A one-armed elder appeared in the air, emanating a terrifying pressure that seemed to crush those below. The focus of this intense aura was Long Chen, who stood calmly with Evilmoon in hand, staring coldly at his new opponent. Black qi began to seep slowly from Evilmoon.

This elder was Long Zaiye. At this moment, startled cries erupted from the Long clan’s disciples; they hadn’t expected Long Zaiye to appear here.

Long Zaiye immediately locked onto Long Chen and unleashed a palm strike, not giving Long Chen any chance to dodge. Long Zaiye’s intention was clear: to kill Long Chen.

Sensing Long Zaiye’s killing intent, Long Chen accumulated his dragon blood energy. Just as he was about to ignite that power, an icy-faced woman appeared in front of Long Zaiye.

“Heavens!”

The eyes of the Long clan’s disciples bulged as they recognized her. She was the third Heavenly Saint, Long Qianxue. After all, even inner disciples of the Long clan rarely saw any of the four Heavenly Saints.

“What are you doing?!” demanded Long Zaiye furiously.

“What do you think?”

Long Zaiye clenched his teeth upon hearing Long Qianxue’s response. Clearly, Long Qianxue had come to stop him, but he couldn’t fathom why she would go against him to protect an outsider like Long Chen. Despite his frustration, Long Zaiye refrained from voicing his thoughts. He gritted his teeth and sat down on the spectator stands. The surrounding Long clan disciples hurriedly distanced themselves from him, leaving him in a wide-open space.

Seeing that Long Zaiye had stopped, Long Qianxue turned to Long Chen. Her tone was cold and probing as she questioned, “Why have you come here?”

Long Chen narrowed his eyes, perplexed by the question. “Why? Can I not come here?”

Long Qianxue’s gaze remained chilly as she replied, “I asked the same question to your father. He said that he came to take what’s rightfully his. It seems that your goal is different.”

Long Chen was puzzled by Long Qianxue’s statement. He still didn’t understand her meaning, but before he could ask further questions, she disappeared abruptly.

“Take what’s rightfully his?” Long Chen repeated to himself, still grappling with confusion. His father had never come here before. What could he be claiming as his own?

“Actually, your goal in coming here is also to claim what should be yours,” mentioned the Earth Cauldron at this time.

“What? But I barely have any connection with the Long clan,” Long Chen asked, still not comprehending.

“This place is the Long clan’s territory, and you are from the Long clan. How can you say that you have no connection with them?” asked the Earth Cauldron.

“But I’ve never done anything for the Long clan. How could I take their things?” retorted Long Chen.

“Do the items in the Phoenix Cry Empire belong to the imperial family or the commoners? Does the Martial Heaven Alliance belong to Qu Jianying or the people on the continent? The Long clan’s ancestors left behind their treasures for their descendants, to rejuvenate the human race, yet their descendants use them to curry favor with their enemies. They have long since forgotten their ancestral teachings. However, the Long clan’s blood also flows in you, and you have always been fighting for the human race. Why wouldn’t you have a right to take back what belongs to you?” explained the Earth Cauldron.

Long Chen was stunned. Now, he felt like he understood the question that had been nagging him all this time. Why had his father visited this cold and uncaring clan? Now with the Earth Cauldron’s speech, Long Chen felt enlightened.

“I can’t say some things of my own initiative, but your father’s words are essentially a hint for you, so I can explain it. Do you still feel conflicted about this?” asked the Earth Cauldron.

“I understand. Many thanks, senior,” replied Long Chen.

Although Long Chen didn’t know what secrets the Long clan had, with the Earth Cauldron’s reminder, he truly felt foolish. Even his father had come here to take what was rightfully his, so why did Long Chen have to reject it? Did he have more pride than his father, or did he not trust his father?

Clearly, Long Zhantian knew far more than Long Chen, but he hadn’t shared anything. He must have had his reasons. He had left behind so many hints for Long Chen, but Long Chen took a long time to understand their meaning.

If it weren’t for Long Qianxue, Long Chen still wouldn’t have understood. Everything in the Long clan’s possession existed thanks to the contributions of their ancestors, not just the efforts of its present members.

As a descendant of the Long clan, Long Chen had a rightful claim to what his ancestors had left behind. Did he need to be courteous to take back what his ancestors had left for him? Did he need to be embarrassed? Naturally, he did not.

As for the secrets the Earth Cauldron was still keeping from him, Long Chen didn’t ask. Although he was curious, he knew that, just like his father, the Earth Cauldron would only say what it could. If it couldn’t say it, there was no point in asking.

Thinking of that, Long Chen instantly felt much more relaxed. It was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. A slight smile even appeared on his face.

“Hey, you old fogey!” shouted Long Chen suddenly as he turned to Long Zaiye.

In return, Long Zaiye glared at Long Chen darkly but remained silent.

“Is Long Qingyun following your instructions? Was his increased cultivation base and new weapon thanks to you?” asked Long Chen.

“Shut your mouth! What are you trying to say?!” shouted Long Zaiye.

Long Zaiye hated Long Zhantian to the bone. Seeing Long Chen’s face, Long Zaiye felt like Long Zhantian was standing in front of him. The humiliation of having his arm cut off and his foundation broken made him want to tear Long Chen to pieces. If it weren’t for Long Qianxue, he would have killed Long Chen, no matter the cost.

Even if Long Zhantian came back to kill him, he’d feel it was worth it. In any case, as long as he could make Long Zhantian suffer, he was willing to do anything.

“I will suggest that you prepare the next item. For example, a coffin!” sneered Long Chen.

Long Chen could tell that Long Zaiye had a special relationship with Long Qingyun from the trace of Long Zaiye’s aura lingering on Long Qingyun. Moreover, it wasn’t a bloodline connection.

It seemed Long Qingyun’s rapid cultivation growth was due to Long Zaiye using his heaven vein energy to boost him. Thus, part of Long Zaiye’s aura lingered on Long Qingyun.

The fact that Long Zaiye sacrificed his dragon vein energy to help Long Qingyun proved that their relationship was far from ordinary.

“Is the coffin for Long Ziwei?” sneered Long Zaiye.

“You’ll know soon enough.” Long Chen smiled, his expression even more savage than Long Zaiye’s.

At that moment, the martial stage’s barrier activated. Two figures appeared simultaneously on top of it: Long Ziwei and Long Qingyun. The tension in the air was palpable, and everyone’s heart instantly tensed.