The massive, azure-scaled beast lay motionless, its powerful body coiled tightly around the glowing golden egg in the center of the molten pond. The heat from the lava made Riu Xian’s skin prickle, even with his fire resistance and his healing powers. He moved cautiously, each step measured and deliberate, his crimson blade strapped to his side within easy reach.
“Alright… easy there,” he muttered, mostly to himself, though his eyes never left the creature. His fingers twitched near the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at the first sign of movement.
His gaze flicked to the egg, its radiant golden glow cutting through the fiery light of the chamber. He leaned forward, squinting, drawn in by its ethereal luminescence. "Is it... glowing?" he whispered. He shook his head, taking a deliberate step back, but the feeling of being watched made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
He took a deep breath, and called out, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands. “I’m not here to fight, big guy. Just… curious, you know? That egg of yours is, uh, pretty impressive.”
He took another careful step forward, his boots scraping faintly against the hardened volcanic ground. His eyes darted around the cavern, trying to assess the situation. The azure beast remained still, its enormous eyes closed, but Riu Xian couldn’t shake the sense that it was aware of his every move.
“What is this place?” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. The oppressive aura of the chamber and the presence of the ancient beast made him feel small, like an ant standing before a mountain.
Riu Xian stopped in his tracks, his hand tightening on the hilt of his blade. His mind raced as he stared at the massive creature. “Is this a dragon?” he murmured, squinting at the azure-scaled beast. “It looks like a dragon… but why is it azure? Are there dragons in this color?”
He frowned, trying to piece together the fragments of knowledge in his mind. “I remember reading the jade slip Master gave me when I was in the Cloudspring Sect,” he said quietly, his voice steady but tinged with confusion. “But there was no mention of anything like an Azure Dragon. In fact, there was no mention of any beasts, divine or legendary.”
His gaze lingered on the creature's shimmering scales, their brilliance almost hypnotic against the fiery glow of the chamber. He swallowed hard, a knot of unease forming in his stomach. “Even the memories I inherited from the original Riu Xian don’t have any record of something like this,” he muttered. "And me, from Murim..." Riu Xian muttered, his brow furrowed. "Dragons were only myths there, legends told to inspire awe and fear. But even in those stories, they were never azure. They were always described as reddish, golden, or colors tied to their element, never something like this."
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
He shook his head, his thoughts a whirlwind. "I’ve fought many types of beasts in Murim, ferocious tigers, monstrous serpents, even creatures said to be touched by divine energy. But a dragon? Never. And certainly not one like this."
His gaze returned to the massive azure-scaled creature, its shimmering body both majestic and alien to anything he’d ever encountered. "If dragons were real in Murim, they would have been the stuff of nightmares," he murmured, his voice barely a breath against the oppressive silence. "So what is this?"
The molten light from the lava cast flickering shadows across the cavern, making the creature's scales glint like polished gemstones. Riu Xian took another cautious step back, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. "Is it divine? A spirit beast? Or something entirely beyond my understanding?"
His voice rose in volume, almost without his permission, words tumbling out in a rush. "Why haven’t I heard of this before? Is it even a dragon? Or just some ancient beast that looks like one? And why is it here, guarding that egg?" He was practically shouting now, his voice bouncing off the molten rock walls, each word laced with a growing sense of bewilderment.
The echo of his words reverberated through the chamber, and for a moment, the oppressive silence returned. Then, with an almost deliberate slowness, the creature stirred. Its eyes opened, glowing orbs of molten gold that seemed to pierce through Riu Xian’s very soul.
A chill, deeper than any winter frost, snaked down his spine. The air around him grew heavy, almost suffocating, as the creature’s immense presence filled the chamber. Riu Xian’s grip on his sword tightened instinctively, his breath catching in his throat as he met the creature's unblinking gaze.
The heavy silence was shattered by a deep, rumbling sound that echoed through the chamber, like distant thunder rolling across a stormy sky. It took Riu Xian a moment to realize that the creature was laughing. The sound sent vibrations through the air, making the very ground beneath his feet tremble.
“I have been listening to your incessant prattling for quite some time now, little cultivator,” the creature said, its voice resonating with an ancient, regal authority. It was deep, almost melodic, yet carried an undeniable weight that made Riu Xian’s chest constrict. “And yes, little one, I am what you call a dragon. Not just any dragon, but a Divine Beast, a title bestowed upon us by the denizens of the Immortal Realm. I am a Legendary Divine Beast from the Immortal Realm itself.”