Jian Long looked into the dragon's eyes.
The contained and fractured stone began to move slightly, like a faint tremor.
In the mind of the former prince Gu Yan Long, a voice began to speak.
—Kneel before my presence, mortal—
The voice resonated like a blow against his psyche.
Jian Long looked toward the statue. Although the voice that echoed in his mind was powerful, he felt nothing more than slight annoyance.
—What kind of foolish creature are you to speak like that to the future ruler of the Gu Yan Empire?—
he said in his most arrogant tone yet, glancing at the dragon compass.
—"Then this thing only serves to detect dragon blood. I've been following an empty lead all this time. But this pile of stone… what is it?"—
Jian Long looked again at the stone figure calmly.
—Insolent. I will feed on your entrails once I am free—
the dragon statue said again to Jian Long.
—Hahaha. A mere statue without even residual energy dares speak to me as an equal? I am a cultivator at the final stage of Core Formation—
he said calmly, taking his sword and pointing it at the dragon.
—I did not expect such a foolish creature to possess dragon lineage. Give it to me and I will spare your life—
the dragon's voice finally faintly emerged from deep within the statue.
Even so, Jian Long was no fool. Feeling the residual energy of the beast sealed in stone, he instantly understood that if it were not sealed, his flesh would no longer cling to his bones.
—Then how did a dragon end up as a mere statue?—
he said calmly, lowering his sword and sitting beside the dragon's stone body.
—Give me a drop of your blood, and perhaps I can speak with you—
the dragon said with destructive calm inside Jian Long's mind.
—"This thing is too desperate. I need to ask something more before throwing myself into the jaws of a sleeping dragon… or rather, in this case"—
he thought calmly, gripping his sword by the hilt and striking the stone with its flat side.
—It is nothing to me to give you the essence blood of my body. But I require a vow under the Dao of Heaven and Earth—
he said without a trace of hesitation in his eyes.
Within seconds, silence reigned inside the cave world. Only the drops falling from the ceiling and the faint vibration of the statue could be heard.
Jian Long calmly examined the conditions for the oath.
—"My father told me that a contract under the Dao of Heaven and Earth is always equivalent. But the conditions and punishments depend on who desires more. I hold the advantage in any case"—
he thought before breaking the silence.
—If you truly wish it, let us swear with our own souls. I do not believe your weak Dao of Heaven could act against someone like me—
the dragon interrupted Jian Long's train of thought.
Jian Long looked again at the statue, this time with colder intrigue.
He studied the distinctions of the dragon's horns more carefully.
Four horns, like ram antlers, rose upward—not elegant or precious, but foreign and forgotten.
Jian Long took his sword, tore off one of the statue's scales, and stepped back.
Though the dragon's irritated voice clamored for his life, he paid it no attention.
Cutting his finger slightly, a tiny drop of his blood fell onto the scale.
At once it trembled, revealing a yellow scale with whitish markings within its pores.
Jian Long shuddered slightly. The sense of his own cultivation told him this did not belong to this reality.
—Tell me where you come from, and I may attempt the soul contract you speak of—
he said simply.
The dragon spoke again, this time striking directly at Jian Long's psyche with full force.
—You damned fool. Do you truly believe you have the right to speak with this Lord Dragon?—
It roared frantically inside Jian Long's mind.
Jian Long began to bleed slightly from his nose, yet remained firm.
—Ha, never mind. I'll just leave. Useless dragon—
Taking his sword, Jian Long walked toward the cave's exit, the burning compass in his hand.
—"What will you do now? You may lose your last chance at freedom. Only my brothers, my father, and I possess dragon blood in this world"—
He smiled lightly toward the statue and continued walking.
Silence pierced the dragon statue's mind with each step of the former prince echoing away. As Jian Long reached the edge of the cave, the dragon spoke again.
—Wait—
This time there was more calm in its mind, and subtle desperation.
Jian Long glanced once more into the dragon's eyes, smiling inwardly.
—My name is Xuehuang. I come from beyond this land and sky—
he said, pausing to observe Jian Long's reaction.
Though his suspicions were confirmed, Jian Long allowed no expression to show and sat down before the dragon.
—Hmm. Does that answer not satisfy you?—
the dragon statue asked.
—What was your cultivation level in your world?—
Jian Long asked, slightly raising his face as he took a bottle of elixir from his ring.
The dragon fell silent, though this time it felt more like surprise than arrogance.
—Fourth-Grade Void Saint—
it answered in a hesitant tone.
Jian Long took one of the nourishment pills and bit into it while thinking.
