"I... Zhu Kun!"
As the Purple Gold Giant Dragon's voice fell.
The entire East Dragon Island instantly sank into dead silence. Everyone's expressions froze, their faces filled with disbelief.
No one knew how long passed.
When they finally came to their senses.
The North Dragon King's shrill voice, brimming with disbelief, suddenly echoed through heaven and earth. "Old Dragon Emperor Zhu Kun, how is this possible... How can you still be on the continent?"
"Fake! You must be fake!"
"I refuse to believe it!"
At this moment, it was not only the North Dragon King whose face was full of disbelief. The South Dragon King and West Dragon King were the same, their eyes containing not only shock, but endless regret and... despair!
In stark contrast to the Three Dragon Kings' expressions.
The many powerhouses of East Dragon Island gazed at the colossal figure in the void. Quite a few clansmen waved their arms in excitement, while some even knelt in the air and cheered.
"Old Dragon Emperor!"
"Heavens, You've finally returned! Dragon Island is saved..."
"..."
Amid countless cries of astonishment.
The Heaven-Veiling Purple Gold Giant Dragon swayed and transformed into the Old Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan—Zhu Kun, a burly man with long purple-gold hair and an imposing face.
Whoosh!
With a step from Zhu Kun, he instantly appeared before Zi Yan.
Looking at Zi Yan's lovely face, Zhu Kun's eyes were filled with tenderness. "You look so much like your mother... Child, I am your father."
Upon hearing this.
Zi Yan's expression immediately became complicated.
The restless Bloodline Power within her and that unfamiliar sense of closeness confirmed that Zhu Kun standing before her was indeed her father.
She wanted very much to acknowledge him.
But when she thought of all those lonely years she had endured alone.
Only after meeting Xiao Yan had she gradually begun to experience having friends.
Zi Yan felt her nose sting. She forcefully held back the grievance in her heart and the disappointing tears in her eyes, then stubbornly turned her head away and snorted. "I'm an orphan. I have no father and no mother!"
Seeing this.
Zhu Kun reached out and wiped away the tears that were about to fall from the corners of Zi Yan's eyes. He softly said, "This is the first time you've cried since you were born..."
Upon hearing this.
Zi Yan abruptly raised her slightly reddened eyes. "How do you know this is my first time crying?"
Zhu Kun said, "Because before you returned to Dragon Island, I had people protecting you at your side. Every so often, he would report your situation to me."
"???"
As Zi Yan's face filled with shock.
Zhu Kun slowly turned around and said, "I'll explain the details after your father deals with the traitors in the clan."
As his words fell.
His figure flickered, appearing before the North Dragon King, who was frozen in the void and unable to move. Zhu Kun's eyes were icy as he said, "While I was absent, you not only split apart my Ancient Void Dragon Clan, but even dared to harm my daughter. Your crimes... deserve death!"
As he spoke.
Under the North Dragon King's furious gaze.
Zhu Kun slowly extended a finger and tapped the center of his brow.
Then, the North Dragon King's consciousness instantly plunged into endless darkness. Afterward, the South Dragon King, West Dragon King, and every Dragon Clan member from East Dragon Island who had acted and broken through to Dou Saint strength after the Heavenly Dao Blessing all had their souls erased by Zhu Kun.
For Zhu Kun, who had reached the Late Nine-star Dou Saint realm thousands of years ago, dealing with these Four-star Dou Saints was as easy as turning over his hand.
After finishing this.
He took out a pile of Black Beads from his Storage Ring.
Walking up to Zi Yan, he said, "Child, drip your blood onto them. Once these Dou Saint bodies fuse with the Black Beads, they will become Puppets under your control and retain their cultivation from when they were alive."
Upon hearing this.
Zi Yan dazedly dripped her blood onto the Black Beads.
Seeing this, Zhu Kun flicked his hand and shot all the beads into the bodies of the North Dragon King and the other Dou Saints.
For a time.
Strange light flickered across the bodies of the North Dragon King and the other Dou Saints.
In less than a moment, the Dou Saint powerhouses such as the North Dragon King, whose souls had been erased, all came back to life under the astonished gazes of East Dragon Island's people.
