13: Chapter 13 Dragon Clan Underground Treasure Vault

Yun Che and Long Xi looked at the massive wall before them. This was the innermost part of the Ancestral Dragon Temple's backyard, a wall backed by the Ancestral Dragon Mountains. It was actually a part of the mountain range, yet the material of the entire wall seemed unlike anything found elsewhere in the Ancestral Dragon Mountains, as if it had been gathered from another location.

According to Long Wangchu's memories, the mountain body behind this wall contained the Dragon Clan's underground warehouse. Rare treasures, natural wealth, and various cultivation resources accumulated by the Dragon Clan over millions of years were all stored here.

While this underground treasury of the Dragon Clan fell far short of Emperor Yuan's collection and could not be compared to the Six Great Divine Kingdoms, it was still very impressive, being second only to the Pure Land and the Six Great Divine Kingdoms.

It could be said that without the support of such massive resources, it would be impossible to maintain a barrier as vast as the Dragon Domain, and naturally, so many dragon descendants would not have been able to live and multiply here.

It could be said that without the support of these resources, the Dragon Clan would have been unable to avoid the fate of withering into extinction like the Qilin Clan.

The most numerous items in the treasury were, naturally, abyss crystals. Following that were various Dragon Cores. Over tens of millions of years, there were dozens of Dragon Cores left behind by Divine Extreme Realm dragons who died of natural causes, and nearly a hundred left by Divine Extinction Realm dragons. As for Dragon Cores below the Divine Extinction Realm, they were beyond count.

The most famous item in the treasury was, of course, that suit of elemental dragon armor.

However, according to Long Wangchu's speculation, the most valuable item was not the elemental dragon armor, but likely the dragon god seal that had shattered and been lost millions of years ago.

Tens of millions of years ago, the dragon god seal was always held by each successive Dragon God, serving as the symbol of the Dragon Ancestor's power.

Ancient records of the Dragon God Realm stated that the last Dragon God—the Primordial Azure Dragon, who had shown great kindness to Yun Che—had once forcibly shattered the dragon god seal when the Dragon God Princess was on the verge of death. He released a strand of Primordial Ancestor God power from within it to seal the Dragon God Princess inside the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, but there were no records of where the fragments of the dragon god seal had gone.

“Xi'er, why don't you stay outside to clean up the battlefield and tidy things up?” Yun Che consulted with Long Xi.

“If I haven't come out within an hour, leave on your own, and we'll meet again later in the Mist Sea?”

“Uh—”

Long Xi looked startled. Was her father giving his last words? But she quickly understood and asked:

“Father, do you feel there is great trouble inside and you're worried about me...”

“I suppose so! Have you noticed that one great dragon has yet to appear?” Yun Che did not hide it from her; instead, it seemed he hoped she would understand the enemy they might face and be deterred.

“Father, you mean the Grand Elder!”

Long Xi also suddenly realized that the Grand Elder, whose strength was at the peak of the Divine Extreme Realm and no weaker than the Dragon Lord, had not yet shown himself.

However, she did not show a hint of fear. Instead, she lifted her head and said to Yun Che with great solemnity:

“Why should I hide from him? I can face him together with Father.”

“Father, you have consistently allowed me to keep calling myself ‘Long Xi’ and haven't made me change back to ‘Yun Xi.’ Isn't that because you hope I become an independent girl rather than just a pet of the Yun lineage who is always under your protection?”

“Furthermore, I've always felt that Mother was exploited by Long Bai because of her personality. If she could have been decisive, brave, and resolute when facing matters, she wouldn't have accepted Long Bai's unreasonable demands back then and ended up harmed by him.”

“So, I want to be a brave girl. I want to go in with you.”

As she spoke, Long Xi's tone shifted, and she made a funny face:

“Also, the most important reason I want to go in is that although the Grand Elder is very powerful, Father will surely have a way to deal with him. So I will definitely be safe and won't be in danger.”

Seeing Long Xi's expression, Yun Che's mood immediately brightened, and he did not refuse her request. He had always been troubled by how his daughter's personality was withdrawn due to her upbringing, never having smiled in front of others.

Yun Che took a drop of dragon blood belonging to Long Wangchu from the sky poison pearl and flicked it lightly, sending it into the wall before them.

Slowly, the surface of the wall began to take on a slight luster, and a massive door vaguely appeared, standing ten meters high and five meters wide. Then the light grew brighter, and the giant door became increasingly clear and visible.

Yun Che stepped forward and gave a gentle push. As the door swung open, a long underground passage appeared before them, about ten meters wide and twenty meters high. The four walls were made of a special material that looked like both metal and stone, incredibly hard. The passage led straight into the depths of the Ancestral Dragon Mountains, at least four or five miles long.

The moment Yun Che stepped inside, a massive sense of crisis immediately arose. Far away at the other end of the passage, a pair of golden-pupiled eyes were staring deathly at him—it was the Dragon Clan Grand Elder who had never appeared.

