As Zi Yan was completely enveloped by the giant cocoon of the purple-gold Dragon Emperor Essence Blood, a powerful and stable life force and the pressure of the Dragon Phoenix emanated from it like breathing, marking the smooth start of that crucial evolution.
Thus, the ancient and silent space of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Space returned to its eternal stillness once more. Only this time, the suspended giant cocoon brought vitality and endless anticipation to this desolate land.
At this moment, the only two people who could move freely in the space were Lin Ming and Zhu Kun, whose head was a massive dragon.
The formation of the giant cocoon consumed a lot of Zhu Kun's vital energy, and he needed time to recover. Lin Ming also needed to stay here to ensure that no accidents occurred during Zi Yan's evolution.
Thus, in this strange space isolated from all external disturbances, a long conversation that transcended age, race, and power began.
Although Zhu Kun has been trapped for ten thousand years, as the former strongest person on the continent, his knowledge and wisdom have not been clouded by the years, but have become even more profound.
He naturally had a great interest in the changes that had taken place in the outside world over the past ten thousand years, especially the movements of those top forces that could be compared with the Ancient Void Dragon Clan.
"Lin Ming!" Zhu Kun's powerful voice broke the silence, carrying a hint of inquiry.
"Uncle, I have been trapped here for far too long. The outside world has changed drastically, and everything is no longer the same. Since you have traveled through the Middle Continent, do you know what the current state of the continent is like? Are those Ancient Races still alive?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Ming knew that this was a good opportunity to popularize "modern history" to this ancient being and also to build a closer relationship. He organized his thoughts and began to speak in detail.
"Since you've asked, Uncle, I will explain to you what I've learned from ancient books and various sources."
Then, Lin Ming said in a calm and clear voice, "In the Dou Qi Continent today, the most prestigious figures are the One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects Three Valleys, Four Directions Pavilion. However, those who truly control the lifeline of the continent and possess the Dou Di Bloodline are still the Ancient Eight Clans have lived in seclusion."
"The Ancient Eight Clans..." A trace of reminiscence flashed in Zhu Kun's enormous dragon eyes, clearly indicating that he was no stranger to this title. In the era when he roamed the continent, these races were the behemoths hidden behind the scenes.
"However, the balance of power among the Eight Clans is no longer what it was ten thousand years ago." Lin Ming's tone turned slightly somber as he dropped a bombshell, "Among them, the Xiao Clan... has declined to the point of near extinction."
"What?! The Xiao Clan?!" Zhu Kun's dragon eyes widened suddenly, revealing obvious shock.
The Xiao Clan was renowned for its formidable fighting power among the Ancient Eight Clans, and its Clan Leader, Xiao Xuan, was an exceptionally talented individual whose strength even made him wary. How could this be...?
Lin Ming nodded and continued to explain, "According to legend, about a thousand years ago, Xiao Xuan, the Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan at the time, was exceptionally talented and had already reached the Peak Dou Sheng realm. In order to break through to the elusive Dou Di Realm, he made an extremely bold and... all-or-nothing decision."
At this point, Lin Ming paused, as if recounting that tragic history. "It is said that Xiao Xuan used some kind of secret technique, mobilizing the entire clan's strength to forcibly extract the power of the Dou Di Bloodline from the bodies of all clan members, gathering it into himself, intending to use this torrent of bloodline that embodied the hopes of the entire clan to forcibly break open the Gate of the Dou Di that had been tightly closed for ten thousand years!"
"Extracting the bloodline of the entire clan?!" Zhu Kun gasped in shock. Even with his vast experience, he was stunned by Xiao Xuan's insane and resolute act.
This is tantamount to gambling the future of the entire clan. If they win, the Xiao Clan will produce Dou Di and rule the world; if they lose, they will be doomed!
However, while others might not know, Zhu Kun certainly understood that reaching the Dou Di was no longer something that could be achieved with just energy. It required a resource, which they called "Source" at the time!
