Chapter 575 - 582: A Golden Dragon’s Life

"Alright, alright! Next!"

The elders were overjoyed at the sight and quickly ushered the next one in.

The little Golden Dragon who had just come out swaggered straight over to Song Wanning, showing off his newly grown dragon horns.

"Little Nine, look! I’ve grown dragon horns!"

"From now on, I can cultivate until I live as long as the heavens and earth! I’m so amazing!"

"What a shame for you. Struck by lightning at birth, you’ve never been able to cultivate. You came to the Spirit Opening ceremony today for nothing!"

The little Golden Dragon was adorable, but his words were incredibly cruel.

The other young Golden Dragons all looked over at Song Wanning, their eyes holding a mixture of pity and smug glee.

The elders said nothing, but their gazes toward Song Wanning were filled with regret.

Originally, her birth was accompanied by auspicious signs, indicating a great destiny awaited Little Nine. But who could have known that she would suffer Heavenly Punishment during her delivery, nearly dying in the Heavenly Tribulation.

Her mother died protecting her from the Heavenly Punishment.

Her father, too, met with danger and perished.

Little Nine had always been raised by the clan, but without parents to protect her, coupled with her innate frailty, her life was certainly not an easy one.

They had long since divined that Little Nine’s path of cultivation was severed, and she could only live out the normal lifespan of the Golden Dragon Clan.

Therefore, for today’s Spirit Opening ceremony, Little Nine was just there to make up the numbers.

As silence fell around her, a torrent of memories surged into Song Wanning’s mind. At last, she understood her predicament and fell quiet.

As the young Golden Dragons ahead of her emerged from the passage one by one, she grew even more silent.

Everyone was ecstatic; only she stood alone in silence, making her seem all the more pitiful.

The Supreme Elder finally opened his eyes, glanced at Song Wanning, and said, "Go in."

At his command, Song Wanning walked into the passage without a word.

A golden light instantly enveloped her.

Standing in the golden light, the Golden Dragons on the surrounding murals seemed to come to life.

They coiled and spiraled around Song Wanning, soaring with incredible speed.

Streaks of golden light pierced her body, and she shuddered violently.

It was an excruciating physical agony, utterly unbearable. The pain was so intense that Song Wanning collapsed to the ground, her body writhing ceaselessly.

A series of dragon roars escaped her lips, each one sharp and anguished.

Outside the passage, the elders and the young Golden Dragons were all alarmed. Everyone stared at the passage, their eyes full of worry.

"What’s happening to Little Nine?"

None of the young Golden Dragons who went in before had cried out in such pain.

This was just a ceremony to test aptitude and awaken Divine Skills; such a dangerous situation shouldn’t be happening.

But Song Wanning’s agonized screams continued to echo from within.

At this moment, her body was pierced by the golden light again and again, as if being reforged. It also felt as if something inside her was steadily growing.

The Golden Dragons swirled around her excitedly, their movements ceaseless.

Time passed, moment by moment. Song Wanning’s screams had ceased; she had already grown accustomed to the pain.

She looked inward and saw the golden lights constantly shuttling through her body, seeming to rebuild her very flesh and blood.

But even more peculiar was a single drop of red blood, floating within her.

’When did this appear?’

Song Wanning’s eyes filled with confusion. The drop of blood seemed to have appeared from nowhere. The golden lights only dared to circle it, not once venturing closer.

They seemed to be terrified of that drop of blood.

’This drop of blood is important!’

The thought surfaced in Song Wanning’s mind, and a sense of calm washed over her. She quietly waited as the golden lights continued to pierce her body. Her heart was no longer adrift; it was as if she had found her way.

Finally, the golden light stilled, embedding itself deep within every corner of her body.

At that exact moment, the drop of blood inside her suddenly burst, surging toward every corner of her being.

Song Wanning was swiftly engulfed in a crimson hue. Every part of her body turned completely blood-red, a ghastly sight to behold.

The crimson color, so vivid it seemed about to drip, brought with it an intense burning sensation that assaulted Song Wanning’s every nerve.

She bit her lip hard, curled up in a corner, but still refused to give up.

’This is my last chance. I absolutely cannot give up.’

Song Wanning’s expression became resolute. She forced herself to endure the pain without making another sound.

The crimson seeped deeper and deeper, into every inch of her flesh, her bones, her organs, even the strands of her hair...

Her entire being was enveloped and saturated in the bloody hue.

BOOM—

A bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, striking down directly toward the passage.

The elders outside were startled, but no one dared to intercept it, because what was falling was Heavenly Punishment.

From the moment of her birth, Little Nine had suffered Heavenly Punishment, and now it was happening again.

Was heaven truly giving Little Nine no chance to survive?

BOOM—

The Heavenly Punishment struck within the passage, hitting Song Wanning so hard she saw stars and nearly passed out.

She lay on the ground, crackling sparks of electricity flashing all over her, her body twitching from the shock.

But her expression was obstinate, her eyes wide with unconcealed defiance.

The Heavenly Punishment fell once more, completely engulfing her.

SPURT—

Song Wanning spat out a mouthful of blood, her insides twisting in agony.

But amidst the Heavenly Tribulation, dragon horns had begun to sprout from her head.

When the Heavenly Tribulation finally dissipated, Song Wanning managed to twitch a claw. A long while later, she finally struggled to her feet and made her way out of the passage.

It was then that everyone saw the dragon horns that had grown on her head.

Everyone was ecstatic. The immense surprise made even the Supreme Elder’s eyes go wide.

"Excellent, excellent, excellent!"

He said it three times in a row, his joy palpable.

That Little Nine could successfully complete the Spirit Opening was a complete surprise.

Song Wanning was surrounded by the jubilant crowd. She managed a small smile, then could hold on no longer and passed out.

After waking up, she began her life of cultivation within the clan.

Once her cultivation reached a certain level, she went out to gain experience, little by little growing into the pillar of the Golden Dragon Clan.

The years passed like a song. In the blink of an eye, a hundred thousand years went by, and a crisis emerged in the world.

Otherworldly monsters began to assault the world.

Song Wanning led the Golden Dragon Clan, along with other races, to resist the otherworldly monsters.

The great war was brutal and tragic. Countless otherworldly monsters sought to invade the world and destroy their homeland.

The heroes who joined the war gradually fell.

Song Wanning forced herself to press on, fueled by her tenacious will, only to watch her companions from the Golden Dragon Clan fall one by one before her very eyes.

The heroic, tragic sight filled her heart with immense pain.

This, in turn, became her greatest source of motivation.

Standing at the breach, she looked down upon the land, a final trace of reluctance in her eyes.