"Bio-warrior Fire Dragon Gene"—a string of alien terminology, all of it so dense that it momentarily stripped Xing Zhan of coherent thought, leaving him staring blankly at the New Moon before him.

"These are remnants of the previous civilization," New Moon explained. "That which vanished long ago—the Crouching Dragon Civilization. It's difficult for your current understanding to grasp."

"The previous civilization." Though Xing Zhan could not fully comprehend New Moon’s words, the Mafa Historical Records: Book of Sand contained explicit mentions of it.

The Ancient Mafa Era was a period of unparalleled splendor, a historical epoch now mythologized by present inhabitants.

Legend held that in that age, people were omnipotent: mechanical puppets that soared through the sky, magical vessels that navigated the deepest seas, and even terrifying weaponry capable of reshaping the very mountains and rivers of the continent!

Some even claimed that the most dreadful weapon of that era could annihilate the entire world in the blink of an eye!

And this supremely brilliant civilization originated from the enigmatic Crouching Dragon Estate!

The most representative and widely known vestiges of the Crouching Dragon Estate that remain are its astonishingly powerful heroes.

New Moon standing before him, a product of that era, filled Xing Zhan with profound shock. "Relics of a previous civilization? What is the meaning of this, and what is your purpose in bringing us here?" Xing Zhan instinctively realized.

Zhan Lang capturing him and his older brother was clearly not merely a plan to oppose his father. A far more astonishing secret must be hidden within this.

"This all relates to your father," New Moon stated. "Originally, we had no intention of interfering with the free evolution of the Mafa Continent, just as the former Divine Dragon Empire and Mafa Empire did not!" New Moon continued, "But he activated the Moon Shadow, and the activation sequence was one known only to the original members of the Crouching Dragon clan! Therefore, we deem it necessary to investigate this matter thoroughly!"

"Activating the Moon Shadow, the original Crouching Dragon clan," Xing Zhan murmured. "Do you suspect my father has mastered the secrets of the previous civilization?"

"The Crouching Dragon clan, due to genetic mutation, cannot adapt to the external environmental conditions," New Moon explained. "Only we, the bio-warriors whose gene sequencing has been modified and whose genes have been enhanced, can freely enter and exit the outside world. However, this freedom comes with strict limitations; we cannot remain outside for too long, or we will perish due to the erosion of the Herpos Particles! Therefore, it is certain that no one possessing the bloodline of the Crouching Dragon clan can exist in the outside world!"

This meant that the true humans left behind by the previous civilization no longer existed on the continent, and naturally, no one should know the secrets of that era's technology. Yet, the information Zhan Lang brought back clearly indicated that their father not only knew of the previous civilization's technology but could utilize it with ease. This fact deeply intrigued them.

New Moon went on, "We once suspected that your father, like us, was a bio-warrior with an activated personality system. However, testing revealed that the genetic sequencing of you and your brother, apart from the MF antibody mutation enhancement, is completely identical to the human gene map of our Crouching Dragon clan."

"Completely identical gene map," Xing Zhan mumbled, completely lost. "What are you trying to say?"

"In other words, you are our kin; your bloodline is the direct lineage of the Crouching Dragon clan." New Moon’s demeanor grew somewhat animated. "And because of the MF antibody mutation and enhancement, you have become far more adapted to the peculiar atmosphere of the Mafa Continent, which is saturated with Herpos Particles."

"Direct lineage of the Crouching Dragon clan," Xing Zhan was nearing breakdown. "Herpos Particles? What in the world are those?"

"The Herpos Particles are the very particles you call magical essence," New Moon clarified. "The humans of the Ancient Crouching Dragon Estate could not adapt to an atmosphere rich in high-intensity Herpos Particles, forcing them to retreat from the continent.

Roughly thirty thousand years ago, the Crouching Dragon clan sent out a group of individuals to seek a way to survive externally, attempting to cultivate new humans adapted to the outside environment through integration with external human bloodlines. But all those plans failed. Although the Crouching Dragon clan and the people of the Mafa world could intermarry, no new offspring could be conceived or born. Furthermore, those executing the plan successively died because they could not endure the invasion of the external Herpos Particles.

This forced us to abandon that initiative!

Yet, we never expected that someone actually survived!

Your ancestors must have been one of those sent out by the Crouching Dragon clan into the outside world."

"Fine, even if what you say is plausible," Xing Zhan was thoroughly confused, but one thing was certain: these individuals had captured him specifically because of the unique bloodline he and his brother shared. "But what use are we to you now that you've brought us here?"

"The Crouching Dragon clan is the most superior and noble race in the entire cosmos, yet we are unable to survive outside, forced to huddle within the confines of the small Crouching Dragon Estate," New Moon explained. "We thought this existence would continue indefinitely, but your emergence has brought us a glimmer of hope." New Moon’s eyes shone. "With your existence, the status quo can be changed. You can remedy the genetic defects that plague the Crouching Dragon clan, and only then can our people truly enjoy the sun and air of the outside world."

"You wish to leave this place," Xing Zhan finally understood what New Moon was implying. "And my brother and I are the key figures determining whether you can depart."

"That is one way to put it," New Moon confirmed. "Only by stepping beyond the Crouching Dragon Estate can we rebuild the brilliant and magnificent Crouching Dragon Civilization of old."

"........" Xing Zhan stared blankly at New Moon, observing him as if he were an idiot, not quite grasping the implications. "Alright, even if you aim to resurrect the splendor of the Crouching Dragon Age, what possible use can my brother and I be?"

"Of course, you are useful," New Moon exclaimed, excitement coloring his voice. "With your genes, as genetic patch segments, the Crouching Dragon clan can fundamentally overcome the environmental constraint caused by our inability to adapt to the external Herpos Particle atmosphere. Even surpassing the current human inhabitants of the continent is no longer just a dream."

"Surpassing the current human inhabitants of the continent," Xing Zhan's expression darkened. "Do you intend to wipe out everyone outside?" In that instant, Xing Zhan recalled Zhan Lang's terrifying planet-destruction mode and sensed that this Crouching Dragon Estate was perhaps not as benevolent toward the outside continent as he had first assumed!

"Survival of the fittest," New Moon stated flatly. "With the highly developed civilization of the Crouching Dragon clan, we should have long replaced the backward civilizations of the outside continent, but we are trapped in this tiny estate due to our own genetic flaws."

"How can you say that? I will never agree," Xing Zhan exclaimed in horror. Only at this moment did she truly grasp the terrifying ambition of the Crouching Dragon clan. If they succeeded, the people who had finally escaped the horrors of war would be plunged into a terrifying genocide, and this time, their adversary would be the Crouching Dragon clan, far more formidable than any opponent before!

Perhaps everyone except himself, his brother, and the four children of Tianyin and Tiancheng would become targets for massacre by the Crouching Dragon clan! This was nothing short of a nightmare!

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