137: Chapter 137 The Azure Dragon's Past

Although Xiao Yuchen arrived at the entrance of Qingmu Hall quite easily this time, he remained vigilant throughout.

However, just as Xiao Yuchen was pondering how to open the door, the great doors of Qingmu Hall opened on their own.

Hearing the sound of the doors opening, Xiao Yuchen stepped back cautiously, but even after the doors were fully open, nothing unusual occurred.

The moment the doors opened, the oil lamps fixed to the stone pillars on both sides ignited one after another, stretching far into the distance.

"Is this that Advanced? Isn't this just like modern sensor doors and voice-activated lights?"

Xiao Yuchen teased lightly and walked straight in. The space here was not large, but after turning a corner, the space suddenly expanded, and a huge Dragon skeleton appeared inside the cavern.

"This... has Senior Azure Dragon truly fallen?"

Seeing this huge Dragon skeleton, Xiao Yuchen felt a bit sorrowful. Azure Dragon was the guardian god of Daxia and the faith in the hearts of the Daxia people. In the end, Senior Azure Dragon had truly fallen because he protected his own people.

"Senior Azure Dragon, Junior Xiao Yuchen pays respects to Senior Azure Dragon."

At this moment, Xiao Yuchen truly knelt. It was not because he wanted to obtain treasures, but simply because he felt Senior Azure Dragon's benevolence and sense of responsibility were worthy of his kneeling. This was also the first person, other than his parents, whom he was willing to kneel before.

"Young man, get up."

Suddenly, an aged voice came. Xiao Yuchen stood up abruptly. Just now, his gaze had been fixed on the Dragon skeleton, and he had not checked the surrounding environment.

Only after hearing someone speak did Xiao Yuchen examine the entire cave again.

Besides the huge Dragon skeleton, there was a stone platform in the cave. A fiery red bead on the stone platform suddenly floated up, emitting a shimmering light.

"Senior Azure Dragon, are you the one speaking?"

Xiao Yuchen was certain the voice from just now had come from here, most likely from this fiery red bead.

"That's right, it is me."

As soon as the voice fell, a phantom figure drifted out from inside the bead, exactly the same white-clothed phantom Xiao Yuchen had seen before.

"Senior Azure Dragon, are you still alive?" Xiao Yuchen asked with some excitement.

Hearing this, Azure Dragon shook his head: "It cannot be counted as being alive, just a remnant soul. You should have already seen the image I set up outside the cave entrance. That image is what truly happened, but it is not the complete story."

"After being hit by the hidden incense, my power was instantly weakened, so that palm strike was not enough to kill Taotie, only severely injuring him."

"Later, Taotie woke up very quickly. At that time, my cultivation was completely lost, and I was severely injured by Taotie. Originally, he wanted to eat me, but as a result, a bolt of Heavenly Dao lightning struck him, completely annihilating him."

"Because I knew my time was limited, after the medicinal power of the hidden incense faded, I dragged my severely injured body to this seabed, built an Immortal Cave here, and waited for the end of my life."

Hearing Azure Dragon's words, Xiao Yuchen's heart was shaken. Senior Azure Dragon had actually been killed by Taotie. Fortunately, the heavens had eyes and personally took action to destroy Taotie; otherwise, the humans on Earth would likely have been eaten up by Taotie long ago.

Seeming to understand Xiao Yuchen's thoughts, Azure Dragon explained: "Actually, Taotie was not as bad as you imagine. He was just gluttonous. He never bullied the weak. In order to follow the rules of the Heavenly Dao, he was often hungry."

"Those people on the battlefield were indeed not killed by him. It was because he was too hungry that he went to the battlefield to pick up corpses to eat. I stopped him, which was equivalent to cutting off his path to survival, so he attacked me. This is also why I was willing to let him go once at the beginning."

Hearing Azure Dragon's explanation, Xiao Yuchen was truly surprised. It seems many things really cannot be judged just by the surface. Sometimes, what you see with your own eyes may not necessarily be the truth, and even if it is true, one cannot judge too early.

If you have not experienced another's suffering, do not advise them to be kind. In the same environment, perhaps you would do even more excessive things than others.

"Senior, although you were severely injured back then, if you had chosen Possession for Rebirth, the probability of success should have been quite high, right? Why didn't you do that, but instead returned to this sunless seabed to wait for death?" This was the part Xiao Yuchen did not understand.

"The reason I came to the seabed is that once I die, I will revert to my original form. If I remained in the human world, it would cause panic among the people."

"Moreover, the people at that time regarded me as a god, and even made my image into a totem. If they saw the falling Dragon incident, their spiritual faith would collapse."

"The collapse of spiritual faith is fatal to a country. The majesty of the Son of Heaven would drop to the lowest point, eventually leading to chaos under heaven, and it is estimated that no Son of Heaven would appear in the future."

"As for why I did not choose Possession, the reason is very simple. I am the God of the East; how could I possibly perform Possession on the very people I have always protected?"

Azure Dragon spoke very plainly, as if all of this was only natural. However, these words heard in Xiao Yuchen's ears made his heart difficult to calm.

For a long time, Xiao Yuchen thought that Cultivators were all selfish and self-interested, willing to kill for treasures or even slaughter cities for the sake of their own path to cultivation. However, Azure Dragon's actions gave Xiao Yuchen a deeper understanding of Cultivators.

He asked himself if he could do as Azure Dragon did; he could guarantee not to actively provoke others, but if someone actively provoked him or those around him, he would absolutely make the other party pay the price.

"Senior Azure Dragon, can you still be resurrected? If you have a way, just tell me. I will definitely do my best to help you. Even if I cannot do it now, one day I will be able to."

Xiao Yuchen was quite confident in himself; after all, he possessed the System, and nothing was impossible.

Hearing Xiao Yuchen say this, Azure Dragon laughed freely: "Although I died long ago, I am also clear that the Spiritual Qi in this plane is now thin, and Cultivators no longer exist."

"That you were able to be born with a Spiritual Root, step onto the path of cultivation, and reach the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Stage while so young in such a harsh environment shows that you are extraordinary."

"However, I have now lost two of my three souls and four of my seven spirits. Being able to remain until now is only because I have hidden within my own Dragon Essence."

"But even so, my Primordial Spirit cannot last for much longer. I do not fear death. The reason I have waited until now is just in the hope that someone could bring my remains back to the Family."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuchen was shocked. Could it be that the Dragon Clan exists on Earth?

"Your original form is an Azure Dragon? Then isn't your Family the Dragon Clan?"

"That is correct, I am a member of the Dragon Clan, but I do not belong to this plane; rather, I come from another Cultivation World."

"Then why did you risk your life to protect the people here?" Xiao Yuchen was even more confused.

"When I was young, I loved to travel very much. I inadvertently learned of this plane and wanted to come over for a visit. At that time, the Spiritual Qi in this plane was still very dense, and my strength at that time was at the Great Perfection of the Soul Formation Stage."

"Later, I encountered some Opportunity. When I was breaking through to the Void Refinement Stage, I could not withstand the Heavenly Dao lightning and was severely injured. I was saved by the tribal leader at the time, the Yellow Emperor. We hit it off immediately and became good friends."

"After my injuries healed, I returned to the Cultivation World and finally achieved the Breakthrough to the Void Refinement Stage. However, when I returned again, my good friend the Yellow Emperor had actually died. It is said that he was severely injured during the great battle with Chiyou and died not long after."