The Stagnant Lord and a Glimmer of Hope

My draconic blood was both my making and my undoing. Perhaps because the dragon blood within me was turbid, lacking in purity, it allowed me to reach the very cusp of the Saint-level, the peak of a Ninth-tier magical beast. Yet, a formidable bottleneck then ensnared my cultivation, leaving me stagnant for centuries.

Perhaps the mixed and mottled bloodline power within me was simply insufficient to propel me any further!

Oceanic magical beasts, once far weaker than me, after failing to defeat me, ventured into other sea territories and ascended to become local lords. Leveraging abundant oceanic resources, they all managed to break through to the Saint-level. Even so, I remained trapped at the peak of the Ninth-tier. While I could still hold my own against these former vanquished foes, I harbored a deep fear that this delicate balance would one day shatter, leaving me consumed by anxiety.

The only viable path was for the draconic bloodline within me to continuously undergo atavistic refinement, constantly unearthing the power of the Dragon Blood. However, the draconic essence in my body was far too scarce, making continuous development and excavation impossible.

Now, only by locating a pure-blooded Dragon, and having them bestow some of their vital essence upon me, could I hope to elevate the proportion of draconic blood within my own veins. Only then, through refinement and purification, could I truly become a Dragon and achieve the breakthrough I craved.

Alas, Dragons had vanished from this world long ago. For some inexplicable reason, the Dragons that once graced this realm had disappeared without a trace.

The few remaining Dragons, or those merely bearing the Dragon name, were nothing more than impure, pseudo-Dragons. Though they possessed the outward appearance of Dragons, their bloodline power and purity were vastly inferior to that of true Dragons. Hunting these lesser Dragons would be utterly futile for refining my own bloodline.

I had once resigned myself to a future where I would either be slain by a stronger magical beast, or else drift aimlessly in this sea territory, simply waiting to die, until my lifespan reached its end and I vanished from the world.

However, I never anticipated such a sudden turning point today! I saw hope!

Today, I was deep in slumber, ten thousand meters beneath the ocean’s surface, just as always. Suddenly, I was attacked—ambushed by a pack of Eighth and Ninth-tier magical beasts. I opened my eyes to find my assailants were deep-sea devil rays, a type of deep-sea fish, known for their decent talent in the ocean. When they attacked me without provocation, I instantly knew these creatures coveted my position as lord.

As the lord of this sea territory, I was accustomed to frequent assaults. Packs of magical beasts constantly sought to depose me, always proclaiming that I, a remnant of the old era, was merely a stepping stone for their new age. Hmph, their words were grand, but their strength was utterly lacking. There were always those who overestimated themselves, challenging me, yet they couldn’t even breach my defenses. Their hubris was truly astounding.

Let me see, how long ago was the last sneak attack, the last attempt to challenge me for my oceanic lord’s treasure? Was it two months, or perhaps three? No wonder it felt like some time had passed since I was last attacked. It seemed I hadn’t had a warm-up in too long. The sea territory, once suppressed by my formidable reputation, was stirring once more, forgetting the fear my name instilled!

So, this time it was a group battle, was it?

Attacking me were deep-sea bone devil rays. I quickly counted them: thirteen in total. Three were roughly Eighth-tier, while ten were Ninth-tier. They seemed rather surprised that their ambush had failed to inflict any damage upon me.

They truly underestimated me! Although I, too, was Ninth-tier, my actual combat prowess was on par with the Saint-level. No matter how many Ninth-tier magical beasts attacked, they simply could not harm me!

I let out a thunderous roar, igniting the profound magical power within my body. Instantly, the sea began to tremor, the entire territory influenced by my magic, surging violently. The attackers before me were flung away by this sudden, colossal upheaval.

I swiftly ascended from the deep sea, soaring towards the surface. This was my home, a place I had lived in for quite some time, and I had grown somewhat attached to it. I had no desire to see my sleeping grounds destroyed; a battle on the surface would have far less impact on it.

Nor did I fear that my challengers would refuse to follow me to the surface. To become the lord of this sea territory, they had to defeat me. Wherever I was, they were compelled to be. Indeed, as I reached the surface, the sky was obscured by dark clouds due to my magic’s influence. The seawater violently churned, constantly forming storms, leaving chaos everywhere.

On the ocean’s surface, there were also some small things—human vessels, it seemed, that had stumbled upon this place. How unlucky for them to encounter this. I hoped they wouldn’t be annihilated by the aftermath of my attacks.

Before long, the deep-sea devil rays surfaced, glaring at me with furious intent, as if I had massacred their entire families. These creatures posed no pressure to me whatsoever. A casual scan revealed that these challengers were, among all who had ever dared to challenge me, merely average to middling in strength. They gave me no motivation for a serious fight. Still, a warm-up, a simple greeting, would suffice.

Instantly, I unleashed the inherent pressure of a Ninth-tier magical beast, emanating from me in all directions. As my oppressive aura swept over the enemies before me, three of them instantly collapsed. As expected, their strength was utterly pathetic. Mere Eighth-tier magical beasts, not even reaching the Ninth-tier, yet they foolishly dreamed of defeating me and carving up my resources. What a beautiful delusion!

The remaining ten deep-sea bone devil rays shivered uncontrollably, struggling against the pressure I exuded. Alas, they couldn’t even withstand my oppressive aura, yet they still wished to challenge me. Why did these challengers lack any common sense?

I was instantly filled with utter disappointment in the enemies before me. If they couldn’t even resist my aura, they had no right to stand before me. Just as this thought crossed my mind, I was suddenly stunned by a wave of pressure myself—an oppressive aura carrying the essence of a superior being, assailing me. Although incredibly faint, weaker even than the attacks of the food I typically consumed, the fundamental nature and hierarchical level of this pressure vastly surpassed my own. In the face of such a high rank, I was utterly powerless to resist.

It was as if a true Dragon stood before me, radiating its might, causing me to momentarily freeze as this pressure swept over me. In that moment of paralysis, I suddenly felt a pang of pain. Looking down, I realized the deep-sea bone devil rays before me had actually ambushed me during my daze, managing to damage a few of my scales.

Normally, I might have indulged in a game with them, but now, with the hope of a breakthrough right before me, I had no time for their games. At this moment, I noticed that upon realizing their attack had been ineffective, they actually lost their fighting spirit. So be it. To avoid any unforeseen complications, I would send them on their way now!

With a single roar, I consigned these challengers to their demise. Then, my gaze shifted towards the source of that earlier pressure—the human vessels that had inadvertently passed through this area.