236: Chapter 235 The Lower Realm

The ten thousand miles of the journey back felt increasingly heavy.

Clan Leader Ao Yi sped along with Young Master Ao Xing, his mind in complete disarray. The path through Silver Dragon Pool was completely severed, and the only remaining method of unsealing in the world was thoroughly blocked. Young Master Ao Xing's path of cultivation seemed completely hopeless.

Before long, the two finally returned to the Dragon Clan Secret Realm and stepped into the territory of the majestic and solemn Dragon Palace.

But as soon as they approached the core altar of the Dragon Clan, an unusually restless and violent ancient aura suddenly rushed toward them.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi throughout the entire Dragon Clan Secret Realm was flowing in reverse frantically. Thousands of dragon-patterned light curtains were trembling violently, and the ancient dragon veins deep underground were faintly restless. The world was permeated with a tragic and desolate atmosphere of sacrificing life and overdrawing Luck.

Clan Leader Ao Yi's expression changed abruptly, and his heart sank heavily.

"This is... the aura of an ancient Summoning Altar?!"

He had no time to rest and immediately supported Young Master Ao Xing as he rushed toward the Dragon Clan Ancestral Altar.

He saw that atop the vast Ancestral Dragon Altar, golden light shot into the sky, filling it with runes. Countless ancient and obscure Heaven-reaching patterns crisscrossed, connecting to the cloud sea of the Nine Heavens.

Grand Elder Ao Yin, draped in the Ancestral Dragon Sacred Robe, stood in the center of the altar. His hands formed seals, his life essence was burning, and his white hair danced wildly in the wind. He was using his own Origin life essence as a catalyst, forcibly driving the altar to open a Heaven-reaching passage.

Around the altar, countless Dragon Clan members had been forcibly conscripted. Standing at their formation positions, their faces were pale as their life essence was continuously drained by the altar. The entire formation was already more than half activated and was about to fully stabilize.

Clan Leader Ao Yi's pupils contracted, and he shouted in a moment of lost composure: "Grand Elder! Stop! What are you doing?!"

The Grand Elder heard this and slowly turned his head, his eyes bloodshot.

"Clan Leader Ao Yi, you have returned."

"I am summoning a Senior of the Dragon Clan from the Upper Realm."

"I am already fully aware of the affairs in the Eastern Wasteland, the disaster of Young Master Ao Xing, and the humiliation of the Dragon Clan. The Dragon Clan in the Mortal Realm is powerless to contend with Yuan Chen. Since no one in the Lower Realm can break this deadlock, I will summon a True Dragon from the Upper Realm to descend!"

These words were deafening, yet they left Clan Leader Ao Yi feeling icy cold, his heart in complete turmoil.

"No, why?"

Clan Leader Ao Yi said in a rush of anger: "Is Yuan Chen not a member of our Dragon Clan? If it were not for your injustice, how could things have come to this? Even if a Senior from the Upper Realm descends, are you certain they will stand on your side?"

Clan Leader Ao Yi rushed up to the altar and continued to sternly dissuade him: "Furthermore, Grand Elder, you know how terrifying the cost of this action is! Not only will it consume vast resources, but your own Origin might not be able to withstand it and could be annihilated!"

"Since ancient times, there has been a distinction between the Heavens and the Earth. For the Mortal Realm to collude with the Upper Realm and summon an Immortal is bound to invite Heaven's punishment! Why must you do this!"

The Grand Elder's expression remained unchanged, his eyes filled only with dead, resolute determination. He spoke in a deep voice: "I naturally know the cost, but so what?"

"I cannot endure this grievance, and our Dragon Clan cannot endure this grievance. Second Elder Ao Ni was killed, the Young Lord was sealed, and you, as Clan Chief, cannot shoulder the responsibility. I have lived for thousands of years, and I also want to save face. Tell me, when I reach the Upper Realm, how am I to face the Seniors of the Dragon Clan?"

He looked at Young Master Ao Xing, who was weak and powerless, having completely become a cripple, and said in a sorrowful, hoarse voice: "The spirit of our race is lost, and our ancient glory has been swept into the dust. If this continues, the Dragon Clan will only slowly decay, silently perish, and become a laughingstock of the heavens!"

