Chapter 111 Reincarnation

Blood rain fell from the sky of the Ancestral Dragon Great World.

Divine Marshal Pojun stood alone in the Void Realm, a look of astonishment and absurdity flashing in his eyes.

He knew the power of his strike just now. At seventy percent power, he only intended to force God-Venerable Lietian back, at most inflicting minor injuries so he would realize the danger and leave.

Who was God-Venerable Lietian? The Dragon Clan War God, whose Physical Body strength was renowned across the Three Thousand Great Worlds. Even if he went all out and used all his trump cards, killing God-Venerable Lietian would take three days and three nights, and would likely cost him half his life in the end.

How could he shatter at a single touch? Both his Origin and Divine Soul were simply gone?

Is this some kind of joke?

Pojun took a sharp breath.

His Divine Sense swept through the Void Realm below, confirming that not a single trace of life remained from God-Venerable Lietian.

"Something's wrong... something is definitely wrong!"

A chill rose in Pojun's heart.

The moment God-Venerable Lietian died, his Origin had vanished instantly. Within this Dragon Domain, there was a monster hidden that he could not comprehend at all.

Having been framed for the death of the Dragon Clan War God for no reason, Pojun felt as if a mountain were weighing on his chest, leaving him stifled.

He was silent for a while.

The shock and astonishment in his eyes slowly receded, replaced by a surge of bottomless Killing Intent.

Explain? Likely no one would believe him. If he spoke of this, others would only think Pojun was dodging responsibility and making excuses for his own arrogance.

He could not bear the weight of this blame.

If the Dragon Clan used this as a reason for war, he would be the sinner who ignited the conflict between the two races.

The only way was to ensure that what happened today left no witnesses.

Pojun slowly turned his head, looking down at the core region of the Ancestral Dragon Great World.

As long as he silenced all the witnesses here.

By crushing those tens of thousands of Dragon Clan elites, along with the Dragon Emperors and the Domain Lord, into bloody pulp.

When that happened, the Divine Court would naturally help him perfect the lie to protect him, shifting the blame for God-Venerable Lietian's death elsewhere.

"Blame only yourselves for seeing what you shouldn't have."

Pojun raised his right hand, his five fingers snapping open.

Boom—

The dark red Law of Slaughter gathered in the sky once more.

This time it was no probe; it was the Killing Intent of a Peak Divine Venerable, leaving no room for mercy.

The blood rain across a radius of ten million miles evaporated instantly, replaced by an illusion of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Countless wronged souls wailed within the dark red storm of Law.

"Die."

Pojun pressed his palm downward.

The Ancestral Dragon Great World trembled, the Laws of the Small World collapsing; on the plaza of the Longyuan Hall.

The Domain Lord and the Five Great Dragon Emperors had just barely recovered from the shock of God-Venerable Lietian's fall, and before they could even grieve, they felt a Killing Intent ten times more terrifying than before crashing down on them like the sky was falling.

The remaining patterns of the sect-protecting array shattered into powder the moment they touched the dark red Killing Intent.

Crack—

The heavy armor on the Dragon Clan elites was deformed by the pressure, and the sound of bones cracking echoed across the plaza.

Elites in the Immortal King Realm with lower cultivation coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

"He... he's going to silence us!"

Black Dragon Immortal Emperor's eyes nearly split open. "Madman! Pojun, you madman! Killing our Dragon Clan Divine Venerable wasn't enough, you want to massacre the city too?!"

Red Dragon Immortal Emperor roared, his flaming dragon wings having only half-opened before being snapped by the Killing Intent, blood spurting out.

The Domain Lord closed his eyes.

It was over.

When a Divine Venerable was determined to massacre a city, even they, as Immortal Emperors, didn't have the qualification to be cannon fodder.

Before the dark red palm print even landed, space was compressed to its limit, and they couldn't even self-detonate their Origins.

A trace of unwillingness flashed through his mind, and he involuntarily cast his Divine Sense toward the low Peak behind them.

...Why hasn't Senior acted yet?

Could this be Senior's final test for us? To see if we can maintain the Dragon Clan's backbone in the Face of death?

The Domain Lord gritted his teeth and forced a roar from his throat, "Disciples of the Dragon Clan, rather die than submit!"

"Rather die than submit!"

Tens of thousands of roars erupted.

Just then.

