Chapter 600: The Little Golden Dragon

"

Owhhh...

" Chu Liang groaned as he clutched his head in pain, feeling it both physically and emotionally.

The headache was tolerable, but the emotional blow was far worse.

He couldn’t help but scream inwardly,

Who is it this time? Why does something always go wrong whenever I finally manage to spend some quiet time with Jiangjiang? Last time, it was the pavilion on my peak blowing up, and then her dad showing up. Now, a meteor falls on me out of nowhere. If this commotion draws others here, then... wait?

As he looked up, he suddenly realized that something was off.

He found himself in a dazzling palace, surrounded by splendor. The entire structure appeared to be made of pure gold, with intricate scaly patterns adorning the surfaces.

"Where is this?" he muttered in confusion.

"This is the Golden Scale Hall," a childlike voice suddenly chimed from behind him, crisp and cheerful. "It's my personal hidden realm and you are the first human to step in here."

Chu Liang turned around and saw a young boy in a yellow robe standing behind him. The boy had a bright, adorable face, faint outlines of golden-scales on his skin, a pair of horns on his head, and a short tail behind him.

Clearly, he was a little dragon boy.

"What kind of little dragon are you?" Chu Liang asked aloud.

Having interacted with many True Dragons, Chu Liang no longer held the dragon race in such high regard. After all his training, by bloodline standards, most draconic descendants weren’t as pure as he was.

"Show some respect," the boy said, trying to appear stern. "I am the great Golden Dragon!"

"Little Golden Dragon?" Chu Liang teased.

"Don't call me little!" The boy puffed out his chest as he spoke. "I am the supreme Golden Dragon!"

"Alright, Little Golden Dragon," Chu Liang nodded. He then asked, "But how did you bring me here? This... Golden Scale Hall, right? Can you let me out now? I have urgent matters to attend to."

The Little Golden Dragon looked more serious than before.

"You can leave, but only after you hear me out," he said solemnly, "Otherwise, I won't let you go, no matter what."

Chu Liang studied the little dragon boy for a moment, noticing that while the child gave off no obvious aura. However, since he could still control this hidden realm, it meant that his cultivation was likely higher.

There was a high chance that he was at the seventh realm.

If he wanted to leave but the little dragon disagreed, there was no way he could force his way out.

So, he had no choice but to say, "Fine, just get on with it."

"

Ahem ahem...

" The Little Golden Dragon cleared his throat dramatically. "I am the great Golden Dragon of the imperial city, tasked with suppressing the fate of the nation. However, that despicable Yao Dengxian has stolen the teachings of Dao that should have been passed down to me, and I need someone to help me."

"Alright," Chu Liang agreed immediately. "You've found the right guy! The emperor's my buddy, and I'm having dinner with him tomorrow. I'll bring it up during the meal, and it’ll be resolved. Just let me out first, and I'll make sure it’s done by tomorrow."

"No!" The Little Golden Dragon replied firmly. "This is something only you can do!"

"Huh?" Chu Liang asked, confused. "You're asking me to take on someone who's at the Heavenly Origin level? An eighth-realm cultivator?"

"

Haaaaaa...

" The Little Golden Dragon let out a heavy sigh. "This is a long story."

"Make it short!" Chu Liang said ruthlessly.

The Little Golden Dragon then began recounting its life story, and after a while, Chu Liang finally understood why he had made such a request.

The original five-clawed Golden Dragon of the imperial city had existed since the era of the Dragon God, making it one of the oldest dragons in human history.

However, about two hundred years ago, its lifespan was finally coming to an end.

Though it had reached the eighth realm, near the pinnacle of the world, it could not achieve a breakthrough and become a Hallowed Dragon, transcending life and death. In the final moments of its life, the ancient golden dragon decided to pass on everything it had.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

It laid a dragon egg, within which rested a supreme dragon hatchling that would become the seventh realm upon hatching. This dragon hatchling would also get the ancient golden dragon's hidden realm, true essence, dragon orb, and teachings of Dao...

Once the dragon hatchling emerged, it only needed to consume its mother’s dragon orb and absorb the Dao essence left behind to naturally inherit its mother's Great Dao and become an eighth-realm existence from birth.

