The ink-black Royal Slaughter Blade hovered in the void, its faint humming enveloping a radius of thousands of feet. Even without being activated, the sharpness emanating from it was still awe-inspiring.

Under Chen Yuan's control, the previously lifeless Flood Dragon skeleton seemed to come alive again, writhing and coiling around the Royal Slaughter Blade.

The surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth stirred, and the temperature nearby rose sharply.

This was all Chen Yuan's doing.

Being in the Transformation Yang Realm, he was fully capable of achieving such a feat using the power of heaven and earth and his own strength, without the need for the Earth Core Fire Vein to assist in the refining process.

Slightly black flames emanated from the void. Chen Yuan had been following Mo Luo for a considerable time, having witnessed his actions and even used his Demonic Flames himself.

He possessed a certain understanding of the Dao of Fire.

Therefore, manipulating flames was not a difficult task for him.

Fierce flames blazed, engulfing the Royal Slaughter Blade and the Flood Dragon skeleton. The dragon soul dormant within the blade absorbed the essence of the dragon bones while simultaneously refining the Flood Dragon soul it had devoured earlier.

Only by converting it into his own power could it be considered completely absorbed.

Chen Yuan himself had obtained the Flood Dragon Divine Pearl and was eager to refine it to enhance his cultivation, but it was evident that the Royal Slaughter Blade was even more impatient.

It had almost reached that critical juncture, and there was no stopping it, so he could only follow the natural course.

The moonlight remained bright, even brighter than when he saw it at Dragon Gate Ferry due to the contrast with the pitch-black night, casting a faint silvery-gray glow.

It was sacred, noble, and inspired a feeling of reverence.

The moonlight illuminated the heavens and earth as the dark-black flames slowly burned. Time passed by the second, with Chen Yuan standing with his hands behind his back, merely manipulating it with his divine sense.

The Flood Dragon skeleton, originally as white as jade, began to dim, likely due to the extraction of its essence.

Another quarter of an hour passed.

Suddenly, the world seemed to pause for a moment. The slowly rotating Royal Slaughter Blade stopped moving and hung in the void. Chen Yuan glanced at it and slowly retracted his divine sense.

The flames surrounding the Royal Slaughter Blade rapidly dissipated.

The next moment.

A deafening dragon roar echoed for dozens of miles, sounding like the earth splitting and the heavens collapsing in the night. The roar alone startled countless birds, beasts, fish, and insects to death.

The Flood Dragon bones surrounding the Royal Slaughter Blade were completely annihilated by the roar, turning into dust!

The essence of the Azure Dragon had been completely absorbed!

Chen Yuan immediately retreated far away, fearing that the impending lightning tribulation would affect him. He had only recently formed his nascent soul, which, although resilient, had not yet undergone the refinement of lightning tribulation and was most afraid of such heavenly thunderous yang objects.

If he were to be accidentally touched by a trace of it, it would definitely be a considerable trouble for him.

As expected, after Chen Yuan retreated nearly a thousand feet, the Royal Slaughter Blade suddenly ascended, accompanied by another dragon roar, as if it wanted to actively summon the lightning tribulation.

Three breaths later, a slightly cold wind began to blow, and the originally cloudless void quickly gathered a patch of dark clouds, resembling a torrential summer rain.

"Rumble..."

Within the dark clouds, the muffled sound of lightning tribulation began to rapidly gather.

Bright flashes illuminated the dark clouds.

The hilt of the Royal Slaughter Blade pointed upwards, the blade downwards, exuding a fierce and tyrannical aura, as if it wanted to clash with the heavenly thunder.

Lightning filled the sky, and the aura of the lightning tribulation began to rapidly dissipate.

Inside the Royal Slaughter Blade.

Mo Luo, whose demonic light and Buddhist light were intertwined, sensed an unusually dangerous feeling. He frowned and quickly dispersed the pure demonic energy from his body.

Curious, he peered through the Royal Slaughter Blade to observe the situation outside.

He was just peacefully cultivating in seclusion.

How could there be an aura of lightning tribulation out of nowhere?

As a result, he was immediately stunned upon seeing it, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

Lightning tribulation... it really was lightning tribulation!

!

Although he had already formed his nascent soul and was no longer afraid of lightning tribulation, possessing a trace of supreme yang energy, that did not mean he could withstand the lightning tribulation head-on...

Lightning tribulation was the power of heaven and earth, the power of heavenly punishment.

If it sensed his existence, the lightning tribulation would definitely surge again. He quickly made a decision and immediately fled from the Royal Slaughter Blade.

......

......

