Song Wanning was constantly worried about the Song Family, afraid the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder would cause them trouble.

Now that the dragon vein was awakened, she had to go out and check on the situation before returning to discuss with the Dragon Spirit when to release the rich Spiritual Energy.

After all, releasing it now would not be a wise move.

Just as she was about to get up, the Dragon Spirit zipped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Sister, Sister, don’t leave me behind! Please take me with you when you go out, okay?"

The Dragon Spirit blinked its large eyes, looking utterly pitiful.

Its eyes were filled with reluctance and bewilderment. Having just been awakened, it was clearly unfamiliar with and anxious about its surroundings.

"Take you out with me?"

Song Wanning froze, her eyes wide with astonishment.

The Golden Small Sword froze for a second before becoming ecstatic.

’Sister, agree quickly!’

’If you agree, you two can form a contract!’

’This is the Dragon Spirit itself asking to form a contract! It’s the opportunity of a lifetime—Sister, you can’t miss this.’

’If she really passes this up, I’ll die from regret!’

Song Wanning came to her senses, her gaze turning intricate as she studied the Dragon Spirit.

’This is the first time a Spiritual Object has ever offered to form a contract with me.’

’Could this be a trap?’

Song Wanning’s scrutinizing gaze landed on the Dragon Spirit. Although it didn’t understand the meaning behind her look, the Dragon Spirit felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

’It seems Sister doesn’t like me very much.’

At this thought, the Dragon Spirit’s eyes instantly welled with tears, which trembled on its lashes, threatening to fall at any moment.

Even someone as hard-hearted as Song Wanning found the sight pitiable.

"Sister, are you looking down on me? I know I’m not very useful, but I promise I’ll try my best!!!"

"Please take me with you, Sister, okay? I promise I’ll be good and listen to whatever you say."

The Dragon Spirit’s tail swayed listlessly. Despite its majestic draconic form, its mannerisms were utterly endearing, just like a newborn hatchling.

A smile suddenly touched Song Wanning’s lips at the sight.

"Little one, how could you possibly be useless? You’re more useful than you can imagine."

"Since you’re so eager, just don’t regret it after we form the contract..."

She grinned as she stared at the Dragon Spirit, looking for all the world like a con artist tricking a young, naive cub.

At her words, the Dragon Spirit nodded eagerly, its face a picture of pure, unquestioning innocence. And just like that, having only just been awakened, it muddle-headedly took the bait.

Having reached an agreement, Song Wanning wasn’t about to let such a huge opportunity slip away. After getting the method for contracting a Dragon Spirit from the Golden Small Sword, she began the ritual.

An Innate Spiritual Object like the Dragon Spirit could only be bound by an equal contract. The host’s life and death had no bearing on its safety; the host’s death simply meant the contract had expired.

Therefore, a contract could only be formed when the Innate Spiritual Object was wholeheartedly willing.

Song Wanning patted the Dragon Spirit’s head and then began the contracting ritual.

Complex mantras and symbols appeared once more. Then, she squeezed out a drop of Heart Blood and touched it to the Dragon Spirit’s forehead.

The blood quickly merged into its Spiritual Body. A complex pattern bloomed on the Dragon Spirit’s forehead and rapidly spread across the rest of its form.

Once the pattern completely enveloped it, the Dragon Spirit transformed into a streak of light and shot directly toward Song Wanning’s Sea of Consciousness.

The moment the Dragon Spirit plunged into her Sea of Consciousness, it trembled violently. A deafening RUMBLE echoed as the entire space began to shake fiercely.

"PTHOO—"

The immense impact caused Song Wanning to spit out a mouthful of blood. Before she could even process what was happening, her Sea of Consciousness began to expand at a terrifying rate.

What was once a vast sea of stars now resembled a colossal, boundless universe.

Song Wanning could only watch as countless stars spun in a frenzy.

She watched as the stars multiplied, more and more...

But it wasn’t over.

"ROAR—"

A dragon’s roar shattered the void.

Song Wanning snapped her head up. Within her Sea of Consciousness, a colossal dragon emerged from the depths of the cosmos, riding on clouds and mist as it roared.

Wherever it passed, the stars themselves recoiled in deference.

Clouds churned and the very air vibrated.

The great dragon shrieked, surging toward Song Wanning’s Divine Soul.

An overwhelming pressure slammed into her. Song Wanning instinctively tried to dodge, but her Divine Soul seemed to be shackled in place, completely immobile.

She could only watch, paralyzed, as the great dragon lunged at her.

"ROAR—"

The great dragon crashed into her.

A wave of excruciating pain washed over Song Wanning, forcing an involuntary cry from her lips.

The next instant, a powerful energy surged into her Divine Soul, causing it to erupt in a brilliant flash of light.

Even the Golden Small Sword was thrown out of the Sea of Consciousness by the violent shockwave. It hovered in mid-air, terrified.

But what terrified it even more was that the Tai Chi Diagram within Song Wanning’s Sea of Consciousness suddenly began to stir.

The Tai Chi Diagram shot out from her Dantian and surged toward her Sea of Consciousness, moving so fast it vanished in the blink of an eye.

Then, the dragon vein beneath her began to tremble faintly.

"ROAR—"

A roar tore through the entire city, a deep, draconic cry that felt as if it could pierce the very soul bodies of the cultivators.

Even the Divinity Transformation cultivators felt a violent tremor originating from the depths of their Divine Souls.

The Spiritual Energy within everyone’s bodies stagnated, causing them to plummet from the sky. The barrage of Spells that had filled the air finally ceased.

But the dragon’s roar did not stop; it began to spread out, reaching beyond the city walls.

"It’s a dragon!!!"

Someone screamed.

Everyone’s faces changed drastically. Their gazes on the courtyard were now blazing with greed and desire.

The Ning Family Patriarch’s heart hammered in his chest, stirred by a great wave of emotion.

’A dragon!!!’

’What in the world is the Song Family up to?’

"Charge!!!"

Without another moment of hesitation, he commanded his men to charge the courtyard once more.

’That’s a legendary dragon!’

’With a heaven-defying opportunity right in front of them, what did things like benevolence and morality matter?’

’What did the rules of the Cultivation World matter?’

’Once they possessed absolute power, they would be the ones to rewrite the rules, and the other families would have no choice but to submit.’

The Family Heads and Divinity Transformation cultivators of the three major families launched their assault, no longer holding anything back.

The cultivators from the other families also went into a frenzy, as if they were on steroids.

Seeing this, the He Family Master’s heart tightened. He continued his attack while sending a voice transmission to He Xiao, "Wait for an opportunity to seize the prize. I’ll hold the line here!"

’He wasn’t about to let his family members fight mindlessly. The prize was what mattered most. If He Xiao could fish in troubled waters and secure the opportunity, the He Family would no longer have to live at the whim of the three major families.’

He Xiao nodded. A flicker of determination crossed his eyes, and he began to hold back in his attacks, starting to scheme for a way to exploit an opening.

Soon, the area before the Song Family’s main gate descended into utter chaos.

The fighting grew even more intense than before.

At that critical juncture, several figures suddenly appeared in the sky. Without a second thought, they launched a ferocious attack toward the Song Family courtyard.

The once-stable Array instantly became precarious, showing signs of imminent collapse.

The remaining Divinity Transformation cultivators from the three major families had arrived!