419: (Under revision)

However, before he could finish his lamentations...

His companions, who had been watching from the sidelines, rushed toward the five corpses like hungry tigers pouncing on prey.

"I don't care about any of that! Loot the bodies first! Looting is what matters!"

"Stop, you animals! I killed them! Don't you know I have priority over the loot distribution?!"

Shen Yian grew anxious, and disregarding his weak legs, he rushed forward with a howl.

By the time he reached them, the five corpses had been stripped of everything except their loincloths to cover their shame.

In the blink of an eye, even the corpses were gone.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the petite woman who had acted.

She scratched her head sheepishly: "My System requires collecting corpses to grow stronger."

"It's the first time I've seen corpses of such a high Realm... I couldn't help myself..."

Shen Yian took a deep breath, pointing at her with a mix of annoyance and amusement:

"Fine, you lot... Before the boss arrived, whenever I asked, every one of you said you didn't have a System. You were all hiding it better than the last."

"But as soon as he shows up, good grief, it's like we've poked a nest of Systems—you're all coming out of the woodwork, aren't you?"

"Who else? Stop hiding and confess!"

His gaze swept over every companion.

After he spoke, the atmosphere became eerily quiet for a few seconds.

No one spoke up to admit it.

But at least three or four people's expressions became unnatural in that instant—eyes darting, corners of mouths twitching, or instinctively looking away; some even reflexively touched their noses or sleeves.

Clearly, the strength of the Returnees was far more than this.

Days passed one by one.

The Ancient Heavenly Sparrow Dynasty belongs to the Yao Race and does not possess sophisticated Magic Treasures like the Human Race's soul lamps or life tablets that can provide real-time feedback on the status of clan members.

For the Shadow Plume Guards sent to the Lower Realm, they usually relied on periodic transmissions to confirm their status.

Having heard nothing for several months, the high-level officials of the Ancient Dynasty only assumed the mission was difficult and that they were still searching.

No one would have imagined that ten elites of the Divine Venerable Realm would perish silently in the small Middle Thousand Province.

Amidst this eerie calm, several months passed in a flash.

The omens of the True Dragon Clan's emergence became increasingly obvious.

Liuli Realm, Ancient Dragon Small Realm.

This was a secret land that had been sealed for ten thousand years by the True Dragon Clan using immense Divine Abilities.

Mountains rose and fell like dragon spines, and Spiritual Qi condensed into clouds and mist.

At the center of the world sat a sprawling palace complex so magnificent it took one's breath away.

The buildings were nestled against ancient mountains that towered into the clouds, overlooking the vast Dragon Breath Sea below, where Spiritual Qi had liquefied—a truly majestic sight.

While most of the palaces followed Human Race styles, they were far more grand and spectacular.

The most eye-catching feature was the massive main hall deep within the complex, nearly level with the mountain peaks—

Ten Thousand Dragons Facing Heaven Hall

It did not follow the Human Race's architectural style but looked more like an ancient True Dragon coiled atop the mountain, its head raised toward the sky.

The dragon's head served as the eaves, and its spine as the beams.

The entire structure radiated a vast and majestic dragon pressure; it was the sanctuary of the True Dragon Clan.

At this moment, deep within the Facing Heaven Hall, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.

Acting Clan Chief Clan Acting Head.

An old man with vigorous dragon horns on his head and a brow etched with the passage of time and worry spoke slowly:

"It has been over a thousand years since the Old Ancestor passed away. His senior used the remnants of his Origin to forcibly sustain this Ancient Dragon Small Realm."

"Now that the Origin is exhausted, the world barrier could collapse at any moment."

"When that time comes, our clan will be exposed nakedly before the Three Thousand Continents."

Clan Acting Head's gaze swept across every aged face. "After ten thousand years of seclusion, the world outside has long since changed."

"According to scattered intelligence, those Immortal Powers and Ancient Imperial Clans are even more powerful than they were ten thousand years ago."

"As for our clan... *sigh*."

"Damn that Yao Race! If the ancestral return dragon egg were still here, we wouldn't be in this state!"

What he left unsaid was the shame and fear engraved in the hearts of every Elder.

