Tianshen now arrived in another hall, not so different from the previous one; except this one was much bigger. Before he even stepped foot inside the hall he already saw two men waiting for him in the center of the room, both ethereal like Shao Long which meant that they were also remnant souls.

They were both dressed simply and unimpressively, which gave the impression that they have long lost interest in the materialistic world, even during the time they were alive.

The one on the left had long white hair and a white beard which reached his waist. His eyebrows were similarly long on each side. He was quite short and had a gentle look on his face which made him seem more like a wise old man than a cultivator, not to mention his aura which was calm and completely under control.

The man on the left smiled when he saw Tianshen, after which he cupped his fists, bowed in his direction ‘’Greetings ascendant, I am called Long Wenhe, to my left is Long Tianlan, the Azure Dragon’’ he spoke as he gestured towards the man on his left.

The Azure Dragon looked like a middle aged man had long black hair with a few strands of white, all tied in a ponytail. He had an average build and was about 185cm tall, his eyebrows were arched up like two swords and the pupils of his eyes were reptilian with a vertical slit.

The Azure dragon also proceeded to cup his fists to Tianshen and addressed him in a very respectful tone ‘’Senior ascendant, we were waiting for you for a long time, your coming was prophesized to me by another ascendant that I have accidentally met during my travels’’.

Tianshen was surprised, he did not expect to be treated so courteously and with such politeness, they were even calling him a senior. ‘Ascendant’? His coming was prophesized? But what surprised him the most was the fact that both of the people in front of him had extraordinary cultivations by the Azure province standards. Long Wenhe was a 1st stage Martial Emperor and the Azure Dragon was even more impressive at the 9th stage of Martial Emperor. Not to mention those dragon eyes, when Tianshen saw them he sensed a faint trace of divine dragon blood running through the Azure Dragon’s body.

Tianshen pondered for a moment and then asked the immediate questions that came to his mind ‘’Why are you calling me an ascendant? What prophecy? Why are your cultivations so high? And most importantly, where did you get that drop of divine dragon blood running through your veins?’’.

The Azure Dragon replied ‘’reporting to senior, when I was still a youth that barely started on his path of cultivation, I offended some people that I shouldn’t have and found myself in a dire situation, after a long battle and a lot of fleeing I managed to barely escape with my life. I found a secluded cave which back then I thought to be empty. But, inside I found a certain person, this person was a not a being of this world, just like you. He bestowed upon me a drop of what he called the Divine Dragon blood, and told me to never reveal this secret to anyone in this world because a calamity will befall me. The dragon blood healed my fatal injuries, strengthened my bone and muscle structure, and boosted my cultivation speed by a considerable amount, coupled with the already decent talent I had for cultivation, it did not take me long to reach the Martial King realm which put me on top of the Azure Province. Back then, the Tang clan branch located here in the province would not dare challenge me, but I also could not move against them since I had family and friends that would die in the process. So I made a deal with them that I would establish a sect here in the province then move on to the Spirit province to face new challenges, in exchange they would not harm my sect and let them flourish.’’ At this point the Azure Dragon sighed, and had a sad look on his face.

‘’I’m assuming things didn’t go according to the agreement?’’ asked Tianshen.

‘’No, after I left for the spirit province I met Long Wenhe and Shao Long, we became sworn brothers and travelled the whole Blue Cloud country together, conquering every province. Our cultivations all reached the Martial Emperor realm and the Blue Cloud country could no longer hold us, so we travelled to the neighboring Green Cloud country, there we realized that we were just frogs in a well, the challenges were harder, the law of the jungle was even more prevalent in the neighboring countries. But, we still pushed on, faced countless near death experiences, conquered countless Tombs and gained inheritances from old Ancestors. Many years passed and my cultivation almost reached the peak of the continent. Shao Long was the youngest so he was at the 2nd stage Martial Emperor realm, that is enough to rule a small country like the Blue Cloud country on this continent. Long Wenhe was at the 1st stage Martial Venerable realm and I was stuck at the 9th stage of Martial Venerable, just a step away from reaching the Saint realm. Back then, the people that were called Saints in the continent could be counted on one hand. The Tang Dynasty that rules the continent were watching me and my friends closely, our growth scared them, they felt like we will challenge their authority over the continent. So initially they tried to recruit us and wanted us to swear an oath of allegiance to them and the Empire. But we refused, our sights were set far beyond this world, and how could I ever settle for the mediocrity of this small planet when I knew that there are more worlds out there; higher mountains to climb…’’

He then continued ‘’Long story short, my family was massacred, my Azure Dragon sect was razed to the ground and my cultivation sealed by the 3 Saint realm experts of the Tang Dynasty. Same for Long Wenhe and Shao Long. When our cultivations were sealed they no longer considered us a threat, our progress was completely halted and we were banished back to the Azure Province where I grieved for many years. The loss of my kin and sect had almost driven me insane, if not for the constant support of Shao Long and Long Wenhe. We reestablished the Azure Dragon Sect and kept a low profile. On one of my travels later in time I met the senior who bestowed me with the Divine Dragon blood. The senior prophesized to me that one day there will be another one like him who will set foot on this forsaken planet and help me get justice and take my sect to new heights, but when that time comes, I will be already dead. The rest you probably know yourself’’.

