It would not be wise for Yang Kai to enrage an Ancient Dragon at this time, so after he sensed the warning, he immediately stopped talking.
What was currently taking place should be the Dragon Pool’s opening ceremony, a cumbersome, long, and boring ritual.
While the whole Dragon Clan was paying full attention, Yang Kai was incredibly disinterested.
Despite having a Dragon Vein, he was born Human, making it challenging for him to comprehend the current mood of the Dragon Clan.
Finally, after half a day, the ceremony finally seemed to be winding down. Together, the three Ancient Dragons opened their eyes, and the middle one yelled, “Today marks the opening of the Dragon Pool, which will harness the ancestral power to aid Dragon descendants to strengthen their Bloodline. May our descendants continue endlessly and our Clan last forever!”
Immediately after, there were endless, continuous Dragon Roars. These roars shook the No-Return Pass, and Dragon Pressure filled the air.
At the same time, the five enormous Dragon statues that were in the square underwent an odd change. They were obviously statues, yet they appeared to be coming to life at this very moment, all of their eyes shining brightly.
Yang Kai noticed a faint tremble of the Dragon Source in his body, as if it was somehow connected to one of the statues.
He couldn’t help but be in shock and as he focused his gaze on the statues, noticing that the one that had some kind of connection with his Source was the dazzling, golden statue.
While cultivating in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land’s Black Ink Sealing Land, inside the Dragon Clan’s Sacred Treasure, the Crystal Palace, Yang Kai witnessed the ancient battle where the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress of old suppressed and sealed a Black Ink Giant Spirit God. From that, he knew that the Source he possessed belonged to the Dragon Emperor of that generation, the Golden Divine Dragon.
Naturally, given the circumstances, he was bound to make some associations.
Those five statues were all of the different colours, yet the golden one was connected with him.
[If that’s the case… these five statues were Dragon Emperors from different generations? Otherwise, there is no way to explain this sensation.]
In other words, there had been a total of five Dragon Emperors in the Dragon Clan’s history. Undoubtedly, this number was quite small compared to the number of top Human Masters, but to the Dragon Clan, it was already quite a high number due to their long lifespans. It had to be acknowledged that a Dragon Emperor was the strongest in the entire Clan; so, if there weren’t any accidents, such a Master would only pass away due to old age.
Since ancient times, the Dragon Clan had had five Dragon Emperors in succession. There should also be one in this generation, but Yang Kai had yet to see him and was unsure of his whereabouts in the No-Return Pass.
The connection he felt was extremely subtle, which should also be undetectable by other Dragon Clan members according to their reaction.
Yang Kai focused hard on it, but couldn’t feel anything special about it.
While he was in deep concentration, the three Ancient Dragons of the Dragon Clan all shook their bodies and assumed their Dragon Forms.
Young Dragons, Grand Dragons, Ancient Dragons, and Divine Dragons were the different divisions of the Dragon Clan. The length of their body alone could reveal their cultivation. They were Young Dragons if they were below 10,000 metres; they were Grand Dragons if they were between 10,000 and 50,000 metres; the Ancient Dragons ranged from 50,000 metres to 100,000 metres, with anyone at or above 100,000 metres being a Divine Dragon.
The strongest Master among the Divine Dragons was the Dragon Emperor!
For instance, Ji Lao San’s Dragon Form, which measured close to 50,000 metres when he previously transformed, could be deemed the upper bound of being a Grand Dragon. If he entered the Dragon Pool this time, he would certainly ascend to the ranks of Ancient Dragon.
If was for this reason that Yang Kai was blocked outside the No-Return Pass by him. How could Ji Lao San easily let this go when Yang Kai had taken his chance to ascend? Of course, the Dragon Pool would still open in the future, but nobody knew how long it would take.
The three Ancient Dragons had obviously been cultivating for a very long time, so they had basically reached the 100,000 metres limit. If they had fully transformed to their original size, the No-Return Pass might not be able to contain them.
So, the three Ancient Dragons didn’t assume their full transformed state and instead restricted their size to about 10,000 metres long.
Still, they were tremendously intimidating.
Yang Kai was shaken by the sight.
Although he had never witnessed these three Ancient Dragons battling, their might should be greater than that of any Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master he encountered judging just by the intensity of their auras.
He couldn’t help but wonder how long the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might survive against such existences without succumbing.
The disadvantages of the Divine Spirits were very clear; their long lifespan meant slower growth; however, their long lifespan was also advantageous to them as they were basically unbeatable compared to Masters of equivalent realm due to their powerful physique and their long accumulation.
Not to mention, the Dragon Clan was the leader of all Divine Spirits; therefore, they were even more powerful than regular Divine Spirits.
All three Ancient Dragons had different colours. One was black, one was green and another was cyan.
The variation in colour symbolised the variation in their Source attributes, such as Yang Kai, whose Source attribute was Gold or more generally, Metal, which made his innate abilities sharper and more deadly.
Transformed into their Dragon Forms, the three Ancient Dragons hovered back and forth in the air while various Secret Techniques were activated that caused time to fall into chaos.
Yang Kai didn’t know what they were doing, but it was quite obvious that they were opening the Dragon Pool.
The Phoenix Clan Head previously claimed that unlike the Phoenix Nests, which were basically attached to the Immortal Parasol Tree and were visible to the naked eye, the Dragon Pool was a mysterious and magical location that could only be reached by the Dragon Clan.
However, Yang Kai clearly felt the existence of the Dragon Pool in the Void, which meant it was not an ethereal existence and could still be sensed.
[How can this be explained?]
He couldn’t understand and was too lazy to figure it all out; after all, he was not a pure-blooded Dragon Clan member, so he didn’t know a lot of the secrets of the Dragon Clan.
The five Dragon Emperor statues grew more and more lifelike as a result of the three Ancient Dragons’ actions. The magical power from the statues quickly infused and converged into one.
Yang Kai stared and observed that the power was slowly rotating amongst the five statues, its speed increasing more and more.
Less than an incense stick later, a vortex-like portal appeared in the centre of the five statues.
Yang Kai felt an incredibly violent force emanating from that vortex, and he knew in his heart that this was the entrance to the Dragon Pool. The force was so strong that even he dared not underestimate it.
Looking around, all the Dragon Clan members had no reactions, as if they were just waiting.
After another moment, the whirling vortex settled and transformed into a stable portal.
Immediately, the Ancient Dragon who had just spoken, roared, “The Dragon Pool is opened. Enter now!”
As soon as he completed his sentence, three figures flashed in the direction of the vortex, followed by 10 more afterwards.
Yang Kai could clearly see that the three figures in front had comparatively weak auras and he assumed that those were the Young Dragons, while the 10 figures behind who had much stronger auras that were practically identical to his own were the Grand Dragons.
The reason why there were fewer Young Dragons and more Grand Dragons was because the Dragon Clan had difficulty reproducing. And as a result of the Dragon Clan’s long lifespan, the number of Grand Dragons greatly exceeded the Young Dragons after the accumulation of years and centuries.
Just like what the Phoenix Clan Head told Yang Kai, there were three Young Dragons slots and 10 Grand Dragons slots during this opening of the Dragon Pool. Since Yang Kai had taken Ji Lao San’s slot, there should only be 9 Grand Dragons entering the Dragon Pool.
However, there were 10 that entered just now. Ji Lao San, who was standing next to Yang Kai, hurried to the front of all the Grand Dragons, as though he was worried that if he took any longer, he wouldn’t be allowed to enter.
[What is going on?] Yang Kai was stunned.
He was also unsure of if there was a limit to the number of individuals who were permitted to enter the Dragon Pool, or if it wouldn’t make a difference if there was one more, but at this point, he knew he couldn’t fall behind.
If there really was a limit to the Dragon Pool’s capacity and only 13 individuals could enter, he could only stare blankly at them if these 13 went in before him.
Although the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and the Dragon Clan had reached an agreement and Yang Kai wouldn’t be left out like this, there was always room for precaution.
As his thoughts flashed, he immediately disappeared from his original spot and appeared on top of the vortex, plunging in head-first.
This scene stunned all the Dragon Clan members, especially the three Ancient Dragons, who shook their heads incessantly.
This Human really wouldn’t obey their rules.
The Dragon Clan had no means to leave him out and had simply added another slot; however, everyone in the Dragon Pool would receive fewer advantages as a result because the amount of benefits to be had by cultivating in the Dragon Pool was fixed; the more people who went in, the fewer benefits each would receive.
To have three Young Dragons and 10 Grand Dragons was the maximum limit.
It was difficult for the Dragon Clan members to reject the Humans sending over someone with a Dragon Source. They initially wanted to let Ji Lao San give up his place, but after giving it some thought, they decided to just add another slot.
He was just a Human after all. Even if he managed to refine a Dragon Source, the benefits he could gain from entering the Dragon Pool should be limited; hence, it would not affect the others in the grand scheme of things.
Every time the Dragon Pool was opened previously, the Young Dragons would enter first, followed by the Grand Dragons. But now, that Human ran in first.
It couldn’t be helped, though, as he was proficient with the Dao of Space. The whole thing happened so quickly that even the three Ancient Dragons were not able to stop him.
Still, his actions made the Ancient Dragons’ expression darken and they secretly made the decision to never agree to such a request from the Human Race again, no matter the compensation offered.
[What does he think the Dragon Pool is?]
Behind Yang Kai, the three Young Dragons and 10 Grand Dragons followed and entered the Dragon Pool orderly in an extremely quick manner.
After every acknowledged Dragon Clan member entered the Dragon Pool, the three Ancient Dragons sealed the portal. It would take several years before the portal would reopen. When it was opened next, there would hopefully be an increase in the number of Grand Dragons and Ancient Dragons.
At least two of the ten Grand Dragons had a chance to join the ranks of the Ancient Dragons by their calculations; the other Grand Dragons were still short on their accumulations and had only entered the Dragon Pool this time to strengthen their Bloodline. It wouldn’t be until the next time that these Grand Dragons would have a chance to break through.
Yang Kai was wrong when he made the assumption that the Dragon Clan only had three Ancient Dragons; after all, how was it possible that there were just three of them after so many years of accumulation?
It was just that these three were the oldest and the strongest, so they were the leaders of the Dragon Clan, in charge of all day-to-day activities, including the Dragon Pool’s opening.
…..
Inside the Dragon Pool, Yang Kai was shocked.
He couldn’t help but feel strangely at home as soon as he arrived at this place.
Compared to what he experienced in the Star Boundary, it was entirely different here; after all, he wasn’t exactly born in the Star Boundary though he considered it his home.
But in the Dragon Pool, Yang Kai had a feeling like he had returned to his mother’s womb, which helped him to relax both mentally and physically.
It might be due to the magical power of the Dragon Pool that Yang Kai, without taking the initiative, transformed into his Grand Dragon Form the moment he entered.
It seemed like they could only exist in their Dragon Forms in this place.
His over 35,000 meters Dragon Form indicated that he was quite strong even among the Grand Dragons.
Yang Kai didn’t take any action immediately and instead silently assessed his body while sensing his surroundings.
His Dragon Vein was oddly active, a sign of his Bloodline surging.
On the other hand, the environment around him felt like an extremely deep pool, with water all around him.
[Is this how the Dragon Pool got its name?]
The water in the pool did not appear to be ordinary; instead, it had an unusual power that, if absorbed and refined, would greatly help a Dragon enhance their Bloodline.
Yang Kai faintly understood why the Dragon Clan valued the Dragon Pool so much.
This place could strengthen a Dragon’s Bloodline Power, and it also existed as the root of the Dragon Clan, so it was not surprising that they considered it sacred.
Before he could savor the wonders held in the Dragon Pool’s water, there was a burst of Dragon Roars all around, followed by the forms of True Dragons appearing all around.
After following him into the Dragon Pool, the three Young Dragons and the 10 Grand Dragons also transformed into their Dragon Form involuntarily just like him.
The Young Dragons were all less than 10,000 metres long, while the Grand Dragons ranged in length from 25,000 metres to close to 50,000 metres long.
As soon as these Dragons entered the Dragon Pool, they immediately dispersed and surrounded Yang Kai.
[What’s going on?] Yang Kai scrutinised his surroundings with his large Dragon Eyes.
The aura of the Grand Dragons locked Yang Kai and it was obvious that they had malicious intentions.
[Since it was inconvenient to attack me outside, are they trying to take action now that we are in the Dragon Pool?]
It seemed that the Phoenix Clan Head’s warning about battle occurring in the Dragon Pool was true; it wouldn’t be that easy for him to gain benefits from this place as a Human.
One of them was a familiar Black Dragon, who appeared to be Ji Lao San.
Ji Lao San had shown his Dragon Form outside the No-Return Pass, though he was quickly forced back into his Human Form after being captured by Yang Kai. Despite this, Yang Kai would not forget this Dragon Form so quickly.
As Ji Lao San narrowed his eyes, he stared at Yang Kai fiercely, and after moments of struggling, he let out a Dragon Roar, “The top 10,000 metres of the Dragon Pool is yours. If you dare to dive any deeper, don’t blame us for not being polite with you!”
Yang Kai listened in a daze.
For Yang Kai, who was 35,000 metres long in his Dragon Form, 10,000 metres of space was naturally insufficient. Even if he coiled himself up tight, it would still take more than 10,000 metres of space for him to fit. Ji Lao Shan clearly did not have his best interests in mind when he gave this ultimatum.
This should be a consensus of all Dragon Clan members as they roared incessantly after those words left Ji Lao San’s mouth; their Dragon Pressure in the air flowing towards Yang Kai.