Ten thousand years ago, the True Dragon Clan was also a supreme race that dominated a region, with strength between that of top-tier Imperial Clans and Immortal Powers, looking down upon all.

Choosing to go into seclusion as a whole clan was originally intended to avoid a terrifying great calamity and preserve themselves.

At first, they were still diligent and strove for improvement.

But ten thousand years of isolation saw resources gradually dry up and Spiritual Qi decline day by day.

Ease eroded their bloody nature, and being closed off hindered their progress on the Dao.

The former overlords were now so weak that whether they could even establish a foothold in the new era had become a question.

But in truth, none of this should have happened!

If only the ancestral return dragon egg were still here—that supreme holy object capable of cleansing Bloodlines and recreating the vision of the Ancestral Dragon.

Seclusion was not an escape, but another path of the Dao!

To nurture the future in silence, undisturbed, waiting for the day to descend upon the world once more.

However, the change occurred on the eve of their seclusion.

When the process of entering seclusion was halfway through and the world barrier was at its weakest, several Yao Race tribes launched a joint surprise attack.

After a bloody battle, although the powerful enemies were repelled, the holy object vanished without a trace.

Even more hopeless was that the world barrier had completely closed during the loss of control.

Aside from a few clan members who were lucky enough to escape, everyone else was trapped here.

From then on, hope was severed, and the path to life became a prison.

Decline, from that moment on, became an inevitable fate.

Following Clan Acting Head's heavy sigh, the hall fell into a brief silence.

"Ancestral Dragon..."

An Elder with slightly curved dragon horns murmured softly, his voice saturated with ten thousand years of regret. "The more ancient our clan is, the more powerful we become."

"The vision of the Ancestral Dragon has not appeared in the world for tens of thousands of years."

"The Siming prophesied that the day the Ancestral Dragon reappears will be the day our clan truly rises, and even... reigns supreme over the heavens."

Another Elder chimed in, a flicker of nearly extinguished fire flashing in his eyes.

"Ten thousand years have passed... Do you think there's even a slight possibility that those lucky branches of our clan who escaped and wandered the outside world... could have given birth to a chance for an ancestral return?"

An Elder couldn't help but harbor a faint hope.

"There's a limit to dreaming."

Someone immediately poured cold water on the idea, their tone bitter. "Without the ancestral return dragon egg, how small is the chance of achieving ancestral return solely through one's own Bloodline?"

"Furthermore, although Spiritual Qi is abundant outside, the competition is incredibly cruel."

"With our Bloodline out there, it's a blessing if it hasn't been coveted and divided up. How can we talk about ancestral return?"

Despite saying this, the Elder who poured the cold water couldn't help but start to wonder:

"Speaking of which, didn't that girl Long Yue say a few years ago..."

"Enough."

Clan Acting Head interrupted in a deep voice, pulling everyone back from their hollow fantasies to reality. "Thinking about those ethereal things won't help. Focus on what's in front of us."

He composed himself, regaining the decisiveness of a Clan Chief:

"According to the plan, the Dragon Gate will be opened in ten days to allow outside Spiritual Qi to flow back in, slowing the collapse of the Minor Realm."

"At the same time, release the Ten Thousand Dragons Returning to the Origin phenomenon and send a message to the outside world—"

"Our clan is willing to use marriage alliances, secret techniques, pure Dragon Qi, and even future pure-blood dragon offspring contracts as bargaining chips to seek powerful allies."

At this point, Clan Acting Head paused.

"Our Dragon Qi can nourish future generations and strengthen their Dao foundations; those great clans won't be unmoved."

"My fear is that they might directly move to suppress us. Let's hope they are easier to talk to."

"Once we weather this calamity and recover our Origin Qi... the Yao Race!"

"The debt of the surprise attack back then, the hatred of being trapped for ten thousand years—this hatred is bone-deep!"

"Blood debts must be paid in blood!"

All the Elders in the hall straightened their hunched backs at the same time, the same fire burning in their eyes as they roared in unison, their vow echoing through the hall:

"The day of our return shall be the day of the Yao Race's annihilation!"