C1412 Dragon Taming

At the pinnacle of the Everlands, Skyreach Peak loomed.

"How did he manage that?"

Untamed, the barefoot Ape, drew a drag from his dry tobacco and perched on a rugged rock. He gazed at Zu Ann, clad in traditional garb with a crest atop his head, and asked with a toothy smile, "Mr. Zu, with the Mirror of Fates in your grasp, you can discern every subtle shift within the Everlands. Could you enlighten me on what exactly transpired?"

He had departed from the Marsh and reached Skyreach Peak in the blink of an eye, driven by the need to unravel the mystery.

How could the Everlands' check on the Nagas vanish so suddenly?

Yu Yuan, despite wielding the Dragon Slaying Stage, shouldn't possess the might to alter the cosmic order!

The Ape was baffled and profoundly disturbed, prompting his journey to Skyreach Peak.

By the crystal-clear waters of the mountaintop lake, another ethereal white figure breached the seal of the Skyreach range. With Zu Ann's consent, he materialized quietly.

This was White Bone, ascended to the God of Ghosts.

Not in the flesh, but as a spectral presence, White Bone settled by the lake, mirroring the Ape, both observing Zu Ann, whose expression remained stoically detached.

In his ghostly form, White Bone's demeanor was serene, exuding an ease between the Ape and Zu Ann.

He, too, sought answers.

"Lord Untamed, you ought to seek out Taishi. He was, after all, one of the original participants," Zu Ann spoke evenly.

Untamed had lived an exceedingly long life, so extensive that he had forged profound ties with the God-King of Boulderdawn.

As one of the oldest Dark Deities, his mark on the Everlands was second only to that of the Dark Phoenix.

Zu Ann was aware that when Boulderdawn faced the onslaught of the five great forces, Untamed sheltered many of their survivors, secretly escorting them to the extraterrestrial realms.

The Ape had played a significant role in Boulderdawn's resurgence within the Star River beyond.

"Taishi is currently beyond the extraterrestrial, not present in the Everlands. And the new God-King of the Moonfall Sanctuary is a stranger born beyond, unfamiliar to me," the Ape shook his head. "Can't you discern any changes within the Dragon Slaying Stage through the Mirror of Fates?"

As the Everlands began to shift, he found himself at the Marsh, convinced that the Dragon Slaying Stage was the catalyst. Regrettably, with his own eyes, he couldn't penetrate the chaotic, luminescent barrier that shrouded the stage's interior, leaving its mysteries concealed from him.

Zu Ann's Mirror of Fates, fabled to reveal the truth behind all illusions and penetrate the deepest mists, seemed to have detected the nascent disturbance in the cosmic order within the Marsh. It was likely that the mirror had also turned its gaze upon the Dragon Slaying Stage.

He was of the opinion that the Mirror of Fates had aided Zu Ann in witnessing the subterranean upheaval of the rules, understanding the cause of such a transformation. White Bone shared this belief, which is why he had also made his way there.

"I'm sorry to disappoint both of you," Zu Ann said, shaking his head with a furrowed brow and an odd look on his face. "Indeed, I looked. But like you, I saw nothing."

Before White Bone and Untamed could respond, their expressions shifted once more.

"I'll send him!"

With those words, the tense bloodline chain around Untamed's heart suddenly loosened. In that very moment, Yu Yuan arrived at Dragon Island, deep beneath the sea.

"The patriarchs from the Devil Palace, Shadow's Keep, and the upper sects have all set their sights on Dragon Island," White Bone remarked in a smooth, pleasing tone after a long silence.

"Let's have a look ourselves!" Ape demanded, fixing his gaze on Zu Ann.

Zu Ann nodded, and the clear lake before them vividly displayed the scene of Dragon Island. As golden, silver, green, and deep blue dragon scales densely filled the sky above the island, attempting to obstruct all prying eyes, Zu Ann let out a muted chuckle.

His slender hand, glowing with a divine light, lightly touched the lake's surface. In an instant, the water erupted in dazzling brilliance, piercing through the myriad draconic seals to reveal Yu Yuan, Loong Jie, and the other giant dragons on Dragon Island.

At Yu Yuan's behest, Loong Jie transformed into a tall, burly elder with purple-red skin, distinguished by two prominent dragon horns on his forehead, which matched the hue of his skin.

Now, the two dragon horns appeared as if forged from gold, radiating a dazzling golden brilliance. They seemed so sharp that one could imagine them piercing through the walls of the Everlands.

"Are you satisfied now?"

The old dragon, notorious for his countless romantic conquests and numerous illegitimate offspring, snorted. He complied with Yu Yuan's orders, sealing Dragon Island before shifting into human form.

