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Little Jia followed Xu Yuan into the gateway.
After a dizzying sensation, the two arrived at the end of the channel.
Xu Yuan didn't panic when his feet felt momentarily weightless. Instead, he used his blood energy to influence the surrounding forces of heaven and earth, enabling himself to glide forward.
Little Jia, on the other hand, plummeted directly, landing with a thunderous crash in the Dragon Valley and creating quite a commotion.
However, in the empty Dragon Valley, such a disturbance elicited no response.
Slowly descending, Xu Yuan looked at the deep crater Little Jia had created. Little Jia leisurely climbed out of the pit, completely unharmed.
Little Jia's species didn't belong to the category of dragon-type soul beasts, nor was it part of the various dragon races under the Dragon God. It was a unique Ironscale Dragon native to the Dragon Plane. Its body resembled armor made of iron, and upon reaching adulthood, it would evolve into an Ironscale Thorn Dragon, covered in menacing spikes.
Before adulthood, they were already highly skilled in defense.
Even after evolving and growing spikes all over their bodies, their primary skill remained defense—it just came with an added layer of thorns.
This species specialized in defense. Considering their dragon race characteristics and their exceptionally high bloodline quality, their defensive capabilities were extraordinary.
"Benefactor, where is this?"
Little Jia already had some sense of the place. He could feel the calls from within this small world and a strong sense of familiarity. Though there was no true bloodline connection, they were still of the same cosmic origin, allowing them to resonate with each other.
"This is the Dragon Valley. It was once a small world belonging to the dragon race, but all the dragons here have perished. Now, it's more appropriate to call it a dragon graveyard," Xu Yuan explained calmly.
Nine streams of dragon qi surrounded him, shielding his soul power fluctuations.
With the nine Dragon Kings personally intervening, even if Xu Yuan's soul power exceeded the norm, he was automatically exempt from the mechanisms currently governing the Dragon Valley.
The Dragon Valley wasn't incapable of handling the soul power of Soul Kings or Soul Emperors; rather, those levels would only waste resources. Their demands were too great, placing a heavy burden on the Dragon Valley, which was why only those below the rank of Soul King were allowed entry.
For soul masters before the Soul King level, cultivation still focused on strengthening the body and soul power, a stage where the body's strength could enhance soul power. This phase aligned perfectly with the needs of the Dragon Valley's dragon clouds and dragon souls, making it easier for them to benefit from it.
On the other hand, for Soul Kings and Soul Emperors, every step of progress in soul power became much harder, and the body's enhancement played a minimal role in boosting soul power. To satisfy their needs, the Dragon Valley would inevitably lose too many dragon clouds and dragon souls.
Though the Dragon Valley contained boundless dragon clouds and numerous dragon souls, these were the result of long-term accumulation. The truly sustainable supply was limited.
"A dragon graveyard?"
Upon hearing Xu Yuan's explanation, Little Jia felt a wave of sorrow in his heart.
"I brought you here to undergo a bloodline baptism, to free you from the influence of the Dragon Plane. Afterward, you'll stay here as a guardian."
Xu Yuan had no special demands for Little Jia.
Since the Mountain Dragon King had decided to give Little Jia a bloodline baptism and pass on his legacy, Xu Yuan saw no issue with it. He decided to let Little Jia stay in the Dragon Valley as its guardian.
As a guardian, Little Jia could also serve as a test for Shrek students who entered in the future.
Xu Yuan led Little Jia deeper into the Dragon Valley.
Familiar with the terrain, Xu Yuan quickly found the core area—the true Dragon Graveyard.
Descending into the valley, he felt the mournful cries of countless dragon souls. Little Jia couldn't help but shed tears.
His feelings were far more vivid than Xu Yuan's. It was as if apocalyptic scenes of despair were unfolding before his eyes, narrated by the dragon souls around him, shaking his spirit.
Through the dragon souls' influence, Little Jia gained a rough understanding of the level of this small world.
The dragons who once lived here might have been even stronger than the Demon Lords he knew!
In other words, there were likely many god-level dragons here!
Yet, such a small world had been massacred, and the entire dragon population met their end in a single day.
"Let's go."
Xu Yuan spoke only after Little Jia's emotions had stabilized.
After all, Little Jia wasn't a dragon from the Douluo domain. Though he felt sorrow, he didn't share a deep resonance with the dragon souls, so he recovered quickly.
Xu Yuan led Little Jia around the Dragon Graveyard.
Within the Dragon Valley, there were actually five sites of the Mountain Dragon King's legacy, originating from three different Mountain Dragon Kings.
Two of these legacies separated the dragon souls from their bloodlines, while one belonged to the Mountain Dragon King who guarded the Dragon God's soul. His dragon soul, bloodline, and remains were preserved intact. If anyone disturbed the Dragon God's soul's rest, he would awaken to annihilate the intruder.
The Mountain Dragon King currently residing in Xu Yuan's dreamscape was merely a dragon soul legacy.
Long Yue had indeed inherited his legacy and evolved the Mountain Dragon King martial soul through this inheritance. However, this was achieved through the dragon soul's guidance of bloodline power.
With the abundant dragon clouds and dragon souls within the Dragon Valley nurturing him and attracting the attention of various dragon bloodlines, the Mountain Dragon King's dragon soul served as a catalyst to recreate a Mountain Dragon King bloodline martial soul.
However, such a martial soul would be somewhat impure.
This was the source of Long Yue's numerous martial soul flaws.
Of course, there was another reason: he wasn't originally a dragon. His frail human body at the time couldn't absorb the true Mountain Dragon King bloodline. Instead, he absorbed the dragon soul, causing his martial soul to mutate. He then gradually enhanced himself by drawing on dragon clouds, dragon souls, and the bloodlines of weaker dragon species. By steadily digesting these energies, he improved his physical condition and eventually achieved the Mountain Dragon King's essence.
The Mountain Dragon King's dragon soul hadn't intended to harm him. The flaw left behind was, strictly speaking, a form of tempering, helping him better assimilate the Mountain Dragon King's essence.
The Mountain Dragon King bloodline he cultivated through his own efforts might actually be more suitable for a human constitution, allowing the Mountain Dragon King martial soul to be passed down among humans.
At this moment, the dragon soul guided Xu Yuan to the place where its body had been left.
Circling past the inner valley where the Dragon God's soul had once rested, Xu Yuan and Little Jia arrived before a massive dragon skeleton.
The skeleton exuded an abyssal, oppressive aura, carrying the weight of the earth.
Xu Yuan carefully examined it and sensed that this skeleton was much weaker than the one guarding the inner valley.
Still, the aura it emitted was incredibly powerful.
The overwhelming heaviness of the earth it radiated instinctively made one feel insignificant.
"What is this…" Little Jia was awestruck, gazing up at the enormous skeleton.
In the Dragon Plane, Little Jia's species was already considered large, but seeing the Mountain Dragon King's skeleton now made him realize how minuscule his previous understanding had been.
This dragon skeleton was at least a hundred meters long and over forty meters tall.
The intangible heaviness of the earth combined with its colossal size made it utterly intimidating.
"Go ahead and carefully sense it. Within this dragon skeleton lies a trace of bloodline essence. If you can absorb it, you'll have a chance to break free from the Dragon Plane's constraints."
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