118: The Dragon Palace at the Bottom of the Lake, the Legacy of Ancestral Blood

Deep night, sparse stars.

By the shore of Star Moon Lake, Lin Fan stood alone, the night wind fluttering his robes. The lake surface was as calm as a mirror, reflecting scattered starlight, but deep within the lake, the faint fluctuations of a dragon's roar were becoming increasingly clear.

["System, detect energy fluctuations at the lake bottom."] Lin Fan thought to himself.

[Ding! Detecting...]

[High-intensity Star energy reaction detected. Energy level: Peak Divine Power Realm.]

[Dragon Clan Bloodline fluctuation detected. Purity: 37% (Thin).]

[Spatial distortion phenomenon detected. Suspected existence of an independent Secret Realm entrance.]

[Suggestion: The host's current strength is insufficient. The danger coefficient for forced exploration is 89%.]

A Dragon Clan Secret Realm at the Peak Divine Power Realm?

Lin Fan's gaze grew solemn. A ruin of this level was indeed not something a practitioner in the Condensing Essence Realm could set foot in. However, the resonance coming from the star god token was growing stronger, as if something were calling out to him.

"Wealth is found amidst danger." Lin Fan took a deep breath and quietly slipped into the water.

This time, he had made more thorough preparations. The star pagoda floated above his head, its starlight protecting his body; the star god token was held in his hand, ready to activate its Restriction at any moment; and the newly acquired Star Sword Intent Seed drifted within his Divine Soul, ready to be unleashed.

Diving to the lake bottom, he followed the familiar path.

The remains of the Blood Moon Altar were still scattered across the lake floor, but that eerie Aura of blood-red baleful Qi had faded significantly. Lin Fan bypassed the altar and dove deeper toward the source of the dragon roars.

The deeper he went, the greater the water pressure and the dimmer the light.

One hundred feet, two hundred, three hundred... For an ordinary Martial Artist in the Condensing Essence Realm, three hundred feet was the limit. Even with his Eternal Indestructible Body, Lin Fan began to feel the pressure. But he could feel the fluctuations of the Dragon Clan Bloodline growing stronger.

Finally, at a depth of four hundred feet, he saw an anomaly.

A massive cave appeared on the rocky wall of the lake floor ahead. The cave entrance was irregularly circular, over ten feet in diameter, with jagged edges as if something gargantuan had burst out from it. Inside the cave, a faint blue light was visible, along with a more intense Dragon pressure.

"This is the place."

Without hesitation, Lin Fan swam into the cave.

The interior of the cave was more spacious than imagined, resembling the foyer of an underwater palace. The cave walls were smooth and covered in strange patterns that were not artificially carved but naturally formed, emitting a faint fluorescence.

After traveling about a hundred feet, the view suddenly opened up.

A massive underwater palace appeared before Lin Fan.

The palace was constructed entirely of a white jade-like stone, its style ancient and grand, with upturned eaves and pillars entwined with dragons. Although it was in ruins and many parts had collapsed, its former glory was still evident. Above the main gate hung a slanted plaque with three ancient characters: "Star Dragon Palace."

A union between the Star God Clan and the Dragon Clan?

Lin Fan was shaken. He had never seen such a record in any ancient texts. The Star God Clan was a great ancient clan of the Human Race, while the Dragon Clan was the Supreme of the Yao Race. Why would the two build a palace together?

Filled with doubt, he stepped through the palace gates.

The scene inside the palace was even more shocking.

The main hall was thirty feet high, with sixteen massive dragon-coiled pillars supporting the dome. In the center of the hall lay a massive skeleton—a Dragon Skeleton!

The skeleton was about fifty feet long, its bones crystal clear like jade. Even after being dead for countless ages, it still radiated a heart-palpitating pressure. The skull faced the depths of the palace, as if guarding something.

In front of the Dragon Skeleton stood a stone platform.

On the platform floated a single drop of golden blood.

The blood was only the size of a thumb, yet it seemed to weigh a thousand tons as it floated in the air, slowly rotating. With every rotation, it emitted a majestic Dragon pressure and Power of the Stars, the two perfectly fused into a unique golden halo.

"Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood?" Lin Fan's pupils constricted.

No, it wasn't pure Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood. It also contained pure Star Origin. This was... a Bloodline jointly created by the Star God Clan and the Dragon Clan!

The moment he approached the stone platform, a sudden change occurred.

Inside the hollow eye sockets of the Dragon Skeleton, two clusters of golden flame suddenly ignited!

