"Do you know what a Forbidden Technique is?"

Instead of answering Yang An's question, the Lamp Dragon asked one in return.

"Please enlighten me, Dragon Monarch."

Yang An was perplexed.

"Aside from the universally acknowledged Light Magic, any technique that a Cultivator cannot practice—one that brings certain death upon contact—is considered a Forbidden Technique!"

"..."

'Did it just state the obvious?'

But Yang An didn't argue, because whether something was a Forbidden Technique or not meant little to him. In his eyes, no technique was forbidden.

Still, by getting the Lamp Dragon to bring up Light Magic, Yang An had achieved his goal.

"So, in other words, so-called Forbidden Techniques are only called that because some people can't practice them or the price is too high. And Light Magic is the universally acknowledged Forbidden Technique because *no one* can practice it.

Might I be able to witness this legendary Light Magic?"

"Are you sure?"

The Lamp Dragon's eyes widened slightly, as if it had suddenly perked up.

Yang An nodded.

"What a bold young man. But Light Magic isn't something you can see just because you want to. If something were to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to answer to Elder Zhuan Yu. Not unless you can pass my trial!"

The grin on the dragon's face grew wider.

"May I ask, Dragon Monarch, what is this trial?"

"See this?"

The Lamp Dragon lifted its enormous head. Countless bubbles surged up from the deep seabed as a pair of massive, scaled claws emerged from the darkness, pointing to the orb-like lamp on its head that was emitting a Golden Radiance.

"Touch it, and you will be able to feel the power of light! If you can withstand it for three breaths, I'll give you the Light Magic. How about it?"

A grin spread across the massive dragon's face, looking utterly sinister and wicked.

He looked at the orb of light on the giant dragon's head—the sole, bright light source in the dark depths of the sea.

'Oh?'

"Really?"

"As the guide of the Golden Thread River, would I lie to you?"

The giant dragon let out a faint, cold snort.

But a smile appeared on Yang An's face as he shook his head.

"Thank you for the kind offer, Dragon Monarch, but I think I'll pass. I'll take a look at the other techniques."

"..."

"Don't you want the Forbidden Technique? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Didn't you just say that a Forbidden Technique is not to be touched, Dragon Monarch? I was being a bit impulsive just now. Please forgive me."

Yang An spoke frankly.

He had indeed wanted to obtain Light Magic, but the Lamp Dragon's behavior struck him as odd.

Most importantly, he hadn't paid it much mind before, but now, upon closer inspection of the orb emitting Golden Radiance on the Lamp Dragon's head, he saw that something was wrong.

'That wasn't light at all!'

As someone who had mastered a host of Light Magic techniques, Yang An could say that no one understood Light Magic better than he did.

The orb on the dragon's head did indeed resemble a manifestation of Light Magic, but the aura within it was completely different.

If all the techniques in this world could be divided into two categories, they would surely be Light Magic and all other techniques.

Unlike other techniques, the aura of Light Magic was exceptionally pure and singular, not obscure and convoluted like the others.

It was safe to say that Yang An could tell whether something was Light Magic or not with a single glance.

Besides, this was his first time entering the Golden Thread River. He was a complete stranger to this Lamp Dragon at the bottom of the sea, and he had never heard Elder Zhuan Yu mention it. He naturally remained vigilant.

Until he could confirm whether this creature was truly the guardian of the Golden Thread River, he wouldn't rashly make contact with the giant dragon.

Yang An's sudden refusal was something the Lamp Dragon hadn't expected.

It seemed a bit anxious. Its massive body writhed on the seabed, its eyes fixed on Yang An without blinking.

"Don't you want to witness the power of Light Magic? This *is* a form of Light Magic! Look! This is the Forbidden Technique!"

It raised its head, and the sphere of seawater surrounding the orb on its crown instantly dispersed into countless bubbles.

The Golden Radiance, as if freed from its restraints, burst forth. It was like a black hole filled with golden light had suddenly been born in the deep, dark sea, continuously radiating outwards.

The surrounding seawater seemed to boil as vast amounts of foam and mist were released. However, the light was kept within a certain range and didn't spread wantonly into the distance.

"See that, kid? As long as you master it, you'll be invincible among those at your level! No technique in this world can contend with Light Magic!"

The Lamp Dragon seemed to grow very excited and agitated. It stared down at Yang An from above, crowned by the massive golden light source, its expression growing more and more distorted.

"So this is Light Magic?"

Yang An stared at the sight above the dragon's head, a look of deep fascination in his eyes, standing frozen in place.

'What... what a magnificent light!'

"Come here! Touch it! It will be yours~"

The Lamp Dragon's voice seemed to turn gentle, entering Yang An's ears out of thin air, luring him in.