The Dragon Pressure was very useful when it came to opponents with a weaker Bloodline even if they were stronger in terms of cultivation. Yang Kai’s own Dragon Pressure played a significant role when he was dealing with Zhu Qing’s Dragon Clan previously.
It was evident from the Dragon Pressure of Ji Lao San and others that their Bloodlines were extremely strong since they succeeded in ascending to the rank of Grand Dragon.
Any Grand Dragon, including those just below 50,000 metres, would not be able to sustain themselves being enveloped by that much Dragon Pressures.
Even Yang Kai felt a lot of pressure, but he was still able to resist it.
After warning Yang Kai, Ji Lao San stared at him fiercely again, flicked his Dragon Tail, and plunged down to the depths of the Dragon Pool, followed by the other Grand Dragons and Young Dragons.
Before leaving, Ji Lao San’s eyes gave off the impression that he was still unwilling and reluctant.
In truth, he had petitioned for all the Grand Dragons to immediately team up after entering the Dragon Pool to force Yang Kai out, preventing him from exploiting the Dragon Clan’s benefits.
Battle was inevitable in the Dragon Pool, and besides, the Dragon Clan was not a submissive race. The Dragon Clan frequently engaged in deadly battles each time the Dragon Pool was opened in an effort to occupy a better position, with the winner being able to gain more advantages.
However, the three Ancient Dragon Elders rejected this idea. After all, the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Old Ancestors were the ones who arranged this whole thing and they had paid quite the price in order to send Yang Kai over.
Furthermore, the three Ancient Dragons knew that Yang Kai, as a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, seemed to be important to the Human Race’s upcoming crusade in some way.
If they outright forced him out without allowing him to gain any advantages, it would be hard for them to explain to the Human Race.
Since he couldn’t be forced out, the only option was to let him stay in the Dragon Pool’s shallowest part. Although not much, there would be benefits for him in this situation, and it wouldn’t harm the Dragon Clan’s interests; thus, they wouldn’t be violating their deal with the Human Race.
Regarding this way of handling the situation, Ji Lao San was somewhat reluctant because Yang Kai shamed him so greatly that all he wanted was to rip him to pieces to vent his rage.
However, he had to comply with the Elders’ words while deep down, he hoped that Yang Kai wouldn’t be so obedient so that he would have an opportunity to discipline him and reclaim the dignity he had lost.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was left helpless as the Grand Dragons and Young Dragons dove deeper into the Dragon Pool.
He was not an idiot, though. Since Ji Lao San allowed him to occupy the Dragon Pool’s shallowest place and prevented him from descending any further down, didn’t that indicate that there were more advantages to be had by diving further?
Yang Kai was naturally unconcerned about Ji Lao San’s threat. How could Ji Lao Shan speak against him like this after being defeated? As long as these Dragon Clan members didn’t join forces, he feared nothing.
He did not, however, instantly dive deeper into the Dragon Pool because he wanted to verify his theory, so he remained in place and silently observed the situation.
The water around the pool did indeed have a marvelous power concealed within, and this power clearly benefited no other living beings than the Dragon Clan.
When his Dragon Vein pulsed, Yang Kai could clearly feel the magical power in the Dragon Pool being absorbed into his body, enhancing his own Bloodline and purifying it.
The Dragon Pool was simply a cultivation paradise for the Dragon Clan. Even if one did nothing in this place, their bloodline could be rapidly enhanced.
In addition, this was only the shallowest part of the Dragon Pool, so what would happen if he went deeper?
Having noticed the effect of the cultivating at this shallow part of the Dragon Pool, Yang Kai wasted no time and swept down with a flick of his body.
But, he frowned immediately after. He initially wanted to manipulate Space Principles to hurry deeper, but was taken aback when the Space Principles which he usually used at any time and anywhere could not be activated in this place.
[Is there some kind of restriction in the Dragon Pool?]
After trying several attempts, he confirmed that he couldn’t manipulate Space Principles here at all.
In this Dragon Pool, it appeared that only the Dragon Clan’s different techniques could be used.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but chuckle. He was wondering how Ji Lao Shan had the audacity to speak to him so condescendingly after being defeated so badly, but now he understood.
Yang Kai originally thought that it was because there were a lot of allies on Ji Lao San’s side, but now he knew that it was due to the Dragon Pool’s restrictions on any external forces.
Ji Lao San, a Grand Dragon with a Dragon Form of close to 50,000 metres, would really not be scared of him, who was only 35,000 metres long, in this place if they both could only rely on the techniques of the Dragon Clan.
With a quick thought, the back of Yang Kai’s right claw slightly heated up, and the Great Sun Mark appeared on it.
His thoughts flashed again and on his other Dragon Claw, the Great Moon Mark appeared.
It seemed like the Dragon Pool couldn’t restrict these Marks from the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer, but this was only natural as the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer were the Ancestors of all Divine Spirits. Consequently, no matter how great the Dragon Pool was, it could not restrict the Marks granted by both these Ancestors.
Yang Kai had only wanted to test whether he could access the two marks in the Dragon Pool, but when he really activated them, he discovered that the magical power contained in the water of the Dragon Pool rapidly began flowing into the two marks.
His own Source swiftly surged, and another dormant power in his body reawakened, fused into his Bloodline, it purified it at an astonishing speed.
Yang Kai was tremendously shocked.
He previously used these two marks given by the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer to condense Purifying Light. With the Great Sun Mark absorbing the Yellow Crystals’ power and the Great Moon Mark absorbing the Blue Crystals’ power, Purifying Light could be formed under the fusion of the purest Yin and Yang.
Yang Kai was surprised by these two marks when he was blocked by Ji Lao San. Under the activation of these marks, Ji Lao San was immediately powerless to resist.
Now, there was another new pleasant surprise.
These two marks were able to absorb the mysterious power of the Dragon Pool.
With these two marks, Yang Kai could benefit more from the Dragon Pool than any other Dragon Clan member.
As for the power that was reawakened in his body, it was the power given to him by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan when they left the Chaotic Dead Territory the first time.
Yang Kai knew nothing about it except that this power could greatly help the enhancement of his Bloodline.
This power had already been awakened twice before, once right after he left the Chaotic Dead Territory, and again when his Dragon Bead cracked in battle. Both times, this power had greatly enhanced his Bloodline. It also rapidly repaired the damage to his Dragon Bead, fixing what would normally have taken hundreds or even thousands of years in less than a decade.
However, that power was simply too profound and mysterious as it did not run out once his Dragon Bead was restored and instead just fell dormant again.
Now, it was once again reawakened with the guidance of the Dragon Pool!
This power already served the purpose of purifying one’s Bloodline, so coupled with the power of the Dragon Pool, Yang Kai instantly felt tingles all over, like he was shedding his former body and being reborn.
His Bloodline was clearly being enhanced at an astonishing speed. His Dragon Bones made audible cracking sounds, his Dragon Scales shivered slightly, and Dragon Blood oozed out from his skin.
He certainly felt that his Dragon Form was growing.
However, this situation didn’t last long, and less than an hour later, due to the Great Sun and Moon Marks’ incredible absorption rate, the power in the water of the Dragon Pool was significantly reduced. This reduction caused the just awakened power to slowly fall dormant once more.
In his heart, Yang Kai understood the mysterious force granted to him by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, the Great Sun and Moon Marks, and the Dragon Pool’s power all needed to work in tandem. The Dragon Pool’s power was the stimulant that awakened the mysterious power, and his Marks were the beacons which drew in the water’s power; thus, in order to continue strengthening himself, he needed more Dragon Pool power.
However, after his intense absorption, there was not much Dragon Pool power left nearby. So, it would not be as effective if he remained and continued to absorb the power from there.
When Yang Kai inspected himself, he realised that his Dragon Form had increased by about 20 to 30 metres in this short period of time.
An increase 20 or 30 metres to a body that was 35,000 metres long was nothing, but this was just the beginning!
After releasing the Great Sun and Moon Marks, Yang Kai looked down with his Dragon Eyes, [The Dragon Pool power deeper down should be far denser than it is here since Ji Lao San and the rest all rushed down there.]
Without hesitation, Yang Kai flicked his tail and rushed down to the depths of the Dragon Pool.
How would Yang Kai care about Ji Lao San’s warning? The most important thing right now was to gain as many benefits as possible from the Dragon Pool.
As Yang Kai guessed, the deeper he went into the Dragon Pool, the more intense the mystical power became; however, he did not have any intentions to stop. Since he knew this, it was obvious that the deeper he dove, the better.
This might be the only time he could ever enter the Dragon Pool; thus, he should endeavor to reap as many benefits as possible.
The Dragon Pool seemed bottomless, and Yang Kai dove down tens of thousands of metres, but still saw no signs of any of the other Dragon Clan members. It made him wonder if the space inside the Dragon Pool was somehow distorted. There were three Young Dragons and 10 Grand Dragons who just came in, there should be no reason why there were no signs of them.
Finally, after several thousand more metres, Yang Kai finally came across Dragon Clan members.
Two Young Dragons, both at only around 7,000 to 8,000 metres long, were fighting. They did not use any peculiar Secret Techniques and simply used their physical strength. Yang Kai arrived just as the two Young Dragons were engaged in a fierce melee. They roared as they clawed each other ruthlessly as Dragon Scales were torn off and Dragon Blood splashed everywhere.
Yang Kai was surprised as he did not expect that the Dragon Clan’s internal clashes would be so violent and bloody.
Yang Kai could guess that they were fighting for this spot. This place was already several tens of thousands of metres deep into the Dragon Pool, which appeared to be limits of these Young Dragons. Although they could get more benefits if they went further down, they might not be able to withstand the pressure.
They could grow rapidly by purifying their Bloodline at the physical limit of their bodies, so the deeper position in the Dragon Pool would only belong to the one who was strongest.
The two Young Dragons were about the same size and strength and were in an intense fight when Yang Kai arrived.
The two Young Dragons seemed to sense Yang Kai’s aura and suddenly stopped fighting. They turned their heads towards him and one of them shouted angrily, “How dare you come down here!”
The other Young Dragon also roared, “Get out of here, or I’ll teach you a lesson!”
Yang Kai’s huge Dragon Form passed between them, and with a swipe of his Dragon Tail, he sent the two Young Dragons flying.
How dare these two Young Dragons of less than 10,000 metres speak so disrespectfully to him!? They were so ignorant that Yang Kai did not even bother to reply to them.
When Yang Kai dashed past them, the two Young Dragons tumbled as their vitality roiled. They stared momentarily in the direction that Yang Kai disappeared before they suddenly roared in unison and rushed towards each other to continue their struggle.
They were too weak to be Yang Kai’s opponents, so since their warnings were ignored, they did not try to stop him. There were other Grand Dragons deeper down who would naturally drive Yang Kai away.
The fight was in full swing with the winner getting to stay while the loser would have to retreat.
Yang Kai went down another 10,000 metres and encountered the third Young Dragon.
For this opening of the Dragon Pool, only three Young Dragons had entered. The strength of the previous two was hardly worth mentioning as they were only between 7,000 and 8,000 metres long; thus, they were obviously still far from becoming Grand Dragons. However, this third one was about to advance.
Yang Kai took a quick glance and saw that this Young Dragon’s body size was over 9,000 metres long. If nothing untoward happened, he would break through to the Grand Dragon rank by the end of this Dragon Pool session.
This was also the reason why he could cultivate at this depth without any worries, because he was much stronger than the two Young Dragons above and could occupy a deeper position.
On the contrary, the earlier two Young Dragons had to fight for the best position above.
This Young Dragon was more sensible than his companions. When he sensed Yang Kai’s aura approaching, not only did he not try to stop him and simply made way for him.
He was not looking for trouble and Yang Kai naturally also did not bother him, so he just brushed past the Young Dragon and continued down deeper.
This time, Yang Kai did not encounter a Grand Dragon until he dove another 100,000 metres down. However, this Grand Dragon was less than 20,000 metres in length, so he should be one of the weaker Grand Dragons.
This Grand Dragon wanted to stop Yang Kai, but after looking at Yang Kai’s more than 35,000 metres Golden Dragon Form, he restrained himself.
Within the Dragon Clan, Golden Dragons were known for their ferocity and lethality. With the same Bloodline purity and same body size, none could defeat a Golden Dragon. Yang Kai was almost twice his size, so he knew that he was no match.
The main thing was that Yang Kai seemed to be diving deeper and was not trying to steal his territory.
Yang Kai continued his descent and came across two more Grand Dragons who simply made way. So far, his journey was uneventful.
Yang Kai realized a pattern as he dove deeper. The Young Dragons were separated by about 10,000 metres of depth, while the Grand Dragons were about 100,000 metres apart.
Every 100,000 metres there was a Grand Dragon, so it could be said that the power of the Dragon Pool within 100,000 metres was owned by the Dragon Clan member who took up station there.
This should be a Dragon Clan rule passed down from ancient times.
Yang Kai was outraged when he realized this. How could Ji Lao San only permit him the top 10,000 metres of space? That wasn’t even enough for him to stretch his body. Such impudence!
However, Yang Kai was alarmed at how deep the Dragon Pool was. He was already hundreds of thousands of metres deep, and still was nowhere close to the bottom. Could it be that the Dragon Pool was millions of metres deep? Did it even have a bottom?
He swam through the territories of two more Grand Dragons before he was finally stopped by one.
This Grand Dragon was about the size of Yang Kai, around 35,000 metres long. When this Grand Dragon saw Yang Kai approaching from above, he was furious and roared, “Your courage isn’t small! How dare you come down here!?”
