Outside the cave
Mu Qingqing frowned. She clearly felt that Xin Ci had successfully broken through to the Great Emperor realm, but she hadn't seen him emerge.
The Dragon Ancestor was also puzzled by this.
Suddenly, a muffled groan of pain echoed from within the cave, along with the terrifying pressure of an immortal golden dragon.
The Dragon Ancestor's face changed drastically. He quickly turned his gaze to Mu Qingqing and anxiously asked, "This is bad! I forgot about this. Did that brat cultivate the Golden Scale Art to the Great Accomplishment realm?!"
"Yes, that's right. What's wrong?"
"Then it's trouble. The Golden Scale Art is the supreme true meaning of the Immortal Golden Dragon clan. According to reason, humans can at most cultivate the Golden Scale Art to the Great Accomplishment realm. However, because of my Dragon Yuan Bead."
"When the Golden Scale Art reaches the Great Accomplishment realm, it will resonate with the Dragon Yuan Bead, forcibly helping him break through to the Perfected realm, accelerating the dragonification of Xin Ci's body."
Hearing the Dragon Ancestor's words, Mu Qingqing's face changed greatly.
Xin Ci was, after all, a human. His physical body's tolerance was not as strong as that of the Immortal Golden Dragon clan.
Moreover, Xin Ci could not fully absorb the Dragon Ancestor's ten-thousand-year Dragon Yuan at the moment.
Judging by the painful sounds coming from the cave earlier, Xin Ci had clearly lost control. Mu Qingqing worried that his body would explode from being unable to withstand the ten-thousand-year Dragon Yuan.
Without hesitation, Mu Qingqing rushed into the cave.
The Dragon Ancestor was still shouting from outside, "It's too late! Once the Golden Scale Art gets out of control, the only way is to abolish his true essence, otherwise, its cultivation technique cannot be stopped!"
But Mu Qingqing completely ignored the Dragon Ancestor's shouts. All she wanted was to save Xin Ci.
At this moment, Xin Ci was writhing in pain on the ground, his face contorted. His skin was flushed red as if scalded by boiling water, and golden runic dragon scales were faintly forming.
His eyes had already turned into crimson vertical pupils, and two crimson-gold horns of the Immortal Golden Dragon clan had even grown on his forehead!
The immense Dragon Yuan was surging chaotically within Xin Ci's body, and he was about to lose his grip.
Seeing Xin Ci's pained appearance, Mu Qingqing immediately transformed into a stream of light and returned to Xin Ci's body, immediately switching personalities and taking control of Xin Ci's body.
Once she took control, Mu Qingqing realized how terrifying the energy within Xin Ci was. His entire body's bones and tendons were almost broken by the rampaging Dragon Yuan, and the ferocious Dragon Yuan was tearing his flesh and blood apart.
Mu Qingqing's eyes, nose, and ears were all bleeding, and her body was about to explode.
Such intense pain almost caused Mu Qingqing to faint, but she quickly bit her tongue and simultaneously activated the Myriad Manifestations Star Wheel Sutra and the Eternal Dao Sutra, two divine-level cultivation techniques.
She even unleashed the ninth level of the Asura Battle Method.
The violent energy within her body calmed down slightly.
Mu Qingqing did not relax her vigilance because of this. She gritted her teeth and used the two divine-level cultivation techniques to refine the ten-thousand-year Dragon Yuan from the Dragon Yuan Bead.
However, the Dragon Ancestor's ten-thousand-year Dragon Yuan was extremely vast, and it was not an easy task to absorb it all.
Fortunately, the Myriad Manifestations Star Wheel Sutra could absorb the Dragon Yuan and convert it into other forms of energy.
This refining process took Mu Qingqing a full half a year.
After refining the ten-thousand-year Dragon Yuan, the true meanings of various cultivation techniques such as the Golden Scale Art, Eternal Dao Sutra, Myriad Manifestations Star Wheel Sutra, and Asura Battle Method all reached the Perfected realm.
Because the ten-thousand-year Dragon Yuan was too magnificent and pure, there was still a considerable amount left after using it to perfect the cultivation technique true meanings.
Mu Qingqing could only use it to elevate her own realm.
