266: Chapter 266 Dragon Clan Ancestral Court

Deep within the lotus.

Gao De felt himself falling.

It wasn't a spatial fall, but something deeper—as if he were Transmigrating through the barriers of time, the source of Bloodline, and the billion-year history of the Dragon Clan.

He was surrounded by endless golden light.

Within the light, countless images were faintly visible—

Giant Dragons soaring above the Nine Heavens, their Dragon Might enveloping the four seas.

The Dragon Clan forming alliances with the myriad races to rule the world together.

The Ancestral Dragon ascending the throne, with ten thousand Dragons bowing in worship.

The rise of the Immortal Qin Dynasty, where the Dragon Clan and Human Race forged a golden age together.

And also—

The cracking of the heavens.

The descent of the Heavenly Demons.

The Ancestral Dragon standing at the peak of Xianyang with sword in hand, behind him countless fallen figures.

In the final image, the Ancestral Dragon turned his head.

Those golden eyes pierced through time and space to meet Gao De's gaze.

"Successor..."

"You have finally come."

The images shattered.

Gao De's feet hit solid ground as he landed.

---

Before him was a massive palace.

The palace was built entirely of white jade; its height was unseen and its width boundless.

Above the palace gates were three large characters—

"Ancestral Dragon Hall."

The calligraphy was vigorous and ancient, carrying an indescribable majesty.

Gao De took a deep breath and pushed the doors open.

Inside the hall, there was no one.

Only colossal pillars reaching toward the sky supported the dome. On each pillar, a giant Dragon was carved spiraling upward, so lifelike they seemed as if they could come to life at any moment.

At the end of the hall stood a high platform.

Upon the platform, an object was suspended.

It was a Dragon Pearl.

Entirely golden and as large as a human head, its surface shimmered with countless intricate patterns.

Those patterns were exactly the same as the Dao Fruit in Gao De's Dantian.

"This is..." Gao De murmured.

"This is the Ancestral Dragon's Dragon Pearl."

A voice rang out from within the hall.

Gao De turned around.

Between the colossal pillars, a figure had appeared at some unknown time.

It was an old man dressed in golden Dragon robes, with a lean, refined face and an unfathomable aura.

His eyes were exactly like those of the Ancestral Dragon.

"Who are you..."

"This seat is the obsession of the Ancestral Dragon," the old man said. "And also the guardian of this Ancestral Court."

"After waiting for a hundred thousand years, I have finally found someone who can walk into this place."

He looked at Gao De, a hint of gratification flashing in his eyes.

"You obtained the taia sword."

"You obtained the Ancestral Dragon's Legacy."

"You condensed a Dao Fruit and opened an inner world."

"Very good."

"But it is not yet enough."

Gao De was startled.

The old man raised his hand and pointed toward his waist.

There hung the object obtained from the Nine Nether Dragon Tomb, which had accompanied him through countless dangers—

The prison dragon talisman.

"Do you know what this dragon talisman is?" the old man asked.

Gao De thought for a moment.

"It is the key to the Prison Hall," he said. "And also a treasure for suppressing evil."

The old man shook his head.

"More than that."

"It is the inner world Foundation personally refined by the Ancestral Dragon."

Gao De was stunned.

An inner world Foundation?

The old man slowly explained:

"When the Ancestral Dragon attempted to open an inner world back then, he refined nine dragon talismans as experiments and bestowed them upon his nine sons."

"Each dragon talisman is the core of a small world."

"The holder of a talisman can refine it into their inner world to increase its depth and expand its area."

"The one in your hand is the ninth one—"

The prison dragon talisman.

"It was originally a relic left by the Ancestral Dragon for his youngest son, but unfortunately, the son died young, and this talisman was lost to the world."

"Now, it has come into your hands."

He looked at Gao De.

"This is fate."

"It is also the final gift given to you by the Ancestral Dragon."

Gao De looked down at the prison dragon talisman.

It remained pitch black as ink, and the character for 'Prison' on it faintly shimmered with an eerie light under the golden glow of the Ancestral Dragon Hall.

"How do I refine it?" he asked.

The old man said, "Use the Dao Fruit as a guide and the inner world as a furnace."

"Place the dragon talisman in your Dantian and nourish it with the power of the Great Dao."

"Once it merges with you as one, the inner world will naturally expand."