He did not waste any time and lunged towards Yang Kai with his Dragon Claws.
With a 35,000 metres long Dragon Form, these Dragon Claws were both enormous and sharp. Even if Yang Kai was also a Grand Dragon, he would lose a chunk of flesh if he was hit by these claws.
When he attacked, the Grand Dragon also activated his Dragon Pressure as he rushed towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had expected such a situation. Earlier, he did not encounter any obstacles because those Young Dragons and Grand Dragons felt that they were not his match, and would only make fools of themselves if they attacked him. Now that this Grand Dragon was similar in size, it was only normal that he was challenged.
Since his opponent had used his Dragon Pressure, Yang Kai did not hesitate to use his Source to counter.
However, this time he did not use the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks as there was no need to.
Yang Kai had felt threatened when the 10 Grand Dragons collaborated to pressure him, but it was totally different now that they were one-on-one. When the invisible Dragon Pressure hit him, Yang Kai was totally unaffected. On the contrary, the Grand Dragon that initiated the attack became frozen in place with his claws extended.
Yang Kai slapped his claw on the Grand Dragon’s enormous head, and unleashed a violent strike which sent the Grand Dragon flying away, leaving deep gashes and cracking many Dragon Scales on his opponent in the process.
The Grand Dragon roared painfully, and when he finally managed to stabilize himself and turned to look around, he only saw the figure of Yang Kai continuing down into the depths of the Dragon Pool.
He did not dare to pursue and just stopped in place, shocked and shaken by the encounter.
There was simply no comparison between their Dragon Pressures, which was akin to a competition of their respective Bloodline Power and the might of their Source.
Although the Dragon Clan knew that Yang Kai had a Dragon Source, they just assumed it as an ordinary Source. Even if a Human had the opportunity to integrate a common Dragon Source, he would still not amount to much. At the most, he could have some characteristics and abilities of the Dragon Clan and cultivate some of the Dragon Clan’s Divine Abilities. They still believed this Human to be incomparable to the true members of the Dragon Clan.
They were astonished when they first saw that Yang Kai’s Dragon Form was actually 35,000 metres in length. Very few Humans could refine their Dragon Vein to this extent.
However, the moment their Dragon Pressures were compared, this Grand Dragon knew that everyone in the Dragon Clan had greatly underestimated this Human.
Yang Kai’s Dragon Pressure was far stronger than his, which meant that either his Bloodline Power or his Source was significantly more powerful.
The strength of one’s Bloodline was intuitively represented in the size of the Dragon. The stronger and purer the Bloodline, the larger the body. Which was why the Grand Dragons had to go deeper into the Dragon Pool to cultivate compared to the Young Dragons.
The Dragon Pool was of great help in refining their Bloodline.
Between him and Yang Kai, there was essentially no difference in their size, which meant there was a negligible difference in their Bloodline Power.
That meant that it was all about their Sources!
The opponent’s Source was far superior to his own!
The Grand Dragon was slightly lost in his thoughts; however, more than anything, he was curious about what Dragon Source this Human had managed to acquire. How could the Dragon Source owned by a mere Human be more powerful than that of Pureblooded Dragon?
Moreover, it was a significant difference between them.
[Did this Human managed to find the Source of a Divine Dragon? How could that be?] Throughout the ages, the Dragon Clan did not have many Divine Dragons, with most of them only managing to become Ancient Dragons. A Divine Dragon was among the most powerful existences in the Universe, so it was basically impossible for a Divine Dragon to die outside and lose their Source.
[No… indeed there was one! One lost Divine Dragon Source, and it was not an ordinary Divine Dragon either! The third generation Dragon Emperor’s Source!]
The Grand Dragon was shocked when he reached this conclusion. If this was really the case, then none of them could act brazen in front of this Human. What’s more, no Grand Dragon who had entered the Dragon Pool this time would be his match. When the few Ancient Dragon Elders learned of this Human’s existence, they would have to reassess him.
While the Grand Dragon was pondering doubtfully, Yang Kai had already gone down another 100,000 metres and easily brushed off a 40,000 metres long Grand Dragon.
Dragon Pressure was incredibly useful in the Dragon Pool. Yang Kai did not need to fight the Dragons head-on as with his Dragon Pressure he could just intimidate his opponent into giving way.
The deeper he went down, the more intense the Dragon Pool power became, and the more powerful the Grand Dragons he encountered.
Yang Kai encountered a Grand Dragons of 40,000, 43,000, 45,000, and 48,0000 metres in succession…
All the way through, with his Dragon Pressure flaring, no one dared to oppose him.
Yang Kai had yet to meet Ji Lao San, who was close to 50,000 metres and only a step away from becoming an Ancient Dragon. He was the strongest in this batch of Grand Dragons that entered the Dragon Pool; thus, he would certainly be at the deepest part of the Dragon Pool to cultivate.
Yang Kai was puzzled about him snatching Ji Lao San’s spot in this opening of the Dragon Pool. Logically speaking, if he were to take up a spot from the list of Dragons that entered this time, it should have been from one of the weaker ones.
However, it seemed that the Dragon Clan considered that Ji Lao San was about to advance to become an Ancient Dragon; thus, even if he did not enter the Dragon Pool this time, it would not matter too much. Entering the Dragon Pool would only speed up the process a bit, so they made him give up his spot.
Yang Kai was not sure as to why they allowed Ji Lao San to enter Dragon Pool thereafter, but that was none of his concern.
After descending more than 1 million metres into the Dragon Pool, Yang Kai finally encountered Ji Lao San.
The huge Dragon Form was nearly 50,000 metres long and coiled up, hungrily devouring the mysterious power of the Dragon Pool, causing the surrounding water to churn rapidly.
At the first sight of Yang Kai’s figure, Ji Lao San became furious and roared, “Ignorant Human, what impudence!”
This Human was allowed to enter the Dragon Pool, but was supposed to remain in the top 10,000 meters. This was already a great gift from the Dragon Clan, so how dare he dive so deep!?
Ji Lao San already had a grudge against Yang Kai, and now that he had seen his enemy, he could not hold back. He swayed his Dragon Form and pounced.
Despite his rage and hatred, Ji Lao San did not underestimate Yang Kai. Previously, he somehow lost to this Human twice, so he knew the latter was not to be taken lightly.
If they were outside, Ji Lao San would not have dared to act so reckless until he knew what trick Yang Kai was using.
But this was the Dragon Pool.
Within this domain, all external abilities could not be used. The only thing they could rely on was the Dragon Clan’s own strength and techniques.
He was about to break through to become an Ancient Dragon, so how could he be afraid of Yang Kai who was just a Grand Dragon of around 35,000 metres?
Since Yang Kai ignored his warnings, this time he would teach the former a good lesson. It was also a chance to avenge his previous shame. Whether Ji Lao San would kill Yang Kai remained to be seen as that would depend on the latter’s attitude. If Yang Kai begged for mercy, he would consider being merciful and let him live.
With many thoughts passing through his mind, Ji Lao San opened his maw.
*Hou!*
A Dragon Roar suddenly filled the surroundings with intense Dragon Pressure.
Ji Lao San’s huge figure froze in place, and the roar he was about to unleash caught in his throat.
The Dragon Roar just now was not Ji Lao San’s, but Yang Kai’s.
The Dragon Pressure suppression was incredible, and Yang Kai had not held back. Since Ji Lao San blocked his way, he immediately opened his mouth and roared, unleashing the might of his Source to cut through the latter’s Dragon Pressure.
The next moment, Ji Lao San watched helplessly as Yang Kai’s claw slapped his face. He took the full force of the immense power and his whole body was sent tumbling into the distance.
He hissed painfully as Dragon Blood blurred his vision. Ji Lao San even felt his nose had collapsed.
“That bastard is really brutal!” He snarled.
Meanwhile, the Golden Dragon had already swam deeper into the Dragon Pool, with only a faint golden glow looming in the depths.
The faint golden glow soon disappeared as it was too dark to be seen.
Ji Lao San froze in place and had no intention of pursuing. He also appeared stunned and uncertain of what he should do.
A pure-blooded Dragon Clan member, who was about to break through to become an Ancient Dragon, was smacked aside by a Grand Dragon who was only 35,000 metres in length, and was also a Human!
No one in the Clan would believe such an encounter, but it was the truth!
Ji Lao San still could not figure out why he lost to Yang Kai the last time they fought; however, the reason for his defeat just now was obvious and undeniable.
He realized that Yang Kai’s Dragon Pressure… was much stronger than his own, to the point where he was frozen in place by the Bloodline Suppression. If that was not the case, it would have been impossible for him to not fight back when he was more than 10,000 meters bigger.
Ji Lao San was shocked when he came to this realization.
He was about to advance to become an Ancient Dragon, so the only ones that could exert total Bloodline Suppression against him were the Pureblooded Ancient Dragons in his Clan.
But what was Yang Kai? He was a Human, so even if he had the coincidental opportunity to refine and integrate with a Dragon Source, that did not change his original nature.
So, how could he exert such potent Bloodline Suppression?
There was only one explanation for this situation.
The Source that Yang Kai refined… was extraordinarily powerful. Even if the original owner had died, the innate strength of the Source did not weaken much. The only possibility was that Yang Kai’s Source was a remnant of a powerful ancestor of the Dragon Clan!
[An Ancient Dragon Source? No, that wouldn’t be enough. Could it be a Divine Dragon Source?]
Ji Lao San shuddered at the thought. Could the Source that this Human had refined be a legendary Source of the Dragon Clan?
If so, it was understandable that he was not Yang Kai’s opponent. It was also no wonder that Yang Kai could reach this deep without the other Grand Dragons stopping him.
Even Ji Lao San was no match for him, let alone other Grand Dragons who were not as powerful as him.
The biggest clue as to Yang Kai’s Source’s origin was his Dragon Form Golden in colour. Golden Dragons were very rare in the Dragon Clan, and only two or three Golden Dragon Sources had been lost throughout history, with one in particular being of special importance.
[This is something big!] Ji Lao San’s heart began to pound.
Although he was only a Grand Dragon, he knew how much effort the Dragon Clan had spent searching for that lost Source; unfortunately, they could not find anything after countless years and had to finally give up the search.
Unexpectedly, that Source had returned, refined by a Human.
If he was not in the Dragon Pool, Ji Lao San would have gone to report this to the Elders immediately. Now that the Dragon Pool was sealed though, it would be years before it opened again.
He suppressed his multitude of thoughts and comforted himself. If Yang Kai really had ‘that’ Source, then it only made sense that he was no match for him.
He felt much better when he thought about it this way.
Yang Kai smacked him, moved on, and did not seize his territory. That alone was a blessing in disguise.
Without wasting any more thought on this, Ji Lao San quickly focused on refining the Dragon Pool’s power. He was just one step away from becoming an Ancient Dragon, so he could definitely succeed during this training session. It would not be too late to seek revenge against that hateful Human after he advanced to become an Ancient Dragon.
It was impossible for a 35,000 metres Dragon to achieve a breakthrough in just a few years by absorbing the benefits of the Dragon Pool.
When the Dragon Pool opened once again in a few years, he would be an Ancient Dragon and that Human would still be a Grand Dragon. Even though Yang Kai’s Source was powerful, Ji Lao San would no longer be suppressed so easily. He could then settle their accounts.
[What was that Human’s old adage? Yes, ’10 years is not too long for a gentleman to seek revenge!’]
Yang Kai stopped when he was 500,000 meters away from Ji Lao San.
At this position, he began to feel a trace of pressure not from his body, but from his Dragon Vein.
The further down the Dragon Pool one dove, the denser the ambient power, so this position was 100 times better than the top 10,000 metres he was original granted. However, each Dragon Clan member had their own limit.
That was why the three Young Dragons and 10 Grand Dragons occupied different positions to cultivate based on their own strength.
This location was the limit for Yang Kai as he could feel that if he were to go further down, not only would he not be able to get more benefits, it would probably be detrimental to him.
Upon realizing this, Yang Kai decided not to dive any deeper.
He allowed his body to float in the pool of water while he activated his Golden Divine Dragon Source, devouring and refining the power contained in the Dragon Pool.
All of a sudden, the Dragon Veins in his body throbbed and Dragon Blood flowed through his veins like numerous raging rivers were connected to it.
Invisible power was absorbed into his body and integrated into his blood to refine the power of his Dragon Bloodline.
The tingling sensations came again, and Yang Kai instantly felt like a million ants were gnawing on his body from the inside, drawing a roar of agony from his mouth.
When he first entered the Dragon Pool, Yang Kai tried to devour the Dragon Pool’s power to refine his Bloodline, and although he got some benefits, those were only superficial.
Moreover, the power at the top of the Dragon Pool was not very dense.
Now that he had descended more than 1.5 million meters into the Dragon Pool, where the power was 100 times denser than at the top, the benefits gained were not the same.
Yang Kai looked forward to it eagerly as he wondered just how far his Dragon Bloodline would be refined after he finished cultivating in the Dragon Pool.
An Ancient Dragon was equivalent to an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai was not a pure-blood Dragon Clan member and could not exert the full power of an Ancient Dragon, but even so, he would still attain an immense increase in strength if he reached that level.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao considered that the crusade was dangerous and Yang Kai’s Seventh-Order cultivation may not be enough for him to protect himself. Thus, she along with the other Old Ancestors struck a deal to allow him to come to the Dragon Pool to enhance his strength. If he could advance to become an Ancient Dragon, then Yang Kai’s ability to protect himself during the crusade would be greatly increased.
