Chapter 147: Ascending the Clouds in the Sea of Fog

Inside the spirit grotto, the bloody fire had already dissipated, leaving ethereal mists drifting in the air. A flood dragon, snowy-white in its entirety and with deep blue eyes, coiled within, looking down from above and locking gazes with Jiang Chen.

"It has truly come back to life..."

With his mind connected to the flood dragon, Jiang Chen reached out his palm.

At this moment, as if sensing the connection, the flood dragon coiled within the clouds lowered its head and touched Jiang Chen's palm. Man and dragon were intimately connected. However, upon closer inspection, it would be evident that the flood dragon's eyes were somewhat hollow, lacking genuine spirit and vitality.

A moment later, Jiang Chen withdrew his hand, and the flood dragon retreated back into the mist.

"Ordinarily, a demonic hide is essentially closer to a magical instrument, but this flood dragon skin is different. After I infused it with spirit, the True Qi that should have vanished completely was unexpectedly preserved. To a certain extent, the current flood dragon skin is a living creature; it possesses not only its own physical body but also its own soul."

"It's just that its body lacks flesh and blood, and its soul lacks self-awareness."

Looking at the lifelike flood dragon skin surging within the mists, various thoughts crossed Jiang Chen's mind. Through spirit infusion, he had bestowed an entirely different essence upon the flood dragon skin.

"If that's the case, then..."

With a sudden thought and relying on the spiritual connection, Jiang Chen communicated with the flood dragon skin.

The next instant, his consciousness expanded, and Jiang Chen's perspective began to shift, as if arriving in an unfamiliar place. It was precisely at this moment that the misty dragon's previously hollow eyes gained a spark of vitality, truly coming to life.

Roar! With his consciousness inhabiting the flood dragon's body, Jiang Chen emitted a soft roar, filled with a sense of loftiness and excitement. At this moment, the mist-dragon seemed to have truly come alive.

"Great Achievement-level True Qi, a formidable physical body, and a matching legacy. Compared to my original body, this flood dragon vessel is even more powerful."

With his consciousness residing in the flood dragon skin, Jiang Chen instantly gained a deep understanding of the flood dragon's power. He could say that he was now the mist-dragon reborn.

"Gao Siyuan did not lose unjustly, and he was even quite fortunate."

Delving deeper into the power of the mist-dragon, Jiang Chen couldn't help but think of Gao Siyuan.

The mist-dragon was a pure-blooded flood dragon, and its bloodline carried the dragon clan's legacy, the *Cloud-Climbing Scripture of the Misty Sea*. This legacy originated from the cloud-dragon lineage and was the derivative technique of a profound and marvelous heritage, possessing an extraordinary essence. Although what the mist-dragon obtained was only a fragment, stopping short at the Dao Foundation realm, its subtlety and wondrous nature remained extraordinary.

What it practiced was the cloud-climbing Qi. Relying on the Fish-Dragon Pearl, by a fortuitous coincidence, it directly cultivated it to the superior grade, capable of manifesting three transformations: ice, water, and mist, along with the ability to create illusions. It was versatile, and the derivative spells were likewise extraordinary.

"In terms of True Qi accumulation, the mist-dragon probably only has the equivalent of seventy-two acupoints, barely reaching the Great Achievement of Qi Refining, still quite a distance away from the Perfection of Qi Refining. However, with such a foundation, the mist-dragon is no weakling among those at the Great Achievement of Qi Refining."

"In fact, it is simply because the mist-dragon lacked intelligence and its mastery over various spells was far too low. Although it possessed Great Achievement-level True Qi, it didn't master a single Great Achievement-level spell, and even its core spell, the Mist Marsh technique, was only at the Initial Success level."

"Although the bloodline bestowed the mist-dragon with sufficient potential, transforming this potential into true strength still requires effort. In the mist-dragon's original state, this would have been basically impossible, but fortunately, I am here now."

With this thought, Jiang Chen's consciousness returned to his own body.

