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The sound of footsteps echoed across the marble floors of the castle as Ling Xuan approached Xia Fugui, who sat upon his throne, a bored expression etched on his face.

“What is it, Ling Xuan?” Xia Fugui asked, his voice flat, his gaze unwavering.

“You should know why I’m here,” Ling Xuan replied, his tone cold and resolute.

“Yeah, I know,” Xia Fugui said with apparent disinterest.

“So tell me, O Dragon Emperor, you knew that Xia Longwei would attack and destroy the three cities, didn’t you?”

“Knew it a while ago,” Xia Fugui revealed, his tone casual, almost dismissive.

“Then tell me why you didn’t stop it!” Ling Xuan’s voice rose, frustration evident in his words.

“Because I didn’t want to,” Xia Fugui responded bluntly, his demeanour unchanged.

“Yeah, like I believe you,” Ling Xuan shot back, his disbelief clear.

“You don’t have to. I am your Emperor and the strongest in the world, whereas your level of power has only reached about a tenth of a Dragon General’s. I am not affected by your comments,” Xia Fugui stated simply, raising his hand, preparing to send Ling Xuan away from the castle.

“Even stronger than your son?” Ling Xuan’s words froze Xia Fugui’s hand mid-air.

“Let me ask you another question, O Emperor: why didn’t you attack Xia Longwei when you had the chance? After all, as you’ve mentioned, you are the strongest, right?” Ling Xuan pressed on, his eyes narrowing as he awaited a response.

Xia Fugui fell into a silence, a sigh escaping his lips.

“You wanna hear a story?” Xia Fugui asked, and before Ling Xuan could respond, he continued.

“Our Xia family originated, as you know, from a bastard of the Han Dynasty ruler. He was a weakling, destined to fail, die, and be forgotten in the annals of history. Yet, as Xia Longwei told you, that wasn’t the case. He found the corpse of the Dragon of Far Reaching Floods and used it to go against all odds, yada yada—you know the stuff. But I’m pretty sure Xia Longwei didn’t mention to you what happened after that, right? After Old Xia became Emperor, well, aside from the Shambhala Archipelago, did he?” Xia Fugui questioned, a knowing look in his eyes.

“No, he didn’t,” Ling Xuan replied, curiosity piqued.

“Alright then, I shall start from that point,” Xia Fugui nodded, settling into his tale.

“So after Old Xia became King, he launched numerous expeditions far and wide, across the continent and into the seas, all in search of the remaining Dragon Corpses. These expeditions led to the discovery of the Shambhala Archipelago, but more importantly, Xia managed to find the remaining four Dragon Corpses and assimilate their remnant Qi into himself, significantly boosting his power. Yet, all this power with little to no drawback—it seems almost unfair, doesn’t it? Well, the world knew this, and so it limited the lifespan of Xia and all those who would wield such power in the future,” Xia Fugui explained, his tone steady.

“Did the world really do that? Or is it simply because the mortal body is unable to handle the remnant Qi of the Dragons, considering they were the strongest beings in existence?” Ling Xuan questioned, a hint of scepticism in his voice.

“That’s the more descriptive reason,” Xia Fugui replied, nodding. “The mortal body, as powerful as it can become, wasn't meant to contain the essence of beings as mighty as the Dragons. The Qi of the Dragons is too much for any mortal vessel, no matter how strong, to bear without consequence, even a GrandMaster is no exception.”

“By how much was it reduced?” Ling Xuan asked.

“By a lot,” Xia Fugui replied. “Did you know that back then, Grand Masters didn’t age and were virtually immortal? So imagine Old Xia’s shock when he discovered that after absorbing the remnant Qi of The Dragon of Everlasting Immortality, he only had a bit more than forty years left to live.”

“Wait, Grand Masters were previously immortal!” Ling Xuan exclaimed.

“What, you didn’t realise? Grand Masters, as you’ve probably heard hundreds of times, are the ultimate pinnacle of life. It’s the perfected state of being—one achieves it by excavating every single ounce and drop of potential within their bodies and converting it into pure power.” Xia Fugui shrugged, then continued his story.

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“So after Old Xia realised this, he panicked. He didn’t care about himself—his desire had been fulfilled when he obtained the remnant Qi of the Five Dragons. What he was worried about was his descendants, his sons and daughters. Thus, he gave a single task to them and to their descendants, who would continue to rule the world for hundreds of years.” Xia Fugui paused dramatically.

“Oh, spare the theatrics and say it already!” Ling Xuan urged, growing impatient.

“Alright, no need to be so impatient.” Xia Fugui scoffed before continuing. “Their task was simple: create a family member far more powerful than the Dragons, something that would surpass even the greatest of gods. A Sovereign.”

“Is that even possible?” Ling Xuan asked, his scepticism evident.

Xia Fugui shrugged once again. “Who knows? But the dynasty has continued its research into this. Slowly, we developed a way for someone to become a Mythical Beast. You see, each Mythical being is fundamentally different and a unique existence that can never be replicated. So, no matter how many remnants of the Five Dragons we possess, we will never become Dragons ourselves. Thus, we switched to a different approach. Instead of using a singular gene, we developed a technique that could assimilate the genes of several Mythical Beings and synthesise a new Mythical Gene unique to oneself.”

