"This Black Dragon Pool is no ordinary place!"

"I would like to hear the details!"

Nalan Ruode asked, "Brother Lan, do you know why my Nalan family is known as the Dragon Family?"

Lan Hua shook her head.

"Our Nalan family has a unique cultivation method. When the direct descendants are young, they will have a dragon's inner core implanted in their dantian, thus possessing dragon essence power!"

"What? Implanting a dragon's inner core!"

Not only was Lan Hua taken aback, but Ba Xia was also startled and jumped into Lan Hua's arms with a whoosh.

Nalan Ruode smiled and said, "Little Dragon Prince, don't worry, I won't do anything to you!"

Baxia patted his body with his short legs and said, "Your family is too terrifying for dragons. If they continue to exist, won't all the dragons in the world become extinct?"

Nalan Ruode laughed and said, "Indeed! However, the Half-Heaven Realm is actually the same as the Xuanyu Realm; there are no powerful beings above the Celestial Realm. To truly kill a dragon and obtain its core, how easy is that!"

Lan Hua thought about it and agreed. If the Nalan family had killed too many dragons, wouldn't they have become the enemy of the dragon race and been wiped out by the dragon race long ago?

"Then why does the Nalan family call itself the Dragon Family?" Baxia asked.

Nalan Ruode said, "The name of the Dragon Family originated from our ancestor. Our ancestor was exceptionally talented and created a supreme cultivation technique, fusing the Yuan Dan in his dantian with the inner core of the Dragon Clan to achieve unparalleled cultivation!"

"Afterwards, he even slew an evil dragon, gave its inner core to his descendants, left behind his cultivation technique, and then ascended to heaven in broad daylight!"

"Later generations fused the Dragon Balls, causing the family to rise to prominence, and thus the title of the Dragon Family became famous!"

Lan Hua was utterly shocked, her mind racing. What kind of heaven-defying technique was this that could actually fuse with the inner core of a dragon?

Baxia was also astonished. "The inner core of the dragon race is different from the primordial core, and the cultivation system is also different from that of the human race. If you are not careful, you will explode and die. It is really amazing!"

Nalan Ruode said, "But the dragon race is inherently powerful. Every adult dragon is a powerhouse above the Celestial level, making them extremely difficult to hunt!"

"Moreover, dragons generally live in the Fierce Plow Mountain Realm, and there are very few dragons in the world. It is still very difficult to find a dragon!"

"Therefore, our clan settled for second best and found an alternative!"

Lan Hua asked curiously, "What kind of alternative?"

Nalan Ruode smiled bitterly, "The Jiaolong Clan!"

Lan Hua exclaimed inwardly, "As expected!" The Jiao clan was a close relative of the Dragon clan. Dragons were rare in the human world, but Jiao clans were quite common.

In the great rivers and lakes, there is no shortage of various dragon races.

Some dragons can also stir up a storm, bringing disaster to the world, so there is never a shortage of people who hunt dragons.

Nalan Ruode said, "Although the Jiao clan is inferior to the dragon clan, the Jiao clan, which has cultivated for thousands of years, is not to be underestimated. They are at the Yuanxiang Realm and are only one step away from transforming into a dragon!"

"By fusing with the inner core of the Jiaolong clan, the strength of our people can also be greatly increased!"

Nalan Ruode gave a wry smile, "So, the Dragon Clan doesn't really deserve this title!"

Lan Hua asked curiously, "Then how did Brother Nalan obtain the Dragon Core?"

"This is a long story!"

"About three hundred years ago, my people discovered a black dragon in the Black Dragon Pool of the Xuan Yu Realm. We didn't want to get involved with it, but we found that the black dragon's aura was very weak, and it seemed to be seriously injured!"

"After a battle, we learned that the black dragon had come from the Heavenly Realm nearly a thousand years ago and had already suffered a great injury, barely clinging to life!"

"That battle was extremely fierce. Our clan mobilized all its Yuanxiang Realm experts, and only after sacrificing two elders were we able to kill the heavily wounded Black Dragon!"

