“Is that a Flood Dragon egg?” Er Meng’s youngest son rubbed his hands together and crawled toward the dragon nest, eager to touch it, only to be promptly lifted up by Shi Hao.
“I say, Xiao Hao, where did you find this thing? Must be a divine Flood Dragon’s egg, right?” The former snot-nosed kid, now a young man, said casually, even giving the egg a pat.
This wasn’t one of the current group of snot-nosed brats but one of Shi Hao’s childhood companions, around his age, a few years younger than Da Zhuang and the others.
“Don’t pat it—this is a real dragon’s egg!” At this point, Shi Hao saw no reason to hide the truth and recounted the whole story.
The group gasped, their eyes widening. These grown men were just as eager as the children, itching to climb into the nest and lift the egg for a closer look.
Fortunately, the old clan leader Shi Yunfeng arrived, barking a sharp reprimand that left everyone sheepish and unwilling to act recklessly.
The excitement was overwhelming—this wasn’t just a Flood Dragon egg but a genuine dragon egg!
In the eyes of the world, this was akin to an immortal, if not something even greater. The legendary creature was about to emerge right in their village—how could they not be awestruck?
Yun Xi stood frozen nearby, staring at Shi Hao in disbelief. He had actually brought back a dragon egg? This wasn’t just defying the heavens—it was outright madness.
And not just one—it was an entire nest of dragon eggs, all hauled back by him.
“I believe now that Uncle is truly invincible. I heard he loved raiding nests and digging beast dens as a kid, and now I see it’s no exaggeration—he even brought back a dragon’s nest!” A still-sniffling little boy gazed at him with pure admiration.
The group of young men, including Er Meng and Hu Zi, chuckled knowingly—after all, they had done the same, joining Shi Hao in his mischief back in the day.
Shi Ziling and his wife were naturally shocked, having rushed to the scene, nearly petrified.
The entire village was stunned. This was a monumental event—what would it mean for their village to raise a dragon? They couldn’t stop grinning foolishly.
“Haha, this is amazing! Is our village defying the heavens now? We’re going to raise a dragon!” Da Zhuang scratched his head, laughing heartily.
It took a long time for the excitement to settle. Shi Hao then began studying how to ensure the dragon’s successful hatching.
He had already confirmed that two of the eggs had perished, leaving only Ge Gu unharmed.
“Qing Feng, return to Stone Capital. In the coming days, identify all the families opposing you, especially those from the Rain Clan causing trouble. I’ll deal with them later.” He wasn’t worried about Qing Feng—he had already given him protective treasures upon his return.
Additionally, he sent the Golden Lion to accompany him, ready to act on Qing Feng’s orders.
As for himself, he focused entirely on the dragon egg, determined to help it hatch.
Once the novelty wore off, Stone Village finally calmed down.
“You’re not worried about yourself, yet you’re fussing over hatching a dragon egg?” Yun Xi sighed softly. In her eyes, the day Shi Hao lost his cultivation wasn’t far off.
“Would eating a dragon egg break the Immortal-Severing Curse?” she asked, deeply concerned for his well-being.
“Useless. That’s a curse—it has nothing to do with this. If you’re so worried, hurry up and give me a fat, healthy son. I’ll train him to avenge me someday.” Shi Hao muttered nonsense while studying the egg.
Yun Xi’s face flushed crimson. She grabbed a passing child and tossed him onto Shi Hao’s back before storming off.
“Waaah! Uncle, don’t blame me!” The kid yelped in fright.
“It’s fine.” Shi Hao chuckled, lowering his head to continue his work.
Two days later, Shi Hao began grinding the dragon horn. At first, he was puzzled—what even was a dragon horn? It was too extraordinary, capable of slicing through the cosmos.
But he soon discovered that the cracked horn could indeed be ground into powder. When rubbed against the egg, it emitted light and was directly absorbed.
Ge Gu remained silent but cooperative throughout.
Most notably, the Dao Bone—left behind by a true dragon, akin to an ancient monk’s relic—also fused into the egg, transforming into runes and radiance before being absorbed.
Shi Hao gasped. Was this dragon egg defying the natural order?
Soon, he understood—the egg had suffered severe damage and needed the essence of a true dragon to mend its innate flaws.
After all, a single dragon egg could one day become a full-fledged dragon! This meant it contained unimaginable potential.
Now, absorbing the powdered horn and the Dao Bone’s essence was perfectly normal—it was compensating for its congenital deficiencies.
Shi Hao also used Dragon Scale Grass, consuming over thirty plants in the process.
Additionally, he gathered divine herbs from the village, extracting stems and leaves to refine into divine energy, which he infused into the dragon egg.