In the Void Realm where Divine Venerable Lietian had fallen, the color of the sky suddenly changed.

A vast, ancient will, as if traversing endless space, came crashing down!

Boom—!

The moment this will descended, time seemed to stop within the Ancestral Dragon Great World.

Even Pojun's dark red power of Law, which carried world-destroying force, was frozen in mid-air, unable to descend any further.

The Dragon God Domain Ancestor!

That old Dragon Clan monster, who was only half a step away from the God Emperor Realm, had sensed the death of his direct Bloodline, Divine Venerable Lietian, and had personally cast his gaze.

A pair of dark gold eyes looked coldly upon this world.

Every hair on Divine Marshal Pojun's body stood on end.

He felt as if his Divine Soul were pinned to the Void Realm by a freezing iron nail.

He had never felt such palpitations before!

"Half-step God Emperor..."

For the first time, fear flashed in Pojun's eyes.

He knew the Ancestor was strong, but he hadn't expected the Ancestor to have already taken that half-step!

Even if it was just a wisp of will cast across realms, it wasn't something a Divine Venerable like him could withstand. If he were completely locked by this will, forget silencing witnesses; he wouldn't even have a chance to escape and would surely die!

To hell with the blame and the silencing. If his life was gone, what use was Face!

Without a word, Pojun severed the Origin connection to that giant dark red palm.

Enduring the pressure of the Ancestor's will, he burned his Divine Venerable essence blood.

"Break—"

He roared, forcibly tearing open the spatial barrier.

Without pausing, Pojun turned into a dark red afterimage and plunged into the turbulent flow of the Void Realm, fleeing in a pathetic state.

He didn't even dare to leave a single parting word.

After Pojun fled, the vast Ancestor's will did not dissipate immediately.

It began to sweep through the Ancestral Dragon Great World like an airtight net, searching for the killer of God-Venerable Lietian.

At the same time, this will transformed into a faint golden light shield, protecting the Dragon Clan's core area, including the Dragon Clan high-levels in front of the Longyuan Hall who had been pressed to their knees and narrowly escaped death.

...

At this moment,

On the low Peak behind the Longyuan Hall.

Gu Heng had already set down the teacup in his hand.

He clearly felt the will that had descended across the realms.

"Hoh, beat the small one and the old one comes out."

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow.

Having just unexpectedly reached a Breakthrough to the Divine Venerable Realm because he was Passing By that unlucky Divine Venerable, he had no desire to Face an old "Half-step God Emperor" monster who had lived for countless eons.

It was a bit troublesome.

With a thought, the heaven-reaching tower appeared in his palm.

Buzz—

Grayish Chaotic Primordial Qi drifted down from the top of the heaven-reaching tower, covering the entire low Peak.

The aura was profound and mysterious, acting like an absolute shielding layer that wrapped Gu Heng and Lin Qingyue's auras, Karma, and even the traces of their existence layer by layer.

The two of them just sat on the bluestone, "invisible" right where they were.

The Ancestor's will swept past them millions of times like a violent storm, but it could only sense a void, as if there were only air and soil on this mountain.

Gu Heng leaned against the rock, watching the massive Ancestor's will sweep back and forth in the sky like a headless fly. Not only could it not find the killer, but it even diverted part of its power to become golden light to protect the Dragon Clan below.

Even better, it was this very will's descent that had scared Divine Marshal Pojun, who was about to start a massacre, into fleeing in terror.

Seeing this, the corners of Gu Heng's mouth curled up into a mischievous smile.

"Truly interesting."

If one day in the future this Dragon Ancestor learned the truth—that today, he had used his own will to drive away Pojun and personally protected the "enemy" who killed his direct descendant.

That scene would be quite a sight to behold.

The Ancestor's will swept through the Ancestral Dragon Great World several times.

Layer after layer of the Void Realm was overturned.

But nothing was found.

There were no residues of Laws from an attacker, no unusual aura fluctuations. It was as if God-Venerable Lietian had suddenly become a Mortal and then been slapped to death by Pojun.

Everything was eerie.

Finally,

That vast will, carrying a trace of doubt, slowly dissipated in the sky.

Gu Heng sat on the low Peak, unmoving.

Lin Qingyue glanced at him and said nothing.

Two breaths passed.

Gu Heng suddenly raised his hand and pressed down on the heaven-reaching tower he was about to retract. The Chaotic Primordial Qi tightened again, wrapping the two of them securely.

