Chapter 312: Heaven-Sent Luck, Sealing the Dragon Egg, Forging a Divine Artifact

Zhao Xing did not linger long at the slumbering place of the Black Dragon "Zhi" and continued exploring the Dragon Prison.

Occasionally, he could see the corpses of some prehistoric ancient giant dragons:

A massive dragon-turtle over a thousand kilometers long, carrying a piece of land on its back, upon which lay the skeletal remains of over a hundred Dragon Kings.

Dragon head, turtle shell, giant land, Dragon King corpses, chains spanning the sky.

The earth was completely dried up, fully desertified, and the Dragon Well was entirely buried in the yellow sand.

"What a huge dragon-turtle. Pity it's too big; otherwise, if I dragged it back to use as a turtle shell, those Fate Officials would surely kneel."

Turtle shells are the best divination materials for Fate Officials, with the dragon-turtle being the finest.

"This is a 【Dragon Prison-Suppressing Dragon-Turtle】, at least of the Rule Realm, perhaps even the Dao-Establishment Realm. Using its shell for divination, its functions in certain aspects might even surpass the Creation Plate," Zhao Xing thought silently.

Above the First Grade Fate Palace Realm lie the Rule Realm and the Dao-Establishment Realm, but these two realms basically only emerge after the resurgence of spiritual energy.

The First Grade Fate Palace Realm can alter rules, but such alterations are temporary, basically the kind where "when the person leaves, the tea cools."

A true Rule Realm practitioner can sustain changes for a very long time, though this too still has a time limit.

Only the Dao-Establishment Realm can make one's Dao become part of the rules of the Xuanhuang World; for instance, True Lord Li Huo established the rule of borrowing fire to travel and returning by foot.

Another example is the rule established by the Grand Ancestor: "Do not enter lands that have an owner without permission."

However, True Lord Li Huo died long ago; there is no longer a Yin Spirit called True Lord Li Huo, only a statue. He was not even a figure of this era. The Grand Ancestor's Dao-Establishment rules were primarily for protection.

When a person dies and their soul vanishes, the Dao remains, continuing to exert influence; this is the Dao-Establishment Realm.

It is just that as heaven and earth change, the established Dao will also undergo changes in strength.

Zhao Xing's belief that the 【Dragon Prison-Suppressing Dragon-Turtle】 was of the Dao-Establishment Realm was purely speculation; he had not sensed anything specific.

"Pity I cannot refine it. A turtle shell over a thousand kilometers long is far beyond what I can refine at this stage. It would require a team: a Forger, a Fate Official, and a Martial Artist from the Mechanist profession, working together with a Divine Artifact to refine it."

Zhao Xing examined it for a while but did not land on it to investigate.

Those Dragon Kings had all turned to dry bones, the land had become desertified, and there was not a shred of vitality; clearly, the Dragon Well had dried up long ago, otherwise it would not be in such a state.

Occasionally, he could see some unique sights:

Flames rippled like water, manifesting within the fire everything that had ever happened in the Dragon Prison.

For instance, scenes showing the Dragon Clan being imprisoned, or being escorted out to the Dragon-Slaying Platform to be beheaded.

"The Dragon Clan civilization was truly advanced enough. Playing various cautionary cases for the guilty dragons—was this to make everyone repent and become dragons anew?"

"The Dragon-Slaying Platform, this Divine Artifact, who knows where it went? Could it be that the ancient Dragon Clan ascended and took some Divine Artifacts with them?"

Here in the Dragon Prison, Zhao Xing had no need to worry about anything, imagining freely.

In his past life, he had never heard of the Dragon Clan of the Xuanhuang World in the cosmic version, though there were bloodline races related to dragons. However, he could not confirm whether the ancient Dragon Clan had ascended.

Even when Fate Officials deduced and traced back the history of the Dragon Clan in the Xuanhuang World, there were various theories.

"History too distant to verify," Zhao Xing said, shaking his head.

As he flew and searched, amidst various imaginings, the Fate Soul within his sea of consciousness kept observing and summarizing one another. Time passed, and soon it was the eighth month of the thirteenth year of the Great Peace.

Deep within the Dragon Prison, before a stone stele ten thousand meters high, a five-clawed golden dragon twenty thousand meters long floated, as if asleep.

Suddenly, it opened its eyes. A flash of light shot from them, piercing the darkness of the Dragon Prison. Brilliant light erupted, yet its body shrank drastically, finally transforming into human form.

Floating before the stone stele, Zhao Xing seemed like an ant, yet its aura appeared even higher than the giant stele.

"It is already the eighth month of the thirteenth year of the Great Peace."

"Since entering the Ancient Dragon Court in the sixth month of the third year of the Great Peace, it has been ten years. Excluding the half-year in the Ancient Ting Kingdom, I have spent nine and a half years basically exploring the Dragon Prison."

"Time passes so quickly," Zhao Xing sighed. Since reaching the High Grade, he had felt time passing very fast.

High-grade cultivation, even a slightly longer seclusion, is counted in years.

Zhao Xing felt as if in the blink of an eye, time had slipped away.

"The Dragon Prison is so vast; it took me nine and a half years to explore more than half of it."

"And that was a rough exploration."

In many places, Zhao Xing, fearing accidents and acting cautiously, merely passed through.

For instance, existences like the Great Dragon King "Zhi," or places like the 【Dragon Prison-Suppressing Dragon-Turtle】, there are still several such spots within the Dragon Prison.

"Nine and a half years, the harvest is enormous."

"First, in the process of gathering spiritual energy, due to constantly practicing the Xuanhuang Essence-Extraction Art, this marvelous technique has undergone new changes in my hands."

"Its purification efficiency is even higher. Judging solely by the cultivation effect of this Essence-Extraction Art as one of my Four Methods, it has already approached the level of a Top-Tier Technique."

"Mi Fu's technique might be worthy of further in-depth research," Zhao Xing thought silently. "Perhaps I can practice it in reverse, enabling it to purify primal energy and advance it into spiritual energy?"

