As Xiao Yan carried the body of the Northern Dragon King, Zi Yan swiftly arrived, gazing at the Northern Dragon King's face still etched with cold fury and ferocity, her eyes expressing a complex mix of emotions. She then sighed softly. After decades of internal strife, the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan had grown remarkably weakened. The disappearance of the Dragon Emperor had caused profound upheaval within the family. "The people of the Northern Dragon Island—over fifteen out of sixteen—have fallen victim to the Northern Dragon King's wrath. This has further deepened our difficulties. Fortunately, the western and southern islands have escaped significant damage. With the simultaneous demise of the three Dragon Kings, no one now stands in the way of the unification of our clan." Zi Yan spoke gently, looking down at the dragon islands now enveloped in blood vapor. Xiao Yan nodded slowly. Though the eastern island had achieved victory, for Zi Yan, this triumph came at a heavy cost. As the Dragon Emperor, she had to prioritize the well-being of her people—whether on the eastern island or the other three islands—each of them were members of the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan. "It's certainly a promising beginning. With the ancient Dragon Clan unified and under Your Majesty's leadership as the Dragon Emperor, restoring its former glory is by no means an impossible feat." Xiao Yan paused, offering only this kind of reassurance. Though he knew, after years of internal strife and the turmoil among the Three Dragon Kings, the strength of the Tai Xu ancient Dragon Clan had significantly waned, he couldn't bring himself to dampen Zi Yan's confidence. Zi Yan sighed lightly. She too understood the current gap between the Clan's present state and its former splendor. Indeed, during the Clan's peak, it had been on par with the legendary Hún Clan—a truly powerful force. Yet now, many of its elite had perished or dispersed. Relying solely on her strength, it would be difficult to sustain the overall situation, let alone restore the former golden age. "Now, don't lose heart," he smiled. "You possess the legendary Dragon-Phoenix constitution. With sufficient time, you can achieve a level of greatness surpassing all previous Dragon Emperors. Then, restoring the Clan's former glory will no longer be mere fantasy." Xiao Yan patted Zǐ Yán’s head and smiled. Hearing this, Zǐ Yán returned a gentle smile, her spirits lifted slightly—Xiao Yan was indeed right. Though the ancient dragon clan was currently in dire straits, she herself possessed the legendary dragon-phoenix bloodline of the clan. If she could fully harness this bloodline’s power, she believed she would not fall short of any dragon emperor, including her father, the previous dragon emperor, whom she had never met and who had gone missing for countless years. “Thank you so much this time. If it weren’t for your timely arrival…” Zǐ Yán brightened her face and smiled. “We don’t need all these formalities between us.” Xiao Yan shook his head, then suddenly held up the body of the Northern Dragon King in his hands and said, “Can I keep this?” “Huh?” Zǐ Yán was taken aback, puzzled, “What do you intend to do with his body?” "This guy has an exceptionally strong constitution, and combined with the refining effects of the so-called 'Dragon Transformation Demon Array,' his strength is truly remarkable. If we can transform him into a puppet, his power will undoubtedly be formidable." Xiang Yan hesitated slightly before adding. Originally, the celestial beast puppets he had been holding had already been sent to the Star Realm to guard the main gates. Due to material limitations, these puppets had reached their peak at the Dou Zun level and could no longer advance further—thus, they were of little use to him now. Therefore, upon seeing the body of the Northern Dragon King, he had the idea of transforming it into a puppet. After all, the man was already dead; it was as good as waste material to utilize. "By tradition, the strength of the Ancient Dragon Clan is typically laid to rest within the Dragon Tombs," Li Zi said, her brows slightly furrowed. Then, seeing Xiang Yan's somewhat helpless expression, she smiled gracefully and playfully remarked, "But since you've done such a great favor for our clan, it's only fair that you receive some compensation. Right now, the clan members are furious with this body—they'll probably never let it go. If you'd "Ah, then thank you very much, Your Highness," said Xiao Yan, smiling gently at the formal tone the girl was using. Zi Yan giggled lightly and said, "For now, you and your companions may rest and make arrangements on Dong Long Island. With the three Dragon Kings fallen, I need to begin preparing to consolidate the four Dragon Islands." Xiao Yan nodded with a warm smile. In this ethereal space, he still had the items he needed. Since there were no pressing matters at the moment, he would first complete the creation of the puppet, then depart. That way, when facing opponents, he would have an additional reliable ally. After Xiao Yan nodded, Zi Yan continued discussing with him and then organized her strongest族 members to move into the northern island, where the vital energy was gradually fading, to search for the surviving members of the clan. ... With the fall of the Three Dragon Kings, the once-restless Tai-Xu Ancient Dragon Clan finally eliminated all obstacles. Under the authority of the Dragon Emperor Zǐ Yán, the four Dragon Islands have remained silent, free from any disturbances. The Northern Dragon King's massacre of his own kin had long chilled the hearts of the Tai-Xu Ancient Dragons, so no one now feels anger at his death. As for the Southern and Western Dragon Kings, they were