Cultivating with Bragging System-Chapter 622 - 286: Ten Thousand Year Scheme, Two-Tier Reversal (6300 words)_4
This world seemed to have been set ablaze.
A vast and boundless aura surged here as an ancient might descended from the heavens.
The Dragon Emperor’s expression changed drastically. He stared at the object in Wang Xiu’s hand, his voice trembling, "How... how could you have this?"
...
It was a very long and complicated story.
About ten thousand years ago, a Dragon, a Phoenix, a Kylin, and other powerhouses from the Ancient Clans—like the Bi An, the Qiong Qi, and the Rift Sky Si—erupted into a battle to the death.
The Dragon had obtained the Origin of Zhulong and had spent several hundred years attempting to refine it. His strength had long since surpassed the others. He was not at a disadvantage even when facing many opponents alone, but victory was still difficult to achieve. Seeing the Dragon’s strength grow by leaps and bounds, the other powerhouses were even more unwilling to let him leave alive.
Thus, the final outcome was—
All the clan powerhouses perished!
Their remnant spirits, Essence Blood, and soul fragments scattered across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Before dying, they laid a horrific curse upon him.
The Origin of Zhulong was truly precious. After all, it was the essence left behind by a supreme being who had been just half a step away from the Great Emperor realm. The Dragon Emperor had only refined it for a few hundred years, and though his power had increased immensely, he did not die immediately.
Everyone else was dead, but he was still alive.
He was only in a terrible state, nearly as good as dead.
He knew his predicament; once he returned to the Upper Realm, he would have to face another siege from the great powers. None of them would spare him in his severely wounded state. So he began to hide in the Lower Realm.
This was difficult. Before long, many powerhouses from the Upper Realm descended to find his whereabouts, demanding to see him alive, or his corpse if he was dead.
He knew what kinds of treasures and methods those people possessed. In his current state, he couldn’t possibly hide from them.
To evade their pursuit, he made a bold decision. He would abandon the dragon body he had spent tens of thousands of years cultivating, burning it away completely until not a single trace remained. Only his remnant spirit was left, carrying a Dragon Scale that could help decipher and comprehend the Origin of Zhulong. He continuously possessed other beings in this realm to mask his spirit’s aura. He frantically entered one Secret Realm, Cave Heaven, and small world after another, playing a game of hide-and-seek with them.
One day, he entered a magnificent small world, found a True Dragon, and chose to possess it. That Dragon was not very strong, only at the Saint Realm, but by then, he no longer had a choice.
And he was confident that as long as he survived this calamity, he could eventually return to his peak; he had plenty of ways.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was that the curses cast by the powerhouses of the various clans before their deaths followed him like a shadow, cursing not only him but the entire Dragon Clan. After he possessed the new body, its flesh began to decay at an astonishing rate. It was completely unsustainable. Even that wisp of his remnant spirit was completely extinguished along with it.
Fortunately, he had left a contingency on Longhuang Island—a sliver of his soul! This was his last resort, one that would only be awakened if his main body and soul were completely annihilated. Moreover, Longhuang Island had its own independent world rules that could grant exemption from the curse’s effects.
He wasn’t completely dead! But it was almost no different from being dead, because he could not leave Longhuang Island. And without that Dragon Scale, he couldn’t continue to refine the Origin of Zhulong, even on the island. This was a deadlock that drove him to despair for a time.
...
But he was, after all, the Dragon Emperor who had once stood upon the Supreme throne. The tenacity of his will was far beyond that of any ordinary person.
He quickly pulled himself together and laid out a long-term plan. Relying on that wisp of a remnant spirit, he cultivated continuously. He started by healing, then restored the spirit to its normal state, and finally regained the power of the Earth Immortal Realm. At last, he had a sliver of power to protect himself.
So he began to arrange this excursion to Longhuang Island. His goal was also very simple: find an outstanding prodigy from another race and use them as a proxy to circumvent the curse.
Everything went smoothly, proceeding entirely according to his plan. Of course, there were some unexpected situations. For example, over countless years, the many remnant spirits, resentments, and soul fragments that had fallen on Longhuang Island had evolved their own consciousness. They fell into madness, often deluding themselves that they were the masters of Longhuang Island and wishing to replace him to become the new Dragon Emperor. But in his view, these things were unimportant and could not affect the final outcome.
Just like now, he had already found an excellent target for possession. This young man before him, though of the Human Race, was undeniably outstanding and surely possessed some astonishing secrets. He was very satisfied.
But what he never, ever expected was... That Dragon Scale. Why would it be in his hands?
