A little over half an hour later, Mei Yingxue, Ye Xiangmo, and the others walked out of Shen Lang’s courtyard, their legs weak.

They all looked incredibly weak. Their hair was soaked with sweat and plastered to their faces, and they staggered as they walked, looking as wretched as could be.

And yet, their eyes glinted fiercely, as if they’d been pumped full of adrenaline...

The crowd outside the courtyard was utterly baffled by this bizarre scene.

’Is Shen Lang’s room a dragon’s lair or a tiger’s den? They were only inside for a little while, so how did he manage to torment several Sect Leaders to the point where they look like they’ve lost their souls?’

Tang Yiyi gave Shen Lang’s room a deep look, her red lips parted slightly, but she said nothing.

Meanwhile, inside Shen Lang’s room...

Nalan Ziyun, Shen Moran, and Chu Qingcheng sat across from Shen Lang, their eyes wide as they stared him down, making him break out in a cold sweat.

"Alright, spill it. What other secrets are you keeping from us? How long were you planning to hide them?"

Nalan Ziyun was furious. She hadn’t dared to interrupt earlier because the Elder Ancestors were present.

But a million questions had been weighing on her mind, and she was about to burst.

Shen Lang spread his hands. "There’s nothing else. I’ve already told you everything there is to tell."

Two hands shot out from the side, grabbing Shen Lang’s cheeks and pulling them outward.

As he pulled, Chu Qingcheng said, "You guys think this kid is wearing a human-skin mask or something? Or maybe he’s been possessed? Let me ask you, what was it like when we first met?"

"Possessed my ass... Get lost!" Shen Lang slapped Chu Qingcheng’s hands away. "What’s the use in telling you about things like the Blood Ancestor? It would have just made you worry."

"Then why tell us now?" Nalan Ziyun asked, still looking suspicious.

Shen Lang took out a Four-winged Green Python Scale. "Circumstances have changed. Take this scale, for example... I mentioned a little about this before. The timing... it was probably not long after you all left Celestial Phoenix City. This woman tracked me down there."

"Don’t look at me like that. There’s no secret history, no scandal... This woman is from Blood Evil Island. She came to Celestial Phoenix City to kill me."

"Her avatar had previously poisoned Sister Hong Yu, and I killed it near Black Wind Ridge. Her true body is this Four-winged Green-scaled Python, at the King Martial Realm Fifth Heaven."

"In Celestial Phoenix City, Sister Hong Yu attacked and killed her, but her Primordial Spirit escaped. It’s clear she’s a vengeful person who won’t let such a deep grudge go. If she were only after me, I wouldn’t be this concerned, but..."

Shen Moran, who had been silent until now, picked up where he left off. "So you revealed the secrets about the Blood Ancestor and everything else to facilitate this alliance, hoping to get the Elder Ancestors of these sects to help you?"

Shen Lang nodded. "Yes. While my cultivation is still insufficient to handle these matters, this is the best option. Back in Celestial Phoenix City, the Imperial Dragon Sect has already sent a King Martial Realm expert to stand guard. Over here, I can only rely on myself to find a solution. I don’t want to owe them too many favors."

"But... didn’t you say her physical body was destroyed and only her Primordial Spirit escaped? You don’t need to be this worried, do you?" Nalan Ziyun asked.

Shen Lang shook his head. "A Shui Tianji without a physical body can’t cause much trouble on her own. But what if she finds several King Martial Realm experts, perhaps with cultivation even higher than the Four Ancestors of the Profound Dao Sect... My experiences have taught me that no matter how confident you are, you must always prepare for the worst."

"Before you even march your troops, you must first plan your retreat. If I hadn’t left the Imperial Artifact, the Feather Flower Purple Copper Mirror, which the Flower Sect’s Elder Ancestor gave me, with Sister Hong Yu before I left Celestial Phoenix City, it’s hard to say if she could have killed that woman so easily. If she had failed, all of Celestial Phoenix City would have suffered."

"When I dealt with Yuwen Huaji, I was also completely confident. I even knew from the start that Shangguan Feiyue and Shark’s Kiss were in Celestial Phoenix City. But I never expected they would be too afraid to act because of Xue Hongluan."

