127: First Sequence, Return of the King

With the dust settling on the "Qin Family Trip," Lin Tian's prestige within the Long Family reached an unprecedented, almost deified, peak.

Not only did he single-handedly suppress the entire Golden Generation, but with decisive action, he also secured permanent ownership of three S-rank energy ore veins for the Family and, without shedding a drop of blood, gained supreme access to the Qin Family's Forbidden Ground, the Pangu Tomb.

This record, this Merits, was enough to make anyone take notice and feel awe.

Those heirs who once harbored doubts, or even hostility, towards him, their "Alpha" who had "air-dropped" in, were now completely subdued.

Whether it was Long Qingtian, the former "First Sequence" who had willingly become his top general; or Long Ao, the number three heir, who was once unruly but now followed his every command; or those Long Family disciples who had personally witnessed the myth of "one man suppressing a generation" at the Martial Arts Tournament of Prodigies.

At this moment, everyone's hearts were filled with only the purest, most heartfelt... support and adoration.

The entire younger generation of the Long Family was united as never before, presenting a flourishing scene of harmony, unity, and prosperity. Everyone believed that under the leadership of this dazzling, god-like "Alpha," the Long Family would surely usher in an even more glorious and magnificent era!

However, beneath this seemingly solid facade of harmony.

A more ancient and overbearing undercurrent, capable of completely overturning everything, was quietly awakening in the deepest, unknown Forbidden Ground of the Long Family... Boom—!!!

Just three days after Lin Tian returned to the Family.

In the deepest part of the Long Family headquarters' ancestral land, an area designated as a supreme Forbidden Zone and perpetually shrouded in Chaos Qi, a terrifying roar suddenly erupted, shaking the nine heavens as if an ancient Dragon God had awakened!

That roar seemed to transcend the barriers of space and time, coming from the distant primordial era! It was filled with endless majesty and dominance, and the Dragon might contained within it was refined to an inconceivable degree!

Under this roar, every member of the Long Family headquarters, all the clansmen, guards, and even the domesticated Dragon beasts whose bodies flowed with Dragon Bloodline, instantly trembled uncontrollably! Their Bloodline, as if encountering a supreme monarch, boiled, quivered, and whimpered madly, ultimately transforming into a most primitive... submission, stemming from the deepest part of their genes!

Countless Long Family disciples with weaker cultivation even went weak in the knees on the spot, involuntarily kneeling towards the direction from which the sound came!

Following that, was a shocking phenomenon!

Above the Forbidden Ground, the weather changed, and thunder roared! Endless Spiritual Qi, like a cosmic storm finding an outlet, frantically converged towards that direction, forming a colossal energy vortex hundreds of miles in diameter!

At the center of the vortex, a gigantic phantom of a Dragon God, ten thousand meters long, condensed from the purest, golden Dragon Law, slowly emerged! It roared to the sky, its eyes like two golden suns, looking down upon the world, as if declaring the return of a true king to the entire Universe!

"This... This is... the phenomenon of the 'Dragon God Art' reaching Major Achievement!"

"Heavens! Could it be... that Your Highness, he... he has emerged from seclusion?!"

The entire Long Family upper echelon was completely shaken!

Countless powerful S-rank Peak Elder auras, normally in seclusion, shot up from various Forbidden Grounds, gazing at the astonishing phenomenon with complex expressions mixed with shock, ecstasy, and a hint of imperceptible solemnity.

Inside Lin Tian's villa.

Long Qingtian looked at the golden Dragon shadow piercing the heavens and earth, feeling the terrifying Dragon might that made his heart palpitate and even caused the Dragon Bloodline within him to tremble uncontrollably. For the first time, his usually composed face revealed an unprecedented, heartfelt... solemnity and bitterness.

"He... has finally returned."

Lin Tian stood beside him, calmly observing the astonishing phenomenon. There was no ripple in his deep eyes, and he merely asked faintly, "Is he... the Long Family's true 'First Sequence'?"

