The sensation of being full had gone by now. He instinctively walked toward those clouds and unleashed his Golden Dragon Body again.
Golden scales covered his body. The dozen or so elemental clouds nearest him rippled slightly, and an intense feeling of friendliness overwhelmed him. However, the clouds did not descend from the skies like the last time.
‘Is it that the elemental clouds which had been absorbed previously can’t be absorbed a second time?’
Tang Wulin made an inference.
He continued walking but did not have to go far when the elemental clouds which had not been absorbed by him felt his bloodline aura. Subsequently, they descended from the sky and surged into his body.
Instantly, the feeling which he had felt previously returned. However, the sensations this time were less intense.
Tang Wulin tried moving forward. Only this time, the feeling of being satiated only became evident after he had absorbed one-third more elemental clouds than before.
Just like before, he retreated to a safe spot to meditate.
Tang Wulin was not certain of the benefits he would derive from these elemental infiltrations. The only sure thing was that after the infiltrations, his perception of the elements and spiritual powers were enhanced. His body’s strength was also amplified due to the fusion of these elements. That, at least, is good news.
He was, again, in a state of deep meditation.
Repeatedly, Tang Wulin would walk over to ingest the elemental clouds. After he had his fill, he proceeded to meditate.
After each meditation session, his consumption of the elemental clouds grew. The soufflé of elemental clouds eventually pervaded the sky with a faint golden color. Those elemental clouds tainted by Tang Wulin’s bloodline could not be absorbed again.
When he absorbed the elemental energies for the ninth time, Tang Wulin noticed that his body had evolved.
After the elemental clouds he ingested were filtered through his body, the elemental energies would be directly absorbed by his body. He no longer had to stop and meditate to absorb the energies.
When Tang Wulin unleashed his Golden Dragon Body, his original golden scales had morphed. The change was not obvious, but Tang Wulin could feel an additional layer of enamel on his Golden Dragon Scales. His original scales were full of texture with every edge and corner having a sharpness that was precise and crisp. But now, with the passage of time, after absorbing these elemental energies, their surfaces became smoother with a translucent film on them. It was as if there was another layer of protection on the scales.
After Tang Wulin broke through the fifth and sixth Golden Dragon King seals consecutively, his body was under much stress. The strain was so great that he could feel his body’s endurance greatly reduced. However, after absorbing these elemental energies, he noticed the numerous small wounds on his body were being healed and cleansed. Even the lurking injuries inflicted during his encounter with Long Yue had also been cured. His bloodline power had become even more potent and intense.
Tang Wulin was relieved and overjoyed, because the threat of the Golden Dragon King seals had been temporarily curtailed. He did not have to search for the heaven and earth treasures he needed to break through the seventh layer’s seal immediately.
He already had a plan in mind to delay the breaking of the seventh layer’s seal. He would only execute his best when he is well prepared.
It was life-threatening when he broke through the sixth layer. His body had nearly collapsed, and that fear was still fresh in his mind.
This gave him a deeper appreciation of the meaning of the double-edged sword Old Tang had cautioned him back then.
He had indeed reaped great benefits from this trip to the Dragon Valley. He did not know how much time had lapsed on the outside, so he decided to absorb as much elemental energy as he could. It was as good as taking the heaven and earth treasures!
As Tang Wulin proceeded to approach more elemental clouds, he suddenly heard a scream.
“Aargh!” The loud, piercing cry sounded familiar. Tang Wulin frowned as he turned to look in the direction of the scream.
Currently, he was nearing the edge of the plain. From the fringes of the forest, a figure dashed out. The lone figure ran doggedly in his direction.
She staggered as she ran. Her clothes were tattered and torn, and she wore a mask. ‘Judging from her stature, is this not White Seven?’
White Seven’s appearance was pathetic. The tears on her clothes revealed her fair skin. She was obviously terrified. In her terror, she made a misstep and fell on the ground.
A deep roar sounded. A shadow emerged from the forest and pounced on White Seven.
