After waking up, Lin Yuan and Daji found themselves in a strange new space.
Beneath their feet lay a massive island. It was surrounded by an ocean, but this ocean was unlike anything they had seen before. Stars shimmered within its waters—calling it a "star sea" would not be an exaggeration. Beyond the ocean, everything was obscured by clouds and mist, making it impossible to see what lay ahead.
The island was covered with countless giant skeletal remains. Each skeleton was several meters tall. After a closer look, Lin Yuan realized that these skulls belonged to soul beasts of the same species—these were all dragon skeletons.
"Is this… the Dragon Clan's graveyard?"
But in the original story, the Dragon Tomb wasn't like this at all. So where was this place?
Although Lin Yuan had no idea where they had ended up, he could feel his soul power surging excitedly. For him, this place was an ideal cultivation ground.
But the question lingered in his mind—what exactly is this place?
Lin Yuan summoned the Golden Dragon Spear. The moment the spear appeared, the dragon aura that permeated the island seemed to shrink back, suppressed by its presence. Golden light radiated from the spear.
"Congratulations, human. You've arrived."
Following the voice, an old man's phantom appeared before Lin Yuan.
The elder had brown hair reaching his neck, streaked with white. His eyes were also brown, and with just a glance, Lin Yuan felt the unfathomable spiritual power within him—vast and deep like the star sea itself. He was tall and powerfully built, even half a head taller than Hu Yanzhen. His aura was even stronger than the Earth Dragon King's.
"Welcome, humans, to the resting place of the Dragon Clan. You may call me the Mountain Dragon King."
"Mountain Dragon King!" Lin Yuan's pupils widened. He could hardly believe that the elder before him was one of the Nine Dragon Kings—the Mountain Dragon King himself.
"Legend says that long ago, shortly after the Dragon God was born, he traveled across the universe. He discovered a planet and prepared to settle there. He then created his first generation of offspring. Senior… is this that planet?"
"It cannot be confirmed absolutely, but this space is indeed connected to that planet. After the great war, the bones of the dragon clan returned to this place. Thus, all the dragon bones here belong to our descendants—dragon warriors who fell in battle."
It was said that each of the Nine Dragon Kings possessed extraordinary power, inheriting a portion of the Dragon God's strength.
Among the Nine, one stood out—not because of might, but because he was the least conspicuous. Compared to the other eight kings, he seemed ordinary—yet his role was the most important.
Because the planet the Dragon God discovered was entirely covered in ocean, the Dragon God created the Ninth Dragon King and commanded it to transform its own body into mountains and land, giving the dragon clan a place to live and multiply.
This sacrifice cost the Ninth King dearly.
This dragon was the Mountain Dragon King. The Mountain Dragon clan faced enormous difficulty in reproduction because upon reaching adulthood, each Mountain Dragon would transform into land—sacrificing themselves to provide a home for other dragons.
Moved by their devotion, the Dragon God bestowed a decree upon the Mountain Dragon King:"The Mountain Dragon King shall forever be king."
In other words, every Mountain Dragon that reached adulthood carried royal blood.
They lost their freedom but gained the highest honor. And among the dragons, the Mountain Dragon King was revered as the foremost of the Nine Dragon Kings—those who no longer walked the world.
"I understand," Lin Yuan said softly.
"Human," the Mountain Dragon King said, "I overheard your conversation with the little rabbit. While we respect your identity as the Dragon God's successor, I cannot place blind trust in you. As the chief of the Nine Dragon Kings, I am here to test you. Let the dragon clan judge your worth."
"Senior, how do I take this test?"
"Look around you—these dragon bones have lain exposed for thousands of years, stripped of their former glory. My test is not about your combat ability—it is a test of the dragon clan's nature. You must bury every dragon bone on this island within five months. Not a single one left behind. You may use your puppet girl to assist you. If you succeed, I will offer my origin essence as a sacrifice. But if you fail… you will never leave this place, and I will personally end your life and reclaim the essences of the other Dragon Kings."
"Senior, I will complete this task. I will make you believe in me."
"Do not say I didn't warn you—every bone here carries the aura and characteristics of its dragon ancestor. This task will not be easy."
With those words, the Mountain Dragon King's figure disappeared.
Lin Yuan looked at Daji beside him and smiled. "Daji, I'll be troubling you again this time."
"It's alright, Your Majesty. Whatever I do, I am happy as long as I am with you."
The two shared a brief kiss before approaching the nearest dragon bone. Daji walked to an open patch of ground and dug a pit.
This dragon bone was ten meters tall, but not from a fully grown dragon—this had been a youngling.
Lin Yuan placed his hands upon the bone, and the aura of the Dragon God slowly emerged. Suddenly, he felt a subtle connection between himself and the bone.
When the Dragon God aura strengthened, he noticed fire-element energy inside the bone.
This dragon must have been from the Fire Dragon clan.
Lin Yuan's first soul ring shone with red-gold light. At that moment, the dragon bone flickered with red light as well. Two lights intertwined, and a young voice echoed in Lin Yuan's mind.
"Who are you? Why do you have Grandpa Dragon God's aura? And the clan leader's aura? So strange…"The voice was childish, innocent, full of youthful energy.
"I am the Dragon God's successor. The Fire Dragon King offered me her origin as a sacrifice. I came here to help you find a proper resting place. I won't let you be scorched by the sun any longer."
"Really? That's amazing! Please help me, help me—if my bones stay in the sun, I'll melt!"The child's voice trembled as he cried.
"Don't worry. I'll use my soul power to bury you gently in the pit we prepared."
As Lin Yuan spoke, the Dragon God's aura grew stronger and his soul power surged. He lifted the dragon bone and slowly lowered it into the pit Daji had dug, safe and sound.
The moment it settled, the soul power inside the bone fluctuated. Lin Yuan noticed a bone within the left leg glowing with intense red light. It was a left leg bone.
"Why is there a soul bone in the Dragon Valley?" Lin Yuan asked.
The Mountain Dragon King reappeared. "This soul bone originally existed within Little Fire's abilities before her sacrifice. But due to the Dragon God's aura and the Fire Dragon King's energy reaction, it manifested as a soul bone. Over time, exposure to the elements and Little Fire's passing caused the bone's age to diminish—it has now degraded to a mere five years."
He waved his hand, and the glowing bone floated to him.
"Even though its age has diminished, for someone like you, this is still useful. A five-year soul bone will not degrade further for at least a hundred years. Take it. Whether you absorb it or give it away, I don't care. If other dragon bones produce soul bones, those will also belong to you—if you can finish your task in five months."
With those words, he vanished again, leaving the fire-attribute left leg bone in Lin Yuan's hands.
Lin Yuan sighed repeatedly. He never expected that burying the dragon bones would even yield a soul bone. Could he truly be the 'Emperor of Luck'?
He stored the bone in his system space and continued burying the young dragon's remains.
After the funeral was complete, he started heading toward the next dragon bone.
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