《Scrapped Idea》


 Prologue

    In a desolate place, where the skies were red and the ground was barren, were three people. 2 women who seemed to be around 20 years old and then a young boy around 5 or 6 years old. The boy seemed afraid as he hid himself behind one of the two women and held onto her long robe.


    The boy was wearing blue robes with golden dragon emblems, his skin had a slight bronze hue, his hair was short and pitch black. His eyes were crimson red and seemed like a serpents. The woman who he was holding on to was currently covered in blood as her beautiful white robes were in tatters.


    She had straight long black hair and pale skin. Her eyes were jade green and she seemed to have a fairy like face but it was currently very ugly as she looked at the woman in front of her. The other woman also had long black hair but her eyes golden and were also like a serpents. She was dressed in black long robes that complemented her voluptuous curves. Her face was a little round from the smirk on her face.


    She opened her mouth and a mocking voice sounded out, ¡°If you had just been a good girl and not had any children, none of this would have happened.¡± There was obvious disdain in her voice as she pointed the golden sword in her hand toward the two. The woman in front of the boy said in a cold tone, ¡°So that¡¯s it? You raised your sword against your husband primarywife and child just because you want to push your bastard son to the top?¡±


    These words enraged the woman in black as her face turned ugly but a moment later, she laughed hysterically as she said, ¡°Yes, he is not born from your husband. How could he when that guy couldn¡¯t even get it up? However, nothing you say can change what happens next.¡± She looked with a smirk again as she looked down upon her, ¡°You and your oh-so-genius son will die here. This is the Ancient Battlefield where even Empyrean Kings won¡¯t dare to say they will survive with a hundred pre cent guarantee. Your cultivation is now also crippled. I will take my leave now and you two can enjoy dying in each others embrace.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    As she said so, a ripple tore through space behind her and she stepped in. The moment she did, the ripple closed again. Seeing that she was gone, the woman in white spat out a mouthful of blood as she turned around and faced the little boy. She fell onto her knees and brought her eyeline on the same height as the little boys. She looked at him tenderly as she patted his head, ¡°Lil¡¯ZhiZhi, Mother can¡¯t stay for long, so she will have to make this short.¡±


    The young boy was shocked as he looked at his mother but before he could say anything else, the woman continued, ¡°This is my Spacial Ring, inside it are all of my possessions and also what I had planned to give you. However, since I don¡¯t have much time left, all I can do is give it you now.¡± As she said that, she took a black ring off her finger and put it in the little boys palms. Then she weakly smiled as she said, ¡°I will pass on a cultivation method to you now. Remember, never falter and be determined. Most importantly, survive!¡± The young boy wanted to say something but before he could, a massive amount of information entered his head.


    When he came back to his senses, he saw his mother weakly smiling in front of him. He nudged the woman shoulder as he asked weakly, ¡°Mother?¡± But as his eyes met the dull eyes of the woman¡¯s, he understood that she was dead. As his hand landed on the woman¡¯s shoulder, she fell over powerlessly.

 Chapter 1: The young one and the old one

    Inside a lonely cave was a young man around 15 years old. He was currently wearing black trousers and a black short sleeved shirt. The young man¡¯s hair was short. It was black with pure white streaks mixed in. It was a peculiar contrast, pitch black and snow white. His eyes were cold as he stared at the fire in front of him.


    Leaning on his shoulder was a pitch black scythe that had red curving lines on it¡¯s blade and handle. Together they formed a peculiar symbol. The boy stared at the fire for a bit and then sighed. He then set down the scythe in a place that was easy to reach and then took off his shirt. His body was riddled in scars and wounds that were currently healing. What was weird were the black and white curving lines that formed a pair of wings on his back. From his right hand came the black lines and formed a picture of a black glass wing, the white lines mirrored the black ones and formed a white wing.


    The young man looked down at his stomach and sighed, ¡°Guess, the wound was too serious.¡± On it was a long gashing line that had a big scab formed on it. This scar came from a Horned Demon that he had encountered a few days ago. After a bitter struggle and almost dying, he managed to behead the demon with his scythe. Redressed the wound on his stomach and put on his shirt again. After doing so, he took out a green ring out of his pocket and injected Qi into it.


    As he did, he only let out a whistle, ¡°This time I truly hit a jackpot. There are a lot of different healing medicines here.¡± This ring came from a corpse he had found today. He had no idea what this desolate place was but there were a lot of corpses around. Some of them had already been picked clean with only bones remaining but some still had their clothes and/or Spacial Rings left. As he took out all the things inside the ring, he organized them into seven different piles.


    Then the black ring on his finger flashed and 6 different rings flew out. They were of various colours and design but they were all High Grade Spacial Rings like his mothers. It took him a sweep of his arm to collect all of the things into different rings and also to put the rings back into the black one. Just as he finished, his eyes flashed.


    He grabbed for his scythe as he stared towards the cave mouth coldly. As a step echoed out, he dashed towards the cave mouth swinging his scythe. His scythe was stopped by a long sword and as he pulled it back, he looked at the two that entered the cave. One of them was a young woman his age that seemed to have just been through a bloody battle.


    Her clothes were all in tatters and there were various cuts visible. Her eyes were crimson and her hair was fiery red. Even though her face was cold, she still looked beautiful. As he passed his eyes to the old man, he was startled for a second. The old man was missing his left arm and only blood was gushing out from the stub. The old man had long grey hair and his face was very pale.


    The young man lowered his scythe as he asked, ¡°You are here to heal your wounds?¡± The young woman was startled by the question but still nodded her head. Seeing the young man in front of him gesturing them to go deeper inside, she felt hesitant. However, she didn¡¯t have time to think about it as the old man¡¯s wounds were very serious and her own Qi was also exhausted. To block the young man¡¯s attack, she had used up all her strength and had barely managed to block the scythe.


    When the two went deeper in, they soon found the place where there was the little fire. As they sat down, the old man started revolving what was left of his Qi to stop the bleeding and accelerate his healing process. The young woman took out several medicine pills and gave the old man a few as she ate some. As the two were slowly recuperating from their wounds, the young man had come outside of the cave. He frowned as he glanced around.


    Finally, he shook his held as he sighed, ¡°Seems like those two managed to piss off someone very important.¡± There were a lot people just running around searching for someone. His hands flashed with a few seals and different gentle lights floated out and around. As the seals settled down, the young man nodded his head as he went back to the cave. The cave mouth was now undetectable from the outside. If you didn¡¯t know the exact entrance, you would never find it. He had laid down a concealing formation before but the two stumbled through the one he had laid down and broken some parts with brute force as well.


    When he went back to the end of the cave, he was greeted by a peculiar sight. The young woman was sitting there in her tattered clothes as she revolved he Qi to heal her wounds. Since, the clothes were cut in some very private places, they were fully exposed. Sighing, the young man took out a robe from his Spacial Ring and threw it to the young girl. As the robes came flying, the girl was instantly alarmed and as she caught the robe, she looked at it in puzzlement. The young man sighed as he pointed towards a secluded stone wall, ¡°You should change your robes. It will be difficult to talk to you seriously when you are dressed like that.¡±


    When the girl heard his words, she looked down and instantly blushed. She had been very tense until now and didn¡¯t have time to think about how she looked. With a cast down head, she went to the wall and after making sure no one was peeking, she started changing her clothes. Seeing this, the old man smiled towards the young man and bowed his head, ¡°We are in your debt young man. May I know your name?¡± The young man sat down next to the fire as he said, ¡°My name is Fang Zhi. May I know your names?¡±


    The old man looked towards Zhi and answered, ¡°My name is Xi Hao and she is Xi Qing. I must thank Young Master Zhi for staying his hand and letting us recuperate our wounds here. When I have recovered enough, we will exit the Ancient Battlefield.¡± Zhi¡¯s eyes flashed ass he asked, ¡°You have a way to leave this damned place?¡± The old man looked at him in surprise as he asked in confusion, ¡°You do not know how to exit this Ancient Battlefield?¡±


    Zhi just shook his head and the old man Hao looked at him in complete shock. He had never heard of a person who could enter the Battlefield but didn¡¯t know how to leave. As he quickly scanned his body, he realized that there were various injuries and scars on him that made the old man frown. ¡°Is he someone who had stumbled upon a rift and accidentally came here?¡± As the old man thought to himself, the young girl came back as well. She had also heard about the conversation the two had and she immediately asked, ¡°How long have you been here?¡±


    Zhi thought for a while as he said, ¡°Since I was this tall.¡± As he gestured his approximate height when he was cast here, the faces of the two turned to complete shock. Since there was no way to differentiate day and night here, he could only show about how high he was when he came here. The old man seriously asked, ¡°How did you get here?¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    Hearing this, Zhi remembered the night his mother died. Unknowingly, he released a killing aura that made the two feel cold sweat run down their spine. The old man just decided to take back his question as he realized that he didn¡¯t come here by accident. He suddenly remembered something that had shocked the Deity Plane ten years ago. The son and wife of the next Patriarch of the Long Clan had disappeared over night.


    The Patriarch was someone who was unmatched in his generation and even most of the seniors didn¡¯t have confidence in beating him. That very same man¡¯s wife and young son disappeared into thin air. There were signs of struggle at her wife¡¯s room but what poured oil to the fire was that the wife¡¯s Soul Slip had shattered a while after the incident was discovered. The young son¡¯s was rumoured to be still intact.


    However, after this incident the Next Patriarch Long Fanghong, had truly flipped out even going as far as leaving the Clan to personally search for his son. This had all happened ten years ago and it was something that actually made every senior generation elder sigh.


    Long Fanghong was actually one of the most dazzling stars of his generation and it didn¡¯t matter which Clan or Sect it was, they all felt that the Long Clan will prosper when he took the reigns, however, after all that happened to his family, his martial arts heart had been crushed and he was fully focused on finding his son. Even though there was no way pinpoint his location due to the tracking magic on his body being tampered with, the Soul Slip would still give out a Resonance Ripple when it was close to the main body. So Long Fanghong took the Soul Slip and started roaming around, searching for a reaction from the Slip. Old man Hao just shook his head and discarded this thought.


    Although he had never seen the little boy, he knew that his name was Long Zhifang. Zhi looked towards the old man and asked, ¡°If I helped you recover, would you be willing to help me exit this place?¡± The old man¡¯s eyes narrowed as he said, ¡°You are not afraid that I might use your help to recover and then just dump you?¡± Zhi¡¯s eyes narrowed as well as a cold aura spread out. H


    is voice was also cold as he said, ¡°I have been here for as long as I can remember, to exit this hell hole, I am willing to take any chance.¡± This made the old man surprised. He could see the resolution in Zhi¡¯s eyes. He was just gambling on the chance of successfully exiting here. It didn¡¯t matter to him if it failed, what mattered to him was that he tried. The old man shook his head with a smile and said, ¡°I am willing to take you out as well but you need to know this: The place we appear after exiting will be completely random. I will be able to use Teleportation to take Qing along with me and directly go to our Clan. You will be left where ever the heck we appear, deal?¡±


    Zhi thought about it for a second and asked, ¡°Is there a chance that I will be stranded in a place like this one?¡± The old man shook his head as he said, ¡°No, this place is a special. After we exit here we will appear in one of the countless Mortal Planes.¡± Zhi thought over it and said, ¡°Okey, now then don¡¯t struggle.¡± As he said so, he raised his left hand and a white flame manifested on his palm.


    Qing looked at the flame in puzzlement but Hao¡¯s eyes were as wide as carriage wheels as he stuttered, ¡°That¡¯s the Flame of Life!¡± As his words echoed out, Zhi flicked his finger and the flame flew over to Hao and engulfed him. The flame didn¡¯t hurt, it was the complete opposite, it healed him. His wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. In only 10 minutes all of his wounds had closed not even leaving a scar behind. Qing looked at all of this with a baffled expression. She did not know what to say and just looked towards Zhi with a suspicious gaze.


    When the old man¡¯s wounds had healed he had a shocked expression as well as he asked from the Zhi, ¡°You, may I ask where did you obtain the flame?¡± Zhi just lowered his head as he said, ¡°I only remember eating a black and white fruit that and after my body went through a hell load of torture, these tattoos appeared on me.¡± As he said so, he extended his arms. He continued, ¡°On my left hand is the white flame that heals, on my right is the flame that withers.¡±


    Old man Hao had a serious expression as he said, ¡°What you ate was the Fruit of Yin-Yang. The probability of successfully ingesting the fruit is miniscule. If one million people ate one, only one would probably survive. The white flame is called the Flame of Life. The other one should be that black flame, Flame of Death.¡± Qing¡¯s eyes widened as he heard these legendary names of Flames. They were only known of in records and there wasn¡¯t anyone known to actually be able to use either of the flames.


    They were the two strongest Flames in existence, one would be able to save a person even if they were a breaths away from death and the other would ignore everything and kill everyone. She gulped as a thought popped into her head, however, she immediately shook hear head discarding it. The old man however opened his mouth and said, ¡°Would you be willing to make a deal with me?¡± Zhi tilted his head towards the old man as he asked, ¡°What deal?¡±


    The old man took out a golden medallion with a Phoenix engraving and as he held it up he asked, ¡°I want you to guard this medallion. I am willing to give you all of our possessions and also give you compensation when we come to collect this.¡± Zhi looked at the medallion as he thought about it. He just asked, ¡°What is that medallion? Does it have something to do with the army of people searching for you outside?¡±


    Qing¡¯s face darkened but before she could say anything Hao said, ¡°It is our clan¡¯s tradition that all of the female¡¯s will have a Protector that helps them defend their medallion. This medallion signifies the permission to marry the owner of the medallion. It doesn¡¯t matter if the person is the most dazzling genius of his generation or a beggar from the streets. If the woman who the medallion belongs to gives the medallion to a man and announces that she wishes to marry him, it will be so.¡±


    Zhi thought about it for a minute and then just asked, ¡°But doesn¡¯t this mean that if they manage to seize the medallion, they will be able to marry the woman? If someone uses all of his connections possible to gather a large force, what stops them from forcibly seizing the medallion?¡± Hao just smiled as he said, ¡°I said that the woman has to announce that she wishes to marry him. If she says that she doesn¡¯t want to marry the person holding the medallion, they would not be able to.¡± Zhi thought about it for a while and then nodded his head, he didn¡¯t understand it completely but he understood the main parts.


    However, one thing puzzled him, ¡°Why do you want me to guard it then?¡± This time Qing chipped in as she said, ¡°My situation is a bit different from the others. I was born with a special Phoenix Body, a legend amongst our Clan, and I am basically the Next Matriarch of the Clan. Anyone, who is able to obtain the Matriarchs Medallion, I will have to marry without any quarrels.¡± Zhi¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°This is...¡±


    He honestly felt that this would be very dangerous for him. Hao said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it is a tradition that the Protector would be the current Matriarchs Husband, aka me. They will all be busy trying to kill me, plus no one will know you have the medallion and that you even have a connection to us.¡± Zhi still felt that it wasn¡¯t worth it but when he remembered that his only way out of this hell hole were these two, he realized that he could only grit his teeth and accept it.


    However, he put on a sly smile as he asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I will try to use the medallion to get her for myself or that I will find someone to give the medallion to?¡± Qing¡¯s face fell while Hao just smiled as he had been expecting this question, ¡°Well, if that happens then it happens but I feel that you do not have such ill will towards us. If you did, you could have killed me at the entrance and taken Qing by force.¡±


    Zhi laughed as he said, ¡°I honestly have no idea why you have such trust in me?¡± Qing also had the same question, why did Hao have so much trust in someone they had just met.

 Chapter 2: Leaving the Ancient Battlefield

    Old man Hao just smiled to Zhi¡¯s question and said, ¡°I am betting on a fact.¡± Qing asked puzzled, ¡°A fact?¡± Hearing this Zhi¡¯s eyes narrowed as he guessed something. Hao just continued, ¡°I am betting on the fact that you being stuck here for years was not something accidental and you want to take revenge. To do that you will need help, so helping out my Phoenix Clan with this, will make us very deep in your debt and when you need it, we would help you.¡±


    Qing had a moment of realization as Zhi just lowered his head and sighed, ¡°Well, I can guess that trying to scheme against an old fox like you is kind of pointless.¡± He raised his head and said, ¡°Yes, that was my plan. From all the information I collected from our conversation, I could tell that this would land you heavily in my debt. Should I need help in the future, you would be a very good ally.¡± Old man Hao just let out a chuckle as he said, ¡°So, do we have a deal?¡±


    Zhi thought about it for a second and then said, ¡°Yes, we have a deal.¡± Everything proceeded very smooth only thanks to their interests aligning. Zhi wanted to get out of the Ancient Battlefield and needed their help to do so. Hao needed someone to safeguard the medallion and was Zhi¡¯s only ticket out. So, there wasn¡¯t any bargaining because that wasn¡¯t needed. Zhi just asked as he accepted the medallion, ¡°How long do I have to safeguard it?¡± Hao looked towards Qing and just said, ¡°It depends on when this little lady finds her special someone. It may be in a week, it may be in a millennia.¡± Hearing this Zhi just sighed and looked at the ceiling saying, ¡°So no definite time limit.¡±


    Trying to change the a bit embarrassing subject for her, Qing quickly chimed in, ¡°You are quite calm and easy to talk to. You have been stuck in this blood land for years, I am truly surprised that you could let your guard down like that.¡± Both Zhi and Hao looked at her like she was stupid. Seeing both of their faces like that, she didn¡¯t understand what she said wrong. Hao just sighed as he said, ¡°He hasn¡¯t let his guard down from the moment we met. One wrong move and our heads would have rolled.¡± Qing looked towards Hao stupidly as she asked, ¡°Really? But, he-¡±


    Before Qing could end her sentence Hao pointed towards Zhi¡¯s scythe and said, ¡°He has never let go of the scythe. Even by just sitting there he could cut off your head without even standing up and before I could intervene.¡± Zhi just let out a chuckle as he said, ¡°Your eyes are quite sharp old man.¡± Hao just bitterly smiled as he said, ¡°I have lived over 10 000 years already and even though you have hidden both your killing intent and Qi fluctuations deeply, I can still pick them up. However, I would say anyone under the Tribulation is like a lamb up for slaughter in front of you. What Realm have you reached?¡± Zhi just nonchalantly said, ¡°I have no idea, I haven¡¯t been told the cultivation Realms before. All I have are cultivation methods.¡±


    Hao had a face that didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry to that but said, ¡°Under the Tribulation is Body Tempering, Foundation Establishment, then Nascent Soul. After the First Tribulation come the Empyrean Immortal, Empyrean King, Empyrean Emperor.¡± Hao took a breath to let it sink in a bit before he continued, ¡°Then comes the Second Tribulation and after that come the Sovereign, Paragon and Primadorial God Stages. Then comes the Third Tribulation but no one has successfully passed that.¡± Zhi thought over the information but still looked at Hao suspiciously as he asked, ¡°No one has passed the Third Tribulation? How is that possible?¡±


    Hao just shook his head as he said, ¡°The number of people who can qualify for the Tribulation is 1 in Quadrillion. The number of qualified people who actually attempt the Tribulation is 1 in Million. There have been only 4 people in known history who have tried the Tribulation but they all failed.¡± This startled Zhi and Qing. But Qing immediately asked, ¡°What do you mean by qualify for the Tribulation?¡±


    Hao looked towards her and said, ¡°The criteria for the Tribulation is actually unknown. There are thousands of old monsters who have reached the Peak Stage of Primadorial God Realm but they have not felt the Tribulation coming for them in countless years. Since they won¡¯t die any ways, they honestly don¡¯t care about it either.¡± This was an eye opener for both Zhi and Qing. Immediately after this, Hao explained the Realms to Zhi.


    Body Tempering was removing impurities and reinforcing his whole body and when the body had been sufficiently tempered, they can move on and establish their Foundation. Excavate the 13 Qi Springs and then flood them into a Sea upon which to build your Qi Palace.


    After that comes the Nascent Soul Stage, where you first form a Core to birth the spirit. Forming the Core is the Early Stage, Mid Stage is when he had infused his Soul into the Core. Late Stage is when the Nascent Soul was successfully birthed. Listening to the explanation, Zhi could only smile wrily to Hao¡¯s words. Hao said that a person is considered a Genius when they can reach the Qi Sea stage before they are 15.


    Zhi himself had already established his Qi Palace and was currently in the process of forming a Core. This was all because of how he had grown up. About a month after his mother died, he was weak from hunger and stumbled upon the Fruit of Yin-Yang. In his hunger, he ate it and a cultivation method entered his head and erased the one his mother had passed down to him. It also reformed his body and fully tempered his body. He had directly entered the Foundation Establishment and only the section he could follow were the instructions in his head. It gave him a step by step explanation: How to condense a kindling, then to saturate it and so on. When he had reached the 13th Qi Spring, the method inside his head told him to temper his body again and he found a lot of places where there could use more tempering.


    The method never told him what came after the step he was currently working on, only up to the step itself. Anytime, he reached the end of the step, the next one appeared in his head. Along with the steps came a Scythe Art and how to control the Flames. Basically, all that was still out of his reach or he didn¡¯t meet the requirements were sealed and unsealed only when he reached the minimum threshold of it. He had no idea where the information came from but if he wanted to survive, all he could do was follow the instructions. Since this place wasn¡¯t kind at all, since small, he had been fighting for his life here.


    Zhi looked towards Hao and changed the subject, ¡°When can we leave?¡± This startled Hao for a second but he soon came back to reality as he said, ¡°I need to recover a bit more Qi. So in about an hour or two, we can leave.¡± Zhi nodded his head and closed his eyes as he crossed his legs. He started focusing his energy to accelerate his healing. The Flames of Death and Life were the two most dominant flames in existence.


    They made his impervious to all other flames, his own included. The withering didn¡¯t affect him and neither did the healing. However, it wasn¡¯t without any merit as his regenerative speed was outstanding, so was his vitality. The gashing wound would have actually killed everyone else in the same Realm as him but thanks to his amazing vitality and his very tempered body, he could survive and thanks to it also kill the Horned Demon. Like that, in silence and meditation, an hour and a half passed. The silence was broken when Hao said, ¡°Now then, I have recovered enough to transport us out.¡± Hearing this both Zhi and Qing were relieved.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Zhi could after 10 years finally leave this place and Qing was relieved to escape the hunt. Hao instructed them to stand close to him as his hands flashed and ancient runes started floating around them. Five minutes passed and Hao¡¯s voice sounded out in Zhi¡¯s head as he said, ¡°The transportation is starting.¡± As the words faded, a bright light, that made Zhi close his eyes, consumed the cave. When he felt the light fade, he opened his eyes and they were in the middle of a prairie.


    Zhi looked up and saw that the sky was blue, with some occasional clouds floating past. The Qi in the air was abundant and the whole place seemed like it was full of life. A smile formed on Zhi¡¯s face as he muttered, ¡°I am finally out. Just you wait bitch, I will make you pay for your actions.¡± Qing wanted to ask something when she heard the words but Hao stopped her.


    When Qing looked towards him, he just shook his head indicating not to ask. Qing could only swallow her words and Hao said, ¡°Our paths separate here. I wish you luck until we meet again.¡± Without waiting for Zhi¡¯s answer, both he and Qing disappeared. Zhi just raised his brow for a second but didn¡¯t pay it any mind. They had both accomplished their goals and dilly dallying around wasn¡¯t his style as he picked a direction and started walking.


    ***


    In a distant luxurious mansion, Qing and Hao appeared out of nowhere. When the surrounding people saw them, they immediately cupped their hands respectfully. Qing was quiet as she followed Hao deep into the mansion. When they finally reached a luxuriously decorated room, where there were 12 people seated already waiting for them with grim faces, Qing couldn¡¯t finally take it and asked, ¡°Patri-¡± But before she could even finish one word, Hao said, ¡°You want to ask, why I didn¡¯t invite him here?¡± Qing only bit her lip as she nodded her head. Hao looked towards the old woman sitting at the head of two rows of people and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring him here because first, his past is something that may be disastrous for us and second, your chances of finding someone you truly wish to spend your life with would all be for naught. I handed him the medallion so you could find someone without having to fear that someone will use all the methods possible to seize it. Although, they will still try, I no longer hold the medallion and it is in safe hands for now. For him to survive years in the Ancient Battlefield, unless a person who has passed the Second Tribulation comes, he will have nothing to fear.¡± With that, their conversation ended.


    ***


    However, Zhi had found himself in quite a peculiar situation now. In front of him were two groups of people. It was clear that one of the groups was ambushed because they were outnumbered and also weaker. Their equipment was also of in tatters. What made Zhi actually stop to observe this in the first place was that, the outnumbered group seemed like Demons. Some of them had horns, while others had long pointed ears. The bigger group were all humans.


    They wore different robes with different emblems. On a distant hill side, Zhi observed the situation but soon frowned when he heard one of the people say, ¡°Well, seems like we hit the jackpot this time around. There are 16 Elf girls in this group, after we have had our fun with them, they will fetch quite a high price.¡± A sinister and perverted smile spread out on all of their faces. One of the men from the smaller group, hearing that, yelled out in an agitated tone, ¡°You despicable humans, do you honestly think that you can do whatever you want?!¡±


    The man from before sneered as he said, ¡°Your Emperor has fallen, the strongest person in this World is now a Human. No matter what, you beasts only have the future as a slave.¡± The disdain in his voice was obvious as he looked down upon the man. The man seemed middle aged but on his head were lion ears and his structure was quite muscular as he stood in front of the group like a huge mountain, shielding them.


    Hearing this, Zhi grasped the general idea on what was going on. It seems like the Emperor that acted as a deterrent had died and now humans were running all over the place capturing all non humans as slaves. Hearing the young man talk, somehow enraged Zhi.


    Even he himself was surprised about it until he felt a tremor in his soul and remembered something that he had forgotten a long time ago. He also wasn¡¯t a human, he was someone who had inherited the blood of a Dragon. Both his Father and Mother were Dragons and he himself was one too. However, since race didn¡¯t play any role in the Ancient Battlefield, he had soon forgotten it.


    It didn¡¯t matter if you were a Dragon, a Fairy, a Human or a Demon, everyone killed everyone there. But now, the pride of a Dragon awoke from his slumber, seeing other non human people treated as if they were some toys you bought from a stall. As the anger started taking over, he just sighed, ¡°Seems like pride and the soul are mysterious things. Even though I was at the Ancient Battlefield for so long, this pride and anger slumbered. Now, seeing a situation like this, it wakes up in an instant.¡±


    As he shook his head, he started walking towards the two groups. He knew deep down that if he ignored this situation, the pride that was etched into his soul and bones would start hindering his progress in the path of cultivation. When one of the young men in luxurious clothing saw Zhi closing in, he immediately alerted the others. However, since Zhi¡¯s cultivation was Realms higher than theirs, and he had also masked it, they could not see his cultivation. Currently, his Scythe was also in the Spacial Ring. Except for his eyes, he looked like a human through and through. However, since all of these people had the cultivation in the beginning stages of Qi Springs, they could spot his eyes from so far away. One of the youths said to the others, ¡°Seems like another lamb has come for us.¡± All of them smiled to themselves.


    However, all of the old people in the shadows frowned. They were all Nascent Soul Experts and when they also couldn¡¯t see through Zhi¡¯s cultivation, they felt that it was bad. Instinctively, they felt fear towards the youth casually strolling towards the youths. The youths were all the shining stars of their Sects. It was no wonder that they had Nascent Soul Experts following them around and protecting them from the shadows. Since the youths all knew that, they also acted more brazenly and more arrogantly.


    When Zhi was only a hundred meters away from them, he just turned his head towards the nearby thicket and nonchalantly said, ¡°You old farts should take your brats and leave right now. If you haven¡¯t all disappeared by the count of 10, don¡¯t blame me for killing everyone.¡± These two sentences baffled everyone present. The Demons because they now realized that there were even more people and with a stronger cultivation hidden nearby. The youths and the old people were all surprised because Zhi had looked towards their hiding spot as he said that. This meant, that he knew they were all there, however, he didn¡¯t give a damn about them at all.


    This made the old experts believe that Zhi had already passed the First Tribulation. They had joint formations that would allow them to battle an Empyrean Immortal but they would like to avoid that if possible. The old men and women all appeared in the air above the youths and one of them said, ¡°We don¡¯t wish to fight you senior, so we will take our leave here.¡± As he said that, he turned his gaze towards the youths and said, ¡°Quickly capture those Demons and lets leave.¡± Hearing this sentence, all of the youths started closing in on the Demons but Zhi¡¯s cold voice echoed out again as he said, ¡°I said, YOUR BRATS! Those guys stay here. If you guys don¡¯t wish to be massacred, then get lost!¡±


    His cold voice also held a tinge of anger as he said so. The old man from before looked towards him and said, ¡°Those are our slaves. We have the means to fight with you-¡± His sentence was cut short as a Scythe had cleanly made his head roll. Zhi had grown up in a place where negotiations never got anywhere any ways. Also, seeing their demeanour, he knew that these guys would listen either. He had given them a chance, they had not taken it, so all that was left was to massacre them.


    The moment the old man¡¯s head flew off his shoulders, everyone¡¯s eyes opened as wide as carriage wheels. Even the Nascent Soul Experts had not seen him move before the head flew up.

 Chapter 3: Hundred Races World

    Everyone¡¯s eyes followed the head that was sent flying. In less than a second, every one of the old geezers had flown back a hundred meters to create distance between them. One of the old men asked in an enraged voice, ¡°What do you think you are doing? Do you think that you will get away with this?¡±


    Zhi looked at the person coldly and said, ¡°I gave you a chance to leave with everyone safe and sound but you had to give in to your greed. Since my warnings are in from one ear and out from the other one, why bother being courteous to you guys?¡± This sentence stupefied everyone. Although he wasn¡¯t wrong, to so brazenly attack without fear of consequences, this was extreme arrogance in their eyes. Another old woman yelled toward him, ¡°Do you honestly think that you can take on all of us alone? Even though you are an Empyrean Immortal, we have Battle Formations that will allow us to fight you.¡±


    Zhi tilted his head as he looked at them as if they were stupid, ¡°You are all people who have not once in their lives experienced a true Death or Life battle. I can sense that from your aura that you think that just because you have the superior numbers, you will win this.¡± He took a breath before he continued, ¡°Also, you rely too much on your backing. You yourselves are weaklings but you go around flaunting your backing.¡±


    As these words echoed out, the Scythe did a full circle in his hands as he lowered his knees and started dashing towards them again. These words enraged all of the old experts, never had anyone slapped them in their face like this. They all immediately produced their weapons and started using all their skills to attack Zhi from a far. When Zhi saw the flame serpents and water wolfs closing in, he intently looked at them and then just sighed.


    He shook his head and instead of continuing to dash forward, he just swept out his hand and 13 black daggers flew out towards the incoming attacks. Seeing this, the old experts all sneered but were soon baffled when their attacks finally collided and then all of their joint attacks were destroyed. When the last flame serpent let out a mournful hiss towards the skies, it collapsed. The 13 black daggers flew back to Zhi¡¯s side and started revolving around him, producing a complete defensive net.


    As the old experts felt their scalps numb, Zhi¡¯s cold voice sounded out, ¡°Your Qi is filled with impurities, lowering the quality to the lowest possible. Your body tempering is also riddled with flaws, you have only spent the bare minimum possible on it. Your techniques are all looks but no substance. How do you crippled old timers honestly expect to take me on when you negate your numbers handicap with such low quality strength?¡± These words stabbed into their hearts but they didn¡¯t find the words to refute him.


    Zhi had just shot out 13 daggers and he had just destroyed all of their attacks. With that, Zhi pointed out his hand again and of the 13 daggers floating around him, 10 stopped and in unison flew towards the old experts. Before they could even take defensive measures, the daggers had arrived. Ten people had their throats pierced through in an instant and their eyes dimmed. These daggers were something that Zhi had found on one of the corpses in the Battlefield.


    Since in the Spacial Ring was also a flying dagger technique, Zhi started cultivating it. In clutch situations, this technique had saved his life more than once. Against people with such a half baked cultivation, he didn¡¯t even need to use his Scythe Arts, not to even mention the Flame of Death. Zhi didn¡¯t move even an inch from his spot as he only swept his finger around directing the daggers.


    In less than 5 minutes, all of the old experts were now corpses. As Zhi looked forward, he noticed a Qi ripple emanating out from below. He discovered that all of the youths had disappeared. Only the Demons were left below and all of them looked towards Zhi with gratitude and fear. Zhi swept his gaze over all of their corpses and after being sure that all of them were dead, he took their Spacial Rings.


    He poured all of their contents out and a frown emerged on his face. Although he didn¡¯t know the use for all of the pills that the old people had, he could discover that their quality was garbage. Their medicinal properties were almost non existent and they were more like poison pills. The treasures they had were also all of garbage quality, so he didn¡¯t have anything that caught his eye.


    He had spent his life growing up in a place where only people who had passed the Tribulation ventured to, the resources they had were of much of a better quality and when faced with their death, they didn¡¯t want their techniques to be forgotten so they sealed all of the knowledge in their Spacial Rings in hopes of someone picking them up in the future and even if they didn¡¯t use them, their future generations could use them. After venturing in that place for 10 years, Zhi had amassed a collection that would make even the Major Powers of Deity Plane drop their jaws. Seeing nothing useful in their Spacial Rings, Zhi just shook his head and collected everything again. If nothing else, he can sell all of these things for information.


    This was the thing he was lacking the most, he had all kinds of highest grade pills, treasures and Arts but he lacked the common knowledge to use them the most efficiently. He turned towards the group of Demons and the moment he did, they all dropped to their knees and kowtowed to him, ¡°Thank you Senior for saving us.¡± As they yelled this out in unison, Zhi was taken back by the scene. His interaction with other people was quite minimal and usually ended up with him killing someone or fleeing for his life.


    A situation like this had never happened to him before, so he could just look at them stupidly. Since Zhi didn¡¯t say anything, this made all of them more nervous. Finally, Zhi collected himself as he said, ¡°You can rise up, no need to go through all of that.¡± He thought about the stuff he just acquired and then an idea sprung up in his head as he said, ¡°I will give you all of their things if you give me some information.¡± The lion like man from before looked at him in puzzlement as he asked, ¡°What does senior wish to know?¡±


    Zhi dropped own from the skies to the same eye level ass them and then said, ¡°I want information about this world. I am not originally from here and accidentally came here.¡± The Demons all had a look of realization. This explained Zhi¡¯s peculiar clothing and also his bearing of aloofness. He didn¡¯t put all those Sects that were actually quite strong on this continent in his eyes at all.


    Seeing the opportunity the lion man said, ¡°This world is called the Hundred Races World and it is compromised of 3 continents. 2 are completely under the control of the Humans and this is the last continent that is still in the war against Humans. However, it is only a matter of time before the last of the resistance of the other races is destroyed and all of the other races will be enslaved to Humans.¡±


    There was pain in his voice as he said so and all of the others also put on a grim face as they heard that. Zhi picked this up as he asked, ¡°What happened? From the previous conversation I heard something about the Emperor dying?¡± The lion man nodded his head as he said, ¡°There used to be 3 Emperors: The Immortal Emperor, The Dragon Emperor and the Ashura Emperor. The first two were human Emperors but the Ashura Emperor was from the Demon Race. Since the Ashura Emperor was a Demon, his strength was enough to hold his own against the two Human Emperors and create a sort of equilibrium. However, through some sinister method, the Immortal and Dragon Emperor managed to kill the Ashura Emperor and that broke the equilibrium. The races other than Human lost their only shield and can currently only wait to be enslaved.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Hearing this, Zhi closed his eyes as he pondered for a while. Although he hadn¡¯t had a lot of contact with other live beings that didn¡¯t want to kill him on sight, this kind of a situation was kind of ludicrous. He looked towards the lion man suspiciously as he asked, ¡°Why are the humans trying to enslave all of the other races like that?¡± The lion man just sighed as he said, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know the exact reason behind it but it is general knowledge that Humans are greedy and have a superiority complex. They need to stand above all, also since the other races have different body types in their eyes, we are extremely suited for the hard labour.¡±


    He took a breath as he looked towards the elf girls. He said, ¡°My Lion Beastman race is known for their strength and toughness so, they usually capture us to turn into either punching bags, servants or just put us to mine or something along the lines. The Elf Race however is very beautiful in appearance. Those perverted bastards usually use the Elf Girls as sex slaves.¡± There was anger evident in his words. Zhi honestly couldn¡¯t blame him because it wasn¡¯t anything nice waiting for them should they be captured and he discovered that it seemed to be only a matter of time before they were.


    Zhi sighed and threw the lion man the ring saying, ¡°Thanks for the information. This is your compensation as promised.¡± As he turned around to leave, the lion man extended his arm towards him as he said, ¡°Wait.¡± Zhi turned around and asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    The lion man fell onto his knees as he lowered his forehead on the ground. Seeing this, everyone¡¯s eyes turned into carriage wheels. Lion Beastmen were innately prideful people, they never lowered their head like this. Even before, he had only fallen to one knee but this time, he wholeheartedly kowtowed.


    Before Zhi could ask what he was doing, the lion man said, ¡°I ask Senior¡¯s permission to have all the people behind me follow you. I am willing to do anything Senior asks if he agrees to let all of them follow you.¡± Zhi could only scratch his head to this statement. Although it wasn¡¯t impossible to have them follow him around, Zhi wasn¡¯t planning on staying in this World for long. If he discovers a method to exit this world and travel to another one, he was planning on doing so.


    However, seeing how the lion man had discarded everything just to ask him of this favour, made him falter a bit. The lion man made it extremely clear that even if Zhi told him to cripple himself and then go offer himself to the most gruesome slave firm out there, he would do it.


    It showed that the people behind him were very important to him and no matter what, he was putting his life on the line to ensure their safety. To say that they would do everything to protect someone was easy but when the push comes to shove, there would be an extremely small number of people who actually would do so. Zhi just said, ¡°I am not planning on staying here for a long time, so using all the resources and training yourself would be more beneficial for you.¡±


    The lion man, without even raising his head, answered, ¡°My talent in cultivating is poor, even if I possibly could reach the Emperor level, it would take thousands of years if not ten thousands of years. I would be captured or killed way before I manage to reach that level.¡± Zhi thought about it and felt a bit embarrassed by what he said.


    Thinking back to the cultivating pills and arts he had taken from the old foggies, he realized that they weren¡¯t even close to the level of techniques and pills he had. To train to the peak with them would be much harder, also their strength would only be sub par like the old foggies. Although they were all in the early Nascent Soul Stage like Zhi, the difference in their strength was enormous. This had nothing to do with Zhi¡¯s battle experience, it was solely the difference of Cultivating Arts and foundation laid in the early stages of cultivation. Zhi sighed as he asked, ¡°Okay, you follow me around and then what?¡±


    Everyone were startled by the sentence but they understood the meaning behind it: They would all have Zhi¡¯s protection but what can they offer him, nothing. They were all extremely weak and would only be a burden for him. The lion man said resolutely, ¡°I will do whatever you ask of me to do, I swear this on my Bloodline.¡± This was the highest degree oath a person could take. If they broke this oath, only death waited them, not only them but also all of their descendants.


    Zhi sized up the lion man and then said, ¡°Why do you say that your talent is bad? What is Talent?¡± This was the first time the lion man raised his head. He couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind the question and only looked at Zhi in confusion. Zhi clarified, ¡°You said your talent is bad but what is talent? Cultivation speed? Backing? None of it matters. Unless you have the determination to push forward and proceed step by step, you will always be mediocre.¡±


    He took a breath as he shook his head as he continued, ¡°Those old people all used to be ¡°Geniuses¡± whose cultivating speed was fast and they had endless resources poured into them. How did they end up? They got killed by someone in the same stage as them so easily.¡± The last sentence baffled everyone as one of the people in the back asked in disbelief, ¡°Senior is in the same stage as them? But-¡±


    Zhi didn¡¯t let the young girl finish her sentence and just said, ¡°As I said to them, their Qi was filled with impurities, meaning that they heavily relied on pills and external sources to reach where they had. They hadn¡¯t purified their Qi enough and their Qi quality had dropped to garbage level.¡± Saying this Zhi sat down and also indicated everyone else to do so. After a moment of thinking everyone did so, even the lion man raised his head from the ground and sat on his knees listening.


    Zhi continued, ¡°Their body tempering was also the barest minimum needed for advancing. They had a lot of places they had not tempered at all and they places they had tempered was only done half heartedly. The most important thing isn¡¯t cultivation level but Foundation. This also separates the ordinary from the Geniuses. Those who don¡¯t have the determination and willpower to lay down a rock solid Foundation and are instead hung up on advancing in ranks as fast as possible, are doomed to fall.¡±


    He cast his sight over everyone as he continued, ¡°If there is one thing I know about cultivation, it is that no matter what, Foundation is the basis of everything. Even if you took 10 years to fully temper your body, you would leave all the others, who pursued advancement, in the dust the moment you moved on. Tempering the body to the maximum give you the Purest Qi, also the strongest body and it improves comprehension abilities and basically gives a higher edge in terms of future cultivation.¡±


    He let it all sink in to them and then continued, ¡°As for the techniques, unless you wholeheartedly train in it, it will only be a paper tiger. It may seem strong but it is riddled with flaws. The same was in my previous fight, I could spot the weak points in their techniques with a glance, indicating that they only had superficial knowledge of the technique, they didn¡¯t even try to understand the intricacies behind them. So all of those were no different from paper tigers.¡± Explaining everything in detail like this made them all understand why Zhi didn¡¯t care about all of them.


    The attitude towards cultivation in their world and the attitude Zhi had were complete opposites. Their world was focused on advancing as fast as possible while Zhi didn¡¯t care about advancing as fast as possible but emphasized the Foundation. If Zhi had lectured them like this at any other time, they would have possibly sneered at him but they had previously seen the difference in strength.


    Zhi didn¡¯t even have to seriously try to kill all of those old geezers. The difference in their power came from the Foundation laid in the earlier stages of cultivation. This made them reflect on their previous mindset. A higher rank didn¡¯t necessarily mean they were stronger. Seeing them all reflect on it like that, Zhi felt that these fellows weren¡¯t bad at all. To actually lay down their previous mindset to seriously listen to him and reflect on his words was not something that most people would be able to do. At most they would superficially agree and praise him but deep down they would sneer at him. Zhi smiled as he thought to himself, ¡°Maybe they can be of use.¡±


    As he thought that to himself, he cleared his throat to bring everyone¡¯s attention back. As they all looked towards him, Zhi said, ¡°I propose a deal to all of you, are you interested?¡± They all looked with a gleam in their eyes and nodded their heads.


    Seeing this Zhi continued, ¡°I will give all of you a cultivation method and also I will give you resources that are like miracle medicine in this world, however, you will all have to swear an oath on your bloodline to follow me. Never to betray me or act against me.¡±

 Chapter 4: Dragon Cross

    All of them were startled, the oath Zhi requested was the one most restricting one. Due to the environment he grew up in, he would never let anyone follow him unless they gave him a Bloodline Oath. Although there were ways to bypass the oath, tiptoeing down the thin line was extremely dangerous. Especially in the case of an oath like this: To follow him and never betray or harm him. To give an Oath to the Heavens or something wouldn¡¯t be as bad because if they were forced to break it, only they would implicated, however with a Bloodline Oath, their descendants would be implicated as well.


    The lion man said after a moment of silence, ¡°I am willing to swear the Oath in their place. Please don¡¯t implicate them as well.¡± It was obvious that he was worried about Zhi wanting to abuse the Elf Girls. Zhi just said, ¡°I have no perverted tendencies like the Humans do. My goal is to get revenge on someone who killed my Mother and cast me to a desolate, barren prison for about 10 years. Since I can¡¯t do it alone, I need help. I don¡¯t have the luxury to gather people who may stab me in the back, by my side.¡± A look of loneliness flashed in his eyes as he said that.


    Everyone also understood the reason Zhi had not left immediately but had actually listened to them first. While their goal was to survive and not fall captive, Zhi¡¯s goal was to take revenge. Zhi¡¯s power also made them realize that the person he wants to kill isn¡¯t someone unknown but has a big backing behind her. If he couldn¡¯t even trust the people behind his back, how could he dare to attack her.


    Lion man just cupped his hands as he bowed, ¡°I am willing to give the Bloodline Oath and I am sorry for doubting Senior.¡± Everyone else did the same and also gave a Bloodline Oath to follow him. Zhi looked at his new subordinates with a complicated looks. He had never worked together with anyone but he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to think that he could get his revenge by himself. Since that woman had the strength to cripple his mother and cast the two of them in the Ancient Battlefield, she wasn¡¯t anyone weak. Plus, there was the Clan behind her.


    Zhi also didn¡¯t have any clue on what the Clan he was from was. All he knew was that, it was the Long Clan and the jade pendant his mother always wore. He knew nothing more: Where the Clan was, what their status was, even if his father was still alive or not. Only a fool or an idiot would plan on taking revenge by himself if he knew nothing about the people he was up against. So the smartest move was to gather and foster a backing for himself.


    Actually, this World was the perfect place to make a base for himself. The Human¡¯s have driven the other Races to a corner and if Zhi moved smartly, he would be able to take control of this continent and also get the backing he needs. However, this isn¡¯t something that will take a month or two to achieve, this is going to be a long term project where he needs to speak the right words at right times and also do the right things at the right times. He decided that to start this plan was now or never. Everyone present had left a bit of an impression on him, he knew that their hatred towards the Humans was strong enough for them to agree to his terms.


    When everyone had given a Bloodline Oath to never betray him, Zhi retracted his cold and somewhat oppressive aura. He looked over everyone and said, ¡°Now then, divide yourselves by your Elemental Affinity.¡± When everyone had divided themselves by their Elemental Affinity, Zhi nodded his head. However, he noticed that the people from the same race were mostly from the same Element as well. Zhi just counted the heads and murmured to himself, ¡°13 with Fire Affinity, 19 with Water Affinity, 11 with Wind Affinity, 16 with Earth Affinity.¡± These were the four groups that had formed. Zhi took out 13 red Spacial Rings that he had acquired and put some things in them. He then took 19 blue ones and repeated the process, with green and brown ones as well. He put them all down and said, ¡°Inside the Spacial Rings are the Pills and Body Tempering techniques. Fire ones take the red ones, Water ones take the blue, Wind takes green and Earth takes brown ones. As for the Cultivating Arts and weapons, I will personally inspect everyone and give them the one that suits them the most.¡± As his voice echoed out, everyone were a bit taken a back.


    Spacial Rings were things only supreme experts or very influential or rich people had. Now Zhi had taken out 59 Spacial Rings like he had a mountain of them. No one dared to disregard his orders and everyone neatly took one of the Spacial Rings. Since most of them were too young in their terms to start cultivating, they couldn¡¯t open their Spacial Rings. Zhi swept out his hand and a little island materialized in the air. Everyone looked at it puzzling but Zhi swept his arm out again and everyone felt a gust of wind carry them to the Island.


    The island wasn¡¯t big, only about 200 square meters but everyone felt puzzled by this move. Zhi had acquired this Island from the Spacial Ring of one of the corpses. What blew Zhi¡¯s mind at the time was that his Island was a Fortress Type Artefact. Although it wasn¡¯t as fast as Movement Type Artefacts, it was still fast. It also had a lot of different formations etched into it and only Emperor¡¯s and up could enter this Island forcefully. Zhi also learned that he could control the size of the Island. The maximum it could reach was 600 square kilometers. In the Ancient Battlefield, he had no use for it because it was too conspicuous but now it was a different story.


    They were currently near the ocean any ways, so it wouldn¡¯t take long for him to reach it and sink the island down and make it take it¡¯s true size. The main reason he brought this thing out in the first place was because he needed a base of operations. Even if they didn¡¯t venture outside, in time, more people would come here and since Zhi was completely in control of the Island, it was safer to be on this Island rather than occupy a place and then start building everything up from scratch.


    He had been planning on acquiring a backing when he got out but he didn¡¯t honestly expect everything to fall onto his lap a few hours after he left the Battlefield. Such fall of good fortune actually made him suspicious a bit but like they say, don¡¯t look a gifted horse in the mouth. The collection of different techniques and different pills he had obtained in the Ancient Battlefield wasn¡¯t small.


    It was way more than any Supreme Sect or Ancient Clan. What was most important was that all of it was diverse. He had everything from combat arts to healing arts. Pill refining, Artefact forging, Formations, you name it, he had it. These 59 people would make the best core for him to trust everything to. After he directed the Island to move towards the sea, he started talking to each of them and also passing on cultivating arts for them. He didn¡¯t pressure them at all but rather told them not to pursue advancement but rather tempering their bodies to the maximum.


    This was also something that all of them could do and actually the younger you were, the less effort you actually had to invest. The younger a person was, the less impurities they had ingested with food and from the air. The older you were, it was obvious that it would be more. However, he did it the same way that the Yin-Yang Fruit did with him, he didn¡¯t give them the whole Cultivation Art but rather he gave them the Body Tempering part and told them to come and find him when they had fully tempered their bodies to get the continuation. This was just to keep them from trying to advance too fast and leaving themselves a shaky Foundation. If he had known that in the future, this little band of people would become the strongest Empire that would be called the ¡°Perfectionist Empire¡± in the future, he would laugh to that.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    When Zhi had given everyone their cultivation methods, and also given them repeated warnings to be thorough and not pursue speed, he gave all of them some food and gave them new clothes. He had learned everyone¡¯s names as well, when he was talking to them. For example, the lion man was named, Shi Zhishi. He was also the leader of the little group before so when he followed Zhi¡¯s orders so thoroughly, everyone else followed his example. Around the little campfire, everyone were eating the meat Zhi had brought out from somewhere. Finally Zhishi asked, ¡°What is the name of our group?¡± Zhi looked at him and tilted his head, ¡°Does it even matter?¡±


    Zhishi objected, ¡°Yes it matters. It will be the Banner under which everyone will rally in the future. A name is very important.¡± Zhi just sighed as he had not thought about this before. In all honesty, he did not give a damn what they were called but seeing everyone make a big deal out of it, he decided to make a few concessions to them as well. Mostly thanks to all of them giving a Bloodline Oath to him. He took a pendant from around his neck and said, ¡°How about Dragon Cross? The Emblem can be the picture of this pendant.¡± Everyone were very excited about it. This made Zhi a bit puzzled as he thought to himself, ¡°I do not understand them at all. How can they be so cheerful and happy?¡± As he thought to himself a man with eagle like eyes sat next to him and said, ¡°A peculiar sight, isn¡¯t it? Despite nearly being enslaved a few hours ago, they all act so happy and go lucky now.¡± Zhi just nodded his head as he looked at the man with eagle eyes.


    His name was Zhang Feng. He was currently 20 years old and his physique wasn¡¯t half back, if you ignored some of the obvious bird man features, he was quite human like. However, on his back were two majestic white feathered wings. Seeing Zhi nod like that Feng continued, ¡°Actually, this is not anything surprising. For the last 3 years we have been constantly on the run trying to survive and avoid being enslaved. This is the first time they can just relax and not have to worry about some Humans jumping out from a nearby bush and trying to capture them.¡± Hearing this Zhi was startled as he listened to Feng. Constantly being on the run and being alert of everything nearby was something he was very familiar with. He had grown so accustomed to it that he just did it subconsciously and it didn¡¯t impact his every day life that much. However, all of these people had grown up in a safe environment before and although it was only three years, they had not grown accustomed to it. Zhi and Feng chatted about the state of the world a bit and seeing everyone heading off to sleep, Zhi tightened the formations on the Island and didn¡¯t let anything enter without him realizing it. After doing so, he told Feng and Zhishi that he will head into seclusion for a few days so they were left in charge of everyone.


    After entering the luxurious mansion in the middle of the island, he entered to the deep underground. This was the storage room and Zhi was going to spend the next few days organizing all of the things he had obtained in the past ten years. As he looked through the Cultivation arts, he categorized them by their Tempering requirements and Elemental Affinity. He did the same to all the armours, pills, weapons, Weapon Arts basically everything was categorized and divided. To do a complete inventory of all the things and divide them took him 6 days. When he was finally done and exited the underground storage room, he thoroughly locked it.


    No one but him would be able to enter that place from now on and he also didn¡¯t like wearing all of his wealth on him all the times. When he went to find everyone else, he was quite surprised to discover that there were Banners strung up all around the island. The Emblem on the Banners was the same as the pendant, a dragon coiled around a cross. Also, all of the people had divided the island by the elemental affinity and everyone was currently whole heartedly cultivating. On their clothes was the same Emblem of Dragon Cross. Zhi had no idea how long he had actually been underground but he felt that it couldn¡¯t have been that long.


    Finally, he found Feng, Zhishi and two others discussing some things. When he approached them, they all stood up and respectfully cupped their hands as Fend said, ¡°Ancestor.¡± Hearing this, Zhi blanked out as he asked, ¡°Ancestor?¡± Zhishi immediately explained to Zhi, ¡°We four used to be City Lords, so we have experience managing people but we can tell that Ancestor used to be the ¡°Lone Wolf Type¡±. So we shamelessly decided to aid the Ancestor in managing the people here.¡± Zhi scratched his head as he couldn¡¯t refute them.


    He truly had been the lone wolf type that had zero experience managing people. However, he didn¡¯t understand the Ancestor thing. Seeing the confused expression on Zhi¡¯s face, Feng explained, ¡°Since we know that Senior has no experience managing people, we wanted to propose the Ancestor System.¡± Zhi was now even more confused but he grabbed a nearby spot to sit and gestured everyone else to sit as well. Zhi said, ¡°Although, I don¡¯t mind you managing the people, would someone mind explaining to me the Ancestor System?¡±


    Feng smiled as he said, ¡°Well, the Ancestor System is that You are the ¡°Ancestor¡± the highest authority but most of the time you focus on doing your own things and other people manage the mundane things. If you issue an order, everyone will follow it but it is just that we will be the ones who organize people, oversee the cultivation, distribution of resources, trades, security and so on.¡± Zhi just said, ¡°Ohh...¡± He understood how the Ancestor System worked.


    The Ancestor basically had people take care of everything else and the Ancestor focused on his own things, be it cultivation, formations, crafting or pill refining. Should something happen that needed the Ancestor intervention, he would show up and take command but he didn¡¯t have to deal with every minor matter there is. Zhi actually liked this system very much because it gave him more time to deal with his own cultivation and also familiarize himself with his core techniques a bit more.


    He looked towards the four with a suspicious glance and they were all covered in cold sweat as Feng quickly said, ¡°We did not mean to offend Senior but felt that having you supervise every single thing would take too much of your time and be very detrimental to Seniors own cultivation.¡± Zhi understood that they wanted to help him as much as they could so that his own cultivation wouldn¡¯t fall into a stalemate because of them. Zhi just smiled as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am actually thankful to you for taking on this burden. I was wracking my brains on how to balance my own cultivation with supervising yours at the same time. This actually takes a big burden off my shoulders.¡± He even lightly bowed his head.


    The four were baffled by the honesty and modesty of Zhi. One thing they had been afraid of the past few days was how Zhi is going to act to the proposal. Seeing it go smoothly, everyone felt a burden fall off their chests. Zhi inquired about the progress of the other people and after getting a general run down, he nodded. Although only a few days had passed since all of them had gotten their cultivation methods, all of them were whole heartedly cultivating. No one was slacking off. Feng suggested opening a training ground in each of the 4 districts and also a weapons hall and so on. Zhi felt that this needed to be tuned out a lot because 90% of the things he had were of Miracle Grade in this world, to put them all out there without any restriction was a bit detrimental.


    Shang suggested to lay down formation on weapons and armours that tested the person. If they could pass the test, they could acquire it but they couldn¡¯t pass it on to someone else. Shang was one of the Fishman Race. His hair was blue and between his finger was a web. His skin colour had a bronze hue but on his neck were gills that allowed him to breathe underwater. This suggestion was actually a good one. The people would have something to thrive for while at the same time, they couldn¡¯t just obtain them so easily. As they were discussing all of the things, suddenly Zhi looked towards a direction in the distance.


    Seeing a smile spread out on Zhi¡¯s face, they all felt that something had just happened. As they all looked towards Zhi, he stood up as he said, ¡°Seems like some people just don¡¯t appreciate life. Having escaped with their life once, they still dare to come back just to die.¡±


    Hearing this, everyone¡¯s expression fell as they felt fear gently grip their heart.

 Chapter 5: Massacre

    The island was currently about 10 square kilometers big. Zhi didn¡¯t see the point of currently making it take it¡¯s original size if they only had 60 people. Since he was the ¡°Master of the Island¡±, he knew when someone tried to force their way in here. Currently, there were over a three hundred people outside and Zhi felt the familiar aura on some of them.


    They were the youths he had met about a week back. It wasn¡¯t particularly hard to realize why they were there. Zhi also discovered that a lot of people were observing the situation from afar, whether they were Humans or not, he did not know. One thing was for sure: Depending on how he handles this, this might spin out of control. However, he wasn¡¯t afraid at all. He had learned that there were only two Empyrean Emperor level people in this World and even if they personally intervened they might not win.


    The Island was something on par with a Major Sect¡¯s Headquarters from a Deity Plane, to expect that some random Empyrean Emperor would be able to do what he wants despite the various formations on the Island would be a joke. Even people who had passed the Second Tribulation would be hard pressed to forcefully enter the Island and survive if all of attention was on them, not to mention a ¡°mere¡± Empyrean Emperor. Zhi just rose to the air and went to the edge of the Island where all the Humans were.


    He left behind a screen on which Feng and the rest could see the situation fold. Seeing the number of enemies, they felt their scalps numb as they started fearing if Zhi could survive on his own. They would only be a burden even if they tried to help him, so all they could do was grit their teeth and watch. Even thought they felt fear, they didn¡¯t understand why Zhi could be so calm. He even smiled and went to meet them all. This made the four think that he was just crazy.


    However, Feng and the rest immediately gathered everyone to look at the battle as well. If nothing else, they would know when to kill themselves, rather than be captured. When Zhi reached the edge of the Island he just stood there lazily as he asked, ¡°What do you guys want?¡± Hearing the lazy voice spread out, all of the old experts focused their gazes towards Zhi.


