Chapter 22: Make the Dragon Clan Great Again!

Ten thousand meters beneath the mountain where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well resided—

"I never expected… that such a noble Golden Dragon bloodline still exists in this world!"

After their appearance, the remnant souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings slowly emerged.

The Ice Dragon King's massive, yet ethereal soul gazed down at Qian Xunji with icy-blue eyes full of reminiscence and emotion.

"Young one, what has become of our Dragon Clan?"

Beside him, the remnant soul of the Fire Dragon King asked urgently.

"Sigh…"

A heavy and complicated expression flickered across Qian Xunji's face. He let out a long sigh before respectfully cupping his fists.

"You two must be the legendary and noble Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King from our Dragon Clan's ancient tales."

"After the great Dragon God led you all in battle against those hypocritical human gods and fell in the Divine Realm, our Dragon Clan suffered a devastating counterattack from above!"

"Now, both our Dragon Clan and the other powerful divine and exotic beasts have all but withered away. In fact, the very term 'Dragon Clan'... could be said to no longer exist."

"That's because we, the Dragon Clan, have now been fully classified as part of a species known as soul beasts."

"What!!"

Hearing this, the Fire Dragon King's remnant soul flew into a rage, roaring furiously.

"Despicable human gods!"

But the Ice Dragon King let out a long sigh beside him, not looking surprised.

"Though we divine beasts were defeated by the human gods, the might of Lord Dragon God was made clear throughout that war."

"Those hypocritical gods would never allow our Dragon Clan to give rise to another Dragon God."

"The fact that we weren't completely exterminated… is already a mercy."

"Still, what exactly is this 'soul beast' species?"

The Ice Dragon King asked.

"The soul beast race could be considered our descendants," Qian Xunji said after a moment of thought.

"I heard that when Lord Dragon God fell, his body split into the noble Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King."

"The great Silver Dragon King tore open space and escaped from the Divine Realm."

"During her escape, she brought back the bodies of all you predecessors who had fallen."

"The divine power lingering in your corpses slowly seeped into the surrounding plants, wild animals, and exotic beasts—transforming them into soul beasts."

"But I'm not entirely certain if this story is true."

"You're right. That's likely what happened."

After pondering for a moment, the Ice Dragon King nodded slowly.

"Although I'm still unclear on what soul beasts are exactly, I did sense back then that when Lord Silver Dragon King brought back our remains through the rift, the divine power and dragon blood in our corpses seeped out and infected the life nearby, transforming them."

"Perhaps that's what you now call soul beasts."

"Then… are soul beasts the rulers of this world now?"

He asked again.

The Fire Dragon King's remnant soul also came closer, his huge crimson dragon eyes filled with anticipation.

After learning the soul beasts were related to dragons, and that the Dragon Clan had declined, he naturally hoped that their descendants had risen to rule the world in their place.

However, upon hearing the Ice Dragon King's question, a glint flashed through Qian Xunji's eyes. He felt the opportunity had finally arrived.

With a bitter smile and a complicated look, he said,

"Noble Ice Dragon King, soul beasts do not rule this world."

"Right now, the ones who rule… are humans."

Before the remnant souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, Qian Xunji explained the relationship between humans and soul beasts in detail.

He especially emphasized the oppression soul beasts faced:

How, for reasons unknown, the laws of the world had changed.

That human soul masters must hunt and kill soul beasts to absorb soul rings in order to grow stronger.

How soul beasts, when killed, might even drop soul bones—precious treasures for humans.

And that once a soul beast reached a hundred thousand years in cultivation, they were forced to choose—either transform into a human or continue cultivating.

If they chose to stay as beasts, then every additional hundred thousand years of cultivation meant facing a near-certain-death heavenly tribulation.

This enraged both the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings.

There was no doubt—the rules of this world had been altered by the human gods of the Divine Realm.

They had intentionally set things up so humans had to slaughter soul beasts to grow stronger.

And soul bones? Another reward for humans!

The rules were clearly rigged in favor of humans and against the soul beasts.

Even worse, those tribulations that came every hundred thousand years were clearly designed to limit soul beast growth.

Back in their day, divine beasts didn't have to face heavenly tribulations like that just for reaching another hundred thousand years!

"Damn it! Despicable human gods!"

The Fire Dragon King roared with madness and fury.

His overwhelming control over fire stirred the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's waters into turbulent chaos.

At that moment, Qian Xunji sighed and finally shifted to the main point.

"Seniors, to tell the truth… I'm no longer just a pure Golden Dragon."

"Due to the changes in the world's rules, cultivating to the level of a divine beast as a Golden Dragon alone is now impossible."

"Even if I risked death and somehow reached close to a million years, those gods from the Divine Realm would never let me cross that threshold."

"So, when I reached a hundred thousand years, I chose to take on human form."

"But as a Golden Dragon, I refused to give up everything."

"Because I still remember our Dragon Clan once ruled an era, basked in unmatched glory, and held supreme honor!"

As he spoke, Qian Xunji's tone grew increasingly passionate.

"That's why, using a special secret method, I retained the Golden Dragon bloodline even after taking human form!"

"I intend to cultivate to Level 100 as a human, ascend to godhood, seize power in the Divine Realm, and secretly support the soul beast race and our Dragon Clan!"

"So that one day… we will make the Dragon Clan great again!"

In that moment, Qian Xunji was full of fervor, arms waving as if pulling the cords of an accordion, his voice ringing with boundless passion.

At that moment, he was not fighting alone!

A certain down-to-earth, charismatic red-clad leader of a foreign land seemed to merge with him in spirit.

Listening to Qian Xunji's impassioned and infectious words—

Given the dire situation the Dragon Clan and soul beasts were now in—

The remnant souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings didn't blame Qian Xunji for his choices. On the contrary, they were stirred with emotion.

Their massive icy-blue and crimson-red eyes filled with approval and expectation.

For Qian Xunji's grand and noble dream, for his strategy of saving their kind through indirect means, they were full of admiration.

'This child… not bad.'

'He is worthy of the noble Golden Dragon bloodline!'

It worked!

Sensing that the Dragon Kings were convinced, Qian Xunji grew even more excited. The groundwork was done.

He immediately shifted tone again, his eyes filled with earnestness.

"Though I've taken human form, I do have great talent."

"But to play it safe, I don't plan on inheriting one of the human gods' positions."

"Instead, I intend to gather faith on my own and become a god that way, once I reach Level 99."

"To do that, I need to reach Level 99 as soon as possible—and have power to match!"

"Seniors… your remains must've produced soul bones after your fall, right?"

"I wonder… could you entrust me with the soul bones born from your remains, to help me reach Level 99 and step onto the path of godhood?"

"So that one day, I can continue working toward the great cause of making the Dragon Clan great again!"

Every word dripped with sincerity and earnestness.

But ultimately, the message was clear:

'Seniors, please fund me!'