The Dragon Clan's Time to Rise Again

Spirit Hall.

Inside the Papal Palace.

Bibi Dong sat cross-legged at the center of the hall.

The Million-Year Soul Ring floated behind her, its golden light pouring into her body.

Immense power surged through her meridians.

Her Soul Power continued to climb.

Level 98.

Level 99.

Finally, her Soul Power settled firmly at Level 99.

Bibi Dong opened her eyes.

She raised a hand, feeling the power within her that far surpassed what she had possessed before.

The boost from the Million-Year Soul Ring had exceeded her expectations.

The Hundred-Thousand-Year Godslayer Spider Emperor Chest Bone had also fused with her body.

Dark purple patterns spread across her bones.

The power of her Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Eating Spider Emperor grew stronger still.

Bibi Dong was now infinitely close to God Level.

One final step, and she would reach the God Realm.

But just then...

A terrifying aura came from the Far North.

It crossed a vast distance, swept over the Heaven Dou Empire, and descended upon Spirit Hall.

Bibi Dong went rigid.

She looked toward the distance.

In that instant, she felt a pressure she could not resist.

Even with Level 99 Soul Power, even one step from God Level, she had no hope of fighting back.

What kind of power was that?

Bibi Dong slowly lowered her hand.

The aura had arrived too quickly and vanished just as fast.

Yet that single instant had made her feel the pressure of death.

She recalled her place on the Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking.

She possessed Twin Martial Souls, Divine Slaughter's Domain, and the Rakshasa God's inheritance.

Now she had also gained a Million-Year Soul Ring and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

Even with all that power, she ranked only tenth.

Bibi Dong swallowed.

For the first time, she thought the ranking might not have been wrong.

"What is Douluo Continent hiding?"

Bibi Dong gazed up at the sky.

The Golden Ranking had fallen quiet again.

But the wariness in her heart had not faded with it.

Star Dou Great Forest.

Beside the Lake of Life.

Gu Yuena stood on the lake's surface.

A silver dress hugged her figure, and her long hair fell to her waist.

Her features were exquisite, her purple eyes clear and deep.

Her reflection shimmered on the lake as her silver hem rippled gently with the water.

The aura had swept past Star Dou Great Forest moments ago.

Gu Yuena raised her head and looked toward the Far North.

A trace of puzzlement entered her eyes.

"Hm?"

Gu Yuena stood motionless on the lake, her gaze flickering.

What being could wield such power?

Gu Yuena stood above the Lake of Life.

The water had grown calm again.

But her gaze remained fixed on the Far North.

That aura had crossed a vast distance.

In a single instant, it had stirred the Silver Dragon King Bloodline within her.

It bore the majesty of the Dragon Clan.

And something about it felt familiar.

Gu Yuena frowned slightly.

She searched her memories but found nothing that matched.

"Was it my imagination?" Gu Yuena murmured.

She remained on the lake a moment longer before looking away.

The aura had vanished.

But the question it left in her heart lingered.

The Far North.

The wind and snow before the ice platform returned to their usual rhythm.

The Snow Empress stood beside Long Yao, watching the golden light fade in the distance.

Reverence still lingered in her eyes.

In that clash, Long Yao had barely lifted a finger.

With only two steps,

he had broken through the Absolute Zero she took such pride in.

Then, with a raised hand and a single pointed finger, he had suppressed the entire Far North.

Such power was beyond anything the Snow Empress could comprehend.

"My lord, how powerful are you, exactly?"

The Snow Empress turned toward him.

Her white hair fell across her shoulders. A white dress clung to her slender figure, fine ice crystals still caught along its hem.

She stood barefoot on the ice, a faint bloom of frost spreading beneath her feet.

Long Yao glanced at her.

"Peak God King."

The Snow Empress blinked.

Of course she knew Long Yao's realm.

But that was in the past.

The power he had just displayed far surpassed that of an ordinary God King.

"Even if all the gods of the Divine Realm joined forces, they couldn't stand against you?"

The Snow Empress moved in front of Long Yao.

She leaned forward slightly, slipped a pale arm around his neck, and pressed closer.

Seated at the edge of the ice platform, Long Yao could feel the cool, pure air that clung to her.

"The Divine Realm poses no threat."

Long Yao raised a hand and rested it on the Snow Empress's waist.

Through her white dress, his palm felt the slender, supple curve beneath.

The Snow Empress did not pull away.

She looked down at Long Yao, admiration in her pale blue eyes.

"You're incredible, my lord."

"Even the Divine Realm is nothing much in your eyes."

Long Yao laughed.

"The Divine Realm truly is no cause for concern."

"But its gods weren't the only reason the Dragon Clan fell."

The Snow Empress grew serious.

"There were other reasons?"

Long Yao looked toward the glaciers stretching into the distance.

"The Divine Realm merely struck the final blow."

"The Dragon Clan's own troubles played no small part in its destruction."

"The Dragon God lost control, and the Dragon Clan split apart."

"If the Dragon Clan had remained united, the Divine Realm would never have had its chance."

The Snow Empress listened quietly.

She did not interrupt him.

Long Yao reached up and brushed her falling white hair.

"But all that is in the past."

The Snow Empress rested against his shoulder.

"Is there still a chance now?"

"There is."

Long Yao lifted his gaze to the sky.

The golden ranking still stretched across the heavens.

Bibi Dong's name had gradually dimmed, leaving only a faint golden glow above.

Long Yao looked away from it, toward the lands beyond the Far North.

There lay the continent that held the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.

"The Dragon Clan's chance to rise again has come."

The Snow Empress raised her head.

"What do you plan to do, my lord?"

Long Yao did not answer at once.

He watched the distant continent, his thoughts returning to ages long past.

He had stayed here to lay his plans.

Over tens of thousands of years, he had left many marks on Douluo Continent.

Some of his power had merged with its mountains and rivers.

Some of his legacies had passed into human hands.

Other academies and factions had endured through the ages.

Time could take many things away.

But it could not truly erase what he had set in motion.

Now it was time to reap the rewards.

"I stayed on Douluo Continent to change the Dragon Clan's fate," Long Yao said slowly.

"Now that the Golden Ranking has appeared, the balance of the world has begun to shift."

"It's time for the plans I set in motion to bear fruit."

The Snow Empress looked up at him.

"You're going to the continent?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Skywater Academy."

The Snow Empress's eyes stirred.

She knew the name.

Long Yao had founded that academy himself long ago.

Through the long years since, he had rarely mentioned Skywater Academy.

The Snow Empress had never pressed him about it.

She knew only that he had founded it in the human world and had quietly watched over it ever since.

"Are you going to see the people there?"

"To take a look."

Long Yao rose to his feet.

The Snow Empress's arm was still around his neck, and she made no move to step back.

Long Yao looked down at her.

"Stay in the Far North."