“With our resources and power, it was only a matter of time before we could complete it, and we did. Yet, unfortunately, no one was able to use it. The Dragons rejected the genome of others. So, we were stuck. That was until my son, Xia Longwei, was born.” Xia Fugui sighed.

“He was... special, let’s say. I tried to look into his future, yet I couldn’t—something was blocking it. Something equal to my power or perhaps even above it. This naturally got my hopes up, and I began to tutor the boy about all sorts of Mythical Beasts. He learned every ounce of detail about them. He even excavated some Mythical remains himself. I supplied him with constant Qi to make up for the lack of nutrients. He didn’t sleep, didn’t eat—only studied and studied.”

“Yeah, I think I have an idea as to why he went mad,” Ling Xuan commented.

“Hahahahaha, you think he went mad because of just work? No, that’s wrong. He never went mad. He was always sane—too sane, actually. After I presented him with that technique, he not only managed to integrate his essence with it but also further improved it! He was a peerless genius, yet that was when he finally revealed his true intentions.” Xia Fugui laughed.

“On the eve of his daughter’s birth, he massacred the entire Xia Dynasty, leaving only Weiyu and me alive. And on top of that, on the same day, he went after his wife and child. Such an action incensed the wrath of the sects, who, although I could easily destroy, would still cause significant damage to the Empire. Thus, I banished him to the Far North, ordering him never to return, although I knew he would one day.” Xia Fugui spoke with a tinge of regret.

“It was on the day of his departure that he finally revealed why he had done it—to get banished and sent to the Far North! He was always trying to go there. The reason? Simple: it was the technique. The Far North, after all, boasts the highest number of Mythical Remains found. But he knew that just going there suddenly would cause suspicion, so he committed that damn act.” Xia Fugui revealed.

“Why did he do all that just for some Mythical Beast remains? Couldn’t he have just asked you?” Ling Xuan asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“No, he wouldn’t. The very reason he left was to amass an army—an army powerful enough to keep the Dragon Generals and the Empire’s army at bay while he fought me. You see, Xia Longwei is still in the Master Rank and hasn’t advanced to the Grand Master Rank for a single reason: his potential. It’s still not fully utilised. The only way he can achieve perfection is through perfecting the technique. And for him to perfect the technique, he needs to reach its complete form—a Mythical Being greater than the Dragons. The only way that can happen is through the absorption of the remains of the Mythical Beasts, or more specifically, my Dragon Qi.”

As Xia Fugui observed the look of shock on Ling Xuan’s face, he chuckled darkly.

“You seriously believed his words when he said that he needed my Qi just to keep the other Qi of the Mythical Beasts in their place? What lies! He had already accomplished that long ago. He truly fooled you, eh?”

“I guess he did,” Ling Xuan sighed, the weight of the revelation settling in. Who would’ve thought that Xia Longwei was this powerful.

“And do you know what the funniest thing about this entire ordeal on the Archipelago was? You weren’t even with the real Xia Longwei! Hahahaha!” Xia Fugui laughed, his voice echoing through the chamber.

“What!” Ling Xuan exclaimed, his shock intensifying. “What do you mean!?” he demanded, struggling to process the information with the help of Urizen.

“Well, first think something through for a moment. Do you really believe that Xia Longwei would abandon everything just to get to the Archipelago? Of course not! Xia Longwei’s true form is somewhere far away from this place. If he actually existed here, then this entire continent would have sunk long ago,” Xia Fugui revealed, his tone dripping with irony.

“Then where is he? And who was with me on the Archipelago?” Ling Xuan demanded, his voice edged with urgency.

“There are many ways he could’ve made clones—Qi Parasitism, Flesh and Blood Clone, and more,” Xia Fugui began, “but he chose the most effective and best method. The one you were with was a Temporal Clone that he had formed by separating an instant of his present. He was able to create one the very moment he exited the Continent.”

“These kinds of clones are the greatest because they are quite literally the exact individual, just an instant in the past. Since not much occurs in a single instant, there is no change in anything. To top it off, the Temporal Clone that Xia Longwei can generate has no drawbacks, as he has embedded himself into the World’s Time and Space. Even if you erase the clone’s existence, he’d still be fine,” Xia Fugui explained briskly.

“How do you even embed yourself in The World?” Ling Xuan asked, surprised by the revelation.

“Xia Longwei is literally just a single step away from becoming The Strongest, so that’s a given,” Xia Fugui answered.

“And as for your other question—where Xia Longwei’s true body currently is—well.” Xia Fugui pointed upwards.

“Huh? There’s a domain above the continent?” Ling Xuan questioned.

“No, not a domain. Its incredible mass would rip the continent apart like a cake being stretched,” Xia Fugui remarked.

“So where?” Ling Xuan asked, and Xia Fugui once again pointed upwards.

“Ab—wait, the sky!?” Ling Xuan suddenly realised.