âAncestorâ¦â The young ancestor prostrated and begged: âPlease reconsider for the sake of the sect.â He then smashed his head onto the ground, aware of the great blow to the sect in the absence of their sovereign.
âNo need to say more, I have made up my mind.â The sovereign waved his hand.
âIf one day, Yin Yang Zen Gate is in dangerâ¦â The ancestor knew that further persuasion was futile, only hoping that his ancestor would care about old ties.
âInvite troubles? Deal with them.â The sovereign flatly said.
âBut⦠what if the sect goes downâ¦â The ancestor didnât expect this answer.
âSo be it.â The sovereign had made up his mind and said: âCountless sects have gone down in history. Whatâs one more?â
âAncestor!â The ancestor shouted but the sovereign was already walking out toward an unknown destination.
From then on, no one ever saw Heavenly Sovereign Chan Yan again.
***
Li Qiye looked down at Ancestral City from a high pavilion reaching the clouds. Everything else seemed tiny like insects.
He didnât say a thing while Dragon King Commander and the others remained quiet.
After a while, he sat down with a natural expression, staring at the group.
âYears went by in the blink of an eye but I still remember everything clearly.â The commander sobbed.
He used to be the four-eyed basilisk back then and enjoyed his youth - one worthy of remembrance.
Today, he stood at the top and looked back at the past. It would never come back.
âIndeed. I remember how you ran for your life while being chased by your sister.â Li Qiye chuckled.
âPlease donât make fun of me, I only cared about playing around then and didnât sympathize with her good intention.â The basilisk smiled and felt warmth: âItâs a shame sheâs no longer here.â
Venerable Basilisk was also a top genius in that era. She lived quite long and left her clan to start Dragon Phoenix Valley. Alas, her power wasnât enough to withstand the withering of time.
âI wouldnât mind being chased around by her right now.â The basiliskâs expression became sad.
He had experienced numerous years and goodbyes. However, this particular memory still overwhelmed him with emotions.
âThatâs time, thereâs no going back after it passed.â Li Qiye said.
The basilisk nodded and took a deep breath. He stared at Li Qiye and said: âLook at how old I am now compared to you, Boss.â
âIâm always eighteen.â Li Qiye chuckled.
âI also want to be eighteen every year but I donât have your dao heart. Thatâs the difference between us.â The basilisk said.
Of course, âoldâ here wasnât about physical appearance. At their power level, they could always reshape their body at any moment. However, his dao heart was the thing that was old in this case.
âIâve been growing bored recently, the grand dao is too long and lonely. Maybe resting in peace is better. On the other hand, youâre still moving forward in a heroic fashion, thatâs why we canât compare to you. Our dao heart probably would shatter if we experience the same things as you.â He went on to say.
âIâll always be invincible regardless of the long path.â Li Qiye said: âThere must always be a pursuit in life. A fish still wants to turn over, an insect still wants to bare its fangs at the high heaven. Thatâs what I want to do.â
âYour pursuit is beyond my imagination. If youâre a fish or an insect, then everyone else in the world is inferior to these things.â The basilisk said.
Li Qiye only smiled and didnât respond.
Shi Qingjian and Ye Lingyao didnât join the conversation since they havenât reached the right level yet.
âYour clanâs girl is not bad.â Li Qiye glanced at Ye Lingyao and smiled.
âNot too stupid.â The basilisk said: âShe was scared by you and immediately reported it to me. In the beginning, I thought someone had the audacity to pretend to be you.â
Ye Lingyao smiled wryly, recalling the first meeting with Li Qiye. That was truly a frightening experience.
She found him to be too arrogant and careless. It was a good thing that she didnât try anything disrespectful because not even her ancestor would be able to save her.
âGood talents, same with her bloodline, boundless potential.â Li Qiye nodded approvingly.
âWhat are you waiting for? Thank Boss for praising you.â The basilisk had a happy expression and told Yaoling.
She came forward and bowed towards Li Qiye.
âYour next line is, please grant your junior a fortune?â Li Qiye glanced at the basilisk.
âHaha, Boss, youâre the lord of the world, bestowing one fortune or two isnât a problem. Plus, youâre always generous to smart juniors.â The basilisk laughed.
âVery well, your bloodline is special enough. I have a phoenix art here, perfect for this occasion.â Li Qiye smiled and said.
âA divine gift.â The basilisk was excited for his junior and said: âPeerless indeed, thank Boss again.â
âThank you, Young Master.â Ye Yaoling got on her knees, as moved as can be.
Being taught by her ancestor was already incredible enough. In reality, very few members in the clan have been this lucky for millions of years.
Today, she got something even greater - a gift from an existence treated with reverence by her ancestor. This would exceed anything else.
Once she stood up, Li Qiye raised his finger and metallic clanks could be heard. A dao law emerged along with a phoenix screech. A light flashed once before disappearing.
This dao law has entered her mind. Numerous runes and characters appeared within.
âPoof!â A phoenix trueflame oozed from her body.
She became ecstatic but didnât forget to bow again. This supreme art was enough; she didnât need anything more in life.
Shi Qingjian was envious but didnât dare to ask Li Qiye.
âSince you have followed me recently, I do have something to give you. This is a garment made from phoenix feathers.â Li Qiye noticed this and said.
He took out a garment burning with phoenix flames. Hymns and visual phenomena of other birds bowing to a phoenix manifested.
Li Qiye personally created this garment after obtaining the feathers.
âThank you, Young Master.â The emotional Shi Qingjian continuously kowtowed after seeing the present.
Li Qiye sat there and accepted the gesture while glancing towards the horizon.
âYou want to leave already, Boss?â The basilisk said. He spent enough time with Li Qiye back then to understand his expressions.
âHmm, Iâll be taking a look at the abandoned land, have to figure it out.â Li Qiye nodded.
âThat place used to be the Buddhist ground, itâs all ashes now. Too many things happened and the world shattered. I didnât pay enough attention to see what happened. I came to take a look later but that place was bizarre and inscrutable.â The basilisk said.
âA few things will always surprise.â Li Qiye smiled: âHeaven is omnipotent, or so they say. However, in this case, the villainous heaven couldnât get everything right.â
âWhen will you ascend, Boss?â The basilisk pondered for a bit before asking.