Simultaneously, the flood dragon let out a soft cry, and the mist-dragon skin directly merged with Jiang Chen's body. At this very moment, Jiang Chen's eyes transformed into vertical slits, scales grew upon his skin, his hair turned ice-blue, and wisps of mist swirled around him, no longer resembling an ordinary person.

As the flood dragon skin enveloped him, Jiang Chen felt an unprecedented surge of strength. The Formless True Qi he had cultivated himself unexpectedly resonated with the cloud-climbing Qi of the mist-dragon. Although the two did not completely fuse into one, an invisible bridge was established between them.

"I can convert my own Formless True Qi into the mist-dragon's cloud-climbing Qi. Although this doesn't raise the upper limit of the mist-dragon's True Qi, it invisibly increases its endurance, rendering it unafraid of war of attrition."

Feeling the changes within himself, Jiang Chen became increasingly convinced that his choice to infuse the flood dragon skin with spirit was correct. Although the cost of this method was quite high, the harvest was equally considerable.

"The mist-dragon lacks sufficient intelligence and cannot truly unearth the treasures within its bloodline, but I am different. With the foundation of my soul, I will certainly be able to digest the mist-dragon's heritage at the fastest speed. As long as I can make up for the mist-dragon's shortcomings in spells, its combat prowess will soon usher in a massive boost."

As his thoughts collided, Jiang Chen mobilized the power of the mist-dragon.

The next instant, with a shake of his body, Jiang Chen directly transformed into the mist-dragon. The entire process was completely seamless and devoid of any stiffness, which was only natural since, after the spirit infusion, the mist-dragon skin was, to a certain extent, an extension of Jiang Chen himself—the two were one and the same.

"Let's go!"

Easily wielding the power of the flood dragon, Jiang Chen flicked his dragon body and directly exited the spirit grotto. Shielded by the clouds and mist, his movements went entirely unnoticed.

High in the sky, riding the mist, Jiang Chen wantonly stretched his body, rising and falling, shifting left and right, feeling utterly unrestrained and joyful.

This cloud-riding technique was one of the inherited spells possessed by the mist-dragon. Compared to riding the wind, its speed was not much faster, but it carried an inherent concealment power, making it difficult for outsiders to detect even when traversing the skies.

"We've finally arrived."

High above, coiled amidst the clouds and mist, Jiang Chen cast his gaze downward. Unawares, he had arrived at the very place where he had previously fished for the mist-dragon.

"Previously, I was busy refining the demonic hide and didn't explore this place. Now is the time to take a look."

With a shift in his thoughts and without hesitation, maintaining his flood dragon form, Jiang Chen plunged headfirst into the Qingyuan River.

"As expected, rivers are where a flood dragon is truly in its element!"

The moment the flood dragon entered the water, Jiang Chen felt an invisible force converge around him. As long as he wished, a mere wave of his hand or flick of his tail could churn the river water and whip up massive billows.

"Mountains have earth veins, and rivers have water veins, all of which are spiritual entities. Who would have thought that such an ordinary stretch of river hides a water vein node?"

A flash of spiritual light crossed his deep blue eyes. Looking at the seemingly normal riverbed, Jiang Chen clearly captured the anomaly.

"There is a natural grand array guarding the outside of the water vein node. Under normal circumstances, this grand array only reveals its traces when torrential rain falls from the sky and the river swells drastically. However, as long as the corresponding conditions are met, this array can be found even without rain."

With a clash of thoughts, Jiang Chen flicked his dragon tail, actively churning the river water.

Before long, undercurrents emerged, and the passage leading to the water vein node was opened.

"This natural grand array serves the purpose of concealing and protecting the water vein node. If I were in my original body, breaking through it would indeed be somewhat troublesome, but the mist-dragon is different."

The flood dragon's body stretched out, with mist flowing between its scales. Unfazed by the turbulent undercurrents, Jiang Chen charged directly through.

After just a moment, transitioning from light to dark, Jiang Chen arrived within the water vein node. It resembled a giant water bubble, harboring a completely different world within.