“Let him go!” The woman ordered Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gazed down at Ji Lao San, who was being held by him and grinned slightly, “Then you have to make sure he doesn’t bother me again.”
The woman gritted her teeth and replied, “Rest assured, he won’t bother you anymore.”
Yang Kai lowered his eyes, “The same mistake can’t be repeated thrice. I hope he remembers this lesson.”
Even though he spoke in a casual tone, the message was clear. Ji Lao San provoked him twice, but he simply subjugated him without hurting a single hair on his head. His patience, however, had a limit. If there was a third provocation, the response would undoubtedly be harsher.
Of course, Yang Kai wouldn’t kill him, but he could beat him to within an inch of his life. Those from the Dragon Clan had great vitality and could recover easily from almost any injury. As long as their Source and Dragon Bead were not harmed, any wound could be restored no matter how severe it was.
With the strange skill Yang Kai displayed previously, Ji Lao San would be powerless to fight back if Yang Kai really wanted to deal with him.
However, since when had the Dragon Clan ever been threatened in this way before?
As a result, as soon as Yang Kai said those words, a large number of Young Dragons and Grand Dragons became enraged, and it was impossible for the female Grand Dragon who was in front of Yang Kai to stay composed.
After a lengthy period of holding herself back, the female Grand Dragon clenched her teeth and murmured, “He will.”
Upon her reply, Yang Kai flashed a smile and tossed Ji Lao San towards her. When she grabbed him, she gave Yang Kai a threatening glare before turning and fleeing with Ji Lao San in her arms.
“Great Evolution Pass’ Yang Kai greets three Seniors,” Yang Kai said as he turned to face the three visibly older people at the gate.
He had no idea what rank these three held, but according to their Dragon Pressure, it was clear that they were the strongest present.
Two of them were old men while the last was an old woman. They most likely held high statuses in the Dragon Clan.
One of the old men nodded lightly and said, “The Dragon Clan is well aware of the intention behind your arrival here, but we need some time to prepare. You shall temporarily live in the No-Return Pass and wait patiently for us.”
[I don’t even know what I am here for, so how do you know? If you do know, you should let me know first!]
However, the old man obviously had no intention of explaining anything to Yang Kai and just left with the two others once he finished.
Once those three Seniors left, the rest of the Dragon Clan also left, with no plans to further interact with Yang Kai.
Then, he was left alone, perplexed.
The Dragon Clan’s alienation became clear too.
This trip to the No-Return Pass was filled with uncertainty since Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao didn’t explain anything to him before he set out. Furthermore, the Dragon Clan didn’t bother to tell him anything either when he arrived. Instead, he was simply told to wait.
[So, why am I waiting? For how long should I wait?] He had no answers.
This sense of being completely out of control was quite distressing.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was not a child. In a situation like this, his only course of action was to seek information from someone.
So, Yang Kai hurriedly turned back, fixing his eyes on the colourful-robed young woman who was preparing to leave and said, “Miss, please stay for a moment.”
The young woman stopped when she heard him and turned back with a smile,” Are you referring to me?”
Yang Kai then approached her quickly, nodded, and said, “I was impulsive just now. I hope Miss won’t mind.”
His courteous manner was now in stark contrast to the domineering man who had just subjugated Ji Lao San.
“What’s the matter?” The colourful-robed young woman asked as her eyes flickered with interest.
“I’m new here and I don’t know anything. I would like to seek some guidance from you,” Yang Kai replied, blushing.
The brows of the colourfully robed young woman became crescent-shaped, and she proudly twitched her brows at her partner, giving an impression of how she was expecting this.
Her companion, meanwhile, was unresponsive to her.
Yang Kai on the other hand pretended he didn’t notice.
“What do you wish to ask?” Inquired the colourfully robed young woman.
“I’m not sure what Miss can enlighten me on,” Yang Kai replied.
The colourful-robed young woman laughed, “You are so strange. Don’t you know what you want to know? It’s really unreasonable for you to ask me to enlighten you without at least describing what you want to learn.”
Yang Kai responded with a wry smile, “Please don’t blame me, Miss. Regarding the current visit in the No-Return Pass, I’m genuinely baffled. I’m not sure what I am supposed to be doing here.”
“Didn’t your Old Ancestor mention anything to you?” The woman asked curiously.
“Not at all.”
“In that case…” The woman tapped on her crimson lips and then proceeded to say, “En, I’m in a good mood today. Follow me.”
With that being said, she led the way and Yang Kai followed closely.
After a while, they eventually arrived beneath the enormous Parasol Tree. The three figures moved around, and soon came to a branch. The young woman simply waved her hand and a portal emerged in front of them.
“Space Principles?” Yang Kai asked with furrowed eyebrows.
Just like how the colourful-robed young woman reacted when she saw Yang Kai’s use of Space Principles previously, Yang Kai’s reaction now was arguably the same as hers was.
“Come in,” the woman said with a triumphant smile that suggested she had anticipated his reaction.
Yang Kai followed the woman and her companion into the portal. They soon arrived at a location with stunning mountains and rivers.
The view was as beautiful and refreshing as a spring day. The mountains were pristine, and the lakes were crystal clear, not to mention the gently flowing clouds and mist. It was truly a majestic view.
This was some kind of Sealed World.
Yang Kai was no stranger to the existence of Sealed Worlds; after all, the Small Universe of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was a Sealed World. The Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens left behind after the death of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters on the Black Ink Battlefield were also Sealed Worlds.
Yet this Sealed World gave him a different feeling.
This place seemed to still maintain the aura of the dawn of Chaos and the first division of the Heavens and Earth. The ancient aura was everywhere, giving Yang Kai the illusion of him entering a long-forgotten wilderness.
“These are the real Phoenix Nests.” The young woman’s words resonated in his ears, “The Nirvana Parasol Tree was there at the birth of the Phoenix Clan. There are as many Phoenix Nests on the Nirvana Parasol Tree as Phoenixes in this Universe. The Phoenix Nest is the root of every Phoenix, and this space is different from the outside world.”
Yang Kai instantly understood. It was no wonder the ancient aura was preserved here. It was because this aura was created by the Nirvana Parasol Tree itself, which had survived since long ago and remained pure and unspoiled like this.
[So these are Phoenix Nests!]
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel ashamed for having assumed that the Phoenix Clan would physically build their nest on the Parasol Tree just like any other bird.
Yang Kai quietly reminded himself to avoid basing future decisions solely on the surface.
Then, he saw the young woman straighten her body and move right into a huge nest.
Yang Kai looked up at the sky and silently followed.
The three figures flew inside and sat down cross-legged.
Yang Kai took an inquisitive look around and soon realised that from the outside, it appeared to be a massive bird nest, but that once he entered, it was totally different.
Without time to investigate carefully, Yang Kai briefly cupped his fist, “Great Evolution Pass’ Yang Kai. How may I address the both of you?”
The woman gave a gentle smile and replied, “Huang Si Niang.”
Then, she pointed at her companion, “Feng Liu Lang!”
Yang Kai wasn’t certain how to deal with it because their names seemed to be a little too simple. In the Phoenix Clan, the males were surnamed Feng while the females were surnamed Huang, which made it concise and clear.
At least, it was convenient to address them this way.
He was too lazy to delve into the subject, but as he wanted to say something out of courtesy, Huang Si Niang continued, “Before you ask something, I have something to give you.”
Yang Kai was taken aback. He had just arrived and he was already receiving gifts? [Were those from the Phoenix Clan all this friendly?]
Immediately, he sat upright, and said solemnly, “I dare not reject anything from Seniors.”
While he may have previously addressed her as though they were on an equal footing, he was actually aware that this woman’s age was measured in tens of thousands of years. She could even be his ancestor.
Huang Si Niang smiled, “You’re really good at talking. Humans sure are sweet.”
Yang Kai placed his hand on his chest, “Everything I have said, I said from the bottom of my heart. I wonder what Senior would like to give me?”
“This,” While speaking, Huang Si Niang took out a long feather and handed it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai could tell it was extraordinary just by glancing at the flowing light of the long feather, which was the tail feather of a Phoenix.
[What did she give me this for?]
Seemingly noticing Yang Kai’s doubts, Huang Si Niang explained, “I lost the bet with Liu Lang just now, so this is the prize.”
Yang Kai instinctively felt something was wrong; after all, even if she lost the bet, why did the prize end up with him?
But now that it had been handed over, it wouldn’t do any good to reject it, especially when he had other requests for her. As Yang Kai received the feather, his body shook.
He didn’t perceive anything by just looking at the long feather’s flowing light, but once he held it, he at once understood that the long feather was covered with an exceedingly potent Space Principle fluctuation.
Although it was clear that he was holding the long feather in his palm, due to the fluctuations of Space Principles, it appeared to be both tangible and intangible at the same time, as if it could enter into the Void at any moment.
Ordinary people would have a tremendously difficult time just holding something like this, but fortunately, Yang Kai was also an expert in the Dao of Space. With just a little effort, the light flowing off the long feather suddenly took shape.
[This is wonderful!] Yang Kai felt that if he fully comprehended the secrets within this feather, it would help him improve his understanding of the Dao of Space.
Huang Si Niang and Feng Liu Lang exchanged glances, and both could see that the other was surprised to witness this scene.
They once saw Yang Kai use Space Principle and were aware of his mastery over the Dao of Space; however, now they felt as though they had underestimated him too much.
Yang Kai raised his head, “Si Niang is an expert in the Dao of Space?”
“Is there a problem with the highest-ranking members of the Phoenix Clan being experts in the Dao of Space?” Huang Si Niang covered her mouth and smiled.
“Are you saying that all the high-ranking members of the Phoenix Clan are experts in the Dao of Space?”
“You didn’t know?” She asked curiously.
Yang Kai blinked, “I was not informed of this.” Additionally, even though he had never seen a pure Phoenix Clan member, he was greeted by Qing Luan, Yuan Chu, and others in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. They could be considered a branch of the Phoenix Clan, but they didn’t look as though they were Masters of the Dao of Space.
Similarly, even with her Ice Phoenix Source, Su Yan showed no indications of mastering or even understanding the Dao of Space.
Thus, Yang Kai was really caught by surprise.
“Most Humans won’t know much about the Divine Spirits, but you’re from a Cave Heaven or Paradise, no? How could you not have known? Didn’t your Elders tell you about it?”
Yang Kai became a little speechless and replied, “I’m actually not from any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises.”
Huang Si Niang understood instantly, “No wonder. Since you’re not from any of them, it’s to be expected that you don’t know much about such things. Every Divine Spirit possesses their own unique Bloodline Talent, an innate Talent that is distinct from that of your Human Race. Just like how the Bloodline Talent of the Phoenix Clan is the Dao of Space, the Bloodline Talent of the Dragon Clan is the Dao of Time. If not, how could the Dragon and Phoenix Clans become the leaders of all Divine Spirits?”
Yang Kai’s eyes widened so much in shock that they almost fell out, “The Bloodline Talent of the Dragon Clan is the Dao of Time?”
Huang Si Niang became more confused, “You don’t even know that? Then, do you cultivate the Dao of Time?”
“I do.” He nodded.
“That should be expected. If you don’t have a Dragon Source or have Dragon Clan Blood in your, how would you be able to cultivate the Dao of Time?”
Yang Kai became speechless upon her saying this, but instinctively, he felt something was wrong.
His cultivation of the Dao of Time was not heavily influenced by his Dragon Vein or his Dragon Source. Instead, it all began for him with a piece of the inheritance left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor. The opportunity he met by chance previously helped him comprehend the Time Flies Seal Divine Ability, which allowed him to begin cultivating the Dao of Time. After much studying, cultivation, and some other opportunities, he had reached his current level of proficiency in the Dao of Time. What did any of that have to do with the Dragon Clan?
But if he thought about it further, since the Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Talent was the Dao of Time, it could be argued that his success in the Dao of Time was due to his Bloodline Talent.
It made Yang Kai confused about whether his comprehension of the Dao of Time was due to his Dragon Clan bloodline, or his own talent.
Suddenly, he shook his head, “Wait, Si Niang, before I came to the No-Return Pass, I met quite a number of Dragon Clan members, but only one of them was proficient in the Dao of Time. In fact, forget being proficient at it, they didn’t even have a foundation in it. How can this be explained?”
“You met Dragon Clan members in other places?” Huang Si Niang was taken aback.
Yang Kai gave a serious nod. He was referring to Zhu Qing’s branch of the Dragon Clan. There weren’t many Dragon Clan members on Dragon Island in the Star Boundary at any one time, but there were always a few, yet none of them had ever cultivated the Dao of Time before Yang Xiao.
Now, all those Dragon Clan members had travelled with Yuan Chu to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, located in the depths of the Shattered Heaven, to continue their cultivation. Since it had been such a long time, they should all have grown stronger.
Some of them might even have advanced to become Grand Dragons.
Feng Liu Lang, who had been silent up until now, cut in, “It’s not surprising that there are Dragon Clan members roaming about outside. My forefathers once told me that there were other Dragon Clan members that committed mistakes and were exiled from the Ancestral Land as a result.”
Huang Si Niang appeared to have remembered this as she casually nodded.
“The ones you met must have been Young Dragons,” he continued while turning to face Yang Kai.
“Why Young Dragons?” Yang Kai inquired humbly.
Yang Kai was quite knowledgeable about Grand Dragons as they were equivalent to High-Rank Open Heaven Masters in their Dragon Forms which were at least 10,000 metres long. But, what about Young Dragons?
Huang Si Niang smiled and explained, “Anyone below the Grand Dragon rank is considered a Young Dragon.”
Yang Kai understood instantly. It was pretty much what he thought, but the Dragon Clan’s hierarchy was really thoughtless; everything only depended on the size of their true body and their strength. If any Dragon Clan member was unable to breakthrough to become a Grand Dragon, would they only be able to stay a Young Dragon for their entire life?
However, it was clear that nothing of the sort would occur. The Dragon Clan was extremely talented, so even if they did not cultivate and only lazed about all the time, their strength would keep increasing over time regardless. They would eventually be strong enough when they had reached a sufficient age.
The Human Race was incomparable in this aspect.
Once more, Yang Kai questioned, “What about the Dragons above the Grand Dragon rank?”
“Above the Grand Dragons are the Ancient Dragons,” Huang Si Niang stated.
Young Dragons, Grand Dragons, and Ancient Dragons were the three standard divisions of the Dragon Clan.
Yang Kai had a vague feeling that the three old Dragon Clan members he had met before were Ancient Dragons. If Young Dragons corresponded to the realms below the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, and Grand Dragons corresponded to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, then Ancient Dragons should at least correspond to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
This suggested that the Dragon Clan was likely running out of talent as there were only three Ancient Dragons in such a large Clan. If things continued in this manner, the Clan would eventually go extinct.
“According to what Si Niang said just now, I assume that Young Dragons are not proficient in the Dao of Time?”
“Not only the Dragon Clan, but nearly all Divine Spirits are this way. The three stages of our long life are the development stage, the adolescent stage, and the mature stage. The Young Dragons fall under the Dragon Clan’s developmental stage. As long as they enhance their Dragon Vein, they will inevitably become stronger and larger. When a Young Dragon becomes a Grand Dragon, their Bloodline Talent will fully awaken and they will be able to master the Dao of Time. The same goes for the Phoenix Clan, but the only difference is that our Talent is the Dao of Space,” Huang Si Niang replied.
“So, that’s how it is…” Yang Kai instantly understood the reason Zhu Qing and the others still had no grasp over the Dao of Time. Though the Dragon Clan was considered very strong in the Star Boundary, they were still just Young Dragons. Their Bloodline Talent in regards to the Dao of Time was still dormant and would only slowly awaken when they had grown to become Grand Dragons.
This made Yang Kai suddenly think of his Adopted Son, the little White Dragon, Yang Xiao.
Raising a brow, he asked again, “Are there any exceptions?”
Huang Si Niang smiled, “Exceptions are always possible. Some have their Bloodline Talents awaken while they are still Young Dragons. They are regarded as extremely gifted individuals; however, in the lengthy history of the Dragon Clan, such individuals could be counted within 5 fingers.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown upon her answer. If that was the case, Yang Xiao seemed to be quite the gifted one.
Yang Kai deserved some credit for the birth of this boy as Yang Xiao’s dragon egg appeared to have some kind of accident after Fu Zhun gave birth to him. Yang Xiao had been unsuccessful in breaking free of his shell, resulting in his vitality growing thinner and thinner over time. Fortunately, when Yang Kai went to Dragon Island at that time to stir up trouble, he ‘unintentionally’ found the location of Yang Xiao’s dragon egg.
In order to hatch him, Yang Kai put in a great deal of effort.
As a result, this young boy had a natural sense of closeness to him and had known him as though Yang Kai was his Father, now Adopted Father, since birth. In addition to that, the relationship between Yang Kai and Dragon Island softened up a bit thanks to Yang Xiao.
Soon after his birth, this young boy demonstrated his talent in the Dao of Time. Yang Kai initially believed it was because of his own comprehension; after all he used a lot of his own Blood Essence when Yang Xiao was being hatched, so naturally, inheritance from Yang Kai was to be expected.
Yet, it appeared now that this was not inheritance from his Blood Essence.
This was unmistakably a Dragon Clan Bloodline Talent; yet, Yang Xiao had it since birth while other Dragon Clan members had to reach the Grand Dragon stage in order to awaken it.
Later, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue received Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Inheritance, became his Inheritance Disciples and gained possession of the Flowing Time Temple. Looking back now, it was as though everything was predetermined. The Bloodline Talent of the Dragon Clan was the Dao of Time, and Yang Xiao had become the Disciple of Flowing Time Great Emperor, which would greatly help him with his future cultivation.
Yang Xiao was clearly one of the few exceptions that Huang Si Niang spoke of. Of course, this was not limited only to the Dragon Clan, but also other Divine Spirits. There were always some existences that showed their uniqueness at a very young age and these existences would somehow achieve great things one day.
The trip to the No-Return Pass had been well worth it for Yang Kai.
Even just learning this information from Huang Si Niang was a very valuable; not to mention, he had something waiting for him on the Dragon Clan’s side as well.
Was his mastery of the Dao of Time thanks to his own talent or due to his Dragon Clan Bloodline?
After giving it some thought, he believed that it might be both. If so, Su Yan might be able to awaken her Phoenix Clan Bloodline Talent once she got strong enough. By then, she would be able to master the Dao of Space as well.
This was very exciting news to him.
His cultivation of the Dao of Space, however, must be the result of his own talent; after all, he lacked the Phoenix Clan Bloodline, so he could not have gotten influenced by it.
Looking at the long feather in his hand, Yang Kai said, “This Junior dares not accept such a precious gift so lightly. Si Niang, is there any way that I can assist you in exchange for this gift?”
Although it was only a feather from the Phoenix Clan, Yang Kai valued it highly. He would undoubtedly benefit if he used this feather to further understand and cultivate the Dao of Space because it carried insights of the Phoenix Clan’s intrinsic talent in the Dao of Space.
This was a precious opportunity, so Yang Kai couldn’t just take it for nothing.
Unexpectedly, Huang Si Niang covered her mouth and giggled, “I don’t need help with anything. This is only a prize. You should just keep it.”
Yang Kai sensed that it wasn’t quite right for him to simply accept the gift, but since she had said so much, he couldn’t object to it either. This gift was just too alluring and he also believed that the Phoenix Clan wouldn’t try to harm him.
Even if Huang Si Niang would ask him to do something by bringing up this gift matter later, he would comply under the condition that it didn’t go against his own principles.
Such was what he thought in his heart to repay her. Nevertheless, he still stated for show, “It’s not appropriate for me to be rewarded for nothing, is it?”
Huang Si Niang took a deep look at him and saw through his thoughts. With a snicker, she stated, “You just said that you dare not reject a gift from your Seniors and now you say you shouldn’t be rewarded for nothing? Humans really don’t know what they want, huh?”
Yang Kai let out a dry laugh upon hearing that.
“If you really feel bad, let me ask you a question. This feather would serve as a reward if you answered me,” stated Huang Si Niang.
