Clan Cultivation: Starting with Building an Island Immortal City

65: Origin mural, Xuanhuang dragon blood”This method is indeed profound and extraordinary, a truly unique approach.”

Li Yinglong praised sincerely, then thought of a crucial point:

”To obtain power in this way, I presume there must be a corresponding price to pay?”

Yan Gang said in a deep voice:

”Old Sir is discerning. The power of the dragon spirit is overbearing. Each use consumes a large amount of one’s Qi and blood essence. Excessive use can even cause one to gradually ’Dragonize,’ with irreversible dragon spirit features appearing on the body. If used excessively for a long time, one can even fall into a state of ’Ancestral Return,’ losing human reason and becoming a pure Vicious Beast, unable to distinguish between friend and foe.”

”Moreover, regular sacrifices are required to stabilize the contract with specific offerings.”

”This sacrifice is not a simple offering. Different dragon spirits, due to their distinct natures and sources of power, require vastly different offerings. Furthermore, these offerings must be personally acquired or prepared by the contractor to contain sufficient heart-blood connection and sincerity.”

”For example, the ’Rock Armor Dragon’ I am contracted with prefers dense earth Qi and the essence of metal and stone. I must, at least once a year, delve deep into the mineral veins to collect ’Yellow Jade Marrow’ that has not been exposed to sunlight and moonlight, and contains earth-elemental spiritual power. After warming it slightly with my own Qi and blood, I place it beneath the totem pole in the Ancestral Cave for the dragon spirit to absorb its essence until it is satiated. Only then can the contract remain stable and its power not wane.”

”As for the ’Spirit Whisper Dragon’ Aya is contracted with, it prefers things full of vitality. She often needs to collect morning dew before it evaporates, or a few shed feathers obtained by connecting with gentle Spirit Beasts. These are then carefully enveloped in her own gentle wood-elemental spiritual power as offerings.”

”As for my Father...”

Yan Gang’s eyes showed a hint of solemnity and reverence:

”The ’Bone Steel Dragon’ he is contracted with is the most unique; its nature is fierce, requiring the drinking of blood and devouring of metal. Every full moon night, Father must drip his own essence blood from his fingertips onto a piece of hundred-refined profound iron or an extraterrestrial meteorite until it rusts into ash, only then is the sacrifice complete. This process is extremely draining on Origin Qi, but precisely because of this, it maintains that unparalleled sharpness and defense.”

”If suitable offerings cannot be presented for a long time, or if the quality of the offerings is insufficient,”

Yan Gang concluded:

”The dragon spirit will gradually become dormant, and the power of the contract will wane. In severe cases, it may even incur the dragon spirit’s displeasure, leading to a backlash of power, and the consequences of that... are unimaginable.”

Li Yinglong nodded slightly. This was the so-called:

The Heavenly Dao has its own balance of gain and loss.

Although this method is quick and its power direct, it also carries risks and restrictions, far from being a smooth path.

He looked again at the deep Ancestral Cave, feeling a touch of curiosity about the ”Ancestral Dragon Totem,” but knowing full well that this was the core Forbidden Ground of their tribe, not to be spied upon by outsiders, he reined in his thoughts and looked away.

”Thank you both, young friends, for dispelling my confusion and broadening this Old Sir’s horizons.”

Aya smiled and said:

”Old Sir, you are too polite. This is no secret in our Southern Border; women and children all know it. However, the essence within it cannot be fully grasped in just a few words.”

”Just like our tribe, the ancestral spirit totem is hidden deep within the Forbidden Ground, and the cave is guarded by Elders. These Elders are powerful Senior members of our tribe. Even if outsiders know, it is difficult to steal.”

”Therefore, due to tribal rules, we cannot take you inside to see it. Please forgive us.”

Aya said apologetically.

”No matter, your tribe’s Holy Land is of great importance, this Old Sir understands.”

Li Yinglong smiled indifferently, indicating his understanding.

The group then turned around and followed the bluestone path they had entered by, preparing to leave this Forbidden Ground, which was permeated with ancient Dragon might and a solemn aura.

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the tall trees, casting dappled shadows on the damp path.

Li Yinglong’s gaze casually swept over the mountain wall on one side of the cave.

The stone wall was damp, covered in dark green moss and cracks from years of erosion.

However, just as his gaze was about to retract, his footsteps suddenly paused!

He saw that on the rough rock wall, partially obscured by vines and moss, there seemed to be some extremely ancient, blurred lines and traces, eroded by wind and rain.

Were they murals? Or rather, something similar to murals?

Seeing Li Yinglong’s gaze directed at the mountain wall, Aya immediately smiled and explained:

”Old Sir, have you noticed the murals here? These murals, according to legend, are records introducing the origin of our tribe. If you are interested, you can take a closer look.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yinglong’s curiosity grew even stronger:

”So that’s it, records of your tribe’s origin. If you don’t mind, this Old Sir would like to observe them to broaden his knowledge.”

