Just how rich was the True Dragon Race?

Many knew the True Dragons were wealthy. They were, after all, the nobility of Heaven and Earth, with a long and storied history. Moreover, with a Perfected Lord presiding over them, they could hardly be poor.

But how rich, exactly?

The True Dragon Race had always kept that a closely guarded secret, never letting any information slip... but today, Lü Yang was about to see it with his own eyes.

He stepped into the treasury.

To Lü Yang’s surprise, the treasury itself wasn’t large at all—just a small room containing a desk and two bookshelves, one on either side.

And then, Lü Yang was struck dumb.

He could see it with perfect clarity. The desk and the bookshelves were all made of wood, and flowing from them was the unmistakable Qi trace of an Immortal Spirit—a Qi trace Lü Yang knew all too well!

’Are these... the stillborn husks of Immortal Spirits? Immortal Spirits that failed to mature, that never successfully came into being, and ultimately died? This desk, these bookshelves... are they all... Jia Wood? That’s right! They were all crafted from the stillborn husk of a Jia Wood Immortal Spirit!’

The extravagance was simply absurd!

Spiritual Materials of this grade were enough to forge a top-tier Superior Sentient Artifact. They could even be directly used as Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for Refining, and there would still be more than enough!

And yet, here, their only purpose was to hold things.

Lü Yang shifted his gaze to the items on the desk and bookshelves. On the desk sat a Daoist Scripture, along with a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—the Four Treasures of the Study.

Each of the two bookshelves held three items.

The left bookshelf held a teapot, a seal, and a piece of Jade Stone with seven apertures. The right bookshelf held a small box, a Crystal Ball, and a shimmering golden light contained within a Glazed Bottle, so brilliant it was difficult to look at directly.

"Holy... crap!"

Lü Yang might not have recognized the other items, but the golden light in the Glazed Bottle was all too familiar... It was a Gold Attribute!

Lü Yang immediately activated his Exquisite Heart to get a closer look.

As the Gold Attribute came into view, it took the form of a ferocious, baring White Chilong, its massive draconic eyes glaring fiercely ahead.

Lü Yang performed a quick divination with his fingers and instantly understood its origin.

’This is... that White Chilong!’

The Dragon Monarch’s eldest son, the Dragon Palace Crown Prince before Celestial Python, the True Dragon Race’s former candidate for Seeking Gold—he had been lured out and killed by the Four Great Forces.

"After my elder brother died, a Daoist Remnant was born from his remains. Father suppressed it, refined this Gold Attribute from it, and has kept it here ever since," Celestial Python said, his tone flat. "Father’s cooperation with the Dao Court isn’t just about finding a path to survival for our race. He also harbors the idea of resurrecting my brother."

"Oh?"

Lü Yang raised an eyebrow at that. "A Daoist Remnant was already born. His Soul should have long since reincarnated. He’s completely dead. How can you resurrect someone with just a Gold Attribute?"

"That, I do not know."

Celestial Python shook his head. "I only know that Father has spent years pouring his heart and soul into creating this Third-Grade Foundation Method, all in preparation for my brother’s revival."

Lü Yang followed Celestial Python’s finger to the Daoist Scripture on the desk.

The Celestial Language Shimmering Dragon Chapter!

Lü Yang swept his Divine Sense over it and frowned.

It was a Third-Grade Foundation Method. What was surprising, however, was that it wasn’t designed for True Dragons or Demon Cultivators, but for Human Body Cultivators.

And not just any Human Body Cultivator, either.

"According to Father, joining the Dao Court has its pros and cons. The advantage, of course, is returning to the mainland with the Dao Court’s backing, which would strengthen the True Dragon Race."

"The disadvantage is that by joining the Dao Court’s dominion, our Intentional Appearance would be lowered, a self-demotion of our Position. If this happens, all future members of the True Dragon Race would no longer be the nobility of Heaven and Earth who reach Foundation Establishment upon adulthood. Instead, we’d be reduced to mere demons with a bit of talent, and our race’s potential would plummet."

"But there is a way to avoid this disadvantage."

At this, Celestial Python instinctively lowered his voice. "And that is... rebellion! We will find a way to overthrow the Celestial Wu Royal Family and have the True Dragon Race take its place!"

Lü Yang was stunned speechless by his words.

"...Huh?"

Staging a rebellion under the Dao Court’s rule?

’Are they insane?!’

