Chapter 261: Breaking the Seal

Hearing Xuanyuan’s words, Rod became even more cautious. He looked down at the prepared blood, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes. Guided by his combat energy, he directed the blood to flow over the entire body of the Dark Dragon.

As the blood covered the dragon’s body, its sword became even more blood-red—vividly crimson, strikingly intense, like a terrifying black hole that lured people into its grasp, making them unable to resist being drawn in. Even under the protection of his combat energy, Rod’s mind nearly succumbed to its allure.

Fortunately, Xuanyuan played a crucial role at this moment. Thanks to the cool aura he emitted, Rod finally pulled himself back to reality. He let out a sigh of relief, drenched in cold sweat. It was indeed a sinister presence. When he looked at the Dark Dragon again, he felt uneasy.

Unnoticed, all the blood had covered the dragon’s sword. Suddenly, the Dark Dragon emitted a terrifying red light, filled with overwhelming evil intent and murderous aura. It appeared swiftly and vanished just as quickly, returning to calm in an instant. Yet, a faint red glow could still be seen on the sword.

As time passed, a strange scene unfolded—the Dark Dragon, like dried cotton, absorbed all the blood flowing over it and disappeared in the blink of an eye. It then returned to calm, but Rod could clearly sense a massive amount of energy trembling and surging, as if ready to erupt at any moment.

Seeing this, Rod knew the time had come. The energy was the result of his blood interacting with the seal. He quickly followed the Dark Dragon’s earlier instructions and sent his mental energy into its body.

Upon entering, Rod was shocked. The interior of the Dark Dragon had undergone drastic changes—it was no longer what it used to be; it was a completely unfamiliar landscape. The environment was filled with intense redness, murderous aura, and a thick sense of evil, making it unbearable even for Rod.

A normal warrior would likely lose their mind and become a puppet in such an environment. Even Rod felt dizzy. It was the Sword Spirit of Xuanyuan, with its righteous aura, that played a vital role here, helping Rod resist the sinister influence.

He guided his own blood to flow inward. Once his blood entered the Dark Dragon, it surged like a river of blood, turbulent and mighty, flowing inward like the Yangtze River, sucking in all the demonic energy, murderous intent, and evil forces in its path. The originally sinister world vanished in an instant, leaving behind a completely peaceful environment, which surprised Rod greatly. It was truly a mysterious and strange place. He guessed that the purpose of integrating these evil energies into his blood was simply to let them flow inward along with his blood, helping the Sword Spirit break through the seal. At this thought, Rod was even more astonished—he never expected the Sword Spirit to think of such things—and he was further awed by the mystery and complexity of the seal. Not daring to linger, he hurriedly followed, and soon arrived outside the seal. Inside, the Sword Spirit wore a sinister expression, with a arrogant smile, waving its hands. The blood from the outside seemed to be drawn by it, frantically attacking the barrier. Each attack caused earthshaking tremors, as if the barrier were about to collapse, shaking the entire space. With each attack, a layer of energy could be faintly seen blocking the blood, only to disappear afterward. However, after several attacks, Rod could sense that the blood had stained the seal, gradually causing cracks to appear in its barrier. “Rod, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and help! Mix your combat energy into that blood to strengthen the attacks—quickly!” At this critical moment, the Dark Dragon shouted at Rod, who was still standing outside in a daze. This was not the time to be distracted; success or failure hinged on this attempt. If they failed now, they might not get another chance for a long time, so it absolutely could not give up. “Kid, hold back! Don’t use your full strength—there’s something strange here!” Just as Rod was about to launch the attack, a serious voice from within his body came through—Xuanyuan’s voice, seemingly worried about something. “Strange?” Rod’s heart skipped a beat as he quickly asked. “Yes, there’s something strange. Things aren’t that simple! That guy is very strong—at least I can’t compare to him right now. Think about it—what good will it do you to get involved in a seal he can’t even break? If this barrier could seal him for a thousand years, how could it be so easy? If you use your full strength, think about what will happen to you once the seal is broken.” Xuanyuan continued speaking rapidly.

The words were simple, but to Rod, they were like a revelation that changed his expression drastically. Could it be that the Dark Dragon intended to reuse the seal to drain his combat energy while reopening it, so that once the seal broke, he would be defenseless and the Dark Dragon could…?

