A Commotion!

No matter how Zhu Kun repented within the Ancient Emperor's Cave Abode, it could not change the fact that he was trapped there.

Time was so worthless, especially in the eyes of these powerful experts who had lived for countless years. In the blink of an eye, the True Dragon egg that had existed for ages was about to complete its hatching.

"Big Brother, did you feel it? Such a powerful sign of life! Is the True Dragon about to be born?"

"Third Brother, only the birth of a True Dragon could possess such dense life force! We have painstakingly guarded it for countless years, and today, our task will finally be complete!"

"Big Brother, the seven of us are increasing our power and doing everything we can to help the True Dragon be born!"

"Good! Let us do it together!"

As the seven elders continuously poured their vast Dou Qi into the True Dragon egg, it began to tremble. A heartbeat resounded like pounding drums, thump, thump, thump. At last, cracks began to appear across the egg's surface. Waves of energy surged out from within, accompanied by an immense aura.

"This is the aura of a Dou Saint? The little True Dragon possesses the strength of a Dou Saint the moment it is born?"

All seven dragons present were stunned. Every Dou Saint had attained that realm only after countless years of bitter cultivation, along with a stroke of fortune. To be born with the strength of a Dou Saint was something they had never heard of or seen before.

Take Gu Xun'er of the Gu Clan, for instance. Even as someone with a divine-grade bloodline and extraordinary talent, she still had to cultivate from the beginning.

No matter how shocked the seven elders were, inside the True Dragon egg, a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon lay curled up as it continuously absorbed the nutrients within the egg. Finally, its small yet enchanting pair of eyes suddenly opened.

"Where am I? Have I been reborn?" He looked at his body and immediately realized that he had become a dragon.

"My name is Ao Qing. I came from Earth. I was born with a lonely, ill-fated destiny. I lost my parents when I was young, struggled all my life, fought all my life, and in the end, I still died of illness at the age of twenty-five."

Countless scenes surfaced in Ao Qing's mind. There were memories of neighbors helping him when he did not have enough to eat as a child, of being sent to an orphanage afterward, of being isolated by others, and of lying in a hospital bed with no one to care for him...

"Forget it. Being able to be reborn is already a blessing! There was no one in that world who cared about me anyway."

Ao Qing examined his body and could not help but smile bitterly. "Being reborn as a dragon is not bad either. After all, I am a descendant of the dragon."

Then, he waved his claw.

A simple dragon claw strike shattered the True Dragon egg. The instant the egg broke, the seal upon it was also removed. A suppressive force from his bloodline continuously battered the seven elders. If not for their exceptional strength, they would likely have made fools of themselves as well. Meanwhile, the ordinary Ancient Void Dragons within the Ancient Dragon World suffered terribly.

The immense bloodline pressure swiftly surged out of the True Dragon Secret Realm. The North Dragon King, who was cultivating in seclusion, was the first to sense it. In an instant, he was forced to the ground by that pressure, unable to move.

"Damn it! What is going on? Who possesses such terrifying bloodline pressure? Could that old fellow Zhu Kun have returned?"

The North Dragon King kept guessing, but even if he racked his brain, he would never have known that a genuine True Dragon had been born within the Ancient Void Dragon Clan.

Soon afterward, whether it was the South Dragon King, the West Dragon King, or certain elders on East Dragon Island, every dragon clan member within the Ancient Dragon World felt that bloodline pressure and was pressed to the ground.

The pressure came swiftly and vanished just as swiftly. Once the True Dragon egg had completely shattered, a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon fully appeared before the seven elders.

Looking at the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon before them, the seven elders were deeply moved and equally curious. They all widened their eyes and examined him carefully.

Ao Qing, who had just been born, also stared at the seven elders. He could sense that although they appeared amiable, their bodies brimmed with immense power. At the very least, he was far from being able to compare with them.

Thus, Ao Qing remained extremely cautious. Still, he could sense the goodwill of these seven elders.

Perhaps the seven elders also sensed the deep wariness surrounding Ao Qing, and they each withdrew their auras.

The Grand Elder stepped forward and said,

"Young Master, there is no need to worry! We are all of the Ancient Void Dragon bloodline of the dragon clan. We have waited here for your birth for thousands of years and would never harm you."

"Indeed. The seven of us have guarded you for thousands of years. We would never do anything to harm you, Young Master." The other elders echoed his words.

Although Ao Qing's expression remained cold and his caution did not fade—having spent so long without interacting with others, he had always been somewhat unwilling to deal with people—he relaxed his guard against them inwardly.

They said they had waited here for thousands of years, and he had indeed discovered traces of that in the memories remaining within this dragon egg.

His cool gaze slowly swept over the elders before he finally asked the Grand Elder, "May I ask where this place is? I would appreciate your guidance."

The Grand Elder smiled faintly. "Young Master, this is the True Dragon Secret Realm, the sacred realm of our Ancient Void Dragon Clan. The continent we are on is called the Dou Qi Continent. Countless living beings absorb Dou Qi and cultivate Dou Techniques, yearning to ultimately become Dou Emperors, break free from this world, and journey to a higher realm to witness a broader sky!"