Clan Leader Ao Yi felt a sharp pain in his heart. You still have the face to say that? How did it become like this? Also, stop speaking for the Dragon Clan; the Dragon Clan can endure this grievance. You open the altar once, how much of our Foundation is consumed? Can the Dragon Clan even continue to Cultivate? Besides... Yuan Chen is also of the Dragon Clan, and the fighting is intense now. When we reach the Upper Realm, aren't they all Dragon Clan? We aren't that important, okay?

The Grand Elder seemed to have guessed what Clan Leader Ao Yi was thinking. Looking at the Heaven-reaching runes filling the sky, his eyes became even firmer, carrying the madness of burning bridges: "Rest assured, I am summoning a Senior of our own lineage. This time, Yuan Chen must die without a burial place. Such a scourge will also cause harm to our lineage when he reaches the Upper Realm."

"I..."

Clan Leader Ao Yi felt a tightness in his chest. Seeing that he couldn't get through, he said angrily: "Who is the Clan Chief, after all? You... I... Sigh..."

"At this moment, there is no time to care about such things. Clan Chief, the big picture is what matters."

"Today, I will use my own remaining blood and the Foundation of the entire clan to respectfully invite a True Dragon of the Upper Realm to descend!"

"Pfft~"

The big picture? The big picture? Clan Leader Ao Yi laughed.

Atop the Ancestral Dragon Altar, the Heaven-reaching golden light tore through the clouds and shot into the sky, with ancient and obscure Dao patterns densely covering the world.

The Spiritual Qi of the entire Dragon Clan Secret Realm flowed backward frantically and trembled violently. The Origin of the dragon veins, accumulated over thousands of years deep underground, was continuously torn and extracted by the altar, turning into wisps of golden light that flowed into the Heaven-reaching passage of the Nine Heavens.

The Grand Elder's robes danced wildly, his white hair snapping in the wind. His body was burning with his own Origin life essence, his eyes were blood-red, and his expression was resolute. He was already in a state of madness, sparing nothing and gambling the entire clan.

The Dragon Clan members guarding the formation points were pale, their life essence decaying as their vitality was continuously squeezed out by the great formation. The entire area was shrouded in a tragic and horrifying sense of suffocation.

Clan Leader Ao Yi, supporting the dying Young Master Ao Xing, whose path of cultivation was completely destroyed, stood beneath the altar. His heart was like sinking ice, and his repeated attempts to dissuade him were all in vain.

But just then, several majestic Dragon auras suddenly tore through the air!

Boom, boom, boom—!

The sky shook, and air waves surged. The previously silent Dragon Clan territory was instantly covered by multiple formidable auras.

It was the experts of the various Dragon Clan branches who had been away. Having heard of the anomaly at the Ancestral Altar and the turmoil in the Secret Realm, they all rushed back without stopping.

The first to arrive were a group of Purple Dragon Clan Elders, their bodies clad in dark, shimmering purple scales, their Dragon aura heavy and domineering. Following closely behind were the powerhouses of the Azure Dragon Clan, the Red Dragon Clan, and the core combat strength of the various White Dragon branches, all gathering outside the Ancestral Altar.

When they looked up and saw the ancient Summoning Altar spinning wildly and connecting to the Nine Heavens, everyone's faces turned instantly pale, their eyes filled only with extreme shock and rage.

"Grand Elder! Stop immediately!"

A roar shook the surroundings. The Purple Dragon Clan Grand Elder stepped out first, his voice like a booming bell, full of stern rebuke. His eyes widened, staring fixedly at the Heaven-reaching patterns spinning madly on the altar, his Dragon Qi surging, full of disbelief: "You are insane! This is an ancient forbidden altar! Who allowed you to open it without authorization?!"

The Azure Dragon Clan Chief, who followed closely behind, had an ashen face. He stepped forward quickly, his gaze sweeping over the Secret Realm, whose Spiritual Qi had been drained and was faintly decaying. His voice was cold and biting: "With the altar fully activated, it is extracting the Foundation of the Dragon Clan's ten-thousand-year dragon veins. With such endless overdrawing, the entire Foundation of the Dragon Clan will be drained dry by you!"

The Red Dragon Clan was also anxious: "Grand Elder! Second Elder Ao Ni's death and Young Master Ao Xing's punishment are the disasters of the direct lineage! What does that have to do with my Red Dragon Clan?! We have guarded the clan peacefully, without fault or error. Why should we accompany you in exhausting our Foundation and gambling everything?!"

