After dinner, everyone gathered together again.
Neither Leng Yaozhu nor Leng Xue'er was there.
After all, this was the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, so there was no need to worry about Cheng Duoyi's safety.
"Spirit Spirit cultivation is way too difficult," Xie Xie couldn't help complaining.
Yun Xiao said, "It may look difficult, but it's also a real challenge."
After speaking, Yun Xiao looked at Cheng Duoyi expectantly. "Brother Cheng, could I come and give it a try every six months in the future?"
Cheng Duoyi smiled. "Of course."
A gleam lit up Cheng Duoyi's eyes as he turned to Gu Yue and invited her, "Sister Yue'er, I can tell you're very interested in cultivating Soul Spirits too. If you'd like to try in the future, you can come with me. As an Intermediate Spirit Master, I can take on one apprentice to help me out. Then you can come along as my apprentice and study with me."
"Sister Yue'er, would you be willing?"
After speaking, Cheng Duoyi looked at Tang Wuling and the others. "It's a shame there's only one spot. Otherwise, I would've brought you all along."
"It's okay, Brother Yi'er. I don't know much about it yet, so bringing me along wouldn't help you. I just saw how much Sister Yue'er knows about Soul Beasts. Maybe the two of you could cultivate even stronger hundred-year Soul Spirits together," Tang Wuling said.
Yun Xiao nodded. "Brother Cheng, I still know very little about Soul Beasts, so there'd be no point in bringing me. I think Tang Wuling is right. Maybe you and Gu Yue could cultivate stronger hundred-year Soul Spirits together."
"Count me out. There'd be no point in bringing me along either," Xie Xie said.
Gu Yue came back to her senses and looked at Cheng Duoyi happily.
"Thank you, Xiao Yi."
"Let's work hard together to cultivate Soul Spirits." After speaking, Cheng Duoyi glanced at the sky. "It's getting late. I'll take you to the place where you'll stay for the next two days."
"Okay."
Cheng Duoyi took Tang Wuling and the others to their lodgings and settled them in.
Finally, he declined Tang Wuling and Gu Yue's invitation and went to his own quarters.
He entered his Spirit Sea and looked at the Gate of Reincarnating Dragons.
"I wonder what's inside. Can I bring other people in there?"
Without hesitation, Cheng Duoyi reached out and touched the Gate of Reincarnating Dragons. The Seven-Colored Bloodline within him surged, and he entered in an instant.
The environment inside the Gate of Reincarnating Dragons was a little better than Cheng Duoyi had expected.
The sky was pale purple, and multicolored clouds drifted overhead. A somewhat smaller Dragon Soul appeared right in front of Cheng Duoyi.
Though it was difficult to make out what kind of dragon it was, this Dragon Soul...
As Cheng Duoyi pondered, he somehow knew its name.
Exquisite Jade Bone Dragon.
A normal Exquisite Jade Bone Dragon looked as though it had been carved entirely from warm-white mutton-fat jade. It had no hard scales; its skin was smooth and lustrous, with a soft glow. A pair of small, coral-like horns grew from its head, its wings were translucent like cicada wings, and its eyes were a clear pinkish purple.
But the Dragon Soul before him had only the outward appearance of one.
When the Exquisite Jade Bone Dragon Soul saw Cheng Duoyi, its emotions clearly shifted. Its eyes filled with excitement, reverence, and astonishment, and it dropped to its knees at once.
"Grr..."
Though it was in Dragon Soul form, it could still make a sound.
In an instant, countless Dragon Souls appeared.
Cheng Duoyi saw them and knew what they were.
The largest was a Purple Lightning Azure Thunder Dragon Soul. At about twenty-two meters long in its juvenile stage, it would grow to over a hundred meters as an adult. This one was still a juvenile...
Besides it, there were dozens of other kinds of Dragon Souls, including Bone Blade Shadow Dragon Souls, Azure Water Profound Ice Dragon Souls, and Gilded Red-Veined Dragon Souls. Before long, the entire area was packed with Dragon Souls, a truly magnificent sight.
They all bowed to Cheng Duoyi.
All at once, Cheng Duoyi felt the Dragon God Heart surge with power. The Seven-Colored Bloodline within him boiled, and a strange emotion welled up inside him.
He couldn't put it into words.
Looking at the Dragon Souls kneeling before him, Cheng Duoyi recalled the scene he had witnessed back then.
The Nine-Colored Divine Dragon had destroyed countless planets, and countless members of the Dragon Clan had died.
It had even declared, "Without the Dragon God, no beast shall ever become a god."
