Inference

Zhu Kun listened in silence. His enormous dragon body no longer trembled with excitement; instead, it radiated a silence that filled one with heart palpitations.

Within his immense dragon eyes, emotions surged and shifted violently.

There was towering fury at the three Dragon Kings for splitting the clan apart! Traces of Dragon Might leaked out uncontrollably, causing even the surrounding dark space to warp slightly!

There was a sliver of comfort at East Dragon Island's unwavering loyalty!

There was immense delight that Zi Yan had actually obtained the heaven-defying opportunity of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit!

But more than anything, there was deeper self-reproach and guilt, flooding in like a tide!

He seemed to see that it was precisely his disappearance that had caused the clan to split apart and fall into endless internal strife; precisely his absence that had left his daughter in possession of such a supreme treasure yet afraid to return to the clan, forcing her to follow a human kid through countless perils to this Deadly Land in search of her unworthy father...

The little blame and resentment he had held toward Lin Ming now seemed so pale and powerless before this cruel reality—almost laughable.

Not a trace of blame for Lin Ming remained! All that remained was boundless gratitude! Gratitude that, despite the clan's chaos, Lin Ming had still chosen to protect Zi Yan and had done everything possible to bring her to his side! Gratitude that he had brought the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, the hope of restoring the dragon clan's former glory!

"Ah..."

A long, heavy sigh, as though bearing ten thousand years of solitude and guilt, slowly echoed through the dark space.

When Zhu Kun's enormous dragon eyes looked towards Lin Ming again, they were already filled with complex emotions beyond words.