The Golden Dragon ?? and the Yinglong Silver ?? arrived at the Ancestral Dragon Mountain (T? Long), the central range of the Mu Continent, where the Dragon King resided. Garrison Lord (Doanh Ch?) wanted to follow, but the Yinglong refused; only Ufretin ??, the grumpy old Dwarf, was permitted entrance, as the Ancestral Dragon Lair had an area reserved for Dragon Slaves (Long N?).
The Golden Dragon flew quite slowly compared to the Yinglong, giving the Yinglong plenty of spare time and causing him to constantly grumble: "Hey, have you visited your parents yet?" ??
The Golden Dragon replied curtly: "Not yet."
Yinglong continued to question: "Why not? Are you not getting along with your father?"
Golden Dragon: "No."
Yinglong: (Not giving up) "Or is it because your father has too many children and doesn't care about you?"
The Golden Dragon only shook his head, unwilling to say another word.
Yinglong persisted: "What about your mother? Have you seen her?" The Golden Dragon shook his head again.
Yinglong: "Why are you afraid to meet the Dragon King? What crime did you commit?"
The Golden Dragon nodded.
Throughout the journey, the Golden Dragon had a headache from the Yinglong's persistent questioning; his ears were nearly deafened. The Yinglong explained and introduced everything he saw. If the Golden Dragon had enough strength, he would certainly stuff something into the Yinglong's mouth to shut him up. What suffering! ??
??? The Ancestral Lair
The Ancestral Dragon Lair lay beneath a magnificent mountain range called the Great Long Range (??i Tr??ng S?n). This range was snow-covered year-round, stretching tens of thousands of miles from North to South, clearly dividing the Mu Continent into two parts:
- The East was the land governed by Immortals (Tiên), led by the 10 great cultivation sects ?? placed on 10 flying islands, spearheaded by the Profound Ice Sect (Huy?n B?ng) and the three royal families: Sun, Moon, and Star.
- The West of the Great Long Range was the world of the Ancient Race (C? Nhan), tall people over 3m, with some Great Ancients reaching 30-50m.
- The South was the land of the Avian King (?i?u Nhan V??ng), who had an Eagle's head and wings with a human body, ruling the Beastkin kingdom ????.
The Ancestral Dragon Lair had many entrances. The entrance for flying dragons was located on the highest peak, at an average altitude of 15,000m. Other entrances included a water gate connected to a river, and an earth gate deep underground that required digging to reach. The deepest level was where the Dragon Slaves resided, a vast forge area with thousands of miles of complex, intertwining tunnels, fully equipped—a veritable giant city built for them.
The place where the Dragon King ?? was sleeping was an immensely huge cave. The ceiling was adorned with countless crystals arranged meticulously according to the star charts, with a gigantic crystal at the center representing the North Star (B?c ??u). Below was a schematic of the world, featuring a central island and the Sky Pillar (Cay c?t ch?ng tr?i), along with four great continents in the four directions: the Atlantic Continent (East), the Mu Continent (South, where the Dragon King slept), and two other continents whose names the Golden Dragon did not know, completely foreign to him.
All the land surfaces, except where the Dragon King lay, were piled high with gold, silver, jewels, crystals, and every kind of gemstone imaginable, along with countless weapons and armors. Rivers flowing between the continents were also filled with treasures, so numerous that there was no space for immortal herbs to grow. The entire room was filled with shimmering, reflective light ?, dazzling the Golden Dragon and filling him with delight and joy.
The Dragon King presided in the giant cave, with only half his body visible on the ground, the rest submerged underwater, but his total length was at least 1000m. That was his normal size, not counting how much larger he could transform. The Dragon King's eyes were like extremely bright lamps ??; when he opened his eyes, the entire chamber was brilliantly lit, and when he closed them, darkness immediately enveloped it.
?? PROFILE: DRAGON KING LV 999: SUPREME MAGE
The Green Dragon ??, the Green Dragon Emissary, was hovering next to the Dragon King's head, his face full of self-satisfaction. Yinglong: "I have escorted the Golden Dragon here."
The Dragon King did not reply but transmitted his thoughts toward the Golden Dragon. A terrible headache ?? struck the Golden Dragon, accompanied by the sensation of an energy current scanning his body. Then, the Dragon King asked: "What crime did you commit?"
The Golden Dragon was about to speak, but the Green Dragon quickly cut in: "He nearly killed me! He knew I was your emissary but dared to attack—he showed no respect for you! Punish him! Punish him!" ??
