BOOM!

Less than an hour after Qi Xiu entered the Dragon Prison, a middle-aged man, tall and imposing, stepped into these waters. His aura surged, and he emanated an air of supreme authority, clad in a black-patterned, gold-threaded dragon robe.

Almost at the moment of his descent, the Flood Dragon King's nostrils flared slightly, and his fragmented golden eyes suddenly focused.

Has an outsider been here?

Leaning against a rock with his sleeves clutched, the lightly snoring Elder Shui seemed to have been woken by the noise. He smacked his lips twice, raised his eyebrows, and slowly opened his murky eyes.

"You've come."

Dispelling his sinister expression, the Flood Dragon King strode up to the old tortoise and saluted with clasped hands. "I pay my respects to the Water Monarch. I have found some fine recruits, and I hope you can send them into the Dragon Prison to seek the Dragon-Slaying Banner on your behalf."

No sooner had the Flood Dragon King's voice faded than several figures emerged, each with a distinct aura—be it cold, oppressive, or restless.

Without exception, all of them possessed cultivations in the Blood-Stained Realm. They were all candidates chosen by the Flood Dragon King to enter the Dragon Prison in search of the Dragon-Slaying Banner.

Glancing at the individuals brought by the Flood Dragon King, Elder Shui tucked his sleeves away, a hint of disappointment in his tone. "You young flood dragon, this must be the seventh batch you've sent in, correct? If I may say so, if it's not working, then let it be. Why needlessly sacrifice so many lives?"

Hearing the shift in Elder Shui's tone, and recalling the strange energy he had sensed moments before, the Flood Dragon King's expression darkened. Suppressing the rage in his heart, he asked in a low voice, "With all due respect, Water Monarch, do you perhaps have a new candidate in mind?"

"You young flood dragon, your nose is quite perceptive. Indeed, there is a youngster currently assisting me with a task."

Upon Elder Shui's words, a terrifying and vast oppressive aura erupted from the Flood Dragon King. The light in the entire aquatic region dimmed abruptly, as if plunging into an endless, eternal night. The few Blood-Stained Realm cultivators behind him grimaced in pain, sinking to one knee as numerous bloody gashes suddenly split open on their bodies, making them look as if they were about to be torn apart.

"Who is that person?" the Flood Dragon King demanded, his head snapping up. His fragmented golden pupils radiated an extreme, savage ferocity, like those of a primordial beast—utterly terrifying.

Feeling the Flood Dragon King's gaze, Elder Shui's murky eyes stirred slightly, and a profound blue Divine Light suddenly flared.

BOOM!

In an instant, the terrifying pressure emanating from the Flood Dragon King was completely neutralized. A crushing weight, like that of a thousand mountains, pressed down solely upon the Flood Dragon King.

With a CRACK, the King of Nu River crashed to his knees, and numerous spiderweb-like fissures erupted from the ground beneath him.

Standing before the Flood Dragon King, Elder Shui looked down, and behind him, the spectral image of a colossal turtle, vast enough to support an entire world, slowly materialized.

"What? Do I need to seek your permission for my actions now?"

High above, a being for all life to gaze upon in awe. The Dianchuan Water Monarch's disdainful majesty was fully revealed!

His hands pressed hard against the ground, the Flood Dragon King clenched his jaw, his form visibly swelling as he attempted to manifest his original True Body to resist the overwhelming pressure. But facing the Dianchuan Water Monarch, an entity personally appointed by the True Dragon Clan—all his resistance was doomed to be futile.

BANG!

Both his arms were crushed, and the Flood Dragon King was slammed face-down onto the ground, prostrating completely. The face that had once looked down upon countless beings was now pressed hard against the earth.

Humiliation! Mockery! Disgrace! A torrent of emotions surged through his heart. As a Dao Expert and the King of Nu River, enduring such an insult drove the Flood Dragon King to the brink of madness. His fragmented golden pupils turned a bloodshot red, consumed by boundless fury.