However, since Tou She Ancient God became an emperor, the already scarce source Dou Qi Continent was further depleted by him. Subsequently, he captured the last remaining source energy, which was barely enough for one person to become an emperor, and refined it into an Emperor Pill Prototype, which he then sealed in the plaza behind him.
This is why he came to venture into this Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion and got trapped.
Because their path forward has been blocked by the Tou She Ancient God. If they want to go any further, they must venture into the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion to obtain the opportunity of the only two Emperors on the Dou Qi Dou Qi Continent who are both in the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion —the inheritance of the Tou She Ancient God or the Emperor Pill Prototype.
Without a second thought, Zhu Kun replied to Lin Ming's words, "Then he definitely failed!"
Lin Ming nodded, his tone tinged with regret and heaviness, saying, "Yes! He failed. The Dou Di Realm is not so easily reached. Although Senior Xiao Xuan briefly touched the threshold of that level with his vast Bloodline Power, he ultimately failed at the last hurdle, and suffered unimaginable injuries."
"And at the very moment when the Xiao Clan was at its weakest, with its Clan Leader severely injured and its bloodline exhausted," Lin Ming's voice turned cold, "the Hun Clan, which had always been hostile to the Xiao Clan, seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and launched a massive attack!"
"That battle was said to have caused the heavens and earth to shatter and the sun and moon to lose their light. Having lost the Bloodline Power, the Xiao Clan was severely weakened. Facing the Soul Hun Clan, who had been plotting for a long time and whose strength was complete, the outcome was predictable. In the end... the Xiao Clan was almost completely wiped out by the Hun Clan. All the clan's powerful members perished, and their Inheritance Severed. Only a very few members from collateral branches or those who were training elsewhere managed to escape."
Lin Ming added a poignant detail, "The remnants of the Xiao Clan have now been scattered to my family, in a remote place far from the Middle Continent, in the Jia Ma Empire, on the distant Northwest Continent."
"They live in seclusion in a small town. If it weren't for a talented junior who emerged a few years ago, whose strength has now reached the Dou Zong realm and is about to break through to the Dou Venerate realm, thus preserving some of their reputation, the strongest member of their family would probably still be struggling to survive at the Da Dou Shi realm..."
"Da Dou Shi ..." After listening to this long narration, Zhu Kun's huge dragon eyes flashed with light, which finally turned into a complex and incomprehensible sigh and a speechless silence.
He recalled his own past; hadn't he also ended up in such a state because he was pursuing the path to becoming Dou Di?
Upon hearing of Xiao Xuan's fate, I couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow, like a rabbit mourning the death of a fox.
If neither of them coveted the Dou Di Realm, how could Zhu Kun have been trapped for ten thousand years, and Xiao Xuan have perished and their clan wiped out?
"Alas... it's all fate..." Zhu Kun's deep voice echoed, "The path to becoming Dou Di is elusive and difficult to find; it cannot be forced, it cannot be forced..."
However, compared to the Xiao Clan, which was wiped out and only a few cats and kittens remained, Zhu Kun suddenly felt that his own situation was... not so unbearable.
At least, although his Ancient Void Dragon Clan was internally divided, its foundation remained, its strong members still existed, and its bloodline had not been extinguished.
Unlike the Xiao Clan, whose strongest member is only a Da Dou Shi unless a hidden force emerges from behind.
In his Ancient Void Dragon Clan, even newly hatched dragon babies could easily crush so-called Da Dou Shi with their innate physical strength. Thinking about this, the frustration he felt from being trapped for ten thousand years dissipated considerably.
After a moment of silence, Zhu Kun seemed to want to change the subject to something lighter, and focused more of his attention on the young man who had brought about the miracle.
His enormous dragon eyes focused on Lin Ming again, with a hint of scrutiny and curiosity.
"Lin Ming, in my perception, you not only possess Heavenly Flames, but your Soul Power is also quite strong and refined. Zi Yan mentioned several times earlier that you often concoct Medicinal Pill for her, with excellent results. It seems you are also Alchemist?"
Lin Ming did not hide anything from this, nodding frankly and smiling, "Uncle has excellent insight; I am indeed an Alchemist."