He had given the little dragon everything it needed, save for a Nine Revolutions Revival Herb—but where could he find such a thing?
“Uncle, that Five-Colored Sparrow bullied me!” a child called from afar.
Shi Hao’s heart stirred. The Five-Colored Sparrow was still in the village?
After all these years, it was still here!
He had meant to seek it out upon his return but had been distracted by the dragon egg.
“Where is it? How did it bully you?”
“We saw it in the back mountain. It was holding a stick and dropped it on my head.”
The child complained. Like Shi Hao in his youth, they had tried to catch the sparrow but never succeeded.
As for the adults, they regarded the bird with reverence, unwilling to provoke it, sensing its mystery. After all, it had played a crucial role in Shi Hao’s resurrection years ago.
“Let me see that.” Shi Hao examined the stick in the child’s hand.
It was a dried plant, brittle yet hard.
“Hmm?”
He was startled to detect intense life essence within the withered plant—this was no ordinary herb!
“Don’t tell me this is the Nine Revolutions Revival Herb!” Shi Hao muttered to himself.
The more he studied it, the more extraordinary it seemed. Eventually, he ground it into powder and refined it into the dragon egg.
“Is this the Nine Revolutions Revival Herb you need?”
“No, but it’s effective,” Ge Gu replied.
Finally, Shi Hao personally assisted in its refinement, gathering other spiritual treasures for absorption, hoping to hatch a flawless dragon.
“Go, summon the Golden Lion back for me,” Shi Hao called to the village youths.
Soon, the Golden Lion returned, looking suspicious.
“I have a task for you. Lie in wait at a nest and capture a creature for me,” Shi Hao instructed.
The Golden Lion’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. What creature could warrant such seriousness from the mighty Shi Hao?
“Could it be… a True Phoenix nest this time?” it ventured.
“Something like that,” Shi Hao replied vaguely.
“The Lower Realm is truly extraordinary!” the Golden Lion yowled, thrilled at the prospect of a grand opportunity.
But when Shi Hao pointed out the nest—a tiny, palm-sized bird’s nest—the Golden Lion’s face fell. It nearly lunged at Shi Hao in outrage.
This was no True Phoenix nest—it was a sparrow’s or a turtledove’s!
Furious, its nose nearly twisted in indignation. This was beneath its dignity—a mighty Fearless Lion hiding in a measly bird’s nest? Unthinkable!
It roared, ready to rebel!
“Get in there and stay put. Catch that Five-Colored Sparrow for me!” Shi Hao glared, ready to enforce obedience with a raised hand.
No explanations were given.
Gnashing its teeth, the Golden Lion relented, shrinking to fist-size before flying into the nest—a small hole in an otherwise sealed structure.
Cursing Shi Hao internally, it had no choice but to comply.
Yet, upon entering, the Golden Lion was surprised. The nest was unexpectedly comfortable and clean, lined with rare golden grass.
“Might as well treat this as a secluded cultivation session,” it mused, closing its eyes to meditate.
Days later, Shi Hao grew excited—the dragon egg was cracking. A dragon was about to emerge under his watch.
*Crack!*
Finally, radiant light burst forth, and a dragon soared into the sky, bathed in crimson hues as if born from the sunset itself.
This was a true dragon, the offspring of one of the Ten Fierce!
Dragon qi permeated Stone Village, nourishing everyone. The birth of a dragon was a sacred omen, a sign of great fortune!
Indeed, its arrival blessed the village with rare dragon essence, benefiting all.
Most remarkably, a strand of primordial dragon qi seeped into the earth, enriching the land.
The crimson dragonling soared into the heavens, testing its newfound power amidst swirling divine light and chaotic energy.
“At last, my duty is fulfilled,” Shi Hao murmured with relief.
Then, remembering something, he glanced toward the village’s edge, where a jujube tree stood with its nest—and the Golden Lion still inside.
“Asleep?” Shi Hao approached, finding it in deep slumber.
Moments later, the Golden Lion awoke—and let out a bloodcurdling shriek. Had Shi Hao not muffled the sound, it would have harmed many.
“What’s all the howling about?” Shi Hao snapped, his killing intent flaring. A Lion’s Roar here could devastate the village.
Even with the Willow Deity’s protective arrays, accidents could happen.
“I’m furious! Absolutely livid!” The Golden Lion leaped from the nest.
Shi Hao gaped, then burst into laughter.
On the Golden Lion’s nose was a dried, multicolored bird dropping—likely deposited days ago.
“What kind of bird was that? I’ll devour it!” The Golden Lion howled, its fur bristling with rage.
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