Before the sword could reach its mark, a flash of light streaked through the air, and in the next moment, a dragon soul really appeared.
"Roar!"
With a fierce roar, the dragon soul's body flickered, and its long tail whipped out, smashing the incoming sword away in an instant.
The violent impact threw Patriarch Yao and the man back several steps.
Song Wanníng's expression tightened, but the next moment, she was wrapped up in the dragon's tail and lifted high into the air. The binding immortal ropes shattered instantly, and she regained her freedom.
The dragon soul carried a familiar aura that filled her with an unexpected sense of warmth. Its tail curled around her head, and Song Wanníng met a pair of copper bell-like eyes staring intently at her.
There was appraisal in that gaze, admiration, and even a trace of nostalgia.
Meanwhile, Patriarch Yao and the man finally stabilized themselves, their expressions shifting dramatically.
"So there really is a dragon soul here! You old bastard, how are you still alive?"
Patriarch Yao's tone was venomous. They'd despised the dragon clan since birth, and years of indoctrination had only deepened that loathing. Seeing the dragon soul now, her disgust surged to the extreme.
The man didn't speak, but his hands twitched eagerly as he began examining the dragon soul, searching for the treasure.
"Hmph, so it's a Yao family member, no wonder they're so arrogant. Just like your ancestor."
The dragon soul snorted coldly. It didn't set Song Wanníng down, instead curling its tail around her, shielding her invisibly.
"Seems your ancestor had some skill, huh? Still not extinct after all this time. And you Yao family… still popping out kids like pigs, one litter after another?"
The dragon's words dripped with mockery and scorn, making Song Wanníng widen her eyes in surprise.
Dragons were supposed to be majestic, imposing, and awe-inspiring, radiating a mysterious pressure just by standing there. Yet this elder opened its mouth with talk of pigs and litters. It was incredibly down-to-earth.
Song Wanníng almost laughed aloud.
No kidding, their ancestor really was like that, leaving offspring everywhere… like a breeding boar.
The moment the dragon finished speaking, Patriarch Yao's face darkened, and her fury surged uncontrollably. She narrowed her eyes, radiating killing intent.
"Your words won't help you! Your dragon clan's extinct, but our Yao family is still here! So it's our Yao family that won!"
Pride glowed on her face. No matter the means, surviving made you a winner.
Hearing the word "extinct," the dragon soul's aura turned dangerously sharp.
Song Wanníng suddenly spoke up.
"The dragon clan's extinction was for the sake of the world. You're just a bunch of selfish little people. Even if you survived, that doesn't make you the winner.
Besides, I'm still here, and there are other cultivators awakening dragon blood in the outside world! The dragon clan has never been extinct and never will be!"
Song Wanníng shook off her earlier fear, her aura shifting dramatically.
Her strong, clear words changed Patriarch Yao and the man's expressions instantly.
The dragon soul looked at Song Wanníng with surprise and admiration, increasingly pleased. The dragon clan's chosen heir was truly different. Even this courage alone made it satisfied.
"Hah, so we really underestimated you! You little brat, you've been faking it all along, haven't you?"
Patriarch Yao finally understood. This was her true self all along.
Song Wanníng smirked but didn't deny it.
"Getting a front-row seat to a real show, this trip wasn't wasted. Still, in acting, I can't compete with the elder."
She shot a sarcastic glance at Patriarch Yao. "Betraying your own kin, what kind of person are you?"
The Yao family was rotten to the core. Their disciples, molded daily, were thoroughly corrupted. For years, Yao disciples had bullied the unaligned cultivators, and those cultivators could only swallow their pride.
"Heh heh heh…"
Patriarch Yao laughed, glancing at her sharply, then stopped arguing and extended her hand toward the dragon soul.
"You old bastard, hand over our Yao family's treasure, or today, not just you, but your heir, will be buried right here!"
Her eyes were poisonous, fixed on the treasure with unmasked desire.
The man's artifact appeared, silently aimed at the dragon soul. His eyes shone with greed, equally desperate for the treasure.
Seeing their covetousness, the dragon soul chuckled softly.
"A true line of inheritance, huh… Looking at you feels like looking at that guy."
Coldness laced the dragon's words, eyes glinting with frost.
"The treasure you want has long been destroyed."
It moved Song Wanníng slightly behind it.
As expected, the two attackers' killing intent flared, charging at it immediately.
"You old bastard, if you won't hand it over, then die! Our ancestor left us his last instructions, telling us to find it. You really think you can fool me?
With your skills, there's no way you could destroy the treasure!"
Patriarch Yao was confident. Their ancestor had died outside, sending only a final recorded message.
He had ordered the Yao family to reclaim the treasure to continue their bloodline. Over the years, without it, their numbers dwindled, forcing intra-family breeding to preserve the line.
But she refused to live like that.
She wanted freedom, and she wanted to make the Yao family flourish. She was willing to follow the ancestor's path—many children, many descendants…
As she spoke, Patriarch Yao attacked the dragon soul viciously.
The man also tried to flank, aiming at Song Wanníng.
The dragon soul would be stretched thin protecting her, giving them an opening.
His plan was precise, but just as he moved, a strange fragrance reached him. He reflexively blocked it, but it had already entered his body.
Outside the stone, an invisible medicinal powder had infiltrated them, and now the two powders combined, making him struggle to circulate his energy.
His once-fluid immortal power became blocked.
Though he could still strike, his speed and strength were compromised.
A cultivator of Tianxian level, but his final attack was barely peak Dixian.
The man's expression changed drastically.