On a plain connecting Dragon Gate Ferry and Lin'an Prefecture City, Princess Pingyang slowly stopped, accompanied by several guards and Zhang Wanshu. The great battle they had anticipated did not occur.

A mysterious Fifth Realm expert had seized all the benefits, and his aura was unfathomably profound, deterring the four Grandmasters from provoking him.

After hearing the report from the black-clad guard, a trace of suspicion unconsciously appeared on Princess Pingyang's face. She had a strange feeling about it.

Suppressing the thought in her heart, Princess Pingyang looked at Zhang Wanshu with a smile and asked:

"Where did Marquis Wu'an go?"

"He said he had some matters to attend to. Wanshu doesn't know the specifics," Zhang Wanshu shook her head, not revealing too much.

Of course, the main reason was that she really didn't know.

"Is that all?"

"That's all."

"Alright."

Princess Pingyang nodded thoughtfully, no longer asking more questions, and simply said:

"Tonight is a bit uneasy. Marquis Wu'an might not be able to return. Miss Zhang should stay with this princess in Lin'an Prefecture City for now, right? Marquis Wu'an is a smart man; knowing that this princess is here, he won't worry about your safety."

Zhang Wanshu pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and nodded:

"Then I'll have to thank Her Royal Highness the Princess."

In the current situation, it seemed that she could only go with the princess. Presumably, Chen Yuan wouldn't be too worried because he probably knew that she had some trump cards in her hands.

"Your Highness, the Flood Dragon is a treasure trove. Should we relay this information to the capital and send experts to intercept that Transformation Yang True Person?" The black-clad guard was still somewhat unwilling.

Watching the treasure disappear right before their eyes, especially such an important treasure, caused his heart to ache immensely.

"Transformation Yang True Persons can travel a thousand miles a day, and their tracks are difficult to find. Even if we send word to the capital, it's almost impossible to find this person. Moreover, the other individuals won't let the matter rest. Let's observe for a day or two first."

The princess raised her hand, stopping the black-clad guard's suggestion.

Because she felt that the suddenly appearing Transformation Yang True Person was a bit strange, as if it were too coincidental.

Among all the Transformation Yang True Persons she had seen in Dragon Gate Ferry and even Lin'an Prefecture, only Chen Yuan's strength was equally unfathomable. And after causing such a commotion, Chen Yuan had not appeared the entire time.

It was hard for her not to be suspicious.

Moreover...

Princess Pingyang looked at the unperturbed Zhang Wanshu and felt that she should be able to guess something as well, but she just wouldn't say it.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The black-clad man bowed with his fists clasped and could only agree.

"Let's go. It's getting late..."

Before Princess Pingyang could finish speaking, she suddenly saw that at a location dozens of miles away, thunderclouds seemed to be gathering, as if a torrential downpour was about to fall.

"It's a quick rain. It seems like tonight is truly a coincidence."

Princess Pingyang smiled, not thinking too much about it.

It was already summer, which was the season for quick rains. It was very normal for a rain to fall at any time, so there was no need to suspect anything.

"Your Highness is right..."

Beneath the thunderclouds, the black dragon roared.

A terrifying lightning tribulation was brewing.

While Chen Yuan was fully focused, he suddenly frowned and looked to the left, where Mo Luo, dressed in white, walked out calmly, without a trace of disturbance.

"Senior has finished his seclusion?"

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat surprised.

He had come at quite the right time. They might tear off all pretenses of friendship in a few days.

"Not yet."

Mo Luo slowly shook his head.

"Then what is Senior doing?"

Mo Luo did not answer, remaining silent.

Could he say that he was awakened by the lightning tribulation? That he didn't dare to face the heavenly tribulation and quickly fled from the Royal Slaughter Blade?

"A sixth-level lightning tribulation, not bad..."

Mo Luo nodded as he looked at the Royal Slaughter Blade, which was about to undergo its tribulation.

Even though he was well-informed and had extraordinary cultivation, a sixth-level divine weapon was still considered a very good treasure, although it wouldn't tempt a sixth-realm immortal like him.

But if one looked at the Yang God Realm, it would still make many people envious.

There weren't many such weapons in the entire world.

"Following me all the way here, this blade has gained some opportunities," Chen Yuan smiled.

While the two were talking, the lightning tribulation that had been brewing in the void for a long time finally descended.

With just one strike, it tore through the void, and the surrounding thousands of feet were instantly illuminated by lightning, as bright as day.

"Boom!"

The heavenly thunder struck the Royal Slaughter Blade, and strands of lightning circled around it.

A dragon roar echoed, and a hundred-foot-long black dragon soul roared out, wrapping around the Royal Slaughter Blade and directly facing the might of the heavenly thunder.