Yang Kai didn’t know what price the Human Race paid to get him into the Dragon Pool and the Dragon Clan did not mention it, so he didn’t bother to ask. Since the price was already paid, he certainly had to make sure he got their money’s worth.
This trip was for him to improve his Bloodline as much as possible to become as strong as he could.
After gradually getting used to the gnawing sensations, Yang Kai immediately activated the Great Sun Mark and Great Moon Mark on his two Dragon Claws.
Generally, when the Dragons entered the Dragon Pool, they would do everything they could to devour and refine the mysterious power in the water. They would activate their own Dragon Source and use it to draw in and refine the power of Dragon Pool. That was the only way for them to strengthen themselves.
However, Yang Kai was different. The Great Sun Mark and the Great Moon Mark could not only draw out the pure power in the Yellow and Blue Crystal, it was also capable drawing in the power of the Dragon Pool.
As soon as the two Great Marks appeared, Yang Kai’s two Dragon Claws instantly turned into two black holes and the rich Dragon Pool power flowed into his body and was devoured by him.
Instantly, Yang Kai’s complexion changed dramatically.
The power absorbed by the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks was so immense that he could not endure it. His Grand Dragon body began to break open with countless wounds out of which his Dragon Blood spurted.
It was no wonder that the Dragon Clan members cultivated in the Dragon Pool at positions according to their own limits. Although the Dragon Pool power was beneficial to them, absorbing too much was counterproductive. If Yang Kai continued to devour the power of the Dragon Pool in this manner, in less than half an hour, his own Source would not be able to endure it.
He was secretly glad that he did not dive any deeper.
He was about to stop when Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed again.
The power of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, dormant in Yang Kai’s body, suddenly roared to life.
Previously, when he tried it at the top of Dragon Pool, the power of Dragon Pool was not too strong, and it was well within Yang Kai’s tolerance; thus, he did not feel anything strange as his Bloodline improved extremely quickly.
Now that the Dragon Pool power he had swallowed exceeded his limits, the effect of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s power suddenly became obvious.
When these two powers revived in his body, the intersection of Yin and Yang seemed to turn into an invisible millstone that began to swiftly and effectively grind and refine the Dragon Pool power he had devoured into his body.
In an instant, Yang Kai felt a great reduction in the pressure. The uncomfortable feeling immediately eased and was replaced by an incomparable sense of comfort.
His Dragon Bones emitted a cracking sound. Naturally, when his Dragon Form was growing, his skin would begin to crack and his Dragon Scales begin to tremble continuously; however, he did not feel any pain. There were only tingling sensations as his wounds cycled between opening and healing.
Yang Kai suddenly had an epiphany.
When Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan gifted some of their power to him, they had already considered a situation such as this.
Perhaps it was obvious to them that Yang Kai would come to the Dragon Pool one day. When that happened, the benefits they gave him would be revealed to the fullest.
The power of Yin and Yang converged in his body, and the invisible millstone continued to grind. The immense power of the Dragon Pool was quickly turned into pure nutrients for Yang Kai’s Bloodline.
In just a stick of incense of time, Yang Kai felt his own Dragon Form increase by about 100 metres.
This increase was extremely alarming. The stronger the Dragon Clan member, the more difficult it was to enhance their Bloodline. Although Yang Kai already some 35,000 metres in length, his Bloodline still had huge room for improvement. Without some external help, just cultivating on his own, an increase of 100 metres would normally take at least several dozens of years for a Dragon.
This was also the reason why Yang Kai hardly deliberately aimed to cultivate his Dragon Clan Bloodline, because it was simply too time consuming.
Dragons all had extremely long lifespans, and since they guarded the No-Return Pass all year round, hardly facing any attacks, there was enough time for them to focus on such things. It was something they could afford to do while Yang Kai could not.
Previously, at the top of Dragon Pool, Yang Kai also activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks to draw in the power of Dragon Pool, but in that position, more than an hour had passed before his Dragon Form increased by a mere 20 metres, which was not comparable to the current efficiency.
This was the great benefit that the Dragon Pool could bring.
The rapid strengthening of his Bloodline meant an increase in strength. The feeling was so intoxicating that Yang Kai soon immersed himself entirely in it, hungrily devouring the power of the Dragon Pool around him.
…..
Dragon Clan had three families. Ji, Zhu, and Fu.
The Dragon Clan did not have a surname in the beginning, but as the leaders of all Divine Spirits, from some unknown era onward, the Dragon Clan began to have its own surnames.
Zhu Wu You was one of the few Young Dragons of this generation of Dragon Clan. Although he was considered a Young Dragon, the truth was he was already several hundred years old. A Dragon’s growth was extremely slow, after all. He was only 7,000 metres long and was considered the youngest of the entire Dragon Clan.
The Dragon Clan actively supported the cultivation of all Young Dragons; after all, it was very difficult for the Dragon Clan to reproduce and any pure-blooded clansmen was extremely precious.
In fact, not only the Dragon Clan, but all Divine Spirit’s had difficulty reproducing. It was very common for countless years to pass without the birth of a new clansman.
It was still bearable for the Dragon Clan as they could get a new clansman in the span of hundreds or thousands of years. Some Divine Spirit Clans completely withered as they could not give birth to new life even in hundreds of thousands of years.
This could be the will of the Heavenly Way to achieve some kind of balance; after all, any Divine Spirit would eventually grow to be extremely powerful as time passed.
As one of the only three Young Dragons in the clan today, Zhu Wu You was naturally qualified to enter the Dragon Pool to cultivate.
The last time the Dragon Pool was opened was before he was born, so he did not have that opportunity. Thus, this was his first time entering the Dragon Pool to cultivate.
Although it was his first time entering the Dragon Pool, there was no need for any guidance as he was a pure-blood Dragon Clan member. His Bloodline Inheritance was enough for him to easily understand everything about the Dragon Pool.
Zhu Wu You was cultivating at the uppermost 10,000 metres of the Dragon Pool. As he activated his Source, he absorbed and devoured the mysterious power in the Dragon Pool. He purified his Bloodline and repaired the wounds on his body.
In order to occupy a deeper position, he fought his own clansmen fiercely; however, he lost in the end.
As the loser, he had to retreat to a higher position. This was an established rule of the Dragon Clan.
There was no shame in his defeat, as his opponent’s Bloodline was a little stronger than his, and more importantly, his opponent was much older and experienced.
Still, while devouring and refining the Dragon Pool power and silently licking his wounds, Zhu Wu You was still sore about the defeat. When his injuries healed and his Bloodline became stronger, he would go and fight with that Young Dragon again, determined to snatch a better position.
Although the clan Elders were generous in facilitating the Young Dragons’ cultivation, when in the Dragon Pool, they had to rely on themselves to fight for benefits.
Half a month passed by, but as Zhu Wu You was silently cultivating, he suddenly opened his eyes. He felt that something was strange as he looked around, like his surroundings had somehow changed.
After a few moments of careful observation, Zhu Wu You finally realized what was wrong.
The Dragon Pool power had become incredibly weak at his location.
[What is happening?] Zhu Wu You began to worry. His position was bad enough to begin with, and now the Dragon Pool power had become incredibly thinner! How could he refine his Bloodline properly in this scenario?
[Was the stored power in the Dragon Pool too weak when it opened? I’ve only been cultivating for half a month. Could I have already absorbed almost all of the power within the top 10,000 metres?]
He originally thought that he would be able to advance this time; after all, his more than 7,000 metres long Dragon Body was not too far from becoming a Grand Dragon. One trip to the Dragon Pool to cultivate should be enough for a breakthrough.
However, if the Dragon Pool power was too thin, then it was not possible for him to achieve a breakthrough.
After taking a closer look at himself, he realized that his Dragon Form had increased by more than 100 metres in this half a month of cultivating. This was acceptable as he could cultivate in the Dragon Pool for several years this time; however, now that the Dragon Pool power had become so thin, it would be extremely difficult to further improve and grow.
After pondering for a while, Zhu Wu You swam down. Since his own region did not have enough Dragon Pool power, he could only rob others of it. He knew that he would have had to do this at some point, but he did not expect it to be so soon.
A short while later at 10,000 metres down, he heard a roar, “Zhu Wu You! You court death!”
Zhu Wu You coldly snorted and snapped back, “Enough nonsense. The last time I was careless, but this time I’ll show you what I’m capable of!”
Amid the roars, the two Young Dragons, one around 7,000 and the other around 8,000 metres long, entangled and began to claw at and bite each other. The fight was vicious and bloody.
In the Dragon Pool, no external powers could be utilized. The Dragon Clan could only rely on their own skills. The Dao of Time was a Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Talent, but the two Young Dragons were not qualified to utilize this power. During their fight, they could only pit their physical strength against the other. From time to time, they might use their Dragon Clan Secret Techniques, but for the most part it was just a brutal melee.
This battle lasted for half a month, and both Young Dragons were now badly injured. A large portion of the Dragon Scales on Zhu Wu You’s head were torn off, exposing bloody wounds. Zhu Wu You’s opponent, Fu Qian’s abdomen had a wound of more than several tens of metres long. It even exposed his squirming internal organs.
Fu Qian looked at Zhu Wu You in disbelief, not knowing why he was so desperate to fight for this place.
When the Dragon Clan members entered the Dragon Pool, they naturally had to fight for better territory; however, the fights weren’t life-or-death struggles. After all, the Dragon Pool was meant to cultivate in and for them to get stronger. The stronger one would keep the better position while the weaker one would retreat. That was the rule of cultivating in the Dragon Pool.
When he first entered Dragon Pool, Fu Qian fought with Zhu Wu You, and came out the winner; as such, he remained at the deeper position while Zhu Wu You swam up.
Half a month later, Zhu Wu You came to challenge him again, which surprised Fu Qian. Since he had already defeated Zhu Wu You once though, he was unafraid.
Still, their battle this time was different. Zhu Wu You was much fiercer, to the point where he seemed almost desperate. It was as if he was willing to fight to the bitter end, proof of which was that Zhu Wu You did not retreat even after battling for half a month.
Fu Qian was extremely annoyed. The Dragon Pool was only open for a short period, so any time spent on fighting was taken away from cultivating. What Zhu Wu You was doing was completely detrimental to both of them.
“Zhu Wu You, have you gone insane?” Fu Qian asked in frustration. He had acted according to the rules and did not offend him, so why was he so determined?
Zhu Wu You raised his head and declared arrogantly, “Cut the crap! If you think that you’re not my opponent, then go up, this place belongs to me!”
Fu Qian was furious, “Outrageous! Since you refuse a toast, don’t blame me for not showing mercy.”
“Come!”
And so, the two Dragons began their fight again after the brief exchange; however, this time, it only took around two days before the injured Young Dragons suddenly separated, both of them now looking around in all directions.
After a few moments, Fu Qian looked over and remarked, “What’s going on? Why has the Dragon Pool power become so weak?” He could sense that the Dragon Pool power contained in the water had become so thin that it was no longer useful for him to cultivate.
Zhu Wu You said, “Ha… You feel it too, right?”
Fu Qian suddenly realized, “The Dragon Pool power above somehow got depleted, so you came down here to steal from my territory?” Zhu Wu You was not his match, yet he kept desperately fighting for this position. There had to be a reason, and Fu Qian knew what it was.
Zhu Wu You grunted and replied, “Do you think I have nothing better to do?”
Fu Qian became even more annoyed with this confirmation. This bastard ran out of Dragon Pool power and came to rob from him. Now both of their positions were depleted of power.
“Still, why is the Dragon Pool power so weak?” Fu Qian wondered as he suppressed his anger.
The Dragon Pool power was naturally not unlimited. If it was, then a Dragon Clan members could all just live in the Dragon Pool all year round and sooner or later they would all become Ancient Dragons. Each time the Dragon Pool closed after being used, it would take hundreds to thousands of years to reopen again. That was because the Dragon Pool required time to restore its power.
When the power of the Dragon Pool was basically fully restored, it would reopen. Thus, there was no fixed duration to the time between its closure and the next opening. It all depended on how long the Dragon Pool needed to restore itself.
However, generally speaking, the time between openings did not differ much and it happened sufficiently frequently to meet the needs of the Dragon Clan.
This time, something was clearly different.
Zhu Wu You was now in a much better mood as he was not the only one who encountered this anomaly.
“Who knows? Maybe there was too much consumption last time.”
Fu Qian shook his head. If it really was due to the Dragon Pool being depleted too much during the last opening, then the Elders would definitely have delayed the opening of the Dragon Pool. Now that the Dragon Pool had been opened, it meant that the power of Dragon Pool was enough to meet the needs of the Dragon Clan members who entered. It did not make sense for the power to be used up so soon.
However, right now, it was a fact that the Dragon Pool power was so thin in Fu Qian’s territory, while it must be the same for Zhu Wu You.
What should they do now?
When Fu Qian was at a loss, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Zhu Wu You’s eyes wandering around, looking down into the depths every now and then.
Fu Qian was shocked and asked, “Zhu Wu You, what do you intend to do?”
Zhu Wu You glanced at him and said with a snort, “You clearly know the answer to that.”
Fu Qian frowned and then whispered, “Big Brother Ji is not to be messed with.”
There were a total of three Young Dragons in this generation of Dragon Clan. The Ji family Young Dragon was the oldest and had the longest dragon body, so he was the strongest.
Only the two of them addressed him as Big Brother Ji, so it did not mean that he was the strongest within the Ji Family. For instance, Ji Lao San was about to break through to become an Ancient Dragon. They grew up in a different era, so each generation of the Dragon Clan addressed each other differently.