In the past life, no one had ever thought of improving this spell in the direction of 【Primal Energy Returning to Spiritual Energy】, because at that time everyone was already in an era of abundant spiritual energy.

At that time, spiritual energy was everywhere; even if the research succeeded, it would be of no use, purely a waste of effort.

"If placed in this era, the result would be different. This research direction will be a main focus for me in the future," Zhao Xing thought.

"In the future, I'll pull Old Mi in to work together, and we'll both leave our names in history."

Even without that title would be fine; in short, Zhao Xing's principle was practicality first, and empty fame was irrelevant.

"The second harvest: I have gained an in-depth analysis of the drawbacks of the Ten Thousand Spells Straw Man."

"Thanks to the continuous use of spiritual energy, the deep analysis of the Xuanhuang Essence-Extraction Art, the correct cultivation of the Expansion of the Divine Art, plus the mutual observation and recording by the main souls over these nine-plus years."

"I have finally preliminarily confirmed the crux of the Ten Thousand Spells Straw Man."

"Once I get out, I will write it out systematically, find some cultivators of the Expansion of the Divine Art, invite Old Liu, and verify it together."

"I also picked up five treasure-grade materials and equipment in the Dragon Prison, and the spiritual energy obtained has reached an astonishing level. I have also mastered the first spell—the Dragon King Bone-Scraping Curse."

"However, none of these bring as much sense of achievement as these two harvests," Zhao Xing said, stretching his body.

Picking up Divine Artifacts, digging up Dragon Wells—what sense of achievement is there? Just bend down; anyone with hands can do it.

The Xuanhuang Essence-Extraction Art and the improvement of the Ten Thousand Spells Straw Man's drawbacks—these are technical jobs. "This place, the Dragon Prison, is truly quite suitable for research."

"Quiet, no one to disturb, just pick up a couple of Divine Artifacts to relax when there's nothing to do, and drink some spiritual liquid."

"The corpses of powerful Dragon Clans are everywhere, along with the Rule Fire Chains."

"How is this a Dragon Prison? It is clearly an ideal research institute!"

However, no matter how good the Dragon Prison is, Zhao Xing had to leave.

In any case, there will be plenty of chances to come back later.

"Old Master Xu will pass away in the seventeenth year of the Dazhi era; I had best leave at this point to see him off." "And also take a look at Old Liu."

Zhao Xing pondered.

Liu Tianning's cultivation speed is faster than in his past life; now, after receiving the inheritance at Shangluo Academy these years, who knows what stage he has reached?

Xu Xing is his teacher; if Xu Xing passes away, what impact will it have on Liu Tianning, such as excessive grief or the like? That would be quite terrible.

"Just thinking about it, if Old Liu passed away and couldn't even transform into a Yin Spirit, I suppose I would be sad too."

Zhao Xing reined in his emotions, then reactivated the Ancestral Dragon Transformation.

"Aaaah~"

The Dragon Emperor Codex was spat out, and the Unsealing Technique was activated!

The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon continuously tapped the ten-thousand-meter-high stone stele; Jin Guang flashed, and Dragon Essence surged. This was the stone gate formation of the Dragon Prison; the method to open it was recorded in the Dragon Emperor Codex.

"This stone stele leads to multiple places, such as the True Long Wang Cheng."

"If the Dragon Emperor Jie wanted to deploy personnel, he could go directly from his residence to the depths of the Dragon Prison, then pardon certain Dragon Clans, allowing them to leave prison early to serve him."

"Aaaah!"

Zhao Xing tapped on the Dragon Stele; soon, the Dragon Script on the stele combined to form a line of complex characters: Palace of Secrets.

The Palace of Secrets is located within the True Long Wang Cheng.

It is equivalent to a certain palace within the Inner Court.

In the Ancient Era, the Palace of Secrets was both where the Dragon Emperor worked and where he lived, because the term itself contains multiple meanings.

"(Dragon Tongue) Palace of Secrets, Open!"

As Zhao Xing recited the corresponding spell, the Dragon Script quickly finished combining.

The Golden Script of the Dragon Emperor was magnified, appearing like a three-dimensional painting, emitting faint ripples.

Zhao Xing shrank his body and quickly drilled inside.

"Truly magical."

After entering the painting, Zhao Xing felt himself shuttling through at incredible speed.

"The structure of the Golden Script of the Dragon Emperor contains not only inside, outside, up, and down, but also spatial changes." "It is said to involve temporal changes as well."

Involving temporal changes means that among the Dragon Clans, figures similar to Fate Officials—prophets and scholars—can view the past and the future.

"Vmm~"

The swimming did not last long; only three days passed before Zhao Xing drilled out from the other end of the passage.

It was also a stone stele, but this one was much smaller.

"Palace of Secrets."

After landing, Zhao Xing found himself hovering over a floating plaza; the sky was filled with clouds and palaces.

Dragon Clan palaces are basically bowl-shaped and inverted; the Palace of Secrets is no exception.

"A dilapidated Dragon Court; truly, I do not know what exactly happened." Zhao Xing looked into the distance.

The clouds were black and solid, motionless, like scenery in a void, or as if torn apart by some terrifying power.

Most palaces were broken, like shattered bowls.

Some palaces were pierced by a massive spear, from which a pitch-black aura emanated.

Desolation everywhere!

"Only the Palace of Secrets remains relatively intact." Zhao Xing sighed.

He spat out the Dragon Emperor Codex, which emitted a faint light; the pure white Palace of Secrets soon revealed a huge square gateway.

Zhao Xing drilled inside; within, mist swirled, and all were seven-colored auspicious clouds formed by spiritual energy!

"Hiss-ha~"

Zhao Xing greedily inhaled.

As he inhaled, where the mist dissipated, a huge water mirror appeared, rippling slightly while producing a faint resonance with the Dragon Emperor Codex.

"Hmm?"

Zhao Xing, who had been absorbing to his heart's content, suddenly paused slightly.

"What is this..."

He curiously walked over.

He then consulted the Dragon Court Codex and found the illustration describing the huge water mirror.