Lin Qingyue was puzzled.

Gu Heng didn't explain, but merely tilted his chin, gesturing for her to look at the sky.

Sure enough.

In the next instant.

In the sky, that vast Ancestor's will tore through the Void Realm again without warning and came crashing down!

It was fiercer and more urgent than before, like a giant net covering from above, overturning the entire Ancestral Dragon Great World once more.

It swept for a full half-cup of tea's time.

Then,

Once again, with deeper irritation, it slowly receded.

This time,

it had truly left.

Only then did Gu Heng put away the heaven-reaching tower, and the Chaotic Primordial Qi dispersed.

Leaning against the rock, he picked up the teacup, the corners of his mouth curving down slightly in a knowing smile.

"I knew it..."

As the Chaotic Primordial Qi vanished, the figures of the two were revealed once more.

He looked at his slender fingers, feeling the power within him like a sea of stars that seemed capable of crushing a realm at any moment, and a thought of testing it arose in his heart.

"Having just reached a Breakthrough to the Divine Venerable Realm, this power has increased a bit fast. My hands are actually quite itchy."

His gaze swept across the distant Dragon Domain, finding a piece of barren scorched earth far from the Longyuan Hall, where not a blade of grass grew and even birds wouldn't defecate.

There was nothing there, making it perfect for a target.

He raised his right hand, lightly snapping his index finger and thumb.

Zheng—

A wisp of almost invisible Origin Law flicked out from his fingertip.

The Law appeared weak, but it actually carried the supreme intent of creation and destruction of the Divine Venerable Realm.

Gu Heng originally only wanted to blast a small pit in the scorched earth to hear the sound.

But...

He had overestimated his control over this surging power.

"Oops, missed."

Gu Heng's mouth twitched.

After that wisp of Origin Law flew hundreds of thousands of miles, its trajectory deviated slightly due to the overflow of Divine Venerable power.

This slight deviation caused its landing point to sweep exactly beneath the Void Realm where Divine Venerable Lietian had just fallen.

Although God-Venerable Lietian's body and soul were destroyed, as a Divine Venerable, his unwilling, arrogant, and violent residual will still had a weak echo that hadn't completely dissipated in the Void Realm.

When Gu Heng's wisp of Origin Law, carrying the "Creation" attribute, swept past this residual will, a miraculous reaction occurred.

The Divine Venerable Origin's creative power wrapped around God-Venerable Lietian's unwilling will and fell straight into that barren scorched earth spanning millions of miles.

Sizzle...

A faint sound came from deep within the scorched earth.

After a while.

On the devastated black earth.

A blade of green grass sprouted from the ground.

This grass grew very fast, reaching half a foot in height in just a few breaths.

Its leaves were a dark cyan color, almost metallic, with edges as sharp as knives.

The most peculiar thing was its growth.

Upright.

Extremely upright.

Without the slightest bend.

The mountain wind swept across the scorched earth, blowing sand and stones everywhere, but the grass remained motionless.

It was like a peerless divine sword thrust into the soil, rather breaking than bending, as if an insufferable pride were etched into its very core.

...

This movement, though small, immediately caught the attention of the Dragon Clan high-levels who had just escaped death.

After all,

in this place where a Divine Venerable battle had just ended and Laws were in Chaos, the sudden emergence of a spark of life was too conspicuous.

The Domain Lord and the Five Great Dragon Emperors, dragging their injured bodies, immediately flew over the scorched earth.

They descended from the clouds,

and when they clearly saw that solitary yet upright green grass, they were all stunned.

Black Dragon Immortal Emperor stepped forward and carefully sent out a wisp of Divine Sense.

The moment he touched it, his whole body felt as if struck by lightning.

"This... this is..."

Black Dragon Immortal Emperor's voice trembled, his eyes wide. "Lord God-Venerable Lietian... it's Lord God-Venerable Lietian's Origin aura!"

"What?!"

The other Dragon Emperors were shocked and stepped forward to investigate.

It was true!

On the leaves of that grass, there was indeed a faint but absolutely pure trace of Divine Venerable Lietian's will!

That kind of violent, arrogant, unbending Dao charm—besides God-Venerable Lietian, no one else in the entire Dragon Domain possessed it!

The Domain Lord stared blankly at the grass.

In his mind, a flash of light suddenly struck like lightning.