    They tried to use their Qi to probe his cultivation base but they were unable to do so. This made their faces grim as one of the old men stepped forward, ¡°Were you the one who slaughtered all of the Nascent Soul Experts a week ago?¡± Zhi just glanced at the old timer as he coldly said, ¡°Yes, it was me. I gave them a chance at life but they decided not to take it.¡± The old man was enraged by the words as he immediately yelled at Zhi, ¡°You insolent beast, you dare harm someone from my Seven Flames Sect? You do not know the meaning of insolence!¡±


    As Zhi heard that sentence he looked towards the people with a blank face. He just couldn¡¯t believe his ears, although he hadn¡¯t had much contact with other people, this kind of self justifying arrogance was something that made him burst with laughter. After getting over his fit off laughter he looked towards the old timer, who was thoroughly angered and said coldly to him, ¡°You pathetic dimwit, do you honestly think that just because the Ashura Emperor has died, there is absolutely no one who can kill you?¡±


    The face of the old man was red from anger but before he could burst out in a fit of rage, Zhi splashed a bucket of cold water on his head, ¡°If you do not leave by the count of ten, none of you will be able to leave this place alive. Do not say I did not warn you.¡± Although his words may seem arrogant, no one had the time to say anything about it. They felt a cold chill run down their spine from the murderous aura that Zhi had released. He usually restrained the cold murderous aura he had obtained from the ten years in the Ancient Battlefield but now he unleashed it all. All of the Human experts felt as though they were powerless insects that were in the jaws of a Devil. The younger generation people had already soiled themselves and actually fainted from fear. Some even didn¡¯t have any signs of life, they were frightened to death by the murderous aura.


    ¡°This guy isn¡¯t anyone we can take on.¡± This one thought ran through the heads of all the Ancestors simultaneously. Even though they were all Empyrean Immortal level Experts, they had never met this kind of an oppressive murderous aura that made them lose the will to fight even before the fight begun. As everyone thought how to leave the area before he started even counting, one of the Nascent Soul Elders broke under the aura and madly dashed forward to attack Zhi. All of the Ancestors faces fell as they saw this but they couldn¡¯t stop the old man.


    However, since one of them had attacked already, they couldn¡¯t back out either. If they did so, all of their face would be lost and they would be the laughing stock of everyone. To any Sect, Clan, Empire, whatever power that was even slightly known, face was everything. All of the Ancestors could only grit their teeth as they signalled everyone to attack. However, inwardly they were cursing the fellow who broke under pressure and attacked. If there was one thing that they felt relieved about, it was that Zhi was alone. They had 93 Empyrean Immortals and over 150 Nascent Soul Experts, even an Empyrean Emperor might not be able to take all of them on by himself and win. However, Zhi couldn¡¯t be ranked with normal measures.


    His Bloodline was that of a Dragon, one of the strongest in existence. His cultivation technique was exceedingly mysterious that allowed him to skip ranks by itself. His body was tempered to the limit making his Qi extremely pure and his body as tough as steel. His equipment was also of mysterious origin as even Zhi felt that it shouldn¡¯t even exist. Even the Highest Quality Artefacts couldn¡¯t hold a candle to the quality of the Scythe and clothes. If you coupled all of that with his 10 years of experience of fighting against things Realms above him, you get one unkillable person in this World. Even if he couldn¡¯t kill the Empyrean Emperors yet, he could still put up a fight against one and possibly even escape with his life intact. When Zhi saw all of them dashing towards him, he just smiled as 13 Daggers appeared around him swirling like a protective net.


    In his right hand appeared a black Scythe and on right side back a black fractal wing manifested itself. As the wing appeared on his back, his right eye¡¯s eye white turned black. His iris was still red and his pupil still resembled that of a serpents. Soon after black flames manifested all over his body as he crouched and dashed forward. Even though he was ridiculously outnumbered, he still didn¡¯t fear them since he had come out alive from even worse situations.


    Within a few moments, he had discerned everyone¡¯s strength and he decided to start from the weakest and work up to the strongest. Actually, this situation of one versus nearly three hundred was heavily in his favour for one reason: He could attack everyone without a care in the world but they had to restrain their attacks to avoid friendly fire. If he played it smartly, they couldn¡¯t find an opening to attack him at all. Against Nascent Soul experts, he didn¡¯t even need to act personally, he just sent 10 of his Daggers to deal with them while he himself constantly reviewed the situation and kept an eye out on the Empyrean Emperor level people.


    Since he was always moving around and he was constantly in the middle of their own people, the Ancestors couldn¡¯t get a clear line of attack. This made them grit their teeth and madly pursue him through the crowds. Everyone who were observing the situation however had a serious face on because they could see the situation from a third person perspective. They understood that actually the Humans were on the losing side and if it continued like this, Zhi would without a doubt win this fight.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    They could see that he was dividing his attention into 3 parts: One part was observing the entire battlefield, one part was directing the daggers to kill the Nascent Soul Experts and one part was focused on himself killing the weakest Empyrean Immortals first. This made them quite astonished because this showed that, First his consciousness was strong enough to perfectly divide his attention three ways without it impacting him too heavily. Second that he was used to fighting alone against superior numbers. Dividing his attention two ways would have already astounded them because people, who could split their attention perfectly were rare. To see someone who could perfectly divide his attention to accomplish three different tasks simultaneously, this was something unheard of.


    As Zhi danced through the battlefield, experts kept dropping down. Ten minutes after both sides took action, there were no more Nasecnt Soul Experts. They had all fallen under the daggers, now the 10 daggers had flown back to Zhi¡¯s side who used them to launch attacks from the old foggies blind spots. Not only did the Empyrean level experts have to make sure that they didn¡¯t hit each other, they also had to look out for Zhi¡¯s attacks. This was something very difficult to accomplish even for them. They weren¡¯t like Zhi who could perfectly split his attention three ways, just dividing their attention on not attacking their own and looking out for Zhi¡¯s attacks caused them to trip over themselves. In the end, none of the attacks hit Zhi as he pulled away from all of them. The fight had gone on for half an hour now and this was the first time Zhi had actually left the midst of the people present. He looked towards them all mockingly and said, ¡°Now what are you going to do?¡± All of the people left were panting. This high speed chase had emptied their Qi reserves. One of them huffed as he spoke, ¡°You truly are a stupid animal, if you had stayed in our midst, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to attack but now when you are alone, we don¡¯t have to worry about hitting our own.¡± Zhi looked at them blankly for a second before laughing loudly, ¡°Oi idiot, look around you for a second and tell which one of us is on the losing side now?¡±


    As he heard the words, the old man looked around and was immediately dumbstruck. Around him, only 14 Empyrean Immortals were left, The rest had all been killed. As everyone else also took a look around, they were also dumbstruck. In just half an hour he had killed everyone expect them. Now, they were truly frightened as they looked towards Zhi. They felt as though they were looking towards a Death God.


    They honestly felt that they had run head first into a spiked steel wall and had done it happily as well. They had no idea just how strong Zhi was because even though he kept moving around all the time, he was using minimum amount of Qi. His reserves weren¡¯t as depleted as theirs were, however, it wasn¡¯t because he was underestimating them or he completely over powered them. It was because he felt some strong presence nearby that kept observing and not moving from the start. Since he didn¡¯t know if it was an enemy or not, he couldn¡¯t let his guard down at all.


    However, it took a bigger mental strain on him because he had to make the minimum amount of wasted moves to waste the minimum amounts of Qi. The person hiding in the shadows was someone who Zhi had no confidence on taking on in his current situation. Now, with all of his preparations complete, Zhi looked towards the spot the mysterious person was hiding at and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how long you are going to stay hidden there waiting for an opportunity, you are not going to gain one.¡± Everyone present and the people who were spectating the fight were all startled by the statement but everyone¡¯s faces changed when a man in blue armour stepped into vision.


    All of the Human Experts faces lit up as though they had seen their saviour however all of the Demons who were spectating had an ugly face on as they looked at the man. It was obvious that everyone recognised him. His had a buffed body and on his back was an Azure Spear. Hanging on his side was a double edged sword. His features were very distinguishing with his short blue hair and the giant scar that occupied half his face. The old man opened his one good eye and said in a cold tone, ¡°You have very good senses. Since you sensed me in the vicinity, you didn¡¯t use all of your strength but rather only about half of it.¡± As the cold voice echoed out, the man raised his hands and clapped as he said, ¡°You have my respect beast. With only a Nascent Soul cultivation you managed to slaughter seventy Empyrean Immortals and nearly two hundred Nascent Soul experts. Even I would not have been able to do that.¡±


    As Zhi heard the man speak, he started to feel irritated for some reason. He had never met this man before in his life but he already looked down on him and from the undertone of his words it was obvious that he already considered himself the winner of the fight. Zhi put on a smile as he said, ¡°Well, little pathetic cockroach, you don¡¯t dare to come and fight me in the beginning but now dare to come when I have exhausted half my strength. To top it all off, you speak so high and mighty of yourself. Mind introducing yourself little pathetic insect?¡± Everyone felt their scalps numb as they looked towards the man in blue. Murderous aura started spreading out from him as he said, ¡°Well then little snake, you have obtained my respect a bit so I will introduce myself, I am Long Shaofer, the right hand man of the Dragon Emperor. Who might you be little snake?¡±


    The ridiculing tone made Zhi very irritated and now he understood why: It was the Pride of a Dragon again, more specifically he was irritated because of the familiar aura of the blue scale armour the man was wearing. Zhi asked through grit teeth, ¡°That armour is made of Dragon Scales isn¡¯t it?¡± Everyone were taken aback by the question. However, everyone felt that something was very wrong when they saw black smoke rising from Zhi¡¯s back.


    It wouldn¡¯t have alarmed them if they hadn¡¯t sensed the completely sinister and oppressive aura contained within the black mist. Even Long Shaofer was alarmed by the aura the mist but he smiled as he realized something, ¡°Yes, it is. What, you feel angered because your kinsman had been killed and personally skinned by me to make this armour?¡± His tone also held a tinge of excitement. The mist behind Zhi started taking shape and everyone felt their scalp go numb when they saw that it turned into a 900 meter long pitch black dragon. It¡¯s eyes were as red as blood and it excluded an aura no one had ever felt before. Even Shaofer took a step back, his excitement all gone and he looked towards the dragon in horror.


    This aura wasn¡¯t something that even the Empyrean Emperors couldn¡¯t exclude. When the Dragon had fully materialized, Zhi felt his vision go black as he lost consciousness. The dragon looked at the falling Zhi and caught him in it¡¯s claws. As it tenderly held Zhi, it turned it¡¯s gaze towards Long Shaofer and a feminine but powerful voice echoed out, ¡°You lowly insect, you dare use the last name of the Primadorial Dragon Clan?! You even dare to kill a one of it¡¯s descendants and turn it into an armour for yourself. Eternal torture would not even be able to make you atone for all those sins.¡± Everything was deathly quiet as they looked towards the giant black dragon in the sky.


    The dragon just fully focused it¡¯s oppressive aura on Shaofer and soon blood started flowing out of every possible hole in his body. He just couldn¡¯t handle the pressure and when he started falling down, she caught the falling body and threw it on the Island. After doing so, she said to everyone spectating, ¡°Who ever dares to touch my son again, I will not care about anything and directly destroy this little Mortal Plane. Consider yourselves warned insects!¡± As the words echoed out, she turned around and flew towards the Island and laid down Zhi in the middle of all the people on the island.


    She took a glance at them and said, ¡°I thank you for following my son.¡± Everyone hurriedly bowed to the dragon but they didn¡¯t feel the oppressive aura it had before. It didn¡¯t even have a cold tone but it had a warm tone like a thankful mother¡¯s. Everyone quickly excused themselves and went to cultivate.


    Seeing this the dragon chuckled as she took the form of a young woman in her twenties. She looked exactly like Zhi¡¯s mother.

 Chapter 6: Origins

    Zhi had no idea what had happened after he had black out. When he came back to his senses, he woke up with his head in a soft lap. When he looked up, he discovered the maiden on whose lap his head was. He saw that the person was very familiar but when he realized who it was, his eyes turned as wide as carriage wheels. Soon, he just closed his eyes and sighed, ¡°So I have died...¡± He remembered that before he black out, he was ready to face off against that Long Shaofer. When he was dodging around in the middle of those Humans, he was simultaneously laying down a Formation Array to help him fight it but then he suddenly blacked out.


    A person who could even make Zhi threatened would never let such a good opportunity to pass. So waking up in his mother¡¯s lap, his first thought was that he had died. His mother just smiled to hearing the murmur and said in a sweet tone, ¡°I am sorry but you are not dead just yet.¡± Hearing this Zhi¡¯s eyes abruptly opened as he sat up and looked at his mother, ¡°But you died all those years ago. I know, I had to bury your corpse back then.¡±


    Zhi¡¯s mother just smiled as she said, ¡°Yes I died but I infused a part of my soul into the Cultivation Art to guide you but never in my wildest dreams would I had imagined that you would stumble upon the Fruit of Yin-Yang and have the Cultivation Art completely overwritten and erased.¡± Towards the end, she crossed her hands on her chest as she pouted a bit. She then sighed as she said, ¡°I was lucky enough to not have my soul fragment also erased. However, I have no idea, whether your luck is good or bad my little son.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi understood parts but he couldn¡¯t understand the end. He asked suspiciously, ¡°You can¡¯t stay for good, can you?¡± She just smiled bitterly as she said, ¡°No, I can only stay for a day more. Since I detached my soul fragment from you, I can¡¯t reattach it any more. Also, I am not strong enough to sustain myself with only a fragment of my soul.¡± Hearing this Zhi felt sad, although he had known it was probably something like this, it was still hard to deal with.


    Zhi sat opposite of his mother and asked, ¡°Why did you detach yourself from me then?¡± Hearing this, she just smiled as she scratched her head, ¡°The same reason as you got irritated. The Pride of a Dragon isn¡¯t anything simple. Seeing a Human use the last name of the Primadorial Dragon Clan like that and then also wearing an armour made from a dragon ticked me off. It doesn¡¯t matter that the dragon was most probably the weakest unintelligent one, he was still one of the Bloodline.¡± Zhi understood what she meant.


    No matter what, the dragon was still family and to have someone wear his skin with such an arrogant demeanour was something that ticked off every dragon. She looked towards Zhi again as she said, ¡°Now then, since I don¡¯t have a lot of time left, it is time to talk about everything. So ask away.¡± Hearing this, Zhi pondered for a second before he asked, ¡°What is the Primadorial Dragon Clan?¡± Zhi¡¯s mother wanted to hit him but she stayed her hand when she thought back to when Zhi had been thrown to the Ancient Battlefield.


    She calmed herself as she said, ¡°The Primadorial Dragon Clan is the Clan you are from. Your father was the most dazzling star of his generation and was thought of highly by all of the Elders. The position of the next Patriarch was practically his but now I don¡¯t know.¡± She took a breath before continuing, ¡°The woman who cast the both of us there was his arranged concubine.¡± Hearing this, Zhi tilted his head indicating that he had no idea what she was talking about.


    Seeing this, his mother didn¡¯t blame him as she said, ¡°Usually, a man from a big clan has a Wife and Concubines. There can be only one wife but as for the concubines, that depends on the man. Some have hundreds or thousand, some have only one or two.¡± Her eyes turned cold as she said, ¡°I was your Fathers Wife, meaning that any child born from me would be of the primary bloodline and unless something happened to him, the children of concubines would not have any benefits at all. Your father and I tried for centuries before you were finally born. However, since it took so long, the Elder¡¯s of the Clan actually started turning frantic and arranged a concubine for your Father.¡±


    Her eyes turned a bit soft for a second as if remembering something, ¡°Your Father fought against it with all his might. However, in the end he could do nothing but agree to the arranged concubine.¡± Her tone turned sorrowful for a while as she continued, ¡°Only a few months after ¡°trying¡± the concubine got pregnant. This actually brought a lot of pressure on me and everyone started viewing the concubine as more of a Wife than me. However, your Father still stood tall before me and when the voices of turning me into the concubine and her into the wife started coming out, he finally exploded.¡± There was slight smile on her face as she said so.


    She chuckled as she continued, ¡°Your father beat nearly all of the Elders and all who talked about switching the positions senseless. After that incident, not a single person dared to order him around any more.¡± Zhi had been listening until now and hearing the little pause just now, he finally asked, ¡°Why did he just not leave the Clan the moment they started pressuring him with the concubine?¡± This was something Zhi truly didn¡¯t understand.


    Zhi himself would all told them to go somewhere where the sun doesn¡¯t shine and just walked away. His mother just smiled as she shook her head, ¡°It is not that simple. They are from the same Bloodline and also the Clan had raised him from small. He is a man that deeply remembers his debts and he would have never forgotten the Clans kindness over something like this. When you go back to the Clan in the future, you already have an arranged marriage waiting for you. So your situation is going to be the same.¡±


    Hearing this Zhi just smiled as well as he said, ¡°I do not owe that Clan anything. I do not give a damn about anything those guys want from me.¡± Hearing this, her expression flickered but before she could say anything Zhi said in a cold tone, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have died and I wouldn¡¯t have been in that Hell for so long if they had just minded their own business and not stuck their noses where it doesn¡¯t belong.¡± Zhi¡¯s mother could not say anything to that, all she could do was close her mouth. Zhi wasn¡¯t wrong by any means, if the Clan Elders hadn¡¯t pressured Zhi¡¯s Father into marrying the concubine she would not have been plotted against by her and none of that would have ever happened.


    A silence consumed the surroundings and finally she sighed as she changed the subject, ¡°I honestly betted on the fact that the Ancestor of the Clan would come and bring you out of there.¡± Zhi tilted his head but before he could ask she continued, ¡°When you were born, you actually cause quite an upheaval that even brought the Ancestor, who no one had seen for over a thousand years, out from his secluded meditation.¡± Zhi was surprised by this as he asked, ¡°What did I do?¡±


    Zhi¡¯s mother just smiled as she said, ¡°You see, when children of the Dragon Bloodline are born, before the Empyrean Tribulation, they are actually in their true Beast Form. They can not take their Human Form but when you were born, you were born in your Human Form. Everyone actually started scorning me for cheating on your Father and that you were a bastard son.¡± Hearing this, Zhi had no idea what expression he should put on.


    Seeing Zhi¡¯s funny face, his mother just chuckled as she continued, ¡°All of their faces got slapped quite hard when the Ancestor came out of the secluded meditation and checked your Bloodline. When he said that you weren¡¯t born as a regular dragon but born with the Primadorial Chaos Dragon body, no one could say anything.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Zhi asked, ¡°Why is that? They should have found something to nag on?¡± She just smiled sinisterly as she said, ¡°The Founder of the Clan had the same Primadorial Chaos Dragon body that you did. To find a fault with you would be the same as calling themselves bastards. After that no one could say anything and all of the people who supported that bitch and tried to have our statuses reversed, were thoroughly suppressed.¡± Zhi just sighed.


    He felt like Clans and such were just a big pain in the ass with all their internal power struggles. Why can¡¯t they just calm down and stop ruining everyone else¡¯s lives. He felt that behind the concubine stood someone quite high up in the clan otherwise it would have never succeeded. Zhi tried not to think about it and asked, ¡°Why did you think the Ancestor would come and save?¡± His mother¡¯s expression turned grim as she said, ¡°The Ancestor placed a special Tracking Formation inside you. It was put there just in case something happened to you, so that the Ancestor could come to your rescue. You were the Ancestor¡¯s hope of finding a standing within the Main Clan.¡±


    Zhi looked puzzled as he asked, ¡°The Main Clan?¡± His mother just nodded her head seriously, ¡°Yes, the Main Clan. Our entire Primadorial Dragon Clan originates from the Ascended Plane. The highest level Plane, our Clan is nothing more than a branch of the Main Clan. Someone with a Primadorial Chaos Dragon body is someone who could get very high up even in the Main Clan.¡± Zhi was even more confused now as he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the situation any more.


    Hao had told him that no one knew what stood above the Deity Plane. However, it seems like either he didn¡¯t know or he just told him so because this information was quite tightly sealed. Suddenly, he remembered something that Hao had said: ¡°No one in the KNOWN history had passed the third Tribulation.¡± This meant that there have been some who have managed to pass the Tribulation but only the Ancient Clans or some powers with extremely deep roots know of these things.


    Zhi just thought about it and felt it wouldn¡¯t be too far fetched for Ancient Clans and such to shush matters like these. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like this was one of these cases where only a handful of people know about it.


    Zhi asked suspiciously, ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Ancestor come to help then?¡± His mother just sighed as she said, ¡°That bitch somehow managed to tamper with the Tracking Formation. Since I have always been with you, this is the only reason I find plausible.¡± Zhi just sighed as well. That woman definitely wanted them both dead, so she would take all precautions to make sure it happened. Even the most optimistic person couldn¡¯t imagine that a 5 year old would actually be able to survive for 10 years in a place where even people who have passed the 2nd Tribulation wouldn¡¯t dare to lower their guard.


    Zhi¡¯s mother just smiled and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, when you pass your Empyrean Tribulation, you will already have nothing to fear. You have the Fruit of Yin-Yang after all.¡± Zhi finally asked the question that had been eating at him from the time he first heard the term ¡°Fruit of Yin-Yang¡±, ¡°Just what is this Fruit of Yin-Yang?¡±


    Zhi¡¯s mother put on a serious expression as she said, ¡°It is something that is outside the norms of logic. No one knows, where it came from but one this is for certain: It is something that isn¡¯t from our Realm.¡± Zhi blanked out hearing that but before he could ask anything, his mother continued, ¡°It is something that is exceedingly mysterious and it doesn¡¯t grow naturally or artificially either. It only appears after a person possessing it dies. The Scythe and the Clothes are Equipment condensed from the Fruit itself. The person who manages to ingest the Fruit will have full control of the equipment but the requirements for ingesting the Fruit are actually very vague.¡±


    She just lightly shook her head as she continued, ¡°All is known about the Fruit is that after a person successfully ingests it, they will be able control the Flame of Life and Flame of Death. However, the records say nothing about the tattoos you have. Also no records mention anything about the Wings. It just means that either no one had previously seen anyone pushed to a corner where they had to use the Wings or they weren¡¯t as compatible as you with the Fruit.¡± Zhi listened seriously as his mother narrated her knowledge on the Fruit. Now at least Zhi understood what this thing was.


    His train of thought was cut short by his mothers chuckle, ¡°I am quite interested in what kind of an abnormal monster that bitch gave birth to.¡± Zhi frowned to hearing his mother call him an ¡°Abnormal Monster¡± before he could express his dissatisfaction, she explained to him, ¡°You are someone who has the strongest Dragon Bloodline, the Primadorial Chaos Dragon body and then you have ingested the most mysterious and strongest special Fruit in the Realm. To top it all off, you have a very solid foundation coupled with extensive life and death experiences. With only an Early Stage Nascent Soul level, you managed to kill over 70 Empyrean Immortals and nearly 200 Nascent Soul Experts alone in about half an hour. If I hadn¡¯t seen it happen myself, I would think the person, who told me something like this happened, had gone completely insane and delusional.¡± Zhi could only bitterly smile to her explanation, he himself wouldn¡¯t believe something like this if he hadn¡¯t seen it happen himself. He truly was an ¡°abnormal monster¡± in other peoples eyes. Just as Zhi wanted to refute something, his mother looked up and smiled.


    Seeing this Zhi was puzzled and spread out his Qi sense in the direction she was looking at but he couldn¡¯t find anything. This made him frown but what she said next baffled him. She smiled as she said, ¡°It seems like your Father is finally here.¡± Zhi stood up as he looked in the direction and he just saw a flash of light in the distance as he suddenly felt an extremely oppressive aura spread out. In a flash, a dragon that was at least a kilometer long appeared in his vision. When the dragon saw Zhi¡¯s mother, it¡¯s eyes flashed as it turned into a middle aged man in tattered robes. His long black hair was extremely messy and he had a hobo¡¯s beard.


    He looked like a homeless man through and through but the moment he fully turned into a human, he dashed forward and took Zhi¡¯s mother into his arms as he hugged her crying, ¡°Xiaomei, I have finally found you. Ten years have passed since you disappeared. When your Life Slip shattered and the Ancestor couldn¡¯t find Little Zhifang with his Tracking Formation, I left the Clan to search for you two.¡± He let go Xiaomei and grabbed her shoulder¡¯s, looking her deep in the eyes as he said, ¡°When I suddenly felt your Soul Ripples, I just knew that it was you.¡±


    He sized her up and down and suddenly realized, that she was only a Soul Fragment. When he had first seen her, his mind threw everything else out and he was just too happy to have finally found her. He said, ¡°This is-¡± However, his sentence was cut short by Xiaomei who put a finger on his lips. She turned her head towards the stunned Zhi and said, ¡°You started ranting like that but haven¡¯t even glanced at your son.¡±


    Hearing this Fanghong, turned his sight towards Zhi as he asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°You are Little Zhizhi?¡± Hearing this, Zhi snapped back to reality as he weakly nodded. He hadn¡¯t heard that name in years, so hearing it again now brought back a lot of memories he had forgotten. Seeing the nod, Fanghong just weakly stumbled towards Zhi and embraced him tightly. He didn¡¯t let go for a long time because his search had finally ended. For ten years he had relentlessly searched for Zhi and he had finally found him. When he finally let go of Zhi, he asked Xiaomei what had happened, why they disappeared and such.


    Xiaomei narrated everything that had happened to Fanghong and both he and Zhi just sat there quietly listening, neither interrupted her once. When she finally told him that Zhi only escaped the Battlefield thanks to the help of the Phoenix Clan, Fanghong¡¯s killing intent lessened a bit. He was grateful to the Phoenix Clan but felt deep hatred towards the woman who had snaked her way into his life and even went as far as far as to cripple the only woman he had ever loved.


    If it were just that, he would just slap the woman senseless but she even went as far as to throw his crippled wife and 5 year old son into the Ancient Battlefield, now that was completely unforgivable.


    The only reason he didn¡¯t go and kill the woman right now was because Xiaomei had said that she could only sustain the Soul Fragment only for about an hour more.

 Chapter 7: Situation of the Long Clan

    Fanghong was seething with fury after hearing all of the circumstances behind what had happened 10 years ago. He looked at Xiaomei resolutely and said, ¡°I swear on my Bloodline that she will pay for all of this and that Grand Elder will also pay for this.¡± Hearing this, Xiaomei asked, ¡°What does the Grand Elder have anything to do with it?¡± Fanghong said coldly, ¡°The person behind her is the Grand Elder. Do you honestly think I would take her as a concubine if there wasn¡¯t someone very high up in the Clan backing her up? He tried to match the two of us even way before I met you. Only he would have a method to tamper with the Tracking Formation the Ancestor personally laid on Zhifang.¡±


    Hearing this Xiaomei thought for a while but the more she thought about it, the uglier her face turned as she finally asked, ¡°Does this mean that-¡± However before she could even ask, Fanghong nodded his head grimly as he said, ¡°This means that all of his preparations to take control of the Clan are complete but he didn¡¯t want to lose a good seedling like me and tried to get me on his side with her.¡± Zhi just sat there in confusion. He had no idea what the situation in the Clan was so he had nothing to say on this matter.


    As he sat there, suddenly Fanghong sighed as he said, ¡°Maybe it is best if Zhifang didn¡¯t go back to the Clan with me, it would be too dangerous for him. Also, the Clan will turn into a bloody battlefield soon.¡± As Fanghong sighed, Zhi coldly said, ¡°I had no intention to go to that Clan any ways. I owe them nothing and I have no interest in their internal quarrels.¡±


    Fanghong wanted to say something but he couldn¡¯t find the words to do so. Like Xiaomei he understood very well that even though the two of them had been in the Clan¡¯s kindness, it had only brought pain and suffering for Zhi. If their situations were reversed even Fanghong wouldn¡¯t probably want anything to do with the Clan. He thought about it and was currently torn between two choices: To stay here with his son and give up the clan or vice versa.


    It wouldn¡¯t be such a hard choice usually but the Clan had raised him when his parents had died. He had been very young back then but the Clan had raised him nonetheless. His debt to them was very deep. As he was clearly torn between the two choices, Xiaomei chuckled as she said, ¡°Why are you so torn between the two choices? Just tell the Ancestor that this place can be a safe place for the people still loyal to him. Since you will also stay here, the number of people who would dare to attack this place blindly would be minimal.¡± Hearing this Fanghong felt as though he had found the golden path that didn¡¯t conflict with himself. Zhi¡¯s cold voice however splashed cold water on their heads as he said, ¡°Not going to happen.¡±


    Both Fanghong and Xiaomei looked at Zhi in confusion as Xiaomei asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhi just crossed his hands on his chest as he said, ¡°I am not planning on taking an army of self important and arrogant jackasses here to squander away the resources I have accumulated. All the things I have didn¡¯t come with no danger or no risk, so I am not going to have an army of young masters running around here looking down on everyone and using up all the things I collected with my life on the line.¡± Fanghong was visibly angered but Xiaomei just let out a hollow laugh.


    She knew that Zhi¡¯s interactions with people with a background were only hostile. He only managed to meet the arrogant and self righteous part of them but he hadn¡¯t met the truly just ones that actually didn¡¯t have eyes higher than the top of their head.


    Before Fanghong could explode, Xiaomei said, ¡°Since this is your Island, they will naturally follow your orders and won¡¯t only leech off your resources. If they can¡¯t do that, you can kick them off the Island, is that okay?¡± Zhi thought about it and feeling that it wouldn¡¯t be that bad for him, he nodded his head. Although he didn¡¯t owe anything to that Clan, his Father still did. Although he didn¡¯t do it only like they wanted, he still came to meet them halfway. Hearing this, Fanghong could only sigh, naturally, he understood that he couldn¡¯t force Zhi to accept the Clan just because he said so and him actually taking in some of them like this was already something that he should be grateful for.


    He had been to the Ancient Battlefield and he knew that Zhi¡¯s gains there would be enormous but they came at a very dangerous cost. He himself wouldn¡¯t want to give everything up to people he knew nothing about just because his Father or Mother said so. Also, he felt as though he didn¡¯t have the qualifications to order him to do anything at all. He felt that he had failed Zhi for not being there for him these past ten years. However, when he saw that Zhi had grown up this strong, he was proud, even though he felt that he had failed as a Father.


    What Zhi asked next was actually something that made both Fanghong and Xiaomei smiled bitterly as he asked, ¡°I understand that the Clan is currently in the doorstep of an Internal War but why do you even have to fight?¡± There was an extremely complicated look on both of their faces but before they could ask if Zhi had hit his head, Zhi explained his thoughts, ¡°Why fight them for supremacy, let them take the name. You take all of the people still loyal with all of the resources you can and relocate them. Let them feel like a King in their box castle.¡±


    Fanghong thought about it and it was actually a good suggestion but the Clan Grounds had a Secret Realm and various other Formations to aid cultivation. Fanghong said, ¡°It is not that simple, there are various ancient Formations to aid cultivation there and there is also the Secret Realm of the Long Clan.¡± Zhi tilted his head and asked, ¡°Who can open the Secret Realm and besides, Formations can all be rebuilt. On this Island itself there are many Formations that are extremely beneficial for cultivation.¡± Fanghong thought for a while before saying, ¡°The Secret Realm can only be opened by the joint cooperation of the 3 Branches. Currently, on our side should be 2 of them, with the Grand Elder being the 3rd one.¡±


    After Zhi suggested it, he started to weigh the plan carefully and as Zhi said, Formations can be rebuilt even if it will take a while, they don¡¯t lack Array Masters and various other Pill Refiner, Artificers or such. If they had a solid base like this Island, they could rebuild themselves rather quickly.


    However, there were two things he was worried about. First would be that what the Ancestor thought of this plan and second would be that how Zhi was going to manage everything here. However, he didn¡¯t voice his thoughts out. Zhi could see that his previous words had actually made Fanghong debate over it carefully. He sighed as he said, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t care what you decide to do. On this Island I am planning on building my own force, if you want to join it, you can, if you don¡¯t, you do not have to.¡±


    This made Fanghong truly caught between a rock and a hard place but then he remembered: He left the Clan to search for his son without a second thought. To now deliberate like this on possibilities that may happen or not would be pointless. First things first, he had to ask the Ancestor what he would think about this plan. The rest can come after that. Like that, throwing all of the current problems to the back of their minds, they focused on the last hour of Xiaomei¡¯s life. They spent the hour as a complete family. When the hour was reaching it¡¯s end, sorrow was visible on all of their faces. However, Zhi and Fanghong both put on a smile for Xiaomei. They didn¡¯t want their last memory of their time spent together to be a sad one but rather a happy one.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    When Xiaomei had nearly fully faded away, her last words were, ¡°Don¡¯t lose yourself in revenge, it won¡¯t bring me back. You should instead focus on living as a family now.¡± When the words faded, so had Xiaomei¡¯s Soul Fragment. Tears streamed down both their faces as they cried. After they had cried their tears out, Fanghong fished out a bottle of alcohol and two cups.


    He sat down and gestured Zhi to do the same. When Zhi sat down, he was handed a cup full on transparent liquid. Fanghong without saying a word raised the little cup in respect and when Zhi did the same, he downed it all in one sip. When Zhi did the same, it was okay at first but then his throat felt heated. It soon faded away but Fanghong poured him another cup as he said in a solemn tone, ¡°What are you going to plan on doing from now on? I have honestly failed as your Father, I have no right to undermine any decision you take.¡±


    Zhi looked at the sake in the cup as he sighed, ¡°Honestly, I have no idea on what I am exactly going to do but one thing is certain: That bitch is going to get her dues.¡± Hearing this Fanghong also nodded. He asked, ¡°Did you honestly mean it that you would take all of the Long Clan in?¡± Zhi looked at Fanghong and said, ¡°I honestly meant it. It wasn¡¯t something I said just so Mother wouldn¡¯t have to worry. However, my condition on this matter is that they follow my rules. All of them.¡± Fanghong understood the meaning behind those words.


    It would be a pipe dream to expect the Elders who used to be in a lofty position to follow Zhi¡¯s rules just because they were told so. Following this little conversation took a small blue badge out of his Spacial Ring. He hesitated for a moment before closing his eyes and infusing Qi into it. A few moments passed and Fanghong opened his eyes again. He looked towards Zhi and said, ¡°The Ancestor is going to come. It will take him a while to get here though.¡± As he said that, he refilled both his and Zhi¡¯s cup.


    As the two sat there in silence drinking, a tear in the fabric of space suddenly appeared next to them. This didn¡¯t faze either of them but the old man who stepped out from the tear was surprised a bit by the sight that greeted him. The man wore long blue robes with golden dragon embroidery. His eyes were like Zhi¡¯s but only the crimson part was azure. His hair was long but had turned grey from the passing of time. His physique was like a bag of bones, even a slightly stronger wind would be able to push him over. On his face were a few little scars but his attention was currently on Fanghong.


    He opened his mouth as he asked, ¡°What was this urgent thing you needed to speak to me about?¡± Fanghong took out another sake cup and passed it to the old man saying, ¡°It is going to be a long story, it would be better if you sat down Ancestor.¡± Hearing this the old man raised his brows as he glanced towards Zhi as well. He could feel a sort of familiar aura on him. He accepted the cup and sat down to form a triangle.


    As Fanghong poured sake into his cup he said, ¡°The Grand Elder has finished his preparations and is planning on making his move.¡± The Ancestor who was about to take a sip froze. His eyes narrowed as he asked in a serious tone, ¡°How do you know?¡± Fanghong looked at Zhi and said, ¡°The one behind the incident that cost me the woman I loved and my son 10 years ago was the Grand Elder. To pull off such a bold move means that he is not afraid of the repercussions.¡± The Ancestor lowered his sake cup and looked at Fanghong seriously.


    He asked, ¡°Do you have any proof?¡± Fanghong just smiled bitterly and said, ¡°You not recognising him is the most solid proof needed.¡± As the Ancestor thought about those words, it suddenly clicked to him as he asked in a disbelieving tone, ¡°You don¡¯t mean-¡± Fanghong interrupted him to coldly say, ¡°Yes, the person sitting opposite of me is my son Long Zhifang. For you to not even recognize him even though he is directly in front of you, you should know that it means.¡±


    The Ancestors face fell as sized up Zhi. He was dumbfounded when he discovered that he was already in the Early Nascent Soul Realm. Everyone else in his generation were at best in the Qi Sea stage. The Ancestors face turned cold as he asked, ¡°What happened to them?¡± He knew very well that his kind of a cultivation was not something that could be obtained by simply sitting in a prison. Also the cold vibe Zhi gave away told him him that the past 10 years have not been nice at all to him. Most likely dancing with death had been a daily part of his life.


    Zhi himself stayed quiet as Fanghong narrated everything Xiaomei told him to the Ancestor. The more Fanghong talked, the more the Ancestor¡¯s face fell. If you also added the Tracking Formation being tampered with into the mix, it only left one suspect: The Grand Elder. The Ancestor had known for along time that he wanted to seize power and was gathering the backing to do so. He couldn¡¯t deal with it openly and he couldn¡¯t deal with it covertly either. Now it was too late to do anything, this was why he had such an ugly face.


    Finally, he sighed and said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have called me here and told me everything without having a counter action plan, so lets hear it.¡± Fanghong filled everyone¡¯s cups as he told him the plan they had thought of doing. Even the Ancestor couldn¡¯t say that it was a bad plan, it was very logical. If the Internal War erupted, no matter which side won, the Clan would lose a huge amount of people. Why lose the people that are still on your side when you could actually just leave and save more lives. Even though he was currently an Ancestor, at one point in time, he had been the Patriarch. Keeping his people alive was the highest priority to him then. Face, resources? They were useless to dead men, to prosper you just had to sometimes take a step back and back out.


    The Ancestor looked towards Zhi and asked, ¡°Are you truly willing to take our Clan in after it has caused you so much pain?¡± This was something that bothered him, the actions of the Clan had basically ruined his whole life. It tore apart his family, killed his mother and threw him to fend for himself in a place he didn¡¯t even dare to lower his guard. Zhi put on a solemn expression as he said, ¡°As long as they follow my rules here, I have no problem with it but if they start demanding things from me, I honestly don¡¯t give a damn and will kick the person out of the Island to fend for themselves.¡±


    The Ancestor just continued probing, ¡°What are the main Rules?¡± If he didn¡¯t even know this, it would be hard to make a decision. Zhi took a sip of sake and said, ¡°First of all, everything works based off of contribution. And the things obtained with contribution can¡¯t be passed on to others. Be it the Cultivation Arts or Artefacts. This is to weed out the mindset that everything will fall into their lap. Second would be that they will have to follow the orders of the 4 Island Lords.¡± Both the Ancestor and Fanghong looked at Zhi in confusion.


    Seeing this Zhi sighed as he said, ¡°Currently, I am the Island Master aka the ¡°Ancestor¡±. Under me are 4 Island Lords who deal with all the mundane things and no offense in me saying this but I trust them more. Although their cultivation isn¡¯t anything high and is only in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, they gave me a Bloodline Oath to follow me and never betray me.¡± Hearing this, both of their faces showed astonishment. To get someone to swear a Bloodline Oath to follow you and never betray you was something easier said than done.


    The higher the level of the person, the less likely would they be willing to swear an oath like this. Seeing their faces, Zhi just briefly explained the state of this World and why they swore that oath to him. After hearing everything, Fanghong just sighed, ¡°No wonder you didn¡¯t give damn about the Long Clan¡¯s power. You could build something equivalent or something surpassing it with ease here.¡± The Ancestor could only nod his head. Give Zhi a few centuries and he would have quite a strong power under him.


    The Ancestor asked one more question that puzzled him, ¡°What are you going to do when the Long Clan can¡¯t take this hit and will decide to retaliate against the people who moved here?¡± Zhi just smiled and said, ¡°Do you honestly think that they can enter this Island if I activated all of the offensive and defensive formations it has? Not even a Peak Paragon could force his way inside. And I would like to see a Primadorial God who would actually lower himself low enough to forcefully break into a ¡°mere¡± Nascent Soul Experts Island.¡±

 Chapter 8: Discussion

    Seeing the smile on Zhi¡¯s face both the Ancestor and Fanghong were taken a back. To so confidently say that no one under the 2nd Tribulation wouldn¡¯t be able to muscle their way in here, this made them curious of one thing: Exactly what was this Island. Seeing their suspicious faces Zhi continued smiling as he said, ¡°I obtained this Island from the corpse of an Elder in the Ancient Battlefield. It had a jade slip on which were recorded all the relevant information of the Island. It used to be the headquarters of a very strong sect and from the various clues the elder had found, the sect originated from an unknown place. My suspicion is that it originated from the Ascended Plane.¡±


    Hearing this both of them were dumbfounded. To actually have an Artefact from the Ascended Plane was something that every Clan or Sect would guard as their biggest treasure. Their Long Clan¡¯s Secret Realm was also something that the Founder from the Ascended Realm had left behind for them. Inside it were various Ancient Formations and Arts that would be the Highest Grade to them. So a Fortress Island from the Ascended Plane was no way weak. They now understood why Zhi was confident in the Island.


    However, as they were thinking of the many benefits of this thing, Zhi sighed, ¡°Although I have bound it, I can at most currently control 15 pre cent of the total number of Formations on this thing. And it¡¯s biggest size is currently limited to 6000 square kilometers. After I pass the Empyrean Tribulation, I can control about 40 pre cent of the total number of Formations. The size limit would also rise to 10 000 square kilometers. With every advancemnt from then on I can use more and more of the Islands formations.¡± After saying it like this, both Fanghong and the Ancestor felt their scalps numb as the Ancestor asked, ¡°To completely control the Island, what level would you have to reach?¡±


    Zhi thought for a while and said, ¡°I need to pass the Second Tribulation and enter the ranks of Sovereigns. At that point in time could I completely bind the Island and freely use all of it. Also at that point in time, I can also open the Secret Vault of the Island.¡± The Ancestor tilted his head as he asked, ¡°The Secret Vault?¡± Zhi nodded his head as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, this used to be the headquarters of a Powerful Sect from the Ascended Plane. The previous elder who obtained this Island never managed to completely bind the Island but he speculated that at least someone from the Sovereign Realm was needed to completely and thoroughly bind it.¡±


    This truly made them feel that Zhi had landed on a gold mine. This kind of a strong treasure had fallen into his hands, also the Secret Vault was probably several tiers higher than their Clan¡¯s Secret Realm. The Ancestor now truly wanted to move their entire Clan here and now he understood why Zhi was so hung up on his own rules. With a place like this, he needed to have strict management or it could all go south real fast. As the Ancestor thought about it, he grit his teeth and told Zhi that he would join his Island even if he had to come alone. With that he headed back to the Clan to make preparations to take the people who agreed to Zhi¡¯s terms with him to come here.


    Before he left, he turned his sight towards Fanghong and asked. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Fanghong thought for a second before saying, ¡°I will come back to the Clan with you but my goal is going to be different from yours.¡± Hearing this Zhi understood something was going to happen but before he could say anything Fanghong smiled to him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I am only going to cast her aside. When I cut my ties with her, I would like to see whether she has the face to still stay there and leech the resources or not. Also, it will be fun to see how the Grand Elder is going to handle this.¡± Hearing this, Zhi also smiled.


    This would completely destroy that woman¡¯s reputation and face. If the Grand Elder decided to intervene somehow it would show everyone that he was involved in the incident. This move was quite ruthless but since Zhi didn¡¯t have any good feeling towards the woman he just said to Fanghong, ¡°Give her a good strong slap for me.¡± Hearing this Fanghong just smiled and followed the Ancestor to go to the Clan. Now with only Zhi left there, he stared at the sake cup in his hand for quite while before slowly standing up. He found Zhishi and Fend to help him create a memorial stone for his mother. He didn¡¯t tell them everything but he told them that the dragon form that time was his mother who had now died.


    It didn¡¯t take them long to find people and the materials to create a nifty gravestone for her. They created a 2 meter high Cross with a dragon coiled around it. In the centre of the cross stood a name: Long Xiaomei. The gravestone marker was made from Volcanic Stone that was extremely strong, was resistant to any element and had a deep black jade glow. The end result took the craftsmen only a few days to make but the it was beautiful thing. He even said that if anyone dares to as much as put a scratch on it, he will personally skin that person.


    Actually, he didn¡¯t need to make such a threat because everyone knew that Zhi¡¯s background was not simple and to make a gravestone marker for her was already a great honour for them. When Zhi was looking at the gravestone, suddenly Zhishi appeared behind him as he respectfully said, ¡°Ancestor we have followed your order and contacted our Clans to spread the word of our recruitment.¡± Zhi glanced towards him and nodded.


    When Zhi had found them a few days ago he gave them the task of contacting their Clans and bringing them here if they wanted. Also to spread the word of Dragon Cross now taking in people. The first patch of people were due to arrive tomorrow. After such a dominating display of might, the Demons found their safe haven. All they knew was that this Island had a Dragon that could kill the right hand man of the Dragon Emperor, who was a late stage Empyrean King, with only pressure alone. The Humans didn¡¯t dare to stay on this continent any more and all of them were scrambling to actually release their slaves and flee back to the Human Continents.


    As Zhi nodded towards Zhishi, he suddenly felt that someone had entered the Island Formations. When he focused on who it was, he discovered that it was Fanghong. Well, the aura was Fanghongs but the appearance most definitely wasn¡¯t. The person had a luxurious azure robe on, his hair was cut short and he had no beard. When before he looked like a beggar, now he looked like a very upright person. He waited until Fanghong reached him before smiling at him, ¡°I didn¡¯t nearly recognize you. I almost unleashed all the Formations on you.¡±


    Fanghong¡¯s face flickered when he heard that and just said with a bitter smile, ¡°As they say, the clothes make the man.¡± Zhi chuckled but then his face turned serious as he asked how it went. As if anticipating this, a big grin appeared on Fanghong¡¯s face. He said, ¡°Well, long story short is that she lost all he standing in the Clan until the Grand Elder ¡°graciously¡± took her in. However, her acts disgusted everyone in the Clan, even those who supported her before.¡±


    Then Fanghong narrated everything in detail, about how Fanghong had demanded to do the Bloodline Test with their ¡°son¡±. In the beginning, she had tried to evade that but when the Ancestor stepped in and told them to do it, she only had to reluctantly do it. It wasn¡¯t a big surprise that their bloodlines didn¡¯t have anything in common. If a Father and Son both dropped a drop of their blood, they would call for each other and they would fuse perfectly. However, this wasn¡¯t the case, making it obvious to everyone that that bastard wasn¡¯t Fanghong¡¯s son. However, the Ancestor saw an opportunity and ordered the Grand Elder to also drop his blood there.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    In the beginning, everyone were suspicious about this order but when the Grand Elder¡¯s drop of blood perfectly fused with the bastards, it was obvious to everyone who the child belonged to. Not only did it undermine the concubines reputation, it also made everyone look at the Grand Elder with scorn. This would help the Ancestor win over people more easily if he used this as an example on how rotten this Clan was already and beyond healing it was. Zhi could only sigh to the move the Ancestor made, it truly was vicious and killed two birds with one stone.


    However Fanghong had one regret, it was that he didn¡¯t record the two¡¯s faces when both he and the Ancestor told everyone that Zhi was still alive. The Grand Elder had even shouted out that it was impossible, making him more guilty and suspicious. No one even say anything about Fanghong slapping her so hard that she flew through a brick wall. When Zhi heard that the slap made her fly through a brick fall, he instinctively winced.


    Zhi spoke a few words more with Fanghong and then decided to pour all of his efforts into creating the Artefact Pagoda. Although he had a lot of formations, it still was quite difficult to create ones that tested the applicant. After a week of different tries, he finally succeeded with it. When he opened the Pagoda to the public, everyone were astonished to discover that it was in a pocket dimension and the amount of Artefacts that were there didn¡¯t use numbers to count but mountain loads to count. When he had dealt with most of the issues there, he created four pendants that allowed the 4 Island Lords to access the Treasury. He had already opened up most of the Cultivation related formations on the Island, he had dealt with all the urgent issues, now all they had to do was wait until the first influx of people stopped so they could deal with the loopholes and problems that cropped up. However, from what Zhi observed, he didn¡¯t need to personally do much in that department.


    Feng and the rest fully displayed their expertise in managing people and resources. Everything worked like clockwork and Zhi didn¡¯t have anything more to worry about. So he told Feng and company that he will go into cultivation now and if there are no major or urgent things, they can make the decision themselves. After doing so, Zhi finally entered closed door cultivation. Ever since he left the Ancient Battlefield, he hadn¡¯t had time to properly cultivate as he had to deal with one thing after another. As he checked his injuries, he nodded his head when he couldn¡¯t find any. He closed his eyes and entered cultivation state. When he opened his eyes again he was standing in front of a luxurious black palace.


    At the highest peak of the palace was a 3 meter high pedestal on which was a black core with white stripes forming a beautiful pattern on it. The Core was now fully formed and to advance to the next step, he needed to find his soul and infuse it with the Core. If he managed to do that, he would enter mid Nascent Soul Stage and it would only be a matter of time before he birthed his Nascent Soul. As he focused on finding his Soul, he started thinking about one thing: What exactly was a Soul? The more he pondered on it, the more was dragged into a mysterious comprehension state. Since he was fully immersed in the comprehension, he didn¡¯t notice that his Qi started rotating on it¡¯s own.


    The Tattoos on his body also started to glow with light as if resonating with something. As Zhi¡¯s Qi kept rotating, it also started attacking a few small tunnels. Those small tunnels were what people would usually call ¡°Hidden Meridians¡±. Unless you had a special technique to find them, finding and excavating them would be extremely difficult to do. However, the gains from excavating them were very beneficial towards ones cultivation. Currently, without Zhi knowing, his Qi was roaming around his body and excavating those hidden meridians. As time passed, the number of meridians excavated only grew. After excavating the 81 meridian, the progress slowed down considerably. The Qi only stopped searching after excavating the 98th meridian. When the 98th meridian was excavated, Zhi¡¯s body shuddered as black impurities were forced out of his body.


    However, there weren¡¯t a lot of them, as Zhi was more and more immersed in his comprehension of the Soul, he finally opened his eyes and said, ¡°So that¡¯s it.¡± As he said so a small replica of himself appeared above the Core. As it sat down cross legged on the Core, it started slowly sinking in. Zhi kept observing the process and a few hours later, the Soul had fully sunk into the Core and merged with it. A popping sound rang out as more impurities were forced out of his body.


    Seeing the impurities being forced out of his body made him feel as though he was reborn. Now all he had to do was wait until the Core gave birth to the Nascent Soul. As he was pondering on what to do in the mean time, information appeared in his head. It was a technique to purify his Qi and temper his internal organs. What picked Zhi¡¯s interest the most was that there was also a technique to store Qi included.


    The point of this technique was to infuse his Qi into a symbol and he could use it as a reserve in times of need. It was like a reservoir of extra Qi. With having nothing else to do and since the Fruit had told him to do it, he started practising according to the technique the Fruit had given him.


    ***


    In a secluded little cottage sat an old man with long black and white hair. As he sat there in meditation, he didn¡¯t emit any signs of life. He was like a corpse Suddenly, he opened his eyes. One of the eyeballs was pitch black while the other was completely white. He turned his head towards the side and said, ¡°Sandra, you seem to be in a happy mood.¡± As he said so, a petite woman appeared out of thin hair.


    She also had black and white hair as one of her eye whites was black. Her figure wasn¡¯t anything too outrageous but the black robes she was wearing perfectly hid her curves. She had a bit of a childish face as she smiled towards the old man and said, ¡°Hey, old monster, the one who obtained the Fruit in the Immortal Demon Realm has made a breakthrough.¡± The old man was startled for a second before he closed his eyes. He immediately smiled as he said, ¡°Hoho, seems like his progress is not half bad. The purity of his Qi is very good while his body is very thoroughly tempered. I¡¯d say that that young boy is quite the Genius.¡±


    The little girl nodded as she said with excitement, ¡°He obtained the most picky of the Guardian Fruits. None of our Fruits were as thorough as his and he has reached his level in a mere ten years, he will soon reach the Empyrean Level, then Sovereign Level. After passing the Third Tribulation and stepping into the Origin Realm, he will be a very good helper to us.¡±


    The old man let out a little laugh as he said, ¡°True, but that is only if he manages to get that far in the first place. Countless years have passed since the Guardian Fruits came to existence and since the beginning to now, no one who had possessed that Fruit has managed to pass the Third Tribulation and enter the Origin Realm.¡± Hearing this the little girl pouted as she stuck her tongue out towards the old man saying, ¡°Meanie, this guy is different. No one else had managed to acquire the Tattoos either and he even has the Wings. If he survives until the Third Tribulation, there is no way he can fail it.¡±


    The old man just gave out a little laugh again when he saw how the little girl names Sandra was defending Zhi. He looked towards the horizon and his gaze seemed to pierce through the fabric of space itself and it was like he was directly looking at Zhi. ¡°Huh, that is...¡± The old man was astonished when he discovered the symbol of entwined flames on his forehead. They both had the same technique so they knew what it was.


    Sandra¡¯s mouth opened wide as she exclaimed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Flame Reservoir?¡± The old man nodded and said, ¡°Now then, I take back what I said before. It truly would take a miracle for him to fail the Third Tribulation.¡± The little girl chuckled as she heard that.

 Chapter 9: Conflict

    Sandra¡¯s smile disappeared as she said solemnly, ¡°Although he is the first one to get this reaction out of the Guardian Fruit, it makes me wonder. He was born as a Dragon, whose sense of Pride is second to none. For someone like him to get the Guardian Fruit of Pride...¡±


    The old man¡¯s face also turned solemn as he heard the young girl. He nodded his head as he said, ¡°Greed, Pride, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth. Each of the Guardian Fruit holds one of the seven. The one who holds Greed has holed up inside a mountain with mountain of Qi Jade. Envy is still going around stealing nearly everything she takes a fancy to.¡± He sighed as he continued remembering, ¡°Lust only fools around with the young masters before pumping them dry. As for Gluttony, he goes around eating the best and rarest foods. He isn¡¯t that bad because he pays for the food and doesn¡¯t create trouble but the rest are all trouble makers.¡±


    As the old man shook his head, he suddenly felt a chill run down her spine as Sandra smiled towards him sinisterly, ¡°And what about me Sloth?¡± Beads of sweat started flowing down the old man¡¯s forehead as he said, ¡°And you, Wrath, are the most loveable and pretty little princess in the whole 7 Sins Realm.¡± Hearing this the little girl just nodded her head and smiled sweetly, ¡°And do not forget that.¡±


    Saying so, she turned around to leave. When she had left the old man finally let out a sigh as he said, ¡°I nearly brought an apocalypse on myself. The last time Wrath got pissed off...¡± As he remembered the carnage that had happened, he just shuddered. He closed his eyes and quickly entered meditation again.


    ***


    As Zhi kept familiarizing himself with the Flame Seed, his understanding of the true meaning of a solid Foundation grew. The basic principle of all these techniques that allowed a person to accumulate Qi into one point to use at another time all had high requirements in terms of the body. The body had to be strong enough to withstand the Qi. If his body was tempered by the mediocre standards, then he probably couldn¡¯t even put a strand of Qi in to the Flame Seed. This technique was extremely good because it could be used in both cultivation and in combat.


    As Zhi immersed himself in the profound mysteries of the technique, suddenly he felt the Command Medallion vibrate. The Command Medallion he had was linked to the four Island Lords so that they could contact him if they needed. As he took the Medallion out, he poured some Qi into it and then a message entered his head. It was from Feng and he said that some Long Clan had arrived and some of them were making quite a fuss. Hearing this Zhi just sighed as he sent back a message that he would be right there.


    When he arrived at the place that Feng told him about, he suddenly heard a big commotion as he saw a big crowd. Having a bad feeling, he immediately headed towards there. He was greeted by a sight that thoroughly enraged him. A young man with long black hair was currently stomping Zhishi under his foot. The young man wore azure robes with a golden dragon imprint so Zhi knew exactly where the young man was from.


    As he arrived at the scene he could hear the young man mockingly say, ¡°I am from the Long Clan. The Island Master is my Clan¡¯s member. What right do you have to block my path and refute me from doing what I want?¡± This sentence thoroughly enraged Zhi because of two things: First, this was his Island and the young man wasn¡¯t following his rules. Second he so blatantly used Zhi¡¯s name to do what he wanted. When Zhi had allowed the Ancestor to relocate his faithful clan members here, he had explicitly said that they had to follow his rules and that the four Island Lords were the people in charge here.


    Behind the young man were several other young and old from the Long Clan who sneered and looked down on everyone in disdain. Zhishi just spat a mouthful of blood as he said through grit teeth, ¡°Senior¡¯s orders are absolute. He left me in charge here and I will protect the rules here even if I have to die.¡± The surrounding people all felt that Zhishi was an idiot but Zhi felt a bit proud. He felt as though he had chosen a right person for the position.


    The young man tilted his head mockingly and raised his sword saying, ¡°Well then, go die then.¡± As his sword fell, all of the people looking at the spectacle were visibly shocked. It was one thing to demonstrate strength but to outright kill someone like this was not a good idea at all. Since nobody had the cultivation to intervene, they just closed their eyes but when the sound of sword cutting flesh didn¡¯t echo out, they slowly opened their eyes.


    They all saw that a young man dressed in black had caught the sword between his index finger and thumb. The young man was Zhi and his face was beyond ugly at the moment. Before the young man could say anything he was greeted by a fist straight in the stomach. The young man spat out blood as he flew back and was caught by one of the Long Clan members. Before anyone could even register what had happened an enraged roar echoed out over the entire Island from Zhi, ¡°LONG CLAN ANCESTOR, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW!¡± This one sentence made everyone¡¯s eyes as wide as carriage wheels.


