Ordinary methods were simply incapable of uprooting the Vajra Dragon-Subduing Trees from the ground. Excavating them would involve an immense area—no trivial task. But abandoning such a grove of Vajra Blood Dragonwood was unthinkable for Yi Tianxing. The thought alone made his heart ache. Such a stroke of fortune could not be allowed to go to waste.
"What do we do now?"Cai Yan looked to Yi Tianxing and asked.
"The most precious part of the Vajra Dragon-Subduing Tree is its core heartwood. It's said there is a method to sever the tree and, through a special refining technique, condense all its essence into the core. The result is a piece as hard as diamond, crystal-clear like glazed glass, etched with six natural wood grain lines. Its value then exceeds even the tree itself."Yi Tianxing's eyes flickered strangely as he spoke.
Transplanting a Vajra Dragon-Subduing Tree was extremely difficult. A few trees might be manageable, but an entire grove? That would be a colossal project, even for him. The only reasonable path was to compromise: transplant one or two specimens, and refine the rest into Dragonwood Crystals.
Wooooooo...!
Before his words had even faded, a strange sound echoed through the grove. Countless leaves trembled, emitting ghost-like wails that filled the air like cries from the underworld.
Roooaaar!
Suddenly, waves of blood-colored light rippled from the ancient trees. Within the crimson glow, blood dragons emerged—one on each tree. These dragons were ferocious in appearance, exuding an aura of bloodlust. Light and darkness intermingled strangely, and from the blood dragons came a chant that sounded almost like scripture, but twisted, brimming with ominous and corrupt energy.
One after another, these blood dragons, thousands in number, rose into the air. They varied in size, but each looked lifelike, their presence terrifying. The dragon might they radiated was indistinguishable from that of true dragons, their auras sinister and overwhelming.
Their icy dragon eyes stared coldly at Yi Tianxing and the three women beside him. That gaze carried no kindness.
Even the smallest of the blood dragons emanated power beyond the Life Aperture Realm, and the strongest were no weaker than the Life Map Realm—possibly even more dangerous, given their eerie nature. Facing thousands of such entities was like being submerged in a sea of blood dragons. The danger was palpable, the threat imminent.
"Be careful, husband!!"Cai Yan warned as the Phoenix Zither appeared in her hands. Her fingers hovered above the strings, ready to strike.
"So many blood dragons..."Yao Yue stood on guard, her expression grave as she huddled close to Lian Xing.
"These should be spiritual manifestations derived from the Vajra Blood Dragonwood. They're an embodiment of its essence. While not true dragons, they can unleash considerable power. But even if they've gained sentience, so what? They don't realize the cultivation method I practice naturally suppresses dragonkind. Whether insects or dragons—they all kneel before me."Yi Tianxing remained fearless, a cold gleam in his eyes.
His cultivation technique, the Heavenly Emperor's Dragon-Taming Sutra (天帝御龙经), was rooted in the Ancestral Dragon, inherently capable of suppressing all dragonkind. Any dragon that opposed him would find its strength diminished by at least thirty percent. This wasn't just a technique—it was a divine authority, one that no dragon could ignore. In equal realms, none could resist him.
The blood dragons suddenly let out a unified roar, and above, a vast blood cloud emerged in the sky. A howling wind swept forth, stained crimson and bone-chilling in its aura. This was no ordinary wind—it was Corrosive Blood Wind, capable of dissolving flesh and chilling blood to the marrow.
Then came the blood rain, each drop imbued with devastating corrosive power. As it struck the ground, holes were burned straight through the earth. And this wasn't normal soil—Yi Tianxing had tested it earlier. This was Vajra Earth, so dense and firm that even divine weapons struggled to pierce it. Yet it melted under the blood rain as though it were paper. What would happen if this rained on a person? One could only imagine the horror—dissolved into nothingness, not even bones remaining.
"Wind, halt!"Yi Tianxing spoke calmly.
The moment the words left his mouth, the howling blood wind abruptly froze, as if time had stopped. It dissipated before their eyes.
"Rain, scatter!"
Another command followed.
Instantly, the incoming blood rain vanished, fading away as if it had never existed.
It was as though Yi Tianxing's voice alone could control wind and rain, overriding even the powers unleashed by the blood dragons.
"Golden Tongue, Jade Words!""Words Become Law!"Yao Yue and Lian Xing gasped in astonishment, their eyes wide.
What they had just witnessed was the legendary Words Become Law (言出法随)—where one's speech commanded the world itself. The sheer authority and majesty of it was beyond comprehension.
This was the true power of the Dharma Phase Realm (法相境). One's presence became a personal domain. Within it, one could command all. While not every cultivator at this level could achieve Words Become Law, Yi Tianxing was different. He had awakened Wind God and Water God Apertures, granting him dominion over wind and rain. Even without a manifested domain, his words carried the power of divine law.
Combined with his cultivation technique and the blessing of Great Yi's fate, even a mere whisper could carry the will of heaven.
With a simple command, he had shattered the spell of the blood dragons.
At that moment, an even louder dragon roar echoed from deep within the grove. A colossal, more refined blood dragon emerged from the trees, spiraled through the sky, and transformed—taking human form.
Clad in blood-red robes, with a bald head and crimson kasaya, the dragon became a blood-robed monk.
"Such imposing presence, benefactor,"the Blood-Robed Monk opened his eyes and said slowly.
His voice rang like a temple bell, striking the soul.
"A blood dragon incarnate, taking the form of a monk. You must be the Blood Dragon King Tree of this grove. To think the Blood Dragonwood has developed such a refined consciousness... But you wear a monk's robes without a Buddha's heart. Who are you, truly?"Yi Tianxing scanned him coldly, unmoved even as countless blood dragons coiled around him.
"This humble monk is called Blood-Robed Monk. This Lanruo Temple is my place of cultivation. Might I ask why you've intruded upon it?"The monk spoke solemnly.
"Lanruo Temple, is it?" Yi Tianxing sneered. "This temple has seen the death of Great Yi citizens—bodies drained of blood and energy beneath your Blood Dragonwood. A place like this reeks of evil. If you are its master, then you are its chief culprit. And by that right, you deserve death."
There was no mistaking the killing intent in his words.
The Blood-Robed Monk's crimson brows twitched. He replied,"Those who trespass must bear the consequences. If they died beneath the Blood Dragonwood, it was karma. Amitabha. Let them suffer in this life, and be reborn into a better one."
His tone carried a disturbing sense of self-righteous calm.
"But since these were your people, benefactor, I am willing to compensate with a single Blood Dragonwood Core. Let this matter end here. There's no need for bloodshed."
With that, he pointed at a nearby tree.
One blood dragon flew out and coiled around it. The tree began to rise from the earth—intact, with no damage at all—before being engulfed in radiant blood light. The massive tree began to shrink and condense, its body transforming.
Soon, the tree disappeared entirely.
In its place was a blood-red crystal-like core, about the size of a child's arm and two meters long. Six intricate blood-colored patterns adorned its surface. Within, one could see a vivid, lifelike blood dragon coiled at its center.