He abruptly turned his head, looking toward the quiet low Peak in the distance.

Cause and effect instantly formed a circle in the Domain Lord's mind.

Thud!

The Domain Lord's knees buckled, and he knelt directly in front of the grass.

Hot tears rolled from his eyes, hitting the scorched earth.

"Senior's righteousness! Senior's righteousness is immense!!!"

The Domain Lord propped his hands on the ground and wailed loudly, his voice filled with shock and gratitude.

The Five Great Dragon Emperors were bewildered by the Domain Lord's sudden action.

"Domain Lord, what are you..."

Red Dragon Immortal Emperor asked in confusion.

"Don't you understand yet?!"

The Domain Lord looked up, Face covered in tears, pointing at the grass, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Pojun's strike just now was world-destroying; Lord God-Venerable Lietian should have had both body and soul annihilated, with not even a wisp of true spirit remaining!"

"It must be that Senior in white! It was Senior who, at the critical moment, secretly acted with a Divine Ability we cannot comprehend, deceiving the heavens to forcibly save a wisp of Lord God-Venerable Lietian's true spirit from Pojun's hands!"

The Domain Lord grew more excited as he spoke, as if he had witnessed that earth-shattering rescue with his own eyes.

"Senior did not wish to reveal his identity, which is why he allowed this wisp of true spirit to be reborn and recultivate on our Dragon Domain's soil in this manner! This is a monumental gift from Senior to our Dragon Clan!"

Once these words were spoken.

The Five Great Dragon Emperors seemed to wake up, taking a sharp breath.

Of course!

Besides that unfathomable Senior in white, who else in this world could have saved God-Venerable Lietian's true spirit under Pojun's very nose?

Who else could create something out of nothing and plant a spark of life carrying a Divine Venerable's will on this dead scorched earth?

"Senior... truly has profound intentions."

Golden Dragon Immortal Emperor was so moved his eyes reddened, and he knelt as well. "Senior not only didn't blame Lord God-Venerable Lietian for his offense but instead repaid grievance with kindness, giving him a chance at Rebirth. We cannot compare to such magnanimity!"

"No wonder Senior sat there so calmly before; everything was under his control!"

"Quick! Issue my decree!"

The Domain Lord stood up abruptly, wiped his tears, and his tone became very serious.

"Immediately order the subordinate Dragon Clans to gather the finest jade and spiritual soil in the Dragon Domain and build the highest-specification flowerbed right here on this scorched earth!"

"Enshrine this grass with the utmost care! From now on, this is the holy relic of my Dragon Clan, named—'Lietian Grass'!"

"Yes!"

The Five Great Dragon Emperors accepted the order in unison.

Red Dragon Immortal Emperor looked at the upright green grass in the wind and couldn't help but praise, "Look, this Lietian Grass remains motionless in such strong winds, standing proud. This is exactly the unyielding spirit of Lord God-Venerable Lietian!"

"Indeed! Even if he becomes a blade of grass, the backbone of our Dragon Clan War God will never bend!"

A group of Dragon Clan powerhouses surrounded a wild grass that Gu Heng had created by accident, tears in their eyes, moved to the extreme.

...

Meanwhile,

In the center of the Human Race territory of the Three Thousand Great Worlds.

The Divine Court.

The Void Realm rippled like water, and the figure of Divine Marshal Pojun stepped out of a spatial crack, appearing somewhat stiff.

He stood before the high steps of the Divine Court's Great Hall and stopped.

On his dark red battle armor, there were still marks of Laws carved while traversing the turbulent flow of the Void Realm.

Pojun took a breath of the rich Spiritual Qi in the Divine Court's center, trying to steady his breathing.

He looked up at the doors of the Great Hall, his heart beating faster than ever before.

On his way back, he had gone over all his explanations in his head hundreds of times, believing them to be airtight.

"Divine Venerable Lietian's state before death was problematic. The situation at the time was very eerie; the Origin Laws within him had already mysteriously drained before we even engaged. I suspect a terrifying third party hidden in the shadows acted secretly."

"My strike was only at seventy percent power; its strength absolutely could not kill a Divine Venerable of the same rank. There must be something fishy about this; the Dragon Clan's desire for war is purely making trouble out of nothing."

Pojun silently rehearsed this set of explanations in his heart.

