Plunder of the Dragon's Nest

Clearly, Keke might have come from a rare lineage that did not fear dragons. But Xiao Chen quickly pressed a hand on the little beast, unwilling to let this tiny tyrant act recklessly. No matter how divine she was, she was still just a cub—how could she possibly contend with a Lion King Dragon?

Keke huffed in dissatisfaction, then leaped onto King Yan Luo’s head.

“Don’t do that again. How long have you even been alive? That was a primordial dragon—you’re not even enough to fill a gap between its teeth! Wait until you’ve grown up to throw your weight around. For now, no more mischief.”

“Ya-ya-ya-ya…” Keke brandished her small claws fiercely, protesting in indignation. But it only made her look more adorable. Her bright, liquid eyes blinked, and her furry body shimmered with a jadelike luster—a creature blessed with the very essence of heaven and earth.

Further exploration was out of the question. The ancient palaces on the Sacred Mountain were far more than one, and the place was far too sinister. Xiao Chen had no intention of throwing his life away there. He turned to look at the majestic mountain, wreathed in clouds and mist, and the mysterious palaces that loomed into view, exuding an air of endless desolation and deathly stillness, then led his party away into the distance.

Suddenly, Xiao Chen heard a rustling sound from the forest ahead, and a fetid stench assailed him. He quickly grabbed Keke and the three skeletons and dashed into the woods beside the path.

Under the bright moonlight, a terrifying behemoth rushed forward, its body gleaming with a golden light in the lunar radiance. It was a giant centipede fully ten meters long and as thick as a water barrel, with venomous miasma swirling around it.

Xiao Chen had seen this centipede earlier in a marsh. It seemed it too had been drawn by the ancient ruins of the Sacred Mountain. He had no intention of confronting it—even a dragon would give this creature a wide berth.

Crack, crack…

The primordial venomous insect moved its hundred legs, and wherever it passed, whether earth or hard rock, its razor-sharp feet gouged deep furrows.

Rustle…

From another patch of woods not far away came a similar sound. Xiao Chen felt a chill run down his spine. If there were more such poisonous horrors, this place was truly cursed ground.

“Let’s go!” Xiao Chen took the lead and fled into the distance.

Venomous insects were active at night. Who knew whether other ancient monstrosities like primordial scorpions or giant centipedes would appear? Though these poisonous creatures might not match dragons in raw power, their venom was terrifyingly deadly and notoriously difficult to deal with.

They covered several li in rapid retreat and did not stop until they reached the severed root of the Cosmic Tree. Here, at last, the sinister feeling faded. Moreover, the night was quiet, with no savage beasts roaring. The hazy moonlight cast a peaceful, harmonious glow over the area.

Morning came with the clear chirping of birds and a refreshing fragrance borne on the wind. Flecks of dawn painted the verdant green forest with threads of gold as the gauzy mist gradually dispersed.

It was a balmy, sunlit morning, filled with vibrant life among the mountain ridges.

Xiao Chen washed up at a sweet, clear spring and began preparing breakfast while contemplating his next move. So many primordial beasts were gathered near the Sacred Mountain—surely they would not return from a treasure mountain empty-handed. At the very least, he intended to find a dragon egg.

Watching Xiao Chen eat the tender, succulent roast meat, Keke, unwilling to see or smell the temptation, trotted off in a huff. The three skeletons continued their cultivation; the lotus brands on their foreheads glowed brilliantly, and their bones were becoming more like fine white jade.

In the morning, Xiao Chen led the three skeletons through the surrounding hills and made a startling discovery. In seven or eight valleys, the lairs of fierce dragons all contained eggs! Was this the breeding season for the dragon race? He suddenly recalled the prophecy of the Companion Dragon King and the Ancestral Dragon—these dragons in the area were clearly rare high-ranking species, and it was likely that a Companion Dragon King would be born among them.

Throughout the morning, neither dragons nor ancient beasts appeared near the Sacred Mountain. After surveying the area, Xiao Chen returned to the severed root of the Cosmic Tree to cultivate. It was not until the afternoon that dragon roars echoed once more before the mysterious mountain, and Xiao Chen began his preparations.

“We are leaving this place soon.”

According to the plan, he assigned tasks to each of the three skeletons. They would each enter a different dragon valley and steal one egg. He himself would infiltrate the lair of the Lion King Dragon, take a single golden egg, and then they would regroup at the severed root of the Cosmic Tree.

“These are rare high-grade dragons. Their eggs are peerless treasures. Though each nest has two or three eggs, take only one. We must leave a thread of hope—we cannot let a royal bloodline of the dragon race be cut off.”

The soul-flames in the skeletons’ eye sockets flickered. If they had eyes, they would have rolled them. Stealing dragon eggs while preaching about “leaving a thread of hope”… really now.

Then they set off separately, vanishing into the forest.

The Lion King Dragon’s lair was built in a lush, green valley. Apart from the area where the dragon moved, which was trampled hard as stone, the rest of the valley was pristine—vibrant with plants and full of life. Two golden dragon eggs lay hidden among the flowers and trees, perfectly concealed.

Dragon eggs did not need incubation. The lush vegetation here was undisturbed. The millstone-sized golden eggs had crystalline shells that sparkled with brilliant light, appearing utterly extraordinary amid the fragrant flowers and grasses, which seemed to glow with a transfused radiance.

These were the eggs of the most fearsome Lion King Dragon! Xiao Chen guessed that among these two eggs, a Companion Dragon King would likely emerge—perhaps even two! He hefted one of the gleaming golden eggs, pushed his speed to the limit, and shot out of the valley. If the Lion King Dragon returned, he would not have ten lives to spare.

Soon, the three skeletons also returned successfully, each carrying a radiant, miraculous dragon egg. The ferocious dragons never dreamed that anyone would be so audacious. Ordinarily, not even beasts dared approach their lairs, and birds would not fly overhead. Their nests were forbidden ground for every creature—there was simply nothing to worry about.

King Qin Guang had brought back a Storm Dragon’s egg, its crystalline cyan shell glittering with divine light like a sapphire moon. King Yan Luo brought back a Sword Dragon’s egg, its jadelike shell flowing with an intoxicating radiance, truly like a piece of luminous jade. The King of Reincarnation brought back a Thunder Dragon’s egg, wreathed in purple light, magnificent as if carved from amethyst.

Together with the golden egg Xiao Chen had taken, the four dragon eggs laid out in a row blazed with a blinding splendor. Divine radiance bathed the area in a cascade of brilliance—ten thousand auspicious rays and a thousand streams of rainbow light that dazzled the eyes.