After crossing the Dragon Gate, the moments before Ye Yunsheng's eyes seemed to shift, causing a painful sensation of tearing!
That tearing sensation only lasted for a short while, but in that brief moment, Ye Yunsheng felt as though something had invaded her mind. Then, she lost consciousness.
When she woke up again, everything before her eyes had changed, yet it also seemed unchanged.
The Dragon Gate still stood tall, and she was still soaring upwards, but she was struggling with all her might, gone was her former elegance and composure. Among the crowd below, there was no longer a single familiar face.
As she soared higher, she felt a strong pressure preventing her from crossing the Dragon Gate, but she gritted her teeth and persevered. Finally, she crossed the Dragon Gate once more!
For a moment, even in the sky tens of thousands of miles high, she could still hear the cheers from the people below. Then, a sudden wave of joy appeared in her heart, which should have been as still as an ancient well. Her expression changed abruptly. It was just crossing the Dragon Gate, why am I so happy?
Before she could think further, a clear Dragon's Roar suddenly echoed from within the Dragon Gate, followed by an overwhelming pressure that was impossible to resist!
It was an ancient, desolate aura left behind by someone, sometime, long ago. After countless ages, it once again emanated from within the Dragon Gate, carrying a faint scent of blood and containing ultimate power, seemingly capable of destroying everything!
Ye Yunsheng was also drawn by that aura and couldn't help but look over. What met her eyes was a point of green light appearing above the Dragon Gate, slowly approaching from far away. It seemed to have crossed the endless Void just for this moment, to welcome its new master.
The green light was not dazzling, and its aura was vast but restrained, without a single trace leaking out. Yet, Ye Yunsheng could still feel the surging, tide-like power within it – powerful and pure Bloodline Power!
That was a drop of True Dragon Blood!
Before Ye Yunsheng could react, that drop of blood, tinged with golden threads within the green, came towards her. When seen with the naked eye, it was no bigger than a pinky finger, but when it landed on Ye Yunsheng, it spread and diffused continuously until it completely enveloped her. Then, it rapidly seeped into her skin, a pure and overbearing Bloodline Power, following her Meridians and spreading throughout her entire body!
Pain! Intense pain!
This drop of True Dragon Blood held no killing intent; it merely wanted to purify and merge with her original Bloodline, raising its level and strength. It continuously washed over Ye Yunsheng's Meridians, causing them to repeatedly break and repair in a cycle. And after each repair, they became tougher and wider!
But this process caused Ye Yunsheng to convulse in pain. Sweat poured out of her body like Water, and along with it came a layer of black grime, emitting a strange odor.
Time flowed by. The large beads of sweat on Ye Yunsheng's forehead never disappeared; one would drip off, and another would appear. But even so, she gritted her teeth and persevered. Finally, her hair flew wildly, and she let out a long roar towards the sky!
"Ah!"
She suddenly extended her left hand. It was stained deep green and covered in blood vessels. Immediately after, the sleeves on her arm tore apart, leaving her entire arm exposed. It was covered in green veins, twisted together like giant pythons, making her slender arm thick. It was almost no longer a human arm!
This wasn't the end. Below her arm, she felt a stinging sensation, as if something was growing. In just an instant, she saw scales shimmering with green light suddenly grow on the surface of her skin. In the blink of an eye, they covered her entire arm and continued to spread towards her neck and chest, clearly intending to cover her whole body!
Then, she involuntarily transformed into a giant dragon. The scales on her body, like a giant python shedding its skin, began to fall off, and then a layer of even stronger scales grew!
Ye Yunsheng's pupils constricted, and she cried out in her heart:
Is this me? No! This isn't me! Who am I?
When she opened her eyes again, she vaguely felt that something was wrong, but before she could think about anything, the events above happened. Now that she had transformed into her Dragon Form, the doubts in her heart could no longer be suppressed. But the more she thought about it, the more it felt like a blur, as if a layer of mist was covering her mind, making it difficult for her to see everything clearly.
Suddenly, her eyes became momentarily vacant, and then it was as if she had forgotten all the doubts she had earlier, completely without any intention of continuing to think.
She watched the green light on her Dragon Form surge, and she could clearly feel the vast and mighty power contained within her current body, countless times stronger than before.
Not long after, that drop of True Dragon Blood seemed to have completed its mission. Its light dimmed slightly, but it did not disappear. Instead, it vanished into her heart.
"Ao Xue, from now on, you are a Dragon Emperor Candidate. I hope you live up to the True Dragon Blood and break through to the Dou Di realm soon!"
