Shen Tian was never one to be stingy with his buddies from the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground.
Once the enlightenment tea was handed to every single Divine Firmament disciple, Shen Tian could clearly see their providence halos improving.
The halos on those disciples were mostly green with red dots of light and contained very ordinary providence.
But there was strength in numbers!
What if there happened to be some pretty good fortuitous opportunity image in the halo of some disciple?
Shen Tian stood at the front of the vessel, his hands crossed behind his back. He couldn’t resist smiling at those disciples’ cheerful expressions.
At the same time, the Divine Firmament Flying Vessel arrived at a large island, which was engulfed in lightning clouds and had a massive array covering it.
Under the array formation, one could see dense purple lightning spreading across the surface like a spider’s web, protecting the entire island.
This was the Divine Firmament Lightning Island and a stronghold of the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground in North Sea.
Although the island wasn’t particularly dense with spirit qi, it was comparable to most of the blessed-lands and grotto-heavens.
It should be pointed out that the demon race and humans were still on opposing sides. Most human sacred grounds from Eastern Wilderness, West Desert, or Middle Ground would never be able to gain any foothold in North Sea.
It was definitely not a simple matter to have their own stronghold in North Sea’s core region.
It was said that this was all due to the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader’s efforts.
The flying vessel landed on the Divine Firmament Lightning Island. The Lightning Array Formation quickly closed up after allowing the vessel to enter.
Roar!
Just as the flying vessel landed, a massive Dragon roared from nearby. It exuded an earth-shattering might.
“Black Dragon King Ao Ye requests to see Divine Firmament, Saint Shen Tian.”
The massive Black Dragon morphed into a middle-aged man garbed in black armor. He walked with a domineering swagger, and cracks appeared in the fabrics of space around him as if unable to withstand his powerful aura.
But his expression was anxious and respectful as he gazed at the Divine Firmament Flying Vessel. It was like he was seeking to ingratiate himself to some elders.
The Black Dragon King did not try to mask his Sage aura. This fact did not escape the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader’s notice.
But the flying vessel glowed, and a beam of divine light shot out.
“Black Dragon King, welcome. You have traveled from afar, and I failed to welcome you properly. Please excuse my oversight.”
The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader’s lightning and heavenly aura magnified and swept aside all of the dragon aura.
He said calmly, “What has happened that the Dragon King personally came all this way to seek Tian’er?”
Ao Ye gazed at those curious Divine Firmament disciples on the flying vessel. He said with a hint of exasperation, “Can you guys give the Saint and me some privacy?”
The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader glanced at Shen Tian before slowly nodding his head.
The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader’s heavenly aura rippled. “In that case, Tian’er, go ahead and have a private chat with the Black Dragon King!”
A handsome man dressed in Longyuan Divine Armor leaped off the flying vessel.
His golden wings dazzled like never before as if he was a God of War!
The clothes maketh the man. The Saint looked even more dashing in his Longyuan Divine Armor. It was a bewitching sight.
…
The Black Dragon King smiled and opened a hole in space. He gestured the way in. “Saint, this way, please!”
The two of them entered the hole in space and disappeared.
Once everything stabilized, Shen Tian found himself on an empty stone platform.
This stone platform was several hundreds feet wide, with a golden pillar erected right in the middle.
A five-clawed golden dragon was carved on that pillar. It was very life-like and spirited as if it was a true dragon.
And a yellow fist-sized pearl was embedded between the brows of that dragon.
Shen Tian felt an intense desire the moment he saw that pearl!
This pearl was definitely an extremely priceless treasure!
After entering this space, the domineering Black Dragon King forced a sheepish smile.
He chuckled. “Little Uncle, I heard that you collected lots of Dragon Source Fruits at Dragon God Island. Is that true?
“The Dragon Source Fruit is an invaluable treasure to the Dragon race. It can enhance one’s bloodline and raise the power of the entire Dragon race.
