Chapter 748: Father of the Ancestral Dragon

Xu Yang and the two others entered the secret chamber. It wasn't as grand or decorated as they had imagined; in fact, the space was quite small.

At the far end of the room stood an ancient, dust-covered chair. There wasn't even a trace of spiritual energy in the air. By all appearances, it was just an ordinary, cramped space.

However, Xu Yang sensed a powerful and sinister aura hidden within the space.

Only a top-tier expert with insight pushed to its absolute limits could possibly detect it.

"Don't move, both of you. This place is very strange," Xu Yang said, almost instinctively turning back to warn Xiao Hua and the Empress. He then calmly proceeded, step by step, as if holding his breath, striving to push his perceptive abilities to a new peak.

"I know you're here. Stop hiding. Are you planning to keep playing cat and mouse with me?" Xu Yang's voice seemed to address thin air. The Empress and Xiao Hua exchanged incredulous glances, briefly wondering if Xu Yang was experiencing hallucinations due to some peculiar influence.

However, the two goddesses soon realized how foolish their assumption was.

A colossal, purplish-black outline emerged – the head of an enormous dragon! Yet, its appearance was entirely unlike any dragon known within the entire myriad-worlds system. This massive dragon head was clearly lifelike, yet it gave off an ethereal, dreamlike impression, feeling somewhat unreal but undeniably present.

"You can sense my aura? Do you possess power from beyond the myriad-worlds system?" The giant purplish-black dragon head suddenly spoke. However, while its voice instantly reached Xu Yang's mind, the Empress and Xiao Hua only perceived the energetic fluctuation a full three seconds later than Xu Yang. It was as if Xu Yang and the massive purplish-black dragon head were in one spatial dimension, while Xiao Hua and the Empress were in another.

"Although I don't know why you maintain such a unique state, I'm certain that we're in the same space. I can't attack you, and you likely can't attack me either."

"Hahaha, it seems Fenghuo Wuji's wait all those years ago wasn't in vain after all. He waited for someone who could create miracles, and that person must be you." The purplish-black dragon head showed no significant hostility towards Xu Yang. Especially after it recognized Xu Yang's unimaginable talent, its demeanor softened considerably.

"Are you God-King Fenghuo Wuji's guardian beast, then? But the Empress never mentioned that her father had a guardian beast."

The dragon head chuckled softly. "It's not just that little girl who doesn't know; no one in the entire myriad-worlds system knows the true nature of my relationship with Fenghuo Wuji. That's because no one has ever seen my true form. You are likely the first in this world to do so, apart from the individual who defeated Fenghuo Wuji back then."

"Then who exactly are you? I can sense that your power is unimaginably vast."

"On your way here, you must have seen the enormous ancestral dragon skeleton on the path to Wuyue Tian, right? The owner of that skeleton was my son. Like him, I come from an extraterrestrial world."

"The Father of the Ancestral Dragon!" Though Xu Yang said nothing aloud, his heart was utterly shaken by the colossal purplish-black dragon head's words. The strength of that ancestral dragon was already comparable to the laws of the myriad worlds, and if this enormous purplish-black head was in its complete, peak form, it would likely transcend the myriad worlds entirely.

"I'd like to know more about your story, if that's possible."

"Of course you can! Not only that, you are the only one in the entire myriad-worlds system qualified to know my true identity. I'm well aware that people in your myriad-worlds system call us Ancestral Dragons, but we originate from a fantastical continent at the end of countless distant planes of space. That world is infinitely larger than your entire myriad-worlds system, and so-called Ancestral Dragon-level experts like us are merely mid-tier entities there. As for why I came to the plane of the myriad worlds, that's a long story. It began with an unprecedented catastrophe on our fantastical continent. I journeyed with my descendants across countless planes until we reached Yinghuo. It was during that trip to Yinghuo that I met Fenghuo Wuji and gained the opportunity to come to the plane of the myriad worlds. Since then, Fenghuo Wuji and I have maintained a cooperative relationship. I act as the power behind Fenghuo Wuji; you could consider me his mentor, and Fenghuo Wuji, my disciple."

Xu Yang's expression subtly changed, revealing immense confusion.

"If you genuinely wished to help Fenghuo Wuji, why did he still meet his downfall? With your combined strength, no one in the entire myriad-worlds system could possibly contend with your power!"

The colossal purplish-black ancestral dragon burst into laughter. "You're absolutely right, there's no denying it. However, regrettably, after I entered Yinghuo back then, my power was sealed by a unique legacy. Now, I can only exert the strength of my physical body. For a long time, I served as Fenghuo Wuji's armor, never revealing myself during the wars within the myriad-worlds system. During the battle where Fenghuo Wuji was defeated, I wanted to intervene and help him multiple times. However, Fenghuo Wuji was adamant about achieving enlightenment and reaching his ultimate, dreamed-of peak: cultivating himself into a supreme being capable of rivaling the myriad-worlds system. Thus, that battle was also his proving ground, a fight for breakthrough. Unfortunately, he ultimately lost to that great master of primal power, failing to achieve his ambition. Thinking back, I truly feel regret for him. If I had been able to exert my full power in that battle, that young man with primal power would have had no chance at all."

Xu Yang sighed helplessly. "If I were Fenghuo Wuji, I would have made the same choice back then. So, are you the Natal Divine Artifact he left behind?"

"No, as I said, we are merely partners. Or you can think of me as his friend, or someone entrusted with a mission by him. If you wish to obtain his Natal Divine Artifact, you must first earn my approval. There is only one price for undertaking this trial: the victor will claim the divine artifact, while the loser faces only death. You should understand that all of Fenghuo Wuji's secrets are kept in this place, and I absolutely cannot allow any loser who learns these secrets to leave alive."