He had even prepared himself for severe questioning by the Divine Court's high-levels, having his marshal's seal seized by the Law Enforcement Hall, or even being taken to the Heavenly Prison for interrogation.

After all, the one who died was the Dragon Clan's second-in-command, the War God God-Venerable Lietian!

At this sensitive time when the Divine Treasury was about to open and the relationship between the two races was as tense as could be, the weight of this blame was enough to crush any Divine Venerable to pieces.

"A blade to the neck whether I stretch it out or pull it back. So be it."

Pojun gritted his teeth, strode up the steps, and pushed open the heavy hall doors with force.

Creak—

The doors of the divine hall slowly opened to both sides.

Pojun had just stepped over the threshold, the words "Criminal General Pojun, here to report" hadn't even left his mouth...

The sight inside the hall made his entire body suddenly freeze.

There was no thunderous rage as he had imagined.

There were no blades or axes from the Law Enforcement Hall Elders held to his neck. There wasn't even a hint of a tense, interrogative atmosphere.

Quite the opposite.

As soon as the hall doors opened, an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a black Daoist robe, had already strode forward to meet him.

That was the Old Hall Master of Xuantian Hall, one of the most Senior Divine Venerables in the Divine Court; usually, even the Empress had to give him some Face.

At this moment,

This Old Hall Master's Face was flushed red, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were filled with excitement.

He walked up to Pojun in a few quick steps, and without giving Pojun a chance to speak, he directly reached out with a withered but powerful hand and slapped it heavily on Pojun's shoulder.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The armor on Pojun's shoulder clanged loudly.

"Brother Pojun! Beautifully done!!!"

The Old Hall Master's voice boomed like a bell, echoing through the hall. "One palm! With just one palm! You directly swatted that old scoundrel God-Venerable Lietian into oblivion! You've vented the resentment that's been weighing on my heart, and on our Xuantian Hall, for hundreds of thousands of years!"

Pojun stood frozen in place, his eyes slowly widening.

"...?"

He opened his mouth, but his brain had stopped working.

Before he could react, several elderly Divine Court Seniors also gathered around, each with an expression of immense satisfaction and relief on their Faces.

"Well said! That fellow God-Venerable Lietian was arrogant for so many years, relying on his thick skin and never respecting our Human Race. Today, he finally kicked a steel plate!" A Red-robed Elder stroked his beard and laughed loudly.

"I knew it!"

Another high-ranking official in charge of military affairs pointed at Pojun, his Face full of admiration. "Pojun usually doesn't act, but when he does, blood must be shed! Among so many of the new generation of Divine Venerables, you are the most patient. A silent bird that startles the world with its first song—you directly decapitated the enemy's great general. Magnificent! Truly magnificent!"

Hearing these compliments, Pojun only felt his scalp go numb.

It was over.

These old fellows had completely misunderstood.

They thought he had intentionally hidden his strength and deliberately killed God-Venerable Lietian to demonstrate the Divine Might of the Human Race.

If this reached the ears of the Dragon Clan, it would be like yellow mud falling into his pants—even if it wasn't shit, it would still be treated as such!

"No... no, Seniors, please hear me out."

Pojun's brow furrowed in anxiety as he hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands, trying to explain. "You've all misunderstood. God-Venerable Lietian's death was not my intention, nor was it by my power..."

"Oh, please!"

The Old Hall Master of Xuantian Hall laughed heartily and directly waved his hand to interrupt Pojun.

"I just love this about you, Pojun!"

The Old Hall Master looked at Pojun with an "I completely understand you" gaze and nodded in approval. "To have achieved such a world-shaking feat and yet remain so humble! If it were me back in my hot-headed youth, if I could swat God-Venerable Lietian to death with one palm, I would have sent the battle report to all Three Thousand Great Worlds and paraded through the streets with gongs and drums!"

Pojun was so anxious that sweat began to bead on his forehead. "Old Hall Master, I'm really not being humble, it's really..."

"Really incredible! We all understand, we all understand!"

The Old Hall Master patted his shoulder again, adopting the posture of a mentor. "True powerhouses never flaunt themselves. Keeping a low profile is the most impressive way to show off. I truly admire your Heart-Nature!"

Pojun: "..."

He took a deep breath, suppressing the irritation in his heart.

He couldn't follow their logic anymore; he had to change the angle and explain the bizarre situation at the time.