Fierce, tyrannical, resilient, and unyielding...

The Royal Slaughter Blade was just like Chen Yuan's replica. Even in the face of the lightning tribulation, it did not retreat at all, as if it were not afraid of being shattered into dust and annihilated on the spot.

One after another, thunderbolts crashed down, one after another.

Nine thunder tribulations constituted one level, and after one level of thunder tribulation passed, the spirit of the divine weapon would greatly increase.

The sixth level of lightning tribulation was definitely an extremely powerful one.

Even at a distance of thousands of feet, Chen Yuan could feel the terror within.

Compared to the time in the Hidden Weapon Valley, the power had at least increased several times.

Chen Yuan's expression turned serious, and he closely watched the Royal Slaughter Blade.

Time seemed to pass at a steady pace, with a thunderbolt falling every three to ten breaths or so. In a short time, eight thunderbolts had fallen on the Royal Slaughter Blade.

Only one strike remained!

And the Royal Slaughter Blade seemed to be somewhat damaged, but it was still not afraid.

Finally, after nine breaths, the last thunderbolt fell.

"Boom!"

The power of this last thunderbolt was several times stronger than before, making the Royal Slaughter Blade somewhat unstable, and the dark-black dragon soul involuntarily let out a wail.

"It blocked it!"

Chen Yuan's heart relaxed.

After nine thunder tribulations, it meant that the Royal Slaughter Blade in his hand had officially advanced to a sixth-level divine weapon, which would bring another wave of increase to his strength.

But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly noticed that the Royal Slaughter Blade had not flown into his hand, and the lightning tribulation in the void had not dissipated, as if it was still brewing.

"Could it be going to undergo a seventh-level lightning tribulation?"

Chen Yuan was suddenly shocked.

With the Royal Slaughter Blade's current strength, it was already difficult to withstand the sixth-level lightning tribulation. The chances of successfully surviving the seventh-level lightning tribulation were definitely no more than one in ten.

Dangerous!

But at this time, he couldn't do anything and could only watch.

The lightning tribulation in the void was brewing more and more terrifyingly, but what was unexpected was that a full hundred breaths had passed, and the lightning tribulation in the sky had not fallen, which was really a bit strange.

When in doubt, ask Mo Luo.

Chen Yuan immediately turned his gaze to him.

A knowledgeable and well-informed immortal who had lived for hundreds of years should be able to give him the answer.

Mo Luo was meticulous and resourceful, and he saw through Chen Yuan's thoughts at a glance. Without even waiting for him to ask, he directly replied, "This blade has not yet reached the category of a seventh-level divine weapon. The probability of the lightning tribulation falling is only one in ten."

After a moment of silence, he continued:

"But it's getting close. It seems that this divine weapon has gained a lot of benefits during this period of time following you."

"I see. Thank you, Senior."

With Mo Luo's answer, Chen Yuan's somewhat anxious heart finally calmed down a bit.

As expected, Mo Luo was right. The lightning tribulation in the void brewed for another hundred breaths or so, and then it strangely and slowly dissipated. Before long, the night sky returned to its cloudless state.

The high-hanging moonlight also re-shone on earth, and everything was not much different from before.

"Roar!"

The black dragon soul roared in the void, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth crazily poured into the Royal Slaughter Blade. It circled around the blade nine times, conveying a feeling of excitement, and finally plunged into it.

Having passed the lightning tribulation, the spirit of the Royal Slaughter Blade, which had soared, quickly flew towards Chen Yuan's location and stopped in front of him.

With just one glance, Chen Yuan discovered the difference in the Royal Slaughter Blade. Its appearance had not changed, but its spirituality was even more abundant, and its aura was also much stronger.

Reaching out and grasping it, Chen Yuan slashed out a blade with his backhand.

A blade of hundreds of feet slammed down, striking the river water. Because it was a slash along the flow, it stirred up extremely high waves, and this blade also widened the river channel a lot.

Its power was even greater!

Letting out a long breath, Chen Yuan put away the Royal Slaughter Blade in his hand and looked at Mo Luo, beginning to ask about some of the situations during his seclusion, as well as the wisp of Demonic Flames he had used earlier.

Mo Luo didn't explain much, only saying that the Buddha Form and the Demon Form were entangled.

Chen Yuan chatted for a moment and then told him about some of his own circumstances to see what Mo Luo's answer would be.

As he had expected, Mo Luo, after thinking for a moment, also solemnly told him that he must not agree to the marriage and become involved with the Sima family.

Otherwise, it would be very troublesome in the future.