“Little Uncle, please give me those Dragon Source Fruits! I am willing to give you our race’s treasures in exchange. State your price!”
Shen Tian was stunned at the sight of the Black Dragon King smiling so ingratiatingly. There was none of his usual overbearing dragon aura.
Is this still the same Black Dragon King? One of the most powerful practitioners in the five regions?
Why does it feel like he had been possessed by his son, Ao Wu?
Hmm… But considering Ao Wu’s character…
It can be confirmed that they are truly father and son.
…
The Dragon Source Fruit was most effective to Dragons. Shen Tian knew this.
But Shen Tian had risked his life to obtain them. He had picked them from that Dragon God Island with much effort.
If that cheapo Black Dragon King wanted them for free, he could give him one or two. But any more than that, Shen Tian would want something in return.
Shen Tian cleared his throat and looked at the Black Dragon King with a neutral expression.
Ao Ye suddenly realized something and said, “Little Uncle, you signed a Dragon God contract with Aunt Ao Bing, so we are like one big Dragon family. I will not take advantage of you.
“The Dragon Source Fruit is not that useful to other races. I will give you one Sage artifact for every Dragon Source Fruit you give me. How’s that?”
Shen Tian was taken aback. He widened his eyes. “One Sage artifact for every Dragon Source Fruit?”
I have at least 40 Dragon Source Fruits in my Archeon Sea Ring. Does this mean I can get 40 Sage artifacts?
Damn, damn, damn!
Even a sacred ground would turn green with envy at such riches!
The Black Dragon King sighed.
“Little Uncle, don’t fret. I know the price of just one Sage artifact for one fruit is too low.
“The Dragon race does not have that many Sage artifacts. Most of them belong to someone, and it is very difficult to take it from them. How about three Sage artifacts for every two Dragon Source Fruits?”
The Black Dragon King’s eyes were full of longing.
He had already refined and absorbed that Dragon Source Fruit that he had gotten from Qi Shaoxuan in exchange for a subpar Sage artifact. His bloodline had gotten a huge boost.
The barrier which had been preventing Ao Ye from attaining that Rank-9 Black Dragon bloodline—he could feel that only one final layer to that barrier remained.
He could transcend into a brand new territory if he could just break through that final layer.
However, he knew that it would be very difficult to penetrate that final layer. It would be the transformation from a Rank-8 to a Rank-9.
The Dragon Source Fruit, which Qi Shaoxuan had given him, was able to push him to the peak Rank-8 bloodline. But even if he had another 10 of those, it would be difficult for him to break through to Rank-9.
To cross that final step, he had to get his hands on more potent Dragon Source Fruits.
Ao Wu’s Dragon Source Fruit should have been enough for Ao Ye to do that.
But after careful consideration, he decided to let Ao Wu refine and absorb that fruit himself. After all, it did belong to his own son.
As thick-skinned as he was, he still found it embarrassing to snatch that fruit from his own son.
He was a great Dragon King, and he had a reputation to maintain.
Nonetheless, Ao Ye had learned from Ao Wu that Shen Tian had collected at least 40 Dragon Source Fruits from Dragon God Island. And every single one of them was of very high quality.
Even Ao Wu’s Dragon Source Fruit would be considered of inferior quality when compared to those that Shen Tian possessed.
More importantly, Shen Tian had even collected that peerless Dragon Source Fruit.
Compared to that peerless fruit, the rest of the fruits should be nothing to him!
…
Ao Ye was unable to contain his excitement at that.
Over 40 Dragon Source Fruits. What kind of concept was that?
Even if he had to empty out their entire treasure vault, it would be worth it if he could get those Dragon Source Fruits.
All that money and Sage artifacts would not be spent in vain. In exchange, they would get something that could help the Dragon race become even more powerful!
Shen Tian was amused when he sensed the desire in Ao Ye’s heart.
“Three Sage artifacts in exchange for two Dragon Source Fruits? What do I need so many Sage artifacts for?”