"Heaven and Earth Crystal Unsealing Spell; ah, so it is this."

Zhao Xing understood.

It was not exactly a rare item; it was a treasure placed by the Dragon Emperor in the Inner Court to communicate with the Pilgrimage Hall. The crystal, combined with a formation, allowed the Dragon Emperor to timely hear the opinions of his subjects.

Simply put, this is equivalent to the Dragon Emperor's administrative board for handling state affairs; sometimes it would also issue orders and official documents.

Since the Dragon Emperor no longer existed, the Heaven and Earth Crystal operated automatically.

"Its other end connects to the Pilgrimage Hall; isn't this the Central Dragon Court's Mission Hall?"

"Am I now the backend administrator?"

Zhao Xing's expression instantly became vivid.

Because at this moment, within the Pilgrimage Hall, a dragon was following the procedure to accept missions.

Previously, when the Palace of Secrets had no master, the Heaven and Earth Crystal operated automatically according to the formation's automatic filtering mechanism.

But now that Zhao Xing has entered, he will hand over the administration to it.

Zhao Xing immediately decided to take a look, for those who could come to the Pilgrimage Hall were basically of the First Grade, or powerful Dragon Clan lords.

What was the main purpose of coming to the Pilgrimage Hall? To complete the 【Dragon King Trial】.

As long as a certain number of ring tasks were completed, one could receive the Dragon Court's bestowal and prove the position of Dragon King.

"Ordinary dragons cannot even come here. Let me see, who has arrived?"

"Heaven and Earth Dragon Court, Dragon Emperor's Decree, appear!"

Buzz~

The water curtain rippled, instantly revealing the scene of the Pilgrimage Hall outside.

As for the outside, Zhao Xing could not be seen unless he revealed himself voluntarily.

When Zhao Xing saw the situation in the hall outside, he immediately laughed.

"Yo, Purple Bone Venerable, Red Bone Venerable."

Indeed, the two people waiting inside the Pilgrimage Hall at this moment were exactly the two Venerables of the Baigu Sect who had guarded the Ascending Dragon Platform back then.

Ten years had passed; who would have thought these two would appear here.

"Sure enough, they are doing the Dragon King Challenge Task. Let me see which ring they have reached?" Zhao Xing waved his claw, activated the formation, and directly checked the Heaven and Earth Crystal's "backend."

"One hundred and three years ago, they just finished the ninth ring task of the Dragon King Challenge Task—【Dragon Soul Ice Plains】."

One hundred and three years ago, that was probably completed during the late period of the last opening of the Dragon Court Ancient Land.

"Now he has come to receive the tenth ring."

"Hah, he ran into me."

If Zhao Xing were not present, then after Purple Bone Venerable's worship, the Heaven and Earth Crystal would activate the formation and randomly select and publish one task from the challenge task library.

Upon completing the task, one would receive the reward corresponding to that ring.

Now it was different.

"Heh heh heh..."

A sinister laugh came from within the Secret Palace.

Inside the Pilgrimage Hall, Purple Bone Venerable obediently lay on the ground, waiting anxiously for the water mirror to bestow a new challenge task.

"Completing the Dragon King Challenge Task to the tenth ring means only two steps remain to the Dragon King position."

"Completing the twelve ring tasks will allow me to obtain the Dragon King position."

"Currently, no new Dragon King Wang Jue has appeared in the Nanman Wang Ting. If I can complete all twelve ring tasks in one go this time, I will be the sole Dragon King of Nanman!"

Purple Bone Venerable's heart burned with passion.

Although the Great Zhou had obtained permissions exceeding those of a Dragon King, this did not mean the value of the Dragon King Wang Jue had changed!

On the contrary, the Wang-level Dragon Jue at this moment appeared especially important on the Nanman side.

"If I become the Dragon King, the Nanman Sacred Mountain will surely give me many divine artifacts to use against that mysterious Great Dragon King of the Great Zhou!"

"My becoming a Divine Venerable is as certain as nails in wood!"

The situation at this moment was completely different from before.

All factions had turned to underground operations, hiding like rats in dark sewers to survive. As soon as they saw someone from the Great Zhou, they tried their best to avoid them.

That Great Dragon King had not appeared for nine and a half years, which had indeed given them some breathing room.

All sides were studying how to resist the Meridian Severing Decree and the Execution Decree.

Nanman, Dongying, and the Sect Realm unanimously believed that only a Dragon King holding a divine artifact could possibly resist the decrees.

But since no new Dragon King had been born, even though many divine artifacts had been sent in, they had no place to be used.

Thus, in recent years, the core strategy of the various alliances in Nanman was no longer to fight the Great Zhou over treasures or seize territory; the focus was entirely placed on the 'Dragon King Challenge Task'.

Purple Bone Venerable had prepared for ten years before coming to the Pilgrimage Hall to receive the task.

This was mainly because the task was quite difficult, and it was not easy for him to come here secretly; he had to try his best to avoid the pursuit of the Great Zhou's powerful ones.

Too many words bring tears; a dignified Venerable had actually fallen to such a state, having to sneak in doggedly to receive a challenge.

"I hope a slightly easier task is randomly selected." Purple Bone Venerable prayed in his heart.

The Dragon King Challenge Tasks ranged from difficult to easy; if it was too hard and took too long, he would have to wait another century before coming in to do the task.

"Awooo~~"

Moments later, a dragon roar came from the water mirror. Purple Bone Venerable listened carefully.

"Lord 'Xuan Bone', your tenth trial content is: return at least two treasures to the Dragon Court. The more the quantity, the greater the reward after completing the trial; the maximum reward for the tenth ring is the 'Dragon Emperor's Order'!"

After speaking, a square challenge token flew out from within the water mirror, recording the content of the challenge task.

"I thank the Dragon Court for bestowing this opportunity upon me." Purple Bone Venerable suppressed the shock in his heart, went through the process calmly, and then left the Pilgrimage Hall.

As soon as he went out, Red Bone Venerable rushed up to meet him.

"Senior Brother, how was it?"

