Chapter 2720: Entering the Dragon's Lair

The Dragon-Phoenix Ancestor left the Primordial Wutong Tree for the Phoenix clan, which can be said to be the foundation for the entire clan's continued existence.

For the Dragon clan, he left the Tower of Time and the Dragon Pool.

Although the Tower of Time nominally belongs to the Dragon clan, it is not actually under their control. The Dragon clan cannot interfere with when it opens or when it retreats into the long river of time. Moreover, each opening is accessible to the entire Inner Realm, allowing anyone with sufficient destiny to enter.

In contrast, the Dragon Pool is different; it is a true secret realm belonging solely to the Dragon clan, and one of their most crucial foundations.

It can be said that the Dragon Pool is a sacred place in the hearts of all dragon-kind throughout the universe.

This is because it is extremely difficult for dragon-kind to enhance their own Dragon Veins. However, if they have the opportunity to enter the Dragon Pool, their Dragon Veins are very likely to significantly improve.

Even members of the Dragon clan themselves can gain immense benefits from this secret realm.

To prepare for this opening of the Dragon Pool, Dragon City spent a full one or two years, during which a large amount of precious materials were invested.

When Lu Ye arrived at the Dragon Pool with Su Yan and others, only a few figures were present.

The Dragon Venerable and Phoenix Lord were conspicuously among them, and the rest were elders of the Dragon clan.

This opening of the Dragon Pool was originally intended to thank Lu Ye, making it an exceptional event. Su Yan and the others were fortunate beneficiaries, so only these few individuals were permitted to enter the Dragon Pool today.

Lu Ye and the others stepped forward to pay their respects.

The Dragon Venerable looked at him kindly, saying, "You have now reached the Dao Integration stage, and soon you will need to prepare for the second resonance. This trip to the Dragon Pool should strengthen your foundation and lay a certain groundwork for the future. Once inside, cultivate diligently; if you can give birth to a Dragon Vein, that would be even better."

It is possible for non-dragon-kind to develop a Dragon Vein upon entering the Dragon Pool.

There have been precedents for this; in the past, cultivators from other races who rendered great service to Dragon City were granted access to the Dragon Pool and subsequently developed Dragon Veins. Although these were not pure Dragon Veins, only granting them the status of Dragonkin, it was still a considerable opportunity.

Witnessing the Dragon Venerable's demeanor and tone, several Dragon clan elders nearby, unaware of the full truth, expressed their astonishment. Although Lu Ye was an external official of the Phoenix clan and not an outsider to Dragon City, they had never seen the Dragon Venerable act this way before.

Furthermore, they had heard that the Dragon Venerable had granted this human the authority to freely enter and exit Dragon City.

Lu Ye respectfully affirmed.

"Then proceed," the Dragon Venerable said, waving a hand, and then looked at Su Yan and the others: "All of you, do not be greedy; act according to your capabilities."

"Yes," Su Yan and the others responded in unison.

Immediately, the four figures, led by Zhu Yin, plunged forward.

It was a vast expanse of mist.

The so-called Dragon Pool was a vast circular opening, with mist steaming and swirling, obscuring vision. Even spiritual senses probing into it were severely obstructed.

Yet, all the profound mysteries of the Dragon Pool lay within this impenetrable mist.

Lu Ye soared into it, initially able to vaguely sense the positions of the others. However, as he descended further, he gradually lost sensation of Su Yan and the rest.

The entire world seemed to contain only him, as he continued to fall.

However, he wasn't worried, as there was no significant danger within the Dragon Pool. As long as one followed the Dragon Venerable's advice and acted within their capabilities, there would generally be no problems.

After a moment, Lu Ye stopped his descent, settling into a certain position.

The main reason the Dragon Pool was so eagerly sought after by all Dragons and Dragonkin was that cultivation here could strengthen one's foundation, which was the most crucial area for cultivators to improve after reaching the Dao Integration stage.

Lu Ye had specifically inquired about the Dragon Pool from Zhu Yin beforehand. Zhu Yin had entered the Dragon Pool more than once and naturally knew its mysteries very well.

Calming his mind and focusing his spirit, Lu Ye quickly entered a state of cultivation.

He didn't immediately activate the power of his Talent Tree, primarily because he wanted to experience it more deeply.

He was enveloped by mist, which contained a wondrous power that was refined and absorbed into his body.

After a short while, Lu Ye slightly raised an eyebrow. He could feel the benefits of cultivating here; as rumored, the miraculous power, once absorbed, strengthened his physical body. Not only that, but even his spirit seemed to receive some nourishment.

The effect wasn't very obvious, but he could definitely feel it.

This was indeed a miraculous place.

It was important to note that Lu Ye's cultivation in the starry sky had already pushed his essence, qi, and spirit to their utmost limits. Although their upper limits had increased with subsequent cultivation advancements, further improvement was not as simple. It required slow, continuous accumulation over time.

Yet, the wondrous power within the Dragon Pool could achieve this.

Throughout the entire universe, secret realms like the Dragon Pool were few and far between.

Having experienced its marvels, Lu Ye immediately opened his mind and body, activating the power of his Talent Tree and began to frantically absorb.

The next moment, Lu Ye's spirits were greatly invigorated!