"You may not be aware, Master," Celestial Python said, shaking his head. "The Dao Court in the East is different from the other three great powers. It permits rebellion."

"The grand tide of the world is that what has long been divided must unite, and what has long been united must divide."

"This is the Celestial Principle itself."

"Before the Celestial Wu Royal Family, it was the Zouyu Emperor’s Descendants who reigned. They wielded the Fruit of Rampart Earth, and weren’t they domineering? But in the end, weren’t they still annihilated just like that?"

"So Father’s plan is this: after we join the Dao Court, we will wait for the right moment. When the time comes for a change in imperial rule, he will have my brother’s Gold Attribute reincarnate. Then he will bestow upon him this Celestial Language Shimmering Dragon Chapter and have him join the struggle for the throne, with the full backing of the True Dragon Race to seize the highest position."

"This kind of thing... Won’t the Master of Dao intervene?"

"Of course not!"

Celestial Python chuckled. "How could someone with the Master of Dao’s perspective possibly concern himself with such matters? Besides, once our race enters the Dao Court, we’re considered part of the Master of Dao’s system."

"Furthermore, Father specifically created the Celestial Language Shimmering Dragon Chapter to ensure the Master of Dao would accept us."

"This technique, as a Third-Grade Foundation Method, aims for the Dao Fruit known as the Fruit of Celestial Fire. It is the pinnacle of the Fire Element, and to this day, no one has successfully achieved it."

"If our True Dragon Race can attain it and then become the Dao Court’s Imperial Family, it would be equivalent to pulling this Dao Fruit into the Dao Court’s system of Official Positions. Why would the Master of Dao refuse such a great boon? Especially after the Fruit of Rampart Earth was lost to the Pure Land, the Dao Court would be more than happy to see this happen!"

"I see..."

Lü Yang finally understood the True Dragon Race’s entire scheme. He had to admit, from the perspective of going legit, the plan was quite comprehensive.

What he valued even more was this:

’This Celestial Language Shimmering Dragon Chapter... is probably a perfect fit for me!’

The Dragon Monarch had left a failsafe within the Creation Technique. According to the imagery of the cultivation technique, anyone who wanted to master it had to be a Human-Dragon Descendant.

This wasn’t a problem that could be solved simply by draping on a layer of human skin, like a demon shapeshifting. One needed to possess a true human body while also having the bloodline and Position of a True Dragon. It was a complex and tedious process that would likely be difficult to engineer, even with the Dragon Monarch’s power.

In other words, even though this was a Third-Grade Foundation Method...

...there was probably no one in the world who could actually cultivate it. Forget about using it for Foundation Establishment; they couldn’t even manage the introductory step of Qi Refining.

But for Lü Yang, none of this was a problem.

Because of his Golden Talent, True Dragon Bloodline!

Right now, Lü Yang perfectly met the cultivation requirements of a "Human-Dragon Descendant" inside and out. This cultivation technique was practically tailor-made for him!

Honestly, if not for the fact that True Dragon Bloodline was a Talent Skill from the Centome, and the Celestial Language Shimmering Dragon Chapter was clearly part of the Dragon Monarch’s long-laid plans from many years ago, he would have started suspecting someone was plotting against him. The coincidence was just too perfect.

’There isn’t another trap, is there?’

Thinking of this, Lü Yang couldn’t help but rub the bridge of his nose. Feeling uncertain, he decided to put the matter aside for now and look at the other items in the treasury.

For example, the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk, besides the Celestial Language Shimmering Dragon Chapter.

The Four Treasures of the Study didn’t seem like much at first glance. However, when Lü Yang activated his Exquisite Heart and peered through the Illusion Barrier, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

The brush: Earth of Wu.

The ink: Wu Fire.

The paper: Earth of Ji.

The inkstone: Earth of Wei.

’The Fruit of Celestial Fire... Damn it, these are the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches that correspond to the Fruit of Celestial Fire! The Dragon Monarch actually prepared them all for his son!’

For a moment, Lü Yang was so angry his hands were shaking.

Was this what it meant to be a Second Generation Immortal?

He thought back to all the hardships he had endured just to gather his own Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

’Filthy rich bastards! This world was growing more and more corrupt precisely because of scum like this who could climb to the top so easily just by relying on their background...’

...Oh, wait. I’m a True Dragon now, too.

’In that case, doesn’t this mean all of this is actually my property?’

Never mind, then!