Great Sage Qing Ming's body flew backward.
After all, he was an old monster in the Lamp Lighting Realm; although he had been caught off guard by that kick, while in mid-air, he still forced a breath of Qi, twisting his waist with brute force, attempting to halt his momentum before hitting the stairs.
But he had truly underestimated the power of that kick... he couldn't stop at all!
Until his feet landed heavily on the stairs.
"Hum—" Silver-purple lightning flashed from deep within the mist.
"This..." Great Sage Qing Ming's pupils shook violently, and he felt the hairs all over his body stand on end.
Before he could react, "Roar—!!!" A dragon's roar, carrying rolling heavenly might, exploded from the mist.
Immediately after, purple electricity danced wildly, and silver snakes darted about.
A purple dragon shadow, dozens of zhang long, condensed within the lightning. It opened its dragon maw and spat out ten thousand streaks of lightning.
"Ahhhh!!!" Even though Great Sage Qing Ming was in the Lamp Lighting Realm, he appeared vulnerable before this.
In the blink of an eye, his aura was about to be extinguished!
At this critical moment, a green lamp ignited between his brows.
He cherished his life after all; although unwilling, before such terrifying lightning, he had no choice but to expend one Lamp Lighting Opportunity.
A brilliant green radiance flared, and his Physical Body, which had already turned to charcoal, rapidly recovered within this light.
Great Sage Qing Ming's face was deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror, and he dared not linger for even a second.
He retreated from the stairs in a sorry state, crawling and tumbling, having lost any semblance of the demeanor of a Great Sage.
The great hall fell into dead silence.
All the Demons were dumbfounded.
A Lamp Lighting Realm Great Sage had been forced to use up a Lamp Lighting Opportunity just like that?!
Just how dangerous was this path to the second floor?!
The crowd of Demons instinctively looked toward the winding stairs, seeing only gray mist churning, with the purple lightning dragon's silhouette already hidden within.
Only the occasional flickering of electric light proved that everything just now was not an illusion.
The Brocade-Robed Youth, who had been arrogant just moments ago, now wore no trace of frivolity.
Great Sage Tengxiao took a deep breath and slowly said, "A True Dragon has fallen, its resentment remains, drawing upon the earth vein's lightning malice to manifest as a guardian spirit..."
"This thing... I fear it is already comparable to the Half-Step Tower Ascender Realm."
The Denglou Realm?!
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Demons gasped.
Damn it!
Even if it is only the Half-Step Tower Ascender Realm... it is not something that a small fry in the Lamp Lighting Realm can contend with.
No wonder even someone as strong as Great Sage Qing Ming had no power to fight back.
"Something is wrong... something is very wrong."
The speaker was an old Black Dragon.
A nearby Black Dragon couldn't help but ask, "Old Ancestor, what is wrong?"
The old Black Dragon said, "When the Dragon Washing Pool opened five thousand years ago, I was there. Although I didn't reach the top, I was lucky enough to pass the first three floors, eventually stopping at the fourth... But back then, the stairs of the first floor were merely bone-scraping yin winds... Although difficult to endure, as long as one's skin and flesh were tough enough and one was willing to expend some blood and Qi, a big Demon at the Perfection of the Mountain Gazing Realm still had a fifty percent chance of making it through."
"But now... right from the start, it is the Half-Step Tower Ascender Realm... How is this a test? It is clearly meant to cut off our path to ascending the Dragon!"
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly oppressive.
Many weaker Demons already had thoughts of retreating in their eyes.
That's right... it was only the first floor!
Yet it was already guarded by a lightning dragon of the Half-Step Tower Ascender Realm; what would the subsequent floors be like?
Could it be that they would have to face a true Denglou Realm?!
To hell with it!
As for fighting against a Half-Step Tower Ascender?
Heh.
They might as well just wash up and go to sleep.
Consequently, the Demons present instinctively looked at Jiang Yuechu and the Golden Scale Tribe.
They wanted to see the reactions of both sides.
After all, the ones who appeared strongest here were just these two groups left.
Jiang Yuechu frowned slightly, looking at the mist-shrouded stairs with a hint of confusion.
The purple dragon shadow from earlier, while impressive in its might, felt somewhat similar to the demon souls extracted after Demons died.
If that were the case... couldn't this guardian lightning dragon also be captured by the Great Black Heaven Body Forging Scripture and filled into an acupoint?
Just as she was calculating in her heart, a chuckle broke the frozen atmosphere in the hall.
"Heh... I had intended to wait until the final step, upon the Dragon Ascending Platform, to carry out that act of devouring..."
"Even just now, I was thinking, if you could break through this lightning dragon... I would have let you live a little longer."
Everyone looked toward the sound.
They saw the youth shaking his head, a look of regret on his face: "Unfortunately, it seems I cannot wait."
The Demons present were all stunned, not understanding what this meant.
But the next second, the Demons widened their eyes in terror.
They saw that the Brocade-Robed Youth had appeared before the aforementioned old Black Dragon, his hand transformed into a sharp claw, plunging straight into its chest, his five fingers hooking onto the still-beating heart.
"Uh... uh..."
The old Black Dragon's eyes were wide open, blood foam gushing from its mouth.
It clearly wanted to resist, but for some reason, it could do nothing before him...
The youth's expression was indifferent as his arm exerted a slight force.
Bang.
The heart was crushed to pieces.
Immediately after, the youth opened his mouth, his jaw splitting to his earlobes, revealing the dense, cold fangs within.
He lunged forward and bit down on the Black Dragon's neck.
"Gulp, gulp..."
Within just a few short breaths, the Black Dragon turned into a dried corpse and was casually tossed to the ground by the youth.
The youth straightened his back; his originally handsome face now appeared exceptionally demonic.
On both sides of his cheeks, golden scales slowly emerged, and in his vertical pupils, red light flared.
He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice carrying a bit of scorching heat, and said apologetically, "I really wanted someone to witness my heroic posture as I transform into a Dragon, but as things stand, it seems there is no longer a need for that."
He was born with a True Dragon Bloodline far exceeding his peers, and he possessed a talent unknown to others.
To devour his own kind, plunder their Bloodline, and strengthen himself.
This was why he could have such cultivation at this age.
But even with the Golden Scale Tribe doing their utmost to hunt down dragons of various lineages to help him cultivate, it was ultimately too slow.
This time at the Dragon Ascending Platform, it was not merely for the Opportunity to transform into a Dragon.
It was also to, while these five lineages were gathered, turn this group of so-called clansmen into the resources for him to reach the summit!
"And..."
As he spoke, his gaze passed over the crowd of Demons and landed on Jiang Yuechu.
"And, there is an unexpected surprise."
"I really didn't expect to meet a clansman like you here, so young yet possessing such strength."
"If I could devour you..."
Thinking of this, the excitement in the youth's eyes could no longer be concealed.
All the Demons, whether Mountain Gazing or Lamp Lighting, felt a chill shoot straight to their skulls.
Although they were Demons and drinking blood and eating raw flesh was the norm, to devour their own kind in public like this...
"You brat! How dare you?!"
"The Golden Scale Tribe actually raised a beast like you who devours its own kind!"
"Crazy... truly crazy!"
In the corner, Scarlet Sun Demon Venerable was on the verge of tears, wishing he could slap himself twice right then and there.
Regret... he truly regretted it.
He should have just waited for death in the Southern Abyss.
Why did he have to come to this Dragon Washing Pool to join in the fun and fight for some bullshit Opportunity!?
Now look.
He hadn't seen any Opportunity, but instead, he had encountered the living ancestors who slaughter their own kind.
And there were two of them!
With these two together, how could anyone else survive!?