Purple Bone Venerable said excitedly, "A great opportunity! A great opportunity!"

Red Bone Venerable was somewhat puzzled; what exactly was the task content that made his usually calm Senior Brother so out of character?

"Look!" Purple Bone took out the task token for his junior brother to see.

"What? It is actually the simplest tribute task?" Red Bone Venerable was instantly stunned.

Undoubtedly, among the Dragon King Trial tasks, the tribute task was the easiest kind.

As long as you have money, is it not simple enough?

Completing the tenth ring task with just two treasures; I'm afraid countless people would flock here.

After all, they were top-tier sects with the support of the Nanman Wang Ting behind them; two treasures were rare for an individual, but for them, it was different.

"Senior Brother, congratulations." Red Bone Venerable was so envious his bones turned red.

Indeed, this is a great opportunity; not only can they reach out to the Southern Barbarian Wang Ting for tribute, but the Baigu Sect itself possesses numerous treasures.

As Heavenly Venerables, they certainly have the authority; moreover, this task does not specify whether the item must be a divine weapon or a material.

Reaching the treasure grade is sufficient. More importantly, there is that final clause:

"The more tribute offered, the more generous the reward, and one might even obtain the Dragon Emperor's Decree!" The term Dragon Emperor is simply too stimulating to the nerves.

Ever since Zhao Xing summoned the Dragon King Yin Xiu and resolved the war on the Fire Prison Plain, numerous records regarding the Dragon Emperor were unearthed.

All sides frantically dug through historical records; now, any treasure even remotely connected to the Dragon Emperor has been driven up to astronomical prices.

"Senior Brother, you absolutely cannot miss this opportunity; you must secure the highest reward!" The Red Bone Heavenly Venerable's breathing grew heavy.

If the task token were not bound by the true name of the Dragon Clan, he would have chopped his senior brother down and taken the task himself.

"Naturally!" The Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable felt delighted inside, yet maintained a calm and indifferent expression on his face.

"However, Junior Brother, to complete this task, we must still work together with one heart."

The Red Bone Heavenly Venerable immediately understood what his senior brother was hinting at. He wants treasures!

Cursing twice in his heart, the Red Bone Heavenly Venerable said, "I will certainly do my utmost to assist Senior Brother in requesting treasures from the Wang Ting."

Purple Bone: "..."

So your "utmost assistance" is just words on your lips!

The Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable looked at him with a half-smile: "Junior Brother, we grew up together since childhood; if I succeed, would I forget you?"

"Of course not!" Seeing the other play the emotional card, the Red Bone Heavenly Venerable realized he could not fool his way out this time. Helplessly, he said, "If Senior Brother still lacks something at that time, this junior brother is willing to contribute a treasure to aid Senior Brother."

Hmph, that's more like it... The Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable snorted coldly in his heart.

Yet on his face, he wore a benevolent expression, stroking his beard with an air of immortal elegance: "Good, I thank you in advance, Junior Brother."

"The maximum number for the tribute task is often nine items; at that time, I ask Junior Brother to open your purse and assist."

"Certainly!"

Thus, the two Heavenly Venerables, Red Bone and Purple Bone, quickly left the Pilgrimage Hall to gather treasures.

Inside the Secret Palace of Misa, Zhao Xing merely smiled slightly.

"He will have to thank us."

Gather and gather; if you can complete the twelfth ring of this task, then there must be ghosts involved! Zhao Xing had already decided: for the eleventh ring, he would still give the Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable something easy. Only then would the other party have hope.

Then, for the twelfth ring, the difficulty would be maxed out!

Directly force him to fight Yin Xiu to prove his Dao!

"This is more painful than killing him. I wonder what expression the Baigu Sect will have when they finish gathering treasures only to discover the final twelfth ring requires fighting Yin Xiu." A slight curve rose at the corner of Zhao Xing's lips.

"With the Baigu Sect's foundation, gathering two items is absolutely no problem."

"They also have the support of the Sect Realm Alliance and the Southern Barbarian Wang Ting... two rings of tasks, with nine as the maximum."

"That makes a total of eighteen treasures. Even if they are the worst, worst-grade treasure materials, I will not lose out."

"All I am giving is a casually written decree that can be invalidated at any time."

Finding treasures myself? Too troublesome! Even killing the two great Heavenly Venerables wouldn't yield many treasures.

But this way, I can completely drain the Baigu Sect's entire family fortune!

What if the other party does not fall for it?

Old Master Zhao will not lose out anyway.

"Truly looking forward to it."

Zhao Xing began absorbing spiritual qi within the Secret Palace of Misa, cultivating as well.

As the residence of the Dragon Emperor, there are not many good things here, but there are also not few.

There is the 【Dragon Blood Sacred Leaf】, specifically used for issuing decrees; it is the material for crafting the Dragon Emperor's Imperial Edict and can carry magic power and the laws of heaven and earth.

This item is already rare outside, but here, several rooms are completely filled with it.

Next are fragrances made from 【Polar Dragon Whale Incense】.

"The old man Tianyang True Lord would certainly love this; this is purely top-tier sacrificial material."

"Except for the Dragon Court, it cannot be found anywhere else. If used to cast spells and summon gods during sacrifices, the power will be much greater, even sufficient to fully unleash the strength of a Yin God, a one-to-one replication."

Although it is of treasure grade, since it cannot be recreated, setting aside the item's own effects and speaking only of its scarcity, it can be counted as an unparalleled rare treasure.

Of course, in Old Master Zhao's eyes, practicality outweighs everything; in his view, this item can only be classified as treasure grade.

"Even the decorations are ninth-grade supreme-grade night pearls, but these are simply too large."

"Never mind; since this is the place of Dragon Emperor Xie, I will not dig them out."

"If you have a spirit in heaven, do not take offense; I will not destroy your sleeping palace, I will only take a tiny, tiny bit."

Zhao Xing continued to scour the Secret Palace of Misa. He truly kept his promise not to damage the place; for instance, in the side hall, there were several pillars that were treasure-grade Sea-Calming Divine Needles, and Zhao Xing truly did not dismantle them.

