Inside of a mysterious city, within a strange world. A youthful man seated on top of a golden throne frowned as he looked at the strange man before him. His veins were now clearly visible on his forehead, as his hair grew chaotic with snake-like streaks of bright lightning that flickered about randomly due to his extreme anger. In an instant, his entire body began to make cracking noises as an endless array of electricity gathered around his complete form. He then reached for the odd-looking bolt of lightning floating by his side and gripped it firmly.

Crackle! Zap! Following a loud electrical sound, an oppressive might was instantly revealed to the world.

A mass of dark clouds soon enveloped the entirety of the small realm, quickly making its way towards the outside world. As if sensing something, the previously domineering divine thunder striking the city soon came to an abrupt halt, following which, a new cloud slowly began to grow from the municipality. It grew at an alarming rate, quickly blanketing the sky for a region spanning no less than 10 million kilometers.

Ka-Bang! Along with the sound of a thunderous boom, a massive thunderbolt set forth from the vast cloud as if trying to display the ‘Destroying Heavens and Extinguishing Earth Prestige.’ With its appearance, a shocking aura soon erupted that blanketed the entirety of this world’s region, the citizens of this mystical city, along with the nearby experts now gazing at the sky filled prestige with nothing but fear.

∞∞∞

At a distant location, deep within an infinite-endless gorge that seemed to have reached the depths of the earth, masses of devilish aura gathered about around a strange-looking sacrificial altar. At its center stood a towering figure who emitted an overbearing amount of devilish qi, he had long black hair, glowing red eyes, and a face that one could only describe as ‘Devilishly Handsome.’ As he sat upon a throne of made purely of strange-looking bones, he would occasionally glance towards his subordinates that had congregated around the altar, performing a devilish ritual.

Soon enough, he felt something strange in the distance. Promptly spreading out his devil-sense, he scanned more than 1 million kilometers where vaguely in the range, he could see a mass of dark clouds brimming with an immensely domineering and mighty thunderbolt that demonstrated its prestige.

“Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu! I wonder, who could have the gall to provoke the Thunder Monarch? Hmmm, this should be quite interesting...” The devilishly handsome man said as his finger tapped the rail on his throne while pondering the various possible circumstances.

∞∞∞

In an unknown land filled with a myriad of beasts stood a gigantic tower, stretching to the very limits of the heavens itself. Around this tower was a city built from a very ancient kind of stone, as its walls and buildings glowed with unique looking patterns. The people or rather, the beasts in human forms who existed in this city acted ruthlessly, as bloody battles would regularly occur at many of the separated battle platforms scattered about the city, filling its atmosphere with an untamed sense of wildness.

At the very limits of this tower was a small creature with a very adorable appearance. It frolicked around the tower, occasionally falling over itself as it sought different forms of entertainment. It was a small white tiger with little black wings and a peculiar marking on its forehead. Suddenly, it stopped playing and looked towards the distance as if it sensed something, quickly the small tiger vanished, leaving a remnant shade in its former location.

Swoosh-swoosh! Following a series of quick movements, it soon arrived at the entrance of a large room that stood at the top of the tower. At the center of this room was a large cushion, seated on it was a man with brilliantly shining silvery-white hair who had a divine looking appearance like that of a being with noble lineage. Across his skin were tiger stripes and markings, giving his divine figure a wild edge. Seated around him was a myriad of beautiful women, each with their very own unique bearings and traits, there were some with foxtails as well as others with cat-like charms emphasizing their flirtatious nature.

Noticing the small tiger that entered his abode, the figure on the mat showed a gentle expression.

Poof! After a flash of white light and a cloud of hazy smoke, the small white tiger soon transformed into a small female child no older than six years old, after which she immediately ran into the man’s embrace, resting her head on the figure’s chest.

“Papa! I sense danger!” The small girl said while trembling slightly.

As he gently patted her back, the man with tiger stripes then consoled his daughter, “Hmm, that’s my good Wan’er! There-there… everything is alright now. It’s only a meager attempt to show off one’s prowess.”

After hearing her father’s words, the female child then soon felt contented, very quickly she surrendered herself into a deep sleep, enjoying the peace of her childhood. Handing his daughter over to one of his concubines, he gave each of them a kiss on their cheeks before he stood up. After putting on a white robe, he exited the room, coming to a stop at the edge of the tower. He then looked at the distant sky while lost in his thoughts.

“The ‘Thunder Monarch’s’ fury, I wonder what kind of storm could cause such an outburst. Gya-Gya! Just slightly thinking of it makes my blood boil, it seems that the time has come for me to leave the tower once more,” He said as a shade of bloody red shone deep with his eyes, revealing the wild and ferocious nature he was previously suppressing.

∞∞∞

Traveling back to the contained world, the Thunder Monarch sat on top of the thunder throne. His body glowed with endless might as he looked towards the strange man before with anger, but soon, he recalled his prestige and closed his eyes to try and calm his state of mind. After a short while, the towering energies vanished, and the oppressive aura faded away into nothingness. He once again opened his eyes and looked towards the strange man.