Yang Kai straightened up his position, “Si Niang, please ask.”
“What technique did you use to defeat Ji Lao San just now?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Feng Liu Lang looked over curiously as well. Though they were both strong, they couldn’t understand how Ji Lao San ended up that way.
Ji Lao San clearly had superior momentum in that confrontation. Moreover, it was incredible that a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was able to effortlessly capture a Grand Dragon who was approaching 50,000 metres twice.
It was impossible for a Divine Spirit to be so vulnerable, let alone someone from the Dragon Clan.
Though they were just spectating for fun previously, the defeat of Ji Lao San more or less embarrassed both Clans. If word of this situation spread, people would start looking down on the Divine Spirits.
“Oh, I did not do anything in particular,” Yang Kai was surprised that the Phoenix Clan members brought up the subject first. He thought the Dragon Clan would be the ones asking about it, but since Huang Si Niang brought it up, he did not intend to keep it a secret. In that moment, he suddenly had a feeling that it would have some effect, but he did not know it would have such a strong impact on the Dragon Clan until he tried it.
Having said that, Yang Kai extended his right hand, palm down, and with light pressure, a simple pattern appeared on the back of his hand.
At first glance, the pattern appeared to be nothing special but a simple circle; however, as soon as the two Phoenixes noticed this mark, their expression darkened.
“The Great Sun Mark!? You’ve been to the Chaotic Dead Territory!?” Huang Si Niang exclaimed in shock.
Feng Liu Lang remained silent yet his expression twitched non-stop.
These two must have identified this mark; otherwise, they would not have reacted in this manner and Si Niang would not have uttered ‘Chaotic Dead Territory’.
“This is the mark of the Sun’s Burning Light, and this…” Yang Kai remarked with a nod.
He stretched out his left hand, and with a slight exertion, a pattern appeared on the back of the hand as well. However, this pattern was different from the one on the right hand, and if the pattern from the right hand were to be inserted into the left one, the two should fit exactly; two for one.
“The Great Moon Mark…” Huang Si Niang was at a loss for words.
Now, they understood why Ji Lao San was so vulnerable in the face of this individual. Even with Yang Kai just showing them these two marks, the two Phoenixes felt breathless, so nothing need be said about Ji Lao San who had been targeted for suppression.
In the beginning, there was Chaos. When Chaos split apart, Yin and Yang were formed. From Yin and Yang, all Divine Spirits and living beings were born.
The Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer were regarded as the progenitors of all things and the first ancestors of all Divine Spirits.
With these two marks in hand, no Divine Spirit could lift their head in front of Yang Kai. It was also the first time he was aware that these two marks had such an effect.
The two marks he received from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer had always been utilised solely to condense Purifying Light; however, as he was facing Ji Lao San just now, Yang Kai felt a heat on the back of his hands and unconsciously activated the marks, which resulted in that unexpected situation.
Of course, any form of suppression had its limits. Ji Lao San freed himself from the suppression by pushing himself beyond his limits and summoning his Dragon Bead.
However, doing this would ultimately cause Ji Lao San serious harm, and his Dragon Bead would have been damaged if Yang Kai did not release him promptly.
On top of that, this effect was so pronounced because Yang Kai had been facing a Grand Dragon; if it had been one of the three Ancient Dragons, the effect of the marks would likely have been greatly reduced due to the vast gap in strength between him and them.
“Ji Lao San picked a bad fight,” Huang Si Niang grinned bitterly. Even the Dragon Clan would not dare to undervalue Yang Kai with these two marks adorning his hands. There was a huge chance that Ji Lao San would not have his position in the Dragon Pool this time.
The question had already been answered, and Yang Kai now officially owned the long feather that was in his palm. He carefully put it away with the intention of studying it later when he had more free time. The Dao of Space, was, after all, the Phoenix Clan’s Bloodline Talent, so he might have some unexpected gains.
“Was this long feather from one of your wings?” He inquired once again.
Huang Si Niang gave him a sullen look before ignoring him.
Yang Kai scratched his head in confusion, then, as he suddenly realised something, he glanced at her back.
“What are you looking at?” Huang Si Niang turned around and glared even more fiercely.
To which Yang Kai responded with a wry smile.
Huang Si Niang then sighed, “Sometimes, I am quite envious of you Humans. Despite having a short lifespan and a weak body, you have unlimited possibilities. For Divine Spirits like us, however, we are born with a strong physique and a promising future, but we are incomparable to the Human Race in many cases.”
Yang Kai asked humbly, “What do you mean?”
“Take you, for instance. You have a Dragon Clan Bloodline, so you can cultivate the Dao of Time. Plus, you have quite the talent in the Dao of Space, so you can use both Grand Daos. We Phoenixes, on the other hand, only have the Dao of Space as our sole Bloodline Talent, so we can’t cultivate the Dragon Clan’s Dao of Time. Furthermore, though Divine Spirits don’t encounter many challenges throughout our formative years, we will have to go through much more exacting challenges than you Humans if we want to reach our highest potential,” she replied.
“Like the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm?” Yang Kai frowned.
Huang Si Niang responded with a nod, “Even though there aren’t a lot of Ninth-Orders Open Heaven Realm Masters among the Humans, there are still more than 100 of them. It is very challenging for us, Divine Spirits, to cultivate to such a realm. Take the Dragon Clan for example. There is only one Divine Dragon among the whole clan.”
Above Young Dragons were the Grand Dragons, followed by the Ancient Dragon, then finally the Divine Dragons!
Yang Kai was aware that the Dragon Source that resided in his body was the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source.
This wasn’t to claim that he possessed the strength of a Divine Dragon as that would be equivalent to a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Still, his Source originated from a Golden Divine Dragon.
What’s more, it was from a Dragon Emperor who lived in ancient times! Yang Kai had become aware of this when he entered the Crystal Palace in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land to cultivate.
Theoretically, every Dragon Clan member had the potential to become a Divine Dragon, but that was only in theory. In reality, there weren’t many Dragon Clansmen that succeeded in growing into a Divine Dragon since ancient times.
Furthermore, only the strongest of Divine Dragons were granted the title of Dragon Emperor.
The Phoenix Empress, on the other hand, was the title that corresponded to that title in the Phoenix Clan.
Yang Kai laughed as he heard Huang Si Niang bemoaning herself and said, “It’s not that simple. The vast human population is the reason why there are so many Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. On the other hand, there are only a few members of the Dragon and Phoenix Clans. Having one Divine Dragon is already quite a high ratio.”
“That may be the reason, but given that the Divine Spirits are rare to begin with, how would we know that it wasn’t due to the restrictions of the Heavenly Way?” Huang Si Niang smiled.
Her words made Yang Kai think.
Then, Huang Si Niang continued, “You came to me to ask the reason why Ji Lao San was so hostile to you earlier, right?”
This wasn’t the first time she had mentioned Ji Lao San, so Yang Kai immediately recognised that Ji Lao San was the Grand Dragon who had blocked him before. He thus nodded and said, “I have a guess, but I don’t know the specific reason.”
Huang Si Niang chuckled, “It seems like you’re quite the smart one. The reason why Ji Lao San targeted you was because you took away benefits that belonged to him.”
“What benefits?”
“The Dragon Pool! The Phoenix Clan lives in this Immortal Parasol Tree, and the Phoenix Nests here will help us strengthen our bloodlines and gain a better grasp of the Dao of Space. The Phoenix Clan has the Immortal Parasol Tree while the Dragon Clan has the Dragon Pool. They are very different existences, but serve almost the same function. A member of the Dragon Clan can quickly enhance their Dragon Vein when they cultivate in the Dragon Pool, saving them a lot of time. However, the Dragon Pool isn’t always accessible. The time between each opening is at least a few thousand years, with the last time it opened being 3,000 years ago. Ji Lao San has been waiting for this day for such a long time, plus it is finally his turn this time. How could he easily agree while you just came along and snatched the opportunity that belongs to him when he was so close to greatly increasing his strength?” Huang Si Niang said.
Yang Kai was at a loss for words. Although he knew that he must have somehow threatened Ji Lao San’s benefits as there would be no reason for the latter to wait for him outside the No-Return Pass otherwise, he didn’t expect it to be related to the Dragon Pool’s opening.
It was no wonder that Ji Lao San showed such rage when he first approached him. Yang Kai would have not tolerated it either if it was him.
“The Dragon Pool is only open to those of the Dragon Clan. You are the first individual who was born a Human with an acquired Dragon Clan Bloodline that has been allowed to enter the Dragon Pool. The Human Race must have paid a lot in exchange for this opportunity. Besides, Ji Lao San is not the only one who is unhappy; others in the Dragon Clan are also unhappy.”
This was also the reason behind the Dragon Clan’s approval of Ji Lao San’s assault against Yang Kai. If Yang Kai lost to Ji Lao San, the Humans wouldn’t be able to say anything about it either; after all, the chance to enter the Dragon Pool to cultivate was rare, so no weakling would ever be given such an opportunity.
However, neither Ji Lao San nor the Dragon Clan at the No-Return Pass imagined that Yang Kai, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Human, would be able to defeat a Grand Dragon with such ease.
When Yang Kai heard this, he frowned, “What price did the Human Race pay?”
“I have no idea about that,” answered Huang Si Niang while shaking her head, “It must have been a trade between the Dragon Clan and the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors of the Human Race. Despite us living together in the No-Return Pass, we hardly ever speak to one another. As long as the Dragon Clan members do not disclose anything, we, the Phoenix Clan, won’t stick our nose into it either.”
Yang Kai sighed in his heart, finally understanding everything.
He would undoubtedly encounter numerous dangers during the upcoming crusade, and while he might be strong for his realm, he was ultimately only a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
On the Black Ink Battlefield, even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be killed at any moment, let alone a Seventh-Order Master.
Yang Kai had just ascended to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm a few hundred years ago, meaning he was still a long way away from the Eighth-Order.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao probably felt like he couldn’t make a breakthrough to the Eighth Order in the short time they had left, so she ordered Yang Kai to head to the No-Return Pass.
It seemed he now owed her a huge favour.
“The Dragon Clan has always acted aloof with the Humans, except for the Ninth-Order Masters, of course, as the biggest fist will always have a say in things. But relatively speaking, the Dragon Clan hates Humans like you who intentionally or unintentionally get the chance to integrate with a Dragon Source. The Source originally belonged to the Dragon Clan after all, but now, it has merged with Humans like you. In the eyes of the Dragon Clan, this is an intolerable blasphemy. If you had not come from the Black Ink Battlefield, I’m afraid that you would have been be torn apart by those Ancient Dragons on sight. They would take away your Dragon Source before you even left the No-Return Pass.”
This was another reason why the Dragon Clan had acted so cold towards him.
In the end, Yang Kai’s foundation was still Human.
It might be said that him merging with the Golden Divine Dragon Source was his own opportunity; yet, from the perspective of the Dragon Clan, it was disrespectful to their ancestors.
This applied not only to the Dragon Clan members of the No-Return Pass, but to the Dragon Clan members in Dragon Island as well. When Zhu Qing first encountered him, she engaged in a battle with him in an effort to reclaim the Dragon Source from his body. Of course, that little episode wound up with her losing the rice she wanted to steal a chicken with.
The later easing of the relationship with the Dragon Island Dragons was largely due to the birth of the small White Dragon, Yang Xiao, plus the fact that Yang Kai provided help when Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang, caused trouble in Dragon Island.
Listening to all this, Yang Kai finally understood the reason for his visit to the No-Return Pass as well as the hostile attitude the Dragon Clan had towards him. Yang Kai believed his time cultivating in the Dragon Pool wouldn’t be simple or peaceful, despite the agreement between the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and the Dragon Clan.
As such, he needed to make some plans.
Of course, the attitude of the Dragon Clan wasn’t enough for him to just give up. Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had hoped that he would be able to get stronger to defend himself with the help of the Dragon Pool, so he had to give it his best.
“When will the Dragon Pool open?” Yang Kai asked again.
“The Dragon Force of the Dragon Pool has recently surged, indicating that the opening of the Dragon Pool will be in the coming months; however, the opening of the Dragon Pool is a significant occasion for the Dragon Clan, so they are still in preparation.”
Yang Kai only feared that he would have to wait for several dozens to hundreds of years. If so, there was no point as the crusade would have already started or even ended by then. Such a situation wasn’t impossible either because, for Races with as long a lifespan as the Divine Spirits, several dozen to hundreds of years was just like a snap of the fingers to a mortal.
If it was only a matter of a few months, Yang Kai could still afford to wait.
After pondering for a while, Yang Kai asked, “Since the Bloodline Talent of the Phoenix Clan is the Dao of Space, why didn’t the Human Race come to you for help to repair the Universe Temples in the 3,000 Worlds during the early years when they were only damaged and not yet disabled?”
In the end, he was asked to solve this particular problem, causing him to spend a lot of time studying the Universe Array in the Universe Temple in order to repair those abandoned Universe Temples.
Yang Kai previously believed that the Human Race was helpless because there wasn’t anyone proficient enough in the Dao of Space until his appearance. But now that he was aware of the Phoenix Clan’s ability, it made him question this conclusion.
“It is true that those in my Phoenix Clan are naturally skilled in the Dao of Space, but this is a Bloodline Talent that we innately possess, which is very different from the Human Race’s mastery over the Dao of Space through rigorous training and studies. So, the way members of the Phoenix Clan interpret and use the Dao of Space is quite different from the way Humans do, which makes our methods and knowledge somewhat incompatible. Additionally, repairing the Universe Temple not only requires knowledge of the Dao of Space, but also of the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so it wasn’t an issue that the Phoenix Clan could easily resolve. Besides, both the Dragon and Phoenix Clans are restricted by the Great Ancestral Bloodline Oath to not leave the No-Return Pass.”
“Oh,” Yang Kai plainly remarked. To think of it, though the Phoenix Clan members were proficient in the Dao of Space, it didn’t mean that they knew how to repair the Universe Arrays.
On top of that, there was the Great Ancestral Bloodline Oath.
Yang Kai didn’t know much about what this Great Oath mentioned, but since ancestral bloodlines were involved, it was clearly something quite serious.
He also inquired about some Dragon Clan information that wasn’t confidential, so Huang Si Niang answered him honestly.
After half a day, Yang Kai stood up sincerely to show courtesy, “Many thanks, Si Niang, for dispelling all of my doubts.”
He would still be perplexed at this point if Huang Si Niang hadn’t explained so much to him. Even though there would always be a path to the destination, it would be preferable if he had known what he was about to encounter sooner so he could prepare himself.
Looking at it now, the Dragon Clan and the Ninth-Orders Old Ancestors must have reached an agreement. The Dragon Clan would uphold its end of the bargain as long as Yang Kai did not willingly withdraw. Regardless, Yang Kai was unsure if there would be any obstructions along the way.
“It’s nothing. It has always been boring living in the No-Return Pass all these years. It’s unusual for something interesting and fun to happen, so it was quite nice being able to watch the show just now,” Huang Si Niang said honestly. As to whether her words would offend the Dragon Clan, they clearly wouldn’t; they were prideful, but not neurotic.
“I have another request, and I hope Si Niang will agree to it,” Yang Kai bowed with a sincere attitude. He had to humble himself as he requested help. It didn’t matter because Huang Si Niang might appear to be a young woman, but she should already be quite old.
“Tell me. Then, I’ll decide.” Since Huang Si Niang was not a fool, she didn’t agree immediately.
Yang Kai chuckled upon her reply and said shyly, “This is this Junior’s first visit to the No-Return Pass, and I have nowhere to stay. The Dragon Clan doesn’t seem to have the intention of welcoming me either. I’m part of the Dragon Clan nevertheless, so it is sad to see them treating me like an outsider. Can I temporarily stay here at Si Niang’s place since there is still some time before the Dragon Pool opens? You won’t let me live on the streets, will you?”
“You want to borrow a place at my residence?” Huang Si Niang looked at him and chuckled.
“It’s not for nothing. Si Niang, do tell me if you need any help. Or perhaps I can pay for it?” Added Yang Kai hastily.
“What do you have that would benefit me?” Huang Si Niang spat disdainfully.
Putting aside that Yang Kai wouldn’t be very wealthy as he was only a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, even if he had anything valuable, Huang Si Niang might not be interested because Divine Spirits like her had acquired many great things over the course of their long lives.
Yang Kai hurriedly took out a set of Yellow and Blue Crystals and handed them over, “Si Niang, are these good enough?”
He had a lot of wonderful things in his possession, but Yang Kai surmised that the only items that could impress a Phoenix were the Yellow and Blue Crystals; after all, these things came from the Chaotic Dead Territory and were the condensed power of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan.
The Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer were the common ancestors of all Divine Spirits, so these Crystals should be quite alluring to the Divine Spirits.
However, he was somewhat unsure as the Yellow and Blue Crystals, which he always regarded as resources to generate Purifying Light, didn’t hold any special meaning to him. He took them out just to give it a try.
What surprised him was when Huang Si Niang saw the Yellow Crystal and Blue Crystal, her eyes lit up and she swiftly snatched them up. After some examination, she looked up and asked, “Are these from the Chaotic Dead Territory?”
“You’re right!” Yang Kai gave a big thumbs-up to Huang Si Niang, “Si Niang’s eyes are as sharp as a hawk’s. You have excellent observation skills!”
Huang Si Niang did not react to his obvious toadying.
She put away the crystals as she turned her palm, saying, “Good. You really do know how to show your sincerity. I’ll let you temporarily live here.”
“Many thanks, Si Niang!” Yang Kai rejoiced, “Then, this Junior shall go take a rest. It has been a tiring journey here. I won’t be disturbing Si Niang for now.”
With that being said, he rushed away in a blink of an eye.
The inner space of the Phoenix Nest was actually really large.
Watching his leaving figure, Huang Si Niang shook her head and said, “That slippery brat.”
Feng Liu Liang, who had been silent the whole time, said suddenly, “You normally don’t like to interact with Humans. You sure were acting very differently today.”
The arrival of Humans was not rare at the No-Return Pass as it was the only transit point between the 3,000 Worlds and the Black Ink Battlefield, so fresh manpower was sent here quite frequently.
Still, over the years, Huang Si Niang never had such interaction with any Human.
Huang Si Niang glanced at him and pointedly stated, “I don’t believe that you didn’t feel it.”
Feng Liu Lang replied, “It seems like it’s not my imagination. That kid has a Phoenix Clan’s aura on him.”
“This is also what I find to be unusual,” Huang Si Niang replied with a nod, “He already possesses a Dragon Source, so he couldn’t possess a Phoenix Source as well, right?”
“The coexistence of Dragon and Phoenix Sources in a single body is impossible; it should be that he has recently been in close contact with someone from our Clan.”
Huang Si Niang shook her head, “As far as I know, he has been on the Black Ink Battlefield for hundreds of years and has had no chance to come into contact with anyone from our Clan. Even if he had, the aura would have quickly dissipated. I’m not sure why this is happening either.”
“Those from the Phoenix Clan are rare, and most of them are currently living within the Immortal Parasol Tree. However, there are still some who wander outside. I have no idea if they are still living or not, but perhaps we can locate one of them if we identify who he interacted with,” he replied.
“That’s why I want to keep him here.”
By keeping Yang Kai close, they could observe him more easily. Although Yang Kai had taken out a set of Yellow and Blue Crystals, which contained the essence of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer from the Chaotic Dead Territory, they were actually quite useless to Huang Si Niang.
Just when they were talking here though, the entire Phoenix Nest shook abruptly, making Huang Si Niang’s beautiful face pale.
…..
Atop a mountain, some distance away, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged.
His World Force surged, and Space Principles rippled, resonating with the rich Space Dao Essence contained in this Sealed World.
When Yang Kai entered the Phoenix Nest, he saw that the Universe’s ancient aura was still preserved here. Additionally, because it was a Phoenix Nest of the Phoenix Clansman, Space Dao Essence was incredibly rich and abundant.
