Chapter 65: Evil Dragon’s Minions, Die!

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Evil Dragon’s Minions, Die!

Leaping down into the pit, the rapid plummet they had expected never came.

The Light inside the pit converged into a radiant pillar, brimming with a holy aura. Enveloped within it, Yu Zhun and Ji Xiaoyu descended at a steady, even pace, as if held aloft by an invisible hand.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the narrow shaft suddenly opened up. A massive subterranean space revealed itself, causing Yu Zhun and Ji Xiaoyu to widen their eyes in awe.

They saw a dragon.

Or rather, the skeleton of a dragon, nearly a hundred meters long.

The enormous skeletal remains lay prone within the underground pit. Around the bleached white bones, countless glowing, pearl-white motes of Light surged and swirled. Drifting down from the opening high above, the two had a bird’s-eye view of the breathtaking scene below.

"Is this... the God of Light?" Ji Xiaoyu murmured softly. "The god... was actually a dragon?"

Yu Zhun didn’t answer. His gaze swept over the colossal remains, soon locking onto a gem resting precisely at the center of the dragon’s brow.

The gem shimmered with a brilliant, Golden Light, continuously emitting a stream of radiant motes. Upon closer inspection, it was obvious that all the glowing specks illuminating the cavern were originating from this single, palm-sized stone.

Given the miraculous sight, it wasn’t hard to guess that this was the Relic Gem the old man had mentioned.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Yu Zhun nimbly vaulted onto the dragon’s skull. He plucked the gem from the bone and returned to Ji Xiaoyu’s side.

"Guild Master, according to what the old man said, the Underground Palace is right above our heads." Ji Xiaoyu gazed up at the cavern’s ceiling.

Whether by coincidence or design, the dragon’s long skeletal tail curled upward, perfectly forming a winding staircase toward the ceiling.

"Are we the first to find this path?"

According to the Hanlong Guild’s guide, the Under the Dragon Burial City Dungeon featured three main stages: the Ruins City, the Life and Death Corridor, and the Underground Palace.

The Dragon Slaves in the Ruins City would naturally lose health and die without players needing to lift a finger. However, in the Dark environments of the latter two stages, they not only stopped losing health but even gained passive health regeneration, making them exceptionally difficult to deal with. To make matters worse, the Dungeon Boss waiting in the final stage, the Underground Palace, was vastly more powerful than standard Level 20 bosses.

But now, Yu Zhun and Ji Xiaoyu had stumbled upon an entirely different route. They had completely bypassed the perilous Life and Death Corridor. Now, having taken zero damage, they were only one step away from the Underground Palace.

"Not necessarily." Yu Zhun deposited the Relic Gem into his inventory and shook his head. "The Hanlong Guild’s progress in the Under the Dragon Burial City Dungeon isn’t actually that high. There are quite a few guilds further along than them.

"Theoretically, other raiding parties could have spotted the clues on the stone tablet, or simply scoured every inch of the Ruins City until they found the basement where the surviving residents lived.

"If they did that, they could have easily met that old man and unlocked this exact same hidden path."

"Aren’t you giving them too much credit?" Ji Xiaoyu looked surprised. "If that were true, why is the clear rate for Under the Dragon Burial City so abysmally low? Not a single guild has been able to clear it consistently."

In her mind, the two of them were undoubtedly on the optimal, "correct" route to clear the Dungeon. If other teams had taken this path, how could they have failed? Could it just be a matter of skill?

Yu Zhun fell silent for a moment before slowly replying, "Because... there were holes in that old man’s story, too."

"Huh?" Ji Xiaoyu’s eyes went wide.

"Think back to that stone tablet we found," Yu Zhun explained slowly. "It was actually carved directly into a broken wall that was still attached to the foundation."

"Right," Ji Xiaoyu nodded. "What’s wrong with that?"

"A major problem." Yu Zhun lowered his voice a fraction. "Since the tablet was chiseled from an existing ruined wall, it couldn’t have been inscribed somewhere else and then transported to that spot.

"Now think about the text on the tablet. Based on what it described, was the inscription carved before or after the Underground City was built?"

"After, obviously..." Ji Xiaoyu answered instinctively. Then, her eyes widened in sudden realization and horror.

According to the old man’s story, once the Underground City was established, the City Lord, Zhanhar, was trapped and could never return to the surface. His only way to leave that message would have been to carve it inside the Underground City, carry the heavy stone back up to the surface, and place it by the tunnel entrance.

But the tablet’s physical condition proved that was impossible. Therefore, the one who left that inscription couldn’t have been Zhanhar—and it certainly couldn’t have been a mindless Dragon Slave.

A chill crept up Ji Xiaoyu’s spine, making her shudder. "So, who’s telling the truth? The tablet or the old man? And who carved that tablet?"

Yu Zhun remained silent, his gaze fixed on the colossal dragon skeleton beside him.

With the Relic Gem gone, the holy Light and the countless pearlescent motes that illuminated the cavern were rapidly dimming. Without the radiant glow to frame it, the dragon’s skeleton lost its awe-inspiring, divine aura.

"Earlier, the old man’s story made me believe that the God of Light was actually the Evil Dragon described on the tablet.

"But what if it isn’t?"

"If it isn’t..." Ji Xiaoyu blinked, taken aback. "Does that mean the tablet recorded the actual truth?"

"No." Yu Zhun shook his head. "I don’t completely trust the tablet, but I don’t completely trust the old man, either.

"The real truth is buried somewhere between both versions of the story.

"So, I think it’s time we meet the other main character of this little tale." Yu Zhun lifted his head, his eyes following the skeleton’s winding tail up toward the ceiling. "Perhaps he can give us the answers we need."

City Lord Zhanhar?

By the time Ji Xiaoyu snapped out of her daze, Yu Zhun was already scaling the massive vertebral joints of the dragon’s tail like steps.

"Wait for me!" she shouted, jogging to catch up.

After a brief climb, the two reached the very tip of the dragon’s tail. Standing there, they were close enough to easily touch the cavern’s ceiling just by reaching out their hands.

A glowing Teleportation Array silently materialized right above their heads, instantly generating a powerful suction force. Neither Yu Zhun nor Ji Xiaoyu resisted, allowing the magical pull to drag them upward.

After a dizzying blur, their feet hit solid ground. They now stood inside a Dark, oppressive palace.

Yu Zhun turned his gaze toward the center of the great hall, his pupils shrinking slightly.

Slumbering in the center of the room was a massively burly monster. It looked like a cross between a serpent and a dragon, its twisted body covered entirely in thick scales.

Breathing out a plume of scorching gas, the creature awoke. It slowly lowered its hideous head, opening its eyes—twin pools of glowing Crimson—and locked its gaze on Yu Zhun and Ji Xiaoyu.

"Minions of the Evil Dragon. You dare intrude upon my Underground City to wreak havoc?

"Then you shall die!!!"