The Ancient Void Dragon Clan's Former Glory

The moment Qingshan heard the name "Zhu Kun," his mind exploded as if struck by a bolt of thunder.

Excitement, exhilaration, wild joy—every emotion surged into his heart at once and showed plainly on his face. Even his body began to tremble slightly.

"Dragon Emperor!"

She really was the Dragon Emperor's daughter!

Qingshan could barely contain his excitement. Forcefully suppressing it, he hurriedly asked where Zhu Kun was.

As long as they could find the Dragon Emperor, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan's crisis of division could be resolved. The Three Great Dragon Kings would no longer dare act so brazenly, their scattered clansmen could be recalled, and their former glory could be restored.

Zi Yan, however, said that she did not know. She had been abandoned and had been an orphan since childhood.

Qingshan was deeply disappointed. He had thought he could learn the Dragon Emperor's whereabouts from Zi Yan, but it had all come to nothing.

Yet he quickly pulled himself together, and his eyes brightened once more.

Even if they had not found the Dragon Emperor, they had at least found his daughter. That alone was tremendous news.

Over the years, the three Dragon Kings of the West, South, and North Dragon Islands had relied on the thin trace of royal blood in their veins to run rampant within the clan.

Now that East Dragon Island had found the pure bloodline of the Dragon Emperor, would those Three Great Dragon Kings still dare misbehave?

Qingshan bowed deeply to Ling Yuan and Zi Yan, his tone incomparably solemn. "Young friends, this old man has confirmed it. She is the daughter of Lord Zhu Kun, the Dragon Emperor of our Ancient Void Dragon Clan—the Dragon Emperor's daughter!"

Zi Yan blinked, her face full of confusion. She had no idea what "Dragon Emperor" meant, nor did she understand how exalted such a status was. She looked rather lost.

But Ling Mother and Elder Ling Yang, who had accompanied them, instantly changed expression. Their faces filled with shock as they turned toward Zi Yan in unison, their eyes brimming with disbelief.

Although Ling Yuan had long known Zi Yan's origins and was mentally prepared, he still put on a look of surprise to match everyone's reaction, lest he arouse suspicion.

Zi Yan asked, "Is the Dragon Emperor's status very high?"

Ling Yuan quietly told her, "It's equivalent to being a clan leader."

Qingshan bowed to Ling Yuan again in sincere gratitude.

"Young Clan Leader of the Ling Clan, thank you for helping our East Dragon Island find the Dragon Emperor's daughter, who had been lost outside. Our Ancient Void Dragon Clan will remember this immense kindness, and we will certainly repay you generously in the future!"

With that, he turned sideways and made an inviting gesture. "Everyone, please come in. Let us enter Dragon Island and discuss this in detail. Whatever the matter, we can speak at length."

Inside the great hall.

Ling Yuan knowingly asked, "Elder Qingshan, are you saying that Zi Yan's father has also gone missing?"

Hearing this, Qingshan let out a heavy sigh and slowly nodded, his tone full of helplessness.

"That's right. The Dragon Emperor has been missing for many years. Throughout these years, East Dragon Island has never given up searching for him, but no matter how we searched, we could never find a trace of him."

Zi Yan stood to the side and listened to their conversation, her feelings a tangled mess.

She had always thought she had been abandoned, but now it seemed things might not have been that way at all.

"The Dragon Emperor disappeared, and the Three Great Dragon Kings split Dragon Island apart. Now that we have found the Dragon Emperor's daughter, East Dragon Island intends to support Zi Yan as the new Dragon Emperor of our Ancient Void Dragon Clan!"

Zi Yan pointed at herself, her face full of disbelief. "Me?"

She only felt that everything was far too surreal. First, she had learned that she was the Dragon Emperor's daughter, and now they wanted to support her as the Dragon Emperor.

Ling Mother and Ling Yang were even more stunned, looking at Zi Yan and then at Ling Yuan.

What kind of luck did my son have? He went out to train, and not only did he bring the Ancient Void Dragon's Dragon Emperor's daughter home, but now they even wanted to make her the Dragon Emperor...