Big Brother Ji was a Young Dragon who had already exceeded the 9,000 metres mark, unlike the two of them who were still some ways away from their breakthrough.
When they entered the Dragon Pool this time, neither Zhu Wu You nor Fu Qian had the intention to compete with Big Brother Ji. They knew that they were not his match and could not compete for his territory.
However, now they might not have a choice but to fight. If they did not compete for a better territory with stronger Dragon Pool power, how could they train and improve their strength?
Thus, one look at Zhu Wu You’s wandering eyes and Fu Qian knew what he was thinking.
Zhu Wu You followed up, “I know that Big Brother Ji’s is more than 9,000 metres and just one step away from becoming a Grand Dragon, but although neither of us are his match and even if we join forces we probably won’t win, how can we not try to fight for his territory under the current circumstances?”
Fu Qian could not help but shrug and asked, “Aren’t you afraid that Big Brother Ji will beat you to death?”
Zhu Wu You replied, “Needless to say, I am expecting serious injuries. As long as the fight does not kill me though, I will be able to carve out some space to gain some benefits.”
This was what he did previously, while fighting with Fu Qian, as he was refining and devouring the Dragon Pool power around them the whole time. Although he was injured and scarred during the half a month of fighting, he managed to refine a lot of Dragon Pool power which was then used to refine his Dragon Vein.
Zhu Wu You knew he really was not Big Brother Ji’s match, so his intention was not to drive the latter away. As he said, as long as Big Brother Ji did not kill him, he could always reap some benefits.
It was better than waiting up here with nothing to gain.
With his mind made up, Zhu Wu You swooped down with a shake of his tail.
“You’re really going?” Fu Qian was shocked that Zhu Wu You was acting so bold.
Zhu Wu You coldly snorted and said, “To the brave go the spoils. Stay up there if you’re too scared!”
Fu Qian hesitated and remained where he was, but a short while later, he gritted his teeth and chased after Zhu Wu You. As Zhu Wu You said, the power of the Dragon Pool in his territory was already very thin; thus, there was no point in staying here. He had to go to compete for a better territory. Perhaps he could even take advantage of this Dragon Pool contest to advance to become a Grand Dragon.
Moments later, Big Brother Ji roared angrily, “You gave you the guts to come down here!? You court death!”
Dragon Pressure pulsed through the area as Dragon Force stirred.
Zhu Wu You and Fu Qian joined forces to battle Big Brother Ji. It was two against one, but they were still no match for the latter and were beaten to a pulp. However, the two Dragons were determined not to retreat and as they were being beaten, they continued frantically devouring and refining the power of the Dragon Pool around them.
Big Brother Ji was furious and his attacks became increasingly ruthless.
After about half a month of fighting, the three Young Dragons were now locked in a three-way standoff, each of them looking at the others from a short distance.
Big Brother Ji was apoplectic and his eyes were shooting daggers. He was ready to devour and rip apart the both of them.
Zhu Wu You grinned and tried to appease him, “Big Brother Ji, please don’t be angry. I did not want to come here, but Fu Qian enticed me to come down with him to nibble some of the Dragon Power here. I could not resist the temptation and followed along with him. Now that you’ve beaten me until I can hardly open my eyes, I hope that you’re done venting your anger.”
Fu Qian was stunned and turned his head to look at Zhu Wu You as he said angrily, “What are you talking about? You were the one who…”
Zhu Wu You snorted as he snapped back, “What? Didn’t I say that Big Brother Ji is not to be messed with? Yet you want to come to disturb him. Look at how messed up you are now. If you go out of the Dragon Pool, even your parents won’t be able to recognize you.”
“You… I…” Fu Qian was dumbfounded.
“Well, let’s not talk about the past since what was done cannot be undone. Now that the power of the Dragon Pool in Big Brother Ji’s territory is almost depleted, we have no reason to fight any more,” Zhu Wu You shouted coldly.
Fu Qian’s eyes rolled scornfully and was dumbfounded. Previously, he had the impression that Zhu Wu You was despicable, but now he knew that he was also shameless.
Zhu Wu You turned his head to look at Big Brother Ji and asked, “Now what do we do? Do we wait for the Dragon Pool to open again and go back in disgrace?”
Big Brother Ji was furious and did not know how to vent his anger. If possible, he really wanted to hammer these two to death; however, as Zhu Wu You said, now that his Dragon Pool power was almost depleted, there was no point in fighting any longer.
The current Dragon Pool session was an opportunity. With his more than 9,000 metres long Dragon Form, he could easily be promoted to become a Grand Dragon; however, he still had a way to go until he broke through. It was not that easy to advance without the help of sufficient Dragon Pool power.
It would be embarrassing if he did not advance to become a Grand Dragon when the Dragon Pool reopened.
He was the only Young Dragon who was expected to advance, unlike Zhu Wu You and Fu Qian.
“What are you trying to say?” Big Brother Ji snarled through gritted teeth and restrained his anger.
Zhu Wu You scoffed and said, “Since we’re in this situation, as the Humans say, in for a penny, in for a pound!” Zhu Wu You’s eyes then glanced downward.
Fu Qian went pale as he stuttered, “Y-Y-You…”
Previously, when Zhu Wu You proposed stealing some of Big Brother Ji’s Dragon Pool power, Fu Qian already felt that he was too outrageous. Now it was even more excessive that he was considering competing with the Grand Dragons below.
Those were Grand Dragons!
How could they even hold back their wrath when three Young Dragons intruded into their territory?
“Shut up!” Zhu Wu You shouted with utter contempt, “What a coward!”
Fu Qian almost choked to death.
When Big Brother Ji did not say a word, Zhu Wu You was disappointed and sighed as he lamented, “For generations, our Dragon Clan has constantly guarded the No-Return Pass. It sounds honorable, but at some point it seems we lost our courage. Now, we dare not even compete in a fight. Sigh, I guess I will just go back to my own territory and have a good sleep and wait for the Dragon Pool to open again. I am the weakest among us, so it’s fine for me not to become a Grand Dragon this time. But, Big Brother Ji, if you are not going to become a Grand Dragon this time, then I’m afraid you’ll ultimately be punished.”
Big Brother Ji muttered, “Stop taunting me.”
Zhu Wu You chuckled, “How dare I? Big Brother Ji is the leading figure of our generation. Fu Qian and I have always taken you as a role model, right?”
Fu Qian was confused for a moment.
Zhu Wu You cursed in his heart, this moron was truly incompetent when it came to using his head.
Zhu Wu You brushed Fu Qian aside and said, “There is not much time left in this opening of the Dragon Pool. Our advancement has been very slow. If we don’t think of a way forward, we will stagnate as we are. I don’t know about you guys, but I refuse to accept this situation. Big Brother Ji, as long as you say the word, I, Zhu Wu You, will fight with you. At the very least, I’ll lead the charge against the Grand Dragon below!”
In any case, they were all going to become punching bags, so it really made no difference who was beaten up first and who was last. At least, if they went together, they could share the beatings. Going alone would be disastrous. Regardless, he had to drag Big Brother Ji and Fu Qian along. When the Grand Dragon below wanted to punish them, as the weakest Dragon Clansmen among them, his share of responsibility should be limited.
“You’re willing to take the first blow?” Big Brother Ji looked at Zhu Wu You in surprise.
Zhu Wu You appeared like he was suicidal and yelled confidently, “I’ll take the opening blow!”
On seeing that he was so determined, Big Brother Ji nodded satisfactorily and said, “Good, let’s head down then!”
Fu Qian suddenly came to his senses and shouted, “Wait! Setting aside the fact that there are Grand Dragons down there, the three of us are only Young Dragons. We may not be able to withstand the pressure below!”
Zhu Wu You looked at him with frustration and yelled, “Are you stupid? The Dragon Pool power above us is so weak, so how dense can it be below? Yes, in the past, we could not handle the intensity at those depths, but now it is different.”
Fu Qian thought about it and admitted, “You have a point.”
Zhu Wu You braced up and said, “Then let’s do it?”
Big Brother Ji and Fu Qian looked at each other and both nodded their heads.
“Let’s go!” Zhu Wu You did not hesitate, and with a flip of his Dragon Tail, he swam deeper down.
A short while later, a Grand Dragon roared, “Three little brats! You’ve got some nerve coming down here!”
Zhu Wu You immediately screamed and shirked the responsibility, “Big Brother Ji brought us here, Third Uncle! Don’t hit my eyes, I can’t see…”
Big Brother Ji was immediately offered up as a sacrifice.
…..
These three Young Dragons had very little experience with the Dragon Pool, so although they could clearly sense the reduction of the Dragon Pool power, they all thought that it was due to the lack of power stored in Dragon Pool itself.
It was different for the Grand Dragons. Some of them had come to Dragon Pool multiple times, and although there was always some difference in the stored power in the past, the difference was usually not significant.
This time was different.
The power in the Dragon Pool was decreasing at a terrifying rate, and a few Grand Dragons with great strength could even clearly perceive that there was an invisible force deep below that was pulling in and devouring the mysterious power.
The Dragon Pool power was weakening at an incredible rate from top to bottom.
As a result, the Dragon Pool power at the respective Dragon Clan members’ territories was rapidly depleting.
When the Dragon Pool power weakened, the Dragons could not get the necessary benefits and could only dive deeper down to fight for and snatch new territories.
Initially, Zhu Wu You went to grab Fu Qian’s territory. Then the two Young Dragons joined forces to grab Big Brother Ji’s territory. Now the three Young Dragons came to challenge a Grand Dragon for his territory.
Now, three months later, the team has expanded to two Grand Dragons and three Young Dragons.
Zhu Wu You was now very happy. At this point, he would no longer be beaten up when they challenged another Grand Dragon for space in their territory. While the Seniors fought, he only needed to observe from far away and take the opportunity to refine the Dragon Pool power.
Indeed, the further they went down, the stronger the Dragon Pool power became, but unfortunately it did not last long before it ran out.
Since ancient times, no Young Dragon had ever descended more than 100,000 metres into the Dragon Pool; however, this time, these three Young Dragons vastly exceeded this feat.
In a span of just three months, Zhu Wu You and Fu Qian’s Dragon Forms had increased several hundred metres in length, and Big Brother Ji was about to break through to become a Grand Dragon.
They were only Young Dragons with huge room for improvement, so although they were only following behind their Seniors, their growth was very obvious.
Zhu Wu You silently pondered. With such a rate of improvement, he now stood a good chance of becoming a Grand Dragon during this Dragon Pool cultivation session.
Looking at the Seniors who were now fighting, Zhu Wu You grinned sinisterly. [Fight, keep fighting! Fight so that we, the Young Dragons, can continue to reap the benefits!]
As the Dragon Clans members above fought fiercely, Yang Kai was hungrily devouring the power of the Dragon Pool and tempering his Dragon Vein at a depth of more than 1 million metres.
He had grown tremendously.
When he entered Dragon Pool, his body was roughly 35,000 metres. Now, after only half a year, he had almost reached the limit of a Grand Dragon.
He was just one step away from reaching 50,000 metres and becoming an Ancient Dragon.
In half a year, his Dragon Form had increased by 15,000 metres! That meant that he had grown 2,500 metres per month, or around 80 metres every day on average.
Of course, the longer he grew, the slower his rate of growth. Initially, Yang Kai could grow close to 100 metres in a day, but now, he was not growing as quickly.
It was not easy for him to become an Ancient Dragon; in fact, Yang Kai had stagnated for more than 10 days now.
He had reached a bottleneck!
Yang Kai did not have any issues when he advanced from a Young Dragon to a Grand Dragon; however, now he felt resistance when he sought to advance from a Grand Dragon to an Ancient Dragon.
In fact, any Dragon’s breakthrough to the realm of Ancient Dragon was a big hurdle and was often accomplished by using a special Secret Technique. This was not part of a Bloodline Inheritance though, but was instead developed through Dragon Clan’s own research over the generations.
For a pure-blood Dragon Clan member, when he or she was ready to advance to become an Ancient Dragon, the Dragon Clan’s Elders would teach them this Secret Technique. Just like Ji Lao San, who was about to break through to become an Ancient Dragon, he was taught this method by the Ancient Dragons of the Ji Family before he entered the Dragon Pool. However, Yang Kai did not have this opportunity. No one taught him how to achieve the breakthrough. After arriving at the No-Return Pass, while the Phoenix Clan was willing to interact with him somewhat, the Dragon Clan totally ignored him. Needless to say, they did not share with him the typical breakthrough method.
Yang Kai also realized the problem when he went 10 days without any progress. Although he was still devouring the Dragon Pool power, it was not much help to him like before. Previously, every drop of Dragon Pool power was able to refine and enhance his Bloodline and Dragon Vein such that he became more powerful.
He did not know how long the Dragon Pool would remain open this time, but it certainly would not be too long. If he does not become an Ancient Dragon by the time it closed, then he would be disappointing Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the other Human Masters who obtained this opportunity for him.
This was the first time Yang Kai encountered such a situation, so he had no clues about how to deal with it.
Looking around, Yang Kai grit his teeth and swam deeper into the Dragon Pool.
Six months ago, this was the limit of his Bloodline and Dragon Vein. Over the past six months, his Dragon Form had increased by 15,000 metres, and his Dragon Vein had improved tremendously; thus, this depth was no longer the limiting factor.
Now, he was qualified to go deeper.
Yang Kai’s thought process was very simple. Since his Dragon Vein had reached a bottleneck, then he needed to use a lot of energy to overcome it. As long as he had sufficient energy, he would be able to achieve a breakthrough!
After diving several hundreds of thousands of metres, Yang Kai felt like he had reached his limit once again; however, this time he did not stop and instead continued to descend.
