"I truly don't think much of the City Masters of the Divine Body Royal City and the Demon Clan Sacred City."
"But Long Daozhi of the Ancestral Martial Dragon City is a different matter entirely."
"Do you know why the Three Cities are so feared that even the Starfield Main Realm and the Linghu Heavenly Clan don't dare provoke them within the Ancestral Martial Starfield?" Bei Yangduchuan asked.
"Supreme Elder, why is that?" the young generation of Zhutian Gate asked.
"It's all because of Long Daozhi," Bei Yangduchuan said.
"Isn't he just a First Level Supreme, same as you?" the young generation asked.
"First Level Supreme?"
"He's far from as simple as you imagine," Bei Yangduchuan sighed.
"Grandfather, could it be that the City Master of the Ancestral Martial Dragon City is a Second Level Supreme?" Bei Yangluo asked.
"His unfathomable nature cannot be measured by his cultivation alone," Bei Yangduchuan said.
Hearing those words, even juniors like Nangong Yifan and Bei Yangluo felt a tremor pass through them. The flicker in their eyes betrayed the wave of fear that had just washed through their hearts.
Though Bei Yangduchuan hadn't spelled it out plainly, they all understood that Long Daozhi was no ordinary figure.
…
"Father! You two elders—what are you doing here?"
"Thank goodness you came. If you hadn't, those bastards from Zhutian Gate would have bullied us today."
At that moment, Long Ning ran up to the City Master of the Ancestral Martial Dragon City, threw her arms around him, and started acting cute.
"What do you mean, 'what are we doing here'? We've been here all along. If we hadn't been following you, do you really think you'd have made it this far safely?" the City Master of the Ancestral Martial Dragon City said.
"Huh?" At those words, Long Ning, Kong Ci, Xian Yun, and the other juniors froze. Only then did they realize what had been going on.
All this time, they had not been traveling without protection. Their City Master had been secretly guarding them the entire while.
"City Master, I can't believe you care about us so much."
The juniors, now fully aware, were visibly moved. Kong Ci, Long Ning, and the others clung tightly to their respective fathers, just as Long Ning had done, acting every bit the spoiled child.
"All right, all right, enough of that."
The City Master of the Ancestral Martial Dragon City laughed as he gently pushed the juniors aside, then walked over to Chu Feng.
"Young friend Chu Feng, there is something I must tell you. Brace yourself." The City Master of the Ancestral Martial Dragon City wore a grave expression as he spoke, and there was even a trace of sorrow in his eyes.
"Father, is this about the Linghu Heavenly Clan declaring war on the Starfield Main Realm?"
"We've already heard about that," Long Ning said.
"No." The City Master of the Ancestral Martial Dragon City shook his head.
"City Master, may I ask what this is about?"
Chu Feng had already guessed from the City Master's expression that whatever this was, it concerned him directly.
"The barrier around the Forbidden Land of your Chu Heavenly Clan in the Ancestral Martial Lower Realm has disappeared. Someone went inside. And once they entered, they found two corpses. One of them… was your father," the City Master of the Ancestral Martial Dragon City said.
"What?"
"The Ancestral Martial Lower Realm? Inside the Forbidden Land? Corpses?"
At those words, every single junior present, including Lord Sword Guardian, was shaken.
"Father, are you saying that is Senior Chu Xuanyuan?" Long Ning asked.
"It has been confirmed. That is indeed Chu Xuanyuan," the City Master of the Ancestral Martial Dragon City said.
The moment those words left his lips, everyone froze.
Chu Xuanyuan was dead?
This was without question a monumental event—one of the most earth-shattering pieces of news imaginable.