Chapter 1750: Flaw

The golden lion’s entire body bristled with fur, each strand standing erect like long golden needles, making it resemble a massive golden hedgehog.

Flames surged from its nostrils and mouth, smoke billowing from its ears, and even the top of its head emitted fiery vapors—a truly astonishing sight.

It was so furious that smoke practically poured from its seven orifices. This was beyond infuriating!

A majestic and fearless lion, one whose lineage once dared to challenge the Immortal Monk King, its might once shook the world!

Yet now, a clump of bird droppings clung to its nose—unthinkable!

“I’m going to die from rage, roar—!” The golden lion stomped in frustration, letting out a low growl, not daring to roar too loudly because Shi Hao was watching, wary of destroying the wilderness.

“I can’t take this anymore!” With a furious roar, the golden lion violently shook off the bird droppings from its nose and then leaped into the sky, charging toward the outer realms.

Unable to vent its rage in Stone Village, it fled to the vast, uninhabited outer domains.

There, it could roar and bellow to its heart’s content.

“Was that thunder?”

Back in Stone Village, some villagers looked puzzled. Many were thick-skinned and had no idea what had just happened.

“Sounded like that lion Uncle Shi Hao keeps.”

“That lion’s pretty fierce. What’s wrong with it? Why’s it roaring?”

“The Five-Colored Sparrow pooped on its nose.”

The children whispered among themselves, and soon the adults caught on, their expressions turning strange. Their feelings toward the Five-Colored Sparrow were complicated—they found it deeply mysterious.

At first, they hadn’t paid it much mind, thinking it was just an ordinary sparrow. But the more they interacted with it, the more they came to revere it.

There was also reason for suspicion—the Willow God took root at the village entrance, while the sparrow nested at the village exit. A curious symmetry.

Much later, the golden lion returned, its face twitching—a clear sign its anger hadn’t subsided. It was utterly miserable.

“Hey, Golden Lion, you’re back. It’s just a bit of bird poop on your nose—no big deal. Just wipe it off.” A child in split pants tried to console it.

Hearing this, the lion’s face twitched violently again, baring its gleaming white fangs, its murderous glare practically screaming its desire to swallow the kid whole.

“Why are you scaring me? It’s not like I was the one who pooped on your nose!” The child was baffled.

“You—shut up!”

The golden lion reacted as if someone had stepped on its tail, gnashing its sharp teeth, eyes blazing with fury. The kid had touched a sore spot.

“Hey, Golden Lion, that’s no way to act. He was just trying to comfort you. Where’s your gratitude?” Another kid, still sniffling with a runny nose, spoke up in defense.

“Can I bite someone?!” The golden lion glanced back at Shi Hao, grinding its teeth, its golden mane bristling once more.

Shi Hao shot it a glare and uttered just two words: “No. Biting.”

“Uncle, no offense, but this mount you brought back has really weak mental resilience. It’s just a bit of bird poop!” A child chimed in, acting all grown-up.

“Ah—heavens above, just send me back to the ancient realm beyond the borderlands! I can’t take this anymore!” the golden lion howled.

In response, Shi Hao kicked it aside.

“This lion’s no good. Not even as reliable as that big black turtle—see how well-behaved it is, just snoozing under the Heavenly Deity Tree?” the villagers commented.

“Exactly. I think that big black turtle is stronger too,” someone agreed, nodding.

The golden lion was utterly humiliated. What kind of existence was it? Yet here, it was being driven to madness.

Only Yun Xi stifled a laugh, knowing full well how terrifying this lion truly was—yet now, it was suffering such misfortune.

Even if the villagers knew it was powerful, they’d never seen it in action. To them, it was just Shi Hao’s mount, so they couldn’t grasp the stark contrast.

Shi Hao had no time to humor the golden lion. His focus was on the little true dragon, which had descended from the sky wreathed in auspicious mist and luminous rain, its draconic aura swirling.

