Chapter 617 - 89: Celestial Thunder

"ROAR—"

The Unihorned Flood Dragon opened its cavernous maw, like a massive black hole, and mercilessly devoured Song Changsheng.

Once inside the Unihorned Flood Dragon’s mouth, a sharp glint flashed in Song Changsheng’s eyes. The Qi and Blood Power in his body surged as a tremendous aura erupted from him.

From his shoulder blades, a pair of illusory wings with green feathers and red spots emerged, burning with roaring flames that released an intimidating heat.

Furthermore, two thick, black arms sprouted from each side of his body. Each arm pulsed with explosive power.

Golden, Sharp Gold Qi swirled around the fingertips of each hand.

Inside the Unihorned Flood Dragon, a highly corrosive mist filled the air, producing a SIZZLING sound as it made contact with Song Changsheng’s skin.

His skin continuously ulcerated, only to rapidly regenerate. The intense pain forced a series of furious roars from Song Changsheng’s lips.

"Break!"

Song Changsheng roared explosively. His six arms exerted force in unison, their fingers, wreathed in Sharp Gold Qi, easily tearing the Unihorned Flood Dragon’s torso apart.

"AWOOO—"

The Unihorned Flood Dragon let out a mournful cry, its blood spraying across the sky as it crashed downward.

Before it even hit the ground, its body transformed into motes of starlight that flowed into Song Changsheng. At the same time, a layer of tangible, jet-black scales crept across his skin.

With this, he had absorbed the abilities of all five remnant souls, achieving the complete form of the [Five Beasts War Body].

The Earth Dragon Emperor gave him what could only be described as a freakish regenerative ability.

The Bi Fang Bird gave him a pair of Fire Wings that greatly increased his speed.

The Six-armed Demon Ape gave him the immense power to sunder mountains and shatter peaks.

The Red-eyed White Tiger gave him its unique Sharp Gold Qi, which could not only ignore a Cultivator’s Protective Celestial Spirit but also invade the body through wounds and press deep into the organs, making it extremely difficult to deal with.

And finally, the Unihorned Flood Dragon was equivalent to giving him a layer of Scale Armor, boosting his defensive power.

For Song Changsheng, this was a comprehensive enhancement of his defense, speed, and power. After activating the [Five Beasts War Body], the strength of his Physical Body alone was enough to fight a Purple Mansion Cultivator.

However, great power came with even greater consumption. With Song Changsheng’s current Body Refining Cultivation, he could only maintain the form for one ancient hour, which was a major drawback.

Fortunately, this duration would increase as Song Changsheng’s Cultivation grew.

"Huuuu—"

In the Seclusion Chamber, Song Changsheng let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes. He felt unusually exhausted, his head as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

He knew this was the result of overexerting his Spiritual Power. After all, the entire trial had been constructed from his own Spiritual Power, and the drain had been terrifying.

If he had taken too long in the trial and his Spiritual Power had been excessively drained, his very Life would have been in danger.

This was why Little Ninth had said that participating in the trial was dangerous.

Thankfully, Song Changsheng’s Divine Soul was extraordinary. After the trial, he was only severely drained and had no other issues.

"Congratulations, Master, on passing the trial and achieving your War Body." Little Ninth’s emotionless, congratulatory voice sounded in Song Changsheng’s ear.

"How long did I take?"

"Less than thirteen ancient hours."

"No wonder I feel completely drained." Song Changsheng shook his groggy head. Even standing felt a little difficult.

In his decades of cultivation, he had never overloaded his Spiritual Power like this.

Song Changsheng spent two days meditating and circulating his energy before he finally felt alive again.

He did a quick calculation. There was still half a month until the Purple Mansion Grand Ceremony, which was enough time for him to deal with the Celestial Thunder Tribulation.

However, to be on the safe side, there was one more thing he needed to do.

He slowly opened his right hand, and the Silver Flood Dragon Mace appeared in his palm. As he watched it spin, Song Changsheng said in a low voice, "Silver Flood Dragon, Hex Tai is dead. You are free now. If you submit to me, I can spare your spiritual consciousness. Otherwise, it’s Soul Scattering for you."

"In your dreams! I will never betray Master!" A silver flood dragon materialized and roared angrily at Song Changsheng.

Hearing this, Song Changsheng sighed softly. Although he had expected this outcome, he still felt a little regretful.

"If that’s how it is, then I will grant you your wish."

Song Changsheng’s palm covered the mace, and with a surge of Mana, he erased the Artifact Spirit within the Silver Flood Dragon Mace.

The lower the rank of an Artifact Spirit, the less independent consciousness it has, and thus the more loyal it naturally is.

Conversely, those with higher Spiritual Wisdom like Wujie were more easily swayed by words.

Without an Artifact Spirit, the value of a Magical Treasure was greatly reduced. On the other hand, the difficulty of refining it also decreased. It only took Song Changsheng three days to place his Divine Soul Seal on it.

With an extra Magical Treasure at his side, his confidence in overcoming the Thunder Tribulation grew even greater.

Song Changsheng returned to the small courtyard and found Zhu Yiqun sitting leisurely on a recliner under the Parasol Tree, munching on a cluster of grape-like Spirit Fruits. From the room to the left, heart-wrenching, tearless wails could be heard from time to time. The scene was enough to make any listener grieve and any onlooker weep.

"My son is suffering in there, and you’re just lazing around." Song Changsheng shot Zhu Yiqun a look and said irritably.

"Hey now, it’s not like I want to treat my dear nephew this way. But you know it was your old man who insisted. Your brother here had no choice, right?" Zhu Yiqun casually spat the fruit skins onto the ground, a wide grin on his face.

"At his current age, the medicinal bath you prepared shouldn’t be very useful anymore, right?"

At this, Zhu Yiqun sighed. "The effects are diminishing, it’s true. But we have no choice. Without a suitable Heart Method, if he doesn’t build a solid foundation now, this kid is really going to be a lost cause."