I picked up skill fragments in the demon world

Chapter 100: Remains of the Dragon Palace

The underground cave was very dark, oppressively so.

Looking up towards the exit, it gradually shrank from the size of a carriage to that of a manhole cover.

Moreover, with the increasing humidity in the air, the torch in his hand began to dim, becoming precarious, as if it could be extinguished by the heavy moisture at any moment.

Fortunately, Zhang Chen timely used his skill, sweeping away all the moisture within a ten-meter radius, and the torch regained its previous brightness.

However, Zhang Chen was not afraid; possessing skills, he naturally wouldn't fear mere darkness, especially since he came for the dragon species.

A rune flickered in Zhang Chen's palm, and the fox spirit Nannan had already reached the bottom of the well before him, calling out to the descending Zhang Chen: "The bottom is a hundred meters from the exit! This cave is really deep! Moreover, the bottom is all river water, a vast underground river. No wonder it's a place for dragons to transform; it can be called a lake here."

An underground lake was a magnificent creation, almost unbelievable.

Zhang Chen stepped onto the river water, which froze into ice beneath his feet, forming a small boat to support him.

"The underground water is very deep, at least fifty meters!" Zhang Chen said after a brief sensing.

Why at least? Because the range he could sense was only fifty meters.

Fifty meters was the limit of his perception, but certainly not the limit of the underground river.

Zhang Chen looked at the rope tied to his body, then extended his palm towards the water, which transformed into an extremely sharp ice blade, severing the rope in an instant.

Then, holding the torch, Zhang Chen navigated the underground river in a small boat.

The underground was dark, as if he had completely entered an underground world, with the top of the cave more than twenty meters above and the unfathomable depths of the underground river below.

"How deep is the underground river?" Zhang Chen frowned, looking at the endless river.

The crystal coffin was nowhere to be found, and for a moment, he didn't know where to start.

"I've already explored it; this underground river is an underground lake with a radius of three thousand meters.

I don't know its depth, but its width is definitely three thousand meters," the fox spirit said, appearing in front of Zhang Chen.

"How can there be such a wide underground lake? I'm afraid even West Lake is not as big," Zhang Chen muttered to himself in amazement.

Imagine having a cave underground, with an underground lake inside; what would that be like?

Most importantly, the deepest part of West Lake is only five meters, but this underground lake is over fifty meters deep, which is simply shocking.

However, considering this was a strange world, Zhang Chen could accept it.

"This is a big problem; now that the crystal coffin has fallen into the lake, it will be difficult for us to find it," Zhang Chen complained to the fox spirit.

Searching for the crystal coffin in a place deeper and larger than West Lake was not easy.

"Have you noticed that there's a strange power in this cave that suppresses my strength?" At this moment, the fox spirit Nannan turned to look at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen was stunned, then quickly checked the energy within his body.

The next moment, his expression changed slightly; his usually invincible divine light was now operating slowly, as if an animal in hibernation, suppressed by some strange force.

Then, Zhang Chen opened his Dharma Eye, and a golden light flashed in his eyes.

Instantly, the entire underwater world changed, and a golden, brilliant world appeared before him.

Before him was a golden world, with the surface of the water and the top of the cave covered in golden light.

Especially in the very center of the lake, a stone burst out with dazzling golden light, causing tears to flow from Zhang Chen's eyes.

The light was too dazzling!

The golden light was so bright that he couldn't open his eyes, so he had to close his Dharma Eye, and the shimmering golden world disappeared, and the lake surface returned to darkness.

However, this time Zhang Chen had a target.

He directly urged the ice boat to swim towards the direction of the large stone that burst out with dazzling golden light.

"That's dragon energy! I've never seen such pure, incredibly concentrated dragon energy! That stone must be extraordinary," Zhang Chen urged the ice boat all the way until he reached the stone, only to see that the stone extended five meters from underwater, with five golden characters engraved on it.

As the torch approached, the five characters reflected golden light.

The font was extremely mysterious, as if countless water veins and rivers flowed within it.

Each stroke, each line, represented a water vein in the world, as if transformed into a roaring river.

Zhang Chen looked at the five golden characters, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Just as he was wondering what the five golden characters meant, suddenly, the True Dragon fate within his soul trembled slightly, and then Zhang Chen inexplicably understood the words engraved on the stone: Spring Courtyard Lake Dragon Palace.

