The White Dragon spoke with a voice tinged with sorrow and anger, "In truth, I too am a cursed being. When Ancestral Dragon transformed into the continent, our entire dragon race was cursed. This curse seems to originate from the upper realms, eternal and unyielding. It randomly selects members of the dragon race to enter this cave and guard the Dragon Pearl for eternity, preventing them from ever leaving. Should they attempt to depart, they would instantly perish, vanishing into nothingness. After one dragon meets its demise, another is always chosen. They awaken in this cavern and are compelled to shoulder this heavy responsibility."
"It's over. I've praised the wrong thing," Mo Qi rolled his eyes. The conversation had hit a dead end.
As Mo Qi pondered how to break the awkward silence, the White Dragon suddenly twisted its body, lowering its head. Its body and tail descended, landing on the platform. With a puff of green smoke, it transformed into human form: white hair, white beard, deep wrinkles etched like knife cuts upon its forehead, yet its eyes were sharp and piercing, exuding an imposing aura.
"So, it can also be human," Mo Qi felt a sense of relief. He always found communication with humans to be much easier and more comfortable. Other beasts, with their perpetually expressionless faces, made it impossible to fathom their thoughts.
"Greetings, Senior. This junior pays his respects," Mo Qi immediately cupped his fists in salutation.
The White Dragon waved a sleeve, "No need for formalities."
The Snow Woman also stepped forward to pay her respects. The White Dragon responded with the same indifferent tone, "No need for formalities." He then inquired, "What era is it now? In which Tribulation cycle do we reside?"
"We are in the second Tribulation cycle. In about twenty years, we will enter the third," Mo Qi replied.
The old dragon lowered his head in thought and murmured, "Ten thousand years. I have been guarding here for ten thousand years."
"May I know your esteemed name, Senior?" Mo Qi, amidst his shock, felt a flicker of curiosity towards the old dragon and asked politely.
The White Dragon pondered for a moment, then looked up at the cave ceiling, his gaze becoming distant. "It has been too long. No one has called my name in ages, and I have forgotten it myself." He then let out a sorrowful laugh, "What use is a name? No one calls it anyway."
Hearing his mournful words, Mo Qi and the Snow Woman felt a pang of empathy, their eyes almost welling up with tears.
However, the old White Dragon suddenly burst into laughter, "It's different now. At least for a while, you will keep me company, and I won't feel lonely during this time."
Mo Qi and the Snow Woman froze, a sense of foreboding rising within them.
"Senior, please don't joke. We have to leave. How can we stay here with you? We have many things to do. The clothes hanging outside still need to be collected, and the pigs in the pen haven't been fed yet," Mo Qi said with a smile.
The old White Dragon's smile vanished abruptly. He pointed to the skeletons leaning against the stone walls, "These people all said they wanted to leave when they first arrived. In the end, didn't they all obediently stay here with me until they turned into a pile of white bones?"
An unbidden anger began to burn within Mo Qi, "Are you saying you intend to force us to stay here?"
The White Dragon waved his hand, a smile of unprecedented kindness appearing on his face. "I will not force you. If you wish to leave, please do so." He then extended one hand outwards, making a gesture of invitation.
Mo Qi and the Snow Woman were stunned. What was this charade? He said they couldn't leave, then he said they could. Was he having a breakdown?
Mo Qi cautiously took a step towards the exit, looking back as he walked, "I'm really leaving."
The old White Dragon nodded with a smile, "Please do."
Seeing that the dragon made no move to stop them or attack them from behind, Mo Qi quickened his pace towards the cave entrance. The Snow Woman also hurried to catch up.
Upon reaching the cave mouth, Mo Qi stopped, his senses on high alert. The Snow Woman also halted. Mo Qi suddenly realized if the old dragon had tampered with the barrier, that's why he was so nonchalant and unafraid to let them leave. They wouldn't be able to get out anyway.
He reached out to touch it, and a barrier of light repelled his hand, stinging it. Indeed, the old dragon had silently manipulated the barrier, causing it to exert its confining effect, which hadn't been apparent when he didn't stop them from leaving.
Mo Qi and the Snow Woman grew anxious. After all, there were so many skeletons in this cave – a stark warning. So many people had been trapped and died here. While they might not have entered at the same time, they were all cultivators with naturally longer lifespans. This meant they had spent hundreds or even thousands of years searching for a way out, all in vain, eventually becoming mere skeletons. Did they themselves have any chance of escaping?
Mo Qi, consumed by frustration, unleashed his Mo Dao Wan Ren. The sword's energy collided with the barrier, causing it to flare brilliantly. However, the barrier remained unharmed. Instead, a powerful repulsive force struck him, sending him flying backward a considerable distance before he landed. The Snow Woman was also affected, blown back several steps.
Furious, Mo Qi disregarded his pain, scrambled to his feet, and unleashed ice swords and claw shadows at the barrier, all to no avail. They couldn't shake the barrier in the slightest. He then flicked two fingers, sending out arrow qi. These artfully pierced two small holes in the barrier, but they instantly sealed themselves, offering no chance of escape.
The old dragon let out a soft "Hmm," clearly surprised by his ability to breach the barrier. However, he quickly regained his composure: "Clever tricks are ultimately not elegant enough."
Mo Qi then tried the spear-shaped artifact he had just acquired. It also failed to cause any damage, instead bouncing back and nearly injuring him.
Watching him attempt time and again, only to be repelled and fall to the ground, then bravely charge forward again, finally gripping the spear and repeatedly hacking at the barrier with increasing madness, his eyes beginning to show streaks of blood, the Snow Woman couldn't help but call out softly, "Mo Qi!"
