Inside the secret room, only Lin Ming and Zhu Li.
Seeing Lin Ming Zhu Li's expression darkened, and he immediately said, "Now you can speak!"
Seeing this, and knowing the questions in Zhu Li, Lin Ming stopped keeping him in suspense. After all, he was the one who orchestrated this whole thing, and he had long anticipated this situation, so he already had a prepared answer in his mind.
At this moment, Lin Ming's brows furrowed slightly, as if he were sorting out his thoughts for the last time, and a look of reminiscence and solemnity gradually appeared on his face.
After a moment, Lin Ming spoke slowly, his voice clearly audible in the silent chamber, carrying a hint of remoteness and heaviness:
"Elder Zhu Li, this is a long story, and the twists and turns and dangers involved far exceed your imagination. The origin of all this can be traced back to what Zi Yan and I encountered in those Ancient Ruins."
After speaking, Lin Ming paused, his gaze becoming incredibly profound, as if piercing through the barriers of time and returning to that Ancient Ruins, fraught with danger yet full of wondrous adventures.
Then, he slowly dropped the first bombshell, each word exploding like thunder in the secret room:
"At that time, within those ruins, we not only obtained the long-lost Dou Saint remains, but also discovered a divine object that was a thousand times more important to the Ancient Void Dragon Clan than the Dou Saint remains."
At this moment, Lin Ming deliberately paused, looking at Zhu Li's expression that suddenly became tense, and said, word by word, "That is— the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit!"
"The Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit?!"
Even though Zhu Li, the moment he heard those five words, he was still shaken to his core, as if struck by lightning, and abruptly stood up from his seat.
The table he was gripping tightly with both hands was crushed by his own hands without him even realizing it.
At this moment, Elder Zhu Li's face was filled with extreme shock and disbelief. His eyes were wide open, his lips trembled, and he could barely utter a complete sentence:
"You... you're telling the truth?! That legendary Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit that can create Dragon Phoenix, allowing our people to break through their shackles and simultaneously possess the divine powers of our race and the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix?!"
The Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit is a divine object that exists only in the ancient legends of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan! From the beginning of their Ancient Dragon Clan's records until now, even if what Lin Ming said is true, including the one he mentioned, there are only five in total.
The Ancient Dragon Clan has a history spanning far more than 100,000 years, even with a rough estimate. Yet, only five of these dragons have appeared in the world over those 100,000 years – a level of rarity that truly makes them legendary.
Upon hearing Lin Ming's Zhu Li, Zhu Li's heart was pounding wildly, almost as if it would burst out of his chest.
He stared intently at Lin Ming, his eyes filled with anticipation and eagerness, awaiting Lin Ming's next words. He knew that this news might completely change the fate of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan!
"Absolutely true!" Lin Ming nodded firmly, his expression more solemn than ever before, with no hint of jest in his eyes.
At the same time, he directly stated details that were enough to convince people. "That fruit did not grow out of thin air; its birthplace was nurtured by two supreme skeletons that had been entangled for countless ages!"
Taking a deep breath, Lin Ming described the form of the God with the most precise language possible. "Elder Zhu Li, you should know that ordinary Heavenly Treasures come in various forms, but the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit is unique. I saw it with my own eyes; one half of the fruit was in the shape of True Dragon, with scales and claws clearly visible, radiating pure golden Dragon Qi, domineering and majestic; the other half was in the form of Heavenly Phoenix, with clear feathers, flowing with brilliant purple light, noble and sacred."
"The dragon's head and the phoenix's head meet at the top of the fruit, and the dragon's body and the phoenix's wings merge perfectly in the middle of the fruit, as if they were born as one, together forming a unique fruit that is perfectly formed and where Dragon Phoenix intertwine!"
"At the same time, the oppressive aura emanating from it caused all living beings present, whether human or beast, to feel a deep tremor and submission in their souls. Such a form that Seize Heaven and Earth's Creation is impossible to imagine without witnessing it firsthand; it cannot be faked."
Lin Ming's description was meticulous, especially the characteristic of "half dragon form, half phoenix form, the two intertwined and combined," which is the most core and most secret record of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit in the ancient classics of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan!
Upon hearing Zhu Li, Zhu Li's last trace of doubt vanished instantly, replaced by a volcanic eruption of joy and excitement! No one who has never seen the real thing could describe it so accurately!
"Good! Good! May the heavens bless my Ancient Void Dragon Clan!" Zhu Li was so excited that his beard trembled slightly. He suddenly grabbed Lin Ming's arm with such force that Lin Ming felt a slight pain.
An unprecedented glint flashed in his deep eyes as he urgently pressed Lin Ming for an answer, "Then... then where is this Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit that concerns the fate of our race? Where is it now?! Is it safe?!"