Lan Hua was shocked. The Dragon Clan's strength was indeed formidable, having sacrificed two Yuanxiang Realm experts.

Nalan Ruode said, "However, the black dragon's inner core has not been implanted into our clan's disciples in a hurry!"

Lan Hua asked curiously, "Why is that?"

In his view, it would be a waste not to use the dragon's inner core that he had obtained with great difficulty.

Nalan Ruode said, "Firstly, the energy of the dragon's inner core is too vast and domineering, and secondly, there are no exceptionally talented disciples in the family. The highest level of their inner core fire is only high-grade!"

"Forcibly implanting the dragon's inner core would not only waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but could also lead to the body exploding and the person dying!"

Lan Hua was speechless. Even a high-grade pill fire wasn't enough. The Dragon Clan's requirements were indeed outrageous.

Nalan Ruode said, "It wasn't until my appearance that the Dragon Core finally had a chance to be used!"

"What is Brother Nalan's alchemical fire?"

"Dragon Flame!"

These two simple words stirred up a storm in Lan Hua's heart.

"Damn, your pill fire is truly heaven-defying. Is this still a top-grade pill fire?" Lan Hua complained.

"I think so!" Nalan Ruode said calmly.

Baxia was puzzled, "You are just a mortal, yet you possess the Dragon Flame Elixir, it's truly defying the heavens!"

Nalan Ruode shook his head and snorted, "If I were truly defying the heavens, I wouldn't have fallen into a state of madness, nor would I not recognize Brother Lan!"

"What do you mean by that?" Lan Hua asked.

Nalan Ruode said, "Five years ago, after the inner core was implanted, there was still a problem during the process of merging with my primordial core!"

"Although the black dragon is dead, its resentment runs deep. A trace of its consciousness remains in its inner core, causing me to go mad at times and become mentally unstable at others!"

Lan Hua couldn't help but smile, realizing that this explained why he always seemed to have a split personality whenever she saw him.

Nalan Ruode added, "If it weren't for my wife's arduous efforts to find me, I would probably still be wandering around like a madman!"

Lan Hua smiled. "Is it Miss Duanmu Qian?"

Nalan Ruode was slightly surprised. "You know that?"

Lan Hua took out a jade pendant and smiled as she recounted how they first met.

Nalan Ruode returned the jade pendant to Lanhua, then suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! You must keep this jade pendant safe; it will be useful in the future!"

Lan Hua asked, "Brother Nalan, what brings you back to Black Dragon Pool?"

"I may appear normal now, but the Black Dragon's resentment still lingers. I need to resolve this karmic debt before I can dispel the resentment and truly return to normal!"

Seeing Lan Hua's bewildered expression, Nalan Ruode smiled and said, "Our family elders brought a method of salvation from Wanfo Temple. I need to meditate by this pool for several days until my resentment dissipates!"

Lan Hua nodded. Wanfo Temple, that's one of the major powers in the Half-Heaven Realm.

This is truly a professional matter, and only professionals can handle it.

Nalan Ruode held his hands in recitation of mantras, and golden light began to emanate from his body, making him appear like a deity.

"A Buddhist aura!" Lan Hua exclaimed in surprise.

However, the golden Buddhist aura also contained a trace of black power, resentment.

Seeing that Nalan Ruode was busy dispelling the black dragon's resentment, Baxia transmitted his voice to Lan Hua, "Brother Hua, let's go to the bottom of the pool and take a look. I can sense the aura of the dragon clan down there!"

"The aura of a dragon?"

Lan Hua was startled and fell into the water with Ba Xia, swimming towards the bottom of the pool.

The pool is very deep and the bottom is very wide, no wonder it became the hiding place of the black dragon.

The man and the dragon eventually dived to the bottom of the pool, a hundred feet deep, when a red light suddenly appeared, attracting their attention.

It was a red crystal, radiating a rich aura of dragon essence.

"Dragon Crystal?" Baxia transmitted his voice.