Above Dragon Island, myriad dragon scales, the very essence of draconic power, had fused with the land itself.

"Hmm?"

Before Yu Yuan could respond, Loong Jie's expression shifted subtly, his large, bell-like golden eyes flashing with irritation. "We're being watched!"

"Hehe."

Yu Yuan chuckled, seemingly speaking to himself under the watchful eyes of Loong Jie and the assembled giant dragons, "Old friend, and the two... elders, there's no need to peer and ponder any longer. Don't delve too deeply, for I too am seeking answers and must first make sense of things. Rest assured, I will soon provide you with an answer."

Referring to White Bone, his ancestor from a past life, as a senior felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Yet, as soon as he spoke, the Mirror of Fates withdrew its gaze from behind the dragon scales.

"How could he have sensed us?" Untamed exclaimed in surprise from Skyreach Peak.

"The instant I laid eyes on him, he saw me too, from the Dragon Slaying Stage he commands. And you all..." Zu Ann mused, "The Dragon Slaying Stage has likely evolved under his stewardship. You're aware that the previous Dragon Slaying Stage didn't possess such mystical properties."

Zu Ann glanced at Untamed.

Ape pondered for a moment before slowly nodding, "So, are you suggesting that the Dragon Slaying Stage has developed new and extraordinary features under its second master? And that these novel attributes enabled him to stir the cosmic order of the Everlands, lifting the seal on the Nagas?"

"Perhaps so," Zu Ann replied noncommittally.

"Farewell."

White Bone vanished in an instant.

...

"I have but one question for you. Was it you who lifted the bloodline suppression that has bound my race for tens of thousands of years?"

Loong Jie, having taken human form and donned ancient robes, dispersed the dragons of the eighth level, leaving only five ninth-level dragons in the rocky terrain. Together, they turned their gaze upon Yu Yuan.

"It wasn't me; it was this."

Yu Yuan gently set the Dragon Slaying Stage on the ground, pointing to the elongated, luminescent World-Sundering Stone. With a smile, he said, "Surprised? Your bloodline's suppression is due to this stone. Your release from the seals is also its doing."

Led by Loong Jie, the ancient dragons turned their attention to the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Their eyes brimmed with complex hues, reflecting the turmoil of emotions within them.

"The breath of our ancestors!"

A ninth-level frost wyrm lay prostrate, claws scraping the earth as it inched toward the Dragon Slaying Stage.

With each movement, its nostrils flared subtly, desperately inhaling the air.

It appeared eager to assimilate the dragon's breath emanating from the stage into its very being.

"Back off! Don't make a spectacle of yourself!"

Loong Jie roared in anger, and a cascade of golden, silver, and emerald divine light fell from the skies above Dragon Island, propelling the agitated frost wyrm through the air.

Boom!

The wyrm crashed into a silver mountain range, shattering it and sending rocks tumbling down.

The other dragons promptly regained their composure, exhibiting remarkable restraint.

Moments before, they too had nearly succumbed to the urge to encircle the Dragon Slaying Stage, voraciously absorbing the escaping dragon's breath, eager to unravel its secrets.

After all, it contained the lingering breath of two Dragon Gods...

"Loong Jie, since the Dragon Slaying Stage is now in my possession, I am its rightful master. Henceforth, the Nagas will heed my command and hold me in high regard. In return, I vow that should a new Supreme God seat become available, the Nagas will be entitled to vie for it."

Upon hearing these words, all the dragons seemed to grapple with a sense of humiliation.

Yu Yuan, anticipating this reaction, simply smiled nonchalantly, took a deep breath, and firmly grasped the Dragon Slaying Stage once more.

In a fleeting moment, there was a spiritual connection between him and the young Titan Spinosaurus within the violet-gold dragon egg. He gestured to Loong Jie, "Come here!"

Loong Jie's purple-red face sprouted small bumps, resembling a cluster of tiny volcanoes on the verge of eruption.

"If you still envision a future for the Nagas, you must recognize when it's time to have the courage to face death. And then, you must know when to temper your pride," Yu Yuan said with serene confidence.

Loong Jie fought to suppress his urge to shred Yu Yuan with his dragon claws, instead fixing him with a penetrating gaze.

In that moment, the old dragon, who had lived a life constrained by his bloodline, never achieving the status of Dragon God and thus surrendering to hedonistic pursuits, found an unexpected tranquility.

"You... you evoke a very peculiar sensation in me. You..."

Murmuring to himself, Loong Jie, his eyes vacant, began to walk and then stood submissively before Yu Yuan.

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