Dragon Palace?

Zhang Chen looked at the five golden characters in front of him, a trace of shock in his eyes: 'Does a Dragon Palace really exist in this world?'

But then he thought that even true dragons existed in this world, so if there was a Dragon Palace, wouldn't that be no big deal?

"There's a feng shui formation here; the entire underground lake is shrouded in a feng shui formation, so we must be careful!" The voice of the fox spirit Nannan came from afar.

"A feng shui formation?" Zhang Chen was thoughtful; if this place was a Dragon Palace, it would be normal to have a feng shui formation.

At this time, the fox spirit Nannan approached and came to Zhang Chen's side, her eyes looking at the stone pillar under the torch, a look of astonishment in her eyes: "How can there be a large stone sticking out of the water here? How high is this stone?"

"The writing on it is so strange," the fox spirit complained, then her eyes fell on the golden characters, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

The fox spirit looked sideways at Zhang Chen, who was seriously looking at the writing, as if he understood it, and scolded him good-naturedly: "I say, kid, you're looking so seriously.

If I didn't know your background and know that you can't read a single word, I would have almost thought you understood it.

Why aren't you hurrying to find the place of dragon transformation, and what are you staring at this big stone for?"

"Spring Courtyard Lake Dragon Palace," Zhang Chen said.

"What?" The fox spirit was stunned.

"I mean, the words on this stone tablet are called: Spring Courtyard Lake Dragon Palace.

Have you heard of Spring Courtyard Lake?" Zhang Chen asked with a look of astonishment.

Now, let's talk about the Pingbian Prince's Mansion.

Let's rewind to the time when the Yellow River flooded and Zhang Chen used the True Dragon fate to tease and seduce the dragon species.

As the crystal coffin of the dragon species appeared on the Yellow River, suddenly a subtle dragon roar sounded in a room within the Pingbian Prince's Mansion that had been closed off from light for many years.

The Pingbian Prince's Mansion covered a vast area, spanning ten li in circumference. In the backyard, there was a lake about one li in size. A small island was built on the lake, adorned with a profusion of flowers and densely planted bamboo, making the entire island lush and green.

At the very center of the island stood a single-story house, small in size, only about seventy to eighty square meters. It was entirely constructed of bamboo, with a square shape. The only unique feature was the eaves of the roof, which resembled two dragon horns soaring into the sky.

At the four corners of the house's eaves, there hung sky-blue bells. Below each bell was a ceramic bowl filled with clear water, emitting a thick mist that enveloped the entire island.

Suddenly, the bells at the four corners of the house rang rapidly, the sound penetrating into the house.

The windows of the house were tightly shut, completely sealed. Yet, the house was not dark. Inside, fourteen eternal lamps were lit, arranged according to a unique pattern, illuminating the entire house as bright as day.

The oil in the lamps was a deep blue color, resembling a boundless sea. The wicks resembled swimming dragons, constantly moving back and forth within the lamps.

Before the lamps, there was a memorial tablet covered with blue cloth. The Prince of Pingbian was kneeling silently beneath the tablet, with incense burning in front of him, creating a mysterious atmosphere.

"My Pingbian Prince's Mansion has endured for hundreds of years, always cautious and never daring to reveal the slightest flaw. If the ancestor can successfully transform into a dragon, and I then secure the support of the demon race and form an alliance, even the Great Sheng Dynasty will be unable to do anything to my Pingbian Prince's Mansion. The ancestor's dragon transformation should occur within the next few months. I hope everything goes smoothly and there are no mishaps. May the True Dragon fate return in time, and may no accidents occur!" The Prince of Pingbian, with a full head of silver hair, knelt on the ground, muttering incessantly.

The Prince of Pingbian was very young, appearing to be only in his thirties, strong and vigorous like a young man.

Just then, the bells outside the house suddenly rang rapidly, causing the Prince of Pingbian inside to change his expression. He abruptly stood up and rushed out of the house, his eyes looking at the bells under the eaves that were constantly shaking, a serious look in his eyes: "Not good! Something has happened! Something big has happened!"

The Prince of Pingbian knew that things were terribly troublesome!

A great trouble was waiting for him!