With the help of these Space Dao Essences, the Phoenix Clan members could continue to cultivate and become stronger in their own Phoenix Nest, which was why it was said that the Phoenix Nest was the root of every Phoenix.
If someone else came to a Phoenix Nest, they would only get to experience the ancient aura of the Universe.
But it was different for Yang Kai as he benefited greatly from the incredibly rich Space Dao Essence present in this place. His mastery over the Dao of Space could be made stronger by absorbing and refining these Dao Essences. At the same time, comprehending the differences of the Grand Dao of Space between ancient times and now would further enhance his mastery.
In addition, as this Dao Essence was preserved in its most primitive form, it made it simple for Yang Kai to refine it as it was extremely pure, without any trace of impurity.
To Yang Kai, that place was a cultivation paradise!
This was an unexpected gain. He had intended to cultivate and better his Dragon Clan Bloodline in the Dragon Pool when he arrived at the No-Return Pass, but before he had even entered the Dragon Pool, he gained advantages from the Phoenix Clan.
Fate was truly unpredictable.
On his side, Yang Kai devoured and refined the Space Dao Essence in the Phoenix Nest eagerly, while on Huang Si Niang’s side, her beautiful face paled due to how quickly the Space Dao Essence in her Phoenix Nest was dissipating.
She needed to cultivate like him too, and although the Immortal Parasol Tree would gradually replenish the Dao Essences even if they dissipated completely, Yang Kai’s method of cultivating was akin to him drying out the lake to catch all the fish.
It was not beneficial for her if the Dao Essences here were all consumed; after all, replenishment took time, and if the balance in the Phoenix Nest was disrupted, the entire structure would be at risk of rupturing.
Yang Kai’s action right now was comparable to him stealing all of her family’s property.
To be honest, Huang Si Niang knew that once Yang Kai started to cultivate, the Space Dao Essence in her Phoenix Nest would definitely decrease, but she never expected such a situation.
She and Feng Liu Lang both greatly underestimated Yang Kai’s mastery over the Dao of Space; he might even be a level higher than them.
With the suction force emerging from Yang Kai, the Phoenix Nest experienced a world-trembling shock.
[Is he even Human?] Huang Si Niang and Feng Liu Lang felt that they were incomparable to Yang Kai when it came to cultivating the Dao of Space at this point.
A loud cry echoed throughout the Phoenix Nest as Huang Si Niang shot into the air quickly rushing over to Yang Kai.
Moments later on the Immortal Parasol Tree, a portal opened up. Yang Kai, who was held by the neck by Huang Si Niang, was tossed out onto his butt, “Scram!”
Yang Kai stood up and rubbed his behind, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, “Si Niang, if there’s anything wrong, you can speak to me nicely. Why get mad?”
“I have nothing to say to you, thief! Leave!”
With an innocent look, Yang Kai cried, “How can I be a thief? I’ve paid to stay… No. I have paid the rental and greeted you, Si Niang. I was just temporarily using your place to cultivate. Why did Si Niang kick me out?”
Just as the words left his mouth, a Yellow Crystal and a Blue Crystal were thrown onto him, “I’m returning those to you. Never come back again. Ever.”
Those crystals weren’t anything precious and she only kept them because they were unique. Did he really think that they meant a lot to her?
When angered, a Phoenix was incredibly strong. Yang Kai’s face was also swollen as a result of him not being able to dodge the crystals.
And as he saw the portal closing, Yang Kai said anxiously, “Si Niang, I have something to say! I’ll stop being so aggressive and be more easy-going when I cultivate!”
There was no response. Huang Si Niang had already sealed up the portal to her Phoenix Nest, fully restricting him from entering.
However, Yang Kai could feel minor traces of the portal, and if he tried, he might be able to forcefully break in. But, he would suffer even if he succeeded since the owner no longer welcomed him.
Things had changed once again…
Yang Kai stood alone on a branch of the Immortal Parasol Tree feeling dejected.
Multiple Young Dragons passing by looked up from below and glared at him, making him even more embarrassed.
Though the No-Return Pass was large, he had nowhere to go after Huang Si Niang kicked him out. Did he really have to spend his nights on the street? The situation would still be alright if it was only a matter of one or two days since he could just walk around and time would fly by, but this was a matter of months. If word of this spread, it would embarrass not just him, but the rest of the Human Race as well.
Moreover, he had just tasted the benefits of a Phoenix Nest. After merely whetting his appetite, he was kicked out, leaving him craving for more.
The Phoenix Nest was really an excellent place for him to cultivate. According to the levels of mastery he pioneered, his Dao of Space was currently at the Eighth Level, Summiting the Peak, so if his skill were to ascend to the level above, the Ninth Level, it would reach Shocking History and Dazzling the Present.
Yang Kai believed that when he successfully reached this level, even if he couldn’t make a breakthrough with his cultivation, his strength would certainly grow significantly.
How could he be content to just let himself be kicked out?
There was nothing he could do while standing outside the portal as no matter how he pleaded, appealed, or vowed to the Heavens and Earth, Huang Si Niang was adamant about not letting him back in.
After trying for some time, Yang Kai eventually gave up as he still had some shame.
At last, he sighed. There had to be a place for him somewhere else.
He raised his head and surveyed the surrounding area, and then he leapt and landed on another tree branch. He greeted the void in front of him, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior. This is my first time at the No-Return Pass and I have nowhere to go. Could you lend me a spot in your precious home to temporarily live in?”
The Void swirled in front of him, followed by the appearance of a portal, causing Yang Kai’s face to brighten up.
A woman with bright eyes and bright teeth protruded from the portal and looked at Yang Kai with a disgusted expression, scolding, “Go away!”
Saying so, she immediately retreated, followed by the portal closing.
That made Yang Kai terribly embarrassed. [Just say no if you’re not willing to lend me a place. Why come out and scold me?]
After appealing his case for some time, Yang Kai approached another branch, gave a respectful salute, and then asked for a place to temporarily live.
Due to his proficiency with the Dao of Space, it was simple for him to locate the hidden Phoenix Nests on the Immortal Parasol Tree.
However, the Phoenix Clan members’ attitudes towards him remained essentially the same. If they had a mild temperament, they wouldn’t show up at all and just ignored him, allowing him to just yell outside for a bit.
As for the hot-tempered ones, they either opened the door to scold him or assaulted him in moderation to chase him away, with no intention of hurting him.
Yang Kai realised there was likely no hope of seeking shelter from the Phoenix Clan after getting rejected about 7 or 8 times in a row.
He was also unsure whether the Phoenix Clan had some sort of mysterious way to communicate with each other. Either way, all the Phoenix Clan members should have already known what happened between Huang Si Niang and him previously, or they would have no reason to reject him so stubbornly.
Borrowing a place to stay for a month or two wasn’t an issue, the problem was him stealing from the owner while lodging in their home. How would anybody let him inside after learning about such thievery?
Now, he was not permitted to enter the Phoenix Nest and the Dragon Clan did not welcome him. Despite how large the No-Return Pass was, Yang Kai actually had no place to stay. This was certainly one of the most distressing situations he encountered after so many years of cultivation.
Again, he arrived in front of another portal, bowed to salute and asked sincerely for a place.
As expected, there was no reaction. Perhaps this was a mild-tempered Phoenix, so they did not bother with or assault Yang Kai.
No matter the situation, he couldn’t just force his way in if the owner didn’t open the door.
Exasperated and dejected, he wanted to head to another Phoenix Nest to try his luck; however, just when he turned to leave, he frowned, carefully examining the Void in front of him.
After some time of examination, he flashed to another Phoenix Nest.
He had changed multiple locations before making his way over to Huang Si Niang’s Phoenix Nest. He lifted his hand and knocked on the Void in front of him, saying, “Si Niang, I have a question.”
There was no response from Huang Si Niang, as she was obviously ignoring him.
Yang Kai continued, “I’m really here to just ask a question, not to borrow a place.”
The Void rippled a little, and Si Niang stuck her head out with a cautious look on her face, “What?”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, [You’re still a noble and powerful Phoenix, there’s no need to be so on guard against me.]
He looked into the Phoenix Nest and before he could say a word, Huang Si Niang reprimanded, “What are you looking at? You can’t come in. If you need to say something, say it. Otherwise, leave!”
Yang Kai wanted to ask if he could come in for a conversation, but after seeing Huang Si Niang’s attitude, he was scared that he would receive another scolding if he did.
Brushing off that thought, he said, “I just made my way across the Immortal Parasol Tree, visiting many Phoenix Clan Seniors and I came onto something odd.”
Huang Si Niang sneered because she witnessed what happened. This Brat was thick-skinned enough to say that he was only ‘visiting’ them after getting rejected so many times.
Then, he pointed to the Phoenix Nest he visited last, “The portal of that Phoenix Nest seems to have not been opened for many years. Is the Senior cultivating in retreat inside? There hasn’t been any motion from it. Could they have encountered an accident?”
Huang Si Niang glanced in the direction he pointed, frowned, and replied in surprise, “You can tell that the portal hasn’t been opened for many years?”
“Every time a portal is opened, it will leave a few unnoticeable traces. These traces are undetectable to others, but you and I should be able to see them, right?” He nonchalantly said.
“En,” Huang Si Niang replied flatly, understanding that this Brat really did have a higher comprehension of the Dao of Space than her; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to notice things like this.
She initially couldn’t be bothered anymore, but still explained out of kindness, “There are some Phoenix Nests that have no owners. The owner of the Phoenix Nest you were referring to hasn’t returned for a long time.”
Although members of the Phoenix Clan were scarce, some were still born over time. Most of the Phoenix Clan members lived on the Immortal Parasol Tree, but there were always some others venturing outside.
The majority of these venturing Phoenix Clan members had been involved in accidents and perished, whereas some might have come across accidents where they were stuck and were unable to flee. The Phoenix Nest of these members remained, but nobody had entered them for many, many years.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he heard it, “An ownerless Phoenix Nest?”
Huang Si Niang knew what he was up to based on his expression and said with a smile, “There are as many Phoenix Nests on the Immortal Parasol Tree as there are Phoenixes in my Phoenix Clan. A Phoenix Nest is the origin of a Phoenix Clan Source. In other words, the existence of both is interconnected. Unless the Source is destroyed, the Phoenix Nest will remain forever. Those Phoenix Nests which currently have no owner may have already been involved in an accident and have fallen. Nevertheless, their Source survived. However, it is most likely that those carrying these Phoenix Sources aren’t pure Phoenix Clan members, so they can’t locate this place and arrive here.”
The slightly sidetracked Yang Kai then said, “What Si Niang means is that every Phoenix Clan member’s Source correlates to a Phoenix Nest. If the individuals who obtain the Phoenix Clan Source discovers this place, they will be able to own their personal Phoenix Nest?”
“Correct,” Huang Si Niang nodded.
Any existence that arrived here and cultivated in their Phoenix Nest would eventually transform into a pure Phoenix Clan member, regardless of how they attained their Phoenix Clan Source.
“So that is how it works!” Yang Kai muttered.
“Nothing else, right? If there’s nothing else, stop bothering me.” Without allowing Yang Kai to respond, she snapped and retracted her head.
“Si Niang, wait…” Yang Kai raised his hand to stop her but was too slow.
According to her attitude, Huang Si Niang made it obvious that she didn’t want to talk to him anymore.
Of course, Yang Kai didn’t push the issue, but if what Si Niang stated was accurate, then one of these ownerless Phoenix Nests on this Immortal Parasol Tree would belong to Su Yan, another to Jiu Feng, and another to Liu Yan!
These three individuals possessed Phoenix Clan Sources.
Now, things were getting interesting.
Yang Kai scrutinised his surroundings, then once again arrived at the ownerless Phoenix Nest. He rubbed his chin and pondered.
On the other hand, in Huang Si Niang’s Phoenix Nest, Feng Liu Lang asked after holding it back for a long time, “Why did you mislead him?”
She snorted lightly, “To keep him busy. Or else, he would come to disturb me again. So annoying!”
Feng Liu Lang sighed, deep down knowing Yang Kai was about to get in trouble again.
Huang Si Niang did not lie to him, but she did not make things clear either.
It was true that each Phoenix Nest on the Immortal Parasol Tree corresponded to a Phoenix Clan Source; but also, those Phoenix Clan Sources were the only keys to unlock these Phoenix Nests.
Without the corresponding Phoenix Clan Source, no matter how proficient Yang Kai was with the Dao of Space, he would never be able to open these unowned Phoenix Nests.
There was an undetermined amount of Phoenix Nests. Since the creation of the Universe, the Immortal Parasol Tree, and the Phoenix Clan, the number of the Phoenix Nests had increased and decreased as a result of several factors over the ages.
A greater number of Phoenix Nests indicated a greater amount of Phoenix Sources remaining, and decreased Phoenix Nests indicated decreased Phoenix Sources; nonetheless, these two factors were unrelated to the life or death of a Phoenix. Even when a Phoenix Clan member fell due to an accident, as long as their Source remained, their Phoenix Nest would never be destroyed.
If anyone obtained that Source by chance and cultivated it in a Phoenix Nest in the No-Return Pass, they would have the opportunity to shed their former body to be reborn as a pure member of the Phoenix Clan.
In fact, just like the Phoenix Clan, the Dragon Clan was the same, with the exception that Dragon Sources were from the Dragon Pool; hence, for both the Dragon and Phoenix Clans, those places were the root of their entire Clan; the Dragon Pool being the Dragon Clan’s origin and the Phoenix Nests being the Phoenix Clan’s origin.
Yang Kai once wondered if the decline of talents would lead to the eventual extinction of the Dragon Clan, but this was simply impossible. As long as the Dragon Pool remained, the Dragon Clan would never go extinct. There might be situations where the Clan becomes momentarily weak and vulnerable, but that was unavoidable if it was the will of the Heavenly Way.
However, the fact that there were ownerless Phoenix Nests on this Immortal Parasol Tree surprised Yang Kai.
Didn’t that mean he could enter the ownerless Phoenix Nests at will?
As the saying went, one would wear out iron shoes seeking their feet.
Besides, Huang Si Niang didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping him from entering these ownerless Phoenix Nests. Wasn’t this a tacit agreement?
[Tsk… Si Niang isn’t so cruel after all.] Her seemingly unintentional words actually pointed him towards a beneficial path.
Yang Kai restrained his excitement as he made his way to an unowned Phoenix Nest. Verifying that the nest had not been opened in many years, he got to work.
Space Principles rippled as he made a wiping movement to connect to the Phoenix Nest Portal.
Initially, he thought that it wouldn’t be that difficult to open this portal because he was already proficient enough in the Dao of Space. Besides, this portal didn’t have any special barrier to it, making it simpler to access.
However, Yang Kai soon discovered that things weren’t so simple.
The Phoenix Nest portal indeed had no barrier and he could also sense that it was right in front of him, but no matter how hard he tried to open it, the portal showed no signs of budging.
The Phoenix Nest’s portal seemed to be locked by an invisible force.
Yang Kai at first believed that his approach was incorrect, but as the portal remained shut even after several days of trying, he gradually understood the issue.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t proficient enough in the Dao of Space but that the Phoenix Nest actually had some other requirement in order to be opened.
Yang Kai concluded as such because the Phoenix Nest portal in front of him appeared to be locked by an invisible force and he probably needed the right key to open it.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh as he recalled what Huang Si Niang said to him and her attitude at that time.
He was tricked!
Now, Yang Kai figured the matching Phoenix Source was necessary in order to unlock this Phoenix Nest. In other words, the key to these Phoenix Nest portals was the Phoenix Sources themselves.
Even though he had a higher mastery over the Dao of Space compared to many, he was unable to enter without the key; after all, the Immortal Parasol Tree was a unique existence that was born soon after the Universe came into existence. It could be said that it was a type of Supreme Innate Treasure. How could anything related to such a treasure be so easily accessed?
The hope that was sparked previously was put out ruthlessly, causing Yang Kai to feel dejected again.
He would still be fine if he hadn’t known the benefits of the Phoenix Nests for his cultivation; however, not only was he aware, he even got a taste. It was simply a terrible feeling not being able to have access to it anymore.
Yang Kai, still a little in disbelief, circled the Immortal Parasol Tree once more, searching for portals that had been closed for a very long time.
He tried three other Phoenix Nests consecutively, all to no avail.
When he got to the fourth Nest, Yang Kai assumed the situation would be the same, but after exerting quite a bit of force, the Void in front of him rippled, and a portal hazily formed.
Yang Kai looked on in pleasant surprise.
As he was ready to use go all out to pry open this portal when he suddenly felt that something was wrong. This portal didn’t seem to be responding to his actions, but rather a different power from the inside.
Yang Kai’s expression darkened, [Oh no.]
Sure enough, a Phoenix’s head appeared from the portal, asking as it glared at Yang Kai with blood-red Phoenix eyes, “Little bastard, what do you think you’re doing disturbing me?!”
Saying so, its sharp beak was aimed at Yang Kai, attempting to peck him.
Yang Kai’s hair stood on end. This seemingly normal peck might actually open a big hole in his body if he was hit by it; possibly even tearing apart his Soul in the process.
This Phoenix Nest was not at all an unowned Phoenix Nest, its master had simply been in retreat for a long time, which was why it hadn’t been opened in many years.
Thinking about it now, Yang Kai realized that this was probably the case for other seemingly ownerless Phoenix Nests.
As the saying went, when one often walks by the river, getting wet is inevitable.
“Senior, this is a misunderstanding!” Yang Kai shouted as he pushed his Space Principles madly, instantly disappearing from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he had already 100,000 kilometres away from the No-Return Pass; however, he was in a mess quite dishevelled at this point; his clothes were torn, and he had a wound on his chest from which Golden Blood was oozing.
On the Immortal Parasol Tree, a cold snort resounded, “Next time, I’ll take your life!”
Then, the Phoenix’s head withdrew as the portal shut.
Now, things were really awkward for Yang Kai.
Though he reacted in the shortest time possible and even used Space Principles in order to escape, the Dao of Space was still the Grand Dao all Phoenix Clan members cultivated.
Yang Kai was unable to escape from that peck no matter how he struggled or tried to flee, suffering an injury in the end.
Fortunately, it seemed the Phoenix Clan had an innately gentle temperament, so the one Yang Kai offended did not have any intention of killing him ruthlessly. If it was the Dragon Clan that he had insulted, Yang Kai would likely be locked in a life-or-death battle right now.
Inside her Phoenix Nest, Si Niang laughed riotously as she watched the commotion, whereas Feng Liu lang shook his head, thinking that the Human would stop causing a commotion after suffering such a loss.
After all, Yang Kai had no idea which Phoenix Nests were unowned and which had simply not been opened due to the owner being in retreat for a long time.
But Feng Liu Lang immediately realised that he was wrong.
After spending some time outside, Yang Kai changed into a different outfit and casually ran back to the Immortal Parasol Tree to continue what he was previously doing.
Feng Liu Lang was speechless, [Why is this Human so stubborn? The Phoenix Nests will never open unless the owner’s Source is present. He should know this already, so why waste time?]
Still, Yang Kai, who had prior experiences now, started acting more cautiously. He dared not cause a huge commotion even with the Phoenix Nests that seemed to have no owner, fearing that there would be another Phoenix coming out to peck at him.
He was currently searching for specific Phoenix Nests.
Despite the size of the Immortal Parasol Tree, there weren’t many members of the Phoenix Clan. Consequently, there weren’t many Phoenix Nests.
There were only roughly 100 of them.
In other words, the number of Phoenix Clan members was only around 100. This also counted the numerous Phoenix Clan Sources lost outside. Yang Kai estimated that there were approximately only 40 or 50 members of the Phoenix Clan who were still residing on the Immortal Parasol Tree.
Still, this was already a huge force considering it was the Phoenix Clan! Each mature Dragon was equivalent to a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, and due to their long lifespan and inherited bloodline, they only required time to strengthen themselves to ascend to the level equivalent to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, without having to go through many risks.
A process similar for all Divine Spirits.
Since there weren’t many Phoenix Nests, Yang Kai had little trouble locating all of them and after 4 hours, he stood in front of a specific one.
