"But... the Tears of Longing Dew will be our companion too," Youyou explained meekly.
A'jiao had no rebuttal.
"What Yutong just consumed is called Tears of Longing Dew." An Zhen took out a soft cushion for Huo Yutong to sit cross-legged. "Yutong, channel Purple Demon Eyes. It will greatly benefit your eyes and spiritual power."
"He's right," Tianmeng Iceworm confirmed, sensing the medicinal energy flowing toward Huo Yutong's eyes. "Follow my guidance. Channel your Spirit Eyes Martial Soul..."
An Zhen strolled deeper into the valley. Plants trembled as he passed.
Like meat on a chopping block—a torment for these carefree, sheltered souls.
"What should I consume?" An Zhen mused aloud.
"Blazing Fiery Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass together? An ice-fire body tempering?"
The temptation was strong. With Yi Laike overseeing it, the Life Gold's vitality, and no risk of mishap...
"D-Don't eat me!" A'jiao's ruby-cabbage form quivered with suppressed rage. "If you must... don't eat me with that ice block Bajiao!"
"You think I don't know either alone is lethal poison?" An Zhen retorted. Herbs required caution.
"If you seek ice-fire tempering," Yi Laike interjected, his hands never pausing, "use a fraction of these dragons' primal ice-fire energy. It's purer."
As for whether An Zhen's body could withstand it?
Seal and absorb gradually.
"Can we add a Chrysanthemum of Strange Velvet?" An Zhen eyed a dazzling violet bloom with a golden-tipped stamen rising half a foot above its petals.
"Acceptable."
Suddenly, Yi Laike's grey eyes sharpened. Ancient runes flickered in his pupils. Necromantic power surged, his divine consciousness flooding the valley. Even unintentionally, the pressure made Youyou—the strongest plant soul beast—shake violently.
The mightier you are, the vaster the mountain seems.
Protected by grey energy, An Zhen and Huo Yutong felt nothing.
ROOOAAR—!
Two deafening draconic roars shook the world—as if ancient titans had returned.
Before the plants could recover from Yi Laike's pressure, the draconic majesty crushed them further. They felt like insects pinned beneath fangs.
Wuwuwu... What is happening today?!
Youyou fought back tears. No carefree frolicking—only stifled terror, lest any sound draw attention.
Grey necromantic energy contained the roars and auras, sealing the space.
Splash—!
Under the three 100,000-year plants' stunned gazes, two colossal phantom dragons erupted from the lake they depended on—one fiery red, one glacial white. Their scaled forms blotted out the sun, each plate etched with primordial ice or fire: perfect unions of element and violence.
"Do you wish to summon the Five God Kings' Judgment Sword upon yourselves?" A cold voice echoed in the dragon souls' minds.
"Human! (Draconic)"
Rage-fueled malice crashed toward An Zhen—harmless against Yi Laike's shield.
The fire spring boiled. Ultimate flames erupted—ten times fiercer than a volcano—threatening to drown the valley.
The Ice Dragon King remained silent, her frost-pupiled eyes fixed on the grey figure.
This alien power... Unseen in all her eons.
Wuwuwu... Youyou wept openly. *I'm just a 10,000-year-old baby! Why must I suffer when titans clash? Being eaten would be kinder!*
After this, only A'jiao might survive...
"A'jiao... live well for me~"
"Wuwu... I'll never pester you again..."
Such a drama queen. An Zhen watched the quivering pink blossom.
Time to perform!
An Zhen turned and bowed to empty air, his voice ringing with zeal:
"Esteemed God Kings of Destruction and Life! This junior reports the hiding place of the dragon remnants—the wounded Silver Dragon King, one half of the sundered Dragon God! With her is Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, once the Dragon God's vassal!"
"The Dragon God forged a sanctuary called Dragon Tomb before his fall. This junior knows its location! It holds the Dragon God Core and thousands of true dragon bones—even the soul of the Light Dragon King and a remnant of the Mountain Dragon King!"
"Boy, wait!" The Ice Dragon King's voice was frantic. The inferno vanished instantly.