Shen Tian already had his Longyuan Divine Armor, the Purple-Green Double Swords, and Void Cloak. As for his Executing Heaven Sword, it was a subpar Immortal artifact.
A normal Sage artifact was not that attractive to Shen Tian.
Ao Ye looked resigned. He had already predicted that normal Sage artifacts would not be very attractive to Shen Tian.
Sage artifacts were rare, but only to cultivators who were below the Sage stage. They were rather common items to Sages who had undergone tribulation.
If one didn’t mind putting in the time and effort, any Sage who had undergone at least three tribulations could forge an artifact and then spend 1,000 years cultivating it. A Sage artifact would thus be produced.
A Sage artifact that was refined by your own hand would be more suited to yourself. Its powers would be magnified when used by the original maker.
As a result, those true elite prodigies would forge their own Sage artifacts once they underwent tribulation.
To those prodigies, the value of a Sage artifact was not that high!
Ao Ye looked at Shen Tian and said in all seriousness, “If I am not wrong, you are a Golden Body cultivator!
“Given your limitless potential, your Golden Body should have been able to break through to the Nirvana stage, but that has yet to happen. Could it be you are facing resistance at the legendary Golden Body Ninth Refinement Stage?”
A fog seemed to cover Shen Tian such that one was unable to see which refinement stage his Golden Body was at.
But Ao Ye felt that there was no way Shen Tian could be stopped at the Eight Refinement Stage barrier. Shen Tian was an extremely talented and powerful prodigy, after all.
There was only one possible reason why he still remained at the Golden Body realm—the Golden Body Ninth Refinement Stage!
Meanwhile, Shen Tian was stunned.
How did you guess? I have not been at this Golden Body Stage for long, and I have only been cultivating for about a year.
But I have indeed been meeting resistance at the Golden Body Ninth Refinement Stage.
Shen Tian nodded. “I am indeed not at the Ninth Refinement Stage yet.”
…
Ao Ye patted his thigh and flexed his right hand.
Suddenly, the dragon pearl on the pillar morphed into a streak of light and shot into Ao Ye’s hand.
He presented it to Shen Tian. “Little Uncle, this is the Dragon race’s supreme treasure, the Emperor Dragon Pearl.
“It possesses the power to greatly enhance a Godfiend Golden Body practitioner. It will be a huge boost to your attempt to break through to the Golden Body Ninth Refinement Stage.
“The Dragon Source Fruit is not that useful to you. If you are willing, I can give you this Emperor Dragon Pearl in exchange for 10 Dragon Source Fruits.”
A pained look filled Ao Ye’s eyes as he spoke.
This Emperor Dragon Pearl originated from Dragon God Island’s deep recesses and was one of the most precious treasures belonging to the Dragon race.
This dragon pearl could easily enhance a Godfiend Golden Body practitioner. Over the past tens of thousands of years, it had helped three practitioners transcend their Golden Body Eight Refinement Stage.
As a result, the powers of this pearl had decreased by half. It had been kept on the dragon pillar since then to recuperate.
Unless absolutely necessary, Ao Ye could never bear to hand over this Emperor Dragon Pearl.
Shen Tian stared at the Emperor Dragon Pearl with a smile. “This Emperor Dragon Pearl is indeed very useful to me. I can agree to this transaction.”
Shen Tian executed some hand seals, and 10 reddish-gold Dragon Source Fruits appeared in his hands. They exuded an aura that nearly drove Ao Ye mad.
High! Too high!
Even though Ao Ye already had some expectations about the quality of the fruits in Shen Tian’s possession, he had still completely underestimated them. Any one of these 10 fruits was enough for him to easily break through the barrier and become a true Rank-9 Black Dragon.
If the Dragon race dared to take a risk and give the remaining nine fruits to Ao Bing, she might even be able to transcend and achieve the legendary Golden Dragon Bloodline.
That was the highly-acclaimed peerless bloodline that could make one a Thearch!
