True Dragon Nest

Beneath a nameless mountain range lies a mysterious, hidden pocket world.

Through a rift, one can faintly discern a colossal nest constructed from divine wood.

Three giant, dragon-patterned eggs lie quietly within, surrounded by near-viscous True Dragon essence, with the faint sound of dragon roars echoing throughout.

"True Dragon Nest. I finally found you."

At the edge of the pocket world, Shi Hao, who had been sneaking along the entire way, let out a long, weary breath.

Over the past half-year, he had not neglected his cultivation; he had completed the second stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm—the reshaping of his true self in spirit—but the non-stop, day-and-night trekking was truly tedious.

Although the True Dragon Nest was right in front of him, within reach, Shi Hao did not intend to rush in recklessly.

Twenty years later, when "he" of the Escape One Realm walked this path, he was still terrified.

With his current Spirit Transformation Realm cultivation, he feared that one careless move would result in him being shaken to death by the erupting True Dragon essence. Who would he even go to for justice then?

No, perhaps he didn't even have the qualifications to enter the True Dragon Nest.

However, when in trouble, seek the Willow Deity!

Shi Hao pinched a seal with his hands and solemnly chanted a long, tedious incantation.

"What? Did you find another peerless technique comparable to the True Phoenix Precious Technique?"

As the light laughter faded, a vast will descended from a distant place.

"It's about eighty or ninety percent certain. This time, it should be the True Dragon Precious Technique. After all, this is the nest of the True Dragon, the head of the Ten Fiends."

Shi Hao seemed not to hear the mockery in the voice, nodding as if it were a serious matter.

"..."

The vast will instantly fell into a deathly silence.

"Boom!"

The next moment, the golden willow branch in Shi Hao's arms burst into brilliant light.

A peerless, white-clad divine figure stepped out from the void, surrounded by countless divine flames. Three thousand deities chanted and bowed before them, while thousands of divine kingdoms rose and fell.

"It really is the True Dragon Nest..."

Gazing at this pocket world torn from chaos, the white-clad figure manifested by the Willow Deity fell slightly silent, murmuring with a complex expression: "Such terrifying fortune."

"Little one, if I hadn't witnessed your growth with my own eyes, I would have suspected you were a reincarnation of the Eight Sons of Heaven or the Gods and Devils of the Heaven-Opening Lineage."

Having said this, the white-clad figure could not help but sigh while resting their forehead in their hand.

"Eight Sons of Heaven? Heaven-Opening Lineage? What are those? They sound very unfamiliar."

Little Shi scratched his head, feigning ignorance.

With only two Ten Fiends' precious techniques, if he went to the North Sea Kunpeng Nest and brought back the Kunpeng Technique, plus the Grass Sword Art he already had, that would make four.

"A group of ancient Gods and Devils active several epochs ago, long buried by the river of time, leaving no traces. Let's go, let's go inside and see."

"The Ten Fiends, as a race of immortal seeds, are indeed powerful, but they all perished in the Immortal Ancient war. Their descendants were also frequently targeted by enemies; those who could die young did, and those who could fall did. They have not existed in the world for a long time."

"Therefore, don't be fooled by the three True Dragon eggs in the nest; whether they can hatch a True Dragon remains unknown."

The Willow Deity did not wish to discuss these matters further, picking up Shi Hao and slipping into the pocket world.

"Whoosh!"

The two had just crossed the chaotic rift when a dark gleam flashed before their eyes, and a heaven-shaking sword light slashed down from the air.

The Willow Deity's expression remained unchanged as chains of order broke through the air, clashing hundreds of times in an instant before finally forcing the dark gleam back.

In the void, a fragment of a dripping, broken True Dragon horn stood horizontally.

"Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit, it is actually you who has come!"

An exceptionally weak yet pleasantly surprised voice rang out.

Dazzling brilliance erupted as a dim, lusterless light shadow darted out from the broken True Dragon horn, flickering and jumping, on the verge of shattering at any moment.

