Under the elder's control, the three drops of blood finally fused into a single blood bead the size of a grape. The blood bead was crystalline, and it reflected the Myriad God Ridge's sect master's face.
His face had a feverish look as he gazed at the blood bead.
Upon seeing the elder's expression, Yi Yun's heart thumped. On careful thought, he began to wonder exactly what the drop of blood that the elder produced was. For him to place so much weight on the drop of blood, it was definitely not easily obtained.
Was it possible that the drop of blood was left behind by past disciples with 'wisdom roots' that had once joined the sect after triggering the Ascending Dragon Cauldron?
But where were those disciples now?
For many years, the Myriad God Ridge had recruited disciples in a clamorous fashion, so it should have accumulated quite a number of disciples with 'wisdom roots!' But Yi Yun had not heard of many disciples with 'wisdom roots' actually existing in the sect. Other than Snake Girl and himself, there weren't many others.
Upon realizing this, Yi Yun had an ominous feeling.
"Let's begin…"
The elder focused on controlling the drop of blood, sending it flying towards the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. The elder looked on with an awed expression, as though he was witnessing the birth of a new world.
At last, the drop of blood entered the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, landing right on the eyes of the black dragon sculpture.
The drop of blood gradually fused with the sculpture as the black dragon's eyes turned increasingly bright. The silent Ascending Dragon Cauldron seemed to come alive momentarily!
"Boom!"
The Ascending Dragon Cauldron blasted out immense energy as a terrifying wave of aura flew out in every direction. Snake Girl, who had a relatively weaker cultivation level, could not withstand the blast at all as she spewed a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
Yi Yun's strength was much greater than Snake Girl's so he was able to withstand the aura. However, to not stand out, he feigned a look of also not being able to withstand it.
And at that moment, amid the squall, the Myriad God Ridge's sect master's hair was disheveled and his eyes were filled with a maniacal glimmer.
"Open! Open!"
The elder cried out crazily with all his heart as the dragon vibrated violently. A flickering black dragon soul peered out of the cauldron's mouth as though it was about to escape!
"It's out, the Dragon Emperor's soul!"
The elder's eyes were filled with excitement but he wasn't surprised. He had witnessed this very scene many times in the past. Several attempts to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron with the Dragon Emperor's bloodline had been made, and there were times that he would trigger the dragon soul only for it to ultimately fail.
The elder held the greatest hope for this attempt, and it was also the strongest reaction up to date!
However...
The black dragon's phantom only appeared for less than a minute and did not grow any stronger. After that, the energy produced by the Ascending Dragon Cauldron no longer increased, and instead began to gradually decrease. The black dragon phantom also turned increasingly blur as it began to shrink away.
"What!?"
Upon seeing this happen, the elder's heart was seized with anxiety!
It had failed!?
The dragon soul weakened and disappeared eventually. The energy squall came to a rest and the Ascending Dragon Cauldron became still, standing in the middle of the hall as though nothing had happened.
The elder was battered out of his senses when he saw how things had played out. He stood silently for a long time, continuing to stare at the Ascending Dragon Cauldron as though he was waiting for a miracle to happen.
However, the cauldron continued to show no sign of activity.
It had truly failed!
The elder took a few steps back. And when he turned around, he appeared to have aged even more.
A rich air of death effused from his entire being as though he was about to walk into a tomb. He had attempted about eight times, all of which ended in failure. Yet, his time was nearly up!
The elder slowly turned his head around to look at Yi Yun. This look made Yi Yun's heart clamp up. It was an indescribable look. The look contained disappointment, disgruntlement, and ferociousness…
"Your blood…"
The elder’s voice was heavy. The effects of Yi Yun's blood were a lot worse than he had originally expected.
He believed that Yi Yun's appearance could very well be the chance for him to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. However, it failed yet again. He had also wasted a precious blood catalyst.
The blood catalyst consisted of blood marrow from draconic Ancient Fey, fused with the bloodline essences of multiple disciples with 'wisdom roots,' finally taking a new form.
The wastage of every drop of this blood catalyst pinched the elder's heart greatly.
And the reason for such an outcome was that Yi Yun had given him inaccurate expectations.
It was a fact that Yi Yun had triggered the Ascending Dragon Cauldron's soul dragon previously, but this time the quality of the bloodline was exceedingly bad. Bloodline of such quality would never be able to trigger the Ascending Dragon Cauldron's dragon soul. Was there a hidden reason behind this?
The elder watched Yi Yun intently. His deep gaze was like a keen blade that appeared to be penetrating Yi Yun. But from beginning to end, Yi Yun did not betray himself with any expressions. He wore a calm expression but he was sneering in his heart.
The failure to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron was perfectly aligned with his wishes. For using him as an experimental subject and taking his blood on a whim, the old man deserved to die from anger.
"Senior Brother, what do we do?"
Seeing the attempt to awaken the Ascending Dragon Cauldron fail, the old woman beside Snake Girl appeared extremely disappointed.
With that, she also began to hate Yi Yun and Snake Girl.
Noticing how the elder was quietly watching Yi Yun, she could not help but curse, "It's all because of you two good-for-nothings. The Myriad God Ridge made an exception to accept the both of you and gave you such great treatment, but your 'wisdom roots' are so terrible. You have wasted a blood catalyst for nothing. Useless trash!"
The old woman spoke harshly. In fact, Snake Girl was under her jurisdiction.
"Grandmaster, what did I do wrong…"
Snake Girl was completely puzzled. She did not know what she could have done to be scolded in such a vicious manner.
"Forget it." The Myriad God Ridge's sect master waved his hand. "I probably made a mistake in my judgment. Let them take their leave."
"Then, I'll take my leave."
Yi Yun bowed with a deadpan expression as he turned to leave with a baffled Snake Girl.
The old woman watched Yi Yun leave and when she saw his figure disappear, an abhorring glimmer flashed in her eyes. "That punk. I really want to kill him with a strike! That look in his eyes, that demeanor. He shows no fear or respect for the two of us. He knew that the awakening of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron had failed because of his impure bloodline, and that he wasted a drop of blood catalyst. But look at him. Not only was there no hint of guilt, he nearly gloated at our misfortune!"
The Myriad God Ridge's sect master remained silent. He looked at the door through which Yi Yun had disappeared.
"This Yi Yun is not simple. I can see through many people from the younger generation, but he makes me feel as though he is hiding certain things…"
"What things?" The old woman's face turned cold. "The awakening of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron is of utmost importance. How can we permit this punk to do as he pleases? I'll have him forcibly brought here for interrogation. Let's see what secrets he can possibly have!"
"No, do not act rashly." The elder shook his head before turning to look back at the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. He recalled the process by which the Ascending Dragon Cauldron was awoken a moment ago.
"What could be the problem?" The elder muttered to himself…