The Yinglong was defeated.
Before everyone's eyes.
Even the physique it took immense pride in had failed to hold out.
Directly suppressed, it retreated to the side.
Zhu Qingyu and Ice Fairy both covered their mouths in startled gasps.
Though they had embarked on the path of transcendence and become Awakened with formidable talent, a dragon was ultimately a creature of legend, carrying immense symbolic significance.
Yet here it was, thoroughly defeated by Lu Yuan, looking rather disheveled.
Now, they held no doubt whatsoever—if he wished, he could even slay a dragon.
Originally, they had estimated his combat power to be extraordinarily high, but it seemed their estimations fell far short. His depth was utterly bottomless.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan stepped forward once again, his fighting intent surging. His internal organs vibrated, his flesh radiated brilliant light, and his blood and vital energy roiled, dyeing the surrounding seawater a resplendent gold.
"No more, no more!" Seeing this, the Yinglong shrank its head back involuntarily and continued, "You really are strong."
It spoke from the heart. It had been sealed away by its clan precisely because of its immense potential, and its combat prowess ranked among the absolute best of its generation. Yet immediately after emerging, it had been defeated by a human—overwhelmed by pure, unyielding might without a trace of trickery. Thus, the Yinglong admitted defeat. Besides, it had never intended to fight to the death from the start.
"You're not bad either." Lu Yuan paused, reining in his aura.
The terrifying presence vanished completely, leaving him looking like an ordinary person.
His praise was entirely sincere. To hold out for so long against his power proved it was worthy of the name Yinglong.
Of course, Lu Yuan also knew the dragon had merely sought a duel without malice, which was why he hadn't struck to kill.
With that thought, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. "Now, can our transaction be finalized?"
He was referring to trading items for the pool of blood.
"Take it as a gift," the Yinglong said. "Ever since I was born, what I, Ao Ze, admire most are beings stronger than me. Your strength exceeds mine, and the capable deserve the prize. Besides, my metamorphosis is already complete, so the blood pool is useless to me. If you want it, it's yours."
Ao Ze was its name. Generous and magnanimous, it freely gave away the Dragon Blood Pool.
Lu Yuan nodded. Since it had put it that way, there was no need to stand on ceremony. Perhaps in the future, an opportunity would arise to recruit this Yinglong into the Heavenly Court, expanding their faction's strength.
"Ao Ze? The Dragon Clan of the Four Seas also share the surname Ao. Is this truly the Dragon Palace of the Four Seas?" Zhu Qingyu asked upon catching the key detail.
"Why wouldn't it be real? The Dragon Clan of the Four Seas has always existed. It's just that a great upheaval occurred later, and they migrated out of this world." Ao Ze shrank its body down to about three meters in length and spoke, clearly privy to a great deal of knowledge.
"A great upheaval?"
Hearing this, Lu Yuan recalled the stone stele left behind by Human Sovereign Shennong in Shennongjia, which also bore the words "Great Calamity."
He immediately looked toward the Yinglong and asked, "What was this great upheaval you speak of? And you said you were sealed—why did the Dragon Clan do that?"
He had already gathered substantial information, and all of it pointed toward a single reality: a monumental upheaval had taken place in the past. This was very likely one of Earth's ultimate secrets, and Lu Yuan wanted to uncover it.
"I don't know the specifics; my Dragon Clan left a group behind," the Yinglong explained with a shake of its head. "For thousands of years following the Severance of Heaven and Earth, all living beings were suppressed, and the bloodlines of all deities degenerated—including mine. Before sealing me away, my father said I should not have been born into this era. Not three years after my birth, he placed me under seal.
"And it wasn't just my Dragon Clan. Countless living beings in this world migrated to extraterrestrial lands.
"This blood pool was left behind by my kin long ago."
As it spoke, it glanced toward the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey, its gaze particularly strange when looking at the peng. In mythological tales, the two races preyed upon each other, serving in some sense as natural enemies. Even though the Yinglong had never seen one before, an instinct deep within its bloodline sensed it.
Hearing this, everyone present was momentarily stunned. That meant... this Yinglong was only three or four years old?
"What's so strange about that?" the Golden-Winged Great Peng said. "I'm only around five or six myself."
The Spirit Monkey nodded. In truth, almost all exotic beasts with potent bloodlines were quite young in actual years.
The Severance of Heaven and Earth?
Lu Yuan heard these words once again.
Coupled with what Jiang Ningxian had revealed, thoughts raced through his mind.
In ancient times and the eras that followed, Earth had once possessed an incomparably magnificent civilization—perhaps the mythological era recounted in legends. Yet for reasons unknown, ancient human sages had taken the initiative to suppress this land.
"Wait, that's not right," Zhu Qingyu said in confusion. "Legend has it that the Severance of Heaven and Earth was carried out by Emperor Zhuanxu, one of the Five Emperors.
"And according to historical records, Emperor Zhuanxu lived less than five thousand years ago."
She found it baffling. The dragon claimed to have been born after the Severance of Heaven and Earth, but that was an era with established historical records, which seemed at odds with historical facts.