But he was helpless. He faced the Dianchuan Water Monarch, who had lived for countless eons. It wasn't just him; even if a Primordial Spirit Boss were to arrive, they too would have to tuck their tail between their legs and submit!

Stepping on the Flood Dragon King's head, Elder Shui pressed down hard. THUD! The Flood Dragon King's head was forcibly stomped into the ground.

"You are merely a dog under my command. Since when do you have the right to question me? If there's a next time, I'll skin you alive and pull out your tendons."

Seemingly possessing an inexplicable, subconscious terror of being skinned and having his tendons pulled, the Flood Dragon King's body trembled violently when he heard Elder Shui's threat. His frenzied, furious eyes regained their calm.

"I lost my senses for a moment. I beg the Water Monarch's forgiveness."

After his prompt submission, the Flood Dragon King felt the unshakeable, immense pressure on his body slowly dissipate, and only then did he manage to struggle up from the ground.

"However, those I have found this time do possess some ability. Please, Water Monarch, allow them to try."

His face caked with mud and grime, the Flood Dragon King paid it no mind, merely clasping his hands in supplication, hoping Elder Shui would allow the men he had brought to enter the Dragon Prison and search for the Dragon-Slaying Banner.

Resuming his seat on the rock, Elder Shui appeared indifferent and slowly closed his eyes.

"Since you insist, then have it your way."

"You few," the Flood Dragon King addressed his men, "if you can help me complete this task, I assure you, I will fulfill my promises to you. Especially you, Nie Biao. I know you have touched the threshold of the Dao Body Realm. If you succeed this time, I shall personally impart the Dao to you, helping you break through the threshold of the Dao Body Realm!"

Clad in golden armor, his robust frame like a small mountain and exuding a potent aura of death, Nie Biao slowly grinned upon hearing this, revealing a mouthful of pitch-black teeth.

"Dragon King, rest assured. When I, Nie Biao, take action, this will surely succeed. Just wait for my good news."

Listening to Nie Biao thump his chest and speak with such certainty, the Flood Dragon King smiled coldly. "Last time at the Nu River Palace, you made the same promise. And the result?"

"Er, that was an accident, truly an accident! How was I to know that wretched palace actually had a back door?" Nie Biao scratched the back of his head, his nails sending sparks flying, and gave an awkward smile. "But it won't happen again. As you've said, Dragon King, the Dragon Prison is a dead end with only one entrance and exit. You just stand guard here, and I'll go inside to grab them. I guarantee they won't make a sound."

The Flood Dragon King knew the mishap at the Nu River Palace wasn't Nie Biao's fault; even he wasn't entirely clear about the situation within that Crystal Palace. So, he didn't say much more. "This is your last chance. If you can help me, I will naturally help you. But if you disappoint me again, you can just return to your Mount Beimang and wait for your yin lifespan to expire."

"Rest assured, Dragon King, I, Nie Biao, will give it my all," Nie Biao pledged.

Under the watchful eyes of the Flood Dragon King, Nie Biao and his companions activated their Escape Skills and soared towards the mercury-like portal that led to the Dragon Prison.

Wiping the dust and muck from his face, the Flood Dragon King's gaze was profound. He cast a discreet glance at Elder Shui beside him, a long, thoughtful hum resonating deep within his heart.

「 」

"This is the Dragon Prison where the True Dragon Clan imprisons evil dragons?"

Standing on a boundless, ravaged, and deathly still expanse of broken land, Qi Xiu stood with folded sleeves, his brow slightly furrowed.

Ever since stepping into this Xiaoqian World, he had felt a subtle, pervasive sense of suppression. It was as if a baleful gaze from some unknown corner was coldly observing him. It made his skin crawl slightly.

Slowly rotating the Golden Cry Jade Beads in his hand, Qi Xiu calmed his mind and qi, sensing the ominous presence of crisis in the unseen. He was protected by Human Path Merit. If there were any malice directed towards him in this place, he would have an intuitive premonition.