—"What level is that? There is record of the Divine God Realm, Existence of Truth. If this thing were at that level, it could not have been sealed—this world would not even exist. Perhaps Nascent Soul or Return to Void. Father is at the peak of Core Formation. My revenge will be simple if I have this dragon"—
he thought, savoring the pills that smelled like concentrated meat broth.
—How did a Void Saint end up sealed? How strong was the Dao of Heaven at that time?—
Jian Long cast the question into the air.
The dragon statue seemed to look back, its vibrations resonating through the stone. After several seconds, it spoke.
—I was imprisoned before even touching your world. Three beings of immense power merely raised two talismans the size of a thumb, and the stone adhered to my body. I remember being here for at least over a million years in solitude. It is fortunate my seals are weakening now. That is why I believe your Heavenly Dao can no longer contain me—
It spoke with resentment and hatred in Jian Long's mind.
Looking at the dragon once more, Jian Long said:
—How can my weak blood help you break this seal?—
without a trace of emotion in his eyes.
The dragon fell silent again, though Jian Long's eyebrow twitched faintly.
—It will be the catalyst. I intend to sacrifice my lifespan to release the seal—
the dragon said within his mind.
Jian Long took a small step back.
—You are a dragon. How much must you sacrifice? The foundation of all cultivation is lifespan. Even if one surpasses a realm, it only extends according to that foundation—
he said, a hint of strangeness appearing in his eyes.
—Only one thousand years from you will be enough to be free. I will also burn my own lifespan to compensate the exchange—
the dragon replied with impossible calm, the stone vibrating more intensely.
Jian Long looked back into his past—Huan Ming Zhi's death, his failure to foresee his sister's survival, his exile—and now all that remained was his future life of over seven hundred years.
—Very well. I will give you half of my lifespan and bloodline. After my revenge is complete, you will receive the rest—
he said calmly.
The dragon within the stone seemed to smile in its static manner as a formation rose between them.
Two drops of blood at the center of the circular arrays, each representing their own form and species.
They rotated infinitely as faint light spread outward.
—Define the soul's punishment terms and its guidelines—
the dragon said boldly.
Jian Long looked once more at the formation, feeling his spiritual sea and very being binding with this extraterrestrial dragon by the second.
With a breath, he began forming the contract terms, knowing the dragon saw him only as a battery of lifespan and bloodline. He played his final card.
—You, Xuehuang, may not attack me in any manner or under any excuse—whether mental control, bodily control, or actions beyond your control. If you do, every particle of your blood will explode into a billion detonations, annihilating you instantly, until this contract ends—
he said, calculating each word to its limit.
—YOU LITTLE MORTAL! If you fail to deliver the remaining lifespan and bloodline at the end of this "revenge," your seven orifices will bleed until your skin tears apart and the conditions are claimed—
The dragon's voice boomed through the cave as Jian Long's blood poured from his mouth and strands of his hair began turning gray.
---
Outside the Cave — The Forbidden Frontier
The two Mist Hunters sat beside a small icy fire, a teapot at its center, watching the poor devil who had entered that place.
—I miss the fresh fruit from the Moon Tree, Brother Han Jing—
said the Mist Hunter lying among the grass, floating within a faint gray mist.
—We've barely been pursuing Prince Gu Yan Long for two weeks. Isn't that too soon to complain, Leng An?—
Han Jing said, dropping a dried pale fruit and some herbal leaves into the teapot.
—You know it's always good to have a tea master on the team. Why don't we go out more often?—
Leng An said calmly.
—Because the last time you tried to brew tea with the poison of the Thousand Dream Mortal Flower, and nearly the entire troop died from the smoke—
Han Jing replied with restrained irritation before glancing at the mountain again.
As they occasionally looked toward the mountain holding the cave, they noticed something—a tree at the summit fell.
Instantly their calm, tacit state exploded. They became empty mist, concealing themselves among the trees.
The teapot was swallowed in fog, but what they saw made their hearts tremble.
The tall mountain was cracking apart as a yellow dragon's head with white markings emerged from its depths, a man standing upon its forehead unmoved.
When it fully emerged, they saw that more than half of the dragon's body was still covered in stone as it dragged itself through the trees, toppling them one after another.
In a mental message to his companion, Han Jing spoke:
—It seems the leader made a mistake. Let us withdraw and observe from farther away—
he said calmly, though his heart pounded.
Cultivators who reach Core Formation can destroy a small mountain by sacrificing their entire being in a single attack.
But a mountain of this size collapsing was like watching a great sect fall.
—Agreed—
Leng An said without hesitation as they retreated in mist, leaving behind only an extinguished fire and scattered dried fruit.
Jian Long's eyes turned toward their direction.
—They do not matter. Let us find my sister—
His voice was now cold and relentless.