    One of the Long Clan member¡¯s, that had the cultivation of an Empyrean Immortal, said, ¡°Who do you think-¡± Before he could even finish his sentence a drop kick landed on his head from Zhi. When everyone saw that the drop kick from Zhi had nailed the man into the ground, no one knew what to say any more. Zhi¡¯s murderous aura spread out and suffocated all of the observes except for Zhishi and Feng. His aura didn¡¯t touch the girls behind Feng either. As the area was engulfed in silence a white flame manifested on Zhi¡¯s hand as he walked towards Zhishi.


    Although his injuries weren¡¯t life threatening, they would hinder his road on cultivation if they weren¡¯t treated immediately. He gently submerged Zhishi in the Flames and there was confusion on his face when it didn¡¯t hurt. He didn¡¯t dare to move but was soon dumbfounded when he realized that all of his wounds were healing at an astonishing pace. Just as the flame completely engulfed Zhishi, two beams of light arrived. From one came Fanghong and from the other the Long Clan Ancestor. Both of their faces were ugly as they saw the situation. The Ancestor turned to Zhi and asked in a grim tone, ¡°What happened here?¡±


    Fanghong stood behind Zhi as if to protect him and Zhi looked the Ancestor straight in the eye as he said, ¡°I told you my conditions for allowing the Long Clan to come to Dragon Cross. I do not know what happened before I arrived here but when I arrived one of the arrogant little pricks was about to kill one of the Island Lords. Would you like to explain yourself old bastard?¡± The anger in his tone was very evident but everyone¡¯s mind blanked out when they processed what Zhi had said.


    Everyone felt their scalp numb when they realized that Zhi was the Island Master. Hearing this the Ancestor¡¯s face blanked for a second before turning towards the Long Clan members who had been at the scene. When the Ancestor and Fanghong had first arrived they all had thought that they would deal with Zhi but when they heard Zhi¡¯s words, they realized what kind of a steel board they had hit this time.


    The Ancestor went and picked up one of the Long Clan members by the collar as he shouted in the young mans face, ¡°WHAT THE FUCKING HELL HAPPENED HERE?¡± The young man was nearly scared to death as he quickly explained what had happened. He didn¡¯t dare to twist the truth or leave anything. When he was done, the Ancestor was fuming with anger as he slapped the young man so hard he literally flew through one of the stone buildings in the surroundings. He then went and picked that fellow up and just as he was about to slap him again, Zhi stopped him, ¡°Don¡¯t. Take him and Father you take that fellow over there.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Saying to he pointed towards the youth who had got punched in the stomach. He himself picked up the fellow that got the drop kick and then he turned towards the Long Clan members, ¡°In 15 minutes everyone of the Long Clan is to assemble in the assigned location of the Clan. Anyone who is even a second late will get punished.¡± Hearing this, the Ancestor nodded and transmitted it to all of the Long Clan members. As Zhi, Fanghong and Ancestor were flying towards the Long Clan Compound, the Ancestor sighed, ¡°I am sorry Little Zhi. I would have never thought that my repeated warnings to the Clan would have been in from the one ear and out of the other one.¡± Zhi knew that this wasn¡¯t the Ancestors fault. He had done everything he could to make sure the Long Clan didn¡¯t cause trouble like this but he couldn¡¯t just put a collar around everyone¡¯s neck and chain them to the compound walls.


    Zhi just sighed as he said, ¡°Well, I expected that the Long Clan wouldn¡¯t be able to adapt to my rules so easily.¡± After Zhi said that, they had arrived at the Long Clan compound and when they arrived they threw the three people in front of them as they waited for the Clan to gather. Only 10 minutes had passed since the order to gather was given but everyone from the Long Clan was present already.


    It was evident that the incident that had transpired only 15 minutes ago was already known to everyone. As Zhi glanced over the people present, the Ancestor said, ¡°I believe all of you have already heard about what had happened at the Main Square?¡± Hearing this everyone nodded and the Ancestor looked towards Zhi. Understanding the look Zhi stepped up and said, ¡°I am the Island Master of Dragon Cross. Although I am also from the Long Clan, I do not plan to give you people any special treatment.¡± This statement enraged a few of the older people as one of them snorted, ¡°Junior, blood is thicker than water.¡± Hearing this sentence both the Ancestor and Fanghong released their killing intent.


    They understood the meaning behind the words very clearly and just as they wanted to go and give that old man a good beating, Zhi¡¯s voice echoed out, ¡°True that but where were you when I was stuck in the Ancient Battlefield? Where were you guys when I was fighting for my life day in and day out?¡± As these cold words sounded out, everyone felt a chill run down their spine. The old man who opened his mouth before just gulped.


    Zhi took another step forward as a dominating cold aura spread out, ¡°The only thing this Clan has brought me is grief and pain but considering our blood ties I took you in on the Ancestors request. If it weren¡¯t that the Clan had offered kindness to my Father when he was young, I would not even taken you retarded lizards in.¡± These cold words pierced through the hearts of every person present but no one could say anything.


    Some even took a step back as Zhi¡¯s cold words sounded out. Zhi swept his glance over everyone and said, ¡°All the Arts, Artefacts and Pills are provided by me alone. This place is also provided by me and if you ungrateful shit heads can¡¯t even follow my rules under my roof¡­. I don¡¯t give damn if you are a child or a person with one foot in the grave, you will be thoroughly punished. So I advise you to learn the rules by heart and if anyone else pulls off a stunt like today in the future, they might not live long enough to be thrown out of Dragon Cross.¡± After saying so Zhi turned around and left.


    Fanghong and the Ancestor looked at his departing figure with a complicated gaze. Seeing Zhi leave, everyone felt the suffocating pressure vanish, one of the people from the younger generation said haughtily, ¡°What a prick, what happened to him wasn¡¯t even our fault. Why does he need to make our lives harder?¡± As the words echoed out, both the Ancestor and Fanghong glanced at the young woman coldly. Fanghong just said, ¡°Do you believe me if if I say I will slap you death if you continue opening that worthless mouth of yours?¡± These cold words made everyone of the younger generation shrink back.


    All of the elderly had a complicated face on. The words Zhi said had made them thoroughly rethink their attitude. Currently, they were basically homeless and as Zhi said, the Long Clan had brought him nothing but grief and pain. To be able to live here and actually have equal conditions as the others was already a heaven sent gift. Also, none of them could say that the Arts, Artefacts and Pills provided by Zhi were bad, they were of the Highest Grade and there was a lot of them. The Qi was already 5 times thicker on this Island that it had been in their Clan¡¯s cultivation grounds in the past. Also there were various tempering formations and cultivation formations as well, this place was like a Holy Ground of cultivating.


    Although, the Ancestor had said to follow Zhi¡¯s rules, they had brushed it off before. This time hearing Zhi¡¯s cold words and seeing the actions he took, they all had to reconsider their attitude. Also, it was already known that Zhi had spent ten years in the Ancient Battlefield. The people from the Senior generation knew very well what kind of a place that was. After thinking about everything with a new look, they felt embarrassed about their previous attitude. Silently in their hearts they made a vow to thoroughly beat this new found attitude into their descendants as well. Like this the next week in the Long Clan compound was filled with miserable screams.


    All of the Elders were thoroughly beating humility into their juniors. As far as the rules went, they were extremely fair. With contribution points you could get everything and there were countless ways to earn the contribution points. They also understood that they had doted on their descendants a bit too much in the past. They were too used to asking their mommies and daddies for Arts and Pills. They hadn¡¯t worked for the resources themselves so they didn¡¯t know the difficulty of obtaining these things.


    After Zhi had left the Long Compound, he went over to find Zhishi and Feng. After seeing that they were all right and that the little Nymph Girls who Zhishi and Feng had protected were fine as well, he was relieved. He talked to them a bit about their total number of people and how things were going lately. When Feng happily said that they have already made an army and also had their Refinement Hall make special armours and weapons for them. Hearing that he now had an army, Zhi asked, ¡°How long was I in the secluded meditation?¡± Feng thought for a second and said, ¡°For 3 months.¡±


    Zhi¡¯s eyes widened and then he sighed as he shook his head saying, ¡°Time truly passes fast in cultivation.¡± Feng and Zhishi could only bitterly smile to that. Due to having to take care of everything, their own cultivation had not progressed much. Also thinking about their situation, Zhi suddenly remembered something as he gave the four of them some precious Pills and passed a few Arts to them. He said, ¡°These are to help you advance by leaps and bounds. After familiarizing yourself with this cultivation art, take one pill per day and after one month of continuously taking the pills, take 6 months off and go into secluded meditation and take this pill.¡± He said so as he pointed out each of the pills in the correct order. Finally, he held up a pill that was pure white. On it were a few golden engravings.


    Zhi looked at them seriously as he said, ¡°The pills from before will remove the impurities from your body while at the same time tempering your body. If you use it in synchronization with the Art, the result will be double with half the effort. Also when you take the last pill, take it in a place with the Qi Gathering Formation.¡± These items were all of the highest grade he had. The reason he gave them to them was because he had thrown all of the responsibilities and duties on their shoulders. Their own cultivation advanced at a snail pace even with all the things they currently had.


    This was his way of thanking them for the good work they had done. The four looked at each other and then at Zhi. They respectfully cupped their hands as they said, ¡°We thank the Island Master for his generosity.¡± Hearing this Zhi just laughed as he said, ¡°You have done a superb job with managing everything. This is the least I could do to help you catch up with your cultivation to the others.¡±


    With that, he stood up and headed back towards the Mansion. When he was halfway there, he felt that someone was flying to the Island. Actually, there were 7 people there and two of them had a very familiar aura to him. He smiled as he looked towards the direction as he made a guiding path to the mansion through the Formations.

 Chapter 10: Alliance

    By the time the people had followed the Formations to the Mansion, Zhi had called for Fanghong and the Long Ancestor. Currently, Zhi was sitting at a big table outside in the garden. To his right was the Long Clan Ancestor and to his left was his father, Fanghong. On the table were various Spirit Teas and other Spirit foods. The difference between Spirit Food and normal food was that Spirit Food contained minimum amounts, if none at all, of impurities.


    As Zhi was silently sipping on tea, the seven people arrived. There were 3 old men in red robes. They all had various scars on them and their aura was as fiery as a phoenix¡¯s. They were all in the Paragon Realm, so just them glancing at a person in a lower realm would make them feel as though they were insects. Behind the three came Qing, currently she had quite the complicated face on. Next to Qing was Hao and a middle aged lady in red robes. She looked like an older version of Qing but she had a golden Phoenix imprint on her forehead. She seemed to be the current Matriarch of the Xi Clan. Her aura was one that demanded respect.


    However, Zhi¡¯s attention was on sweet old lady who was at the back. Although Zhi couldn¡¯t feel what her cultivation was, he felt as if he was looking at a drawn sword. She didn¡¯t exclude any Qi or Aura and her demeanour was like that of a sweet old lady, Zhi couldn¡¯t help but have a chill run down his spine when he saw her. She walked with the help of a cane, her hair was long and had turned grey already. Her eyes were closed and she honestly looked like a bag of bones. The wrinkles were all over her face and hands. As Zhi was looking at the old lady, she turned her head towards him and smiled. Zhi instinctively nodded his head and then stood up.


    When Hao saw that, he just laughed lightly as he said, ¡°It has been a while little friend.¡± Zhi just put on a smile as well as he said, ¡°It has been a while. I wonder what brings such exalted people to this little minor world? I have a feeling that it isn¡¯t for the item you entrusted to me.¡± Hao just let out a hollow laugh as he said, ¡°May we take a seat?¡± Zhi politely gestured them to take a seat and waited for Hao to finally tell him why they are here.


    When everyone had taken a seat, Hao cleared his throat and started introducing everyone. He pointed towards Qing and said, ¡°You have already met Qing. The fellow at my most left is called Xi Shudao. He is the Grand Elder of our Clan.¡± Zhi looked towards the man that was introduced as Xi Shudao and remembered his face. It wasn¡¯t hard because half of his face was covered in burn marks. Hearing the introduction, the old man cupped his hands respectfully towards Zhi and Zhi did the same.


    Seeing this Hao continued, ¡°The ones on his right are the Discipline Elder Xi Shing and Foreign Affairs Elder Xi Zhing.¡± The two old men cupped their hands and Zhi politely did the same again. Right from the old men but left from Hao was Qing. Then it was Hao and then on Hao¡¯s right was the middle aged lady. Hao gestured towards her and said, ¡°She is Xi Ling. She is the current Matriarch of the Xi Clan.¡± After the introduction Ling cupped her hands towards Zhi and said, ¡°Hello, I have heard quite a bit about you.¡± Zhi just weakly laughed as he also cupped his hands. However, Zhi¡¯s attention was on the old lady who was sitting next to the Long Clan Ancestor.


    When the introductions got that far Hao had a face that didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry on. Seeing this, Zhi felt that something was wrong. He looked towards Hao and as he cleared his throat to introduce her, the Long Clan Ancestor said, ¡°This old lady is Xi Xinq. The previous Matriarch of the Xi Clan and the current Ancestor of the Xi Clan.¡± As Zhi started cupping his hands towards her, the Ancestor continued, ¡°And she is also your great, great, great grandmother.¡± Everyone present except for the Hao, Xing and Ling had a dumbfounded expression on. It seemed like even Fanghong and the Xi Clan members didn¡¯t know about this.


    Zhi¡¯s eyebrows just furrowed as the old lady laughed lightly as she said, ¡°Oho, you make me blush. However, who are you calling old you old fart?¡± The Ancestor seemed to have met his nemesis as he was ready to get into a verbal argument but he restrained himself when he thought of the reason why they were here. He cleared his throat as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s drop that for now. How about we get to the main point of you being here?¡± The old woman just laughed lightly as she said, ¡°You should know very well why we are here.¡±


    Hearing this, the Long Clan Ancestor had a complicated face on. Just as he was about to say something, Zhi said annoyed, ¡°Will you people just please get to the point? If you wish to talk about past relations and the weather, call me when you are done and we can get to the main point.¡± This astonished everyone and Xi Zhing opened his mouth as he said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little rude young lad?¡± Zhi looked at him coldly as he said, ¡°Due to various reasons, I have made a lot of enemies in a short timespan lately. I honestly don¡¯t have time to talk about the weather with you guys, there are a lot of things still needed to be done on the Island and my own cultivation isn¡¯t going to advance by itself.¡±


    Just as Zi Zhing wanted to say something again, Xinq said, ¡°Oho, the young ones are always in a rush but your words are valid. You have a lot of better and important things to do rather than talk to all of us old foggies about the weather.¡± Towards the end her tone turned serious and the happy go lucky atmosphere had disappeared. Hao started explaining, ¡°You see, our Realm is a layered type. The lowest level are the countless Mortal Planes, above that are the one thousand Deity Planes, and above that is the Ascended Plane.¡±


    He took a breath before continuing, ¡°Just as the Mortal Planes divide themselves by kingdoms, there are also Alliances and Factions on the Ascended Plane. The ones from the Ascended Plane control a certain number of Deity Planes. The Deity Planes control the Mortal Planes. Not everyone is friendly with one another. Some Alliances or Factions fight for pride, some because their cultivation techniques are the opposites. If you think about it this way, then you could say that the Factions themselves are the Command base and we, who are on lower Planes, are the outposts.¡± As Hao said this far, he let it all sink in to Zhi. Actually, they all knew that Zhi would become someone who will be able to go to the Ascended Plane.


    Also, given the resources he had, it would only be a matter of time before he would turn Dragon Cross from a trivial Sect from the Mortal Plane into a Supreme Sect in the Deity Plane. They wanted to foster a good relationship with him because they knew that if Zhi would make a move, he would be thorough. This was seen in his battle against the Human sects here. It didn¡¯t matter that he was out numbered, his cultivation was lower, he still stood tall and embraced it. That one fight showed every senior person that Zhi¡¯s personality was that of a prideful person. As long as you didn¡¯t pick a fight with him, he wouldn¡¯t do so to you.


    Zhi just calmly listened and seeing Zhi focused like that Hao continued, ¡°There are only so many Worlds and so many Powers. Without beating around the bush anything further, I would like to ask you, would you be interested in an alliance with our Xi Clan?¡± Fanghong and Long Ancestor seemed to have been expecting this as their faces didn¡¯t even change. However, Zhi¡¯s eyes narrowed as he said, ¡°What kind of an alliance?¡± Hao said, ¡°We will develop together and-¡± Zhi cut him off with a wave of his hand.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    He looked Hao straight in the eye as he asked, ¡°That is a very vague answer. What I want to know is that whether we will only help one another in times of need or will we also trade with each other and exchange students etc. Saying it briefly, Do you want a mutually beneficial alliance or a situational one?¡± This made Hao stumped as he looked towards the Xi Clan Ancestor. She just laughed lightly as she said, ¡°Of course the Alliance we propose is the one where we will mutually grow. We trade resources and help out one another also in situations outside of fighting.¡± Hearing this Zhi fell into thought as he asked, ¡°How many enemies do you have?¡±


    This one question startled everyone present. This was a question none of them could answer. There were some that were in the open but who knows how many there are hidden deep. Hearing no answer, Zhi just sighed as he asked, ¡°Why do you want an alliance with us now? There are a lot of stronger powers out there and unless it was some special reason you wouldn¡¯t come here with this kind of an intense line up.¡±


    Hao let out a hollow laugh as he thought about the meaning of the words. He had seen through that something was up, otherwise just him and the Foreign Affairs Elder would have been enough for the talks. Hao let out a sigh as he said, ¡°The previous power balance has collapsed. That means that a bloody storm is coming soon.¡± Zhi looked astonished as he asked, ¡°The power balance collapsed? How?¡± Hao looked deeply at Fanghong and said, ¡°The Long Clan used to be on the same level of power as our Xi Clan. They were a power no one dared to piss off just for the heck of it. However, with your disappearance ten years ago, the Long Clan started to weaken.


    First Fanghong left the Clan to search for you. Then many prominent people of the Clan started dying one after another with no clear perpetrator. Now, the Clan had split up completely destroying their power.¡±


    Hao let out a sigh as he said, ¡°The current Long Clan is like a paper tiger that currently only survives due to it¡¯s past glory. It won¡¯t take long for people to start eyeing the Long Clan¡¯s resources and other things. It is inevitable that they fall.¡± Hearing this Zhi just looked at Hao coldly. This power balance collapse may be triggered by him but he didn¡¯t cause it. Hearing Hao say that some strangers will take over the Long Clan territories the Ancestor showed a bit of reluctance. No matter what, he had spent a lot of time there there, to have it all land in the hands of some strangers who wouldn¡¯t know how to cherish it was very unpleasant. Seeing the Ancestor act like that Zhi smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ancestor, someone might take over the Long Clan territories but they won¡¯t have them for long.¡±


    Hearing this everyone turned towards Zhi puzzled. Suddenly the Ancestor thought of something as he said, ¡°You couldn¡¯t have been eyeing this from the start?¡± Everyone were confused but Fanghong seemed to also have realized what the Ancestor meant and looked at Zhi suspiciously. Zhi just smiled as he said, ¡°I only said that let them act as kings of their paper fortress. I never planned on letting them keep the Long Clan territories.¡± Hearing this both the Ancestor and Fanghong sighed. Fanghong said, ¡°Mind elaborating what you have in mind?¡±


    Zhi just nodded as he said, ¡°The reason I had all the Clansmen leave was because this will show me clearly who are enemies. Those that stayed behind are all people under that Grand Elder, that is all I need to know. Did you two honestly not think about anyone taking over the Long Clan¡¯s territories after you guys left?¡± The both could only sigh as they nodded their heads. They had thought about it but felt as though the Clan still had many friendly relations that would help them survive. The old woman looked at Zhi and asked, ¡°Back on track, are you interested in our proposal of an Alliance?¡± Zhi looked towards her and said, ¡°Yes but you need to give me a bit of time to properly build up my strength. Currently to go to war against someone would be a very bad idea for me.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter that Zhi had people of the Paragon Realm or Sovereign Realm under him, he didn¡¯t have a proper system for them. Currently, they were not united but everyone was doing their own thing. Also, all of the people that had passed the Second Tribulation came from the Long Clan. To have all of them immediately fight for him was not such a good idea. The best idea was to wait for a bit and let the Demon Race from this world grow. There were over ten thousand of people with various levels of cultivation under him but again, they were all doing their own thing. It would take them a bit of time to adjust and to truly become a part of the force. Hearing this the old woman nodded and stood up.


    She smiled towards Zhi and said, ¡°This is all I need to know, the Foreign Affairs Elder shall talk over the details with your Island Lords. We won¡¯t take more of your time as I understand how hard it is to manage everything.¡± Saying so, she raised her hand and everyone from the Xi Clan had flown out of their seats and were floating up in the air. She waved her hand and all of them disappeared. When only the four of them were left, Xinq gave Zhi one last look before saying, ¡°There will be a lot of people after your head because of those two Flames you have. Better hide them thoroughly and let as few people know about them as possible.¡± Zhi stood up and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Xing opened her crimson eyes and said, ¡°I originate from the Ascended Plane and I know a lot more about those Flames than anyone else in the Lower Planes. The Flames you have are the Guardian Flames. The right hand of the Guardian kills the enemies while the left hand heals the harmed. Since the beginning of time, only 7 Guardian Fruits have ever existed. 6 of them had found a Master a long time ago but the seventh which is the Leader of the Guardians, Pride, has not given anyone their full acknowledgement.¡±


    She took a breath as she continued, ¡°Not to anyone but you. However, when the 7 Guardians finally gather, the Immortal Emperor shall rise. The Emperor will take the throne of the Ascended Plane and usher our 7 Sins Realm into a new era. Now then, think about it, the Major Powers that have been the Kings of their little hills, would not allow anyone to step on their heads. Since you are the weakest and have the most picky Guardian Fruit, you are the most likely target.¡± Hearing this, all three of them were dumbstruck. Zhi furrowed his brows as he asked, ¡°You said that there are Seven Guardians? Who is currently the strongest?¡±


    The old woman thought for a moment and then shuddered, ¡°Without a doubt it is Wrath. She may seem like a sweet little girl but when she flips the switch...¡± As her words trailed off, they could all understand the meaning behind those words. However, Xinq gave Zhi a peculiar look as she said, ¡°I wonder how you are going to end up as. The Fruits tend to influence the personality of the Guardian a lot. For example, Greed used to be the most generous person you could find but when he ingested the Guardian Fruit of Greed, he became the stingiest person in the whole wide Realm.¡± Hearing this Zhi had complicated face on.


    However, when he heard that his fruit was ¡°Pride¡± he understood why the Fruit was so stuck up on perfection. It¡¯s pride didn¡¯t allow mediocrity, when you do something, do it thoroughly and perfectly. However, his train of thought was cut short by Xing continuing, ¡°You have the Guardian Fruit of Pride, your Bloodline is of the Primarodial Dragon, the most prideful beast in existence. Although you have a cold disposition, I wonder how you will end up.¡± As she said that, she turned around and also disappeared.


    Both Zhi and Fanghong looked towards the Ancestor who sighed, ¡°I know what you both want to say and what she said was true.¡± However, Zhi felt something as he suspiciously asked, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to also be-¡± The Ancestor let out an even deeper sigh as he said, ¡°Yes, I am also from the Ascended Plane. However, since my path ended at the peak of the Primadorial God realm, the Main Clan didn¡¯t see the point in wasting resources on me and sent me here to found the Long Clan. Countless years have passed but I still want to go back to the Main Clan.¡±


    As he said that, he looked towards the sky as he said, ¡°That place is my true home. I long to go back and then proudly declare that from my Clan came the Leader of the Guardians. I no longer wish for the Main Clan to take me back but rather to show them that I don¡¯t need them.¡±


    These words confused both Zhi and Fanghong. Zhi asked, ¡°Do you have some bad blood with the Main Clan?¡± The Ancestors face turned cold as he said, ¡°It is because of them that my path ended at the end of the Primadorial God realm.¡±

 Chapter 11: Circumstances

    Zhi raised an eyebrow as he asked, ¡°You could have passed the Third Tribulation? What happened?¡± The Ancestor sighed as he gestured to the two of them to sit down, ¡°This is a long story and it will probably take a while to fully narrate.¡± Zhi and Fanghong looked at each other but sat down nonetheless. The Ancestor closed his eyes to collect his thoughts for a bit before he started, ¡°You see, the Main Clan has the family name ¡°Sheng¡± and at the large scale of things, it has two factions: The Elders and the Normal. The Elders offspring all get the best Pills, Arts and Artefacts from young, they also have the best teachers and so on. The Normals, however lack the backing which can help them prosper. Most Normal Clansmen live off of the resources distributed to all and on those that they acquire themselves. Do you understand this far?¡± As he looked at Zhi, Zhi nodded and said, ¡°One Faction has the people who are born with a golden spoon in their mouths, the others climb on top of a mountain of corpses.¡±


    As Zhi said like that, the Ancestor nodded before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s like you said. There is a lot of friction between the two factions because the Elders faction looks down on Normals as if they were insects. The Normals however think of the Elders as a joke because they haven¡¯t worked for their resources. However, there is one more Faction amongst them that belongs to neither. That is the Founder Faction. Every generation the Sheng Clan Founder selects the person with the most promising future to become his direct disciple. Those disciples form the third faction.¡±


    As he explained thus far, he took a little break to let it all sink in. He took a sip of the Spirit Tea and then said in a cold tone, ¡°I was born to the Normal Faction and in my generation, I was the person destined to become the Disciple. However, It never came to be.¡± As he shook his head helplessly Fanghong asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Zhi also nodded his head indicating he wanted to know.


    The Ancestor smiled bitterly as he said, ¡°Even though I was the one the Ancestor had picked, he had said that only if I managed to pass the Third Tribulation before I turned One Thousand years old. Since I had reached the mid stages of the Primadorial God realm before I turned 800, there was no way for me to not succeed. Everyone felt as though that spot was mine for sure, even I thought so. However, there was one from the Elders faction whose talent and cultivation wasn¡¯t far behind me. He had reached the Early stage of the Primadorial God realm by the time he became 800 years old.¡± The Ancestor let out a bitter sigh as he continued, ¡°One day, I was visited by the Elders Factions bright stars Father with another few Elders. They basically told me to give up this spot as the Disciple of the Founder. Since I reached where I had only thanks to my own efforts, it was not something I could do so easily.¡±


    He looked Zhi in the eye before he continued, ¡°When I told them to dream on, they started making my life hard. I was assigned a deadly mission after another but I survived and my cultivation increased in rapid pace as well thanks to all the combat experience. By the time I became 900 years old, I had already reached the Peak stage of Primadorial God realm. I was only a breath away from the Third Tribulation. It was then when the Elder decided to take matters into his own hands.¡± The Ancestors face turned cold as he opened up his robes to expose a very vicious rotting scar on his chest. Seeing this scar, Fanghong¡¯s jaw dropped and Zhi¡¯s eyes opened wide.


    The Ancestor said with his head cast down, ¡°This was given to me by that very same Elder when I was ambushed while out on a mission. This strike cut off my path as a cultivator, I could never reach a higher realm. So it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what would happen. I stayed in the Primadorial God realm while the Elder¡¯s son passed the Third Tribulation and became the Founder¡¯s Disciple.¡± Zhi suddenly realized that not everyone has a happy story behind them. He was currently complementing on whether to pass on a certain technique to the Ancestor or not. His story was nearly the same as his, only that he fell from a higher place than him.


    The Ancestor covered up his chest again and said, ¡°Since I failed, I was just casually told to go and start a branch clan in a lower plane. The resources given to me to do so were minimal and I wasn¡¯t even allowed to use the Clan name. So I founded the Long clan in hopes of raising a person that would be able to slap all the Elders in their face.¡±


    He took a long look at Zhi before sighing, ¡°When you were born, I honestly felt that I finally found the person to do so. However, I had no idea that that bastards hands would stretch as far as this.¡± As he shook his head at the last sentence, Zhi realized something as he asked, ¡°Wait, behind the Grand Elder is the Elder from the Sheng Clan?¡± The Ancestor immediately replied, ¡°Not him but his son who became the Founder¡¯s Disciple, Sheng Jack. When we were young I always suppressed him but now that he has left me in the dust, he takes pleasure in making my life harder and harder. Because he stand behind the Grand Elder, I could never get rid of him because that would give the Sheng Clan an excuse to execute me for impending their growth or something. The only reason they couldn¡¯t just outright kill me was because I never gave them the excuse or opportunity to do so.¡±


    He could do nothing but curse his own bad luck at this. Zhi asked with a frown, ¡°What about your Founder, has he not even as much as tried to find out the truth?¡± The Long Ancestor just waved his hand in a mocking way saying, ¡°He probably knows but just doesn¡¯t care. His own strength is enough to ensure that no one would be able to oppose him. The Disciples he takes are one of the countless, he doesn¡¯t care who becomes the one in the end and who fails.¡± Hearing this Zhi was a bit irritated. Although he didn¡¯t manage all the things on the Island, he still was kept up to date about everything and he ensured fairness. He specifically made sure that there would never be Factions inside Dragon Cross.


    All he could say about the Sheng Clan Founder¡¯s management was: Bullshit. He didn¡¯t care about his subordinates at all. Seeing Zhi a bit irritated, the Ancestor just sighed as he said, ¡°There is nothing we can do any more. Unless, we magically obtained power strong enough to rival the Sheng Clan, we wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything at all.¡± Fanghong nodded to this as well. Although they had suffered injustice they weren¡¯t strong enough to demand justice. Zhi just said, ¡°Well, there is time. As they say, 20 years isn¡¯t too late for a gentleman¡¯s revenge. If we slowly and stably grow and prosper, we will at some point in time be able to rival the Sheng Clan. Then we can demand some justice.¡± Both Fanghong and the Ancestor looked at Zhi in astonishment.


    The Ancestor asked puzzled, ¡°You said you don¡¯t care about other¡¯s circumstances, why are you trying to take revenge on the Sheng Clan?¡± Zhi looked at the Ancestor as he raised his palm. On it, five domino blocks manifested and he lined them up. The Ancestor and Fanghong looked on confused, they had no idea what Zhi was doing.


    When everything was set up, Zhi started explaining, ¡°You see, the events that brought me to the Ancient Battlefield are the outcome of a Domino Effect.¡± He pointed towards the domino on one end and said, ¡°Lets pretend this is the event which led me being stuck in the Ancient Battlefield.¡± The two looked at the domino and nodded their heads. Then Zhi pointed at the next domino and said, ¡°This is the Grand Elder plotting to take over the Clan.¡± Then he pointed to the next one and said, ¡°This is you founding the Long Clan.¡± And then to the next one, ¡°This one is you being ambushed in order to let Sheng Jack become the Founder¡¯s Disciple.¡± Then to the next one, ¡°This is the one where Sheng Jack is suppressed by you and hatches the sinister scheme of overtaking you.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    When he reached the end of the line, he knocked the domino over. After falling on the next one, the other fell over and so on. After they had all fallen over, Zhi said, ¡°Because of the Elders and Normals faction, you who was a rising star of you generation, was plotted against by the people who wanted to get Sheng Jack to become the Founder¡¯s Disciple. After he had the power, he had you exiled of the Clan and then to make your life even harder, the seduced the Grand Elder, which in turn caused me being thrown to the Ancient Battlefield.¡± Fanghong and the Ancestor just frowned, they understood what Zhi was saying but in their eyes, it was a ludicrous idea. Zhi took the up most domino block and crushed it in his palm.


    As he opened it, the dust started falling down. He looked at the dust falling from his palm and said, ¡°I am not interested in the domino¡¯s in between but I honestly want to have a long chat with the domino block that cause all of this.¡± Hearing these resolute words both Fanghong and the Ancestor gulped. This idea was completely insane. The Sheng Clan Founder was someone who was born countless millennia ago, his power had reached the level at which there was no one who dared to take him on. For Zhi to say that he wanted to have a nice long chat wouldn¡¯t be something bad in itself but the murderous aura that leaked out form him was something that told them it wouldn¡¯t be a pretty afternoon tea chat.


    The Ancestor said with twitching lips, ¡°You aren¡¯t planning on picking a fight with the Sheng Clan are you? It would take countless years for you to reach the level needed to talk to the Sheng Clan Ancestor like an equal. Even if you reached that level, the Sheng Clan have accumulated over a thousand people in the Origin Realm. What you want to do is just suicide.¡± Zhi let out a cold claugh as he smiled, ¡°I have a shit ton of techniques that are probably on par with the Sheng Clan¡¯s ore Arts. I also have a lot of high quality Artefacts and Pills. Give Dragon Cross a few centuries and then we would be on par with the Long Clan at it¡¯s peak. Give it a few more millennia and we will be a strong power even at the Ascended Plane. As for Origin Experts, I thought I had demonstrated it to you guys before, Quality trumps Quantity if the Quantity are greenhouse flowers who only know how to plot and scheme.¡± As Zhi said so, the Ancestor had a complicated face on.


    He had browsed the Arts and could say that they were even better than the Core Arts of Sheng Clan. As for the Artefacts and Pills, they were all the kind that even the Elders of the Sheng Clan would treat as treasures. It wasn¡¯t some groundless boasting when Zhi said that in a few millennia Dragon Cross would be on par with a Major Power of the Ascended Plane. Usually, a Sect or Clan would become a Major one when they get an Origin level expert on their side. To grow even one of the Origin level experts bleeds a Clan nearly dry. However, Zhi¡¯s starting point was already the same of a Clan that had existed for countless millennia. All Zhi had to do was wait for the people to reach that point in cultivation.


    However, the Ancestor just gave mocking laugh as he said, ¡°Well, what you say is true, in about ten thousand years you will be able to become a power on par with an Ancient Clan in terms of force.¡± Seeing the self mocking smile, Zhi steeled his resolve as he waved his hand. Instantly, tens of formations completely sealed the Time and Space of the little courtyard. No one would be able to look into this place. Seeing the Formations, the Ancestor just raised a brow. Zhi put on a serious face as he said, ¡°If the two of you take an oath on your Soul, I will give you something that will help the both you advance to the Origin Level and beyond.¡± Hearing this sentence completely dumbfounded the two.


    They looked at each other but could only see each other¡¯s bewildered eyes. They knew that Zhi was not someone who would just lie to them or get their hopes up just to destroy them. However, the two of them had no idea what method it would be that would help them get to the Origin Realm. Fanghong asked cautiously, ¡°What is this thing?¡± Zhi just shook his head before saying, ¡°You both need to give me an Oath of Soul to never leak what I will tell you two here. You also can¡¯t take the method and then disappear, you have to stay behind my back.¡± Hearing the serious tone and how Zhi was so determined made them truly feel that Zhi had a method to do as he had said.


    Finally, the Ancestor let out a sigh as he said, ¡°I have nothing to lose anyway.¡± He raised his hand and gave an Oath on his Soul. The Oath of Soul bound a person by their Soul. If they broke the Oath, their Souls would immediately shatter. Seeing the Ancestor give the Oath, Fanghong also grit his teeth and gave one. Zhi couldn¡¯t let them give him a Bloodline Oath because it would screw himself over as he was the descendant of these two. Seeing the two give the Oath, Zhi nodded as he relaxed a bit. He put his hands on his chest and withdrew two white spheres.


    He looked at the two seriously and said, ¡°This is the Art that will allow you to reach the Origin Realm. It is called the ¡°Nirvana Rebirth¡± technique. It is an extremely precious technique that will allow one to create a complete duplicate of himself. After the Duplicate is done, the person will experience ¡°Nirvana Rebirth¡± and be born a new. You will have all your memories and experiences you have had until now but your cultivation will be reset.¡± Hearing this, the Ancestor and Fanghong nearly fell off their chairs.


    Zhi continued, ¡°Your body will be reformed and as a result it will be reinforced a little. As for injuries that would hinder your cultivation or the sorts, they would all be eliminated. Your body toughness will also stay as you currently have and you will be able to temper it further to create a more perfect body.¡± After Zhi had said so, he took a breath and let it all sink in to the two. They had both reached the Primadorial God realm but their hopes for advancement were shot.


    This method would allow them to reform their bodies and recreate their cultivation from the start. This time, they would know to be extremely thorough and coupled with their experiences this far, their progress would be extremely rapid. It would probably only take a few hundred years to get to the level they currently were. The Ancestor asked in a shocked tone, ¡°How could there be a technique as heaven defying as this?¡±


    Zhi just smiled bitterly as he said, ¡°It is not completely without risk. The moment you create the duplicate, it will not be able to advance an inch no matter what. Should you die and the duplicate survive, you will have your consciousness brought back to the duplicate but you will never be able to advance an inch, not in cultivation or in Arts. That is the price you have to pay for this gamble.¡± The two of them weren¡¯t fools and knew very well what Zhi meant.


    If their body that went through ¡°Nirvana Rebirth¡± would meet an unexpected accident, then their duplicate bodies would forever be stuck as they were. No matter how much they would practise their spear arts or sword arts, they would not gain one insight any more.


    The Ancestor looked towards Zhi and asked, ¡°Where did you get this technique?¡± Zhi just smiled as he said, ¡°It is something that slept in the very core of this Island.¡± The Ancestor remembered that this Island was something that Zhi had acquired from the Ancient Battlefield. Who knows where this Island exactly came from but this technique was most probably the very core art of a very strong Sect. The news of it probably leaked and the Sect got destroyed. Through a twist of faith and after passing through countless hands, it ended up in Zhi¡¯s hands.


    Fanghong asked, ¡°Have you used this technique as well?¡± Zhi just smiled as he shook his head, ¡°This technique requires the user to be at least at the Primadorial God realm. Now the question is: Are you prepared to take this gamble in the face of this storm.¡± Both the Ancestor and Fanghong fell into deep thought.


    Without a doubt there was a big storm brewing, all kind of accidents may happen to them during this period that may cut off their final thread of hope in advancement.

 Chapter 12: Making Peace

    Both Fanghong and the Ancestor gulped. They didn¡¯t doubt Zhi¡¯s words but they felt that something was up. The Ancestor said, ¡°If you have something as heaven defying as this, it would be no problem for you to create an army of Origin Realm experts with the duplicate in the Primadorial God Realm. It would literally be killing two birds with one stone.¡±


    The three all knew what made this technique truly precious. It was the fact that a clone of you from the Primadorial God Realm will be left behind. If Origin Realm experts were generals, then Primadorial realm experts were Commanders. It is an unspoken agreement that Origin Realm experts wouldn¡¯t be deployed until the final fight. When one side ignores that and decides to send out an Origin Realm expert, the other side will do the same.


    When the fight would initially sway their way, it may end up with reversed scales. The Ancestor looked at Zhi suspiciously, ¡°Why do you offer us this technique? I mean, something as precious as this needs high requirements and also why do you trust us with a technique as precious as this?¡± Zhi just let out a weak smile as he said, ¡°If there was one thing that I learned in the Ancient Battlefield, it was that one man¡¯s strength is limited. You need to have someone as crazy as you stand behind you. When you go against all odds, they need to be the people who either laugh or sigh and then charge in right after you, not thinking of the consequences at all.¡±


    This smile was filled with loneliness as he remembered the one person he ever trusted his back to. He had no idea what she was doing right now but if destiny willed it, they would meet again. Hearing this, the Ancestor and Fanghong did not know whether to laugh or cry. It was obvious that Zhi was planning on fighting against the world. While the Ancestor was ready to accept the proposal of Zhi, Fanghong was hesitating.


    Even though he had been by Zhi¡¯s side all the time after they reunited, they were like strangers. More like acquaintances. However, there was still a very obvious barrier between them. It was very obvious that neither of them knew how to take the first step and sit down to talk about it all. Fanghong blamed himself for what happened to Zhi but Zhi didn¡¯t blame him for it. He knew very well that he couldn¡¯t do anything about it at all if he could have, none of it would have ever happened. Zhi saw that Fanghong was hesitating and he knew very well why.


    So, he threw one orb towards the Ancestor and said seriously, ¡°This technique has very high bodily and Soul requirements. You can familiarize yourself with the technique first, if you have completely understood it and made all the preparations, you can seek me out again.¡± The Ancestor took the orb and thought for a second before he seriously nodded his head. He pushed the orb into his chest and as it merged with him, large amounts of information entered his head. He took a moment to let all the information flood in before tactfully leaving. He gave the two a glance before leaving but swallowed the words he wanted to say. When the Ancestor had left, Zhi scattered the second orb and collected all of the foods on the table.


    He stood up and said to Fanghong, ¡°Follow me.¡± Fanghong didn¡¯t know what to make of the situation so he just nodded and followed Zhi. They walked the winding path and soon reached the Gravestone. Everything in a 10 meter radius had become a forbidden zone in Dragon Cross. Everyone knew that his place was the Gravestone of the Island Master¡¯s Mother. There were beautiful flowers planted all around, with only a few spots of grass. When Zhi and Fanghong arrived, they gathered quite bit of attention. Fanghong¡¯s cultivation was very profound and Zhi was also unique.


    None of the younger generation could feel what it was but he felt very different from the others around. The aura was something completely different. However, every senior that saw him cupped their hands and respectfully bowed. Zhi didn¡¯t bother with it at all and walked straight through the formations surrounding the Gravestone. When Fanghong saw the Gravestone, his heart stirred. When Zhi arrived at the patch of grass in front of the Gravestone, he looked at it deeply before turning his eyes towards Fanghong. Since they were both inside the Formation, no one could hear what they were talking about.


    Zhi took out a bottle of sake from his Spacial Ring and said to Fanghong, ¡°This acquaintance type relationship is honestly exhausting. It is time we talk things through.¡± Hearing this Fanghong nodded and sat down opposite of Zhi, the spot Zhi gestured to him. Fanghong took out two little cups and passed one to Zhi. Zhi filled up the two cups and after taking a sip started, ¡°I have never blamed you for what happened. Even when I was in the Ancient Battlefield, I never did because I understood that you would not have let it happen in the first place if you could.¡± After saying so Zhi took another sip indicating to Fanghong that it was now his turn to speak.


    Fanghong felt embarrassed but after taking a sip he said, ¡°For the past ten years I never gave up hope that you would be alive. I kept searching for you and when I finally felt your Mother¡¯s Soul Ripples, I felt as though an enormous burden had been lifted from my shoulders.¡± He looked at his sake melancholicly and continued, ¡°I was very happy when I finally found you but when I heard where you had been for the past ten years, I just felt as though I had failed as your parent.¡±


    A tear fell from his eye as his voice choked up, ¡°Because I had been away, you had to suffer. I have been to the Ancient Battlefield myself, so I know very well how dangerous that place is. No matter how I tried, I just couldn¡¯t imagine how you managed to survive in a place like that.¡± He wiped his eyes and continued, ¡°I honestly felt as though I should die. When you were struggling to survive, I was just roaming around nonchalantly. It made me think about what would have happened when you hadn¡¯t run into the Xi Clan. If they hadn¡¯t helped you escape from there, you might as well had died there and I would never had known about it.¡±


    These were the honest feelings that had been locked down deep inside Fanghong. Although people viewed him with pity for roaming around 10 years to locate a son he might never find, he knew very well that Zhi had been through so much more. He felt that no matter what he did, he would never be able to make it up to him.


    Zhi raised his head from the sake cup and said, ¡°Even still, I have never blamed you. Although I had met my fair share of deadly situations, it wasn¡¯t all that bad.¡± After he said so, he put a hand on Fanghong shoulder and smiled, ¡°Even though that place was like Hell, I also met other people there and one of them was the only person I would ever fully trust my back to.¡± Hearing this Fanghong¡¯s eyes widened as he smiled, ¡°To find a brother who you can trust your back to blindly, those are very rare and extremely hard to come upon.¡±


    Zhi refilled their emptied cups and said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a brother but rather a sister. She was the same age as me and she was thrown in there as a part of trial by fire. When we first met, the two of us tried to kill each other.¡±


    After saying so, he let out a little laugh before continuing, ¡°Our sights were on the same prize, so our interest collided. As we kept fighting with each other, neither of us had the edge.¡± Hearing this Fanghong was honestly surprised but seeing how warmly Zhi was smiling, he knew that it was a happy story. He smiled as he asked, ¡°Then what happened?¡± Zhi just sighed as he said, ¡°Just as we were about to kill each other, a three Horned Demons showed up. Seeing that Demons, the both of us froze and before we knew it, they had surrounded us and we had ended up with our backs against each others. Even though we both had fought against each other to the death a few minutes prior, we both understood the fact that the only way either one of us could survive was by relying on the other.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Zhi took a sip of sale before he continued, ¡°When the fight was over, both of us survived however, I had my left arm completely broken and my left leg was also on backwards. She was not in any better condition but what mattered was that we survived. When the fight was over, the both of us set our sights on the corpse again.¡±


    Zhi let out a bitter laugh before saying, ¡°It was then that we realized that the corpse had been wiped clean by someone ages ago. So basically, we had both fought each other to the death for nothing. However, after using the Flame of Life, I managed to heal her and in return she helped me heal by getting me to a cave and staying on guard for me.¡±


    Zhi refilled the cups as he said, ¡°At that time, I was nine years old and so was she. She had been thrown to the Ancient Battlefield for a month but she wasn¡¯t given any food or anything. Only things she had were the clothes on her back and an ordinary short sword. Nothing else.¡± Zhi just concluded saying, ¡°After I gave her some food and cleared up some misunderstandings, we decided to work together to increase out survival change. For the next 5 years we fought side by side and when her trial by fire ended, she promised to one day come and get me out form there.¡±


    He then took out a jade pendant with a fairy emblem and said, ¡°This thing has a Tracking Formation embed into it. With this, she will be able to find me, so if the Heavens will so, our paths will cross again.¡± Zhi took a sip of his sake and after seeing that both of their cups were empty, he refilled them. He then asked Fanghong, ¡°That is the basic summary of my past ten years. Now then, tell me about yourself, like how did you and Mother meet and what did you two go through together and so.¡±


    Fanghong thought for a second as before he started, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be honest, before meeting your Mother I was quite the arrogant prick.¡± After saying so, he let out a laugh, Zhi also let out a laugh. Fanghong continued, ¡°Since I was the rising star of my generation, I got very complacent. Although, I never knew my Mother or Father, the Clan did their best to raise me. After I started showing signs of being a Genius, they started to invest more in me. As a result my ego also grew.¡±


    He took a sip before saying, ¡°When I met your Mother, I was outside wandering around. I was also quite the playboy back then and when I saw your Mother, I felt as though I had to obtain her. However, she rejected all of my advances.¡±


    He let out a self mocking smile as he continued, ¡°For the next few years, I kept pursuing her, trying to please her the best I could. Imagine my surprise when she just yelled at me saying: ¡°What the heck do you want, I am busy. Go chase some other skirt.¡± After being told off like that, I also decided to move on. It was obvious I could not obtain her at all. In time I actually forgot her and moved on with my life.¡± He took a sip of sake and looked at the Gravestone remembering something.


    He then continued, ¡°I met her again when she saved my life when I was out on a mission. My mission was to chase down and kill a rogue cultivator that had massacred many innocents. However, I underestimated him and overestimated myself, if it weren¡¯t for your Mother showing up back then, I would have died then and there. However, she managed to save my life and for some reason, this time, she confessed to me.¡± Fanghong looked at the Gravestone tenderly and Zhi asked, ¡°Where is Mother from?¡±


    Fanghong just shook his head as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Every time I asked about it, she told me that I didn¡¯t need to know and that it didn¡¯t matter. However, the Clan she was from was something that was not from our Realm.¡± As Fanghong said that, Zhi¡¯s eyes widened to the size of carriage wheels. Zhi asked in stupefied, ¡°Mother was not from our Realm? How do you know?¡±


    Fanghong cast his head down as he said in a grave tone, ¡°After your Mother died and you went missing, a young man in white robes appeared before me. His cultivation base was extremely profound even though I was in the Primadorial God Realm, I was suppressed by a single glance.¡± He shook his head as he continued, ¡°When he appeared before me he told me that I had seriously disappointed him. He told me that Xiaomei had been as the Favoured Daughter to a very powerful Clan that existed outside the Realm and she had paid a very huge price in order to come and save me. After doing so, she completely cut off all ties with the Clan and married me.¡±


    Tears started streaming down his eyes as he looked upwards, ¡°It killed me inside when I learned that she gave up everything to be with me but I had actually allowed her to get killed. The young man also told me that you were still alive and we would definitely meet again. At that time, I didn¡¯t dare to believe him outright but it was my last hope, so I clung to it.¡± Suddenly, Zhi remembered something from the time he had just been thrown to the Ancient Battlefield. It was when he had just arrived and he didn¡¯t have any food, so he started losing consciousness from hunger.


    Just before he completely blacked out, he remembered a young man appear before him. Zhi asked suspiciously, ¡°Did the young man have short golden hair and his pupils were like mien but only the crimson part was golden?¡± Fanghong thought about it for a second before he asked in astonishment, ¡°How did you know about it?¡± Zhi shook his head as he said seriously, ¡°The only reason I ingested the Guardian Fruit was because he showed it down my mouth. At that time, I had nearly lost consciousness from hunger and since I didn¡¯t see him anywhere afterwards, I just thought I was hallucinating. However, before he forced me to eat the Fruit, he looked at it and said that it was a very fine specimen of the crystallization of the Insights of Life and Death.¡±


    Since Zhi had been very young at the time and he had been on the verge of losing his consciousness, he honestly thought that he had made that scene up and soon forgot about it. Now that Fanghong told him about the young man, he remembered it. Fanghong had a complicated face on as he asked, ¡°Does that mean, that it was him that saved you? But how did he know that we would meet again?¡± As Fanghong asked that, Zhi also started wondering about that. They both reached the same conclusion, it wasn¡¯t a fluke that Zhi had survived ten years in that Hell.


    The young man had been guarding him from the shadows all the time. However, this brought on the question, why? In the end, they could not find a plausible answer to that question. Since, they couldn¡¯t find the answer to that question, they decided to move on. The sat there and told each other stories of their life through the night. As a result, the barrier that existed between them had disappeared and they had finally grown closer to each other. When morning finally came, they just refilled their storage of bottles and continued talking. They only ended it after 3 days had passed. Now that the two of them had gotten rid of the thorns and shackles on their hearts, they both felt relieved by a lot.


    Fanghong even said that he might have a chance to reach the Origin Realm now, so he will first try to do so himself. Zih had also felt a huge burden lift from his shoulders so his mind was extremely clear as he headed back into his secluded meditation.


    ***


    On the roof of a distant building in Dragon Cross, was a young man in white robes. His golden hair and eyes would be very eye catching but for some reason no body could see him. He could hear the whole conversation that Zhi and Fanghong had and he just smiled warmly as he murmured to himself, ¡°Lil¡¯sis Xiaomei, Your big brother will make sure that the man and child for, who you gave up everything you had, will survive. It doesn¡¯t matter which of those bastard will try to kill them, I will never let it happen.¡±


    As he reached towards the end, his tone turned cold as he looked towards the distant sky and his eyes seemed to pierce through the skies as he coldly looked at it.

 Chapter 13: Black and White Emperor

    Just as the young man was looking up coldly, a ripple spread out next to him. A brawny man with a fierce aura appeared right next to him. The brawny man had a robust physique and his facial features were not like all other¡¯s. While those, who cultivated had a refined and jade like face, his was unrefined and fierce. His hair was white but short, his eyes were narrowed as he looked at the young man and nodded. When the young man also nodded, the bulky man wearing the white armour turned his eyes towards Zhi.


    Seeing his progress, he was surprised but then said, ¡°Your nephew has improved again.¡± The young man¡¯s cold expression had softened as he slowly shook his head, ¡°It is astonishing that he has reached this far with such pathetic resources and cultivation grounds. If he wants to contend with the true Clan Geniuses, he still has a long way to go.¡± The bulky man looked at the young man with a bewildered gaze as he said, ¡°His talent and comprehension could be classified as Saint Level. Against these so called ¡°Geniuses¡± of the Ancient Clans, his progress far outstrips them. Even though the Qi is scarce in this Realm, his combat experience far outstrips these Geniuses, who have only grown up in the safety of their four walls.¡±


    The young man¡¯s eyes flickered as he heard this but he soon cast his head down before he said in a low voice, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, if anyone learns that Xiaomei is dead and he is her son¡­. Even the Heavens can¡¯t protect him then.¡± The bulky man¡¯s eyes flashed but soon he could only sigh as well, ¡°Xiaomei, the only person in the Ancient Dragon Clan to be born with the Five Clawed Golden Dragon physique. Her peerless beauty coupled with her cultivation talent, she was the most sought out Goddess in our Quadrant. The number of people who tried to court her could be counted in worlds.¡±


    Hearing this the young man¡¯s face fell, however, he did not say anything at all. Seeing this, the bulky man just shook his head, ¡°After she left the Clan, she abolished her cultivation and sealed her physique. The only person, who knows what happened to her afterwards, disappeared without a trace.¡± When he was saying this, he looked at the young man intensively. The young man looked at the bulky man but didn¡¯t say anything again.


    The bulky man¡¯s face turned serious as he asked, ¡°You were the rising star of the Ancient Dragon Clan. Your Golden Sovereign Dragon physique loses to the Five Clawed Dragon¡¯s only by a hair. Why would you damn your future by playing a Dao Guardian for a nephew in this kind of place?¡±


    The young man just smiled bitterly as he said, ¡°For the same reason you have not told anyone about this place.¡± The bulky man just cast his head down as the young man continued, ¡°I do not know how your Peerless Tiger Clan raises your junior generation but our Ancient Dragon Clan has a primitive way. Those, who survive until the end are those who grow up. The rest become road of corpses which pave the road for the survivors.¡±


    Hearing this the bulky man¡¯s face flashed. All of the Ancient Clans had their unique ways of raising their juniors. The Peerless Tiger Clan he was from, isolated all off the juniors and threw them to Danger Zones. It was all in order to grow their character and make them rely on their own power not others.


    Although they had a Dao Guardian to protect them there were still some casualties every once in a while. However, the Ancient Dragon Clan did the opposite, they gathered all of them together and those that survive were those that killed all of the rest. Although the Ancient Dragon Clan had the least number of people of the Ancient Clans, all of them were battle hardened people who could beat 10 at the same stage as them. The bulky man just sighed and said, ¡°As long as he survives, it is all well. If he dies, my little sister would flip. It is all thanks to me coming to keep her updated of his status every once in a while that has kept her from leaving the Clan.¡±


    The bulky man just sighed as he felt a headache. The young man just smiled, ¡°It isn¡¯t easy for you either. Your little sister is the next Clan Tiger, isn¡¯t she?¡± The bulky man just sighed as he said, ¡°Yea but she doesn¡¯t give a damn about the Clan. All she knows is that they didn¡¯t give a damn about her and threw her to that Battlefield. She has told me many times that she wishes nothing to do with Clan and would like to just be by that boy¡¯s side.¡±


    The young man just smiled lightly as he said, ¡°Well, this truly is getting interesting.¡± The bulky man was confused as he looked towards the young man. The young man just traced Zhi with his eyes as he said, ¡°He was born from the Five Clawed Golden Dragon. His talent and comprehension is extremely high. His Dao Guardian is a person who was regarded as one of the brightest stars of his generation back in the day, his lover is a little lady who is destined to become the next leader of the Peerless Tiger Clan.¡± The young man just smiled but the bulky man had a thoughtful expression on as he said, ¡°Anyone of those things would be heaven defyingly lucky chance. As to how far he-¡± The bulky man didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence as the young man said, ¡°And he has the Crystallized Essence of Dao that belonged to the Black and White Emperor.¡±


    Hearing this, the bulky man¡¯s face changed as he looked at the young man in astonishment. Soon he remembered something and then just took the young man by his collar as he yelled at his face, ¡°ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE? Why did you allow him to absorb the Essence of Pride? Are you trying to kill him, unless the person was the reincarnation of the Black and White Emperor, to pass the Third Tribulation with that Essence is impossible!¡± As the bulky man raged in the young man¡¯s face, the young man was completely calm. The bulky man however felt cold sweat pouring down his back when he thought about what would happen when Zhi died during the Tribulation.


    After having raged at the young man, he let him go and immediately started looking for Zhi. His only chance to have him survive was to extract the Essence. Just as he located Zhi and tried to go to him, he was blocked by the young man.


    The young man¡¯s eyes were cold as he said, ¡°Did you truly think that I would give him the Essence If I didn¡¯t have a guarantee that he would survive?¡± The bulky man stopped in place as he looked at the young man with mixed emotions. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t go through the trouble of being his Dao Guardian if he just waited for him to die. The bulky man stopped but he looked at the young man coldly as he said, ¡°You better tell me what this method is and how big his chances of survival are. Don¡¯t forget that neither of us is going to have a fun time when the Little Miss finds out that we were both involved in that boy dying.¡±


    The young man thought for a second and then just shook his head. He then just pointed to the Island below and said, ¡°Have you still not recognised this Island?¡± The bulky man was confused but as he inspected the Island, his expression became more and more blank. In the end, he just looked at the young man with an agape jaw as he asked, ¡°Th-This i-i-is t-the Imperial Palace o-o-o-of the Black and White Emperor.¡± The young man nodded but the bulky man felt is mind go numb.


    After the Black and White Emperor fell, the Fortress Type Artefact, on which his Palace was built, was lost in the flames of war. Now, he truly felt that Zhi¡¯s future was becoming more and more unpredictable. Without saying anything more, the two stared at each other.


    ***This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Zhi knew nothing that had happened between the young man and the bulky man. He didn¡¯t even know that the two of them were protecting him from the shadows like that. After he had straightened out his relationship with Fanghong, he felt relieved. He could now focus on his cultivation without any distracting thoughts.


    He didn¡¯t know what the Guardian Fruit was but he felt as though it had sentience. He couldn¡¯t explain or understand it properly but he felt as though there had always been an invisible hand guiding him. The occasional insights he gained from the Fruit were also very abstract and although they helped him a lot in terms of progress, he felt as though, they were wrong. There were countless Dao¡¯s in existence and each person gained different insights. Each person had experienced different things so it was virtually impossible for two people to gain the exact same understanding of a Dao.