“Did you find out its exact position in the Outer Continent?” He asked in a calm and tranquil tone.

Seeing the individual before him finally regained his state of mind, the strange man smiled slightly with a look of vague disdain in his eyes. Casually tossing a piece of parchment towards him with a flick of his wrist, then promptly turning around and starting to leave.

Upon reaching the entrance, he stopped for a moment and, without turning his head back, spoke indifferently, “The Sleeping Dragon will Weep, as the Tiger Rises with the Devil Guises. All shall eventually fall to the Phoenix Devises.”

As he finished his statement, he walked away with a smile on his face while lost in his thoughts, “A foolish dragon trying to tamper with its destiny, only to be devoured by its vagary.”

Hearing his statement, the light in the Thunder Monarch’s eyes flickered for a moment before shortly fading, quickly scanning over the information on the piece of parchment he then waved his hand towards the void and spoke, “Attend to me!”

Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh! Instantly, as if they just came into existence, a few forms materialized out of nothingness and knelt towards the monarch who sat on his throne.

“We greet the Thunder Monarch!” They said in unison.

Seeing his most trusted subordinates gather before him, the Thunder Monarch felt more at ease. He flipped his wrist as the parchment flew towards the figure at the foremost of the group.

She was a beautiful woman with kingdom conquering charms, but the look on her face showed a strict and stern discipline. Lightning flowed across her eyes as she glanced at the content with a look of surprise on her face.

“This... this is...” She muttered in shock, but before she could finish her statement, the Thunder Monarch spoke once more.

“You are to head out at once and bring them back alive if you can, if not, spare no one. You also have my permission to use that ‘Artefact’ if necessary,” The Thunder Monarch said as the lighting around his body began to churn slightly.

The look of shock grew further on the woman’s face; even the subordinates were stunned as they glanced towards each other. Soon though, they recovered to their earlier indifference and promptly responded, “By your majesty’s will!”

As quickly as they came, they vanished once more, fading into nothingness. The Thunder Monarch looked on in silence before closing his eyes, appearing indifferent to the world.

“If they act quickly enough, they should be able to reach the outer continent in roughly 3 to 4 years. Humph! Nothing will stand in the way of my Thunder Dragon Clan, not even you...” As he said this, the figure of the strange man briefly flickered in his mind, soon after vanishing within his sea of thoughts.

∞∞∞

The weather was snowy today, as clouds blanketed the view of the sky.

The morning wind mixed in with the coldness of snow, creating an extremely frigid atmosphere. Within an empty courtyard surrounded by thick chunks of snow, was a figure of a youth who stood quietly gazing towards the sky with a pondering expression on his face.

It seemed as if the young man was contemplating the most profound truths of the world, as his eyebrows knitted every once and while. Soon though, he removed his vision from the gloomy sky while muttering to himself, “What could it mean? Even if it were to be true, I wonder what will truly become of this event,” Feng Yu pondered as he went over the meeting that had just ended.

Quickly, he cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts as he looked towards his father, who was now standing before him. Not bothering to try and figure out how his father suddenly appeared out of nowhere, he made a respectful bow as he spoke to him.

“What matter does father wish to speak with me about?” He asked, politely.

Upon noticing his son’s thoughtful expression, a curious desire rose in Feng Yunlong’s thoughts, but soon he ignored it and asked Feng Yu the matter he planned to talk about beforehand.

“Yu’er, how is it? Do you have any trouble stimulating your bloodline?” He asked, interestedly.

Hearing father’s words, Feng Yu decided to ask about something that was bothering him recently, “No father, so far I’m not experiencing any issues with inspiring my bloodline. It’s only...”

“Only what?” said Feng Yunlong.

“I’m not sure how to further advance its potential, as the ‘Nirvana Flame Cultivation Technique’ only elaborates on the intricacies of progressing through the later levels of cultivation. The only aspect it has concerning my Bloodline Prestige is the activation of my battle form,” Feng Yu said with a slightly troubled expression.

Hearing Feng Yu’s question Feng Yunlong smiled as he replied, “Haha! So, it’s this; you’re wondering why the ‘Nirvana Flame Cultivation Technique’ doesn’t explain the usage of your bloodline powers any further? It’s simple, you know, it’s because once a ‘True Bloodline Successor’ appears he would become the new generation of the entire Feng Family Clan. Therefore, the techniques used to further the increasing might of the Clan’s Bloodline Prestige can only come from his latent abilities and self-reflection skills, being able to find ways to draw upon the power that lay deep within himself. While the first aspect is something that requires talent, the latter can only be sought through tempering both body and mind, as one would be forced to stimulate their bloodline further and further to experience its ‘second awakening.’”

Pausing for a bit, he looked at Feng Yu before taking out a simple and unadorned scroll as he spoke to him once more.

