“No matter. Tens of thousands of years have already eroded the truth, leaving only fragmented records even in our clan’s archives. My telling him this is merely...”
Seranox waved his hand dismissively, his gaze returning to Starlight with a faint smile. “Consider this an investment of sorts in the future.”
Starlight didn't speak, but a tempestuous sea of emotions surged deep within him.
The information contained in the Gold Flame Dragon King’s words was staggering. The Dragon God of the ancient era had actually ascended to godhood based on the Radiant Elemental Body? Then those predecessors who had disappeared before him...
“Fine, I just wanted to tell you not to let yourself be bound by that illusory thing called ‘fate.’ Hmm... we’re almost there.”
Seranox suddenly looked ahead. After turning the final corner, a massive door of solid gold stood tall before them.
Countless mercury-like Dragon Tongue runes flowed across the door's surface, emitting a flickering, eerie light that pulsed rhythmically like breathing.
Starlight subconsciously narrowed his eyes. He could feel an indescribable pressure seeping through the cracks of the door.
It wasn't simple airflow, but a pressure accumulated over countless ages, as if the entire door carried an ancient will.
The Gold Flame Dragon King stepped forward with steady strides, slowly pressing his hand into the groove at the center of the gate.
In an instant, the golden light on the door exploded. The swimming runes spun and reorganized as if summoned, weaving into a complex three-dimensional magic formation on the surface.
“nif wer ifni...”
With a low mutter of the Dragon Tongue from Seranox, the heavy doors slowly creaked open with a ponderous grinding sound.
As the doors fully opened, an ancient scent—a mixture of metal and fire—wafted toward them.
Presented before them was a magnificent treasury that seemed to stretch on forever, with countless rare treasures displayed on rows of shelves.
Longswords that flowed like the starlit sky, crystal bottles sealing bolts of lightning, magical artifacts carved from gems the size of a human head...
Even though Starlight and the others had prepared themselves mentally, they were still stunned by the scene. Even Moen and Xia Duo, who usually cared little for material possessions, couldn't help but swallow hard.
“Welcome to the Dragon Treasury.” Seranox’s voice echoed through the grand hall. “Every collection here has witnessed the rise and fall of at least one era. As a reward, each of you may choose one item to take with you once our business is concluded.”
As he spoke, he led Little Gold straight toward the depths of the hall. The others finally snapped out of their daze and hurriedly followed.
Passing through countless breathtaking treasures, they finally arrived before an unremarkable square stone room.
At the end of the hall was a small square room with golden flames burning in its four corners, and at their center was a shallow groove.
A golden dragon flame burned in each of the four corners, illuminating the shallow groove in the center with perfect clarity.
The edges of the groove were covered in fine Dragon Tongue inscriptions. These characters writhed slowly under the firelight like living creatures.
“This is...” Little Gold blinked. As he stood here, a throb from deep within his bloodline echoed in his chest, as if thousands of voices were calling softly in his soul, making his fingertips tremble involuntarily.
“That’s right, my son. This is where you once slept—your hatching chamber.” Seranox gently stroked Little Gold’s hair. “I need to use the power of the Dragon Ancestor's Legacy Scale. Can you activate it now?”
“I... I can!” Little Gold nodded quickly, took a deep breath, and pulled the golden dragon scale he wore close to his chest.
The necklace floated up automatically the moment it left his neck, tracing a graceful arc through the air and drifting precisely toward the groove in the center of the stone room.
As the Dragon Ancestor's Legacy Scale approached, the inscriptions around the groove suddenly came to life, twisting frantically like a school of hungry fish.
The entire stone room began to emit a low hum, and the golden flames in the four corners suddenly shot up, lunging toward the Dragon Ancestor's Legacy Scale in the center.
As the flames twisted and deformed in the center of the room, a dragon-shaped totem gradually emerged in mid-air. The groove used to house the dragon egg suddenly jolted and split open to both sides, revealing a pitch-black opening.
“Follow me, everyone. What we are about to enter next is the true core of the Dragon Race.”
Seranox reached out, plucked the Dragon Ancestor's Legacy Scale from the air, and led the way into the sudden entrance. Seeing this, Little Gold hurried after him.
Salenzo paused before entering the passage, casting a meaningful glance over the four humans. His dragon-like vertical pupils glinted coldly in the dark before he vanished into the shadows without a word.
“Little Star, are we really going down there?” Po Kong subconsciously lowered his voice, glancing at the hole that seemed capable of swallowing even light. “If we learn too many of the Dragon Race’s secrets, will that guy silence us?”
Starlight stared into the dark opening, a flash of determination in his eyes. “I think... it’s worth investigating.”
His voice was soft but carried an unquestionable firmness.
“Ha!”
Xia Duo suddenly slapped Po Kong on the back. The crisp sound was exceptionally piercing in the stone room. She tossed her ponytail indifferently and headed for the hole first. “It’s rare to see you acting like such a coward! If they really wanted to silence us, would they need to go through all this trouble?”
Moen also gave Starlight a slight nod and said softly, “I also think there’s no problem. If the two Dragon Kings wanted to do something to us, they would have done it long ago. Why bother bringing us down here?”
After a brief discussion, the four no longer hesitated and stepped into the hole together.
...
The passage was very dark—almost pitch-black. The thick darkness felt like a physical weight pressing against everyone’s senses.
If it weren't for the sound of Seranox’s footsteps ahead, Starlight would have thought he had fallen into another world.
He had thought about using light elements to summon a few light orbs for illumination, but he found that the energy dissipated rapidly as soon as it left his body, unable to take form.
This couldn't help but make Starlight feel uneasy. After all, he was a mage; if he couldn't use magic, he was no different from a cripple.
Fortunately, this unease only lasted a few minutes. The tunnel wasn't very long, and they soon saw light at the end.
“Uh... where are we? Whoa! It’s so hot!”
Po Kong took half a step back the moment he exited the tunnel, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the blinding glare.
A scorching wave of heat hit him, instantly causing beads of sweat to break out on his forehead, but in less than a second, the sweat was evaporated by the high temperature.
Once the blinding light faded, everyone finally saw the scene before them—they were standing on the edge of a circular platform, below which was a massive, bottomless lava lake.
Golden-red magma flowed slowly in the abyss a hundred meters below, occasionally erupting with dazzling sparks.
Even more shocking were the dozens of golden giant pillars covered in runes that rose from the lava lake. At the top of each pillar floated a burning golden crystal.
The light emitted by those crystals converged at the ceiling, forming a network of light that shrouded the entire space.
“This is the true core of the Dragon Nest, the origin where all ley line energy converges.”
Seranox’s voice sounded exceptionally deep amidst the heat. Little Gold stood at the edge of the platform, his golden pupils reflecting the boiling magma below, a nearly devout expression on his face.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw a massive golden body appearing and disappearing within the churning lava. Though they couldn't see it clearly, its size definitely surpassed the true forms of the two Dragon Kings present.
Starlight felt his legs go weak uncontrollably. It was a primal fear originating from the depths of his soul.
The outlines of the sharp claws that occasionally surfaced in the lava were more magnificent than the tallest castle spires; the glimpses of the spine’s curve were as suffocating as traversing mountain ranges.
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