The sea has been especially calm these past few days.
On the day the Dragon Palace opened, ten thousand dragons gathered, water vapor condensed, and the wind on the entire sea surface seemed to disappear. The vast ocean was so calm that there was not a single wave, as quiet as a mirror, with the sky reflected in the water, truly a seamless blend of sea and sky.
But this calm did not quiet the creatures. All the sea creatures were converging on the location within the four sea eyes. As the spirits of the sea, they could clearly sense that if they did not reach there soon, they might be abandoned by the sea in the future. It was an intuition from their genes. All living beings could feel that at the center of the four seas, there was something that could determine their fate.
This feeling applies to many people living on islands as well.
Of the four island nations, apart from the severely damaged West Sea, Ten Thousand Islands Kingdom have come to their senses. Some ancient families hidden among the people, and the older generation of priests, have emerged from seclusion and summoned their descendants.
"Elder, are you sure? Is the legend of the Dragon Palace true?"
"There's no mistake." The elder in charge of the family history trembled as he flipped through the long-sealed ancient book. "My Ouyang Family was once very powerful in that era, serving as the high priests of the courts of four island nations. Any direct descendant with exceptional talent could enter the Dragon Palace to cultivate, receive secret techniques, surpass the limits of humanity, and become true nobles."
The head of the family and the heads of the other branch families exchanged glances, their expressions hesitant and strange.
After all, the records in the clan history are too distant. Now, telling them that that era is about to return is still somewhat hard for them to accept. After all, the Ouyang Family already holds a prestigious position in the island nation they are currently in. No matter how dynasties change, the family has always stood strong. They can now experience the nobility that the elders spoke of. The direct descendants of the family, at least in this country, have a status comparable to that of royalty.
Therefore, none of them were particularly interested in the so-called reappearance of the Dragon Palace.
Compared to that ancient and unfamiliar power, the current royal family is much easier to control.
"You don't understand." Faced with the indifference of these younger generations, the elder said urgently, "You don't know what the opening of the Dragon Palace means. It's a new opportunity, and even more so, a new hope. Our human race is inherently lacking, and the limits of heaven and earth are right here. Even the ancient families of the Central Plains, as powerful as they are, cannot transcend this. A new realm, a new path. You haven't experienced the period of two hundred years of stagnation. When that time comes, you will know how precious this opportunity is."
The patriarch frowned slightly. The maximum lifespan of a sorcerer is three hundred years, but many people know that as long as a sorcerer has enough talent, most of them will reach their limit before the age of one hundred. As the patriarch, he is now seventy years old and in his prime, and he has also experienced this feeling of being unable to make any progress.
Above First Rank. Above First Rank its name, it's still essentially First Rank. Why isn't a new realm named after it?
Because everyone knows that reaching this point is already the limit.
"Does the Dragon Palace truly have a new path?" A junior member frowned. "Since my Ouyang Family held such a high position in the Dragon Palace back then, why hasn't the inheritance the elders spoke of been preserved?"
The elder fell silent upon hearing this, but the younger generation continued, "I've read some of the clan's history. Although I can't see the true core information yet, I roughly know some things. The Dragon Palace initiated the massacre back then to maintain secrecy, right?"
"Those who knew the inheritance and understood the Dragon Palace's secret language were all slaughtered. Elder, am I right?"
The elder glanced at the other party with a somber expression. "That was out of necessity; they had to ensure their own safety."
"If they can kill all their followers for their own safety, what's the point of us pandering to them? Just to continue being their dogs?"
"Insolence!!" The elder's face turned ashen with rage.
However, others were not so convinced. The elders of the Ouyang Family were tricked by the Shen Family hundreds of years ago, and most of them never returned. Now, only this one remains. The younger generation is not as persistent as the older generation.
" Laosan, don't be rude to the elder!" The patriarch first reprimanded his younger brother from the branch family who had spoken rather rudely earlier, then looked at the elder and said, "Elder, although Laosan's words are harsh, there is some truth to them. Now that our Ouyang Family holds such a prestigious position, why should we cater to that illusory power? Just as Laosan said, they will never sincerely impart their so-called inheritance and direction. When it's time to take it back, they will do so even if it means a massacre. Is it really necessary?"
That's the path to immortality.