“Some techniques have been passed down from generation to generation, each being a symbol representing the glory and might of our earlier generation’s True Bloodline Successors. These are known as , but sadly, most of them have been lost and destroyed due to the events of the past with only a few of the weaker ones remaining,” As he said this, he couldn’t help but sigh at the clan’s circumstances.

“Hmm, then am I able to practice them currently, father?” Feng Yu asked while looking at the scroll in his father’s hands.

A sophisticated look soon came over Feng Yulong’s face as he replied while putting the scroll inside of his storage ring, “While these remaining techniques are lower-tiered compared to the previous top-tier bloodline battle skills. They are still skills created by your predecessors at their primes before they reached their peak. You would have to at least reach the cultivation level at the True Foundation realm to begin practicing the one with the lowest requirements.”

Hearing this, Feng Yu could only temporarily give up the idea of trying to increase the might of his bloodline. He looked towards his father and asked a question which he felt puzzled about from his talk with the guard Dai Lin the previous day.

“Father, what was the unusual phenomenon that took place here about a month ago? What could cause the awakening of so many clan members?”

Feng Yunlong smiled as he looked towards Feng Yu with a proud look, he then pointed towards the sky as he replied, “The phenomenon you speak of is known as a ‘Heavenly Recognition.’ It is a sign of approval from the heavens when one who is born with a Unique Bloodline or Special Trait initially awakens its prestige, causing them to inspire its full might momentarily. As you are an individual of a Supreme Bloodline Clan, your awakening was of the highest grade, which is why it created a world phenomenon of that standard.”

He then waved his hand, causing a shocking aura to erupt as it recreated the scene of the fiery sky before Feng Yu. He then continued to speak, “The stronger the phenomenon, then the higher grade of talent that generation’s True Bloodline Successor is said to have. As when you awakened, there was an extensive zone of our sacred fire that blanketed the sky, forming a fiery curtain that spread for hundreds of thousands of kilometers throughout the True Yuan Continent. Because of this abnormally strong bloodline awakening, we were able to achieve a kind of resonance with our bloodlines, which ended up saving us a lot of time to truly awaken and break the seal caused by the bloodlines ban.”

“I... I didn’t even notice. How could such a thing occur and not be prominent within any of the rumors?” Feng Yu said while feeling shocked.

“Heh, it’s simply very much like what happened with the Mount Tydol’s scenario, the bloodline phenomenon was treated similarly by certain parties,” Feng Yunlong said.

Hearing this, Feng Yu started to feel that the information-handling capabilities of the upper class in this world is on an entirely different scale compared to his previous one. Placing his hands together, he bowed towards his father and spoke, “I see, thank you for clarifying my troubles father.”

“Good! Now that that’s over with, there is another important matter that needs to be addressed,” Feng Yunlong said with a stern expression on his face.

“Huh? What matter?” Asked Feng Yu.

“While it is a straightforward one, it should not be taken lightly, as it will affect your further path as the successor of the family. As we have now particularly healed from most of our injuries suffered from the past incident, we are currently no longer going to be as stagnant as we were before. Our clan needs resources to quickly aid in the cultivation of our forces, medicine pills, spiritual artifacts, and ancient treasures alike are the key to the overall improvement of the clan’s forces. The only way for us to gather these items is through the exploration of mystic realms and the operation of various forms of businesses. It is for this reason that we have involved ourselves in the matter of the Ancient Dragon Clan’s Mystic Realm,” Feng Yunlong stated.

He then looked towards Feng Yu with an expectant look in his eyes as he continued his speech, “As such, our clan members won’t be capable of providing you with any other means of protection. You will have to create a team that belongs solely to yourself with people whom you can trust. For this reason, after the ‘Talent Selection’ and matter regarding the Mystic Realm. I, Your Uncle Junling, and remaining Core Elders have decided to allow for you to go out and journey amongst the land of the outer continent. Growth will only come from self-dependence and various forms of life experiences; a true expert cannot grow sheltered by a greenhouse.”

“Hmm, I understand father,” Hearing his father’s and elders’ consideration for him, a wave of warmness flowed through him, he promptly bowed his head once more.

Seeing this Feng Yunlong nodded appreciatively, he then thought for a moment with one of his hands scratching his chin then said, “Hmm, now then Yu’er, do you have any ideas on who in the clan you would like to add to your forces?”

Thinking for a bit a strange smile soon appeared on Feng Yu’s face he looked towards his father and said, “Since this is the case, I would like to officially make a request to the clan for one of its members to be my subordinate.”

“Oh? And Who would this person be to have caught your eyesight?” Feng Yunlong asked while he looked at Feng Yu curiously.

“It’s no one that holds any key major roles only an average member,” Feng Yu said mysteriously.

“Eh? What’s this person’s name?” Feng Yunlong asked with interest.

“He is known as… Dai Lin…” Feng Yu said as a flicker of lightning shone deep within his eyes for a short moment before fading away into its depths.