Even across a distance of nearly two miles, Yun Che could still feel an extremely powerful pressure and majesty, exceeding any opponent he had ever seen in his life. Among those he had met, with the exception of Sword Immortal Hua Qingying, no one could compare.

Yun Che had just defeated the level six Divine Extreme Realm Fifth Elder, but the one before him was the level nine Divine Extreme Realm Grand Elder.

Level nine of the Divine Extreme Realm seemed only three levels higher than level six, but the strength was worlds apart. The Grand Elder was definitely not a simple sum of three Fifth Elders; even ten Fifth Elders might not be a match for the Grand Elder.

Yun Che's expression turned serious. This was indeed an unexpected development. Although he had been mentally prepared, he had hoped not to encounter the Dragon Clan Grand Elder here.

Long Xi, who followed closely behind, naturally discovered the Grand Elder as well. She had stayed in the Dragon Clan for nearly ninety years, and every time she approached the Grand Elder, she had only one feeling: unfathomable. That feeling was far too deep!

Yun Che did not choose to retreat; instead, he continued to walk forward.

At this moment, the Grand Elder was also incredibly surprised. Although he was inside the tunnel, he could still perceive what was happening outside.

It truly was the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm. It was actually a young man at the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm who had stepped into the Ancestral Dragon Temple, slaughtered the Fifth Elder, the three Protectors, and dozens of Dragon Guards outside, and now stood before him.

Even so, he felt that Yun Che's miracles should come to an end.

“Are you Yun Che?”

The Grand Elder suddenly retracted the fierce light in his eyes, becoming like a kind and benevolent elder performing a rite for a dying youth, or like a successful hunter taking an interested look at the prey before him.

His voice carried majesty tempered with softness as he said with a hint of regret:

“You should not have come here. At such a young age, you possess such strength; your future would surely have been boundless, and you would have become the most powerful existence in this world. But now, your life is to end here. Why bother?”

Yun Che said expressionlessly, “Your Ancestral Dragon Clan owes me. I have come today to collect the debt!”

The Grand Elder felt offended, but he did not get angry. He continued in a calm tone:

“Young human, do not speak so boldly!”

“There are mountains beyond mountains and heavens beyond heavens. You had the courage to enter, but you may not have the ability to leave!”

“How about we make a deal? Hand over the Dragon God Marrow and Dragon God Soul on your person, and I shall spare your life!”

Dragon God Marrow could make bones as tough as refined steel and marrow as rich as golden soup. It could regenerate Azure Dragon essence blood endlessly and without cessation, its value far exceeding that of Azure Dragon blood.

Although Yun Che only had six drops of Azure Dragon blood in his lineage at the beginning, with the Dragon God Marrow, he could continuously create new dragon blood. His lineage would constantly grow richer, with the limit reaching one-tenth of a complete Dragon God lineage.

As a fellow dragon, the moment Yun Che stepped in, the Grand Elder sensed the Dragon God Marrow and Dragon God Soul on Yun Che's body.

At this time, Yun Che already knew through Wu Chi that Long Chixin was rushing back with a group of people.

He didn't want to waste words with the Grand Elder and said coldly:

“Grand Elder, why be so hypocritical? We are all sensible people. You want my Dragon God Marrow and Dragon God Soul, and I want your life. Let's be straightforward. Let us fight and get it over with!”

Combat was often the most direct and powerful way to solve problems. Some matters could only be resolved through battle.

“Boom—”

The massive Qilin Sacred Temple rose, blocking in front of Yun Che's chest.

“Boom—”

The Evil God Art's God Ash gate opened!

“Boom—”

The Dragon God Domain opened!

“Youer.”

With a soft call, the pitch-black jietian demon emperor sword appeared in his hands. Within the devil orb, Youer opened her four-colored pupils.

Facing the greatest enemy of his life, Yun Che did not dare to be the least bit careless, going all out right from the start.

“Truly an arrogant fool who doesn't know the heights of the heavens. Then don't blame me for being unkind!”

A trace of contempt appeared on the Grand Elder's face as a massive dragon claw suddenly struck forward.

There were no profound profound techniques or killing moves; just a single hand falling, like a massive mountain descending from the sky. The power of a single hand was enough to blot out the sun!

The Grand Elder used seventy percent of his power in this palm strike. His goal was not to kill Yun Che, but to capture him alive to obtain the treasures and inheritance on his body.

Despite being suppressed by the Dragon Soul Domain, the force of the Grand Elder's palm was still enough to shake mountains and shatter planets.

The sheer physical strength and domineering power of the Ancestral Dragon Clan once again made Yun Che take notice.

Yun Che also made his move. He took flight, gripping the jietian demon emperor sword with both hands and charging out at high speed.