Time passed; Zhao Xing cultivated, gathered good things, and contemplated spells within the Secret Palace of Misa.

Outside, the two great Heavenly Venerables of the Baigu Sect quickly contacted all sides and began gathering treasures!

First, through the means of the Fate Sorcerers, this information was transmitted and reported to the highest-ranking powerful figure of this Southern Barbarian Wang Ting expedition, 'Tuoba Gong', and the Heavenly Shaman 'Marquis Tian Gui'.

Tuoba Gong attached high importance to this matter; under the leadership of Marquis Tian Gui, the Fate Sorcerers performed tens of thousands of divinations.

One month later, the Fate Sorcerers emerged from seclusion, and Tuoba Gong appeared immediately outside the secret chamber.

"You have emerged; what is the result?" Tuoba Gong asked.

Although his realm was the same as Marquis Tian Gui's, Tuoba Gong held Marquis Tian Gui in great respect.

"I saw a scene where Purple Bone successfully completed the tenth ring and was overjoyed." Marquis Tian Gui's eyes had two pupils, as if reflecting the future.

"Afterwards, I saw him holding the Dragon Emperor's Decree and summoning a Dragon King from the Ancient Pheasant Kingdom." A flash of delight passed through Tuoba Gong's eyes: "Excellent!"

"Do not rush yet." Marquis Tian Gui pondered, "Two suspicious points appeared in the future; I need you to judge them yourself."

"Please speak."

"The first doubt: after Purple Bone completed the tenth ring, his eleventh ring mission remained a tribute mission; the specific content is unknown."

"The second doubt: I did not observe whether Purple Bone successfully completed the twelfth ring mission and became the Dragon King." Tuoba Gong asked, "Where do you think these two points lie in doubt?"

Marquis Tian Gui said, "Logically, he is one of us, involving no interference from other forces; I should be able to see the content of the eleventh ring, and even see in some future where he became the Dragon King."

"But now, I have not seen it."

Tuoba Gong pondered, "In that case, why did you let me make the choice?"

"Foresight is not omnipotent," Marquis Tian Gui said calmly. "Moreover, the doubts can be explained to some extent."

"Although I was not interfered with by other forces, involving the promotion of the Dragon King's status and rewards related to the Dragon Emperor, it would be interfered with by the heavenly and earthly rules of the Central Dragon Court itself."

Tuoba Gong nodded.

Two consecutive tribute missions, both involving treasures, a total of eighteen pieces; this was a burden even for the Southern Man. However, Tuoba Gong quickly made a decision: "Actually, we have no other choice."

"Without the status of the Dragon King, even possessing Dragon Clan divine artifacts, one cannot resist that mysterious powerful figure of the Great Zhou." Marquis Tian Gui nodded; indeed so.

Actually, he had another guess: could that mysterious powerful figure interfere with the Dragon King challenge trial? But such a guess could never be verified in advance, nor calculated.

Furthermore, Zhao Xing had entered the Nine Stars Fire Prison for several years without appearing, nor was he seen coming out; this probability is very small and cannot be used as a basis for action.

Therefore, he did not even tell Tuoba Gong.

"Wang Ting will grant Purple Bone twelve pieces; the rest, let Baigu Sect provide themselves. I will speak with the Divine Venerable." Tuoba Gong quickly made a decision.

There was no choice; they had to bet that Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable could succeed.

Otherwise, afterwards, they would have no way to survive in the Ancient Lands of the Dragon Court.

With that mysterious powerful figure of the Great Zhou existing, they could not operate openly in the Ancient Lands of the Dragon Court.

"Agreed."

When the Southern Man and Baigu Sect began gathering treasures.

The fourteenth year of the Great Zhi, one year after Zhao Xing entered the Palace of Secrets.

The Water Mirror trembled slightly.

"Oh? Another dragon has come. Could it be that Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable has gathered them so quickly?" Zhao Xing flew over, observing the scene in the Pilgrimage Hall through the Water Mirror.

"Not them; it is a powerful figure of the Great Zhou." Zhao Xing glanced over.

"It is the Water Clan Tusi, Ao Tian and Tang Yinglong. Bai Yun Wu is also waiting outside."

"They have completed the eleventh ring mission."

Zhao Xing shifted his mind, instantly replacing Ao Tian's eleventh ring mission.

Moments later, Ao Tian exited the Pilgrimage Hall with a bewildered expression.

"How was it?" Tang Yinglong asked.

"What is going on? Speak up." Bai Yun Wu grew anxious; what did it mean to stand there dazed?

Ao Tian's eyes held great confusion; he handed the mission decree to the two: "You look at it yourselves; I don't understand it."

Bai Yun Wu quickly took it, then also felt confused.

"This..."

"What is going on? Speak up, Old Bai." Tang Yinglong was left speechless by the two of them.

Snatching it to look, he also froze.

Because Ao Tian's eleventh ring mission was too simple!

So simple that they felt it seemed fake!

"Go and slap the Dragon Clan Lord of the Gu Ting Kingdom, 'Ye Ye Yukong', and knock him down; completing this fulfills the mission... No, what is this stuff?!"

Tang Yinglong was also bewildered.

"Who is Ye Ye Yukong?"

"I don't know."

"I know, the Lord of Mingyue Mansion, Ye Ye Yukong... but this mission content is too simple, isn't it?"

"Ao Tian, did you receive a fake mission?"

Bai Yun Wu bit the challenge token with his teeth.

"Crack-crack-crack-Boom!"

The mission token bit him; Bai Yun Wu grimaced in pain.

"It is actually real?"

"There is something fishy!" Tang Yinglong pondered. "Don't you feel this mission is very much like the work of that person?"

"You mean him?" Bai Yun Wu immediately understood.

"Yes."

"But he is not in the Nine Stars Fire Prison?" Ao Tian wondered. "The people guarding the Nine Stars Fire Prison have not seen him come out."

"His appearing here is not unexpected; the Inner Court is the residence of the Dragon Emperor." Bai Yun Wu felt more and more that this was the case.