Cheng Duoyi's fair little face set with resolve. "My fellow members of the Dragon Clan, I've come too late. I already know what happened in the past. Now, I'm back! I'll lead you all toward another kind of eternal life. Please believe in me and give me a chance!"
When he finished, he bowed deeply to them.
He didn't know whether he was paying tribute to the Dragon Clan's dead or mourning their misfortune.
"Grr!"
"Roar!"
"Wah-wah!"
"Rrrr!"
"Milord, you are our master, and we are your subjects. How could a master bow to his subjects? We've long since forgotten what happened back then. Now, we only hope you'll lead the Dragon Clan back to its former glory! We ask nothing else."
At that moment, a special Dragon Soul sensed that Cheng Duoyi had bowed to the others and appeared right in front of him out of thin air.
Its appearance had been preserved just as it was in life.
Cheng Duoyi was startled when he saw it. This dragon was simply too beautiful.
It wasn't very tall, standing about eight meters high. Its body was covered in translucent, glimmering white scales, within which fine silver-blue starlight flowed, as if an entire starry sky had been sealed inside them.
A pair of spiraling horns rose from its head. Their roots were a rich emerald green, fading into ice blue toward the tips. Its eyes weren't the vertical pupils of an ordinary dragon, but two deep pools of starlight, where slowly swirling nebulae seemed to turn.
Its wings weren't solid, fleshy limbs. They looked like translucent membranes made of countless folded layers of space, dotted with twinkling stars like a galaxy in the night sky.
For a moment, Cheng Duoyi couldn't tell what kind of dragon it was. He had never seen one like it.
After it spoke, Cheng Duoyi was forcibly straightened from his bow. It wouldn't let him bow to them!
Cheng Duoyi came back to his senses and immediately changed forms, sorrow written across his face. "What happened in the past can't be forgotten, but I'll do everything I can to make amends. Humans have now developed a special space called the Spirit Ascension Platform, where Soul Spirits can survive."
"If you're willing, I'll seize the Spirit Ascension Platform for you in the future and make it your home. Its environment is well suited to Soul Spirits..."
But the Dragon Soul shook its head. "Milord, we're already overjoyed that you've returned. All we want now is to help you..."
Cheng Duoyi suddenly thought of something and said at once, "If you want to help me, then stay here and live in peace. Wait for me to summon you. I'll bring you here in the future. For now, pass the word to the others: when the crucial moment comes, don't disappear on me!"
It looked at Cheng Duoyi in surprise. It hadn't expected him to truly want to give them a peaceful life.
"Milord, we've lived for countless years and have long since stopped wanting to live. We've been waiting for you to appear. Now that you have, we can die without regrets."
Cheng Duoyi's expression turned stern. "I won't let you die!"
"Milord... what did you say?" It looked astonished.
"I said I command you not to die!"
"If you still acknowledge me as your master, then obey my orders. Not a single one of you is allowed to die!"
Now, it wasn't only the dragon that stared at Cheng Duoyi in astonishment. The other Dragon Souls did too, clearly unable to believe their master would say such a thing.
What sort of being was their master?
And what sort of beings were they?
What had they done to deserve their master's favor?
"Milord, you've changed a little from before..."
Joy filled its expression. Memories glimmered in its starry eyes. As Cheng Duoyi watched nervously, it transformed into human form, knelt on one knee, and spoke slowly. "I am the Holy Space Dragon, a First-Level God under the Eighteenth Legion of the Space Dragon King, one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings. I pay my respects to my master!"
"If my master forbids me to die, then I shall not die!"
"I await the day you lead the Dragon Realm back to its former glory!"
The Holy Space Dragon's human form was just as handsome. His clothes were all glimmering white, accented with golden threads.
Cheng Duoyi asked in confusion, "You're... the First-Level God, the Holy Space Dragon? But why can't I sense your divine power? And you can take human form?"
The Holy Space Dragon replied respectfully, "Milord, my divine power vanished when I died. Only this sliver of divine consciousness remains. If you devour it, it can expand your Spirit Sea. My bones, however, are fairly well preserved. You may take them if you need them. As for my human form, this is what I looked like back then. So long as my divine consciousness remains, I can naturally assume it."
Cheng Duoyi breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had stopped it just now. Otherwise, he would've wasted a Holy Space Dragon with divine consciousness!
Even if it was only a sliver, divine consciousness was still divine consciousness!
And First-Level God divine consciousness, at that!
He couldn't treat it like an Experience Fruit and just devour it!
But after hearing that...
Cheng Duoyi said sternly, "From now on, don't go turning yourselves into energy without my permission. You're all my people. And as for your bones, I don't need them."