Sounds of angry rebuke exploded one after another. The previously dead and oppressive perimeter of the altar instantly erupted into monstrous controversy.

The Dragon Clan experts of the various branches gathered around, everyone's faces filled with indignation, their eyes full of unwillingness and panic.

They were clear-headed and understood the situation better than anyone.

This calamity in the Eastern Wasteland was, from beginning to end, caused by Second Elder Ao Ni's arrogance and Young Master Ao Xing's blind following. To redeem their people, the direct lineage of the Dragon Clan had already paid out three precious Legacy treasures, lost face, and suffered humiliation. This was the price for the direct lineage.

But the Summoning Altar opened by the Grand Elder did not distinguish between the direct lineage and the branch families, nor between those who had merit or were innocent; it was extracting the shared Luck and Foundation of the entire Dragon Clan.

Once the altar was fully formed and the passage to the Upper Realm was stabilized, the Spirit Stone mines, dragon vein Origin, and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi accumulated in the entire Dragon Clan Secret Realm for thousands of years would be instantly overdrawn and depleted.

This was a result they absolutely could not accept.

"Grand Elder, this must not be done!" Another White Dragon Clan Elder said in a deep voice, cupping his hands, his tone urgent but restrained: "Our Dragon Clan has only lost face and the Young Lord has been crippled. Our Foundation remains, and our assets are still there. If we recuperate for a hundred years, we can still slowly rise! But once we summon the Upper Realm and forcibly overdraw the entire clan, it will be self-destruction of our Foundation and severing our own path forward! The loss outweighs the gain!"

"That's right! It's just losing some face. If we gamble on the destruction of the entire clan, is it worth it?"

"It's all internal fighting among our own people. Yuan Chen is also of the Dragon Clan, so it's not shameful; at most, it's just a failure to seize power!"

The experts of the various branch families spoke one after another, every word earnest and anxious, full of resistance and resentment.

Facing the sky-filling rebukes and obstruction, the Grand Elder on the altar remained expressionless, his eyes still filled with dead, resolute determination. He slowly raised his eyes, scanning the indignant dragons below. His voice was hoarse but possessed immense majesty, carrying the pressure of a clan Elder accumulated over thousands of years.

"I am aware of all your concerns."

"But it doesn't matter. The resources and Foundation you lose will be replenished with Yuan Chen's resources once the Senior descends. Moreover, we are only dealing with Yuan Chen; this counts as an internal conflict, so even other forces cannot say anything."

Many forces also have the ability to summon experts from the Upper Realm, but as long as the experts descending from the Dragon Clan do not touch their interests, they cannot be bothered to care.

In fact, the Daming Dynasty also had this Foundation, but Yuan Chen moved too quickly. Furthermore, the Daming Dynasty did not expect Yuan Chen to be so strong, so they didn't even have the opportunity to communicate with the Upper Realm.

The dragons below felt furious, yet they were all left speechless.

They were full of resentment and unwillingness, yet they were helpless.

This was only because the Grand Elder's prestige, seniority, and strength were unmatched within the Dragon Clan.

The experts of the various branches looked at each other. Each of them had a frustrated expression and was full of indignation, yet they could only watch helplessly as the altar continued to operate and the Foundation of the Secret Realm continued to drain away, unable to do anything.

During the standoff, all gazes turned in unison, landing on the silently standing Clan Leader Ao Yi.

"Clan Chief! Say something, Clan Chief."

The Purple Dragon Clan Elder stepped forward quickly, his tone urgent, carrying the last hope: "The Grand Elder is acting arbitrarily and bringing disaster to the entire clan; only you can stop him! Issue an order quickly, call for the altar to be stopped, and stabilize our Dragon Clan's Foundation!"

"That's right, Clan Chief! We cannot let the Grand Elder do as he pleases!" The Red Dragon Clan expert quickly chimed in: "Our branches absolutely do not agree to overdrawing the Luck of the entire clan! Only you can make the decision on this matter!"

Everyone's hope was instantly pinned on Clan Leader Ao Yi.

He was the nominal master of the Dragon Clan, the highest authority of the entire clan, and should have stopped this act of crazy self-destruction.

