In front of the Ancient Emperor's Cave.
His scattered consciousness returned to his body, his tightly closed eyes trembled slightly, and the scene of heaven and earth gradually entered the gap between his eyes.
Chen Guan was just adjusting to the bright world before him when he suddenly heard a woman's voice, a whine and a plaintive cry.
At first, Chen Guan almost suspected he had misheard. Wasn't he in seclusion in front of the Ancient Emperor's Cave? Was there anyone else here besides the old Dragon Emperor?
This voice didn't seem to belong to Zi Yan...
Confused, Chen Guan quickly adjusted and looked up.
He saw the old Dragon Emperor, as he had been for a hundred years, sitting at the cave entrance, as if he hadn't moved in the past two years.
A meter behind the old Dragon Emperor, kneeling, was a young woman in a light blue dress.
To be more precise, it was the girl's soul.
However, this soul was undamaged, appearing more real than those of the former Skyfire Venerable or Yao Chen.
What was going on?
A puzzled look turned to Zhu Kun.
"It's finally over. You were too impatient, kid. The power of Bodhicitta is immense, and you've already accumulated a strong foundation. You should be more than capable of ascending to Dou Sheng, but aiming for a two-star rank is still a stretch."
Ignoring the doubt in Chen Guan's eyes, Zhu Kun surveyed him, perceiving his current state.
Peak one-star Dou Sheng!
This was a realm countless Semi-Saints had dedicated their entire lives to achieving, and with the help of Bodhicitta, he had surpassed it.
Now, thinking back to those Dou Zun masters who, despite knowing the gamble of pursuing the ancient Bodhi tree was a matter of life and death, remained steadfast, he finally understood.
Truly, this thing could defy fate and change destiny.
Chen Guan nodded slightly, unable to refute.
He had indeed fully refined Bodhicitta over six months ago, and since then, he'd been attempting to reach two-star Dou Sheng.
Unfortunately, as the old Dragon Emperor had said, he still fell short.
"During your attack, I could have used my blood essence to aid you, but I didn't."
Facing Chen Guan's puzzled gaze, Zhu Kun continued, "You are human, not a demon beast, and certainly not part of my Ancient Dragon clan."
"You have refined my blood before, but the amount was small, so it didn't affect anything. However, if you continue to refine my blood essence, your bloodline will no longer be pure. While it may offer some benefits in the short term, it will become a burden when you reach my level, and will require further effort to change."
Having not yet reached the level of the Old Dragon Emperor, Chen Guan couldn't understand the specific burden he was referring to, but the Old Dragon Emperor's words reminded him of something.
It seems that when Xiao Yan, in his original trajectory, inherited the power of the Xiao clan's bloodline, something went wrong with his Dragon Phoenix bloodline.
This shows that with something as mysterious as bloodline, the purer the better.
While Chen Guan didn't have a family bloodline to inherit and likely wouldn't end up like Xiao Yan, the Old Dragon Emperor's words must have a point.
"I'll remember that, Uncle."
"Well, any other questions? If not, you can leave."
The serious conversation ended, and Zhu Kun's eyes turned to Chen Guan with a strange look again.
Chen Guan could now understand that look. If his daughter grew up and was inexplicably deceived by a kid, he would probably do the same...
Thinking this silently, Chen Guan once again cast his gaze at the young girl behind the old Dragon Emperor.
Seeing this, Zhu Kun flicked his fingers and returned the snow-white ring to him.
"This girl is from the Spirit Clan, wiped out by her father."
"The person who gave you this ring was her father, the Spirit Clan leader. I've never met him, but I've heard a lot from this girl. He seems to be a responsible young man."
"Central Province right now... is probably in dire straits. Her father knew the Spirit Clan was doomed, and the entire small world was sealed off. After much deliberation, he saw only this as a way to preserve a glimmer of hope. So, with the help of Gu Yuan, he met with you, entrusted this spark to you, and then returned to die."
"If it were me, I would never sit and wait for death in this situation. I don't agree with his approach, but I do admire such people."
The old Dragon Emperor spoke slowly, recounting all the information they'd gathered over the past two years.
After all, she had been trapped alone for too long. In the past, he wouldn't have said so much on the girl's behalf.
If you want to know something, just ask it yourself.
That was his old nature.
Chen Guan's mind flashed back to his time in the Ancient Clan, and he felt a mixture of emotions.
Senior Ling Chong made him truly understand the meaning of responsibility.
"This girl's father left her a gadget that could sense his own life and death. Her father passed away over half a year ago."
The death of Ling Chong, the leader of the Spirit Clan, was a clear implication.
The Spirit Clan itself was likely gone, too.
This also meant that the Soul Clan's millennium plan had reached its final stage!
Taking a deep breath, Chen Guan temporarily shook off the gloom that had gripped him.
"Why didn't Senior Ling Chong ask Gu Yuan for help?"
Chen Guan wondered.
Gu Yuan was the leader of the Ancient Clan and a Nine-Star Dou Sheng, officially on par with the Soul Emperor.
Chen Guan, on the other hand, was still at the Dou Zun realm at the time.
"Before my father left the Spirit Realm, our clan's Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade was stolen. Even my father couldn't find any clues, so he didn't tell Chief Gu about my situation."
The Spirit Clan girl seemed to calm down, and in a soft voice, she explained the reasoning.
She didn't say much, but Chen Guan understood.
Verbal explanations were ultimately too weak. No matter how much Ling Chong assured her, the Ancient Clan wouldn't completely believe them. Some would undoubtedly believe that the Ling Clan's Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade was in her possession.