"Understood, Milord." The Holy Space Dragon paused, then remembered something and handed Cheng Duoyi a chessboard. "Milord, this is the Dragon Realm Chessboard. We're currently in the Eighteenth Ring, the outermost one. You can use the Dragon Realm Chessboard to inspect the Dragon Souls and bones inside. It also shows the dragon aura that's formed here. You can absorb that dragon aura; it'll help your body and bloodline a little."
The Dragon Realm Chessboard was small and gray, about the size of a palm, and looked a little like a compass.
The moment Cheng Duoyi took it, he stood above the Dragon Realm as if looking down from heaven, able to observe its state.
He immediately noticed a great many clusters of energy. The First and Second Rings had the most, with several hundred in each!
The number of energy clusters dwindled ring by ring. By the Eighteenth Ring, only one glimmering white cluster remained.
"Could these energy clusters represent Dragon Souls with divine consciousness?"
The thought made Cheng Duoyi jump.
If so, how many powerful Dragon Souls were there in the Dragon Realm?
Next, he tried to enter the Seventeenth Ring, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get in. Cheng Duoyi didn't mind. He began examining the inside of the Eighteenth Ring and found many Dragon Clan bones exposed in the earth, along with countless Dragon Souls heading toward him. He also saw the dragon aura the Holy Space Dragon had mentioned.
The dragon aura appeared as floating clumps of energy.
Cheng Duoyi glanced at them, then stopped paying attention. When he came back to his senses, he suddenly noticed that the Dragon Realm Chessboard had grown enormous, and the Eighteenth Ring was glowing.
"Holy Space Dragon, what's going on?" Cheng Duoyi asked.
The Holy Space Dragon wasn't surprised by the change in the Dragon Realm Chessboard. It smiled as it answered, "Milord, the bloodline within you is the most noble of all. Your arrival has also caused the Dragon Realm Chessboard to acknowledge you as its master. No other creature can use it. You can summon it at any time to observe what's inside."
Cheng Duoyi understood, then asked, "Why can't I enter the Seventeenth Ring?"
The Holy Space Dragon replied, "Milord, your bloodline isn't yet strong enough to support your entry into the Seventeenth Ring. Each of the Dragon Realm's Eighteen Rings requires your bloodline to reach a certain level before you can enter."
"So that's how it is." Cheng Duoyi nodded. "By the way, can I bring other people in here?"
The Holy Space Dragon answered respectfully, "Milord, you currently have a human body. If you want to bring someone else in, their level cannot be more than two rings higher than yours."
Cheng Duoyi felt a little disappointed, but quickly let it go.
He looked at the Holy Space Dragon expectantly. "Um... There's a Titled Douluo at rank ninety-four whose Martial Soul is the Ancient Life Tree. He spent much of his life force saving me. Is there anything special in the Dragon Realm that could heal him or extend his lifespan?"
Looking at the somewhat adorable Cheng Duoyi, the Holy Space Dragon found it hard to think of him as the reincarnation of the Dragon God. Still, there was no faking the bloodline within Cheng Duoyi, and it actually felt that Cheng Duoyi was more suited to being the Dragon God as he was now.
At Cheng Duoyi's question, the Holy Space Dragon fell into thought. "The Ancient Life Tree..."
Cheng Duoyi thought there was nothing and felt a little disappointed. "There isn't anything? But I saw quite a few rare treasures of heaven and earth in the Eighteenth Ring..."
The Holy Space Dragon smiled. "Milord, it's not that there isn't anything. I was only thinking about which rare treasure of heaven and earth would be best suited to someone who awakened the Ancient Life Tree Martial Soul."
"Have you thought of anything?" Seeing that there was still hope, Cheng Duoyi looked at the Holy Space Dragon expectantly.
The Holy Space Dragon found Cheng Duoyi even more adorable now. He didn't have the slightest bit of a master's dignity.
"How could I dare presume to speak for my master?"
The Holy Space Dragon quickly grew solemn. "Milord, I've thought of something."
Cheng Duoyi scratched his head. "You don't have to be so serious. You're making me want to act serious too."
The Holy Space Dragon froze, then smiled. It reached out and grabbed at the air. A spatial rift appeared to its right, and one rare treasure of heaven and earth after another materialized in its hand.
"This is..." Cheng Duoyi exclaimed.
"This is one of my abilities," the Holy Space Dragon said. "I don't have many other abilities; I only know how to use space. The Eighteenth Ring of the Dragon Realm is under my care, so I know everything here inside and out. I can also travel to any place in the Eighteenth Ring at will."
Cheng Duoyi nodded, understanding that the Holy Space Dragon was like the guardian of the Eighteenth Ring, keeping outsiders from entering.
Before you continue