"I understand! Nine times out of ten it is him, but for some reason, either to avoid leaking information or because the rules dictate it, he thus hints to us."

"Really?" The two were still suspicious.

"Very simple; let's return to the Gu Ting Wang Cheng. Ao Tian, you beat up Ye Ye Yukong, and you will understand if it is true."

"That's right."

Above an empty space in Gu Ting Wang Cheng.

"Boom!"

Ye Ye Yukong was slapped over by a claw and fell to the ground; he sank into a pit, looking up with some bewilderment.

"Ao Tian, why did you ambush me? And you transformed?"

Ao Tian made no sound, instead bursting into loud laughter.

Ye Yukong flew into a rage. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Just as he took flight, intending to confront the other party in a fury,

"Swish~"

Ji Si and Bai Yun Wu appeared in mid-air.

"Mingyue, do not act."

"My Lord Ji, I was just walking along fine when Ao Tian suddenly ambushed me, slapped me into the ground, and wouldn't answer when I asked him. It's simply baffling..." Ye Yukong complained, looking as if he intended to appeal to the Central Authority.

"If he hadn't ambushed you, he wouldn't have been able to knock you down," Ji Si said.

"Do you know why he had to ambush me?"

"Classified."

"..."

Ye Yukong was stunned. I got beaten, and I still can't know?

Is this also classified?

Ji Si felt somewhat helpless; this truly was classified.

"I can only ask you to endure this for a moment."

Ye Yukong previously held no official post and had just entered the Second Grade Realm; indeed, he was not qualified to know many things.

"I..." Ye Yukong, though helpless, could only nod.

In truth, this was purely Zhao Xing's experiment; he wanted to see to what extent permissions could simplify a challenge task.

So he casually wrote down this task content; hey, he didn't expect it to actually succeed!

However, for the final Twelfth Ring task, he could not fabricate it like this.

Because it involved the Heavenly and Earthly Rules established by the Dragon God, he could only select from predetermined task items, and the difficulty was fixed.

He could increase the difficulty, but he could not lower it.

Because this involved the "Bestowal of the Dragon Court's Heavenly and Earthly Rules," it was generally linked to the Grand Arena.

Of course, the Dragon Emperor could confer the title of Dragon King, but that was another channel.

The fifteenth year of Great Zhi, early second month; that is, the second year of Zhao Xing's time in the Secret Sa Palace.

"Voom~"

The crystal lit up, and ripples spread.

Zhao Xing's Yuan Soul exited his body, arrived before the Water Mirror, and tapped it lightly. Subsequently, the image of Zigu Bone Venerable appeared on it.

"Ho, the speed is indeed fast; in less than two years, you've gathered so many treasures?" Zhao Xing couldn't help but smile.

Due to Marquis Tian Gui, Tuoba Gong and Bone Bone Divine Venerable discussed and directly had Zigu Bone Venerable prepare the conditions for the subsequent two tasks.

So on this occasion, he brought a total of 18 treasures.

"Above the Great Dragon God, I have come to complete the Dragon King Trial Task." Zigu Bone prostrated himself on the ground.

Voom~

He placed nine treasures on the platform before the crystal; subsequently, a mist emanated. The nine treasures vanished, and the next moment, they appeared inside the Secret Sa Palace.

"You have some skills; gathering them so quickly." Zhao Xing smiled slightly.

He casually used 【Dragon Blood Holy Leaf】 to write a True Word Decree; this True Word Decree limited the scope and duration, and regardless of distance, the power could be dispersed with a single thought.

"Voom~"

A freshly written Dragon Emperor's Order emerged from the Water Mirror.

"Above the Great Dragon God, thank you..."

After following the procedure, Zigu Bone Venerable took the Dragon Emperor's Order and withdrew.

An excited heart, trembling hands.

He immediately found two Wang Ting Envoys to verify it.

"Not bad; this should be an Ancient Era Dragon Blood Holy Leaf. Its method of creation has been lost; it is rumored to be the material used by the Dragon Emperor when writing imperial edicts."

"You should possess one opportunity to summon a Dragon King."

One time? Zigu Bone Venerable was somewhat disappointed.

But one time is good enough; if he could find a powerful Dragon King, such as Yin Xiu, paired with the Reverse Scale Sword, the effect would be absolutely superb!

"Do you need to verify? Can it be used to summon Yin Xiu?" Zigu Bone Venerable was now bursting with confidence.

"With only one chance, how can it be wasted casually?"

"Zigu Bone Venerable, go complete the Eleventh Ring trial. Barring unexpected events, it should still be a Tribute Task."

"Good." Zigu Bone Venerable nodded and returned to the hall.

Indeed, as Marquis Tian Gui predicted, this time it was still a Tribute Task.

Still, nine treasures must be handed over.

Zhao Xing was too lazy to change the reward this time and issued another blank check to Zigu Bone Venerable.

"Two copies!" Zigu Bone Venerable and the accompanying Envoy were overjoyed.

This was their hope to resist that mysterious powerhouse of Great Zhou!

At this moment, Zhao Xing, seeing their ecstatic expressions outside, couldn't help but laugh aloud.

"Using the imperial edict I wrote to fight me? Tsk tsk, truly too cruel..."

Zigu Bone Venerable soon walked back into the hall.

He was there to claim the final Twelfth Ring task.

To completely obtain the position of Dragon King.

"Buzz~"

The mirror surface soon reacted, and a new character token appeared.

Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable impatiently took the token and, grinning, exited the great hall.

"How is it? What's the content?"

"The Dragon King Trial's final challenge: defeat the Dragon King Yin Xiu of the Gu Ting Kingdom alone..." Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable's smile froze; he couldn't even chuckle anymore.

"What?" The Wang Ting envoy was also stunned, and even the Fate Sorcerers stood completely dumbfounded on the spot.

"Me? Defeat Dragon King Yin Xiu alone?" Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable's skeleton went numb, and his brain buzzed loudly.

This was simply an impossible task!

Gu Ting Kingdom, Xila Manor.

"Bang!"

