Chapter 368: Great Disaster Approaches

Qin Mu and Long Jiaonan walked forward. The connection point between the sixth dragon vein and the main dragon vein was surprisingly a colossal gate, flanked by numerous dragon-shaped bas-reliefs.

Qin Mu looked around. These dragon bas-reliefs were incredibly lifelike and ancient, resembling true dragons in their varied forms and diverse species. They were in no way inferior to the Hundred Dragons Diagram at Great Thunderclap Temple.

While the Hundred Dragons Diagram at Great Thunderclap Temple only depicted about a hundred types of celestial dragons, the dragon motifs here numbered over a thousand. Large and small dragon-shaped bas-reliefs encircled a colossal coiled dragon, head tilted upwards, gazing directly at those beyond the wall. Some dragons appeared to be flying, others crawling, and some were even lying on the ground, feigning sleep.

Other dragon bas-reliefs stared intently at the ground, as if observing something interesting. Some larger dragons watched smaller ones at play, while some tiny dragons climbed onto the colossal dragon's whiskers, hanging upside down in playful antics. Every conceivable posture was depicted.

The colossal dragon itself was carved with a majestic yet fearsome presence, embodying both divine dignity and a savage, barbaric ferocity. Its gaze fixed directly on anyone who approached, making it difficult to meet its eyes.

"Is this colossal dragon the Master of True Dragons? If I could meditate here, I'm sure my understanding of the Eight Forms of Thunderclap would reach its peak, and I might even create more divine arts!"

Qin Mu was deeply moved. Grandpa Ma excelled at carving, the Deaf Mute at painting, and the Mute at forging; all of them had taught Qin Mu many things.

He could appreciate the beauty of the thousand dragon bas-reliefs, and even discern more. The carvings on this dragon vein gate had been made with an axe. He seemed to envision a divine being wielding a great axe, its strokes flowing effortlessly, transforming the axe into the most delicate or wildest of brushes, painting and scribbling with unrestrained abandon, executing a set of earth-shattering axe techniques with complete fluidity.

"Strange, strange!"

Dragon Herder Sovereign's voice came from the other side of the gate. The deity sounded very anxious, as if he had encountered something he couldn't comprehend.

Qin Mu stepped through the towering gate and paused, startled. Beneath his feet lay a vast, empty chasm, with thick, molten lava pouring down all around its walls, creating a thunderous roar!

It was a perfectly cylindrical shaft, as if precisely cut, and lacked the main dragon vein that Dragon Herder Sovereign had expected.

Dragon Herder Sovereign, holding the golden jar, flew to the center of the shaft. He scrutinized the Master of True Dragons within the jar while looking around, his confusion deepening.

"This isn't right. The Master of True Dragons' vein is supposed to be here. How can it be gone? Has someone moved it? Or has it already transformed into a true dragon and flown away?"

Anxiously, Dragon Herder Sovereign suddenly plummeted rapidly, descending towards the bottom of the enormous shaft.

Qin Mu immediately took to the air as well, leaping onto the back of the Dragon Qilin. The Dragon Qilin, treading on auspicious clouds, flew downwards. Long Jiaonan also ascended and followed their descent. After a long while, they finally reached the bottom of the colossal shaft.

Both of them were greatly shaken, staring blankly at their surroundings. They saw molten lava, cascading from the walls of the shaft, pouring down from above and washing over the glittering golden underground space!

This underground space was immense. The lava poured down from above, impacting the golden ground, which was filled with interconnected pillars and boulders of profound gold elite, forming an overwhelmingly luxurious and intricate sight.

Strange characters, symbols, and patterns flickered on and off, constantly shifting across the surface of this profound gold.

They felt incredibly terrifying auras, powerful and obscure. Faint dragon roars, brutal and mighty, echoed in their ears.

"Strange, these characters, symbols, and patterns look familiar, as if I've seen them somewhere before..."

Qin Mu pondered, then approached a pillar of profound gold elite for a closer look. They were indeed very familiar.

