Andrew's hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly, and he hesitated.
To be honest, he didn't want to see the Four Divine Beasts Clan at this moment. The Four Divine Beasts Clan had only recently fallen into the Infernal Realm and hadn't yet recovered from their former glory. Everyone in the clan still harbored an arrogant attitude, looking down on everyone even when facing the Eight Great Clans...
This is the root cause of the decline of the Four Divine Beasts Clan, but they clearly haven't realized it yet.
Only after ten thousand years of battles, witnessing the fall of elders one by one and the merciless slaughter of their descendants, will the proud Four Divine Beasts Clan begin to reflect and change.
Changing an individual is extremely difficult, let alone changing an entire family. If it weren't for the pressure from the Eight Great Clans, the Four Divine Beasts Clan would probably still be that domineering and tyrannical family. Even with external dangers, the Four Divine Beasts Clan would have to go through a trial before it could transform.
Andrew didn't believe he had the ability to change them.
and...
The war between the Four Divine Beasts Clan and the Eight Great Clans had only been going on for three hundred years, a period when both sides were at the height of their fighting spirit, and battles between elders were commonplace. The battles Linley experienced later were incomparable to those of now. After all, that was ten thousand years later, and both sides had suffered enormous losses, so they were more restrained in their attacks.
There was no other way. Over the course of ten thousand years, the Four Divine Beasts Clan lost two hundred elders, and the Eight Great Clans lost more than three hundred elders. No one could afford such a price.
At this point, even if Andrew returned to the Four Divine Beasts Clan, there would be very little he could do.
In terms of strength, he was merely a powerful Seven-Star Fiend, still quite a distance from Asura. In terms of seniority, even if he returned to the Four Divine Beasts Clan, he would be an outsider, incomparable to the elders who had grown up within the clan. Under such circumstances, he would not go back.
Andrew would only consider it if his strength reached the level of the chieftain of the Four Divine Beasts. With such strength, Andrew believed he could also change some things.
And this period of time will definitely not be long, at most a thousand years. It would be good for the Four Divine Beasts Clan to reflect during this thousand years, otherwise, given their style of doing things, they will offend more enemies sooner or later.
"I'll still meet him..." Andrew said finally, having made his decision.
The Emperor Wing Fiend nodded and Soul Transmission to his subordinate outside. Shortly after, the same subordinate who had entered earlier led a man in black robes into the castle. The man in black robes was tall and imposing, with sweeping, powerful movements, and appeared to be a bold and forthright individual.
Andrew stared at him, sensing a familiar presence emanating from him.
The aura of Azure Dragon!
Without a doubt, this person belongs to the Azure Dragon Clan.
"My name is Bernistan Redding, from the Azure Dragon Clan. Greetings, Lord City Lord, Elder Andrew." Bernistan bowed slightly to the two men, his face showing pride.
"You call me elder?" Andrew retorted.
"Excellent!" Bernistan exclaimed loudly. "Family rules dictate that any member who reaches the Seven-Star Fiend can become an elder. I witnessed your battle with the City Lord, and it's clear you possess the strength of an elder. Upon returning to the family, you will immediately become an elder."
Andrew shook his head and said, "At least, I'm not an elder now. Please call me by my name."
Bernistan didn't speak, but judging from his expression, he clearly hadn't taken Andrew's words to heart.
Andrew didn't dwell on this; it was just a form of address.
"How did you get to Emperor Wing City?" Andrew asked, as he didn't know much about the current situation of the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
"Fifty years ago, I and others were responsible for receiving our clansmen from the Zijing Continent as they returned to Yemu Prefecture. However, on the way back, we were ambushed by the Eight Great Clans. They dispatched a Seven-Star Fiend, whom we couldn't withstand, and we all fled. Later, after many twists and turns, I arrived in Emperor Wing City."
Bernistan Stein was in low spirits.
"However, it's fortunate that I got here. I never expected to run into you, Elder!"
Andrew glanced at him. This man was a typical member of the Four Divine Beasts Clan: proud and with a strong sense of family honor.
"Elder, the clan is currently engaged in a great battle with the Eight Great Clans, and this is precisely the time when we need to contribute our strength. Unfortunately, I am too weak to deal with the elders of the Eight Great Clans. However, you are different, Elder, you..."
"Wait!" Andrew interrupted him. "I'm not aware of what you're talking about, and I have no plans to visit the Four Divine Beasts Clan anytime soon."
"What?!" Bernistan exclaimed, "The patriarch has ordered that all members of the Four Divine Beasts Clan must arrive at Indigo Prefecture on the Blood Peak Continent as soon as possible!"
