```


    Ten Thousand Great Mountains.


    Nameless Barren Mountain to the southeast.


    The moment Xiao Hong sessfully transcended the tribtion, the mountain peak split open, revealing a pce shaped like a giant tortoise.


    The mountain crumbled, startling countless fierce beasts.


    The ck Bear spirit that upied thisnd rode on a swath of demonic clouds tens of feetrge, watching the pce from afar.


    "Could this be the appearance of an ancient relic?"


    The ck Bear spirit took out a mobile phone and clicked several photos of the pce, which were sent to a nearby chat group called "Master of the Mountains."


    The demons in this chat group mostly had territories in the southeastern region of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains; beyond that region, they would lose signal reception.


    "Have discovered an ancient relic. Which fellow daoist wille explore with me?"


    Not long after the message was sent, rapid dings of responses came.


    "Bro Bear, invite me, share the location!"


    "Such dangerous grounds—how could those at the Foundation Establishment Stage possibly explore it?"


    "The pce doesn’t seem to be of human style; it must have been left by our demon ancestors. The heritage site isn’t too dangerous!"


    "..."


    "We refine our bloodlines with elixirs. The gains from an ancient relic may not suit us, risking trouble for nothing."


    This statement brought immediate silence to the chat group.


    The demons pondered carefully and agreed that this made sense. Elixirs that stimted bloodlines had their pros and conspared to the ancestral hardships of ancient demons.


    Though the bloodlines obtained through elixirs were unstable and could backfire at any moment, turning one into a savage beast, they were closer to ancestral bloodlines than those gained through arduous cultivation, allowing early manifestation of divine abilities from ancient mythical beasts.


    "The old lion speaks wisely. It is no longer the ancient times."


    The Bear Demon hesitated for a moment. Just as it was about to ride the demonic cloud away, the pce gates slowly opened.


    A golden light burst forth, transforming into a dragon-headed humanoid figure in midair with an icy gaze that swept over the Bear Demon, its overwhelming might surging like a tidal wave.


    A demon king of the Dragon n!


    Facing the bloodline oppression, the Bear Demon realized that the other’s bloodline status was unbelievably higher than the ancient mythical beast Flying Bear. It knelt on the demonic clouds, kowtowing.


    "Little Bear pays respects to the Demon King!"


    The Dragon Demon didn’t respond, sensing the active and pure Spiritual Energy of the world, which waspletely different from the past.


    "With such Spiritual Energy, it’s easier to break through realms. It seems somewhat simr to the ancestral veins’ revival mentioned in the Demon Saint’s inheritance—has there been a significant change in the world while I had sealed myself away?"


    As this thought crossed his mind, he waved his hand to bring the Bear Demon closer and boldly performed a Soul Search.


    "The world’s revival... rampant fierce beasts... Demon ns ruling over Nine Continents..."


    Seeing intermittent fragments of memory, the Dragon Demon’s expression shifted, and much of the gloom in its heart dissipated as it muttered to itself.


    "Misfortune might be the cradle of fortune. The legacy I inherited is iplete, unable to fully transform into an Azure Dragon, but emerging early has ced me at the forefront of a new era."


    "Now that demons rule over the Nine Continents, and the strongest among them have not even attained the Golden Core, I have perfected the Golden Core and can easily be the ruler of the Nine Continents!"


    "The grand scheme that my father, the Emperor, nned for his entire life, I can achieve with little effort!"


    The Dragon Demon was none other than Ao Qin, who entered the Four Spirits Holy Pce years ago and submerged in the Dragon Blood Pond to receive its legacy. After nurturing for one thousand eight hundred years, he evolved from a Flood Dragon bloodline to that of an Azure Dragon.


    The bloodlines of demons are equivalent to the Spirit Roots of humans, determining the speed of cultivation from birth.


    The Azure Dragon is revered among demons as a divine beast, superior to the Flood Dragon in talent. In the past, the Dragon Emperor had fought fiercely for a box of Azure Dragon blood.


    Because of the missing box of Azure Dragon blood, Ao Qin could notplete the transformation into a divine beast; a patch of golden scales remained on his forehead, incongruous with the surrounding azure jade-like dragon scales.


    "That Bull Demon from the year of the pce’s entry—because of it, my legacy was iplete. Truly deserves death!"


    Ao Qin hadn’t considered taking revenge, for nearly two thousand years had passed, Spiritual Energy had vanished and then revived, and that Bull Demon was most surely no more.


    "Over a millennium has passed, and in this world, there are no old acquaintances of mine. Whether Nascent Soul Demon Emperors or Divine Transformation Heavenly Monarchs, in the face of the long river of time, they are all but specks of dust. I am destined to pursue eternal life to the fullest!"


    "That Bear Demon’s memory mentioned something about a Bloodline Elixir, which mightpensate for myst remaining bloodline defect..."


    Ao Qin already had a n—subjugate all demon races first, then exterminate the human race to be the ruler of Nine Continents.


    Then, by consuming the Bloodline Elixir, he would transform into a true Azure Dragon. Taking advantage of the world’s revival, he would aim directly at bing a Demon Saint!


    ...


    Meanwhile.


    At Xianjing.


    At the Martial Arts University.


    Xiao Hong had adapted to the surge of power and descended from the sky, his lower half changing from a tiger’s body back to human form.


    A dozen teachers arrived around him, including Zhou Yi, who feigned surprise like the rest.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "How do you feel now, Principal?"


    "Very good, better than ever before!"


    Xiao Hongughed heartily a few times, as the ferocity in his bloodline dissipated. No longer needing to endure, he felt as though he had been freed from a cage.


    His gaze swept over the crowd, lingering on Zhou Yi for a moment. His eyes shone brightly, confirming Zhou Yi still had Mana at the Foundation Establishment Stage. With a slight shake of his head, he dismissed the doubts in his heart.


    "The gift from that venerable one is indeed the legendary Nascent Soul Origin. The cultivator’s realm must be above Nascent Soul, possibly a Kunlun immortal of legends."


    Xiao Hong pressed down his doubts and ordered everyone to calm the students, as he had already received a summon from the Alliance Headquarters.


    A teacher asked, "Principal, should we keep the news of your tribtion a secret?"


    "It’s fine."


    Xiao Hong gestured, "Fierce beasts have oppressed the human race for two to three hundred years. I’ve proven the Golden Core before the demons did, which is cause for celebration. It will boost the morale of the human race!"


    The decline of humanity was because they saw no hope.


    Another teacher voiced concern, "Wouldn’t this provoke the demon races... to attack us en masse?"


    Nowadays, the human race lived in exile, with only the Cloud Continent’s demon race responsible for the attacks. The other continents had be the domain of savage beasts, starting to form alliances for battles among themselves.


    After all, demons differ from humans, with many ns living as natural enemies andpeting for food. While the human race was flourishing, they could unite against amon cause. As they were about to unify the Nine Continents, internal alliances crumbled without being attacked.


    ```