After silently sensing for a moment and not detecting any malice directed at him, and with no warnings from his Human Path Merit, Qi Xiu felt somewhat relieved. He surmised that the sensation of being watched was likely an inherent mechanism of this Dragon Prison. After all, this place was, fundamentally, a prison. Although countless years had passed and it had fallen into severe disrepair, Elder Shui had said that some of its mechanisms should still be operational.

I should investigate the situation first.

Pinching a Golden Cry Jade Bead, Qi Xiu flicked his sleeve, about to summon his avian sentinels. However, he only heard a series of soft THUDS as the birds tumbled to the ground.

Qi Xiu glanced over, his expression abruptly changing. The birds that had flown from his sleeves now all lay on the ground, their wings beating frantically, yet they remained unable to take flight.

Could it be...

His expression shifted. Qi Xiu formed a hand seal for a spell, attempting to activate an Escape Skill. The Escape Light flared briefly before being rapidly extinguished under the influence of an unknown power. He tried several times, switching between different Escape Skills, but the result was the same.

Unable to fly?

Realizing this, Qi Xiu then attempted to use Rune Arrays, Magic Artifacts, and the Gourd Sword Skill, but all to no avail. Without exception, all were instantly suppressed by that nameless power, completely unable to achieve flight.

It seemed that a flight restriction was one of the rules of this Dragon Prison!

Flying is restricted, but actions like jumping and leaping are not affected.

After a few experimental leaps, Qi Xiu found that only flight-related techniques were limited; jumping and similar movements were not suppressed.

A no-flight zone!

Qi Xiu scratched his brow and sighed. To encounter such a problem immediately upon entering the Dragon Prison... This is troublesome, truly troublesome.

With his avian sentinels unusable, Qi Xiu had no choice but to delve into his Golden Cry Jade Beads and retrieve his other reserve force!

With its hands on its hips, staring at the birds on the ground that could only flap their wings futilely, a little white figure looked smug, its expression a mixture of pride and haughtiness, as if to say, "See? In critical moments, you still have to rely on me!"

"Alright, alright, stop showing off. Go on, quickly now," Qi Xiu urged with a smile, flicking the little white figure's bottom.

With a raised hand in salute, hundreds of little white figures scattered in all directions like a ripple of pure white, gradually vanishing into the desolate, shattered landscape.

Sitting down on the spot, Qi Xiu began to circulate his Yama's Golden Chapter, continuing to recover the Divine Soul Force he had previously expended.

Within the Ancestral Aperture between his eyebrows, Qi Xiu's soul had completely solidified into a human form. Only his feet remained faintly ethereal, indistinct and unclear. This signified that his Divine Soul Realm had reached the peak of the Yin God Phase. Once his feet also solidified completely, he would achieve the Yin Spirit Perfection Stage and could break through the barrier between life and death at any moment, stepping into the qualitatively distinct True Spirit Phase.

Once this matter is resolved, I can first capture some Demons, arrest their souls and refine them, to cultivate my soul to the Yin Spirit Perfection Stage.

As for the True Spirit Phase, to break the barrier between life and death, perhaps I can use the breakthrough to the Second Realm of Yama's Golden Chapter as an opportunity to achieve it in one go.

At that point, once my soul transforms into a True Spirit and Yama's Golden Chapter also breaks through to the Second Realm, I can smoothly cultivate the second Divine Marvel of Yama's Golden Chapter—[Yama Golden Body].

Soul Arresting Casting Hall, where ten thousand souls pay homage. My Divine Soul Force will flow endlessly. I will no longer be constrained by a lack of Divine Soul Force!

While waiting for the little white figures to send back news, Qi Xiu planned his future endeavors.

The Hell Dao reigns supreme in the domain of the soul. It once attempted to sacrifice all living beings to seize control of reincarnation! The [Yanluo Golden Scripture], revered by them as one of the three great pagodas, not only contains traditional Soul Skills but has also, through heaven-defying ingenuity, integrated Divine Marvels from the Incense Fire God Dao. Thus was forged this unprecedented and peerless grand scripture of the soul!

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