This was another Phoenix Nest that had not been opened for many years.
If Yang Kai hadn’t felt a trace of a familiar aura flowing out of this Phoenix Nest, he would not have been able to determine whether there wasn’t an owner inside or not.
It was that familiar aura that confirmed that this Phoenix Nest was ownerless.
Or at least, the owner was not in!
This was because the Fire Phoenix aura coming from this nest belonged to Liu Yan.
The Phoenix Source that Liu Yan owned today dated back to Martial Flame Great Emperor who had attained the Phoenix True Fire by chance many years ago. After cultivating with it, Martial Flame eventually ascended to become a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary.
It was during that period that Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang, had caused chaos. As a result, all the other Great Emperors of the Star Boundary fought him in a deadly battle in the Shattered Star Sea.
In that battle, Wu Kuang’s body was destroyed as a result of his defeat. Along with his ‘death’, several other Great Emperors, namely Azure Sea Great Emperor, Martial Flame Great Emperor, Yuan Ding Great Emperor, and Cyan Lotus Great Emperor perished.
That was the time when Wu Kuang overpowered everyone else and ruled like a tyrant. But, in the end, his actions led to public outrage which ultimately got him ‘killed’.
It was later revealed that Wu Kuang faked his own death, and many years later was resurrected. However, the tale of him using his own power to kill numerous Great Emperors remained, fascinating all who heard it.
No other Great Emperor had possessed strength on par with Wu Kuang’s.
After the fall of the Martial Flame Great Emperor, the Phoenix True Fire remained in the Shattered Star Sea. When Yang Kai travelled to the Shattered Star Sea for training, he obtained the Phoenix True Fire and later gave it to Liu Yan to refine.
Consequently, he could easily recognise the aura of this Fire Phoenix Source because he was very familiar with it.
The Phoenix True Fire, strictly speaking, was actually a Phoenix Source.
The aura that was just barely noticeable on the Phoenix Nest in front of him undoubtedly came from the same source as the Phoenix True Fire that he gave to Liu Yan.
Now that this had been confirmed, Yang Kai could act boldly without having to fear a Phoenix Clan member showing up to deal with him.
But to his disappointment, despite being certain that Liu Yan was the Phoenix Nest’s owner, he was still unable to open it.
He didn’t continue because he knew that the Phoenix Nest wasn’t that simple to open from previous experience.
After half a day of searching on the Immortal Parasol Tree, Yang Kai stood in front of another Phoenix Nest. If he was not mistaken, Jiu Feng should be the owner of this Phoenix Nest; however, he wasn’t really sure as he had not interacted with Jiu Feng frequently, so he didn’t have a vivid memory of her Source’s aura.
There was a high chance it was, though!
He had found Liu Yan and Jiu Feng’s Phoenix Nest, so what about Su Yan’s?
There would definitely be a Phoenix Nest here that belonged to Su Yan.
At this moment, Yang Kai had no hope of entering the Phoenix Nest to cultivate and further strengthen his understanding and mastery over the Dao of Space, so all he wanted was to find out where Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest was located so he could help guide her here in the future where she would be able to cultivate with peace of mind.
Moments later, as Yang Kai stood on a branch of the Immortal Parasol Tree and looked at the Void in front of him, he smiled gently.
[Found it.]
Su Yan should be the owner of the Phoenix Nest in front of him. He was very familiar with that aura; after all, she was his first wife, and their many times of cultivating together had already connected their auras. When Yang Kai arrived here, he almost immediately recognised this Phoenix Nest as Su Yan’s.
This familiar aura made Yang Kai sigh in reminiscence. He had not seen Su Yan for hundreds of years before entering the Black Ink Battlefield, and now several hundred more years had passed, yet his parting with her and the others felt as though it only happened days before.
To a Master like Yang Kai, the higher their cultivation, the less emphasis they put on time.
Back when he was still young, Yang Kai felt every day was extremely precious; but, as he became stronger, even a simple retreat could take years.
His greatest desire used to be to mature quickly and obtain the freedom and strength that came with it, but looking back now, he realised how precious the time when he was a carefree kid was.
That was a period of time that could only remain in his memories.
He had spent his entire life travelling around, from South to North and back again. Though there had been a lot of women around him, he had never really spent much time with them.
Yang Kai felt deeply that there was more time spent away from his family and loved ones than with them since he began his journey on the Martial Dao.
It was still fine before as there would always be occasions to gather, but after he had entered the Black Ink Battlefield, he knew he would never see them again unless the Blank Ink Clan was completely eradicated.
[Was all this really worth it?] He thought to himself.
But Yang Kai’s expression quickly changed to one of determination, [No, it is!]
The current short separation was necessary to prepare for the long-term reunion afterwards. He would finally be at peace and bring his lovely companions to travel across mountains and rivers and enjoy himself when the battle in the Black Ink Battlefield was over.
For that reason, he had to become stronger in order to survive.
The familiar aura lingered around his fingertips as he extended his hand to touch it, as if he was brushing Su Yan’s face.
As he reached out, Yang Kai’s expression soon filled with shock, which then quickly turned to joy. With a flash, he rushed into the portal in front of him and disappeared.
The next moment, two figures appeared on the Immortal Parasol Tree together. Both Huang Si Niang and Feng Liu Lang looked at the place where Yang Kai disappeared in extreme disbelief.
Si Niang’s eyes bulged as she muttered in a hoarse voice, “He went in?”
Feng Liu Lang nodded lightly, confirming, “He went in.”
Si Niang’s thoughts were all over the place, “How?”
Feng Liu Lang had no idea how to reply either, so he just said, “Just like that…”
“Nonsense!” She glared at him. She had been observing Yang Kai, so of course she knew he went in just like that. The point was, how did he get in?
That was a Phoenix Nest!
Besides, it was not just any Phoenix Nest!
While the two were talking, more Phoenix Nests opened up, and figures emerged from the portals, obviously having noticed something. These people were all attractive men and women of varying ages, and they were all staring in the direction of where Yang Kai had disappeared.
A woman with a particularly noble and dense aura emerged. She appeared to be 15 or 16 years old on first impression; however, if one paid closer attention, she seemed to be in her early 20’s. Strangely enough, after observing her for some time, she suddenly appeared to be in her mid 30’s.
This woman’s age seemed to be a true mystery.
She then asked in a soft voice, “Has someone returned to the Clan?”
Huang Si Niang and Feng Liu Lang exchanged glances before quickly bowing and explaining everything that had just happened.
The group of Phoenix Clan members were shocked to learn that a Human from afar opened this Phoenix Nest. What’s more, this Human was no ordinary Human, but rather a Human that had refined and fused with a Dragon Source!
The Phoenix Nest was opened by such a person!
This had never happened before.
The Phoenix Clan members started chattering and demanded that the brat be dragged out of the Phoenix Nest and punished. Phoenix Nests were the root of the Phoenix Clan after all, so no one other than the Phoenix Clan members were permitted to set foot inside of them. However, a half-Dragon Human had now entered one. How could such blasphemy be tolerated?
If this Phoenix Nest could be opened by an outsider, wouldn’t everyone be able to access the other Phoenix Nest in the future?
Many Phoenix Clans members shared the same thoughts and attitude. In the Immortal Parasol Tree, more than half of the 40 Phoenix Clan members supported this plan.
The smaller half did not explicitly state their viewpoint, but it was clear that they did not disagree.
What they were most concerned about was how this Human managed to enter this Phoenix Nest.
The ability to enter a Phoenix Nest indicated that an individual owned a Phoenix Source. But, how was it possible that a Human who was confirmed to possess a Dragon Source also had a Phoenix Source?
Despite the Dragon and Phoenix Clans being said to coexist, side by side, certain things like their Sources could never coexist inside a single individual. This was fundamental knowledge.
After countless years of peace and tranquility, the Immortal Parasol Tree became lively because of Yang Kai’s unprecedented actions, and almost all the Phoenixes Clan members that were able to come out from retreat, came out.
The Dragon Clan was immediately alerted by the commotion and many of them throughout the No-Return Pass released their Divine Sense, immediately understanding the whole story in an instant.
The incident shocked the Dragon Clan as well.
The Human who was sent over to take advantage of the Dragon Clan had entered a Phoenix Nest of the Phoenix Clan before even stepping foot into the Dragon Pool?
Having lived with each other for so many years, how could the Dragon Clan not know about the mysteries of the Phoenix Nest? They were equally perplexed as to how a bastard who refined a Dragon Source would be qualified to enter an ownerless Phoenix Nest.
It had been many millennia since the No-Return Pass had been this lively. Even though Masters from the 3,000 Worlds would frequently be sent to different Great Passes through the No-Return Pass, their stays here were always brief. Additionally, due to the authority of the Dragon and Phoenix Clan, these Humans were also well-behaved in the No-Return Pass, not daring to be the least bit presumptuous and always departing with haste.
This Human, on the other hand, not only embarrassed the Dragon Clan when he first arrived, but he also violated the Phoenix Clan’s sacred home. It made everyone speechless.
Phoenix Clan’s issue, though, was not the business of the Dragon Clan; thus, all they did in this situation was observe the commotion.
On the Parasol Tree, the Phoenix Clan members were filled with rage, especially the Young Phoenixes that denounced Yang Kai loudly. On the contrary, the older Phoenixes soon fell silent, their eyes filled with pensive light.
There were many things that the Young Phoenixes were unaware of, but the older ones had already heard certain stories from their forefathers.
The Phoenix Nest that was opened was not an ordinary Phoenix Nest, it was a Phoenix Nest that belonged to a previous generation Phoenix Empress. After a certain incident, that Empress’ Source went missing, its location unknown even now. As such, wasn’t the opening of this Phoenix Nest an indication of something?
Even this generation’s Phoenix Empress had shown herself. She was a noble woman who had an extremely dense aura. Her strength was comparable to the Dragon Emperor as well as the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Humans. It could even be said that a Dragon Emperor and a Phoenix Empress were stronger compared to Ninth-Order Old Ancestors.
Without such a Master assuming command, they wouldn’t be able to maintain the safety and security of the No-Return Pass throughout the years.
But in the end, even with the Empress present, the Phoenix Clan members were unable to drag Yang Kai out from the Phoenix Nest because they lacked the ability to do so.
Though they were Phoenix Clan members, they couldn’t simply open a Phoenix Nest that did not belong to them. In other words, they couldn’t really do anything unless the Human willingly came out.
…..
The Phoenix Nest belonging to Su Yan was fully covered with snow and ice, making the whole World snow-white in colour.
In mid-air, Yang Kai surveyed his surroundings as he admired the beauty and magnificence of this place.
This was a world sealed in ice and snow, so it was absolutely freezing. The fact that Su Yan owned this Phoenix Nest made it reasonable that this was the case.
Su Yan’s Phoenix Clan Source was an Ice Phoenix Source, so naturally, her Phoenix Nest was filled with Ice Principles.
The cold inside was the kind that permeated one’s soul. Even Yang Kai felt a bit uneasy when he first arrived here, but thankfully, he felt much better after circulating his World Force.
A moment later, he felt overjoyed.
Just like Huang Si Niang’s Phoenix Nest, this place was filled with dense, primordial Space Dao Essence. On top of that, this Dao Essence was 10 times denser than it was in Huang Si Niang’s nest.
That was an immense difference!
This was also a reasonable situation though. The Phoenix Clan members cultivated in their Phoenix Nests, where they refined the ambient Space Dao Essence to enhance their own understanding of this Grand Dao. At the same time, the mysterious power of the Immortal Parasol Tree would replenish the Space Dao Essence. Of course, as long as the Phoenix Clansman could maintain a balance, the Dao Essence of their Phoenix Nest would never completely deplete, allowing them to slowly cultivate for as long as they wished.
However, it was different for Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest.
Throughout the years when nobody refined the Space Dao Essence in this ownerless Phoenix Nest, the Dao Essence had accumulated to become very dense.
This did not apply only to Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest, but every ownerless Phoenix Nest on the Parasol Tree; with the abundance of Dao Essence varying with the years since they became ownerless.
If any Phoenix Clan member that was roaming outside managed to find their way here and open their Phoenix Nest, their strength would undoubtedly increase immensely in a short time. This was a type of reward for returning to one’s roots.
Right now, this circumstance was a great blessing for Yang Kai.
He had got a taste of it at Si Niang’s place, but was soon kicked out before he had eaten his fill.
The circumstance now here at Su Yan’s place was equivalent to serving him a table of delicacies when he was starving.
Of course, Yang Kai would want to feast.
He didn’t fear that this would harm Su Yan in any way since the Space Dao Essence in this place was dense after countless years of accumulation. As long as he cultivated in moderation, he would not dry out the Dao Essence here, which would also be replenished after he left. When Su Yan visited in the future, she could still enjoy the gifts of this Phoenix Nest.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged after he found a random ice peak. As Space Principles rippled, the World resonated and the Space Dao Essence in this Phoenix Nest was quickly absorbed by him.
Refining this incredibly pure and ancient Dao Essence was of enormous advantage to Yang Kai’s comprehension of the Grand Dao. On top of that, it helped him understand the differences between the ancient and current Grand Dao of Space, which was also extremely beneficial.
Yang Kai already caused quite a commotion at Si Niang’s place, but now he caused a bigger one in Su Yan’s place.
He seemed to have transformed into a bottomless abyss, incessantly swallowing the ambient Space Dao Essence. Consequently, he felt that he gained a deeper, broader sensibility of the Dao of Space.
Though there was no one to guide Yang Kai as he cultivated in the Phoenix Nest, the primordial Dao Essence was the best teacher. By consuming and refining these Dao Essences, he was able to reflect, identify his weaknesses, and eliminate the bad while retaining the good.
His mastery of Dao of Space increased rapidly.
A few months flew by quickly.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and reviewed his gains.
He didn’t achieve a breakthrough, but his mastery of the Dao of Space had evidently been enhanced, and this enhancement of his Grand Dao improved his strength too.
By just lifting his hand, Yang Kai could feel the quivering motion of the Void around him.
Yang Kai remained as tranquil as an ancient well, though such a result was certainly pleasing to him. Cultivating in this Phoenix Nest for a few months was far more beneficial to him than cultivating outside for many years.
The only thing that saddened him was that despite greatly enhancing his comprehension of the Dao of Space, he didn’t seem to have any signs of breaking through to the next level of mastery.
According to his own division of a Grand Dao, the last stage was Shocking History and Dazzling the Present, a stage that few had ever attained throughout history.
Though he did not break through this level, he had gained a lot, so he had no regrets. He believed that he would eventually reach such mastery one day in the future.
Deciding it was time, he stopped cultivating. The initially dense Space Dao Essence in this Phoenix Nest had noticeably diminished after his months of intensive refining, precisely like those in Huang Si Niang’s Phoenix Nest had. He couldn’t just keep cultivating though because Su Yan would eventually return here to cultivate in the future; the more Space Dao Essence he absorbed, the less would be left for Su Yan.
The situation right now was just right. He had absorbed a sufficient amount of Dao Essence which would be replenished by the Immortal Parasol Tree over the coming years. That way, it would not cause any hindrance to Su Yan when she arrived here to cultivate.
Moreover, Yang Kai also believed that it was pointless for him to keep cultivating as he couldn’t break through to the final level of mastery simply by absorbing the Phoenix Nest’s Space Dao Essence. In order to reach the highest stage, he had to fully understand the Dao of Space by himself.
Besides, he didn’t know when the Dragon Pool would be opened. If he accidentally missed it while he was cultivating here, the Dragon Clan would definitely not wait for him.
It was thus time for him to leave.
After feeling the familiar aura of this place one last time, Yang Kai shifted his thoughts and pressed on something in the Void.
The Phoenix Nest portal opened, and he exited.
Yang Kai was startled by the scene in front of him. Many sets of eyes that were dispersed across the Parasol Tree glared at Yang Kai with all sorts of emotions including scrutiny, confusion and even hatred.
Under the envelopment of so many Divine Sense, Yang Kai’s body froze up.
[What’s happening?]
Yang Kai was confused. Without having the need to count, he could judge that at least 30 pairs of eyes were focused on him. Furthermore, based on the Divine Sense intensity, several Phoenix Clan members who were equivalent to Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were present.
He knew that the whole Phoenix Clan had gathered in this place.
No ordinary person could have the opportunity to witness a single pure-blooded Phoenix throughout their entire life, yet Yang Kai was not delighted even if there were several dozens of them in front of him now. This was all due to their unfriendly expressions which looked as though they wanted to tear him apart.
[I’m being blocked by the Phoenix Clan now? Why? There’s no need for this. All I did was make use of Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest. The Phoenix Clan members won’t be that petty, right?]
“Why are you all here?” Yang Kai stated dryly while squeezing forth a smile.
There was no response.
Yang Kai secretly began condensing his Space Principles, preparing to flee at any moment. Although the Phoenix Clan members were also experts in the Dao of Space, and he might not be as fast as them if he tried to flee, it was his only hope.
That was his last resort since he didn’t want to cause too much trouble.
As he locked eyes with Huang Si Niang, intending to ask about the situation by glances, she openly pretended not to notice.
It made Yang Kai curse in his heart, [This woman is too wicked! If it weren’t for her invitation, how could I have come to the Immortal Parasol Tree? But, when things turn out like this, she pretends not to know me!]
Yang Kai made several assumptions about the existing circumstances. It was undoubtedly due to his entrance to the Phoenix Nest despite the fact that he was a Human, but wasn’t this just too much?
He couldn’t help but get a headache. Since ancient times, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans had guarded the No-Return Pass. Though there were other Divine Spirits, these two Clans were still the most crucial among them.
The Dragon Clan wasn’t very pleased with him already, so if he offended the Phoenix Clan as well, he might have no way out.
[What now?]
While he was pondering, a noble looking woman suddenly asked, “Do you possess a Phoenix Clan Source?”
Although he did not feel any kind of pressure or intimidation from this woman as he turned to face her, Yang Kai felt a kind of pull from her deep stare, as though his very soul was about to be pulled from his body.
Under such a gaze, any lies or deceptions would be seen through and extremely disrespectful.
Yang Kai’s heart trembled a little, knowing that this woman was not someone he should provoke. She had no intention to coerce him, but her strength was so great that even a simple gaze and question was enough to feel stifling.
He had experienced a similar feeling from a few other individuals before, and all of which were Old Ancestors.
“Senior, you are…” he asked, though he already had guessed it in his heart.
Following that, Huang Si Niang, who finally showed some righteousness, explained, because she was aware that Yang Kai was not well versed with the Phoenix Clan, “This is the current Clan Head of my Phoenix Clan.”
The Phoenix Clan Head was naturally just a title, similar to the Clan Head of the Dragon Clan.
Yang Kai quickly bowed to salute, “So it is Madam Clan Head. I apologise for my rudeness.”
The Phoenix Clan Head nodded lightly and frowned as she said, “Though you have the aura of our Clan, you don’t seem to carry a Phoenix Clan Source.”
Yang Kai replied honestly, “Madam, this Junior does not have a Phoenix Clan Source.”
“Then, have you come in contact with a Phoenix Clan member before this?” She asked again.
“Yes,” Yang Kai was secretly at a loss for words. It had been hundreds of years since he was in contact with a Phoenix Clan member, so how were these Phoenixes even able to sense that? Were the Phoenix Clan members’ noses that sensitive, or did they have any other methods to tell?
Yang Kai was unaware that Huang Si Niang had invited him for a conversation at the Phoenix Nest only because she could feel a Phoenix’s aura in him. Otherwise, how would any Phoenix Clan member allow a random stranger to enter their Phoenix Nest, given their haughty character?
Even the Dragon Clan members that were living in the No-Return Pass with them wouldn’t get such treatments.
“How is the individual you came in contact with doing right now?” The Phoenix Clan Head asked once again.
Yang Kai thought for a while before replying, “She is doing well and should currently be cultivating in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land.”
“The Ancestral Land…” She muttered softly, with a hint of nostalgia on her face. The Ancestral Land was something long not mentioned by both the Dragon Clan or the Phoenix Clan. Ever since they took charge of the No-Return Pass, they had never visited the Ancestral Land.
