Evan Chu's mind stirred, and in an instant, blinding golden light erupted from his body. A thunderous dragon's roar burst from his lips, shaking heaven and earth, as a nine-clawed golden dragon materialized in midair, its majestic form dominating the sky.
At this moment, the golden dragon's body stretched more than a thousand meters long. Evan Chu was inwardly startled—he hadn't expected that even after advancing to mid-stage God-Lord, his true form was still only this size. Back in the Immortal Realm, the Golden Dragon King was over two thousand meters in length!
Still feeling frustrated about his dragon body's size, Evan Chu watched as the Fire Dragon suddenly dropped to its knees, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure released by the nine-clawed golden dragon. This was true bloodline suppression—so intense, it could crush the souls of lesser dragons outright.
Evan Chu shifted back to his human form, landed lightly, and said with authority, "Fire Dragon, you may rise. I revealed my true body to prove that I wasn't lying to you. I know you had doubts about my identity, but now you should understand."
The Fire Dragon rose and said reverently, "To witness the true form of the Primordial Dragon King is a blessing for any Fire Dragon. Just think—how many in the God Realm's Dragon Clan have ever seen such a sight? But I heard the King fell in the War of the Gods... How could you appear here, and why has your power dropped so drastically?"
"I was forced to reincarnate after the War of the Gods," Evan Chu said bitterly. "My memories are still sealed, and I haven't fully awakened. It's frustrating. Now, in the God Realm, I have to tread carefully at every turn. Back then, my Dragon Clan was unmatched, but now we've vanished without a trace. Just thinking about it makes me feel ashamed."
"You can rest assured, King. The Dragon Clan will rise again one day! Surely you didn't come here just for me, right? Please, tell me your purpose—if you need the Fire Dragon, I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation!" the Fire Dragon declared with solemn loyalty.
"Good. Meeting you was pure coincidence—I only heard there were savage beasts in the Origin Worldstone, but never imagined my own Dragon Clan members would be counted among them. It's outrageous! I came here to temper myself, but now, with my power sealed, I'm forced to survive in the God Realm disguised as a human. This humiliation... it's almost unbearable."
"Why are you here in the Origin Worldstone, and who are the other major savage beasts? Will they attack the people who enter?" Evan Chu pressed, his eyes sharp.
"King, you have endured so much—living among humans for the sake of the Dragon Clan's revival. I truly admire you. I've been trapped here for many years. After the War of the Gods ended, a mysterious powerhouse descended on our Dragon Clan and slaughtered us mercilessly. Back then, I was just a hatchling, completely ignorant of the danger."
Maybe it was because I was just a hatchling that the mysterious figure spared me and put me here. Over the years, I grew up, inherited the clan's memories, and learned a few things about this place.
There are three others here with strength similar to mine. We each occupy one of the four directions—east, south, west, and north—and none of us invade each other's territory. For countless years, it's been peaceful. The east belongs to the God Scorpion, the north to the Ice Wolf, and the west to the Storm Roc. Of them, the Ice Wolf is the strongest.
Right now, the Ice Wolf is probably on the verge of breaking through to late-stage God-Venerable, while the rest of us are still stuck at early-stage. Normally, we don't attack those who come in—unless someone enters our core domain," the Fire Dragon explained.
Evan Chu was inwardly stunned—he was lucky to have run into the Fire Dragon. If he'd bumped into any of the other three, he'd be dead for sure. Facing a God-Venerable with only God-Lord strength? That's just asking to die.
But a sudden idea flashed through Evan Chu's mind, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. "Fire Dragon, I have a way to get you out of here. Do you want to leave?"
"Of course I want to! I dream of returning to the Dragon Clan, but this bizarre space has kept me trapped for ages. If you can really help me escape, King, that would be incredible!" the Fire Dragon said, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Getting you out is both easy and hard," Evan Chu said. "I have a heaven-defying spatial artifact, but its entrance is blocked by a powerful restriction. Only someone at the God-Venerable level can break it. If you can shatter the seal, then when I leave, you'll leave with me."
"I'll do my best! Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life, King. I would do anything for you," the Fire Dragon pledged earnestly.
No rush to break the seal—I have other things to handle first. I came into the Origin Worldstone to temper myself, and to succeed, I need to collect Immortal Tokens from other entrants. Most tokens are kept in storage rings, so I need you to fetch a few for me.
I'll wait here for your news. This task should be easy, so don't let me down. Remember—anyone who sees you must be killed. If word gets out that you helped a human get tokens, we'll be hunted across the God Realm even after we escape," Evan Chu warned, his tone grave.
"Don't worry, King, I know what to do. Should I just wipe out everyone in this space? It's pretty big, so it'll take some time—unless I get those three to help," the Fire Dragon said, pragmatic and eager.
"No need for that. We're all Dragon Clan, so there's no conflict between us. But those other three are different. If they see the Dragon King with only God-Lord strength, they'll laugh themselves silly. And if they go all out against me, even you couldn't protect me alone," Evan Chu replied, cautious.
"You're right, King. The Dragon Clan has always been above the rest, so other races can't help but have their own schemes. I'll head out now—how many storage rings do you need?" the Fire Dragon asked respectfully.
"Five will do. Go ahead, I'll wait here," Evan Chu said simply.
The Fire Dragon vanished in a flash. Evan Chu couldn't help but feel delighted—having a God-Venerable on his side here meant collecting Immortal Tokens would be a breeze.
There's another advantage—if the Fire Dragon can break the seal on the Timewheel Bracelet, then once I leave the Origin Worldstone, I can enter it for closed-door cultivation. After a stint inside, my strength will skyrocket.
And with a God-Venerable ally at my side, this is a stroke of luck. Evan Chu was certain Vice Sect Master Shangguan had set up the Origin Worldstone trial just for him.
With token worries out of the way and his cultivation at a bottleneck, Evan Chu figured more training wouldn't help unless he went into long-term seclusion. He decided to explore the area around Flame Mountain for anything unusual to pass the time.
With a flash, Evan Chu shot into the sky. Suddenly, a hearty laugh rang out behind him: "Kid, we've been searching everywhere for you. Who would've thought you'd be hiding here?"