"Old Hall Master, everyone. The truth is that God-Venerable Lietian's state before his death was very problematic. It seemed like he was first..."

"Well said!"

The white-haired, Red-robed Elder nearby slammed his hand onto the side table, shouting his approval.

Pojun was startled, and his words were forced back down.

"What does it mean to judge the situation? This is exactly it!"

The Red-robed Elder looked around, pointing at Pojun as he loudly analyzed for his colleagues, "That brute God-Venerable Lietian had nothing but brute force and cultivation, but he didn't know how to restrain himself. And what do we call what Brother Pojun did? It's called identifying the enemy's weakness first, and then striking with thunderous force while his state was problematic—when his old strength was spent and new strength had yet to arise—to kill him in one blow!"

He turned his head, his gaze toward Pojun full of fanatical praise. "This isn't just about brute force; it's about strategy! Look, everyone, he's not just a God of War, he's a born leader! This is truly a blessing for our Divine Court, a blessing for the Human Race!"

"Brilliant! I feel inferior compared to Brother Pojun's tactical acumen!"

"As expected of the Divine Marshal Pojun who leads the armies of the Divine Court—crushing the spirit and delivering a fatal blow!"

Another round of agreement and praise echoed around them.

Pojun closed his eyes.

He felt more stifled in his chest now than when he was in the Dragon Domain.

He clearly wanted to say that a third party had intervened, but they had stubbornly interpreted it as "tactical strategy" and "precision strikes"?

He couldn't let them keep talking!

Pojun snapped his eyes open, took a deep breath, and decided that this time, he would not stop for anything until he finished speaking.

He straightened his back and said clearly, his voice low and deliberate:

"Everyone. What I mean is, Divine Venerable Lietian did not die by my hand. At that time, there seemed to be another terrifying, unknown force present. I just happened to strike a palm down, and he shattered!"

As his voice fell,

The boisterous noise in the hall suddenly ceased.

The entire hall fell into a dead silence that lasted for three breaths.

Everyone stared at Pojun.

Pojun let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.

They finally understood, right? They finally knew the severity of the situation? Now, quickly discuss a countermeasure and prepare to handle the Dragon Clan's inquiry!

Just when Pojun thought he had finally explained himself clearly,

The Old Hall Master of Xuantian Hall turned his head, and his eyes were actually slightly moist.

He let out a deep sigh to his colleagues,

"Everyone, do you see?"

"He does not boast of his achievements, nor does he claim the glory for himself!"

"To keep the Divine Court from standing out too much and to avoid provoking a counterattack from the Dragon Clan, he actually tried to push such a great achievement away! He even went as far as to invent an 'unknown force' to downplay his own battle record!"

The Old Hall Master wiped the corners of his eyes, walked up to Pojun, and gave a deep bow.

"I have lived for so many years and weathered countless eras, yet this is the first time I have seen a junior with such a sense of the big picture and such humility. Pojun, please accept my bow!"

"Brother Pojun is truly noble!"

The other Elders were also moved, and they all cupped their hands in salute toward Pojun.

Pojun: "..."

He stared blankly at the group of high-ranking Divine Court officials bowing before him, his mouth hanging open for a long time.

Just let it all be destroyed...

Explaining was completely futile.

At that moment,

From deep within the hall, another Divine Court Elder who usually sat in the center and rarely spoke finally spoke up.

"Alright, alright, Pojun. When I first entered service, I was just like you. Young people are afraid of being in the spotlight, I understand."

"However, an explanation? There's nothing to explain. God-Venerable Lietian died under your palm; that is a solid result known to all the worlds. The Divine Court is proud of you!"

"Today, let's not talk about anything else. You have achieved such illustrious military merit; what is wrong with rewarding you accordingly? Someone, bring a seat!"

Pojun opened his mouth.

"I..."

He glanced at the Old Hall Master's "I understand you" gaze.

He glanced at the Red-robed Elder's fanatical "you truly have strategy" look.

He looked around,

The hall was filled with admiring gazes, and every old Face was written with "Aren't you being too humble?" and "Stop pretending, we all know you're strong."

Pojun slowly closed his mouth.

In his mind, a tiny version of himself was sighing toward the heavens, shedding tears of despair.

It seemed...

This scapegoat was firmly welded to his back, and not even a crack could be pried open.

...

Meanwhile,

On the other side, in the Dragon God Domain's Chaos Main Hall.