Of course, the possibility of that happening was not very high. The Golden Dragon bloodline was just too rare.
In all recorded history over the past tens of thousands of years across the five regions, there had only been one mention of a true Golden Dragon.
Wasting nine supreme-grade Dragon Source Fruits for that dim possibility—the Dragon race would never do that. It was too risky.
…
After storing the 10 Dragon Source Fruits, Ao Ye’s pained look returned to his eyes.
A small black hammer appeared in his hand. It was palm-sized and covered in faint dragon markings.
The moment that black hammer appeared, cracks appeared in the fabrics of space, and one could hear the faint humming of a Dragon Immortal artifact. This hammer possessed exceptional power!
Ao Ye said in resignation. “This is the Ocean Divine Hammer. It is the Dragon race’s stalwart legacy treasure and made of Dragon Black Metal, which is ranked number five on the Immortal Metal List. It is just half a step away from becoming a true Immortal artifact!
“Its value is far beyond that of a hundred Sage artifacts. It possesses the special characteristics of Dragon Black Metal, meaning that it is completely indestructible. Can I use this to exchange for the rest of the Dragon Source Fruits?”
A subpar Immortal artifact had always been worth much more than a Sage artifact. Not to mention that this was a supreme-grade subpar Immortal artifact made of Dragon Black Metal.
The value of this Ocean Divine Hammer alone was already enough to cover all the Dragon Source Fruits.
Shen Tian was considered part of Black Dragon Island, plus he had boundless potential. Also, the Dragon Source Fruit was just too beneficial to the Dragon race, and those in Shen Tian’s possession were all of supreme-grade quality.
If not for all those four reasons, Ao Ye could never bear to hand over this Ocean Divine Hammer!
Who would willingly hand over their most precious treasure for nothing?
Ranked number five on the Immortal Metal List. Dragon Black Metal?
Shen Tian’s eyes lit up. He felt the energy in his body vibrate intensely.
He had gotten two extremely useful treasures in this short period. He was in luck’s way just now!
Meanwhile, Shen Tian had always felt that as his cultivation level increased, his Purple Firmament Heaven Hammer, a supreme-grade Spirit artifact, no longer felt quite right.
He was already able to smash a Heavenly Venerable now, and those Heavenly Venerables all had supreme-grade Spirit artifacts. Some of the wealthier ones even had lower-grade Sage artifacts to protect themselves.
Shen Tian felt that using the Purple Firmament Heaven Hammer no longer suited his status. He felt cheap using it.
It was great now that he could use this hammer, a subpar Immortal artifact.
Not to blow his own horn, but as long as his opponent didn’t retaliate, Shen Tian would dare to hammer even a Sage!
…
“Dragon King, you are too generous!”
Shen Tian accepted the Ocean Divine Hammer and dug the remaining Dragon Source Fruits out of his space ring.
He even took out a silver dragon-shaped Enlightenment tea leaf. “Bring this tea leaf back with you too. Perhaps it might be useful to you.”
Woah! So many Dragon Source Fruits!
Ao Ye felt somewhat dazed at the sight of that pile of Dragon Source Fruits. It was enough to bring all the Rank-9 Black Dragons on Black Dragon Island to the Rank-9!
For a Dragon like Ao Bing, who possessed exemplary bloodline, they could even pick a few of the best fruits and raise her bloodline to the peak Ran-9 level.
Even if she was unable to transform into a peerless Golden Dragon, she would still become a formidable opponent that could reign over the five regions!
Not to mention that this Enlightenment tea leaf was also very valuable.
Little Uncle really knows how to return the favor!
Ao Ye carefully kept the Dragon Source Fruits and the Enlightenment tea leaf. He cupped his fists in respect. “The Dragon race will never forget Little Uncle’s good turn to us! Let me go back and settle these Dragon Source Fruits first. I will come back another day on an official visit with presents to personally thank the Divine Firmament Sacred Ground.”
