The old man laughed and said, “Do you know your true identity?”
“What identity?” Li Zhizhong asked in confusion.
“You should be able to feel it. You’re not human,” the old man replied. “In fact, you come from the Flame Race.”
“How do you know that?” Li Zhizhong frowned slightly.
“Of course I know. I was the one who took you out of the Flame Race all those years ago,” the old man said. “That night when your boat capsized in the Endless Sky Sea, I was the one who placed you on the iceberg and awakened a portion of your bloodline.”
“You’re also from the Flame Race?” Li Zhizhong reacted immediately. “What’s our relationship?”
“Just clansmen, nothing more,” the old man shook his head. “Many summers ago, I happened to pass by here and discovered this iceberg. There was a powerful energy fluctuation inside. I could feel the intense heat it held, something rarely seen in the world. My instincts told me that if I could obtain what was inside, I could ascend to immortality. Unfortunately, no matter what I did, I couldn’t break through the iceberg. One day, the iceberg suddenly radiated with dazzling light, and a few large words appeared on it: Waiting for the destined one.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Li Zhizhong asked, frowning.
“Let me finish,” the old man replied calmly. “I was extremely unwilling to let go of this once-in-a-lifetime chance while I was right next to it. So I began making my arrangements.”
Xu Zimo chuckled, having already guessed most of the story.
He said calmly, “So you used the flood dragons to guard this sea area, just to keep others from discovering the iceberg. Then you brought Li Zhizhong out from the Flame Race and arranged for him to grow up in Seaside City, so his background wouldn’t raise suspicion. You built up his reputation as a dragon-slaying hero and told him about the iceberg. That way, when the so-called destined one arrived and sought the iceberg, the first person they’d look for would be Li Zhizhong. Then you could sit back and reap the reward. Is that right?”
Hearing Xu Zimo’s words, a strange light flashed in the old man's eyes. He then laughed and said,
“You’re absolutely right. Now that the door is open, it’s time for me to enjoy the reward. So tell me, how do you want to die?”“Maybe you haven’t figured out who’s the mantis and who’s the oriole,” Xu Zimo shook his head.
“In the face of absolute power, what use are these petty schemes?”He looked at the flood dragons surrounding them and slowly waved his right hand.
A spatial gate appeared.
From within the gate, violent dragon roars could faintly be heard.
Hearing those roars, the old man suddenly felt a bad premonition.
Then the spatial gate fully opened, and deafening dragon cries rang out.
One by one, one hundred majestic and mighty Dragon Gods flew out from it.
Their overwhelming draconic power surged like tidal waves, suppressing the entire sea region.
As a hundred giant dragons soared out, the old man's expression changed drastically.
“This is impossible. The Dragon Race was wiped out long ago. How can there still be so many? Impossible,” the old man murmured.
The ones most affected were the surrounding flood dragons.
They carried a trace of dragon blood, so when so many true dragons appeared, they didn’t even dare to resist. They all collapsed into the sea, trembling in fear.
This was pure bloodline suppression.
The dragons’ power and roars echoed in all directions, their massive bodies stirring up towering waves.
Explosions rumbled from the seabed.
Seeing this, the old man panicked. He wanted to command the flood dragons to block them while he escaped.
But the flood dragons didn’t move at all. The hundred true dragons instantly surrounded the old man.
Before he could resist, the dragons raised their enormous bodies, thick dragon breath flooding out.
With a loud boom, accompanied by the old man’s scream, his entire body exploded, blood and flesh flying in all directions.
…………
After the hundred dragons finished, they encircled the iceberg.
Xu Zimo looked at Li Zhizhong and said, “I’ve fulfilled my promise to you. Wait here. Once I return, you can go back to Seaside City.”
Li Zhizhong nodded.
The hundred dragons remained outside to prevent anyone from interfering.
After giving instructions, Xu Zimo stepped into the red door before him and entered a void.
As his vision cleared, he found himself standing on a plain.
All around him, the plain was engulfed in flames. Thick smoke drifted in the air above.
The temperature was extremely high, and the farther he walked, the hotter it became.
If, when he obtained the Supreme-Yin Nether-Glow, he experienced extreme cold, then this Supreme-Yang Solar-Illumination was the extreme of heat.
The Supreme-Yang Solar-Illumination was formed at the beginning of the world, from the first breath of pure yang energy and solar essence.
People called the Supreme-Yin Nether-Glow the Primal Sage.
The Supreme-Yang Solar-Illumination was the Holy God.
Yin and yang together formed the Grand Dao. The combination of the Supreme-Yin Nether-Glow and the Supreme-Yang Solar-Illumination gave birth to all Daos and truths.
According to ancient legends on the Primordial Heartlands, all life was derived from the Supreme-Yang Solar-Illumination and Supreme-Yin Nether-Glow.
They were the ultimate form of life.
Xu Zimo hadn’t walked far when he saw the flames on the plain burning even more fiercely.
The fire was mixed with purple and red, clearly not ordinary fire.
He could feel the temperature increasing rapidly. Within a few steps, his clothes had already caught fire.
He feared that if he continued, his entire body would spontaneously combust.
At that moment, Xu Zimo opened his True Fate World. Under the suppression of the Primordial Chaos Bead, he slowly took out the Supreme-Yin Nether-Glow.
The Supreme-Yin Nether-Glow looked like a small beast statue.
But the beast gave off a strange feeling. Its appearance was plain, yet no matter how hard you tried to observe it, you couldn’t clearly remember what it looked like.
It was as if you'd forget the moment you looked away.
This small beast was the source of countless lifeforms, releasing gray-white cold air.
The moment it appeared, the entire space trembled.
From deep within the distant horizon came a terrifying roar.
The small beast before Xu Zimo also let out a roar in response.
The surrounding space shook nonstop, and the spiritual energy formed waves of fluctuation.
Xu Zimo slowly grasped the Supreme-Yin Nether-Glow.
A chilling force spread through his entire body, gradually dispersing the surrounding heat.