Ye Ye Yukong was once again pressed into the dirt.

He looked up at Tang Yinglong, who had suddenly appeared in the sky, with an indignant expression.

"You are also part of the secret?"

Tang Yinglong transformed into human form and nodded: "Manor Lord Ming Yue, my apologies."

"You scoundrel! You can't show even a shred of sincerity in your apology, can you!" Ye Ye Yukong cursed and grumbled.

Tang Yinglong's smile was harder to suppress than a water wheel; what a lie to fool a ghost!

Ji Si, watching from the high platform nearby, couldn't help but laugh as well.

He watched while recording: "In the twentieth year of Great Zhi, His Majesty will surely see..."

"Zhao Xing has reappeared, in a subtle manner; he can now interfere with the vast majority of the Dragon King Trial's content."

"On Manor Lord Ming Yue, Ye Ye Yukong, the missions of Ao Tian and Tang Yinglong have both been verified..."

"But the final challenge seems impossible to alter; Tang and Ao still received a relatively difficult mission."

"However, this is already enough to save our dynasty's experts a vast amount of time..."

"Additionally, for some unknown reason, rumors suddenly spread from the Great Snake Nation: two Heavenly Venerables of the Baigu Sect have incurred massive debts..."

"According to spy information, Purple Bone Heavenly Venerable has even pawned his own magical artifacts..."

Spring, the sixteenth year of Great Zhi.

Zhao Xing had already stayed in the Palace of Misa for three years.

"It's about time to leave the Palace of Misa."

"Visit two more places, the Es Wang Cheng and the Fuming Temple, then head to the Dragon Heaven Island to seek a breakthrough."

"Now my accumulation is sufficient; with the aid of three ancient coins and the fortune granted by Heaven, I should easily enter the Second Rank Heavenly Fortune Realm," Zhao Xing thought silently.

The fundamental gap between the Heavenly Fortune Realm and the Third Rank Yuan Soul Realm is actually not very large.

The only difference is that the Heavenly Fortune Realm is basically the fortune of Derivation Seven!

"By combining the understanding of Heaven and Earth with one's own fortune, one can know how to cultivate to align with the will of Heaven."

"As the saying goes, Heavenly Fortune is my fortune; this is also the beginning of distorting the rules of Heaven and Earth."

"A high-level Heavenly Fortune Realm expert can utilize fortune within secret techniques, that is, to perform combat prediction." Zhao Xing left the Palace of Misa via the Stone Cup teleportation.

Flying through the passage, his mind was also thinking carefully.

"In early-stage Heavenly Fortune Realm fights, there is a feeling of seeking the enemy in the void; changing moves in an instant multiple times, perhaps a thousand strikes without ever truly hitting the opponent."

"In the late stage of the Heavenly Fortune Realm, achieving 'Heavenly Fortune is my fortune' is truly terrifying." While pondering, Zhao Xing had already arrived at a new space.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth were likewise a scene of destruction, similar to what he had seen in the Palace of Misa: black cracks, frozen clouds, terrifying earth fissures, black spears piercing through...

"The Es Wang Cheng, that is the Young Dragon King City. In the ancient era, the Dragon Clan civilization had a cultivation mechanism where dragon eggs were concentrated for incubation and young ones for rearing."

"However, this tradition has now vanished." Zhao Xing scanned the surroundings. As far as the eye could see, many nest cities had already been destroyed.

The barrier was gone; the Dragon City was dim and lifeless.

Bones of the white bone covered the ground; quite a few Dragon King-level skeletons lay upon the ruined cities, as if roaring at something.

There were also huge Great Dragon King bones, split in two by a black crack.

Some dragon bones even formed extremely bizarre shapes; part belonged to the Dragon Clan, while the other part was unrecognizable. What was originally a peaceful paradise was now a broken battlefield.

"Let's see if there are any intact areas left." Zhao Xing flew rapidly, searching continuously.

Fifteen days later.

"Huff~"

Zhao Xing followed the cave tunnel and drilled into a huge underground cavern.

Inside the cavern, there were many three-dimensional oval crystal jars made of dragon crystals. However, the vast majority were shattered.

"A battle also occurred here." A touch of desolation rose in Zhao Xing's heart.

"The defense battle was fought all the way to here; it's hard to imagine."

"Bones of the Sinful Dragon? It seems a faction of the Dragon Clan betrayed the Dragon Court and launched a surprise attack here..."

"Originally, these crystal jars should have contained a large amount of medicinal liquid for incubating dragon eggs."

"I must find the Life Dragon Spring forged by the ancient Fuming Temple." Zhao Xing searched rapidly.

Leaping over areas resembling garbage dumps, everywhere were dragon bone remains and the ruins of dim divine weapons.

Following his perception, Zhao Xing arrived behind a massive gate.

"Decree of the Divine Court, Sacred Order of True Words, Gate of Es, Open!"

Zhao Xing spat out the codex and cast the Unsealing Incantation.

"Boom~"

The long-dust-sealed door opened, and spiritual energy erupted.

Zhao Xing stood outside absorbing it for a full month before it completely dissipated, then cautiously walked inside.

Behind the entire gate lay a nearly dried-up spiritual spring.

In the very center stood three incubation crystal vats ten times taller than those outside.

Coiled dragons wrapped around both sides of the crystal vats, their dragon heads facing the center.

Sorrow rose in Zhao Xing's eyes.

The Law Code within his body also seemed to emit a low, mournful dragon roar.

"This place is the incubation ground of Dragon Emperor Jie."

"After the Dragon Emperor and another True Dragon were born, they escaped from the crystal vats, passed through the teleportation arrays on both sides, and left this place."

"They sensed danger in the outside world and were born early; however, the calamity they expected did not descend, and the dangerous, terrifying existence did not truly breach this place."

Zhao Xing could see some scenes on the Law Code; combining them with the scene before him, he deduced some conclusions.

However, because it was too distant, only fragmented scenes flashed forth.

"The left and right crystal vats are already shattered, but the one in the middle remains intact." Zhao Xing looked down.