"Roar!" A dragon's roar exploded within his Divine Soul—not through his ears, but directly striking his Soul. Lin Fan's body shook violently, and blood seeped from his seven orifices simultaneously. If not for the Eternal Indestructible Body protecting his Divine Soul, this single strike would have caused his Soul to Fly Away and Spirit to Scatter.

"Intruder, die!" An ancient and majestic voice echoed through the palace.

The Dragon Skeleton slowly raised its head, its bones grinding with a tooth-aching sound. Though clearly dead, it retained a lingering, Indestructible obsession to guard the essence blood on the stone platform.

"Senior," Lin Fan said, enduring the intense pain in his Divine Soul as he cupped his hands. "This Junior, Lin Fan, possesses the star god token and was guided here by the Star God Clan's Legacy. I have no intention of offending you."

"star god token?"

The Dragon Skeleton's movements stopped, and the golden flames in its eye sockets flickered slightly. It seemed to fall into some memory, and after a long while, it slowly spoke: "Has a descendant of the Star God Clan finally come? Unfortunately, you are too weak." Its voice was filled with endless fatigue and regret.

"May I ask, Senior, what exactly is this place? And what is the relationship between the Star God Clan and the Dragon Clan?" Lin Fan took the opportunity to ask.

The Dragon Skeleton was silent for a moment before slowly saying: "In ancient times, the Star God Clan and my Dragon Clan were allies fighting together against the 'Calamity of Extinction.' This palace was built by the two races to cultivate 'Star Dragon Generals.' That drop of essence blood is the 'Star Dragon Ancestral Blood' condensed by the experts of both races, capable of creating a warrior who possesses both the Power of the Stars and the Dragon Clan Bloodline."

Calamity of Extinction!

Lin Fan's heart jolted. This was a term he had seen in the Star God Clan's ancient texts, referring to a great catastrophe that swept through the heavens in ancient times, causing countless races to go extinct. The decline of the Star God Clan also seemed related to this.

"And then?" he pressed.

"Then..." the Dragon Skeleton's voice grew even weaker, "we were defeated. The Star God Clan migrated their entire race to their ancestral land, and the Dragon Clan suffered heavy casualties. I was ordered to guard this blood and wait for one destined to receive it. This wait has lasted thirty thousand years."

Thirty thousand years!

Lin Fan sucked in a breath of cold air. To guard something for thirty thousand years with just a shred of obsession—what incredible willpower.

"Young man," the flames in the Dragon Skeleton's eye sockets began to waver, "you possess the star god token and have the prototype of the Indestructible body. Perhaps you are the destined one. But currently, you are too weak to endure the Legacy of the Ancestral Blood."

"What conditions are required?" Lin Fan asked in a heavy voice.

"At least the Condensing Origin Seventh Layer, and the Star Formula must be cultivated to the fourth layer's Perfection. Otherwise, if the Ancestral Blood enters your body, you will surely explode and die."

Condensing Origin Seventh Layer, fourth layer Perfection.

Lin Fan was currently at the Nascent Core Fourth Layer, and he had only just started the fourth layer of the Star Formula; he was still far from the requirements.

"Is there no other way?" He was unwilling to give up.

The Dragon Skeleton was silent for a long time before suddenly saying: "There is. But you must pass the 'Star Dragon Trials.' There are three trials in total. For each one you pass, you can obtain a portion of the Legacy. If you pass all three, you can obtain the first three levels of the Star Dragon Transformation technique and a drop of diluted Ancestral Blood."

"Senior, please open the trials." Lin Fan did not hesitate.

The flames in the Dragon Skeleton's eyes flashed: "Once the trials begin, there are only two outcomes: success or death. Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

"Good!"

The Dragon Skeleton tilted its head back and let out a silent dragon roar, causing the entire palace to shake violently.

The sixteen dragon-coiled pillars lit up simultaneously. The dragon patterns on the pillars seemed to come alive, detaching from the stone and swimming through the air. They intertwined and eventually transformed into a golden gate of light, floating in the center of the hall.

"First Trial: Dragon Pressure Body Tempering. Endure the Ancestral Dragon's pressure for the duration of one incense stick. If your Physical Body does not collapse, you pass." As the voice fell, a towering Dragon pressure surged from the gate of light.

It was not a simple pressure of Aura, but a tangible Dragon Clan power, like a mountain weighing ten thousand tons, crushing down on Lin Fan. Every inch of skin, every bone, and every cell was subjected to terrifying compression.

Crack! The stone slabs beneath Lin Fan's feet shattered, and his legs sank into the ground. He gritted his teeth, circulating his Eternal Indestructible Body to its full potential. A jade-like luster flickered wildly beneath his skin, resisting the erosion of the Dragon pressure.

