199: Chapter 199 The Golden Gate Symbolizing the [Future]: Gray Awakens and the Proto-Dragon

In the ancient Secret Realm, which had returned to silence, an egg composed of seven-colored elemental energy floated quietly above the ruins. The dazzling elemental light flowing on its surface gradually dimmed with the passage of time, like a burnt-out star. I do not know how much time had passed, but a gray dragon claw flashing with cold light suddenly pierced the eggshell, easily tearing the entire seven-colored elemental energy egg into elemental debris that scattered across the sky.

The seven-colored elemental debris, like shattered neon, drifted slowly in the air, revealing a giant dragon shadow nearly ten meters high—Gray Dragon. His dragon scales had become thicker than before, gleaming with a metallic cold light. The black and white lizard slit pupils were no longer obscured by the greedy appetite of eternal hunger, replaced by the wise glow of calm reflection. The huge gray dragon wings, merely stretched backward slightly, could already be described as blotting out the sky; with a gentle flap, they stirred up gusts of wind, blowing the rubble and dust in the Secret Realm.

"Roar—!"

Gray raised his head and let out a dragon roar that shook the universe. The dragon might inherent to the Dragon Clan swept through the entire Secret Realm like an invisible shockwave. This dragon roar, with which Gray announced his own awakening, dispersed all the thick white fog that had filled the ancient Secret Realm, revealing the forest ruins destroyed by [Light-Dark Destruction] and the mysterious altar in the center of the Secret Realm.

Flying into the air, Gray looked down and stared at the mysterious altar in the center of the Secret Realm, his mind recalling the information that had suddenly appeared in his brain after devouring the [Unknown Crystal].

That [Unknown Crystal] was formed by the fragmentation and reorganization of seven elemental crystals embedded in the [Elemental Scepter], a treasure of a race called [Dark Elf] from at least several hundred years ago. It not only contained seven kinds of pure elemental energy—fire, water, earth, wind, light, dark, and wood—but also carried the dying words of a self-proclaimed Dark Elf Queen: "Humans cannot be trusted! Unknown successor, please protect the Dark Elf race. This is not a demand, but my request."

"Dark Elf..." Gray whispered, a glimmer of thought flashing in his black and white slit pupils. According to the records of the Dragon Clan's Legacy, the Dark Elf race was the second intelligent race born in this world. Its members were all nurtured by the [Tree of Darkness]. Although they did not have the lifespan limitations of humans, the population was very scarce and naturally countered by the light element. However, for some reason, they suddenly vanished into thin air over the past few hundred years.

Gray suddenly remembered the black-haired human who had snatched the [Unknown Crystal] in the Secret Realm and had even mocked him with words before escaping the Secret Realm through the golden portal. A bloodthirsty arc curled at the corner of his mouth. The information from the [Unknown Crystal] clearly recorded the many restrictions of the Secret Realm. The two most important ones were "Only intelligent life can enter" and "Humans cannot enter." Yet, that detestable ant was not only able to enter the Secret Realm but could also control both light and dark elements simultaneously. This aroused a trace of curiosity in Gray, but it was only curiosity.

"Regardless of whether you are human or not, next time we meet, it will be your death day!" Two thick, scorching streams of steam puffed from Gray's nostrils. Gray took one last look at the altar, then flapped his huge dragon wings and soared into the sky, flying straight toward the golden portal flashing at the edge of the Secret Realm—the only way to leave this Secret Realm.

The moment he passed through the portal, feeling the intense spatial fluctuations, Gray only felt a blur before his eyes. The next second, he was already amidst the familiar gale and thunder. Beneath his feet were rugged mountains, and overhead were surging thunderclouds. The air was filled with the burnt smell of lightning striking Rock—this was the summit of [Wind-Thunder Mountain], the place where Gray had broken out of his shell.

Following the call of his Bloodline, Gray relied on his initial memories, flapped his wings, and flew toward the nest at the summit. Since Gray had left decades ago and had not returned, the Rock around the nest was covered in moss. As he saw the entrance to the nest, Gray's pupils suddenly contracted.

Inside the nest, a huge corpse of a Black Dragon lay quietly on the ground. The lusterless pitch-black scales were covered in cracks. Through a huge, hideous wound on the chest, one could see the crushed internal organs. Dried black blood extended all the way from outside the nest to the Black Dragon's body. Beside the Black Dragon's corpse, a withered White Dragon curled up. Her scales were dull and lusterless, and her left wing hung powerlessly on the ground. She was clearly severely injured, yet she still gently snuggled against the Black Dragon with her broken body.

Hearing the sound of Gray's wings flapping, the weak White Dragon's gaze became sharp, and she raised her head with vigilance. When the White Dragon saw Gray diving down from the sky, her cloudy white lizard slit pupils instantly lit up with a brilliant light, and crystal-clear tears quickly spilled from the corners of her eyes. Immediately after, a dragon roar full of excitement and joy resounded across the summit of Wind-Thunder Mountain.

This dragon roar had no complex semantics, but it made Gray, who was diving down, freeze in mid-air: "Child! My child!"

Gray hovered in mid-air, flapping his wings, his body trembling uncontrollably. The connection stemming from his Bloodline clearly told him that the White Dragon before him was his mother, and the dead Black Dragon corpse was his father. Gray slowly landed in front of the two dragons, approaching cautiously and at a loss, fearing he would disturb this sudden reunion.

The White Dragon saw Gray approaching and struggled to stand up, but stumbled and fell due to her physical weakness. Gray panicked and reached out his dragon claw to gently support the White Dragon. The White Dragon rubbed her smooth dragon head, covered in dull white dragon scales, against Gray's neck. Tears slid down the scales and dripped onto the Rock, creating a water stain.

"My child, I... we... thought we would never see you again..." The White Dragon's weak voice sounded in Gray's ears, filled with deep exhaustion and relief. After Gray asked her with slight urgency, "Why did you abandon me?" "Why is Mother White Dragon dying?" "Why did Father Black Dragon die?", the White Dragon dragged her weak body and began to tell Gray slowly about the history of the Dragon Clan and the culprit behind everything—Humans.

"At the beginning of the world's birth, the six major elements of water, fire, earth, wind, light, and dark each gave birth to six initial Ancestral Dragons as the guardians of the world." The White Dragon's gaze drifted into the distance, as if seeing the glory of the past. "The Ancestral Blue Dragon, who controls the water element, has long resided in the abyss trench of the deep sea. Her own dragon Bloodline gave birth to the initial Blue Dragon Clan to help her manage the ocean; the Ancestral Red Dragon, who controls the fire element, lives in the magma of the Doomsday Volcano. It forcibly bred with other races to create a wide variety of Sub-Dragon Clans; the Ancestral Yellow Dragon, who controls the earth element, has been sleeping in the depths of the Underground World since the day of its birth. Many creatures living underground transformed into Sub-dragon races that cannot fly but have strong defenses due to contact with the dragon saliva flowing from its mouth while it slept. The Ancestral Azure Dragon, who controls the wind element, has never landed on the ground since the day of its birth because it enjoys the freedom of soaring between heaven and earth, and has continuously witnessed the development and changes of the world from high altitude. And I, the Ancestral White Dragon, who controls the light element, have always lived alone in the Lower Bright Valley; your father, the Ancestral Black Dragon, who controls the dark element, has always lived in the Shadow Canyon."

"As Ancestral Dragons, we witnessed the birth and death of countless lives, and witnessed the development of the second intelligent race, the [Dark Elf], until the appearance of the third intelligent race—[Human]!" The White Dragon's voice became cold, filled with deep-seated hatred.