If the improvement he felt by cultivating on his own earlier was like water dripping from a pipe, now it was a steady stream.

Lu Ye even faintly heard the roar of dragons echoing continuously in his spiritual sea, an unending reverberation. Amidst this tumultuous sound, his spirit continued to strengthen.

Initially, Lu Ye was slightly unaccustomed to it, mainly because the improvement was too immediate, even causing him some pressure.

However, as time passed and his physical body and spirit strengthened simultaneously, this pressure gradually disappeared, making him feel rather dissatisfied.

He then descended further into the pool.

The reason the Dragon Venerable cautioned them to act within their capabilities was out of fear that they might become overly ambitious. The deeper one went into the Dragon Pool, the greater the benefits, but correspondingly, the greater the pressure.

As long as one managed this balance well, cultivation within the Dragon Pool was generally without significant danger.

Lu Ye couldn't see the exact positions of Su Yan and the others at the moment, but if he could, he would find that he was above them.

This implied that in terms of physical foundation alone, he was even inferior to Su Yun.

Not to mention Zhu Yin, who was a pure-blooded Dragon. Her physical foundation was unparalleled among those of the same cultivation level throughout the universe.

Although Su Yan and Su Yun were not Dragons, they were Phoenixes, a noble race that, even if not renowned for physical prowess, was still stronger than most other races.

Although Lu Ye was currently above them, the distance wasn't actually very far. If it were another newly advanced Dao Integration cultivator, they would certainly be even higher up.

Time passed.

As his physical body and spirit continuously strengthened, Lu Ye descended further and further.

Five days later, he finally surpassed Su Yun.

A few more days, and he surpassed Su Yan.

Until a month later, he surpassed Zhu Yin's position.

Compared to when he first entered the Dragon Pool, his foundation had grown immeasurably. Putting aside his spirit for now, Lu Ye felt that his physical body was more than two or three times stronger than before, as he could clearly sense explosive power brimming within his pulsating flesh.

Such a cultivation environment was perfectly suited for the Talent Tree's capabilities.

The gains Su Yan and the others made from cultivating here for a year were not even as significant as what he gained in just a few days. Especially now, the roots of his Talent Tree could extend for a thousand miles, meaning that within this thousand-mile radius, he could absorb and refine the miraculous power as long as he wished.

By this point, as Lu Ye cultivated, the roars of dragons resonated ceaselessly within his spiritual sea. Yet, his spirit remained as solid as a rock, completely unshaken, and instead, he benefited from the impact of those roars.

His gains were immense.

However, Lu Ye was still slightly unsatisfied.

This was because he had not managed to develop a Dragon Vein.

This was very strange.

Lu Ye had originally thought that with the power of his Talent Tree, it would be simple to develop a Dragon Vein after cultivating in the Dragon Pool.

Back in the starry sky, he had easily acquired the bloodline of the Blood clan.

But in fact, even now, there was no sign of him developing a Dragon Vein.

He didn't particularly desire the Dragon clan's bloodline, as he wasn't a pure-blooded Dragon himself. Even if he developed a Dragon Vein, it would only grant him the status of Dragonkin.

The reason he wanted a Dragon Vein was because it would aid him in controlling temporal power.

Otherwise, he found it difficult to wield the power he borrowed from previous Dragon Venerables. It was like borrowing a sack of rice from a friendly neighbor, only for the sack to leak, leaving him with just a single bowl when he got home.

This was a considerable waste.

While Lu Ye and the others cultivated, the Dragon Venerable and Phoenix Lord did not remain there. Each day, only one Dragon clan elder was stationed to oversee the area.

Until this day, the Dragon Venerable rushed over.

"What's happening?" he asked the Dragon clan elder stationed there.

The elder frowned and replied, "Dragon Venerable, something is strange. Based on the materials we invested into the Dragon Pool, there should have been enough to sustain the four of them for at least twenty years of cultivation. However, when I just went down to check, I found that the power within the Dragon Pool has become very thin."

The Dragon Venerable frowned. "Are you sure?"

The elder gave a wry smile. "I've entered and exited the Dragon Pool many times. There's no way I could be mistaken about this."

The Dragon Venerable pondered for a moment, then flashed forward. "I'll go take a look."

It wasn't that he distrusted the Dragon clan elder, but rather that the situation was unusual and required a thorough investigation.

A moment later, the Dragon Venerable returned, looking puzzled.

Just as the elder had stated, calculated by the materials they had invested, there should indeed have been enough to sustain four individuals' cultivation for twenty years. After twenty years, everyone would have gained immensely.

But how long had it been? Barely over a month, and such a drastic change had occurred.

And even during the brief time he spent investigating, the change seemed to have become significantly more pronounced.

If this continued, let alone twenty years, it might not even last another twenty days.

"When did this begin?" the Dragon Venerable asked.

The elder gave a wry smile. "I'm not sure. This was my first time going down to investigate."

He couldn't go down to check every few days; that would be too troublesome. The original plan was to check once a month, so this was indeed his first time investigating, and he found an anomaly.

"Dragon Venerable, there's nothing wrong with the Dragon Pool, is there?" the elder asked with concern. The Dragon Pool was one of the Dragon clan's most vital foundations, and if something were wrong with it, the trouble would be immense.