Evan Chu sensed the gravity of the situation—this was definitely tied to the Ancient Black Dragon, whose power had reached Ninth‑Layer Venerable Martial Realm. He couldn’t understand why this black dragon was so overwhelmingly strong; its bloodline was only slightly higher than the Fire and Water Dragons, not even on par with the Silver Dragons, yet it had become this terrifying.
"Uncle, what’s the current situation with the Ancient Black Dragon, and what exactly is going on here? You need to spell it out," Evan said. With no outsiders present, he didn’t bother addressing the Golden Dragon Shrine Master by his formal title.
Before the Golden Dragon Shrine Master could speak, an unfamiliar elder beside him spoke up. "I am Third Elder Marcus of the Golden Dragon Clan, responsible for managing the clan’s soul‑tablet chamber. Because I’m far older than most dragons, I know more secrets than others."
Tens of thousands of years ago, our Dragon Clan, along with the Scarlet Phoenix, Obsidian Tortoise, and White Tiger Clans, all interacted freely. But one day, an evil dragon suddenly appeared—its strength already at Eighth‑Layer Venerable Martial Realm. No dragon could match him; he crushed our clan and forced everyone to submit to his tyranny.
But about ten thousand years ago, he abruptly vanished, which puzzled everyone. Afterward, the Golden Dragon King ascended as the Golden Dragon Shrine Master. During the era of the Godfall Battleground, when our clan was at its weakest, only the Fire Dragon King and a handful of weaker dragons were sent out.
At the time, none of us understood why the Golden Dragon Shrine Master arranged things that way. Only later did we learn it was all at the Ancient Black Dragon’s command. In truth, he never left—he remained in Divine Dragon Valley, cultivating in secret. He calculated that in ten thousand years, the Seven‑Star Convergence would occur, and on that day, he could tear open the void and enter another world.
For the past ten thousand years, the Dragon Shrine Master ordered Divine Dragon Valley sealed—no one allowed in or out—to keep the Seven‑Star Convergence secret. Later, Miss Lan left Divine Dragon Valley for unknown reasons. Because of her beauty, she was attacked by villains, gravely wounded, and escaped, eventually being saved by your father. That’s how you came to be.
When the Golden Dragon Shrine Master learned about Miss Lan, he was furious and secretly left Divine Dragon Valley to find her. But by defying the Ancient Black Dragon, he was struck down and crippled, then thrown into Dragon’s Abyss. I’ve always watched over the clan’s soul-tablets, so I knew he wasn’t dead—just trapped in Dragon’s Abyss. Meanwhile, the Ancient Black Dragon built a secret chamber nearby and has been cultivating there ever since.
The Dragon Shrine cannot go a day without a master, so the current Golden Dragon King became the Golden Dragon Shrine Master. After all I’ve said, I trust you understand what I’m getting at now."
After hearing this, Evan Chu let out a long breath and said, "If the Ancient Black Dragon is so powerful, why does he insist on cultivating in Dragon’s Abyss? Isn’t the energy in the Dragonblood Crucible even stronger? He could just absorb the Crucible’s power."
"Not every dragon can absorb the energy of the Dragonblood Crucible. The Ancient Black Dragon, for all his strength, simply can’t absorb its power. Instead, he’s able to take in some of the strange energies found in Dragon’s Abyss. After a dragon dies, their body is placed in a special location—that’s Dragon’s Abyss."
All year round, Dragon’s Abyss is shrouded in a pungent stench and clouds of death-energy vapor. The Ancient Black Dragon cultivates by absorbing these vapors. Now, with the Seven‑Star Convergence nearly upon us, he once said that the day he leaves Divine Dragon Valley will be the day Divine Dragon Valley is destroyed. It’s enough to make anyone worry.
Evan Chu frowned slightly. "How many people actually know about this? The Ancient Black Dragon is so powerful—have you ever thought of a way to lure him out?"
"Only three of us in the entire Dragon Clan know the full truth. The Ancient Black Dragon won’t show himself without a reason. With the Seven‑Star Convergence so close, it’s even harder to draw him out. Does Young Lord Evan have any strategies?" Third Elder Marcus asked.
Evan Chu thought for a moment and said, "To deal with the Ancient Black Dragon, I have to fully awaken my bloodline power. Right now, I can barely fight a Ninth‑Layer Venerable, but killing him is out of the question. The problem is, bloodline awakening requires a full‑moon night—that’s what really worries me."
The Golden Dragon Shrine Master spoke up: "Awakening your bloodline power doesn’t absolutely require a full‑moon night—it’s just much more dangerous otherwise. Nine out of ten dragons who try it outside the ritual time explode from the Dragonblood Crucible’s energy. Even if I agreed to let you try, your mother would never consent."
Hearing this, Evan Chu hesitated for a moment. Then Sword Spirit Luna’s voice rang in his mind: "Evan, this is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime chance! If you wait for a full moon, you won’t have enough time to absorb the Crucible’s energy. Don’t forget you still have Shadow, that terrifying beast—this energy is a massive tonic for him. With Shadow beside you, you’ll be fine."
Evan Chu’s heart leapt with joy. If Shadow could break through again, it would be a huge advantage—maybe even Goldwing could advance. He said, "I’ve decided—I’ll enter the Dragonblood Crucible tomorrow to awaken my bloodline. Don’t worry, I have a way to control the energy inside me and avoid exploding. For now, don’t tell my mother; I’m afraid she’ll refuse if she worries too much."
"You need to think this through—it’s not child’s play. Once you enter the Dragonblood Crucible, you can’t leave for at least half an hour. That’s how long it takes for the energy to flood your body. If you leave too early, you won’t awaken your bloodline and may end up injured instead. The longer you stay, the higher the chance of awakening, but also the greater the risk. After half an hour, if you can’t hold out, leave immediately," said the Golden Dragon Shrine Master.
"Got it. This time, I might stay by the Crucible for quite a while—not in the pool itself, but on the shore, preparing my body to control the energy. I won’t tell you the details for now, but just trust that I’ll come out alive. Whether my bloodline awakens or not is up to fate," Evan Chu replied.
In truth, Evan was doing this to restore Sword Spirit Luna’s body. Once she was whole again, he’d have one less worry when facing the Ancient Black Dragon. "Evan, Seven‑Star Convergence falls on next month’s full moon night—you have to seize this chance. The fate of the Dragon Clan rests on you now."
"Understood. Tomorrow, I’ll enter the Dragonblood Crucible. During this time, I don’t want anyone disturbing me, or everything could fail!" Evan Chu said, then turned and left the secret chamber...