Chapter Thirty: Returning to the Wilderness

On Fangzhang Island, nestled within encircling hills, lay a beautiful valley reminiscent of a gourd hollow. At the innermost part of the valley, a small lake rested upon the basin; blue-green lotuses floated on its surface. This was the Lake of the Three Radiant Divine Waters, which the Ancestor of the Universe had relocated here in times past.

Seated cross-legged upon a lotus as large as a millstone—an exalted ninth-grade azure lotus—the Ancestor of the Universe had been contemplating the profound mysteries of the Way of Creation for a long time. At last, he slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his lips as he rose to his feet. “The Way of Creation is indeed wondrous and mysterious,” he murmured.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Universe Cauldron, which instantly enlarged and hovered above the void at his thought. The cauldron tilted downward, and from thin air appeared a massive mound of flesh, dripping with fresh blood. As it landed, the blood seeped into the earth, releasing a potent aura of vitality that caused the surrounding flowers and grasses to grow rapidly, nourished as if by divine favor.

This bloody mountain of flesh was none other than the remains of the Azure Dragon—its entire body, left unused for forging artifacts, preserved by the Ancestor of the Universe. It was, after all, dragon flesh, the remnants of a Grand Da Luo Golden Immortal Dragon, brimming with boundless energy. The Ancestor would never discard such a treasure lightly.

Although the dragon flesh was valuable, the Ancestor’s avatar in the Linmeng Universe had long grown accustomed to rare delicacies like dragon liver and phoenix marrow, and no longer found them novel. He had little interest in feasting upon the Azure Dragon’s remains.

Instead, enveloped in a subtle aura of Creation, the Ancestor of the Universe directed his will toward the bloody mound. Instantly, the flesh surged with life; scarlet light flashed, and a mighty energy spread forth. As the mass descended, it transformed into a winding, sinuous mountain range—vaguely resembling a coiled dragon.

Soon, life flourished upon this Azure Dragon Range, and flowers, grasses, and trees began to sprout and grow.

With another gesture, a dim energy sphere appeared before him. With a flick, the Ancestor sent the last vestige of the Azure Dragon’s primordial spirit into the new range.

At once, the range trembled slightly; a misty light shimmered across it, as if a soul had awakened. The newly grown vegetation swayed joyfully, the entire region pulsing with renewed vitality.

With a sweep of his finger, the Ancestor inscribed three bold characters upon the dragon-head-shaped peak: Dragon Head Peak.

Alighting effortlessly atop Dragon Head Peak, the Ancestor gazed down at the serpentine Azure Dragon Range. Yet his face showed no joy, only a steely coldness. “To seek the Grand Way, I must make my heart as firm as stone, as cold as iron!”

In the Linmeng Universe, his many avatars had seen much and grown ever more aware of the harsh, merciless world of the strong. Every powerful figure rose atop countless corpses and rivers of blood. Without a steadfast heart fixed on the Way, without ruthless decisiveness, it was impossible to travel far down this path.

Forging more than a dozen divine artifacts from the Azure Dragon’s corpse had been, for the Ancestor, as much a trial of spirit as it was one of skill.

A transmigrant in the Wilds, the Ancestor of the Universe increasingly realized that his modern mindset was a hindrance. He had to integrate swiftly into this world if he was to become a true powerhouse.

“I should fear nothing. There should be nothing in this world that makes me cower,” he thought, gazing upward. His eyes seemed to pierce through Fangzhang Island’s hidden wards, reaching the vastness of the primordial world beyond. “I cannot always seclude myself in cultivation. With my Sea of Blood avatar and its countless Blood God sub-bodies assisting my comprehension of the Way, at most I need only leave one avatar to guard the island. My true self must continue to venture into the Wilds. To merge with a world, one must enter it. To grasp Heaven and Earth’s ultimate laws, one must understand this realm, for within its infinite landscapes lie the traces of the Dao.”

Though he had been a classic shut-in in his previous life, the Ancestor had always believed that “reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.” In this primordial world, endless seclusion was inadvisable. There were too many opportunities and wonders here—missing them would be a pity.

Thus, he quickly prepared himself, left Fangzhang Island, and once again set out to wander the Wilds.

This time, however, the Ancestor did not go directly to the continent. Instead, he tracked the Dragon Clan’s traces deep into the boundless sea.

In the dim undersea world, there were also undulating mountain ranges and fathomless trenches, home to many aquatic cultivators living in seclusion.

Here, the Dragon Clan remained incomparably mighty, the undisputed rulers of the oceanic depths. Though their fortunes had waned, even a dying dragon outmatched a horse. With their promiscuity and myriad bloodlines, they had created a vast network of vassal clans, giving the Dragon Clan deep and enduring foundations.

In the ocean’s depths twisted a colossal mountain range, coiling into a vast ring and radiating powerful energy. Its intangible might made even the surrounding seawater feel dense and viscous.

This was the Ancestral Dragon Range, formed from the corpse of the clan’s progenitor after his death. It suppressed the Dragon Clan’s source energy and was the gathering place of their fate.

Yet now, the Ancestral Dragon Range exuded a dense aura of malice. Any cultivator with a weak mind who ventured too close would be overcome by its influence, driven to madness and bloodlust.

These baleful energies were the karmic debts the Dragon Clan had incurred during the Dragon-Han Calamity, perpetually weakening their fortunes. Though the Dragons still boasted powerful bodies and unrivaled mastery over wind, rain, and the elements, their cultivation grew ever more difficult, and their fertility waned.

As time went on, fewer Dragons succeeded in their cultivation, and those of pure blood grew ever scarcer. Despite their efforts to intermarry with other aquatic clans—spreading their bloodline and strengthening the water clans overall—they could not reverse their decline.

At the dragon-head peak of the Ancestral Dragon Range, a cavern yawned like an abyss. From its depths, surging malice billowed forth, and within that energy, flashes of blazing light and a stifling heat could be faintly seen.

Deep within, in a cavernous chamber filled with smoky, dark-red malice, a basketball-sized spirit pearl hovered in midair, burning with a gloomy crimson radiance. All the malice and heat emanated from this gem.

Below, an old man in red robes with flaming hair and beard, and a body likewise steeped in malice, sat silently cross-legged. Head raised and eyes closed, he faced the spirit pearl, drawing its blazing light toward his brow, where a faint, illusory dark-red eye slowly took form.

After a long time, the old man’s face contorted with pain. With a low growl and gritted teeth, he forcibly ceased absorbing the spirit pearl’s light, and the illusory eye on his brow faded away.

“The Eye of the Candle Dragon! I, Ao Zhuo, will master it. Then the Dragon Clan will have a chance to rise again. Ao Cang, my dear brother, rest assured! I swear I will find your killer and avenge you!” he roared, his voice hoarse and half-mad, his aura in turmoil.

Just as he finished, a cold, indifferent voice rang out abruptly: “Avenge him? With what? You speak of reviving the Dragon Clan, but you’re already on the verge of demonic corruption. If you continue on this path, you’ll only destroy yourself. How will you revive your clan then?”

“Who dares trespass in the forbidden land of the Dragons? Courting death!” The old man jerked his head up, crimson light blazing in his eyes.

Parting the dark-red mist outside, the Ancestor of the Universe entered, gazing coldly at the old man. “I am the one who killed Ao Cang the Azure Dragon—the very one you seek to avenge.”