"Yes." Long Qingtian nodded, his voice dry, "A legend, hidden by the Family for a full ten years, cultivating the Family's highest secret tome, the [Ancient Dragon God Art], in the deepest part of the Forbidden Ground—a Cultivation Technique that only the strongest successive heirs are allowed to Cultivate."

"His name is Dragon Battle."

"And he is... my true... Elder brother, whom I could never surpass no matter how hard I tried."

A deep sense of dread flashed in Long Qingtian's eyes.

He looked at Lin Tian, and with an unprecedentedly solemn tone, explained to him the terror of this "legend," and... the irreconcilable, fated conflict of interest between him and Lin Tian.

"Master, you may not know. Our Long Family has a most important ultimate Legacy ground that has been passed down for tens of thousands of years, named—'Ancestral Dragon Pool.'"

"That is a Holy Land formed by our Long Family's first ancestor, a true pure-blooded ancient Dragon God, who, after passing away, transformed his lifelong Dragon essence, vital Blood, and insights into Law. Any Long Family disciple, as long as they can immerse themselves in it, can receive the 'Dragon God's' genetic blessing. Not only can it infinitely purify their Bloodline, reverting it to its origin, but they can also obtain a portion of the ancestor's Legacy memories, causing a tremendous qualitative change in their strength!"

"But..."

Long Qingtian's tone shifted, becoming even heavier.

"...The 'Ancestral Dragon Pool's' energy is too vast. Each activation requires a huge price and takes ten years of energy accumulation. Therefore, it only opens once every ten years."

"Moreover, each time it opens, it can only accommodate... one person to enter."

"And the next opening time is in... three months."

The sole spot!

Lin Tian instantly understood the inevitable conflict this represented.

Long Qingtian looked at Lin Tian's still calm face and continued bitterly, "Before your appearance, this spot should have, without a doubt, belonged to Elder Brother Dragon Battle. He is the purest in Bloodline, the most talented, and the only one allowed to Cultivate the [Ancient Dragon God Art] among our generation. He went into seclusion in the Forbidden Ground for a full ten years precisely for this once-a-decade opening of the 'Ancestral Dragon Pool'!"

"And now, you have returned."

"As the 'Alpha,' you suppressed a generation and performed unparalleled deeds for the Family. According to the Family's merit Law, you, too, have an undeniable qualification to compete for this sole spot!"

"One is the old king, who has cultivated diligently for ten years and is hailed as 'orthodox.'"

"One is the new king, who emerged out of nowhere, achieved great military feats, and is seen as the 'future.'"

"And there is only one spot."

"Therefore..." Long Qingtian looked at Lin Tian and said word by word, "...this battle is unavoidable."

As the two conversed, the astonishing phenomenon slowly dissipated.

A terrifying aura, filled with endless dominance and majesty, as if it wanted to trample this world underfoot, walked step by step from the direction of the Forbidden Ground towards the main residence.

Dragon Battle's return was like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a fierce division within the Long Family's internal factions.

A portion of conservative Elders and disciples, who favored "tradition," "seniority," and "local Bloodline," erupted with fervent light in their eyes upon seeing Dragon Battle's unparalleled powerful stance! In their view, Dragon Battle, who grew up in the Family and cultivated the most orthodox Cultivation Technique as the "First Sequence," was the Long Family's true "orthodox" heir! They quickly began to gather and converge towards the direction of Dragon Battle's return, subtly forming a formidable force capable of contending with any power.

On the other side, the younger generation of heirs, led by Long Qingtian and Long Ao, who had already been completely "conquered" by Lin Tian's strength and charisma, unhesitatingly and firmly stood behind Lin Tian, demonstrating their absolute support for this "new king" through their actions!

Within the Family, after a brief, false harmony, Dragon Battle's return instantly created a subtle standoff between the "new king" and the "old king"!

A top-level internal power struggle, which would determine the future direction of the Long Family and who would be the Family's only true Dragon, was about to completely ignite!