Chapter 1902 The Past of the Dragon Clan

Lin Jichen frowned slightly as he looked at Situ Haokong's face, which was filled with vigilance and hostility.

He knew that the Nine Dragon Valley Sect Master harbored deep resentment towards the Dragon Clan, and if it weren't for his intimidation, he probably would have already stormed off.

At that moment, he could only patiently explain in a softer tone.

"Sect Master Situ, the Dragon Clan and Zhu Jiuyin are truly mortal enemies. Back then, Zhu Jiuyin deceived the Dragon Clan with despicable means, not only destroying the Holy Dragon Clan lineage but also stealing the Dragon Clan's fortune, causing the Dragon Clan to fall into its current state. This cooperation, for you and me, and for Senior Ao, is all about fighting against a common enemy. There is absolutely no exaggeration in this regard, so you can rest assured."

"rest assured?"

Situ Haokong sneered, his eyes sharp as knives, staring intently at Ao Qinhan beside him.

"He showed murderous intent towards me the moment we met. How can I feel at ease traveling with such a vicious person?"

Before he finished speaking, a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emanated from his body, clearly indicating that he was still on high alert towards Ao Qinhan.

Upon hearing this, Ao Qinhan let out a cold snort, his icy gaze sweeping over Situ Haokong.

"The strong aura of dragon blood on you can be smelled from a hundred miles away! Your Nine Dragon Valley has been hunting my fellow dragons for years, taking their essence and blood to cultivate your techniques. If it weren't for young friend Lin's sake, you would already be a corpse by now!"

As he spoke, the temperature around him dropped several degrees, and a thin layer of frost even formed on the ground.

"Hmph! What a shame!"

Situ Haokong laughed in anger, putting his hands behind his back.

"Both of us are at the late stage of the Feather Transformation realm. The outcome is still uncertain. Let's not waste our breath with words!"

Ao Qinhan was too lazy to argue with him, and simply looked away indifferently. In his opinion, arguing with someone whose hands were stained with the blood of the dragon race was a waste of energy.

Seeing the tense standoff between the two, Lin Jichen's patience gradually ran out, and his tone suddenly turned cold.

"Sect Master Situ, if you really don't want to believe it, then go back to Nine Dragon Valley first. I will find a way to find the Dragon Blood Wood. However, afterwards, you must hand over the complete formation without any concealment."

These words struck like a bolt from the blue, causing Situ Haokong's expression to change drastically.

He was already reluctant to cooperate, but when he heard that he had to hand over the sect's most precious treasure, he immediately became anxious.

That Dragon-Locking Formation is a Saint-grade formation, and the more Dragon Blood Wood it contains, the stronger it becomes, even possessing the potential to become a Celestial-grade formation!

This formation is the foundation of Nine Dragon Valley, passed down for thousands of years. It can not only resist the invasion of powerful enemies, but is also the strongest trump card against the dragon race.

If it were handed over, Nine Dragon Valley would be like a turtle without its shell, with no place to stand, let alone its status in the cultivation world.

Moreover, once Lin Jichen learns the formation, their Nine Dragons Valley will completely lose its value.

"No! The formation must not be handed over!"

Situ Haokong retorted without thinking, then realized his lapse in composure and took a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll go! I agree to cooperate! But there's absolutely no room for negotiation regarding the formation!"

"very good."

Lin Jichen nodded, his gaze sweeping over Ao Qinhan and Situ Haokong, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Since we've agreed to cooperate, we must work together wholeheartedly. Let me make this clear from the start: if anyone dares to play tricks or engage in underhanded tactics, don't blame me, Lin Jichen, for cleaning up our own ranks first and eliminating this internal threat!"

"Don't worry, young friend Lin."

Ao Qinhan spoke first, his tone heavy.

"Zhu Jiuyin is the greatest scourge of my dragon clan. If he is not eliminated, my dragon clan will never have peace. Before dealing with him, I will never seek trouble for myself, much less meddle in the affairs of that old scoundrel Qinglong."

What he said was true. As the chieftain of the Ice Dragon Clan, his only obsession was to make the Ice Dragons the legitimate lineage and secure a path for his descendants. As for the lives of the legitimate dragons in the Dragon Realm, he didn't care at all.

Although Situ Haokong did not speak, he gradually suppressed his hostility, which can be regarded as his acquiescence to Lin Jichen's request.

Seeing that the two had finally reached a consensus, Lin Jichen breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to the entrance to the Dragon Realm hidden in the clouds not far away.

Just then, Ao Qinhan frowned and asked doubtfully, "Young friend Lin, I've heard that the entrance to the Dragon Realm only opens once every ten years. There are still three years until the next opening. Are you sure we have a way to get in?"

Wan Yincai, who had been standing silently to the side, smiled and interjected, "Senior Ao, you may not know this, but although the entrance to the Dragon Realm opens only once every ten years, the Dragon Clan can come and go freely. Fellow Daoist Lin, you must have come here today for this reason."

After hearing this, Ao Qinhan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. However, his laughter was filled with self-mockery, which made people feel a pang of sadness.

"Freedom to enter and exit? I don't have that ability. The Dragon Realm has always been a forbidden area reserved for the four main dragon clans. A branch dragon clan like ours doesn't even have the right to approach it."

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Jichen's eyes as he asked, "Senior Ao, as the Ice Dragon Clan Chief, is also barred from entering the Dragon Realm?"

A hint of melancholy flickered in Ao Qinhan's cloudy eyes. He looked up at the sky, as if he could see the distant Dragon Realm through the layers of clouds.

After a moment, he sighed softly, “The Dragon Realm was originally the last place of refuge for the dragon race. After the chaos caused by Zhujiuyin, resources were already scarce and not enough for all the dragons to enjoy. So the old man, the Azure Dragon King, established a rule that only the four orthodox dragon races—Azure Dragon, Yinglong, Zhulong, and Golden Dragon—are qualified to stay in the Dragon Realm. All other dragon races must leave the Dragon Realm and find their own way to survive.”

"The Dragon Clan was already barely surviving because of Zhu Jiuyin, and its fortune was completely gone. The Holy Dragon King also failed to transcend the tribulation and died. Since then, we, the offshoots of the Dragon Clan, have been forced to wander around, hiding here and there, for fear of being discovered by cultivators of the human, ghost, and demon races, and ending up being wiped out."

As he said this, his voice trembled slightly: "Over the past thousands of years, the dragons who wandered abroad have either died or been injured, and there are now only a fraction of them left. If it weren't for my efforts to protect the Ice Dragon lineage, the Ice Dragons would probably have been wiped out long ago. That's why I'm determined to make the Ice Dragons the legitimate line, even if there's only a sliver of hope, I want to leave a chance for the Ice Dragons' descendants to survive."

These words were filled with helplessness and heartache.

Ao Qinhan did not blame the other alien races for their ruthless extermination, because he knew in his heart that the dragon race had brought this predicament upon itself.

The dragons of that time were too domineering. Relying on their innate physique and talent, they were arrogant and considered themselves to be born kings.

They plundered resources from all over the world, burned, killed, looted, and committed all sorts of atrocities, owing countless blood debts.

Even Ao Qinhan himself, in his youth, had killed many cultivators of the human, ghost, and demon races due to momentary greed.

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