Since he decided to accumulate more power to force a breakthrough, he had to go deeper; after all, the Dragon Pool power was naturally denser at the deeper depths.
Only after diving another million metres did he finally stop.
[This is about right.]
At this point, Yang Kai felt a huge pressure on his Dragon Vein. Any further down and he would be courting death rather than seeking a breakthrough.
The surrounding Dragon Pool power was incredibly dense, more than 10 times what it had been at his previous position.
It would not make sense if he could not break through to become an Ancient Dragon here.
Yang Kai composed himself and then activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks on his Dragon Claws. Instantly, the rich power of the Dragon Pool surged into his body.
Yang Kai’s Dragon Eyes instantly rolled backward as he felt as though he had severely overeaten. He felt extremely uncomfortable and nauseous.
However, he did not stop and instead urged the Great Sun Mark and Great Moon Mark to continue drawing in the ambient power.
As before, when stimulated by this immense influx, the dormant power of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer awaked. The power of Yin and Yang converged, turning it into an invisible millstone, grinding the incoming Dragon Pool power so that it was softer and easier to absorb.
Earlier, with the help of this power, Yang Kai was able to refine the Dragon Pool power easily without feeling too much pressure.
But not anymore. Even with the power of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan helping him, the huge Dragon Pool power began to accumulate in his body, causing his blood to run wild and his Dragon Vein to pound.
Pain ripped through all parts of his body, and the place where Yang Kai hovered instantly glowed a bright golden color.
The Dragon Pool water around him became tainted with Dragon Blood as Yang Kai could feel his own skin cracking.
The power accumulated in his body was too much, and he was unable to refine and absorb it fast enough, so he ended up wounding himself.
Yang Kai clenched his teeth and held on, letting his Dragon Blood spurt out. Under the intense pain, his Dragon Scales almost stood on end while trembling.
However, at this moment, his Dragon Vein was like a sealed funnel. No matter how much Dragon Pool power was swallowed and refined, he could not absorb any of it.
If his Dragon Vein could not absorb the power, it meant that he could not strengthen it and he could not advance to become an Ancient Dragon!
Yang Kai did not care though, as he firmly believed that as long as he persisted, there would be a moment when this situation would change.
Just as Yang Kai activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks, in the madness of devouring the power of Dragon Pool, a pair of giant eyes opened a million metres below and looked upward.
Previously, when Yang Kai was devouring the Dragon Pool’s power 2 million metres above, the being below did not feel anything; however, now that Yang Kai was only 1 million metres away, he was able to perceive the disturbance in the Dragon Pool.
Since the isolation power of the Dragon Pool was very strong. Even though this being could only vaguely perceive something was happening, it couldn’t really tell what was happening.
It took a few moments of silent observation before the beast with the giant eyes frowned and muttered, “What reckless idiot is trying to use the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art?”
It was not that the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art could not help one achieve a breakthrough, it was just too difficult and the requirements for success were prohibitively high. Special means must be used to absorb the huge Dragon Pool power, and the whole refining process was also extremely dangerous. The slightest mistake could result in one’s Dragon Vein being destroyed.
In ancient times, the Dragon Clan did utilize this method to refine their Dragon Vein to achieve breakthroughs and strengthen themselves; however, in those days, there were too many Dragons who failed. Failure meant that their foundation was severely damaged. It would take hundreds to thousands of years in order to recover from such damage, if it was even possible. In serious cases, the Dragon’s death was even possible.
This resulted in many in the Dragon Clan falling.
The Dragon Clan was already scarce in numbers; thus, they could not accept such risks.
Therefore, the Masters of the Dragon Clan spent a lot of effort to develop a set of Secret Techniques specifically for breaking through. After generations of improvements, this Secret Technique was now all but perfected.
With this Secret Technique to use during the breakthrough to the realm of Ancient Dragon, although it was much slower than the ancient method, and the process was not as efficient, it was a lot safer. At least, when the breakthrough failed, the Dragon Clan member could try again.
It had been many generations since someone from the Dragon Clan last used the ancient method to breakthrough.
But now, someone had appeared and was trying to do exactly that.
Although he also appreciated the determination of this Junior, the Dragon Clan did not approve of this method. Members of the Dragon Clan had long lifespans, but they were few in number. There was no shame in taking the safe path and avoiding unnecessary risks when time was not a concern.
Now that this Junior had chosen to use the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art, the being in the depths could not stop him, nor could he offer any assistance. It would be impressive if this Junior could use the ancient method to advance and become an Ancient Dragon, but if not, it was his own choice and no one else was to blame.
The only thing the being in the depths really cared about was that this Junior was making a lot of noise. He did not know what method was being used to draw in the power of the Dragon Pool, but even from a million metres below he had noticed.
He was thankful that his cultivation was not at a critical juncture, otherwise he would have been disturbed by that Junior.
The beast with the giant eyes pondered for a moment before he dove deeper down until he could no longer feel the disturbances above him. He then stopped and resumed his meditation.
Yang Kai’s Dragon Eyes continued to ooze blood, looking extremely appalling, as the golden light around him bloomed to the extreme.
He was suffering from intense physical pain, which would have been bearable if that was all; however, his restorative ability was incredibly strong and after his physique was torn apart, it began to heal and would then be torn yet again. And so, the process repeated itself over and over again.
Yang Kai felt like he was being subjected to the cruelest torture. The so-called death by 1,000 cuts could never be compared to his current situation.
However, it still wasn’t enough!
Several days of persistence with intense sufferings did not yield the slightest progress. He was now out of ideas and furious.
He was furious because he did not know how long he had to suffer and endure.
He was also angry because if someone from the Dragon Clan could advance to become an Ancient Dragon, there was no reason he could not achieve a breakthrough. Although he was a Human, his Source was no worse than any others in the Dragon Clan.
With bloodshot eyes, Yang Kai gritted his teeth, and descended more than 100,000 metres further.
During this time, the Great Sun and Moon Marks continued to draw in the power of Dragon Pool. Simultaneously, the Yin-Yang millstone continued to grind and refine this power to nourish his body.
The unbearable pain pushed Yang Kai almost to madness.
Yet, he had no intention of stopping.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s concern was reasonable. The Human Race’s crusade would certainly be dangerous, so Yang Kai’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation might not be able to protect himself. It was difficult for him to improve his strength within his current Order in such a short period; thus, the only option was to strengthen his Dragon Vein. Now that he had this opportunity, he could not let it go to waste.
With this thought in mind, Yang Kai gritted his teeth and persevered.
At one point, he could not hold back anymore and roared.
While he was in intense pain, the battle of the Dragon Clan members above him had almost ended. The three Young Dragons and a few Grand Dragons were all badly mauled.
One of the Grand Dragons was particularly angry and gritted his teeth as he roared, “You bastards!”
In the past, although there were Dragons fighting for territory in the Dragon Pool, they basically only sparred against each other. Whoever was strongest stayed and whoever was weakest retreated.
This time, he was quietly cultivating in his own territory, but several Grand Dragons and three Young Dragons suddenly came at him…
He was alone, so how could he fight off so many enemies at once? Even when he valiantly resisted, he was beaten to the point where his Dragon Scales were sent flying and Dragon Blood spattered all about.
As he spoke, he glared viciously at the three Young Dragons and snarled, “Never mind that the Grand Dragons came to fight for territory, what are you three Young Dragons doing here!?”
Zhu Wu You and the other two Young Dragons were startled when questioned by this Grand Dragon.
Their 13th Uncle was not known for his graciousness, so he might shift all the blame back to them.
Naturally, the three Young Dragons felt a bit remorseful, but they had little choice as the situation had forced them to follow the Seniors down the Dragon Pool to fight. Otherwise, they could not obtain any benefits at their original depths.
In the silence, a Grand Dragon sighed as he explained, “Shi Liu, we can’t help it. The power of the Dragon Pool above has been depleted, so there was no way for us to cultivate.”
Fu Shi Liu shouted angrily, “So you came down here to rob from me?”
Another Grand Dragon said, “That has been the rule of the Dragon Pool since ancient times, what do you have to complain about?”
Fu Shi Liu glared viciously at the Grand Dragon who spoke second. He really could not complain when his other clansmen were competing for his territory; however, they came as a group to fight him for his territory, which was why he was so angry.
There was no point in dwelling on this subject now, though, as the Dragon Pool power in Fu Shi Liu’s territory had almost been depleted as well.
Suppressing his anger, Fu Shi Liu looked down into the depths of the Dragon Pool and asked, “Did something change down there? Why is the power of the Dragon Pool so weak this time?”
A Grand Dragon replied, “If you carefully sense what is happening below, there seems to be some kind of force that is drawing in and devouring the power of the Dragon Pool at an incredible rate. That’s why our positions were affected. If I’m right, it should be because of ‘that’ Senior down there.”
Upon hearing this, the other Grand Dragons seemed enlightened.
Another Grand Dragon nodded and said, “Yes, if it’s really due to him, then it explains the changes in the power of the Dragon Pool. If he is trying to achieve a breakthrough, then he will certainly need a lot of power.”
“Then what do we do? We won’t know how long he will take to break through. We can’t just wait here and do nothing!”
“Naturally, we cannot wait here. Since there is no more Dragon Pool power up here, then we should continue down. As long as we’re careful not to interfere with him, we should be fine.”
All the Grand Dragons nodded in agreement while the three Young Dragons were confused.
Zhu Wu You came up to Big Brother Ji and whispered, “What are they talking about? Who is the one down below?”
Big Brother Ji replied, “How would I know?”
Zhu Wu You was surprised and exclaimed, “Not even you know?”
A nearby Grand Dragon glanced over and coldly snorted, “Three Brats, don’t be so curious. You will know when it is time for you to know.”
As they were talking, the other Grand Dragons already began to swim downward while the Grand Dragon who spoke to Zhu Wu You immediately shouted, “Keep up, all of you. This is a rare opportunity. Normally it would be impossible for you little ones to visit the depths that we’re going to.”
Zhu Wu You immediately flicked his tail and followed.
He also did not expect the situation to go this far. Initially, he went to Fu Qian’s territory to fight for benefits. Now, half a year later, this team has expanded to include all three Young Dragons and seven Grand Dragons.
There had never been a time when the situation in the Dragon Pool was like this.
What Zhu Wu You was more curious about was who the Grand Dragons were referring to; unfortunately, the Grand Dragons would not tell him anything and he could not do anything about it.
After a long journey, they encountered two more Grand Dragons, but no fights broke out because they also felt that something was abnormal in the depths below.
After explaining the situation, the group expanded again.
Now there were three Young Dragons and nine Grand Dragons descending to the depths of the Dragon Pool. Except for the strongest Ji Lao San, the rest of the Young Dragons and Grand Dragons were all gathered together.
Soon, the group arrived at Ji Lao San’s territory.
The leading Grand Dragon took a look from afar and stopped the clansmen behind him.
The other Grand Dragons were puzzled, looked towards Ji Lao San and also sensed something.
Only the three Young Dragons were completely confused and did not understand why everyone had stopped. The isolation power in the Dragon Pool was too strong at this depth, and they were too weak to detect the situation Ji Lao San was in.
Zhu Wu You was blunt, impatient, and spoke without thinking twice, so he swam towards the lead Grand Dragon and asked softly, “Uncle Shi Liu, what is the situation down there?”
Fu Shi Liu glanced at him, wanting to ignore this cheeky brat, but he soon realized that Zhu Wu You would just keep pestering him if his curiosity was not satisfied, so he reluctantly explained, “He’s about to break through.”
Zhu Wu You was surprised and exclaimed, “Third Uncle is about to achieve a breakthrough just half a year after entering the Dragon Pool?”
Fu Shi Liu replied, “Your Third Uncle was just one step away from becoming an Ancient Dragon. Furthermore, his Source is not bad. There is nothing strange about taking only half a year to achieve a breakthrough. In fact… this can already be considered slow. Previously, we all believed that he would only need three months to break through.”
The reason for the delay must be that the Dragon Pool power had become thinner, causing Ji Lao San to take a few more months to accumulate enough.
Big Brother Ji asked with great concern, “Uncle Shi Liu, now that the Dragon Pool power is so weak, will Third Uncle be affected?”
Fu Shi Liu replied, “Of course he will be impacted if he does not accumulate enough power. Now that he has accumulated enough though, his Bloodline is undergoing a transformation and the need for external power is not as great. Thus, the depletion of the Dragon Pool power will not interfere with his breakthrough.”
Big Brother Ji heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
There would be trouble if Ji Lao San’s breakthrough failed. However, it appeared that the weakened power of the Dragon Pool had no impact on his Third Uncle, which meant that the latter’s breakthrough was a certainty. Henceforth, the Dragon Clan would have another Ancient Dragon.
They were able to sense that Ji Lao San was at a critical moment of breakthrough; thus, the Dragon Clan team stopped so as not to disturb him.
As Ji Lao San was about to achieve a breakthrough, Yang Kai was also happy in the deeper parts of the Dragon Pool.
He felt that his Dragon Vein was undergoing some amazing changes, and his Bloodline had become purer and more condensed.
He was not afraid of the changes to his body and more afraid that nothing would change since that would mean that all his efforts had been in vain.
The pain was intense and Yang Kai grunted repeatedly, but it was mixed with joy and excitement.
Then suddenly, Yang Kai’s entire body was invigorated and he felt as if he had broken through some kind of shackle, allowing his Dragon Vein and Bloodline to suddenly rise to a higher realm.