"Immortality?" The patriarch sighed. "Perhaps we younger generations haven't reached your age yet, and we can't feel the yearning for immortality. But elder, does immortality really exist? None of our ancestors achieved it. Why do you think that by catering to the Dragon Palace, you can realize your dream?"
The elder pointed at the other person with a trembling voice. Although the other person's tone was much more humble and gentle than that of the Laosan, the meaning behind his words was still one of opposition.
"You think...?" Finally, after his anger subsided, the elder calmed down, looked at the group of young people who opposed him, and sneered slightly, "You think you can avoid this by not pandering?"
The elder stood up, amused. "Why was the Dragon Palace able to carry out such a massacre back then? And why did they allow our families to keep it a secret for generations, making us wait in vain? Do you think we were just being foolish?"
Everyone: "."
"We can't resist!" the elder said sternly. "If we could make the decisions, we wouldn't be in this situation. Now that they've returned, do you think you've grown too powerful?"
The elder pointed outside and said, "It hasn't rained on the island for ten days, and there hasn't even been a breeze. As sorcerers, can't you feel it?"
Upon hearing this, the group's expressions turned grave. As sorcerers, they could naturally sense the strange weather and that a large amount of moisture was being gathered in the West Sea by some force!
"Dragons can control jiaos, and jiaos can control all the water vapor in the world!" The elder sighed, "Based on this alone, we have no way to resist. In the past, obeying the Dragon Palace meant good weather and abundant harvests. If we didn't obey, there was an island nation that suffered from drought for several years and had no water to drink. The islanders would sacrifice their entire families for a sip of water, their humanity extinguished, like dried-up corpses and evil ghosts. Just reading such accounts makes my hair stand on end. Do you want to try it?"
"This"
"Is there really no other way?"
"What can we do?" The elder shook his head with a smile. "That's just how the world is. We can't change it. We can only submit to it. If we submit early, at least we can live a better life. This world has never truly belonged to humans."
Upon hearing this, several members of the Ouyang Family's branch families all looked outside, their expressions complex.
The cycle Samsara endlessly; is humanity destined to be forever trapped in this vicious cycle, endlessly Samsara?
The Ancient Revival, and were enslaved once more; the ancient times hibernated, and the world was sustained by them.
Is human destiny so base, so unbreakable?
--
Almost simultaneously, countless families with established traditions in island nations began to bring out ancient teachings to instruct their descendants, preparing to welcome their true masters. Although most of the younger generation were rebellious, they all felt the pressure that was about to arrive.
Everyone knows that the enslavement of humanity once again is inevitable!
The advantage is that, as a former family with a long history of succession, they can be slave leaders; at least they won't live too miserable a life, and they might even be given some scraps to eat.
For example, one might inherit some secret techniques. Although immortality might not be attainable, there might be ways to extend one's lifespan. Although it would require groveling, there would still be some benefits. As for the common people below, it would probably be a different story.
The clan history records that in those days, the human sacrifice was performed without fail every single year!
But at this moment, the families of those island nations were unaware that within the resurrected Dragon Palace, a group of people were already changing this ever- Samsara fate. They also did not know that the noble dragons, on the verge of resurrection, were filled with trepidation.
Deep within the West Sea Dragon Palace, in the place where Shen Laoda once visited, countless Blood Guard hovered above, using some kind of secret method to refine high-grade essence blood.
The method is cruel: some high-ranking members of the dragon race are pulled out of the ice, injected with their essence blood, which circulates within their bodies. Then the blood is extracted, and the new blood is used to activate the dragon's body and create even higher quality blood. This is called blood refining!
Ao Zhen never imagined that one day her people would suffer such cruel treatment.
Dragons used to experiment on all races, but one day they never imagined that they too could become such blood vessels.
" Turtle Chancellor " Ao Zhen glanced at the old tortoise beside him, who looked worried, and asked in a low voice, "Do we still have a chance?"
"Your Highness's future is unpredictable. It's a complete mystery!"
"Is that so?" Ao Zhen smiled wryly upon hearing this.
He couldn't help but think, "Could this be the fate of the Dragon Palace, which once dominated the ancient times?"
But at that moment, something she never expected appeared before her eyes.
It was an eyeball, and as a dragon, she immediately recognized it—it was the dragon girl's eye!