    The only reason he had unconditionally followed the Fruit¡¯s orders until now was because they were the best at the time. Now that he didn¡¯t have to worry about his life all the time, he could take the time to ponder on other cultivation Arts and such. The more familiarized himself with different Arts, the more he felt that the Fruit wasn¡¯t something naturally made but something that was man made.


    Although, he had never heard of the Crystallized Essence, he felt as though the Fruit was something that was created from one person¡¯s insights to the Dao and the Art he practised. The other high level Arts were something that had been passed through the hands of countless people and refined like that to take the least amount of shortcuts. In his mind, the Art he practised was rather unrefined and crude.


    A lot of the place were abstract and profound, making it very difficult for juniors to practise it. Refined methods usually scaled with their profoundness, in the beginning, they were more simple but as the person progressed, the Art became more profound. It was like this because even if you gave a blind man the most beautiful paining in existence, he wouldn¡¯t be able to see it. It was the same with cultivation Arts.


    Even if you gave a junior an extremely profound Art, he wouldn¡¯t be able to see what was so special about it because he couldn¡¯t understand it. Zhi had been constantly pondering about this point lately. It was clear that the Art he practised was extremely profound and complex, however, at the same time, it was all over the place. The way the Art was divided into sections and he could only practise the next part if the Fruit permitted made his life a lot harder.


    He was blindly walking along without knowing what the hell he was doing. Since he didn¡¯t know what came next, a lot of things didn¡¯t make sense to him at first but as he progressed they did. Then he could only sigh. If he knew the true purpose of the thing he had obtained, he could have used it a lot sooner.


    These kind of nuances were the most annoying thing to him. As Zhi cleared his mind, he entered cultivation mode again, pouring in all the effort he could to fuse the Soul with the Core, so he could birth the Nascent Soul. However, what he did not know was that he was in for a calamity from the moment he ingested the Fruit. He was a Dragon, his Soul held the Arrogance and Pride of a Dragon. The Flames of Life and Death were the same, they were the two most supreme Flames. If a person tried to fuse two completely opposite things, they would be in for a bad time.


    Zhi didn¡¯t know that he was currently running towards his destruction instead of walking towards it in a snail pace. The more he focused on fusing the Soul and Core, the more backlash he felt. In the beginning, he didn¡¯t turn much attention to it because he felt as though it was normal. However, as time went on, the collision between the Flames and the Soul became more and more violent. After the collisions started affecting his Qi Palace, did he realize that something was very wrong.


    When he decided to stop the fusion for now to find a reason for this happening, the two sides went completely out of control. Zhi just felt a stabbing pain in his Soul as he coughed a mouthful of blood. The rampage of the two side had completely exited his control, he could do nothing any more. As the bone tearing pain engulfed his body, he let out a yell of pain.


    ***


    The young man and the bulky man were still locked in their stare off when suddenly both of their faces changed. They felt an extremely powerful Soul Ripple and as they looked towards the source, their faces were drained of all blood. Without even thinking about it, they hurriedly laid down protective formations so no one could possibly see what was happening inside.


    As they did so, they flew towards Zhi, however, when they reached Zhi, the both of them had an ugly face on. Zhi was laying on the ground covered in blood. His body excluded only a very faint aura of life and even that faint aura was on the verge of collapse. In the air above him, three illusionary figures were locked in a stalemate.


    Two old men, one with pitch black eyes and black long hair dressed in black robes, the other had completely white eyes and white long hair and was dressed in long white robes. The two were both staring at the black crystal dragon to the opposite of them. The Dragon was 400 meters long, it¡¯s eyes were completely crimson and it body was covered in black crystal scales. It looked at the two old men in anger and the two old men were currently looking at the dragon with ugly faces.


    The old man in black opened his mouth and said in an enraged tone, ¡°You worthless little snake dare to try and overpower this Emperor!?!¡± After saying so, the old man let out an enraged howl as black flames materialized around him.


    With a sweep of the man¡¯s hand, the flames all shot towards the Dragon. Seeing this, the Dragon just took a deep breath and then roared loudly, even the young man and the bulky man had to cover their ears in order to protect their eardrums from breaking. As the roar sounded out, most of the black flames were extinguished but a few still headed towards the Dragon. The Dragon just coldly looked at the flames with ridicule in his eyes as he smashed all the flames away with his tail.


    Seeing his attack completely deflected like that, enraged the old man even more. The young man and the bulky man felt their scalps numb from this sight. Even they felt danger from those black flames but the Dragon had deflected all of the flames so easily. Suddenly, the Dragon¡¯s eyes lost their crimson glow and normalised. The eyes looked exactly like Zhi¡¯s but the aura the Dragon excluded was completely different from the one Zhi had.


    The Dragon also grew from being 400 meters long into a one that was 600 meters long. The Dragon opened his mouth and said for the first time, ¡°You little bald monkey didn¡¯t die all those years ago. Now you try to possess my descendant like this, did you start regretting escaping?¡± Hearing this tone, everyone¡¯s faces changed. The the four people still conscious all knew who this aura and voice belonged to.


    The old men¡¯s face grew even uglier but the young man and the bulky man had a nervous face on. If the Dragon truly was the person they thought it was, then this is going to be trouble. The old man just let out an enraged howl as he cursed loudly, ¡°You shitty lizard, after so many years of taking care of you four, you decided to betray me like that. I will one day have revenge on you!¡± Hearing this enraged the Dragon as he started excluding a murderous aura, ¡°You old senile fart think that you took care of us? You little prick shackled out bodies and enslaved our minds to do your bidding! You treated us as nothing more than slaves and you have the arrogance to say that we betrayed you?!¡±


    As the loud words echoed out in the cultivation room, the Dragon turned completely enraged as his mighty aura started pushing down on the two old men. When the aura hit them, they were instantly nailed to the floor as their images started cracking. The Dragon looked at the two old men as though they were insects and said, ¡°You managed to hide a remnant of your consciousness in the Crystallized Essence and in hopes of taking over the person, who ingested the Essence, you were very careful and patient. However, who would have ever thought that the person you tried to take over would be someone, who I can directly link with through the Soul.¡±


    The Dragon let out a little laugh as he said, ¡°It seems that even the Heavens want you to be completely eradicated.¡± As these words echoed out, the two old men let out final shrieks of pain as they completely shattered.


    When the light dots that they were, faded away, the Dragon looked towards the young man and said, ¡°You have 10 breaths of time to explain everything to me junior.¡±

 Chapter 14: Why do you cultivate?

    When the Dragon looked at the two, they felt as though their blood had stopped flowing. Although the Dragon hadn¡¯t introduced himself, they realized who it was. Although the bulky man only felt the suppression of aura, the young man felt the suppression of his Bloodline. Even the old farts, who had the most exalted statuses in his Clan, hadn¡¯t ever made him feel like this. Only one person possibly could and that was what made his heart go cold.


    He cupped his hands as he respectfully asked, ¡°Would the exalted Senior be the Ancient Azure Dragon, the Founder of the Ancient Dragon Clan?¡± Hearing this, the bulky man¡¯s heart also clenched. If the Dragon truly was him, they would both be in very deep trouble. The Dragon¡¯s eyes flashed as he sized up the young man.


    The archaic voice sounded out again, ¡°Yes, I am the Ancestor of your Clan. Now then, what I would like to know is, why is such a rare gem like this in a minor world? Not only that, his Bloodline isn¡¯t fully awakened, the Art he practises is completely incompatible with him and to top it all off, he had ingested the Crystallized Essence of the Black and White Emperor.¡± The Dragons words were extremely forceful as though he was holding back from slapping the young man to death. The Dragon took a deep breath as he asked, ¡°What has happened to the Clan? I feel that the Clan still exists but I can¡¯t even fathom to think what would need to happen for the Clan to disregard such a gem.¡± The young man shivered at the words.


    The Ancestor hadn¡¯t been back to the Clan for quadrillions of years. He and the Ancestors of the 3 other Ancient Clans had set up a strong protective formation that didn¡¯t allow them to leave the spot. To maintain the Formation, they were chained down at their respective positions. All matters of their respective Clans were handled by their Descendants.


    Since most of their focus was on maintaining the Formation, the rest of their focus was on cultivation or on recovering the Qi. They just didn¡¯t have any leeway to deal with Clan matters. However, when the Ancestor felt the Soul Aura of the Black and White Emperor, he immediately let the other three know and they told him to check it out.


    When he linked with Zhi through the Soul, he immediately got an overview of the things and he grew a bit of agitated. Zhi had the Primadorial Chaos Dragon body, his talent and comprehension was extremely high but because his Bloodline wasn¡¯t awakened, his progress was quarter of what it could be.


    The Bloodline Awakening could be forgiven but that he practised some Art that was completely incompatible with his Dragon Bloodline, this was something that enraged the Ancestor through and through. He had no idea what was happening in the Clan but he already wanted to slap all the people in charge silly. The young man felt his Soul quiver as he quickly told the Ancestor all of the circumstances.


    He didn¡¯t dare to withhold any details, so he told everything about Zhi¡¯s mother, the junior generation growing habitat, the reason Zhi had the Crystallized Essence and why he was in such a place in the first place. When the young man finished explaining everything, the Dragon let out a loud enraged roar, ¡°Those unfilial idiots. Do they want to end my Bloodline with their stupidity?!¡±


    The Ancestor started remembering whether he had dropped his sons on the head repeatedly when they were young or not. Even though he couldn¡¯t remember that he had done so, he felt as though he had raised up a trio of idiots. The Ancestor had done everything he could to ensure that his Bloodline survived the Calamitous Rebellion but his three sons had made such a stupid way of discovering the talents. To pit them all against each other and then foster those that survived.


    Instead of the Clan prospering, it would decline very hard. Although, their Clan would have strong people, it didn¡¯t have a lot of them. Zhi was the end result of their poor fostering regime. The one person whose talent and Bloodline was on par with the Ancestor had nearly died in a minor world.


    The bulky man had been just scared stiff, he didn¡¯t dare to even move a muscle in front of the majestic Aura of the Ancestor of the Ancient Dragon Clan. The Ancestor finally let out a sigh as he said, ¡°You two are guarding him from the shadows right? Then you two should leave now if you don¡¯t want him to discover you.¡± The two just nodded and left, they did not dare to disobey the Dragons orders.


    The Ancestor knew understood from the young man¡¯s explanation that he was currently hiding both his and Zhi¡¯s Bloodline Aura, so all the people from the Clan wouldn¡¯t find them. The Ancestor just sighed to this, to think that the only person who could become on par with him in the future or even possibly exceed him, was reduced into such a miserable situation in which to survive, he would have to hide like this. He couldn¡¯t blame the young man at all for hiding. He didn¡¯t have the strength needed to protect Zhi from the Clan, so the only thing he could do was just hide him.


    The Ancestor just murmured to himself, ¡°It will take about a million years to put on the finishing touches on the Formation, so that it can sustain itself. When the Formation is perfected, we can all go back to our Clans and clean up the messes they have created.¡± The old Dragon just sighed as he turned his gaze towards Zhi.


    Even though his Aura of Life was weak, it was still there. If he was here in person, he would only need to flick a finger to completely heal him but since only a part of his consciousness had come here through the Soul Link, he couldn¡¯t do practically anything. He closed his eyes to wait for Zhi to wake up. He kept dividing his mind in three: His main focus was on the Formation, second was on recovering his Qi and third was here, waiting for Zhi to wake up.


    Only after 3 days had passed, did Zhi wake up from his comatose state, even opening his eyes was painful for him. Nearly all of the bones in his body had been fractured and were on the verge of breaking, his muscles were all torn, his skin was riddled with split skin, his meridians had all been torn apart and his cultivation had been thoroughly lost. When he opened his eyes, he just felt a bitter feeling in his heart.


    All that hard work he had done, had been thoroughly wiped out by the two contradicting things in his body. He had passed out and entered a comatose state from the pain before the two old men materialized, so all he knew was that the Flames were incompatible with him and damaged him to this degree. When he came back this senses, the Dragon also opened his eyes as an ancient voice sounded out in the hall, ¡°You have awakened.¡±


    The Ancestor knew that it would be painful for Zhi to even talk, not to mention move, so he moved his body so that his face was looking straight at Zhi and when Zhi opened his eyes, he would be watching him. Zhi was startled by the Dragon but he couldn¡¯t move an inch. The moment he tried, immense pain stopped him from trying any further. Seeing Zhi startled, the Dragon said, ¡°You better not move at all, all of your bones are on the borderline of being fractured, your skin is completely split, your muscles are torn to shred, your meridians have been crippled. To even open your mouth to speak would bring immense pain to you.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Hearing this, Zhi stopped trying to move. Although, he didn¡¯t know who or what this Dragon was, it seemed as though he didn¡¯t want any harm to him. Hearing what the Dragon said, made Zhi realize that it was already a miracle he was still alive, however, his only path left was that of a weak mortal. When he realized this, he just let out a painful laugh as he said bitterly, ¡°Kill me.¡± The Dragon¡¯s eyes widened when he heard this. He had not expected for the first words of Zhi to be for him to kill Zhi.


    The Dragon was startled but since he knew that Zhi couldn¡¯t speak at the moment, he was put between a choice. As he pondered for a second, he grit his teeth and let the three other Ancestor¡¯s know what he was going to do. During the past three days, he had explained the situation of his Clan to them and they all felt bitter in their hearts. They felt pity towards the Dragon because it was all thanks to him that they were able to escape the collar of the Black and White Emperor but for what, for their Clans to turn into idiots like that.


    The three Ancestors just nodded and told him to do what he needs to do and they would keep the Barrier up by themselves. After apologizing to his three brothers, the Ancestor just touched Zhi¡¯s forehead with his claw and a blinding light shone out. Suddenly, Zhi felt all the pain disappear and when he opened his eyes in surprise, he was taken a back by the grandiose sight before him.


    He was currently standing in front of a giant azure palace. On top of the Palace was a giant Azure Dragon that was currently sleeping. The whole pace was very big and he just felt his scalp numb from the sight. Suddenly, an old man in blue robes appeared before him.


    The man¡¯s eyes were the same as his but with blue irises. The old man¡¯s hair was long and it had turned grey from the passing of time. The old man seemed fickle but the majestic and oppressive aura he excluded told Zhi that his appearance had nothing to do with his strength. The old man sized up Zhi and then just sighed. The familiar voice of the Dragon echoed out as the old man opened his mouth, ¡°Why was your first thought for me to kill you rather than to ask whether there was a way to heal your body?¡±


    Zhi was taken a back for a second but then realized that the old man had been the Dragon. Realizing this, Zhi just relaxed and smiled bitterly as he said, ¡°My path in cultivation is broken now. Even though there is 90% chance of regaining my mobility, my meridians are completely crippled, cutting off my path in cultivation.¡± He then just lowered hie head as he said with a sigh, ¡°Not even the Heavens would be able to heal all of the damage done to my body. Even though I do not have the knowledge Senior has, even I can tell that my life was hanging by a thread and it still is.¡± The old man realized that he wasn¡¯t just pessimistic or dejected, he was just being realistic.


    His situation was extremely bad and to expect that some miracle to happen to him, was just a fools dream. The Ancestor was little delighted because this showed that Zhi was a practical person. He wouldn¡¯t chase after pipe dreams or go on fools errands. Old monsters, who have lived as long as him, have grown very good at discerning juniors dispositions and their over all mentality. From a few hints, they can understand a juniors true personality, no matter how they try to hide it.


    Coupled with the things he heard form the young man, he had a good grasp on Zhi¡¯s personality and he was honestly very happy that he was someone, who didn¡¯t have the disposition of relying on everything else to advance. Although, his environment where he grew up in, was what it was, he did not give up and surrendered himself to his fate but rather fought until the bitter end. Finally, the light shone on his life and he got out.


    The old man, just lightly smiled and waved his sleeve. An invisible hand picked up Zhi and carried him to the Palace alongside the old man. When the two of them had reached their destination, Zhi was surprised to see a serene little garden. What was most interesting was that the giant Dragon that was sleeping, his head had entered the garden as well. Zhi didn¡¯t even dare to move here but the old man walked up to the Dragon and patted it¡¯s sleeping head. Zhi was stupefied but the old man smiled towards Zhi and said, ¡°This is my True Form. Since I am currently in my Human Form, the True Form is sleeping.¡± The Old man then gestured for Zhi to sit down and when Zhi did, he sat down cross legged opposite of him.


    He looked at Zhi and asked, ¡°Even if you could not cultivate any more, why do you want me to kill you? You could just live your life out as a happy little mortal.¡± As the old man said so, Zhi just smiled bitterly and asked, ¡°Why does Senior cultivate?¡±


    This question caught the old man off guard. He couldn¡¯t immediately answer because his reason for cultivating had changed multiple times during his long lifetime. At first, he cultivated to be able to roam around, then to escape the Black and White Emperors control. After that, his reason changed to protecting his Clan and protecting their little territory. After the Formation is set up, it is going to change again.


    He pondered on this question for a while before he answered uncertainly, ¡°I guess my reason for cultivating is to protect my family.¡± Zhi just smiled to that and looked up. From his sorrowful gaze, the Ancestor knew that the reason he cultivates is why he asked him to kill him. Zhi just let out a hollow laugh as he said, ¡°My reason to cultivate was to be unfettered. I wanted to be strong enough to do what I wanted without having someone else dictate me on what to do. Since I was weak, I was thrown to a certain death place for me. I wasn¡¯t able to protect my family.¡±


    He just looked down and said with a cast down head, ¡°Revenge can always be taken but it has never been my main reason to cultivate. I wanted to be free of the control of others and grasp my own fate with my own hands.¡± The old man was taken a back, even though he had prepared for the answer. For a junior so young to have a clear sight in front of him, this was very rare.


    Zhi didn¡¯t cultivate for revenge or for the sake of power but because he wanted to be the smith of his own fate. Zhi looked at the old man in the eye and said with resolution, ¡°I want to live my life as I want and when I finally die, I can be happy that I lived my life like I wanted and would have no regrets with dying. So please, even though I hadn¡¯t been able to live my life without regrets, allow me to die like I want.¡± The old man was now truly dumbstruck when he saw Zhi bow his head.


    Zhi¡¯s resolution made him truly feel inferior, even he wouldn¡¯t be able to ask someone to kill him when he was crippled. He would still cling to life with a scarce hope of recovering but Zhi didn¡¯t even think about that. He realized that the chances of him being able to recover are close to zero. So, he wouldn¡¯t keep his hopes up with a useless pipe dram but would rather die like he wanted. The old man currently torn between two heavy choices, he knew very well, that Zhi was dead serious about this.


    Although, he had a method to actually recover his body to its previous state, the price to do so was extremely high and since he couldn¡¯t physically leave the Formation base, he couldn¡¯t carry it out. However, Zhi was the brightest gem amongst all of his Descendants, to let him die just like this was something that he would not want to happen at all. The more he was torn between the choices, the more he cursed his three sons who he left in charge of the Clan. If they hadn¡¯t used such an idiotic method, Zhi wouldn¡¯t have met with such a state.


    Finally, the old man just sighed and asked, ¡°If I said that I have a method to allow you to cultivate again, would you be interested?¡± Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s eyes went wide as he asked suspiciously, ¡°What method?¡± Zhi knew that there methods to reform the body and raise a person¡¯s cultivation talent.


    The Nirvana Rebirth was one such method but to use it, one had to fill very strict requirements and had to be at least at the Primadorial God Realm. Even though Zhi had a method to reform the body, he couldn¡¯t just use it.


    The old man grit his teeth and said, ¡°Until now, you have tempered the body of you Human Form. This has caused your True Form to slumber more heavily as the Human Form suppresses it.¡± He took a breath before he said with resolution, ¡°Your Dragon Bloodline is in deep sleep and although it would take a huge price to awaken it, when it successfully awakens, it will reform your body. If we couple it with the right cultivation Art¡¯s, your progress would be ten if not twenty times faster.¡±


    Hearing this Zhi¡¯s eyes opened as wide as carriage wheels.

 Chapter 15: Origin of the Guardian Fruit.

    Zhi just stared at the old man in disbelief. He knew nothing about the old man. He didn¡¯t why he showed up, why he was helping him, why was even talking to him, he knew nothing at all. Since he didn¡¯t know anything about the old man, he didn¡¯t dare to believe his words either. Zhi¡¯s eyes turned cold as he said, ¡°No matter how much of a Senior you are to me, I don¡¯t like these kinds of jokes.¡±


    The old man knew that he had Zhi¡¯s interest but he didn¡¯t trust him. He couldn¡¯t blame him, someone who he had never even heard of before just happens to appear in his time of need and then offer him the very thing he needs. To have a series of such coincidences is something that just ludicrous to believe. He understood well that if he wanted Zhi to believe him, he needs to start from the beginning and explain everything to him. The old man just said, ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for not believing me. So to dispel your suspicions and doubts, let me introduce myself and tell everything from the beginning.¡±


    When Zhi heard this, he was honestly surprised. The old man understood the crux of the problem and voluntarily offered to dispel his doubts. This was surprising because Zhi could understand that the old man was someone who was in a Realm he had never even heard of. For such an exalted Senior to actually compromise and try to explain things to Zhi on his own initiative was something very, very rare.


    The old man cleared his throat and began, ¡°I was born as nothing more than a Flood Dragon. When I finally gained enough intelligence to separate myself from the mindless beasts, I started my journey as a cultivator. Time passed and I overcame all of the trials thrown in my way. I evolved from the mindless and a weak Flood Dragon to a true Dragon, the Azure Dragon.¡±


    He took a short break before continuing, ¡°During my travels, I encountered a lot of people but only three of them were the kind I can still call my brothers.¡± There was pride painted on the old man¡¯s face. But then his tone turned sorrowful as he remembered something painful, ¡°After the three of us passed the Third Tribulation and entered the Origin Realm, the Black and White Emperor ran into us. At the time he was in the same stage as us and he had the backing of a huge superpower Sect. Using the help of his Elders, they soul bound us to him, making us unable to harm him at all and we became his slaves.¡±


    The old man shook his head dejectedly but then a bright gleam entered his eyes as he said, ¡°However, we soon discovered that he couldn¡¯t control us completely at all times, so we devised a plan to kill him.¡± Zhi was very surprised about what the old man was talking about. However, he had no idea what the Emperor had to do with anything. Seeing the confused expression, the old man smiled as he said, ¡°After millions of years of scheming and preparing, we finally managed to break free from the contract. Then a war called the ¡°Calamitous Rebellion¡± occurred. The young man, who was just a rising star of his Sect had turned into an Emperor of a Territory, so fighting against him wasn¡¯t easy at all.¡±


    The old man¡¯s face turned cold as he said, ¡°After centuries of back and forth fighting, we finally managed to kill the Black and White Emperor. After the fall of the Emperor, the Sect was also obliterated but we couldn¡¯t kill all of them. Some inevitably managed to escape alongside the Crystallized Essence of the Emperor.¡± The old man looked at Zhi and Zhi understood that now it would reach the part of the story, he was connected with all of this.


    The old man said coldly, ¡°The Emperor had extremely deep insights into the Dao of Death and the Dao of Life. The thing you called the Fruit of Yin-Yang or the Guardian Fruit is actually the Crystallized Essence of the Insights of the Emperor.¡± Zhi was listening intently because he had no idea what the Fruit had been but now he started to understand everything.


    The old man continued, ¡°The Emperor had hid a sliver of his consciousness inside the Crystallized Essence all in the hopes of finding someone, someone who fulfils the qualifications to become his new vessel. You were the vessel he had decided upon.¡± Hearing the old man explain this far, everything fell into place for Zhi. How the Fruit had sentience, how he had ended up like he did, why he always felt that someone was guiding him towards a certain path.


    Suddenly, Zhi realized something as he asked, ¡°Was it Senior who helped me?¡± The old man nodded and said, ¡°Now then, to explain how and why, I need to go back in time a bit more. This way the explanation will cover all of the main points and will probably answer a lot of your questions. If you still have some afterwards, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± Hearing this, Zhi nodded his head as he listened intently. Seeing this the old man smiled as he began talking again, ¡°After we took down the Emperor, we, me and my three brothers, had to make sure that our little Territory didn¡¯t fall into someone else¡¯s hands. However, we didn¡¯t have, and still don¡¯t have, the military strength to fight off the Powerhouses of other Territories. So, we took the easiest and safest route for us for the moment and erected a Defensive Formation around the whole Territory. For the past few quadrillions of years, we have been continuously supplying Qi to the Formation and also perfecting it, so that it could sustain itself in the future. Since we have to focus on this task with all of our mind, we left the management of our Clans to our Descendants.¡±


    The old man took a breath as he slowly shook his head. He continued in an annoyed tone and looked as though he was pouting as he continued, ¡°However, since we didn¡¯t have any leeway to look after our Clans, we didn¡¯t know how they had developed. All we could feel through our Bloodline was that they still existed but nothing more.¡±


    The old man just sighed as he said, ¡°It was only a few days ago that I learned of what my idiotic sons have done with the Clan. I had always thought that it was weird that I felt that a lot of my descendants died but since I didn¡¯t have the leeway to investigate, I made a mental note of it.¡±


    The old man just sighed even deeper as he continued, ¡°My Clan is the Ancient Dragon Clan and your Mother was one of the rising stars of her generation, however because of the idiotic dictatorship like regime of the Clan, she was forced to give up her cultivation and seal her physique just so that she could be together with your Father.¡±


    Hearing this Zhi¡¯s mind blanked as he realized that his Mother had been someone who was way out of his Father¡¯s league. He chuckled as he thought about this but soon his face turned sorrowful. The old man saw this and just said, ¡°Do not worry about it, I am gonna do a thorough clean up and make everyone in the Clan answer for their actions.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi looked at the old man in puzzlement and the old man just sighed, ¡°I didn¡¯t stake my life to overthrow one tyrant for my Clan to become another of the same regime. Those three numb skulls are in for a very thorough beating when I get back to the Clan.¡± Zhi could only bitterly smile and give hollow laugh as he imagined how the three sons he left in charge are going to end up when the old man gets back.


    Zhi asked the old man, ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter to me even if you beat them to death. It is not going to bring my Mother back alive or is it going to fix my situation either. So, mind telling me how you can help my situation?¡± The old man just frowned for a second but understood that the reason Zhi was listening to him in the first place was because he said that he had a way to heal his body. He had already gotten his hopes up, so if he just crushed them now, he had no idea how it will affect him. The old man realized as well, that he had gotten a bit carried away and had started speaking of completely irrelevant things.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He coughed in embarrassment and said, ¡°The reason you ended up like you did, was because the Crystallized Essence you had ingested held the sliver of consciousness of the Black and White Emperor. When he tried to take over your body, you Dragon Soul started fighting back against it. Thanks to that, I felt the familiar Soul Ripples of the Emperor through the Bloodline Soul Link. When I rushed to the scene through the Bloodline Soul Link, I killed the Emperor but your body was already in the state it was. Although your Human Form had been tempered very thoroughly, it still couldn¡¯t hold the violent aftermath of the collision, ending you up in that state.¡± Explaining this far, the old man stopped for a second and looked Zhi with a gaze as if he were asking if he understood it.


    Zhi just nodded and seeing this the old man continued, ¡°Your Bloodline is a bit of special case, your Soul can¡¯t currently stand the immense power of your Dragon Form, so your Dragon Form is in a hibernation like state. However, this is also a lucky chance for us.¡± When the old man said this far, he had a smug face on, however, Zhi was just puzzled. He tilted his head as he asked, ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± The old man just smiled smugly as he said, ¡°Listen closely, Human Form was thoroughly crippled but your Dragon Form is still sleeping inside your consciousness. For you to continue to cultivate, we need to awaken the Dragon Form and all of your problems are solved. You can¡¯t take your Human Form before you pass your Empyrean Tribulation but when you pass it, you Human Form will be built anew and then it won¡¯t matter in which Form you cultivate in, the main benefits will still be gained by your Dragon Form.¡±


    The old man stopped for a second to let it all sink in. After a few minutes passed, the old man continued, ¡°The stronger your True Form is, the stronger your Human Form is. However, it is a bit difficult to awaken the hibernating Bloodline.¡±


    The old man¡¯s eyes furrowed as he said, ¡°The easiest way would be for you to absorb a drop of my blood and use it to awaken the hibernating Bloodline but that option is currently impossible.¡± When Zhi heard that, he was startled as he asked, ¡°How so?¡±


    The Ancestor just sighed, ¡°I am currently in the middle of Primadorial ChaosMist and I can not leave here at least for the next million years. Although there should be some of my blood left in the Ancient Dragon Clan, it is not certain. Even if there was some left, you¡¯d have no way of obtaining it without blowing your cover. Your Uncle is currently hiding his and your Bloodline Aura to keep them from finding you.¡±


    Zhi¡¯s eyes opened wide as he asked, ¡°Why is he doing something like that?¡± The old man just let out a hollow laugh as he said, ¡°From what I understood, you Mother enraged the Clan Elders by not being their puppet, who they can marry off to anyone they want to curry favours. If they discover that she has had a son, they would probably punish you since they can¡¯t punish her.¡± Zhi stared at the old man blankly as he asked, ¡°Are they retarded?¡± The old man also sighed, ¡°I assume they are.¡±


    Without knowing it, the barrier of seniority disappeared between them and they spoke as equals. This was mainly thanks to the old man not putting on any airs as he spoke to Zhi but spoke to him as though he was a friend or an equal. Zhi just sighed to the old man¡¯s words but he felt pity for him. From what the old man said, he had gone through a bloody war get rid of the Tyrant of the Realm. Now his own Clan, that he had grown with meticulous care, had gone down the same path. Those who had power had become drunk on it and those that didn¡¯t did everything they could to obtain it, not even hesitating to point a blade at a brother to do so. He felt as though there was going to be a big change when the old man finally gets back to the Clan and starts cleaning out the house.


    However, Zhi shook his head and asked, ¡°What is the second method?¡± The old man said, ¡°It is to awaken the Bloodline with the help of rare Herbs and a Formation. I can lay down the Formation myself when I borrow your Dragon Soul but I have no way to gather the resources needed to do so. In conclusion, this is the harder method but in the current situation, it is the most optimal one.¡± Zhi knew that Formations didn¡¯t use Body Qi to set down but Soul Qi. The Body Qi was used physically, either to do battle or cultivate the body. The Soul Qi was used in Formations and to cultivate and temper the Soul. Before the First Tribulation, people couldn¡¯t cultivate the Soul, so they mainly used Body Qi to temper the body. However, the Empyrean Stages used Soul Qi to nourish and cultivate the Soul. Zhi had learned that he old man was the Ancestor of the Ancient Dragon Clan, for him to say that the resources needed were rare and hard to find meant that there was a very slim chance that Zhi could find them.


    After listening this far, Zhi knew that the old man wasn¡¯t lying to him but there was one thing eating away at Zhi. Finally, he asked, ¡°Why are you doing all of this? I am just a random junior, not even a close kinsmen, why does someone of your status bother with something trivial as this?¡± Zhi¡¯s tone was respectful now and he looked at the old man seriously. When the old man heard this and saw Zhi¡¯s serious eyes, he just sighed as he said, ¡°No matter what, you are still one of my descendants. For you to have to endure such hardships because of my negligence of governing is all my fault. As a Leader, I have to take responsibility for my actions. I didn¡¯t get this far with cultivation by running away from my responsibilities but by taking full responsibility for my mistakes and amending them.¡±


    The old man¡¯s tone was serious as well. Zhi also learned that the only way to get far with cultivation was to have a certain principle. To the old man, this principle was to take responsibility for his actions and not try to snake out of them. In Zhi¡¯s heart, the old man¡¯s standing grew quite a bit. Zhi just smiled at the old man and said, ¡°Well, I am going to gamble on you this time. I have obtained a lot rare things in my adventures in the Ancient Battlefield, there may be some things that can be used.¡± The old man raised a brow when he heard the Ancient Battlefield.


    He sized up Zhi as he asked, ¡°You have been to the Ancient Battlefield?¡± Zhi just smiled bitterly as he said, ¡°When I was 5 years old, I was thrown there to get killed, however, I survived. I also gathered a lot of different Arts, Artefacts, Pills and Herbs.¡± The old man thought for a second before he said, ¡°Okay, show me the storage you have. There might be some things needed for the Awakening there.¡±


    As the two had reached the agreement, the old man was about to make the two exit the space when Zhi said, ¡°Wait!¡± The old man stopped but looked at Zhi in confusion as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhi said, ¡°When we get outside, can you take the black medallion from my right side pants pocket and crush it? It will alert my Father that something unexpected had happened to me and he will come and he will have some pills to help me recover.¡± The old man was surprised for a second but then nodded.


    It wasn¡¯t weird for people in secluded meditation to have such tokens. If something happened, there would be now way to alert others about it. The old man nodded and then the two left the space the old man had brought them. When they got outside, the old man immediately fished out the command medallion that Zhi had talked about and crushed it. After doing so, it didn¡¯t even take half a minute for Fanghong to arrive. When he arrived, his face fell and he immediately revolved his Qi to help Zhi heal and he fed him a mouthful of High Quality Pills. Seeing these pills, the old man in Dragon Form looked on with wide eyes.


    These pills were all very high grade and high quality, to unhesitantly feed them all to Zhi, even he wouldn¡¯t probably able to do so. After about 5 minutes had passed, the Long Clan Ancestor also arrived and he immediately summoned the best healers they had on Dragon Cross.


    Seeing the Sovereign and Paragon level people, who specialized in healing Arts, made the old man truly feel as though he had been away for far too long.

 Chapter 16: Trying to offer benefits

    As the Dragon looked at Zhi and the people working on him, all he could was sigh. He had been in the middle of nowhere, completely cut off from the rest of population for the past few quadrillion years, a lot of things can happen in that time period but to see so many people specializing in Healing Arts, who also have such a high cultivation, was something that baffled him. Usually, only Clans that specialized in Healing Arts had so many Sovereign and Paragon level people who specialized in Healing Arts.


    For normal Clans and Sects, it was already good fortune to have one. Only a few hours passed and Zhi was already in a state in which he could move around. Although there were still around 10 people always there, the Dragon said, ¡°Now I truly feel like an old relic.¡± Everyone froze and turned towards the Dragon. They had all thought that he was part of Zhi and didn¡¯t have a consciousness of his own. However, hearing him talk suddenly like that, made everyone go on alert as they pointed their weapons towards the Dragon. Zhi immediately said, ¡°Stand down, he is not an enemy.¡±


    After Zhi said so, everyone looked at the Dragon with suspicion but still decided to follow the order. Even though Zhi hadn¡¯t interacted with the people from Dragon Cross a lot, the seniors had all submitted. Zhi¡¯s rules were lax enough not to demand much but they at the same time dealt with most of the loopholes.


    Usually, Clans focused on fostering on the juniors that showed talent but here everyone was equal. How much was invested in you was equal to how much you yourself contributed. Dragon Cross had stabilized from the influx of people and now there were several different Halls.


    For example, Pill Hall, Artefact Hall, Array Hall and so on. Each Hall specialized on one thing and they didn¡¯t have any leeway to discriminate others. Zhi had accumulated a lot of different Forging methods, Pill concoction formulas and so on, to get access to them, they needed to use contribution points. To get more contribution points, you need to finish tasks for Dragon Cross.


    These tasks varied from escort missions to practically babysitting missions. The currency amongst Dragon Cross members was contribution points and with them you could buy anything you needed. Since everything was proportionate to the effort put in, they had no time to throw their weight around as they always had something they had their eye on and needed to get enough contribution points to get it.


    You had to give the 4 Island Lords credit for establishing an effective system so quickly and they constantly worked on it to eliminate loopholes that could be used or such. All of the seniors knew that all of the things that they work for came from Zhi. If Zhi had decided to go reclusive and pick certain individuals to be disciples and develop like that, they would not even had any chances to even hear of the wondrous methods Zhi had put out.


    From the different Arts and other formulas, their own insights skyrocketed. This allowed many of them to make a breakthrough in their cultivation base or deepen their proficiency in Artefact Forging or Pill Concocting. Although all the Arts and things were still divided so that juniors won¡¯t try to over reach, they were divided by the Tribulations.


    Since under the First Tribulation you can¡¯t cultivate the Soul, there was no need to put the Soul Arts in front of the Juniors. Even though the old man was borrowing Zhi¡¯s Dragon Soul to be here, he could still use his Soul Sense to inspect the Island. The deeper he inspected it, the more astonished he was. There were still some things he couldn¡¯t inspect like the Storage or special Concocting rooms or Forging rooms.


    Usually Alchemists and Artificers needed to fully focus on their tasks, if someone started spying on them, they would lose their focus and the Concocting or Forging process may fail because of that. The old Dragon just sighed as he said to Zhi, ¡°I would have never thought that you would obtain the Lost Capital of the Black and White Emperor. Also, you seem to have accumulated a lot of the Arts that were lost in the Calamitous Rebellion.¡±


    All of the Seniors present just tilted their heads in confusion but Zhi asked, ¡°All of these things were found in the Ancient Battlefield. Did a lot of Arts get lost in the Rebellion?¡± The Dragon looked at him and said, ¡°The war encompassed over a hundred different Powers on each side. Most Sects and Clans that took part in the war were destroyed or had their base destroyed and they scattered. Their Legacies and Core Arts were lost or became fragmented.¡±


    The Dragon just shook his head but Zhi nodded with enlightenment, the more the old man talked, the more he learned about the history. After he compared his accumulated Arts to the ones that his subordinates used to use, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that they were very lacking. Even if he had accumulated only the Core Arts and such, the general level of cultivation should be higher. After the Seniors had finished with patching up Zhi, they left.


    But all of them kept their Soul Senses to keep an eye on the situation. Since Zhi had lost all of his cultivation, he couldn¡¯t feel it but the old man could. He just smiled and said, ¡°Well, seems like you have fine subordinates that are ready to intervene even if they know they are going to die.¡± Zhi understood the meaning behind the old man¡¯s words and just let out a hollow laugh, ¡°Well, to them I am practically a Saviour. 90% of the people on the Island are from this World and before I came here, their only option left was to run and hide or they would be enslaved.¡± Hearing this, the old man nodded thoughtfully.


    He understood well that this kind of strong power was not something that could be built up on just wanting. The Founder needed to have sufficient resources, like Zhi did, and the subordinates needed to wholeheartedly want to be here to make it work. Otherwise there would be a lot of problems with different factions fighting over benefits. When all of the Healers had left, only Zhi, the old man, Fanghong and Long Clan Ancestor were left there.


    These two eyed the Dragon intently, Fanghongs hand was on his sword to draw it on a moments notice. Long Clan¡¯s Ancestor was gripping his azure spear. Seeing the two act like the Dragon was their life long nemesis, Zhi just laughed bitterly as he said, ¡°Whatever you two do, don¡¯t attack it. It is still my Soul that the Senior is borrowing. If you attack it, you would be attacking me.¡± Hearing this, the two didn¡¯t know what to do.


    If the Dragon decided to attack Zhi, they would have no way to protect him. The Dragon just let out a merry laugh as he adjusted his position, ¡°You truly are blessed my little friend. To have so many people to lay down their lives for you is very rare. I guess it is true what they say.¡± As the Dragon said that, he turned a bit thoughtful. Zhi tilted his head and asked, ¡°What is true?¡± The old man just let out a bitter laugh as he said, ¡°There is no love in the Royal Family.¡±


    Although, this sentence superficially was aimed at the Royal Families, it¡¯s deeper meaning was something that applied to every Power. The more Prestigious a Sect or Clan was, the more they would have infighting for power. A situation in which there would be a lot of people still unified under the ruler and still be loyal like Zhi¡¯s, was hard.


    Zhi¡¯s own cultivation had been a lot lower than all of those people previously. Now, he was completely crippled and had no cultivation whatsoever but people still didn¡¯t try to kill him but tried to do their best to heal him. Had Zhi been the Founder of an Ancient Clan or Sect, the moment he became crippled, all of the Elder¡¯s would have been fighting over his position. Loyalty was a thing easily given but rarely held.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    After Zhi thought about the old man¡¯s words for a bit, he tried to stand to. Even though his body had been tempered to the maximum, he felt incredibly weak right now. As he swayed after standing up, he suddenly lost his balance and fell forward. Since Fanghong and the Long Ancestor had been vigilant towards the Dragon, they were a second too slow to react. The Dragon however, had been focused on Zhi this whole time, so the moment he started falling, he immediately propped the Dragon Soul in front of him to keep him from falling over.


    The old man just said, ¡°Take it easy. You had nearly died before, you are currently too weak. You should recover a bit before we start doing anything.¡± As Zhi leaned on the Dragon Soul, Zhi smiled as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look of the Storage. In the time I recover, I can start formulating a plan to search for the things I am missing. The Dragon thought for a second and then nodded his head.


    Just as Zhi was about to push himself up from leaning on the Dragon, the Dragon just picked him up and put him on his back. This baffled all three of them present and the Dragon said, ¡°I advise you not to move at all. I will move you around, you just give me the directions.¡± Zhi just chuckled as he said, ¡°Is this allowed, for a crippled junior to sit on the back of an Exalted Azure Dragon and treat it like mount? If a word of this got out, you would lose quite a lot of face.¡±


    The Dragon just snorted, ¡°Face can go fuck itself. This is your Dragon Soul to begin with, I am just borrowing it. As for this getting out, let it. I couldn¡¯t hold my head up high if I made a junior who was thoroughly crippled a few hours ago walk on his own.¡± Hearing this, Zhi just smiled.


    He had taken quite a liking to this old man. He was someone that didn¡¯t put on airs even though Zhi was a junior. All that mattered to the old man was that he was his descendant, it didn¡¯t matter that he was a very, very distant one.


    Zhi just smiled as he asked, ¡°Hey old timer, what is the real reason behind you helping me? Although, I don¡¯t doubt you helping me because of your principles, I feel as though that is not all there is to it.¡± The Dragon just sighed as he followed Zhi¡¯s directions towards the Storage. He just said to Zhi, ¡°Your Bloodline is something on par with me. Your Talent and comprehension is also something that far outstrips any so called ¡°Genius¡±. To top it all off, you have a firm heart and incredible will. I know that you wouldn¡¯t come back to the Clan with me, when I get out but I don¡¯t want us to be enemies.¡±


    Zhi understood the meaning. It seemed as though the old man saw him as a gem that could one day become someone very strong. Even though he was his Clansmen by Blood, he knew that Zhi didn¡¯t have a good opinion on the Clan. So, the best thing to do was at least make friends with him so that they wouldn¡¯t end up as enemies.


    Zhi just smiled, ¡°Are you afraid that when I get strong enough I would fight against your Clan?¡± The Dragon was silent for a while but then just sighed, ¡°Yes, I am. Even though I can¡¯t lead the Clan myself at the moment, the people left in charge were still chosen by me. For the Clan to decline to this state can be blamed on my poor judgement.¡±


    Zhi just smiled as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry if you can help me cultivate again, it is the same as saving my life. I am not the type of a person that repays kindness with enmity.¡± The old man heard those words and was actually quite relieved. He didn¡¯t let it show and didn¡¯t say anything else because they had reached a giant black door. Zhi turned to Fanghong and said, ¡°Dad, inside my Spacial Ring is the Command Medallion that will open the path. It is the black one.¡±


    Fanghong and Long Ancestor had been trailing behind the two all this time and hearing what Zhi said, Fanghong just nodded as he took his Spacial Ring and bound it. He took out the black medallion Zhi spoke of and then unbound the Ring. Just as he was about to put the ring back on Zhi¡¯s finger, Zhi said, ¡°Keep it for now. There are a lot of precious things there and I currently don¡¯t have any strength to protect it.¡± Hearing this, everyone were surprised but Fanghong soon just nodded his head as he put the Unbound Spacial Ring in his own. He made no plans to take away Zhis¡¯s hard earned resources.


    Such deep trust in one another made the Dragon even more baffled. As they entered the Storage, everyone¡¯s mouths were agape. Not even the old man was an exception. He looked towards Zhi with a stupefied eyes as he asked, ¡°Exactly how long did you spend inside that place?¡± Zhi just smiled and said, ¡°As I am told, about ten years.¡± The Dragon just looked at the vast collection of resources that were stored there and asked again, ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t ten thousand years? Because there is no way in Seven Hells, you can accumulate this kind of a Foundation with just ten years.¡±


    The Dragon just shook his head as he refused to believe what Zhi had told him. The Storage Zhi had here was something that rivalled his before he left the Clan. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it even exceeded his. For someone to tell him that he collected all of these resources with only 10 measly years, it was a slap in any Ancient Clans face who boasted about their deep foundation and rich resources. Zhi¡¯s resources were on par with any Ancient Clan or Ancient Sect. Hearing the old man say so, Zhi could only let out a hollow laugh.


    He diverted the subject by asking, ¡°Can you see around if any of the things needed are here?¡± The old man also came out of his trance as he spread out his Soul Sense. The more he looked through the accumulated resources, the more helpless he felt.


    Zhi had everything from Top Grade Artefacts to Top Grade Pills and Arts. To try and give him benefits was like a beggar flaunting before a rich man with a gold coin. Soon his face was painted with astonishment as he said to Zhi, ¡°You have all the things needed. What is even better is that they are all Top Quality and if you used the best ones available, you can even boost your Bloodline.¡±


    The old man just sighed as he said, ¡°Forget about using my blood to awaken the Bloodline, even if you used my Essence Blood, the effect would be inferior.¡± This was something that made the old man truly feel miserable. Zhi was someone with unlimited future and to have friendly relations with him, he wanted to help him out as best as he could. He wasn¡¯t lowering the value of his Essence Blood by saying so but the Herbs and Pills Zhi had were just too good.


    If they had been of High Quality, he could have still accepted it but every single thing needed was of Top Quality and it was the best of the best. He just couldn¡¯t compete with that.


    The Dragon stretched out his hand and the things needed flew to his hand. He looked at Zhi and said, ¡°If we tried to awaken your Bloodline right now, it would be fatal to you. How about we awaken it in a month, when you are completely healed?¡± Zhi nodded to this, he wasn¡¯t completely suicidal so he decided to follow the old man¡¯s advice


    . The old man brought the things in front of Fanghong and said, ¡°These are the things needed for the Awakening. You can store them so we don¡¯t have to come looking for them again.¡± Fanghong looked at Zhi and only when he saw him nod did he collect the things into his Spacial Ring. The Dragon just looked at Fanghong and Long Ancestor and said, ¡°Your talent and Bloodline thickness isn¡¯t bad. You could easily reach the Origin realm and beyond.¡± With that he closed his eyes and two globes of light manifested in his Dragon Claw.


    He opened his eyes and said, ¡°These two Arts are the Arts completely compatible with your Dragon Bloodline. If you train in them, you will be stronger.¡± The two looked at the Globes in suspicion and then looked at Zhi. Zhi was the only one who knew something of the Dragon, the other didn¡¯t know anything.


    Zhi tilted his head as he asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit too precious?¡± The old Dragon just sighed, ¡°I can feel that they are of my Bloodline. In the Clan, these Arts are the Core, they must be practised. When I inspected the Island before I discovered a whole Clan full of people with the Dragon Bloodline but didn¡¯t practise the Dragon Arts.¡±


    The old man just sighed even deeper as he said, ¡°Before I left, I made it mandatory for everyone in the Clan to practise in these Arts. Now I discovered that these Arts have become somewhat of a prize for the most Talented. Completely the opposite of what I had intended, so I will pass the Arts to you so you can distribute them and also upgrade your Combat Strength.¡± Zhi didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or not.


    Finally, he accepted only because the old man had said that Dragon Arts would make those of the Dragon Bloodline more powerful and at the same time, it would help them cultivate faster. When all of this was done, it was time for the Dragon to head back to his own body and continue to perfect the Formation.


    After they said their goodbyes, the Dragon Soul that was no longer maintained by the old man, went back to Zhi¡¯s body.

 Chapter 17: Beginning of an unreal Tribulation.

    When the old man had left, Fanghong finally asked, ¡°Who was he?¡± Zhi just smiled and said, ¡° He was the Founder of the Ancient Dragon Clan. Well, a very long story short, he is all of our Ancestor and it seems that the Sheng Clan is also a Clan that derives from the Ancient Dragon Clan.¡± Fanghong just said, ¡°Oh...¡± Zhi just smiled as he said, ¡°I actually advise you to learn the Dragon Arts. They are tailored for those that have the Dragon Bloodline, so they are the most suitable methods for us.¡±


    Zhi could only say so because he knew that he had no Arts that are specifically tailored to Dragons. He has some Arts that tailored to some other races but he doesn¡¯t have any Arts tailored to Dragons. The Long Ancestor and Fanghong looked at Zhi with a complicated face but Zhi just laughed, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to start converting from your current cultivation Art, you can have the you after the Nirvana Rebirth use it. The whole idea behind that Art is to take the least amount of shortcuts with your second life.¡± Hearing Zhi, they could only nod. At some point in time, they had started relying on Zhi¡¯s guiding. Although they both had lived far longer than Zhi, Zhi¡¯s knowledge on Arts was far better than them. This was something they could not refute at all.


    As they nodded their heads, Zhi just sighed, ¡°Well, my situation is like this now: My Cultivation is shot and the only way to continue cultivating is to awaken the Dragon Form that is currently hibernating deep within me and then start working with that from scratch.¡± He knew that all of them were puzzled about what was happening but no one felt it was right to ask Zhi. Long Ancestor asked, ¡°Does this mean that your Human Form is crippled forever?¡±


    Zhi just smiled as he said, ¡°Well, apparently not. That old Ancestor said that if I awaken my Dragon Form and then pass the Empyrean Tribulation with that, my Human Form will be reformed and be far more powerful than it was before.¡± He just shook his head as he said, ¡°The Dragon Arts focus on cultivating your True Form. The stronger your True Form the stronger your Human Form is. The whole approach I had towards cultivation was wrong previously.¡±


    Both Fanghong and Long Ancestor tilted their heads in confusion before Zhi explained, ¡°Well, before I was focused on my Human Form. I cultivated that and by doing so, I suppressed my Dragon Form into deeper hibernation. Also, there is a distinct difference between cultivating your True Form and your human Form.¡± He took a deep breath and continued, ¡°When you cultivate your True Form, you also cultivate your Human Form but if you focus on your Human Form, you cultivate it alone and your True Form will have no gains what so ever.¡±


    This enlightened Fanghong and Long Ancestor. They both had too cultivated Arts that didn¡¯t strengthen their True Form. In the beginning stages, it didn¡¯t matter much but as your cultivation grew, the weaker your True Form was and when you reached the Primadorial God Realm, your Human Form was times stronger than your True Form. After explaining this far, Zhi just asked Fanghong to help him to his courtyard.


    After Zhi was left alone, he started to focus on healing. Like that the month passed away fast because Zhi was mostly focused on healing himself but every day he took a few hours to deal with the matters of the Island. He actually was fully healed in two weeks but since the agreement was for a month, he didn¡¯t bother the Azure Dragon yet. So, he whole heartedly started dealing with the matters of the Island. So when the month was up and Zhi felt the Azure Dragon appear through his Dragon Soul Again, he was startled for a second.


    When the Dragon materialized again, it was Azure. Zhi looked at this in confusion but the old man laughed, ¡°I need to use quite a bit of Soul Qi to lay down this Formation, so I needed to take more with me.¡±


    Zhi just nodded his head and called for Fanghong. When Fanghong saw the Azure Dragon, he was startled for a second but then just relaxed. Zhi had told him everything during that one month and Fanghong knew the details of the Dragon now. Fanghong cupped his fists and bowed to the Dragon, ¡°This Junior thanks Senior for saving my son.¡± The old man was taken a back for a second but then just gave a merry laugh as he just said, ¡°Don¡¯t mind. Now then, can you give me the resources?¡± Fanghong didn¡¯t dally around either and withdrew all the thins from his Spacial Ring.


    The Dragon looked over all of them and then nodded his head. As he closed his eyes, the various precious herbs and materials started floating. When all of them were floating, glowing seals started appearing in the air around them and they started fusing. After all of the herbs had been crushed and fused with the materials, the materials, as if guided by an invisible hand started going towards the flickering seals.


    Fanghong looked at this in astonishment but Zhi looked at it with narrowed eyes. He was quite accomplished with Formations so he looked at each step the Azure Dragon did with great interest. The more he observed the setting of this Formation, the more astonished he grew. The Azure Dragon was far, far more accomplished in the path of Formations than Zhi had originally thought. He knew that the old monster was very proficient with Formations but this show of skill left Zhi quite astonished. After about 15 minutes, the various materials stopped moving around and started floating in place.


    When they all found their positions, the Azure Dragon opened his eyes again and said, ¡°This is the Awakening Formation. Unfortunately, it can only be used once.¡± After saying so, he turned his face towards Zhi and said, ¡°Since your Dragon Form is in such deep hibernation, the Awakening may be quite painful, so prepare for that.¡± Zhi nodded his head, indicating that he understood it. The Azure Dragon continued, ¡°Make your final preparations and when you are done, we will begin.¡± Zhi nodded and took off all of his clothes and valuables and put on some ragged clothes that didn¡¯t matter much. After Zhi stepped into the Formation, he sat down cross legged in the centre and took a deep breath before he closed his eyes.


    When he had cleared his mind of all of the trivial and distracting thoughts, he slowly nodded his head. Seeing the signal, the Azure Dragon activated the Formation. As the Formation activated, the more brightly all of the main points glowed. Soon, they started revolving around Zhi as Zhi felt a warm power invade his body and reach deep inside him.


    In the beginning the warm power didn¡¯t give him any discomfort but as time went on, more and more of the strange power kept flowing in and it started to hurt. Finally, the pain was reaching quite an unbearable level as Zhi just started trembling and he viciously grit his teeth to keep himself from screaming out.


    Both the Azure Dragon and Fanghong were looking on nervously, they both knew that Zhi was currently in the critical juncture and if he could prevail then he would succeed. More time passed and Zhi had reached the threshold of being able to barely hold on. Just as he felt that it was going to fail as he didn¡¯t have the strength to bear the pain any more, a loud roar echoed out in all directions. The roar was extremely domineering and tyrannical, almost as if an enraged Dragon had been woken up. It wasn¡¯t only Zhi who heard the roar but the entire Island heard it and everyone felt their Soul¡¯s tremble from the domineering roar.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Everyone, who had passed the First Tribulation, immediately flew towards Zhi¡¯s courtyard where the roar originated from. All of them had a face on that was ready to battle to the death. When the hundreds of experts arrived at the courtyard, they saw Fanghong standing there, blocking their way with the Azure Dragon. No one knew what to do now but the Long Ancestor asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Fanghong said in a loud voice, ¡°Zhi is going through the Bloodline Awakening and is currently in the critical juncture. Anyone who dares to try and disturb him will have to try and pass my sword first.¡±


    As the cold words echoed out, a beam of light flew over from the horizon and when the blinding light disappeared a young man¡¯s figure became apparent. The youth had a serious face on as he said, ¡°Fuck, those bastards will find him.¡± As he said so, his hands flashed with a speed that surpassed everyone vision. All they saw was a blur but when they saw the golden symbols appearing in the air, their faces grew blank as one thought entered their heads, ¡°Such a profound Formation.¡± As they looked on in astonishment the young man growled, ¡°Conceal.¡± As the words echoed out, the seal that had appeared in the air, all shot towards different corners of the courtyard and erected a golden barrier.


    After the barrier was erected, the young man let out a breath of relief as he said, ¡°This should be able to hide the Bloodline Fluctuations from the Clan.¡± The Azure Dragon looked at the youth in surprise as he asked, ¡°Do you think that they will dare to do anything with me here?¡± The youth just sighed, ¡°I am not afraid of what they might do when the Senior is here but you can¡¯t always be here.¡± Hearing this, the Azure Dragon was a bit baffled. After he thought about it, the young man¡¯s words were true. Even if the Clan didn¡¯t dare to do anything when he was here, he still had to perfect the Formation so he couldn¡¯t be here all the time.


    This had been a miscalculation on his side and he instantly regretted it. He had been away from the Clan for far too long and he didn¡¯t whether they would actually even be afraid of him now, they might not even care if he were here and still do what they wanted. He started cursing himself inside because of his carelessness. However, his cursing was cut short by a loud thump.


    As he looked towards the source of it, he saw that in the middle of the Formation was a 5 meter¡¯s high black egg. The egg was covered in in black crystal scales. He looked at the giant black egg and let out a breath of relief as he said, ¡°He has passed the most crucial part, now all that is left is for his consciousness to merge with the Dragon Body.¡± Hearing this, everyone else released a breath of relief.


    They had no idea what was going on but all that mattered to them was that Zhi wasn¡¯t in any danger any more. All of them set up a defensive perimeter that didn¡¯t have any gaps. No one would be able to disturb him any more. Seeing everyone form a defensive perimeter didn¡¯t even surprise the Azure Dragon any more. He had gotten used to everyone being very loyal to Zhi, so he also turned his attention towards the Black Egg. The Black egg gave a thump at every set interval. As time passed, the interval between the thumps shortened and after a week had passed, a crack appeared on the Egg. Hearing the crack form, everyone started staring at the Black Egg.


    They could feel that over the past few days the energy inside the Egg became stronger and stronger. When the egg first formed, it gave off a mortal level strength, now it however gave off an aura that belonged to someone who was half a breath away from the Empyrean Level. Feeling the ever growing aura, the Azure Dragon smiled and explained to Fanghong that he had modified the Awakening Formation a bit because Zhi had so many precious materials.


    In the beginning, Fanghong had been a bit afraid of the consequences but when the Azure Dragon explained that the modifications were aimed towards the Awakening but rather the nourishing that came after that, did Fanghong and the young man relax. The Azure Dragon explained that usually when a person uses the Awakening, their Dragon Form will enter the Core Formation but since Zhi had the best of the best Top Grade materials, he could modify the Formation a little to help him reach the Empyrean Level as soon as he hatches. This actually was also thanks to Zhi¡¯s Bloodline being strong enough to do so.


