"So it's true… he really is Thunder God's successor…"
"He may not carry the blood of the Dragon God, yet he is still a mighty ancient deity of exalted standing, worthy of respect."
On the other side, the Fire Dragon King's remnant soul flared more intensely and directly. The crimson flames leaped high as his booming voice resounded.
"Boy, you are a chosen of the gods. Why have you come to the burial place of me and the Ice Dragon?"
Even reduced to remnant souls, the two Dragon Kings still exuded a chilling aura. Chen Yi dared not relax his vigilance. He calmed his mind and recounted what had happened, without concealment.
"Honored Dragon Kings, wise seniors—I came here seeking the immortal herbs growing by the shore above, hoping to bring them back and strengthen the power of my sect."
He then explained how he had, quite by chance, consumed the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot growing near the spring, and by great fortune gained extremely high resistance to ice and fire. Relying on this, he had dared to dive down to investigate the truth at the bottom of the spring—never expecting that the resting place of the two seniors would lie directly beneath it.
"I have disturbed your slumber by intruding here. I beg the two seniors' forgiveness."
Chen Yi's words were neither servile nor arrogant; he explained his reasons and also expressed his apology.
"I see."
The Fire Dragon King's deep voice carried a hint of understanding.
"The scattered energies we left behind created this precious land, and you used this treasure to earn the qualification to enter here. This may be called karma's cycle of cause and effect."
The Ice Dragon King's remnant soul rippled slightly as well, signaling his agreement.
"All things in this world have their rise and fall. We perished here, and the leakage of our energy formed this treasured ground, attracting heaven-and-earth spiritual things to grow. This is the way of nature. That you have reached this place is your destiny."
Chen Yi felt somewhat relieved. As one of the Nine Dragon Kings of the dragon race, a supreme soul-beast of unparalleled nobility, the Dragon King did not vent any anger on Chen Yi because he was human and had intruded here.
"After that battle, we truly died, and our souls were destroyed. What you see now are merely fragments of what were once mighty souls, barely retaining a trace of self-awareness. Without the nourishment of this special environment of the Yin-Yang Ice-Fire Well, and the support of the divine power remaining in our dragon bones, even these remnants would have long since dissipated."
The Ice Dragon King let out a light chuckle. In his voice, there was not the slightest fear of death.
"Even so, we are close to our limit. Without external intervention, at most ten thousand years from now, the last vestige of our consciousness will return to chaos and vanish completely."
"At that time, only pure energy and unconscious dragon bones will remain here."
Ten thousand years was an unimaginably long time for humans, but for Dragon Kings who had once looked down on all living beings as divine beings, it was only a fleeting moment. This was the endpoint of their existence.
As expected, in the very next instant, the Fire Dragon King's remnant soul flames flared up as if a decision had been made, and his voice became loud and clear once more.
"Boy, you are still far from the age at which Thunder God would acknowledge someone. You must possess something truly special. We know the current situation in the God Realm, and you must know something as well."
"Our remnant souls are already on the verge of collapse. After we are gone, our dragon bones will be among the greatest treasures in this world. Rather than letting them vanish with our awareness, or be destroyed in the future by unknown forces, we would rather… entrust them to you!"
The Ice Dragon King then spoke, his tone cold yet extremely earnest.
"However, there is one condition. In the future, if you ascend to the God Realm and gain sufficient strength, we hope you will, to the best of your ability, lend a hand to the soul-beast race."
"Help the soul-beast race?"
Chen Yi's heart shook, and he unconsciously furrowed his brows.
Information about the current situation in the God Realm flashed through his mind. At present, the God Realm was dominated by human gods. For soul beasts, especially powerful soul beasts, the restrictions were extremely harsh—there was even a limitation that soul beasts could not become gods at all.
To help the soul-beast race would be tantamount to standing in opposition to the interests of many existing gods, and would inevitably bring countless troubles and hostility.
Confident as he was, Chen Yi was by no means reckless. Even though the position of God of Thunder was extremely powerful, before he fully inherited that power and firmly established his footing, rashly intervening in the disputes over soul-beast policy among the higher-ups of the God Realm would be exceedingly unwise.
His future was destined to be full of trials; making too many enemies—especially powerful gods—was something he absolutely had to avoid, at least in the short term.
Chen Yi's silence did not escape the eyes of the two Dragon Kings. Having lived through countless ages, they possessed deep wisdom and immediately understood his concerns.
The light from the Fire Dragon King's remnant soul dimmed slightly, and his tone softened.
"All we ask is this… In the future, when you truly have a voice and it does not bring you serious trouble or harm your core interests, if you see the soul-beast race suffering unjust treatment and have the opportunity, within the bounds of the rules, to speak on their behalf—to give them a glimmer of hope—then do so."
"That is all."
On the other side, the Ice Dragon King also spoke.
"This is not a forced demand, but rather the final wish of two old beings near death. Since the fall of the Dragon God, the situation of the soul-beast race has grown ever more dire. As two Dragon Kings, we cannot simply ignore it."
"Considering that your immeasurable potential may, in the future, become a game-changer, we must make this urgent plea."
If Chen Yi truly became a god, he would become the Thunder God King, the absolute leader of the Spirit God faction. With his help, the plight of the soul-beast race would drastically improve. Furthermore, they had heard rumors about Thunder God's relationship with those two God King…
If Chen Yi were willing to lend a hand in the future—even with only small, measured actions—it would be a timely boon for the soul-master world.
