Chapter 562: True Dragon Seal

From his first glance, he could tell something was off about these words.

Setting aside the meaning of the two lines, their very placement held a unique charm.

This charm wasn’t something an ordinary person could sense. The position of each character was meticulously arranged, forming what looked like a strange formation pattern. Upon closer inspection, it even seemed to contain some kind of profound heavenly principle.

Ye Xuan frowned and said, "These two lines... were they written by the founder of our Gale Light Academy?"

"I suppose so?" Jiuchen nodded. "But there’s no record of it in the academy’s historical archives."

He figured that since the founder had established this forbidden area, the words here must have been written by the founder as well.

However, the words looked extremely ordinary, like the random scribbles of a common person, which made them all rather skeptical.

"Young Master Ye, have you figured something out?" Elder Yao and Elder Dong came forward, asking in unison.

Ye Xuan said in a low voice, "Director Huangfu Xiuming was right. The key to this forbidden area must lie within these two lines."

Elder Yao and the others all looked up and mumbled the words, "A golden-scaled fish is no mere creature of the pond; upon meeting wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon."

"What does that mean?"

They all understood the literal meaning of the phrase, but placed here at the entrance to a forbidden area, they were at a loss.

Jiuchen said, "Actually, all the past directors believed these two lines were the key to opening the forbidden area. But for over a thousand years, every director has tried and failed to uncover the secret within and open it."

Elder Yao said, "If the words are the key, could it be that the two lines contain some hidden meaning? Perhaps if we decipher that meaning, we can open the forbidden area?"

Elder Dong nodded. "That’s very likely. But it’s also possible that the script itself contains some supreme Dao. Only by comprehending the ultimate mystery within the characters can we open the forbidden area."

Ge Puzi and Jiuchen nodded. They were thinking the same thing.

In fact, it wasn’t just them. Every past director of Gale Light Academy had thought of this and had tried.

One director once sat cross-legged before the forbidden area for ten days and ten nights, attempting to comprehend the mystery within.

Another director scoured all the ancient texts in the world, trying to decipher the meaning of the two lines.

But no matter the method, for hundreds of years, no one had ever been able to open the forbidden area.

While Jiuchen and the others were discussing, Ye Xuan stood before the words, mulling them over, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

Suddenly, his expression froze. He seemed to have discovered something. A wave of Soul Power abruptly emanated from him, seeping into the two lines of text.

Jiuchen gave a wry smile. "Young Master Ye, Director Huangfu Xiuming tried that method too. He believed the key wasn’t in the meaning of the words, but in the script itself. He tried it several times, but ultimately came up with nothing. Doing this..."

BZZZZ...

Jiuchen was trying to talk him out of it, but before he could finish his sentence, the two lines of simple, archaic words suddenly burst to life. The once-ordinary characters abruptly shone with a dazzling light, becoming magnificent and imposing.

The script flowed like flying dragons and dancing snakes. The suffocating brilliance of each stroke and character seemed to pierce the heavens, filling the air with an astonishing aura and bathing the entire valley in a radiant glow.

Jiuchen and the others were startled, their eyes wide. "Something’s happening! Could the forbidden area be opening?"

They stared at Ye Xuan in disbelief. This forbidden area, which countless directors of Gale Light Academy had racked their brains over for hundreds of years without success, was actually showing such a phenomenal reaction to Ye Xuan’s casual probing.

Before the stone wall, Ye Xuan remained silent, his brow still tightly locked. His Soul Sense delved deeper and deeper into the stone, growing stronger, while the light emanating from the two lines of text grew ever more intense.

Gradually, an ancient pattern began to materialize on the blank stone wall. Countless golden lines swirled across it, forming a True Dragon. The True Dragon on the wall roared toward the sky, its aura so immense and powerful that Jiuchen and the others stumbled back, not daring to look at it directly.

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes as he enunciated each word, "The True Dragon Seal!"

With that, he retracted his Soul Sense. The boundless golden light vanished in an instant, and the two lines of text returned to their normal state, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Young Master Ye, why didn’t the forbidden area open?"

"What in the world is going on?"

"What is the True Dragon Seal?"

Jiuchen and the others couldn’t wait, firing off a barrage of questions. Their minds were now filled with doubt.

Ye Xuan thought for a moment, a grave look on his face as he said, "The True Dragon Seal is an incredibly unique sealing technique from ancient times. Its purpose is to seal away anything one wishes to seal. Once it’s formed, it requires the combination of both True Dragon Qi and Dragon Blood to be opened."

"True Dragon Qi and Dragon Blood?"

"Who could possibly possess such things?"

Jiuchen and the others were stunned into silence. The True Dragon was, according to legend, a terrifying existence from the ancient era, with power that had already surpassed the Nine Heavens Realm.

Today, on the Celestial Profound Continent, True Dragons no longer existed. Obtaining Dragon Blood and True Dragon Qi was a nigh-impossible task, as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Why would the founder of Gale Light Academy have created such a forbidden area?

Ye Xuan shook his head, his eyes glinting. "Actually, you don’t necessarily need real Dragon Blood and True Dragon Qi. Someone who possesses the True Dragon bloodline would be enough."