With that, Ao Ye turned into a massive Black Dragon and flew up into the sky.
Shen Tian stepped out of the private void and stood on the Divine Firmament Lightning Island with a satisfied feeling. He had really struck it rich this time.
After ingesting the peerless fruit, Shen Tian had already attained the Dragon Emperor Constitution. The rest of those Dragon Source Fruits were useless to him. They would barely make any improvements to his physique.
Exchanging them for the Emperor Dragon Pearl and the Ocean Divine Hammer was like getting treasures for nothing.
However, Ao Ye had never asked Shen Tian about the whereabouts of that peerless fruit. Perhaps he could already sense from Shen Tian’s aura that he had already consumed it.
To have become the Dragon King, apart from being very powerful, he must also be very smart and perceptive.
The Emperor Dragon Pearl and Ocean Divine Hammer had been used to exchange for the fruits. But they could also be considered as Black Dragon Island’s investments in Shen Tian.
On his end, Shen Tian also knew what that exchange meant.
This favor bestowed by the Dragon race—he was willing to bear it!
…
Over the next month, Shen Tian didn’t go anywhere but stayed in seclusion on the Divine Firmament Lightning Island. He was refining the power of the Emperor Dragon Pearl to break through to the peerless Golden Body Ninth Refinement Stage—something which was unprecedented across the five regions.
But the process was even more difficult than Shen Tian imagined!
If going through the first seven refinement stages was like ascending one hill over another, then going from the Golden Body Seventh Refinement stage to the Eighth was like ascending the Taishan Mountain.
And going from the Eighth Refinement Stage to the Ninth was like conquering Mount Everest!
Even with the Emperor Dragon Pearl, Shen Tian found the process extremely challenging.
Shen Tian sat cross-legged in a seclusion chamber 3,000 feet below the sea.
A silver-white cloud of chaotic aura surged beside him, rippling along with his efforts.
Yes, Shen Tian was not just thinking about breaking through to a simple Golden Body Ninth Refinement Stage.
If so, he would have already successfully done so a long time ago.
After gaining the Chaotic Tinder Sutra, Shen Tian had decided to cultivate a Chaotic Golden Body!
He had his clone especially go back to Chaotic Star Island, get more chaotic aura, and refine it.
Of course, this amount of chaotic aura was not considered a lot.
After all, one had to expend a massive amount of extraordinary item energy to refine chaotic aura. Even though Shen Tian’s extraordinary items could replenish themselves, the recovery was not instantaneous.
To refine that chaotic aura, Shen Tian had spared no expense. He consumed vast quantities of Nirvana Holy Liquid.
…
Of course, it proved very effective.
Over the past month, Shen Tian could feel the chaotic aura gradually merge into his body.
Triggered by the chaotic aura, he could feel his physical body self-destruct and rebuild itself to greater heights. And this process kept repeating itself at astonishing speeds.
It was an indescribable feeling.
It was like leaping across the boundaries of all life forms, transforming an ant into a massive dragon!
Shen Tian had never seen another Golden Body Ninth Refinement Stage practitioner. Even though he was just at the peak Eight Refinement Stage, he believed that his physical body would be more powerful.
His physical body, refreshed by the chaotic aura, could now easily overcome other Golden Body Ninth Refinement Stage practitioners!
Crack!
Cracks appeared on the surface of the golden Emperor Dragon Pearl. From those cracks, an endless stream of golden energy surged into Shen Tian’s body.
Shen Tian formed some hand seals, and a large black vortex appeared in space, absorbing all the chaotic aura.
The chaotic aura surged into the vortex like bees attracted to honey.
Rumble!
The boundless energy rippled, and a terrifying underwater current was created in the ocean!
Shen Tian’s golden eyes shone. His hair flew wildly as his naked body dazzled with a golden light. He looked like both a god and a demon.
…
At that moment, he could feel that barrier slowly being broken down—the legendary Chaotic Golden Body Ninth Refinement Stage.
He had finally succeeded!
