While the elders of the Dragon Clan were still in utter shock, at the very center of this incredible event, the newly appointed Dragon King of the Eastern Sea—Ao Qing—slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he did, an unimaginably powerful dragon aura burst forth from him, sweeping outward in a fearsome tide.
Those dragon clan elders, who had just opened their mouths to speak, suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure descend. In their hearts, a deep, instinctual urge to submit welled up. It was as if the young, unproven whelp before them had been replaced by a true sovereign—the King of Dragons!
The more powerful among them could barely resist the influence, merely experiencing the urge to kneel. But the weaker elders and countless shrimp and crab soldiers of the Eastern Sea… thud! One after another, they dropped to their knees, prostrating toward Ao Qing like pilgrims in awe of their god.
Even the former Dragon King, Ao Guang—still bound to the golden pillar—felt the same overpowering compulsion to submit.
"Ao Guang's loyalty has increased! Loyalty: 90 points!"
"Ao Tian's loyalty has increased! Loyalty: 80 points!"
"Ao Xin's loyalty has increased! Loyalty: 80 points!"
...
"Ao Zang's loyalty has increased! Loyalty: 80 points!"
One after another, the system's sweet chimes rang out. Looking at the elders before him, their eyes shining with reverence, Ao Qing was stunned—then overjoyed.
He hadn't expected that evolving himself would bring him this many loyal subordinates.
And this loyalty? Don't underestimate it. Once someone's loyalty surpassed 70 points, they were practically a deathsworn. If he told them to charge east, they wouldn't dare go west. Their very lives would be his to command!
At the same time, Ao Qing gained a whole new understanding of what being a six-clawed golden dragon meant.
But what shocked him most… was just how terrifyingly powerful the Evolution Points were.
Originally, he thought ruling the Eastern Sea and leading the dragon clan to rise again would take ages. But now—it seemed his worries had been completely unnecessary!
His eyes soon drifted toward the next section of the system: Evolution Points for subordinates.
"If using Evolution Points on myself has such incredible effects… what if I use them on others?"
His gaze sharpened.
As if the system had read his thoughts like a worm in his belly, that familiar melodic voice rang out again:
"Would you like to evolve Dragon King's Third Prince—Ao Bing?
(Note: Any subordinate evolved by the host will have 100% loyalty!)"
"After evolution, Ao Bing will become a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. His cultivation will increase by 2,000 years, reaching the realm of a Taiyi Mystic Immortal! He will automatically learn the 'Thunder Art', gaining powerful techniques such as Ten Thousand Thunders' Wrath and Twin Dragons Play with the Pearl!"
Ao Qing was shocked beyond words.
He hadn't imagined that Evolution Points could empower his subordinates to this extent—just like they did for him!
But he wasn't in a rush.
His eyes swept over the rest of the Dragon Clan elders. After all, he only had one Evolution Point left. He had to use it wisely.
"Would you like to evolve Elder Ao Xin?"
"After evolution, Ao Xin will become a Four-Clawed Golden Dragon, gain 1,000 years of cultivation, and reach the realm of a Taiyi True Immortal!"
"Would you like to evolve former Eastern Sea Dragon King Ao Guang?"
"After evolution, Ao Guang will become a Five-Clawed Primal Golden Dragon, gain 1,000 years of cultivation, and reach the realm of a Quasi-Golden Immortal!"
"Would you like to evolve Little Dragon Girl?"
"After evolution, Little Dragon Girl will become a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, gain 2,000 years of cultivation, and reach the realm of a Taiyi True Immortal!"
With just a glance, Ao Qing could clearly see the potential results for everyone. Each candidate's evolution stats were laid out cleanly before him.
But soon, he noticed something interesting:
Not everyone will grow equally strong after evolution. The results clearly depended on their individual potential. The higher one's innate potential, the more powerful the transformation!
Just as Ao Qing was about to evolve Ao Bing—who had relatively high potential—another system prompt caught his attention.
"Would you like to evolve the waters of the Eastern Sea?"
"After evolution, the sea will become 'Primal Sea'. Within these waters, all dragon clan members' cultivation speed increases by 20%, overall battle power increases by 10%, the chances of magical treasures being born increase by 50%, and the likelihood of other species transforming into dragons increases by 30%!"
Ao Qing paused—then his eyes lit up.
He remembered that increasing the Dragon Clan's prestige would grant more Evolution Points.
And clearly, upgrading the environment—enhancing the entire clan's growth—offered far more return than giving a single person a boost!
Especially that 30% chance of other species becoming dragons… it meant that the Eastern Sea would become a dragon cradle, birthing more and more new dragons than any other region.
Without hesitation, Ao Qing chose:
"Yes!"
Moments later, a stream of system chimes rang out:
"The waters of the Eastern Sea have evolved into Primal Sea. In this new environment..."
As the pleasant chimes faded, many Dragon Clan elders dwelling beneath the waves clearly felt the difference.
Their surroundings were subtly but profoundly altered. Their cultivation speed had increased significantly—noticeably faster than before.
"Strange… why does it feel like my cultivation speed just skyrocketed?"
"Same here! I even feel like that bottleneck I've been stuck at is loosening…"
"I swear, this feels like the heavens themselves are helping us!"
Surprised murmurs filled the sea. But very quickly, all eyes turned to Ao Qing.
They weren't fools. It was obvious that all of this—the dragon aura, the explosive cultivation, the blessed environment—was tied to Ao Qing's evolution into a six-clawed golden dragon.
Some of the elders' eyes even filled with tears.
They had dreamed of the dragon clan defying fate and rising again—how many times, they couldn't count. And now… they finally saw the glimmer of hope!
Their thoughts turned to those arrogant gods and immortals who had humiliated them for ages—and their teeth clenched in rage.
"Congratulations! Your Dragon Clan prestige has increased again! +2 Points!"
As the elders wept, the sweet voice of the system once more rang in Ao Qing's ears, making his heart tremble slightly.
Just as he'd hoped—boosting the clan as a whole would rapidly raise their fortune and fame.
The revival of the dragon race…
Was now only a matter of time.