The Dragon Kings' divine might spread, powerful enough to suppress every Soul Beast.
Among them, the dragons and the immortal herbs that had grown upon the Dragon Kings' remains suffered the most.
This was not ten thousand years in the future. Some intelligence still lingered within the two Dragon Kings' souls.
And even if time had truly worn away every trace of intelligence in the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' remnant souls, leaving nothing but instinct, El could still awaken and command them through his bloodline.
After all, even Tang Wulin had managed it with the golden dragon king bloodline.
And when it came to bloodlines, he, the Radiant Dragon King, had truly been born of the same mother as the Dragon God.
Among dragons, who valued seniority above all else, he stood at the very pinnacle of the old guard.
"Wh-what is this?!"
The immortal herbs, led by the aromatic silk beauty, were filled with terror.
They had never imagined that beings like these lay hidden in the place where they had lived for ten thousand years!
Neither of the two Dragon Kings paid any attention to these "parasites" that had grown upon their corpses.
Their attention was entirely focused on the two people below.
More precisely, it was focused on El. Huo Yutong, hiding behind him, merely came along with the package.
"Your Highness, the Radiant Dragon King?!"
As the Fire Dragon King revealed El's identity, the Water Dragon King beside him looked at El in astonishment.
Seemingly still a little uncertain, she continued.
"His Majesty's younger brother, our dragon race's first elder of criminal law, the progenitor of lesser dragons, the bloodline origin of the Radiant Dragon Clan, His Highness the Radiant Dragon King, who single-handedly fought four Phoenix Clan God Kings without yielding an inch?!"
There's no room to cram that many dragons in here...
But under Huo Yutong's adoring gaze,
El's lips curved upward. He proudly lifted his chin and puffed out his chest, looking thoroughly pleased with all those titles.
"That's right. It is I!"
El looked the Water Dragon King up and down.
"Not bad, youngster. You remember my deeds so clearly!"
His memories might have been fragmented, but he was certain he had never met the Water Dragon King during his time as the Radiant Dragon King.
In other words, this Dragon King had been born after his death.
As for how he could be so certain...
From a dragon's perspective, the Water Dragon King was beautiful.
Extremely beautiful.
Absolutely, invincibly beautiful!
A slender neck, rounded scales, an elegant, graceful figure that still possessed a mighty dragon's imposing presence...
With character design on this level, El would never have forgotten her if they had actually met.
"It seems stories of my deeds have been passed down among our kind all this time?"
"Of course!"
The Fire Dragon King beside her picked up the thread.
"You could say that, during the war against the Phoenix Clan, if you hadn't kept those four Phoenix God Kings occupied-the ones the Phoenix God had created and elevated through the divine authority of creation-our dragon race could never have dominated this star region."
"And there would have been no Divine Dragon Realm."
The tip of the Fire Dragon King's tail curled slightly, and reminiscence filled his eyes.
During the Dragon-Phoenix War, he had only been a Second-Level God, utterly incapable of taking part in battles at that level. He could only watch the God Kings' battlefield from the sidelines.
"After your fall, His Majesty was overcome with grief. He used the Destruction Godhead you left behind to slay the Phoenix God."
"He also separated the Creation Godhead from the Phoenix God's divine position, reducing that position to the level of a Second-Level God, and displayed it as a trophy and memorial for all the races across the heavens to view."
The Water Dragon King offered a perfectly timed "complaint."
"...It was also the designated teaching aid for 'Love Your Dragon Race Education-Understanding the Spirit of the Radiant Dragon.'"
The Water Dragon King covered her head with her wings, recalling some less-than-pleasant memories.
Every young dragon born in the Divine Dragon Realm had to take those lessons.
Once every ten years.
"...Little Water is the youngest of our Nine Great Dragon Kings. She was born after the Divine Dragon Realm was established."
The Fire Dragon King chuckled.
"As the new generation of dragons, they went through this education in loving their race so many times that they became a little mentally exhausted."
...I only mentioned it in passing, and he actually went and did it?!
He seemed to have once suggested to the Dragon God that they should organize activities teaching the young dragons to love their race, so they would remember how hard the dragons' rise had been...
Remembering the other things he had once said, including but not limited to nine thousand years of compulsory education, dragon coming-of-age ceremonies, and prenatal education for dragon eggs...
El could barely keep his composure.
Sorry, kids. Uncle Radiant Dragon King didn't mean it.
"Still, everyone might have complained, but the results were quite good."
The Fire Dragon King's eyes were full of reminiscence.
"In those days, the young dragons all said His Majesty was the sun of the Divine Dragon Realm, while Your Highness was its cornerstone, deserving remembrance from every subject of the Divine Dragon Realm."
"This is how the histories of later generations recorded it:"
"-With the fall of Your Highness and the Phoenix God as its opening wedge, the vast glory of the Divine Dragon Realm finally raised its curtain."
"The Divine Dragon Realm..."
El rolled the name around in his mouth.
Even before his reincarnation, he had known that name and the splendor of its prosperity. No being who had lived through that era could help longing for it.
Di Tian spoke of it, the Silver Dragon King spoke of it, and the Water and Fire Dragon Kings spoke of it.
Even the God of Destruction in the Divine Realm wanted to expand it and recreate some measure of the Divine Dragon Realm's former glory.
But El had never seen it with his own eyes.
The Divine Dragon Realm had been founded with his unstinting support, yet he had witnessed neither its growth, nor its collapse, nor its destruction.
...It was like a newborn child. You had seen him as a baby and hoped to watch him grow, only to discover, when you met again, that he was already dead.
Others told you that he had achieved feats unmatched by anyone before or since. Then, at the height of his glory, he had died.
"...Who the fuck could hold it together after that?"
What an utterly botched ending!
El's previously pleasant mood soured as though he had swallowed a fly.
But that was not his main concern.
Ultimately, as someone who had transmigrated, he had been mentally prepared for the Divine Dragon Realm's collapse.
It was certainly a little saddening, but still within normal limits.
The one he truly cared about was the Dragon God!
That stupid older brother of his!
Before he had transmigrated, readers of Douluo Continent had offered this assessment of the Dragon God:
"Whether or not you accept Douluo IV's lore, the Dragon God is just the difference between a clown and a braindead loser."
He only wanted to know who had established the rule that beasts could not become gods!
Surely he had not transmigrated only to leave absolutely nothing changed?
In his memories, that hopeless Dragon God had merely been strong. His head certainly had not turned all pointy.
...Surely Old Man Fate hadn't flexed his mighty hand?
"All right, let's end this trip down memory lane through those glorious years."
El's expression grew serious, and he gave a slight nod.
"What exactly happened during the Dragon God War?"
"I imagine the two of you, having experienced it yourselves, should know very well?"
The Water Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King exchanged a glance.
The Water Dragon King spoke.
"I died after Sister Fire, so let me tell you."
"...At the God Star Ceremony, the Dragon God's crown prince-my fiancé, your nephew-died a sudden, inexplicable, horrible death. His Majesty went mad."
"In his madness, His Majesty the Dragon God killed most of the Dragon Kings, including Sister Fire."
"Only Light, Darkness, and I remained."
Smack!
At those words, El abruptly slapped his forehead.
Old Man Fate really had flexed his mighty hand.
...We're done for, bro.
Before you continue