"Sister Hong Yu’s cultivation is already at the King Martial Realm. I also never imagined that while the people of Blood Evil Island were being hunted by the Imperial Dragon Sect and the other two of the Three Sects, someone would still be lingering near Celestial Phoenix City. It nearly led to her eternal damnation."

"This world is full of unknowns and infinite unpredictability. Man’s schemes are no match for Heaven’s plans. I can only prepare in advance to ensure everything is covered."

"Besides, there isn’t much time left before the Blood Ancestor emerges. My original plan was to establish myself in the Profound Dao Sect, bring you all over, and then lay everything out in the open. This just moved the timeline up a bit."

Looking at Shen Lang’s grave expression, Shen Moran asked worriedly, "The Blood Ancestor... is he really that strong? Will his emergence bring disaster to the entire Human Realm?"

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Lang finally said, "Have you ever heard the saying, ’the Five Emperors and Six Ancestors’?"

Nalan Ziyun jumped in. "I read about them in the classics at Jialan Academy. The Eternal Cyan Heaven Emperor of the Eastern Desolate Beast Clan; the Four Extremes Soul Burial Emperor of the Southern Wilderness Soul Hall; the Northern Wilderness Iceberg Profound Ice Sea Suppressing Emperor; the Heaven-Burning Fierce Flame Emperor of the Western Wilderness Human Race; and the Nine Heavens War Emperor, the Venerable of Central State. Those are the Five Emperors."

"The Blood Ancestor, the Corpse Ancestor, the Witch Ancestor, the Demon Ancestor, the Beast Ancestor, and the Soul Ancestor. Those are the Six Ancestors. It’s said that the Six Ancestors are beings who have surpassed the Great Emperors. During the great chaos of the Divine Demons in the Desolate Ancient Era, these legendary existences personally struck down Upper Realm Divine Demons. Their power reached an unimaginable level."

"But these are all just rumors. People have still seen the Five Directions Emperor, but the Six Ancestors haven’t shown themselves since the Ancient Era. I feel like they either died of old age or ascended... If they’re still hanging around the Human Realm and refusing to leave, then they’re just being scoundrels!"

Shen Lang stared at Nalan Ziyun, speechless for a long moment before finally saying, "Whether they’re being scoundrels or not is beside the point. But the Blood Ancestor is ranked number one among the Six Ancestors, and is said to have reached the level of a Demigod. During the Ancient Era, the Blood Race he led once tried to control the entire world, and they actually came just shy of succeeding..."

"Holy shit, he’s that powerful?" Nalan Ziyun’s beautiful eyes went wide as she asked in disbelief.

Shen Lang rolled his eyes. "Afterward, countless races of the Human Realm joined forces. They only managed to resolve that great catastrophe after more than half of their supreme experts had been killed or wounded."

"The incomparably tyrannical Demon Race took action, and the mysterious Witch Race also joined in. That war lasted for a thousand years. The heavens and earth changed color, the sun and moon grew dim, and many races were even wiped out, lost to the river of history."

Chu Qingcheng asked curiously, "This guy got ganged up on by so many races and he still didn’t die?"

Shen Lang gave a mocking laugh. "Many people thought he died, and the Blood Race completely collapsed. Legend says that the Witch Ancestor perished along with him in that battle, but that old bastard just refused to die. He actually hid himself away in his own tomb."

"And the reason I’m so worried is mainly due to a few points..."

"First, something seems to have happened to the War God Hall. It has vanished without a trace, so it seems difficult to count on them."

"Second, among the other Five Ancestors, the Witch Ancestor seems to be gone. The Corpse Ancestor was severely injured in that battle, fell into a deep slumber, and hasn’t been heard from since. The Demon Ancestor is fine, but the Demon Race was later sealed within the Demon Realm, so it would be a problem for him to even break through the barrier to get here. As for the Soul Ancestor, he never even appeared during the Blood Ancestor’s rampage, so it’s a mystery whether he’s even still in the Human Realm."

