If my guess is correct, this place is most likely where another Dragon King once fell.
I didn't know how long they had been walking—perhaps days, perhaps only hours. The two of them relied on the food stored in the Galaxy Space to barely stay alive. Before entering the desert, they had prepared water and plenty of supplies.
Daji's injuries had improved, and Lin Yuan took her to explore every passage nearby.
The corridor felt endless, and he had no idea where it led.
Time flowed like falling pear blossoms—spring's crimson colors fading in an instant, too fast to grasp.
After a long while, they finally saw a faint light ahead. As they walked closer, they realized what it was.
Before them stood a room surrounded by massive stone walls. At the entrance, a giant boulder displayed a few large words carved into its surface: "Yellow Sand Underground Palace." Inside, several stone tables and stools were casually arranged. At the center of the room, on a massive stone table, lay an enormous egg. The scales on its shell were stunningly intricate.
[Ding! Hidden Mission Triggered: Absorb the Essences of the Two Dragon Kings—Earth and Mountain]
Description: Absorb and refine the essence of the Earth Dragon King. Seek out the Mountain Dragon King and refine his essence as well.
Rewards:– One King Hero Summoning Card– One King Hero Skin Card– Soul Energy Tempering Method
"Welcome, outstanding one."
Just as Lin Yuan finished reading the mission, a voice rang out.
The moment the voice fell, the room lit up.
When the light faded, a transparent humanoid phantom appeared. Arms crossed, expression stern, handsome sword-shaped brows, cropped hair, sharp features, wearing khaki armor, eight-pack abs exposed, tall and imposing—rough yet domineering.
"What an interesting human. Not only does he carry Father God's aura, but also the auras of Little Ice and Little Fire. And he even uses the Golden Dragon King's rib as a weapon. Hmm… truly amusing. Don't you want to explain, human boy?"
Lin Yuan took a deep breath and said, "If I'm right, Senior should be the Earth Dragon King, one of the Nine Dragon Kings."
"Yes. You are smart, child."
"Senior, I came here only to complete the first trial of the Nine Dragon God Assessment—collecting the essences of all Dragon Kings to forge the Dragon God Heart. Before this, I made agreements with the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King. If we work together, we can one day return to the God Realm and reclaim our homeland. They also offered me their origin essences as sacrifices."
"I know much. But how can I be sure that you truly possess the ability you claim?" The Earth Dragon King narrowed his eyes. "Many Dragon Kings have already fallen. Yet you want to gather all our origin essences and refine the Dragon God Heart? This trial is extremely difficult. And even if you pass the first stage, what if you fail the ones to come? Wouldn't our future be ruined? Have you considered all that?"
"It's true that my ability is not yet strong enough, and I cannot earn your full trust right away. Words are fragile and easily doubted. I won't make empty promises. I will let my strength convince you. Please let me prove it to you."
"And besides—don't you all want to return to the God Realm? Don't you want to reclaim what was originally yours? Having hope is better than having none, right?"
"…Kid, you've convinced me. Since Little Ice and Little Fire trust you, how could they possibly let me off? I hope you do not lie. Very well—I will also offer my origin as a sacrifice."
The moment he finished speaking, a khaki-yellow light burst from the Earth Dragon King's body. A uniquely colored khaki divine flame ignited around him.
His physical form gradually faded. The earthy-yellow glow enveloped the entire room and slowly condensed into a gray-golden soul ring, gently circling around Lin Yuan. This gray-golden ring fused with his fifth ring, the black color being devoured until it became a new gray-gold ring.
At last, the Earth Dragon King's radiance vanished completely. An orange-gray right leg bone shot toward Lin Yuan's leg, slowly merging with it. Having experienced it once before, this fusion went smoothly.
A few hours later, the soul bone had fully merged.
The fifth soul ring did not grant a new soul skill, but the swallowing range and power of Devour the Firmament grew significantly stronger.
This encounter also helped Lin Yuan understand that elemental soul skills depend entirely on the user's control over the element. Just like his first soul ring's Flame Meteor—if the user's command of the fire element is strong enough, techniques of that level naturally appear.
The Earth Dragon King's right leg bone granted Lin Yuan two soul skills:
Earth's Guardian:A powerful defensive soul skill. It can withstand the strongest attacks of any soul master below Rank 99 without breaking. Covers the entire body with earth element for full protection.
Endless Life:As long as his right foot touches the ground, the earth continuously feeds Lin Yuan soul power, constantly restoring his abilities. However, it cannot heal injuries.
Lin Yuan calmed down and examined the giant egg in the room. Even with the Eye of Detection, he couldn't learn more.
[Name: Soul Beast Dome][Age: ?????][Type: ?????][Characteristics: A dome produced by a powerful soul beast/god beast/magical beast]
The less information there was, the more mysterious it seemed—making Lin Yuan all the more curious.
He didn't know what it was, but he felt it must be a treasure. After all, protagonists usually gain benefits at moments like this.
Lin Yuan touched the giant egg again, wanting to lift it—but it did not move at all. After his ice-fire tempering, his physical body had become far stronger, and he trained regularly. He was very aware of his physical strength.
Yet now, he couldn't lift even a single egg—proving how extraordinary it was.
He gathered soul power and tried again. Still unmoving.
He let go and stared at the egg for a long time, clueless.
At that moment, Daji said, "Could it be a weapon that requires recognition by blood?"
"A bloodline recognition? That's possible."
Lin Yuan put his finger to his lips and bit lightly, expecting it to bleed—but the skin didn't even break.
…But TV dramas always show that biting a finger makes it bleed instantly! Alright, he felt incredibly foolish.
He took out a dagger and gently cut his fingertip. Blood flowed out.
He let a drop fall onto the egg. The moment it touched, the egg released a purple glow and slowly absorbed the blood—nothing else happened.
But Lin Yuan felt that a subtle connection had formed between him and the dome—almost like sharing a bloodline.
This time, he easily lifted the dome and stored it in his system space.
After removing it, a golden imprint appeared on the stone table where it had rested—a dragon's mark. Lin Yuan examined it, drawn in by its intricate patterns, slowly falling into a trance.
Just then, the underground palace began to collapse. Lin Yuan and Daji hurried to escape.
As soon as they reached the door, countless stones tumbled down, blocking the exit. The underground palace shook violently. The dragon mark suddenly shone brightly, and a vortex appeared in the air, pulling everything in the room into it.
Lin Yuan and Daji were no exception. Even if they wanted to resist, it was useless.
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