Mo Qi felt as if struck by lightning. He glanced at the Snow Woman, her eyes filled with worry, her ethereal beauty tinged with a touch of sorrow due to her concern. Mo Qi suddenly realized that the barrier was entirely controlled by the old dragon. If the old dragon were defeated, all problems would be solved.
With that thought, Mo Qi's sharp gaze turned towards the old dragon. The old dragon remained unfazed, his face beaming. "I advise you to be cautious. I see you are only at the Core Formation stage." He pointed to the skeletons. "Among these people are cultivators at the Core Formation stage, Nascent Soul stage, and Spirit Severing stage. They all chose to die of old age. A few, unwilling to believe, insisted on challenging me, and they chose swift death. Of course, you won't see their bones if they chose swift death. I strike with great force; engaging me generally results in only one outcome: annihilation, body and soul."
Under his casual boasting and intimidation, Mo Qi was somewhat unnerved. After all, the other party was an ancient demon of tens of thousands of years.
Before the old dragon finished his boasting, he continued nonchalantly, "Of course, the skeletons you see here are not the most powerful. They had some self-awareness. Only a few cultivators at the Mahayana stage, who thought they could contend with me, even defeat or kill me, were killed by me. What was the point of that? Dying of old age is also quite good. Although a bit lonely, at least you live longer. Look at me, ten thousand years have passed like a single day, and I've managed to endure. Life is quite manageable, really. In my spare time, I can count skeletons and practice my divine abilities; it's not boring at all."
Seeing his casual and arrogant demeanor, Mo Qi's teeth were almost grinding to dust. He had heard that the lifespan of beings in this world generally had an upper limit of eighteen thousand years, and signs of aging began to appear around fifteen thousand years. This old dragon should be at least fifteen thousand years old, right? His magical power should have significantly waned. At least his current magical power was clearly not comparable to his peak, but how high was his cultivation at its peak?
Mo Qi suddenly sighed, as if accepting his fate. He found a spot devoid of skeletons and sat down against the wall.
"Ah, that's more like it," the old dragon nodded with satisfaction. "Young man, it's quite good to keep an old man like me company here. Your lives are shining brightly."
He was truly insufferable. Mo Qi wished he could rush forward immediately—to his death? Better not.
The Snow Woman also sat down beside Mo Qi. They exchanged a look, on the verge of tears.
"It seems we must also find a way to pass on our divine abilities," Mo Qi said, his voice filled with sorrow.
The sudden melancholy brought tears to the Snow Woman's eyes.
"Alas, you stubborn fool. What's the use of passing them on? Who can carry them out?" the old dragon said, rolling his eyes.
"I'll try again to see if I can get out," Mo Qi suddenly stood up again and walked to the barrier.
"Try it. Go ahead and try," the old dragon said, appearing indifferent and confident of his victory.
Mo Qi continuously flicked arrow qi from his fingers. When the arrow qi struck the barrier, holes the thickness of a finger were opened. Coincidentally, before the barrier could recover, streams of black qi slipped out through the narrow openings.
"Did the soul bodies escape?" Mo Qi asked the old dragon, feigning ignorance.
The old dragon also understood his true intention and smiled freely, "Yes, they are soul bodies. Feel free to let them out. They can't entertain me here anyway; they are all dead energy. I need vitality." His tone suddenly shifted, "It's good for you to do something you think is helpful, lest you suffocate. Go ahead and release them all. This way, your inner world will be purified as never before."
Mo Qi ignored him, continuing his task with focus. He treated this as a form of catharsis. He couldn't leave, but if he could let something else out, he might feel somewhat balanced.
The soul bodies seemed to have a tacit understanding, lining up by Mo Qi's side, waiting. Faint sounds of excitement and anticipation could be heard.
For hundreds or thousands of years, they had yearned to escape this barrier, constantly trying various methods, but no soul had ever succeeded.
Many had been trapped for hundreds or thousands of years when they were alive. They thought death would be a release, but little did they know they would suffer imprisonment even after death.
The suffering was endless, truly unbearable. The soul bodies had lost most of their consciousness, but their instinct for survival was incredibly strong. The moment Mo Qi opened a hole with his arrow qi, they would rush out through it.
Outside the barrier, they coalesced into human-like outlines, turning back to Mo Qi to make gestures of gratitude and thanks, then departed, looking back repeatedly.
Witnessing this scene, the Snow Woman was greatly shocked. She unconsciously stood up, watching Mo Qi silently. In her clear, water-like eyes, a subtle, unusual radiance flickered.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps an hour, perhaps a day, perhaps a year—in the cave, everyone lost their sense of time—until the last wisp of black qi slipped out, Mo Qi was exhausted, fine beads of sweat dotting his forehead.
Just as Mo Qi was about to wipe his sweat, a fair, soft hand reached out from the side, holding a silk handkerchief. It gently wiped his forehead, a faint fragrance drifting into his nostrils. This sudden "bliss" made him feel somewhat dazed. He had never experienced such gentle treatment. Mo Qi's heart pounded wildly, he dared not breathe deeply, and he couldn't even cast a sideways glance. His usual flippancy and arrogant aloofness vanished instantly.
At this moment, the old dragon felt somewhat superfluous and immediately transformed into a wisp of green smoke, seeping into the Dragon Pearl.
Mo Qi held his breath continuously, not knowing why. It was as if he feared his own breathing would disturb her.
He stood there stiffly, like a zombie, until the Snow Woman finished wiping his sweat and handed him the handkerchief, saying with infinite tenderness, "Keep this."