Chapter 554

Chapter 554: Ancestral Dragon Entering the Pavilion, Haotian Lineage, Three Ancient Clans

The night was dark as ink.

Ancestral Dragon traveled day and night through the starlight and finally arrived at Canglan Immortal Domain after sunset.

He had transformed into a handsome middle-aged man and from quite some distance away, he already noticed Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

In the darkness, all sounds faded into silence.

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was like the sun in the night, dazzlingly radiant.

"Good heavens…" Ancestral Dragon felt a slight shudder in his heart; with just one glance, he could see the extraordinary nature of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, his eyes burning with intensity, "This pavilion, I fear, is at least a Dao Ancestor-level epoch Dao Weapon at its weakest…"

He himself was an innate divine dragon, yet his innate treasures were only equivalent to half an epoch Dao Weapon.

"No wonder Daoist brother values this person so highly," Ancestral Dragon thought to himself.

In the entire world, epoch Dao Weapons were exceedingly rare.

Daring to display an epoch Dao Weapon so openly and with such high profile—throughout ancient and modern times, only the Master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion had been that way.

Ancestral Dragon flew into Canglan City.

He gazed from afar at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion; its layered palaces concealed the mysteries of time and space, and three thousand jade steps seemed to interpret the Three Thousand Great Dao—so profound and arcane that it stirred insight in one’s mind.

Witnessing this, Ancestral Dragon’s heart grew even heavier.

He climbed the steps.

"Daoist friend, who has come from afar, I have prepared some light tea. Please enter."

Before he had even reached the door of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, a voice came from the building; Ancestral Dragon’s steps faltered slightly, then he sped up and arrived at the entrance of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion in an instant.

He looked into the pavilion and saw a youth like a banished immortal, sitting leisurely in a grandmaster chair, lightly tapping the armrest rhythmically with both hands, watching him with a faint smile.

"Great Celestial Lord…" Ye Xu smiled, feeling even more delighted inside.

After the Celestial Lord of Fortune, at last, a Great Celestial Lord had descended in person to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

"Junior Ancestral Dragon pays respects to Pavilion Master senior."

Ancestral Dragon was extremely straightforward and dared not address himself as senior in front of Ye Xu; he bowed respectfully and spoke.

After all,

anyone who could make Dao Ancestor Tuntian willingly serve Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was at least a Dao Ancestor, and most likely a legendary Dao One powerful being.

"Ancestral Dragon?"

Ye Xu was deeply shaken in his heart; Ancestral Dragon was the progenitor of the dragon clan, ruling over all dragons in the world; even the East Sky Azure Dragon was a generation younger than him.

He had actually come to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?

"Didn’t I send Mu Fanyin to Yuqing Palace?" Ye Xu wondered in confusion, "How did her trip manage to bring such a major deal my way?"

"Daoist friend, please sit,"

Ye Xu smiled and called Xixi, "Bring the tea."

"Senior, please have some tea," Xixi presented a cup of spiritual tea.

"Body of Disaster?"

Ancestral Dragon’s eyelid twitched. This girl’s Body of Disaster, transformed from the source of disaster, was an extremely evil force, but it seemed incomplete.

"Truly, Heaven’s Secret Pavilion has so many hidden talents," Ancestral Dragon thought to himself.

Above, there was Mu Fanyin; in the middle, Taotie; below, there was a prodigy possessing the Body of Disaster.

Ye Xu’s expression was calm, and he was not in a hurry to discuss business with Ancestral Dragon.

"Master, this time I have come to make a transaction with you, Master," Ancestral Dragon said after swallowing a mouthful of spiritual tea, his eyes flickering as he spoke to Ye Xu.

Ye Xu laughed lightly and said, "Daoist friend, speak freely."

"Has the Master heard of Haotian?" Ancestral Dragon asked solemnly.

Haotian? Ye Xu’s heart stirred; he had indeed heard rumors about Haotian, which were related to the Dao of heaven, but what he knew was limited to that.

"Under the starry sky, we live following the laws of the heavenly Dao; how could we not have heard of Haotian?" Ye Xu said lightly.

"Daoist friend, if you have something to say, speak directly—there is no need for roundabout talk."

Ancestral Dragon chuckled awkwardly and said, "To be honest, I have always been curious: when the heavenly Dao oversaw the world, could it give rise to selfish desires?"

"In the first era, when my power was still weak, I heard the legends of Haotian."

"Moreover, I have also seen people of the Haotian lineage."

Ye Xu’s expression shifted slightly.

Haotian lineage? He thought of the Son of Heaven from the lower realm.

In a way, the Purple Star Heavenly Court was part of the lineage of the heavenly path, a manifestation of the heavenly Dao’s selfish desire seeking to dominate the world.

Did the Dao of heaven have a similar faction?

"However…" Ancestral Dragon changed the subject, his expression turning serious, "from the start of the second era, the Haotian lineage vanished without a trace, and the Three Ancient Clans, at the creation of the heavens and the earth, gradually withdrew into seclusion."

These words shocked Ye Xu deep inside.

The Dao Clan was one of the ancient clans.

"In this world, ancient clans like the Dao Clan—there were actually still two others?" Ye Xu suddenly understood.