It appeared to be some sort of fate that a Phoenix Clan member entered the Ancestral Land to cultivate.
In the No-Return Pass, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans were somewhat aware of some of the secrets of the Ancestral Land.
“Is she a Human?” The Phoenix Clan Head continued to question. Most of the Phoenix Clan Sources left outside were found and refined by Humans. If the Source could be integrated, then their Bloodline would slowly be altered. In addition to that, if they were strong enough and had enough opportunities, they would be able to arrive at the No-Return Pass and cultivate in a Phoenix Nest on the Immortal Parasol Tree, allowing them to shed their former body and be reborn as a pure-blooded Phoenix.
Of course, this did not solely apply to the Human Race. Any other being with a pure enough Phoenix Clan Bloodline could easily refine and fuse with a Phoenix Clan Source.
“Indeed.”
“Are you close with her?” If it wasn’t for this reason, that person’s aura wouldn’t linger on him.
“Uh… she is my Wife,” Yang Kai scratched his cheeks shyly.
“Wife…” The Phoenix Clan Head was startled for a moment. Though the Phoenix Clan’s structure was different from the Human Race’s, she could somehow understand the meaning of the term “Wife”.
A woman with a Phoenix Source became the Wife of a man with a Dragon Source.
This type of occurrence had hardly happened throughout history. Both the Phoenix Clan and the Dragon Clan were equally arrogant. What was more was that there were not many Sources of these two Clans left outside.
“Have you both… bonded?” The Phoenix Clan Head asked again.
Yang Kai’s face blushed, [This woman… how could words like that leave her mouth? How am I supposed to answer that? Furthermore, wasn’t it normal to perform such acts as partners? Why does she have to ask about everything?]
“… Yes,” he murmured in response.
This time, many members of the Phoenix Clan were unable to control their anger, especially those who had previously been glaring at Yang Kai, were now much more furious with murderous intent blazing in their eyes. If it wasn’t for the Clan Head being there, they might have already jumped out to murder this brat who sullied the purity of the Phoenix Clan.
With an expression that indicated she had now fully understood the situation, the Phoenix Clan Head said, “No wonder you can open her Phoenix Nest.”
As they had bonded with each other, their auras naturally mixed. As a result, the aura of the woman’s Phoenix Source lingered on Yang Kai’s body, which was enough to gain the approval of the Phoenix Nest, allowing him to enter.
Of course, if enough time passed and the aura faded or dissipated, the Phoenix Nest would not be accessed so easily. It could only be said that the Phoenix Clan member aura that lingered on Yang Kai was just enough to get the approval of the Phoenix Nest.
After listening to the Phoenix Clan Head’s words, Yang Kai suddenly understood too, “Senior, you mean that the reason why I could enter the Phoenix Nest is due to the remnants of my Wife’s aura?”
She nodded lightly, “There is no other explanation than this.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
In fact, he had made a guess when he entered the Phoenix Nest, but he wasn’t that concerned about it because he was just too happy at that moment. This woman’s words had just helped to confirm his initial suspicions.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for him to be able to enter Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest but not Liu Yan’s or Jiu Feng’s. Putting Jiu Feng’s aside as Yang Kai rarely interacted with her, he had actually quite often been together with Liu Yan. The only thing he lacked with her was the interchanging of auras.
In that case, it was all thanks to Su Yan that he managed to enter the Phoenix Nest.
“The Ancestral Land…” The Phoenix Clan Head murmured softly again, she would not have paid it any mind it if she didn’t know the whereabouts of other Phoenix Clan members, but now that she knew there was one cultivating in the Ancestral Land, she felt it was time to find a way to bring her home.
The Phoenix Empress didn’t linger for long, and after inquiring as to how Yang Kai was able to access the Phoenix Nest, she turned and left.
The majority of the Phoenix Clan members were cold and aloof. Typically, they cultivated by themselves, without minding others’ business; there were very few members who enjoyed being nosey like Huang Si Niang. There wouldn’t be as many Phoenix Clan members coming out to investigate if they hadn’t noticed the odd occurrence in a Phoenix Nest.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was panicking. With the Phoenix Clan Head’s presence, these Phoenix Clan members dared not cause any trouble; at most, they would just glare at him. However, if she left, Yang Kai guessed that he would be in for a lot of pain, judging by the posture of these Phoenixes around him.
He just couldn’t understand how he had offended them.
Usually, he could use his magnificent Space Secret Techniques against the Black Ink Clan, but in the face of the Phoenix Clan, that might not be useful.
So, before the Phoenix Clan Head stepped into her Phoenix Nest, Yang Kai shouted, “Senior, please wait a moment. I have something to ask about my Wife.”
The woman turned around in confusion, “What do you have to ask?”
Yang Kai rubbed his hands and replied awkwardly, “Uhm… there are too many people, so it’s not convenient for us to speak here. Could we find a private place to speak, Senior?”
The Phoenix Clan Head looked at him with a tiny smile on her face, aware of his intentions. Yet, she didn’t think he was timid or a coward as anybody would be afraid if they were glared at by so many Phoenixes with hostile intents.
It was already quite the smart move, being able to quickly think of a solution to save himself in a situation like this as a Seventh-Order Human.
Though the Phoenix Clan members wouldn’t kill him, beating him black and blue was a possibility.
Thus, she nodded lightly and said, “Follow me.”
Without having to perform any action, a portal appeared in the Void, followed by her entering it.
Yang Kai was overjoyed and he hurriedly followed her. As he made his way through the crowd around him, he couldn’t help but smile and say, “Excuse me. Excuse me.”
The Phoenixes didn’t stop him, as it was clear that the Clan Head was offering him shelter. If they made the situation difficult for him, it would be the same as not respecting the Clan Head. Consequently, they could only give way, even though they felt tremendous indignation.
Moments later, Yang Kai entered the portal as well.
Huang Si Niang, who watched from start to finish, sneered, “He’s quite the bold one.”
Yang Kai’s situation was somewhat related to her, so she initially wanted to invite him to her Phoenix Nest to hide from the Phoenix Clan members temporarily, but who knew this brat was bold enough to seek help from the Clan Head herself.
[He really doesn’t see himself as an outsider here.]
Meanwhile, Feng Liu Lang, who was standing next to Si Niang, frowned slightly, “He’s too sly. I don’t like him.”
The setting of Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest and the current Phoenix Clan Head’s Phoenix Nest were polar opposites. This place was scorchingly hot as dense Fire Principles filled the air.
Yang Kai instantly understood that the current generation leader of the Phoenixes was a Fire Phoenix!
He was still surveying the surroundings as he followed the Phoenix Clan Head into the Phoenix Nest when she asked, “Is there really something you wish to ask, or was that just an excuse?”
In a more serious manner, Yang Kai replied, “I actually do have something to ask.”
In the previous moment of crisis, he didn’t give it much thought because all he wanted to do was to use the status of the Phoenix Clan Head to escape, but now, he genuinely had a question.
She nodded lightly, “Go on.”
Yang Kai then stated, “Si Niang explained to me something about the Dragon Clan and my position there as a Human with a Dragon Source. This Junior would like to know what mindset the Phoenix Clan has in such circumstances. Does the Phoenix Clan also think that other Races do not deserve the Phoenix Clan Source, and should be marginalized if not eliminated?”
Upon hearing that, she did not answer his question but instead asked, “Do you know where both the Dragon and Phoenix Sources are from?”
Yang Kai thought for a while and answered, “Si Niang said that Phoenix Clan Sources are born from Phoenix Nests. There are as many Phoenix Clan members as there are Phoenix Nests. As for the Dragon Clan… do they come from the Dragon Pool?”
No one had told him about the origin of the Dragon Sources, but since the Dragon Pool was the root of the Dragon Clan, it was not surprising that Yang Kai thought of it this way.
The Phoenix Clan Head nodded, “Not bad. A Phoenix Source originates from a Phoenix Nest, whereas a Dragon Source comes from the Dragon Pool. This is one of the reasons our two Clans are hailed as leaders of all Divine Spirits. Both Dragons and Phoenixes are extremely strong and their numbers are quite large as well. Of course, this is in comparison to other Divine Spirits. Since you are a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Human, I believe you have also come into contact with other Divine Spirits, but have you met a Divine Spirit Clan that is as numerous and powerful as the Dragon Clan?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
Although the Divine Spirits he encountered couldn’t be counted as many, they were unquestionably not few as well.
For example, Zhu Jiu Yin and Shan Qing Luo were the only two members of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider Clan he knew of.
Then there was the Mie Meng Mother and her Son pair.
The Divine Spirits he saw in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary appeared mostly as individuals. There might be more of them, likewise, there were likely to be Clans that he hadn’t noticed.
Only the Kun Clan in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land had a few more members, but there weren’t more than 10 of them.
In comparison, the Dragons and Phoenixes each had dozens of clansmen, which indeed made them far stronger and larger Clans.
Logically speaking, the more powerful a Race, the more problems they would face in terms of reproduction, but the situation was somewhat different for the Dragon and Phoenix Clans.
Due to their ability to produce the Dragon and Phoenix Sources, the Dragon Pool and Phoenix Nests were the foundation of these two Clans. With more Sources, naturally, there would be more clansmen, and as long as the Dragon Pool and the Phoenix Nests were not destroyed, both Clans would never go extinct.
In contrast, other Divine Spirits did not have such advantages. The continuation of their bloodline and reproduction solely depended on the bonding between clansmen.
The Dragon and Phoenix Clans could not only rely on the bonding of their clansmen, but also on the Dragon Pool and the Phoenix Nests. With these two Supreme Treasures, they would not end up like the diminishing of other Divine Spirits even if their Clans did not expand too much.
“The Dragon and Phoenix Clans have produced a large number of Clansmen over the ages, no less than tens of thousands of them. Among these Clansmen, it is not unusual to encounter accidents outside which result in death. If they pass away, their blood and Source will naturally be lost too. If the blood or Source is acquired, refined, and integrated by a member of another Race, it will lead to that individual having either a Dragon or Phoenix Clan Bloodline. Of course, far more blood is lost than Sources, so the former is much easier to come across than the latter”
Yang Kai nodded his head continuously in agreement, as he was one such example, so he resonated with her words deeply.
“In most cases, blood lost by the Dragon and Phoenix Clans will be obtained by you Humans due to your enormous population and widespread activity. So, other than the pure-blooded in this world, there are also other living beings that have some Dragon Clan Bloodline or Phoenix Clan Bloodline in them. Naturally, your descendants might carry a thin trace of the Dragon Clan Bloodline or Phoenix Clan Bloodline.”
“This is something that both the Dragon Clan and my Phoenix Clan are aware of. A Divine Spirit’s Bloodline Inheritance is incredibly mysterious. No matter how thin the Bloodline is, given enough time, there will come a day when it will be purified and awakened. One becomes more and more like a Dragon or Phoenix as that day approaches, regardless of whether you are originally Human or a member of any other Race.”
“However, Bloodline alone is insufficient if one wishes to become a True Dragon or Phoenix; a Source is also required.”
“In reality, the Source and Bloodline are complementary. Those who possess a Divine Spirit Source are definitely owners of a Divine Spirit Bloodline, but many may have a Divine Spirit Bloodline but not necessarily own a Source. Do you understand so far?”
Yang Kai nodded, “The Source is the root, and the Bloodline is the derivative of the Source. Just like the Flood Dragons, though they have a Dragon Clan Bloodline, they do not have Dragon Clan Sources.”
“Indeed. This is exactly how it works. However, if these Flood Dragons managed to purify their Bloodline to a certain extent, a Source can evolve from it. When that occurs, they can transform into a True Dragon and become an official member of the Dragon Clan.”
“So… does that mean if I could refine my Dragon Vein to a certain degree, I would officially be part of the Dragon Clan?” Yang Kai seemed to have some thoughts in his mind.
The Phoenix Clan Head looked at him briefly and said, “You can put it that way. This is the same for the Phoenix Clan as well.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think of Qing Luan and others in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. According to the woman’s words, existences like Qing Luan and Yuan Chu all possessed strong Phoenix Clan Bloodlines, which would only require one last step before evolving into Sources. After taking that step, they would officially become pure-blooded Phoenix Clan members.
Of course, even if they didn’t take this step, they were still powerful Divine Spirits.
“It is just that… You know how the Dragon Clan is. There is an abundance of living beings in this World with Dragon Clan Bloodlines whereas there are very few who have a Phoenix Clan Bloodline.”
Yang Kai gave an awkward laugh. [It’s the nature of a Dragon to be lascivious!]
“It’s still acceptable if you solely possess a Dragon Clan Bloodline. The Dragon Clan wouldn’t care about that since there are many living beings that have a Dragon Clan Bloodline as a result of the Dragon Clan’s own actions. You, however, possess a Dragon Source, which means something to the Dragon Clan. If your Source is taken away and returned to the Dragon Pool, the Dragon Clan will undoubtedly have an additional heir in the future.”
Yang Kai frowned, “The Dragon Clan do such things?”
To which she shook her head and replied, “Not anymore. If it was a long time ago, they would certainly do so. While it is also conceivable for you to strengthen your Bloodline and eventually turn into a pure member of the Dragon Clan, that is merely a possibility. Instead of clinging to that faint hope, it was preferable for them to simply extract your Source and return it to the Dragon Pool.”
The Phoenix Clan Head was referring to an extremely ancient period when she said that it was a ‘long time ago’, but the Dragon Clan definitely did such things back then.
However, given Yang Kai’s current standing, it was clear that the Dragon Clan didn’t like him but wouldn’t do anything to him either.
“What about the Phoenix Clan?” This was the issue that Yang Kai was concerned about.
The Phoenix Clan Head knew what he was thinking, so she smiled and said, “Rest assured, the Phoenix Clan will not be as unscrupulously as the Dragon Clan. Since your Wife has the Phoenix Clan Source, that is her opportunity and it also means that she is a member of my Phoenix Clan. If she comes to cultivate in her Phoenix Nest in the future, she will certainly be able to fully awaken her Phoenix Clan Bloodline.”
Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing her words.
The Phoenix Clan was indeed far more friendly than the Dragon Clan.
“My Wife can come and cultivate in her Phoenix Nest?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Of course.” She nodded.
This was great news. Su Yan had already been cultivating in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land for some time, which meant her strength must have been greatly increased. If she came to her Phoenix Nest to cultivate now, she might be able to purify her Bloodline and become a pure-blooded Phoenix Clan member.
After all, her Source was no ordinary Source, but the Source of a Phoenix Empress, even stronger than the woman in front of Yang Kai now.
He had to find a way to bring Su Yan and the others over here, but now that he was on Black Ink Battlefield, it was pretty challenging for him to do so.
It seemed like he had to ask for a favour from the Phoenix Clan.
After the matter was brought up to the Phoenix Empress, she smiled and replied, “Even if you didn’t ask, I would have done so. There is nothing I can do if I don’t know the whereabouts of my clansman, but now that I do, I will bring her back to the Phoenix Nest.”
Pleasantly surprised, Yang Kai quickly thanked her.
More and more, he felt that the Dragon Clan’s actions were unreasonable. Just look at the Phoenix Clan. The Phoenix Clan Head herself had already made plans to fetch Su Yan who was still currently in the Ancestral Land. Whereas for Yang Kai, he came all the way here, just to almost get punched by a member of the Dragon Clan upon his arrival at the No-Return Pass. It was just too much.
She smiled and remained silent. She did not lie when she spoke earlier. She indeed sincerely wanted to fetch the Human with the Phoenix Clan Source back to the Phoenix Nest to cultivate, hoping that she would be able to purify her Bloodline and transform into a pure-blooded Phoenix.
One thing, though, was not mentioned. If that Human was unable to become a pure-blooded Phoenix, she would have to spend her entire life in the Phoenix Nest until she died.
It was impossible for the Phoenix Clan to allow their Sources to be leaked out anymore, so this was also a way for them to retrieve and retain them.
Su Yan would be one of them if she had the ability to transform into a pure-blooded Phoenix. If not, her Source would remain in the Phoenix Nest to produce new clansmen after Su Yan passed away from old age.
“Within a few days, the Dragon Pool will open, and there will certainly be battles. Are you prepared?” The Phoenix Clan Head abruptly shifted the topic out of concern that Yang Kai would figure out the Phoenix Clan’s hidden intent.
Yang Kai was a little confused, “We need to fight to enter the Dragon Pool?”
The woman shook her head and replied, “There is no need to fight to enter it, but there will always be battles inside the Dragon Pool.”
Yang Kai continued to ask humbly, “Senior, would you care to further enlighten me?”
The Phoenix Clan Head paused briefly, as if debating whether or not to tell him, but even if she didn’t, Yang Kai would soon find out when he entered the Dragon Pool. So, she continued, “The Dragon Clan’s root is the Dragon Pool, so cultivating inside is significantly beneficial to purifying a Dragon’s Bloodline. This results in the Dragon Clan members battling for the few available slots every time the Dragon Pool is accessible.”
There was a limited number of spots available in the Dragon Pool. No one told Yang Kai about this before, but he had guessed it himself; otherwise, Ji Lao San would not have blocked him on his way to the No-Return Pass.
Just like how Huang Si Niang said, Ji Lao San had waited for this opportunity for a very long time, but just when his turn finally arrived, his spot was snatched by Yang Kai. How could Ji Lao San tolerate it?
“In general, when the Dragon Pool opens, a portion of the Young Dragons and a number of Grand Dragons will enter. As for the Ancient Dragons, it wouldn’t help much even if they cultivated in the Dragon Pool since their Bloodlines are already close to the peak. As such, no Ancient Dragons will enter the Dragon Pool.”
“As far as I know, there are 3 spots for Young Dragons and 10 for Grand Dragons. Ji Lao San had one of them, but his spot was taken by you,” the Phoenix Clan Head cast a thoughtful glance towards Yang Kai, as if to suggest that Yang Kai should now understand why Ji Lao San was after him.
Yang Kai simply listened in silence, after all, he sort of figured this out already.
“Unlike our Phoenix Nests, which are visible to the naked eye, the Dragon Pool is a mysterious place. Since ancient times, only Dragon Clan members have been able to connect with it and open it. It is also solely the Dragon Clan members who have entered the Dragon Pool, who would know exactly what the Dragon Pool is like. Even the Phoenix Clan is not fully aware of the details. That being said, from what I understand, the deeper you dive into the Dragon Pool, the greater the benefits you can obtain. So, when you enter the Dragon Pool, you should head as deep as you can. Who knows? You might be able to gain something unexpected if you can dive deep enough.”
“Since fighting is inevitable in the Dragon Pool and the Dragon Clan also loves battling, your time in the Dragon Pool might not be easy.”
Hearing this warning, Yang Kai was unconcerned and declared lightly, “As long as no Ancient Dragon enters, none of them can be my opponent.”
Yang Kai was also a Grand Dragon, so why would he be afraid of other Young and Grand Dragons in the Dragon Pool?
After entering the Dragon Pool, those Dragon Clan members would be fine if they didn’t make trouble for him, but if they dared to do so, they would definitely be humiliating themselves.
The Phoenix Clan Head appeared to want to warn him about something, but after some consideration, she replied as she softly nodded, “Fair enough. That is all I know about the Dragon Pool.”
With a courteous bow, Yang Kai said, “Many thanks, Senior, for enlightening me.”
The woman simply waved her hand and replied, “You must be worth it since the Human Race is willing to send you here. Even though the Dragon and Phoenix Clan are different from you Humans, everyone’s stance on the Black Ink Battlefield remains the same. You would have learned of these things when you entered the Dragon Pool even if I didn’t mention them to you.”
Shaking his head, Yang Kai insisted, “No matter what, it is always better to be prepared than to have to make decisions on the spot.”
The Phoenix Clan Head smiled lightly, “I’ll let you know when the Dragon Pool is about to open.”
Yang Kai understood her implications, “Then, this Junior shall not disturb Senior anymore.”
Saying so, he flew off and found a quiet spot in her Phoenix Nest. After sitting down cross-legged, he started to rest.