The atmosphere was the complete opposite of the Divine Court's joy; it was like a volcano about to erupt.

The news that Divine Venerable Lietian's Soul Lamp had been extinguished swept through the entire ancestral land like a hurricane.

Dozens of God Lord Realm powerhouses of the Dragon Clan and several reclusive Dragon Clan Divine Venerables were all gathered in the Chaos Main Hall at this moment.

In the hall,

The crowd was furious, and the Killing Intent had almost solidified.

Bang!

A young Dragon Prince from God-Venerable Lietian's lineage even had bloodshot eyes from glaring.

"Ancestor!!"

The Dragon Prince wailed toward the heavens, "Lord God-Venerable Lietian was the God of War of our Dragon Clan! He expanded our borders and performed great feats! Now, he has actually been swatted to death by that old human scoundrel Pojun, right at our own doorstep!"

"What a humiliation! This is a supreme humiliation!"

The Dragon Prince kowtowed heavily, the sound echoing. "If this debt is not repaid, what Face does our Dragon Clan have to stand in the Three Thousand Great Worlds? How will the myriad races look at us? They will only see us as a bunch of spineless weaklings who can be slaughtered at will!"

"Please, Ancestor, grant permission!"

The Dragon Prince looked up, "Let me lead the troops and, at all costs, slaughter our way into the Divine Court! I will personally take Pojun's head to offer as a sacrifice to Lord God-Venerable Lietian's soul!"

"We request war!!!"

"We request war!!!"

Following the Dragon Prince's roar, the other high-ranking Dragon Clan members all stepped forward and echoed him in unison.

The entire hall shook from the waves of sound calling for war.

Every Dragon Clan member was murderous, wishing they could immediately tear up the ceasefire agreement signed years ago and launch a world-destroying total war against the Human Race.

Deep within the hall,

Chaotic mist swirled.

The Ancestor's dark golden eyes, as large as stars, slowly lit up and swept across the room.

The pressure in that gaze caused the boiling hall to suddenly quiet down.

In his heart, the Ancestor was also beyond furious.

He had personally felt Pojun's Killing Intent through his will. In his view, this was a blatant provocation from the Human Race.

However,

He understood the current situation better than any other dragon present.

The Divine Treasury!

That peerless Divine Treasury, which determined whether he could take that final half-step and achieve the true God Emperor Realm, was less than a year away from opening.

At this critical juncture, if a full-scale war broke out with the Human Race because of God-Venerable Lietian's death, they would inevitably be bogged down. Not only would it consume the Dragon Clan's foundation, but it was even more likely to allow other predatory major races to benefit from their conflict.

More importantly, the state of that Human Empress had always been a mystery.

This was very likely a trap deliberately set by the Empress to lure him into acting prematurely, thus sabotaging his Divine Treasury scheme that he had prepared for several eras.

"We must not act rashly."

The Ancestor spoke slowly.

"The opening of the Divine Treasury is imminent; this is the greatest turning point for my Dragon Clan in a million years. Starting a war now would play right into the Empress's hands."

"We will remember this debt. Once I return from the Divine Treasury and step into the God Emperor Realm... I will personally crush the Human Divine Court into dust. As for Pojun's life, let him keep it on his shoulders for now."

The Dragon Prince of God-Venerable Lietian's lineage suddenly looked up, his Face full of unwillingness. "But Ancestor, are we just going to..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

The Ancestor's dark golden eyes narrowed slightly, and a wave of pressure slammed directly onto the Dragon Prince.

The Dragon Prince let out a muffled groan and was pressed to the ground, the rest of his words forced back down his throat.

Although the high-ranking members of the Dragon Clan felt so stifled they were about to explode, with nowhere to vent their rage, they could only grit their teeth and swallow their resentment in the Face of the Ancestor's absolute authority.

In this extremely oppressive atmosphere,

In a corner of the hall,

A Dragon Clan Elder Tianji, wearing an Eight Trigrams Daoist Robe with his eyes slightly closed, suddenly had his eyebrows twitch violently.

His originally withered hands emerged from his sleeves.

His fingers moved rapidly in divination, and the profound Law of Heavenly Secrets around him rippled like water.

"Hmm?"

A moment later,

The Elder Tianji snapped his eyes open.

There was no sadness in his gaze, only a sense of extreme suspicion and disbelief.