Hearing this, the deep furrow between Chen Yi's brows slowly eased.
Phrases like "without harming your own interests," "within the limits of your ability," and "within the bounds of the rules" greatly reduced the risk and burden of this condition.
This was no ironclad mission that had to be completed, but more like a long-term commitment to act according to circumstances when possible.
At the same time, the pride of a transmigrator and the absolute confidence in the future hidden deep in his heart began to stir.
The position of God of Thunder was only the starting point of his plan. Within him flowed an ancient and supreme bloodline inherited from his previous life. Once fully awakened, his journey to the realm of God King would be only the beginning.
If he gained enough strength to set the rules, then helping the soul-beast race without affecting his own plans would hardly be difficult.
As his thoughts raced, Chen Yi lifted his head. His gaze grew steady and clear as he bowed deeply to the two Dragon Kings' remnant souls.
"The two seniors care so deeply for the well-being of your people; I hold you in the utmost respect. Since you ask only that I help within my power, without harming my own interests, I agree to this condition."
"I, Chen Yi, swear that if I am fortunate enough to ascend to the God Realm in the future, I will do my best to fight for a chance at survival for the soul-beast race."
"Good!"
"Good!"
Hearing Chen Yi's affirmative reply, the remnant souls of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King shone brightly in unison, clearly filled with joy. They could sense that Chen Yi's promise was not mere lip service.
"Then we shall entrust our remains to you."
The Fire Dragon King's voice carried a faint note of relief.
But Chen Yi shook his head, and the words he spoke next took the two Dragon Kings by surprise.
"I am deeply grateful for the seniors' generosity. However, I already have arrangements in mind regarding soul bones.
As for the main parts—such as torso and skull—I actually have more suitable candidates in mind. If the two seniors are willing, I would like to obtain a set of external soul bones instead."
In Chen Yi's view, soul bones were essentially external artifacts; as long as they could be used, that was enough. He preferred external soul bones, and in the future, there was the possibility of refining them into super-grade divine artifacts.
The Fire Dragon King revealed a hint of playful appreciation.
"Boy, you do have quite the ambition and sharp insight."
External soul bones are the most special type of soul bone. They do not occupy any of the normal six soul bone slots, possess tremendous potential for growth, and often bring unexpected abilities. Given the potential of these divine bones, as long as Chen Yi kept up with their growth, they could easily evolve into super divine artifacts.
The Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King exchanged glances, their remnant souls communicating silently. After a while, they nodded in unison.
"If that is your choice, then of course we will grant it," the Ice Dragon King said.
"In our prime, aside from our ultimate ice and ultimate flame, what we were best at was extreme speed spanning the Nine Heavens, and cutting sharpness that could rend the sky itself," the Fire Dragon King said, his voice tinged with nostalgia for his past glory. "We will use the essence of our remaining dragon bones and the divine essence of our wings to forge for you a pair of unique Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings!"
Before his words even faded, the two colossal dragon skeletons began to tremble at the same time!
Within the Ice Dragon King's blue skeleton, countless streams of frigid blue light poured together like rivers converging into the sea, surging violently toward the region of the shoulder blades. Within the Fire Dragon King's crimson skeleton, burning red light, hot like molten lava from the earth's core, likewise rushed toward the corresponding location.
The two titanic energies surged through the space, causing the entire Yin-Yang Ice-Fire Well to tremble faintly.
The radiance grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the underground space into a dreamlike world. Faintly, it seemed as if ancient dragon roars were echoing through time and space.
At last, when the energy concentration reached its peak, a pair of dragon wings of unparalleled grandeur, ferocity, and beauty slowly appeared above the two dragon skeletons.
When fully unfurled, the powers of ice and flame coexisted in perfect contradiction and harmony, emanating a breathtaking majesty and splendor.
This was a sacred external soul bone, carefully crafted from the last vestiges of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' ancient divine power and their ultimate understanding of heaven and strength—
The Ice-Fire Dragon Wings!
"Condense!"
With a shout—
The Ice-Fire Dragon Wings seemed to come alive, transforming into two streaks of blue and red light. In an instant, they shot across the space and plunged toward Chen Yi's back.
Chen Yi was already prepared. As his soul power surged, his clothes instantly turned to ash, revealing his sturdy upper body. He closed his eyes, opening body and mind completely to receive this gift from the ancient Dragon Kings.
Puff—!
A sound rang out like something being driven into his body, and intense pain shot through Chen Yi's nerves in an instant!
On the left side of his back, a piercing cold stabbed deep within, as if his soul were being frozen at absolute zero. On the right side, a searing burn devoured him, as if his flesh and blood were being reduced to ash. These two extremes of agony erupted simultaneously, almost destroying his will.
Yet Chen Yi gritted his teeth. The veins on his forehead bulged, sweat beaded out only to instantly evaporate or freeze.
His formidable spiritual power kept his mind clear, and the indomitable will honed over two lives fully manifested at this moment. He circulated his cultivation method frantically, guiding the power within his body to adapt to this pair of dragon wings and fuse with them.
The remnant souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings floated quietly at the side, silently watching everything unfold.