Ji Laosan had at least advanced to the Ancient Dragon stage, and his keen eye was more than sufficient to recognize that the human was at a critical juncture of breakthrough.
This was precisely why he hadn't pressed any deeper.
He genuinely wanted to reclaim his honor, but to interrupt someone during such a pivotal moment would be to take advantage of their vulnerability. If his interference caused the other party's breakthrough to fail, the enmity would become one that could only be settled by death.
What's more, he even doubted whether, under the bombardment of the other's dragon pressure, he could even approach.
From the blood cocoon below, muffled booms rang out at regular intervals, like a powerful life stirring to wakefulness, and with every boom, a wave of formidable dragon might swept outward.
The dragons were at a loss for what to do.
After a long silence, Ji Laosan spoke. "There's no telling when this human's advancement will end. Be careful, circle around, and go deeper into the Dragon Pool to cultivate."
There was no point in all of them waiting here. The opening of the Dragon Pool was an opportunity for the Dragon Clan—wasting time here was far too costly.
"Third Brother, what about you?" one of the dragons asked.
Ji Laosan was silent for a moment. "I'll wait and watch a bit longer."
He had already broken through to the Ancient Dragon stage, so one could say the purpose of this trip to the Dragon Pool had been fulfilled. Whether or not he went on to cultivate further didn't matter much.
More importantly, he wanted to wait until Yang Kai finished his breakthrough and then settle the score. The humiliation he'd suffered beyond the pass had to be repaid. Now wasn't the right time, but once the other had advanced, there would be no excuse.
The dragon who had asked seemed to see through Ji Laosan's intentions and chose not to press the matter, nodding instead. "Then be careful, Third Brother."
This human was something of a freak. His breakthrough was making quite a commotion—if he truly advanced to Ancient Dragon, his strength would surely be immense. Ji Laosan might not be his match and could even end up humiliated again. But everyone had their own convictions, and he wasn't in a position to argue.
With the decision made, the dragons didn't delay. They surrounded the three young dragons in their midst, skirted the area saturated with dragon pressure, and shot deeper into the Dragon Pool. Before long, they had vanished from sight.
Yang Kai was entirely oblivious to the Dragon Clan's movements. At this moment, his entire dragon body was encased within the blood cocoon, his mind clear and serene, more relaxed than it had ever been—his thoughts had even gone blank.
His dragon veins surged, and his body underwent earth-shaking transformations.
He didn't know how much time had passed before he suddenly felt an inexplicable binding.
He stretched his body, and with a series of crackling, popping sounds, the binding tore apart like a thin membrane.
He blinked in mild surprise, then quickly realized—it hadn't been any binding at all. It was the blood cocoon that had been wrapping around him.
That was the human part of him, and now, with the purification of his dragon veins, it had been cast aside.
The blood cocoon split apart, fragmenting into pieces that scattered with the flow of the pool water.
A rebirth!
A soaring dragon cry rang out as Yang Kai's dragon might surged outward, his entire body blazing with golden radiance.
Far away, Ji Laosan watched with a heart full of bitterness. That golden light was so intense it nearly forced his eyes shut…
When he himself had advanced to the Ancient Dragon stage, it certainly hadn't been this dramatic.
Compared to his bitterness, Yang Kai was filled with pure elation.
A true rebirth. His divine sense surged as he examined himself, finding his dragon veins purer than they had ever been, and his five-thousand-zhang dragon body overwhelmingly majestic.
What pleased Yang Kai even more was that the shed dragon scales had returned!
No longer was he that bare, hideously ugly dragon.
Though the new scales still looked somewhat fragile—not as sturdy as before—they were, after all, newly formed. With a bit more cultivation, they would naturally grow strong.
By then, his scales alone would likely be enough to withstand a strike from an Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator.
After Ji Laosan's advancement, his body had ballooned by over three hundred zhang. Yang Kai's hadn't, mainly because the Dragon Pool's power here had been completely depleted. If there had been sufficient Dragon Pool energy to replenish him, his dragon body would surely have grown enormously as well.
Overflowing with joy, Yang Kai threw his head back and laughed—though what came out was a long, rolling cascade of dragon cries.
Ji Laosan curled his lip in disdain. Show off all you want!
But in the very next instant, his vision blurred. Yang Kai's colossal form had charged right up to him in the blink of an eye.
Ji Laosan retreated warily by several paces. "What do you want?!"
His original plan had been to wait here for Yang Kai's advancement to finish and then have it out with him, but now that the moment had actually arrived, he found himself wavering.
There was no avoiding the truth—the other's dragon pressure far exceeded his own. Having just advanced, Yang Kai had no control over it yet, and at this close range, Ji Laosan already felt his own dragon veins being suppressed.
If they actually fought, he'd be beaten for certain.
What's more, the other's advancement to Ancient Dragon meant his bloodline had been fully tempered—he was now a pure-blooded dragon.
He could no longer be viewed through the lens of half-human, half-dragon as before.
The golden dragon before him could be considered a clansman, even if he found the sight of him utterly disagreeable…
Yang Kai cocked his head to look at him, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and replied in a deep rumble. "Nothing. Just came over to thank you!"
Though his mind had gone blank while encased in the blood cocoon, his awareness of the outside world had persisted. After the breakthrough, all those instinctively perceived impressions came flooding back.
Ji Laosan hadn't tried to cause trouble during his breakthrough, which Yang Kai had found somewhat surprising. Given the arrogant, domineering manner the guy had shown earlier, it wouldn't have been out of character for him to have attacked.