The Dragon King frowned with displeasure: "You are a new emissary and do not know the rules, so I shall forgive you. If you interrupt again, I will eat you alive! When I ask someone, only that person speaks, do you understand?" ?? The Green Dragon trembled and dared not speak.
Dragon King: "I ask again: What crime did you commit? Why did you not come to see me, despite being summoned many times? I warn you, lying in my presence is equivalent to instant death!" ??
Golden Dragon: "I signed a Blood Pact (Kh? ??c máu) with a human, committing the crime of interspecies covenant."
The Dragon King signaled the Yinglong to answer. Yinglong: "The crime of Blood Covenant (K?t huy?t) is having relations to bear children with another species, especially humans. This causes the bloodline to mix, becoming impure, and the offender is struck from the Dragon Registry (Long B?), forbidden from being a Dragon in the next life."
Golden Dragon: "I slept next to him, and we even hugged..." ??
The Dragon King shook with laughter ??: "Hahaha! Next, you'll say holding hands will make a baby! I swear, I have never seen a Dragon as naive as you!"
Golden Dragon: "It's possible, though." ??
The Dragon King laughed heartily: "Hahaha! Talking to this one is rotting my brain! I have never seen a Dragon so naive!"
Dragon King: "Enough with the jokes. You are guilty of attacking my Emissary. Your punishment is to serve as my Emissary alongside him for 50 years. Practice working and living together!" The Green Dragon opened his mouth: "Is this a reward or a punishment? You are un..." ??
The Green Dragon quickly shut his mouth, afraid the Dragon King would eat him alive. Dragon King frowned: "Do not let your mouth ruin your life. Both of you must learn to work together. If you fail, I will eat you both alive for convenience. Both of you, get out!" ??
The Green Dragon and the Golden Dragon left, followed by the Yinglong.
Dragon King: "What do you think is the Golden Dragon's problem?"
Yinglong: "I think he is guilty of being obsessed with men (nam s?c), but because he is too naive, the problem is not too serious. Also, he has given up his Dragon Pearl, so his inclination towards sin will decrease. You were brilliant to make them work together; living with a Dragon will lessen his love for humans."
The Dragon King laughed: "So the Dragon Pearl that caused infatuation with men now belongs to an arrogant female Dragon who hates all male dragons (the Green Dragon Emissary is female)! What an interesting combination. I hope they turn from enemies into a couple; that would comfort his father's Dragon Soul."
The Dragon King sighed, and Ying Long asked:
Ying Long ??: "What's the matter?"
The Dragon King ??: "The Golden Dragon's problem is only solved on the surface, the root of the problem is in himself."
Ying Long ??: "Please explain clearly."
The Dragon King ??: "He is a young Soul, one of the Starseeds of the new era. He is originally from the Spirit World or the Immortal World like the Cultivators, where there is a lot of freedom in gender, there are creatures with 32 genders there. So he will feel very uncomfortable because of the new rule, only two genders in this Mortal World."
Ying Long did not understand and asked:
Ying Long ??: "The soul is immortal, why is there a distinction between old and young? What is a Starseed?"
Dragon King ??: "You're right, Souls are immortal, regardless of age or youth. The old and young I'm talking about here is the time in this Mortal Realm, as you are an old soul here, so the rules of the Mortal Realm's Heavenly Dao are very easy for you to understand, but the young Souls from the Spirit Realm who come here and are used to the rules of the Heavenly Dao in the Spirit Realm will not be familiar with it. Starseeds are seeds from the Spirit that come down to this Mortal Realm to replace the Gods, Spirit Realms on earth, including Mortal Realms like Kings and manage on this mortal world."
Ying Long ??: "Why are you telling me this? What do you want me to do?"
Dragon King ??: "That's right, you were chosen to go to the Spirit Realm, in the near future you will experience trials, heavenly tribulations, and a thousand-year tribulations, if you succeed you will ascend to heaven. But if you fail you will return to the dragon egg and wait a thousand years."
Ying Long ??: "Thank you for your nomination." ??
Dragon King ??: "It's nothing, but first you have to train a dragon to replace your current position."
Ying Long ??: "You mean the Golden Dragon? How much time do I have left?"
Dragon King ??: "Not long, about 100-200 years. The era will change, everything will be restored."
Yinglong: "But The Golden Dragon doesn't know his father is dead yet. He keeps avoiding everyone in the Dragon Race. He is too childish, not ready to take on big responsibilities" ??
Dragon King: "Yes, choose your words carefully when talking to him. His father was my friend, and he died because of me. I will find a way to help him somewhat. Now, I am tired. You should go. I laughed too hard just now, and some of my wounds are starting to crack." ??
The Yinglong bowed: "Yes, my Lord."