Lin Changqing's brows knitted at once. The hairs all over his body stood on end, and a sense of danger washed over him.
The might of a Quasi-Sage was beyond even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal!
And Lin Changqing was still short of the Mystic Immortal realm. His strength was only at the Golden Immortal level.
Even though the dragon had only a remnant soul and a corpse, the pressure radiating from its body still sent a shock through Lin Changqing!
"Senior! I meant no offense. This secret realm appeared, and I entered alongside a friend of the Dragon Clan."
Countless waves of blood energy surged within Lin Changqing, ready to erupt at any moment.
Even so, he held still. If he provoked this Quasi-Sage, he would be in serious trouble.
At the same time, Divine Demon Power surged wildly within him, ready to unleash Divine Demon Wings and flee the hall.
"Hmph! A mere Mystic Immortal dares to enter my Dragon Clan's secret realm?"
"Kid, you've got quite a lot of nerve."
Unexpectedly, the Dragon Clan elder's voice softened. Though its body was no more than bones, it slowly swam through the air and coiled around a pillar in the hall. One bony claw stretched toward Lin Changqing.
"Hold out your hand. Let me see that girl's blood essence."
The dragon's words made Lin Changqing relax a little.
So this Quasi-Sage had noticed him and Ao Ying entering the secret realm long ago. He had probably been under the elder's watch from the very start.
If he had shown even the slightest greed or disrespect toward the Dragon Clan's remains, he would likely have lost his head on the spot.
Even with the Divine Demon Prison Suppression Art, he was still only a Mystic Immortal. He didn't believe he could withstand a Quasi-Sage's attack.
At best, his Merit Golden Body could block one blow and save his life.
Lin Changqing let his mind relax a little, but remained wary as he watched the countless dragon skeletons.
Only then did he notice that, though all the dragon skeletons were moving, only the remains of this Quasi-Sage Dragon Clan elder possessed consciousness and intelligence. The rest moved sluggishly, driven by instinct alone.
"No need to look. When the calamity struck, the Ancestral Dragon ordered us to lead our descendants and establish secret realms to hide from it. But our Dragon Clan was destined to be at the heart of the calamity. We couldn't escape."
"After the Ancestral Dragon fell, the Heavenly Dao sent down endless Purple Firmament Divine Lightning. It shattered this secret realm and annihilated us all."
"Even though I was a Primordial Golden Immortal, only a wisp of my remnant soul remained. That's why I can speak with you now."
"The other dragons died long ago. These are all mindless remnants of their souls."
The Quasi-Sage Dragon seemed to have read Lin Changqing's thoughts. It smiled as it spoke, its tone remarkably light.
"Senior, you're remarkably composed, speaking of the Dragon Clan's crisis as if it were nothing," Lin Changqing said with a slight bow. He held out his hand and released the drop of Ao Ying's blood essence.
The Quasi-Sage Dragon's bony claw curled inward and slowly drew the drop of blood essence into its grasp. It continued speaking as it did.
"What good would it do to see things any other way? Not even a Primordial Great Unity could withstand a world-ending calamity. We Primordial Golden Immortals were nothing but ashes waiting to be scattered."
"Besides, how long has it been? If I hadn't let go, I'd have become a vengeful spirit by now. You probably would've been dead the moment you came in."
The Bone Dragon glanced at Lin Changqing. Though its eyes were no more than empty sockets, Lin Changqing still felt its gaze upon him.
"Ha ha ha! True dragon bloodline, a nine-patterned true dragon! Excellent, excellent!"
"A descendant of Elder Azure Dragon. I wonder which branch of the Dragon Clan she belongs to."
The blood essence churned in the Bone Dragon's claw. A golden thread flickered through it, and the Bone Dragon burst into laughter.
"Kid, do you know what's become of the Dragon Clan?"
The Bone Dragon looked at Lin Changqing and asked eagerly.
"The Dragon Clan now has four surviving branches, the Four Seas Dragon Clans. The one who entered with me is Ao Ying, princess of the East Sea Dragon Clan."