    Now that the Egg was cracking, it showed signs of hatching. As the Egg started cracking, massive black clouds started forming in the sky. Although the size of the Tribulation Cloud usually corresponded with the person¡¯s strength, the First Tribulation never had a Cloud bigger than one square kilometer. What made everyone¡¯s scalp go numb was that the Tribulation Cloud that was gathering was actually over a hundred square kilometer¡¯s big. This was equivalent to a very powerful Empyrean Emperor¡¯s.


    Seeing the size of the Cloud, the Long Ancestor asked with a drained face, ¡°Are you sure he is becoming an Empyrean Immortal not a Sovereign?¡± The Azure Dragon also looked at the Cloud with a blank face as he said, ¡°He should be but the size of this Cloud is nowhere near the level a Nascent Soul stage youth can endure.¡± Hearing this sentence, everyone on the scene had a grim face on. Although no one wanted to admit it, this was practically a death sentence for Zhi. The Azure Dragon said in a grim tone, ¡°In the Ancient Times, the biggest Tribulation Cloud formed was the Black and White Emperors.¡±


    Hearing this everyone took their eyes off the Cloud and looked at the Azure Dragon. The Azure Dragon continued, ¡°However, at that time, he was the strongest Nascent Soul Expert in history, who could even hold his own against a weak Sovereign. His Cloud was only a bit bigger than 30 square kilometers.¡± Hearing that the Black and White Emperor was on par with a Sovereign while he was only a Nascent Soul Expert made everyone¡¯s mind just go blank.


    A person was already considered a Genius when he could fight someone a Stage higher than himself. For someone to entirely skip an entire Realm was unheard of. After they thought about it for a second, they realized that something was extremely wrong right now.


    If you went with that thought line, that that meant that Zhi was someone who was on par with at least an Primadorial God. Now this was something that was completely unreal but they could not find a reason for this abnormal Tribulation Cloud. Since the only knowledge they had on Tribulation Cloud was that the bigger they were, the stronger they were, meaning that the stronger the person was.


    As the Cloud kept gathering, thunder started roiling around as if it had met an arch enemy. The Tribulation Cloud seemed extremely aggressive and it seemed as if it was waiting for the moment Zhi would hatch. The very moment he exited the Egg, it seemed as though it would try to annihilate him. This truly made everyone¡¯s scalp go numb because they couldn¡¯t help Zhi at all and it seemed as though Zhi had not made any preparations to take on this Tribulation at all.


    However, as everyone¡¯s minds raced thinking on what to do, suddenly an ear piercing shattering sound echoed out. Everyone subconsciously looked towards the Black egg and then they saw that the top half of the Egg was now gone a Dragon¡¯s head was looking out. Zhi looked at the Tribulation Cloud and a smile formed on his lips. He had never felt as strong as he did at the moment so he didn¡¯t feel scared at the Cloud at all.


    He slowly crawled out of the Egg and when he had fully exited, he started rapidly growing. It was easy to tell when he was reaching his full maturity because the bigger he grew, the more aggressive the Cloud grew. Finally, Red and Black lighting started roiling around in the Clouds instead of the usual White lighting. Seeing this, everyone¡¯s face fell again but Zhi just gave a loud roar as he flew up towards the Tribulation Cloud.


    As he flew up, everyone felt the Island move, while in the beginning they were puzzled, soon they realized why. The Tribulation Cloud was so enormous and it contained might that made even Sovereign¡¯s feel a tinge of fear. If he took on the Tribulation as it was, then most of the Island would have been destroyed from the aftershocks. When everyone were about ten kilometer¡¯s away from the edge of the Tribulation Cloud, the Island stopped.


    Seeing that everyone were at least far enough, Zhi looked towards the Cloud and gave a loud, provocative roar. As if answering the provocation, the Cloud roiled and a Red Lightning Bolt as thick as a thigh slammed downwards towards Zhi.


    Zhi just smirked and took the Bolt head on but everyone on the Island felt their scalp numb.

 Chapter 18: Tribulation

    When everyone saw Zhi take the lighting Bolt, head on, they felt their scalps numb even further. Fanghong asked the Azure Dragon with a quivering voice, ¡°Is he going to survive?¡± As Fanghong asked that, every single person present looked at the Azure Dragon. Most of them didn¡¯t know exactly who he was but seeing how respectful Fanghong was to him, they knew that he was some extremely strong expert. The Azure Dragon stayed silent for a moment before he said grimly, ¡°I have no knowledge of a Tribulation of this scale. Coupled with the fact that Zhi doesn¡¯t have any pills or protective Artefacts, I¡¯d say his chances are very slim.¡±


    The Azure Dragon sighed as he kept himself materialized there for one reason: To save Zhi¡¯s Dragon Soul from being annihilated as well. If Zhi failed the Tribulation, he could at least protect the Soul and have it reincarnate. The old man could not find any reason for Zhi to survive. No matter who it was, they made very thorough preparations in order to take on the Tribulation but Zhi didn¡¯t even have a single Pill to recover his Qi, not mention an Artefact to help weaken the Lighting.


    If Zhi had one thing going for him, it was that his will was extremely strong and that he was insane enough to laugh at the face of Death. Other than that, he had nothing going for him with this Tribulation. He didn¡¯t even have enough time to grow accustomed to his new body before the Tribulation began. As the Azure Dragon and the rest were watching, Zhi continuously took on lighting bolts one after another.


    When the ninth Lighting Bolt hit him, Zhi felt as though it was going to pierce through him. However, When the power behind the Lightning Bolt dissipated, Zhi felt a mysterious energy bypass all of his defences and enter his body. In the beginning, Zhi was startled and grew frantic but when he realized that the mysterious energy forced out all of the impurities inside his body, he was startled.


    After all of the impurities were forced out from his body, he felt rejuvenated as he thought to himself, ¡°So the main purpose behind the Tribulation is this.¡± He realized that the main purpose of the Tribulation was to separate the lazy people from the hard working ones. He had read before that the Tribulation always consisted of Three Sets of Nine Bolts. Each of the Three Sets, targeted a different thing.


    The First Set targeted the body and if he passed the First Set, then his body will be purified. However, when he remembered that the Second Set targeted the Soul, he felt despair. His Soul was currently borrowed by the Azure Dragon.


    ***


    When the Azure Dragon saw that Zhi passed the First Set, he was truly stupefied. However, he quickly snapped out of his trance, when he remembered that he was currently borrowing his Soul to be there. ¡°Shit!¡± As he said so, a Black Crystal Dragon, identical to Zhi, flew out from him and dashed towards Zhi.


    It was obvious that this separation wasn¡¯t something that the Azure Dragon could do willy-nilly. It¡¯s image dimmed and turned slightly transparent. However, he didn¡¯t return to his main body but stayed there to see it through.


    ***


    Just as Zhi looked towards the Island, he saw his Dragon Soul flying back towards him. The Tribulation Cloud were actually waiting for him to refuse with his Dragon Soul before it started bombarding him again. When the Dragon Soul merged back to his body, a Red and Black Lighting Bolt rained down from the skies immediately. When Zhi was hit by the Lighting Bolt, he felt a tingling sensation in his Soul. However, he knew that the power of the Lightning bolts would double with each lightning Bolt.


    The strength of the final Bolt was 256 times stronger than the First Bolt. Since this was common knowledge, this was the reason everyone felt as though Zhi was doomed to fail. Even Zhi had no certainty of passing the Soul Tribulation. Although, he was confident on taking the Tribulation on with his powerful body, he knew that his Soul was nowhere near as strong as his body was. After he was hit by the 6th Lightning bolt, he felt as though his Soul was getting ripped apart.


    All he could do was grit his teeth and try to hold on. The 7th, 8th and finally when the 9th Lightning Bolt hit him, he felt all of it was over. There were cracks visible on his dimmed Dragon Soul and as the Lightning kept attacking the Soul ,Zhi could do nothing. Zhi saw that one more attack and his Soul would shatter. He just smiled bitterly as he cursed at his bad luck but as time passed, the final attack didn¡¯t come. Finally, when he investigated, he saw that the Lightning was actually hitting the very weak Black and White Flames. From the Azure Dragons explanation, he understood that these two Flames were behind the whole disastrous event that had happened to him. He started hating the two Flames by quite a bit but currently seeing the Lightning attack the two Flames so aggressively, something clicked to him.


    He hurriedly inspected his body and he was astonished to not find a single trace of the two Flames. After confirming it, Zhi raised his head towards the Heavens and laughed maniacally, ¡°So it is not that you hate me but rather you hate the two Flames.¡± He had realized long ago that the Tribulation this time was very weird but now he found out the reason for it being so aggressive and trying to exterminate him. Suddenly, Zhi felt his Soul growing stronger and stronger as if it were being nourished by the Heavens themselves.


    As he looked inside himself, he couldn¡¯t even find a trace of the two Flames any more. After his Soul had been strengthened by a lot, Zhi was waiting for the Third Set. The Third Set was something that tested the Heart. Each Lightning Bolt would create a scenario and if his will fails him and he sinks into the illusion, he fails. This was the most feared of the Three Sets because there was no way to protect yourself from it.


    Every person would have a regret or two and this Tribulation would couge out everything that you had sealed deep inside yourself. There was no way to defend yourself from this Tribulation. Only your own Will mattered. When the First Lightning Bolt hit him, he was brought back to the time, when he had the talk with his Father.


    Inside himself, he felt the urge to curse at him for abandoning him. Just as he was about to explode out, he came back to his senses and he shattered the illusion. After he exited the First illusion, the second Bolt hit him. Then he was brought back to the time when he had the choice whether to help Zhishi and Feng or no. The Illusions worked very complicatedly, they had no set way of taking the memories and twisting them.


    They may be a simple decision or they may be a major one, that determined the path he walked upon. Since Zhi¡¯s will was extremely strong, he easily shattered the Illusions at first but as time went on, and the later Illusions came that tore up old wounds, it became increasingly harder. The 8th Bolt brought him back into the time, he had suffered a big betrayal from the only person, he blindly trusts now.


    Zhi had wanted to strike down an enemy that nearly killed him but she had thrown herself between the two and saved his life. This was something that had enraged Zhi thoroughly and he was very close to actually cutting her down alongside the old man that had tried to kill him. Since, he didn¡¯t know that his Uncle had been protecting him all along, he had thought that if he didn¡¯t do what he thought was right, he wouldn¡¯t survive.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Finally, he stayed his hand but his and the girls paths separated for a few years form then on. Even now Zhi was sometimes wondering about what would have happened if he had cut them both down instead of staying his hand. Now, he was put in that situation yet again and inside him, a malicious voice was whispering to cut them both down. This time, he nearly lost himself in the Illusion and only managed to stay his hand in the very last possible moment. When he came back to his senses, he just laughed bitterly, ¡°Yet again, those resolute eyes stay my hand.¡±


    Just as the last time, he stayed his hand when he looked at the girls resolute eyes that had accepted Death. After coming back to his senses, he remembered that he was currently inside the Tribulation and that he had almost lost himself in this Illusion. However, he just smiled to the girl and said, ¡°Even though you are only an Illusion, Thank you.¡± The girl just smiled to Zhi and she faded away alongside the rest of the scenery.


    Zhi was left inside a completely pitch black space. As he looked around, he didn¡¯t understand what was going on. He felt as though there should be one more Illusion but for some reason, it didn¡¯t come. Zhi tilted his head pondering on what had happened now, when an archaic voice sounded out, ¡°Do you fear Death?¡± As the archaic voice sounded out, a blurry, half transparent old man appeared before Zhi. Hearing the question Zhi just tilted his hea as he asked, ¡°Huh?¡±


    The archaic voice sounded out again, ¡°Do you fear Death?¡± Zhi thought for a moment before he smiled to the blurry figure saying, ¡°I am afraid to die for the wrong reason.¡± Without missing a beat, the archaic voice sounded out again, ¡°What is the right reason to die?¡± Zhi thought about it for a moment again before he still answered confidently, ¡°Either to die how I see fit or by protecting the ones I love or that have entrusted their lives to me.¡± The Archaic voice was silent for a while and Zhi tried to use this opportunity to inspect the blurry old man but he couldn¡¯t make any features out at all.


    After a few minutes passed, the archaic voice asked again, ¡°Do you want revenge on those that made your life miserable?¡± Zhi was taken aback by the question. Although he didn¡¯t actively pursue revenge, he wasn¡¯t benevolent enough to just brush this matter aside. Also, the fact that he was currently weak and didn¡¯t have the strength to pursue revenge was also one of the reasons he didn¡¯t make a move yet. Zhi thought about this carefully and after about half an hour passed, he finally said resolutely, ¡°Although it is not my primary goal, I do want to have revenge on all of those that made my life miserable.¡±


    The voice asked in a heartbeat again, ¡°Then what is your primary goal?¡± Zhi smiled as if he had expecting this and said, ¡°My primary goal is to get rid of the shackles of fate. I want to forge my own destiny and my own path. I do not need someone else telling me when to walk, when to run and when to rest. Isn¡¯t that the whole point of cultivation?¡± After answering the question, the archaic voice stayed quiet.


    The blurry figure however, turned more and more clear. When Zhi could finally make out the features of the old man, he was quite taken a back by the ancient aura he excluded. Even the Azure Dragon didn¡¯t exclude an aura as ancient as this. The old man was completely normal, not handsome, not ugly, didn¡¯t seems strong nor weak. He just seemed normal.


    The old man smiled at Zhi and said, ¡°Since the Formation of Heavens, you are the second person to reach this place while at the same time, you are the first person, to pass this Trial.¡± Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s mind blanked as he looked at the old man. No one knew when the Heavens were formed but it had happened so long, long time ago.


    The old man just kept smiling as he said, ¡°You have earned the right to fight for the Throne of Heavens.¡± Hearing this, Zhi just snapped out of his trance as he asked, ¡°The Throne of Heavens?¡± The old man nodded as he said, ¡°The one who sits on the Throne of Heavens is the one who controls the Heavens of this Realm. Since the birth of this Realm and the Formation of Heavens, you are the first person to earn the qualifications to sit on that throne in the future.¡±


    Zhi just didn¡¯t know what to say any more so the old man just said, ¡°Although, have earned the qualification, you have not earned the Throne yet.¡± Zhi asked suspiciously, ¡°What do I need to do to earn the Throne?¡± The old man answered him, ¡°You need to master the Seven Foundation Laws of the Realm. The Law of Fire, Law of Water, Law of Air, Law of Earth and the Laws of Life and Death.¡± the old man took a breath befoer continuing, ¡°After mastering the Seven Foundational Laws, you will ¡äbe able to find the way to the Throne.¡±


    Zhi looked at he old man with wide eyes as he asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± The old man smiled again as he said, ¡°I am the Will of Heavens and now our time here has ended.¡± As he said so, Zhi¡¯s vision started blurring as he was teleported out of that space.


    The last thing Zhi heard was the old man¡¯s warning, ¡°All of the other Emperors of Heaven will be able to sense you now and some of them might even try to steal your destiny. So guard you back and always look forward.¡± These were the last words, as Zhi was teleported out of the space. As he came back to reality, the Tribulation Cloud had already dissipated and his body and Soul were being strengthened again.


    However, Zhi didn¡¯t pay any attention to that as he was replaying the conversation with the old man inside his head. Finally, he just sighed, ¡°Why do I have a feeling that I have encountered something very troublesome.¡± He truly wasn¡¯t interested in fighting for supremacy but he just wanted to do what he wanted without anyone directing him on his path.


    On the forehead of his True Form appeared a golden crown that excluded an Emperors aura that made everyone from the Realm feel the urge to prostate themselves in front of him.


    ***


    In a very distant place, outside Zhi¡¯s Realm was a young man in golden robes that was currently pleasuring a woman. He suddenly felt the Aura of the Emperor excluded by Zhi and he looked towards the direction in which Zhi¡¯s Realm was.


    He just smiled sinisterly, ¡°It seems like another lamb has come for slaughter.¡± After saying so, he focused on playing with the naked beauty in front of him.


    ***


    In a Realm near Zhi¡¯s. In a luxurious palace, on the throne was sitting an old man in White armour. The old man also felt the Aura of Emperor and looked towards Zhi¡¯s Realm. He just lightly smiled as he stood up, interrupting the subordinate who was giving him a report.


    All of the officials who were in the throne room looked at the old man in bewilderment as his voice echoed out, ¡°Prepare the Gifts. A new Emperor¡¯s Candidate has arisen from a nearby Realm, we need to make ourselves acquainted with our soon to be brother in arms.¡±


    The officials all looked at the old man with happiness as they tripped over themselves to carry out the order.


    ***


    In another Realm close to Zhi¡¯s a middle aged woman in red robes was telling a story to the children inside a secluded village in the mountains. Just as she was reaching the climax of the story, she suddenly felt the Aura.


    She abruptly shut up and looked towards Zhi¡¯s Realm as she smiled, ¡°Seems like that Realm finally has someone to take the Throne.¡± Without pondering much more on it, she continued telling the story to the children.


    ***


    Zhi had no idea that he had created quite a turmoil amongst the Emperors. Some were making preparations to befriend him, some were making preparations to kill him. However, to the dismay of everyone who wanted to kill him, they could not. Zhi had enough of a backing to keep himself alive thanks to the Island and the protection of the 4 Ancestors.


    When Zhi had passed the Tribulation, everyone who could, flew to him to congratulate him on passing the Tribulation. When Zhi saw everyone approaching him, he smiled helplessly. When his eyes fell on the Azure Dragon, he suddenly had an idea.


    However, when the Azure Dragon saw the symbol of a Crown on Zhi¡¯s forehead, his face fell as he rushed to his side and put up a concealment Formation. He looked at Zhi seriously as he asked, ¡°You obtained the Qualifications of the Emperor?¡± Zhi was startled for a second but all he could do was nod his head. When the old man saw the nod, he just sighed as he said, ¡°Well, your future as a wanderer who doesn¡¯t give a damn of the Realm is now something that won¡¯t happen.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi realized that the old man knew something about the Heavenly Emperor and he quickly asked, ¡°You know something about this Emperor of Heavens thing?¡± The old man nodded as he said, ¡°Yes, I do. Only one person except you has gone through the Trials besides you but he failed.¡±


    Zhi nodded his head but before he could ask anything, the old man looked at him coldly, ¡°That person was the Black and White Emperor.¡±

 Chapter 19: Gifts

    Zhi was startled by the cold gaze and his eyes also narrowed as he asked, ¡°What happened?¡± The Azure Dragon relaxed as he sighed, ¡°He fell from his Genius. It is a story that only a few know actually.¡± Zhi tilted his head in puzzlement as the Azure Dragon said, ¡°Before the Empyrean Tribulation he was the Rising Star of his Sect. He was gentle and liked by all but after he failed to obtain the Emperors Qualification, he changed.¡± Zhi titled his head as he asked, ¡°How do you know about this? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be in the Sovereign Realm or something when he enslaved you guys?¡±


    The Azure Dragon just nodded as he said, ¡°He was but we heard this from one of his Seniors at the Sect when he started the Rebellion against him.¡± Just as Zhi wanted to ask what exactly happened and what the Heavenly Emperor was, the Azure Dragon just smiled as he said, ¡°Lets talk about it another time. Currently, you are the Prodigy who overcame a Tribulation never seen before.¡±


    Hearing this Zhi just shut up as he knew that currently wasn¡¯t the time to ask about this. The Azure Dragon also instructed him to take his Human Form and seal the Emperor Crowns Aura, as it would bring up a lot of unnecessary questions. Zhi just nodded his head as he took his Human Form and his the Emperors Aura. Zhi currently looked like he did before but his hard was pitch black instead of having white streaks mixed in.


    Also, the Tattoos on his body had disappeared as well. Now his slender body was well defined but it looked more ¡°celestial¡±. When everyone saw Zhi take one the Human Form, they immediately flocked him to congratulate him. The Four Island Lords even organized a huge Island wide banquet that lasted for three days. To all of them Zhi passing the Tribulation was very good news because this meant that there were now even less people who could actually threaten them.


    To Zhi¡¯s subordinates and allies, it was very good news, for people who were in a neutral stance with him, it gave a lot of thought, whether to befriend him or eliminate him. For the people that were in a hostile relationship with him, they only paled hearing the details of his Tribulation.


    For the next week, various people came with their congratulatory gifts and Zhi accepted all of them. He didn¡¯t give a damn about being seen as greedy or superficially courteous. He knew very well that all of these things can be used by himself or as a reward for the Island. After a week had passed, Zhi was just tired.


    Suddenly, Fanghong appeared next to him, when he was looking at the various cultivation Arts. Since Zhi didn¡¯t have a continuation to the Art the Fruit gave him and that Art wasn¡¯t very suitable for him either, he was looking for a more suitable Art. When Fanghong appeared next to him, Zhi just sighed a he looked at him with an annoyed face, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me that it is another one?¡± Fanghong just gave a wry smile but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Seeing this Zhi just sighed and as he was about to tell Fanghong that he should jut accept the gift and say that Zhi was currently in secluded meditation, a familiar voice sounded out, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to send us packing! Getting here from the middle of nowhere was not easy.¡± As Zhi heard the voice, he was truly astonished. That voice belonged to the Azure Dragon old man. Zhi immediately looked to the Distance and saw the old man smiling. Next to him were 3 other old men wearing white, brown and red robes.


    All of their features differed as the man in white had a muscular build and his glare was the same as a tiger. The old man in brown robes however, had a friendly disposition and there weren¡¯t any scars or the like visible on him. He wasn¡¯t muscular either but neither was he fat. If anything, he seemed a little plump. The old man in red robes however, had long red hair and his eyes reminded Zhi of the people from the Phoenix Clan.


    As he sized up the three old men, the one in brown robes said, ¡°No need to be so vigilant, we are the three brothers of this Dragon.¡± Hearing this, Zhi asked a bit startled, ¡°The ones under the Emperor?¡± The man in red nodded to the question and then Zhi cupped his hands as he respectfully said, ¡°I apologize for forgetting my manners Seniors.¡± Zhi was not an egoistical person and he also deeply remembered debts.


    These three old men were the Brother¡¯s that the Azure Dragon, who basically saved his life, talked about. Also, Zhi never mistreated those that didn¡¯t mistreat him. If you talked to him normally and without putting on any airs, Zhi did the same.


    Fanghong listened with a raised brow because he had no idea who these old men were but Zhi seemed to treat them with quite a bit of respect. He knew that Zhi had kept a lot of secrets from him and he never asked about them as long as they didn¡¯t bring a calamity to Zhi. Seeing that all of them seemed to be familiar with one another, Fanghong just smiled to Zhi and excused himself.


    After Fanghong had left, the man in white robes asked, ¡°We travelled all this way but can¡¯t you at least offer us some tea or something?¡± Zhi was stunned from the straightforwardness. However, he didn¡¯t sense any airs behind the old mans words but it was like he stated a mere courtesy fact. Zhi just smiled and led them to his private courtyard and offered them some Spirit Tea.


    Taking a sip of the Tea, a tear came to the white robed man¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°This is the only thing I have missed in those countless years of being stuck inside that damned mist.¡± Everyone just laughed lightly at the statement but then Zhi broke the merry mood by asking, ¡°So, what brings all of the exalted Seniors here? I seriously doubt that it is to congratulate me on passing the Tribulation.¡±


    After hearing this, the Azure Dragon waved his hand and Concealment Formations completely enveloped them, preventing anyone from spying on them. The Azure Dragon looked at Zhi seriously and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, we are not here to just congratulate you. We are here because of the Emperor¡¯s Qualification.¡± Hearing this, Zhi just sipped his tea. This was basically what he had expected.


    Seeing Zhi so calmly take it, the Azure Dragon just continued, ¡°Before we continue any further, let me just ask you. What are you planning on doing when you obtain the Throne?¡± Zhi just sighed as he answered, ¡°Can I give up the Qualifications instead?¡± This statement just baffled everyone present and the man in white robes nearly chocked on the Tea.


    The man in brown robes was the first to recover from the statement and asked, ¡°Why do you want to give up the Qualifications?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes narrowed as the waited Zhi¡¯s answer. Zhi just looked at his Tea and said, ¡°Because this things was practically forced on me and as much as I understand about it, it is a ¡°hot potato¡±.¡±


    The man in brown frowned as he immediately asked, ¡°Hot potato?¡± Zhi nodded his head as he said, ¡°A hot potato is something that is really bad. The best example for this scenario is: Imagine you are a mere mortal and a Cultivator suddenly appears and throws you a colourful Gem.¡±


    He took a sip of tea before continuing, ¡°As you look at the Gem and think about the situation a Giant Demon appears and sees the Gem. It accuses you of stealing his precious treasure and kills you to take the Gem.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The old man thought of the situation a bit and then as the Azure Dragon opened his mouth to say something, Zhi said the crux of the story, ¡°However, the Gem was never the Giant Demons but rather the Giant Demon had taken a fancy to it when he saw the Cultivator from before use it to resist his attack.¡± Everyone now looked at Zhi in confusion.


    From the story they understood some things but they did not know whether they were right or not. Zhi just gave a bitter smile as he said, ¡°I am the mortal, the Gem is the Qualification and the Giant Demon is all of the people that want to rob the Qualification. Now you tell me, would you want anything to do with the Gem if you were me?¡± This made everyone truly silent as they thought about it.


    Even they had no guarantee that they would be able to fight against the Heavenly Emperors of other Realms if they came to kill Zhi. More importantly, Zhi was currently only an Empyrean Immortal, his true battle strength might be unreal it was still limited. The Azure Dragon just chuckled as he said, ¡°I told you guys that using common sense to read him is not going to work.¡±


    Hearing this Zhi tilted his head in confusion but the man in red just gave a bitter laugh as he said, ¡°I truly apologize doubting you my old friend. Your judgement had been correct.¡± Zhi looked at the old man in red and just as he was about to say something, the man in brown robes nodded his head and said, ¡°Same for me. I have also seen the true nature of this young lad.¡±


    A vein popped on Zhi¡¯s head and just as the man in white started saying something Zhi exploded, ¡°Will someone tell me what in the Seven Hells is going on?¡± Everyone was taken a back by the outburst but before they could say anything, Zhi continued, ¡°Not only have you not answered my question on whether there is a way to get rid of this dame Qualification, you all keep talking about some insider thing that I have no clue of. So will someone please tell me what the Fuck is going on now?¡±


    After saying so, Zhi took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and crossed his hands before his chest. A moment, then another passed in silence, then suddenly everyone burst out laughing loudly. The Azure Dragon that was sitting next to Zhi patted him as he said, ¡°That¡¯s the way. Be concrete and be authoritative, you are our future Emperor after all.¡± Hearing this, Zhi just looked at he Azure Dragon and said, ¡°Huh? I want to get rid of the Qualification, not win you over to my side.¡± The merry atmosphere slowly dissipated as everyone turned serious.


    The Azure Dragon said, ¡°The Heavenly Emperor isn¡¯t just a ruler but rather a Protector.¡± Zhi looked at the old man and asked, ¡°Protector?¡± The man in brown nodded as he continued, ¡°You see, the Heavenly Emperor is the one who controls the Heavens of the Realm but at the same time, he is responsible for protecting the Realm from outside invaders. Although, the Laws of Heaven help us out by restricting the level of the people that can come here, they can¡¯t block all of them.¡±


    Just as the man in brown ended his sentence, the man in white continued the explanation, ¡°That¡¯s why we are currently laying the Protective Formation to keep everyone out. Until now, there haven¡¯t been any people we couldn¡¯t deal with but it is only a matter of time, when there will be people like that and then, we will fall. If we fall, the Realm is up for the picking.¡±


    Zhi¡¯s face was serious as he listened. He wanted to know exactly where this explanation will lead to. The man in red was the last to speak and he was the one who concluded, ¡°However, if an Emperor rises, he can unify the Realm to actually put up a resistance against the Invaders. Currently, it is only the four of us that act as the protective screen. After we fall, because there is currently no Emperor and because the Realm is not unified but rather fragmented like this, it will be easy for the invaders to take over.¡± After hearing the conclusion, Zhi understood what the old men were all after.


    He furrowed his brows as he asked, ¡°You want me to become the Emperor, so that I can unify the Realm and then protect it from the outside invaders.¡± The four old men nodded and the Azure Dragon sighed as well, ¡°You see, because there is currently, no Emperor, it is very hard for us to advance actually. The Emperor is the best talent in the Realm so before he is crowned, everyone¡¯s gathering of insights will be extremely hard. Not to mention that all the Qi Formations of the Realm are currently inactive.¡± Hearing this Zhi looked at the old man with an agape jaw as he asked, ¡°Realm Qi Gathering Formations?¡±


    The Azure Dragon nodded as he said, ¡°Yes, all Qi comes from the Primadorial Mist. The purity and the abundance of Qi is very scarce before the Realm Formations are activated by the Emperor. Our current situation is that there are countless tigers pitched into a single cage and the one that survives, lives like a king.¡±


    He just sighed as he said, ¡°The one who becomes the Emperor literally controls the entire Realm. If you want someone to die, you need to just think about it and the Heavenly Lighting will strike the person to smithereens.¡± Hearing this Zhi just felt his scalp numb. He had not imagine that the Emperor would have as much power as that. Zhi honestly did not know what to say to that but the four old men didn¡¯t pressure him.


    They understood very well, how much responsibility a Heavenly Emperor has. He was the one who bears the fate of the Realm, that burden was something none of them wanted on their shoulders, not to say anything about an Empyrean Immortal.


    The man in white just said, ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it, there is still a long way until that time. It is useless to think of it before you reach that Level.¡± Zhi could only nod to that, he had learned a lot from this brief conversation he had with the old men. He realized just how important a Heavenly Emperor is to the Realm. The Azure Dragon just smiled as he said, ¡°As White Tiger said, there is still a long way until that time. For now, enjoy the gifts we brought you in celebration of you passing the Tribulation.¡± As the Azure Dragon said that, the serious atmosphere disappeared into thin air and the merry atmosphere took over again.


    The Azure Dragon just produced a jade slip and a few bottles of Pills as he said, ¡°This is the strongest cultivation Art for a Dragon in our Realm. It took me over a trillion years to completely perfect it from a Top Grade Heaven Rank Art. In the bottles are various Pills that are very useful when used in cultivating the Art.¡±


    The Azure Dragon¡¯s words released an avalanche of the gifts as the man in white pulled out the next jade slip, ¡°This is the most profound Weapon Art I have, a Naginata Art called ¡°Dragon Sovereign¡±. It is by far the strongest Art I have in my collection.¡± After accepting the two Arts, Zhi forced a smile.


    For some reason, the old men seemed to be competing on whose gift was the best. The man in brown just snorted as he produced a set of clothes and a Naginata, ¡°These two are my greatest creation. They are all Top Grade Heaven Rank Artefacts and if you put in some effort, it is very possible to evolve them to a Primadorial Artefact.¡± The set of clothes and the Naginata also flew in front of Zhi and as Zhi was looking over the things, the three old men were looking at the man in red with a smug face.


    The old man in red just smiled as he produced over a thousand Pill bottles and 12 jade slips. Seeing this, even the jaws of the three old men fell, not to mention Zhi¡¯s.


    The man in red said smugly, ¡°These Pills are all beneficial to you in your path has a Body Refiner. These are all Top Grade Heaven Rank Pills for tempering the body, fortifying the Soul and purifying the Qi. There are also various Healing and Detoxifying Pills as well, in case you run into some trouble.¡±


    After seeing the mountain of Pill Bottles, Zhi just stared at it blankly. He did not even know what to think about it any more. Every single one of these gifts was something that could cause a bloody war amongst cultivators. Zhi was no fool either, although, the old men said not to sweat it, they gave him all of the best possible Arts, Artefacts and Pills. It conveyed to Zhi, just how high their expectations of him were.


    Zhi couldn¡¯t quite blame them either because from the fall of the Black and White Emperor, maybe even during his reign, they have been the ones that have been guarding the Realm in place of the Heavenly Emperor. No matter what, they must be tired as well, so when they saw a light at the end of the tunnel that was Zhi, they did not care at all and invested everything into him.


    Zhi just accepted all of the gifts that were given to him and them seeing Zhi give them such a mixed gaze, they all just smiled. These gifts were all enough to give away all of their intentions so to say anything more was just pointless and in fact useless.

 Chapter 20: Going out

    Zhi asked the old men, ¡°I understand that you want me to become the Emperor and I do not want to become him. Is there a golden midway, which we can agree on?¡± This as the thing that bugged Zhi a lot. He did not have any interest in becoming some Heavenly Emperor that had a giant bullseye painted on his back. The Azure Dragon just sighed as he said, ¡°If another person obtains the Qualification, we will invest in him.


    However, he also has to satisfy our criteria as well, not just the Heavens.¡± Zhi tilted his head as he asked, ¡°Your criteria?¡± The man in white nodded as he said, ¡°Yes. We are the four old monsters who are currently the four strongest in the Realm. If the new Candidate is someone with a vile heart or of a very dubious background, we will kill him.¡± Zhi could just nod to that.


    The Emperor was the person who was supposed to protect the Realm, to have some tyrant take the Throne is going to end very badly. As for the background, no one knew whether the person was from this Realm or not. It may be an outsider who has slipped in somehow but they had not detected it. If the Throne ended up in the hands of a person like that, it may spell doom for the Realm.


    To fight against a Heavenly Emperor inside his Realm is impossible. That is unless you are completely immune to the Heavenly Lighting and your strength far surpasses him. Zhi however understood very well, that no Heavenly Emperor. They needed to master the Laws of the 4 Elements and the Laws of Life and Death. To far surpass that was nigh impossible in their current situation.


    Since Zhi had a guarantee that he would not be pressured into becoming the Emperor without any alternative, Zhi was happy enough already. If he truly mastered the 6 Laws before another Candidate showed up, then it would just be his bad luck. Zhi talked a bit more with the old men, but suddenly the old men started turning a bit illusionary.


    Zhi was startled but the Azure Dragon just said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these clones are just all dissipating because they ran out of Qi.¡± Hearing this, Zhi just nodded his head. He could not do anything about that and he knew that the old men all had a very important job of erecting the Formation.


    They don¡¯t have the leeway to make clones that would be ¡°real¡± and not dissipate over time. To come here in person, that would be an even bigger joke. After the old men had completely dissipated, Zhi looked at all of the things he had obtained.


    He glanced over the jade slips that introduced all of the Pills and then the ones that had the Formations. After doing so, he just collected all of the Pills into his Ring. The next came the set of clothes and the Naginata.


    After Zhi bound them, he was astonished to discover that both the Armour and Weapon made a complete set. By themselves, the armour and the Naginata were only Top Grade Earth Rank. However, if one had the set, it would be a Top Grade Heaven Rank. The gap between the Earth Rank and the Heaven Rank was enormous and usually it allowed a person to take on someone a Stage higher than him.


    As his previous clothes and the Scythe came from the Art the Fruit gave him, he currently was lacking a good armour and also a weapon. The Naginata was also a long weapon like a Scythe. However, it was much more ¡°flexible¡± with it¡¯s attack methods.


    Zhi also took a look at the Naginata Art that the man in white had given him. It compromised of 7 Basic Stances, 49 Intermediate Actions and 13 ways to channel the Qi to better aid attacks. What piqued Zhi¡¯s interest was that, it did not have any killing techniques but rather it left it up to the user to figure out on their own.


    These kinds of Arts were very precious because true masters had all developed their own style. What suits him, might not suit others and vice versa. Then Zhi also looked at the Cultivation Art. After looking through it, he realized why the Azure Dragon has said that it was the best Art a Dragon could have in the Realm.


    The entire Art centred around tempering and strengthening the Dragon Form while at the same time, it reformed the Human Form to have the strength of his Dragon Form. The Art also held a method for the Human Form to use Dragon Qi. Dragon Qi was something that every Dragon had but their Human Form couldn¡¯t handle the berserk and aggressive Qi, so they could not use it in their Human Form, only in their Dragon Form.


    As Zhi looked over the gains, he just smiled bitterly as he saw how much the old fellows actually thought about the gifts. They all complemented each other very well. For example, the Art was used to it¡¯s full potential with long weapons, the Artefacts that the man in brown had given him complemented the Art. Also, the weapon art that the man in white had given him was for the Naginata that the man in brown gave him.


    Also, all of the Pills were also for someone who fought close quarters, so all of the gifts together complemented each other and made up for each other¡¯s missing parts. For example, he had the Naginata but no Art to use with it. Or that he had the Cultivation Art but didn¡¯t have the Pills needed to thoroughly temper his body.


    Zhi just smiled as he slowly shook his head and put on the Armour. The armour looked like normal thread clothes, it consisted of a pair of pants, a shirt that¡¯s sleeves were until his elbows and a vest with a hood. What puzzled Zhi was that all of the clothes were black but they had a red Dragon Cross Emblem on them. On the jacket and shirt, it was on the back, only the pants had a red dragon coiled around his leg. Seeing this, Zhi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or not, he like the design of the clothes very much and what was most important to him, they did not obstruct his movements.


    Usually, all old experts wore battle clothes like these under their robes and when it came down to a fight, they would get rid of the robe as it would restrict their movement too much.


    Only the juniors who didn¡¯t know any better, used robes as their battle clothes. After putting on the clothes, Zhi made a few simple movements after feeling no discomfort he nodded to himself and picked up the Naginata for a closer inspection.


    The shaft of the Naginata was completely black with a red dragon coiling around it, it was exactly two meters long. On one end was a black steel tip, it wasn¡¯t big but about 10 centimeters long and 4 centimeters at width. The tip was sharp and it reminded Zhi of a spear head. On the other end, was a long blade, that reminded Zhi of a scimitar more than a blade. Usually, Naginata blades were thin and long but blade was 50 centimeters long and at it¡¯s widest part, it was 20 centimeters wide.


    It¡¯s thickness wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary at least with being 2 centimeters thick at the thickest part. The dragons mouth was the blade while it¡¯s tail was the spear tip.


    It was also very heavy and Zhi had a hard time using it effectively. It would be no problem to just carry it around or chop with it but to use it for more fluid movements and to transition from something like a chop to a sweep would need a lot of practise. The reason the Naginata was as heavy as it was, was all because of the materials used in it.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The materials used were the hardest, strongest and heaviest. A double handed weapon needs to be heavy or it just loses it¡¯s only edge, weight. The Naginata was heavy bit Zhi smiled after he had taken a few casual swings with it. He liked the versatility of the weapon a lot. It had a long reach but at the same time, if practised well, could be used very flexibly to chop in the front and the next second stab back with the spear tip. It was a weapon that was strong in a one on one fight and also it was strong in a group fight.


    For the he next few weeks, Zhi practised the Dragon Sovereign Art during the day and during the night cultivated the Supreme Dragon Art. His progress in both was noticeable as Zhi¡¯s aura in Human Form turned more domineering like a Dragons, while at the same time, he could use the Naginata with more ease. After cultivating like that, Zhi felt a blockade in his cultivation.


    Although he could just sit at Dragon Cross and cultivate, the progress would slow down considerably. What he needed now as to get real life combat experience, it wasn¡¯t that he lacked that sort of experience but rather during a fight, it was far easier to comprehend Fighting Arts than by just sitting around and pondering on them. So, Zhi decided to go out and explore around.


    After Zhi told this to the Four Island Lords and Fanghong, they all looked at Zhi seriously as the Four Island Lords started organizing a party to accompany him. Fanghong said he would personally do so and the Long Clan Ancestor was deep in thought.


    These 7 people present were the core of the Island. 4 Island Lords made all the Decisions while the Long Ancestor and Fanghong provided the deterrence of a Primadorial God. Couple that with all of the Sovereigns and Paragons they had, there were very few powers under the Third Tribulation that actually dared to lock horns with Dragon Cross.


    After Zhi said that he would go out alone, no one wanted to accept it. Finally, it ended with Zhi taking along the Long Ancestor that had gone through Nirvana Rebirth and a Paragon level powerhouse. This line up was something that Zhi fought hard for, since he understood very well now that his life didn¡¯t belong to only himself any more. Thousands of people that belonged to Dragon Cross depended on him and millions of people that were under Dragon Cross¡¯s protection also depended on him. It was not like it had been before that no one would have given a damn if he lived or died.


    After this was clearly said to Zhi in the face by Feng, did he realize that he had become an important figure in these people¡¯s hearts. Zhi had single handedly pulled most of these guys out of the gutters and given them a chance at life. What was best was that he didn¡¯t discriminate against them at all and treated everyone equally.


    The Long Clan Ancestor that had gone through the Nirvana Rebirth looked like a small azure dragon that was only 20 meters long. It only had the cultivation of a Core Formation Expert but it¡¯s battle power was something that made Zhi whistle. The Long Ancestor could take on even a Peak Nascent Soul Expert.


    The Paragon was also one of the old foggies who was at the Peak of the Paragon Realm. She needed just a little push to cross the boundary and enter the Primadorial God Realm. This Paragon was actually a person who specialized in Healing Arts but that did not mean that she was weak in combat. She could put up a fight against someone who was at the early Primadorial God Realm. Unless she released her Paragon Aura, you would only see a sweet old lady.


    She had a few wrinkles on her and she excluded a ¡°Grandma¡± aura. When Zhi thought about their line up, he chuckled. They had a little Dragon that was actually a Primadorial God Expert, the old woman who excluded a grandma aura was actually someone who could even wipe out any strong power of the Deity Plane by herself and then there was Zhi. Zhi was a person who common sense had forgotten to apply itself to. To try and use logic and common sense to read him would be the same as to try and teach a Phoenix to live and breathe underwater, it was just not going to happen.


    When their little trio had left Dragon Cross, they went to the World in the Deity Plane that the Long Clan had called home. He had not sought revenge until now because his individual strength had been weak and it would have not been the same to use someone else¡¯s hand to obtain justice.


    Now that he had the strength, he might as well try to do his best to at least kill that bitch. When the trio had arrived at the world, they were greeted by endless mountains. Zhi asked the Long Ancestor where would be the best place to get combat experience and after getting the instructions, the trio started moving to the Mountain of Death that the Long Ancestor talked about.


    The Mountain of Death was something that was a relic from Ancient Times. Everyone that was under the Second Tribulation could enter there but that place was riddled with dangers. It was one of the Danger Zones that was classified on the same level as the Ancient Battlefield. However, since the outskirts areas were relatively safe, the various powers sent their juniors here to be tempered.


    Since you may never know what someone may obtain there, it also had a lot of rouge cultivators who tried to strike rich. It didn¡¯t take long for Zhi and company to reach the entrance to the Mountain. As they neared the entrance, they heard sounds of a fight. Zhi did not turn a lot of attention to it at first because someone must have obtained something good and then others set their eyes on it.


    However, as Zhi and the company flew along, suddenly a fireball flew towards them. Zhi just stopped and snorted. As he snorted, the fireball exploded as it dissipated. Zhi looked towards the direction that the fire ball came from and saw a bleeding young man clutching a Herb running from a group of luxuriously dressed young men that sent all kinds of attacks towards him.


    Zhi realized that one of the fireballs must have gone off trajectory nearly hitting them but it still didn¡¯t make Zhi¡¯s mood any better. Zhi probed their cultivations and was astonished to see that the young man that was being chased was only an early stage Empyrean Immortal while the 12 people chasing him were all at least late stage Empyrean Immortals.


    It was also obvious that the young men were aiming at the Herb but the young man that was chased seemed to regard the Herb more important than his life. Zhi looked at the situation coldly as he said, ¡°Hedi, look after the early stage one, Long Ancestor, you stay behind Hedi.¡± Just as he was about to go, the Long Ancestor said, ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t play the Saint.¡±


    Zhi just smiled as he turned to him, ¡°I am no Saint but I ain¡¯t a Demon either.¡± After saying so, Zhi started doing a backflip but mid flip, when his head was towards the ground, he suddenly stepped. It was as if the air was solid as a crack appeared where he pushed himself off.


    This Art was a movement Art that he had found from his endless collection. It was called the Sky Emperor Art and it allowed sudden movement like this in mid air. As he flew off like a bullet, he landed right between the young man in the Early stage and the group of young men in luxurious clothing.


    As he stood up, he looked at the group of young men and coldly asked, ¡°Which one of you fired that Fireball at me?¡± Hearing this, every single one of the young men had a sneer on their faces as they saw that Zhi was only an early stage Empyrean Immortal. The young man that seemed like the leader just snorted, ¡°Do you know, who we are? We are from-¡± Zhi cut him off by saying, ¡°I did not ask you where you were from or who you were. I asked which one of you idiots shot the Fireball.¡±


    One of the other young men, who was clearly angered, said loudly, ¡°We are from the Myriad Domain Sect. Now get lost.¡± Zhi just looked at the young man in astonishment. He then just shook his head as he said, ¡°Do you guys have noodles for brains? If I did not care about your Sect until now, why would I care about it now?¡± This statement both stupefied and angered the young men.


    They had never seen a person who doesn¡¯t give them any face after they say that they are from the Myriad Domain Sect. The one who seemed like leader narrowed his eyes as he said, ¡°It would be best for you to leave now. The Herb that rat has is something that belongs to me.¡± The leader like youth pointed his sword at the bleeding young man and seeing this Zhi¡¯s brows furrowed as he felt that this was somewhat of a familiar situation.


    As he tried to remember where he met a situation like this, the bleeding young man screamed at the group, ¡°Liars. I obtained this Herb all by myself and then you guys just showed up and tried to rob it from me.¡± Hearing this sentence, the leader like youth just snorted as he said, ¡°Hmph, I had my eye on that Herb for some time already and thought that I would take it today. You jus-¡± His sentence was cut short by Zhi saying, ¡°Ahh!¡±


    He remembered now where he met a similar situation. It was when he saved Feng and Zhishi from the Humans who wanted to enslave them.

 Chapter 21: The fight begins

    After Zhi saisd ¡°Ahh!¡± everyone looked at him in confusion. Zhi pointed his finger at the group and said, ¡°You are arrogant people that think that just because their backwater sect has some fame and strength, you do as well.¡± Hearing this sentence everyone nearly coughed blood. This slap in their face was something they had never experienced.


    They started thinking whether Zhi had hit himself on the head a bit too much. To so blatantly to say something like that in their face, they seriously thought that Zhi was tired of living. The leader like youth had had enough, he dashed towards Zhi with a pointed sword as he said, ¡°You seem to be tired of living.¡±


    Zhi just looked at the incoming sword and inwardly shook his head. Even if it was supposed to be a simple dash, there were too many openings from where Zhi could hit him. Zhi just smiled as he watched the sword close in closer and just as it was about to hit him, it went through him. Everyone who had a sneer on their faces until now, their faces turned serious. They did not know the reason of Zhi¡¯s arrogance but now they clearly saw that he wasn¡¯t a simple pushover either.


    Everyone spread out as Zhi reappeared behind the leader like youth. Zhi stood with his back ot him and just said, ¡°You have too many openings.¡± When the youth heard those words, his face fell as he hurriedly swept his sword backwards.


    He hit thin air again as Zhi had disappeared again. As his eyes scanned the surroundings, he suddenly felt his sword fall from heavy weight. When he looked over it, he saw Zhi just smiling at him. Before he could even as much as say a word, his world was sent spinning. When he stabilized himself again and looked at Zhi, he had a tinge of fear in his eyes.


    In his Sect, he was well known for his speed but he couldn¡¯t as much as see Zhi move, not to mention react to him. As he thought back to all of Zhi¡¯s moves, he felt his scalp grow cold when he realized that if Zhi had had any intent to kill him, it would have been as easy as killing a chicken.


    Seeing their leader down on the ground like that, the rest of the group also brandished their weapons. However, just as they were about to act, the leader like youth stopped them. Everyone looked at him in confusion but seeing this Zhi smiled. The youth looked at Zhi and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Zhi looked surprised but then just nonchalantly said, ¡°I am Fang Zhi.¡± He had lost any interest in the fight the moment he saw that the youth in front of him had such shabby foundations. It was obvious that he had grown up with getting everything offered to him on a silver platter. Had it been someone who was actually skilled, Zhi would have been happy to continue the fight to better his control over his weapon.


    The youth however was too weak, Zhi didn¡¯t even need to use his Naginata to take him on, he could just take him on bare handed. After saying his name, Zhi turned towards the youth they had been chasing and started walking in their direction. It was then that the leader of the youths saw the emblem on Zhi¡¯s back and then he truly felt his insides turn cold as he pieced together the few bits of information he had.


    He was the Direct Disciple of one of the Core Elder in the Sect, so of course he knew about Dragon Cross. His Master had even said that if he managed to piss off someone important from Dragon Cross, the Sect would be the first to beat him to a pulp and offer him up on a silver platter. He had also seen a picture of Zhi but that was from when he slaughtered the Human Sects that tried to cause trouble for Dragon Cross. Zhi hadn¡¯t changed his appearance since he didn¡¯t care if people recognized him or not but he didn¡¯t look like he did before.


    The leader like youth had not recognized Zhi in the beginning but now he understood very well who he was dealing with. Now he truly felt lucky that he didn¡¯t try attack him together with everyone else. If he had and then Zhi would truly felt like killing them, it would have been far too easy. One of the youths, who looked a little plump, approached him and asked, ¡°Are we just going to let him get away with this?¡±


    The leader like youth looked at the plump boy with a blank face as he said, ¡°Do you want to die? That guy is most likely the Island Master of Dragon Cross. If you attack him, not just us but our entire Sect might be destroyed.¡± Hearing the Zhi was the Island Master, everyone¡¯s face changed to horror. They quickly thanked their lucky stars for listening to their leader. If they had ignored him and then just attacked him without a care in the world, the end result might have been very disastrous.


    Now they could only just sit there and wait for when Zhi allowed them to leave or Zhi left himself. They had forgotten all about the Herb and frankly, they did not give a damn about it in the first place. Zhi walked over to Hedi and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Hedi had already finished looking over the youth and patched up his injuries. Hedi just looked towards Zhi and said, ¡°He had some injuries but nothing fatal or permanent. After about a week or so of rest and recuperation, he should be fine to cultivate again.¡±


    Zhi just nodded his head and turned his face towards the bloody youth. The youth had a brown short hair and his physique and looks were normal. His face was a bit handsome but his various scars hid the handsome in him. The youth looked towards Zhi with a grateful look and said, ¡°I thank Senior for helping me.¡± Zhi just smiled and pointed towards the Herb and asked, ¡°What ya need that for? You held it in more regard than your life.¡±


    The youth tenderly held the Herb as he said, ¡°My Sect promised that they wouldn¡¯t annul my engagement if I brought them a Thousand Year o¡¯Old Sky Ginseng. This Ginseng is it.¡± Zhi opened his eyes wide as he asked, ¡°Oho? Why does your Sect want to annul your engagement?¡±


    The youth answered with a bitter smile, ¡°I was born to a weak Clan, in our Clan¡¯s history I am the first person to reach the Empyrean Realm. However, my talent is still bad as there isn¡¯t much hope in me passing the Second Tribulation. However, Heidi, my fiancee, is a rare talent of our Sect. She has already reached the Empyrean Emperor Realm while I am still an Early Stage Empyrean Immortal. The two of us promised to marry when we were very little and when we came of age, we officially got engaged. However, after the disparity in our talent became so obvious, the Sect wanted to annul our engagement with a shitty reason like, ¡°Carps don¡¯t mix with Dragons¡±.¡±


    The youth took a breath as he let go of the anger that had built up and looked at the Sky Ginseng like his last hope as he said, ¡°But now I don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Zhi just patted on the young man¡¯s shoulder.


    He liked people that went against all odds like this. He knew that he was weak but he still didn¡¯t give up and tried to advance and stay true to himself. The silence was broken by the leader of the group of youths. He walked next to them and asked respectfully, ¡°Your Fiancee wouldn¡¯t happen to be ¡°The Fire Witch Heidi¡± of the Five Elements Sect, would it?¡± The leader like youth had a very grave face on as he asked that.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Usually, when Zhi saw this face, it meant that there were bad news. The bloody youth looked at him in anger as he said irritatedly, ¡°Yes, she is. Go on laugh at me that, that I am a toad that wants to eat swan meat and so on.¡±


    Hearing this, before Zhi could open his mouth, the leader of the youths said, ¡°I did not mean to mock you but rather, you had been at the Mountain for too long, so you still don¡¯t seem to know about it.¡± The bloodied youth just snorted, ¡°Know what?¡± The leader of the youths didn¡¯t dare to put on any airs in front of Zhi and actually, he also felt bad for the bloodied youth as he said, ¡°The Five Elements Sect said that you had died inside the Mountain of Death. They have also engaged The Fire Witch to the Young Master of the Long Clan.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s eyes narrowed but the bloodied youth rose up as he exclaimed, ¡°How? That should be impossible, I am still alive, am I not?¡± Just as the youth wanted to open his mouth to say something, a cold voice said, ¡°You are for now but not for long.¡±


    Hearing this, Hedi¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked towards the distance and said, ¡°You pathetic snake, you think you can kill this young man while I am here?¡± Just as Hedi said that, Hedi threw out 7 silver needles towards the direction. As the needles flew threw the air, they were blocked by a sword. Then seven shadows flew out from woods. They all wore azure robes with a golden dragon embroidery. Seeing these clothes, Zhi smiled sinisterly while the Long Ancestor¡¯s eyes narrowed. No one knew what was going through his head at that moment but it was obvious that it was not going to end well.


    Of the seven people present, one of them was an early stage Sovereign while the rest were all Empyrean Emperors. Seeing this line up made the legs of the Empyrean level youths go limp. They were all staring at them in horror while Zhi stood up. The old man who was in the Sovereign Realm said seriously, ¡°I do not know which Sect or Clan Senior belongs to but this is our Clans matter. I advise you to stand aside.¡± Hearing this, Hedi just looekd at Zhi and when she saw the sinister smile, she just sighed as she said, ¡°Sorry, I am not interested little snaky snake. My Master has some bad blood with your Clan so this young man is under my protection.¡±


    As she smiled towards the old man, his face fell. Hedi didn¡¯t give him and the Long Clan any face, she even went as far as calling him a ¡°little snaky snake¡±. Hedi was not from the Long Clan, she had been a wandering cultivator before she joined Dragon Cross. She had not been there for long but her skills had earned her a lot of respect in the Healing Hall and since she wasn¡¯t discriminated against she liked the place a lot.


    Usually, a person who has reached a high realm would have a hard time joining a Sect because they would doubt her loyalty. They would also dig into her past and that may cause a lot of people to look at her in dismay. However, Zhi didn¡¯t pry into their pasts and treated everyone equal, no matter what background they had. She understood very well that if before, Zhi had saved the young man on a whim, now it was personal for him.


    All of the Sovereign and up Realm people knew of Zhi¡¯s past and the bad blood with the current Patriarch of the Long Clan. Since Zhi was probably going to insult the heck out of all of them, she wouldn¡¯t bother being courteous either. She sent Zhi a mental message, ¡°Master, what do you need me to do?¡± She didn¡¯t know how strong Zhi was exactly, so if he had said to kill all of them, she would.


    Zhi sent a message back, ¡°Tie down Sovereign one, I will take care of the rest.¡± As Zhi said so he started moving forward, Hedi just nodded as she acknowledged the order. When the old men saw Zhi coming towards them, one of them snorted, ¡°A brat that is only an Empyrean Immortal dares to put on any airs in front of us. Do you know which-¡±


    Zhi just laughed as he said, ¡°I know, you are from the bastard Long Clan. How does it feel to be in a Clan that has a bastard as a Young Master and an idiot as a Patriarch?¡± These words enraged all of the people from the Long Clan.


    Just as the Sovereign wanted to step forward, he suddenly fell into a cold world. The pitch black world lacked everything and after spending ten years inside, he felt as though he was finally going to break. It was at that moment that he came back to his senses. Only a moment had passed in the real world but he felt as though he had spent ten years in that cold black world.


    Just as he came out of his daze, he heard a female voice in his head, ¡°Master wants to fight the Empyrean Emperors himself. If you stay put nice and easy, there won¡¯t be much harm to you.¡± As he heard that, he looked towards the smiling old granny. His face paled as he muttered, ¡°Void Demon Hedi...¡± When he remembered the name that was soaked in blood, he felt a cold chill run down his spine.


    He did not dare to move an inch and in his fear, he forgot to warn the others as well. One of the Empyrean Emperors just brandished his sword as he said, ¡°You insolent whelp of a child, you dare.¡± As he dashed forward, his body was covered in azure Qi. Zhi just looked at the charging old man and gave a chuckle as he swept out his Naginata. Seeing that Zhi was going to take the attack head on, the old man just sneered. However, when the Naginata and sword hit, the old man¡¯s face changed as he felt a Dragon Roar in his head. This kind of a Soul Attack was something that only those of the Dragon Bloodline could execute.


    After the roar, the sword in the old man¡¯s had flew aside as Zhi charged toward him and kneed him in the stomach. It seemed like a simple knee hit but it actually followed one of the Naignata methods. The hit gathered Qi on Zhi¡¯s knee like a cone and the Qi was used to pierce, not just slam. So when the Qi pierced through the old man¡¯s protective Qi layer, he felt the knee connect. It was like a mountain that had slammed into the old man¡¯s stomach as he flew back like a kite on a broken string.


    After the old man had gone through several trees, he didn¡¯t raise up as he stopped. Seeing this, everyone looked at Zhi as though he was a monster. For an Empyrean Immortal to send an Empyrean Emperor flying like that with a single knee was something that was unheard of. The 5 remaining old men looked at Zhi seriously.


    If before they had looked down upon him, currently none of them could take it easy. The man who was sent flying wasn¡¯t the strongest but he wasn¡¯t the weakest of the group either. Even if he had completely underestimated Zhi, something like this should never have happened. Zhi looked at the 5 old men with a sinister smiled as he said, ¡°Well, seems like you are only so-so. I guess that you guys are just some low ranking bottom feeders with not much future.¡±


    Hearing this, made the old men¡¯s faces fall even more. Zhi wasn¡¯t wrong as they had no hopes of advancing any more so they were just given a position as an Elder but no one expected anything from them nor did they turn much attention to them. One of the old men asked him in a grim tone, ¡°Who are you brat?¡± Zhi just smiled as he said, ¡°My name is Fang Zhi.¡± The old men all tried to remember if they had ever heard of a youth with this name but after hearing Zhi¡¯s next sentence, they fell into despair. Zhi continued, ¡°I used to be called Long Zhifang. Nice to meet you old farts who like to stick their noses where it doesn¡¯t belong.¡±


    Few might know the name Fang Zhi but there was no one in the Deity Planes who had not heard of Long Zhifang. The Sovereign Realm Elder¡¯s face just went pale as his mind reeled. After he pieced Hedi¡¯s words together with Zhi¡¯s, fear took over him.