Elder Ling Yang also laughed bitterly inwardly. I had been too hasty. Before, I thought Zi Yan was merely an ordinary Ancient Void Dragon and not worthy of our young clan leader. Now it seemed that I had completely misjudged her. What a reversal.

Ling Yuan's expression remained calm and unreadable, but inwardly, he was already overjoyed.

The early investment was finally about to pay off!

Qingshan saw that Zi Yan had been clinging to Ling Yuan without voicing an opinion.

He was a shrewd man and immediately saw that Zi Yan listened to Ling Yuan.

"Young friend Ling Yuan, to be honest, ever since Dragon Island split apart, the West, South, and North Dragon Islands have constantly eyed East Dragon Island covetously and repeatedly provoked us. East Dragon Island alone can barely hold on. We urgently need a Dragon Emperor to take charge, unite Dragon Island, and rally the hearts of our clansmen." Qingshan spoke earnestly.

Ling Yuan gently shook his head. "If things are truly as you say, then East Dragon Island has no chance at all against the other three islands alone, does it?"

"You may not even be capable of protecting Zi Yan. How can I rest assured handing her over to you and letting her become this Dragon Emperor?"

Ling Yuan did not truly intend to refuse. He merely wanted to force the Ancient Void Dragon Clan to recall the powerful experts searching through the Void.

Qingshan was left speechless by those words.

Ling Yuan was telling the truth. With East Dragon Island's current strength, they truly found it difficult to protect Zi Yan, let alone unify Dragon Island.

"We can immediately recall the Dou Sheng elders who are searching for the Dragon Emperor in the Void. As long as we can bring all of them back, the three Dragon Islands will be no match for us!"

Ling Yuan's gaze shifted, and he asked, "How many Dou Sheng experts did you send into the Void to search for Zhu Kun?"

Ling Yuan had wanted to ask that question for a long time.

The strength of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan had always been a mystery.

In the original story, Zhu Kun had said that in his era, the Gu Clan and Soul Clan had still been merely small clans. That alone showed just how powerful the Ancient Void Dragon Clan had once been.

But why, apart from Zhu Kun, had the Ancient Void Dragon Clan never produced any other formidable figures?

It made no sense for them to let three insignificant Dragon Kings cause a split here.

Logically, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan had long lifespans. It should not have been difficult for experts from Zhu Kun's era to survive until now.

And with the Ancient Void Dragon Clan's heaven-defying treasure-seeking abilities, they should have only grown stronger with time.

Qingshan thought carefully for a moment before slowly speaking.

"They have been away from Dragon Island for far too long. I do not know exactly how many there are, but there are certainly no fewer than thirty.

A thousand years ago, they returned once. At that time, three elders had already reached the Six-Star Dou Sheng realm. If nothing happened to them over these years, they should have broken through to Seven-Star Dou Sheng by now."

Ling Yuan raised a brow, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment. "Only that many?"

More than thirty Dou Sheng, with roughly three Seven-Star Dou Sheng—honestly, that was far weaker than he had expected.

By all rights, the once-prosperous Ancient Void Dragon Clan should not have possessed so little foundation.

Even Ling Mother felt that the Ancient Void Dragon Clan seemed somewhat weak.

Their Dou Di Clans had always believed that the Ancient Void Dragon Clan was stronger than both the Lei Clan and Yan Clan, but now it seemed the gap was far greater than they had imagined.

Ling Mother said, "As far as I know, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan was extremely prosperous tens of thousands of years ago. Its strength was among the very greatest on the continent. What exactly happened over these years for you to decline to such a state?"

Upon hearing that, Qingshan let out a heavy sigh. His gaze became distant, filled with reminiscence, and his voice sank considerably.

"When His Majesty the Dragon Emperor was still here, our Ancient Void Dragon Clan was indeed powerful. At that time, the clan had four Eight-Star Dou Sheng, as well as no fewer than eight Seven-Star Dou Sheng. There were more than a hundred Dou Sheng in total."

Ling Yuan and the others were all stunned.

Damn, I thought Zhu Kun had been boasting, but the Ancient Void Dragon Clan had really been this powerful back then. This foundation was simply terrifying.

After their shock faded, another question arose in everyone's hearts. Since they had been so powerful back then, why had they declined so rapidly now?