"The Dragon Clan's graveyard… I have come."
Gu You advanced quickly, only stopping when it seemed he had sensed something unusual.
After leaving the hilly region, he entered a wide, open plain. Gu You noticed clouds drifting at a very low altitude, less than a hundred meters above the ground.
What was most peculiar was that these clouds were all different colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple — all seven shades.
Dragon Clouds!
Gu You froze for a moment. Each cloud seemed to contain a unique energy. He could feel, faintly but unmistakably, a strong sense of affinity toward them.
The dragon god companion within his body, although slain by the true Dragon God, still…
While Gu You was deep in thought, suddenly a red cloud in the sky twisted violently, spinning rapidly. As it rotated, it formed a funnel-shaped vortex. In the next instant, it shot downward from the sky like a streak of light, flying straight toward Gu You.
Gu You didn't resist. Instead, he spread his arms and released the aura of his bloodline.
The other clouds, which had previously been calm in the distance, suddenly seemed to find a vent. One by one, they surged violently and rushed toward Gu You.
The red cloud struck first and fastest. Descending from the sky, it enveloped Gu You instantly. The intense mist wrapped him completely.
When the red cloud struck, Gu You felt no impact. The only sensation was a sudden surge of heat rushing through every limb and bone of his body.
It was a strange feeling. The red cloud contained strong fire-element energy, and faintly, he sensed traces of other energies as well.
The red cloud passed quickly, rising again as if having penetrated through him.
As it rose, Gu You felt a wave of heat coursing through his body, every limb and bone feeling like it had been seared, a subtle but inescapable restraint.
A faint purple hue appeared within the rising red cloud. Returning to its original altitude, it twisted violently, doing something unknown.
Next came a cyan cloud, carrying the element of lightness. It pierced through him and rose again. Then a blue cloud arrived, containing water-element energy.
One by one, over a dozen clouds nearby passed through him, each time leaving a faint purple layer behind. Gu You felt the elemental energies within him being nourished. The various elements harmoniously fused with his body.
Gu You was not an elemental-attribute spirit master, but these elements had an extraordinary affinity with him — much like how plants in a forest naturally resonate with him.
When the last cloud passed through him, Gu You felt his body fully saturated. He retreated to a previously hidden spot, sat cross-legged, and entered meditation.
Almost immediately, he entered a meditative state.
He saw countless points of light moving through his body — in every color, primarily representing the seven elemental attributes: water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, and space.
As they flowed through him, they slowly fused with his bloodline, their energies being digested.
These were pure natural energies, so concentrated that they manifested as distinct elemental forms.
It seemed the Dragon Clouds themselves were not particularly intelligent — they could not distinguish the true Dragon God.
Gu You grinned. This opportunity would not be wasted.
He had no idea how long he remained in meditation, only that he felt immersed in a pool of elemental energy. His body gradually improved under the influence of these elements.
When he finally awoke, the first thing he felt was clarity and comfort. Having absorbed energy from the elemental clouds, the world before him now seemed more vivid.
With a slight focus, he could vaguely perceive the elemental molecules in the air. Among these clouds were also elements dedicated to enhancing mental power.
It was an incredible sensation.
Gu You stretched his body. Unsure of how much time had passed, he checked his spirit communicator. The time on it was frozen — clearly, the external flow of time did not apply here.
The clouds drifting in the distance still glowed faintly purple, subtle but distinct from the more distant clouds.
His bodily saturation had completely faded.
"Not enough… I need more."
Gu You looked toward the other Dragon Clouds and moved forward.
This time, he absorbed roughly a third more elemental clouds than before. Only then did he feel his body become fully saturated again.
As before, he retreated, sat cross-legged, and meditated.
Over and over, absorbing and meditating, Gu You's spirit power rose to a terrifying 77th level!
Such rapid growth was impossible by ordinary standards.
When absorbing the energy of the ninth set of clouds, Gu You clearly felt his body had reached a remarkable state.
The elemental energy from the clouds, after filtering through his body, could be absorbed directly — no longer requiring meditation to assimilate.
Continuing forward, he absorbed the souls he encountered, storing them in his mind.
Deep within Dragon Valley.
A low hum suddenly resonated through the air. The Dragon Clouds violently swirled, and within tens of thousands of square meters around him, intense resonance erupted. The clouds in the sky were forced to disperse. A dark, black streak quietly appeared in the sky.
It was as if the entire sky were about to split. The black mark lengthened, and a massive claw suddenly emerged halfway through the fissure.
It was a claw as black as ink, covered in scales. Slowly, it stretched outward, accompanied by deep, rumbling roars.
The Dragon Clouds within Dragon Valley, upon hearing this roar, gradually descended and transformed into dragon forms, as if in reverence.
The ink-black claw continued widening the gap, but the surrounding space emitted violent energy fluctuations, seemingly resisting the fissure from expanding further.
(End of chapter)