Chapter 1748: Uprooting the Nest

A true dragon surged amidst the waves, locked in fierce combat with an Immortal King—this was an imprint, a reenactment of a bygone scene!

Finally, the vision dissipated, transforming into strands of dragon qi that coiled around the nest atop the stone cliff, swirling and roaring as if the dragon itself were bellowing.

It was guarding this nest. Not far away, the broken horn dripped blood, then flew over and positioned itself before the dragon’s nest.

The Golden Lion swallowed hard but didn’t dare act recklessly. If it truly tried to devour the dragon eggs, Shi Hao would likely strangle it on the spot.

It could tell that Shi Hao wasn’t here to steal the eggs—he genuinely wanted to protect the true dragon eggs within.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

Inside the nest, which resembled a bird’s, one of the eggs trembled incessantly, as if nervous. It was the very egg into which Ge Gu’s spirit had fled.

“Don’t panic. I mean no harm—I’m just here to take a look,” Shi Hao said, genuinely worried it might hatch prematurely.

He already knew these eggs had been sealed here for millions of years, nourished by dragon qi, and weren’t yet ready to emerge.

“You vile human, you actually followed me here!” A voice emanated from one of the dragon eggs—Ge Gu’s.

“I told you, I mean no harm. If I wanted to harm you, I would’ve done so already,” Shi Hao explained.

“I don’t believe you!” The egg rolled anxiously in the nest, as if trying to break free.

“Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll gobble you up!” The Golden Lion bared its fangs, playing the villain to perfection.

“A stupid lion, nothing more. If I were born, I could devour a hundred lions in one breath!” Ge Gu retorted, its voice still childlike and naive.

“Don’t stop me—I *will* eat it!” the Golden Lion screeched.

Shi Hao promptly smacked it aside, preventing any rash actions. Meanwhile, dragon qi thickened in the air, and the broken horn hovered ominously.

Seeing this, the Golden Lion had no choice but to retreat cautiously. It truly feared that horn—even cracked and drained of most of its essence, it was still a sacred relic capable of splitting the cosmos.

“The ground here…” Shi Hao looked down and noticed peculiar grass on the cliff—some crimson, some violet, others azure, all shimmering with an unnatural luster.

What was even more unbelievable was that these grasses bore scales.

“Dragon Scale Grass!”

A miraculous herb with legendary properties, said to grow only near dragon nests—priceless beyond measure.

“So much of it!” The Golden Lion gasped.

Adding even a bit of Dragon Scale Grass to any elixir could amplify its potency. Rumored to be nourished by dragon qi, it contained traces of a true dragon’s power.

Most importantly, it could fortify one’s foundation, strengthening tendons and bones, drastically improving one’s physique.

Shi Hao counted at least fifty stalks—an astonishing number. Any single one would fetch an astronomical price, even in the Nine Heavens.

“Consuming this while cultivating the True Dragon Art would double your progress,” the Golden Lion remarked.

Its gaze flickered greedily toward the three dragon eggs. It suspected Shi Hao was after the True Dragon Treasure Technique—and it wanted it too.

After all, who wouldn’t covet the legacy of the foremost among the Ten Fierce?

“Please… take care of my child.”

A sigh echoed, followed by a frail voice. Then, with a *crack*, the broken horn split in two and fell to the ground.

It had already been fractured—now it shattered completely.

Shi Hao’s heart raced. Was that the voice of the true dragon?

The Golden Lion shuddered, stumbling back in fright, nearly tumbling off the cliff.

Strangely, the dragon egg showed no reaction—the voice had spoken only to Shi Hao and the lion.

*Boom!*

A stone slab emerged from the chaos, inscribed with ancient immortal script.

“It… approves of me,” Shi Hao murmured.

The broken horn had contained a fragment of the true dragon’s will. It sensed the aura of the Blood Iron War Banner on Shi Hao and discerned his origins—his recognition by the banner, his inheritance from the Kun Peng.

