Gu An almost laughed out loud when he heard Blood Prison Saint's words, but he held it in.
He didn't expose Blood Prison Saint's doubts—let him stew in his unease for a while.
After all, in recent years, Blood Prison Saint had been slacking off.
Seeing that Gu An remained silent, Blood Prison Saint became even more hesitant to voice his inner fears. He could only suppress the anxiety and dread in his heart, shifting his focus elsewhere.
Even if his master wasn't a match for that being, Gu An must have a plan. Otherwise, he wouldn't remain so calm and carefree every day.
Thinking of this, Blood Prison Saint gradually relaxed, his gaze once again falling on Gu An's hands, watching as he molded the clay pottery.
It all seemed deeply profound.
For Gu An to show him the fate of the world today—it couldn't have been random. Maybe this was a lesson, a warning.
These seemingly peaceful times were always brewing catastrophe in the background.
Blood Prison Saint felt pity for the world.
The various sects and dynasties continued to wage endless wars, all chasing destiny and the Heavenly Dao.
But in the end?
Before absolute power, before the annihilation of the universe, all their schemes would amount to nothing.
Not long ago, Blood Prison Saint had questioned why Gu An, with his unparalleled strength, chose to live in seclusion, dedicating himself to cultivation.
But now, he understood.
Gu An had seen through it all.
Blood Prison Saint gazed at the ceramic piece in Gu An's hands, sinking into deep thought, reflecting on his own past.
After dissipating the fortune of the Immortal Dynasty, the Heavenly Spirit God returned to meditation.
Gu An also stopped paying attention to the outside world and focused on his work.
The most chaotic era of this world was about to begin.
And yet, the Sacred Court had chosen an unusual approach—instead of aggressively devouring the remnants of the Immortal Dynasty, they began withdrawing, pulling back entirely into the Sacred Domain.
This only made the remaining factions even more frenzied, all scrambling to seize power in the wake of the power vacuum.
Even Tai Xuan Sect and Tai Cang Dynasty were no exception.
From the highest officials to the common people, everyone understood that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The world order was about to be reshaped.
Conflicts that had existed within factions were now redirected outward, fueling even more ambition and greed among those in power.
As Tai Xuan Sect aggressively expanded, Long Qing was forcibly confined to the Third Medicine Valley by Long Jun.
That evening.
Sitting cross-legged on the cliffside, Long Qing couldn't hold back anymore.
He opened his eyes and turned toward Long Jun, who was sitting nearby, reading a book.
Long Jun was deeply engrossed in his copy of Investiture of the Gods, flipping through the pages with great focus.
This annoyed Long Qing immensely.
He had read that book countless times already—why was this guy still reading it?!
Long Qing couldn't understand Long Jun at all.
Long Jun had passed down the Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Divine Aspect to him, but refused to properly instruct him, let alone let him venture outside.
The most infuriating part?
Even Zhu Xing, who usually acted so smug, didn't dare to say a single word of protest in front of Long Jun.
Mastering the Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Divine Aspect was supposed to be about fulfilling the Long Family's destiny—Long Qing had accepted that responsibility.
But sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder...
Was his entire existence just for breaking this so-called "fate"?
Did his life even have meaning beyond this?
His thoughts drifted to his master.
Back when his master was around, he was never pressured to cultivate.
But now, he was being forced to cultivate every day.
Finally, he understood his master's words—bearing karma was never easy.
Before his destiny was restored, those were the happiest years of his life.
But the longer he cultivated Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Divine Aspect, the more he missed the past.
No matter how much he endured, one day, he would explode.
And that day had come.
He couldn't take it anymore.
Long Qing finally spoke.
"This world is in complete chaos. That War Court you mentioned—is it still coming?"
Long Jun didn't even bother to lift his head.
"They're already here. They're in the Sacred Court now."
Long Qing frowned.
"Then why haven't they made a move?"
Long Jun finally closed the book and said, "Killing you is part of their mission, but this world contains opportunities they cannot resist. That is why I chose to come here now—because in this era, I can do many things."