"Portions of history were sealed away and covered up; otherwise, judging strictly by standard history, many things shouldn't have happened," Little Celestial Master Chunyang remarked solemnly, drawing from clues discovered within the ancient texts of Mount Longhu's Celestial Master Mansion.
"Indeed, our Buddhist sect also possesses relevant records," Monk Huikong agreed, believing that the present situation could not be explained through conventional history alone.
Lu Yuan remained silent, pondering various possibilities. Were figures recorded in history like Guangchengzi and Laozi truly people of those recorded times? Or had they simply lived until then and happened to be documented?
None of this could be known for certain. According to Jiang Ningxian, no one could reach the ultimate truth except figures on the level of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
Furthermore, some beings who originally hailed from Earth had migrated out of this realm—such as the Jiang and Ji clans, who were now returning.
"Looks like you aren't completely clueless after all." Ao Ze was slightly surprised by their discussion. It knew a long time had passed since its era, though it did not know exactly how long. After all, whether by dragon or human standards, it was still just a child.
"Well then," the Yinglong said, turning to Lu Yuan. "I'm glad to have met an opponent like you so soon after emerging. Once my metamorphosis is fully complete, my bloodline ascends further, and my strength increases drastically, I'll seek you out for another spar. For now, I made a promise to someone and have business to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
With that, it nodded toward Lu Yuan and surged straight outside. Being a dragon, exiting this fragmented folded space was trivial for it.
"The Severance of Heaven and Earth... all living beings degenerated, and now that the suppression is fading, evolution can resume?" Lu Yuan mused, thinking of his mount, the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Possessing a mythological bloodline, it shouldn't have been so weak; this was the root cause. The same applied to the Yinglong, whose innate bloodline gifts were suppressed, requiring the dragon blood left by its kin to purify itself once more.
Indeed, the more secrets he uncovered and the stronger he grew, the thicker the fog of mystery became.
"Alright, let's collect that dragon blood pool," Lu Yuan said to the others, setting aside his thoughts.
This journey to the East Sea Dragon Palace had proceeded very smoothly. They had encountered little danger and reaped unexpected rewards. Furthermore, Zhu Qingyu, Little Celestial Master Chunyang, and the rest had gained valuable experience and would gradually become capable of holding their own in the future.
Factoring in the conditions of this world, he was certain the Heavenly Court would inevitably grow stronger.
After all, Lu Yuan's sights were already set on the deep cosmos. The Milky Way Star Sector had once been unimaginably dazzling as the birthplace of the ancient Heavenly Court. Even those who had departed from here had become universe-spanning overlords, establishing domains counted among the top hundred star sectors. Why couldn't he restore the Heavenly Court to its former glory?
Following Lu Yuan's order, everyone re-entered the Crystal Palace.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng utilized its divine ability once more to swallow the blood pool. Because the Yinglong had used it earlier, not much remained, but it was still more than enough for their needs.
The others searched through the immortal abode to see if there were any other gains, but unfortunately, there was nothing aside from the palace itself.
The elevated chair at the very top looked impressive. Thinking of how he couldn't take the iron pillar earlier, the Spirit Monkey wondered if the chair would do—flinging a massive chair at enemies would surely catch them off guard. But upon trying, he found he couldn't budge it either.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan couldn't help smiling. A monkey was a monkey after all.
Without lingering on it, Lu Yuan turned his hand and brought out the Fuxi Bagua Diagram. Though he knew there might be nothing left, he still wanted to try.
Dripping a bead of blood onto it, the diagram began operating on its own.
Buzz—
In the next instant, a tiny point of light appeared at a certain orientation on the diagram.
The Bagua Diagram had been left behind by Human Sovereign Fuxi; anything capable of triggering a reaction from it had to be at least a divine artifact.
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan walked straight over.
Seeing this, the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey signaled to Ice Fairy and the others to leave together since there was nothing left to find. They tactfully understood that everyone had secrets, and there was no need to pry. Little Celestial Master Chunyang and Monk Huikong had no objections either; Lu Yuan was the Lord of the Heavenly Court, and in all matters, they followed his command.
Soon, Lu Yuan was the only one remaining in the Crystal Palace.
Following the indication of the Fuxi Bagua Diagram, he walked to the exact center of the hall.
This was where the blood pool had previously sat. With the pool taken away by the Golden-Winged Great Peng, a smooth floor remained. It was paved with cut crystal tiles, serving as flooring, completely indistinguishable from the rest of the hall and unlikely to attract anyone's attention. If not for the Bagua Diagram, even Lu Yuan wouldn't have approached it.
"Is it underneath this?" Lu Yuan felt a bit stumped. This floor had been crafted by the Dragon Clan from extraordinary material; even if he wanted to move it, he couldn't.
Nevertheless, he decided to give it a try and gently pressed his palm against the ground.
Buzz—
In the next moment, he felt the blood within him surge.
Immediately after, the crystal tile beneath his palm unexpectedly rose on its own.
Lu Yuan's gaze shifted sharply as he finally realized what the object was.
An ancient, purplish-gold token bathed in radiant light, exuding a supreme, inviolable majesty, engraved with two characters: Heavenly Emperor!
The second Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token!
Chapter 141