Chapter 260: True Dragon Heart

Bai Chuchu held Lu Bai’s hand with one hand and placed the other on his chest.

Even through his clothes, Lu Bai could almost feel the cool touch of Bai Chuchu’s palm against his chest.

A strange power passed through his skin and surged into the Ancient Mirror.

The Ancient Mirror suddenly erupted with an eerie glow. A human-sized rift tore open in the empty space before them, as if the Ancient Mirror had ripped a gash in the very fabric of the void!

“Go.”

Bai Chuchu pulled Lu Bai, and with a flash of movement, they both dove into the rift.

He couldn’t hear a thing.

The countless sounds from the mountain peaks—the clamor of battle, the shouts, the screams, the clash of weapons, the impact of Blood Qi, and the explosions of Magic—vanished in an instant.

It was as if they had arrived in another dimension.

An endless, icy darkness washed over them, and a terrifying, omnipresent force threatened to tear Lu Bai to shreds!

But soon, the eerie glow from Lu Bai’s chest formed an invisible barrier that enveloped them both.

The surrounding pressure vanished in an instant.

Lu Bai was swept along, letting Bai Chuchu lead him by the hand through the boundless darkness. Countless scenes flashed before his eyes, and he quickly lost all sense of his location.

A moment later, a pinpoint of light appeared in the darkness ahead.

The two of them shot out from that point of light.

Lu Bai’s senses returned. As he took in his surroundings, an expression of utter shock appeared on his face.

They stood in an enormous circular plaza. In the center, a massive Jade Coffin carved from a single piece of high-grade Jade was suspended in mid-air.

To be precise, it wasn’t floating.

Four chains, each as thick as an arm, were wrapped around the coffin like vines. Their other ends pierced into an irregular, blood-red sphere about the size of a human head, located high up in the plaza’s dome.

It was these four chains that held the massive Jade Coffin suspended in mid-air!

Above the blood-red sphere, at the very apex of the dome, was an extremely thick beam of white Jade. It spanned the entire plaza, disappearing into the stone walls on either side.

Surrounding the plaza, nine massive bronze pillars depicting Coiling Dragons stood in the formation of the Nine Palaces. The dragons’ mouths held eerie blue flames, illuminating this land that never saw the light of day.

The ground was paved with obsidian carved with complex Array Patterns, the lines of which were identical to the patterns on the hundred-odd coffin lids that had sealed the great tomb.

A chill went down Lu Bai’s spine.

‘So this is the true core of the Corpse Refining Array!’

Upon arriving, the smile and relaxed air had vanished from Bai Chuchu’s face. Her expression had turned grave. She scanned the area with a slight frown, as if she found something perplexing.

After a moment, she stared pensively at the coffin suspended in mid-air.

Lu Bai scanned the area but saw no sign of any treasure.

‘Could the treasure be in that coffin?’

‘That’s possible.’

‘In some tombs, the best treasures are buried with the owner in their coffin.’

‘Bai Chuchu did say this place was dangerous, that some old monster was guarding it.’

Although Lu Bai was filled with questions, he didn’t dare to speak rashly.

THUMP!

At that moment, a deep thud suddenly echoed from above the plaza. It was like a roll of muffled thunder, a deafening roar!

In response to the sound, Lu Bai’s heart gave a violent thump. His Blood Qi began to race uncontrollably, and his body involuntarily let out a roar like a tidal wave.

However, even that tidal roar paled in comparison to the deep thud from before.

Startled, Lu Bai hurriedly suppressed his Blood Qi and calmed his Heart and Spirit.

At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a horrifying scene overhead!

The deep thud from just now had actually come from the blood-red sphere.

With that sound, the blood-red sphere contracted slightly before rapidly expanding again!

With each contraction and expansion, the blood-red sphere radiated a suffocating pressure.

This pressure stemmed from deep within his bloodline, like a tiger’s dominance over a flock of sheep. The color drained from Lu Bai’s face, and he almost fell to his knees.

The Ancient Mirror vibrated slightly, silently neutralizing the terrifying pressure.

As the blood-red sphere pulsed, streams of bright red liquid flowed slowly down the four massive chains and into the coffin.

Lu Bai’s eyes widened as a horrifying thought flashed through his mind.

‘That giant, blood-red sphere… it’s clearly a heart!’

‘What kind of terrifying being could have such a massive heart?’

“A True Dragon Heart.”

As if sensing the question in Lu Bai’s mind, Bai Chuchu’s voice rang out.

‘A True Dragon Heart!’

Lu Bai swallowed, his heart pounding uncontrollably in his chest.

According to legend, the True Dragon Race had all but vanished from the world after the ancient era.

Later, five dragon bloodlines were passed down—the Flood Dragon, Chi Dragon, Qiu Dragon, Coiling Dragon, and Mirage Dragon—but none of them could be considered part of the True Dragon Race.

Their very names branded them as lesser beings, a sign of their impure bloodlines.

Even so, these five Dragon Races were still among the most powerful species, ranked as top-tier Demon Beasts!

‘I can’t believe there’s actually a True Dragon Heart here!’

Generally speaking, a True Dragon Heart was even more precious than a True Dragon Inner Core.

The presence of a True Dragon Inner Core meant that the True Dragon was still young, equivalent to an expert at the Golden Core Realm.

But a True Dragon Heart grew along with the True Dragon for its entire life.

As a True Dragon grew older and more powerful, the bloodline energy within its heart would become increasingly potent.

Bai Chuchu said softly, “This True Dragon Heart is ancient. It was likely buried here during the ancient era.”

Lu Bai was inwardly speechless.

‘Countless years must have passed since the ancient era.’

‘Yet this True Dragon Heart could still beat, preserving blood that was still so fresh!’

‘The True Dragon it belonged to must have been powerful beyond imagination!’

“Who dares trespass in the forbidden land of the Corpse Refining Sect!”

Just then, a sinister voice echoed through the plaza, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Bai Chuchu didn’t answer. Instead, she sent a telepathic message to Lu Bai, “Darling, take this True Dragon Heart and leave first in a moment. The rest of the treasures are on the corpse in the coffin. I’ll get them for you.”

‘This True Dragon Heart is huge! How am I supposed to take it?’

‘And how am I supposed to leave? There’s no way out!’

‘Shouldn’t we just leave together?’

Countless thoughts flashed through Lu Bai’s mind. Just as he was about to ask, he realized Bai Chuchu had already vanished from his side.

The next moment, Bai Chuchu appeared high up in the dome, right beside the massive True Dragon Heart!

“You’re courting death!”

The voice rang out again.

JINGLE JINGLE!

The sound of the Corpse Heart Bell echoed through the plaza.

“ROAR!”

The Combat Corpse roared as a black shadow tore through the air, lunging at Bai Chuchu. It reached her in an instant!

Bai Chuchu merely extended one small hand and made a grabbing motion toward the Combat Corpse from across the distance.

The space around the Combat Corpse collapsed, and a massive cage materialized out of thin air, trapping it within.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Combat Corpse relentlessly battered the cage, which looked ready to shatter.

But Bai Chuchu used the opportunity to swipe her other hand lightly across the four thick chains.

SNAP!

The chains snapped!

The massive Jade Coffin plummeted downward.

At the same time, the True Dragon Heart fell into Bai Chuchu’s hands.