"The Master of True Dragons is truly not here, not here..."

Dragon Herder Sovereign, having already arrived ahead of them, was examining the golden dragon when he suddenly let out a deafening roar: "Only a dragon nest remains! Who dug up the Master of True Dragons?"

"The Master of True Dragons was dug up?"

Qin Mu was stunned and looked at the enormous underground dragon nest. The nest was vast, filled with profound gold elite, but judging by the arrangement of the profound gold pillars, a large dragon must have once been coiled there.

The center of the dragon nest was empty, forming a ring shape. This ring was, of course, colossal, with a circumference of over ten miles.

That enormous dragon vein, likely before it could absorb enough dragon qi to transform into a divine dragon, had been dug up and removed from this place.

"The Master of True Dragons was refined into a Dragon Jue!"

Dragon Herder Sovereign quickly circled the area, his face ashen, and said coldly, "But he miscalculated. He didn't expect me, Dragon Herder Sovereign, to come here. What's more, he didn't expect that he shouldn't have left the Master of True Dragons' nest behind!"

"The person who took the Master of True Dragons' vein refined it into a Dragon Jue?"

Qin Mu exclaimed, "Who possesses such immense magical power?"

A Dragon Jue is a type of jade pendant, depicting a coiled dragon, shaped like a circle but with a gap. Judging by the form left where the dragon nest was dug out, the dragon's head and tail were not connected, indeed resembling a Dragon Jue.

However, the dragon nest was made of profound gold elite, while a Dragon Jue is typically jade.

Furthermore, the largest Dragon Jue is typically palm-sized. How could someone refine the Master of True Dragons, which was over ten miles long, into a palm-sized Dragon Jue?

He then understood why Dragon Herder Sovereign had called it a Dragon Jue.

Dragon Herder Sovereign peeled off a layer of profound gold elite from one of the pillars, revealing the jade material underneath.

Qin Mu looked up and observed carefully. The lava here contained molten profound gold elite, which had flowed over the dragon nest, encasing its original jade material and thus giving it a golden appearance.

The dragon nest Dragon Herder Sovereign spoke of was entirely composed of beautiful jade. The Master of True Dragons' vein must have been nurtured within this nest, absorbing dragon qi transmitted from the Great Ruins and the Yankang dragon veins.

However, someone had collected it and refined it into a Dragon Jue, taking it away from this place, before the Master of True Dragons had fully matured into a true dragon.

No wonder a huge chasm was left behind here; it must have been created by the person who took the dragon nest. They must have found the Master of True Dragons' vein, dug through the earth, and located the nest!

Dragon Herder Sovereign's body swayed, and immediately, fiery flood dragons emerged from his clothes. They transformed, with a shake of their bodies, into colossal flood dragons, spewing massive flames in all directions, melting the profound gold elite.

Molten gold dripped continuously from all parts of the dragon nest, flowing into the lava, a sight Qin Mu inwardly found regrettable.

As the profound gold elite flowed away, more jade-like rocks were exposed. Illuminated by the lava's glow, they gradually emitted a crystal-like spectrum of colors, though their luster was much softer than that of actual crystals.

"The person who took the Master of True Dragons left the nest behind certainly to allow it to continue absorbing dragon qi. Once the nest accumulated enough dragon qi, they would return to collect it and use it to nourish the Master of True Dragons, thus preserving both the nest and the Master of True Dragons!"

Dragon Herder Sovereign sneered repeatedly, looking down at the dragon nest gradually revealing its true form. He said proudly, "But it's useless! He didn't anticipate me coming here and taking the nest before him! He took the Master of True Dragons and refined it into a Dragon Jue, but I control the nest. I can use the nest to counteract the Dragon Jue. With the nest, I can sense the Dragon Jue's location, find it, and make this Master of True Dragons' vein complete again!"

Qin Mu touched his chest, where a jade pendant suddenly grew scalding hot, making him very uncomfortable.