Its two feet were on the ground, but it had no wings on its back. It was a Land Dragon, but it did not look real. Its appearance was a translucent, iron grey in energy form.
This was Tang Wulin’s first encounter with the living creatures of this small world. He was deeply curious.
He bolted toward White Seven. He tapped the ground with the tips of his toes, and his power burst forth producing a small crater in the ground. In the next instant, he was in front of White Seven and shielding her.
The Land Dragon’s attacking capabilities were limited. Its forelegs were short and small, but it had long, sharp claws. It lowered its humongous head which came crashing toward Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin snorted but did not dodge. In a brazen stance, he threw a punch with his right hand.
“Bam!” The Land Dragon’s head and his fist collided, and the dragon gave off a whine. The energy form body disintegrated in a flash, turning into beams of light which scattered all over the place.
Tang Wulin felt his body warming. The energy of the annihilated Land Dragon had unexpectedly surged into his body.
However, there were no visible changes other than an increase in his body temperature. Absorbing the elemental clouds felt much better.
“You, you’ve absorbed it?” White Seven had already gotten to her feet. She recognized Tang Wulin who had earlier abandoned her.
“I think I’ve just saved your life,” said Tang Wulin drily.
White Seven had her hands on her waist. “Who needs your saving? I was just feigning weakness, and waiting for an opportunity to destroy its energy core with my spiritual power. The energy from this Ironhead Dragon can strengthen one’s physique. You should recompense me!”
Tang Wulin was speechless. He found it pointless to rebuff an irrational person. In a huff, he turned around and stormed off.
“Hey, don’t you go away!” White Seven pulled at his sleeve.
Tang Wulin was offended. “What do you want?”
White Seven raised her head to look at him. Her voice faltered, “I’m very tired. I…” She did not finish her sentence when her body fell limp.
Tang Wulin instinctively pulled her arm to support her when he broke out laughing. She was exhausted beyond words, yet she had the gall to demand a compensation. She was, doubtless, suffering from late-stage princess complex!
He did not think that this was White Seven’s first encounter with these elemental dragons. He detected her bloodline pulse was feeble.
Tang Wulin carried her and walked toward an unwieldy tree on the periphery of the forest. White Seven was rather light with a supple body. In spite of her tear-soaked and dirt-stained clothes, she still had a faint, fragrant scent about her.
Tang Wulin took out some clothes from his storage to cover and keep her warm.
‘I can’t just leave her here. Guess I’ll have to wait until she wakes up.’
He was wondering about the elemental dragon he had just encountered. Although White Seven had only uttered a sentence, he concluded that the elemental dragon and the elemental clouds were somewhat different instruments playing the same tune. The difference was that the elemental dragon had attacking capabilities whereas the elemental clouds did not.
Both of them were essentially different, hence, the manner in which they were absorbed differed. Moreover, the elemental dragon’s energy was less potent as it was absorbed directly unlike the elemental clouds which shot through his body.
‘Strengthen one’s physique, does it? Maybe it’s because I already have a sturdy physique, that’s why the feeling is not apparent.’
White Seven slept like a log. It was already dusk in this small world, but she was sound asleep.
Tang Wulin went foraging for some branches to build a fire.
Large chunks of beef were skewered and roasted on the fire, and a few pieces of flatbread were placed by the embers. He had brought ample food to this place. Furthermore, the rich origin energy from the elemental clouds which he ingested earlier was highly nutritious food.
Apart from the meat and flatbread, he brought out some canned vegetables whereby he cooked some soup in a small pot.
Tang Wulin’s culinary skills may be limited, but he could still manage a few simple dishes.
In no time, a small pot of vegetable soup, flatbread toasted to a golden brown, and a roasted chunk of beef was ready to be served.
Tang Wulin was about to dig in when suddenly a girl appeared, like the wind, beside him. With a whistle, the flatbread flew into her palm, while she grabbed the beef with the other. The piping hot piece of beef did not even scald her. She turned around, stepped aside, and took a quick bite before he even had time to react. Then, she smirked triumphantly at Tang Wulin.