"Dragon King, I did not expect that even you had fallen."

The Willow Deity looked at the light shadow with a complex expression, though their hands moved with great speed, flicking ten fingers to help stabilize its form.

With the replenishment of the Willow Deity's divine power, the consciousness imprint of this mysterious existence known as the Dragon King, which had been on the verge of collapse, was finally temporarily stabilized.

It was the phantom of a middle-aged man with a majestic figure, golden hair flowing, and eyes like lightning. Just standing there quietly, he possessed a peerless aura that could swallow mountains and rivers, standing supreme above all.

A pair of golden dragon eyes were incomparably dignified, seemingly piercing through the ages.

"Haha, we were defeated, so naturally, we had to pay the price."

As soon as the Dragon King spoke, he possessed an indescribable, heaven-soaring dominance, laughing heartily: "Though I am dead, you have survived. As long as there is life, there is hope. Keep going, my comrade-in-arms."

"But why is your strength so weak? Who hurt you?"

As he spoke, the middle-aged man transformed from the True Dragon frowned and scrutinized him.

"The Immortal King of the foreign realm did not cause me trouble. After the war, in order to seek a breakthrough, I underwent nirvana again in a secret place. I did not expect Ao Sheng and Yuan Chu to take advantage of the situation and come knocking, which is why I fell into the lower realm."

Willow Deity said indifferently.

"Ao Sheng, Yuan Chu? Hmph, those two pieces of trash are experts at internal strife but incompetent against outsiders. They were nowhere to be found when we were fighting the great war against the Foreign Realm."

The Dragon King, who hated evil with a passion, expressed his deep resentment.

"What about you? Who killed you? By all accounts, you are the head of the Ten Fiends; you shouldn't have fallen so easily."

Willow Deity waved a hand, unwilling to discuss these matters further.

The karma between her and the two Immortal Kings, Ao Sheng and Yuan Chu, would be settled when she personally visited the Immortal Domain in the future; another confrontation was inevitable.

"An Lan, Yu Tuo, the Red King, and two unfamiliar faces—the five of them joined forces to ambush me. However, they didn't have it easy; I beheaded two Immortal Kings on the spot, and the three of them, including An Lan, were severely wounded by me. They won't be able to recover for at least a million years."

Mentioning the cause of his own death, the Dragon King seemed remarkably indifferent, his gaze suddenly shifting to Little Shi at Willow Deity's side.

Previously, Shi Hao had been curiously examining the Broken True Dragon Horn that was constantly dripping blood.

The True Dragon Horn was a sacred artifact capable of slicing through the great universe.

The owner of this horn was the Dragon King, who held the only true name of the True Dragon clan, and its grade was even comparable to the legendary Immortal King artifacts capable of destroying the world in a single strike.

In truth, ever since he entered, he had been trying his best to lower his presence, yet he hadn't expected to be successfully targeted by this big shot; he was practically unable to move, on the verge of suffocation.

"He only just reached the Spirit Transformation Realm; he is too fragile."

A gentle breeze swept past, dispersing the tangible pressure of the True Dragon.

"Hoo!"

Shi Hao, his face flushed red, felt like a fish returning to water; he felt his entire body loosen, and he gasped for fresh air in large gulps.

"Decent aptitude. Is he your disciple?"

Noticing Willow Deity's small gesture, the Dragon King curled his lips and shifted his gaze away.

"Perhaps he is, or perhaps he is not."

Divine flames flickered, and a faint thought emanated from within the hazy halo.

"That means he is."

The Dragon King smiled, his gaze turning back to Shi Hao, softening quietly.

"Little one, I cannot give you my True Dragon Horn; that is reserved for my offspring to compensate for their innate deficiencies. However, I can give you this."

As he spoke, the Dragon King reached out and beckoned.

"Hum hum!"

A brilliant light erupted from the depths of the True Dragon Nest, and a crystalline bone flew over, covered in countless dragon patterns that were complex to the extreme.