He had two jade pendants on his chest: one was an ancestral pendant from Carefree Village, and the other was the Emperor's Disk that the Cripple had forced upon him.

This Emperor's Disk was heating up, making him quite uncomfortable.

"Wait a moment!"

Qin Mu blinked, clutching his chest. The Emperor's Disk the Cripple had given him seemed to be a jade ring shaped like a Dragon Jue!

His heart suddenly pounded twice. The Emperor's Disk was a jade ring, inscribed with numerous obscure symbols, characters, and patterns that flickered and flowed continuously.

Legend had it that the Emperor's Disk was a treasure bestowed by gods upon the Ling family, symbolizing the emperor's power and status. The Cripple had lost a leg, severed by the Yankang Imperial Preceptor's sword, for stealing it.

However, after acquiring the Emperor's Disk, the Cripple had spent decades studying it without success, so he eventually paid it no mind.

Since the Emperor's Disk was useless to him, the Cripple had given it to Qin Mu. When Qin Mu returned to the village, he intended to return it, but the Cripple declined, having already reattached his leg and lost interest in the disk.

This Emperor's Disk had remained hanging around Qin Mu's neck, fastened together with his own jade pendant.

"It can't be this coincidental, can it?"

Cold sweat beaded on Qin Mu's forehead. The Emperor's Disk indeed bore some symbols, characters, and patterns that resembled those abundant on the dragon nest. They also flickered and flowed continuously, making them utterly incomprehensible.

"But my Emperor's Disk isn't a Dragon Jue. It only resembles one, yet it has no gap. Perhaps the characters on the Emperor's Disk are similar to the dragon nest's patterns purely by coincidence."

Qin Mu composed himself, intending to watch how Dragon Herder Sovereign would collect the dragon nest. However, the Emperor's Disk on his chest grew increasingly hot, gradually becoming unbearable.

Suddenly, Qin Mu felt something stir on his chest. The young man's heart uncontrollably pounded twice again, and he reached out to touch it.

The Emperor's Disk had cracked open, transforming into a Dragon Jue!

Not only had it cracked, but he also felt the Dragon Jue become slick and smooth, as if it had turned into a living creature, like a small dragon!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Qin Mu heard his own violent heartbeats, pounding uncontrollably. Large beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, his legs felt weak, and he almost couldn't breathe.

"Little fellow, what's wrong?" Dragon Herder Sovereign glanced at him, sensing his tension, and asked.

Qin Mu composed himself and said, "I suddenly remembered I haven't fed the dragons today, and I'm worried about Dragon Herder Sovereign's punishment, so I'm feeling uneasy..."

Dragon Herder Sovereign chuckled, "I see. But it's too hot here, all lava, with no place to stand. If you're going to refine pills to feed the dragons, you'd better go up. You don't need to be so afraid of me; I'm quite approachable."

Qin Mu affirmed, his legs still somewhat weak, and said, "Then your disciple will go up to refine pills."

Dragon Herder Sovereign's body swayed, and immediately, many flood dragons of varying sizes flew out from his robes. He then handed his gluttony pouch to Qin Mu and said, "Have your little maid follow you to help. Train her well; don't let her remain so unruly."

Qin Mu hastily urged the Dragon Qilin to fly upwards. A group of flood dragons followed closely behind the Dragon Qilin, awaiting their feeding.

Long Jiaonan also followed.

Upon reaching the gate at the top of the shaft, Qin Mu said, "Maid, you stay here. I'll go refine pills over there."

Long Jiaonan sneered, "Dragon Herder Sovereign told me to follow you, fearing you might slip away."

"I'll slip away? I'll slip away? Hahaha, what a joke!" Qin Mu's face was livid.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the shaft, Dragon Herder Sovereign began his ritual, activating and refining the enormous dragon nest, attempting to collect it.

"Strange, it seems the Master of True Dragons is very close. The dragon nest is reacting..."

Dragon Herder Sovereign said in surprise, "It seems to be not far away. How odd... First, I'll retrieve the nest. Then I'll know where the Master of True Dragons is!"