Chapter 57: Into the Net

“Dragon’s Might—there truly is a real dragon here.”

Among the gathered monsters, one belonged to a species of flood dragon whose bloodline was particularly strong. No sooner had it entered within ten thousand miles than it sensed a faint pressure akin to the dragon’s might of a draconic whale. Yet, compared to that, this aura was purer, more regal, and dignified. Its body began to tremble uncontrollably—this was the suppression of bloodlines ordained by nature, and its heart surged with excitement.

Though the other monsters lacked such pure blood and were too far away to feel the dragon’s might themselves, when they witnessed the flood dragon lord’s reaction, their spirits soared.

It has always been a trait of dragons to scatter their blood far and wide across the world. These monsters, diverse in form as they were, all possessed some trace of true dragon blood—only the quantity differed. Now, even if their blood was insufficient to sense the dragon’s might directly, the flood dragon lord’s behavior was enough to rouse them all. Over twenty great fiends at the level of spirit transformation, and more than a thousand at the nascent soul stage, all increased their pace in tacit agreement.

As they drew nearer to the East Sea’s abyssal eye, the dragon’s might grew ever more distinct. Some among the nascent soul monsters could no longer contain themselves and revealed their true beastly forms.

A cry rang out—neither quite a serpent’s hiss nor a dragon’s roar. The flood dragon lord revealed its true body, stretching several dozen yards long, and dove headlong into the depths.

A dazzling, crystalline world unfolded beneath the sea: three sprawling palace complexes of myriad colors stretched along the ocean floor. There, atop a vast palace, coiled a colossal black dragon over a thousand yards in length, seemingly asleep. Its whiskers drifted gently, stirring countless currents of primordial water.

The flood dragon’s body shook with irrepressible excitement.

“A real dragon! It’s a true dragon!”

The other monsters, a step behind, soon saw the undersea dragon palace and the immense black dragon for themselves.

One nascent soul monster—whether from madness or awe—hurled itself toward the main palace upon seeing the black dragon’s corpse. The spirit transformation fiends exchanged glances but did nothing to stop it.

No sooner had the creature neared the palace than it vanished without a trace, not even a flicker of its aura remaining.

“As expected, formidable wards are in place. No wonder those old daoists like Ye Fa haven’t been seen—they must be trapped inside the dragon palace.”

The nascent soul monsters shuddered, but the spirit transformation fiends were unsurprised. If the true dragon’s remains were so easily obtained, they would have been taken long ago.

Abandoning shortcuts, the group approached the main gate—a colossal archway adorned with carvings of every dragon breed imaginable.

“Could this be the Dragon Gate?”

The flood dragon lord’s heart stirred, recalling legends of true dragons passed down among humanity. He glanced around, then pointed at a fish monster in the water.

“You—jump over it.”

“Lord Flood Dragon?” The fish monster, barely half-transformed, had never mingled among human realms and knew nothing of the legend of the carp leaping the Dragon Gate. Befuddled, it stared back.

The flood dragon lord could not be bothered with explanations. He simply ordered the creature to assume its true form and jump over the arch.

He was not alone in his understanding—several other spirit transformation monsters had also spent time among humans, secretly learning their powerful magic. They quickly guessed the meaning, and watched expectantly to see if the fish would truly leap the gate and transform into a dragon.

Forbidden from using magic, the fish monster, though its body was strong, found the gate strangely daunting. The higher it leapt, the greater the pressure, as if burdened by the weight of a mighty river. Even with a nascent soul’s strength, it could not cross the top.

“Dragon Qi—it truly is the Dragon Gate.” Though the fish failed after more than a dozen tries, it managed to absorb a faint trace of dragon energy, stirring the hearts of all present.

“Out of the way!” With a swipe, the flood dragon lord knocked the fish aside, then, reverting to his true form, launched himself at the gate.

The crushing force bore down, and even his powerful body creaked under the strain—bones groaning with every attempt.

Once, twice, thrice...

Each time, the distance lessened—from a hundred yards short, to tens, then mere feet. After countless tries, with his single horn broken and every bone nearly shattered, he finally soared over the Dragon Gate.

At the very instant he crossed, a torrent of celestial water blended with black dragon blood and a thousand other primordial waters cascaded down from the gate.

His broken horn fell away, replaced by two antlers. His snakelike head stretched longer, two whiskers unfurled from his nostrils, his smooth belly swelled and burst into two new dragon claws...

“Can it truly turn one into a dragon?”

“A treasure of true dragons—this is a supreme relic!”

The transformation left the assembly of spirit transformation fiends in uproar.

Though not a complete transformation, merely an advancement from the lowest flood dragon to a higher form, it was already beyond belief for most.

Their eyes burned with fanaticism as they gazed at the dragon palace—this was a peerless opportunity.

A dragon’s roar echoed through the sea as the flood dragon lord, having reverted to human form, was flushed with excitement—and a trace of puzzlement. His external transformation was dramatic, but his strength had not increased much, nor had his true dragon bloodline deepened.

“I must not have fully absorbed the opportunity of the Dragon Gate yet,” he told himself to ease his doubts, then shared the information he had gained after crossing the gate with the others.

“Everyone, this is a chance left by a true dragon for us monster descendants. If you wish to enter the palace, you must leap the Dragon Gate to receive dragon qi. This must have been a safeguard against humans claiming his remains.”

The monsters were overjoyed. If this were so, then humanity would have little hope of obtaining the dragon’s remains.

The difficulty the flood dragon lord had faced was plain to all. If even he had struggled so, the others could only fare worse.

With the gate before them, it seemed unwise to delay. Why not seize the remains first, then attempt the gate, when it might be easier and the rewards greater—even granting instant transformation?

One by one, the monsters leapt at the Dragon Gate—not striving to surpass it, but merely to touch it and absorb some dragon qi. In less than half an hour, all thousand monsters had gained a trace of dragon energy, then passed through the gate, ascended the palace steps, and entered the grand halls.

Hidden within the formation by an invisible sword, Chen Yang watched the monsters fall into his trap, nodding in satisfaction. He gathered their auras into his Heavenly Demon Banner and began his rites, preparing to bind them all with his demonic arts.

Upon entering the palace, the monsters were greeted by a splendor beyond imagination, fulfilling every myth they had heard of a dragon’s abode.

Some nascent soul monsters even thought that if they could live here, it would be worth becoming slaves for the rest of their lives.

The true power of demons has never been in open combat—at least not the path of the Heavenly Demon as taught by Mara. The art of the Heavenly Demon is to awaken the seven emotions and six desires, to give rise to shadow, dark, and desire demons, and countless other devils.

In this way, those who cultivate are enticed, without even realizing it, into willing servitude to the demonic path.

And once ensnared, no matter how great their power, they are bound by the demon’s will.

Such is the terrifying power of the Heavenly Demon.