Chapter 752: Transformed Flood Dragon

Threads of rain, fine as silk, shrouded the small island in a hazy vapor.

The stench of blood they had sensed earlier grew denser, now mixed with the heart-palpitating fluctuations of a berserk aura.

The two of them concealed their auras and crept closer.

After passing through a dense grove of reeds, the sight before them took their breath away.

In a clearing at the island’s center, a colossal snake was writhing in agony.

It was over a hundred feet long, its body as thick as a barrel, and covered entirely in cyan-black scales. Each scale glinted with a cold, metallic luster, and faint, arcane patterns were visible upon them.

Even more terrifying, its body was entwined with tendrils of lightning that writhed like silver serpents, CRACKLING as they ionized the surrounding air and filled it with a scorched odor.

The low-hanging dark clouds seemed to be drawn in as well. Muffled thunder rolled across the sky, as if in response to the lightning on the snake’s body.

Not far from the giant snake grew a small tree, barely a person’s height.

This small tree had a peculiar shape. Its branches twisted like Qiu Dragons, while its leaves were a crystalline crimson, as if carved from red jade.

The tree bore three fist-sized fruits. They were perfectly round, their skin marked with a strange, interwoven pattern of green and red. It was as if blood and fire flowed within them, and they emitted an alluring fragrance and a potent, life-giving Essence Qi.

“My God, that’s a Cyan Profound King Snake!”

Ruan Lingxiu’s eyes widened in shock. “The lightning gathering around it is affecting the weather… That’s the sign of it transforming into a Flood Dragon!”

Chen Qing was deeply shaken as well.

The Cyan Profound King Snake was the king of serpentine Exotic Beasts. Its bloodline was extraordinary, rumored to contain a faint trace of a True Dragon’s blood.

Its flesh contained immense Essence Qi, a Treasure Medicine coveted by Body Refining masters. Its Snake Gallbladder could act as an antidote to a hundred poisons and increase one’s Power, while its Snake Bone could be used in Alchemy. Its Snake Skin Scale Armor was a top-grade material for crafting Protective Armor… Truly, its entire body was a treasure trove!

Moreover, the Flood Dragon in the Sinking Flood Dragon Abyss—a creature of unknown age—was a terrifying existence recorded in the Sect’s archives, and to this day, no one had managed to slay it.

If this Cyan Profound King Snake before them could successfully transform into a Flood Dragon, its value would be immeasurable!

“This Cyan Profound King Snake is a treasure from head to tail—its flesh, its gallbladder… And look, there’s a Spirit Fruit next to it. It’s… a Thunder Profound Fruit!”

Ruan Lingxiu carefully identified the fruit on the small crimson tree, her voice laced with incredulous excitement. “This fruit contains a trace of lightning essence! It has a miraculous effect on Tempering the Flesh Body and strengthening one’s vitality. No wonder this Cyan Profound King Snake chose this place to transform into a Flood Dragon. It must be using the fruit’s power to complete its final metamorphosis!”

Chen Qing’s gaze grew fiery. ‘I can’t believe I’d encounter such a heaven-sent opportunity right after arriving at Longze Lake.’

‘If I consume this Thunder Profound Fruit, my Dragon Elephant Wisdom Vajra Body will surely break through its current bottleneck and reach the next level!’

‘Besides, the Cyan Profound King Snake is a treasure trove. It’s sure to fetch a high price in Contribution Points.’

“Don’t be hasty. It’s at the most critical moment of its transformation. Let’s wait a little longer.”

Chen Qing took a deep breath and sent a voice transmission to Ruan Lingxiu.

Although the Cyan Profound King Snake’s aura was berserk, it was clearly focusing all its energy on enduring the lightning tribulation of its transformation and its rebirth through molting. This was its most vulnerable moment.

Under normal circumstances, forget about the two of them, who had only been Tempered once or twice in the True Essence Realm; even a master who had completed Five or Six Times of Tempering would be no match for a Cyan Profound King Snake at its peak and would have no choice but to retreat.

The Cyan Profound King Snake’s massive body thrashed wildly as its old skin began to slowly crack and peel away from its head. This revealed new, deeper-colored cyan scales underneath, their edges tinged with a faint golden luster.

Two bulges on its forehead writhed violently, as if something was about to erupt through its skull—the sign that Flood Dragon horns were about to sprout!

The lightning around it grew more concentrated, striking its transitioning body again and again. While causing it immense pain, the strikes also tempered its new flesh and Scale Armor.

However, at this critical juncture, Chen Qing’s brow furrowed. His Divine Sense detected an extremely faint aura lurking in the reeds on the other side. Had his Divine Sense not been tempered by the Taixu Scripture, making it far superior to others of his rank, it would have been nearly impossible for him to notice.

“Someone’s nearby,” he immediately warned via voice transmission.

“Hm?”

Ruan Lingxiu was startled and quickly focused her senses. A moment later, her expression shifted. “There is an aura… it’s extremely faint and carries the fluctuations of the Water Element. If you hadn’t warned me, Senior Brother, I would have missed it completely!”

When she looked at Chen Qing again, her gaze held renewed surprise and gravity.

‘I pride myself on practicing the Water Attribute Technique and Divine Techniques of the Jade Celestial Lineage. In a place so rich with moisture, my perception should be far superior to an ordinary person’s. I can’t believe Chen Qing detected the anomaly before I did. His Spiritual Sense is truly terrifying.’

“I’ll intercept this person. You find an opportunity to claim the King Snake and the Treasure Medicine.”

Ruan Lingxiu decided instantly, sending the message via voice transmission.

The other party’s motive for lurking here was self-evident. They were also waiting to swoop in and snatch the prize.

It was safer for her to be the one to intercept.

“Good.” Chen Qing nodded at once, without hesitation.

‘Ruan Lingxiu is strong enough to handle most surprises. It would be most efficient for me to be the one to seize the treasures.’

The window of opportunity was fleeting!

In the very instant that the Cyan Profound King Snake’s old skin had shed past its vital seventh inch, when the bulges on its forehead split open and a sliver of a jade-like Flood Dragon horn was about to emerge, and when the lightning around its body momentarily receded for the most critical step of the transformation—

“Now!”

Like two arrows loosed from a bow, Chen Qing and Ruan Lingxiu sprang into action!

The two moved with perfect coordination, swift as lightning.

Ruan Lingxiu raised a hand, and a dense, heavy stream of True Essence silently descended upon the Cyan Profound King Snake’s Reversed Scale at its seventh inch. A bone-chilling cold instantly invaded it, causing its aura—already chaotic from the transformation—to suddenly stagnate, and its movements to freeze.