True Dragon Bloodline

Yu Yuanzhen's arms were nearly as thick as an ordinary person's waist.

Even through his robes, one could sense the knotted, bulging lines of muscle beneath them.

He stood at least half again as tall as an average man.

He seemed like a thunder god who had stepped out of an ancient myth, carrying an oppressive presence that made people unconsciously lower their breathing.

He wore a dark blue brocade robe embroidered with dense thunderbolt patterns in silver thread.

The patterns flickered faintly with the rise and fall of his breathing, as though currents of electricity were truly coursing across the fabric.

A wide dark-gold belt cinched his waist. Its buckle was shaped like a dragon's head biting down on a thumb-sized thunderstone, which emitted a steady, dim blue glow.

Over it, he wore a broad cloak in matching colors, its edges trimmed with silver-white lightning patterns. It draped down on either side of his seat like two blue waterfalls.

His hands rested on the armrests, his fingers long and thick.

His knuckles bore calluses formed from wielding heavy weapons year after year, and every finger contained enough strength to crush metal and iron.

"Speak."

Yu Yuanzhen's voice was low and resonant, like thunder rolling and gathering deep within clouds over distant mountains.

His gaze settled on his eldest son.

There was scrutiny in those azure eyes.

"What happened in Dragon Valley?"

The eldest young master drew a deep breath and swiftly yet thoroughly reported everything from entering Dragon Valley to encountering Taotie's attack.

Though he spoke quickly, his account was clear and orderly, every crucial detail laid out plainly...

The upheaval of the gray mist in Dragon Valley's inner valley.

The sudden appearance of that hundred-thousand-year pureblood Taotie.

Taotie's terrifying strength, enough to utterly overwhelm a Titled Douluo.

The sorry sight of even Dugu Bo having no choice but to yield the way.

Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Serpent Lady Chao Tianxiang holding back and observing.

And the despair he had felt when he had not even been given a chance to make a move before Taotie.

Yu Yuanzhen's fingers, which had rested on the armrest, tightened slightly. A complicated gleam flashed through his azure eyes.

After hearing about the hundred-thousand-year Taotie, his expression became inscrutable. His brows furrowed faintly, yet the corners of his mouth held a barely perceptible curve.

His expression seemed to hold equal parts joy and worry...

He was pleased that such an ancient, pureblood Taotie had been hidden deep within Dragon Valley.

It meant that the territory marked out by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's ancestors had not been fully explored.

Dragon Valley held far greater potential than they had imagined.

Beneath that land, even more unimaginable treasures and opportunities might lie dormant.

Dragon Valley was the foundation the Yu Clan's ancestors had carved out through absolute force thousands of years ago.

It had been passed down through the generations. They had thought they already understood every inch of it, only to discover that such astonishing depths still lay hidden within.

What worried him was that once news of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast appearing in Dragon Valley spread, powers across the world would rush into action.

Spirit Hall would not stand idly by.

The Seven Great Sects would use it as an excuse to demand a share, and even the two great empires would interfere under the banner of preserving the continent's soul beast ecosystem.

With the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's strength alone, even if they gathered the full power of all their subordinate sects...

It would already be impossible for them to keep Dragon Valley, this family foundation, entirely for themselves in the face of so many colossal powers.

Yu Yuanzhen fell silent for a moment, lightly tapping the armrest twice with his fingers. With every tap, tiny arcs of lightning sprang outward.

"A hundred-thousand-year soul beast..."

His voice was low and carried a complicated undertone. "A pureblood Taotie... that is indeed troublesome."

As he spoke, the eldest young master suddenly raised his head, his expression growing even more solemn.

He knew that what he was about to say was more important than the hundred-thousand-year soul beast, something even more worthy of his father's personal decision.

"Father, there is one more matter. In Dragon Valley, your son encountered a young boy."

"A young boy?" Yu Yuanzhen's gaze sharpened slightly.

"He looked about Tian Jiao's age, thin and small, utterly unremarkable. But his martial soul..."

The eldest young master paused, as if weighing his words. "His martial soul was a black dragon, and its aura was extremely unusual. Your son has never seen such a dragon-type martial soul.

Before him... my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon seemed to show signs of being suppressed."

Yu Yuanzhen's pupils suddenly contracted. The five fingers resting on the armrest clenched sharply, and his knuckles gave a soft crack.

"Suppressed? You are saying that your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul sensed suppression in the presence of a child?"

"Yes."

The eldest young master's voice carried a trace of bitterness. "Not only that, but what shocked your son even more was that the boy's first soul ring was purple—a genuine thousand-year soul ring."

"A thousand years!"

Yu Yuanzhen abruptly straightened in his seat.

The instant his broad back left the chair, the entire dragon-patterned seat gave off a faint hum.

"The first soul ring he attached came from a thousand-year soul beast? Impossible. No matter how heaven-defying a peerless genius may be, the limit for a first soul ring is only a little over four hundred years.

Thousand-year soul rings are something only Soul Elders and above dare attempt. How could a child so young possibly..."

The eldest young master gave a bitter smile, lowering his voice even further.

"Father, that is not even the most shocking part. The boy had only attached this one soul ring, yet he had awakened a domain."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Yu Yuanzhen's expression changed completely.

Thunder suddenly surged within those azure eyes.

Sparks of lightning shot from the depths of his pupils, exploding into two tiny blue flashes in the air.

His breathing clearly grew heavier, and the rise and fall of his chest became much more pronounced than before.

He was like an ancient beast that had been startled awake, gradually emerging from slumber.

"A domain! He..."

"He awakened a domain after absorbing only one soul ring!"

"More than that."

The eldest young master's voice carried an unconcealable fervor, and his fists clenched of their own accord.

"When his domain unfolded, the dragon blood in all of us was activated.

Dragonification appeared on Tian Heng's arm...

He had not yet attached his third soul ring. He was merely bathed in that domain's light for a moment, yet his entire arm became covered in the scales of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!

And Tian Jiao as well—her aura clearly rose by a level, and the purity of the dragon blood in her body was directly elevated."

Yu Yuanzhen rose from his seat.

His towering body abruptly straightened, his cloak billowing behind him like waves.

His wide blue brocade robe stirred a fierce gust through the air, making the soul-guided lamps floating in the hall sway several times.

A complicated expression appeared on Yu Yuanzhen's face...

Excitement, shock, greed!

And deep in his eyes, an almost crazed joy burned fiercely.