Chapter 1360: Bloodline
Chapter 1359: Bloodline
“Dragon Pool!”
Not only Mo Hua, but many of the prodigies recognized those two ancient characters. Their hearts trembled. They had schemed and fought their way into the Great Wilderness Royal Court for one purpose: the Dragon Pool of the Great Wilderness. And now, it stood right before them.
Desire stirred in everyone’s hearts. Yet after glancing at Mo Hua walking at the very front, they ultimately suppressed their ambitions.
Mo Hua also took a light breath, calming his excitement, and reached out to push open the Dragon Pool’s great doors.
But the instant his hand touched them, it seemed as if ten thousand dragon roars erupted beside his ears.
“Who dares trespass upon the forbidden ground of the Royal clan?!”
Boundless majesty descended from nowhere, pressing down upon him, warping even the surrounding space.
Light flowed before his eyes, resplendent gold and jade brilliance that confused the senses.
Mo Hua felt momentarily dazed. When he raised his head again, the scenery around him had completely changed.
The Dragon-Bone Path was gone. The Dragon Pool gates were gone.
In their place stood a grand hall, lofty and imposing, carved with dragon figures on all sides, clouds and mist billowing as if it was not a mortal realm.
This hall resembled the Great Wilderness Dragon Hall where Shentu Ao currently stood—the one polluted by a black blood pool and rotting flesh—but its aura was completely different.
And atop the hall sat an emperor who was half dragon, half man.
A dragon’s head, dragon eyes, dragon jaws—complete with whiskers and claws—yet with a human body, tall and imposing. He wore a dark cyan dragon robe and a golden jade crown with bead tassels hanging before his face, seated upon the imperial throne with supreme dignity and majesty.
This was the Dragon Emperor of the Great Wilderness.
Below him, on both sides, stood rows of royal nobles—shamans and dragon generals alike—each awe-inspiring.
These Royal Court aristocrats, all bearing the bloodline of the “dragon,” looked down upon Mo Hua and the others from high platform.
The scene felt strangely familiar to Mo Hua.
(TN: Another Dragon Feast?)
At that moment, the majestic voice echoed again through the hall:
“Who dares intrude upon the forbidden ground of my Dragon Hall?”
Mo Hua frowned and turned his head. He saw that it was not only him, but both righteous and demonic prodigies had all gathered inside this Dragon Hall.
The hall loomed solemn and imposing. The Dragon Emperor’s questioning voice carried overwhelming authority.
Every prodigy present felt their hearts tremble.
After a moment of silence, Xuanyuan Jing—prodigy of the great Xuanyuan clan of Dao Province—stepped forward. Walking to the front of the hall, he cupped his hands in salute and spoke calmly, neither servile nor arrogant:
“This junior, Xuanyuan Jing, pays respects to the Dragon Emperor of the Great Wilderness.”
The Dragon Emperor looked at him. After a moment, he seemed slightly surprised.
“You… carry the bloodline of my Great Wilderness?”
Mo Hua’s heart jolted at those words.
Bai Zisheng, Situ Jian, and others also showed subtle changes in expression.
Xuanyuan Jing replied calmly:
“Reporting to Your Majesty, I indeed possess a trace of the Royal bloodline of the Great Wilderness.
“Centuries ago, calamity befell the Great Wilderness, and the Royal clan scattered.
“Some princes and princesses drifted into Dao Province and were taken in by my Xuanyuan clan. After hundreds of years, that is how this trace of bloodline remains in me.
“Now the Great Wilderness faces life-and-death peril. Remembering this thread of blood, I could not bear to see it extinguished. Thus I dared to risk my life and enter this land, to continue a fragment of its fate and preserve a portion of its legacy…”
The Dragon Emperor gazed at Xuanyuan Jing with blazing eyes.
Xuanyuan Jing’s expression remained steady, though his hands tightened quietly, betraying his inner tension.
After some time, the Dragon Emperor nodded lightly.