"The True Dragon bloodline? No one on this continent possesses that, right?" Jiuchen and the others exchanged glances and shook their heads.

A bloodline was a very special kind of talent among Human Race Martial Artists. Across the entire continent, people who possessed one were exceedingly rare.

According to legend, the first to possess bloodlines were the offspring of unions between the Human Race and the Demon Race.

In the ancient era, the Human Race and the Demon Race were just two among thousands of races. The great powers among them could change their forms, so intermarriage was quite normal.

Their descendants possessed the form of the Human Race and the abilities of the Demon Race, becoming the first generation of Bloodline Martial Artists.

But as time passed, and with the conflict between the Human and Demon Races, the number of Bloodline Martial Artists dwindled. They were not only discriminated against by the Human Race but were also considered traitors by the Demon Race. As a result, their numbers continued to decline until they became almost impossible to find.

Even ordinary Bloodline Martial Artists were incredibly hard to find, let alone someone with a True Dragon bloodline. That was why Jiuchen and the others found it so hard to believe.

"There is," Ye Xuan said with absolute certainty. "On this continent, there is a reclusive family, the Xia family, who possess the True Dragon bloodline. Not many among the upper echelons of the Celestial Profound Continent know of them. The bloodline they possess is the True Dragon bloodline. They are simply not well-known because they rarely venture out into the world."

In his previous life, Ye Xuan had once asked the Xia family for Dragon Blood to refine a Profound Soldier. Of course, the Xia family considered their Dragon Blood a family treasure, and the negotiations ended on bad terms.

In the end, Ye Xuan used his own methods to infiltrate the Xia family. After a great deal of effort, he managed to obtain a single drop of Dragon Blood. The Xia family was enraged and launched a massive hunt for the culprit, causing a huge uproar.

"The Xia family?"

At this, Jiuchen and the others all had strange expressions on their faces.

"What? Is there a problem?"

’With their status, Jiuchen and the others shouldn’t know about the Xia family. But from their expressions, it seems they’ve all heard of them.’

Jiuchen frowned. "I remember a world-shaking event that happened in the Profound Domain several decades ago. A family called the Xia family was annihilated overnight. The commotion was immense; the entire Celestial Profound Continent was in a state of panic. Even here in the Dream Realm Plain, we had Martial Emperor-level experts flying through the sky. Could it be the one you mentioned, Xuan Ye?"

"What? The Xia family was annihilated?"

Ye Xuan was shocked. He shook his head repeatedly and said firmly, "Absolutely impossible. The Xia family I’m talking about is one of the reclusive families of the Celestial Profound Continent. Their power is immense. There’s no way they could have been wiped out."

Seeing Ye Xuan’s certainty, Jiuchen shook his head. "Then I don’t know."

Vice Director Ge added from the side, "Jiuchen, I’ve also heard about that incident you mentioned. Director Huangfu Xiuming happened to be back for a visit at the time, and he was very perplexed, muttering something about how the great Dongling Xia family could possibly be exterminated..."

"The Dongling Xia family?"

Ye Xuan cried out in shock, causing Vice Director Ge and the others to turn and look at him.

Vice Director Ge nodded. "Yes, Director Huangfu Xiuming said it was the Dongling Xia family."

Ye Xuan’s expression went blank.

That so-called Dongling Xia family was the very family he had been talking about.

’The Dongling Xia family is one of the reclusive families of the Celestial Profound Continent. Their strength is terrifying, far from ordinary. A few of their old monsters were at the Nine Heavens Martial Emperor realm. How could they have been exterminated?’

’What power possesses that kind of strength? The Seven Great Sects of the Profound Domain? The three great families? Or the Holy City?’

Ye Xuan had a faint feeling that the Profound Domain of today had undergone a world-shaking transformation since the time of his fall.

’Could Xia Qixi be a member of the Dongling Xia family?’

At that moment, an image of Xia Qixi suddenly appeared in his mind.

Back in the Floating Light Secret Realm, Xia Qixi had tried to give him a piece of Dragon Heart Jade. The aura on that Dragon Heart Jade was remarkably similar to the aura of the Xia family from the Profound Domain—it was practically identical.

Furthermore, Xia Qixi had given him a very peculiar feeling, as if some kind of power was hidden within her body.

At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it, but recalling it now, it was highly likely that she was a member of the Dongling Xia family.

’Could the founder of Gale Light Academy have some connection to the Xia family?’

’And what is the supreme treasure that Infinite Mountain is searching for?’

’Is the extermination of the Xia family related to this matter?’

At this moment, Ye Xuan was desperate to return to the Profound Domain and understand everything. But unfortunately, his current strength was insufficient.

Unable to open the forbidden area, Ye Xuan and his group soon returned to the academy.

"Regarding this forbidden area, none of you must let a word of this get out."

Ye Xuan warned them gravely.

Jiuchen and the others were sharp people. They had already picked up on a few things from what Ye Xuan had revealed and nodded with serious expressions.

"But that forbidden area..." Vice Director Ge frowned, his brow etched with worry.