Aya smiled sweetly and stepped aside:

”Please do, Sir. These murals are ancient, and although somewhat blurred, their general outlines remain. They tell the story of our ancestor’s encounter with the dragon spirit and how he led our ancestors to settle here.”

Li Yinglong thanked her and slowly approached the stone wall, which was covered in moss and traces of time.

At first, he only felt that the lines were ancient and weathered, seemingly familiar yet indistinct. But as he focused his Divine Sense and tried to discern their content, an anomaly suddenly occurred!

Those seemingly chaotic carvings seemed to come alive in his eyes!

Twisting and coiling, they firmly seized his gaze and even his mind.

He subconsciously stretched out a finger, gently brushed away a piece of slippery moss, and touched the cold, rough rock surface.

At the moment his fingertip touched the stone wall!

”Om ~”

Li Yinglong felt his Sea of Consciousness tremble, and the scene before him suddenly blurred and shattered. Immediately, he felt as if his thoughts were forcibly dragged into an ancient fragment of time and space.

A grand scene appeared before him:

He saw the sky shattering, the earth sinking, and on an boundless, wild land, the outline of a giant Dragon occupied his entire vision.

Its body was unknown how many thousands of miles long, its scales were formidable, emitting a profound yellow Qi, as if it itself was the condensation of the Great Dao’s Law!

It was fiercely battling a terrifying existence, shrouded in Chaos mist, unspeakable, whose mere presence distorted time and space.

Both sides engaged in close-quarters combat, the fighting style primitive and terrifying.

Dragon roars shook the heavens; every claw strike and tail sweep caused stars to sway and Laws to break.

And the aura emitted by that terrifying existence, full of decay and malice, erupted into a destructive energy surge upon collision.

The level of this battle far exceeded the limits of Li Yinglong’s comprehension. The scene was grand yet blurry, filled with unbearable pressure.

He couldn’t even look at it for long; just a glance at the aftershocks made his Divine Soul feel shattered and he swayed precariously.

At the most intense moment of the battle, a drop of profound yellow Dragon blood, containing astonishing vitality and indomitable Battle Intent, splashed from the true Dragon’s body and happened to fall onto the rock wall of a majestic mountain range below!

”Chh ~”

That drop of profound yellow Dragon blood seemed to possess sentience, like a hot branding iron, instantly eroding and penetrating deep into the mountain rock, permanently etching the Dragon’s Battle Intent and the Dao’s imprint within it, forming these initial natural patterns.

This illusion seemed long, but in reality, it was but a flash of lightning.

Li Yinglong didn’t even have time to feel fear or shock before he felt a sharp pain in his Divine Soul, as if it was about to be burst by the vast information contained in the scene. His thoughts were forcibly pushed out of that illusion by an invisible force!

He suddenly came back to his senses, finding himself still standing in place, his finger still touching the cold stone wall, but fine cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead, and his heart was pounding uncontrollably.

”What was that just now...?”

He was horrified in his heart, but forced himself to remain calm on the surface, not showing it.

That thrilling scene just now still left a clear imprint.

However, before he could think further, an incomparably pure and scorching warm current, flowing silently upward along the finger that touched the mural, instantly merged into his Meridians!

This sensation was fleeting; if his Divine Sense hadn’t been keen, he would have almost thought it was an illusion.

Li Yinglong subconsciously withdrew his finger, knowing that he must have stumbled upon an Opportunity!

He suppressed the faint fluctuations in his Qi and blood caused by the influx of that mysterious warm current, maintaining a calm expression. He turned and forced a smile at Aya and Yan Gang, who were waiting:

”The murals depicting your tribe’s ancestor and the dragon spirit establishing their foundation are indeed magnificent and captivating. Even though they are ancient, looking at them for too long still makes this Old Sir dizzy and disoriented. After all, my cultivation is too low; I am ashamed, ashamed.”

Aya didn’t suspect anything, only thinking that the Old Sir was advanced in years and had expended his mental energy by looking at the murals for too long. She considerately said:

”Yes, looking at these murals for too long indeed makes one dizzy. Our tribesmen have seen them since childhood and have long memorized them. Sir, why don’t we go back and rest first?”

”Very well, I shall trouble you, young friends, to lead the way.”

Li Yinglong, after just two probing sentences, had heard from Aya’s words that—the other party indeed did not know the secret within the murals!

Since he didn’t know whether it was a blessing or a curse, he couldn’t say much.

He complied readily, following behind the two, forcibly controlling his mind, and no longer looking at that seemingly ordinary stone wall.

That was definitely no ordinary mural!

He urgently wanted to know:

What exactly were the illusion just now, and that foreign object that entered his body?!