469: Descendants of the Dragon Clan

After Ye Xuan had strolled around, he didn't care about anything else and returned directly to the camp.

In the camp, Fire Linger had already returned with the little girl.

The little girl seemed to be unfamiliar with and afraid of everything around her, clutching Fire Linger's clothes tightly, her clear, big eyes nervously sizing up Ye Xuan, Tang Linglong, and the others.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s very safe here.”

Fire Linger comforted her softly, taking out a Spiritual Plant that exuded a fragrant and gentle energy and handing it to the little girl.

The little girl hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of the food and ate it in small bites, her complexion becoming a little rosier.

Tang Linglong, being thoughtful, brought clean water to wipe her dirty little face and hands and feet.

Yue Xuan silently took out a clean, plain white dress, imbued with the power of moonlight, and changed the little girl into it.

Sacred Maiden Shen Lan’s fingertips glowed with a soft light as she gently brushed over the little girl’s body, checking her condition.

“Her bone structure… is very ordinary, even somewhat frail. The Dragon Clan Bloodline in her body is extremely thin, almost negligible.”

Sacred Maiden Shen Lan frowned slightly.

“Moreover, she has suffered from long-term malnutrition, and her Divine Soul is also somewhat weak. It’s strange, how could such a child appear here alone?”

Huang Li looked at the little girl’s small, slightly dim Dragon horns, a trace of pity flashing in her eyes.

The little girl’s appearance reminded her of the children of the Phoenix Clan from before.

If it hadn't been for Lord Ye Xuan, the children of the Phoenix Clan would probably not have been much better off than this little girl.

“It looks like she should be a descendant of a fallen Dragon Clan branch, or perhaps even abandoned.”

Among the Ten Thousand Clans, where the strong prey on the weak, the fate of descendants with impure Bloodline and low talent is often very tragic.

The little girl seemed to sense everyone’s kindness and gradually relaxed, saying softly, “I, my name is Yaya. Grandpa brought me here. He said we could find food here and also, also cure my illness, but, but Grandpa is gone.”

As she spoke, Yaya’s big eyes welled up with tears again.

“Don’t cry, Yaya, we sisters will help you find Grandpa.”

Fire Linger quickly comforted her.

Ye Xuan looked at Yaya, his gaze deep.

The faint but tenacious vitality he had sensed earlier not only came from the gray seed but also seemed to have some inexplicable connection with this little girl.

This made his Heart-Nature stir.

“Yaya, what does your Grandpa look like? Where did you come from?”

Ye Xuan squatted down, trying to make his tone as gentle as possible.

Yaya looked at Ye Xuan, seemingly feeling that this powerful-looking big brother was not a bad person, and described softly, “Grandpa, Grandpa has a very long white beard. He always leans on a wooden stick. We, we came from the very distant Hidden Dragon Abyss. We walked for a very, very long time, and Yaya is so, so hungry.”

“Hidden Dragon Abyss?”

Huang Li pondered for a moment and said, “That seems to be a very remote branch habitat of the Dragon Clan. It is said to have long fallen into decline, with scarce resources. No wonder.”

With limited clues, searching for an old man in the vast sea of people in the Ten Thousand Clans camp was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

“Let her stay with us for now.”

Ye Xuan made the decision.

He vaguely felt that meeting this girl might not be a coincidence.

Naturally, no one had any objections.

Thus, the team gained a little tag-along named Yaya.

Fire Linger was especially fond of her, almost inseparable.

Yaya also relied heavily on this beautiful older sister who saved her and gave her delicious food.

For the next two days, the camp maintained a subtle calm on the surface.

During the day, Ye Xuan either exchanged information with Daoist Qingxuan or meditated alone, sensing the Dao rhythm emanating from Zhonghuang Mountain, further familiarizing himself with the newly acquired Stellar Power of the Chaos Fire Seed.

In the evening, he tried to nourish the gray seed and Yaya’s weak body with his own gentle spiritual power.

The seed remained motionless, but Yaya’s complexion visibly improved, with more smiles on her face, and occasionally she would timidly follow Fire Linger, learning to identify some simple Spiritual Plants.

However, beneath the calm, undercurrents grew increasingly turbulent.

Ye Xuan could clearly feel that the prying from the Ancient Heavenly Court, the Underworld, and other unknown forces had not decreased but had become more dense and profound.

Some mysterious individuals, whose identities were concealed, even tried to test his true strength in various ways or sow discord.

For example, someone claiming to be an envoy of the Human Race’s co-lord came, exerting great pressure and demanding that Ye Xuan hand over the Chaos Fire Seed for the benefit of the Human Race, which Ye Xuan directly ignored.

There were also powerful Yao Race individuals who secretly transmitted messages, promising great treasures, hoping that Ye Xuan would help them deal with rival races in the Gathering, which Ye Xuan politely refused.

Even more, some tried to use Yaya, spreading rumors that Ye Xuan had abducted a young Dragon Clan child with ill intentions, attempting to ruin his reputation and incite the Dragon Clan’s hostility.

However, such crude tactics crumbled on their own in the face of Ye Xuan’s absolute strength and Yaya’s own reliance on Fire Linger.

These actions angered Tang Linglong, Huang Li, and others, but also made them more vigilant.

They understood that these were merely the prelude before the opening; the real storm would descend after the Gathering began… Finally, amidst widespread anticipation, the day the Ten Thousand Clans Gathering opened arrived!

On the morning of the third day, as the rising sun cast its first ray of light upon the swirling clouds of Zhonghuang Mountain, an ancient bell chime, as if traversing through eons of time and space, resounded from the mountain peak!

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The bell chime was vast and echoed throughout the entire plain at the foot of the mountain, clearly ringing in the depths of every living being’s Soul.

The bustling camp instantly fell silent, and all eyes involuntarily turned towards the majestic divine mountain.

They saw the myriad of radiant clouds and auspicious clouds shrouding the mountainside slowly part to both sides, revealing an incomparably wide Heaven Rank staircase that extended deep into the clouds!

On both sides of the staircase stood two rows of stone statues clad in ancient armor, their aura as solid as mountains, as if they were the ancient guardians of this divine mountain.

At the same time, a grand and mighty will descended, like a heavenly decree, reverberating in everyone’s Heart-Nature.

“The Ten Thousand Clans Gathering, commence!”

“Prodigies from all heavens may ascend along the Heaven-Ascending Staircase to the Ten Thousand Clans Plaza!”

“Those who ascend the staircase must undergo tests of will, Heart-Nature, and strength. Those who are unable, stop here!”

“The rules of the Gathering will be self-evident shortly!”

After the voice fell, the plain was silent for a moment, then erupted into a sky-shattering clamor!

Countless figures transformed into streaks of light, rushing towards the white jade Heaven-Ascending Staircase, vying with each other!

Opportunity and challenge coexist!

This Heaven-Ascending Staircase was the first threshold of the Gathering!

Ye Xuan opened his slightly closed eyes, a sharp glint hidden within them.

He stood up and smiled faintly at the others around him, who were already prepared: “Let’s go, let’s meet the Prodigies of the Ten Thousand Clans.”

His gaze swept over the towering staircase, reaching into the clouds, finally settling on the mountain peak obscured by mist.