There, a layer of spiritual spring remained, with spiritual energy rising and encircling the crystal vat.

"A sealed True Dragon egg." Zhao Xing watched silently, continuing his deduction.

"Years after Dragon Emperor Jie escaped, he finally grew into a generation-defining Dragon Emperor, suppressing the Heavenly Abyss and the Sinful Sea."

"What happened in between that led him to seal this dragon egg?"

"Could it be that he considered this dragon egg dangerous?"

"Or was it because something unexpected happened to the True Dragon that escaped with him, making this a form of protection?" Zhao Xing had no way of knowing, but the seal on this dragon egg was very strong.

The one who sealed it was precisely the Dragon Emperor Sealing Spell, one of the Nine Great Spells!

"Take!"

Zhao Xing did not unseal it, because he had not yet learned the Dragon Emperor Sealing Spell, so he simply took the sealed True Dragon egg along with the remaining spiritual liquid directly.

As for when to unseal it, that would depend on the situation.

"Whoosh~"

Zhao Xing quickly flew away from the Young Dragon King City.

One month later, Zhao Xing appeared at the Ancient Fu Ming Temple.

This was a vast sea of fire.

Even now, it still burned violently.

Amidst the sky-filling sea of fire, a furnace floated and sank.

"Fu Ming Furnace!"

Zhao Xing looked at the furnace in the sea of fire.

"This treasure-grade divine artifact of the Artisan Clan is indeed here." Zhao Xing showed a hint of excitement.

However, it could not yet be counted as an Artisan Clan divine artifact, because this was its predecessor.

Later, after being taken out, it underwent years of modification before finally becoming an Artisan Clan divine artifact suitable for human use.

"With it, after waiting a few hundred years, we could mass-produce war divine artifacts."

"Fortunately, the sea of fire is not strong now, and there is no spiritual energy to fuel it; if we were to retrieve it later, the difficulty would be on an entirely different level."

"Ancestral Dragon Transformation!"

Zhao Xing roared, transforming into a five-clawed golden dragon. He then activated the Ancestral Dragon Transformation's innate ability—Ancestral Dragon Roar.

"Huang!"

The sound seemed to split heaven and earth, parting the sea of fire that twisted space. Zhao Xing swiftly shuttled through, heading straight for the furnace.

Then, the dragon body circled the Fu Ming Furnace.

"Hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss~"

The scorching heat made Zhao Xing's scales burn red.

"Rise!"

Zhao Xing roared again and forcibly pulled it out.

He then quickly left the edge of the sea of fire.

Everything happened very quickly, taking only half a quarter-hour.

Yet in just that half quarter-hour, multiple scorch marks appeared on Zhao Xing's dragon body.

"Sss~" Zhao Xing grimaced in pain.

"Damn, it really burns a dragon to death."

"With my high defense and the protection of the Dragon Court Law Code, even Bone One's Dragon King Thorn couldn't pierce it, yet now my dragon scales are scorched."

"First, move it out."

Zhao Xing rested for a full month to let his injuries heal, then teleported out and placed it outside the Fu Ming Temple.

At this time, he did not move again but instead ran to the Ancient Heavenly Dragon Island.

"Purple Gold Ancient Coin, 【Zhuanxu · Mountains and Seas】, 【Changyi · Heaven's Gift】, 【Great Fortune Coin】."

Zhao Xing spread out the three ancient coins, placed them before him, and then activated the Coin Divination Method.

"Changyi's will, seeking Heaven's gift of fortune."

"Zhuanxu's decree, with the Mountains and Seas as witness!"

"Heaven's fortune is my fortune..."

Hum~

A pillar of purple qi light descended, encircling Zhao Xing.

The three coins completed their mission at this very moment and vanished completely.

Immense fortune flooded his body as Zhao Xing began to break through to the Second-Rank Heavenly Fortune Realm.

Half a year later.

On the ninth day of the eleventh month of the sixteenth year of the Great Zhi, Zhao Xing opened his eyes.

"Second-Rank Heavenly Fortune Realm, Grade: Yan Eight."

"The effect is stronger than expected."

If it were merely three ancient coins, even exhausting all resources could not have summoned such immense heavenly-bestowed fortune.

Clearly, Zhao Xing's own experiences within the Dragon Court were taking effect.

"I inherited part of the Dragon Emperor's authority, which allowed me to leap directly from Yan Six, bypassing the great hurdle of Yan Seven, and arrive straight at Yan Eight."

"The vast majority of First-Rank cultivators are only at Yan Eight, yet I have already reached it." Zhao Xing felt somewhat dazed.

However, after a brief moment, he reined in his emotions.

He did not fly away immediately; instead, he recorded his insights on the breakthrough and further refined the method to resolve the drawbacks of the Ten Thousand Laws Straw Man.

On the first day of the twelfth month of the sixteenth year of the Great Zhi.

Zhao Xing returned once more to the exterior of the Ancient Fuming Divine Hall.

He cast the Ancestral Dragon Transformation again, seized the Fuming Furnace, and departed from the Central Dragon Court.

At the very moment he left the Central Dragon Court, Zhao Xing assumed human form and flipped out an ancient token from his hand.

"The Shang Tang Token. It is not yet time for the Dragon Court to open its exit, but I have taken everything I can obtain at this stage; I may leave now."

"To take this large fellow, the Fuming Furnace, with me, I can only use the Underworld Path." Activating the prohibitions on the token, Zhao Xing waited silently.

Suddenly—

"Boom~"

The heavens and earth were suddenly shrouded in dark clouds, and the surroundings turned black.

An ancient warship suddenly emerged from the dark void.

But just at this moment, countless dragon roars bellowed, and a terrifying power surged through the heavens and earth, crushing toward the ancient Yin warship.

"Tearing the heavenly and earthly rules of the Dragon Court will cause the warship to suffer backlash; leave quickly!"

Zhao Xing gathered all his treasures, including the Fuming Furnace, and boarded the ship swiftly.

In the next instant, a thunderous explosion echoed from the heavens and earth, after which clarity was restored.