All signs pointed to him being an ally, not a foe.

*Whoosh!*

In a final burst of radiance, a bone—white as jade, clear as a mirror—rose into the air, illuminating the ages.

For a moment, Shi Hao and the Golden Lion felt utterly transparent, as if every secret had been laid bare.

“The Dragon Bone Mirror?!”

A relic left behind by the fallen dragon, akin to a monk’s sacred relic, with mystical properties.

It revealed all their secrets before the dragon’s imprint sighed in relief—fully accepting Shi Hao.

Soon, Shi Hao understood everything. The imprint had been honest—it needed him to protect the young dragon in the future.

“I was guarding against a great enemy… but he never came. It seems he perished long ago.”

The imprint glowed once more, revealing more script on the floating stone slab.

Shi Hao studied it carefully, piecing together the truth.

Of the three dragon eggs, two had perished. Only one survived, but even it had issues—despite eons of nourishment, it had yet to hatch.

Ge Gu’s spirit had left long ago, possessing a venomous serpent and cultivating through its body.

Shi Hao was impressed. For a dragon yet unborn to suppress a beast and reach such heights was no small feat.

The true dragon’s message was clear: there were ways to mend Ge Gu’s flaws, and it asked for Shi Hao’s aid.

“Grind the dragon horn into powder, sprinkle it on the egg, and supplement it with divine herbs—Dragon Scale Grass, Nine Revolutions Revival Grass, and others.”

Shi Hao groaned. The first few ingredients were manageable, but Nine Revolutions Revival Grass? Where would he find something so rare?

Without it, the young dragon could still hatch, albeit with deficiencies. But as its cultivation advanced, it could eventually recover fully.

Shi Hao memorized every word on the slab.

The enemy never came, and the dragon horn had nearly exhausted itself—its essence long spent nourishing the eggs.

Now, even the horn itself would be ground to aid the young dragon.

With a sigh, Shi Hao said, “Ge Gu, your parents entrusted you to me. Come, I’ll take you away.”

“You liar!” The egg thrashed again.

“Stop struggling—you’re not ready yet,” Shi Hao chided.

*Hum!*

The broken horn trembled one last time, sending a faint light into the egg. Ge Gu quieted, then suddenly burst into tears.

Clearly, the dragon’s final imprint had spoken to it before fading.

“Let’s go. This place won’t hold—the chaos rift is unstable and will collapse soon,” Shi Hao said. Without the dragon’s imprint, destruction was inevitable.

The dragon egg fell silent. Ge Gu was despondent.

Shi Hao scoured the area, taking every dragon-related artifact he could find—leaving nothing behind.

To his delight, besides the Dragon Scale Grass, he discovered several unnamed divine herbs growing behind the nest, unmistakably extraordinary.

“Wuuu…”

Ge Gu wept in sorrow but had no choice—it had to leave.

Without hesitation, Shi Hao lifted the entire nest, carrying all three eggs away.

Reunited with Qing Feng, the Golden Lion transformed into a gale, streaking across the sky as it bore them swiftly toward Stone Village.

“Did we just… steal a nest of dragon eggs? Am I dreaming?” Qing Feng muttered, dazed by the unreality of it all.

Upon their return, the villagers crowded around in awe.

“Xiao Hao, what kind of bird eggs are these? They’re huge! Are we boiling them or hatching them to raise some chicks?” Shi Linhu asked.

Once the leader of the hunting team, he now spent his mornings teaching the village children.

“Uncle, these aren’t for eating—they’re dragon eggs,” Qing Feng whispered excitedly.

“*What?!*” Not just Shi Linhu, but everyone nearby gasped in unison.

“It’s true. Even I can hardly believe it,” Shi Hao confirmed.

With a *boom*, the village children rushed forward. If not for Shi Hao’s grip, the rowdy bunch would’ve leaped straight into the nest.

Even the children who had returned from the borderlands were stunned, gathering around in amazement.