A red-and-blue pair of draconic humanoids materialized before An Zhen. Yi Laike appeared silently behind him.
The Ice Dragon King's female form stared at An Zhen with complex eyes.
Damn it all!
This human knew too much.
The wounded Silver Dragon King. Dragon Tomb. The Light Dragon King's soul. The Dragon God Core.
Even the sealed Golden Dragon King in the God Realm knows less than you!
"Fear not, elders!" An Zhen pressed on, fervent as a crusader. "Exposing dragon remnants is every citizen's duty! I've left detailed reports at home. The injured Silver Dragon King hides in Star Dou Forest's heart! Once the news spreads, the gods will descend! The Five God Kings will cast their net—"
Ice/Fire Dragon Kings: "..."
They glanced at Yi Laike—unfathomable, yet their equal.
Checkmate.
He'd seized their lifeline.
"Enough!" The fierier Fire Dragon King roared. "What do you want, boy?!"
Blackmail. Blatant and brutal.
Where did this creature come from?!
Why did they believe him?
The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings exchanged a look. Since awakening, they'd sensed the Silver Dragon King's bloodline. And they knew of Dragon Tomb's creation.
"You clearly never installed the anti-scam app!" An Zhen cheerfully gestured. "What if I'm lying? Come! Let's visit the Silver Dragon King in Star Dou's core!"
"I sense her!" The Fire Dragon King gritted his teeth.
Never had a puny human dared mock them so.
Yet he had to yield.
The Silver Dragon King. Dragon Tomb.
One: the dragon race's last hope. The other: their sacred resting place.
"Sigh..." An Zhen feigned regret. "Threatening others' weaknesses is despicable... but alas, I am no dragon. I cannot share your elders' sorrow."
"Did you wake us just to humiliate us?!"
"Of course not." An Zhen's face turned solemn. "I came to negotiate."
"What?" The Ice Dragon King's voice was arctic.
An Zhen explained Martial Souls. His eyes softened as he brushed Huo Yutong's cheek—she was absorbing the herb's power.
"I ask the Ice Dragon King to relinquish her consciousness and become this girl's ice-attribute Martial Soul."
"Do not threaten me with her. You cannot afford to gamble."
Relinquish consciousness.
Not like the Ice Empress in the original tale—who kept her mind to pursue godhood alongside her host. The Ice Dragon King cared only for dragonkind.
"Greedy human," the warrioress-like Ice Dragon King sneered.
"Indeed greedy—for I also demand both Dragon Kings' soul bones and your full power."
"In return: I swear silence about dragonkind. And when I ascend to godhood... I will aid the Silver Dragon King."
"Done."
The answer came instantly.
They didn't question his confidence in godhood. Nor how he'd "aid" the Silver Dragon King.
His silence alone forced their hand. The rest was face-saving—empty promises they couldn't refuse.
As An Zhen said: They couldn't gamble.
The Dragon Kings shared a look of profound sorrow.
What beings they once were!
Even the Gods of Ice and Fire bowed to them.
Now a mortal threatened them so.
Dignity?
Draconic pride?
Gone. Meaningless next to their race's last hope.
A yellow soul ring ignited.
Second Martial Soul: Mirror Reflection.
An Zhen's habit—copying anything powerful he saw.
"But these cannot remain," the Fire Dragon King's gaze swept the plant soul beasts.
Wuwuwu... Youyou despaired.
When giants war, ants perish.
God Kings. Silver Dragon King. Dragon God Core...
Why did we hear this?!
"If I say I heard nothing... would you believe me?"
Youyou hoped—they were born of the dragons' power.
But the Dragon Kings felt no kinship for weeds on their graves.
"I have a threefold victory." An Zhen smiled.
You win. I win. They win. True harmony.
Author's Note:
Dragon King Legend Chapter 907 mentions the Water Dragon King early, then shifts to the Ice Dragon King. Douluo 3 & 4 lore feels messy and conflicting. Given how The Outcast's Snow Empress absorbed Ultimate Ice, this adaptation will prioritize the Ice Dragon King.
(End of Chapter)