At this moment, a majestic voice entered her ears. She couldn't help but frown. This voice seemed to be calling her, but she felt that she was not the Ao Xue he spoke of. However, her doubts quickly and abruptly disappeared again, and she responded respectfully before retreating.
Time flew by. A century had passed since Ao Xue, the Dragon Tribe's Heavenly Talent, caused the Dragon Gate Manifestation, obtained the True Dragon Blood, and became a Dragon Emperor Candidate. After a century of cultivation, she had risen from her former Half-Saint Cultivation Level to become a Peak Dou Sheng expert. Within the Sea Tribe, she was now the foremost person below the Dragon Emperor.
But her situation was not good; it could even be described as being surrounded by danger, with little chance of Life Force.
Within the Dragon Prison, it was dark. Suddenly, footsteps echoed, and then a respectful voice spread out:
"Greetings, Dragon Emperor!"
"Mm!"
The Old Dragon Emperor, Ao Kun, responded indifferently. Ao Xue could even clearly sense the suppressed anger in his emotions, and she couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Then, she heard him ask, somewhat exasperated:
"Ao Xue has been in the Dragon Prison for three years. Has she softened and admitted her mistake?"
Ao Kun was also somewhat helpless. Ao Xue was, after all, a member of the Dragon Tribe who had received the Dragon Emperor Inheritance. Although she had committed a major mistake and was suppressed by several Major Powers together, she was still a member of the Dragon Tribe. After him, perhaps the Dragon Tribe would have to rely on her. If she was willing to admit her mistake and let go of her obsession, he could still train her to be the Dragon Emperor.
The person guarding the Dragon Prison felt an inexplicable urge to argue when he heard the Dragon Emperor's words. He felt that Ao Xue was not wrong, but he dared not say it, and could only answer silently:
"No!"
Ao Kun sighed deeply, not surprised. If Ao Xue would easily soften, she wouldn't have done such a significant thing. He hesitated for a moment and mused:
"Keep a close eye on her. No one is allowed to visit except me. Oh, and make sure she stays alive!"
"Understood!"
Long Yi answered readily, but couldn't help but feel regretful in his heart, sighing softly:
"Alas! With Lady Ao Xue's temperament, even if she were trapped in the Blazing Flame Prison, she probably wouldn't go against her own will to admit her mistake, right? Even if it's just verbally. And, was she really wrong? It's a pity I'm too weak to do anything for Lady Ao Xue."
He thought of that green rain. That rain had shown him what a cruel deception the Upper Realm, which he had once yearned for, truly was. And all of this was done by Ao Xue for Small Fry like them, yet he couldn't help her, not even by saying a single word for her.
When he looked up, there was no one before him. The Blazing Flame Prison was dark again. After a long time, he couldn't help but ask:
"Lady, do you regret it?"
"You have the right to know the truth. Moreover, that so-called peace exchanged for the lives of countless innocent people is not worth having!"
The person inside the Dragon Prison did not answer directly, only a voice filled with a hint of sarcasm, a hint of determination, and a hint of unwillingness.
Long Yi heard the complex emotions in Ao Xue's words. His mouth slightly opened, but no sound came out. Yes, this is the True Dragon Descendant who, for the sake of the Sea Tribe, and even the countless Mortals and low-level Cultivators on the entire Continent, lifted the veil of that so-called peace...
Death is not terrifying. What is terrifying is that you only know you will die at the very last moment, and for what reason you will die. Life is not terrifying either. What is terrifying is that one day you suddenly realize that you have been living in someone else's deception all along. Faith is also not terrifying. What is terrifying is that you will never know that the existence you revere as a Deity is actually someone who disregards life.
But what was frustrating was that most of the time, what ordinary people saw was what others wanted them to see. If not for Lord Xue, how would they have known that behind the continent's peace lay the current Major Powers' compromise with the Outer Realm Demons, who were rumored to be reclusive experts in a land of bliss but were actually Outer Realm Demons?
Involuntarily, Long Yi felt as if he had returned to that day. Blood rained down from the sky, and then a peerlessly beautiful woman walked out of the blood rain, facing several Emperors and Empresses, holding her head high as she ascended!
She stood in The Void and asked a series of questions, but no one answered...
"Who can tell me why the Upper Realm, which you claim is a land of bliss, is filled with slaughter, with demons being brutal and cruel!"