At this thought, a cold glint flashed in Rod’s eyes. The Dark Dragon—he had clearly underestimated it. It wasn’t that simple after all. If not for Xuanyuan, he wouldn’t even know how many problems had already arisen. Just outside—he had almost had his mind controlled moments ago. All that murderous energy and demonic aura were under the Dark Dragon’s control. If it hadn’t wanted to, how could such things have happened?

“If you’re unkind, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Taking a deep breath, Rod thought to himself that since the Dark Dragon had chosen to betray him, there was no need to overthink it. He would just see who would laugh last.

“Hurry up and act! If you don’t, it’ll be too late!” At that moment, the Dark Dragon’s anxious voice was heard.

“I’m coming!” Taking another deep breath, Rod channeled his combat energy toward the seal. As the energy merged with his blood, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

His blood now contained terrifying, immeasurable amounts of demonic aura, murderous intent, and fighting spirit. Normally, these should have caused him great harm, but at this moment, Rod not only felt no pain but also sensed that they seemed close to him, devoid of hostility—completely harmless to him.

However, time was pressing, and Rod didn’t have much time to ponder further. With his blood condensed into a long dragon, he charged at the barrier.

With coordinated attacks from within and without, the effect became apparent. With a thunderous roar, the entire barrier began to tremble, and a clear crack appeared.

“Good! It’s almost done. A few more times and it’ll be ready!” Seeing this, the Dark Dragon’s sword spirit was overjoyed and roared excitedly.

After a thousand years of waiting, hope had finally arrived. Victory was within sight—how could it not be excited?

Boom… boom… boom…

The roaring continued, and the barrier finally appeared before them, cracking into spiderweb-like fissures. It was in peril, with a dazzling light flickering on it as if trying to repair the cracks. The effect was evident—several fissures were already repaired in just a few moments.

“Damn old man, using this trick again!” Seeing this, the Dark Dragon Sword Spirit was clearly unprepared and froze for a moment before cursing angrily.
“I’ll take care of this side; I’ll deal with that guy!” It was obvious they couldn’t let that guy continue repairing the barrier—his repair speed was far greater than their attacks. Only by blocking his repairs could they hope to break through the seal.
There was no time to hesitate. Even knowing the Dark Dragon’s scheme, Rod had to press on; he couldn’t give up at such a critical moment. After considering the situation, Rod agreed to the Dark Dragon Sword Spirit’s request.
In the next instant, the Dark Dragon Sword Spirit vanished, turning into a pitch-black red glow that intertwined with that dazzling light. Instantly, the repair of the barrier stopped.
The moment had arrived. Rod began to assault the entire barrier relentlessly. This time, he held nothing back, as he had discovered a crucial issue. Once he realized it, he used every ounce of his energy in each attack.
Boom… Boom… Boom… The sound was like thunder, shaking the entire space. Outside, the Dark Dragon Sword was eerily active—red light flickered as the sword jumped on the ground as if it had a life of its own! Vague voices could be heard from within.
Once, twice… ninety times! Finally, after ninety impacts, the entire defensive barrier was in tatters, on the verge of collapse.
“Good! Ten more times—hundred impacts will surely break through it. Almost there, hurry up!” The Dark Dragon was extremely excited at this sight.
Out of breath and with a wild look in his eyes, Rod rushed at the seal once again.
Ten times—completed in an instant. Finally, after the tenth impact, with a loud roar, the barrier vanished, and the white light disappeared along with it.
“Hahaha… I’m back! I’m finally back! Old man, how about that? I’m back—how can you handle me now?” Freed from the barrier’s constraints, the Sword Spirit immediately gained its freedom and landed on the ground, roaring to the sky.
“Enough. It’s time to form a contract now!” To fully control the Dark Dragon, Rod had to sign a contract with the Sword Spirit—this was the biggest difference between divine weapons and ordinary ones.
Previously, because the Sword Spirit was bound, Rod could only sign a contract for the sword’s blade. Now that the Sword Spirit had returned, that contract automatically became invalid. To control the Dark Dragon, Rod had to form a contract with it.

“A contract?” Hearing Rod’s words, a sinister smile appeared on his lips as he slowly walked toward Rod, the Dark Dragon Sword Spirit laughing loudly, as if it had heard the funniest joke. “A contract indeed, but it won’t be me who signs it with you—it will be you who signs it with me!” Suddenly, his expression turned ferocious, and in a flash, he rushed at Rod at a speed too fast to see with the naked eye.