At this moment, Yun Che's form and the sword became one, as if the sword were a part of his body, an extension of his arm.

His will was connected with Youer's; his will was Youer's will, which was the sword intent!

Indeed, at this moment, Yun Che had reached the realm of 'Unity of Man and Sword'.

The massive black blade of the jietian demon emperor sword sliced through the air. Wherever the sword's edge passed, an invisible, deathly dark demonic abyss appeared, seemingly wanting to swallow everything around it.

“Boom—”

The powerful palm wind and the sword's edge collided violently.

The dark demonic abyss triggered by the jietian demon emperor sword was destroyed by the palm wind like dead wood, shattered into pieces and vanishing into the night.

The jietian demon emperor sword flew back, crashing into the Qilin Sacred Temple in front of Yun Che's chest. The Qilin Sacred Temple shook violently, nearly collapsing.

A sharp palm wind struck Yun Che's chest, and immediately a crack several inches deep and over a foot long appeared on his chest.

Yun Che retreated over a hundred meters in one breath, slamming heavily into the passage wall and spraying out a mouthful of blood.

Meanwhile, the Grand Elder on the opposite side stood in place, unmoved, with only the hem of his robe fluttering slightly.

...

A strange smile appeared at the corners of Yun Che's mouth. The peak of the Divine Extreme Realm was only so-so. He hadn't used profound energy in that sword strike just now, but had instead clashed head-on; he simply wanted to test his physical strength.

Great Dao Pagoda Art, seventh stage! As the liquid-like profound energy circulated for one cycle, the injuries on his body had already recovered.

The moment she saw Yun Che fly back, Long Xi's young heart had nearly leaped into her throat, her anxiety reaching its peak. Now seeing her father restored to his original state as if new, she finally recovered her senses, unable to help but marvel at what an unfathomable and incredible father he was!

The Grand Elder looked at Yun Che in confusion. He had clearly just been injured, yet he could recover instantly. Even if the Life Creation Goddess Li Suo were reborn, it would likely be no more than this. However, what he didn't know was that Goddess Li Suo was currently with Yun Che, inside the sky poison pearl.

“It seems the secrets you carry are more than just the Dragon God Marrow and Dragon God Soul. This heaven-defying recovery speed truly makes this dragon look at you in a new light. But it is of no use; you will still perish here today!”

“Less talk, come again!” Yun Che retorted with a sneer.

“Heavenly Wolf Prison God Canon, sixth stage—Blood Moon Immortal-Slaying Sword!”

Yun Che raised the jietian demon emperor sword again and thrust it straight at the Grand Elder. The profound energy around his body instantly decreased by more than half. Driving the Demon Emperor Sword required far more profound energy than the Heaven Punishing Sword, and its power was also much greater.

The Grand Elder raised his other dragon claw and struck out fiercely again, with a force comparable to throwing a planet.

This time he unleashed ninety percent of his power. Since the previous palm strike had unexpectedly failed to crush Yun Che, he decided to appropriately overestimate Yun Che's defense this time.

“Boom—”

The palm wind shattered the sword beam once again, but this time the Grand Elder couldn't help but retreat three steps, his dragon claw also shaking with numbness and pain. On the other side, Yun Che only retreated a few dozen steps. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but his injuries were lighter than before, though the Qilin Sacred Temple in front of his chest had been shattered and collapsed.

This time, the Grand Elder was even more shocked. Seventy percent of his power had clearly been enough to injure him just now, yet now a strike with ninety percent power actually failed to harm a Half-step Divine Destruction Realm Yun Che. He felt that Yun Che must have used some kind of forbidden secret technique.

Many cultivators knew of special forbidden secret techniques that could be used when facing life-threatening danger or at certain particularly important times to quickly improve their own skills. However, using these forbidden secret techniques was not without a price, often accompanied by the cost of reduced lifespan, total loss of cultivation, or even death. For instance, every time Yun Che used the skill corresponding to the fourth stage of the Evil God Art, 'Moon Recalls Star Returns,' his lifespan would decrease; and when he forcibly opened the Asura skill in the Star God Realm, it resulted in his profound veins being shattered and his direct death.

Looking at Yun Che, whose profound energy was mostly consumed and whose aura had noticeably weakened, he became even more convinced of his judgment.

“Young human, do not delude yourself. Relying on forbidden secret techniques to forcibly increase cultivation and attack power is like drinking poison to quench thirst or draining a pond to catch fish. Surrender quickly; this dragon cherishes talent and will certainly not mistreat you.”

“Attacking with all your might on one hand while speaking honeyed words on the other. It seems the longer one lives, the thicker one's skin becomes. Is the Dragon Clan's powerful defense all cultivated like this?”

Worried that Yun Che might get distracted, Long Xi took over the task of bickering for him, constantly mocking the Grand Elder!

Her goal was clear: to provoke the Grand Elder, distract him, and disrupt his Dao heart.