But facing everyone's eager and expectant gazes, Clan Leader Ao Yi was like an incompetent husband. He only lowered his head, looking at the weak and powerless, completely crippled Young Master Ao Xing in his palm, then raised his eyes to look at the Grand Elder who was going all-in on the altar.

"My grandfather... will not listen to me."

Besides being the Grand Elder, the other party was also his own grandfather, and he understood his grandfather extremely well.

He had been smooth-sailing since childhood, unruly and defiant, and had never suffered any grievances, let alone now.

"I can advise, I can obstruct, I can argue, but I cannot stop him."

He wanted to stop the altar more than anyone else and knew the harm of this action better than anyone, but he understood the current situation even better.

The Grand Elder's mind was not at ease; he had to vent this anger.

If he forcibly obstructed him, it would only cause another civil war within the Dragon Clan, leading to internal collapse, and the outcome would only be worse.

And in the end, the Grand Elder would definitely be the victor; the altar would still be opened, so it was useless!

As his voice fell, the wind in the world became desolate, and the golden light of the altar continued to shoot into the sky without stopping.

The dragons were silent, and their indignation all turned into a powerless desolation.

Atop the Ancestral Dragon Altar, the Heaven-reaching golden light became increasingly intense. The entire Dragon Clan Secret Realm trembled violently, the Dragon Qi of the earth veins surged in reverse, and the ears were filled with the humming sound of the Origin being extracted.

Rumble—!

The sky of the Nine Heavens suddenly shook violently. The clouds of the entire Secret Realm were instantly torn apart, and a tiny, pitch-black crack appeared in the previously stable barrier of heaven and earth.

The crack was initially as thin as a thread, but in an instant, it expanded and spread frantically. The sound of tearing was ear-piercing and deafening, spanning a thousand miles across the sky.

From within the pitch-black Void Realm gap, wisps of supreme golden brilliance that transcended the Mortal Realm leaked out. That was the pure Immortal light of the Upper Realm, domineering, majestic, and lofty.

The wind stopped, the clouds became still, and the formation ceased.

The altar's spiritual light, which had been restless just moments ago, unexpectedly dimmed and retracted involuntarily under this supreme pressure, and even the power that was frantically extracting the Origin of the earth veins suddenly came to a halt.

The entire Dragon Clan Secret Realm instantly fell into a dead silence. Everything was soundless, with only the echoing reverberations of the heaven-and-earth-tearing roar lingering in the surroundings.

All Dragon Clan members had their dragon bodies tensed, their Bloodline stagnated. They subconsciously looked up at the sky, and a feeling of prostrating awe arose from the depths of their Souls.

"This aura... is the Dragon aura of the Upper Realm!" An old, veteran Dragon Clan Elder trembled all over and exclaimed in a lost voice.

The Void Realm crack continued to widen, and ten thousand feet of golden light poured down from the crevice, dyeing the entire sea of clouds red and illuminating the Dragon Clan Secret Realm.

A majestic pressure that looked down upon the heavens and suppressed ten thousand dragons slowly enveloped the world, pressing the experts of the various branches to slightly bow their bodies. Even the Grand Elder could not help but stop his hands from forming seals, raising his eyes to stare fixedly at the sky.

The next moment, a vast, distant voice that pierced through the ages and shook the heavens slowly descended from the deepest part of the Void Realm.

This voice was majestic without anger, heroic without haste. It was like the roaring of the Dao, like the chanting of an archaic dragon, falling into the ears of every Dragon Clan creature, shaking their Divine Souls.

"Knocking on the Heaven-reaching gate... for what do you seek?"

As the words fell, the wind and clouds bowed, and ten thousand dragons held their breath.

Golden brilliance flowed across the sky. From within the Void Realm crevice, a slender and elegant figure stepped out slowly.

He was dressed in a gilded dragon-patterned Immortal robe, his posture as straight as a heavenly mountain, his long hair falling like flowing clouds. His body was entwined with nine layers of Immortal mist, and with every step he took on the air, he carried the Dao rhythm of heaven and earth. His face was gentle yet carried supreme majesty, and his eyes were as deep as the starry sky of the ages. With one glance, he pierced through all the illusions of the Mortal Realm.

When he saw the face of the person who had arrived, Great Elder Ao Yin was slightly stunned, then overjoyed:

"Father!"