    He had always been one of the most loyal supporters of the Concubine and he had also played a role in the act, which threw Zhi into the Ancient Battlefield. He felt cold sweat run down his back as he thought to himself, ¡°He shouldn¡¯t know right? If he did, I would not be alive any more.¡± As he reassured himself that Zhi did not know, he felt as though his luck was extremely bad.


    To run into the one person he actually fears facing because of his rallying power could not be described as anything else but bad luck. He looked at Zhi and as he sized him up seriously, he felt regret. If he had known that Zhi would become such a monster, he would have stood by his side not the Concubines. However, there was no medicine for regret and he could just grit his teeth and carry on.

 Chapter 22: Regios

    None of the old men was taking Zhi lightly any more. The Sovereign old man had been scared witless already by the threat of Hedi, the rest weren¡¯t in a better condition either. They were people who had grown up in the Clan after all, they had been to the Ancient Battlefield before but they couldn¡¯t survive over a week before they had to teleport out.


    Currently facing them was a person who had survived there for ten years and when he went there, he had only been a mortal child with no cultivation what so ever. If they weren¡¯t scared to face an abnormal monster like that would be weird. Zhi looked at the old men coldly as he asked, ¡°Is the Young Master that bastard child of the Grand Elder?¡± Zhi¡¯s words were venomous and from the chill they got, they understood very well, how scary Zhi was currently.


    Not to mention the five of them, even if there were a hundred of them, they felt as thought they would have no chance of winning. One of the old men gulped as he said, ¡°Yes, he is. After the Ancestor left, Grand Elder became the Patriarch and acknowledge Young Master Zhang as his son.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi just smiled coldly as he asked, ¡°Is that bitch still living a happy life?¡± The sinister smile on Zhi¡¯s face made all of their stomachs go cold. What had happened to Zhi had spread all over the Realm already, they knew the kind of enmity Zhi had with the woman.


    The old men did not dare to say anything any more. No matter what they said, they knew that they would not escape Zhi¡¯s grasp today. One of the old men grit his teeth and said, ¡°If you leave now, we will forget this. The man who stand behind our Patriarch is someone you can¡¯t possibly deal with.¡± Zhi just chuckled as he said, ¡°I know exactly well who the puppet master is.¡±


    As his voice fell, he disappeared from his spot and when he reappeared, the heads of the five men fell. It was obvious that they did not even understand what happened as there was still confusion evident on their faces. Zhi¡¯s face was pale after reappearing, this move was something that required a lot of Qi to use. The only reason he had stopped and started talking to the old men was because he needed to store up the Qi to use the 9th Step of the Sky Emperor Art.


    The Art was divided into nine different techniques that were named as the ¡°9 Steps¡±. The difficulty had nothing to do with the order. Each of the nine steps was a technique on its own with it¡¯s advantages and disadvantages. This 9th Step allowed the user to move as fast as the speed of light but in return you needed to use large amounts of Qi. This Step also had high requirements for the body as the body had to be strong enough to withstand the abrupt movement at high speed.


    If used recklessly, the pressure might even rupture the users organs, so although it was a very strong technique, it was also very dangerous. Zhi knew that he would not be able to take on all of these old men in a head to head fight, so he needed to finish it fast. Seeing all six of his comrades dead, the Sovereign expert truly felt his blood freeze over.


    On one side was an abnormal freak, who logic and common sense did not apply to and on the other side he had a person who could kill him in both body and soul before he even knew what had happened.


    When the Patriarch had first issued him this mission of killing that youth, he felt as though it would be an overkill to take 6 Empyrean Emperors with him but now he understood that even if he had taken the whole Clan with him, they would have ended up exterminated. This wasn¡¯t because he thought that Zhi and Hedi could take on the entire Clan but rather because Dragon Cross was a power that they could not offend.


    Although they had the protection of the Sheng Clan Elder, what use would it be to a person that did not give a damn about it. On their side was already two Primadorial Gods, Long Ancestor and Fanghong. There were also over a hundred Paragons and over three hundred Sovereigns. He did not even dare to fathom how many Empyrean Level Experts they had. Even amongst the Deity Plane Powers, there were very few who could say that they can hold their own against Dragon Cross if war came.


    The reason none of them dared to move was because of the Island. No matter what they did, they could not pry into it and they were not certain that they would be able to break the Defensive Formations on the Island. It was a well known fact that Dragon Cross had resources far, far more deep that a lot of Clans combined.


    In the Deity Plane, there was no one who could say they can compete with Dragon Cross in terms of resources. Also, a lot of powerful wandering cultivators had joined Dragon Cross, amongst them were also people like Hedi.


    They had a name and the record of someone that made even a Primadorial God shudder. To hit this hornets nest with a bat was something none of them wanted to do. Since they had this line up and none of the powers could be certain of breaking down the Formations, they did not dare to take the risk.


    If they could only sit outside the Formations while Zhi locked the Island down, they would only be waiting for their own doom. The Island had resources that made even the most Ancient Clans and Sects drool but if they waged war with Dragon Cross and did not manage to break down the Walls, what stopped Zhi and the rest from cultivating like normal and when their numbers and strength grew a few levels, they would come out and just destroy them all. Even though Zhi was only an Empyrean Immortal, to the old man he seemed like an enormous mountain.


    What was even worse, was that he had no way of talking his way out of it. He had come here to kill an Empyrean Immortal junior, no matter who heard of this matter, all of them would look down on him and mock him. Zhi started slowly walking towards the old man, when he saw it, he fell on his butt.


    He looked at Zhi in horror as he spouted out, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do it, she forced me to help her by putting up a barrier. I only maintained the barrier, so that no one would be able to tell that she was planning on killing Mistress Xiaomei and throwing you into the Ancient Battlefield.¡± Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s steps paused as he asked coldly, ¡°You were one of the people involved?¡±


    His anger had passed the threshold of fury and he had entered a strange calm state. However, to Zhi, this was the most dangerous state there was.


    ***


    In the distance, a young man white robes was looking at Zhi seriously. He had seen Zhi in this state a few time but no matter when, it never ended as calmly as he looked. He was like a glass filled to the brim with wine, one more drop and it would overflow. However, for what ever reason it was, every time Zhi entered that berserk state, his strength would explode to the Heavens.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Currently, even though he had already passed the Origin Realm, he had no guarantee that he would be able to stop Zhi without harming him. What made the young man¡¯s head ache was that Zhi would not stop even if you cut off all his arms and legs. He would no stop until the cause of the anger was dealt with.


    The young man shifted forward, so that the moment Zhi crossed the threshold, he would immediately subdue him. If he is even a moment too late, there is no guarantee, that he would be able to stop him. Just as the young man got into position, his face froze. He felt his bloodline tremble as an extremely loud roar filled his mind. His Soul shook and he coughed a mouthful of blood as he looked towards Zhi in disbelief and with a hint of fear in his eyes.


    ***


    Zhi¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot as he crossed the final threshold. The old man in the Sovereign Realm was the focus of all this hate, so he bore the main brunt of this roar. His front was already covered in blood and he had even soiled himself. He didn¡¯t look at Zhi in fear any more, now he felt true, heartfelt terror towards Zhi. Zhi¡¯s cultivation exploded, it passed through the ranks and soon, he reached the Empyrean Emperor Level.


    Then black clouds that covered over a thousand square kilometers started gathering in the sky. The aura that Zhi was giving off did not belong to a normal being. The old man felt as though he was staring at an Ancient Dragon, one that¡¯s had existed from before the beginning of time. Even though he was only looking at it, he felt as though he was an insect in his presence.


    Zhi¡¯s voice turned more archaic and ancient as he said in an incomprehensible language, ¡°Sa v?ike segavereline madu julged minu ees veel olla?¡± As he said so, Zhi raised his hand and when he swept it out, the old man felt his Soul fracture and then shatter. After that, the old man¡¯s body trembled for a second before he suddenly disappeared.


    Only red flakes were gently falling from the sky, Zhi extend his hand and as he looked at the red flake, he said, ¡°Tuhast tulnud, tuhaks sa ka saad.¡± After saying so, he swept out his arm again and all of the red flakes disappeared. Everyone still alive, looked at Zhi in horror. Even Hedi had a look of horror on her face as she looked at Zhi. Zhi didn¡¯t turn any attention to them and just raised his head and looked at the Tribulation cloud in mockery. He opened his mouth and said again, ¡°M?ttetu v?ike tribulatsioon, tule n¨¹¨¹d.¡±


    As he said so, he opened his arms wide and as if being provoked, the Tribulation Lightning immediately rained down. Zhi just laughed as he kept saying incomprehensible things to the Heavens. After the first three Lightning Bolts, it seemed as though the Heavens had truly been angered as an archaic, blurry face appeared on the clouds. The face made of Clouds was the same as the old man Zhi had seen. The face made of clouds move as an ancient voice sounded out, ¡°You do not belong in this Plane of Existence. How dare you provoke the Heavens of another Plane Outsider!¡±


    As the rumbling echoed out, every Clan and Sect in the Realm was alarmed. Not only the Realm was affected, even the other nearby Heavenly Emperor¡¯s felt their Heavens turn enraged. Nothing like this had happened before, so no one could do anything about this. The person, who possessed Zhi, just smiled as he said in a comprehensible language for the first time, ¡°My Heavens were a lot crueler, fiercer and colder. Show me what you got little air cloud.¡±


    As the man who possessed Zhi mocked the Heavens, the Heavens were truly incited and instead of Lighting Bolts, spears made of compressed lighting started appearing. These spears were strong enough to destroy any minor world with one hit. However, a barrier of light appeared with Zhi as the centre. It was a protection of the Heavens so that it did not destroy the whole World.


    Also, it was set in order not to let Zhi escape and dodge the Lighting Spears. Zhi just smiled widely as he said, ¡°Bring it on, I wanna see whether you can kill me first or he can inherit my Legacy first.¡± The man laughed maniacally, as he took the form of a giant Crystal Dragon.


    The length of the Dragon was over a hundred kilometers long and the aura of ancientness it excluded made it seem as though it was something that had existed far before the Heavens did.As the Dragon roared, the Heavens shook. In terms of presence, it seemed as though the Heavens had already lost.


    ***


    As the Dragon took his real form, in a place far far away from Zhi, in a dark room sat 13 hooded figures. None of their features were clear and all of the wore different coloured and styled robes. One of the hooded figures, who was dressed in golden robes, opened his mouth and said, ¡°Twelve thousand Cycles have passed but he still appeared outside.¡±


    As the hooded figure said so, a giant white crystal globe appeared in the middle of the table that showed Zhi taking on the Tribulation. Another figure in red answered, ¡°The Primadorial Dragon of Chaos. He was born before any of the Planes had come into existence and by the time the first Plane formed, he was already stronger that Heavens of the Plane.¡± After saying, this silence took over the chamber.


    It was as though all of these hooded figures had met their greatest foe alive. Finally, the golden robes figure sighed as he said, ¡°He must not be allowed to pass on his Legacy. I do not know what method he used to escape the Seven Layered Hell Prison but the matter of fact that we do not know about it, means someone either helped him or he discovered something.¡±


    The other hooded figures nodded to the statement. They were all very curious on how he had escaped but none of them had the luxury of thinking about it. They knew very well, that the Dragon escaping would spell doom for them. As all of the hooded figures were wracking their brains over the best solution, a man in white robes said, ¡°Don¡¯t fear. He has not escaped. Through some methods, he only let a sliver of his Soul escape and latch it onto someone else. The chains hold him as tight as before.¡±


    Hearing this, everyone in the room calmed down, it was obvious that the man in white had a fairly high status. A man in black robes just snorted, ¡°How long do you think you guys can keep a Dragon that has existed before the First Plane locked up? The longer you do, the more disastrous will the consequences be when he eventually gets out.¡±


    After this sentence echoed out, everything went silent again. After a few moments of silence, a man in green robes just snorted, ¡°Hmph, if he could get out, he would have done so already. Who told him to be born as a huge treasure trove? We are already doing him a favour by keeping him alive, rather than killing him. We also limit the portions we harvest each time. So-¡± The man in green''s sentence was cut short by the table suddenly exploding.


    When the dust settled, the man in black was standing in front of the man in green and said coldly, ¡°This is why Humans are the most hated and most despised Race in existence. You imprisoned a Dragon that did you no harm or had no enmity with you just so you could harvest him of his skin, flesh and bones.¡± The room fell into silence as no one dared to move.


    The man in black continued, ¡°Not only that but you speak as though you are the most magnanimous person in existence. You honestly disgust me.¡± The man in black just kicked the man in green in the face and as the man in green flew back, no one moved.


    Seeing this, the man in black moved to the door but before exiting he said, ¡°You assholes are the best example of Humanity. When the odds are in your favour, you trip over yourselves to be first but when a calamity strikes, you will be the last help. From this point onwards, my 13th Plane leaves this pathetic Human Alliance.¡± As he said so, he took out a golden medallion and crushed it to dust.


    ***


    When Zhi came back to his senses, he was inside a dark space again. He looked around suspiciously as he tried to remember what had happened up until now. He just shook his head as he couldn¡¯t remember anything after being consumed by rage. As he looked around, he suddenly felt a domineering and a majestic existence behind him.


    acWhen he turned around, he saw huge a pair of eye balls. The irises were crimson like Zhi¡¯s and the pupils were like a snakes. Zhi looked at the giant pair of eyes in shock but before he could ask anything, an archaic voice sounded out in his head, ¡°I am Regios, the First Dragon that was birthed by the Primadorial Mist way before the First Plane of Existence was.¡±

 Chapter 23: Succeeding Regios (Part 1)

    As Zhi looked at the eyes, he felt his blood trembling. He thought to himself, ¡°This is¡­.¡± He understood that when someone¡¯s blood trembled, it was usually, when they met someone with the same Bloodline as them but many times more pure and domineering. The second choice was when you met with someone who was of a stronger Bloodline than you.


    This was usually the case when for example someone with a Serpents Bloodline met with a Dragon. Zhi looked at the pair of eyes and asked, ¡°Were you the one that brought me here?¡± The Dragon¡¯s eyes flashed as he said, ¡°Yes, it was me. I have been sleeping inside you for the last 15 years, I only woke when you entered the enraged state.¡± Hearing this, some pieces of the puzzle Zhi had made sense. Although Zhi wasn¡¯t very courteous when speaking with Regios, he wasn¡¯t blatantly arrogant either.


    Regios looked at Zhi and said, ¡°I know you have a lot of questions, so ask away as I owe you at least this much after all this.¡± Zhi tilted his head as he asked, ¡°What do you mean by ¡°after this¡±?¡± Regios thought for a second and then said, ¡°I infused the power of my Soul Fragment in to you and as a result, your cultivation rocketed. Currently, the Second Tribulation is done and soon the Third Tribulation will descend.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s face fell as he hurriedly said, ¡°Is there are way for you to stop?¡± The pair of eyes seemed to tilt to the side as he asked, ¡°Yes but why? Isn¡¯t power what you seek after?¡± Zhi shook his head as he said, ¡°Every cultivator seeks power but if you advance too rapidly in strength like this, it will make you cultivation unstable. It may also create a lot of hidden complications to future cultivation.¡±


    Hearing this, Regios was silent for a moment as he said, ¡°Understood. Currently, you have reached the Peak Paragon Stage but to take the cultivation back is impossible. You Immortal Cultivators are all so weird. Some want power no matter what the consequences, then there are people like you...¡± Zhi looked at Regios with suspicion as he asked, ¡°Okay, now then. Who exactly are you?¡± Regios immediately answered, ¡°I am the First Dragon that was birthed by the Primadorial Mist countless Cycles before the First Plane came to existence. By the time the First Plane was formed, I was already stronger than it. However, even as strong as I am, I am not omnipotent.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s eyes widened. He had no idea what the First Plane and things like that meant or stood for but he understood that they were something extremely strong. Regios continued, ¡°Twelve thousand Cycles ago, I was imprisoned by the greedy Humans who wanted to harvest my body for materials. As one of them said, my body is a treasure trove for making Artefacts and Pills.


    Since I can not escape the bindings, I can only allow them to do as they please.¡± Hearing this, Zhi just sighed deeply. He murmured, ¡°It is the Humans again¡­.¡±No matter what had happened, Zhi seemed to find that the root of the problem was mostly Humans. He truly started pondering on where they took the courage and arrogance. Zhi just sighed as he asked, ¡°How did you get caught by them? Weren¡¯t you extremely strong?¡± Regios just gave a bitter laugh and said, ¡°The 13 Leaders of the Human alliance got a very profound imprisoning Formation from their Ancestor. They used that to seal my strength so that I was nothing more than a lamb in front of them.¡±


    Zhi asked curiously, ¡°The Ancestor of Humans?¡± Regios¡¯s eyes just moved up and down as if nodding. Regios then said, ¡°The First Human born from the Primadorial Mist, Adam. He is the ancestor of the Human Race, just as I am the Ancestor to the Dragon Race. Every race in the 13 Planes of Existences has an Ancestor like this.¡± He took a momentary pause before continuing, ¡°Through the countless Cycles, Ancestors of the Race have fallen and been replaced by another countless times. However, there are currently 2 Ancestors that have not fallen until now. One of them is Adam, the Ancestor of Humans. As for the second¡­.¡±


    As Regios¡¯s words trailed off, Zhi didn¡¯t need him to say who the second Ancestor was. It was him. Zhi looked at him in suspicion as he asked, ¡°And how do I fit in all of this? No matter how you look at it, I may be a powerhouse here but as far as I know, it is only one Realm of the countless, so there are countless others far stronger than me out there.¡± What Zhi said wasn¡¯t him being humble or anything, it was just the cold hard truth.


    No one knew how many Realms were out there so just because he was strong here, did not mean that other Realms didn¡¯t have abnormal monsters like him. Some of them may even surpass him by a far in terms of strength and background. This made Zhi ponder on what Regios wanted from him. Deep down, he knew the answer but this was something that he did not want to happen. He hoped that Regios would not want what Zhi thought he wanted of him. Regios just chuckled as he said, ¡°Little boy, you know the answer to that question already, why ask it?¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s head dropped as he sighed deeply saying, ¡°So that truly is the case¡­. Can¡¯t you pick someone else, I mean, I just want to live an unfettered life, why do all of you guys keep shoving responsibilities on my shoulders?¡± Towards the end, he was pouting like a little child. Seeing this Regios, just laughed as he said, ¡°Because, you are someone who I have nurtured for this reason for countless cycles of Life and Death. I knew from the beginning that I would have no chance of escaping the Imprisoning Formation but that doesn¡¯t mean I could give up on my Race as whole. If the Ancestor falls and there isn¡¯t a successor to take over immediately, the Race will decline.¡±


    Regios just closed his eyes as he continued in a pained tone, ¡°If another Ancestor isn¡¯t born in Ten Cycles, usually, the Race will either die out or fall from their Grace. The offspring will be weaker by a level with each generation and in the end, they would degrade to mindless beasts with no intelligence.¡± Zhi looked at Regios with a pitying gaze as he understood something. Regios could have ended his life a long time ago and not given a chance for the Humans to use him as a harvesting ground but he endured it only for one reason: To raise a person who could become the Ancestor before that, so that the Dragon Race did not die out.


    He had endured countless amounts of torture and humiliation just so that he could ensure that his Race survived. This made Zhi truly look at Regios in an admiring light, he knew exactly how deep a Dragons Pride was and to be used as a simple harvesting ground¡­. This was something no Dragons Pride would let happen and they would rather implode than give anyone the chance to use him as a harvesting ground. However, Regios was able to swallow his pride and endure for long enough to pass on his mantle. Zhi looked at Regios and said, ¡°You said that you have nurtured me for countless Cycles of Life and Death? How could you control whether I was born with a Dragon Bloodline or not?¡±


    Regios¡¯s eyes held a hint of amusement as he said, ¡°What do you think a Bloodline is?¡± After hearing this question, Zhi could not answer. Even though Bloodlines were passed from parent to child, for some reason Zhi felt as though that was not the only method to pass on the Bloodline. Suddenly, Zhi understood something as he looked at Regios with a shocked expression saying, ¡°There is another way to pass on a Bloodline than by blood.¡±


    Regios¡¯s eyes just moved up and down as he said amusedly, ¡°If there wasn¡¯t, there would not be pure blood Races, only the Ancestors would be pure bloods while the rest of the populace would be only mixed bloods.¡± Zhi looked at Regios and just as he wanted to ask what the second method was, Regios said, ¡°The second method is by cutting off a fragment of your Soul and imbuing it into something else. For instance, you cut off a part of your Soul and imbue it with a mountain.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    After the Soul completely fuses with the mountain and the Soul gains sentience, a Mountain Dragon is born. Like this, all Ancestors created their Races.¡± Zhi nodded to this as he processed it and understood what Regios meant. Suddenly, he opened his eyes as he asked with a bitter smile, ¡°Was my Soul created with the same method or was it born in the natural way?¡± Regios closed his eyes again as he said, ¡°Your Soul was born by me cutting off a fragment of mine and then imbuing it to the Primadorial Mist. Like that, your Soul gained the Primadorial Dragon of Chaos Bloodline and after you died the first time, the Bloodline went into deep hibernation, waiting for it to be awakened again. Actually, the Bloodline was supposed to be hibernating for the next hundred Cycles at least but it was awakened prematurely.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi gave it a lot of thought. He had no way out of this thing, no matter what he did. He also understood how important an Ancestor was for a Race. He thought about all of this and felt pain in his heart about having something destined to him again. However, this time, he could not say ¡°Fuck it!¡± and keep doing his own thing. Regios had been able ot lay down his pride for the sake of the Race, if he couldn¡¯t even make a concession like this, he didn¡¯t deserve the Dragon Bloodline. When Zhi thought back to what Regios just said, something clicked to him. He looked at Regios with a face that did not know whether to laugh or cry and asked, ¡°My guess is probably right this time as well but I am going to ask any way. Did the Bloodline that was deeply hibernating wake up because of the Awakening Ritual I went through?¡±


    Regios understood the meaning behind his question and just stayed silent. After a few minutes had passed in silence, Zhi had gotten his answer. It truly had been like that, so this current situation was something that had been caused to him by the Black and White Emperor. If you went even more back in time, there was only one culprit to all of this. Zhi looked up helplessly as he asked, ¡°If I had grown up normally, without the bitch fucking everything up, I should have become the Ancestor a hundred Life and Death Cycles later. Does this mean that everything had been set in stone from the moment that the betrayal happened?¡±


    Regios finally answered him as he said, ¡°Yes. From the future that I saw, you would take over for me a lot later. This means that someone or something has changed the flow of future. Even I do not know what the future holds any more.¡± Zhi just sat down as he said helplessly, ¡°So, behind a puppet master, is another one.¡± He looked at Regios with an honest look as he asked, ¡°Do schemes and plots ever end? Can¡¯t they just be like normal beings and not involve everyone else in their little schemes of power?¡±


    Regios just closed his eyes and sighed, ¡°If there is something I have learned in my long lifetime, it is that wherever there is power, there are plots and schemes. True harmony and peace is something that can never be achieved, no matter what race or what Plane.¡± These were the heartfelt thoughts he had. Where ever, there was power, there were struggles for it, this cycle was something that could not be escaped.


    Zhi looked at Regios and asked, ¡°Now what? It is obvious that I can not escape these shackles of Destiny no matter what I do.¡± Zhi wasn¡¯t a completely headstrong block head who refused to accept everything that didn¡¯t align with his views. Also, he knew that Destiny and Fate were things that were unpredictable, they could be influenced and changed to a certain degree but they could not be escaped from. If your Destiny was to die for the Clan, you did, no matter how long you pushed it forward or what you did to escape it, in the end you will still die to protect the Clan.


    Regios closed his eyes and his black crystalline body appeared behind the eyes. This was the first time, Zhi had seen Regios¡¯s body and he could only bitterly smile to how much it resembled his. He truly was like a clone of Regios. Regios looked at Zhi a profound gaze as he said, ¡°What is done is done. There is no way to change the past. Now, all we can do is initiate the Succession.¡± Zhi had already given up on escaping this and asked him, ¡°What does the Succession encompass?¡±


    Regios shifted his body as he said to Zhi, ¡°Currently, all of you previous Lives Experiences are condensed into 99 figures. All you need to do is accept the 99 figures memories and you will earn the right to succeed me.¡±


    Zhi listened closely and asked with a serious face, ¡°Will they try to take me over or will they influence my personality?¡± Regios answered again, ¡°They will not try to take you over but as for the influencing¡­. Since they were you from previous lives, they will influence you to a certain degree but I have no way of saying to what degree.¡± Zhi nodded his head, this was what he had expected. Since they had been him, it would be very hard to not get influenced by their experiences. He looked at Regios and said, ¡°Let¡¯s begin then.¡±


    Regios nodded his head and Zhi fell into a trance as 99 figures of various builds appeared around him. One of the figures stepped forward and put his forehead against Zhi¡¯s. As it did so, bright light spread out from their foreheads as the firgure turned more and more illusory. As the figure completely disappeared, the next one took his place. Like this, Zhi sat there in a trance and the figures kept disappearing one after another.


    As Regios looked at it, his eyes flashed with tender and gentle light. He looked towards the distance, far behind Zhi. There, a blurry figure stood and kept looking at Zhi. There was no way to make out any distinctive features of it. Regios looked at the figure and murmured in a low voice, ¡°Although it had taken me countless years, I have completed my promise to you Master. The son, who you hid so deeply has finally blossomed into a figure of power, who can inherit your many experiences. In time, he will be able to take the Throne of the Fang Empire back from those vile traitors.¡±


    He looked at Zhi with a reminiscing gaze as he continued murmuring to himself, ¡°For countless years, I have followed your order to lay low and raise him. Finally, I had found the perfect opportunity. However, it is too soon to tell him the truth even if he managed to dominate the 99 Planes and sit on the Throne of the Emperor, he would still not have enough strength to contest against the Fang Empire.¡±


    The light in Regios¡¯s eyes turned murderous as he thought back to the time when he his Master had trusted him his only son and ordered him to flee. Although Regios was very reluctant to leave his Master to die, he could do nothing. All he could do was take the new born child and stop his time by freezing him in his Essence Crystal. After countless years had passed, he finally found the opportunity to undo the hibernation and let Zhi awaken from it. He had been extremely careful as he first flew through the Primadorial Mist for over a Thousand Cycles, to get far away enough.


    Then he had found the First Plane and decided to found the Dragon Race to act as Zhi¡¯s protectors and shields if something happened to him. However, what he hadn¡¯t expected was that just as he entrusted Zhi¡¯s Hibernation Crystal to a clone of himself, the true him was imprisoned by Adam.


    Adam was one of the most powerful retainers of the current Fang Emperor and his former comrade-in-arms. The only reason Adam had enslaved him and not killed him was because his mission had been to kill Zhi but Regios had never disclosed where he had hidden Zhi.


    Although it had happened a bit too soon, what had happened, had happened. Zhi had awakened his true Bloodline and to hide him from Adam, he had transferred half of his Essence Blood to Zhi to seal his true Bloodline. When he became strong enough, he would naturally be able to undo the Seal on the Bloodline and awaken it from hibernation but he was currently too weak.


    He would not be able to escape or survive against Adam if he found Zhi. Regios looked at Zhi resolutely as he made a silent vow, ¡°No matter what happens, you have to survive. Once Adam is taken care of, it would take too long for the traitors to reach this place. In the time it take for them to arrive, you can escape or become strong enough to survive on your own. Until that time, I will do my utmost to protect you.¡±

 Chapter 24: Succeeding Regios (Part 2)

    Regios kept staring at the blurry figure in the distance. His emotions kept changing between tenderness, anger and remorse. However, there was extremely little he could do about it, the Fang Emperor had fallen and he had been imprisoned. Although Zhi was safe for the moment, there was no guarantee that it would be so for long. Since he didn¡¯t have any guarantee, he had founded the Dragon Race with the single purpose of protecting Zhi.


    He had gone through a lot of trouble to make it seem like Zhi was born from Fanghong and Xiaomei, he even made it so that he had an extremely strong Dragon Bloodline. All of this was done in order to hide Zhi from Adam. In the endless and boundless Primadorial Mist were numerous Planes that had been born from the Primadorial Mist. Usually unless a person travelled through the Primadorial Mist for countless Cycles, it would be very hard to reach another District of Planes.


    So, this had been Regios¡¯s only choice at that time but he had never guessed that Adam had been following him. Fortunately, his plans had not been all for naught as he had managed to hide Zhi before he was captured by Adam. All that was left was for now, was to wait for Zhi to slowly grow. After he had grown sufficiently strong enough, he would be able to take down Adam and at that time, Regios would tell him of everything. About his home, circumstances and origin, he would tell him of everything but he wouldn¡¯t pressure Zhi into taking revenge.


    His Master had told him before he left that Zhi was to pick his own path. If he wanted revenge, he was to help him, if he didn¡¯t want it, Regios was not to pressure him into doing so. Regios understood that the Fang Emperor did not want Zhi to focus his sights on something as pointless as revenge. Even if you got revenge, it would not change anything. It would not change the past or bring back the people that had already died, however, after getting revenge, a person usually loses his purpose. Before getting revenge, it would be everything in his eyes but after he achieved it, he would not know what to do with his life any more.


    As Regios kept gazing at the blurry figure, the number of figures around Zhi had fallen to only 30. Everyone else had already disappeared after passing on their knowledge to Zhi. Inside Zhi¡¯s head, there was an enormous amount of information spinning around. Techniques, Arts, Trivia, Memories, everything was like a huge scramble. Zhi was doing his best to categorise them and at least generally divide everything by a system. However, just as he looked over the new information, more poured in before he could divide it. It was an endless cycle and Zhi¡¯s head started hurting already from the information overload. However, after looking over one new piece of information after another, it suddenly stopped.


    No more information came rushing to his head no matter how long Zhi waited. During the silence, Zhi did not wait around aimlessly but was working hard on categorizing the information he had already obtained. Inside his head was profound knowledge of countless arts, one more mysterious and profound than the other.


    Also, countless insights to different Laws also entered his head, some conflicted each other while some complemented each other. After Zhi finally opened his eyes after sorting through all the information, he looked at Regios and said, ¡°Why do I feel as though these Memories aren¡¯t mine?¡± After sorting through everything, he felt that these were someone else¡¯s memories for some reason. Even though Regios had said that they were memories of his previous lives, they felt very foreign for him.


    Regios¡¯s eyes flashed as he said, ¡°Well, they are your memories from other lifetimes, they might seem like strangers because the current Realm you¡¯re in differs from theirs, so you can¡¯t relate to them yet.¡± Hearing this Zhi nodded but what he did not know was that Regios let out a breath of relief inside when he saw Zhi buy the explanation. Everything he had told to Zhi up until now was a lie.


    However, he knew that even if Zhi heard the truth now, he would not believe it. So all he could to make sure that Zhi followed his own path without influencing him, was by keeping this a secret from him for now. Although Zhi accepted Regios¡¯s explanation, there was something tugging at him.


    He felt as though everything was currently an illusion, as though something crucial was still hidden from him. He could not figure out why he thought so but he felt like that for some reason. Zhi asked Regios, ¡°How long have I been here and what happened outside?¡±


    Regios answered in a gentle voice, ¡°At the outside world, you are currently deep within Dragon Cross. The entire Island is on High Alert because of the Tribulation. Various Sect and Clans have started making moves against your Sect. Currently, of the many powers that had been so friendly to you before, only the Phoenix Clan has stayed by your side and are helping you out. Also the Tiger Emperor Clan and Black Tortoise Clan are also helping you from the shadows as they are currently making preparations for war. Since they aren¡¯t prepared yet, they can¡¯t openly help you.¡±


    Hearing this Zhi¡¯s eyebrows jumped as he asked, ¡°How long have I been here?¡± Regios stayed quiet as he tried to avoid the question but Zhi¡¯s voice grew colder as he asked, ¡°Just how long have I been here?!¡± Finally, Regios just grit his teeth and said, ¡°The time it took for you to merge with the memories of your past lives was 10 years.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s jaw dropped as he stared at Regios blankly. ¡°Ten years?¡± After he asked this in a weak voice, Regios nodded. Zhi jumped to his feet and asked, ¡°Why did you not tell me that any sooner? What is the situation outside?¡± Zhi had grown frantic already. He knew very well that none of the Sects or Clans had dared to move before because Zhi had been there to control the Formations of the Island. However, he had taken ten years to merge with the memories, so of course he was anxious to find out what had happened.


    Regios looked at him with a complex gaze as he said, ¡°I do not know whether you are going to be happy or not but you have been in a comatose cultivation state for the past ten years.¡± Zhi looked at him blankly as he asked in a shaky voice, ¡°Comatose cultivation state?¡± Regios nodded his head and said, ¡°Although your Soul and Consciousness are here, your body subconsciously rotated the Qi according to your Cultivation Art. You have already passed the Paragon Realm and entered the Primadorial God Realm.¡± Zhi truly felt his world shatter for a moment.


    He had always pursued perfection. If he cultivated, he had to be thorough and do everything perfectly, this was the secret behind his abnormal strength. He thoroughly tempered his body and purified his Qi in each stage to lay a better foundation and to create a more solid cultivation over all. However, ever since the incident with the Black and White Emperor, he didn¡¯t have a chance to perfectly temper and purify his body as he always rapidly advanced one time after another.


    He made vow to himself that after he got out from here and stabilized the situation with Dragon Cross, he would not advance to the Origin Realm before he had fully tempered his body, no matter how many years it would take. Zhi looked at Regios and asked, ¡°How do I leave here?¡±


    Regios lowered his head as he said, ¡°I can send you out anytime however, before you go, I will pass onto you the Ancestor Qualification.¡± Zhi anxiously nodded his head. He had no idea how bad the situation truly was so all he could do was quickly leave to start dealign with the endless amount of problems that had cropped up. Seeing hi nod his head like that, Regios just closed his eyes as a dragon like rune appeared before his giant head. The Rune seemed like a spec of dust compared to Regios¡¯s giant head. When Regios opened his eyes, the rune floated before Zhi and embed it on his left arm, a bit lower that the shoulder. Seeing the Rune merge with him, Zhi didn¡¯t submerge himself in the mysterious feeling as he quickly said, ¡°Can you let me out now?¡± Seeing Zhi¡¯s impatience Regios just shook his head a bit and closed his eyes. As he did, Zhi felt dizziness take over him as he was transported back.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    After Zhi had disappeared from the black space, Regios looked at the distant figure again and said, ¡°He truly is your son. No matter how he tries to deny it, he still cares about those that are under him more than his own benefit.¡± The blurry figures head seemed to nod to Regios¡¯s words. Regios looked ¡°up¡± and murmured, ¡°I wonder what he will decide to do once he learns the truth.¡±


    ***


    When Zhi came back to his senses, he immediately jumped up. The Healing Halls members who had been monitoring him were startled. They looked at Zhi in astonishment like they had seen a ghost. Before anyone could say anything, Zhi pulled out the Island Command Medallion and started pouring Qi into it.


    When he started pouring Qi into it, he closed his eyes to better concentrate on the various Formations. The moment Zhi started pouring Qi in the Command Medallion, the various Formations on the Island lit up as bright lights started flashing around the Island. When everyone saw this, they were at first stupefied but when they saw the bright lights converging into various Formations, they all became ecstatic.


    They knew that the only person who could control the Island Formations was Zhi and if they all started activating like this, it meant that Zhi had woken from his comatose state. To all of them, this was the greatest fortune they could come across currently because Zhi was the only person in their minds that could reverse their current situation. In truth, the situation was very bad and only 3 Ancient Clans stood by their side in this calamity while most of the Clans that had been oh-so-friendly before, now were practically hostile against them.


    After Zhi had fallen to the comatose state, they truly understood how big his personal deterrence was. It didn¡¯t even take a month for everyone to start acting against them when Zhi fell to his comatose state. Everyone, who had been in a good relationship with them before had all left their side, leaving only the Ancient Phoenix Clan to stand firmly by their side. What made them feel a bit better was that the Tiger Emperor Clan and the Black Tortoise Clan actually sent them reinforcements and promised them that when their preparations for an all out war were done, they would openly join their ranks.


    No matter how this war ended, they would eternally be grateful for these three Clans for choosing their side. They didn¡¯t care what reason they had to do so, what was important for them was that they offered them a helping hand in times of need. Even though the three Clans were helping Dragon Cross, their chances still weren¡¯t great.


    Many even started making preparations for the worst. However, Zhi awakening had wiped the pessimistic and negative feelings and premonitions everyone had away. In their eyes, Zhi had created one miracle after another, so since he had awakened, he will be able to create one again.


    ***


    Zhi however had a very ugly face on at the moment. When he was activating the Defensive Formations of the Island, he was at the same time probing a bit farther away with Detection Formations. All around them were armies of soldiers under different banners.


    Their cultivation levels weren¡¯t as good as Dragon Cross¡¯s but their numbers were over a hundred times bigger than Dragon Cross. In a large scale war like this, numbers played a huge role while the individual strength was very negligible unless your strength surpassed them by and entire Major Realm. Even then it would be extremely hard for them to take this kind of a number on by themselves.


    As Zhi sat there with an ugly face, thinking and scrapping one plan after another, Ten figures appeared near Zhi. All of the Healing Hall personnel had left, leaving these eleven alone. They knew that they were the Pillars of them and the discussion what was going to happen now was going to be the one that will determine their destiny. They would not want to be the cause of the discussion derailing. Zhi woke up from his thoughts when Fanghong said, ¡°You woke up.¡± Zhi looked around saw Fanghong, Long Ancestor, the Four Island Lords, the old Matriarch of the Phoenix Clan and two unfamiliar figures.


    Zhi asked with a serious face, ¡°What is the current situation?¡± Everyone present turned from relieved to serious as Fend said, ¡°The situation is currently very bad. On our side are 3 Clans while the opposite side had accumulated over a hundred Sects and Clans.¡± When Zhi head the numbers difference, his mouth opened wide from shock as he asked, ¡°How the hell can there be so many of them?¡±


    This time Long Ancestor answered him saying, ¡°It is because our resources are too vast and deep. Our Foundation is levels above them all, so there are enough Arts and Treasures to go around. Even though they have over a hundred Sects and Clans, they will all be able to get a piece out of this.¡± As the Long Ancestor said this, he just shook his head helplessly. Even though for them, the deep and vast Foundation was a good thing, at the same time it was a calamity to them.


    When Zhi fell into a comatose state, all of them immediately bore their fangs seeing the opportunity. Since Zhi could not control the Formations to make them go into a full Defensive Mode, they could only try to keep the other people out as they could not count on the Formations completely stopping all of them.


    One of the two unfamiliar figures opened his mouth, ¡°Now that you have awakened, we can start thinking of a counter attack plan. Currently, we have only been on the reactive side but now we can take the initiative.¡± Zhi looked at the new addition and sized him up. He was in the Early Primadorial God Realm and he looked very buff with his white armour on. On the left side of his breast plate was the Emblem of a tiger holding a sword. His face was quite square and his white hair sowed that he was quite old. Zhi nodded to the man and then just said coldly, ¡°Well, at least we now know who to trust.¡±


    Everyone understood the hidden meaning behind those words and the three representatives of the three Clans let out an inward sigh of relief. They truly felt as though they had made the right choice choosing Dragon Cross¡¯s side. They all understood that Zhi was someone who common sense did not apply to, so there was no telling on what he would do. Especially now that Zhi had reached the Primadorial God Realm. They honestly felt that under the Third Tribulation was no one who could take him on. They didn¡¯t even dare to place their bets on weaker Origin Realm Experts.


    Zhi felt around his body a bit and had already discovered that his body was weak. Usually, he would have a feeling as though his body was extremely strong but currently he felt that it was extremely frail. Zhi stood up under everyone¡¯s curious gazes and took out his Naginata.. He gave it a few swings and the feeling of danger filled up everyone present. They had a hard time even following the speed of the Naginata but seeing the sour expression on Zhi¡¯s face, they did not know what to make of the situation.


    Finally, the Matriarch asked Zhi, ¡°What do you plan on doing now?¡± Zhi just turned his head towards her with a sinister smile as he said, ¡°Now even a Peak Primadorial God will be able to break through the defences here, I will go out to temper myself a bit. Luckily there are a lot of good practise dummies out there.¡± As he said so, a domineering aura spread out from him as he started walking out.


    The man in white armour immediately exclaimed, ¡°Are you insane? Even if it¡¯s you, you won¡¯t be able to take on all of them.¡± Zhi paused his steps and looked towards the man as he said with a serious face, ¡°I never said that I would be able to take all of them on. When I suffer serious injuries or run out of Qi, I will retreat back to the Island. Rest up and then go out again. I will continue this cycle as many times as it is needed.¡± After saying so, he left the room prepared for him. With resolute steps he walked towards the edge of the Island. Whenever anyone saw him passing by, they all walked behind him as if following him to Hell. When Zhi reached the edge of the Island, He turned around and rose to the air.


    He looked over all of the people present and cupped his hands towards them, ¡°I thank all of you for holding the Fort while I was away. Now you can rest as I will take care of everything.¡± As he said so, he gave a deep bow to everyone. Seeing this, everyone felt their mind shake as they picked up the hints from Zhi¡¯s words. He had basically told them all that there was going to be a bloody storm coming up now. They all looked at Zhi with a hint of veneration in their eyes as they saw him turn around and rush towards the enemies by himself.


    No one knew who was the first one but after the first weapon was raised, all the other¡¯s were as well as everyone present charged out following Zhi.

 Chapter 25: Collecting Dues (Part 1)

    As Zhi flew through the air, he had naturally noticed the army following him. He could have flown a lot faster and already arrived at the enemy camps but he slowed down so that the others could keep pace with him. Zhi kept observing all of them as they flew as was pleasantly surprised when he saw them forming ranks mid flight. They all seemed to have their own squad and during the flight they all kept changing positions to find their squads.


    By the time they reached the enemy camp, they had stopped shuffling around, seemingly having found their squads and formed their ranks. Zhi just smiled when he saw that and disregarding any courtesy, he just seemed to step on air as he suddenly flew through the air like he had been released from a bowstring. The enemy had seen them coming so they also formed ranks but sneers were evident on their faces when they saw all of them coming towards them.


    They outnumbered them a hundred to one, to disregard everything and just attack them like this, to them it meant, that Dragon Cross had lost all other options. In their eyes, this was a final resistance they could put up.


    When they saw Zhi just leave the group and fly towards them so recklessly, one of the people even smiled and said in a ridiculing manner, ¡°Seems like they had completely lost all hope.¡± Until now Zhi had been keeping his aura restrained, so none of them had sensed that a Primadorial God was flying towards them. When Zhi was only a few hundred meters away from them, he released his restrained aura. The domineering Aura of a Dragon coupled with the oppressive aura of a Primadorial God spread out and struck them.


    Since Zhi also released all of his killing intent towards them, the people under the Second Tribulation either blacked out from the fear or were even scared to death. Those that had passed the Second Tribulation took a collective step back when they felt the oppressive, murderous aura that was directed towards all of them. The aura sent shivers down their spines as fear started sprouting inside them.


    Since most of these people had never seen Zhi, they could not understand where he came from. Until now, they had always had the upper hand, so they became a bit complacent. Now that Zhi flew towards them like an Ancient God of War and Death, they just lost all of their courage. In a large fight, what mattered more than strength was morale. Before, their morale had been high from their continuous wins and Dragon Cross¡¯s morale had been low from the continuous losses. However, Dragon Cross¡¯s morale had skyrocketed when they saw Zhi.


    In their eyes, Zhi was akin to a God that could reverse any bad situation and create a miracle after a miracle. Now, when Zhi had flown towards the enemies by releasing such an oppressive, murderous aura, he had shattered their morale. When Zhi finally reached their front line, the enemies started dropping like flies. Zhi needed only a casual sweep to take care of most of them, so the current situation was in his favour.


    Zhi¡¯s understanding of the Naginata Art hadn¡¯t deepened in the past ten years, so he was currently only relying on the forms and his oppressive Qi and his stronger body. When the enemies in the back line felt the oppressive aura closing in, they felt as though an invisible hand was choking them. They didn¡¯t get the full brunt of the attack like the front line had but theirs was about half, even less, than what the front line suffered. So their losses weren¡¯t as disastrous as the front lines were but fear crept to their hearts when they saw their front line drop down like flies. The morale that was still positive in the backline, suddenly started dropping as well.


    One of the Peak Paragon old men, who had gathered his courage, shouted towards Zhi, ¡°How underhanded, for a Primadorial God to come and slaughter weaker foes like this. Do you have no shame what-so-ever?¡± Hearing this Zhi stopped and looked towards the old man. Everyone stopped and it was as if the time had frozen, no one moved and Zhi said in a ridiculing tone, ¡°Do you have noodles for brains? You gather an army that is a hundred times bigger than my Dragon Cross and then have the face to say that I am using underhanded methods?¡±


    Hearing this, the old man ¡®s mouth stayed shut. The battlefield had turned as silent as a graveyard during nights. Even the Dragon Cross members, who had now arrived at the battlefield, just stayed on their positions and did not immediately start fighting.


    Seeing the old man shut up, Zhi said in a loud voice, ¡°You shitfucks bullied my Dragon Cross when I was not here. Now that I am here, I will give back all the suffering and humiliation my Dragon Cross suffered over the past ten years.¡± He then took a deep breath and yelled in a domineering manner, ¡°SO NONE OF YOU SELF RIGHTEOUS PRICKS SHOULD NOT EVEN DREAM OF LEAVING ALIVE!¡± As he yelled that, he raised his Naginata and a single word echoed out in the minds of Dragon Cross members, ¡°KILL!¡±


    The Dragon Cross¡¯s members eyes turned bloodshot as they raised their weapons and yelled out, ¡°KILL!¡± before they started pouring in the enemies ranks like a raging river. Whoever was in their way, fell by their blade. Seeing Dragon Cross slaughter so mercilessly, Zhi just nodded his head inwardly and stepped on air again. As he shot through the air towards the backline, the United Front made of a hundred Sect and Clans, collapsed. Zhi¡¯s domineering and merciless slaughter had scared them witless and then seeing every able member of Dragon Cross killing all of them like they had lost all of their reasoning, their morale plummeted to the ground and everyone started fleeing. Their morale had plummeted and they were overcome by fear.


    On the other hand, Dragon Cross had everyone in a berserk state and they also had a Primadorial God that did not give a damn about courtesies. Usually, Primadorial God¡¯s were Ancestor level people, who did not show up unless the Clan or Sect was facing immediate destruction. So most fights were usually done by people of lower cultivation because losing them was still acceptable but if the Ancestor fell, then they would have lost their most important pillar. This was actually the case here as well.


    When Zhi fell into a comatose state, it was not known when he would awaken, it was not even known if he would awaken at all. Zhi had struck fear into all of the Clans and Sects with his unlimited potential and unreal fighting strength. This United Front had actually hoped that they would be able to take down Dragon Cross and kill Zhi before he awakened. Now that Zhi had awakened, none of them would actually dare to attack Dragon Cross any more even if you gave them a hundred time more guts and courage.


    When the bloody battle finally ended, every single survivor of Dragon Cross was covered in blood from head to toe. Zhi was no exception to this. The ones who took part in this battle were only the members of Dragon Cross, so on the Island, when the people, who were from the three Clans, saw that Zhi had led everyone to victory like this, they truly felt fear towards Zhi. Inwardly, however, they were thanking their lucky stars that the Main Clans had told them to ally themselves with Dragon Cross instead of against it.


    The Phoenix Clan would have allied themselves any ways because they had made an alliance but the Tiger Emperor Clan and Black Tortoise Clan had at most some good business ties with Dragon Cross, nothing more. They had truly grit their teeth when an envoy from the Main Clan had come and told them to ally themselves with Dragon Cross. In the beginning, they had cursed their luck and did not put a lot of effort in but as time passed and they heard, how people regarded Zhi as their God, they had been disgusted at first.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    They could not see how they can put all their hopes on one person, yes, he created some miracles but he was in a comatose state right now. The people from Dragon Cross however, never lost their hope in Zhi. Now that these three Clans saw what had happened the moment Zhi took the lead, they truly felt very lucky that they had allied themselves with them, not against them. They also saw that, against all odds, one person could reverse a situation of this scale.


    They had always been on the losing side but now with just the appearance of this one person, the entire situation had been reversed. The Matriarch just closed her eyes as she said, ¡°Now I understand, why this place is called ¡°Dragon Cross¡±.¡±


    The two other representatives looked at the Matriarch in confusion. She just opened his eyes and sighed, ¡°The people on the Island are the Cross and Zhi is the Dragon. The Dragon coils around the Cross in a protective manner. Usually, the Dragon sleeps but when someone tries to take the Cross, the Dragon bares his fangs.¡± Hearing this, the two representatives faces flickered.


    The Matriarch¡¯s explanation made a lot of sense and usually the name of the Sect or a Clan, represented the Clans or Sects meaning. For example, the Phoenix Clan was the Phoenix Clan because of their Phoenix Bloodline and so on. Now the three Clans also saw that, why their Main Clans had ordered them to ally themselves with Dragon Cross. From the years here, they had gotten a good understanding about Zhi¡¯s personality from speaking with the Four Island Lords or with Fanghong, Long ancestor.


    Zhi was a person who always remembered debts and always repaid them in the same manner. If you showed him kindness, he would do the same. If you showed him enmity¡­. The answer to that was before their eyes and it couldn¡¯t be clearer.


    Back on the battlefield, Zhi took a headcount of how many people survived on their side. About a quarter of their total force had fallen. Before coming here, the number of people they had, was about half of the number of people Zhi remembered. So now, compared to ten years ago, their total number was below half. This was something that made Zhi smile bitterly but it wasn¡¯t all bad. A lot of people had progressed their cultivation by leaps and bounds during these ten years.


    They even had a few more Primadorial Gods that had broken through from the Paragon Realm. Everyone was silently looking Zhi and Zhi just told them, ¡°Return! Rest up and we will go collect all the dues they owe us!¡± Hearing this, everyone cheered as they flew back to the Island. Only Zhi stayed there standing in the air, looking over the bloody battlefield. Seeing Zhi stay there, all of the Core Members of the Island like Fanghong, Island Lords and everyone of the Primadorial God Realm stayed there looking at him.


    Zhi looked over all of them and sighed. Of all the Island Lords, only Feng and Zhishi had survived, however, Feng had lost his left arm from a bit higher than the elbow and Zhishi had lost one of eyes. There was a deep bleeding gash running over his right eye.


    Zhi looked at them and asked, ¡°Do you think I did the right thing?¡± No one answered. This question was something that had no right answer because if Zhi hadn¡¯t done this, what would they have done? Kept hiding on the Island? At that moment, this was the right answer, now there may seem a hundred better ways to have approached this but they were useless now. Everyone is a Genius speaking of the mistakes of the past. Long Ancestor just sighed and said, ¡°At the moment, this was our only option. If you had not gone out like this, the last bit of morale we had, would have crumbled.¡±


    Everyone nodded to this. At that time, this was their only option because if Zhi had decided to take things slow and steady, it would have created a misunderstanding that even Zhi could not reverse this situation. Then the last thread of hope Dragon Cross had, would have faded and their morale would have just crumbled. Zhi just sighed deeply and started turning to head back when suddenly, there was ripple near them. Everyone immediately tensed up and took their battle positions. As they looked at the ripples, suddenly over a hundred figures appeared. Every single one of them excluded an aura of a Primadorial God. Feeling this, everyone¡¯s faces fell.


    Zhi stood before the group and shielded them from the collective aura, however, his face was very grim at the moment. Zhi said mentally, ¡°Go back to the Island.¡± Everyone looked at Zhi in shock but before anyone could say anything, Zhi turned his head and tossed the Command Medallion to Fanghong and yelled at them, ¡°NOW!¡±


    Startled by the yell, every single one of them grit their teeth as they flew back, following the order. They did not know what Zhi had planned but they understood that they would not be able to help Zhi at all. Suddenly, the Long Ancestor stopped as he saw a familiar figure amongst the group. His face turned serious as he said to Fanghong, ¡°Go back to the Island. I am staying.¡±


    Fanghong was startled by this but before he could say anything, Long Ancestor told him seriously, ¡°I still have the other me born from the Nirvana Rebirth. If this old body dies, it won¡¯t affect me much.¡± Hearing this, Fanghong just nodded as he flew towards the Island with clenched fists. Although he had reached the late stage of the Primadorial God Realm, he still could not help them. What pained him even more was that he had to leave his son there all alone to face against everything again. He had just gotten him back and now he felt as though, he would lose him again. When they had reached back to the Island, the Long Ancestor arrived by Zhi¡¯s side.


    Zhi looked at his serious face and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± The Long Ancestor didn¡¯t even glance at him, he kept his gaze locked on single old man that stood before the group of people. He said to Zhi with a resentful voice, ¡°The one in front is Sheng Jack.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi was startled for a second but then a wide smile spread on his face. The puppet master had decided to come out to the open by himself and delivered himself to Zhi on a silver platter. Zhi looked at the group of old men and said, ¡°So, have all of you foggies decided to come and die?¡±


    Hearing this, the old man that Long Ancestor had been intently observing, just laughed loudly as he spread out his Origin Realm aura, ¡°You make me laugh little brat. You truly think you can take care of all of us by yourselves?¡± Zhi looked at him and just laughed, ¡°Well, I can take care of a pathetic worm like you by not doing anything at all. Now then, do you feel happy about all the shit that you have stirred up?¡± Zhi¡¯s words clearly angered the old man.


    What made him cautious was that Zhi¡¯s face didn¡¯t even change for a moment when he spread out his aura. It was like it wasn¡¯t even there. The old man just snorted, ¡°Hmph, you speak so confidently but how do you plan on taking on all of us?¡± As the old man said that, he spread out his hands and glanced behind him. Zhi just smiled sinisterly, ¡°I will do it like this.¡± As he said so, he snapped his fingers and a huge dome of blood covered all of them.


    None of them could not react before the Dome had fully formed. Jack¡¯s face fell as he tried to break the Dome with no luck. He looked towards Zhi and asked in a cold voice, ¡°You think that you can kill us all with just a dome?¡± The Long Ancestor also looked at Zhi in suspicion but Zhi just smiled and said, ¡°Blood Demons, Arise!¡± As Zhi said so, the Blood all around started gathering and forming into 15 Figures in armour. These figures all had an aura that was on par with Sheng Jack but they all just stood there blankly.


    Even Sheng Jacks face fell when he felt the murderous, bloody aura those figures excluded. He asked in an enraged tone, ¡°What kind of a sinister method is this?!¡± Zhi just chuckled coldly, ¡°This is called the ¡°Blood Demon Formation. I have to thank you guys for arrogantly placing all of your forces at my doorstep. If not for that, I would have never been able to use this Formation.¡± Hearing this, all of their faces fell even more. How could they not understand the blatant slap on their faces from Zhi¡¯s words.


    These figures had all been made from the Blood of their people and now they are going to kill them. This formation was one of the most sinister and most powerful Formations Zhi had acquired form the memories he had obtained in the past ten years. Sheng Jack released all of his aura and dashed towards Zhi yelling, ¡°Take down the Formation Caster and the Formation will cease to work!¡± This sentence woke up all the old men from their thoughts and they resolutely looked towards Zhi. However, their face paled when they saw what happened next.


    Just as Jack was about to reach Zhi, he just pointed his finger towards him and while smiling sinisterly, said, ¡°Kneel.¡± As Zhi said so, Jack stopped and actually fell on his knees. All of Jack¡¯s aura was gone and his face betrayed a look of horror.

 Chapter 26: Collecting Dues (Part 2)

    Everyone¡¯s faces paled as their minds reeled. An Origin Realm Expert was currently kneeling in front of a Primadorial God, who was his enemy. Any person, who saw this, was completely dumbstruck. Nothing like this had ever happened, at least it was not heard of. If the situation was reversed, then it was normal but currently Jack had been rushing towards Zhi with the intent to kill him. Everyone had been wondering on just how Zhi was planning to get through this but this was something none of them would have even dreamed about.


    Since everyone was a cultivator, their eyesight was far better than normal people, coupled with the fact that the Dome of Blood was transparent, they could see what was happening. When the three Clan Representatives saw Jack rushing towards Zhi, they all paled, however, they could do nothing. However, when they saw Zhi just point out his finger and say something, and Jack kneeled, they did not know what to make of the situation.


    It was incomprehensible to every single person, everyone looked towards the young Long Ancestor. If there was anyone who could bring any light to this situation, it would be him. However, currently, the Long Ancestor was in a complete daze. Finally, Fanghong, who had arrived back, woke him up by asking, ¡°What exactly happened? What did Zhi say?¡±


    The Long Ancestor looked over everyone¡¯s faces and gave a wry smile, ¡°He said ¡°Kneel.¡±.¡± Just as the Matriarch of the Phoenix Clan wanted to ask something about it, Fanghong just shook his head indicating not to ask. Every single person present knew that Zhi was a complete mystery. Be it Formations, Arts, Pills, whatever you could name, he had it.


    They all understood one point, there was someone very strong behind his back, someone, who they could not even fathom. Suddenly, an Archaic voice sounded out behind Long Ancestor, ¡°Ancestor.¡± Everyone looked towards the voice and behind the Long Ancestor was a corporeal Azure Dragon.