He didn’t refine or absorb the ambient Space Dao Essence here because he had already gained enough from Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest, so it would be pointless to do so again. Instead, he needed to figure out how to digest and absorb his recent gains.
Besides, the Phoenix Clan Head was kind enough to allow him to temporarily take refuge in her home, it would be extremely ungrateful of him to also try to steal her belongings.
Several days went by.
As Yang Kai was reflecting on the Dao of Space, a voice sounded in his ears, “The Dragon Pool will soon be opened. You should go.”
As the words sounded, the Void in front of Yang Kai rippled and a portal formed.
Yang Kai instantly stood up, paid his respects to the Phoenix Clan Head, then stepped through the portal.
Looking at the place where Yang Kai disappeared, the woman closed the portal while thinking to herself, [This time, the Dragon Clan will probably have to suffer a bit.]
The Dragon Clan was unable to determine what kind of Source Yang Kai had refined because he hadn’t shown any of its aura since arriving at the No-Return Pass. So, they only thought of it as any ordinary Dragon Source; after all, the Dragon Clan had left behind a sizable number of Sources outside, many of which now belonged to living beings that had a Dragon Clan Bloodline. Those Sources were not conceived by the Dragon Pool, but rather born after a Bloodline had reached a sufficient purity.
The Dragon Clan didn’t know about his Source, but the Phoenix Clan Head had some guesses.
Because he was able to access that Phoenix Nest.
In ancient times, a Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress of a certain generation sacrificed their lives to seal a Black Ink Giant Spirit God. They had fallen at that time and their Sources vanished along with the shattering of the Void.
Back then, the Black Ink Clan was threatening the 3,000 Worlds. Consequently, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans lacked the time and resources necessary to search for the Emperor and Empress’ Sources due to the urgency of the situation.
After many years, when the situation finally stabilised, no traces remained to be followed.
The Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress’ Source of that generation were thus lost forever.
However, based on the situation of the Phoenix Nest, even though the Phoenix Empress’ Source was missing, it should still exist somewhere. Otherwise, the corresponding Phoenix Nest would also be destroyed if the Source had been destroyed.
Since the Phoenix Nest remained, it indicated that the Source was safe. Only its location remained unknown.
Now, many years later, a Human boy with a Dragon Source arrived at the No-Return Pass, received the approval of that generation’s Phoenix Empress’ Phoenix Nest, and easily entered it.
There were several indicators that suggested the Source refined by this Human should be that generation’s Dragon Emperor’s.
Since the Sources of the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress were lost at the same time, it was no surprise that they would be found at the same time too.
If this was the case, those trivial Grand Dragons would be no match for him, and even the Ancient Dragons of the Dragon Clan might face a lot of pressure in front of him.
At this moment, dozens of the Dragon Clan members had gathered in the massive square of the No-Return Pass.
However, except for a few Young Dragons, all other Dragon Clan members had transformed into their Human Forms. Those few Young Dragons lacked the proper fine control over their power, so they found it less energy consuming to simply remain in their Dragon Form.
Though they were titled Young Dragons, some were several thousands of metres long. Some were hovering above the square while some were curled up nearby, Dragon Pressure lingering in the air.
In the square, five statues had been erected, all of them in the form of a True Dragon, with the only difference being their colour.
One was red, another was white, one was gold, then green, and finally black. They were lifelike despite being statues, and at first glance, they looked like genuine Dragon Clan members.
The five statues formed a circle around the square; the mystery behind this unknown.
Other than the statues, the Dragon Clan members had all gathered, including the three Ancient Dragons that Yang Kai saw the other day.
When Yang Kai approached, the Dragon Clan members seemed to be making some preparations, and the three Ancient Dragons were each murmuring something.
There was no room for any mistakes because the opening of the Dragon Pool was a huge affair to the Dragon Clan.
Yang Kai didn’t stand on ceremony at all, flying straight over to Ji Lao San after a quick glance around and asking, “I’m not late, right?”
Ji Lao San was concentrating when he heard the voice. As he turned his head to see that it was Yang Kai, his expression darkened with rage.
When Yang Kai first came to the No-Return Pass, Ji Lao San was humiliated by him. He was a Grand Dragon, yet a Seventh-Order Human actually grabbed and carried him by the neck as if he was a common chicken. His dignity was fully swept away under the attention of all the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan.
Every time he thought of the scene that day, he felt so humiliated that he wanted to cough up blood.
Today’s unexpected encounter with Yang Kai was just like meeting an old enemy face-to-face. He was so enraged that he almost transformed into a Grand Dragon to fight it out with him again.
Fortunately, he understood that now was not the time to act impulsive, so he kept his temper under control, snorted bitterly, and disregarded Yang Kai directly.
Despite being rebuffed, Yang Kai acted like he and Ji Lao San were close friends and he chatted nonstop, “You’re Brother Ji, right? We’ve met before. Could you tell me what to look out for when entering the Dragon Pool? This is my first time, and I don’t even know what to do after entering Dragon Pool. If Brother Ji knows something, please teach me a thing or two.”
Ji Lao San gave him a cool look while remaining silent.
Yang Kai then continued with pursed lips, “Brother Ji, you are a Dragon Clan member after all. You wouldn’t be that petty, right? The previous occasion was really a minor misunderstanding, why take it personally? If nothing works, I am willing to be carried by the neck by you once.”
As the saying went, never mentioned someone’s pain. No matter how good Ji Lao San’s self-control was, he couldn’t bear it anymore and shouted, “You court death!”
With an innocent expression, Yang Kai blinked at him and asked, “Why is Brother Ji so angry?”
Just as Ji Lao San was about to speak, one of the Ancient Dragons abruptly opened his eyes and glared in their direction. He did not say a word, but the coercion in his silence was repleted with warnings.
Ji Lao San froze, whereas Yang Kai quickly controlled his demeanor.
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?
The beast with the giant eyes was at least several hundreds of thousands of metres away from Yang Kai, so at such a distance, even if he was extremely strong, it was difficult for him to fully perceive the situation due to the isolation power of the Dragon Pool.
He could only detect there was some commotion where Yang Kai was.
[This Brat hasn’t broken through yet?] The beast with the giant eyes felt a little strange. [How could he have not broken through after he swallowed so much Dragon Pool power? Could it be that this Junior’s talent is just that horrendous?]
However, it was clear that this little one was very determined.
The beast heaved a sigh and was satisfied that Yang Kai had the right attitude. He could not blame Yang Kai for not being talented enough. He would just go deeper and give this brat some room to cultivate. After all, he couldn’t fight with a brat just because he was disturbed.
The beast with giant eyes did not intend to help Yang Kai. A Dragon’s breakthrough depended mainly on themselves and outsiders could not help.
The giant beast silently swam down another hundred thousand metres until it finally could not feel the disturbances above.
Time flew by and two months later, Yang Kai’s body size increased again by nearly 10,000 metres. Now his Dragon Form was almost 60,000 metres.
50,000 metres was the baseline for being an Ancient Dragon, which was comparable to a newly advanced Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Yang Kai’s 60,000 metres Dragon Form meant that he had firmly established himself in this realm.
It was unimaginable for a Dragon to grow by 10,000 metres within two months. If Dragons really could grow at such speeds, there would have been a terrifying number of Ancient and Divine Dragons throughout history.
This was all because Yang Kai was able to devour enormous amounts of the Dragon Pool power during that short period of time, and even that was only possible with the assistance of the Great Sun and Moon Marks. The Yin-Yang Power left behind by the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer was also essential as it acted like a millstone to grind and refined the power from the Dragon Pool so Yang Kai could more easily absorb it.
However, Yang Kai also noticed that the more he progressed, the more difficult it became to improve.
When he first came here, his body size could increase by several dozens to over 100 metres a day, but currently, it was down to less than a dozen metres a day.
One reason was his Dragon Vein was stronger and purer, so the same amount of Dragon Pool power was unable to enhance him as much as before. The second was the Dragon Pool power at his location had again been depleted.
After such wanton consumption, the Dragon Pool power was much thinner than before.
This time, Yang Kai did not wait for the Dragon Pool power to be completely depleted. As soon as he felt that the power was significantly weaker than before, Yang Kai proceeded downwards another 100,000 metres.
The beast with the giant eyes was disturbed once again and flared his nostrils furiously.
“What’s the meaning of this? Is that Brat intentionally taunting me?” He wondered.
He was understandably upset, but once again, he decided to avoid a confrontation by swimming deeper.
Another two months later, he felt a disturbance from above. It appeared like the annoying Junior had descended again.
The beast’s veins at his temples throbbed in frustration. Suppressing his anger once again, he continued descending through the Dragon Pool.
He decided that three times was the limit of his tolerance. One more intrusion into his territory and he would be forced to discipline that Brat!
Two months later, the beast with the giant eyes looked up again, but now he was not angry and instead full of doubts as he once again perceived movement from above.
He previously thought that those movements were made by that Junior using the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art, but now it seemed like something was amiss.
After so much time, whoever it was should have achieved a breakthrough already. If he or she had failed at achieving a breakthrough, then this Junior should have been crippled if not killed by the amount of Dragon Pool power they had absorbed. How could they just continue to cultivate?
Now curious and suspicious, he gathered his aura and silently swam upward to have a look at what was going on.
Yang Kai was dividing his attention between devouring the Dragon Pool power with the Great Sun and Moon Marks, and cultivating the Dao of Time using the Bloodline Inheritance he had just unlocked.
The main reason why Yang Kai went deeper every two months was he was aware of the inconveniences he was causing the Grand Dragons and Young Dragons above.
The Dragon Pool power seemed to bubble up from bottom to top, so if he depleted all the Dragon Pool power where he was, then the Grand Dragons and Young Dragons above him would not be able to cultivate properly.
Thus, when he sensed that the Dragon Pool power around him was getting thinner, he would descend another hundred thousand metres.
Even if he was eating all the meat, leaving some soup for others was only polite.
It had been half a year since his breakthrough, and his achievements were significant already. His Dragon Form had increased by nearly 20,000 metres, for a grand total of 67,000 metres. On top of that, his gains in the Dao of Time were significant.
Yang Kai felt that with a little more effort, he would be able to ascend to the next level of mastery over the Dao of Time.
When that happened, his Dao of Time would reach the seventh level, Standing Above All Others Within Sight.
However, while he was concentrating on his cultivation, he suddenly had a strange feeling.
The Yin and Yang power of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer in his body was rapidly weakening.
Yang Kai was momentarily stunned, but quickly realized that the two powers were about to run out.
The power Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan gifted him back then had already purified his Bloodline and Dragon Vein several times over the years. Even now, they were intermingling like a millstone, grinding the Dragon Pool power for him to absorb.
Unfortunately, these powers were not his own and would eventually run out one day.
Yang Kai was also prepared for this, but obviously did not expect it to be so soon.
He was not disappointed however. If it was not for this Yin-Yang Millstone helping him, he would never have been able to refine the Dragon Pool power so quickly, even if he could withstand the huge amount he absorbed into his body. His progress would not have been so rapid.
Yang Kai had already gained enough benefits. Before entering the Dragon Pool, his Grand Dragon body was only 35,000 metres in length, but one year later, he had grown to 67,000 metres. In this time, his Dragon Vein had become incomparably pure.
How could he not be satisfied with his achievements and progress?
The external power was not his anyway. The power of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer had already helped him lay a solid foundation. How far he could go in the future depended largely on him.
As the power of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer weakened, the invisible millstone in his body also began to collapse.
Yang Kai soon felt the pressure inside his body increasing.
When the millstone was grinding, regardless of how much Dragon Pool power he devoured, it was quickly refined and absorbed, but that was over now. Too much absorption was now causing him to become bloated.
Yang Kai suspected that if he continued on like this, he would eventually explode and die.
The Dragons who entered the Dragon Pool would dive to an appropriate depth, claim a stretch of territory, and cultivate. The further they went down, the denser the power became. However, they had to be able to absorb and refine the Dragon Pool power to benefit from it.
Each member of the Dragon Clan had to find their own limits when entering the Dragon Pool.
Yang Kai relied on the power of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer to ignore these limitations and dive to a depth of over 1 million metres with a meager size of 35,000 metres.
The power Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan gave him declined extremely quickly, like an arrow at the end of its flight. Just half an hour after Yang Kai noticed the diminishing returns, the two forces had completely disappeared without a trace.
Yang Kai frantically stopped the Great Sun and Moon Marks, but even so he felt a lot of pressure. The Dragon Pool power he was wantonly absorbing before now felt like a huge burden he could barely resist with the power from his Dragon Vein. What’s more, the outside pressure was also beginning to affect him as he could not absorb the ambient power.
He could not remain at this depth any longer or something bad would happen to him.
With his mind made up, Yang Kai decided to head back up.
However, when he opened his eyes, he was shocked.
Two huge eyes were staring at him, glimmering and full of curiosity.
Yang Kai was now 67,000 metres in length, which was a considerable size, so if he felt that the entity in front of him was huge, then what was looking at him must be enormous!
Yang Kai’s Dragon Pressure instantly surged and he almost clawed at the stranger who was looking at him.
However, he managed to hold back at the last moment because he could see what was in front of him was a huge Dragon Head.
Looking behind the Dragon Head, he could not even see the end of this being.
In an instant, Yang Kai could tell that this was an Ancient Dragon, an extremely powerful Ancient Dragon with a body of almost 100,000 metres!
If the Ancient Dragon realm started at 50,000 metres, then above 100,000 metres would naturally be the Divine Dragon!
Yang Kai immediately knew who it was and asked, “Senior Fu Guang?”
When he was previously a guest in Huang Si Niang’s Phoenix Nest, Yang Kai deliberately asked her about the Dragon Clan’s situation. Huang Si Niang saw no reason to keep anything from him if the information was not confidential.
According to Si Niang, there was a Divine Dragon in the Dragon Clan, who was the current Clan Head.
The number of Ancient Dragons should be more than a dozen, but they were usually cultivating in seclusion and were not openly seen by others. The ones who presided over the affairs of the Dragon Clan at the No-Return Pass were the three Ancient Dragons that Yang Kai once greeted. They were also known as the three Elders of the Dragon Clan.
Those three Ancient Dragons were very old and powerful, but they had all exhausted their potential and so there was no hope of them ever advancing to become Divine Dragons. In other words, their current strength was their limit and there was no possibility of them advancing further.
However, among the members of the Dragon Clan, there was one Ancient Dragon who had reached the upper limits of his current realm but had not exhausted his potential and thus had hope of breaking through to become a Divine Dragon.
Fu Guang.
More than 5,000 years ago, Fu Guang had already reached the limits of the Ancient Dragon realm and then entered retreat deep in the Dragon Pool. He had not been seen since. According to Si Niang, Fu Guang would either become a Divine Dragon and emerge from the pool, or die in the Dragon Pool’s depths. If he died, then his Dragon Force would escape into the Dragon Pool, leaving behind a legacy for the future generations.
Without such determination, an Ancient Dragon who was attempting to make the final breakthrough would not easily enter the Dragon Pool.
Throughout history, the Dragon Clan had many Ancient Dragons who died in the Dragon Pool without ever stepping out of it.
Rumour had it that there were many Dragon Bones buried in the deepest part of the Dragon Pool. Of course, Si Niang was part of the Phoenix Clan and could not be sure about this; however, they all lived in the No-Return Pass so it was normal to have some understanding of each other.
Fu Guang had been in retreat in the depths of the Dragon Pool for 5,000 years. No one knew how he was doing, only that he was still alive. Still 5,000 years was nothing for a Dragon Clan member.
The Dragons had extremely long lifespans, so 5,000 years was considered brief when living more than 50,000 years was a given.
What’s more, each time the Dragon Pool opened, it was impossible for the later generation Dragon Clan members to descend anywhere near where Fu Guang had secluded himself; thus, none of them knew if his retreat was going smoothly.
However, for him to remain in the depths of the Dragon pool for 5,000 years, it was obvious that progress was not coming easily to him.
When an Ancient Dragon, who was close to becoming a Divine Dragon, appeared at this depth of the Dragon Pool, Yang Kai was certainly able to guess his identity.
This was a White Dragon, and even at this depth in the Dragon Pool, it was difficult to hide its pure glory.
Although the Ancient Dragon did not exert any Dragon Pressure, Yang Kai felt stifled just by being stared at by those eyes. Although his Source was slightly inferior to Yang Kai’s, this Ancient Dragon’s Bloodline was much stronger than his.
Fu Guang nodded lightly and asked curiously, “Which Family do you hail from?”
The Dragon Clan was divided into three Families, the Fu, Zhu, and Ji. The Dragon Clan’s Bloodline was being continued by these Three Families.
Which was why Fu Guang was surprised that he did not feel the Bloodline aura of any of these Three Families from this young one.
Moreover, if he was not mistaken, when he first perceived this youngster, he was using the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art, which meant that he was not yet an Ancient Dragon.
Under up close observation, this youngster was already a nearly 70,000 metres long Ancient Dragon. It was simply unimaginable for a Dragon to have such a huge improvement in less than a year’s time.
Even for someone as gifted as himself, it was impossible to have such an achievement. Throughout history, no Dragon had ever grown so rapidly. It was completely beyond Dragon Clan’s ability to understand how this could be accomplished.
While asking the question, Fu Guang inadvertently looked at Yang Kai’s two front Dragon Claws.
When he noticed the Great Sun and Moon Marks, he realized that they must have something to do with this Junior’s rapid growth and the enormous consumption of Dragon Pool power.
“Senior, I am not a Dragon of the No-Return Pass.” Since he was sure that the Ancient Dragon before him was Fu Guang, Yang Kai had nothing to fear. At least, he would not be attacked for no reason.
“You’re not a Dragon of the No-Return Pass?” Fu Guang was slightly surprised as he continued to ask, “Did you return to your roots from the outside to pay respects to your ancestors?”
Yang Kai shook his head and explained, “No. I am Human. It was a coincidence that I had the opportunity to refine a Dragon Source and advance to become an Ancient Dragon. During that process, my Bloodline was purified.”
Fu Guang was even more surprised and exclaimed, “Human? Those few stubborn old goats actually agreed to let you into the Dragon Pool?”
He obviously knew the stubbornness of those Ancient Dragons. The Dragon Pool was fundamental to the existence of the Dragon Clan, so no one was worthy to enter it except for the pure-blood Dragons.
He wondered what they were thinking to let a Human enter the Dragon Pool.
However, Fu Guang soon nodded lightly and said, “Whether you were a Human or not before, now that your Bloodline is pure, you can be considered part of the Dragon Clan. Furthermore, you are already an Ancient Dragon.”
As he said, he continued to study Yang Kai. He noted that Yang Kai’s Golden Dragon Source was extremely powerful. If he was not mistaken, it should be the legendary Source that was lost all those eons ago.
[No wonder those stubborn old goats were willing to let him enter the Dragon Pool. They must have taken this into consideration.]
Unaware of the other party’s thoughts, Yang Kai was slightly stunned when he heard what Fu Guang said and said with a touch of dismay, “Yes, this Junior is part of the Dragon Clan now.”
Fu Guang laughed slightly and asked, “What’s the matter? Are you reluctant to give up being a Human?”
Yang Kai replied, “Not really. It’s just that… I’m not used to it yet.”
Fu Guang nodded and said, “Although someone like you is very rare, there have been a few recorded in my Dragon Clan’s history. I do not understand your feelings as there is no downside to being part of the Dragon Clan. At least when comparing to others in the equivalent realm, the Dragons are much stronger than Humans.”
He then changed the topic and asked, “Those two Marks, are they from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer?”
“Senior’s vision is truly sharp. They are indeed from those two Seniors.”
Yang Kai was not surprised; since Huang Si Niang could recognize the origins of the two Marks at a glance, there was no reason why Fu Guang could not.
Fu Guang swam around Yang Kai with some curiosity and asked, “Those two Marks can draw in and absorb the Dragon Pool power? I’ve never heard of anything like them before. However, since they are Marks granted by those two, it’s not surprising that they have this ability. What I wonder is how you managed to withstand such a huge amount of power inside your body? By right, you should have exploded long ago.”
