Chapter 375: Chapter 37: Damn the Ancestral Dragon, the Profound Yellow Emperor Goes to the Nine Nether

For a Daluo, the past and present are one and eternal. What is proven once is proven for all time; what is gained once is gained for all time. They can even choose to stroll through the River of Time.

"Let me see..."

The Ancestral Dragon smiled, plucked out Luo Hou’s personal flow of Time, and unfurled it like an immensely long scroll.

’Hmm, he could be considered an ancient being, appearing around the dawn of the Human Race... Huh?’

Just as he was about to go back to the moment this terrifying Daoist named Luo Hou was born, a flash of inspiration struck the Ancestral Dragon.

’Something’s not right.’

’This fellow... could he be one of the first humans created by *that* being? Could he be of the Innate Celestial Human Race??’

The Ancestral Dragon’s expression changed. He quickly selected a later point in time, located the corresponding node in the River of Time on the temporal scroll, and, satisfied, stepped into the river’s upper reaches.

「The ages turned, and time flowed on.」

He appeared in the era of the nascent Shang Dynasty. Gazing at the Profound Bird crossing the sky, he let out a faint smile as his form fully materialized.

HUMMM!!

The sky trembled. A True Dragon stretching for millions of miles spanned the heavens, coiled among the clouds. A mere twitch of its draconic head stirred up terrifying, world-shaking waves!

In the distance, the Profound Bird that protected the Shang let out a wary, piercing cry. The Ancestral Dragon paid it no heed, his gaze sweeping across the Earth, but he failed to find the ancient Daoist named "Luo Hou."

’Strange...’

Frowning, the Ancestral Dragon didn’t dwell on it. He opted for a different method, descending directly into "Luo Hou’s" scroll of Time.

He withdrew and then plunged into "Luo Hou’s" scroll of Time. The scene before his eyes changed in an instant.

The Ancestral Dragon looked around, slightly surprised. He seemed to be inside a massive palace.

The palace was so immense that his own body, which stretched for millions of miles, seemed minuscule within it.

He glanced to the side and saw a young Daoist, whose cultivation was only around the True Immortal realm, staring at him curiously.

"Who are you?" the young Daoist asked, dazed, as he stared in shock at the immeasurably vast True Dragon.

The Ancestral Dragon grinned, his voice echoing faintly.

"Luo Hou, rest assured. I will not rashly alter history. I shall only leave a small ban deep within your True Spirit..."

As he spoke, the Ancestral Dragon’s thoughts stirred. Chaos Qi streamed from his eyes, weaving into a Great Ban that fell into the depths of the young Daoist’s soul, lying dormant.

"What did you do to me?" The young Daoist’s brow furrowed.

The Ancestral Dragon smiled.

"Countless years from now, you will understand, Luo Hou."

"My name is not Luo Hou," the young Daoist said, his brow furrowing deeper. "You have the wrong person."

The Ancestral Dragon was amused. The deed was done, so he was in a playful mood. He asked:

"Then who are you?"

As he spoke, he looked around and frowned slightly.

"Speaking of which, what is this place? It’s a very profound Daoist Palace, but it seems to be just a remnant from history. Did this place collapse later?"

The confusion on the young Daoist’s face deepened. He looked warily at the giant True Dragon and said,

"I am Xuandu. This is the Eight Sceneries Palace. Just who might you be?"

"Oh, Xuan... huh?"

The Ancestral Dragon’s smile froze.

"Xuandu what? Eight Sceneries what now??"

"Xuandu. The Eight Sceneries Palace."

An ancient voice rang out as an old Daoist walked in slowly from outside the Daoist Palace. His brows were lowered, his head was bowed, and his pace was unhurried.

"Master," the young Daoist said, bowing respectfully. On the Ancestral Dragon’s body, scale after scale bristled and stood on end.

He looked as if he’d seen a ghost, an expression of sheer terror on his face. His upper and lower rows of draconic fangs trembled and clattered against each other, creating a deafening noise.

"G-g-great..."

The Ancestral Dragon’s face was a mask of misery.

"Great Celestial Venerable."

The old Daoist ignored him, simply breathing out a puff of pure qi that extinguished the Great Ban deep within Xuandu’s soul.

Then he stroked his long beard and said:

"Xuandu, your murderous nature is still too strong. The Shang Dynasty has just been founded. In a million years, a great calamity will befall its end. Go and wander the Red Dust. Do not return until the dynasty has changed."

After a pause, he instructed:

"But remember this: during your million-year journey, you must not take a life. Even when the great calamity arrives a million years from now, you must not engage in slaughter."

The young Daoist bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Master."

"Go now. Remember, only when you have tempered your disposition may you break your vow against killing."

Xuandu bowed and departed from the Eight Sceneries Palace. Only then did the old Daoist turn his gaze, looking dispassionately at the constantly trembling, colossal True Dragon.

"Come."

He reached out and grabbed, and the True Dragon that spanned millions of miles was suddenly coiled in the palm of his hand.

The Ancestral Dragon was silently cursing his rotten luck, but he forced a smile onto his face.

"Great Celestial Venerable, if I said this was a misunderstanding, would you believe me?"

The old Daoist’s lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile.

"To think you would trouble yourself to travel back a million years or so just to catch up with me."

"Yes, yes, of course! I just came to reminisce..."

"My dear disciple, the one who wears a mask... he wishes to attain the Upper Grade Immortal Golden Form. Do you know what to do?" the old Daoist asked with a smile, squeezing the tiny "snake" in his hand.

The Ancestral Dragon nodded frantically.

"I know, I know!"

He was being squeezed so hard his scales cracked and shattered, his draconic bones grew dim, and his Daluo Dao Foundation nearly crumbled. In a daze, he thought he saw his own great-grandmother...

’Oh, wait. I don’t have a great-grandmother.’

"Then be on your way." With a casual toss, the old Daoist threw the millions-of-miles-long True Dragon back into the River of Time.

"Hmm?"

The old Daoist suddenly frowned and muttered to himself:

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

He seemed to have seen a familiar figure flash past in the River of Time.

"Never mind."

The old Daoist didn’t think much of it and sat down cross-legged.

「Meanwhile, in the River of Time.」

The Ancestral Dragon, nearly crushed to death, fled for his life, panting as he went.

’Damn it all! This is another one of the games these titans play! I should have known no mere creature would dare provoke my Dragon Palace...’

He fled down the River of Time. Just as he was about to return to his original point in time, a giant hand shot out and snatched him up as easily as one would catch a slippery eel.