Tianshen listened carefully all this time, he respected the fact that the Azure Dragon refused to bow down until the last moment. It also seemed like Cao Chen and the rest of the sect had no idea that their ancestor was actually much more famous and powerful than they could ever imagine. Not to mention the Blue Cloud country, he almost conquered the whole continent. Something in this whole story reminded Tianshen of his past life and his own humble beginnings.

As for the prophecy and who that ‘’senior’’ in the story was talking about, Tianshen honestly had his doubts that it was actually himself. Whoever that person was, they could not possibly have such extraordinary powers of Divination as to predict the future of a person like Tianshen.

‘’Unless…some of the laws of the Universe changed since the time I chose to erase my existence’’ thought Tianshen to himself. It was just speculation, but the prospect of something changing in the laws of the Universe meant that there were new possibilities this time around that Tianshen did not expect before he decided to reincarnate himself 3 billion years ago. This new possibility excited Tianshen and he wanted to cultivate even faster now to revisit some of his old roots, and discover who this new person or people were that could change the laws of the Universe.

‘’I’m going to be honest, I do not know if I am the person that you think I am. Divination is a very ancient art that very few have a grasp of, it is not something that can be learned, but is inherent from birth. I can assure you that I am indeed not of this world, and my true identity and existence is not something that even that ‘senior’ you mentioned can predict or fathom. But I will tell you this, fate made me reincarnate into this body, close to your Azure Dragon sect; I took a liking to many people here and some of them I can even consider friends. So you can rest assured that while I’m around, nothing can happen to your sect, however… As for the Tang Dynasty that rules the continent, or any of their branch families that are scattered all over it; It is not my responsibility to get revenge for you’’ said Tianshen with a serious look.

As touching and tragic the story of the Azure Dragon was, Tianshen saw no reason to meddle with the business of the rulers of a small continent on a barren planet.

The Azure Dragon seemed unwilling to accept such a thing, one could still see the fires of revenge burning in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say more and try to convince Tianshen but Tianshen lifted his hand and stopped him.

‘’I haven’t finished. Although it is not my responsibility and I really don’t see any reason to help you get your revenge; as it so happens, I might have uncovered a spy from the local Tang Clan in your sect right now. Which leads me to believe that not only are they keeping a close eye on your descendants, they are probably planning to attack soon since the sect is at its most vulnerable now. So with that being said, if the Tang Clan dares to lay a finger on the Azure Dragon sect, I can assure you that there will be no corner for them in this Universe to hide in.’’

The Azure Dragon and Long Wenhe bowed and thanked Tianshen after which they asked ‘’Did you really destroy Shao Long’s remnant soul?’’

To which Tianshen smiled and replied ‘’Not to worry, I really took a liking to the guy’s spirit and decided to send him to a certain nice place where he might or might not gain enlightenment. Remnant souls are a piece of soul that cultivators leave behind for many different reasons, but in doing so they prevent their original souls from entering the Yellow Springs, so their souls are stuck in a limbo between the world of living and the dead, which is nothingness. If he manages to strengthen his soul in the next 2-3 years inside the place I sent him to, he might be strong enough to feel a connection with his original soul, and direct it to cross the Yellow Springs and reincarnate, after which I can help him find the body that his soul reincarnated into and merge with his remnant soul. Which means that he can reincarnate and still regain all the memories from his past life’’.

Long Wenhe and Azure Dragon stared blankly for a second before completely digesting what was just said. All of this information was new to them. They instantly thought that that might just have a new chance at life, if only Tianshen helped them.

Tianshen of course already knew what they were thinking so he said ‘’If you guys serve me well in the next few months I’ll give you the same chance. You have also given me lots of information about the outside world and it’s politics and different powers. I have plans to take your sect to unimaginable heights, so I will need you to stop hiding in this tomb and start contributing to your sect’s advancement. I will notify you as soon as I solve the Tang Clan problem. After that, we will rise to the top of this province in no time. But before that, I need you to pass on to me whatever inheritance techniques, weapons and riches you have in this tomb, your sect needs all it can take now.’’

After some more talking and exchanging information, Tianshen stored everything valuable there was in his spatial ring and was preparing to leave the tomb and head back to tell the news to Cao Chen.

As Tianshen was walking away the Azure Dragon said with a smile ‘’senior Tianshen, please take care of that stupid dog for me?’’

Tianshen turned back and looked at the Azure Dragon and replied ‘’Don’t worry, although that stupid pet is still technically a baby by the standards of his race, if he sticks close to me, one day he is going to be a being that even Gods and Demons would not dare to cross’’.

After saying that, Tianshen turned around and walked away leaving the Azure Dragon and Long Wenhe with an astonished look once again.