The Three Ancient Clans, from the beginning of the second era, gradually withdrew from public view, vanishing from the eyes of the world. Only Innate Divine Beings like Ancestral Dragon could know such secrets.

And it was easy to see why the Hall Master of the Reincarnation Hall, as a latecomer, did not know Luo Qianchen’s true identity.

"The Three Ancient Clans and the Haotian lineage vanished almost simultaneously; this must involve secrets of the yang realm or even the Hongmeng Dao Realm."

Ye Xu thought to himself.

Unsurprisingly, Ancestral Dragon was one of the oldest Innate Divine Beings; the longer he lived, the more he understood.

Of course.

He was also the most humiliating one.

Even after passing through eight epochs, his cultivation hadn’t advanced to the Dao Ancestor Realm. Even among Great Celestial Lords, he didn’t rank among the most elite.

It truly seemed his entire life had been wasted.

"Daoist friend, I am aware of what you mentioned," Ye Xu replied with a light chuckle. "But if you want me to tell you, the price will be steep. Prepare yourself."

"You may speak, Master."

The ancestral dragon didn’t hesitate.

After all, it wasn’t his own blood being shed—he felt no pinch at all.

"System, how many Hongmeng points are needed to query the complete information on the Haotian lineage and the Three Ancient Clans’ hidden seclusion?"

[Eight hundred trillion.]

"How much?"

Ye Xu pricked up his ears—eight hundred trillion? Had he heard correctly?

One must know that advancing from the Great Celestial Lord level to the Dao Ancestor Realm only required five hundred trillion Hongmeng points. And yet this secret cost eight hundred trillion?

"I never imagined my own ascension to the Dao Ancestor Realm wouldn’t be worth as much as a single piece of news."

Ye Xu felt utterly demoralized.

He fixed a deep, shadowed gaze on the ancestral dragon. "Daoist friend ancestral dragon, since this is your first visit, I can give you a thirty percent discount."

"One thousand trillion divine stones."

"Pffft—"

The ancestral dragon, who had been sipping tea, sprayed it everywhere. His dragon eyes widened into circles. "One thousand trillion?!"

"Master, you can’t be serious?"

The ancestral dragon was horrified.

Though the Chaotic Ancient God had promised reimbursement, this was beyond absurd.

His budget had only been around one hundred trillion.

If he dared make such a purchase, the Chaotic Ancient God would turn him into roast dragon without hesitation.

"I… I can’t afford it."

The ancestral dragon shook his head bluntly.

"Daoist friend, you’re playing with me." Ye Xu’s expression darkened with displeasure.

The ancestral dragon’s heart lurched violently.

"A misunderstanding, Master! How would this old dragon ever dare mock you?" Trembling, the ancestral dragon forced a placating smile. "It’s just too expensive. My means are limited… Could we perhaps choose a different question instead?"

Ye Xu gave a slow nod.

"Daoist friend… Could it be you don’t wish to advance to the Dao Ancestor?"

"I can help you."

He tossed out a bait.

Which cultivator in this world didn’t wish to become stronger?

"I don’t."

Yet the ancestral dragon’s answer defied expectations.

"……"

Ye Xu found himself at a loss for words, his eyes clouded with confusion. Not daring to question directly, he instead teased, "The Nine Great Celestial Lords aspire to become Dao Ancestors. Every cultivator under heaven desires to grow stronger. Only you, Daoist friend, resist becoming a Dao Ancestor—truly this cultivation world’s oddest bloom."

"You misunderstand once more, Master."

The ancestral dragon replied bashfully, "Even with your guidance, attaining the Dao Ancestor realm requires far more than a single day and night. Moreover, cultivation itself carries risks."

"What if one lapse in concentration leads to immolation? Wouldn’t that be a bloody loss?"

A serene expression settled upon the ancestral dragon’s face. "Joy holds greatest importance in life. This old dragon is presently supremely happy."

"……"

Ye Xu was rendered utterly speechless.

He finally understood why, through eight full epochs, the ancestral dragon remained at the Great Celestial Sovereign level, still distant from the very pinnacle.

"Master, you underestimate the Dao Ancestor."

"My peers who emerged alongside me—take Ancestral Phoenix, for instance—devote themselves to arduous cultivation, secluding themselves for hundreds of millions of years. Yet even she cannot unravel the Dao Ancestor’s secret."

"Ascending to Dao Ancestor is as hard as scaling heaven itself."

"Facing such difficulty, why should this old dragon inflict misery upon itself? Far better to embrace pleasure."

One reason, however, the ancestral dragon kept unspoken:

The Innate Divine Beings, the paramount Great Celestial Sovereigns, and those beyond shared a silent consensus.

Nine is the ultimate number.

This was the ninth era.

He’s a couch potato… this fellow is couch-dragon… Ye Xu cursed inwardly. The mighty ancestral dragon, reduced to such indolence, utterly disgraced the divine dragon legacy.

"Then let us consider a different question."

Ye Xu sighed.

"No problem."

The ancestral dragon chuckled. "Master, since the connection between the Haotian lineage and the Three Ancient Clans remains elusive, this old dragon requests you divine the whereabouts of the Haotian lineage."

"And the location of the Three Ancient Clans, Master, kindly divine that too."

"Hmm…"

He contemplated briefly, adding, "We must constrain the price to within eighty trillion."