Hearing this, Ao Qing could not help frowning as he thought inwardly.

"Dou Qi Continent? Ancient Void Dragons? And Dou Emperors... Could this be the world of that novel? No, I need to ask more and confirm it."

He then continued, "Elder, aside from our Ancient Void Dragon Clan, are there any other powerful forces in this world?"

"Young Master, there is no need for such formality, nor need you worry too much. Our Ancient Void Dragon Clan is already one of the top forces in this world, and the seven of us are also among the foremost experts of this world.

"Among the magical beast clans, apart from the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan and the Nine Serene Earth Python Clan, none of the others amount to much. Even those two clans combined are no match for our Ancient Void Dragon Clan.

"As for humanity, their forces and strength are somewhat more complicated. They are mainly led by the eight Emperor Clans: the Xiao Clan, Soul Clan, Gu Clan, Flame Clan, Thunder Clan, Spirit Clan, Shi Clan, and Yao Clan. Among these human clans, there is no shortage of Nine-Star Peak Dou Saints, and Dou Saint experts are countless.

"However, though humanity is strong, with old fellows like us around, they do not dare act too recklessly. At the very least, Young Master, you will not face the slightest danger anywhere within the Magical Beast Domain. So long as we are not enemies of all humanity, our Ancient Void Dragon Clan fears nothing!"

Though the elders had not entered the outside world for a long time, the pride in their hearts remained unchanged!

Hearing this, Ao Qing could basically confirm that this was indeed the Dou Qi Continent—the world from the book. And Xiao Yan had not yet become an emperor!

"May I ask how I should address you all?" Ao Qing asked politely, though the cold aura around him did not change. Being born with a lonely and ill-fated destiny, he was naturally aloof. The only reason he had spoken so much was out of curiosity. Besides, he did not enjoy interacting with others too much. He only wanted to protect his own little world and live a peaceful life. That had been Ao Qing's former way of thinking.

"Young Master, there were once eight elders in the True Dragon Secret Realm. They were the Grand Elder Zhu Qian—that is, myself—with the strength of a Nine-Star Peak Dou Saint; the Second Elder Zhu Kun, also a Nine-Star Dou Saint. However, not long after the Second Elder left the secret realm to serve as Dragon Emperor, he mysteriously disappeared.

"The Third Elder Zhu Zhen is an Eight-Star Peak Dou Saint; the Fourth Elder Zhu Li is an Eight-Star Peak Dou Saint; the Fifth Elder Zhu Dui is an Eight-Star Peak Dou Saint; the Sixth Elder Zhu Xun is an Eight-Star Mid-Phase Dou Saint; the Seventh Elder Zhu Gen is an Eight-Star Early-Phase Dou Saint; and the Eighth Elder Zhu Kan is an Eight-Star Mid-Phase Dou Saint. Other than the Second Elder Zhu Kun, the remaining seven of us are all here."

Ao Qing was not surprised to hear the Grand Elder say this. After all, the reason humanity did not dare invade the magical beast world was not some ancient reputation, but genuine strength.

The world in the book had ultimately only described one portion of this world. As a real world, how could it possibly be so simple?

"Ao Qing greets the elders!"

Although Ao Qing was aloof by nature, these seven had guarded him for thousands of years. By both reason and sentiment, he should greet them. The seven elders also nodded politely.

"Young Master, now that you have been born, follow us into the depths of the secret realm and receive Lord True Dragon's inheritance!"

"That is only right!" Ao Qing immediately followed the seven elders toward the depths of the secret realm.

Within the Ancient Dragon World, after the previous pressure had passed, the Three Great Dragon Kings gathered on North Dragon Island.

"Old North, what was that pressure just now?" the South Dragon King was the first to ask.

The North Dragon King cast a gloomy glance toward the Void Thunder Pool before saying, "I do not know what happened either, but that pressure came from the Void Thunder Pool. At first, I thought the old Dragon Emperor had returned, but upon examining it closely, it was not the Dragon Emperor's aura."

"But that was clearly bloodline pressure! Could there be an existence in this world with a bloodline superior to ours, other than the old Dragon Emperor?"

"Old South, it is not impossible. Over the years, I have also wondered about this. The old Dragon Emperor has been missing for so long. Logically speaking, our Ancient Dragon World has no high-level Dou Saints guarding it, so why does humanity still not dare offend our magical beast clan? If we were a piece of meat already in their mouths, I do not think they would leave us untouched. There is only one possibility: their appetites are not that great. In other words, our magical beast clan still has hidden experts!"

They were all beings who had lived for countless years, and their composure was far beyond that of ordinary people. The more the Three Great Dragon Kings discussed it, the more likely it seemed.

Yet in the end, they found no clues whatsoever, and the matter was left unresolved. Still, they became more cautious.

If the Ancient Void Dragon Clan truly still had powerful experts, then the things they had done over the years would not be so easily erased. Thus, they each began making plans to clear themselves.