    On the Dragon¡¯s face was complete seriousness as he looked at Zhi intensively. Fanghong and a few more recognized the Azure Dragon and Fanghong just asked, ¡°Senior, what do you mean by that?¡± The Azure Dragon looked at Fanghong with a piercing gaze as he said, ¡°All of you should know that outside of our Realm, exist countless other¡¯s as well. In them are myriad of different Races, Humans, Dragon, Phoenixes and so on.¡±


    Speaking this far, he swept his gaze over everyone before continuing, ¡°What you do not know is that, each of the Races was created by an Ancestor. Each Race is their offspring and is totally obedient before him. However, even Ancestor can fall and in their place one of his offspring shall become the new one.¡± Speaking this far, everyone looked at the Azure Dragon with a bewildered gaze.


    In their heads, one scenario formed, this was something that none of them wanted to admit. Finally, the Azure Dragon sighed, ¡°I do not know when or where but he has definitely gained the Qualifications of Succession. When one gains the Qualification, no one in the Race can disobey him. He isn¡¯t the Ancestor yet but give him a bit of time to grow and he will definitely become the Ancestor of the Dragon Race.¡± No one had an easy to read face on, everyone¡¯s face were different. Some happy, some frowning, some thoughtful.


    Fanghong asked cautiously, ¡°Does this mean that no one of the Dragon Bloodline can disobey him?¡± The Azure Dragon just sighed as he nodded his head. He added, ¡°There isn¡¯t a lot known about the Ancestor since he doesn¡¯t appear much. For example, our Dragon Ancestor has been missing for countless years without anyone knowing anything about him.¡±


    ***


    While the Azure Dragon was giving everyone a lesson on the outside world, Jack looked at Zhi in horror. When Zhi had pointed at him and told him to kneel, he suddenly felt his Bloodline tremble and do as Zhi said.


    It seemed that his Bloodline itself was afraid of Zhi. It acted like a lowly servant in front of Zhi. Zhi walked in front of Jack with a sinister smile and said, ¡°I am no Saint nor am I a Demon. I just do whatever I want, whenever I want.¡±


    His face then turned cold as he came face to face with Jack, ¡°However, no one messes with my people. The price to pay for that is something that your pathetic Sheng Clan is not capable of paying.¡± After saying so, Zhi raised two of his fingers and Qi gathered on them like a spear tip. Normally, Jack would only laugh at this kind of an attack but currently the only thing he felt was terror.


    He could not move or use his cultivation base. He had heard that Zhi was an abnormal monster amongst geniuses but he had just scoffed at it. Currently, there was no arrogance or superiority left in him, the only thing left was fear. He glanced at Long Ancestor in hopes of getting him to help but after he remembered, why he was here in the first place, he lost his last straw of hope.


    Just as Zhi was about to strike Jacks throat, the Long Ancestor said, ¡°Stop. You can¡¯t kill him.¡± Zhi¡¯s hands stopped and Jack gulped, thanking the Heavens for their mercy. The look of gratitude he showed towards Long Ancestor was something he had shown for the first time in his life. The Long Ancestor just snorted at the look of gratitude and said, ¡°I am not doing this for you but rather to not bring any more trouble to my Dragon Cross.¡±


    Zhi tilted his head and just as he was about to ask, the Ancestor turned towards Zhi and said, ¡°If we kill him, the entire Sheng Clan will be after our heads. If he was a normal Clan member, they would not bother much but since he is the Founder¡¯s Disciple, the whole Clan will be mobilized when he dies.¡± Zhi just smiled at the Long Ancestor and said, ¡°Then let them come, Even if it was currently the Sheng Clan Founder in front of my feet, he would suffer the same fate.¡± His smile tuned to a cold face as he said so. Before the Long Ancestor could continue to persuade him, Zhi stood up and said, ¡°You should have heard from the Azure Dragon already about, why he kneeled before me. That is true, I earned the Qualifications to succeed the Dragon Ancestor. That was also the reason I slept for ten years. Before me, no Dragon can raise his blade towards me or bare his fangs.¡±


    Hearing this, the Long Ancestor had a complicated face on. Even though Zhi¡¯s words made sense and if he said so, there was no need to doubt him. At least, until now, he had not lied to them once. If he said so, then it must be so. This was the mentality he had developed in the time spent with Zhi.


    Zhi then turned his gaze towards Jack again and said coldly, ¡°Also, this is a message. A message that says: Do not fuck with Dragon Cross. No matter who you are, you will end up dead.¡± After saying so, he pierced through Jacks throat with his spear fingers. As Jack¡¯s eyes dulled, he fell from the skies. This had broken the last hope, these hundred plus Clan¡¯s and Sect had.


    They had always been fearful of Zhi, so they did not act. Even when he fell into coma, they were reluctant to act. However, when the Long Clan¡¯s new Patriarch had come saying that they even had an Origin Realm Expert was on their side, they reluctantly agreed. Every single one of these old foggies had a bad feeling about this entire thing.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    They had thought that Zhi had cast too big of a shadow over their hearts and buried these feelings deep inside. Currently, however, they were cursing themselves for not trusting their gut feeling. Even an Origin Ream Expert had fallen in front of Zhi in such a spectacular way, no matter what, they had no confidence in themselves. All of their eyes finally came to rest on one single person in blue, standing in the front. This old man was the Long Clan¡¯s new Patriarch. If they weren¡¯t too scared to move in the presence of these 15 figures of blood that excluded the aura of an Origin Realm Expert, they would have already gone to beat that bastard up.


    He had come pressuring them that they will definitely win. Currently, their only option left was to grit their teeth and accept their death. After taking care of Sheng Jack, Zhi looked towards the hundred plus old men and women. When his eyes came to rest on the Long Clan Patriarch, he smiled as he pointed towards him and said, ¡°Come here.¡± As if possessed, the old man in blue went in front of Zhi. Zhi looked at him coldly and said, ¡°So, are you proud of yourself? For your own petty little ambition, over a hundred different powers, that were not involved at all, will now be destroyed. All because of you.¡±


    As he emphasized the last part, the Long Clan Patriarchs face fell even more. His face was already as pale as a sheet of paper and his limbs were so cold that they were practically numb. He was truly scared out of his wits by Zhi. He had killed an Origin Realm Expert so easily, so what would an Early stage Primadorial God like him be able to do? Nothing. His voice quivering, he said, ¡°I-I-I a-am s-s-sorry.¡± Zhi just coldly glanced at the old man and shook his head, ¡°This is why no power was entrusted to you.¡±


    As he said so, he swept out his hand again and the old man¡¯s throat was also punctured. His eyes glazed over, fear still evident inside them. After Zhi had taken care of him, he thought to himself, ¡°That¡¯s two of the culprits down, one left.¡± He felt murderous intent filling him up as he thought about the feminine silhouette that had thrown him to the Ancient Battlefield.


    Zhi then turned his attention towards the hundred plus old foggies and said, ¡°Now then, I am going to give you all a choice.¡± Hearing this, everyone¡¯s dull eyes brightened, they did not care about themselves at this point in time, all they wanted was for their Bloodline to survive and continue.


    Zhi cast his gaze over them and said, ¡°You choice are either total extermination or eternal servitude. You will give a Bloodline Oath in the name of your entire Clan to eternally serve Dragon Cross through the generations as External Subordinates.¡± Hearing this, all of the old foggies faces changed.


    Some seemed to be carefully deliberating it, some however, seemed happy and were more than willing to do so. Some however, looked as though they had eaten shit. Finally, one of the deliberating old men asked, ¡°What is an External Subordinate?¡±


    Zhi answered coldly, ¡°Your Blood is never allowed to join Dragon Cross. However, based on your merits, we will give either your Clan or Sect the necessary compensation. Every year, you have to give a tribute to Dragon Cross.¡±


    Zhi added in an extremely col voice, ¡°When Dragon Cross issues an order, you will have to carry it out, no matter the cost.¡± Hearing these terms, all of them had an extremely ugly face on. They were no more than Slaves to Dragon Cross now. However, this was the only way for them to survive this calamity and maybe in the future they will be able to elevate their status. Zhi had said that based on their merit, they would get appropriate rewards, so they may be able to escape this Slave status in the future. Finally, after Zhi gave them only an hour to answer, they all made their choice to accept Zhi¡¯s terms. They were not in a position to haggle or bargain any way¡¯s. It was either servitude or annihilation, there was no third option.


    Then Zhi quickly sent all of them to their Clans and Sects to let them all know as well. As Zhi flew back the Island, his face was a bit unnatural. When he finally arrived back, he said a few words about their victory and told everyone to go and rest. Zhi did not say much and practically sent everyone to rest immediately. After saying so, he flew back to his own little courtyard. All the Core Members and the three Clan Representatives also followed with suspicious faces. Zhi¡¯s behaviour was extremely and his previous domineering Aura was now gone.


    His whole existence actually seemed very feeble to them. When Zhi arrived at his courtyard, he sat down below a tree. He then just coughed a mouthful of blood and then everyone was truly alarmed. Fanghong immediately asked, ¡°What happened, is everything all right?¡±


    Zhi just gave a pathetic laugh as he said, ¡°Of course everything is not all right. Do you honestly think that a person with a Primadorial God cultivation could use that kind of a strong Formation?¡± Hearing this, everyone¡¯s faces flickered. Long Ancestor had told them that every single one of the bloody figures was in the Origin Realm.


    They had not seen when Zhi had laid down the Formation but they did not care about it, it was what had won them this war. Now they knew how high of a price that Formation actually demanded. Zhi told them that in addition to the Formation, he also had to use his Qualification to suppress Sheng Jack.


    His cultivation exceeded Zhi¡¯s by a far and even though he had the Qualifications, he wasn¡¯t the Dragon Ancestor yet. He could easily suppress everyone of the same level or lower than him but to suppress someone of a higher cultivation was extremely straining on him.


    If you also added the slaughter before into the mix, the result was very worrying. Zhi also didn¡¯t have the option of showing his weak side to Dragon Cross. He had domineeringly saved all of them, he couldn¡¯t just collapse in front of all of them.


    Their newfound courage and devotion would be crushed if it happened. Zhi knew well that althoughthis kind of a fanatic trust was a double edged sword, it was currently the best option he had. He didn¡¯t have a prominent background, neither did he have had the time to win over everyone by normal means. All he could do was win them over with pure, brute strength. In the world of cultivation, the strong were respected and also ¡°The Winner is the King and the Loser is the Thief.¡±


    If he showed any sign of weakness to the outside world, they would undoubtedly attack him. Also, he could not have had the hundred plus Clans and Sects submit to him if he had not put on a domineering and forceful display.


    Fanghong looked at him worriedly and asked, ¡°Are there any serious injuries?¡± Zhi just shook his head and smiled, ¡°Nothing serious or permanent. I just need a few days to rest.¡± As he said so, he started falling asleep from the exhaustion. It didn¡¯t matter that he was a cultivator, he just currently felt so dead tired. Although he had been in some serious and bad situations before, something of this scale was a first.


    As he fell into his dream land, everyone at the scene looked at him with a gentle look. Even the three Representatives looked at him like that and then the Matriarch sighed as she said, ¡°The position of Leader truly is a painful one. You can¡¯t even rest when you are dead tired and have to keep a straight face in front of your people.¡± Everyone present could only bitterly smile to that. It was very obvious how much effort and how much of himself, he actually put into this battle.


    He was dead tried and he almost fell over from exhaustion but he still kept a straight face on in front of other people. He never showed any weakness. Feng looked at Zhishi and said resolutely, ¡°Come on, Ancestor ensured that we survive, now it is our turn to take care of the rest.¡± Although they were tired as well, they had a lot of things to do. Zhi had fought to this point for their sake, it was only proper that they also did their job before they took a rest. When Zhi fell into a deep sleep, a young girl with black and white hair appeared before him.


    She looked at him up and down and chuckled, ¡°I do not know why I don¡¯t feel the familiar aura from you any more Pride but don¡¯t worry. This Great Lady shall cover your behind when you sleep, so you can sleep safely.¡± As she said so, she smacked her chest with her small fist.

 Schedule

    As I stated before, this is the schedule I had thought up.


    Monday> No Chapter


    Tuesday> 1 Chapter. (Maybe two if I have enough in the stockpile.)


    Wednesday> No Chapter


    Thursday>1 Chapter. (Maybe two if I have enough in the stockpile.)If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Friday> No Chapter


    Saturday> 1 Chapters. (Maybe two if I have enough in the stockpile.)


    Sunday>No Chapter


    Also, this schedule is not 100% absolute. There may be a Chapter on Mndays, Wednesdays or Fridays at random but at the same time, there may be no Chapters on Tuesday or Thursday. As before, if I can not post a Chapter on a scheduled day, I will let you guys know and won#t leave you wondering.


    If there are any questions, let me know in the comments.


    EDIT: I changed the schedule because I plan of trying another story out as well. I hope that you are not too mad and will let me try out the other story as well. If the story doesn''t work out, I will put my full focus back on Dragon Cross.

 Explanation (Rant)

    Well, this thread shall basically be my rant thread where you can ask me all sorts of questions.


    As for the explanation part, it is the following:


    I thank everyone for reading and I do understand the concern many of you guys have about the story progressing too fast. This is basically my first story that I have written with the intent of dragging it along. Since I am completely new to writing long stories, I don''t just have the skills to drag out the stroy with a lot of side chapters while at the same time making sure that the side chapters are still interesting and relevant to the story. I try to slow down the pace and "build" it a bit more but I am not going to say that it will work out well with 100% certanty.


    If there are any suggestions on this part, I will definately read them and keep them all in mind when I write the next chapters. I read a lot of Xianxias and well, Fantasy, history and so on. Basically, I read a lot but that doesn''t mean that I am a genuis at writing myself.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    As for my previous writing experiences, it may have been obvious to osme, but they have all been short stories and mostly, a slice of life kind/type. I find stories that are Slice of Life a lot easier to write but at the same time, it is a lot harder to write them as you can''t have giant mechas or magicians flying around.


    Since this is my first attempt at a long story, I would be pretty damn happy if I managed to reach 100 Chapter before either ruining the story or just flat out getting tired of it. Since it is my first attempt, all though I don''t have much expectations to it, I will still try my hardest to write the best story I can, even if it doesn''t get far. After the story ends, I will just take a bit to sit down, read through it and then analyze my mistakes before starting the next story.


    That is all for the rant, if you have any questions, drop a comment down below or just send me a PM.

 Chapter 27: Memorial of the Fallen

    Zhi slept for a whole three days. That just goes to show you how exhausted he was after that bloody battle. While Zhi was sleeping, major changes happened in Dragon Cross and it¡¯s standing amongst various powers. Dragon Cross became the undisputed Number One under the Ascended Plane. Even many Powers from the Ascended Plane did not dare to disregard Dragon Cross any more. They were always aloof and thought of it to be beneath them to contest against a power from a lower plane but now they did no dare.


    Dragon Cross itself had over a dozen of Primadorial God Realm expert, if you also counted all of the External Subordinate Clans, there were a few amongst Ascended Powers that would say they could take them on. Currently, in the most awkward position was the Sheng Clan. Every single Ascended Power, that observed the bloody battle, recognized Sheng Jack. However, the Sheng Clan was actually not making any moves.


    They acted as though none of this had ever happened. This made many people speculate, did it have something to do with Zhi or something else. If it became known that the reason the Sheng Clan did not make any moves was because their Founder got a visit from Wrath and Sloth coupled with the representatives of the Three Guardian Beast Clans, pressuring him not to make any moves if he didn¡¯t want to be annihilated, no one would dare to give Zhi even an angry glance. Dragon Cross was also getting a very big reformation from the core.


    They currently did not take in more people but rather gave benefits to the ones that had stayed by their side and fought to the death. About three quarters of the people missing had been the ones that left. They had all felt that they would all die, so they decided to take their Clans or families and leave. Now, when the storm was over, they all came back and tried to go at it like nothing had happened. Feng had lost an arm in this war and Zhishi had lost an eye, not to mention thousands others that had either died or gotten crippling injuries like them.


    So, the first thing on their agenda had been to deal with these opportunity seekers. If you can¡¯t rely on them during a war, what use are they. The Dragon Cross tattoo that Zhi had invented was a very mysterious thing. Not only did it allow the disciple to recognize one another, it also held their contribution points and let them freely move in and out of the Formations. It also recorded all of the persons achievements, positive and negative ones.


    If they finished a mission, the Tattoo would record it and give them the contribution points accordingly, however, if they broke the rules, it would alert the Discipline Hall. Also, when the tattoo was erased, aka they were thrown out of Dragon Cross, all of the Arts they learned through Dragon Cross were erased from their memories. Even the most formidable Formation Experts could not explain on what logic it used so, they all were quite confused about the principles behind this Formation Tattoo. They had no clue on the laws or principles this Tattoo worked on but it was a very effective thing.


    After the deserters were purged, a lot of room came to the Island. All of the survivors, those that fought and bled for Dragon Cross, were give a million contribution points each and they were all given a lot of different Artefacts and Pills to either heal themselves or to advance their cultivation. Also, to differentiate them from the new disciples, they were given a new rank, Honour Guard. Honour guard was a rank that was like an Elders¡¯ but their benefits were better.


    They had priority for Pills and other limited resources that usually had a queue. They had all decided to trust Zhi and either live or die by his decision, there actually wasn¡¯t any reward they could give them for it. They had been willing to lay down their lives for Dragon Cross, while a lot of people had just left.


    These benefits they got were just actually superficial things since all of the people left had survived the same calamity, there was a certain kind of unity between them. Everyone regarded each other like family and they would not block each other in their paths but would help each other out.


    Another major thing that Feng and Zhishi had done was the monument for the fallen. After getting the complete list of people that fell in defence of Dragon Cross, they had a giant monument erected for them.


    It was a giant version of Xiaomei¡¯s gravestone, made completely from Black Obsidian Jade, the strongest jade in the Lower Planes. The monument was enormous, over 500 meters high. On it were engraved all of the names of the fallen. After every single one of the names had been engraved, about half of the monument was still empty. They discussed this and then decided that people who died in the service of Dragon Cross in the future will be able to get their names engraved on the monument for all to see.


    However, they could not put every single name on it, so they made a criteria on which they would be able to get their names engraved there. Also, the two Island Lords had to manage the surrender of the hundred plus Clans, so they felt as though they truly needed to master an Arts that let them duplicate themselves, however, for now, they just grit their teeth and kept working wholeheartedly. In such a busy manner, three days passed and Zhi woke up.


    When he opened his yes, in front of him was a pouting little lady in black and white. The moment Zhi saw this little lady, he knew that she was connected to the Black and White Emperor. Zhi cautiously looked at her and asked, ¡°And you are?¡± The little lady opened her eyes and looked at Zhi with a hint of anger, ¡°This little lady is Leaf Sandra, the holder of the Wrath Fruit of Yin-Yang. Pride, why does this little lady not feel any familiar fluctuations from you?¡±


    As she asked with a frown, the crossed her hands over her chest. Seeing this, Zhi felt that this would be the worst wake up call. It already seemed as though she would be very difficult to handle, so Zhi just said nonchalantly, ¡°Because I am no longer the one who holds the Pride Fruit of Yin-Yang.¡±


    Hearing this, Sandra looked at Zhi with a confused gaze and titled her head. Zhi just let out a breath and said, ¡°My body and the Fruit rejected each other before I reached the Empyrean Immortal stage. As a result, I lost my cultivation was lost and the Fruit was destroyed.¡±


    Hearing this, Sandra furrowed her brows even more as she said, ¡°But your compatibility should have been good enough.¡± Hearing this Zhi just sighed as he said, ¡°Those Fruits were originally meant for Humans like you but I am not a Human. I am a Dragon, the Fruit could not overwrite my Bloodline, so it got destroyed in the failed attempt.¡±


    Hearing this far, Sandra just stayed quiet, however, cold sweat was falling down Zhi¡¯s back. A moment before, he had tried to probe her cultivation level but he couldn¡¯t, all he felt was a murderous oppressive aura blocking it. This made Zhi realize that this little girl in front of him is not as gentle and weak as she looks. Zhi also had an oppressive aura but it was not even a tenth of Sandras, this made Zhi very alarmed, ¡°If we fought, I would die before anyone would even know.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    This was the conclusion that he came to after probing her cultivation level. Sandra didn¡¯t even seem to notice it and seemed to be in deep thoughts. Suddenly, she grabbed her head with two arms and said, ¡°Ahh, damn it, shit. I can¡¯t fucking understand it!¡± Zhi was alarmed by the vocabulary. Sandra seemed like a little girl, who did not know that these kind of words even existed but now she was swearing like she was born in a barn.


    She pointed towards Zhi and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go ask Sloth about this. I¡¯ll be back.¡± Before Zhi could say anything, she was engulfed in black flames and had disappeared. Zhi just starred blankly at the spot she had been in and finally let out a sigh. This was not the wake up call he had expected in the least and he started feeling fear towards that little girl. It was clear that she was the type that was slow with difficult words and the most used words in her vocabulary were crush and smash.


    Zhi just smiled bitterly to that because these kinds of people were the hardest to deal with. Zhi kept thinking on how to deal with her when she came back when suddenly Fanghong peeked in from the crack of a door. Zhi raised an eyebrow when he saw this but did not say anything yet.


    He then went and pushed the door open and saw that there were the Core members. Everyone seemed to be terrified of something. Zhi then just asked with a furrowed brow, ¡°What the hell happened to you guys?¡± Only after Fanghong had scanned the room and didn¡¯t see something, did he let out a breath of relief as he said, ¡°The Demon is gone.¡± As if by a chain reaction everyone let out a breath of relief. Now, Zhi was truly confused as he asked, ¡°Anyone mind telling me what happened?¡±


    The Long Ancestor just scratched the back of his head as he said, ¡°The little girl was a true tyrant. She suddenly showed up proclaiming that she will protect you while you sleep. Of course we wanted to get her out of there but when we tried, she beat the crap out of every single one of us.¡± Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s face flickered but Fanghong continued where the Long Ancestor left off, ¡°Then the youth in white showed up and told us not to make any wrong moves. She was supposed to be someone from the Ascended Plane and the slaughter that happened here is nothing compared to the carnage that she had carried out.¡±


    Fanghong let out a sigh as he said, ¡°So, we did not dare to provoke that psycho and just kept watch over her, so that if she showed any signs of wanting to harm you, we would intervene to the best we can.¡± Zhi could understand their fright. Even he himself felt fear after trying to probe he cultivation, he wasn¡¯t in a position to say anything to them.


    He quickly dismissed the nightmare that had left already and brought himself up to speed with the things that had happened in the last few days. After being brought up to date, the first place Zhi visited was the memorial monument. Most of the Island was gathered there to remember all of their lost ones. When they saw Zhi coming, their gazes were filled with ardent adoration. However, what Zhi did next, was something that they would remember for the rest of their lives.


    Usually, leaders like Zhi would only hold a little speech and just pray for the Souls and then just go back to doing his own thing. Zhi however, sat down in front of the statue and produced two sake cups along with a bottle of sake. He filled the two of them and then placed one of them in front of the monument before picking the other up. He then raised it near his mouth and said, ¡°Shing Xing, may you have safe travels to reincarnation.¡±


    After saying so, he downed the cup. He then refilled the cup and called another name and repeated the same wishes. At first, people were confused about it but after the 21st name, they understood that Zhi was planning on ¡°sharing a cup¡± with every single name on the gigantic monument. There was no person on the Island that was not moved by this gesture.


    It didn¡¯t matter whether they were from Dragon Cross or not, every single person on the Island was filled with respect towards Zhi. A leader was not just a person who leads his people but at the same time, he needs to care about his people. After this long war, he showed his people that he did not forget anyone of them. He might not have been here in the beginning but he still cares about them.


    For the next seven days that it took for Zhi to share a cup with every single name on the monument, no one left. Zhi was truly thankful to the people, who had died to protect Dragon Cross. If they hadn¡¯t defended Dragon Cross with their lives, Zhi would not have a home to return to. Zhi had begun to see Dragon Cross as his home and the people of Dragon Cross as his family.


    The only reason he didn¡¯t obliterate the hundred plus Clans and Sects was because that would be the easy way out for them. Now that all of the Clans and Sects were Zhi¡¯s External Subordinates, they would forever serve Dragon Cross and repent for their mistakes. Also, Dragon Cross would have been far too weak without them. They can¡¯t always rely on the Formation to protect them and inevitably there will be a time when someone, someone who can break it will show up. Also, he can¡¯t take over this Realm hiding behind his little turtle shell. After seeing the influence his existence, he made a decision.


    Originally, he had been thinking of using Nirvana Rebirth when he reached the Origin Realm and was qualified to travel through the Primadorial Mist. He would leave the clone behind and then use his clone to put his real body in an another Realm where he would be able to grow up without the bloodshed from here. However, now that did not seem a very feasible plan and he decided to use it when he reached the maximum potential in his body.


    He had no idea how long it might take but he just couldn¡¯t turn his back to people that bled for him like this. When Zhi had finished paying his respects to the people that had fallen in defence of Dragon Cross, he was greeted by a peculiar situation. He had nothing left to do, Feng and Zhishi took care of all the matters of the Island and he currently did not have anything that needed his attention.


    Since Feng and Zhishi had a system, he did not want to go around messing with it by doing some decisions on his own. He knew that he may be a good leader over all but he sucked terribly at governing and this was the thing these two Island Lords excelled at. With nothing to do, he decided to head towards the Tempering Formation.


    He had progressed far too fast recently and the side effects are already showing. His body was far more frail than it should be and his Qi had a lot of impurities. With impure Qi, it would consume more and it would be a lot harder to use over all. To temper the Body and Qi to his satisfactory level, he would need to spent a lot of years on only tempering his Body and Qi.


    In Zhi¡¯s opinion, cultivators of this Realm all underestimated the true worth of Body Tempering. In addition to defences, it upgrades your power and increases your speed and flexibility. In close combat, every single one of these things is very valuable.


    Even as a Spell Cultivator, that focused more on using long distance Arts, these things are all essential. One can even change his body type by tempering to increase elemental affinity, so in Zhi¡¯s opinion, Body Tempering was the basis of all. The stronger your body was, the more power you can exhibit, no matter what path you take.


    This was also why he made it mandatory for everyone to temper their bodies. In the beginning people were suspicious of this but after a while, especially during this war, they saw the merit of having a tempered body. Their tempered bodies allowed them to take on people that were above their level and also, since their Qi was purer by a lot, they did not use that much in fights and were better at sustained fights.


    This was the official birth of the ¡°Perfectionist Sect¡±. It didn¡¯t matter if a person was a Close Combat Cultivator or a Spell Cultivator, every single person tempered their bodies to the best they could. As Zhi was walking towards the Tempering Formation, he suddenly saw a familiar old man standing in his way.


    The old man wore a long blue robe and when Zhi looked at him more closely, he realized, it was the Azure Dragon. ¡°We need to have a chat.¡± As he said so, the old man¡¯s eyes were very serious. Zhi could understand that this was something important so he nodded and turned around to lead him to his courtyard.


    The whole way there, the Azure Dragon was silent while keeping his serious expression. When they finally reached the courtyard, the Azure Dragon put up an Isolating Formation and asked, ¡°Who exactly are you?¡±

 Sorry, no chapter

    Sorry no chapters today as I ran into some complications.


    Long story short, yesterday I had to go and deliver a car to a client in another city, approx 200 km from my hometown, and when I got there, it was already 10 PM. Afterwards, the car I was supposed to come back with broke down and I had to stay in the other city for the night. Today, I had to fix said car and since the spare parts arrive tomorrow morning, I have no other option than to stay in this city for another day. Originally, I had planned to be back by Saturday and did not bring my laptop with me. Now, I am stuck here with only my phone for the next day and can''t upload the chapters or the other story I planned on trying out. I honestly apologize since, if I had known it would end up like this, I would have brought my laptop with me. I will make up the 4 Chapters during the next week, I hope....Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    So, I sincerely apologize for this and hope you do not try to kill me.


    Also, check out the Schedule change that will be effective of next week. Or rather from the week after that....


    If anyone has any questions or just want to cuss at me, use this thread to do so or the Schedule one.

 Chapter 28: Refining the Body

    When Zhi heard the question, he thought that the Azure Dragon was joking. However, when he saw the serious look and aura he had, he did not know what to say. He had an awkward face on as he asked, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The Azure Dragon didn¡¯t even change his expression as he said, ¡°What I meant was, who are you truly?¡±


    He took a breath before continuing, ¡°From the first moment we met, I felt as though we were of kin but at the same time, we are not. Now I understood what I felt back then.¡± He gave Zhi a sizing up glance as he slowly continued, ¡°Your bloodline purity passes even mine, a Dragon that has existed from countless years ago. However, you were supposed to be born as very distant descendant of mine, this is what I do not get.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s world shattered. The more the Azure Dragon explained, the more Zhi lost his bearing. He had had this feeling for a very long time, that he was not someone of the Dragon Lineage but at the same time, his blood did not lie. The purity of a Bloodline was not something that could be changed so easily, you needed to have the Essence of someone whose bloodline purity passed yours by far.


    In this Realm, the Essence Blood with the highest purity would be his, the Azure Dragons but now, the Azure Dragon had said that Zhi¡¯s purity passed his. Zhi looked at the Azure Dragon seriously as he asked, ¡°I only know what is told to me, nothing more.¡± The Azure Dragons eyes narrowed as he asked, ¡°Only know what is told?¡±


    Zhi nodded his head as he raised his hand and looked at the palm, ¡°I was thrown to an isolated hell hole from when I could remember, I vaguely remember the scenes before that but nothing much or substantial. Also, in that place I was there for ten years without anyone to call my family. Although I had someone to call my friend, she did not know much more about me either.¡±


    Zhi¡¯s eyes turned empty as he said in a cold voice, ¡°After I got out from there with the Phoenix Clan¡¯s help, did I learn of my connections to the Long Clan and so on. All of it was told to me, I can not affirm the truth nor can I deny it. That is also why I founded Dragon Cross and took in everyone who wants.¡±


    The Azure Dragons eyes flashed as he asked, ¡°So you have no idea about all of this either but Dragon Cross is your home?¡± Zhi just weakly nodded as he let out a breath, ¡°Since I did not know about my Lineage, the best I could do to fill this hole, was to found Dragon Cross.¡± He then bitterly laughed as he said, ¡°In the beginning, I founded Dragon Cross with the sole purpose of getting revenge on the Long Clan but then one thing after another happened in succession and here we are. Half of the Long Clan follows me and the rest is being annihilated.¡±


    The Azure Dragon could only nod his head. He didn¡¯t feel like Zhi was lying to him, so this made him think, ¡°Was there someone else, who hid him here?¡± As he thought that, his eyes showed a tinge of fear. After Zhi had made it known that he was the Ancestor Successor, the Azure Dragon wanted to thoroughly inspect his body as he felt something odd going on.


    However, when he did, he was scared witless by an oppressive being sleeping inside his body. He could tell that the oppressive being was currently sleeping but the residual Aura was something that made his mind reel. It was also then, that he had confirmed his suspicions about Zhi not being his descendant but rather someone else. Just as the Azure Dragon was going to leave, Zhi said, ¡°I may have an idea, why my bloodline purity is much higher than yours.¡± Hearing this, the Azure Dragon came back to his senses and nodded towards Zhi to continue.


    Zhi narrated everything that Regios had told him about him being the successor that he had meticulously raised and the reason for his ten year coma. After hearing all of this, the Azure Dragon felt his blood freeze. He had existed for countless years and had met a lot of people from the other Realms. He knew the methods of succession far better than Zhi and understood now, just exactly who was the one pulling the string behind Zhi.


    This thing had far surpassed the scope he had thought of and he felt that if what Zhi had said was right, then the Dragon Race was nothing more but a Protector to him. The Azure Dragon¡¯s eyes flashed as he asked seriously, ¡°Did the Grand Ancestor say anything else to you?¡± Zhi tilted his head and said, ¡°Nothing more, only this.¡± The Azure Dragon slowly nodded his head and said in all seriousness, ¡°Do not tell anyone else, what you told me. This will from now on be a top secret between the two of us.¡± Before Zhi could say anything he emphasized, ¡°Tell no one else. Not even your father.¡±


    Hearing the serious tone and the almost oppressive atmosphere, Zhi could only gulp and nod. From the Azure Dragons disposition, he could feel that something was up but the Azure Dragon did not plan on telling him about it. After having this little chat, the Azure Dragon left in a hurry and Zhi was even more puzzled about all of this.


    First had been Wrath, then the Azure Dragon. One thing happened one after another and Zhi had no idea what was going on already. All he could do was shrug his shoulders and keep doing his own thing without bothering too much with all of that.


    ***


    In a vast void, filled with a peculiar mist, the Azure Dragon opened his eyes and sighed. He contacted his brothers that he was going to leave for a few years because of something extremely important. In the beginning all of them protested but when the Azure Dragon said, that it involved his whole race, not just his lineage, then the three calmed down and let him go for now.


    After talking it over with his brothers, the Azure Dragon looked towards the void and suddenly turned into a beam of light that shot off into the distant mist. This was not the direction of the Realm but rather the opposite direction.


    ***


    After Zhi had had his chat with the Azure Dragon, his head was in turmoil. Everything that the Azure Dragon had said was revolving around in his head. No matter what, he could not keep himself from making assumptions. He had felt that Regios was keeping something very crucial from him and now the situation with the Azure Dragon had deepened that suspicion by a lot. Also, he had had vague feelings before that the Dragon Bloodline was not his.


    When he was in the Ancient Battlefield, he could not use his Dragon Form and could only use his Dragon Lineage to aid his cultivation. However, now that he had acquired his Dragon Form, he felt a bit misplaced. It was as though the Dragon Form was not him or his at all. After thinking about it for a while, he could not reach any where with his train of thought. He had a lot of different scenarios and explanations in his head but since he didn¡¯t have enough information to say if any of them was right or not, he could not do anything about it.


    Since he decided he could not do anything about it, he shoved it to the back of his head, waiting for the time to get some clear cut answers to that. As for now, Zhi started tempering his body. In a way, he was a very big perfectionist, he got caught up on doing everything perfectly. He did not see the point of doing thing half assed. If he decided to do something, he followed through it and tried to do his best in doing it perfectly, so that he himself would be satisfied. What he did not know, was that this same perfectionist mindset was something that put enormous pressure on the rest of Dragon Cross. When Zhi arrived in front of the Tempering Array, he picked a room and went in.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Currently, since the room wasn¡¯t used, it was as cold as ice. Zhi sat down in the middle of the inscribed Formation on the ground and poured his Qi into Formation to activate it. As he did so, the room started heating up and soon small flames appeared floating in the air. As the flames appeared, Zhi could feel the impurities inside him being burned away. Zhi just thought for a second and then started increasing the intensity of the Formation. As the room turned hotter and hotter, Zhi¡¯s body started progressing in a fast pace.


    Soon, he felt as though he couldn¡¯t withstand the heat with only his body and started channelling the Qi according to the Art for cultivating his body. Small dragons made of Qi started roaming around his meridians and every place they passed was reconstructed. The heads wrecked the meridians, while the tails released a healing effect that healed and strengthened the broken meridians. To have ones meridians constantly broken and reformed was in no way painless but Zhi only grit his teeth.


    He didn¡¯t even as much as make a grunt, not to mention screaming out in pain. The fires from the outside helped him temper the places that had been broken. This strengthening Art was actually very dangerous for the user but it yielded very good benefits. What he was currently doing was that he was reforming and strengthening his meridians so that they would be capable of withstanding the oppressive and destructive Qi of a Dragon.


    This was no easy task as the pain was actually terrifying. However, after several circulations of Qi, the results were already obvious. His meridians were stronger, wider and more elastic, already being capable of withstanding the destructive Qi of a Dragon for a short period of time. If he managed to fully temper his meridians to withstand the Dragonic Qi, he would be able to use the Qi even for cultivation. Since the Dragonic Qi was oppressive and destructive, it was very beneficial for cultivation and fights.


    The Dragonic Qi was very tyrannical so in a fight, he could suppress others Qi with even more ease. Also, in cultivation, the higher the purity of Qi, the more beneficial it was for the body. In his case, as a Body Refiner, this was very, very important. The purer his Qi was, the less impurities and missed spots there will be when he tempers his body. Zhi kept slowly continuing the circle of destruction and reformation in silence.


    ***


    Amidst the mist, was a little island floating. The Island had a little pond, a tree and a thatched cottage, that was all. It looked like a secluded cultivation spot of a powerful expert but currently, the little island was filled with different old people in luxurious clothing. The only thing every single one of them had in common was that they all excluded a domineering, tyrannical aura. In front of the thatched cottage was sitting a man in grey, ordinary robes and the old man seemed as ancient as time itself. The old man opened his eyes and when he did so, everyone, who was chatting with one another, quieted down.


    The old man swept his glance over everyone present and said in an archaic tone, ¡°I believe everyone present has already heard of the situation from Azure?¡± Silence reigned over the little island and the old man continued, ¡°Now then, I will tell you all a story of the purpose of our Dragon Race.¡± Hearing this, everyone¡¯s serious expression tightened. Everyone present were the powerhouses of the Dragon Race and the old man himself was actually from the First Generation of Dragons. He was someone who was birthed by the Regios by infusing his Soul Fragment into the Primadorial Mist.


    Up to date, he was the last of the First Generation Dragons left and besides Regios, he was the oldest and most powerful Dragon, so his words carried enormous weight amongst the Dragon Race. The old man slowly stood up and before he started talking, he started looking towards the distant Primadorial Mist with a tender expression. He opened his mouth and said, ¡°Currently, the only one who our Dragon Races purpose, except for the Grand Ancestor, is me. Now, you all will also learn of the sole purpose our Dragon Race came into existence.¡±


    As he said so, he swept everyone with a gaze again before he continued, ¡°The single and most important purpose of our Race is to protect the child our Grand Ancestor was entrusted with. Far, far away from these Planes of Existence is a grand Empire that dominates over a Thousand Planes. Our Grand Ancestor was the right hand man of the Emperor that managed to unify their Thousand Planes.¡±


    He took a breath before continuing, ¡°However, a great rebellion happened and our Grand Ancestor was forced to run and hide by the Emperor, who was his sworn brother. He was entrusted with his only child and the man, who had gone through countless bloody massacres threw down his status, his pride just to secure the path of retreat for him.¡± Hearing this, everyone¡¯s eyes opened wide.


    No one knew what to say or ask, so currently, everyone was quiet because they knew that the old man was going to come to the crux of the story soon. The old man sighed as he said, ¡°After the Grand Ancestor froze the Little Prince¡¯s time he put him in a crib of Refined Ink Jade as he travelled through the Primadorial Mist for countless Cycles. Finally, he arrived here and just as he thought he could finally unseal his time, another disaster struck. The Human Grand Ancestor, Adam, showed up.¡±


    Everyone were puzzled about this but the old man¡¯s eyes grew cold as he said, ¡°Adam, was one of the people, who had been of the same status as our Grand Ancestor but he had turned against our Grand Ancestor and Emperor. He followed our Grand Ancestor here with the sole purpose of killing the Little Prince that our Grand Ancestor was entrusted with. In a last desperate attempt to keep the Little Prince safe, Grand Ancestor hid the Little Prince in a special danger region and created our Dragon Race to guard him.¡±


    The old man just sighed again before he continued, ¡°However, before our Grand Ancestor could finish his preparations, he was imprisoned by Adam. Now over ten thousand Cycles have passed since our Grand Ancestor had been imprisoned by Adam. 17 years ago, I received the order to take the Little Prince from the Danger Zone and infuse half of the Grand Ancestors Blood Essence into him to suppress his true Bloodline and place him into one of the countless Realms.¡±


    He just lightly shook his head and said, ¡°After doing so, a lot of things happened to him and when certain circumstances were triggered, his true Bloodline woke up from the suppression. It was quickly suppressed by the Grand Ancestor again, so that Adam would not find him but currently, the situation is bad. The Grand Ancestors Blood Essence can not keep the Bloodline suppressed for long. If Adam found him now, everything the Grand Ancestor has done till now will be wasted.¡±


    Suddenly, the Azure Dragons eyes flickered as he asked, ¡°Was that the reason Senior had me put up the Eight Layered Elemental Essence Barrier Formation because Senior had decided long ago that the Little Prince would be placed in my Realm?¡± The old man in grey nodded his head to Azure Dragon, confirming all of his suspicions.


    One of the surrounding people asked, ¡°If our sole purpose is to protect him, why were we not told of this until now?¡± The man in grey just let out a breath as he said, ¡°The Grand Ancestor was captured before he could finish his preparations so the only people that know of our Races purpose were the Grand Ancestor and First Born Generation. Since the Grand Ancestor has run out of options, he decided to pass the Ancestor Qualifications to him in hopes of suppressing the Bloodline until he was strong enough to kill Adam.¡±


    The old man looked towards the Primadorial Mist again as he said, ¡°No matter what, our Dragon Race is bound to the Little Prince by fate. When he grows strong enough to kill Adam, I will take on the task of telling him about his Origins. Until then, no one shall say anything to him and everyone must protect him.¡± His words were very domineering and his orders were absolute. No one present dared to defy his orders because if they did, they would not survive it.


    An old man in red robes asked, ¡°How does Senior know that he will be able to take on Adam in the future?¡± Everyone had the same question. Adam was the Grand Ancestor of the Human Race and no matter how big of an army you gathered, you could not threaten him. He was just that strong.


    The old man in grey looked towards the group and said with a smile, ¡°The Grand Ancestor told me that his true Bloodline is something so strong that it makes our Dragon Bloodline as weak as a little snakes in comparison. Also, his Father was someone with heaven defying talent and strength. He even managed to dominate all of the Thousand Planes and secure his reign. His Mother was someone even more mysterious and she played a huge role in his Father establishing the Fang Empire.¡±


    He took a deep breath and said with a little laugh, ¡°To think that the child of these two would be a bottom feeder is like a Phoenix becoming a duck. At least, this is what the Grand Ancestor said.¡±

 Chapter 29: Matters of the Island (Part 1)

    One of the other old men present just snorted, ¡°Why should I go out of my way to protect him if he is not related to me at all?¡± Although the old man¡¯s words were arrogant, they carried a point. No matter who it was, they would not just comply with this kind of a mission out of the blue. To reach where they had reached, they had stepped over mountains of corpses and some of them had been their loved ones or from their families.


    The old man in grey looked at him and said, ¡°If you do not wish to protect him, that is fine as well, I will not force you to do so.¡± Hearing this, about half of the people present were relieved. Every single one of the relieved people were the ones that had been born hundreds of generations after the First one. They had killed their way to the top and to now have to serve someone, this was beneath them. The other half of the people present was not even fazed by the statement.


    They understood the importance of this mission their Grand Ancestor had left for them and they were planning on seeing it through. The Azure Dragon belonged to this group of people. Just as the people, who wanted nothing to do with Zhi, started to turn to leave, the old man in grey said coldly, ¡°However, if you act against the Little Prince, I promise I will exterminate your Bloodline myself. Do not forget that.¡±


    This warning sent a chill down their spines and everyone who wanted to steal Zhi¡¯s Ancestor Qualifications had no other option than to rethink this. The old man in grey had not survived this long due to fluke, his strength was actually something that was on par with their Grand Ancestor and even if all of the people present pooled all their strength together, the chances to kill the old man were actually very small.


    The ones that wanted to leave all nodded their heads before respectfully cupping hands at the old man and leaving. After all of them had left, the old man in grey swept his glance over all the people left and asked in a slightly depressed tone, ¡°Are you all certain about your choice, let me remind you, you can¡¯t change it later on.¡± The people left was only one third of the original group. They all looked at each other and finally the Azure Dragon gave a wry smile as he said, ¡°Well, I have no other choice any ways. He is currently under my protection...¡±


    The old man in grey just smiled to the Azure Dragon gently and nodded his head. Everyone else that was left also gave some vague answers because they understood the importance of Zhi to the Grand Ancestor.


    They understood very well that none of them would not even exist here if Regios had not been entrusted with Zhi and had to flee here. Although, this seems a bit far fetched, all of these old foggies had been alive for countless years and had seen many Races rise and fall. Their mindset and experiences were very different from those that had been born a hundred or thousand generations after them. The old man in grey just thanked all the people left for following their Grand Ancestors will and told them to go and prepare for now, since Zhi was still stuck in the Azure Dragon¡¯s Realm, there wasn¡¯t much they could help with at the moment.


    Hearing this, everyone seriously nodded their heads and after chatting with each other a bit, they turned to leave towards their own Realms to make the preparations to help him if need be. Just as the Azure Dragon was about to leave, the old man in grey stopped him and said, ¡°Lil¡¯Azure, stay here for a second, I need to speak with you.¡±


    Hearing this, the Azure Dragon stopped and nodded to the old man. When everyone else had left and the two of them were the only ones left on the little island, the old man asked, ¡°Did you pass him the True Dragon Art?¡± The Azure Dragon nodded his head and said with a wry smile, ¡°When Senior first told me to give him the Art, I thought that he was just someone who caught Seniors eye. I never expected him to have this kind of a background.¡±


    As he silently shook his head, the old man in grey just let out a hearty laugh and then his gaze turned nostalgic as he said, ¡°Actually, my reaction to all this had been like the ones that left. But when all of my brothers and sisters fell one after the other in order to protect him, I started hating him.¡±


    His voice turned sorrowful as he sighed, ¡°However, when the last of my generation, my little sister Ice Dragon Bella fell, she entrusted to me the location of Zhi¡¯s crib and the True Dragon Art.¡± As he said so, he just gestured the Azure Dragon to sit down. The Azure Dragon understood that this was going to be kind of a long story he also sat down after the old man.


    The old man looked nostalgic as he continued, ¡°I actually went to the crib with the intent to kill the Little Prince but when I finally saw him, I understood something.¡± The Azure Dragons eyes flashed as he listened intently.


    The old man in grey just sighed, ¡°I realized that the Little Prince did not have anything to do with all of my brothers and sisters dying. In that crib, he was frozen in time and his real life was robbed from him.¡± The old man just sighed even deeper as he continued in a sorrowful tone, ¡°He did not know anything about the world, nothing about his family or himself and yet, he was thrown into a turmoil like this. No Mother, no Father, no family. He had been frozen in time for thousands of Cycles and everyone who was actually from his generation was already dead or had countless descendants but he was still stuck inside that little cage of his, waiting.¡±


    The old man looked the Azure Dragon deep in his eyes as he said, ¡°It was then that all my reluctance and hate from him disappeared. I understood that his fate was far worse and my little rebellion was nothing more than a joke. The little boy had been barely three months old when he was torn away from his family.¡±


    The Azure Dragon understood what the old man was feeling. This feeling of loneliness was something that everyone of them had felt but now they have a big family each and every one of them but that little boy was actually still alone. After the Azure Dragon thought back to Zhi¡¯s life, he felt even more sorrowful as he asked with a sigh, ¡°Do the Heavens hate that Little Prince for throwing one thing after another at him like this?¡±


    The old man in grey also bitterly laughed to the statement. It wasn¡¯t hard to see that the Azure Dragon was referring to the time Zhi spent inside the Ancient Battlefield. The old man in grey just told the Azure Dragon, ¡°No matter what has happened to him until now, we can not allow any harm to fall on him from now on. Of course, we won¡¯t be serving everything on a silver platter to him, we will still be ready to save him when the situation truly goes south.¡±


    Hearing this, the Azure Dragon just gave an awkward laugh as he said, ¡°Well, regarding that, there is probably no one in my Realm that will dare to pick a fight with him any more.¡± The old man in grey looked at him in confusion and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± The Azure Dragon narrated the ending of the war to him. Everything from him going to the battlefield himself to the 3 Great Clans warning the Sheng Clan not to make a move.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Although regular people did not know about that, there was no way that the Azure Dragon did not know about it considering that he had even told his own sons to go and warn the Sheng Clan. However, they had actually ignored him and this had caused the Azure Dragon to grow quite pissed at them. However, the Clans of his brothers did not ignore them and all immediately went to warn the Sheng Clan.


    Unexpectedly, even Sloth and Wrath had made an appearance and helped them out in this regard. After the Azure Dragon told the old man in grey that Zhi also got over a hundred slave Clans and Sects, the old man was genuinely surprised. Although he kept tabs on Zhi, he did not keep him under 24 hour surveillance.


    The old man just nodded and just told the Azure Dragon to hurry back and finish the Barrier Formation. After respectfully cupping his hands the Azure Dragon left and sped back towards the Formation.


    ***


    Inside a cultivating room, specifically tailored for tempering the body, was a young man that was trying out a few punches. This young man was Zhi and currently, there was a huge smile on his face. After tempering his body continuously for a week, he had finally reached the small success stage for the Body Tempering Art.


    He could feel that his body was currently three times stronger than before and his movements were a lot swifter and his Qi flow was much better. What was the biggest factor of happiness for him was that there were threads of Dragonic Qi flowing inside his meridians. Usually, you needed to be in the Dragon From to use the Dragonic Qi but thanks to the Art, he could now use it in Human Form as well.


    Dragonic Qi was many times stronger than normal Qi and in a fight, it would give many edges over the others. His muscles were also more flexible but at the same time more firm, raising his arm strength by quite a few levels as well. On his skin, there was a barely noticeable black sheen.


    It was so weak that unless you carefully observed it, you wouldn¡¯t even notice it.


    This sheen was from the cluster of extremely small black scales that had manifested on his body. Usually, they would be unnoticeable but when Zhi channelled his Qi into these scales, his protective strength would be the same as his true form.


    However, he would not be able to maintain it for long, However, if used at the right time, it would be a very valuable trump card.


    Zhi decided that it was time to take a short break from tempering his body. He would need to take a bit of time to grow used to the upgrade of strength that he had obtained and also, too much good is bad. If he didn¡¯t rest and kept tempering his body like he was until now, he was bound to get some hidden injuries that would be very dangerous for his future path as a cultivator. After Zhi had grown a bit more accustomed to his strength he decided to first go for a check up in the Healing Hall before he headed to a Killing Array.


    When he arrived inside the Healing Hall, all eyes were glued to him. Seeing the adoring and fanatical gazes made Zhi¡¯s body hair rise up. He was not used to these kinds of things so he quickly found a familiar face and headed to a private check up room. When he entered the room, an old lady with a grandma like atmosphere entered as well. That person was Hedi and she had now broken through to the Primadorial God Realm. Hedi just smiled to Zhi and asked, ¡°What do I owe the honour of this visit?¡±


    Zhi just sighed, ¡°I recently went through a rigorous round of body tempering, I just came to have myself checked up so that I do not have any hidden injuries.¡± These hidden injuries were no joke, there had been countless people that had broken their own path in cultivation due to not taking care of their hidden injuries.


    Also, most people, who do not have much knowledge in Healing Arts, might not notice the injuries as well. Zhi was that kind of a person, his knowledge in the Healing Arts was very miniscule so he felt it would be a safer choice to have himself checked by a person who had profound knowledge in Healing Arts. After Hedi heard that, she was quite surprised because in her eyes, there was actually nothing that Zhi could not do.


    Now she learned that Zhi¡¯s knowledge in Healing Arts was not so good. She just gently smiled and said, ¡°Extend your hand and let me feel your pulse.¡± Hearing the order from the Doctor, Zhi extended his right hand and Hedi place two fingers on his vein near his wrist. A gentle stream of Qi entered Zhi¡¯s body and inspected every nook and cranny of his body. After the gentle wisp of Qi did a few rounds around Zhi¡¯s body, it returned to Hedi. Hedi opened her eyes and looked at Zhi a bit oddly as she said, ¡°Honestly saying, your body is more firm than a statue. There are a few injuries but none of them are anything serious that will be permanent. After a day or two of rest, you will probably be completely healed.¡± Hearing this, Zhi nodded his head and thanked Hedi.


    Before he was about to leave, he asked Hedi, ¡°How are they treating you here?¡± Hearing this question startled Hedi but she answered with a calm smile, ¡°They treat me good. Since I am quite good at Healing Arts, I am actually respected a lot by the people here.¡± Zhi nodded to Hedi¡¯s answer and asked, ¡°Would you be interested in becoming the Hall Master of the Healing Hall?¡±


    This question stupefied Hedi. It took her a bit to collect herself before she answered, ¡°But we do not have Hall Master¡¯s, right?¡± Zhi sat back down and gestured Hedi to sit down as well. Zhi looked at her and said, ¡°This Hall Master position is something I thought of to relieve the pressure and burdens on Feng and Zhishi. Currently, they take care of all the Halls and the rest of the Island but I thought that we could relieve the obligations a bit by making someone a Hall Master that is in charge of a specific Hall.¡±


    He then just shook his head as he continued, ¡°Those two have done a lot for Dragon Cross and now that there are two Island Lords instead of four, their work load practically doubled. Sooner or later, they will break down from overwork.¡± Hearing this Hedi just smiled and said, ¡°Of course I am willing to help out Dragon Cross as much as I can. What would be my obligations?¡±


    Zhi thought about it for a second and said, ¡°Basically, you would be in charge of the Healing Hall. You would take an inventory of medicines that you have and what you need and so on. Also distribute the staff and adjust the ranks or keep the records of the patients and so on. Basically, you are completely in charge of the Hall and you will need to just report all of these things once a month or something like that, to the Island Lords.¡±


    Hedi just smiled and said that she would accept the position only if Zhi promised her that she would not be held responsible for all the people that may not like the idea. Zhi just said, ¡°If they do not like it, they can leave. The fact is, that we need some sort of a system and since we are still a relatively new Sect, we actually don¡¯t have a set system yet that works. It is given that we will experiment with a lot of different systems like these before finally working out our own system.¡±


    Hedi just nodded to Zhi but before she could say something, Zhi sighed, ¡°We can¡¯t just throw all of the responsibilities on Feng¡¯s and Zhishi¡¯s shoulders either. They would not even have time to go to the toilet if they had to take care of every single thing on the Island.¡±


    Hedi just chuckled to Zhi¡¯s explanation as she though to herself, ¡°Seems like our Island Master isn¡¯t as aloof and detached from everything as everyone thinks. He thinks about his subordinates and isn¡¯t afraid of making changes to ease their lives a bit.¡± After having this little chat, Zhi decided to go and ask around the other Halls as well.


    If he could find the suitable people to become the Hall Masters, he could bring them all together and work out a system like thing for them that would help ease the burdens of Feng and Zhishi. With this newfound idea, he scrapped the idea of cultivating for the moment and set his steps towards Artefact Hall.

 Chapter 30: Matters of the Island (Part 2)

    When Zhi entered the Artefact Hall, he gathered quite a few gazes. It would be for the best not to forget that Zhi was not used to big crowds. Until now, he had lived inside a lonely battlefield. He met some people there but not too many, so to be in this kind of a situation where everyone always stares at him, made him uncomfortable. Zhi immediately asked a nearby person that who was in charge here. Hearing this question, everyone were a bit baffled but then all of them pointed towards an old man sitting in the corner.


    He had his back towards Zhi and was currently inspecting a sword. The sword was of beautiful emerald green colour and was slightly curved with it¡¯s tip becoming larger. It seemed like a slender scimitar meant for women to use. Zhi thanked the people and told them to go back to their own work as he set his steps towards the old man. The old man had a fairly large build and his hair were short and brown with grey stripes at the sides. He didn¡¯t wear robes but rather traditional brown blacksmith clothes. When Zhi arrived behind his back, he didn¡¯t say anything.


    He was in no hurry and he knew that it was rude to interrupt someone from doing his work. Just as no one interrupted Zhi from cultivating or doing his own thing, he didn¡¯t disturb others either.


    The old man suddenly turned around waving the scimitar and shouted, ¡°Who the hell was the idiot who inscribed the formations on this sword?!¡± As he turned back, the scimitar in his hand swept under Zhi¡¯s nose. Luckily, Zhi had backed up in the last moment when he saw him turn around or he would have had to meet the sword with his neck.


    Since he did not know how strong the old man was, he did not know which one of the two would win: His neck or the sword. Seeing the surprised Zhi standing there behind him, the old man froze for a second. As he processed what he had done just now, he turned frantic. He hurriedly scrambled up and bowed his head, ¡°My apologies Island Master. Please punish this lowly one as you see fit.¡± Hearing this, Zhi just let out a hollow laugh as he said, ¡°No worries, no harm done. Finish your business first, then I have something I want to discuss with you.¡± Hearing this, the old man had a mixed face on. He had practically attacked Zhi and now Zhi wanted to talk to him. To the old man, this just meant that his life was going to end.


    Seeing this awkward face, Zhi just said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am not here to punish you. It could be said to be my fault for standing behind your back without notifying you. Any ways, finish your business first, then lets have a chat about the future of the Artefact Hall.¡± Hearing that he was off the hook, the old man sighed in relief. Zhi¡¯s status was just too high and no matter what, it was hard to not be nervous in his presence.


    Be it his personal strength or all that he had done for the Island, no one could surpass him. The old man hurriedly nodded and waved the sword in his hand as he loudly yelled, ¡°Who inscribed the Formations on this sword?!¡± Zhi stepped to the side to let the old man do his job. After asking the second time, a nervous young man stepped forward. Seeing the nervous young man that didn¡¯t seem older than twenty, the old man just let out a sigh. He helplessly asked, ¡°Why did you inscribe the [Flow like Water] and [Heavy as Light] on this sword?¡±


    The young man just shifted around nervously and said, ¡°Because the person who ordered the sword asked for something light and easy to handle.¡± The old man just sighed and said in a reprimanding tone, ¡°Instead of [Heavy as Light] you should have inscribed [Light as a Feather]. [Heavy as Light] reduces the weight of the sword when the user channels Qi to the Formation. However, [Light as a Feather] is an autonomous Formation that gathers the Qi from the air and reduced the weight by itself.¡±


    The old man then gave the sword to the young man and said, ¡°Although, [Flow like Water] was a good choice. It will help the user channel Qi into it with more ease and it will also add a slight benefit to cultivation as well. If the user constantly carries this sword around, then he or she would have an increased intimacy with the sword. As a result, [Flow like Water] would also be helpful for his or her cultivation as well, not only for doing battle.¡± The young man looked in serious thought at the old man¡¯s words and seeing this the old man nodded his head.


