Looking more closely, the dragonman clone realized.
The one before him, though a dragonman Gu Immortal, was not the Dragon Lord—only strikingly similar in appearance.
"Even so, this person must be closely related to the Dragon Lord. But I don't know if he is the father of this identity?"
Fang Yuan was pondering when the dragonman Gu Immortal strode up to him: "Wu Shuai! How dare you! How many times have I told you not to stir up trouble, not to provoke them! And what do you do? You actually won against them again this time! Do you have any idea that Zhang Shuang and Vice Leader Chen are direct bloodline descendants of the sect's Supreme Elders!"
The dragonman Gu Immortal, who looked like the Dragon Lord, wore an extremely stern expression, his gaze fiery with rage.
The dragonman youths who had just been cheering and laughing instantly fell silent, not daring to even breathe loudly. One by one, they lowered their heads, staring at their toes. It was clear their father held immense authority in their hearts and was normally extremely strict in his discipline.
Fang Yuan could not confirm the true identities between himself and this dragonman Gu Immortal, so he could only follow the example of the other dragonman youths and lower his head in silence.
The dragonman Gu Immortal grew even more furious. He extended his palm and rapped the back of Fang Yuan's head, striking with such force it nearly sent Fang Yuan tumbling.
Fang Yuan staggered, then abruptly stepped forward to steady himself.
"Wu Shuai, come with me! Kneel in my study for punishment!" The dragonman Gu Immortal snorted coldly, turned, and walked away.
Fang Yuan glanced back at the dragonman youths. They all looked at him, their expressions a mixture of sympathy, guilt, and relief.
"It seems I have no choice but to follow this dragonman Gu Immortal," Fang Yuan thought silently, lowering his head as he followed closely behind.
After only a few steps, the surrounding world suddenly changed.
The next moment, Fang Yuan found himself standing inside a study.
The study was quite large. Ornate and beautiful floor vases stood by the walls. The desk was nearly ten feet long and wide, with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones arranged beside it. In the center lay a half-finished horizontal scroll with only three characters: "Dragon Soars Sky."
"So this dragonman Gu Immortal is called Long Xingtian? No, judging by the space and the blank area behind, there's clearly another character," Fang Yuan mused inwardly.
Just then, a stern shout reached his ears: "Wretched child! Kneel before your father at once!"
Fang Yuan raised his head to see the dragonman Gu Immortal standing behind the desk, staring at him with a severe and cold expression.
Fang Yuan rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking, "If you'd said that sooner, I'd have known our relationship right away."
He promptly and decisively dropped to his knees with a thud.
The dragonman Gu Immortal was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "Your attitude in admitting your fault has improved quite a bit this time."
"I wouldn't dare. Father's teachings are naturally correct. Your son was young and ignorant, unable to fully understand Father's good intentions. I hope Father will forgive me!" Fang Yuan immediately gave a perfunctory reply, though his expression was perfectly fitting, conveying sincerity.
The dragonman Gu Immortal was taken aback again, his laughter growing colder. "Hmph! Submissive on the outside, rebellious on the inside—how dare you try to fool your father! You deserve a beating!"
With that, he picked up the metal paperweight from the edge of the desk and struck Fang Yuan's back hard.
The paperweight was made of solid iron, a long, rectangular bar with sharp, hard edges—thick and heavy. It had originally been used to hold down the edges of the large horizontal scroll in the center of the desk, keeping it flat. Given the size of the paper, which was roughly as large as a door plaque, one could gauge the paperweight's heft.
The paperweight struck Fang Yuan's back, sending a jolt of searing pain through him that caused his soul foundation to plummet sharply.
Yet Fang Yuan could not fight back. In this dream realm, he was no match for the dragonman Gu Immortal.
However, Fang Yuan was cunning. He allowed the force of the blow to knock him forward, falling face-first onto the floor with a thud, his forehead hitting the wood with a muffled boom.
He groaned, then knelt upright again, baring his teeth as if enduring unbearable pain while desperately trying to hold back a cry.
The dragonman Gu Immortal, after all, was the father of this identity. Seeing this, an emotion stirred within him: "Was that last strike a bit too hard?"
"Sigh!" He let out a long sigh, sitting down in his chair behind the desk and staring at his son kneeling on the floor.
He spoke with deep feeling: "Wu Shuai, you are my most talented son. Your talent in the beast enslavement dao is rarely seen in a century. I have nurtured you carefully and taught you so that you would grow into a fine, capable man. But what do you do? You throw all my teachings aside! How many times have I told you not to argue with those people?"
"You are a genius. Your vision already far surpasses that of your peers. I have explained the current situation to you many times: the sect's higher-ups are growing ever more dissatisfied with the rise of our dragonman clan. Although your father is a Supreme Elder and seems powerful, I face constant marginalization day after day."
"Even though you defeated Chen Fu and Zhang Shuang, you have undoubtedly angered the Gu Immortals behind them. These human Gu Immortals will certainly show me no respect, and they will treat our dragonman clan even more harshly."
"You won a moment of satisfaction, but you have harmed the entire dragonman clan's interests and intensified the conflicts within the sect. You are far too reckless, never considering the consequences of your actions! This truly disappoints your father!"
"When your father strikes you, it is for your own good—for the good of the entire dragonman clan and for the harmony and stability of the sect. Do you understand your father's intentions?"
Fang Yuan was about to smoothly reply, "I understand," but a glance at the dragonman Gu Immortal's eyes instantly made his heart clench.