entirely slain by the Northern King's hands—an outcome that only deepens the latter's resentment. Under these favorable conditions, the unification of the four Dragon Islands unfolded surprisingly smoothly. Together, through the combined efforts of numerous powerful Ancient Dragon warriors, the four massive islands, floating in the boundless void, were once again brought together. Only then did the Tai-Xu Ancient Dragon Clan achieve true unity. From now on, there will be no more reference to the "Four Dragon Islands"—only one, the Ancient Dragon Island, remains. Amidst the bustling activity within the ancient dragon lineage of Tai Xu as it undergoes consolidation, Xiao Yan and Cai Lin have chosen to remain temporarily on Dragon Island. After resting for several days and recovering to his peak condition, Xiao Yan announced his decision to enter another period of seclusion. This time, his objective is to refine the body of the Northern Dragon King into a puppet. The Northern Dragon King's strength, during his lifetime, had nearly reached the level of a six-star Battle Saint. What particularly captivated Xiao Yan was the exceptional robustness of his physical form—far surpassing that of ordinary six-star Battle Saint warriors—making him ideally suited for puppet creation. Should this endeavor succeed, Xiao Yan would undoubtedly gain a significant new asset, which would be of immense importance not only to himself but also to the Heavenly Palace Alliance. ... Inside the sealed chamber, Xiao Yan's expression was solemn. Floating before him in the air were hundreds of items shimmering with an unusual luster—materials essential for crafting the puppets. For a rare body of excellence such as that of the Northern Dragon King, which was both sought-after and hard to obtain, he naturally insisted on using the finest materials to match it. Xiao Yan carefully scanned each of the materials, making sure not to miss a single one, before giving a satisfied nod. To gather these materials, he had thoroughly inspected every storage room on the Dragon Island. Thinking of the elder's pained gaze as he had overseen the warehouse, Xiao Yan could not help but smile. After completing his inspection, he simply raised his hand, and instantly, a figure several times more robust than an ordinary person materialized before him—none other than the primary material for the puppet's construction: the body of the Northern Dragon King. The current Northern Dragon King now has his eyes tightly shut, his face pale, his vital energy completely dispersed. Yet his body remains taut, so much so that even when a blade is struck upon it, no trace of damage can be made. His physical strength has reached an astonishing level—indeed, Xiao Yan firmly believes he cannot match it. The strength of the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon is truly unparalleled. Xiao Yan's gaze swept over the Northern Dragon King's head, where the three faces still appeared somewhat fierce even now. He couldn't help but shake his head—this extraordinary physical resilience likely stems from having devoured the flesh and blood of the Western and Southern Dragon Kings. "Pff!" With his gaze returned, Xiao Yan opened his mouth, and a pink flame burst forth, swelling against the wind until it formed a massive fire cauldron in the air. He then waved his hand, and the Northern Dragon King's body was tossed into it. "Crickets!" As the body of the Northern Dragon King entered the fire cauldron, a series of crackling sounds erupted from his skin, and streams of blood plasma continuously oozed out, eventually vaporizing into nothingness under the intense heat. To Xiang Yan, this scene remained utterly unremarked—he had previously crafted puppets and thus fully understood the nature of this refining process. With the unique fire refining the Northern Dragon King's body, it would grow ever more formidable. Though this step appeared simple, it lasted for exactly ten days. During those ten days, Xiang Yan intermittently employed the pure lotus demon fire to roast and refine the Dragon King's body, gradually reducing its originally massive form by three distinct circles. Even so, the body retained a noticeably robust appearance compared to that of an ordinary human. Outside the cauldron, Xiang Yan gazed calmly upon the Northern Dragon King, whose entire body now shone like black iron. Even without the enhancement of aura, the visual impact was unparalleled. "The blood within the body has been entirely refined and infused into the muscles and bones—this very form is truly a perfect killing machine..." Gazing at the dark, imposing figure that even he could feel a sense of pressure emanating from, Xiao Yan smiled faintly. A strange, almost eerie smile flickered in his black eyes, before he raised his hand, allowing the pure lotus spirit flames surrounding the body to gradually fade. "Boom!" As the lotus spirit flames began to dissipate, the Northern Dragon King, who had been tightly closed-eyed within the fire cauldron, suddenly opened his eyes. His familiar crimson gaze emerged, and a deep, eerie laugh resonated. "Xiao Yan, thank you for helping me complete this refinement. As a token of gratitude, allow me to demonstrate the terrifying power of this body now. Ha ha—blame it on you, for you were overly confident and merely dispersed my soul! As the Void-Primordial Ancient Dragon, my body is my soul, and my soul is my body!" Within the blazing cauldron, the robust figure radiating a lustrous black iron glow suddenly roared with laughter, then launched a punch that effortlessly shattered the cauldron to pieces. With a sweeping motion of his hand, he immediately reached out and grasped Xiao Yan. How could the Northern Dragon King, already seemingly dead, have risen once more?