"Who can tell me why you say ascending to the Upper Realm is a rare immortal opportunity, causing countless innocent people to rush forward, but after they are sent there, they are used as sacrifices, becoming firewood for the Demonic Flame?"
"You indulge demons like this, even fabricating lies, and are immersed in the illusion of peace where countless people rush forward to their deaths. You won't let me speak out. Oh, you know it will cause panic?"
"Heh heh, because the sacrifice didn't start with you, it became what you call 'righteousness'? It's just because of your own weakness, because you were beaten into submission, that for hundreds of years you've used the lives of countless innocent people to exchange for the so-called 'peace' on the continent!"
"Your so-called hope has already been personally sent into the mouths of demons!"
...
Every one of her questions contained a surge of anger, and also a glimmer of hope for progress. Unfortunately, she was only a Dou Sheng. Even if she had the will to kill the villains, she was powerless to turn the tide. Although her words left the people of the Major Powers speechless, they couldn't change anything else.
At the request of the envoy from the Upper Realm, the people of the Major Powers didn't even consider resistance as an option. In front of the masses, they suppressed her, seemingly to tell them that even if you know, you can't do anything.
"Lord Ao Xue, thank you!"
Long Yi suddenly said towards the Dragon Prison. Besides being able to tell her that her actions were etched in his heart, he couldn't do anything else.
Inside the Dragon Prison, Ao Xue couldn't help but let out a light laugh. She just felt that they had the right to know the truth, rather than dying in deceit. Unfortunately, she was still too weak, but...
Looking at a drop of blood slowly emitting a cyan light within her heart, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation, as well as a strong killing intent. Once she finished digesting the inheritance within it and broke through to the Emperor Realm, she would definitely shatter the so-called Upper Realm!
Immediately, she closed her eyes, and her consciousness entered that drop of cyan blood. Silence fell once more!
Three years later, within the Dragon Prison, which had been silent for several years, an incredibly powerful aura that shook the world suddenly erupted from beneath the dark mountain base, soaring straight into the sky, as if to break through the nine heavens and awe the world!
In the Deep Sea, in the four regions of the continent, several experts felt this familiar yet unfamiliar aura. They couldn't help but tremble in their hearts, their movements pausing for a moment. They all looked towards the East Sea Coast, beneath Dragon Imprisonment Mountain!
The next moment, an extremely dense cyan light, accompanied by a long roar that pierced through clouds and fog, soared into the sky! The roar seemed to contain a burning rage and firm determination, shaking The Void and echoing continuously, causing the clouds and energy in the sky to dissipate completely, as if making way for the owner of the roar, welcoming her into the world.
At this moment, even the five Emperor-level Experts, the only ones on the continent, down to the Mortals in the Dou Qi Stage, saw that divine dragon shadow! But their reactions were different. The faces of the extremely strong individuals turned pale, and they exclaimed in disbelief:
"A True Dragon has descended! How is this possible in just over two hundred years?"
"How could this happen? She... wasn't her Cultivation Level crippled and she was thrown into the Dragon Prison? Why didn't she die, and even broke through?"
"Ao Kun, you bastard, what have you done!"
A hint of confusion, as well as unimaginable shock and panic, appeared in their eyes, fearing that she would break the current peaceful situation!
And those who saw the divine dragon, or rather, saw Ao Xue's figure enveloped within the divine dragon, had a look of fanaticism in their eyes. No one asked them to kneel, but they involuntarily knelt down, muttering:
"Lord Dragon God!"
Since the blood rain fell that year and they learned the truth about ascension, the person who questioned the Major Powers for them, the Mortals, became a god in their hearts. Now that she had reappeared after disappearing for several years, the faith of the masses in her had a place to reside. Unconsciously, a special power gathered around Ao Xue.
Even though she never felt that what she did was wrong, she now felt a sense of relief and worthy satisfaction. She wasn't an enemy of the world. Putting aside the higher-ups for now, at least in the hearts of countless Mortals on the continent, she was recognized!
"Ancient Great Emperors didn't just become Emperors through strength. Never underestimate the Power of the Masses. Although they are mere Mortals, you must remember that the first Great Emperors ascended to the throne through the reverence of the masses! Their faith is a form of unseen destiny. When the masses are all on your side, you are the God of the Masses!"
Ao Xue suddenly understood the meaning of those words spoken by the divine dragon in the inheritance. At this moment, she felt that her newly broken-through Realm had undergone a subtle change in the unseen, but she didn't examine it closely. Instead, she looked at the several figures that had appeared on the mountaintop at some unknown time!
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