Another half a year passed.
The ten-thousand-year Dragon Yuan within the Dragon Yuan Bead was finally completely absorbed by Mu Qingqing.
Her own true essence realm also reached the peak of a five-star Great Emperor.
Xin Ci also benefited greatly, improving from a one-star Great Emperor to a three-star Great Emperor in just one year.
The Dragon Yuan Bead, its energy depleted, turned into a transparent glass ball.
With a crack, it shattered into dust and dissipated completely.
Mu Qingqing finally breathed a sigh of relief and slowly opened her eyes. Her Star Wheel pupils had also been greatly enhanced, allowing her to see through the extraterrestrial space created by the Dragon Ancestor and observe the entire Beast God Valley.
"Finally, we've made it through this crisis."
Xin Ci was still sleeping in his consciousness space. Mu Qingqing did not intend to wake him and would let him wake up naturally.
Mu Qingqing got up and walked out of the cave. The Dragon Ancestor had been waiting for her outside for a long time.
When the Dragon Ancestor saw Xin Ci walk out, he looked as if he had seen a ghost, his round eyes wide, staring blankly at him.
This brat was actually still alive!
That Dragon Yuan Bead contained my ten-thousand-year Dragon Yuan, and he had actually managed to absorb it successfully.
But why didn't that little girl come out with him?
The "Xin Ci" in front of it suddenly spoke, "Senior Dragon Ancestor, it's me. Xin Ci is in a coma in his consciousness space due to the loss of control of the Golden Scale Art. His body is temporarily controlled by me."
"So that's how it is. It seems it was you, little girl, who saved that brat."
"I am very curious, how did you manage to refine my ten-thousand-year Dragon Yuan?"
The Dragon Ancestor became increasingly curious about Mu Qingqing, feeling that this human woman was very mysterious, always displaying some magical methods that surprised it.
"Well, guess?" Mu Qingqing chuckled, deliberately teasing the Dragon Ancestor.
The Dragon Ancestor rolled its eyes at her and said, "Guess what? If you don't want to say, then don't. I don't want to know either."
Despite saying so, the Dragon Ancestor could vaguely deduce that this human woman in front of it did not belong to the Eternal Plane, and might even be from a higher plane of existence.
Speaking of which, the Dragon Ancestor also yearned for extraterrestrial space.
It was a pity that it had not reached the true Eternal realm and could not break through the world barrier to travel to other worlds.
After some playful banter, Mu Qingqing's expression turned serious. She said to the Dragon Ancestor, "Senior Dragon Ancestor, thank you for your help. The three Eternal Dao Seals have finally been collected. Please allow Xin Ci and me to leave this space."
They had been in the Dragon Ancestor's space for nearly eight years, consuming a lot of time.
Now, with less than a year left before the seal of the Twilight Land was broken, Mu Qingqing had to quickly activate the Eternal Divine Hall and find the Eternal Ink Square to repair the seal.
"Alright, alright. I know your time is pressing, and I don't intend to keep you. After you go out, use the Dragon Ancestor Token to teleport out of the Beast God Valley immediately."
"I don't want to see that brat's Emperor Tribulation descend upon the Beast God Valley and frighten my demon beast citizens."
Saying this, the Dragon Ancestor extended a claw and pointed at Mu Qingqing. She felt the surrounding space shift and distort, and then she appeared in the sky above the Beast God Valley.
As soon as Mu Qingqing appeared, the sky instantly darkened, and soon rolling black clouds enveloped the sky above the Beast God Valley.
Deafening thunderous roars echoed throughout the sky. Within the thick black clouds, blue-silver lightning flashed like countless thunder dragons.
This change startled all the demon beasts in the Beast God Valley. They all looked up at the sky-obscuring dark thunderclouds in fear.
Every thunderous rumble sounded like the drumbeat of the end of the world, as if heavenly divine punishment could descend at any moment.
"Damn it! That detestable human is undergoing his Emperor Tribulation within the Beast God Valley, completely disregarding Lord Dragon Ancestor!"
The Dragon and Phoenix Dual Emperors sensed Mu Qingqing's aura and furiously rushed out of the Dragon and Phoenix Palace.