Even in defeat, Dragon Ao Tian refused to accept failure. His lifebound artifact, the Demon Dragon Cauldron, materialized above his head as his body erupted with dazzling black light. The blood scattered across space rapidly converged, healing his wounds completely within mere breaths.
"Die!" he roared.
The Demon Dragon Cauldron expanded to mountain-like proportions, with a Peerless Demon Dragon swimming inside, radiating an aura capable of shaking the heavens!
"Without your lifebound artifact, let's see how you handle this!" Dragon Ao Tian willed the cauldron forward.
The massive artifact glowed with endless black light as it came crashing down toward Long Yuan.
......
Not long after,
Long Yuan returned to the Dragon Emperor Palace,
with a thoroughly defeated Dragon Ao Tian trailing behind him.
He had lost,utterly and completely.
Even without employing dragon pressure suppression or using his lifebound artifact,
Long Yuan's combat power had far exceeded his expectations!
Thus at the brink of life and death,
he had surrendered.
A Half-step World-Creation Realm existence indeed possessed formidable vitality,
with life imprints remaining in the river of spacetime.
Yet they weren't truly unkillable -
facing absolute power,
even imprints in the spacetime river could be erased.
So at that critical moment,
he had wisely chosen surrender.
"Chaos Essence Vein?"
The moment they entered Dragon Emperor Palace,
Dragon Ao Tian gasped in shock.
There was actually a Chaos Essence Vein here?
Even in the vast Sacred Realm,
there existed only one Chaos Essence Vein!
Only the Sacred Realm's overlords had the privilege to cultivate upon it!
"I have a question - why doesn't your forehead bear the Hellfire mark?"
Long Yuan inquired while hovering midair upon reaching the ninth layer.
"Hellfire? That's caused by cultivating special Sacred Realm techniques!"
"As for me, though I cultivated in the Sacred Realm for centuries, I practiced orthodox methods like yours!"
"Why?"
Dragon Ao Tian smacked his lips: "Because our purpose was to eventually infiltrate the Supreme Divine Realm and deliver a fatal strike!"
At this point,
he had nothing left to hide,
laying all his cards on the table.
He explained they cultivated orthodox methods
precisely to blend into the Divine Realm when war came,
creating chaos from within.
Had they used Sacred Realm exclusive techniques,
their origins would've been immediately exposed.
"Supreme Divine Realm?"
Long Yuan frowned.
Since when was there a Divine Realm?
Seeing his confusion,
Dragon Ao Tian explained: "Legends say in ancient times, heaven had thirty-three layers. But Supreme Divine Realm experts shattered and separated them, creating the current multiverse dominated by the Supreme Divine Realm, Mortal Realm, Sacred Realm, and Demon World!"
"But the original thirty-three heavens' finest resources were monopolized by the Supreme Divine Realm, leaving the Mortal Realm depleted - even godhood became nearly impossible!"
"The Sacred Realm's cultivation resources are equally scarce. Worse, due to the ancient restructuring, the entire realm is blanketed in gray lifelessness, its scenery utterly inferior to the Mortal Realm!"
"The Demon World suffers similarly!"
Growing agitated, Dragon Ao Tian's expression turned fierce: "We're all beings of the multiverse! Why should the Divine Realm hoard all supreme resources while we're stuck in these godforsaken wastelands?"
This was why they allied with the Demon World -
all to invade the Supreme Divine Realm
and redistribute resources fairly.
passages to the Divine Realm remained in the Mortal Realm.
But over time, the Divine Realm sealed all access,
claiming exclusive ownership!
This injustice fueled resentment across realms,
uniting them against the Divine Realm.
"Yet I've heard the Demon Race brings disaster to the Mortal Realm,"
Long Yuan countered gravely.
"Short-term suffering, yes. But conquering the Divine Realm means infinite resources! What's minor suffering compared to that?"
Dragon Ao Tian gazed hopefully at Long Yuan -
with such strength joining their crusade,
he'd be an invaluable asset!
"Logical, but I care not for your revolution. My sole aim is developing the Chu family into this world's strongest clan!"
"Whether Netherworld Hell, Demon Race, or Divine Realm - whoever obstructs the Chu family's rise becomes my enemy to annihilate!"
Long Yuan calmly declared, then added: "As you've submitted to me, set aside your Divine Realm ambitions. The Chu family's development takes priority now."
Dragon Ao Tian looked baffled:
"Why?"
He couldn't comprehend -
why would someone so powerful
devote himself to guarding a human family?
If building power was the goal,
wouldn't raising a dragon faction be better?
"No questions. Just obey."
"Remember - harm the Chu family, and you'll regret it."
With that, Long Yuan reclined on clouds to rest,
leaving a bewildered Dragon Ao Tian standing alone.
"Bound by fate now, I've no right to object,"
Dragon Ao Tian sighed.
Having surrendered,
he might as well be a dutiful subordinate.
Settling into meditation,
he realized this Chaos Essence Vein environment
surpassed even the Sacred Realm's!
Suddenly he asked: "Senior, what dragon bloodline do you possess? Why such overwhelming power?"
The memory of that suffocating dragon pressure haunted him -
not even the Demon World's Primordial Dragon compared!
"Yin-Yang Celestial Dragon."
"Yin-Yang Celestial Dragon? Never heard of such a lineage!"
The Sacred Realm housed many dragons,
but none by that name.
A mutant bloodline perhaps?
"Unheard before doesn't mean nonexistent."
"Impressive service may earn you some of my dragon blood to enhance your inferior Demon Dragon lineage."
Long Yuan didn't even open his eyes.
Though Peerless Demon Dragon blood was potent,
it paled against Yin-Yang Celestial Dragon's supremacy!
Dragon Ao Tian clicked his tongue,
unsure whether to believe this.
For now, he'd take it at face value.
Hell's Gate.
The Red-Haired Elder frowned:
"Dragon Ao Tian's been gone unusually long."
Scanning the Qian Region,
he found no trace of him.
"Amitabha! Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Dragons are lustful by nature - likely Young Master Ao Tian encountered some enchanting maiden."
The Weeping Monk spoke mournfully,
his face etched with worldly suffering.
"True enough. Then let's proceed to the forbidden zone first."
"We'll handle our mission before sightseeing."
The Red-Haired Elder nodded.
Their primary objective remained -
breaching a forbidden zone
to open the Demon Race's path into the Mortal Realm.