Nalan Ziyun’s delicate brows knitted together. "If you put it that way, doesn’t that mean we’re all screwed? When the Blood Ancestor gets out, the Blood Race will unite the world?"

"It’s not that exaggerated," Chu Qingcheng said, shaking his head. "Even if the Blood Ancestor is strong, how can he be an enemy to the entire world? Even if he didn’t die, he was probably crippled in that war... If he could have gotten out, he would have done so long ago. Why would he coop himself up in his own tomb?"

"That’s true," Nalan Ziyun nodded, looking serious.

Seeing the two of them playing off each other, Shen Lang rolled his eyes. "I brought up the Blood Ancestor because I wanted to say that from now on, all of us need to start cultivating diligently and make ourselves stronger to face the chaotic times ahead, not so you could discuss how to deal with him."

"When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Let the supreme experts and the powerful factions worry about these things."

As he spoke, Shen Lang took out two Jade Scrolls. He gave one to Nalan Ziyun and the other to Shen Moran.

"The one in Ziyan’s hand is the ’Azure Vault Divine Mirror,’ and the one in my sister’s hand is the ’Creation Celestial Scripture.’"

"The Azure Vault Divine Mirror is all-encompassing. It’s slow to start, but its strength lies in building a solid foundation. When cultivated to the highest levels, it has unfathomable power."

"The Creation Celestial Scripture can seize the good fortune of heaven and earth. Its divine might is immeasurable."

"When I have time, I’ll explain them to you from the very beginning to help you get started as quickly as possible."

Nalan Ziyun asked, slightly confused, "Why not just teach us the kind of Sword Skill you used to cut down Yuwen Huaji, or some other Swordsmanship?"

Shen Lang shook his head. "Cultivation Techniques are divided into Outer Skills and Inner Strength. The Azure Vault Divine Mirror and the Creation Celestial Scripture are considered Inner Strength; they cultivate the Primordial Spirit and creation itself. Swordsmanship like the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword is considered an Outer Skill; it cultivates slaughter and destruction."

"If you only cultivate Outer Skills, even if you succeed, you’ll become nothing more than a killing machine and will ultimately find it difficult to comprehend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Your personalities aren’t suited for pursuing the Dao through the sword and saber. Besides, that kind of Sword Skill and Sword Technique has extremely high requirements for physical strength. Without the strength of Xuanwu Realm Fifth Heaven or higher, forcefully cultivating them will only damage your meridians and cause irreparable injury."

"Cultivation Techniques like the Azure Vault Divine Mirror and the Creation Celestial Scripture are extremely difficult to begin, but it will be much easier with my special guidance. When you achieve some success, you’ll be able to wield power equivalent to powerful Outer Skills with a flip of your palm, and the benefits are numerous. Once you’ve cultivated these two Supreme Secret Methods to a certain level, I’ll teach you the Outer Skills needed to dominate the world."

Shen Moran nodded. "Mm, we’ll listen to you. We’ll do whatever you say."

Just then, Chu Qingcheng asked with a dark expression, "What about mine? Where’s mine?"

Shen Lang tossed a Jade Scroll to Chu Qingcheng. "This is the complete version of the Thunder Control Divine Technique. If you cultivate it to the highest level, you can summon the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt and instantly obliterate a supreme expert. You don’t really need something like this, but if you’re bored, you can practice it for fun."

As he said this, Shen Lang gave Chu Qingcheng a strange look and fell silent.

Chu Qingcheng’s eyebrow twitched. He smacked his lips a couple of times and took it.

Just as the three of them were leaving Shen Lang’s room, Shen Lang suddenly called out to Chu Qingcheng, "Old Chu..."

"What is it?" Chu Qingcheng turned around.

Shen Lang was silent for a long moment before he said, "I... I’ve always considered you my closest and most trustworthy big brother."

"I know." Chu Qingcheng nodded. "In my eyes, you’re my closest little brother, too."

"My sister..."

"As long as I’m alive, no one will be able to harm her."

The two locked eyes for a moment, then broke into grins at the same time.

Shen Lang certainly had countless secrets, but didn’t Chu Qingcheng as well?

Real men, real brothers, don’t need to say much. A single look is enough...