Seeing Zhu Li's excited and impatient expression, Lin Ming understood his feelings. He gently patted the back of Zhu Li's hand, signaling him to calm down, and continued to tell the story he had already conceived, his tone becoming deep and full of tension:
"Elder Zhu Li, please don't be hasty, allow me to explain in detail. At that time, we had just discovered this Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit in the ruins, and the shock and joy in our hearts had not yet subsided when danger struck one after another."
Lin Ming's voice carried a hint of reminiscence as he said, "The people of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan, through some unknown means, also found their way there! The moment they saw the fruit of the Dragon Phoenix's union, their eyes immediately turned red—a near-mad greed and an unwavering determination to possess it!"
"With no room for maneuver, a fierce battle immediately broke out between the two sides." A cold, sharp glint flashed in Lin Ming's eyes at the right moment, as if he had returned to the battlefield at that time.
"That battle was so fierce that the sky darkened and the space of the ruins shattered. The Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan sent a powerful force this time, including several birdmen at the Five-Star Dou Zun. However, our side is stronger, so we didn't face much pressure. The advantage is on our side!"
Zhu Li immediately showed his joy at this. However, before he could show his joy for long, Lin Ming First Revolution and began to describe the decisive moment, his tone becoming impassioned:
"Seeing that their attacks were proving ineffective and they were gradually losing ground, those birdmen resorted to their most desperate and last-ditch efforts! Using a special secret technique, they forcibly awakened a wisp of the ancient Heavenly Phoenix Remnant Soul, which had been dormant for countless ages within the remains of the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix that accompanied the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit!"
"In an instant, the phoenix's might surged to the heavens. A massive and illusory purple Heavenly Phoenix Phantom rose from the skeleton, carrying with it a furious rage that could burn the Eight Desolations and a destructive will, crushing towards us! That kind of power had already exceeded our ability to cope with it, making us feel a deadly threat!"
Zhu Li also became worried about this.
But in that instant, Lin Ming's voice suddenly rose, and he spoke again with a sense of pride and excitement:
"At this critical moment of life and death! Zi Yan... she had a sudden inspiration and, without hesitation, activated the remains of the Ancient Void Dragon that was confronting her, which was also the Elder Zhu Li's clan!"
"Below this, a golden phantom of Dragon Soul roared out from the dragon's remains! Although it was also just Remnant Soul, the spatial Origin Power and fighting will contained within that Dragon Soul seemed to naturally suppress the Phoenix Soul by a notch!"
Lin Ming immediately described the scene vividly, as if recreating it before Zhu Li's eyes. "The golden Dragon Soul Space-Tearing, ignoring the scorching purple Phoenix Flame. Its claws outstretched, carrying the power to shatter the void, it clashed fiercely with the Phoenix Soul! The dragon's roar shook the heavens, and the phoenix's cry wept blood! The energy storm unleashed from the mere clash of Remnant Soul almost completely annihilated the core of that ruin!"
Finally, Lin Ming announced the result in a powerful voice, "In the end, Elder Zhu Li, the Dragon Soul of your clan's Ancient Void Dragon, is superior! It forcefully tore apart the Remnant Soul of the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, completely shattering and scattering it!"
"With their greatest asset gone, the bird-men of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan collapsed like a house of cards. We seized the opportunity to counterattack, and ultimately succeeded in burying every single member of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan who had entered the ruins alive, forever burying them in that ancient land! This completely eliminated any possibility of information leaking out!"
"It was only after clearing away all the obstacles that Zi Yan was able to step forward and, under the witness of the two supreme skeletons that seemed to be guarding the fruit, carefully and solemnly successfully collected the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit, which symbolized the future hope of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit Clan!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Li's expression was quite a sight!
First came the tension and anger upon hearing of the appearance of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan, then the worry upon hearing that the other side had summoned the Heavenly Phoenix Remnant Soul, and finally the ecstasy, pride, and triumph upon hearing that their ancestor's Dragon Soul displayed its divine power, crushing the Phoenix Soul and annihilating all enemies!
"Good! Well done!" Zhu Li couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh, his laughter filled with unbridled joy.
"Those feathered beasts, coveting our clan's treasure, deserved to die! Even if only Remnant Soul of my ancestors' spirits remain, they can still protect their descendants and uphold our Dragon Might's might! Hahahaha!"
These successive pieces of good news—obtaining the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, annihilating the elite of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan, and witnessing the power of his ancestor's Dragon Soul —overwhelmed his joy, and much of his worry and anxiety from the past few days was dispelled.
At this moment, he laughed heartily a few times, barely managing to suppress his excitement, but the eagerness in his eyes remained undiminished, and he impatiently said to Lin Ming:
"Alright! Lin Ming, continue! What happened next? What happened to Zi Yan and the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit she obtained?"
All of the above are true events that can withstand scrutiny, so Lin Ming wasn't afraid of being exposed. However, what he was about to say next would involve falsehood, or perhaps it couldn't be false, but he had to shift the main relationships within it and remove himself from the story.