Ye Ling, after suppressing the dragon vein and noticing the black energy entwined around it, couldn't help but ask Wang Die, "Was this dragon vein always like this?"
"Did something go wrong?"
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, Wang Die was slightly stunned. She immediately looked at the dragon vein beneath the mausoleum, also spotting the black energy coiled around it, her pupils contracting slightly. "Where did all this black energy come from? Why didn't I sense anything at all?"
Seeing Wang Die's surprised expression, Ye Ling understood that Wang Die was unaware of what had happened to the dragon vein. He said, "That black energy carries the aura of an extraterrestrial force. The Shadow Hall has long been tampering with China's dragon vein. It's likely that the current agitation of the dragon vein is caused by this black energy."
"There's such a thing..."
Wang Die's expression turned grave. She knew the Shadow Hall would target the dragon vein, but she hadn't expected them to have already made their move!
It was laughable that she had been foolishly waiting, focusing all her attention on the Cloud Palace.
If she hadn't come here in advance to unlock the dragon vein's restrictions, she might not have even known if the Shadow Hall had devoured it!
Ye Ling quickly scanned the dragon vein and said, "No need to worry for now. Although the black energy is entwined with the dragon vein and has affected the national destiny to some extent, it hasn't affected the fundamentals. As long as that black energy is eradicated, the dragon vein will recover on its own."
With that, Ye Ling released a bit of his spiritual power, covering the area around the dragon vein and forcing out all the black energy entwined with it.
"Roar!!!"
The moment Ye Ling forced out the black energy, a black dragon materialized in mid-air, roaring at Ye Ling and Wang Die.
Under the influence of the black energy, the corpses in the mausoleum all broke through the earth and were further strengthened by the black energy, an exceptionally malevolent aura permeating the surroundings.
The unearthed corpses, after being strengthened by the black energy, had the weakest among them possessing an eighth-grade cultivation!
"These zombies have all been strengthened to eighth-grade? What kind of monster is that black dragon?"
Wang Die saw the dense, scattered corpses, her eyes filled with shock, and a tempest of astonishment surged within her!
What kind of power was this?
"Who dares to disturb this seat's consumption of the dragon vein?"
The black dragon that materialized in mid-air roared, its deafening growl echoing through the mausoleum.
If Ye Ling hadn't set up a barrier around the area beforehand, everyone in Pingyuan City would likely have seen this black dragon.
Ye Ling looked up and sized up the black dragon. Its strength was between the Heavenly Palace and True Martial realms, far surpassing True Martial in the mortal world. If only the cultivators of Yan Hua were here, it was unlikely anyone could subdue this black dragon.
Wang Die's expression was solemn as she moved closer to Ye Ling and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I can no longer discern the strength of this black dragon, nor do I know how much of the dragon vein's destiny it has absorbed. Its current strength is definitely more than what is apparent. Do you have confidence?"
Ye Ling chuckled and said, "Don't worry, it's still within control."
"That's good then."
With Ye Ling's reply, Wang Die also felt relieved and secretly let out a sigh of relief. She then added, "Your Majesty, if you still have any energy left after subduing the black dragon, I have a favor to ask."
Ye Ling: "What is it?"
Wang Die said, "Although I don't know how much of the dragon vein's destiny the black dragon has absorbed, a nation's destiny is a power of the Heavenly Dao. It is not easy for outsiders to digest and absorb it. I suspect that a large amount of the dragon vein's destiny still remains within that black dragon. If it's possible... I hope Your Majesty can force out that destiny and return it to the dragon vein."
After all, the stronger the dragon vein, the more prosperous a nation would be. With the dragon vein being consumed, although it was far from the point of national demise, future natural disasters and man-made calamities were unavoidable.
If it were possible to replenish some of the dragon vein's lost destiny, it could also save a large number of lives.
Ye Ling looked at Wang Die with some surprise and said, "I didn't expect you, little girl, to have such concern for the world and think about such things."
Wang Die replied, "It's just a small request. I personally can't do anything, so Your Majesty doesn't need to praise me."
The black dragon in mid-air, seeing that Ye Ling and Wang Die were ignoring it, felt immensely insulted, its eyes almost spitting fire.
"Hey! You two, I'm asking you a question! How dare you disturb this seat's consumption of the dragon vein?"
Hearing the black dragon ask again, Ye Ling couldn't help but show a flicker of impatience. He teleported into mid-air, stood before the black dragon, and extended his open five fingers, "There's no need to say the same thing twice."
Boom!!!
A large amount of demonic energy surged from Ye Ling's palm, entangling the black dragon.
Almost instantly, the black dragon felt a power it could not imagine surge into its body, eroding its soul.
"This, this!!! Who exactly are you?"
This time, the black dragon was completely dumbfounded. It stared at Ye Ling in terror and let out a shrill roar.
Looking at the black dragon's roaring appearance, a hint of amusement flashed in Ye Ling's eyes, and he mocked, "It seems your abilities are lacking, little fellow. You've hidden so much of the dragon vein's destiny within you. If you had absorbed all that power, you would be at least in the True Martial realm by now."
"However, it doesn't make much difference."
With that said, Ye Ling broke through all of the black dragon's defenses, extracted all the dragon vein power from within it, and sent it back to the dragon vein.
"No, don't!!!"
The black dragon's screams echoed through the mausoleum.
"It's, it's that simple?"
Wang Die, standing in the mausoleum, stared blankly at the screaming black dragon in mid-air, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She knew Ye Ling was powerful, and had always considered him the strongest in this era, but the black dragon that had absorbed the dragon vein was also not weak!
At that time, Wang Die had only absorbed a small fragment of the dragon vein's heart, and her cultivation had skyrocketed to eighth-grade. The black dragon, however, had been continuously devouring China's dragon vein. Wang Die couldn't even imagine how strong the black dragon was!
Wang Die had initially thought that even if the black dragon was not Ye Ling's match, it could at least fight Ye Ling to a standstill...
But now...
The black dragon's current pathetic state had completely shattered Wang Die's worldview.
Her understanding of Ye Ling's power had reached a deeper level.
The black dragon's screams did not last long. Ye Ling completely drained the power from within the black dragon, leaving it with only a wisp of its primordial spirit.
Meanwhile, the zombies in the mausoleum that had been strengthened, before they could even unleash their power, all crumbled into skeletons, unable to rise again.
The vast mausoleum was a mess of pits and hollows, littered with bones everywhere.
"Done."
Ye Ling, carrying the black dragon's primordial spirit, landed before Wang Die and sent all the power he had extracted from the black dragon back into the dragon vein. "You can re-apply the seal."
Wang Die looked at the dragon vein, which had returned to its calm state, even recovering its former strength, and she was still somewhat dazed.
This crisis, which could have threatened China and even plunged the entire world into turmoil, had ended just like that?
From discovering the crisis to resolving it...
Did it even take thirty seconds?
Wang Die looked at Ye Ling with a somewhat stiff expression, swallowed, and asked with a trembling voice, "It, it's done?"