A dragon's roar echoed through the chaos.

Shen Long, forced into his true dragon form to withstand the immense pressure from all sides, summoned all his strength and hurled the Pangu Axe, now transformed from his Purple-Gold Ruyi, deep into the chaos.

"I've done all I can; now it's up to fate. But I must delay you. If you succeed in your tribulation, it will be my death."

As he spoke, the divine dragon chanted another incantation:

"Small as a ring, vast as the cosmos, Dragon Clan's divine power, adjust at will, universe shift—"

With the completion of the spell, Shen Long's million-mile-long body suddenly expanded a hundredfold, becoming a colossal dragon tens of millions of miles in length. Although still dwarfed by the chaotic space, it now forced the Chaos Cauldron to exert even more power in its attempt to suppress him.

Sure enough, the spirit of the Chaos Cauldron increased its suppressive force, trying to crush Shen Long completely.

Waiting is always long, especially when one doesn’t know whether they await death or salvation...

In the outside world—

The Chaos Cauldron’s spirit was undergoing a tribulation. The tribulation lightning in the sky, which it could have originally overcome on its own, had been doubled in intensity by that despicable reptile, making it far more difficult for the cauldron spirit.

Lightning struck the spirit’s form repeatedly. It used the tribulation's force to temper its body, transforming its spirit into a true form. Originally, the tribulation lightning was just enough to refine the spirit, but with the doubled strikes, the spirit had to expend its own energy to resist the onslaught. With every strike, the spirit’s hatred for Shen Long grew deeper. It swore that once the tribulation passed, it would flay him alive and tear out his sinews...

When the seventy-ninth bolt of lightning out of the eighty-one struck, the spirit let out a sharp scream, bellowing, "You wretched lizard…"

At that moment, Shen Long swung the Pangu Axe for the third time against the chaos. The cauldron spirit hastily redoubled its suppression, but the axe’s fourth strike landed, grievously wounding the already exhausted spirit.

The final, eighty-first strike was imminent, and it was during Shen Long's desperate resistance against the cauldron's suppression.

The last divine thunderbolt was black, no longer for tempering the spirit but carrying both creation and destruction within it.

That final thunderbolt, combined with Shen Long’s four mighty strikes, cleaved the chaos into nine parts. The cauldron spirit, consumed by malice, was torn into nine fragments by the divine thunder, each piece instinctively seeking out Shen Long, burrowing into his nine orifices, attempting to possess him.

...

At the same time, Shen Long, struggling against the pressure, suddenly felt an immense lightness. His magical power, greatly depleted, caused his body to shrink automatically, leaving him utterly defenseless against the spirit’s attempt to take over his body. He could only watch helplessly as the nine fragments of the spirit infiltrated his soul.

Shocked, Shen Long initially believed he was being possessed, but to his surprise, when the fragments entered his soul, a flood of information surged into his mind, as if it was about to burst.

Not only was Shen Long unafraid, but he was also overjoyed. It turned out that the cauldron spirit’s consciousness had been wiped clean by the tribulation, leaving only an immense amount of information behind. Once he refined that information, he would not need to control the Chaos Cauldron—he would already fully command it.

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Overcome with excitement, Shen Long put aside all else. If he could fully refine the Chaos Cauldron, no one would ever be able to steal it from him again.

Meanwhile, in the primordial sea, many great beings, having either received word or sensed something amiss, rushed to witness the Chaos Cauldron's tribulation. If it succeeded, they planned to kill the spirit immediately and seize the treasure; if it failed, they would simply take the cauldron.

Thus, when the tribulation had just ended, they all surged forward to investigate.

"Did it fail the tribulation?" they wondered, staring at the enormous cauldron standing in the sea.

At that moment, a streak of light descended from the void, wrapping itself around the Chaos Cauldron.

"Stop!" a chorus of great beings shouted in unison.

"Beiming Water Absorption—Octopus Emperor, you won’t succeed," one of the great beings struck first. A vortex formed in the sea, pulling one of the Octopus Emperor’s tentacles into it, shattering it at the base, and attempting to absorb the cauldron as well.