“Though faint, it is indeed the orthodox Royal blood of my Great Wilderness…”
Xuanyuan Jing quietly let out a breath of relief.
Seeing the refined and dignified Xuanyuan Jing, the Dragon Emperor’s attitude softened considerably, even revealing a hint of appreciation.
And upon witnessing Xuanyuan Jing gain the Dragon Emperor’s favor, Yuwen Hua and many prodigies of Dao Province also stepped forward, cupping their hands in salute:
“We pay respects to the Dragon Emperor.”
“Our ancestors likewise carried the Royal bloodline of the Great Wilderness.”
“We have come today to continue its fate and ensure its destiny does not end.”
“One day, we may help the Royal clan flourish again and restore its former glory…”
Not only the prodigies of Dao Province…
Even the Evil Dragon Young Lord of Myriad Demon Mountains, the Ghost Young Master of Skull Cave, Yu Lian’er of the Joyous Union Sect, Young Master Shi of the Yin Corpse Valley, and even Young Master Tuoba of the Great Wilderness Sect stepped forward before the Dragon Emperor and saluted:
“We pay respects to the Dragon Emperor. We too possess a trace of the Royal bloodline of the Great Wilderness.”
“We are willing to shed our blood for the Great Wilderness and ensure its destiny does not perish…”
For a moment, within the Great Wilderness Dragon Hall, more than two-thirds of the prodigies bowed in reverence to the Dragon Emperor.
All of them possessed a trace… of the Royal bloodline of the Great Wilderness.
(TN: Read “Chapter 1353: A Brutal Battle” again)
Mo Hua was stunned.
Bai Zisheng, Situ Jian, Feng Zichen, Shi Tiangang, Song Jian, Ao Zheng, Xiao Ruohan—these prodigies of the Qianxue Prefecture realm—were equally incredulous.
No one had expected the situation to shift so suddenly.
These prodigies before them… carried the Royal bloodline of the Great Wilderness?
In a flash of insight, Mo Hua’s divine sense stirred, and fragments of past events surfaced in his mind.
He quickly realized this was likely the design of the great Dao Province clans, and perhaps even the upper echelons of the demonic path.
This was a grand scheme, one laid out over a very long time.
Its origins might trace back to the last defeat of the Great Wilderness war, when the Royal clan fell and princes and princesses were scattered.
The great clans of Dao Province, along with certain hidden powers, had secretly taken in some of these royal heirs.
Their purpose was likely “breeding.”
Through deliberate seduction—or even coercive unions—they retained a fragment of the Great Wilderness Royal bloodline within their own descendants.
Mo Hua recalled that the upper strata of noble clans—especially the great clans—almost universally studied the inheritance of spiritual roots, aiming to produce offspring with superior aptitude through controlled marriages.
Clan marriages often left disciples with no personal choice. Everything depended on compatibility between spiritual roots.
If a union could produce children with Superior-grade—or even Supreme-grade—spiritual roots, then regardless of willingness, the pair would be compelled to unite and produce that child.
Personal emotions were never part of the clan elders’ considerations.
This was inheritance in terms of spiritual roots.
Spiritual roots were common knowledge among cultivators; even wandering rogue cultivators understood their importance.
But there existed another concept, one nearly inaccessible to common cultivators:
Bloodline.
This was a matter only great clans—and their true elite heirs—were qualified to consider.
Mo Hua had only begun to understand it after entering the Great Void Sect and studying for nine years, encountering the top prodigies of Qianxue.
Before that, he had only heard the term vaguely from his Little Senior Sister, it had been their secret, shared only between the two of them.
And if spiritual roots had inheritance, then great clans could not possibly neglect the inheritance of bloodlines.
Bloodlines were even more exalted than spiritual roots.
Research into bloodlines surpassed even that of spiritual roots.
Yet bloodline inheritance was extremely difficult.
These righteous and demonic prodigies who had entered the Royal court might as well be the “products” of the great clans’ bloodline inheritance research.