Andrew coldly replied, "First of all, I am no longer a member of the Four Divine Beasts Clan. Secondly, as I said, I don't plan to go anytime soon, but that doesn't mean I won't go in the future!"
Bernistan wanted to argue, but seeing Andrew's gaze, he calmed down.
"Elder, may I ask which branch of the lineage you belong to?"
Andrew shook his head and said, "I am not Azure Dragon Clan, but come from the Material Plane. However, due to a chance encounter, I fused with the Azure Dragon Essence Blood."
"Merge blood essence?" Bernistan Emperor Wing Fiend exclaimed simultaneously.
"That's right," Andrew readily admitted.
"Impossible!" Bernistan shook his head violently. "I can sense that the Azure Dragon aura on you is even purer than that of the elders in the family. This means that the concentration of your Azure Dragon Bloodline is extremely high. How could this be the result of fused blood essence?"
The Emperor Wing Fiend was even more astonished to see that Andrew didn't seem to be lying. In the Infernal Realm, fusing with the Divine Beast Essence Blood wasn't unheard of. On the contrary, many had experimented with it. Compared to ordinary life forms, Divine Beast had a far greater advantage.
However, after becoming a god, due to the limitations of the divine body, no one can fuse with the blood essence of other beings. The only way to fuse is in the Saint-level. Fusing with the Divine Beast Essence Blood in the Saint-level is a death sentence if it fails. Success does exist, but it is extremely rare. Moreover, not all Divine Beast are worth fusing with; there are only four divine beasts of the level of the Four Divine Beasts Divine Beast in this universe.
This is the first time the Emperor Wing Fiend has seen something like Andrew, achieved through the fusion of blood essence.
"Could this person be the favorite of the Overgod? His Soul Mutation, he has fused with the Mysteries of different Laws, and he has achieved such an effect by fusing with his essence blood..." The Emperor Wing Fiend looked at Andrew and felt that he was quite strange.
Bernistan quickly realized his lapse in composure. He knew that if what Andrew said was true, the other party's sense of belonging to the family was definitely not strong. If he tried to force it, he might only deepen the other party's resentment.
"Elder, why is your transformation golden?" Bernistan asked again.
"This must have mutated during the fusion of essence blood. However, it's a fact that I fused with the Azure Dragon Essence Blood. Sooner or later, I will go to the Four Divine Beasts Clan." Andrew had his own ideas and wouldn't be swayed by others. Besides, what he said was all true.
Bernistan breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this, and then said, "Then I'll go with the elder."
Andrew knew what the other was thinking, but he didn't say anything and simply agreed. Soon, the Emperor Wing Fiend arranged for someone to take Bernistan away. The two began to talk again, and finally, they each shared their cultivation insights.
The Emperor Wing Fiend truly lived up to his reputation as a powerful cultivator who had cultivated for countless years. Although limited by his aptitude, he was unable to reach a higher level, his research on the soul greatly inspired Andrew, especially his ultimate move, " Sword Ki Explosion," which even Andrew envied.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor Wing Fiend revealed the secret of " Sword Ki Explosion " to Andrew, for which he was extremely grateful.
Of course, such powerful techniques cannot be executed simply by knowing the secrets. Without comprehending the relevant Laws and possessing considerable talent, even Andrew could not unleash " Sword Ki Explosion." Just like Linley, without the Soul Stone, he could never have used " Blackstone Prison."
Even if he couldn't replicate this secret technique, Andrew still benefited greatly. After the banquet, he had a slight feeling about it and immediately went into seclusion.
" Soul Attack... that's my weakness."
Andrew vaguely understood that in terms of the soul, the strongest are life, fate, death, and Fire Element. Among the Mysteries of the Fire Element, there is a High-level Profound Mystery called " Soul Attack." This Mysteries is specifically designed to target the soul, and its power is no less than that of the Soul Attack of the three major rules. In fact, it may even surpass them in terms of strength.
Originally, Andrew couldn't grasp the profound mysteries of " Soul Attack," but after receiving Mysteries Emperor Wing Fiend's " Sword Ki Explosion " and hearing him explain the secrets of Soul Attack, Andrew began to understand. After three years of intensive training, he finally mastered the basics of " Soul Attack "!
"What an unexpected gain! I never imagined that a competition would allow me to comprehend another High-level Profound Mystery of the Fire Element!"
After mastering the Mysteries, Andrew emerged from seclusion. There are two major bottlenecks in comprehending the Mysteries: the initial stage and the final mastery. With Andrew's soul strength and comprehension ability, once he entered the initial stage, achieving the final mastery was actually much easier.