Ten breaths, twenty breaths, thirty breaths... His skin began to seep blood, and his bones let out groans of being overtaxed. The Dragon pressure was omnipresent, even penetrating his essence sea and impacting his four essence cores.

"I can't fall, I absolutely cannot fall..." Lin Fan's eyes were bloodshot, with only one thought in his mind.

He thought of his parents' disappearance, the crisis facing his Family, and Lin Xue's pale face. He needed power—enough power to protect everything!

"Roar!" He roared toward the ceiling. The essence cores within him spun wildly, and the Power of the Stars fused with the Origin of his Indestructible body, actually forming a faint golden light membrane on the surface of his body.

The moment the light membrane appeared, the pressure of the Dragon's might decreased by thirty percent.

"This is..." the Dragon Skeleton said in surprise, "the Fusion of the Indestructible body and the Star Formula? Interesting..."

Time passed second by second.

The incense stick finished burning.

The Dragon pressure suddenly dissipated.

Lin Fan was covered in blood, kneeling on one knee and panting heavily. But his eyes shone with the light of excitement—he had endured! Furthermore, under the extreme pressure, the Fusion of his Eternal Indestructible Body and the Circulating Heaven Star Formula had progressed further, and his physical strength had increased by at least twenty percent!

"First trial, passed." A hint of praise appeared in the Dragon Skeleton's voice. "Reward: The first level of the 'Star Dragon Body Refining Art'." A golden light shot into Lin Fan's forehead.

A massive amount of information flooded his mind. It was a profound Body Refining method that combined the physical enhancement of the Dragon Clan with the star tempering of the Star God Clan, its power far exceeding ordinary Body Refining techniques.

"Second Trial: Dragon Soul Heart Test. Enter the illusion, hold fast to your original heart, and shatter the falsehoods."

The second gate of light opened.

Lin Fan stepped inside.

The scene before him changed, and he found himself standing in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. All around were countless mangled bodies—members of the Lin Family, assassins from the Dark Moon Divine Cult, the Third Prince's army... and in his hand, he held a dripping longsword.

"Faner..." a familiar voice called out.

Lin Fan's body shook, and he turned to look.

Clan Leader Lin Zhantian was covered in blood, a spear impaled in his chest as he stumbled toward him: "Why did you betray the Family? Why did you collude with outsiders?"

"Father, I didn't..." Lin Fan tried to explain. But more "corpses" stood up, staring at Lin Fan with hollow eyes and questioning in unison: "Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!" The voices were like demonic sounds piercing his ears, impacting his Divine Soul. This was a Heart Demon illusion, digging up the deepest fears in his heart—the fear of being misunderstood, the fear of losing loved ones, and the fear of becoming a sinner to his Family.

Lin Fan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, his gaze was clear.

"Fake, it's all fake," he whispered. "My heart, I know it myself. The Dao I want to walk, I choose it myself."

He raised the longsword in his hand, but instead of striking at the illusions, he struck at himself!

Squelch! The sword light flashed, and the mountain of corpses and sea of blood before him shattered like a mirror. The illusion vanished, and he was standing in the hall once again.

"Second trial, passed. Reward: The second level of the 'Star Dragon Body Refining Art', and one drop of diluted Star Dragon Ancestral Blood." Another drop of golden blood flew over and merged into Lin Fan's forehead. This time it wasn't a Legacy, but actual energy. The diluted Ancestral Blood entered his body and instantly turned into a surging heat, washing through his limbs and bones. His Physical Body underwent a frantic transformation; his bones were tinged with a faint gold, and fine starlight began to appear in his blood.

His cultivation climbed directly from the Early Stage of the Nascent Core Fourth Layer to the Middle Stage!

"Third Trial: Star Dragon Battle Intent. Defeat a Star Dragon Battle Puppet. Puppet strength: Condensing Origin Sixth Layer."

The third gate of light opened. A three-meter-tall golden Puppet stepped out. The Puppet was half-human and half-dragon, with a human body and a dragon head, wearing star battle armor and holding a dragon-patterned spear. Its eyes were blood-red and its Aura was violent—it was clearly at the Peak of the Condensing Origin Sixth Layer, carrying both the majesty of the Dragon Clan and the agility of the Star God Clan.

"The final trial..." Lin Fan clenched his fists, Battle Intent boiling in his eyes. If he defeated it, he could obtain the complete first three levels of the Star Dragon Transformation and a further Ancestral Blood Legacy.

This battle, he had to win!