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Unable to engage head-on, Ice Wind and I could only keep circling, using our two-against-one advantage to support each other and try to prolong the battle. However, the dragon soul's intelligence was not low; it soon saw through our strategy and, realizing time was of the essence, decisively abandoned its attacks on Ice Wind and focused solely on me, relying on its energy body to withstand Ice Wind's assaults. At this moment, I had no way out and was forced step by step towards certain doom.

*Puff* Despite my best efforts to dodge, I couldn't avoid the dragon soul's claw strike, spitting blood as I flew backward. Seeing me severely injured, Ice Wind's eyes turned red with rage, and it let out a furious roar, charging forward with the power of three elements, engaging the dragon soul in a fierce battle without regard for its own injuries. It managed to hold the dragon soul back, giving me a brief respite to recover and heal.

*Boom* — Ice Wind ultimately couldn't overcome the level gap and was hit by the dragon soul's breath attack, causing its bones to shatter and blood to spray everywhere as it was thrown far away.

"Ice Wind—— Damn it, die!!!" Witnessing Ice Wind's severe injury, I felt through the Companion Contract that all of Ice Wind's bones and internal organs were shattered by the dragon breath. Two of its three heads were crushed, and the remaining one had its neck severed. In other words, its life force was extinguished, leaving only a faint breath. The immense anger and sorrow caused a thunderous roar in my mind. I shattered the last few magic scrolls in my hand, disregarding their healing and supportive effects, and lunged at the dragon soul, which had once again locked onto me as its target.

"Qiankun Annihilation, one slash to sever Qiankun, break——" On the brink of life and death, I forcefully broke through the highest realm of the Qiankun Annihilation Blade Technique, merging my entire essence, energy, and spirit into one, channeling it through the "Heavenly Serpent Fang," instantly transcending the boundaries of distance and strength. A dazzling blade light cut through the air along the mystical trajectory of the "Heavenly Serpent Fang," slicing the massive dragon soul from head to tail like tofu, cleanly dividing it into two halves.

This wasn't the end. I spat out another mouthful of blood, allowing all my wounds to burst open, forcibly extracting every ounce of inner strength and fighting spirit to launch a second attack.

"Nine Yin Bone Claw—— Heaven and Man Three Sighs—— Heart-Piercing Bone-Crushing Ten Lifetimes of Hatred!!!" The Nine Yin Bone Claw, which I was most familiar with, created countless illusions, following the path carved by the blade light, tearing the split dragon soul into countless fragments that scattered in all directions. The three strongest moves of the Nine Yin Bone Claw required unique emotional states to execute. Although I had mastered these moves, I lacked the three emotional states Huang Chang had when he created them, resulting in little power when I used them. Now, knowing that Ice Wind's fate was sealed, I finally experienced the heart-wrenching pain and hatred Huang Chang felt after losing his entire family, fully unleashing the power of this move, tearing apart the dragon soul more easily than shredding cooked chicken.

*Splat* Exhausted of my strength, I fell helplessly to the ground, unable even to turn my head.

However, the situation was still not over. As the people outside, the dragons, and the instigators in the distance marveled at my sudden burst of terrifying power, the scattered fragments of the dragon soul began to wriggle and then fly together, combining into a single mass. Other fragments were drawn to this black mass, eventually forming a giant black sphere several dozen feet in diameter. The black sphere began to transform, seemingly preparing to reform into another dragon soul.

The dragon souls in the Dragon Soul Space were energy constructs; unless their energy was completely depleted, they would continuously regenerate.

*Bang* Just as everyone, including myself, thought it was over, another change occurred. Not far from me, Ice Wind, despite its fatal injuries, suddenly sprang up, enduring the agony of broken bones piercing its skin, moving its head towards the black sphere in the air. Its remaining white head gave me one last look before its entire body exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

From the blood mist, a white, red, and purple light ball shot out, directly colliding with the black sphere formed by the dragon soul.

"Self-Destruction of the Crystal Core, Forced Upgrade——" The High Priest Ruins, the three Draconic Mages, and Xue Lingpei in the distance exclaimed simultaneously.

The black sphere in the air, combined with the energy released by the crystal core's explosion, underwent a violent transformation, losing its original shape and changing colors rapidly between pure black and vibrant hues. Finally, with a loud *Bang*, it dissipated into nothingness.

Lying on the ground, I felt a thread of sorrowful farewell from Ice Wind's Companion Contract rune, followed by an excruciating pain and a surging, irresistible power entering my body, causing me to spit out another mouthful of blood and fall into unconsciousness.

Chapter 75: Strengthening the Body and Transforming into a Dragon

"Child, you must live on." Is it... Mother?

"Master above, accept this disciple's bow——" Master... Dongxie... Huang Yaoshi?

"Hehe, Senior Brother, my name is Mei Chaofeng." This is... the thief wife?

"Oh? You're my husband's disciple, huh? How come you look older than him?" ...Master's wife?

"Senior Brother, how could you run away with Little Junior Sister and steal the scriptures, causing Master's wife to bleed to death and Master to be heartbroken, with all the disciples having their leg tendons severed? Where is your conscience?" ...Junior Brother Lu?

"That scripture... I've burned it. The secrets... are in my chest..." Is it... me?

"Son, why are you poking skulls with your claws?" This seems to be... my parents in this life?

"Little guy, for you, I almost lost my life. Come with me from now on. Hmm, let's call you Ice Wind."

Ice Wind? My pet... Companion Beast... friend...

"Ahh——" A sharp headache jolted me awake from my coma, bringing a flood of memories, boundless sorrow, pain, and anger, but this intense stimulation merely gave me the strength to open my eyes.