However, unlike before their deaths, their pupils were now hollow and vacant.
And Zi Yan felt...
That with a single thought, she could control their life and death and command them.
Just as the East Dragon Island powerhouses were stunned by Zhu Kun's heaven-defying methods.
Zhu Kun addressed several elders. "All right, the masterminds have all been dealt with. You handle the remaining matters."
After saying that.
With a thought.
Zhu Kun brought Zi Yan back to the Dragon Emperor Hall on East Dragon Island.
The moment they returned to the Dragon Emperor Hall, Zi Yan impatiently asked Zhu Kun, "What did you mean earlier? Where have you been all these years? Why didn't you send word back to the clan?"
Faced with Zi Yan's string of questions.
Zhu Kun slowly said, "Thousands of years ago, after I broke through to the Late Nine-star Dou Saint realm, I left the clan to seek a method to break through to Dou Emperor. In the end, I was accidentally trapped in Tou She Ancient God's tomb and could not escape..."
"Finally, Lord Ice Emperor Lin Yuan saved me. After being rescued, I learned of the crisis facing the Dou Qi Continent. Then, I decided to join the Seven Star Palace and became the Hall Master Kai Yang. Together with my lord, I guarded the Dou Qi Continent and resisted the Flame Demon Clan's invasion..."
"These years, I could not leave because I needed to guard the Spatial Channel... So after you were born, I could only arrange for people to protect you and secretly watch you a few times..."
After hearing Zhu Kun's explanation.
Zi Yan instinctively said, "I don't understand. With your strength, you clearly had the ability to keep me by your side. Why did you leave me alone in the Black Corner Region?"
"First, I did not want you to be surrounded by the dangers of war from the moment you were born."
"Second, my lord said that you are the Seven Star Palace's Second Generation Wu Qu Kai Yang Star. You need to train alone on the Dou Qi Continent and break through to Dou Saint before returning to the Seven Star Palace to take part in the battle against the Flame Demon Clan."
Upon hearing this.
Zi Yan instinctively said, "I never said I wanted to be some Second Generation Kai Yang!"
Zhu Kun had long expected Zi Yan's answer, so he said calmly, "Xiao Yan is the Seven Star Palace's Second Generation Tian Shu. Besides him, the few people close to you also have Second Generation inheritor positions."
Upon hearing that Xiao Yan was also a Second Generation inheritor.
Zi Yan's eyes immediately lit up.
Then she said quietly, "Since Xiao Yan is one too, I'll reluctantly agree..."
Upon hearing this.
Zhu Kun, who had easily won Zi Yan over, slightly raised the corners of his mouth. "In that case, prepare yourself and return to the Seven Star Palace with me first."
"Let those Dou Saint Puppets guard Dragon Island for now."
"After my lord returns from the Flame Demon Battlefield, we'll move Dragon Island into the Kai Yang Hall Space."
"Fine!"
While Zhu Kun was Settling Accounts with Dragon Island.
The Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking also announced the information for fifth place in the Family Ranking.
[Family Ranking fifth place: Central Continent—Lei Clan] [Reason for being on the list: Lei Clan, one of the Dou Qi Continent's 'Eight Ancient Clans,' resides within the Central Continent's 'Lei Realm'; The clan possesses Dou God Bloodlines, specializes in lightning-attribute cultivation methods, and is unmatched in offense; Clan Chief Lei Ying possesses Late Eight-Star Dou Saint cultivation. The clan also has several Dou Saint Elders and numerous powerhouses. Its foundation is profound, and in the overall rankings, it places fifth on the Family Ranking.] [Reward for making the list: Two Heavenly Grade High-level Cultivation Methods and two Heaven-tier Intermediate Legacy Secret Techniques.] [All Lei Clan members will increase by one star.] [Six portions of Nine-grade Dou God Bloodline Origin for the Lei Clan. (Those who fuse with the origin will possess Dou Saint potential and encounter no bottlenecks before Dou Venerable)] [May claim one Black Demon Lightning.] [Special reward: All Lei Clan members' Bloodline Concentration will increase by one grade, or choose one of two options (reward visible only to the clan chief).]
Before you continue