"Oh?" Zhu Kun became interested and pressed on, "I wonder what Alchemist you are, Lin Ming? With such mastery of the soul, your rank must be quite high, right?"
Lin Ming remained calm, but his words carried an undeniable confidence as he softly said, "I dare not hide it from you, Uncle. Just two years ago, at the Pill Gathering held in the Middle Continent Pill Region, I was fortunate enough to refine a Tier 8 Medicinal Pill that triggered Eight-and-a-Half-Colored Pill Lightning, and with that... I won the championship."
"Eight-and-a-Half-Colored Pill Lightning?! The Pill Gathering Champion?!"
Even with Zhu Kun's unchanging composure over millennia, upon hearing this news, his enormous dragon eyes suddenly contracted, and an expression of disbelief and shock erupted deep within his pupils!
The Pill Tower Pill Gathering! He certainly knew about this grand event that had been passed down from ancient times. And he understood even more clearly what winning the Pill Gathering meant.
That was the grandest event in the entire continent's Yao Realm, gathering the best talents from all over the world! And the Tier 8 Medicinal Pill of the Eight-Colored Pill Lightning was already infinitely close to the level of Ninth Grade Treasure Pill! To be able to reach this level at such a young age, his Alchemy Talent was nothing short of monstrous!
So much so that even the enormous dragon eyes of the candle had to re-examine Lin Ming, their gaze becoming incredibly complex.
Previously, he was more grateful to Lin Ming for taking care of Zi Yan and admired his courage and wisdom. But now, he truly began to recognize the astonishing potential that Lin Ming himself possessed!
Admittedly, Lin Ming's current strength as Four-Star Dou Venerate is nothing compared to the moon in the eyes of this Nine-Star Dou Saint Peak.
However! Considering Lin Ming's excessively young bone age and his astonishingly high status Tier 8 Peak Alchemist... this is simply too terrifying!
Zhu Kun quickly compared the so-called peerless geniuses from ten thousand years ago that he knew of.
Even the most brilliant talents of that era could never have achieved such dazzling success at Lin Ming's age on two completely different yet incredibly difficult paths of cultivation!
To have reached such heights in both Martial Arts and alchemy was unheard of in his time!
At this moment, Zhu Kun's heart was also filled with turbulent emotions and deep feelings.
He looked at the tall, upright young man in the blue robe before him, his face resolute yet calm, and recalled everything he had done since he appeared:
During the years he was absent, he took meticulous care of Zi Yan, who had been living in exile; in the perilous Ancient Ruins, he helped Zi Yan obtain the heaven-defying Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit; when his own clan was divided and he had nowhere to go, he resolutely led Zi Yan through countless dangers to find himself trapped; and he himself possessed a terrifying talent that would make the entire continent take notice!
With such temperament, such opportunities, and such talent... Zhu Kun could almost foresee that as long as Lin Ming did not perish unexpectedly along the way, it was only a matter of time before he reached the pinnacle of the continent and became one of the new Sovereign of this world!
"Good! Good! Good!" Zhu Kun exclaimed three times, his huge dragon head swaying slightly, his tone filled with undisguised praise and a hint of anticipation for the future.
"Lin Ming, I am deeply grateful for everything you have done. Now it seems that it is Zi Yan's good fortune to have met you, and perhaps... it is also the destiny of my Ancient Void Dragon Clan!"
At this moment, Zhu Kun's evaluation of Lin Ming rose to a whole new level. This young man was not only his daughter's benefactor, but also a future giant worthy of his equal treatment as an Old Dragon Emperor, and even... an investment in him in advance!
The ensuing conversation became more relaxed and in-depth. One was an ancient dragon with vast knowledge, and the other was a transmigrator with extraordinary talent and knowledge of the "future." In this secluded Ancient Emperor Space, the two engaged in a long exchange on a variety of topics, including the situation on the continent, cultivation insights, and ancient secrets.
Time slipped away quietly during the conversation, and the Life Aura within the giant purple-gold cocoon gradually grew stronger and more profound amidst this silent protection and clash of wisdom!