon suddenly offered terms to Senior Ma and the others.
Leng Feng laughed hoarsely, "You are just a mere Flame Demon, and you dare to speak so boldly. Coincidentally, I have not seen a black Blaze Crystal before. I wonder how valuable it is!"
"Kill!"
The black Flame Demon smiled coldly, and the hundreds of Superior Grade Flame Demons charged towards Senior Ma's team.
Senior Ma also smiled coldly. "Everyone, work together and kill these Flame Demons."
Although the Flame Demons had numbers, Senior Ma's team was not a slapdash arrangement. The core members had experienced many life-and-death situations with each other before and worked well together.
When combining their strengths, the result was not simply additive.
Earlier, Xiao Chen had seen the might of the team during the dragon flame eruption.
Although Senior Ma's team was not very familiar with new members like Xiao Chen, as long as these people did not cause trouble, it would be fine.
Furthermore, the team boasted many sect elites, people who possessed many secret arts, protective Treasure Tools, and even Dao Tools.
When these people erupted with their true strength, they were exceptionally scary.
Xiao Chen drew his Tyrant Saber and used the Army Breaking Saber Technique to fight the Superior Grade Flame Demons, not fearing their attacks.
The situation quickly stabilized, and Senior Ma's team slowly gained the upper hand.
Senior Ma looked around and went to join Leng Feng and Xiahou Feng to kill the black Flame Demon.
The three fought the black Flame Demon together.
Although the black Flame Demon possessed horrifying strength, it could not block three Star-Venerate-level existences sending out strong attacks relentlessly.
After a while, the black Flame Demon showed signs of defeat.
When it saw that it could not defeat the enemy, the black Flame Demon roared and turned into a clump of black cloud, fleeing.
None of the three gave chase.
Leng Feng said with some lingering fear, "This black Flame Demon is quite terrifying. It clearly is not a Star Venerate but is stronger than regular Star Venerates."
"Let's not speak about this first. We should deal with the other Flame Demons."
"Right."
One hour later, the fight ended with most of the attacking Flame Demons dead.
Close to twenty people from Senior Ma's team had died. The casualties were high.
All at once, the team had lost a fifth of its forces.
"The place where the Flame Demon tribe gathers definitely has a strong yang-attributed flame. I think that they must have a Primal Chaos Grade flame."
"Earlier, I managed to find some resources left behind in a courtyard. Most of it was already useless, but surprisingly, there were one or two perfectly intact items."
"It is, after all, a dragon city. Furthermore, there are many important places that we have not gone to."
After collecting the Blaze Crystals from the red Flame Demons, Senior Ma and the others discussed and decided to continue forward.
Those who felt that they were not strong enough could take some of the red Blaze Crystals and return the way they came.
However, no one chose to back out of this dangerous expedition; everyone preferred to continue deeper.
Just at this moment, the sound of an intense battle rang out.
A saber hum!
Xiao Chen raised his eyebrows. As a bladesman, he was much more sensitive to this sound than the others.
A strong bladesman was fighting with someone.
Senior Ma and the others immediately showed grave expressions. To think that someone else had barged into this place as well.
Miserable cries rang out. The black Flame Demon that just fled reappeared before the team, hacked back by someone.
Everyone saw a saber wound on the black Flame Demon's chest, nearly bisecting it. Saber Qi lingered in the wound. No matter what the black Flame Demon did, the wound would not heal.
The black Flame Demon kept roaring but could not get up.
How strong!
Who is it?
Everyone looked up and saw a mysterious bladesman wearing a conical bamboo hat and tight clothes flying over.
The bamboo-hat bladesman swept his gaze across Senior Ma's team before gently landing on the ground. Then, he dealt the final blow to the black Flame Demon. Finally, he looked at Senior Ma and the others and said, "You have no objections to me taking away this Blaze Crystal, right?"
The bamboo-hat bladesman's voice had been altered, but it was still clear that the owner of the voice was young.
This was a young Star-Venerate-level bladesman.
How could Senior Ma and the others dare to object?
Although the three had injured the black Flame Demon, weakening it, the bamboo-hat bladesman killed it single-handedly. This showed how horrifying his strength was.
With such strength, who dared to offend the bamboo-hat bladesman?