The Golden Dragon knelt beside the White Dragon, whimpering helplessly in its throat.
"The Soul-Locking Flag..."
"No way. Don't even think about it. These are not real souls, but vengeful spirits formed by resentment. I can only nourish and purify ordinary vengeful spirits. I can't do anything about the resentment of the Dragon Clan."
Shen Qing was bargaining with the Soul-Locking Flag. She wanted the flag to absorb the vengeful spirits of the Dragon Clan into itself for nourishment.
But the Soul-Locking Flag flatly refused her with a sharp rebuke.
Shen Qing sighed. If even the Soul-Locking Flag was helpless, she didn't know what to do either.
The vengeful spirits surrounded them. The thick fog grew denser, and their plaintive cries filled the abyss.
Ordinary people might not understand the wails of the vengeful spirits, but Shen Qing, as a member of the Dragon Clan, along with the White Dragon and the Golden Dragon, could.
They were wailing that they were in pain, that they were wronged, and that they were filled with hatred...
These waves of resentment struck the hearts of the three, almost blinding them with its malevolence.
"Shen Qing?!"
Li Xian noticed Shen Qing's unease and immediately sent a surge of spiritual power into her consciousness, clearing her dazed mind a bit.
Shen Qing came to her senses and found that her face was already wet with tears.
She nodded to Li Xian, then walked over to the White Dragon and the Golden Dragon, slowly helping them up.
"Senior White Dragon, Senior Golden Dragon, what we're seeing now is not your fault."
"You were in the Upper Realm. How could you have kept constant watch over what was happening in the Dragon Abyss? This is the Dragon Clan's tribulation. Since the Heavenly Dao has given us such a trial, we'll find a way to overcome it!"
The White Dragon sighed, propping itself up on its knees. Its once straight back seemed to be bent forever.
After their grief, they rallied once more. The White Dragon and the Golden Dragon now understood the dire situation of the Dragon Clan even better. Their eyes were firm as they took a solemn oath before the remaining souls of the Dragon Clan.
"When our cultivation is restored, we will surely come to save you. Please be patient for a while longer. We won't let you wait for too long."
"I, the White Dragon, swear in the name of the Dragon God. If I break this oath, may I suffer the pain of a hundred thunderbolts, have my soul scattered, and never be reincarnated!"
Seeing this, the Golden Dragon uttered the same oath.
A golden light flashed between their brows. After the light faded, the oath was set.
The vengeful spirits seemed to understand what the White Dragon and the Golden Dragon had said. They let out a final, ear-splitting wail before dispersing.
The thick fog gradually dissipated, and the path that had been hidden by it became clear. Everyone followed the path forward.
Shen Qing didn't know how long she had been walking on this path. All she could see were the vengeful spirits hidden in the thick fog on both sides. She faintly felt as if there was a pair of eyes following her closely.
Due to the blood bond, Shen Qing also faintly sensed something different.
The vengeful spirit of Bai Li should also be among them...
Shen Qing didn't dare to look back, fearing that if she saw something, she would collapse in an instant. She could only grit her teeth and force herself to look straight ahead.
The Ghost Wolf led the way silently until they reached the place filled with the bones of white wolves. Then it stopped.
It had already prepared itself mentally. When it heard from the Phantom Bell that they had escaped relying on the ashes of the Nether White Wolves, it could already imagine the tragic scene at the bottom of the cliff.
This stretch of the journey had left everyone in a heavy and complex mood.
Everyone slowly climbed up the cliff along the vines on the edge. The Ghost Wolf gave them a few Detox Pills. After taking them, they would be protected from the demonic qi for a short time.
After climbing up the cliff, the Ghost Wolf transformed into its original form and scouted ahead, while Shen Qing and the others took a break at the edge of the cliff.
Shen Qing observed her surroundings, forcing herself to detach from the scene she had just witnessed.
"This place is different from the Nine Desolate Continent. The spiritual plants here look a bit strange."
Shen Qing said hoarsely. The White Dragon and the Golden Dragon also forced themselves to stop thinking about the scene they had just seen and followed Shen Qing's gaze to look at the surrounding vegetation.
The Demon Realm seemed to have no light. It only relied on the surrounding ores that emitted a faint blue-purple glow. The vegetation here was much darker in color, and their branches and forks grew in strange and twisted shapes.
Faint fluorescent lights scattered from these plants, adding a touch of mystery.
Shen Qing had learned from Bai Li that this was the former Dragon Abyss. But different from Bai Li's memory, the current Dragon Abyss was filled with demonic qi, pitch-black, and lifeless.
The White Dragon looked around and could see familiar scenery everywhere.
With the souls of the dead clan members right below, the White Dragon had already guessed what was going on. The so-called Demon Realm was just the former Dragon Abyss. But time had changed everything, and it was no longer the same as before.
"The Dragon Abyss... it wasn't like this before..."
The White Dragon looked into the distance, a hint of nostalgia in its eyes. "Back then, the Dragon Abyss was filled with spiritual qi. Countless spiritual beasts and plants were born here. Clan members were born one after another, and there were happy laughter everywhere..."
"Golden Dragon, do you still remember? When we were born, we were lying on a stone. Then the clan members built a temple on that stone."
"I hatched first. I waited for two days before you were born. You were so dazed when you were born that you almost fell into the Heavenly River. It was me who fished you back."
Thinking of the past, a faint smile appeared on the White Dragon's lips.
But when its gaze fell on the completely different scene, that smile disappeared in an instant.
The Golden Dragon was also lost in memories. Hearing the White Dragon talk about his embarrassing past, he didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed, his eyes full of nostalgia.
He turned to the White Dragon and said, "If the Flame Dragon and the Azure Dragon were here, they might also recall the interesting things from their childhood."
But after saying that, the Golden Dragon quickly fell silent.
If the two of them were still alive and saw the state of the clan members at the bottom of the abyss, they might be extremely angry and sad.
Thinking of this, the Golden Dragon felt a bit lucky. Fortunately, the two of them hadn't come.
Shen Qing had originally wanted to divert everyone's attention, but after what the White Dragon and the Golden Dragon said, the atmosphere among them became even heavier.
Fortunately, the Ghost Wolf, who had gone to scout, came back at this time. Seeing that everyone was in a low mood, it sighed and deliberately said in a cheerful voice, "The way ahead is safe. Hurry up and follow me. We can be sad and nostalgic later when we wake up the Heavenly Pillar in the North Sea and have some free time."
Seeing the Ghost Wolf, Shen Qing's eyes became even more profound.
She stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and stroked the Ghost Wolf's head. "Fortunately, you're strong. Otherwise, it would have been a waste of Luo Ling's good intentions."
This out-of-the-blue remark left the Ghost Wolf extremely confused.
It shrugged its shoulders and frowned. "Shen Qing! Don't take your frustration out on me just because you're stimulated."
"Why do you look like a kind elder?!"
"And why are you suddenly bringing up Luo Ling?!"
Thanks to the Ghost Wolf's interruption, the sad mood that had enveloped everyone dissipated a bit.
The White Dragon patted the Golden Dragon on the shoulder. "Alright, what's done is done. Let's retrieve our cultivation first and then find a way to save the clan members."
"Now, it's time for us to move forward."