The villagers crowded around, including the children from the borderlands. This was a true dragon—hatched right before their eyes!

Its crimson body was only about ten feet long—small and clearly young.

Like a glowing ember in the night, its scales shimmered with scarlet radiance, even its horns as red as blood diamonds. A true crimson dragon.

Ge Gu’s expression was complicated as it landed and bowed to Shi Hao. “Thank you.”

Despite their past conflicts—whether in the Void God Realm or the Stone Nation’s capital—Shi Hao had truly helped it.

“No need for thanks. Just become my disciple,” Shi Hao said with a grin.

Ge Gu’s face immediately fell. That had never been part of its plans.

Shi Hao examined the dragon closely—its body was sturdy, its muscles powerful. A flawless true dragon physique, with no weaknesses.

For its level of cultivation, it was astonishing!

Shi Hao knew the dragon horns, divine herbs, and dragon-scale grass it had absorbed had played a crucial role, compensating for its innate deficiencies without leaving any lingering flaws.

“Excellent. A complete true dragon now—vigorous bloodline, cultivation efficiency far surpassing others of its rank,” Shi Hao praised.

Even the proud and disdainful golden lion had to admit—true dragons were extraordinary. In its youth, it hadn’t been this impressive.

“Solid body, strong soul—no issues.” Shi Hao was relieved. He had fulfilled the first of the Ten Fiends’ wishes—the true dragon’s legacy.

His heart burned with anticipation. This was a true dragon—the legendary invincible dragon techniques were about to emerge!

“How much of your ancestral techniques have you mastered?” Shi Hao coughed, feigning casualness.

The golden lion rolled its eyes internally. Just say you want to learn the techniques already!

The crimson dragon looked embarrassed. “Only the basics.” Then its expression changed abruptly. “I didn’t receive the full inheritance!”

Shi Hao understood—this was a serious problem.

He had suspected that without the Nine Revolutions Revival Herb, there might be flaws, but not to this extent.

The little dragon itself was fine—its body and soul were astonishingly strong.

But the fragmented imprints in its blood were incomplete. The true dragon’s invincible legacy hadn’t fully manifested.

It had mastered ordinary cultivation methods, but the supreme dragon techniques were entirely missing.

Shi Hao was stunned. He had been fantasizing about the dragon’s supreme arts, only to find they hadn’t been passed down?

Ge Gu panicked. This was catastrophic—the true dragon’s ultimate techniques weren’t in its blood. All it had were the basic dragon methods.

The clan’s most treasured secrets were missing!

“What do we do now?” Even the golden lion was distressed. It had been hoping to benefit alongside Shi Hao, only to find nothing.

“The Void God Realm!” the little dragon suddenly said.

“What do you mean?” Shi Hao’s interest was piqued.

“Those two strange old men told me that if I could break your records, I could exchange them for the supreme techniques. I think… the true dragon arts are there,” Ge Gu explained.

It had once dueled a youth named Xi Gu, the two hailed as the era’s Twin Stones, causing a massive stir.

Shi Hao’s expression shifted. He had already planned to visit the Void God Realm to exchange his ten bronze fragments for techniques—though he hadn’t decided which. Now, it seemed, the choice was clear: the true dragon arts.

He side-eyed the little dragon. This deal felt unfair—he had retrieved a nest of dragon eggs, gained nothing from the clan, and now had to play nanny, helping it learn its own techniques?

“I think you’re still young, your cultivation insufficient. As you grow, the inherited fragments in your blood will gradually clarify and manifest,” Shi Hao said.

After all, if he exchanged in the Void God Realm, he could only choose one technique.

Right now, he craved the True Phoenix Arts!

If the little dragon recovered, then one day, the legendary union of dragon and phoenix—an invincible synergy—might truly emerge!

For it was said that mastering both the true dragon and true phoenix arts would amplify their power exponentially!

With a true dragon before him, if he could obtain the phoenix arts in the Void God Realm, that ideal scenario wasn’t far off!