With these unavoidable thoughts, the Ancient Clan wasn't a good place to be.
The same was true for the other five clans.
On the other hand, Chen Guan, an outsider to the Eight Clans, with the support of Danta and the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, was a suitable candidate for entrusting an orphan...
"The Soul Clan's methods are truly unpredictable. Furthermore, Senior Ling Chong, having only met me once, places such trust in me. I'm truly flattered."
Chen Guan shook his head and sighed.
He admired Ling Chong greatly and knew he was helpless in that situation.
But honestly, he didn't like this unwarranted responsibility, which made Chen Guan feel as if he were being morally blackmailed.
Sensing something off in Chen Guan's tone, the spirit girl hesitated and looked at the ring in his hand.
"Ling Yu doesn't intend to rely on Master Chen Guan, but I also know that it's thanks to Master Chen Guan that I've been spared any risk. Within the ring is a Heavenly-grade technique, a Heavenly-grade fighting technique, and some rare medicinal herbs. Ling Yu would like to use these as payment. Master Chen Guan will refine a body for me, and then I'll leave."
Heavenly-grade techniques and fighting techniques...
and rare medicinal herbs...
Such a generous reward, all for a body?
From every perspective, this deal was a huge win for Chen Guan.
The spirit girl's straightforwardness made Chen Guan blush.
So she hadn't intended to follow him forever!
He'd been overthinking things.
"Okay, your name is Lingyu, right? I'll take this job. I'll see to it that I find a suitable body for you later. Until then, you'll just have to make do with the ring."
Lingyu nodded, bowed softly, and then plunged into the ring.
"This girl told me before that her father wants her to become your disciple,"
the old Dragon Emperor said abruptly, giving Chen Guan a better understanding of Lingyu's personality.
"She and I should be about the same age," Chen Guan replied vaguely. "
You can do whatever you want. Anything else you want to ask?" Chen Guan
pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze to the old Dragon Emperor.
"Uncle, I need some blood from you." Without waiting for the other party to ask, Chen Guan stated his reason.
"Zi Yan and I discussed this before. After we emerge from seclusion, we'll find a way to retrieve the elders who have traveled to the Void Dimension in search of you. I already have some ideas for this matter. If we can also use the blood of the ancient dragon royal family to aid us, our chances will definitely be even better."
Chen Guan carefully considered the possibility and concluded it was highly feasible.
Therefore, the blood of the Ancient Dragon Royal Family had to be shed by the Old Dragon Emperor. "
Use his, no regrets!"
Zhu Kun, unaware of Chen Guan's intentions, nodded solemnly upon hearing this.
"The bloodline of the Ancient Dragon Clan is powerful, and our Royal Family even more so. As long as they're within a certain range, they can sense it. The only exceptions are those like me trapped in a special place."
"This is all because of me. Just do your best, don't force it."
With that, a sudden gust of wind roared from the sky, and a ball of blood the size of a washbasin fell.
This wasn't blood essence, so its loss wouldn't affect the Old Dragon Emperor at all.
"If it's not enough after you use it up,"
the Old Dragon Emperor added, fearing Zi Yan would suffer even the slightest bit.
Chen Guan sealed the ball of dragon blood with his Dou Qi and stored it in his storage ring, nodding with satisfaction.
Even if it wasn't blood essence, this thing was still a treasure, enough to trigger a melee among Dou Zun masters.
"Alright, if you're fine, get lost."
The old father-in-law looked at his son-in-law with increasing distaste...
Seeing this, Chen Guan stopped trying to embarrass himself.
With a simple bow, he vanished from the scene.
When he reappeared, he was already high above Canaan College.
Gazing at the inner court students coming and going below, Chen Guan couldn't help but think of his past.
Time had passed, and things and people had changed.
With a sigh of relief, Chen Guan looked towards the Great Elder's study.
Now that he was back, it seemed only natural to pay him a visit.
As for Zhongzhou, Chen Guan wasn't worried.
Before his retreat, he had already assured Zi Yan that if a major incident occurred, he would be forcibly awakened.
This was why Chen Guan had been able to remain in seclusion for so long after his Dou Sheng breakthrough.
...
At the same time, in different locations,
a group of more than ten people quietly entered the Black Horn Territory.
In the Black Horn Territory today, the leading factions are all backed by the Heavenly Alliance, and spies are everywhere.
Yet, the arrival of this group of more than ten people went unnoticed.
"Everyone, pay attention! This battle must be concluded swiftly."
"Senior, there's no need to be so cautious. Although the northwest is Chen Guan's stronghold, we already inquired before coming here. That so-called Heavenly Alliance is just a few strong men, and the old man Chen Guan sent back is barely capable, but he's nothing to be feared."
Listening to his subordinates' complaints, the leading elder simply glanced at him.
"You know the northwest is Chen Guan's stronghold, so is he prepared? The Dan Alliance is now under the command of Queen Medusa. If the Palace Master doesn't take action, we have no chance. By comparison, we still have hope here, but we don't have much time. We must do something before Medusa's support arrives!"
What the elder didn't tell them was that this operation was originally led by Gu You, the Second Heavenly Venerable of the Soul Palace. Seeing that Gu You seemed reluctant, he volunteered to take over.
As long as they completed the task flawlessly, would Gu You miss out on his benefits?
While his strength was not inferior to Gu You's, the difference in status was clear.
The old man has even greater ambitions. Perhaps he can take this opportunity to replace the Second Heavenly Venerable of the Bone Ghost Hall.
(End of this chapter)