Chapter 103 Great Wilderness
The vast, desolate lands of the far west.
This place is like a broken spine abandoned by heaven and earth; as far as the eye can see, there are only rolling reddish-brown and bluish-black rocks.
There are no lush forests, no flowing streams , and even the most drought-resistant sea buckthorn and camel thorn are hard to find.
Millions of years of wind and sand have eroded the mountain, leaving it riddled with holes, with broken cliffs, piles of rubble, and edges dulled by the fierce winds, yet it still exudes a ferocious desolation.
Standing atop the highest cliff , one can see the mountain range stretching westward to the horizon, merging with the dark blue ocean, while to the east lies an endless wasteland, merging with the red soil of the Dragon Flame Province.
The entire mountain range resembles a group of sleeping ancient dragons, lying prostrate in the far west, silently witnessing the passage of time.
This place is sparsely populated.
The harsh environment makes it impossible for humans and spirit beasts to survive for long. The air is filled with dryness and death, and even the wind carries the hoarse sound of sand rubbing against each other.
At this moment, two figures are searching among the barren mountains in this vast wilderness.
"Where would you find any opportunities here? This place is so barren, there isn’t even a single hardy Blue Silver Grass!"
Jiang Li’er groaned, feeling utterly hopeless.
She raised her hand to touch her cheek, her face contorted with distress:"Jiang Bai, let’s go! If we stay any longer, my delicate face will dry out and I’ll become ugly!"
A month of searching made her, who was originally full of enthusiasm for"adventure ,"start to feel irritable.
Every day, all they face are the same barren mountains, strange rocks, and sandstorms. Forget about relics and opportunities, they haven’t even seen a decent soul beast.
Jiang Bai was scanning a rock wall with his mental power when he heard this. He turned to look at her, a slight smile playing on his lips:"It’s alright, I can still take you in even if you become ugly."
"Who... who asked you to take me in?!"Jiang Li’er blushed and stomped her foot angrily.
Jiang Bai withdrew his spiritual energy and sighed,"Let’s go."
Jiang Li’er’s eyes lit up:"Really? Where to?"
Jiang Bai gazed at the distant, rolling mountain range:"Let’s change direction and keep searching."
Jiang Li’er:"..."
She slumped her shoulders and resigned herself to following.
Jiang Bai was indeed puzzled.
Following the direction sensed by the Fire Dragon King, they searched this desolate land for a whole month, traversing hundreds of miles, but they didn’t see even a trace of the ruins.
Based on his memories from the original story, he guessed that the"opportunity"mentioned by the Fire Dragon King was likely Dragon Valley.
That small world that buried countless dragon corpses, contained the core of the Dragon God, and the soul of the Dragon God.
that Dragon Valley is protected by a mountain dragon king, but in the past month, he hasn’t sensed a single dragon.
"Could it be that I am not destined by fate?"
Jiang Bai pondered to himself,"Or perhaps the Dragon God is behind this, trying to prevent me, this outlier, from entering the Dragon Clan’s resting place?"
He communicated with the Fire Dragon King inside the tower through mental power:"Senior Fire Dragon King, we’re so close now, wouldn’t you like to sense it more carefully?"
In the volcanic region, the remnant soul of the Fire Dragon King remained silent for a moment, then sighed:"I can only sense her in this area... but perhaps due to spatial barriers, her aura is very weak and intermittent."
He paused, his voice filled with barely concealed loss and worry:"That child is my only remaining bloodline. After I was killed, she should have just been a dragon egg... Now, you’ll have to find her yourself."
The Ice Dragon King spoke up,"Jiang Bai, you need to think this through. Entering Dragon Valley is a journey filled with both risks and opportunities. Once inside, you might obtain a large number of dragon remains, soul bones, even the core of a dragon god and some divine artifacts, causing your strength to skyrocket."
"But... it might attract the attention of the Dragon God’s lingering remnant. I’m worried he might..."
She didn’t finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.
If the Dragon God notices this"anomaly"entering the Dragon Clan’s resting place, he may very well unleash a deadly attack.
Jiang Bai’s eyes were resolute:"I know the risks. But right now, this is the most effective way to quickly increase my strength and allow my dragon beast to evolve. It’s worth a try."
The Ice Dragon King remained silent for a moment, then solemnly said,"Be careful. If necessary, my brother and I can intervene."
What she didn’t say was that, given their current remnant soul state, if they were to truly fight against the Dragon God’s lingering will, they could at most barely manage to send Jiang Bai away from Dragon Valley.
hunted down by the lingering resentment of the Dragon God after he comes out... that’s hard to say.
"Thank you both, seniors,"Jiang Bai said.
After ending the conversation, he continued to survey the barren mountains before him.
Suddenly, it flashed through my mind like lightning!
Since Dragon Valley is said to be protected by mountain dragons, wouldn’t it be easier to find it if we let the fire dragon and ice dragon, the two true dragons, sense the dragon’s aura?
As for having the Ice and Fire Dragon King scan directly with his divine sense... Jiang Bai dared not do so for the time being.
"sweeping"the sleeping dragon god out.
At this stage, he only wants to quietly enter Dragon Valley, help the dragons collect their remains, pick up some unwanted soul bones, enhance the origin of his dragon beasts, and help them evolve into pure-blooded true dragons.
As for directly confronting the Dragon God? It’s not the right time yet.
"Fire dragon , ice dragon, come out!"
Jiang Bai’s mind stirred slightly.
Two beams of light shot out from the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, landing and transforming into a massive dragon shadow.
The fire dragon was over twenty meters long, with scales as red as lava, and its body radiated a scorching heat.
The ice dragon is slightly larger, with an ice-blue body, crystal-clear scales, and a pervasive chill.
"You two sense if there are any other dragon auras in this area,"Jiang Bai instructed.
The fire dragon and the ice dragon obeyed the order, closed their dragon eyes, and their immense spiritual power spread in all directions like mercury spilling onto the ground.
True dragons are far more perceptive of their own kind than human soul masters, especially with the blessing of the Ice and Fire Dragon King bloodline, which imbues their perception with a touch of divinity.
A moment later, the two dragons opened their eyes at the same time, their eyes filled with disbelief.
The ice dragon’s voice trembled, filled with horror and sorrow:"This... this place... is full of dragons!"
Jiang Bai and Jiang Li’er were both stunned :"???"
The fire dragon took a deep breath and said in a deep voice,"Master, the mountains here... are all transformed from dragons. However, they are mostly dragons who have died; their bodies have become one with the rocks, and their souls have long since dissipated."
Jiang Bai’s pupils constricted sharply. The entire mountain range was formed from dragon corpses?! How many dragons must have perished here?!
"Are there... any alive?"he asked, suppressing his shock.
Ice Dragon sensed the area carefully again and said,"There is indeed a very faint aura, but it’s very stable, almost blending into the mountain range. It’s practically undetectable without careful investigation."
Stable? Is the faint sound a result of concealing one’s aura?
Jiang Bai made a quick decision:"Take us to see it."
The ice dragon crouched down, allowing Jiang Bai and Jiang Li’er to leap onto its back. The fire dragon followed closely behind, and the two dragons flew towards the depths of the mountain range.
After flying for about half an hour, a seemingly ordinary valley appeared ahead.
The valley entrance was completely blocked by a huge gray-white mountain, the rock covered with mottled marks of weathering over the years, and there was no sign of life.
The ice dragon landed here, and the fire dragon also folded its wings and landed.