In Lin Dong and Little Marten's eyes, Cang Wu's way of putting it was far too magnanimous. Someone had stabbed him, and he hadn't even held it against them.
But the truth was completely different.
Back then, Cang Wu hadn't yet become the future Lord of Devourment. The Lord of Space had only just joined their ranks and hadn't begun refining an Ancestor Symbol. As the nominal second senior brother but the actual eldest, Cang Wu had brought the Space Ancestor Symbol with him to the Kunpeng Clan to study spatial arts and guide the Lord of Space in his cultivation.
That's right. The first person to wield the Space Ancestor Symbol hadn't been the Lord of Space, but Cang Wu.
Having crossed over into this world, Cang Wu had been desperate to change the Heavenly Profound Continent's disastrous defeat. He hadn't just trained like a madman; he'd also done everything he could to cultivate his fellow junior brothers and sisters.
So, aside from the Ice Master, whom the Symbol Ancestor had personally taught, Cang Wu had taught all the rest of his junior brothers and sisters—including the nominal eldest senior sister, the Lord of Life and Death.
As a result, not only had he wielded the Devouring Ancestral Talisman, but he'd also been the first person to wield all of the other seven Ancestor Symbols except the Ice Ancestor Talisman and the Life and Death Ancestor Talisman.
He'd even been the first to wield the Ancestral Stone.
With the Symbol Ancestor's disciple as his status, and already a Samsara Stage powerhouse at the time, Cang Wu had received the Kunpeng Clan's ready approval. They'd even let him come and go as he pleased.
Then the accident happened.
At the time, Cang Wu had only just taken control of the Space Ancestor Symbol. He was powerful, but he hadn't yet mastered spatial distances, and so he accidentally stumbled into the place where Kun Qing'er was bathing.
That stab had come when Cang Wu, too shocked to pay attention, was caught off guard by the furious Kun Qing'er.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Cang Wu hadn't dared complain. He'd fled through the Kunpeng Clan's territory, with Kun Qing'er chasing him relentlessly for a whole month—until she chased him right into the bridal chamber.
"So no matter what happens, you have to maintain a calm and unruffled air."
Cang Wu spoke earnestly, but as Lin Dong and Little Marten listened, they couldn't help feeling that something about his story was off. They just couldn't put their fingers on it.
Just then, Cang Wu's brows suddenly lifted. He spoke softly, his voice betraying his excitement.
"Hmm? Looks like we're almost there. Kid, settle things quickly once we get there. Don't dawdle, understand?"
Although he hadn't managed to completely change the outcome of the ancient battle, he'd changed a great deal. Now that he had another chance, Cang Wu was naturally eager to get started.
In particular, the Space-Time Power in his mind had given him a chance to defeat the Demon Emperor despite the gap in their realms.
If he could comprehend the power of time, then even without Supreme Power, he'd be able to use this force to at least suppress the Demon Emperor.
And if he could fuse the power of time with the power of space, killing the Demon Emperor wouldn't be difficult.
But all of that depended on him having a body of his own. And now, the chance to be reborn was close at hand!
While the three of them chatted, Lin Dong and the others had already followed Xuan Su into a dense forest.
Under Xuan Su's lead, Lin Dong and the others dismounted and leaped into the forest.
Avoiding the demonic beasts along the way, Lin Dong soon reached a mountaintop.
After leaping onto the summit, Lin Dong gave the two groups a cursory glance before turning his attention to a small pond beneath a nearby cliff. The water was extraordinary: one half bubbled constantly, while the other half gave off a chill.
"So this is the so-called Pill Immortal Pool?"
Lin Dong murmured softly, when a voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
"What you see on the surface is just the dregs. The real treasure lies at the bottom of this pool: three Yin Yang Pearls formed from exceptionally pure Yin Yang Qi. I only need one to form a body."
Cang Wu's words stirred Lin Dong's excitement. If even the dregs of the Pill Immortal Pool were so extraordinary, then the Yin Yang Pearls had to be even more precious. They should be enough to help him break through to the Primal Core Realm.
At that moment, urged on by the shirtless man across from them, a blood-red wolf's head tattooed on his arm, the contest for the Pill Immortal Pool officially began.
The first battle featured Xia Zhilan, who'd been trying to strike up a conversation with Lin Dong the whole way there. Her opponent was also a woman, named Yue Ling, and she was the daughter of Yue Shan, the burly man from earlier.
Xia Zhilan and Yue Ling seemed to have a history, and the moment the battle began, they fought fiercely.
Yue Ling's fiery-red whip cracked through the air like a blazing serpent, lashing again and again. The fiery-red sword in Xia Zhilan's hand was just as nimble, and she handled the attacks with ease.
As time passed, Yue Ling's attacks were repeatedly thwarted, and her momentum steadily waned. Xia Zhilan, meanwhile, fought with ever greater vigor.
Sure enough, before long, Xia Zhilan spotted an opening. She knocked the whip from Yue Ling's hand with a flick of her sword, then held the blade to Yue Ling's throat.
"First match, victory to the Wanjin Merchant Association!"
When the referee announced the result, Xia Zhilan lowered her sword. Noticing Lin Dong looking her way, she gave him a proud smile, as if to say, "You may be strong, but I, Xia Zhilan, am no pushover either."
Unfortunately, Lin Dong paid her little mind. Most of his attention was on the Pill Immortal Pool beside them. All he wanted was to win the contest as quickly as possible.
Yue Ling returned to the Blood Wolf Gang's ranks, still seething with indignation. A white-robed young man who looked somewhat like her stepped forward and called to the young man standing beside Lin Dong, who'd also been invited to take part.
"Liu Yi, you're up!"
Just as Liu Yi was about to accept the challenge, Lin Dong reached out to stop him. Liu Yi froze, while the others looked at Lin Dong in puzzlement.
Lin Dong ignored them and simply turned to Xuan Su, asking with a smile,
"Sister Su, let me take this match."
"Sure!"
Xuan Su agreed without a moment's hesitation. Beside her, Xia Wanjin, dressed in a luxurious brocade robe, frowned slightly at the sight, but didn't object. Instead, he chose to trust his capable sister-in-law.
Watching Lin Dong's back, Xia Wanjin couldn't help asking curiously,
"Xuan Su, he looks quite young. Yue Ling is in the late Heavenly Yuan Realm."
"Brother-in-law, don't you trust me?"
Xuan Su chuckled at his question, perfectly calm and clearly confident in Lin Dong. Xia Wanjin couldn't help feeling surprised.
"I trust your judgment, of course. It's just that he's so young—I can't help worrying."
"Brother-in-law, don't judge a genius by worldly standards. And don't mistake every scaly creature for a snake."
Seeing how highly Xuan Su thought of Lin Dong, Xia Wanjin grew curious too. He smiled and said,
"Then I'll have to see for myself what kind of flood dragon you've found."
"Maybe he's a true dragon."
Xuan Su murmured softly. Her gaze rested on Lin Dong, now filled with even greater anticipation.
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