    The old man then also gave him a tip, ¡°The difference between [Heavy as Light] and [Light as a Feather] is that one consumes Qi to keep it light while the other doesn¡¯t. If you can also link the two Formations, then there will be an additional effect that will help the user gather Qi from the outside at an increased rate when cultivating or healing. Now, erase the Formations on the sword and start over again.¡± The young man eagerly nodded as he took the sword and hurriedly left for one of the Forging rooms. When the old man was reprimanding the young one, the surrounding people were all also eagerly listening to him.


    The old man inspected all the outgoing products and if there were no problems with them, they would get permission give over their work. None of the people in the Artefact Hall actually disliked the old man, he had very profound knowledge in Artefact Forging and every Artificer actually possessed the old man¡¯s desire for perfection. It was easy to create a half baked product but it would be of no use for long.


    The old man had once told them that the mentality an Artificer needed to have was simple: Create every Artefact like you were creating your best masterpiece. Although the words seemed simple, it ignited a certain flame in the hearts of Artificers. No Artificer would want to create an Artefact that was ridiculed. No matter if it was a simple Artefact to help cultivation or weapons/armours, you always needed to do your best and create one masterpiece after another.


    So every time the old man was inspecting someone¡¯s work, they would all be standing nearby, seemingly doing something but actually, they were all listening and waiting for the helpful advice. Seeing the situation pan out, even Zhi was quite surprised.


    When the old man raised his voice earlier, Zhi felt as though he was a grumpy old man that was never satisfied with everything. However, after listening to the old man until the end, he understood that the old man had a carrot and a stick teaching method. First, he would say the flaws and then the good points. In the end, he would summarize the product and then ¡°suggest¡± something that would help the other grow. No matter if it was an Alchemist, Artificer or Formation¡¯s Expert, all of them needed to constantly strive to improve.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    No one would have the use for a person that was always standing still, content with what he had and had lost the thrive to improve. When the old man finished his business, he went up to Zhi and said respectfully, ¡°I am sorry for the delay Island Master. Feng Hide in your service.¡± Zhi just nodded to him and said, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    After saying so, he turned around and entered one of the forging rooms. When Hide also entered the room, he closed the door. Afterwards, Zhi told of the Hall Master idea to Hide as well. After explaining everything, both the responsibilities as well as merits, he gave Hide a bit of time to think. Suddenly, Hide asked, ¡°Could I buy the Diagrams on Formations from the Treasury Hall and then distribute them based on merit here?¡±


    Zhi thought about it for a second and then said, ¡°No, not like that. In this case, there may be some people that will just get themselves apprenticed to their kin and get everything without having to do a lot of work. At best I can offer you the option to get a discount on materials and Formation Diagrams based on their rank inside the Hall.¡±


    He took a short breath and said, ¡°For example, you, as the Hall Master, will get a 50% discount while the Auxiliary Hall Master¡¯s will get 30% off or something. The exact ratios depend on how many ranks you have and how hard a rank is to get.¡± Hearing this Hide understood the meaning behind Zhi¡¯s mindset.


    He did not want Dragon Cross turn into a place where things could be obtained through connections. Everything was strictly based on contributions, for the simple reason of it being the best motivator. The people who gained their statuses through connections tended to do so for their relatives and then the whole Sect would become corrupt. Those that have relations to people in power, will ascend to power. At the same time, those that work hard will be suppressed because they have no relations.


    All those that had reached the Realm the old man had, they had reached there through their own hard work. Actually, what made Zhi a bit cautious was that he could not see this old man¡¯s cultivation. He wasn¡¯t the only one, there were a few others in Dragon Cross that actually had a cultivation that Zhi could not estimate. This left two choices, either they all had a technique that let them hide their cultivation level or their cultivation far surpassed Zhi. Actually, he did not care which one it was until they did not start creating trouble.


    Zhi knew very well that everyone had their own story and unless they themselves told him about it, he wouldn¡¯t pry into it. Hide thought about it for a moment and then agreed. This was already better than he had expected, he had actually expected that Zhi would tell him a concrete no to all this. After getting Hide¡¯s agreement, Zhi left and did the same for the 3 Halls left, the Discipline Hall, the Treasury Hall and the Sleeping Dragon Hall.


    Every single one of the three Halls actually expressed great interest in Zhi¡¯s proposal. This was actually good for them as well because it gave them more power to make decisions. They did not need to run to Feng or Zhishi for every little thing and if they gave an accurate report at the end of each month, all would be well. Since Zhishi and Feng were swamped with all the things going on at the same time, they sometimes were very depressed about these kinds of things that took a forever to get permission for.


    The Sleeping Dragon Hall was actually so interested that they asked Zhi to become their Hall Master. Zhi could only dodge that proposal as it seemed quite interesting to him but at the same time, he needed to focus on his own cultivation. The Sleeping Dragon Hall was something that appeared by itself and was not something that the Island Lords founded. It was basically an army for Dragon Cross that consisted of the elites.


    The Sleeping Dragon was divided into three Factions: The Hibernating Dragon, The Napping Dragon and The Roaming Dragon. Each of the three ¡°Dragons¡± had a different purpose and also for that same purpose, they had a different cultivation levels.


    The three were divided by the Three Tribulations and went as following: Under the First Tribulation was the Roaming Dragon, The Napping Dragon had people that had passed the First Tribulation and had stepped into the Empyrean Realm. The Hibernating Dragon was naturally the strongest and consisted solely of people that had passed the Second Tribulation.


    The Roaming Dragon¡¯s purpose was to maintain order in Dragon Cross and they were usually the ones who patrolled the Island. They were basically like guards, that dealt with all the mundane things. The Napping Dragon were the Elites that dealt with the things that were out of Roaming Dragon¡¯s hands. They couldn¡¯t send people under the First Tribulation after Empyrean Kings and Empyrean Emperors, that would just be suicide for them.


    The Hibernating Dragon, that consisted of people that had passed the Second Tribulation was the true Core of Sleeping Dragon Hall. They were the ones who only emerged when Dragon Cross was in great danger or when someone truly picked a fight with Dragon Cross. The Hibernating Dragon also wasn¡¯t something that was a strict army kind of thing, they were all people that did their own things usually but when the order came, they gathered.


    Some of the members of Hibernating Dragon were members of the other Halls or were in charge of Napping Dragon or Roaming Dragon. They were sort of a hidden dagger that was unsheathed when the time was right and not flaunted around. This was what actually made Zhi interested in Sleeping Dragon Hall.


    No matter what, they had been of enormous use during the war and they had been the main reason why Dragon Cross had not been destroyed. Zhi thought seriously about this because he wanted to try his hand at leading an army of experts. This would also give him the best overview of Dragon Cross¡¯s battle strength. It goes without saying that you could not ignore the Experts of other Halls, they mainly focus on other things and cultivation is secondary to them. Well, the Discipline Hall excluded that is. Also, loose cannons were only strong in small scale fights but well organized and disciplined armies like Napping Dragon or Roaming Dragon were the true fighters in any war.


    So, to take control of this army and familiarise himself with it¡¯s true strength so that he could improve it to the best he could was the best course of action. After, getting the agreement from all of them, he decided to seriously think about Sleeping Dragon Halls proposal.


    Since currently, he still had time, he went back to his courtyard and started swinging his Naginata. No matter how busy he was, he always made time to train his Naginata because if he did not so, the Ancestor who created this Art would weep at it being used so offhandedly. Since Zhi always practised the Naginata Art, his movements became more fluid as he familiarized himself with the Art. When in the beginning, he had been using brute force to execute the movements, now he had gained certain enlightenment of the Art and his moves used gravity to link all of his moves. Also, since he had familiarised himself with the Art, he had also familiarised himself with the Naginata itself.


    He instinctively knew how far it was from him after each movement or whether it was going to hit something or not. In the beginning, he had actually nearly killed himself a couple of times as he twirled the Naginata and nearly cut his neck with it. Like that, he kept practising the same moves inside the little courtyard.

 Chapter 31: Matters of the Island (Part 3)

    When Zhi emerged from his courtyard, he gathered Zhishi, Feng, Fanghong, Long Clan Ancestor, Hide, Hedi and the others. It was time to put his plan into action. When everyone had converged in main hall, where they usually had their meetings regarding the Island, Zhi told Feng and Zhishi about his idea. Feng and Zhishi had a complicated face on and seeing this, Zhi just lightly patted Zhishi on the shoulder and said, ¡°I am not implying that you are doing a bad job or anything. It is actually the opposite, you are doing a very good job.¡±


    He took a breath and sighed, ¡°However, I have pushed all the matters onto your shoulders. The Hall Master system is meant to decrease the burden on your shoulders so that you would have time to spend with your families or train or just relax every once in a while.¡± After saying the reason behind this decision, Feng and Zhishi felt relieved.


    Since the founding of Dragon Cross, they had been the ones in charge of everything. When Zhi suddenly said that he wanted to make the Hall Master system, they had thought that they were doing a bad job and Zhi was replacing them. It was also true that they had not had the time to spend with their families and had actually grown akin to a stranger to their children. After Zhishi and Feng had gotten an explanation on the situation, they visibly relaxed.


    Seeing this, Zhi nodded his head and said, ¡°Now then, we will have to discuss the power Hall Masters have and the merits they will have in return.¡± Since Zhi had started the agenda, everyone turned serious. This was something that reshaped Dragon Cross from the core. Until now, everyone in the Halls had been equal but still those that were more accomplished were more sought after. So, a certain hierarchy still developed on it¡¯s own amongst the Hall members.


    The discussion lasted for quite a long time actually and it wasn¡¯t as smooth as everyone had expected. For example, Hide had been adamant on the condition that all the outgoing products of his Hall were to be thoroughly inspected to be the best ones available. However, Feng retorted saying that then the number of Artefacts leaving the Hall would decrease dramatically and then the supply would not meet demand.


    Finally, they agreed that before the Forging of the Artefact began, the Master of the person that forges the Artefact will discuss with the Forger about which materials to use and which Formation Diagrams to use. It will still lengthen the Forging process a bit but not as drastically as Hide¡¯s proposal. Hide also thought that this idea would be good and had no more objections. Since everyone present knew that the structures of the Halls they agreed on today will be the ones going into use.


    They wanted to leave as little loopholes and build as thorough and solid system as possible. The other Halls also had their own ideas for structures and such and all of them were discussed amongst them all with everyone getting to say a piece without being discriminated or rebuked harshly. After the structures of the Halls and the privileges and obligations of the Hall Masters were set in stone, Zhi moved on to the next point on their agenda.


    Feng and Zhishi were alarmed for a second but when Zhi said that the people in the room are the Core of Dragon Cross, they accepted everyone being present here. Feng then gave a report on all of the External Subordinates situations and also how their integration into strength of the Island is going. After Feng finished his report, Zhi just shook his head lightly and said, ¡°Give them a few benefits and they will all act like the war did not even happen.¡± Everyone else nodded their heads as well with a bitter smile.


    As ¡°compensation¡±, Feng handed each of the Clans and Sects a few techniques and gave them a few benefits in the appearance of discounts on materials and Artefacts, Pills, Arts when trading with Dragon Cross. This didn¡¯t encompass the whole Sect or Clan but rather the Leader or a few high up Elders. Also, the Arts they had gotten surpassed their own Core Arts by a level, so they were even more willing to serve under Dragon Cross. They did not take the ¡°Iron Fist¡± style when approaching the surrender of the Clans and Sects but rather they took the soft approach.


    Although, they had become Dragon Cross¡¯s subordinates, they gained a few benefits out of this entire mess. This was to decrease the chances of these hundred plus Clans and Sects rebelling. Currently, Dragon Cross itself was weak and Zhi himself could not take on the hundred plus Clans and Sects. He defied common sense and logic but even he was not as heaven defying as that. If the Clans and Sects discarded everything and decided to fight Dragon Cross to the end, Dragon Cross might win but the losses would be far too immense. Also, Dragon Cross winning was only a ¡°might¡±, they had no guarantee that they would be able to win.


    As everyone were thinking of the situation with the External Subordinates, Long Ancestor asked, ¡°Zhi, how about we unify this world as the Head Quarters of Dragon Cross? The Core would still be the Island but the people that can enter the Core will be specifically selected.¡± Hearing this, Zhi¡¯s ears perked up as he looked at the Long Ancestor with an interested gaze. Zhi¡¯s biggest weakness was that he did not know very much about the hierarchy and the workings of the Realm. Yes, he was strong and had an enormous amount of Artefacts, Pills and Arts but he that did not make up for the deficiency of knowledge. The workings of the Realm were actually very intricate and the lack of knowledge could not be blamed on Zhi.


    Every Plane had a different structure in terms of hierarchy and such, so unless you were from the Ascended Plane, you would not know about the whole workings. Zhi asked, ¡°Mind explaining in detail?¡± The Long Ancestor nodded and said, ¡°Usually, the big Clans and Sects of the Ascended Plane are in control of a Minor World like ours. That place serves as their ¡°base¡± so to speak.¡± He took a breath and continued, ¡°They have branches spread out all over the World and the best talents are picked out and sent to the Main Headquarters. Also, the most inner Core region of the Clan or Sect hold only the best talents or the Core Members of the powers.¡±


    He let it sink in a bit then continued, ¡°For example, we could dominate the entire World and unify it under the Banner of Dragon Cross. Then we found various branches all over the World and keep the Island as the ¡°Core Region¡± where all the best talents are sent or where our Core Members are.¡±


    Zhi was interested in this solution and asked the Long Ancestor, ¡°How long would it take for us to carry out this plan and how many branches are we talking about?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The Long Ancestor thought for a few minutes and then said, ¡°Taking over this World will not take long, about a year at maximum thanks to our reputation and overall might. As for establishing the Branches, it would take a few decades in the least. As for the exact number of Branches, that is hard to say, we need to select the people in charge of the Branch and the size of their sphere of influence and such.¡± Zhi nodded and opened his mouth but the Long Ancestor continued before Zhi could say anything, ¡°We can also use the Sects that already exist and give them the choice of extermination or servitude. If we also offer them our protection and give them benefits for the talents they send, I¡¯d say most of them would be happy to comply.¡± Zhi pondered on it for a moment.


    Although Zhi did not like the idea of ¡°servitude or extermination¡±, he could do nothing about it. The world of cultivation was survival of the strong and might makes right. If they took the soft approach to everything, they would be looked down upon by the others. However, they could not be truly tyrannical and not offer any benefits at all, otherwise, they would only rule over an army of corpses, since no one would want to follow them.


    Also, he liked the idea very much because they can¡¯t accommodate entire Dragon Cross on the Island. Currently, the Island was at maximum size it could be, ten thousand square kilometers. Currently, there would be no problem of accommodating everyone on the Island but as time passed and newer generations sprung up or new people joined Dragon Cross, eventually they would just run out of room to put all of them. Zhi thought seriously about this and then nodded his head.


    He said in a cold tone, ¡°As we are reforming the Halls, we will also take over this Minor World to serve as our Head Quarters and everyone who agrees to become the subordinate force of Dragon Cross, will be spared and rewarded. Anyone who declines¡­.¡± He did not even need to finish his sentence for everyone present to understand the fate of those that decline. Although this method was cruel, it was not beneficial for them to leave these kinds of unpredictable variables by their side.


    Also, if they could take over this World, they would be able to lay down World Scale Formations to increase the Qi in the surroundings. These kinds of benefits were not something they would be willing to give to some random people that did not even pay them tribute for it. A few more things were discussed at the meeting and one of them was a suggestion from Hide.


    Hide suggested that the Main Hall would stay on the Island but every continent would have a miniature version of the Island that serves as the main Branch. There would be a ¡°replica¡± of all of the Halls and this would also allow them to find good seedlings. Zhi agreed to this plan and after all of these kinds of nuances were talked about, Zhi dispersed all of the people and let them go make preparations.


    The personnel to take over the World needed to be picked, also you can¡¯t build a replica of Dragon Cross from thin air, you needed materials and such as well. Also, various people needed to be chosen to take charge of the Branches. So, there was a lot to do and even more to prepare carefully. As Zhi sat there in the meeting Hall by himself, he just sighed as he massaged his temples. This time, the meeting ended with a lot major decision being done that would change Dragon Cross from the core.


    As he sat there, suddenly a young man in white appeared next to him silently. Of course Zhi felt that the young man appeared next to him and he slowly raised his head and asked, ¡°What bring you here Uncle?¡± The young man just softly smiled and then asked fro permission to sit down. Zhi gestured him to take a seat and asked him, ¡°Do you think I did the right thing?¡± The young man pulled out a wine gourd and two cups. He filled the cups and after taking a sip, he said, ¡°It is something that you would have had to do sooner or later.¡±


    He took another sip and said, ¡°Actually, right now is the most optimal time to do it. There are a few people that are currently at threshold of the Third Tribulation and if they manage to pass, they will elevate your status even on the Ascended Plane.¡± Zhi looked at the young man silence. Every time he was in deep thoughts like this, the young man appeared and talked with him. Zhi had learned everything about him protecting him and such.


    The young man then said, ¡°When the first person passes the Third Tribulation, it will be the time that I and all the other Origin Realm people can finally step into the light.¡± Zhi nodded to his words. Currently, there were over 20 people on the Island that Zhi felt that were at least in the Origin Realm but they could not come to light with it because it would disrupt the delicate balance quite harshly. If these Origin Realm experts hadn¡¯t held back during the war, their casualties would have been a lot smaller and the war would have ended a lot earlier than it had. Every single one of them had their own reasons for masking their true cultivation and Zhi¡¯s policy was not to ask about it.


    Zhi asked, ¡°When the first person passes the Third Tribulation and you can finally exit the shadows, would you be interested in becoming the Hall Master for Sleeping Dragon?¡± Hearing this, the young man was startled and then smiled, ¡°If the Island Master wishes for me to take the position, then I have no other option than to do so.¡± Hearing this response, Zhi just smiled. After the incident with the Black and White Emperor¡¯s Soul Fragment, Zhi and the young man met quite often and Zhi truly viewed him as family. He also knew that he only survived the Ancient Battlefield thanks to the young man not letting him die. If it had truly been him alone, he would have died after the first month if not before.


    Zhi looked at the young man and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like the ¡°serve or be destroyed¡± kind of things. It makes me look like a power hungry tyrant.¡± Zhi¡¯s Uncle just smiled and said, ¡°Well, no matter what, if you left such variables under your side, you would regret it in the future. Also, the Formations that can increase the purity and density of Qi in the surroundings that are cast at the World Level are something that need the World to submit to you.¡± He took a sip of wine and said, ¡°Why should Dragon Cross be magnanimous enough to help the Sect¡¯s and Clan¡¯s grow without getting any compensation for it? Besides, this kind of bases are far too common amongst Ancient Clans and Sects. Some Clans and Sects even have multiple Minor Worlds under their control.¡±


    Zhi nodded to the explanation provided by his Uncle. It was the same conclusion he had come to and besides, after a few centuries the people that originally felt unhappy about serving Dragon Cross would have changed their views after they got the benefits from Dragon Cross.


    Everyone would put on a stubborn act but in face of benefits that would allow them to advance by leaps and bounds in the Martial Path or any other path, there were very few that would stay strong headed.


    Also, Dragon Cross was a new power. Although, they had a lot of powerful Arts and Artefacts, they still lacked numbers. Everything of Dragon Cross at the moment was built up single handedly by Zhi. The young man in white just shook his head and said, ¡°However, something needs to be done about the fanatical trust in you by the current members of Dragon Cross.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhi also sighed as he said, ¡°Yea, something needs to be done about this. Currently, they are loyal to me not to Dragon Cross. At the moment, it may not be a problem but in the future it may cause Dragon Cross to face a calamity again if they get too conceited.¡±

 This is a question.

    Okay, so currently, I am having a headache writng about a world with no technology. All the convenient everyday things, it is a big hassle to think of a method for them without leaving the boundaries of the actual "Ancient Immortal World" setting.


    Sooo, this is a question to the wider circle of people who either are interested or those that are not: AS a side project that is updated as randomly as there is a a chance of meeting a pitch black cat on Friday the 13th, would it be more interesting to write of a world where technology and magic live on coexistence or a story of the future with ESPers instead of magicians?The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The reason I am asking this is because I have the beginning for both and I have written a lot of other ones, from a wide circle of genres. These stories are something that I write when I honestly get disinterested in Dragon Cross. I have not published them because htey are all 1-9 chapters. Some have 3 some have four chapters.Also, if I put up every story I have thought of, even 10 me''s would not be able to keep dishing out chapters even if we all worked on them 24/7 with no rest.


    So let me know in the comments down below that which one would you be more interested in reading as a side project.

 Chapter 32: Abrupt Tribulation

    As Zhi and the young man in white sat there, suddenly, the Qi in the air fluctuated. Feeling the fluctuation, both of their faces changed and they both disappeared from their spots and when they reappeared, they were outside the hall and looking over the Island. Their faces were grim because this fluctuation was produced by someone having breakthrough and provoking the Tribulation from the Heavens.


    However, this wasn¡¯t a small fluctuation indicating that it was the First or Second Tribulation but rather it was something that affected the Qi flow of the entire Minor World indicating that this was going to be a Tribulation to step into the Origin Realm. The young man in white looked towards the spot where the Qi was gathering with a grim look and said, ¡°Speak of the devil¡­. However this is bad, that person most probably has not done any preparations for the Tribulation and due to sudden enlightenment managed to take the final step.¡±


    Zhi nodded grimly as well to the words. The young man had said that it would probably take a few more years for the people that are at the threshold to take the final step. Zhi calculated it like that and would have started making preparations for the Tribulations in a year or two.


    He would have given them Pills to help them recover in between and would have loaned them highest grade armours or weapons if need be. This kind of sudden Tribulation was actually very bad because they had not made any preparations what so ever for the Tribulation.


    Suddenly, Zhi said, ¡°You take him to the little island in the south, don¡¯t leave his side.¡± The young man nodded and turned into a beam of light shooting towards the place where the Qi was gathering. Just as the young man flew off, Zhi¡¯s voice echoed throughout the Island, ¡°Everyone who has passed the Second Tribulation form a defensive perimeter around the little island towards the south!¡±


    He himself flew towards the treasury and picked the Pills of the highest quality that would aid the person that was taking on the Tribulation. Since the Tribulant did not have time to familiarize himself with the armour and weapon, Zhi didn¡¯t bother taking them at all, since they would be of no use. Zhi quickly picked the best Pills and started flying towards the little island.


    The moment Zhi¡¯s words had echoed out on the Island, everyone, who had passed the Second Tribulation, immediately shot to the skies and towards the little island in the south to form a defensive perimeter around it. They all felt the Qi fluctuations in the air and just as they were thinking of the worst case scenario, Zhi¡¯s order echoed out and that confirmed their suspicions.


    Usually, a Tribulation was something that was a great spectacle but currently, everyone¡¯s face were grim. They understood very well the consequences of not having enough preparations done. Only a minute or two had passed since the first fluctuation but the Tribulant was already moved to the little island in the south and everyone that had passed the Second Tribulation had formed a defensive perimeter around the island to make sure that no one could sneakily attack the Tribulant.


    The black storm clouds that started gathering soon filled the entire sky and seeing the colour of the lightning bolts flashing, Zhi¡¯s face darkened even more. Currently, the sky was flashing with golden lightning bolts and every one of them seemed as thick as a tree. Zhi picked up the pace and in a few moments arrived at the little island.


    The young man was also standing nearby and next to him were twenty people. All of their faces were also grim as if they could feel the danger of the Tribulation as well. What was weird was that even Hide was standing near the young man in white. When Zhi glanced at all of them, he realized that everyone of them was a person whose cultivation Zhi couldn¡¯t discern. Zhi just gave them a glance before arriving before the figure of an old man.


    The old man was quite bony and gave of a fierce Dragonic aura. His blue robes were constantly fluttering from the Qi being emitted from his body. This old man was one of the people that the Long Ancestor had brought with him when the Clan split. The old man opened his eyes with difficulty and said through grit teeth, ¡°Island Master, I-¡±


    Zhi cut him off by shoving a three bottles of pills in his hands and said, ¡°The blue bottle holds pills that will increase your defensive ability several times over for a short while, the red bottle holds pills that will raise your Qi quantity for a short period. The green bottle holds pills that will help you recover Qi at a rapid pace.¡±


    He then sighed as he quickly added, ¡°Unfortunately, this Tribulation came quite abruptly so even if I gave you the best armour we had or the best weapon we had, you wouldn¡¯t have time to familiarize yourself with them, so it would be useless.¡± The old man looked at the three bottles with a thankful gaze and said, ¡°Thank you Island Master.¡±


    Zhi just smiled to the old man and ignored the Qi fluctuations beating against his body and patted the old man on the shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything else, we will make sure no one will take half a step on the island. You just focus on the Tribulation.¡±


    The old man nodded to Zhi¡¯s words and seeing this, Zhi turned around to leave. Just as he was about to fly away, he gave the old man one last glance and said, ¡°Don¡¯t die old timer.¡± Without waiting for the answer, he quickly left.


    The old man was surprised for a second before a smile spread out on his face and he mumbled, ¡°Understood Island Master.¡± As he said so, determination filled his eyes as he quickly took one pill from each bottle and ingested it. As the Pills melted in his stomach, a blue light screen appeared on him like a little barrier, his Qi started climbing towards the heights surpassing his previous peak by far. His depleted Qi also started rapidly replenishing and when his Qi was fully replenished in a few breaths, the old man stood up and raised an azure coloured spear towards the Tribulation Cloud and yelled at it, ¡°Come one, I am ready!¡±


    The Tribulation Cloud, that seemed to have been gathering it¡¯s strength, struck down with indescribable might as soon as the old man¡¯s words echoed out. The old man¡¯s words echoed out the moment Zhi had gotten to his spot in front of the young man. He glanced back at the majestic figure of the old man striking upwards with his spear to take on the golden lightning bolt that was headed down.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    As the old man took on the lightning bolt, Zhi¡¯s face turned serious as he turned towards the twenty plus people and said, ¡°I am not going to blame you for hiding your true strength but I expect you guys to make sure no one is able to disturb him.¡± As he said those words, he swept his glance over everyone present and then just left to another point.


    Hide just smiled wryly and said, ¡°Well, guess the cat is out of the bag.¡± The young man in white let out a little laugh and said, ¡°By now you guys should know his personality, he won¡¯t blame you for anything. However, this will gather a lot of attention so do your best not to let anyone get in.¡± Nodding to the young man in white, the twenty people behind him dispersed and each took a spot in the perimeter.


    The current setup was like this: At the most outer ring were the Sovereigns, the next ring of defence were the Paragon level people and then came the Primadorial Gods. Amidst the Primadorial Gods were the twenty people that were still restraining their aura. They would not make a move until it couldn¡¯t be avoided any more.


    When Zhi saw the full defensive perimeter, he felt relived. Although the Tribulation itself was dangerous, he was confident that the old man would be able to pass it. What he feared was that someone would try to kill him during the Tribulation, so he had hurriedly ordered everyone to put up the perimeter so that no one could intervene.


    Suddenly, Zhi felt a profound aura closing in from the distance and Zhi¡¯s eyes narrowed as the Naginata appeared in his hands. He flew between the Tribulant from the Long Clan and the group of four that was closing in. When he reached in front of them, he excluded a very terrifying aura as he said coldly, ¡°No one shall come any closer.¡±


    The group of figures that was closing in were all wearing black cloaks that made it impossible to see their features. The leader of the group did not answer Zhi but rather snorted as he increased his speed. Zhi just said coldly, ¡°I said, no one shall pass!¡±


    As he said so, he swept out his Naginata horizontally and a crescent blade made of pitch black Qi shot towards the group of four that were rushing towards the Tribulation location. As the crescent blade of black Qi flew towards them, the four grew alarmed and the leader pulled out a massive brown sword to block it. Just as he was about to hit it, he suddenly felt danger from behind him. It was Zhi that had appeared right in the middle of the four and did a full circle with the Naginata heading for their necks.


    The leader was caught in a bind, if he blocks the crescent blade made of Qi, Zhi would kill him but if he blocked Zhi¡¯s Naginata, he would be killed the blade of Qi. The figure in black suddenly blurred as he reappeared in the distance but his aura was quite a bit weaker.


    Seeing this, Zhi¡¯s eyes narrowed as he quickly released a tyrannical aura that froze the three that were about to block his attack. Although it disrupted them for a split second, that was all that Zhi needed. The blade made of Qi beheaded the two that were at Zhi¡¯s side and he himself pierced the throat of the figure that was at back of the formation.


    Without missing a beat, Zhi stepped on air and then flew towards the last figure like a bullet. When the figure in black saw that Zhi was flying towards him, fear crept into his heart as he quickly shouted, ¡°Stay your ha-¡± Before he could even finish his sentence, Zhi had pierced his heart.


    The figure in black threw up a mouthful of blood and as his eyes met with Zhi¡¯s cold eyes, he was truly terrified. Zhi retracted his aura as he said coldly, ¡°I do not care who you are but I will remember this.¡± As he said so, he closed his eyes and put his hand on the robed figures head. Suddenly, a blood curling scream echoed out in the surrounding before the figure in black fell from the skies limply. Zhi opened his eyes and a cold flash passed his eyes.


    He then said coldly, ¡°Seems like the Sheng Clan truly does not know what is good for them.¡± Without skipping a beat, he opened his mouth and poured Qi into his voice to make it louder, ¡°If any one of you bastards dares to take even half a step forward, you will end up like these sorry son of a bitches from the Sheng Clan.¡±


    This sentence was directed at the people that were currently hiding in the shadows and it was quite effective. Seeing how quickly Zhi took care of the four people from the Sheng Clan, they had no confidence in being able to interfere with the Tribulation. But still, not everyone of them was there to interfere with the Tribulation, the small minority were.


    Most of the people present were actually people that just came to spectate the Tribulation and had no thoughts about interfering at all. No one knew who moved first but soon, the people that just wanted to spectate it, moved a bit farther away and moved out to the open. They did not restrain their auras either and just stood there. One of the people cupped his hands towards Zhi and transmitted, ¡°We are here just to spectate, we will no interfere.¡±


    Zhi just glanced at the figures and did not pay them any more heed. He was still vigilant towards them but since they were so far away, they would be able to stop them in time. Besides, all of the people present were under the Third Tribulation and hidden amongst the Primadorial Gods, Dragon Cross had about twenty Origin Realm people. Unless someone who was from the Origin Realm discarded everything to attack the Tribulant, there was nothing to fear. However, they still could not drop their guard on this matter and everyone were vigilantly keeping an eye on the surroundings.


    However, no more suicidal attempts came for now and the First Set of the Tribulation had been concluded. Seeing this, Zhi let out a breath of relief as he thought to himself, ¡°One Set down, two to go.¡± Anyone who made it this far in Dragon Cross, there wasn¡¯t a chance of them having a weak Soul or Will. So, the subsequent Set¡¯s would be actually less dangerous than the First Set.


    Now that the Tribulant had passed the First Set, the major portion of danger had passed. Still, they could not relax completely because the Third Set would be the most unpredictable one. As Zhi predicted, the Soul Tribulation was also passed successfully quite fast and easily but when the Third Set came, Zhi tensed up again. This was the final Tribulation but since it would be the most unpredictable, they could not do anything but wait.


    He might pass it in a flash or he may even fall into the illusions made by the Tribulation. However, seeing the Lightning Bolt count reach seven in the blink of an eye, everyone felt relieved. But the colour of the Eight Lighting Bolt suddenly changed and had streaks of red mixed in. Seeing this, everyone present felt alarmed but since they could not do anything to help him, all they could do was clench their fists and grit their teeth.


    However, their fears were unfounded as the Eight Lighting Bolt was dissipated soon as well and the Ninth, the final one, was also passed soon. When the Tribulation was successfully passed, a beam of golden light extended down form the skies, healing and improving the old man¡¯s body.


    The body of the old man was riddled in scars and his robes had been completely shredded. There were fresh wounds all over his body and blood stained the nearby ground completely crimson red. However, when the beam of light hit the old man, his Qi was rapidly replenished and his wounds all healed at the speed visible to the naked eye.


    In a few minutes, every single wound on his body had disappeared. He now excluded an aura that was no weaker than Hide¡¯s and company¡¯s when they chose to stop restraining their auras. Seeing the successful end of the Tribulation, Zhi let out a deep breath of relief as he looked towards the old man with a hint of smile.

 Chapter 33: Plan of Action (Part 1)

    The beam of light soon dissipated and Zhi told everyone to return. He then glanced towards the various power¡¯s that had come to spectate the Tribulation and seeing them leave as well, he slightly lowered his guard. Zhi looked at the sight of everyone who had protected the old man congratulate him and the old man in return, thanked them without putting on any airs.


    After everyone had given their congratulations to the old man, they left to celebrate their first Origin Realm Expert. At least, the first one they knew of. After everyone had left, the old man looked at his hands and clenched them tightly, a hint of smile appeared on his face. It was at that moment, that Zhi appeared in front of the old man and said with a smile, ¡°Congratulations.¡±


    The old man did not put on any airs and gave a deep bow to Zhi. He then said, ¡°This is all thanks to you Island Master.¡± Zhi patted him on his shoulder and said, ¡°No need to be so modest, it was you who did all the work.¡±


    The old man straightened his back and helplessly shook his head. He then said, ¡°No, this is all thanks to you. If it hadn¡¯t been for you, I would not have tempered my body. If it weren¡¯t for you giving us all such optimal cultivating grounds, I am afraid I would have never even entered the Late Stage of Primadorial God Realm.¡± Hearing this, Zhi smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if what Art the person practises.


    If the person doesn¡¯t have the Will, even the best Art in existence will not be able to help him.¡± What Zhi said was not actually belittling himself or over exaggerating the old man. If a person did not have the will to cultivate it did not matter if he had the most peerless talent and the best Art in existence.


    If the person himself had no interest or will towards cultivation, he would never progress. The peerless talent may pass the Empyrean Tribulation with the help of his Sect or Clan but the Second Tribulation, he will never be able to pass it. Zhi then also smiled and told the old man to go back to the Island for now and celebrate this advancement with his family. He also told him to come and find him tomorrow as he would have a few gifts to give him for passing the Tribulation. The old man nodded and flew back to the Island.


    Zhi just stood there looking over the damage caused by the Third Tribulation. It was actually quite horrific. The once serene and beautiful island was now turned upside down. All the trees were scorched, grass and wildlife had died off and the lakes had evaporated, leaving behind massive empty craters. Zhi just sighed as he thought to himself, ¡°I need to prepare a location for Tribulations asap. If we let everyone undertake the Tribulation wherever, we will soon run out of places to live at.¡±


    After slowly shaking his head, he also flew back to the Island. When he arrived on the Island, he could see the old man in the middle of a huge crowd that was toasting him one after another. Since the old man had more precise senses than the rest, he felt Zhi¡¯s presence. Seeing Zhi looking at him, he raised his cup in toast towards him and smiled. Seeing this gesture Zhi smiled and waved towards the old man. He then turned towards his own courtyard.


    When he arrived in the courtyard, he was greeted by twenty figures already waiting for him. Seeing them all arrive, Zhi nodded and set up Isolating Formations. These twenty people were all those that were at least at the Origin Realm but had chosen to hide their cultivation for some reason. Zhi looked over them all and said, ¡°Now, I am not going to pry into your pasts or ask why you hid your cultivation. All I want to ask of you is that, are you going to continue hiding it or are you going to come out to the open with it?¡± Hearing this, one of the people in a long red robe asked, ¡°Which does the Island Master prefer?¡±


    Zhi was startled by the question but when he started thinking about it, he answered, ¡°I would prefer you guys to stay hidden. A dagger is sharpest when it is hidden.¡± After Zhi said so, a smile formed on their faces as Hide said, ¡°Although we feel bad for not doing our best during the war, we steeled our guts to not let Dragon Cross fall. If things had come to that, we would have all revealed our cultivation and slaughtered everyone who was out enemy at the time.¡± Following Hide¡¯s statement was the nodding of everyone¡¯s heads.


    Although they all had complicated past¡¯s they still all wound up at Dragon Cross and none of them could actually say that Dragon Cross did not offer them good benefits. Earning Contribution Points was not hard and everything could be traded with Contribution Points. Taking Hide for example, he had gotten a lot of complicated and profound Formation Diagrams from Dragon Cross that allowed his Forging abilities raise to a whole new level. Also, since Zhi had put all the materials he had obtained ¡°up for sale¡± as well, he was able to obtain and use a lot of materials that he had only dreamed of using but had never been able to obtain.


    Every single person present had gotten benefits like that, so although they were used to being rouge cultivators, they still felt indebted to Dragon Cross. Zhi just smiled at the Hide¡¯s words and said, ¡°I am actually planning on distributing you guys all over the World. If you have any objections to this or wish to be together with someone, let me know.¡±


    All of the experts present narrowed their eyes and the man in the red robe asked grimly, ¡°Are we preparing for war?¡± They had all seen the four figures that had ignored Zhi and tried to kill the old man from the Long Clan. They had also heard Zhi¡¯s shout saying that those guys were from the Sheng Clan. Zhi just let out a deep breath as he gestured everyone to sit down.


    They all knew that this was going to take a long time, so they sat down in a discourteous manner. Some sat on chairs while some sat down cross legged on the ground. Zhi also sat down on a chair and then said, ¡°I honestly did not want to fight with the Sheng Clan but those pricks can¡¯t admit their own faults. If they had left us alone, I would not have actually made a move against them. Maybe I would even have turned over a new leaf and tried to be on good terms with them.¡± All these experts nodded to Zhi¡¯s words as they understood that the incident Zhi was referring to was the one with Sheng Jack.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Sheng Jack had mustered over a hundred Clans and Sect¡¯s to eradicate Dragon Cross but it could still be forgiven on the account of it being his own personal doing, without the help or guidance from the Clan. If they had admitted that they had been at fault at that time and Jack had done it on his own and that their Clan had nothing to do with it, Dragon Cross naturally wouldn¡¯t pursue it. Jack was dead, the remnants of the Long Clan had been annihilated and the hundred plus Sects and Clans had now become their subordinates. Since the culprits in question were actually dead, there was not reason to start nitpicking and pursuing the matter.


    However, the Sheng Clan could not swallow their arrogance and had tried to assassinate a person from Dragon Cross that was undergoing the Third Tribulation. This was something that was a blatant sign of war against Dragon Cross. Since they had thrown down the gauntlet like this, Dragon Cross was not going to take this lying down.


    In terms of allies, they had a very close relationship with the Phoenix Clan from the Upper Plans that was a Direct Branch of the Ancient Phoenix Clan. That meant that they practically had the backing of the Ancient Phoenix Clan. Also, the same way they had a relation to the Peerless White Tiger Clan and Primordial Black Turtle Clan.


    Every one of those three Clans was a power that could destroy the Sheng Clan by themselves with no effort at all. Besides, Dragon Cross itself had twenty Origin Realm powerhouses and if you counted in the people from their subordinate forces, they would have over three hundred Primadorial Gods. The numbers of Paragons, Sovereigns and Empyrean level people was ten times the last. They themselves had more than enough people to put up a fight against the Sheng Clan. However, Dragon Cross was advantaged for one reason: They were not as arrogant as the Sheng Clan.


    The Sheng Clan was a Clan that usually kept to themselves and procured their own resources. The trade they did with other powers was minimal and done only when absolutely necessary. However, Dragon Cross was different, it was a Sect instead of a Clan, so they were compromised of a lot of different Clans. They also had many Alchemists, Artificers, Arraysts, so they traded a lot with other powers. Zhi couldn¡¯t possibly produce all of the materials they use, so they trade with many different powers for the materials. Dragon Cross also does order made Pills or Artefacts, so a lot of people come to have a custom made Artefact made for them specifically.


    Thanks to this, Dragon Cross had a lot of connections and this made a difference of Heaven and Earth in this kind of scenario. Since the Sheng Clan did not trade much with others, they were not reliant on external sources. It would be hard to dry them up by leaving them no income of resources, however, they all went outside to temper themselves.


    When word got out of Dragon Cross and Sheng Clan having a fight, most Sects, Clans or even Factions would side with Dragon Cross. They can just raise the tax for Sheng Clan members. All of them need to come out to experience the world and if all of the Major Cities and Enterprises asked ten times the normal fee in terms of taxes from the Sheng Clan, they would take a heavy setback. This kind of a conclusion wasn¡¯t hard to reach actually since all of the old and ancient powers will be able to see that befriending Dragon Cross was many times more beneficial that bowing their heads to Sheng Clan.


    Dragon Cross may be a new Sect but it had Arts that were many time better than most Sect¡¯s Core Arts. They also had Artificers, Alchemists and Arraysts that did not produce goods only for the Sect but they also did custom work. They were not arrogant either and gave the same fixed price to everyone, it didn¡¯t matter if they were Demonic Cultivators, Daoists or Buddhists. They didn¡¯t discriminate by the Race either, so they could be seen as a very good business sect. The Sheng Clan however offered none of that and they also looked down upon anyone who wasn¡¯t from the Dragon Race. To top it off, they also berated and disdained the people from their own Race that were not from their Clan.


    The young man in white asked Zhi, ¡°So, what is your game plan?¡± Zhi didn¡¯t even need time to think about it before he answered, ¡°Well, first things first, we will take over this World and set it up as our Head Quarters World. After everything is under our control, we will lay down the World Scale Defensive Formations and Qi Gathering and Purifying Formations. At the same time we lay down the Formations, we will establish the Branches of Dragon Cross and when all of this is done and the Branches have solidified themselves, we will start establishing Business Branches at the Upper Planes as well.¡±


    He then let it all sink in for a moment before continuing, ¡°We will also establish a Branch at the Ascended Plane. That Branch¡¯s main purpose will be to monitor the Sheng Clan and also to establish new relations with different powers of the Ascended Plane.¡± After all of this was said, all of the Origin Realm Experts looked at Zhi with a hint of smile on their faces. They were quite impressed by the level headedness and planning of Zhi.


    They had all been alive for thousands of years so it would not be hard for them to come up with a good plan or two but this kind of a step by step plan was produced by someone who was only twenty five years old and in such a short timeframe. He may look only fifteen but his foresight was quite terrifying.


    Hide then suddenly asked, ¡°Are you planning on distributing the Halls and creating different styles for the Branches?¡± Zhi nodded to Hide and explained, ¡°Although, the original idea of creating a replica of Dragon Cross was good, I find that creating a specialized Branch would be a bit more beneficial. It would allow us to have more playing ground in terms of resources and personal. It would also ease the tensions between the Branches by quite a bit.¡± Hearing this, Hide nodded in understanding.


    They had not taken the factor of struggles between Branches into account before. If every single Branch was a replica of Dragon Cross, it would cause unnecessary frictions and tensions. However, if you specialized the Branch, for example, one Branch had Artificers, the other had Alchemists and so on, it would not cause much tensions between them. They would still have competitions and such between them but it would not be something that will create some sort of blood feud between Branches.


    Suddenly, a young woman in a white gown asked Zhi, ¡°Do you have a specific placement for us in mind already or is there still time to change it a bit?¡± Zhi looked towards the young woman and nodded his head, ¡°All I currently have in mind is how many people will go where. Who those people are, there is no set list yet so if you wish to be with someone or wish to not be with someone, let me know.¡±


    The young woman nodded her head and then pointed towards the robust young man next to her and said, ¡°We are husband and wife, so I would appreciate it if you could put us in the same place. Also, due to our cultivation method, we can only exhibit our true strength when we are together.¡± Zhi looked at the robust young man next to the maiden. His eyebrows furrowed as he asked, ¡°You use a Dual Cultivation method?¡±

 No chapter tomorrow (1st of December)

    Sorry, there will be no Chapter on thursday, the chapter will instead be released on Friday.


    The reason is that I reread the chapter and realized that I F-ed up badly with the story line and I honestly don''t have the time to redo the chapter today. So instead, I can only apologize for this and release it the next day, since I will have time to fix the chapter tomorrow evening.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

 Im sorry, its a hiatus.

    As some of you might have read from the yesterday''s "No Chapter Post" I am going on a Hiatus, well sort of.


    The reason is not because I am tired or got sick of writing Dragon Cross or smth but because after reading over the entire story myself now, I realized that I stacked up too many things without clearing up the old ones. In the beginning chapters, it may not matter much but as the story progresses it will have a mountain load of stuff piled on each other without anyone, me included, knowing who did what where. I also realized that I put in way to many unnecessary things. Since I am not used to hal assing the things I do, my plan is as follows:


    I will take a few weeks off and seriously reread the story a few times and do a list of all the plot events I tried to do but did not finish properly. Then I will try to rewrite the story not to be a bullet train that flies off into the unknown with one thing happening after another and would try to slow down and finish one major event before starting the next one. This will also change the plot overall by a lot. I will also try to include more characters and build them a bit as well instead of old man 1, old man 2, old woman 1, old woman 2 and so on and so on.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    My plan is to finish about 10-15 chapters (maybe more if luck shines on me) and do a massive release of them on December 24th.


    Since I will practically rewrite the story, there will be a lot of changes in terms of characters, abilities and maybe even cultivation levels. The back stories of characters will change too, some may be even completely rewritten. So, this thread will remain open to all the questions and bashing towards me, the lazy bum who can''t do anything right.


    So a big sorry to all the readers who liekd the story so far but if you have the will or interest, you might try out the rewritten one.


    So, G''Night and I will go find myself a few poro snacks and a cup of hot cocoa to ease my sadness.

 I am back

    Hello, this is the Lil Poro, the rested version, back from a three day all paid Spa vacation.


    I promised that I will start posting Reworked Chapters before Christmas, so this is just a question that will stay here for a few days before the poll will be locked. For now, the Chapters will be posted on this tFiction with a Reworked Prologue and ahve a prefic [Reworked] added before the Chapter.


    For all the old time readers, the new story will be completely different from the previous version, hence the poll as well. The story that I post as "Reworked" is actually the original version that I had in mind when I first wrote the beginning chapters years back. So, if you don''t like the new version or have some other questions regarding the Old version or New version, I will be happy to answer them via PM or via comments.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    As a sort of a novice writer, feed back is important to me and I do read the ocmments posted on chapters and do take in all the feed back (positive or negative) . So, read the new index+ prologue and do let me know via PM, comments or the poll itself of your preferred choice.

 [Reworked] Synopsis + Prologue

    Synopsis....


    When he was 5, his Mother sacrificed herself to save him.


    When he was 10, he was accepted as a Legacy Disciple by the strongest Demonic Cultivator out there.


    When he was 15, he was already regarded as the next Sect Master of the Dragon Cross Sect...


    ¡°What is right and what is wrong? Justice and evil, who says what is evil and what is not? All paths end in the same spot, the journey there will be the only difference between them, so who are you to condemn my path as evil and demonic?¡± - Jack.


    Prologue


    On a plaza in the middle of a city, all the people were currently gathered beneath the stage. On the stage, there was a middle aged man with a cold expression. His hair was black with streaks of grey in it. His long blue robes were embroidered with golden dragon emblems. His eyes were completely cold when he looked at the two people in front of him.


    One of the people was a young woman, who seemed to be about twenty years old, chained and wearing tattered clothes. Signs of abuse were evident on her body and her usually beautiful face was full of disdain and disgust as she looked at the middle aged man. Her long brown hair was in disarray and she looked as though she had not seen any sort of grooming for years.


    Next to the woman, was a young child. His hair was snow white, various abuse marks were also evident on his face. He looked frightful as he tried to hide behind the woman but the two guards, who were holding him, had a firm grip on him. The eyes he used to look at the middle aged man with were full of terror.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The man looked at the woman and said, ¡°For your sins, your punishment will be execution.¡± He then turned his sight towards the terrified little boy and said, ¡°You bastard, will be expelled from my Long Clan and also executed.¡±


    Just as the middle aged man¡¯s words ended, the woman said in a mocking tone, ¡°Haha, the righteous and honourable Long Clan is full of such hypocritical bastards. Seems like I got to see the true face of this ¡°oh, so honourable¡± Clan before my death.¡± She then shook her head. All the higher ups of the Clan had a face of mixed emotions on. Even the middle aged man¡¯s face flickered and just as he was about to roar at the woman, the woman suddenly stood up.


    She looked at the middle aged man with a mocking smile and said, ¡°You may kill me but you will never touch my son!¡± As her words ended, she bit the tip of her tongue and a bloody mist enveloped her and rapidly spread to the edges of the stage. Everyone, except for the guards, quickly jumped back seeing this unexpected situation. Before the guards could restrain the woman again, they were dead.


    *THUMP*


    *THUMP*


    *THUMP* Dead bodies hit the floor as the young woman broke free from her shackles and took the little boy into her arms. As the mist dissipated, all that was visible of the stage were the mother son pair and a squad of guards, that laid there on the ground dead. The middle aged man¡¯s expression flickered as he saw the crimson swirling portal behind the woman.


    The woman¡¯s expression was completely pale and blood flowed down from the corners of her eyes and mouth. She then gently pushed the little frightened boy into the portal and just as he disappeared into the crimson portal, the young woman fell down weakly.


    ¡°NO!¡±


    The middle aged man and the elders were all forced back by an enraged shout that came from over the horizon. In that brief moment, the portal behind the young woman closed. The young woman looked towards the horizon and saw a man with aflushed face flying over with an army following closely behind him.


    The young woman then said weakly, ¡°Father¡­.¡±


    Just as her words left her mouth, her eyes glazed over as she powerlessly fell to the ground.

 [Reworked] Chapter 1: Boy with white hair.

    In the middle of endless grassland, was a group of five people. A young woman, who looked to be 14 or 15. She had a head full of fiery red hair and wore long red robes. Although her figure had not fully developed, it could still be said to be quite alluring.


    Her facial features were currently quite serious as she stood next to an old man with the same red robes as her. The old man had long grey hair and his wrinkled face was also serious as he looked at the group of three in front of them. The three in front of them compromised of two old men and a young man, a year or two older than the girl. The two old men were very peculiar as their features were identical but one had a head full of black hair and the other white hair. If it were just that, it would not be weird but the robes they wore were the colour of the other¡¯s hair. The white haired old man wore black robes and the black haired old man wore white robes.


    Between the two stood a young man with charcoal black hair. The robes he wore were blue and his usually aloof face was currently filled with lust as he looked at the young woman in front of him. Seeing the lecherous gaze, the old man in red robes stood in front of the young woman. The old man¡¯s cold voice was directed at the young man as he said, ¡°You better not have any funny ideas. Even though she still doesn¡¯t have a suitor, you don¡¯t have the ability to make her submit to you.¡± As he said that, red flames started slowly igniting on his body.


    Hearing this, the young man let out a maniacal laugh and pulled out a paper seal. Seeing the seal, both the old man¡¯s and the young woman¡¯s faces fell. The young man then waved the paper seal and said, ¡°You know what this is right? If you die, there will be no one who will be able to find her.¡± Hearing this, the old man¡¯s face fell even more. He vigilantly stared at the two elders standing by the young man¡¯s side. He gnashed his teeth as he thought to himself, ¡°Damn, whether it be the Black Elder or White Elder, they are both equal to me in strength. If they work together, I don¡¯t stand a chance.¡± He then cast a worried gaze behind him.


    As he saw the horrified expression on the girl¡¯s face, he sent her a mental message, ¡°I will tie the three down, you run to safety and wait for the Clan to send reinforcements to pick you up.¡± Hearing this, the young lady calmed down a little but not by much. She knew very well what her future would be if he fell into the young man¡¯s hands.


    She then resolutely nodded her head and was ready to run. Seeing this, the old man took a deep breath and fully turned his attention towards the group of three again. Just as he was about to attack, a red swirling portal appeared in between of the two groups. All the people present felt themselves tense up as neither of them knew on whose side the person emerging from the portal belonged to. Everyone took a battle stance and armour¡¯s covered the three old men as they intently stared at the portal with their weapons ready to attack.


    Suddenly, a figure dropped down from the portal and when their gazes landed on the person that emerged, relief was on the faces of the Black and White Elder¡¯s faces while the red robed old man¡¯s face fell. The person that emerged was a young man who seemed to be around 15 years old. He didn¡¯t wear robes like other people but rather he wore black leather pants with a black short sleeved shirt. On the shirt, there were various red patterns that seemed to have nothing in common but when someone inspected more closely, it created a pattern.


    The young man¡¯s hair was completely white and his blue eyes were currently assessing his situation. On the side of his head, there was a completely white full face mask with a red streak running down the corner of it¡¯s left eye like a tear. Seeing the two groups of people having a stand off, the young man¡¯s face turned cold. His body started releasing a bloody aura. There were various scars running across the young man¡¯s arms and there was even a scar running from the young man¡¯s right cheek to his left chest.


    His bloody aura filled with death coupled with the various scars, actually made him look quite strong. The young man¡¯s gaze wandered on the people in red and stayed on the girl in red for a moment before moving to the other group. His eyes passed the young man as if he were nothing more than an ant.


    He eyed the two Elders for a second before he just took a step forward, seemingly having the intent of leaving the battlefield. The red robed old man seemed to have a conflicting expression as if he was trying to ask the young man something but he seemed to struggle not to. Seeing the young boy that appeared out of thin air leaving, the Elders in black and white exchanged a glance before nodding to each other.


    After the nod, the old man in black appeared before the young man again. The young man stopped his steps and frowned as he said in a cold tone, ¡°I have no interest in this situation. I don¡¯t plan to stick my nose in place that it doesn¡¯t belong, so I will act as if I didn¡¯t see anything at all.¡± Hearing this, the red robed man¡¯s face fell even more.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    If the young man had not said that, there might have been a chance of letting him take the young lady with him and running while he himself would tie down the two Elders. The old man in black just chuckled as he said, ¡°I apologize but if I let you go, I would leave a dangerous variable out there, so you can only curse your own luck for appearing at the wrong place at the wrong time.¡± The young man sized up the old man in black before just saying, ¡°Are you sure you want to do this? The consequences will be something that you will not be able to shoulder, you know that right?¡±


    Hearing this, the trio just blanked for a second before they burst out laughing. The old man in red however narrowed his eyes. From the words of the young man he could read out the hidden meaning that his backing was extremely strong, However, he had not seen the emblem, a giant Dragon coiling around a cross, ever before.


    The old man thought to himself, ¡°His method of appearing seemed like¡­.¡± As he remembered the red swirling portal, he suddenly remembered where he had seen a portal compromised of symbols before. His eyes opened wide ass he murmured in astonishment, ¡°He is from the Ascended Realm, this is bad¡­.¡± As the old man thought about the Ascended Realm, he suddenly felt that this was extremely bad.


    In the eyes of the Ascended Realm Powers, this entire Minor World was like an ant. He deduced that the young man must be from a very strong Sect in the Ascended Realm that had just come to a Minor World to temper himself and hone his skills. He would most likely have an Elder that could practically destroy this World with a snort in the shadows, making sure that he will stay alive.


    The old man in black looked at the young man and asked, ¡°Hehe, our Sheng Clan is a Clan that no one in this World dares to lift a finger against without a thinking of the consequences. Who do you think you are to act so arrogantly?¡± The young man¡¯s face didn¡¯t change the entire time but now, helplessness appeared on his face as he just sighed, ¡°This is why I hate missions in Minor Worlds. The people here are idiots that think that just because they are big time players here, they own the Cosmos.¡±


    His words made the trio quite angry as the young man asked in a fit of fury, ¡°Just who the hell do you think you are?!¡± The young man looked at him straight in the eye and the young man in blue robes froze. The cold eyes made him feel as though he was staring straight into an abyss. The young man opened his mouth and said, ¡°My name is Fang Jack. I come from a Realm that is several layers above this little Minor Realm and my Sect occupies a Planet that is over a hundreds of times bigger than this little dump.¡± Hearing this, the young man in blue robes face froze.


    His Clan was actually an offshoot branch from a Clan that came from the Upper Realm. He had some understanding of the Cosmos and he knew that it was divided into three big layers: Minor Realm, Upper Realm and Ascended Realm. If what the young man called Jack had said was true, then his clan would truly not be able to deal with the consequences if they did something.


    The more he thought about all of it, he remembered what his Father had said. He had told him explicitly to never offend someone outside their World. They might have influence here but if they offend the wrong people, they will be annihilated. The Main Clan will not help them at all because unless the Branch had made very significant contributions to the Main Clan, they did not mean much to them. Usually, even a simple sweeper of the Main Clan was regarded higher than a Patriarch of a Branch, so it was not difficult to see what the Main Clan would do when their Branch was faced with annihilation.


    Now he truly felt terrified but the red robed man saw an opportunity. He clasped his hands towards the young man and said in a respectful tone, ¡°Would Young Master help this old bag of bones out and take this young lady under Young Master¡¯s protection?¡± Hearing this, Jack looked towards the timid young girl and the old man in red.


    He asked in a disinterested tone, ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± The old man was shocked. From his understanding, all the people from higher Realms viewed people from the Lower Realms as ants. Just to show their superiority, they would do things like this, just to flaunt their status. So. Jack¡¯s question made him a bit confused.


    Jack then continued, ¡°I help you out by bringing her to safety but what¡¯s in it for me? All I would get is being pulled into whatever disagreement you guys had with each other.¡± The old man in red smiled wryly to this as he had no words to refute him. The Sheng Clan would not dare make a move against him if they wanted to live, so he could just walk out and have nothing to do with this.


    However, the old man¡¯s request would include him into the mess they were currently in and there was a chance that the Sheng Clan would probably attack him as well because if the two of them made it back to the Clan, the Xing Clan would most likely declare war on the Sheng Clan and then the Sheng Clan would be annihilated any ways.


    But if they killed everyone present, there was a chance of them surviving this calamity, however, the prerequisite to that was that there was no Elder guarding Jack from the shadows and there was also no time for him to send out a request for help.

 Story has moved to another Fiction Thread.

    Well, I thought that because the story is practically "new" it would be a good idea to move it to another fiction thread. The Old Version will still stay up but there will not be any more posts on the story. Also, everyone who is interested can just compare the two when the "Reworked" version progresses enough.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The new Fiction link ---- >Dragon Cross [Reworked]</a>