Chen Nan felt a bit embarrassed.
He had revealed his connection with Qinglong primarily to bridge the gap between himself and the Qinglong tribe, aiming to foster a more harmonious relationship. However, it seemed that despite their reverence for Qinglong, their bond wasn't as cordial as he had imagined.
Long Yuan glared at Chen Nan, pointing towards the exit. "Get out of our tribe! We don't welcome anyone connected to Qinglong!"
The Nine-Headed Fire Lion roared in fury, "Old man, how dare you disrespect my boss? Are you asking for trouble?"
Although the Bull God remained silent, he unleashed a powerful demonic aura.
Sensing the escalating tension, Feng Kui quickly interjected, "Daoist Long Yuan, what exactly happened? Why are you so enraged?"
Long Yuan shot Chen Nan another glare and said angrily, "Why am I so enraged? Hmph! If the Divine Dragon Ancestor hadn't gone into seclusion back then, do you think Qinglong would have had the right to be one of the Four Divine Beasts?"
"It became a Four Divine Beast through despicable means. That position rightfully belonged to the Divine Dragon Ancestor."
Chen Nan's eyes were filled with curiosity, surprised to learn of such a past event. Yet, based on his understanding of Qinglong, while the latter could be a bit lecherous, he wouldn't stoop to taking advantage of someone's misfortune. There might be more to this story.
Feng Kui wore a wry smile, realizing Long Yuan's hatred for Qinglong stemmed from this incident. As the saying goes, "Dragons have nine sons, and each is different." The dragon race had numerous branches, and Qinglong was merely a formidable fighter among them. There were many in the dragon race far stronger than Qinglong.
"I've heard some of the old stories!" Feng Kui said. "Actually, Qinglong Senior isn't to blame for that incident."
"When the Divine Realm was selecting the Four Divine Beasts, the Divine Dragon Ancestor had expressed his aspirations. His goal was to become stronger, to reach the level of Dragon Ancestor. That's why he chose to go into seclusion during the selection of the Four Divine Beasts. He knew of Qinglong Senior's ambition. He became a Divine Beast truly wanting to protect the Three Realms."
Long Yuan retorted, "Even if what you say is true, why did Qinglong, after becoming a Divine Beast, come to our tribe and force us to change our name? Why did he make us betray the Divine Dragon Ancestor?"
Recalling this still ignited his anger. He was just a child then. He had seen his grandfather, the tribal chief, weeping alone late at night, blaming himself for his inadequacy. After that, the Divine Dragon Tribe was renamed the Qinglong Tribe. It was at that moment that Long Yuan harbored a hatred for Qinglong.
Feng Kui offered his perspective, "I don't believe Qinglong Senior's request for you to change your name was wrong. And you shouldn't hold a grudge against him because of it. If I remember correctly, the Heavenly Court had just been established. The Divine Realm was home to countless races and powerful tribes, and even the Heavenly Court was powerless against them. With the Divine Dragon Ancestor in seclusion, your tribe lost its strongest backing. If you didn't seek a new protector, do you think your tribe could have survived?"
"Qinglong Senior's actions were to protect your tribe."
Long Yuan's pupils contracted violently, and he cried out, "Impossible, absolutely impossible."
"Grandfather told me that Qinglong made us change our name simply because he had become one of the Four Divine Beasts. His status and position surpassed the Divine Dragon Ancestor. In the dragon race, his standing was second only to the Dragon King. It was for this reason that he made our tribe submit to him and worship him. That was all!"
Chen Nan said softly, "I've known Qinglong for half my life, and I understand his character. He's not very good at expressing himself, but I believe his words back then were truly for the good of your tribe. If you don't believe me, I can question him someday."
"What they said might be right," a frail, aged elder said as he slowly shuffled in. Upon seeing him, the members of the Qinglong tribe bowed respectfully. His name was Long Qi, the most revered elder of the Qinglong tribe, a living fossil.
Long Yuan asked reluctantly, "Seventh Uncle, do you also believe that Qinglong acted for the good of our tribe back then?"
Long Qi was helped to a cushion and said weakly, "The cultivation technique our Qinglong tribe practices is called the Divine Dragon Art. It was created by the Divine Dragon Ancestor himself and is incredibly powerful. The technique is indeed formidable, but it has a fatal flaw: it's difficult to break through after reaching the fifth level. Not only that, but cultivators often meet a tragic end due to the backlash of the technique. There's no need to elaborate; older members will remember those nights when a clansman died from the technique's backlash. We can't help it; we are mortals. The Divine Dragon Art wasn't created for us. Even though the Divine Dragon Ancestor continuously refined it, he only managed to perfect it up to the fifth level. However, after Qinglong visited, subtle changes appeared in the Divine Dragon Art on the Dragon Stele. The clansmen also broke through the curse of being stuck at the fifth level. Not only did they achieve great perfection, but there were no side effects. Although many attributed it to the Divine Dragon Ancestor's spirit appearing and altering the Divine Dragon Art, I once saw Qinglong leave the holy land in an extremely weakened state."
A young man, his scalp tingling, asked with a trembling voice, "So, it was Qinglong who perfected the Divine Dragon Art?"
Long Qi nodded slightly. "Other than this possibility, I can't imagine who else could have perfected the Divine Dragon Art."
Long Yuan's face turned ashen. "If he truly perfected the Divine Dragon Art, why didn't he tell us? Why did he hide his achievement and fame?"
Long Qi sighed. "Qinglong asked us to worship him and change our name to Qinglong Tribe. This was difficult for the clansmen to accept. Many harbored deep resentment towards him. If he had revealed the truth, do you think anyone would have continued to practice the Divine Dragon Art?"
Long Yuan was speechless, but his heart was wracked with turmoil. He had always regarded Qinglong as an enemy, never imagining that things weren't as he had believed.
Long Qi said weakly, "Moreover, Junior Chen is right; Qinglong is truly a god who is not good at expressing himself, yet is worthy of respect." He paused, then looked at Chen Nan. "May I ask, how is Senior Qinglong doing now?"
Chen Nan sighed. "He was severely injured in that battle, his physical body annihilated. Currently, only a wisp of his soul remains. Recovery is uncertain!"
Long Qi hesitated, then looked at Long Yuan and said softly, "Perhaps you can take Junior Chen to the holy land and help Qinglong!"
Long Yuan's pupils contracted sharply. "Seventh Uncle, are you sure you want to do this?"