Central Continent, Dragon Concealment Grotto
"We pay our respects to the Immortal of Heavenly Court." Two Immortal Gu Masters bowed in unison, pressing themselves to the ground.
One old, one young.
Grandfather and grandson.
Both Immortal Gu Masters of Wind Cloud Manor.
The young one was Feng Chanzi, while the elder was known as Elder Befeng — an Eighth Transformation cultivator. He was a renowned figure among the Central Continent's ten great ancient sects, and under normal circumstances, would have already become a member of Heavenly Court.
One had to understand — becoming a member of Heavenly Court was no easy feat, and far from ordinary.
Eighth Transformation alone was far from sufficient; one had to be an elite among the Eighth Transformation. This standard had never been lowered since the founding of Heavenly Court. The court remained unyielding — they would rather have fewer members than compromise on quality!
Yet now, Elder Befeng knelt on the ground in near-prostration, expressing his utmost respect.
The one worthy of such reverence was an old man, frail to the extreme, trembling as though a single gust of wind could topple him.
But this old man was no ordinary person — his origins were extraordinary, and he occupied a prominent place in the history of Heavenly Court.
He was — Lord Dragon!
"Rise. Take me into the grotto," Lord Dragon said calmly.
"Yes." Elder Befeng received his orders.
Moments later, Lord Dragon arrived at the deepest point of the Dragon Concealment Grotto.
Before them lay a vast and abysmal rift. Compared to the one controlled by the Zombie Alliance in the Northern Plains, it was even larger.
Hundreds or even thousands of cities could fit inside with room to spare.
Lord Dragon and Elder Befeng were like specks of dust beside it.
From where they stood, the entire rift was shrouded in profound darkness — so deep and impenetrable that nothing within could be discerned.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the entire rift was wracked by a violent earthquake.
Countless chunks of rock shattered from the walls and tumbled downward.
The deafening roar of the tremor shook one to the core.
Elder Befeng's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly activated the Immortal Gu within his immortal aperture. In an instant, brilliant light erupted in all directions — countless streams of radiance and flowing water wove together in a dazzling display.
It turned out a massive Supreme Gu Formation had been laid here!
Compared to this one, the Gu formation used by the Immortal Gu Masters of the Southern Border to shroud the dream realm was nothing more than a kitten beside an elephant.
As Elder Befeng controlled the Gu formation, his expression quickly shifted, cold sweat beading across his forehead.
"This time the disturbance is even greater than before!" Despite being a dignified Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu Master, he was visibly struggling.
Something terrifying was clearly imprisoned within the Supreme Gu Formation, and even with Elder Befeng driving the formation, he could barely keep it in check.
"Heh heh heh, it seems that after all these years, you still have so much vigor. Di Cangsheng." Lord Dragon spoke calmly.
"ROAR!!!" The next instant, a dragon's roar that pierced the heavens shook the entire rift.
The radiance of the Supreme Gu Formation scattered wildly, streams of light splashing in every direction.
Cold sweat dripped from Elder Befeng's brow. He thought, 'This is with the Supreme Gu Formation still isolating it, and the volume is still this overwhelming. If one were to face this evil dragon directly, it would be simply...'
Lord Dragon, however, was unfazed. He remarked casually, "It seems your temper hasn't changed much. Still as volatile as ever."
"Old bastard!!!" This time, a human voice rang out from within the formation.
The voice was equally deafening.
And the next moment, an enormous dragon head burst forth from the radiance and flowing water.
It was the evil dragon — Di Cangsheng!
This primordial desolate beast had an extraordinary origin. It was a legend born from the convergence of the Central Continent's earth veins with countless emotions — hatred, rage, curses, and more.
Born of heaven and nurtured by earth, and because it was formed primarily from humanity's negative emotions, it had possessed intelligence no lesser than a human's since its very inception.
In the beginning, it could only roar and cry like a dragon, but through learning, it used Hope Gu to open its mind. It mastered human speech and even, for a time, took human form to secretly learn the arts of Immortal Gu Masters.
For a period, it wreaked havoc across the Central Continent, plunging the populace into misery and turning heaven and earth upside down.
But in the end, it was subdued by Lord Dragon.
That imprisonment had lasted countless years.
Yet even Heavenly Court could not destroy it.
This was because its formation stemmed largely from humanity's negative emotions. As long as humanity flourished for even a single day, the evil dragon would grow stronger. Even if its physical body were completely obliterated until not even a pinch of ash remained, it would quickly re-form upon other earth veins and continue to stir the winds and clouds of heaven and earth.
This was why Heavenly Court had set up the Supreme Gu Formation to contain this evil dragon.
The guardians rotated in shifts. This time, Feng Chanzi had been punished and assigned to the Dragon Concealment Grotto as a guardian, after being caught profiting from the sale of immortal materials. His grandfather, knowing that Feng Chanzi lacked the ability to handle it, had voluntarily forfeited his chance to ascend to Heavenly Court, coming here instead to watch over the evil dragon.
Upon seeing Lord Dragon, the evil dragon's behavior became wildly contrary to its usual demeanor — it was consumed by extreme fury.
It was a classic case of meeting one's nemesis, eyes burning with hatred.