The dragon girl stepped up to the formation and reached out again; sure enough, she tore a narrow slit in the array. A rush of living dragon-essence burst through the opening and struck them full in the face.

“Quick, inside—hurry!” the old man within urged, voice tight with urgency.

Without hesitation Ye Liuyun and the others filed through, the formation sealing itself behind them.

Inside waited twenty-six true dragons and the old man. Every one of them was staring warily at the barrier; only when they were certain nothing stirred outside did they exhale in relief, as though dreading the roaming dragon souls beyond.

Then they began to size up Ye Liuyun’s party.

Ye Liuyun and his companions did the same. The dragons came in nine distinct colors—black, white, gold, crimson, violet, blue, cyan, ochre, and dark gray. He had never before seen such a complete spectrum among dragonkind.

Most were around the seventh or eighth level of the Unity realm; only the shapeshifted elder radiated noticeably greater power.

For a long moment both sides simply looked at one another, unsure how to begin.

Finally Ye Liuyun cupped his fists in salute to the elder and introduced them. “We entered this so-called Beast World through a spatial rift. Learning there was a dragon graveyard here, we came to investigate.

“This is a true dragon of your race; this is a Thunder-Dragon Beast; this is a Nine-Headed Demon Dragon; these two are my avatars.”

As he spoke he had Long Nu and the others reveal their true forms so the dragons could verify them.

Fearing the old dragon might attack, he added, “I also shelter an entire dragon clan in my inner world. I don’t control them; they simply feel safer there.”

Because Ye Liuyun carried the dragon-aura bestowed by a dragon patriarch, every word was understood. The dragons behind the old one stared in astonishment and whispered among themselves about how they could comprehend human speech.

The old dragon nodded approvingly as Long Nu and the others shifted shape, and the dragons at his back grew visibly excited—especially the two black ones, who gave eager roars.

Yet when Ye Liuyun mentioned the clan in his inner world, the old dragon’s expression turned to shock and suspicion.

Ye Liuyun quickly explained, “The patriarch granted me this aura as a token of recognition.”

The old dragon considered, then said, “I sense the aura, but it’s faint. If a clan patriarch is so weak, the clan itself can’t be strong. How do we know those dragons aren’t under your control?”

“They are indeed weaker. I can bring them out to meet you, provided you swear not to harm them.”

The old dragon showed no hurry to see them; apparently a weak clan held little interest for him. Instead he asked, “You call this the Beast World? Are there many beasts outside? What cultivation levels?”

“I’m not sure of its true name; we simply call it that because of the countless beasts. So far we’ve only encountered late ninth-level Unity beasts, though we haven’t traveled widely—after arriving we came straight here.”

He suspected these dragons were trapped by the roaming dragon souls; even if told the truth, they wouldn’t dare leave.

The old dragon’s face clouded at the news, and the dragons behind him broke into anxious chatter.

“There are so many beasts, and all stronger than us—we still can’t get out!”

“How much longer must we stay here?”

“Let’s charge out! If we wait any longer we’ll die in this tomb!”

The old dragon roared, “Silence!” Every dragon fell still at once.

Ye Liuyun addressed the elder: “Senior, why are you trapped here?”

The old dragon sighed. “Since you carry dragon blood and fate ties you to our race, I will tell you.”

My name is Long Tao. This world was once ours—the domain of the Dragon Clan, our home, the Nine-Dragon Planet. Over a thousand years ago, we clashed with the Beast Clan and the Human Clan. Though mighty, we were few; in the end, we lost.

The last of our great warriors sealed fifty young dragons and left me to watch over them, then marched out to meet the enemy for the final battle.

We slept for a thousand years before the seal broke. The tomb had been designed so the bodies of our ancestors would become our cultivation resources.

But none of us foresaw that the ancestral souls, worn by age, had lost their minds. They had already slumbered a thousand years before we were sealed; when our seal lifted, they could endure no longer.

The moment we stepped out, maddened dragon-souls attacked. Some of our youths were killed by their own forebears. Ever since, we have survived by cultivating with the corpses of the fallen and the occasional body dug from the edges of the array.

We tried to break free several times, but our draconic aura is too strong; every attempt rouses the souls, and more of our young die. So we are trapped—no resources, no escape.

I used to sneak out, drag back a few dragon corpses, help the others absorb the drifting souls, but my life force is spent. My realm has fallen from Third Firmament of the Void to First Firmament; I can no longer fight.

I had hoped that if you were strong enough you might free us, yet the dragon clan you speak of is far too weak to break through so many frenzied souls.

Long Tao shook his head, sighing in resignation. Behind him the true dragons drooped; some simply sprawled on the ground.

Ye Liuyun, seeing his disdain for the clan’s strength, offered, “At least let me take you into my spatial world and release you outside.”

Long Tao gave a bitter laugh. “Without a powerful dragon clan to protect us, where could we belong? Leaving here would only be walking to our deaths.”

“I know you don’t trust me. Why not meet the Dragon Sovereign and talk it through? There might still be a way.” Ye Liuyun knew he couldn’t persuade him at once; he wanted Ao Ding to speak for himself.

“Very well. I promise not to harm him—bring him out,” Long Tao agreed.

He merely wished to see Ao Ding and gauge the situation; he held little hope.

Ye Liuyun contacted Ao Ding at once and released him together with several dragon elders.