By abducting or enticing former princes and princesses of the Great Wilderness into breeding, then through generations—sometimes over a dozen—of pairing and refinement, they were able to cultivate these prodigies: individuals with supreme talent and a trace of the Great Wilderness Royal bloodline—either clan elites or demonic saint-sons and young masters.
These prodigies and saint-sons then, amid chaos and warfare, use the Royal bloodline within them to enter the Dragon Pool of the Royal court and absorb the so-called destiny of the Great Wilderness.
This is a carefully designed hunt: using the bloodline of the Great Wilderness to prey upon the Great Wilderness Royal Clan itself.
The Dao Court clan ancestors and the upper echelons of the demonic path may have calculated all of this long ago.
The conflicts and slaughter outside mean little. At the final moment, bloodline is the true “ticket of entry.”
And the Dragon Emperor of the Great Wilderness values only bloodline… recognizes only bloodline.
Sure enough, when the Dragon Emperor beheld the many brilliant prodigies and Saint-sons before him, each bearing traces of the Royal aura, his dragon countenance brightened with delight, as if the revival of the Royal clan were close at hand.
Yet he did not realize that these so-called sons of heaven merely bore a trace of Great Wilderness blood.
In their hearts, they held not the slightest recognition of the Great Wilderness. On the contrary, they had come to strip it to the bone and drain its lifeblood.
But the Dragon Emperor recognized only bloodline.
In his understanding, there existed only the Royal bloodline.
Soon, he scanned the hall and noticed several prodigies who did not possess Royal bloodline, especially Situ Jian, Feng Zichen, Xiao Ruohen, and other Qianxue prodigies.
His expression instantly turned cold.
“Those without my Royal bloodline yet dare covet the Dragon Pool… how bold!”
He was about to mete out punishment when his gaze suddenly trembled. He saw Bai Zisheng and sensed the dense dragon aura upon him—so intense it was nearly tangible. A sharp gleam flashed in his dignified eyes.
“Bearing of a Dragon and phoenix-like grace… the ferocity of his bloodline rivals that of my Royal Clan…”
“Alas, alas. My Great Wilderness has no princess left in this age. Otherwise, such a talent would be worthy to wed a Royal daughter…”
“What a pity…”
He lingered on Bai Zisheng with regret before noticing the silent Mo Hua beside him.
The Dragon Emperor suddenly flew into rage and shouted:
“A man of lowly inferior blood dares defile my Dragon Hall!”
The hall of prodigies stared at Mo Hua in shock.
Mo Hua looked calmly at the Dragon Emperor.
“What do you mean?”
The Dragon Emperor replied coldly, looking down from high platform:
“You are of mortal stock. What flows in you is the lowest, most common blood—that of lowest peasants. Your parents were lowly commoners. Your bloodline is unworthy of entering my Dragon Hall. Kneel and beg forgiveness…”
Mo Hua stepped forward and vanished.
When he reappeared, he had crossed the hall and stood before the Dragon Emperor.
Before anyone could react, Mo Hua reached out with irresistible divine force and seized the emperor by the throat.
“A person is born into this world with but one life, granted by heaven and given by one’s parents. My blood was given to me by my father and mother. What kind of beast are you, to wag your tongue before me?”
The sudden upheaval enraged the Royal nobles, civil ministers, and dragon generals.
“Impudent villain!”
“To defy the Dragon Emperor is a crime worthy of ten thousand deaths!”
The Dragon Emperor himself erupted in fury.
For countless years he had guarded the Dragon Pool. Never had anyone dared such treasonous words or rebellion.
“Lowly beast, die!”
Divine-Sense radiance burst from the Dragon Emperor’s eyes.
Dragon shamans and generals struck together, seeking to suppress and kill the rebel.
Mo Hua’s gaze gleamed like swords. With a single sweep of his eyes, the dragon nobles of the Great Wilderness perished like dust, their spirits extinguished on the spot.
Mo Hua’s power in the Divine Dao was utterly incomprehensible.