“Damn you, Kunpeng, sneaking up on me! I won’t forgive you,” the Octopus Emperor bellowed in pain.

Just then, another figure entered the fray. Clad in simple robes, with snow-white hair and skin so pale it was almost blinding, this person cast a glance at the vortex pulling in the Chaos Cauldron. With a wave of their sleeve, the vortex froze solid, and as ice flowers bloomed and then melted into the water, the sea gradually calmed once more.

The precision with which this figure controlled ice was unmistakable.

"The Ice Emperor... that’s his signature move—Ice Seal of Heaven and Earth."

"Isn't the Ice Emperor devoted solely to mastering the Dao of Ice without relying on treasures? Why is he here?" one of the onlookers asked in astonishment.

"Ice Emperor, do you intend to oppose me?" Kunpeng asked angrily, glaring at the newcomer.

"No, I merely wish to test whether your Northern Sea Waters are truly as cold as the legends say," the Ice Emperor replied coolly, casting a brief glance at the Chaos Cauldron, clearly showing he had no interest in the treasure.

But just because he didn’t want it didn’t mean others would give it up. Furious, Kunpeng glared at the surrounding figures, knowing that taking the cauldron now would be impossible.

"Fine, then I’ll show you just how cold my Northern Sea Waters are!" Kunpeng shouted.

"Winter’s Majesty, Northern Sea’s Waters, Northern Sea World!" Kunpeng roared, summoning the surrounding seawater to create a unique world, drawing the Ice Emperor into it.

All the other great beings were astounded by Kunpeng’s abilities.

"What's that? That's the power of a quasi-saint! Has Kunpeng ascended to quasi-sainthood?"

"Indeed! Hurry, seize the moment! Kunpeng is occupied with the Ice Emperor!" The Octopus Emperor, now fearful that Kunpeng would seek revenge, hurriedly stirred up chaos, hoping that Kunpeng would be distracted enough for him to make his move, even if it meant getting injured.

The other great beings also realized the opportunity and surged toward the Chaos Cauldron.

A massive battle was inevitable.

"Spear of Gold, Piercing Strike!" A mighty figure from the Golden Spearfish Clan launched an attack.

“Kill—!”

“Blue Robes Ensnare, Gentle Twist!” A great being, who had taken the form of water weeds, unleashed a deadly move.

"Who is hitting me? Take this, the Falling Pillar Strike!"

...

The battle was far more chaotic than expected. Injuries were frequent, and the dead piled up, many dying without ever knowing who had slain them.

Yet, more and more kept joining the fray.

“Seriously, what kind of moves are these? Who names their techniques so shamelessly?” Shen Long thought to himself as he observed the outside battle from within the Chaos Cauldron, now fully in control after absorbing the nine fragments of the cauldron spirit.

“What a pitiful sight. Fighting to the death over a treasure, never realizing it already has a master,” Shen Long mused, heartlessly watching the prehistoric beings battle it out.

The chaos continued for a full month before the battle began to wind down. The sea was littered with corpses. Shen Long began to panic. Something was wrong. Why hadn’t the three dragon elders arrived yet? If they didn’t come soon, he’d be refined along with the cauldron. How could he be so unlucky? He had just gained control of the Chaos Cauldron, only to face the prospect of being refined with it!

"Could it be they’ve abandoned me?" Shen Long’s thoughts spiraled in anxiety.

Just then, a distant dragon’s roar echoed through the air, followed by another, and then a third, until countless roars filled the heavens.

"Roar—Roar—Roar—Roar—Roar—Roar—Roar—Roar—"

“You wretched beasts dare kill my brother? Dragon Clan, heed my command, form the Dragon Clan’s divine array—Turn the Tides! I will slaughter every last one of you!”

A deafening roar shook the heavens, followed by dark clouds gathering overhead, and the sea churning violently. The battlefield was suffused with an oppressive aura, and soon a world of waves larger and more formidable than Kunpeng's took shape, exuding an aura of utter destruction.

The great beings with knowledge of the situation immediately sensed the impending danger.

"This is bad! It’s the Dragon Clan’s divine array! Run!"