"No... something's not right!"

The Elder Tianji's voice trembled, breaking the silence in the hall. "Ancestor! Everyone! Although Divine Venerable Lietian's Life Lamp has gone out... his true spirit has not completely dissipated!"

"What!?"

As soon as these words were spoken,

The hall broke into an uproar.

The Dragon Prince, who had been grief-stricken just a moment ago, suddenly looked up, his eyes bursting with the light of wild joy.

"I knew it!"

The Dragon Prince leaped up, "Lord God-Venerable Lietian was a God of War! With his Saintly Physical Body, how could he possibly be so easily swatted to death, body and soul!"

Everyone swarmed forward, asking questions all at once:

"Elder! The true spirit is still there? Where?"

"Quickly deduce it! Do we need to send people to the Lower Realm to retrieve him?"

"As long as the true spirit remains, even if it's just a sliver, we can use the clan's entire foundation to help him reshape his golden body!"

Surrounded by the crowd, the Elder Tianji's expression became very strange.

He looked at his trembling fingers, hesitating to speak. "This... the hexagram shown by the heavenly secrets is very obscure. I... I need to perform a deeper deduction to confirm the specific state of the Lord."

"Then hurry up and deduce it!"

The Dragon Prince was so anxious he stomped his feet.

The Elder Tianji took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

This time,

He utilized his Origin Power.

His fingers moved faster and faster, almost turning into a blur. The surrounding void emitted crackling sonic booms.

As the deduction went deeper,

Large drops of cold sweat began to pour from the Elder Tianji's forehead.

His expression was like he was watching a very absurd silent play.

From the initial surprise of discovering the true spirit, it slowly turned into confusion.

His brow furrowed tighter and tighter, and confusion turned into bewilderment. By the end, his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Whoosh!

The Elder Tianji snapped his eyes open.

His gaze was hollow, as if he had seen some terrifying or ridiculous scene that completely overturned his million-year worldview.

"Elder?"

Seeing the Elder Tianji's "seeing a ghost" expression, the Dragon Prince's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly pressed, "Where exactly is Lord God-Venerable Lietian? Is he suffering from an incurable injury? Speak up!"

The Elder Tianji fell silent.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes in the hall stared intently at him.

After a long time,

The Elder Tianji finally swallowed hard and spoke in a difficult, hesitant tone:

"Divine Venerable Lietian... indeed did not completely die. He... has been reincarnated."

"That's great!" The Dragon Prince pumped his fist in excitement.

"However..."

The Elder Tianji spoke with difficulty, "The form he has reincarnated into... seems... a bit... strange."

"Strange?"

The Dragon Prince was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively. "Oh! As long as he's alive, what does it matter if he's a bit strange? Is his dragon body damaged, missing a limb? Or has his cultivation fallen below the Immortal Realm?"

The Dragon Prince thumped his chest and guaranteed, "It's no big deal! As long as the true spirit is still there and he returns to the ancestral land, with the Ancestor's protection and countless Heaven And Earth Treasures, he can just cultivate again! Even if he starts as a Mortal Dragon, with the Lord's talent, he'll return to the Peak sooner or later!"

Looking at the confident Dragon Prince, the Elder Tianji's mouth twitched as if he were about to have a stroke.

As if making a great resolution, he closed his eyes and, with an expression of facing death, squeezed the words out from between his teeth:

"No."

"It's not just that his cultivation has plummeted... he has almost no cultivation at all, even worse than a Mortal Beast."

The Elder Tianji's voice was faint, "And his form... is not a dragon. Nor is it a human, nor a Yao Beast."

"He has reincarnated into..."

"A blade of grass."

As soon as these words were spoken, the dragons looked at each other.

"???"

Inside the hall.

There was a deathly silence.

All the high-ranking members of the Dragon Clan froze in place.

The wild joy that had been on the Dragon Prince's Face just a second ago instantly froze, his expression twisting into a very interesting, comical shape.

A cold wind blew through the hall from outside.

The Dragon Prince's mouth hung wide open, his jaw almost hitting the floor.

He stared blankly at the Elder Tianji and blinked.

"El... Elder."

The Dragon Prince stuttered, feeling as if his brain stem was shriveling,

"What... did you say?

What do you mean... our Dragon Clan's magnificent God of War, Divine Venerable Lietian... has reincarnated into a blade of grass?"