His skin cracked and his Dragon Scales that were trembling began to shed.
This sudden change caught Yang Kai off guard. Dragon Scales could be said to be a Dragon’s strongest protection. With his current length of 50,000 metres, even if he took a direct blow from a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Master, his Dragon Scales might not fall off.
But now, a few had actually shed on their own.
Before he knew what was happening, more Dragon Scales fell from his body.
Yang Kai was shocked.
He did not know if this was a good sign; after all, without their Dragon Scales, how could a Dragon protect itself? Not to mention, his Dragon Scales gave him a majestic and imposing look. Without those Dragon Scales… he looked naked and hideous.
Yang Kai could not even bare to imagine a naked Dragon without scales.
Yang Kai was powerless to stop the continued shedding of his Dragon Scales though. At the same time, his Dragon Bead was pulsing. Every time the Dragon Bead pulsed, a mysterious power would escape and be absorbed into his Dragon Vein.
In just half an hour’s time, Yang Kai’s body had been stripped clean of Dragon Scales and he had indeed become a fully naked Dragon.
[Is this how a Dragon breaks through? Is it always like this?]
Yang Kai was not sure if his Dragon Scales could still grow out. Although it was likely that they would grow out again, there was always a chance that they might not as he was not a pure-blooded Dragon Clan member.
If they really didn’t grow back…
Yang Kai secretly made up his mind that if that happened, he would never show his Dragon Form to others in the future; it would simply be too embarrassing.
While he was thinking that, fresh blood oozed out of his cracked skin, and strangely enough, the fresh blood that oozed out was not golden.
Yang Kai had been bleeding Golden Blood since long ago.
But now, instead of Golden Blood, the fresh blood oozing out of his body was red in colour.
Yang Kai could not be bothered to think about his image now. As the fresh red blood continued to seep out, it seemed that some wonderful changes were happening within himself. It was as if something was being purged from his body along with the blood…
A thought suddenly flashed across Yang Kai’s mind.
[Is this because I’m Human!?]
A Divine Spirit Source was an extremely profound and mysterious treasure. Anyone who had attained a Divine Spirit Source had the capacity to transform into a true Divine Spirit if they could cultivate it to the limit.
Dragon and Phoenix Clan Sources were no exception.
However, the chances of this were very slim, which was why the Dragon Clan had an innate dislike for Yang Kai. Even if he managed to obtain and refine a Dragon Source, it did not change the fact that he was still Human. At best, he only managed to acquire an impure Dragon Bloodline.
Although Yang Kai previously bled Golden Dragon Blood, that was not the blood of a Pureblood Dragon. At his core, he was essentially still Human.
Now, Yang Kai could clearly feel that he was being transformed into a Pureblood Dragon, and the Human part of him was being purged.
He was shocked as he did not expect this to happen during his advancement to becoming an Ancient Dragon.
As a Human, Yang Kai never felt inferior to any other Race. The Human Race was indeed inherently weak, without all the innate advantages a Divine Spirit possessed; however, it was the weakness of the Human Race that enabled it to have so many possibilities.
Without humans, the 3,000 Worlds would be empty and uncivilized, completely lacking in culture, though the beauty of nature might be more apparent.
If he was not Human, he would not have been able to see the Black Ink Battlefield, where the countless Human soldiers sacrificed their lives to protect their homes and families.
As a Human, Yang Kai did not feel inferior. Since he was born weak, then he had to try harder to be strong.
Compared to the Divine Spirits, the Human Race could really be considered weak.
Even so, he was born a Human, and was proud of it.
Was his root as a Human going to leave him now?
Yang Kai suddenly felt a bit conflicted. He had never considered this possibility previously. He had always assumed he would be a Human even if he possessed a Dragon Source.
However, at this moment, he began to think a lot about such matters.
He never imagined that he would care so much about being Human.
The Dragon Bead was still pulsing endlessly, and as his Bloodline continued to agitate, more portions of his Human physique were rejected. Now, his close to 50,000 metres Dragon Form was covered in fresh red blood.
Yang Kai opened his mouth and released a deep Dragon Roar.
Why should he care about being a Human or Dragon? As long as he could kill the Black Ink Clan, what did it matter? So what if his Human blood was purged? Did that mean that he was no longer a Human?
He was born and raised by Humans! His parents were still in the Star Boundary!
More fresh blood poured out and soon completely engulfed Yang Kai. His Dragon Roar gradually subsided and the Dragon Pool fell silent.
At the same time, further up the Dragon Pool, another Dragon Roar sounded.
Ji Lao San had become an Ancient Dragon!
Although the power of the Dragon Pool had weakened considerably, he had accumulated enough to achieve a breakthrough.
Of course, his advancement was not as problematic as Yang Kai’s; after all, he was a pure-blood Dragon and did not need to purge anything from his body. It was easier for him since he could omit this step.
Had he been in Yang Kai’s position, it was unclear if he could achieve a similar breakthrough.
If Ji Lao San took on Human Form, he would appear as a youth who looked about the same age as Yang Kai, but in reality, he was many times older than Yang Kai.
Dragons were strong and had long lifespans; however, they grew extremely slowly. After nearly 10,000 years, Ji Lao San finally shed his former body and was reborn, breaking through his Bloodline shackles and advancing to become an Ancient Dragon.
The excitement was overwhelming, and he continued to roar in celebration.
Amid the Dragon Roars, Ji Lao San’s nearly 50,000 metre long Dragon Body finally achieved a breakthrough.
His Dragon Vein was enhanced as his Dragon Form continued to extend.
500 metres, 1,000 metres, 2,000 metres, finally the increase slowed to a stop at nearly 3,000 metres.
Each breakthrough a Dragon accomplished was accompanied by a leap in strength. Although when compared to before entering the Dragon Pool, he had only grown around 3,000 metres, Ji Lao San’s strength now was leaps and bounds greater than before. Now, he would be able to fight and defeat three of his previous selves from before he entered the Pool!
If he encountered that Human’s Dragon Pressure again, he was confident that he would be able to block it without any difficulty.
The other party might have obtained a Divine Dragon Source, but he was only a Grand Dragon, how much of the Source’s strength could he utilize?
After advancing to become an Ancient Dragon, Ji Lao San’s immediate desire was to seek revenge and regain his dignity.
Of course, it was impossible for him to kill Yang Kai as the Humans had some agreement with the Dragon Clan. He would be in big trouble for killing the Human, but certainly, a beating was acceptable. Fights in the Dragon Pool were a common affair and would not draw any attention from the Elders.
Therefore, after his breakthrough, Ji Lao San immediately dove down towards the depths of the Dragon Pool.
“Where is Third Uncle going?” Zhu Wu You asked when he sensed that Ji Lao San’s aura was getting further and further away.
A Grand Dragon next to him thought, “He must have gone to pick a fight with that Human.”
Of course, that was only to be expected when he was so agitated and impatient when he left.
Zhu Wu You froze and asked, “Hey, how come I haven’t seen that Human as we descended all the way here?”
Big Brother Ji looked at him scornfully and said, “Are you stupid? Since you did not see him, he must be deeper down; otherwise, why would Third Uncle swim deeper in anger?”
Zhu Wu You remarked in disbelief, “Does that mean that Human is so powerful he could dive deeper than Third Uncle?”
Among these current Dragons in the Dragon Pool, Ji Lao San was the strongest with the purest Bloodline. Thus, his territory was the deepest in the Dragon Pool compared to the other Dragon Clan members who entered this time. How could that Human have gone so much deeper than Ji Lao San? Was his Bloodline and Source so much more powerful?
Zhu Wu You’s casual remark caused the Grand Dragons to look at each other and begin to wonder what was going on.
“Let’s follow,” said a Grand Dragon before he immediately swam down after Ji Lao San.
Even if they were not going down for the spectacle, the Dragon Pool power at this level had been depleted and they had to go deeper for their respective needs. Since they had to go deeper anyway, they might as well tag along to see how Ji Lao San dealt with that Human.
All the Young Dragons and the Grand Dragons had naturally encountered Yang Kai when he was diving deeper into the Dragon Pool and had lost to him. Thus, they felt humiliated and were eager to see him being taught a lesson by Ji Lao San.
They wanted that Human to know that the Dragon Clan was not to be messed with. The only reason why they were not his match was because they were not strong enough.
Along the way down, the Grand Dragons slowly began to have an ominous feeling.
This couldn’t be helped, as it was getting too deep.
The position where Ji Lao San was before should be the limit of his tolerance, but now, they had dived 2 million metres down and still they did not see the Human. They even began to suspect that the Human had been overconfident, dove too deep, and been crushed by the pressure of the Dragon Pool.
But then, why had they not seen any signs of his remains?
If he was not crushed, that would be even more terrifying.
The Grand Dragons were also aware of this and the atmosphere suddenly became a lot more serious. Although the three Young Dragon did not give it much thought, they could sense how solemn the situation was getting. Even the normally talkative Zhu Wu You kept quiet along the way.
Hundreds of thousands of metres further down, the lead Grand Dragon’s eyes suddenly lit up as he exclaimed, “Third Brother!”
All the Dragons fixated their eyes on Ji Lao San, who was one step ahead of them. Now, he had stopped to one side and did not descend any further. None of them knew what he was doing.
Soon, all the Dragons arrived at Ji Lao San’s position and the lead Grand Dragon said, “Congratulations on your advancement, Third Brother. The Dragon Clan now has one more Ancient Dragon.”
The other Grand Dragons also congratulated Ji Lao San.
Among the three Young Dragons, Zhu Wu You went all out to flatter Ji Lao San. He praised him as the unrivaled Dragon in the world and the number one Dragon in history!
It was an exaggeration for him to be deemed as the number one Dragon; however, at only 10,000 years old, to have become an Ancient Dragon, Ji Lao San was definitely extremely talented even among the Dragon Clan.
Many older Dragons were not as talented and would go through their entire life as Grand Dragons, were never able to take the final step to breakthrough.
On average, the Grand Dragons who had the ability to take this step were around 20,000 years old. This alone indicated how gifted Ji Lao San was.
However, what was strange to all the Dragons was that Ji Lao San did not react to their well wishes at all. In fact, he appeared quite sullen, puzzled, and in disbelief as he continued to look straight down.
The Dragons looked in the direction of where he was staring, but could not see anything.
“Third Brother, what happened? Aren’t you happy that you’ve become an Ancient Dragon?” A Grand Dragon, who had spoken earlier, asked in bewilderment.
If he became an Ancient Dragon, he would be so overjoyed that he could not sleep. Ji Lao San, on the other hand, looked bitter and dejected, which was really quite puzzling.
Zhu Wu You also asked, “Where is that Human? Has Third Uncle already killed him?”
That Human was too arrogant. When they entered the Dragon Pool earlier, he was slapped aside by that Human. Unfortunately for Zhu Wu You, he was not strong enough to beat that Human; otherwise, he would have fought with him to the end.
It would be fine if he was beaten by his own Dragon Clan Seniors, but how dare a mere Human beat him?
Since Zhu Wu You was incapable of taking revenge on his own, he could only count on Ji Lao San.
When he said this, a Grand Dragon asked, “Yes, where is that Human? Why is he nowhere to be seen?”
Ji Lao San, who had not moved, sighed unnoticeably before motioning slightly with his head, indicating the Human was below.
The expression of the Grand Dragon, who asked the question, changed as he remarked in disbelief, “He’s down below?”
Ji Lao San was about to nod, when he suddenly frowned and shouted, “Brace yourselves!”
As he said that, he used his Dragon Force to bring the three Young Dragons into his protection.
The other nine Grand Dragons were bewildered and couldn’t help wondering, [Brace ourselves? For what?]
They soon knew the answer. Deep in the Dragon Pool, a strange sound like that of a heartbeat pulsed. It was extremely faint, but at the same time, all the Dragons felt their Bloodlines resonate with it. The unusual feeling caused the Dragons to become very anxious and they began to surge their Dragon Pressure.
This was only the beginning though. Following the initial pulse, a powerful Dragon Pressure suddenly erupted and enveloped all the Dragons, immediately causing them to feel a sense of intense dread. They felt helpless, like children facing a fully grown man. Their throbbing Bloodlines were instantly suppressed as they looked at each other in panic.
Not only the Grand Dragons, but even Ji Lao San, who had just become an Ancient Dragon, felt suffocated.
Only then did the Dragons understand why Ji Lao San had brought the three Young Dragons under his protection. If he had not done so, the Dragon Pressure would have been too much for them and they likely would have been instantly crushed.
Luckily, this intense pressure disappeared as quickly as it came.
A Grand Dragon wondered aloud, “Was that from ‘that’ Senior?”
That feeling felt familiar to him, as he had once angered one of the clan’s Ancient Dragon Elders. When that Elder became angry, he unleashed a type of Dragon Pressure that felt similar to what they had just experienced.
Although he did not specify exactly who he was talking about, Ji Lao San was aware of the situation in the Dragon Pool and naturally understood who he meant.
Still, he slowly shook his head and said, “No.”
“No?” Everyone gasped.
The Grand Dragon was asked in surprise, “Who then?”
From their position, the Grand Dragons could not see the situation below, but Ji Lao San, who had become an Ancient Dragon, was clearly able to sense something; otherwise, he would not have stopped here. Before the strange pressure swept over them, Ji Lao San had reacted in advance, which meant that he could see the situation at a much deeper depth than them.
Ji Lao San did not answer, though he appeared to be very reluctant and in utter disbelief.
Another Grand Dragon hazarded a guess, “Third Brother, if it is not from that Senior, don’t tell me it was from that Human?”
