The golden dragon on the ground seemed to be in a daze when she heard Tian Fan say that he had never practiced cultivation. She had come to understand that something strange was happening. She had wanted to feel his blood, but she never expected such a thing to happen.
The dry earth started to tremble slightly, and Tian Fan felt like something was rising within him. In front of him, the countless skeletal remains suddenly erupted with a dazzling divine light. In that moment, the golden dragon felt an overwhelming sadness, sensing that the fallen souls of the countless beings were weeping. Tian Fan, too, could feel it more clearly, and vivid images began to emerge in his mind. His body trembled violently, and his face was wet with tears.
Above the countless skeletons, golden threads began to rise into the air. A divine aura started to spread around, and at that moment, all the powerful magical creatures in the Magical Forest turned their gaze toward this direction, their eyes filled with terror.
In the sky, pure celestial energy began to gather, drawn to the place by this overwhelming aura. Gradually, a massive ancient energy symbol began to materialize in the heavens above. The symbol was filled with an aura of holiness, indomitable will, and majesty. The golden dragon gazed at this strange symbol in the sky but didn't immediately recognize it.
Tian Fan, on the other hand, was stunned. As someone who couldn't cultivate, he had read many books, and the Dragon Empire's vast collection of ancient texts certainly included many rare records. The ancient symbol in the sky was a character from thousands of years ago, from the time of humans. The giant symbol was none other than the character for "God."
"What is happening?" he thought in shock. But at that moment, the massive "God" symbol suddenly exploded with light and shot straight toward him.
"God!" Tian Fan was so terrified that his soul almost left his body. He turned to flee, but he found that the surrounding space had solidified, and he couldn't move at all.
"My life is over..." Tian Fan thought in despair as the massive character approached. The ancient symbol, as large as a house, quickly shrank down to the size of a normal word. It hovered in front of Tian Fan's eyes, seemingly observing him, before turning into a beam of light and striking his forehead.
A faint "God" character appeared on his forehead and slowly sank deep into his mind.
"Boom..." A gentle glow began to radiate from Tian Fan's body, and a faint silver array emerged from the depths of his soul, slowly rotating above his head.
"That… that's the 'Five Elements Seal'!" After the golden dragon awakened her dragon bloodline, many ancient things also appeared in her mind. She immediately recognized the silver array above Tian Fan's head.
"No wonder, no wonder he couldn't cultivate, yet could still emit that holy aura." She suddenly understood why Tian Fan, despite not practicing cultivation, could emit such a divine energy. It was all because of the "Five Elements Seal."
The silver array gently rotated above Tian Fan's head before finally shattering into silver light and entering his body. At the same time, Tian Fan's body emitted a brilliant divine light, and his aura began to surge, with a beam of divine light piercing the entire sky.
Some time later, the light around Tian Fan gradually faded. He regained his consciousness and was surprised to find that his body felt completely different—light as if he could leap into the heavens at any moment.
The golden dragon, still in shock from the mysterious scene she had just witnessed, stared at Tian Fan. When Tian Fan called her gently, she came back to her senses and examined him carefully.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Tian Fan asked, puzzled, feeling the golden dragon's gaze.
"How do you feel? Is it different from before?" she asked without answering.
"I feel like something is definitely different now. My body feels incredibly light, and I'm filled with strength," Tian Fan said thoughtfully after a moment, recalling the sensation he had felt earlier.
"You've now reached the peak of the "Gathering Mind" stage, only one step away from entering the "Cloud Heaven Secret Realm!" The golden dragon said, dropping a bombshell. Her words stunned Tian Fan completely.
"You said… you said I'm at the peak of the 'Gathering Mind' realm? That's impossible!"
Tian Fan couldn't believe the golden dragon's words. How could someone who had never cultivated suddenly reach the peak of the second realm? Even though he hadn't practiced, he was familiar with the cultivation system of the Divine Martial Continent. How could he have reached the pinnacle of the second realm in such a short time?
"There's nothing impossible. Think about what just happened to you," the golden dragon said lightly.
Feeling that the golden dragon wasn't lying, Tian Fan slowly closed his eyes, trying to recall everything that had just happened. He remembered the giant "God" character that had appeared and pressed onto his forehead, after which he lost consciousness.
Slowly, his mind drifted into a dark place, where several golden characters appeared in his mind—"Divine Heart Technique." Five ancient characters transformed into divine radiance, merging into his entire body.
