497: History as told by the Dragonborn

While the players on the continent were fighting incessantly,

another faction, the Dragon-Seeking Players, had already found a Dragon Descendant in the East Sea.

Although everyone wanted to address the Dragon Descendant properly, they eventually discovered to their frustration that they didn't know his name at all.

Even when Golden Core Players went to ask, they could only get nicknames such as "Dragon Descendant," "East Sea Orphans," or "Guardian of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda," which didn't even count as Dao titles.

Left with no choice, everyone just called him the "East Sea Dragon Descendant," which had a very NPC-like feel.

The place where he lived also had a very NPC-like feel.

It was on a small island in the East Sea; there were no houses, and he just stood by the shore, periodically issuing quests to passing players, asking them to find something in the Ancient Battlefield.

Some players concluded that the East Sea Dragon Descendant's quests refreshed about once a week. The items to find weren't difficult and the rewards were average, but considering it might be to grind favorability with him, it was treated as a weekly quest that had to be done.

Before the Dragon-Seeking Players made their move, not many players knew about this weekly quest. They had secret agreements to keep it quiet, which made the East Sea Dragon Descendant's location seem mysterious, with many believing he came and went without a trace.

However, after the Dragon-Seeking Players exerted themselves, it naturally didn't take much effort to find him.

The East Sea Dragon Descendant met the players by the shore, raised his claw, and summoned stone stools to sit on.

"Ah, the Kongming Grotto-Heaven. I remember it; it indeed has some connection to us East Sea Orphans."

Hearing him say this, the Dragon-Seeking Players immediately grew expectant.

The East Sea Dragon Descendant didn't hold anything back and soon told an ancient story.

In an extremely distant era, before the Kongming Dao Lineage had appeared, there was a great power that studied Dragon Arts.

Dragon Arts, the techniques used by True Dragons, possessed extraordinary power and amazing effects, but at the same time, they could only be used by True Dragons.

It was a powerful force originating from Bloodlines, not a technique that could be learned through Acquired means.

Even Dragon Descendants and Dragon Kin could not use them; only Dragon Species could use them under certain conditions.

Complete Dragon Arts could only be used by genuine True Dragons.

But long ago, True Dragons had disappeared. No one knew where they were anymore; perhaps they had long since vanished into the river of time and would never appear again.

Only some Dragon Species would occasionally reveal the power of Dragon Arts, drawing the envy of strong experts generation after generation.

That ancient power had learned of the Dragon Arts' power by a chance Opportunity and wanted to study them, but they feared that such research would bring about destruction. Thus, they didn't dare conduct their research in their own Domain, choosing instead to place it in a location where they could research all kinds of techniques without restraint.

"Wait!"

A player interrupted, asking in astonishment, "If I understand correctly, this great power you're talking about isn't from the Prison Land?"

The East Sea Dragon Descendant nodded. "Of course not. In fact, many good things in the Prison Land aren't native; they were all left behind by the big figures of the Burial Emperor Star."

Everyone looked at each other, feeling that this matter had significant implications. The wealth hidden within the Prison Land might be even greater than they imagined, and the power of the Burial Emperor Star was also stronger than they had thought.

The East Sea Dragon Descendant ignored the players' thoughts and continued the story.

That great power studied for a while, having captured Dragon Descendants themselves, and then created new Dragon Descendants, even tainting their own Dao Lineage with the power of the Dragon.

But they were not True Dragons after all and could not use Dragon Arts.

Even the experts who cultivated to the highest Realm only had the appearance of a Dragon but not the essence; at most, they possessed the Dragon's brutal Physical Body, but lacked the profundity inherent in Dragon Arts.

The great power was disappointed, but their desire for Dragon Arts only grew stronger. They struggled for a long time—not years, not centuries, not even a millennium, but tens of thousands of years of persistence.

Thus, they truly did manage to research something:

Since there are no True Dragons in the world, why be constrained by the idea of a True Dragon?

They could completely create a new life form themselves. It would have Dragon scales, Dragon organs, Dragon pressure—it would have everything. What difference would there be from a True Dragon? It would be the True Dragon of this world.

But it still wasn't a True Dragon; it was just a poor imitation, completely unable to use Dragon Arts.

So the great power continued their research, completely giving up on imitating True Dragons and turning instead to creating a new True Dragon.

"Suppose there is such a being. The first person calls it a Dragon, the second person also calls it a Dragon, then a whole nation calls it a Dragon, then the entire continent calls it a Dragon, and finally, everyone in the whole world calls it a Dragon.

"In books, it is a Dragon; in ceremonies, it is a Dragon; in all thoughts, it is a Dragon.

"Then, is it a Dragon?"

The East Sea Dragon Descendant's question left the players looking at each other.

They felt this was a philosophical question, but in reality, it was a Xuanhuan question.

Back then, the great power chose the most difficult path: using the faith and Power Of Will of all living beings to create a new True Dragon.

They almost succeeded.

If not for that tragic great war.

"I don't know how many years ago, a great war broke out on the Burial Emperor Star. It seemed to be related to the Great Emperor. There were rumors that a long-dead Great Emperor suddenly appeared to destroy the world, but those were just rumors after all and couldn't be taken seriously.

"But it's clear that powerful experts ravaged the Burial Emperor Star and even other Star Domains, including the Prison Land.

"I don't know which powerhouse took action, but they severed the connection between the Prison Land and the Burial Emperor Star and laid down a protective Formation, which essentially preserved the Prison Land, though some believe it's a Seal.

"No matter what it was, the arrangements of that great power back then were completely disrupted."

The many living beings in the Prison Land were purged, the faith of all beings that should have taken shape was cut off, and the new life being nurtured remained just an embryo.

What's worse, that great power lost contact with the Prison Land and could no longer continue its operations, so the new life form would always remain an embryo.

"Later, I don't know how much later, a rising power in the Prison Land discovered that embryo, revered it as a supreme treasure, and began to study it.

"You are not unfamiliar with this power; it is the Kongming Dao Lineage."

The Kongming Dao Lineage discovered the embryo of the new True Dragon and thus also discovered the infinite possibilities hidden within it.

And most practically, they discovered the methods of faith and Power Of Will used by the experts of the Burial Emperor Star.

Thus, the Kongming Dao Lineage created the Heaven Void Profoundless Art, allowing those without a Spiritual Root to practice the Immortal Foundation Golden Core Path. Its essence lies in the fact that half of this Cultivation Technique is built on the system of faith and Power Of Will, though it relies on one's faith in oneself.

Later, the Kongming Dao Lineage was shattered, and many Legacies leaked out. The Qi-Harvesting Evil Technique of the Qingling Sect likely originates from here, as does the National Fortune Technique of the Great Jiang Empress.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, a player interrupted the East Sea Dragon Descendant's story and asked seriously:

"If the faith of all beings helped shape that new life form's Soul, then it should still need a Physical Body.

"And this person, Star Fiend, previously slaughtered countless people, piling up innumerable bones and flesh... In the end, the Lightning Tribulation was also triggered by him..."