He had been observing Yang Kai for a while and was truly puzzled by this situation.
Yang Kai explained, “When those two Senior’s granted me their Marks, they also gifted me a portion of their pure Yin and Yang Powers. When this Junior sucked in the Dragon Pool power, the Yin and Yang Power turned into something like a millstone and ground it down, allowing me to rapidly absorb and refine the Dragon Pool power.”
Fu Guang was amazed and exclaimed, “There is such a thing?”
He had never known of such a possibility. Even the entire Dragon Clan knew nothing about this; otherwise, the ancient books would have records of these capabilities.
This brat in front of him not only had the marks of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, but he had also received a part of their powers. That meant that they considered him in high regard.
The Burning Light and Serene Glimmer would never grant their powers to others lightly. At least, Fu Guang had never heard of anyone having such an opportunity before.
“Come, come, activate those two Marks again,” Fu Guang asked eagerly.
Yang Kai shook his head rapidly and said, “Senior, unfortunately, this Junior has exhausted the Yin and Yang Powers of those two. If I draw in any more Dragon Pool power, I won’t be able to handle it.”
“What are you afraid of? Just do as I say. I’m here and will take care of you.” Fu Guang spoke with utmost confidence, as if he wanted to reassure Yang Kai and let him act boldly.
Yang Kai was at a loss for what to do and about what Fu Guang’s intentions were. However, considering that Fu Guang was close to becoming a Divine Dragon, he was surely not a match if things got out of hand.
Besides, it should not matter if he just demonstrated the two Marks’ ability a little for Fu Guang to see.
With that in mind, Yang Kai nodded his head and said, “In that case, Junior will show you how they work.”
He then activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks on his two Dragon Claws. The moment the marks shone, they started to suck in the rich Dragon Pool power from the surrounding area.
Yang Kai was prepared to stop at a moment’s notice as he did not have the Yin-Yang Millstone inside him anymore. He really could not withstand too much Dragon Pool power entering his body.
However, just as he activated the two Marks, Fu Guang made his move. His nearly 100,000 metres Dragon Form vibrated immediately and his Dragon Scales stood on end.
As he did so, Fu Guang’s Dragon Body suddenly turned into what seemed like a bottomless abyss, madly devouring the incoming Dragon Pool’s power.
Feeling his Dragon Vein roar and his bones crack loudly, Fu Guang’s eyes lit up.
Yang Kai was not experiencing too much pressure, because almost 80% of the Dragon Pool power drawn in by the Great Sun and Moon Marks was being intercepted by Fu Guang, leaving a mere 20% to enter Yang Kai’s body.
Although it was still a bit uncomfortable for Yang Kai, it was within his ability to tolerate. At least he would not be at risk of dying anymore.
Yang Kai suddenly understood Fu Guang’s intention of requesting him to activate the Great Sun and Moon Marks.
Si Niang said that Fu Guang had been in retreat in the depths of the Dragon Pool for 5,000 years. If he had not broken through yet, it meant that advancing from an Ancient Dragon to a Divine Dragon was no easy task.
If Yang Kai could help him achieve a breakthrough, it would be an enormous favour, not only to Fu Guang himself, but to the entire Dragon Clan.
The Dragon Clan had only one Divine Dragon right now, so their overall strength would soar with an additional one.
As Yang Kai was thinking about this, Fu Guang signaled to Yang Kai to stop.
Yang Kai obediently did as he was told.
Fu Guang pondered silently while glancing at Yang Kai every now and then, as if he was thinking about how to make a request. He also appeared very hesitant.
Yang Kai was amused and wondered just what he was going to say.
[What is there to hesitate about? The advancement to become a Divine Dragon should be far more important compared to owing a favour or some notion of pride.]
Nonetheless, even with such thoughts, he did not say anything and just waited in silence.
After a long time, Fu Guang said awkwardly, “Kid, do you want to dual cultivate with me?”
Yang Kai was shocked and stuttered, “D-Dual… dual cultivate… with you?”
[What the Hell are you talking about!? Why did you suddenly bring this up? Are you actually a female Dragon? But, it doesn’t look like it, and your voice is obviously too low to be that of a female….] Yang Kai doubtfully thought.
Fu Guang nodded seriously and said, “Yes, cultivate with me! See, you can draw in an enormous amount of Dragon Pool power by using those two Marks. However, you can’t digest it all, so I can digest most of it for you while you absorb the rest yourself.”
Yang Kai choked and remarked, “O-Oh… ahem, so… this is what you meant by ‘dual cultivate’ with you?”
He thought that Fu Guang was… referring to something else.
Fu Guang said with a straight face, “Of course! What else could I have meant?”
Yang Kai was speechless, and even suspected that Fu Guang did not understand what the connotation was. In Fu Guang’s mind, dual cultivation simply meant cultivating together.
Noticing that Yang Kai did not agree immediately, Fu Guang said, “Of course, this is more beneficial to me, but I will not let you suffer a loss. Let’s do this. You are now a pure-blood Dragon and can only enhance your Bloodline on your own without anyone’s guidance. However, my Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Talent is the Dao of Time. If you agree to my request, I can give you a few pointers while you cultivate.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he heard what Fu Guang said and exclaimed, “Really?”
Fu Guang nodded, “Of course.”
“Many thanks, Senior!”
Even if Fu Guang did not offer to give him pointers on improving his mastery over the Dao of Time, Yang Kai was already planning on helping him. If Yang Kai really helped him become a Divine Dragon, then the Dragon Clan would owe him a huge favour. Now, with the added benefits on top, Yang Kai would certainly not refuse.
“Do you agree?” Fu Guang asked to confirm.
“This Junior can’t think of a reason to refuse.”
“Very good.” Fu Guang slithered his Dragon Form and continued, “This matter cannot be delayed. Come with me.”
It had been over a year since the Dragon Pool opened, so Yang Kai would leave in at most a few years’ time. Thus, Fu Guang did not want to waste even a single moment.
Yang Kai followed Fu Guang closely, diving deeper into the pool.
He did not know how deep they went, but Yang Kai felt that he had reached his limit. If he went any deeper, the dense Dragon Pool power around him would kill him even if he did not activate the Great Sun and Moon Marks.
Yang Kai was not surprised that Fu Guang looked so relaxed; after all, there was a difference of over 30,000 metres between their sizes. Fu Guang was on the cusp of becoming a Divine Dragon, so it was only natural that he would be able to resist the pressure better than himself in the Dragon Pool.
Fu Guang also sensed this and without waiting for Yang Kai to say anything, he took the initiative to stop and said, “This will do.”
Yang Kai promptly replied, “As you wish, Senior.”
Fu Guang was very considerate and explained, “You should slowly activate the Great Sun and Moon Marks and progressively draw in the Dragon Pool power. You don’t have to do it all at once, just slowly adjust it.”
Yang Kai nodded and replied, “I’ll try.”
He had never tried to control the Great Sun and Moon Marks, because previously, he had the Yin-Yang Millstone in his body to help him grind however much power he could draw in.
Now that he was going to help Fu Guang cultivate though, it was necessary to use a more refined method.
“Coil up your body,” Fu Guang said.
When Yang Kai heard this, he quickly coiled himself into a ball.
Fu Guang placed Yang Kai in the middle and wrapped him with his body for protection.
On seeing this, Yang Kai felt a lot more assured. In this way, the Dragon Pool power sucked in by the Great Sun and Moon Marks would be devoured by Fu Guang first, and only what he could not take in would flow to him.
Thus, Yang Kai’s safety was guaranteed.
The Great Sun and Moon Marks were activated and the Dragon Pool power began to swirl around them.
This time, Yang Kai deliberately tried to control the two Marks and found that it was actually not difficult to manipulate them. When Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan gave him these two Marks back then, this should have been taken into consideration.
However, the Marks still pulled in the Dragon Pool power at an alarming rate.
This place was already a few million metres deep into the Dragon Pool, so the surrounding power was very dense. Any kind of suction force would draw the power in like tsunami.
Fu Guang grunted as his huge form shook. His Dragon Scales stood on end and his body instantly became like a bottomless abyss, devouring the Dragon Pool power that he absorbed.
Yang Kai, who was surrounded by Fu Guang’s Dragon Body, was a bit nervous, but soon realized that he had worried over nothing.
The majority of the Dragon Pool’s power was swallowed up by Fu Guang, and not a single bit came to him.
Seeing this, Yang Kai gradually strengthened the power of the Marks, and more Dragon Pool power was drawn.
Yang Kai slowly increased the suction force of the Marks until he reached about 70% of maximum when he began to feel some of the power overflowing to him. That also meant that Fu Guang was at the limit of how much he could absorb.
He gestured to Yang Kai, who understood and strengthened the power of the marks a bit more. With Fu Guang’s cooperation, the excess Dragon Pool power that flowed to Yang Kai was devoured and refined by him.
Both Yang Kai and Fu Guang were silently adapting to the current pressure of the incoming power.
Yang Kai found that without the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s Yin-Yang Millstone to assist him, he could not refine all the Dragon Pool power that he drew in and a large part of it simply passed through his pores and back out into the Dragon Pool.
Previously, with the Yin-Yang Millstone, no matter how much Dragon Pool power he drew into his body, Yang Kai was able to refine it quickly and not a drop remained.
This was also the reason why he was able to advance to become an Ancient Dragon so quickly and grow to a shock 67,000 metres in one session.
Now, without that millstone, Yang Kai finally felt the difficulty of a Dragon cultivating and breaking through. It was no wonder that Fu Guang had not been able to attain a breakthrough even after staying in the depths of Dragon Pool for 5,000 years.
If he, as an Ancient Dragon of 67,000 metres was already having difficulty, there was no need to mention Fu Guang, who was only one step away from becoming a Divine Dragon.
Yang Kai did not know if this attempt could help Fu Guang break through his bottleneck; however, since Fu Guang had made the request, he could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.
Unlike Yang Kai’s current relaxed situation, Fu Guang’s devouring of the Dragon Pool power was much more intense.
Yang Kai could even hear the Dragon Vein inside Fu Guang roaring like a river. Apart from that, the latter’s body would occasionally crack open and Dragon Blood would gush out everywhere.
This was obviously the result of the pressure he was under.
Although he looked miserable, Fu Guang’s spirits appeared buoyant, but this couldn’t be helped. Before Yang Kai entered the Dragon Pool, he had also tried using the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art, drawing in as much power of the Dragon Pool as possible to use the pressure to break through his own shackles.
However, in these 5,000 years, little progress was made. It seemed his body had reached a limit and it was impossible to advance any further to become a Divine Dragon.
He had pondered a lot during these 5,000 years.
The Ancient Method was actually quite useful in terms of refining his Dragon Vein, the problem was that he simply could not draw in enough Dragon Pool power to meet the requirements for a breakthrough.
That was why after he saw the Great Sun and Moon Marks on Yang Kai Dragon Claws, Fu Guang began to think that if Yang Kai could help him pull in a massive amount of Dragon pool power, he might have an opportunity to achieve a breakthrough.
The two Marks proved to be more effective in drawing in the Dragon Pool power than the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art that he was using. Previously, while cultivating, Fu Guiang vaguely felt some subtle changes to his Dragon Vein so he knew it was working. Although he could not see any signs of breakthrough, any change was better than none.
His only fear was nothing changing at all.
Now, however, the changes were far more noticeable.
If he could succeed this time, then the entire Dragon Clan could become more prosperous in the future!
Since ancient times, the Dragon Clan had produced numerous Ancient Dragons; however, there were very few Divine Dragons. There were never more than three in the same era with the biggest reason for this being that the last hurdle was just too difficult to overcome.
If Fu Guang could breakthrough and become a Divine Dragon using this new method though, then the next time an Ancient Dragon wanted to break through to become a Divine Dragon, they could simply ask Yang Kai for help.
If all went well, the number of Divine Dragons in the Dragon Clan might achieve new hights.
With this hypothesis in mind, he looked at Yang Kai as if he had found some kind of precious treasure.
Several more days passed, and both Yang Kai and Fu Guang had completely adapted to the pressures they were under.
Fu Guang suddenly opened his mouth and spat out his own Dragon Bead.
The Dragon Bead was quite large, round, flawless, and completely white.
Yang Kai also had a Dragon Bead, but his was incomparable to Fu Guang’s.
Fu Guang’s Dragon Bead seemed to have no other characteristics than being beautiful; however, Yang Kai could feel the Heaven destroying and Earth shattering power contained within it.
This was the result of Fu Guang’s Dragon Force.
For Dragons, their Dragon Bead was just like a Monster Beast’s Monster Core, the foundation of their existence. It was also their trump card when facing a strong enemy. In times of desperation, a Dragon could take out their Dragon Bead to attack the enemy.
Of course, there were great risks involved in doing this, which was why a Monster Beast would not summon their Monster Core unless desperate, much less a noble Dragon.
Yang Kai had done it once before in order to kill Zhu Feng Territory Lord, but that one single clash had resulted in his Dragon Bead being damaged, and without the help of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s power, it would have taken him hundreds if not thousands of years to recover.
He did not know what Fu Guang was doing by suddenly spitting out his Dragon Bead at this time; however, it was soon obviously that this was how the latter was planning to guide him on how to better master the Dao of Time.
“Watch carefully.” As Fu Guang shouted, the Dragon Bead began to rotate. From that Dragon Bead, pure Dragon Force emerged and formed a layer of haze around the bead.
At the same time, the flawless white Dragon Bead also began to transform. The white Dragon Bead soon turned into different colours and the entire Dragon Bead became pockmarked. Not only that, the Dragon Bead seemed to have a strange power surging within it.
Yang Kai’s Dragon Eyes widened as he stared at this scene, and soon he was shocked.
What he saw was no longer a Dragon Bead, but rather a Universe World. The haze of Dragon Force was the barrier around this Universe World.
This was a newborn lifeless Universe World, but with the convergence of the Powers of the Seven Elements, a transformation began to occur and the barren Universe World also gradually changed.
At first, an ocean appeared. Then some green began to spread around. The originally white Dragon Bead became green and blue.
The aura of life slowly appeared in the sea, and soon spread to the land.
The first lives were very fragile and could not withstand any disturbance. The slightest interference and it spelled disaster for them.
Rebirth followed each destruction and eventually, life took a hold and managed to tenaciously survive. Over time, life flourished and the whole World thrived.
Yang Kai realized that Fu Guang was using his Dragon Bead to show him the evolution of the Dao of Time.
Time was an extremely subtle power, more mysterious and esoteric than even the Dao of Space.
The Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Talent was the Dao of Time, so they had no need to deliberately cultivate it. When a Dragon’s Bloodline became pure to a certain degree, the inheritance hidden deep in their Bloodline would awaken. Still, it was very difficult for a Dragon to master this power.
Yang Kai did not know for certain before, but now he had to admit that his ability to cultivate the Dao of Time was linked to his Dragon Bloodline.
Otherwise, it would not make sense for him to be able to cultivate the Dao of Time while being proficient in the Dao of Space.
Now he was now an Ancient Dragon and his Dragon Vein was extremely pure, so his Bloodline Talent had awakened. All that was needed was for him to enhance his own understanding in the Dao of Time.
Fu Guang’s display greatly made up for this. He was an Ancient Dragon who was just a step away from becoming a Divine Dragon. Looking at the entire Dragon Clan, it could be said that apart from the current Dragon Clan Head, he was the most powerful.
With the help of his own Dragon Bead, Fu Guang displayed the wonders of the Dao of Time for Yang Kai, with no regard for how much of his strength he used up from his Source. This was an opportunity that not just anyone could have.
Even Fu Guang would not have done such a thing if he had not requested Yang Kai’s help.
Yang Kai’s mind and Soul had been completely absorbed by the Dragon Bead. It was as if he was inside of it, experiencing all the wonders of the Dao of Time.
It was as if he was sucked in and could no longer feel the passage of time in the outside world.
Every moment was like tens of thousands of years.
The whole World’s living creatures became extinct just before the Universe collapsed under a violent shock and turned into an empty black abyss.
Yang Kai’s eyes finally blinked and his mind regained its clarity.
He saw Fu Guang swallowing his Dragon Bead back into his mouth and looked at him with an odd expression.
Fu Guang originally thought that Yang Kai’s attainment in the Dao of Time would only be superficial; however, when Yang Kai’s mind and Soul became immersed in his Dragon Bead, Fu Guang realized that something was wrong. This kid’s attainments in the Dao of Time were not low at all. In fact, he could perceive that the Time Principles Yang Kai could manipulate were extremely powerful and profound. Apart from Fu Guang, the only ones that could be compared were the Clan Head and the three Elder Ancient Dragons.
As for the other Ancient Dragons, they were all probably inferior to this boy.
Moreover, he could clearly feel that Yang Kai’s mastery over the Dao of Time had advanced another level just now.
“How is it?” Fu Guang asked.
Yang Kai slowly came to his senses and said gratefully, “Many thanks, for your guidance, Senior.”
Fu Guang’s feeling was right. Yang Kai had indeed taken another step forward in his mastery over the Dao of Time, reaching the seventh level, Standing Above All Others Within Sight.
The most obvious change was the speed of time flow in his Small Universe.
Previously, the speed of time in his Small Universe was four times faster than that of the outside world.
Now, it was five times faster.
The faster time flow in his Small Universe meant that the living beings in his Small Universe could grow more rapidly while the Spirit Herbs planted in his Small Universe could also be harvested more frequently. Most importantly, Yang Kai’s own heritage would accumulate faster.
Although Yang Kai did not know how much real time had passed outside, his mind had been following the transformation of the Universe within Fu Guang’s Dragon Bead for countless eons, sensing the mysteries in the flow of time.
It was not surprising that he could make a breakthrough in mastery.
Fu Guang nodded lightly, “So, it was not in vain. The Dragon Pool is about to reopen, you should leave soon.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he asked, “How long has it been?”
“Almost three years.”
Three years? It seemed like an instant.
“Senior, you…” Yang Kai suddenly felt a little hesitant. He had gained a lot from this session, but Fu Guang did not seem to have attained a breakthrough. If he left at this time, that would mean that everything had been for naught!
Seeming to sense Yang Kai’s thoughts, Fu Guang said, “The power I have accumulated is already enough. All that remains is the evolution of my Bloodline. No external force can help me now.”
Over the past three years, the Dragon Pool power that Yang Kai drew using the Great Sun and Moon Marks was almost equivalent to what Fu Guang would take in after 100 years of effort. This showed the immense power of the two Marks.
Previously, Fu Guang could not take this final step because the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art he was using could not draw enough Dragon Pool power at once to apply sufficient pressure to force a breakthrough. However, this was not a problem with the Great Sun and Moon Marks.
Although he could draw the same amount of Dragon Pool power in 100 years as Yang Kai did for him in three years, that did not mean that the effect was the same.
Without Yang Kai’s help, he might not have been able to take this final step in 100 years, or even 1,000 years.
Now, Fu Guang could feel that his Bloodline was changing, so it was time to finally take that last step.
Maybe when the Dragon Pool opened again, the Dragon Clan would have another Divine Dragon!
Yang Kai was relieved to hear him say that. He did not want to owe someone a favour. Fu Guang had instructed him on the Dao of Time, and Yang Kai helped him to advance to become a Divine Dragon. Thus, there was a mutual gain and neither owed the other.
A Dragon Scale suddenly flew towards Yang Kai and Fu Guang said, “Bring this to those three old ghosts and you will get the rewards that you deserve.”
Yang Kai reached out and grabbed it. He had a feeling that the Dragon Scale had been marked by Fu Guang’s Secret Techniques but he did not know what it said.
He had no intention to pry either as he had not done anything wrong to the Dragon Clan during his trip to the Dragon Pool, except for devouring a lot of Dragon Pool power. He even did Fu Guang a favour.
Although he was now a pure-blood member of the Dragon Clan, and he had purged the part of him that was Human when he broke through, subconsciously, Yang Kai still felt like he was Human.
A flash of light suddenly came from above. The light came from afar but seemed to penetrate the entire Dragon Pool.
