The crowd murmured for a while until Li Jiang's emotions stabilized. He looked anxiously at the shadow shrouded in black fog:

"Venerable Emperor, please hurry back. Without the suppressing Power of the Divine Dragon left by Elder Jiang, your Soul Devouring curse will relapse!"

"Very well!" The shadowy figure nodded and turned back into the cave.

Rumble rumble rumble!

The walls closed, and everyone let out a deep breath. The information they learned in that moment left them feeling anything but calm; they all needed time to properly digest it.

"Mr. Jiang, may I ask for your help?" Li Jiang turned to look at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen gave a bitter smile, "Senior, I know what you want me to do. If it were within my power, I would certainly help you and the senior from earlier, but the Soul Devouring curse and Soul Consciousness Wound inside you both are too strong. I'm not powerful enough!"

"I know. Elder Jiang also said that to heal our injuries, we would need the Bloodline Power to summon a truly sentient Divine Dragon, and even he couldn't do it. What I'm asking is, when you break through to the peak of the Venerable Realm, could you come again?

Li Jiang looked at Jiang Chen with hope: "By then, if you could summon the Divine Dragon, see if you can call upon a sentient one!"

"Of course, I can!" Jiang Chen nodded emphatically: "I will do my utmost."

"Thank you, young friend! It's just... we may not be able to assign someone from the Huangluo Clan to protect you closely."

Li Jiang hesitated before continuing with an apologetic tone: "The Soul Clone cut down by Elder Jiang years ago has kept the Eight-Headed Serpent unaware that the Venerable Emperor's Soul Devouring curse has not been eradicated."

"If we send people to accompany you, Mr. Jiang, it might draw the attention of the Soul Devouring Group, after all, as a Dragon Descendant, the Soul Devouring Group will surely be watching you."

"If the Eight-Headed Serpent senses something and sends another Soul Clone from the Saint Realm to trigger the curse within the Venerable Emperor, the consequences would be unimaginable, so... please forgive us!"

Li Jiang spoke with extreme sincerity, his eyes filled with remorse.

"It's fine!"

Jiang Chen chuckled and shook his head: "I don't want to grow under constant protection."

"In doing so, I would miss out on crucial experiences."

"A Martial Artist must withstand various life-and-death trials to become a true peak power."

"And besides, to be a true peak power with the heart of a Martial Artist!"

With that, the room fell silent.

Everyone nodded, looking at Jiang Chen with either admiration or relief.

"I didn't expect Mr. Jiang to see things so clearly."

Li Jiang took a deep look at Jiang Chen and nodded in approval.

Then, Li Jiang glanced at Leng Ming and the others, sighing lightly: "Perhaps this is why a Martial Arts Family will never match up to a Sect. A Sect allows its disciples to forge their own paths and endure life-and-death trials, while a Family cannot fully relinquish control over their own for such experiences."

He paused, voicing his regret: "Had it not been for the Huangluo Clan ruling these lands back in the day, with ample cultivation resources and access to Cultivation Techniques and Elixirs, perhaps the Huangluo Clan would have been suppressed by Sect powers, just like other Martial Arts Families are today."

Jiang Chen was slightly taken aback, then chuckled: "Elder Li is referring to the Sects and Families from a hundred years ago, right?"

"Hm?"

Li Jiang was briefly startled, then suddenly realized, "Right, the Flame Dragon is no longer the same dominating force. What has become of the Martial Dao World?"

"The current Martial Dao World is led by the Six Great Sects in the north of the river, and by five major powers along it, while…"

Jiang Chen briefly described the current situation in the Martial Dao World, then added with confusion: "Given the number of powerful individuals I sense from the Huangluo Clan, how could the current forces in the Martial Dao World have possibly been the downfall of your Clan a hundred years ago?"

Li Jiang was astonished and said with disbelief: "The current Martial Dao World... has it become that weak? A Venerable Realm practitioner can be called an elder?!"

"Allow me to explain this matter!" said the Supreme Long Huang in a soft voice: "A Martial Artist can indeed extend their lifespan, but there is still a cap to it. The Huangluo Clan has been able to retain so many powerful individuals because they once ruled this land, stockpiling a substantial amount of Elixirs!"

"The reason we at the Flame Dragon Group still have so many strong members has to do with an operation we conducted in the past!"

"When the Flame Dragon Group was first established, we attacked various powers multiple times, looting their stockpiles of Elixirs and employing ruthless methods to exterminate the top warriors of those powers. This allowed us to stabilize the Flame Dragon's position."

"But this also led to a gap within various powers and Families; the old patriarch-level strongmen started dying off due to their natural limits. Within thirty years of the Flame Dragon's establishment, over ninety percent of the old patriarchs from the major powers had died, leading to the current state where even a Venerable Realm warrior can be regarded as an elder!"

The Supreme Long Huang unveiled a significant state secret from the most recent history of the Flame Dragon!

"That explains the complex attitude many powers have towards the Flame Dragon Group," Jiang Chen remarked with a strange look at the Supreme Long Huang, "both deferential and resentful. It makes sense now!"

The Supreme Long Huang managed a wry smile, offering no further explanation, simply rebutting: "No one wanted this, but there was no choice!"

"I can understand that!" Li Jiang spoke softly: "When the Huangluo Clan ruled this land, they also purged various Martial Arts Forces. It's an inevitable trend during the transition of ruling powers, after all, too many situations have arisen where martial prowess is used to enforce the law."

Jiang Chen fell silent, understanding the rationale—such measures were necessary for the stability of the Flame Dragon!

"Mr. Jiang, your visit must be for a reason?" Li Jiang lifted his head to look at Jiang Chen, changing the subject.

Jiang Chen nodded solemnly and said: "Elder Li, I know that you and the Huangluo Clan have certain hostilities towards the current state of the Flame Dragon. However, there's one thing that we must all acknowledge, no matter what— we are all people of the Flame Dragon, and the Flame Dragon is our common home."

Pu Liang and the others were taken aback as Jiang Chen suddenly elevated the conversation to encompass the entire Flame Dragon, catching them off-guard.

"Please continue," said Li Jiang, his expression turning grave as he spoke.

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts before speaking with a heavy tone: "Elder Li, are you aware of the Gene Organization?"

"The Gene Organization?"

Li Jiang blinked, then turned to look at Huangluo Junlin.

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