Starting from such an elevated point, it would have the potential to reach heights far greater than those of its mother.

While the Golden Dragon suppressed the fate of this imperial dynasty, it was also using the fate of the dynasty to cultivate. The Golden Dragon had also passed on this mission to its offspring, leaving the hatchling in the Dragon-Keeping Pool.

In a way, this dragon egg was the Golden Dragon's way of passing on the legacy of its life.

The day the Golden Dragon died was also the day the dragon egg hatched.

But at that moment, Yao Dengxian, the newly appointed Dragon-Keeping Eunuch, appeared. This ambitious chief eunuch used cunning methods and stole the Golden Dragon's teachings of Dao.

For dragons to ascend to the eighth realm, they had to comprehend the Great Dao. Some Great Daos were particularly attuned to dragons, but it did not mean that intelligent humans would not be able to understand them.

When the Golden Dragon died and the Little Golden Dragon hatched, there was only a fleeting moment when it was at its most vulnerable.

But at that moment, Yao Dengxian suddenly appeared, seizing the Dao essence of heavens and earth. Since he was already at the pinnacle of the seventh realm, he managed to steal the Great Dao of Cloud Dominion that the ancient Golden Dragon had left for the dragon hatchling.

Yao Dengxian then became the Dao Master of the Cloud Dominion Great Dao.

From that moment on, Yao Dengxian ascended to the eighth realm, reaching unprecedented heights. He suppressed the Golden Dragon's Dragon Orb, preventing the Little Golden Dragon from consuming it and fully inheriting its mother's power. Meanwhile, the Little Golden Dragon remained trapped in the Dragon-Keeping Pool and forced to continue suppressing the fate of the Yu Dynasty.

And the pitiful Little Golden Dragon grew up in that Dragon-Keeping Pool and was still trapped there today.

Earlier today, someone brought a mysterious power that shattered Yao Dengxian’s restraints, allowing the Little Golden Dragon to seize the chance and escape.

But he couldn’t just leave without doing anything. He needed to reclaim his mother’s Dragon Orb.

"Wait..." Chu Liang interrupted. "You’ve said all this, but how does it explain why you came to me?"

"Because no one else can help me," the Little Golden Dragon replied. "You were the person with the strongest dragon aura that I sensed when I was near the capital of Yu. I thought you were one of my kin, so I sought you out."

"I’d like to help, but I’m honestly not capable enough. That’s why I thought of informing the imperial family about Yao Dengxian’s despicable actions," Chu Liang said.

"They already know!" The Little Golden Dragon frowned and huffed angrily. "They’re all in on it! Otherwise, there’s no way I could have been locked up for so long without anyone noticing."

Hearing this, Chu Liang thought for a moment and quickly understood.

The court needed a Golden Dragon to stabilize the nation's fate and an eighth-realm expert to protect the imperial city.

Yet, despite all the changes, nothing had truly been resolved.

Furthermore, to the court, the Golden Dragon wasn't entirely loyal. The moment the fate of the current dynasty faded, the Golden Dragon would depart without a second thought.

Yao Dengxian had likely struck some kind of deal with the court, pledging his service and perhaps even promising to pass down the Great Dao of Cloud Dominion to the dynasty after his own lifespan had run its course.

In this way, the emperor wouldn’t risk opposing an eighth-realm expert for the sake of a Golden Dragon that was still fulfilling its role.

Moreover, it was likely this powerful cultivator had closer ties to the imperial family than the Golden Dragon did.

Realizing this, Chu Liang spread his hands helplessly. "While I sympathize with your plight, there’s really nothing I can do to help."

"Hmph, you’re not truly a noble dragon after all," the Little Golden Dragon said as he snorted twice before adding, "I promise, if you help me retrieve the Dragon Orb, I’ll grant you a great reward."

"Hmm?" Chu Liang raised his head at this. "While I may not be able to help, I wouldn’t mind hearing about this reward."

"If you help me retrieve the Dragon Orb, you will gain..." the Little Golden Dragon said seriously, "my friendship!"

Hearing this, Chu Liang immediately stood up, rolling his sleeves up as he retorted, "There must be a door or window in this damned hall of yours! Watch me smash a hole in your hidden realm!"