His consciousness was immediately jolted awake, and he opened his eyes quickly.
"It seems you've felt it now!" The golden dragon, seeing Tian Fan's expression, knew he had understood something.
"Yeah, I felt it!" Tian Fan spoke softly. "I can cultivate now!"
Although his words were calm, the golden dragon could still sense his excitement. For nearly twenty years, Tian Fan had been unable to learn martial arts and had already lost all hope. To suddenly discover he could cultivate now—how could anyone understand the emotion he was feeling? The golden dragon looked at him and thought, he must have endured so much suffering.
The human and dragon were both silent for a while, seemingly contemplating something.
"Human, I have a request, and I hope you can grant it," the golden dragon finally broke the silence, her voice gentle, as though she had come to a decision.
"It's fine. Say it. As long as I can, I will help you," Tian Fan said seriously.
"I want you to take care of my child and bring it into this world!" the golden dragon said with surprising boldness.
"Uh…" Tian Fan was stunned, feeling like something had caught in his throat.
"Uh, where is your child? How can I take care of it? I don't even know if I can leave here alive," he blurted out. The golden dragon's words left him frustrated. Even though he could now cultivate and had reached the peak of the Gathering Mind realm, they were deep in the Magical Forest, and he didn't dare guarantee he could safely leave this mysterious and eerie place.
"My child has not been born yet, and I entrust them to you. As for how to leave here, you need not worry."
The golden dragon looked down at her belly, her eyes filled with tenderness. Her body began to shake violently, and Tian Fan watched as her golden scales lost their luster. He could feel her life force rapidly fading. It was clear she was enduring immense pain, yet she remained silent. In her heart, everything was worth it, and the tenderness in her eyes remained strong.
A faint purple-golden light began to emanate from her abdomen, growing brighter and more dazzling. Eventually, a golden sun seemed to split from her body. Tian Fan could feel the immense life force radiating from it.
As the purple-golden light faded, a massive white egg, nearly half a meter tall, appeared next to the golden dragon, glowing with a faint purple-golden radiance. The dragon looked at the egg, and her massive form gradually shrank down. After a burst of golden light, a woman in a purple veil appeared before Tian Fan. Her once beautiful face now looked pale.
The woman, transformed from the golden dragon, gently knelt down, holding the egg in her hands, and rubbed it softly against her face. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. She had already known of the small life within her before her transformation into a divine dragon. She had hoped that once she achieved her divine dragon bloodline, she could protect her child, but now, after everything that had happened, she wondered if she would have given up on becoming a dragon had she known what would unfold.
Seeing the woman's grief, Tian Fan also felt deep sorrow. Slowly, she stood up and carefully handed the dragon egg to him. Tian Fan solemnly took it.
"I've infused all the essence of my blood and the divine dragon's origin into my child. One day, my child will enter this world, and they will be the first true divine dragon of the Divine Martial Continent!"
As she spoke, the woman's eyes gleamed with the same world-shaking brilliance she had shown when she was first born. A powerful aura erupted from her, and she raised her delicate hands to the sky, gripping the air. Two glowing dragon claws appeared, exuding immense power, and with a single swipe, they tore the fabric of space, opening a portal.
A breathtaking force! A powerful will! But Tian Fan knew this was her last burst of strength. The result was already sealed—after this, she would die.
She looked one last time at the purple-golden dragon egg in Tian Fan's arms, and her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Goodbye, my child."
At that moment, a dragon's claw appeared beside Tian Fan, enveloping him in a soft power that guided him into the space portal.
"Please, human!" the woman said, her face full of a final smile before she vanished into the air.
Tian Fan, holding the dragon egg and gazing at her smile, slowly closed his eyes in sorrow.
The portal began to close, but at that moment, he suddenly turned around and looked toward the countless skeletons. There, he saw a massive green-black stone tablet, with two ancient characters faintly appearing on its surface. Tian Fan's eyes widened—those two characters were—"镇神" (Zhen Shen), which roughly translates to "Subdue the Gods."
Could it be… could all the countless bones here be the remains of gods!? He focused his divine light in his eyes, trying to see more clearly, but the sky was engulfed in white mist, blocking his view. At the same time, the portal "boom" closed, and Tian Fan was swept away into an unknown realm.
A breeze stirred, lifting the dust and carrying a faint sadness, as if it was trying to tell the world something. But who could truly understand…