When he restrained his aura, he seemed harmless. But once he acted, his strength was terrifying.
The Dragon Emperor formed a dragon claw to tear him apart, but Mo Hua seized the arm and tore it off.
Fear and fury filled the Dragon Emperor.
“You… what are you?!”
Mo Hua smiled faintly.
“You said your Royal bloodline is noble. Today I’ll tear you open and see what is so noble about it. Let’s see how your noble bloodline is annihilated by these lowly hands.”
With a pull, he tore off the emperor’s arm. With a punch he blasted open his chest, then ripped him apart.
The Dragon Emperor tried to resist… but did not know how.
Once he had believed himself supremely dignified, but before Mo Hua, he was as weak as a helpless waste, forced to watch his Divine-Sense Royal body torn to pieces.
Terror turned to despair, then slowly to calm.
“You are… the abomination foretold in prophecy.”
“Abomination ?” Mo Hua glanced at him.
But the Dragon Emperor’s life had already faded. His body lay mangled, flesh dissolving into foul, dark blood upon the floor.
Mo Hua frowned.
This Dragon Emperor had long been “dead.”
With the fall of the Great Wilderness and the loss of believers’ offerings, this so-called Dragon Emperor was like a dead divine-sense puppet, acting according to fixed routines, appearing majestic, yet long since rotten within.
Mo Hua sneered.
“Just the decayed blood of dead Royal, what nobility is there?”
He stamped down, crushing the emperor’s remains and the imperial throne beneath him into dust.
With the Dragon Emperor reduced to ash, the hall fell into dreadful silence.
Everything had happened too fast.
The prodigies of both righteous and demonic paths, who moments ago had been bowing in worship to the Great Wilderness Dragon Emperor, stood stunned.
They simply hadn’t had time to realize what had happened, or rather, their eyes saw it, but their minds hadn’t yet caught up.
Everything was already over.
They only saw Mo Hua charge into the Dragon Hall and, with brutal ferocity, tear apart the Dragon Emperor guarding the Dragon Pool.
And the Dragon Emperor—without resistance—had simply been torn apart.
Even the imperial throne was crushed beneath Mo Hua’s foot.
Why had this happened?
How could someone tear apart a Dragon Emperor?
Their hearts were filled with disbelief.
This was not how things were supposed to be. In ancient legends and in the textual research of clan ancestors, the Dragon Pool was a forbidden ground, inaccessible to any who lacked Royal blood.
Without Royal lineage, any who entered rashly would have their souls seized by the supreme Dragon Emperor of the Great Wilderness, condemning them to eternal annihilation.
But no one had ever told them that the Dragon Emperor of the Great Wilderness himself might also be condemned to eternal annihilation…
Amid the crowd’s stunned expressions, with the Dragon Emperor’s extinction, the Dragon Hall of the Great Wilderness began to collapse.
Before long, the surrounding scenery shifted, and everyone found themselves once more before the Dragon Pool of the Great Wilderness.
The Dragon Pool still lay before them.
Only the Royal clan of the Great Wilderness could enter the Dragon Pool to form a core; otherwise, they would be suppressed by the Dragon Emperor and their souls extinguished.
Mo Hua was not of the Royal clan of the Great Wilderness, nor did he possess Royal blood… he could not enter the Dragon Pool.
Thus he first annihilated the Dragon Emperor of the Great Wilderness, shattered the bloodline threshold beneath his feet, and only then would he enter the Dragon Pool to form his core.
And now that the Dragon Emperor was dead, no one remained who could stop him.
Mo Hua raised his hand and pushed open the great doors of the Dragon Pool.
With a deep creaking groan, the ancient doors slowly parted. An aura sealed away for untold years rushed forth, mingled with the trembling resonance of dragon souls.
Beyond the doors lay darkness.
Within that darkness, points of golden flame began to ignite one by one.
At last, within Mo Hua’s eyes, the full visage of the Dragon Pool slowly came into view.