Gao De remained silent for a moment.

Then, he sat down cross-legged.

He took off the prison dragon talisman and placed it before his Dantian.

He closed his eyes.

He looked inward.

Within his Dantian, that chaotic gold-and-green Dao Fruit pulsed gently.

It sensed the presence of the prison dragon talisman.

In that pulsation, there was a hint of anticipation.

As if saying, "Come."

With a thought from Gao De.

Countless fine strands of Chaos light surged from the Dao Fruit, enveloping the prison dragon talisman.

The prison dragon talisman vibrated slightly.

At first, it resisted somewhat—after all, it was an independent treasure with its own spirituality.

But soon, it sensed the Ancestral Dragon's aura within the Dao Fruit.

It was the aura it had waited a hundred thousand years for.

The vibration turned into resonance.

Resistance turned into acceptance.

"Buzz—"

The prison dragon talisman turned into a beam of black light, following the Chaos light as it slowly merged into Gao De's Dantian.

Merging into the Dao Fruit.

Merging into the inner world.

Boom—!!!

Gao De's entire body shook violently!

He "saw" that his inner world was expanding frantically!

The original radius of a hundred miles turned into two hundred in the blink of an eye!

Three hundred miles!

Five hundred miles!

Eight hundred miles!

One thousand miles!

Finally, it stopped at a radius of a thousand miles.

It had expanded tenfold compared to before!

Between heaven and earth, a massive black mountain range appeared.

The mountain range stretched for hundreds of miles, entirely pitch black, with a giant character carved on the peak—

"Prison"

The prison dragon talisman had transformed into the Mountain of Suppressing Prison for this inner world.

Gao De opened his eyes.

Deep in his pupils, a black mountain shadow had appeared.

"So this is... the true use of the prison dragon talisman," he murmured.

The old man stood to the side, his eyes full of approval.

"Very good," he said. "An inner world of a thousand miles is considered upper-middle even among inner worlds."

"Plus, with the Mountain of Suppressing Prison stabilizing your depth—"

"Your Foundation should be ten times more solid than an ordinary existence who has just entered the Sixth Rank."

He looked at Gao De.

"Now, you are ready."

Gao De asked, "Ready for what?"

The old man smiled slightly.

"To go meet those... who are waiting for you."

He raised his hand and gave a gentle wave.

The dome of the Ancestral Dragon Hall burst open.

Golden light spilled down from above.

Within the light, countless figures slowly emerged.

Those were—

Dragons.

Countless Dragons.

There were Golden Dragons, Black Dragons, White Dragons, Azure Dragons, and Red Dragons.

There were Five-clawed True Dragons, Four-clawed Flood Dragons, and half-dragons that had not fully transformed.

There were old Dragons, young Dragons, male Dragons, and female Dragons.

They suspended themselves in the Void Realm, quietly looking at Gao De.

In every pair of eyes, there was anticipation.

There was gratification.

There was—

"Successor..."

An ancient voice rang out from deep within the group of Dragons.

The Dragons parted.

A massive golden Dragon shadow slowly swam out.

That was the Ancestral Dragon.

Not a skeleton, not an obsession, but a true—Dragon Soul.

It looked at Gao De.

In those golden eyes, there was kindness, gratification, and also a hint of faint sadness.

"You have finally come," it said.

Gao De remained silent.

After a long while, he spoke: "You were waiting for me?"

The Ancestral Dragon nodded.

"Waiting for a hundred thousand years."

"Waiting for someone who can inherit the Dragon Clan Bloodline."

"Waiting for someone who can walk into the Ancestral Court."

"Waiting for someone—who can live on for us."

It looked around at the Dragon Souls.

"When the Heavenly Demons invaded back then, the Dragon Clan was nearly wiped out."

"Those who survived were very few."

"And we old fellows who died could only stay trapped in the Ancestral Court, waiting."

It looked at Gao De.

"Now, the wait is finally over."

Gao De asked, "The wait is over, and then?"

The Ancestral Dragon smiled.

"And then?"

"Then, this Ancestral Court is yours."

"These Dragon Souls are your depth."

"The billion-year Legacy of the Dragon Clan is your power."

It paused.

**"And you—"

"Are the new Lord of the Dragon Clan."

"Are the new—"

"Ancestral Dragon."