Even if it meant falling out with them in advance, he couldn't agree.

Now, Chen Yuan became even more determined in his thoughts and took the initiative to ask for help, hoping that Mo Luo could postpone his seclusion for a few days. The court assembly was in a few days.

He felt that after giving him the Heavenly Character Divine Envoy, Jingtai would definitely force his hand.

There was no more time to delay.

Mo Luo naturally agreed, and then he returned to the Royal Slaughter Blade. However, the lightning tribulation that had not completely dissipated made him feel a little uncomfortable.

The Royal Slaughter Blade had successfully passed the tribulation and had since become a sixth-level divine weapon, and it was only one step away from becoming a seventh-level divine weapon. As its master, Chen Yuan was naturally happy.

The stronger it was, the stronger he was!

Originally, Chen Yuan was preparing to take advantage of the situation and refine the Azure Flood Dragon Divine Pearl himself to increase his cultivation, but after inquiring Mo Luo's opinion, he temporarily dismissed the idea.

If his cultivation skyrocketed, it would definitely delay a few days.

It wouldn't be too late to settle Zhang Wanshu first. He could just use the excuse of cultivating in seclusion to avoid participating in this court assembly.

Thinking of this, Chen Yuan let out a long sigh of turbid air.

He turned and returned to Dragon Gate Ferry.

But there were already few people here. The remaining few were bold and wanted to seek wealth and danger, going to the bottom of the Dragon Gate Ferry to look for some treasures.

Chen Yuan glanced at them and ignored them, continuing to fly to Lin'an Prefecture City.

Before he left, he saw Zhang Wanshu with Princess Pingyang, so he wasn't worried about anything. He didn't intend to marry this woman, but he admired her very much.

If it wasn't for the great involvement, he wouldn't mind letting her be his little princess.

The kind that only ate Kun Ba and didn't suffer hardship...

Lin'an Prefecture City was very large. It was unrealistic to search little by little with his divine sense, and it would be too much of a waste of time. Chen Yuan originally wanted to go to Jiang Xiong and ask him to send out people to search.

But after thinking about it, he thought they might also be in the inn they had stayed in before.

Immediately, he flew directly to the inn.

Then, under the search of his divine sense, he indeed found Zhang Wanshu and Princess Pingyang. They were currently in the same room, seemingly chatting about something.

Such as.

"When did you meet Chen Yuan?"

"What stage has your relationship reached?"

"Wanshu, don't worry. This princess is just curious and doesn't actually have feelings for Marquis Wu'an."

"Your Highness, don't say that. This concubine and Marquis Wu'an are still pure and innocent."

"Really?"

"Really..."

"Cough cough..."

Chen Yuan coughed lightly twice, unable to listen any longer, and then knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

It was Princess Pingyang's clear voice from inside the room.

"It's me."

"The Marquis is back."

This was Zhang Wanshu's voice.

"Marquis Wu'an, come in. There's no need to worry about anything."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan 'creaked' and pushed open the door. Princess Pingyang and Zhang Wanshu were sitting obediently. The only difference was that Sister Zhang's face was a little red.

It seemed that she felt that Chen Yuan had heard what they had said earlier.

What if there was a misunderstanding?

"Thank you, Your Highness, for taking care of Sister Er for me."

Chen Yuan smiled.

"Wanshu is also very agreeable to this princess. Marquis Wu'an, there's no need to thank me."

"Hehe."

"Speaking of which, this princess is also a little curious. I saw Marquis Wu'an before the Fish Leaping Over Dragon Gate began. How did the Marquis leave after it started? Leaving Wanshu alone in the same place."

Princess Pingyang looked at Chen Yuan with a faint smile.

"I encountered some matters that needed to be dealt with."

Chen Yuan didn't want to say more.

Princess Pingyang was also a clever woman. Seeing that Chen Yuan didn't want to say more, she didn't pursue the matter and immediately got up to say goodbye:

"This princess is in a nearby inn. If Qing Shi needs help, don't be shy."

"Alright, then I'll thank Your Highness first."

Princess Pingyang nodded and paused as she walked past Chen Yuan, saying softly:

"Congratulations, Marquis Wu'an, on your great harvest tonight."

"Your Highness might as well speak more clearly."

Chen Yuan knew what she was talking about and also knew that he was probably exposed, but as long as he didn't admit it, what could she do?

Princess Pingyang smiled and didn't say anything more, turning to leave, and even closing the door behind her.

Zhang Wanshu's face turned completely red and she said with her head lowered:

"I... I think Your Highness seems to have some affection for you. Are we like this? Will Your Highness be angry?"

...... 。