Ancient Void Dragon Old Homeland

However, Zhu Jin did not set out immediately. He had just finished a major battle and needed to recover his strength and Dou Qi. He had no pills to restore Dou Qi, so he could only rely on sleep for natural recovery. After three days of secluded cultivation and rest, Zhu Jin had fully recovered. He then summoned Xie Dong. "Let's go. Take me to that ancient ruin."

Upon hearing Zhu Jin's order, Xie Dong made thorough preparations and immediately replied, "By your command. Everything for the journey to the ancient ruin has been prepared. We can depart at any time."

As they traveled, Zhu Jin gradually confirmed his suspicions. This so-called ancient ruin was actually the most vital place of a former vassal clan of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan.

Zhu Jin was no fool. He would not rashly venture into an unknown ancient ruin, especially one that might contain dangers such as Heavenly Flames.

In truth, this so-called ancient ruin was an asset of the Ancient Void Dragons. Back then, the Ancient Void Dragons' ancestral territory spread throughout the Beast Domain. The Wild Mountain Range had merely been one corner, one small part, of that ancestral land.

The Ancient Void Dragons' ancestral territory had once covered nearly one-fifth of the Dou Qi Continent. Their domains were everywhere. After all, Zhu Kun had been a Nine-Star Dou Saint, and the Ancient Void Dragon Clan under his leadership had been incomparably powerful. Only after the Ancient Void Dragons declined and fell into civil war did their ancestral territory shrink to its current state, leaving only four Dragon Islands.

Though the book had never stated it outright, based on the scattered descriptions of the Ancient Void Dragons within it, as well as the legends Zhu Jin had heard over the years since being reborn on Dragon Island, it could basically be concluded that the Ancient Void Dragons had originated in the era of Dou Di. In that age, when Dou Di had yet to vanish and countless Dou God Clans and peak magical beasts roamed freely, the Ancient Void Dragons had already established a mighty realm, unshakable by any force.

From the age of the emperors to the present, the Ancient Void Dragons had endured through the ages. At the height of the Dragon Kingdom they established, they could even steadily suppress the Dou God Clans. Their influence had once extended into the Central Plains. Three Thousand Burning Flame was in the Pill Tower of the Central Plains, which showed just how far the Ancient Void Dragons' influence had once reached. One could imagine how powerful they had been.

However, the Ancient Void Dragons had now declined and weakened, no longer possessing the strength to sweep across the world and dominate the Beast Domain as they once had. Even so, some of their former territories, ruins, or rather, the things they had left behind when the Ancient Void Dragon Clan retreated into the Void Land, had become what were now called ancient ruins.

After all, several thousand years had passed. It truly was "ancient" by now.

Xie Dong took the lead, guiding the way. He had visited the ancient ruin several times before, so he was thoroughly familiar with the route.

Zhu Jin merely followed in silence. He did not reveal anything about the Ancient Void Dragon Old Homeland, keeping his guard up. Inwardly, he had begun comparing their route with the map he had obtained from Dragon Island.

Though much of this old map no longer matches up, its outline remains. Some of the information should still be accurate.

Zhu Jin and the others headed toward the Ancient Void Dragon Old Homeland. Mountain ranges rose and fell before them, lofty peaks and steep ridges sprawled across the earth like crouching dragons and tigers. The Ancient Void Dragons' territory had once been a land of magnificent rivers and mountains, like a divine kingdom. Yet what Zhu Jin and the others saw today was nothing like that.

The closer they came to their destination, the more the spiritual energy of heaven and earth withered and collapsed. Dead trees and dried vines filled their path, while bare mountains and exhausted rivers stretched into the distance. Birds and beasts were scarce, and deathly silence pervaded the land. Not even a single first-grade medicinal herb could be seen.

Zhu Jin's gaze swept across the area. Amid certain mountain valleys and dark, dense forests, he spotted ancient palaces and towers in utter ruin. They had collapsed into broken walls and crumbling remnants, overgrown with withered grass and steeped in lifelessness.

Yet faintly visible upon them were dragon-like carvings. From the exquisite decorations on those shattered walls and ruins, one could tell how prosperous this place had once been, how grand and imposing it had once stood.

"Alas." Zhu Jin could not help sighing, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy. The world was truly unpredictable. The mighty Ancient Void Dragon Clan had actually fallen to such a state.

Hearing Zhu Jin sigh, Xie Dong turned and asked, "Lord Dragon King, this was once an extremely powerful magical beast empire. But I heard that it later encountered some misfortune, and the entire magical beast empire was wiped out overnight."

Zhu Jin glanced at him, but did not conceal anything. "The Wild Mountain Macaque Dragon, an eighth-tier magical beast empire. It once ruled the entire Wild Mountain Range. It was a vassal clan of my clan."

Xie Dong nodded vigorously. He had few hobbies in ordinary times, other than reading books, especially ancient records, and learning about history. Otherwise, he would not have recognized Zhu Jin's identity at a glance. He said excitedly, "I once heard some old magical beasts from the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan mention that the Wild Mountain Macaque Dragon Empire suddenly suffered an anomaly back then. Some said it had been attacked by the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan. Others said it had been destroyed by experts from the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan. Still others said it simply vanished suddenly—not destroyed, but struck by something bizarre. There are all sorts of claims. No one knows what really happened."

"Curiosity kills beasts. Knowing too much about certain matters can be a bad thing instead." Zhu Jin did not explain it to Xie Dong. He had always suspected that the Ancient Void Dragon Clan's complete abandonment of all its territory in the Beast Domain and retreat into the Void Land had not simply been because of Zhu Kun's disappearance.

When Zhu Jin had read the book, he had always had one question: why was the Ancient Void Dragon Clan's combat strength so severely disconnected?

The three Dragon Kings were currently Dragon Island's strongest fighters, yet they were only three-star Dou Saints, even inferior to Huang Tian of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan. The remaining Ancient Void Dragon elders were all below two-star Dou Saint, while Zhu Kun had been at the peak of nine-star Dou Saint. There was an enormous gap between them.

At first, Zhu Jin had thought it was most likely because Tudou, while writing the ending, felt that the disparity between the two sides was too great and needed a deus ex machina to balance their strength. So, without much thought, he had arranged for Zhu Kun, a peak nine-star Dou Saint, to appear, thereby balancing the Soul Clan's excessive strength and naturally allowing Xiao Yan to obtain the Dou Di Inheritance and break through to Dou Di.

But upon seriously reconsidering it now, perhaps it was not so simple. This hinted at a secret of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan that no one knew!

Soon, once they entered the area near the ancient ruin, the scenery finally began to change. It was no longer filled with overgrown weeds and broken walls. Fresh traces appeared, along with many signs left behind by magical beasts—footprints and newly made signs of habitation.

Xie Dong lowered his voice and pointed toward a mountain peak in the distance. "Lord Dragon King, the ancient ruin lies just ahead. But the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan has already sealed off the area. We can't get in."

In fact, Xie Dong had already scouted the route two days before their departure. After all, the Purple Cloud Scorpion Serpents were also a vassal clan of the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan. Even someone of Xie Dong's status was not permitted to enter. Members of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan were already guarding the entrance.

"Mm. Wait here. I'll find a way myself." Zhu Jin had never intended to take Xie Dong inside from the beginning. After arriving here, he had already confirmed that this was not some ancient alchemist's tomb. It was the ancestral shrine the Wild Mountain Macaque Dragon Empire had used to worship the Ancient Void Dragon Clan.