"This is the most powerful force in the world, and you're about to obtain it~ Come on~"

Under the Lamp Dragon's methodical enticement, Yang An slowly lifted his feet. With the Lamp Dragon's eyes full of anticipation, he walked towards it, step by step.

The Lamp Dragon slowly lowered its massive head, resting its chin on the seafloor platform. Its two enormous eyes reflected Yang An's approaching figure, filled with undisguised desire.

One step... two steps...

Yang An drew closer and closer, his feet kicking up faint clouds of silt as if possessed. He finally stopped right in front of the Lamp Dragon, mere inches from its enormous eyes.

He slowly extended a hand, his gaze fixed on the light source emanating from the dragon's head, as if about to reach out and touch the place emitting the Golden Radiance.

"Quickly~ You're about to obtain the greatest power in the world~ Get it~ and you'll be the strongest~"

The Lamp Dragon's bewitching voice continued to pour into Yang An's ears. The corners of its great mouth were pulled back in a grin, already revealing its fangs as it looked at Yang An with excitement.

But just as Yang An's hand reached out, about to enter the radiating light—so close he could have plunged it completely inside—it suddenly stopped. His gaze dropped, looking directly into the Lamp Dragon's eyes.

"Can I really obtain it?"

"Really! Just touch it, and it's yours!"

"But..."

"But what?!"

Seeing Yang An just one step away, the Lamp Dragon seemed to grow extremely impatient, yet it had to restrain itself. Its massive body began to tremble faintly.

"But... it's really weak!"

"What did you say?!"

The Lamp Dragon seemed unable to believe its own ears, even wondering if it had misheard. Its eyes flew wide in disbelief.

But then, it laughed in fury.

"You dare say Light Magic... is weak? Heh heh, what an ignorant little..."

The Lamp Dragon was about to say more, but its voice suddenly cut off. Despite being a giant dragon's head, its face showed a look of human-like terror.

Before its eyes, a hand had unknowingly rested on its broad snout and then suddenly plunged inward.

At the same time, a strange smile had already appeared on Yang An's face.

"Too weak! It's really, really too weak!"

A dazzling, splendid light flowed within Yang An's body, then seemed to erupt from every pore, bursting forth in a sudden explosion.

One ray... two rays... three rays!

Nine rays... ten rays... eleven rays!

All sorts of lights in different colors mixed together, instantly illuminating the deep, dark depths of the water as if a great sun had descended.

"This is light! Real light!"

By now, the look on the Lamp Dragon's face had completely shifted from terror to disbelief. But in the instant it looked directly at Yang An, everything in its line of sight was completely overwhelmed by endless light.

'How?! How could someone have mastered so many types of Light Magic?!'

"This is impossible! Impossible!"

Its massive dragon body began to struggle wildly. The moment it was enveloped by the light, it subconsciously tried to flee, only to discover with horror that a hand had plunged deep into the flesh of its head, gripping its very bones.

Not only that! Countless spike-like things had, at some point, pierced its neck, pinning its huge dragon head in place, making it impossible to break free.

Under such an intense radiance, it could feel everything but see nothing. It could only struggle ceaselessly, but it was all in vain.

The massive dragon body thrashed wildly on the seabed, turning everything upside down and stirring up powerful currents.

The intense light completely enveloped the entire dragon head, rapidly dissolving everything within it. Flesh and water alike were quickly vaporized, and in the blink of an eye, an absolute vacuum was formed. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

But just as Yang An was about to go a step further and use Pain Amplification to enhance the power of all his techniques and give this stinking dragon a truly nasty blow...

...at that moment, a series of explosions suddenly echoed from the seabed.

BANG BANG BANG BANG—

The sound of explosions was incessant, instantly creating a violent shockwave on the seabed.

But as these shockwaves rapidly spread out and swept over Yang An, they passed right through his body and continued to expand outwards. It was all thunder and no rain.

It was only then that Yang An realized the explosions were coming from the giant dragon's body. Its massive form was collapsing into countless bubbles, its flesh and blood disintegrating into water in the blink of an eye.

The once-enormous Lamp Dragon vanished without a trace in an instant. All that remained was the orb of Golden Radiance from its head, which was rapidly trying to fly away.

'Aha! So it was a fake after all!'

Yang An reacted quickly. Countless White Feathers shot out in the blink of an eye, streaking through the water to instantly intercept the orb of light, wrapping around it and pulling it back before him.

Only then did he get a closer look.

That wasn't some spherical light source emitting Golden Radiance at all; it was clearly the phantom of a tiny flame.

And within that flame, a small, single eye was wide open!