"She's the daughter of Ao Guang, the East Sea Dragon King."
There was no need to hide this, so Lin Changqing smiled at the Bone Dragon as he spoke. The latter nodded repeatedly.
"So it's Ao Guang. His strength was no less than mine. He's done well to preserve the Dragon Clan!"
The Bone Dragon smiled broadly, while Lin Changqing's brows drew together.
If he remembered correctly, the former South Sea Dragon King had only been a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, not a Quasi-Sage!
In theory, the Four Seas Dragon Kings should have been equally powerful. How could Ao Guang be a Quasi-Sage?
Still, no one knew for sure. The East Sea had always been the foremost of the Four Seas Dragon Clans, so it wasn't impossible that Ao Guang was a Quasi-Sage.
Lin Changqing kept the question to himself.
The Bone Dragon slowly turned its head and looked at him.
"Kid, what of the Phoenix Clan and the Qilin Clan?"
"The Phoenix Clan still has a few descendants, but far fewer than the Dragon Clan. As for the Qilin Clan, there's no trace of them in the Primordial World."
There was no need to hide this, either.
After the era of the Three Clans, the Dragon Clan had indeed become the strongest.
Only the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Kong Xuan had survived from the Phoenix Clan. The rest were all gone.
As for the Qilin Clan, Lin Changqing had never heard of any of them still living.
"Ha ha ha!"
"Hmph! Those two clans dared to contend with our Dragon Clan. They got what they deserved!"
The Bone Dragon burst into laughter, sounding rather pleased with itself.
"Alas..."
But once its laughter faded, the Bone Dragon let out a despondent sigh.
What did it matter if the Dragon Clan was now the strongest of the Three Clans?
The Three Clans had all declined. One was no better off than the others.
The era of the Three Clans had long since passed. Their former glory was gone.
The Bone Dragon remained still for a long while, then slowly turned its head toward Lin Changqing again.
"Kid, that girl went to the Ancestral Dragon Pool and found a great opportunity. You ended up here instead."
"You're only a Mystic Immortal, yet you possess the strength of a Golden Immortal. And you have strange abilities even I can't see through."
"Besides, I can sense a power within you that makes even my heart tremble, along with an immeasurable amount of Power of Merit."
"That girl's opportunity was the Ancestral Dragon Pool. I can offer you one of my own."
The Bone Dragon looked at Lin Changqing and spoke in an indifferent tone. Lin Changqing, however, could barely contain himself. His eyes lit up as he looked back.
This was an opportunity!
An opportunity granted by a Quasi-Sage—just how powerful would it be? Lin Changqing's heart began to race!
It might not be as good as the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir or the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure his master had given him, but it certainly wouldn't be far off!
But the Bone Dragon just watched Lin Changqing, saying nothing for a long while.
"Senior, Xiaoying and I are friends, and I'm on good terms with the Dragon Clan."
"Rest assured, if the Dragon Clan is ever in danger, I won't stand by and do nothing!"
Lin Changqing spoke at once. The Bone Dragon slowly nodded.
The Bone Dragon had its own calculations, after all.
The Ancestral Dragon Pool held the Dragon Clan's bloodline power. No matter how envious others were, it wasn't a treasure they could take away.
But if the Dragon Clan took the item he offered, it might well bring disaster.
Besides, ever since the calamity, the Dragon Clan had been burdened with countless Karmic Obstacles. Even with this small addition, it had no hope of rising again.
Finding allies was the only sensible choice.
And someone with boundless merit within him was clearly the best possible ally.
What's more, the treasures he offered now would create karmic ties that might lessen the Dragon Clan's Karmic Obstacles!
A Quasi-Sage who had lived for countless ages could still scheme endlessly, even in death.
"Ha ha ha! Good! Kid, I knew I was right about you."
"This secret realm should have held countless treasures. But that blast of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning annihilated most of them, and the rest were lost to time."
"Only this treasure protected my remnant soul through endless ages. It's yours!"
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