Even he felt foolish for asking such a question. How was that even possible? The Dragon Pressure they felt was extremely pure, and they had all seen that Human in his Grand Dragon From as he descended through the Dragon Pool.
Although the Dragon Pressure he showed was indeed potent, if they closely scrutinized it, that Human’s Dragon Pressure was still impure. It must have something to do with him being a Human.
Although he had refined and merged with a Dragon Source and had a Dragon Clan Bloodline, fundamentally, he was still Human.
So, it was impossible that a Human caused such a commotion.
But unexpectedly, Ji Lao San muttered, “It was him.”
All the Dragons were shocked.
“How can that be?” They exclaimed in total disbelief.
Ji Lao San laughed bitterly. If they asked him, who was he supposed to ask?
Who could tell him what had happened? He should be full of joy when he advanced to become an Ancient Dragon. He then dove deeper into the Dragon Pool to look for the Human to restore his dignity. How could he have anticipated encountering such a situation. It was totally inexplicable.
The Dragon Scales on the Human had completely shed, and his Dragon Body was covered in a layer of fresh red blood that continued to ooze out, encompassing him entirely.
The Dragons next to him were not strong enough to see the situation below, but Ji Lao San was able to see some of it.
That was not a Human figure in the Dragon Pool below, it was a huge blood cocoon with a Human that had transformed into a pure-blood Dragon.
When they first came to this depth, there was still some Dragon Pool power around; however, that power was now madly flowing into the blood cocoon and disappearing. Now, the Dragon Pool power where they were had also been depleted.
However, that Human was now at the critical juncture just like he was previously. He had accumulated enough power and it was no longer a big deal if there was insufficient Dragon Pool power in the surrounding waters.
Furthermore, this blood cocoon… was about 50,000 metres long.
This was what made it so difficult for Ji Lao San to accept.
When he entered the Dragon Pool, he was just a step away from becoming an Ancient Dragon, yet he spent half a year to break through after much effort.
What about that Human?
When he entered the Dragon Pool, he was only 35,000 metres.
Half a year later, he was now 50,000 metres?
That was an increase of 15,000 metres!
Since ancient times, no Dragon who entered the Dragon Pool to cultivate had ever seen such a terrifying increase in size. 15,000 metres! How many years of cultivation was required to achieve that?
At first, Ji Lao San also thought that the Dragon Pool’s change had something to do with the Senior below. Now, it seemed that was not the case. Rather, it must be caused by this Human; otherwise, how could he have grown by so much in such a short time?
The more Ji Lao San thought about it, the harder it was for him to accept.
Ji Lao San had become an Ancient Dragon and had keener eyesight than the others, so he could see that the Human was at the critical juncture on the verge of a breakthrough.
This was also the reason why he did not descend any further.
He wanted to regain his dignity, but he would endanger the life of the Human if he were to interfere at such a crucial moment. If the other side failed to break through because of his interruption, it would become a blood feud that only death could end.
Furthermore, he was unsure if he could even get near with the intense, pulsating Dragon Pressure.
Muffled grunts were emitted irregularly from the blood cocoon below, as if a powerful life was being awoken. Along with each muffled grunt, a powerful wave of Dragon Pressure would burst forth.
The Grand Dragons were at a loss as to what to do.
After a long silence, Ji Lao San finally said, “There’s no telling how long it will take him to break through. So, take care and go around him to cultivate deeper in the Dragon Pool.”
There was no point in them all waiting here. The opening of the Dragon Pool was an opportunity for the Dragons to cultivate, so they should not be wasting their time idling around.
“What about you, Third Brother?” A Grand Dragon asked.
Ji Lao San pondered for a moment and then said, “I’ll stay here to observe the situation.”
Since he had achieved a breakthrough and become an Ancient Dragon, it could be said that he had achieved his goal for this trip into the Dragon Pool. It did not matter if continued to cultivate or not.
More importantly, he wanted to wait for Yang Kai’s breakthrough, and then have another match with him to determine once and for all who was better. The humiliation that Yang Kai caused him in front of the No-Return Pass had to be settled. Since now was not a good time, he simply had to wait until Yang Kai was done with his breakthrough.
The Grand Dragon who asked the question must have sensed Ji Lao San’s intentions, and did not try to talk him out of it; he simply nodded and said, “Good. Third Brother, take care.”
It seemed this Human had a thing or two up his sleeve. The commotion during the breakthrough was intense, so if he became an Ancient Dragon, his strength would probably be quite profound and Ji Lao San might not be his match. If he was not careful, he might lose to the Human again; however, since Ji Lao San insisted, it was inappropriate for him to try to convince him otherwise.
Since a decision had been made, the Grand Dragons placed the three Young Dragons in the middle for protection then swam around the Dragon Pressure filled area below to dive deeper into the Dragon Pool, soon disappearing from sight.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s entire body was wrapped in the blood cocoon and his mind was empty and totally relaxed like never before.
His Dragon Vein was pulsating and his body was undergoing a radical transformation.
After a period of time, he suddenly felt an inexplicable restraint.
He stretched his limbs and with crackling sounds, the bindings were torn open like a thin membrane.
He was slightly shocked and quickly realized that there was nothing really restricting him. Instead, there was a blood cocoon that had wrapped around him at some point.
The blood cocoon was naturally the part of him that was Human, and now, with the purity and strength of his Dragon Vein reaching a certain height, the part had been discarded.
When the blood cocoon was torn apart, it shattered to pieces and scattered into the flow of the Dragon Pool.
Yang Kai literally shed his former body and was reborn!
With a resounding Dragon Roar, Yang Kai’s Dragon Pressure reverberated throughout the Dragon Pool and brilliant golden light was emitted from all over his body.
Ji Lao San watched from afar filled with a complicated expression as the golden light was so glaring that he could hardly open his eyes…
His breakthrough to the Ancient Dragon realm was not nearly as eventful.
In contrast to his bitterness, Yang Kai appeared quite joyful.
His Divine Sense surged and he quickly examined his own body, feeling as if his Dragon Vein had never been so pure and strong. His 50,000 metres form was even more fearful and appeared invincible.
Yang Kai was even more satisfied that his Dragon Scales had regrown!
He was no longer naked like before.
Although the new Dragon Scales still look a bit delicate and not as strong as before, they were new and would harden over time.
When his scales matured, they alone would be able to block off a blow from an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
After Ji Lao San advanced to become an Ancient Dragon, he grew in length by about 3,000 metres. However, Yang Kai did not, mainly because the Dragon Pool power here was completely depleted. If there was enough Dragon Pool power around, his body would have grown tremendously.
Yang Kai was full of joy and laughed loudly, but his laughter came out as continuous Dragon Roars.
Ji Lao San narrowed his eyes and clenched his claws, muttering to himself, “So noisy…”
The next moment, he saw a blur and Yang Kai’s huge body instantly rushed towards him.
Ji Lao San backed up instinctually as he and exclaimed, “What?”
He had remained there to wait for Yang Kai to advance to become an Ancient Dragon, planning to fight him to determine who was stronger. However, when the moment came, he became hesitant.
This couldn’t be helped as his opponent’s Dragon Pressure was significantly stronger than his. Having just broken through, Yang Kai would not be familiar with his new strength and wouldn’t be able to restrain himself. Worse, even from so far away Ji Lao San already felt his Dragon Vein being suppressed.
If they fought now, the only possibly result would be him being one-sidedly beaten.
Not only that, when Yang Kai broke through to the Ancient Dragon realm, his Bloodline was completely refined and he had become a Pureblood Dragon.
Unlike before, Ji Lao San no longer saw Yang Kai as someone who was half Dragon and half Human.
Now, this Golden Dragon in front of him could be considered as his clansman, although he still hated Yang Kai’s guts…
Yang Kai looked at him with his Dragon Head tilted and seemed to be smiling. He then said, “Relax, I came to thank you!”
Although he was wrapped in the blood cocoon and his mind was emptied, he could still perceive what was happening in the outside world. After his breakthrough, the events that had transpired would naturally be recalled.
Yang Kai was surprised that Ji Lao San did not take advantage of the crucial period before his breakthrough to interrupt him. With his prior arrogance, it would not be surprising for the latter to interfere so as to disrupt his advancement.
However, Ji Lao San did no such thing.
This saved Yang Kai a lot of trouble.
“There’s no need to thank me!” Ji Lao San coldly snorted and stared at Yang Kai with narrowed eyes as fury raged in his heart.
It was as if Yang Kai did not notice it, or perhaps, he did not care about the other party’s attitude. He just turned his head towards the bottom and said, “I just made a breakthrough and need some Dragon Pool power to continue to refine. The power here had been depleted, I’ll be heading down now.”
After saying so, his body flicked and he swam down the depths of the Dragon Pool.
*Pa…*
As Yang Kai was departing though, his Dragon Tail flicked and hit Ji Lao San’s body, throwing him far away.
After he managed to stabilize himself, Ji Lao San gritted his teeth and roared, “Bastard!”
Ji Lao San was convinced that Yang Kai did it on purpose, whipping him with his tail because he sensed that Ji Lao San still wanted to fight with him.
After cursing, Ji Lao San became a little dismayed. He was also an Ancient Dragon now, so how could he just accept being smacked by a tail for no reason? He was hit by Yang Kai only because the moment Yang Kai made a move, his Dragon Pressure had suppressed Ji Lao San which caused his reaction to become extremely slow.
Ji Lao San secretly sighed, knowing his desire to fight against Yang Kai was pointless. Since Yang Kai knew that Ji Lao San was not his match, he smacked him with the tail as a warning to him.
He had now confirmed that Yang Kai had refined a Divine Dragon Source; otherwise, it was impossible for him to have such powerful Dragon Pressure.
The Golden Divine Dragon Source; it could be none other than that legendary existence.
Ji Lao San felt a little better when he thought of it that way. He was not inferior to Yang Kai, it was just that his Source was not as strong as that legendary Ancestor’s.
The day his Source reached the height of a Divine Dragon, he would be able to take on Yang Kai!
With this thought in mind, Ji Lao San hastily headed deeper into the Dragon Pool.
At the same time, Yang Kai was already dove quite deep. He met the three Young Dragons and the nine Grand Dragons, all of whom quickly moved away with looks of disbelief.
Nonetheless, he did not care. He was starving now.
It was not the regular feeling of hunger. It came from the depths of his Bloodline.
Yang Kai had just achieved a breakthrough to become an Ancient Dragon with extremely pure and strong Dragon Vein. Now, all he wanted was to devour more power to satiate and strengthen himself. Unfortunately, the Dragon Pool power in his previous territory had been depleted.
Thus, he could only continue deeper down into the pool, so as to fill the void his Bloodline made him feel.
After passing those Grand Dragons and Young Dragons, Yang Kai did not know how much farther he swam down, but eventually he activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks, and the huge Dragon Pool power poured into his body, turning into powerful nutrients.
Yang Kai felt a wave of relief.
With the sound of bones cracking from within his Dragon Body, his 50,000 metres Dragon Form that had just stabilized began to grow rapidly.
Not only that, as his own Bloodline had been purified, the secrets hidden deep within it had begun to awaken.
The Dragon Clan’s inheritance!
The inheritance of Humans relied heavily on various ancient books and careful instruction from one’s Elders. However, Divine Spirits were different.
A Divine Spirit’s inheritance was always hidden deep within their Bloodline. Even without the guidance of any Elders, or any ancient books and records, as long as their Bloodline was purified to a certain degree, these inheritances would naturally awaken.
This was a kind of innate response to the scarcity of Divine Spirits.
Even if there were few Divine Spirits in the Clan, and there were no Elders to guide the next generation, their inheritance could not be cut off so simply. After all, according to the Heavenly Way, Bloodline Inheritance was the basis of a Divine Spirit’s strength. It was an inheritance that could be ensured so long as the Divine Spirit’s Bloodline remained.
Now that Yang Kai had advanced to become an Ancient Dragon, he started benefiting from this inheritance.
He was consuming the power of the Dragon Pool to enhance his body, while feeling the gift from the depths of his Bloodline.
The Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Talent was the Dao of Time!
Yang Kai’s attainments in the Dao of Time were not low. At least, he had not met anyone who had gone farther than himself with this Grand Dao. According to his own classification, he had reached the sixth level of Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary.
Although there was still a huge gap when compared to his mastery over the Dao of Space, which was at the eighth level, Summiting the Peak, it was not bad at all.
Throughout history, the only person he knew of who might be able to surpass him in the Dao of Time was Flowing Time Great Emperor.
Perhaps it was possible for Yang Xiao and Yang Xue to have surpassed him as well; after all, these two children were the Successors of Flowing Time Great Emperor. Even so, they were probably still a bit too young.
The Dao of Time was extremely difficult to master. Yang Kai had already reached the sixth level, but had made no further progress for many years.
With the Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Inheritance, and his own Dragon Vein, which had been refined to the point that he transformed to become a Pureblood Dragon, many obscure points from the past were now clear.
Yang Kai was overjoyed. This trip to the No-Return Pass was a huge success. Just achieving a breakthrough to become an Ancient Dragon was worth the effort. Not to mention, he could now improve his mastery over the Dao of Time.
He also managed to reap a lot of benefits from the Phoenix Clan.
While Yang Kai was thirstily absorbing the Dragon Clan Inheritance from his Bloodline, the beast with the giant eyes looked on angrily from the depths of the Dragon Pool.
[Who the Hell is this little bastard?] He had already moved far away from Yang Kai previously, but how could he have known that Yang Kai would continue chasing after him. Did he really think that an old man like him would not dare to teach others a lesson?