"Mm, Martial Uncle, you be careful too!" Song Wanníng gave a firm nod, her gaze sharpening.
The two of them flew into the palace one after another. The people around her disappeared, leaving only the towering grand hall. Massive pillars stood before her eyes, each one so wide she couldn't wrap her arms around it even if she had a hundred bodies.
The pillars were carved with exquisite patterns, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura. But when she looked closely, those patterns seemed like nothing more than messy lines, crisscrossing at random.
Could it be some kind of special formation?
Doubt flickered in her eyes as she compared the lines with the formation records stored in her sea of consciousness. After searching in vain, she had no choice but to give up. Besides the pillars, the only other thing in the hall was a black recliner, placed at the highest position. She frowned, carefully searched the hall again, then fixed her attention on the recliner.
After some hesitation, she stepped forward and lay down.
The instant she reclined, a strange sensation swept over her, making her eyelids grow unbearably heavy.
…
Boom!
The trapping formation outside collapsed with a thunderous roar. Trees and rocks in the area were crushed to dust, not a trace of life left behind. As the formation vanished, Gong Ye's battered figure was revealed. His wounds hadn't yet healed, and bloodshot veins covered his eyes.
To break free of the array, he hadn't slept for days, burning through nearly all his spiritual power. His body swayed, nearly toppling to the ground, before he barely steadied himself. His face turned ashen. The pills he'd used to heal his body were gone, and medicines to restore his spirit were incredibly rare among the beast race. He had none left on him.
Now that his spiritual strength was nearly depleted, he had no choice but to either wait for time to slowly restore it, or find herbs to replenish himself. Just a few days ago, he'd also received word from his subordinates: Bai Yao Palace was destroyed. Years of effort had gone up in smoke.
The thought filled him with seething hatred toward the snake clan and the peacock clan. So many of Bai Yao Palace's people had died. Those lives were debts the snake clan and the peacock clan owed him.
Soon, he'd make them pay the price!
Gong Ye closed his eyes, smothered the rage burning within, and calmed himself before searching for herbs. He wasn't skilled in pill refinement, and Bai Yao Palace had no alchemists. Normally, whenever he needed anything, he'd simply eat herbs directly.
The effect wasn't as quick as pills, but it was still useful.
Unfortunately, herbs that restored spirit were hard to find. After a long search, he finally stumbled on a low-grade plant. Eating it recovered a sliver of his drained energy, and his face looked a little healthier. Just as he was about to continue hunting for herbs, he noticed groups of beast cultivators all heading in the same direction.
Sensing something was off, he followed.
The further he went, the more cultivators he saw rushing that way. They gathered like a flood until, at last, they stopped before a mysterious palace.
Only then did he realize some great opportunity had appeared. No wonder everyone was so excited. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes, and the corner of his lips curled with ridicule.
See? This was Heaven's favor toward him!
No matter how great the crisis, how deep the suffering, the Heavenly Dao always leaned in his direction. He was destined to be the master of this world, the true protagonist. He swept a cold gaze over the surrounding beast cultivators.
These nobodies wanted to fight him for it? What a joke.
He flew straight into the beam of light, quickly making his way into the palace.
At the same time, Song Wanníng had already sunk into another space. She opened her eyes in confusion, only to realize her body had changed. She lifted a hand and found sharp claws. Just as she was startled, a golden dragon swooped over and coiled around her.
"Xiao Jiu, what are you spacing out for? Today's the clan's Awakening Ceremony. Hurry and get to the Awakening Hall!"
The golden dragon spoke in a childlike voice, blinking its big eyes in an adorably mischievous way.
Golden light radiated from its entire body, beautiful beyond words.
Song Wanníng felt dazed, like she'd forgotten something important. Even so, she obediently crawled up and flew alongside the little golden dragon toward the Awakening Hall. That's when she realized—she had a tail!
Her confusion deepened. Something about all this felt wrong.
Soon, the two dragons arrived at the Awakening Hall.
Inside, several elders sat in solemn silence, their expressions stern. Other young golden dragons were there too, looking terribly nervous. The instant she entered, a crushing pressure fell on her. The looks everyone gave her brimmed with hostility. Even the little dragon by her side shrank back, trembling as it hid away.
"Alright, since everyone's here, let's begin the Awakening Ceremony. From this day on, how far you'll walk depends entirely on today's outcome." The Grand Elder's deep gaze swept over the group of young golden dragons, his eyes glinting with meaning.
With a flick of his hand, a hidden entrance appeared before them. It was a passage more than ten meters long, its walls covered in carvings of golden dragons coiling in countless forms.
"Go in one by one," the Grand Elder said, bowing slightly toward the passage before returning to his seat with eyes closed.
The surrounding elders tensed, their gazes fixed on the first dragon to enter, silently praying it would succeed.
Song Wanníng curiously looked too, but the moment the dragon stepped inside, it was engulfed by blinding golden light.
The radiance was so intense she couldn't bear to look directly and had to lower her head, distractedly examining her body. Her mind was completely blank, as if her consciousness had only just awakened. Everything around her felt strange and confusing. She flicked her tail experimentally, found it amusing, and started playing with it.
The elders sighed and shook their heads, turning away, too exasperated to watch.
Unbothered, she kept amusing herself until the first golden dragon finally emerged.
It now bore a pair of small golden horns. Though tiny, they gleamed brilliantly, dazzling to look at.
"I did it, I did it!!"
The little dragon was beside itself with joy, laughing and crying at the same time.
For the golden dragon clan, the Awakening Ceremony marked the first step into cultivation and foretold their potential height. Only those who grew horns could continue to evolve until they reached immortality itself. Now, it no longer needed to fear being cast aside!
===
Wait, Wanníng is dragon???