Speaking of this, Baruch laughed: "But the strange thing is, my bloodline turned out to be remarkably pure. During the Ancestral Shrine Baptism, I gave those guardian warriors quite a scare, and I even received an audience with an Elder."
"Your bloodline is remarkably pure?" Lin Lei looked at Baruch.
Baruch was only a little over six thousand years old, while the Four Divine Beast Families had existed for who knew how long. The fact that Baruch's bloodline was so pure was indeed a strange thing.
"Generally, the earliest descendants — the children of the ancestor, which is to say the second generation and third generation of our Azure Dragon clan — would have very pure bloodlines and be very powerful. I didn't expect my bloodline could compare to the second generation." Baruch held nothing back.
This second generation of the Azure Dragon clan — they were the children of the Sovereign 'Azure Dragon.'
The children of the Sovereign 'Azure Dragon' naturally had pure bloodlines. Among the third generation, those with exceptional talent might also compare to the second generation.
As for the generations beyond that...
Perhaps occasionally, one generation would produce a genius with an exceptionally pure Azure Dragon bloodline. This was an extremely low-probability event. And Baruch had happened to be one.
"Also because of this, that Elder told me about our family's situation," Baruch said.
So that was how it was.
Lin Lei suddenly understood. He had been wondering earlier how Baruch knew about all this.
"Actually, the matter of our ancestor and the eight great families isn't much of a secret. Within the family, anyone with a pure bloodline and great potential, as well as anyone who has reached Highgod status, would know these things," Baruch said solemnly. "After all, clan wars are a frequent occurrence."
Lin Lei nodded: "Seeing those patrol warriors, I could feel it."
The Four Divine Beast Families' security was far stricter than even the island guards of Miluo Island.
"Lin Lei, your talent is absolutely better than mine." Baruch's eyes lit up. "You haven't even undergone the Ancestral Shrine Baptism, yet your strength is already so formidable. Once you undergo the baptism and then comprehend the Laws of Water…"
"Comprehend the Laws of Water?" Lin Lei exclaimed in surprise.
Right now, he had only comprehended the Laws of Earth, Wind, and Fire. He knew absolutely nothing about the Laws of Water.
Baruch said seriously: "Yes, our Azure Dragon clan is a water-type divine beast family. If our family members didn't even understand the Laws of Water, that would be a joke. The reason you can't comprehend it now is because your bloodline hasn't been fully drawn out yet. Once you enter the 'Dragon Transformation Pool' and undergo the baptism, you will naturally be able to transform into an Azure Dragon. At the same time, you will naturally reach the Low-level god realm in the Water System. Moreover, you'll also comprehend your innate divine ability."
Lin Lei was deeply shocked.
In the past, when Lin Lei had seen divine beasts grow to adulthood and naturally become gods, he would secretly marvel at their high talent.
He hadn't expected that he could do the same.
"To be able to transform into an Azure Dragon and possess an 'innate divine ability,' naturally becoming a god in the Water System!" Lin Lei's heart filled with joy. "I'm afraid in the Infernal Realm, including my original body, having five divine clones is extremely rare."
Once he underwent the Ancestral Shrine Baptism, he would have five bodies: Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, and his original body.
He was naturally gifted in 'Earth' and 'Wind,' could barely grasp 'Fire,' and now he would gain 'Water' as well.
"We are the Azure Dragon clan!" Baruch said proudly. "Cultivating in the Laws of Water will be extremely fast for us. Look at me — although my comprehension isn't great, over these several thousand years, I've already comprehended five Mysteries of the Water elemental laws. I'm close to reaching the Highgod realm."
Lin Lei couldn't help but be surprised. In just several thousand years, comprehending five Mysteries of the Laws of Water — that speed was already very fast.
"Heaven has been quite generous to the Azure Dragon clan," Lin Lei thought to himself.
"Patriarch, I haven't undergone the Ancestral Shrine Baptism yet. How can I go for the baptism?" Lin Lei asked eagerly. The baptism could enhance his strength, so naturally the sooner the better.
"Don't rush," Baruch said with a smile. "The Ancestral Shrine Baptism is held once every hundred years within the family. Although the family is large, roughly every hundred years, some new family members are born. They can then undergo the baptism."
"Oh." Lin Lei quickly asked, "When is the next baptism?"
"The last one was twenty years ago, so if you want the baptism, you'll need to wait another eighty years," Baruch said.
"Eighty years." Lin Lei wasn't in a hurry.
After having stayed in the Purple Crystal Mountains for over five hundred years, Lin Lei no longer had much feeling for the passage of time. One session of quiet cultivation, close his eyes, and when he opened them again, eighty years might well have passed.
"Lin Lei, the stronger you become in the future, the greater your responsibility will be. Our Four Divine Beast Families' battle against the Eight Great Families — you will surely become a war general for our family. So… you must train hard now, so that in the future, on the dangerous battlefield, you can survive," Baruch said solemnly.
Lin Lei nodded with a grave expression.
Among these eight great families, seven had relocated their entire families from other planes, chasing after them all the way here. The hatred they bore for the Four Divine Beast Families could be imagined. And with the pride of the Four Divine Beast Families, they could never permanently cower within the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountains.
Their conflicts and bloody battles were sure to be frequent.
Once Lin Lei became entangled in the slaughter between the Four Divine Beast Families and the Eight Great Families, he would experience a true storm of blood and rain.
"Train seriously," Lin Lei told himself.
The Heavenly Sacrifice Mountains in the Azure Blue Prefecture remained as peaceful as ever. Perhaps the armies of the Four Divine Beast Families would be dispatched to fight life-and-death battles against the Eight Great Families, but Lin Lei and the others living within the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountains would have no knowledge of it.
In the midst of cultivation, over sixty peaceful years quickly passed.
This day.
Within the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountains, in the great canyon where Lin Lei and the others resided, a large number of Azure Dragon clan members who lived there were either cultivating or gathering together.
"Let's go to the Yulan branch and have some fun with those little runts. Coming or not?" In a corner of the canyon, six young men had gathered, and one with long cyan hair said with a laugh.
"No way."
"I'm not going either."
The other five all shook their heads, and one of them even said: "Second Brother, stop causing trouble for the Yulan branch."
"What's wrong with you guys? Why is everyone so afraid? It's just the Yulan branch — their strongest member is only a Mid-level god. What's there to be afraid of?" The cyan-haired young man said in displeasure.
"Second Brother, you could go cause trouble for the Yulan branch before and it was fine, but you don't know — during the several hundred years you were in seclusion, the Yulan branch has changed."