Long Qing fell silent.
Opportunities they cannot resist…
He wanted them too.
He wanted to become stronger, to make a name for himself across the world, to live with boundless ambition.
Long Jun suddenly asked, "In this book, the Daoist Hongjun—did he attain the Dao by enduring endless years of solitude, or did he struggle through hardships to finally succeed?"
Hearing this question, Long Qing couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Was Long Jun obsessed with this book because he saw himself as Daoist Hongjun?
He had once been obsessed with Investiture of the Gods, so he naturally knew that Daoist Hongjun was the strongest existence in the story, as well as its most mysterious figure.
"At least Daoist Hongjun, when faced with hardship, didn't place his hopes on his descendants," Long Qing retorted.
Long Jun fell silent.
Only the sound of the wind remained on the cliffside.
The more Long Qing thought about it, the more frustrated he became.
Why did he have to bear the fate of the Long family?
Was the debt of being born into this family really so heavy?
Cultivating the Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Divine Aspect just so he could summon the ancestors to fight for him—why did he feel so resistant to this idea?
If the ancestors were so powerful, how had the Long family fallen to such a state?
Long Qing truly didn't believe the Long family could resist the War Court.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Beneath that anger, a sense of despair emerged.
His blood surged, a sudden dizziness overtaking him.
The world around him blurred and shook—the dusk sky was so tragically beautiful, yet it gave him an overwhelming sense of inevitability, like he was standing at the end of the road.
At that moment, he suddenly felt lighter, as if all burdens had vanished.
If living only meant dying eventually, then why not just die now?
Long Qing slowly lost control of his body.
His form tilted to the side, beginning to fall.
A hand caught his head, stopping his collapse.
In his dazed state, he saw a figure standing ahead, facing away from him at the edge of the cliff.
That figure was tall and imposing, exuding an unshakable presence, a force so absolute that it made Long Qing feel like the entire world belonged to him.
Suddenly—
Long Qing's vision sharpened, his senses returning.
He quickly regained control over his body and sat up straight.
The figure ahead was gone, as if it had never existed.
Only Long Jun stood beside him, the one who had caught him.
Long Qing hurriedly stood, scanning the surroundings, trying to find the mysterious figure he had just seen.
For some reason, he had a strong feeling that whoever that was held the power to help him defeat the Long family's greatest enemy.
Long Jun, standing beside him, asked, "What did you just see?"
Long Qing instinctively answered, "I saw someone… standing with his back to me… he…"
Realizing he couldn't find the figure anymore, Long Qing turned to look at Long Jun.
Long Jun, however, had a faintly pleased expression on his face.
Long Qing frowned. "Do you know who that was?"
Long Jun replied, "When one enters the cultivation of Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Divine Aspect, they always see the Dragon Heart Emperor—my father's figure."
He continued, "To cultivate the Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Divine Aspect, one must experience a moment of intense emotional turmoil. That's why I didn't immediately guide you—I was waiting for you to step through the first threshold yourself."
"Dragon Heart Emperor…"
Long Qing murmured the name, the image of the silhouetted figure still burned into his mind.
Long Jun stared at him and said, "The Long family is powerful. Many of our ancestors didn't fall in battle but died due to accidents or early demise. If the Long family were truly no threat to the War Court, they wouldn't be pressing us this hard."
Long Qing felt his frustration ease slightly.
He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is the Dragon Heart Emperor the strongest in our Long family?"
Long Jun shook his head. "The most powerful part of the Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Divine Aspect is that the ancestors you summon will reveal their true strength. Different practitioners summon different ancestors, and the power of those ancestors varies."
"If you could summon my son, that would give us the greatest hope."
He paused before adding, "Of course, if you could summon all of the Long family's ancestors, that would be the greatest moment of hope."
Long Qing furrowed his brows. "You're telling me your son is stronger than the Dragon Heart Emperor?"
He couldn't forget the overpowering presence of that figure he had seen.
Could anyone from the Long family's history possibly surpass him?
He refused to believe it.