Background?

Chapter Sixteen: Origins?

In the lush, verdant forest, the booming sound of the waterfall continued as usual. From the bottom of the pool, small red fish occasionally leaped out, reflecting dazzling, intoxicating colors under the sunlight.

However, the old man and the youth by the pool at this moment paid no heed to this beautiful moment in nature. Both were immersed in the stirring ancient legends, unable to snap back to reality for a long time.

After a long while, Chen Yun returned from his contemplation, sighed softly, and said, "Truly shocking! The ancient era was indeed a time when heroes emerged in droves. I never imagined there were once such glorious Dragon Blood Warriors. But what exactly happened to cause the Dragon Blood Warriors and the other three races to suffer such a disaster?"

Old Ent also shook his head and said, "No one knows. These are all legends. Whether they are true or fabricated by others is still unknown; this is all the information that has been passed down."

"Then Grandpa, why do I possess the Dragon Blood lineage?" Chen Yun asked, voicing the doubt in his heart.

Upon hearing Chen Yun's question, Old Ent frowned. After a long pause, he shook his head and said, "I don't know about that either. I only know that I found you deep in the jungle back then. Speaking of which, that was truly a heart-stopping experience!" Old Ent's eyes flickered as he fell into his memories.

"At that time, our village was facing its annual Fierce Beast Tide. That tide was particularly fierce, with all sorts of powerful Fierce Beasts rarely seen normally appearing. The village suffered heavy losses, and many powerful Fighters perished as a result. This is also why there are so few Fighters in our village now; almost all of the village's high-end combat power was wiped out in that Fierce Beast Tide."

"Moreover, our village originally had five powerful Sage existences, all at the Emperor level. However, two of them perished because of it. At that time, a powerful Rank 7 Fierce Beast appeared, along with two Rank 6 Fierce Beasts. The entire battle thus became one-sided. That Rank 7 Fierce Beast moved as if through an uninhabited land, slaughtering indiscriminately. Even the Sages could not resist. The entire village was in ruins, with corpses strewn everywhere, and sounds of wailing!"

Speaking of this, even Old Ent, who was usually steady and unfazed by anything, had his eyes redden, his fists clenched, and his breathing quickened. One could imagine how tragic the scene was at that time. Old Ent took a deep breath and continued, "Seeing the entire village on the brink of extinction, the Sages resolutely used the ultimate weapon left by their ancestors, and at the cost of the lives of two Sages, they achieved victory and averted the danger of the village's annihilation. However, the total loss to the village was so unbearable. Alas!" Old Ent sighed deeply.

Chen Yun's face was also filled with sadness. Then, as if he thought of something, he asked, "Grandpa, what about you then? You didn't seem to mention yourself just now?"

Hearing Chen Yun's words, a trace of self-reproach flashed in Old Ent's eyes. "I wasn't in the village at the time. I was cultivating by this pool. Suddenly, I felt a tremor in my heart, and then the entire forest seemed to be in chaos. The roars of various Fierce Beasts rose and fell, and all sorts of Fierce Beasts were fleeing in panic. Seeing this, my first reaction was that the Fierce Beast Tide had arrived, and I was about to rush back."

"But at that very moment, I faintly heard a Dragon's roar. The sound seemed somewhat mournful. Although I was extremely curious, the village was in danger, so I couldn't go investigate. However, in the darkness, there was a strange force pulling me in that direction, making me feel like I should go. It was truly strange."

"I thought about it and decided that with several Sages in the village, there shouldn't be any major problems, as overcoming the Fierce Beast Tides in previous years had not been difficult. Who knew... Alas!" Old Ent sighed deeply again at this point.

He continued, "So I rushed in the direction of that feeling. Along the way, I encountered several waves of powerful Fierce Beast packs, but they seemed to have been greatly frightened by something and paid me no mind, allowing me to pass through the forest smoothly. But when I arrived there, I was stunned by the scene before me."

"Within a radius of a thousand miles, it was simply a clearing. The ground was broken and in ruins, a complete mess. The entire ground had simply caved in, and there were several large pits dozens of feet deep. Even a mountain nearly a thousand meters high had been cleanly severed from its base. It was too terrifying! What could have happened to cause such a scene? What kind of power would be needed to create this?"

Speaking of this, Old Ent couldn't help but smack his lips. Even though many years had passed, the shock on Old Ent's face had not diminished. One could imagine what a soul-stirring scene it was.

Chen Yun also listened with a surging heart, unable to recover for a long time.

Old Ent mused for a long time, then turned his gaze to Chen Yun and continued, "I searched there for a long time but found no clues. Just as I was about to head back, I suddenly heard a baby's cry. I was stunned at the time. How could there be a baby crying here? And I had already searched the entire area just now and found nothing."

"Following the cry, I arrived at a very hidden mountain hollow. The crying gradually grew closer. There was a passage in the hollow, about a person's height. The passage wasn't long; I walked for about two minutes and reached the end. What appeared before me was a babbling mountain stream, and by the stream came a loud cry. A baby wrapped in a white blanket lay there. I hurried over and saw that there was also a Jade Pendant placed on you."

Speaking of this, Old Ent took out a thumb-sized, crystal-clear Jade Pendant from his embrace. Inside was a layer of faint red mist, which occasionally flashed with silvery-white light. Although the red mist was thin, it gave people an unfathomable feeling, as if there was a strange power within blocking it.

Old Ent handed the Jade Pendant to Chen Yun, looking at him with a serious expression. "This Jade Pendant is clearly no ordinary item. I kept it for you because you were still young, but now you've grown so much. Although you're only six years old, your mind is by no means weaker than an adult's, and you've also gained some strength. Grandpa is returning it to you now."

"But you must keep it safe and not let anyone see it, or it will bring you endless trouble. This Jade Pendant should be closely related to your origins. What its purpose is, Grandpa has studied for a long time without figuring it out. You will have to unravel these mysteries yourself. Grandpa can't help you much; you need to rely on yourself. If you want to become a strong person, you can't always be under Grandpa's wing." After speaking, Old Ent patted Chen Yun's shoulder heavily.

Chen Yun held the Jade Pendant in his hand, felt the familiar fluctuations within, and nodded firmly. He stared at the Jade Pendant quietly for a long time, then suddenly thought of something, looked up at Old Ent, and asked, "Grandpa, didn't you mention your family just now? Who exactly are you? Why do you, someone so powerful, always live in this small mountain village?"

Upon hearing this, Old Ent's expression immediately darkened, a flicker of pain and melancholy in his eyes. After a long pause, he sighed heavily. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly looked up towards the direction of the village, his expression changing slightly.