Immediately afterwards, a low voice sounded from above, “Time is up, quickly leave the pool.”
The voice was naturally from one of the Ancient Dragon Elders.
Without delay, Yang Kai nodded slightly at Fu Guang and said, “Farewell, Senior. I hope to hear good news from you the next time we meet.”
Although Fu Guang said he had accumulated enough power, and all that was left was Bloodline conversion, things might not go so smoothly.
Just look at the number of Divine Dragons who had appeared throughout the Dragon Clan’s history and one would understand. If it was so easy to break through and become a Divine Dragon, then the number of Divine Dragons in the Dragon Clan would not be so low.
“Go on,” Fu Guang nodded lightly.
Yang Kai flicked his Dragon Tail and swam into the beam of light.
This glowing path seemed to have the effect of warping space. He did not know how the Dragon Clan managed to do it, but Yang Kai, who was millions of metres deep into the Dragon Pool, reached the top after just a blink of an eye.
At this moment, in the huge square of the No-Return Pass where the five statues of the Dragon Emperors stood, a portal appeared.
Dozens of Dragon Clan members gathered from all directions. 13 Dragons then rushed out of the vortex, one after another, appearing in the No-Return Pass.
Instantly, the Dragons roared one after another, causing the void to shake.
However, the Dragon Clan was stunned after seeing the condition of those who entered. Even the three Ancient Dragon Elders frowned.
This could not be helped though; after all, the growth of those that went in seemed too small during this Dragon Pool cultivation session.
Their expectation was, among the three Young Dragons, the one called Big Brother Ji was sure to advance to become a Grand Dragon; after all, he was already over 9,000 metres and was not far from breaking through. A few years of training in the Dragon Pool should have been enough to cross this divide.
Zhu Wu You and Fu Qian were a little further behind, but if they were lucky, they might also be able to advance to become Grand Dragons.
Although one Young Dragon had indeed advanced to become a Grand Dragon, he was just over 10,000 metres, which clearly indicated that he had broken through not too long ago.
Zhu Wu You and Fu Qian’s progress was even more pitiful. They were barely 9,000 metres each, still a long way from becoming Grand Dragons.
This was only the Young Dragons’ performance though, and the Grand Dragons were even more disappointing.
Among the 10 Grand Dragons who entered, at least two or three should have reached the Ancient Dragon realm.
However, only Ji Lao San had become an Ancient Dragon while the others were still Grand Dragons. Even their growth was unsatisfactory.
The Three Ancient Dragon Elders had never seen a batch of descendants with such poor performance before. It could be said that this was definitely the group of Dragons with the smallest achievements in the Dragon Pool in history.
Some distance away, Huang Si Niang was sitting on a branch of the Immortal Parasol Tree, dressed in her usual colourful robes. She swung her legs leisurely as she looked on eagerly at the unfolding drama.
When she saw the state of the Dragons that emerged out of the Dragon Pool, she smiled and muttered, “I knew it. When they let that Human into the Dragon Pool, I knew that there would be a negative effect on the other Dragons. It turns out that I was right.”
Feng Liu Lang stood next to her and frowned as he said, “Didn’t the Dragon Clan ever consider checking his Source?”
Huang Si Niang pursed her lips and said, “The Dragon Clan is too proud. Even if that Human had refined a Dragon Source, it was of no importance to them. Additionally, they made some agreements with the Old Ancestors from the Human Race, so they would not waste their energy checking. What they did not know is that the Source that Human obtained was extremely powerful.”
Yang Kai had the Golden Divine Dragon Source, the Source of the Third Generation Dragon Emperor. While the Dragon Clan did not know about this, the Phoenix Clan had guessed it before he went in.
This couldn’t be helped, as Yang Kai had been able to access a Phoenix Nest on his own.
That Phoenix Nest belonged to the Phoenix Empress of the same era as the Third Generation Dragon Emperor. The Sources of these two were lost together, and had never been found.
Since Yang Kai was able to enter that Phoenix Nest, and he said that his Wife obtained the Source of that generation’s Phoenix Empress, it was likely for that Dragon Emperor’s Source to be with him.
Since the Dragon Clan was too lazy to check, the Phoenix Clan Head also did not bother to tell them. By letting such a person into the Dragon Pool, there certainly would be some impact.
That was why when the Dragon Pool reopened this time, Huang Si Niang waited to watch the drama unfold.
It was so boring staying at the No-Return Pass and there was no place to have fun when they were cultivating in their Phoenix Nests.
Huang Si Niang did not understand what Yang Kai did in the Dragon Pool, but why did the Dragons who entered with him grow so little? Could their lack of performance be related to him? Even if his Source originally belonged to the Third Generation Dragon Emperor, it should not have such a dramatic effect, right?
Nonetheless, her doubts were soon answered.
Zhu Wu You went straight to his parents’ side and shouted, “That Yang Kai fellow is such a bastard! He snatched so much of the Dragon Pool power that we did not have enough for us to cultivate with!”
Zhu Wu You’s parents, an Ancient Dragon and a Grand Dragon, both frowned when they heard what had happened.
It was common for clansmen to fight in the Dragon Pool for more power. When they first entered the Dragon Pool, they also fought with their other clansmen for a better position.
Thus, Zhu Wu You’s accusations were quite flimsy.
Zhu Wu You’s Father, an Ancient Dragon, immediately reprimanded, “What is there to complain about if you are not as good as that Human? Furthermore, that Human should be able to transform into a Grand Dragon. Even if he fought with others, he wouldn’t bother with your position. You’ve always been too lazy which is why you did not advance much this time!”
Zhu Wu You felt aggrieved and explained, “No Father, that guy really has something strange about him. I don’t know what method he used, but he was somehow able to quickly devour an enormous amount of Dragon Pool power. My strength is weak and I occupied the uppermost position, but just half a month after entering the pool, the position where I was no longer had any Dragon Pool power at all.”
“The Dragon Pool power was depleted that rapidly?” Zhu Wu You’s Mother, a Grand Dragon, appeared stunned.
Zhu Wu You nodded and continued, “Yes, so I went to Fu Qian’s territory to fight for a better position, but after just half a month of fighting, his place also did not have any Dragon Pool power left. We continued descending through the pool to fight with the others, but no matter how deep we dove, the Dragon Pool power did not last long. It not only happened to where we three Young Dragons were, but also the places occupied by the Senior Grand Dragons. Go ahead and ask them if you don’t believe me.”
The Ancient Dragon turned his head and looked doubtfully at the others who had just emerged, to which all of them nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing the explanation and seeing their collective reaction, the Dragons, who were waiting in the square, loudly remarked.
“No wonder all those who entered the Dragon Pool this time have not improved much.”
“How can that be? The power of Dragon Pool should have been sufficient, how could it have dried up so quickly?”
“The Dragon Pool power seeps up from bottom to top. If too much power is consumed at the lower depths, it would disrupt the replenishment above and then the top would dry up. But… how can a mere Human have that kind of ability?”
“Or could ‘that’ Senior be the cause of it?”
“It’s possible. If his breakthrough was imminent, he would naturally require a tremendous amount of Dragon Pool power and it would not be surprising for him to disrupt the density above.”
“If it was really because of ‘him’, then these brats were just unlucky to enter the Dragon Pool at this time.”
“…”
Zhu Wu You did not know who they were referring to. Fu Guang had been cultivating in the Dragon Pool for the past 5,000 years, and Zhu Wu You was only a few hundred years old; thus, he did not know of Fu Guang.
Zhu Wu You’s parents certainly knew about Fu Guang though. If it was really because of him that these Dragons did not advance much during this Dragon Pool cultivation session, then there was nothing they could do about it. After all, an additional Divine Dragon in the clan was worth far more than having a few more Grand Dragons or Ancient Dragons.
When Zhu Wu You heard their speculations, he complained, “Why do you all keep referring to ‘that’ Senior? It was all due to that Human! Ask Third Uncle Ji if you don’t believe me. Third Uncle Ji saw it clearly when that Human broke through!”
“A breakthrough?” The group of Dragons all gasped in surprise.
Frankly, the Dragon Clan did not know the specifics and extent of that Human’s Dragon Bloodline; after all, Yang Kai had never exposed his Dragon Form or Pressure to them. They only knew that he was a Grand Dragon and even that was revealed to them by the Human Old Ancestors.
As Huang Si Niang said, the Dragon Clan had their pride and even though Yang Kai managed to refine a Dragon Source, they did not take him seriously and did not bother to investigate.
An old Ancient Dragon Elder looked at Ji Lao San and asked, “Did that Human really achieve a breakthrough in the Dragon Pool?”
Ji Lao San nodded meekly.
Before he entered the Dragon Pool, his Dragon Body was nearly 50,000 metres. Now, when he left the Dragon Pool, he was only 55,000 metres.
But what about that Human?
When Yang Kai entered the Dragon Pool, he was 35,000 metres, yet after just half a year, he managed to break through to become an Ancient Dragon. Now that three more years had passed, there was no way to guess just how much he had grown.
Ji Lao San was a pure-blood Dragon! To think that he could not even compete with the advancement rate of a mere Human in the Dragon Pool! He was utterly ashamed of his poor performance compared to that dastardly Human.
The three old Ancient Dragon Elders looked at each other, and they all saw the doubt in each other’s eyes.
They were all both surprised and doubtful that the Human had achieved a breakthrough in the Dragon Pool.
According to the information they received from the Old Ancestors, that Human should only be a Grand Dragon. If he had achieved a breakthrough, then was he not an Ancient Dragon now?
This was a bit abnormal. Throughout the ages, the Dragon Clan had indeed lost a lot of Dragon Sources and many different individuals from difference Races had obtained them. However, one growing to such an extent was extremely rare.
On the other hand, when they learned that the reason why their clansmen who entered Dragon Pool grew so little was due to that Human, those Dragon Clan members surrounding the place became agitated. Some of the Grand Dragons even instigated the rest to teach Yang Kai a lesson when he emerged from the pool.
From Dragon Clans’ standpoint, it was already an exception to allow an outsider to enter a sacred place such as the Dragon Pool. If the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors had not come to an arrangement with the Dragon Clan, there was no way the latter would have agreed.
It was enough that he was allowed to enter the Dragon Pool and gain some small benefits, but now, it turned out that he interfered with the growth of a dozen clansmen, how could this be tolerated?
The Dragon Pool did not open regularly and every Dragon Clan member cherished the opportunity to enter it to cultivate.
While the Dragons were busy complaining about what the Human did, a golden light appeared at the swirling entrance of the Dragon Pool, followed by a large Dragon head rushing out of it.
An intense Dragon Pressure immediately engulfed the area and the noisy square instantly fell silent.
Amid the loud Dragon Roar, a huge Dragon quickly emerged from the Dragon Pool. Those who were complaining angrily moments ago, now looked up at the sky in a daze.
The three Ancient Dragon Elders were also flabbergasted.
Ji Lao San’s face began to twitch involuntarily…
70,000 metres!
A full 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon! He was coiled above the No-Return Pass, glowing in splendid golden light. It was awe-inspiring and the brilliance was simply unparalleled.
Ji Lao San was filled with bitterness when he saw it and muttered internally, [70,000 metres!]
When Yang Kai entered the Dragon Pool, he was only 35,000 metres, yet after just a few years, his Dragon Form had doubled in size?
Throughout the ages, no Dragon had ever been able to cultivate to such an extent in just one session in the Dragon Pool.
As a 70,000-metre Dragon, Yang Kai was already considered to be extremely powerful as an Ancient Dragon within the Dragon Clan.
What caused Ji Lao San to be speechless was that, under Yang Kai’s Dragon Pressure, he actually felt his hands and legs go limp. He was completely subdued.
Not only him, but many other Dragons, who were also Ancient Dragons, felt suppressed by the Human’s Dragon Pressure. Naturally, this came from their own Bloodlines being suppressed.
“A Golden Dragon…” the old woman of the three Elders exclaimed in disbelief.
Another Elder was staring at one of the five Dragon Emperor statues. Naturally, the Third Generation Dragon Emperor’s statue at this time, also began to glow with a golden light. The aura from it resonated with the Dragon in the sky, as if there was a connection between the two.
“So that’s how it is!” This Elder murmured. Under such circumstances, if he still could not guess the origin of Yang Kai’s Source, then he would be a disgrace to his position.
The Dragon Clan had also searched for this lost Source. Other than the Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan also searched for it but they missed the best period and were unsuccessful in the end.
However, both the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan knew how powerful these two Sources were, so it should be impossible for them to be destroyed. Even if they could not find them, it did not mean that they did not exist anymore.
However, no one expected that this missing Source would reappear in front of Dragon Clan in such a way. Immediately, the Ancient Dragons who knew the details had mixed feelings.
They all thought that Yang Kai’s Source was just an ordinary Dragon Source, and there was nothing for them to worry about as the Dragon Clan had lost many such Dragon Sources. It was their fortune and opportunity for those who had found these lost Dragon Sources to obtain them.
However, if this Source involved the Third Generation Dragon Emperor, then its significance was totally different. That Source could pave the path to reach the peak.
Yang Kai’s huge Dragon Form hovered over the No-Return Pass for a short time before he shrank down, transforming back into his Human Form as he landed in the square.
Feeling the prying eyes all around, Yang Kai knew that his presence had brought the Dragon Clan a lot of doubts. At the very least, he could no longer hide his refinement of the Golden Divine Dragon Source.
The Dragon Clan should have a lot of questions for him.
Yang Kai decided to speak first before they could ask any questions, “Greetings Three Elders, Senior Fu Guang has an object for this Junior to pass on to you.”
Theoldest-lookingg Elder in the center, held back his initial questions and instead asked in surprise, “Fu Guang? You met Fu Guang in the Dragon Pool?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded firmly.
“How is he doing?” The old man asked with concern.
Yang Kai replied, “Senior Fu Guang is well.”
“What did he want you to bring back?” The old female Elder asked.
Yang Kai handed over a Dragon Scale from Fu Guang. The old woman took it, focused on it, and after a while, she handed the Dragon Scale to another Elder. She then looked at Yang Kai in disbelief.
When the other two Elders also finished examining the Dragon Scale, they looked at each other silently, seemingly reaching a tacit understanding between them.
The middle Elder nodded slightly and looked warmly at Yang Kai as he said, “Since you have shed your former body and been reborn, your Bloodline is now pure. From now on, you are a member of the Dragon Clan.”
In fact, the moment Yang Kai rushed out of the Dragon Pool, the three Ancient Dragon Elders already felt this.
Yang Kai was not the same as when he first came to the No-Return Pass.
Yang Kai had a strong Human aura when he first came to the No-Return Pass; however, when he emerged from the Dragon Pool, that aura was completely gone. He now exuded the aura of a Pureblood Dragon.
After checking Fu Guang’s message in the Dragon Scale, the three Ancient Dragon Elders also learned what happened inside.
As they had previously thought, Yang Kai had indeed refined the lost Source of the Third Generation Dragon Emperor. This was confirmed by Fu Guang.
He was also highly regarded by the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer, who granted him the Great Sun and Moon Marks. It was because of these two Marks and another gift from those two Seniors that he was able to devour the Dragon Pool’s power and grow so rapidly.
It was also because of this reason that those who entered the Dragon Pool during this session performed so poorly.
It was not that they had no aptitude, just that all the benefits were taken away by Yang Kai.
If Yang Kai had been the same as when he first arrived at the No-Return Pass, the Dragon Clan would not have let him off as the future of the Dragon Clan depended on those Juniors. Hindering their growth infringed on the Dragon Clan’s interests which was simply intolerable.
However, since Yang Kai was also a part of the Dragon Clan now, he was considered a clansman. Clansmen will naturally compete and fight for benefits; thus, the Elders could not accuse anyone of wrongdoing.
Not to mention, Fu Guang left behind a message that he was now able to take the final step in his advancement because of Yang Kai’s help.
Fu Guang’s advancement to become a Divine Dragon was undoubtedly more important than the growth of those dozen or so descendants.
Yang Kai was now a 70,000-metre-long Ancient Dragon, and had returned with the Source of the Third Generation Dragon Emperor. This was more than enough to make up for the losses of the young ones this time.
When the old man Elder then looked up at the clansmen, he announced, “The Dragon Clan has been in decline for many years and our numbers are withering. Now, a new clansman has returned to strengthen and bring glory to our Dragon Clan!
The other two Elders beside him roared in unison, “Glory to the Dragon Clan!”
“Glory to the Dragon Clan!”
…..
Yang Kai was slightly stunned, [So, I’m really now a member of the Dragon Clan?]
Although it was true that when he advanced to become an Ancient Dragon, he had purged the Human part of him and became a pure-blood Dragon, it still felt uncomfortable for him to become a member of the Dragon Clan.
Yang Kai actually did not care too much about whether his Bloodline was Human or Dragon; after all, he was not born in the Dragon Clan, and did not attach that much importance to his Bloodline.
However, when the three Ancient Dragon Elders declared it in such a manner, that meant that he became a member of the Dragon Clan.
Many Dragon Clan members were eager for Yang Kai to come out of the Dragon Pool so that they could teach him a lesson; however, after the three Elders’ declaration and cheers, they no longer dared to create any trouble.
The Divine Spirits highly valued the concept of community. If Yang Kai was an outsider, they would naturally make some comments; however, since he was now a clansman, there was nothing more to say.
Even Zhu Wu You, who was the most irritated by Yang Kai, had roared along, not to mention the other Dragon Clan members.
Only Ji Lao San rolled his eyes furiously as he thought, [That makes him part of our Clan? If so, then how can I get my revenge?]
However, when he thought about it, Yang Kai was now a 70,000-metre-long Ancient Dragon, while he was only 55,000 metres. His Bloodline Power and Source were both inferior to Yang Kai’s now. If he were to try to seek revenge, he was doomed to fail. He sighed inwardly and admitted defeat. At least he knew that he was too weak to seek revenge now.
On the Parasol Tree, Huang Si Niang was very excited as she watched the entertaining show unfold before her eyes.
She knew that Yang Kai’s trip to the Dragon Pool would certainly cause a stir; however, she never expected it to end up with him being accepted by the Dragon Clan and becoming part of it.
The Phoenix Clan and Dragon Clan had been living together at the No-Return Pass for many years, and were both basically numb to each other by now. However, in the end, they were all on the same side. If the Dragon Clan became stronger, it was also beneficial for the No-Return Pass.
It had been many years since the No-Return Pass had experienced a war, but more power was never a bad thing.
As the rest of the Dragons were still cheering, the three Elders looked at Yang Kai warmly and appeared very friendly towards him.
A pure Bloodline was not enough for them to show such favour to Yang Kai; however, the Source he refined was the Source of the Third Generation Dragon Emperor.
That Source itself contained the Heavenly Grand Dao. If Yang Kai managed to fully inherit it, then he would be able to advance to a level comparable to the Third Generation Dragon Emperor, which meant becoming a Divine Dragon.
Divine Dragon… Throughout the ages, how many Divine Dragons had there been in the Dragon Clan?
Furthermore, Fu Guang’s hidden message in the Dragon Scale also mentioned Yang Kai’s Great Sun and Moon Marks, which, when activated, could draw in the Dragon Pool power at an incredible rate. This was a remarkable help for those in the Dragon Clan trying to achieve a breakthrough to the Divine Dragon realm.
If another Ancient Dragon in the clan was ready to advance to become a Divine Dragon, they could request for Yang Kai’s help, which would greatly increase their chances of success.
The three Ancient Dragon Elders had reached the limits of their own cultivation. Still, did that not mean they were not eager to take that next step?
They all wanted to, but they were constrained by their Bloodline and could not advance.
If Yang Kai’s Great Sun and Moon Marks could give them a boost, then it might be possible for them to achieve a breakthrough. Although there was not much hope, it was at least worth a try.
Of course, that was a consideration for the future. Fu Guang was still in the Dragon Pool and could not be disturbed. When Fu Guang emerged, perhaps the three Ancient Dragon Elders might also give it a try.
At least, one could always hope.