"The place where the ancestor is transforming into a dragon has encountered a problem? Logically, it shouldn't be possible. The ancestor's dragon transformation has already reached its final stage, so what problems could arise? Could it be that the dragon vein has been broken by someone?" The Prince of Pingbian stood under the eaves, his eyes fixed on the four bowls of water hanging below the bells. As the bells rang, the water in the four bowls actually shot out from the bottom, forming four small whirlpools in the ceramic bowls. The small whirlpools rotated continuously, stirring the flow of air. In an instant, the entire island was covered in dark clouds, lightning flashed, and thunder roared, with strange phenomena constantly erupting.

"It seems that a real problem has indeed occurred!" The Prince of Pingbian's face was gloomy. After leaving the house, he quickly arrived at the edge of the island, where he saw dozens of armored guards standing watch.

"Your Highness!"

Upon seeing the Prince of Pingbian, the guards immediately knelt on the ground, respectfully kowtowing in salute.

"Tell the chief steward to have the heir visit the ancestral land and use his blood to appease the dragon energy. Also, the truth can be told to the heir. In the future, the entire Prince's Mansion will ultimately depend on the heir to support it, and he must personally take over many things."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers immediately obeyed and left. Before long, the chief steward once again arrived at Zhang Xiaohua's bedside. Zhang Xiaohua was groaning in pain, and upon seeing the chief steward enter, his voice was filled with suffering: "I really wish I could capture that dog thief Zhang Chen and make him experience all the pain I am currently enduring."

"Heir, please be patient. That mere Zhang Chen is not worth mentioning. You are now about to handle a major event, an event concerning the future fortune of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion. If you succeed, what is a mere Zhang Chen? Even the rivers and mountains of the world will one day be yours to rule," the chief steward said with a smile.

"What major event?" Zhang Xiaohua was immediately excited upon hearing this, his voice filled with anticipation.

"To see your ancestor!" the chief steward said.

"My ancestor?" Zhang Xiaohua was stunned upon hearing this.

The chief steward did not keep him in suspense and directly explained the matter of the dragon transformation. Zhang Xiaohua's body trembled as he listened, his eyes filled with surprise: "Are you saying that my ancestor is about to transform into a dragon? This is a great thing."

"Now, the ancestor's dragon transformation is unstable, and it requires you, the direct descendant of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, to go to the river to perform a sacrifice and use the power of your blood to communicate with the fortune of the Northern Lands, contributing even greater fortune to the ancestor, so that the ancestor's fortune can be stabilized and the dragon transformation can succeed!" the chief steward said.

"Quickly help me up, let's set off immediately." Zhang Xiaohua's eyes were red upon hearing this: "How can I not help when my ancestor is in trouble?"

"We will set off now and arrive at the ancestral land in one day. By the way, your nemesis Zhang Chen is also at the Yellow River. If he accidentally drowns and you selflessly try to save him, it would be a good story if it were to spread," the chief steward said with a smile.

Zhang Xiaohua's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Good, good, good! That's perfect! If he falls into the water, I will naturally risk my life to save him."

In an inconspicuous small courtyard in the Northern Lands,

A middle-aged man was holding a book in his hand, his eyes quietly looking at the surging clouds in the sky, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Dragon transformation? To think of transforming into a dragon under my very nose, how will I face the Great King in the future? There is a saying in the Jianghu that three thousand armored soldiers can slay a dragon. I never thought that I would be able to try it myself in my lifetime."

"Someone!"

The middle-aged man said.

"My lord." A middle-aged man in unremarkable clothes walked into the courtyard and respectfully cupped his fist in salute.

"Gather ten thousand soldiers and follow me. I, Xie Xuan, will slay the dragon today and obtain the True Dragon's blood for the Emperor to extend his life by hundreds of years, and I will surely become famous throughout the world. My name, Xie Xuan, has been absent from this world for many years. Now I, Xie Xuan, have returned!" The man's voice was full of excitement: "Long live the Great Sheng Dynasty!"

At the same time,

A group of men wearing yellow turbans were gathered in a dilapidated temple, looking at the surging water vapor in the sky, all lost in thought.

"I never thought that this beast would actually become so powerful and want to transform into a dragon! Now is the best time to slay the dragon. If we can obtain the dragon's blood and dragon pearl, our cultivation will definitely improve further."

The leader was an old man in his fifties, who spoke softly, his voice full of desire: "Immortality!"