The long and ancient roar of the dragon resounded. As it echoed, a fierce gale mixed with wind and snow rose around them.
The deafening roar seemed as if it would shatter the entire cave.
The baby dragons were huddled in the snowdrifts, shivering. But they didn't look scared. Instead, it seemed as if they had sensed something familiar and awe - inspiring.
Xian Shiyu's face paled. Her hands trembled, and she almost let go of the hand seals she was forming.
"Steady yourself!!"
Seeing that Xian Shiyu was in an unusual state, Shen Qing quickly reminded her.
Xian Shiyu then came to her senses and hurriedly maintained the position of her hands.
The dragon's roar took all three of them by surprise.
When Shen Qing heard it, she felt a jolt throughout her body. The inborn awe of the dragon race deep in her bones seemed to be instantly awakened.
The roar was ancient and long - lasting, but within it, Shen Qing sensed a heavy sorrow.
"Could there really be a dragon sealed beneath here..."
Xian Shiyu felt a bit uneasy. If there really was a dragon sealed, hundreds of her would not even be enough for it to whet its appetite.
Although the ancient records stated that the dragon race was peace - loving by nature, their combat power was extremely formidable.
If the dragon race had not been extinct, the Nine Wastelands Continent would probably have been unified by the dragon race long ago, and there would be no place for the human race.
"The seal hasn't been broken yet. Nothing is certain. Shiyu, steady yourself!"
Seeing that Xian Shiyu was still distracted, Shen Qing felt a bit worried.
Xian Shiyu took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
She was a disciple of the Beast - Taming Sect and couldn't disgrace the sect.
The dragon race was also part of the spiritual beast race, and they of the Beast - Taming Sect were born to tame beasts!!
If she, Xian Shiyu, encountered a dragon, she would be the first person in the Beast - Taming Sect to tame a dragon!!
So, the fear in Xian Shiyu's eyes was gradually replaced by determination, and her trembling hands slowly regained their calm.
She was a disciple of the Beast - Taming Sect, a cultivator who dared to defy the heavens. She was not afraid!!!
"The runes on the formation are starting to fade away slowly. We've successfully completed the first step. Next, we must make all the runes on the formation disappear before the formation - breaking stone loses its effectiveness. Only then can we break the seal."
"Yes!"
Shen Qing and Xian Shiyu replied in unison.
Success or failure hinged on this one attempt. If they failed, they would have to abandon this formation, find a way to leave the Sword Tomb first, and wait for another three years to enter again.
But the time cost was too high, so they had to succeed this time; they couldn't afford to fail!
Half of the runes on the formation had already disappeared, but the dragon's roar grew louder and showed no sign of subsiding.
However, Shen Qing felt something was amiss. The sound seemed more like an attempt to scare off those trying to break the formation rather than the voice of a dragon beneath the formation.
If there really was a dragon sealed beneath, the formation would not have been set up so simply.
As the three of them were breaking the formation, the dragon's roar echoed throughout the entire Sword Tomb.
"It's... the dragon's roar!"
"There's actually a dragon in the Sword Tomb. Isn't that a legendary creature from ancient times?!"
"Never mind. Let's go and take a look. If it's really a dragon, it would be worth it just to see it with our own eyes!"
Many cultivators' expressions changed. Attracted by the dragon's roar, they all put down their swords and headed towards the Extreme Cold Glacier...
When most of the runes on the formation had faded away, Xian Shiyu ran out of strength. She staggered but still managed to hold on to the hand seals.
She gritted her teeth and didn't dare to slack off for a moment. Beads of sweat continuously dripped from her forehead.
Shen Qing's situation was no better. The massive loss of spiritual power made her body sway a few times.
At the last moment when the runes disappeared, the dragon's roar suddenly stopped. All the light vanished, and it returned to darkness. Everything around them fell silent.
Shen Qing felt the resistance on her body ease, and she felt completely relaxed.
Xian Shiyu slumped to the ground and couldn't recover for a long time.
Li Xian rushed to Shen Qing's side with his last bit of strength and supported her. "How are you?"
"I'm fine..."
"Is the seal broken?"
Shen Qing was a bit confused. Logically, after the seal was broken, the formation should completely disappear, and the thing beneath would be revealed.
Now the formation had indeed disappeared, but there was no change beneath.
"It should be broken..."
Li Xian was also puzzled. This was completely different from what they had imagined.
Shen Qing gritted her teeth and turned to Xian Shiyu. "Shiyu, rest here. Don't come over."
Xian Shiyu nodded exhaustedly and forced herself to say to Shen Qing, "Sister... be careful..."
Supported by Li Xian, Shen Qing slowly walked to the place where the formation had originally been.
The baby dragons slowly poked their heads out of the snowdrifts and looked around curiously.
As soon as Shen Qing stepped into the area where the formation had been, an ancient and long - lasting chant sounded in her mind.
She opened her eyes in surprise and turned to ask, "Li Xian, did you hear that?"
Li Xian shook his head in confusion. "I didn't hear anything."
Could it be that only she could hear these sounds?
Shen Qing looked at Xian Shiyu in surprise again. She saw Xian Shiyu point to her ears and then shake her head.
Shen Qing was then certain that this chant could only be heard by herself.
Shen Qing immediately waved her hand. "Li Xian, let me go by myself."
Li Xian knew that this was Shen Qing's opportunity, and she had to go through this challenge on her own.
So, after supporting Shen Qing steadily, Li Xian turned around and walked back to the position where they had broken the formation.
His expression was tense, and his eyes never left Shen Qing's figure.
Shen Qing took a deep breath and slowly walked to the center of the formation.
The chant in her mind grew louder. The originally obscure notes gradually formed several words in Shen Qing's mind.
Dragon race...
Inheritance...
Land of slumber...
Shen Qing closed her eyes and listened carefully to the mysterious chant. She had a hunch that it was left behind by the dragon race in ancient times.
When she opened her eyes again, Shen Qing found herself in a strange place.
Looking around, all she could see were cyan - blue ice pillars. She was floating in the air, her figure light and graceful.
There was no ground in this place. There was no distinction between up and down, front and back, left and right. All that met her eyes were the ice pillars and her own reflection on the ice.
"What is this place..."
The chant suddenly came from a certain direction, guiding Shen Qing to float towards it.
After passing through countless ice pillars, the chant grew louder. Suddenly, Shen Qing saw a huge ice pillar.
The ice pillar seemed to connect the upper and lower or left and right. Its end could not be seen.
It was extremely thick. It seemed that even if hundreds of people joined hands, they could not embrace it.
But the ice pillar was very transparent. When Shen Qing got closer, she found that there seemed to be a sword in the middle of the ice pillar.
"Is that... a sword?"
The chant suddenly changed its melody and became cheerful. The lyrics were still in the dragon language, but miraculously, Shen Qing understood them.
This chant was to congratulate the dragon race on the birth of a new baby dragon. This baby dragon had inherited the power of ice. With a single breath, it could freeze a hundred - mile radius.
The dragon clan chief named him,
Han Ze.