440: Chapter 440 You said only one person can go in, so we'll be one person.

Long Yue was silent for a while.

"I don't really feel anything."

"There was some rejection at first. But on second thought, I would have a partner eventually anyway, and the Ancestral Dragon is a supreme existence, so I accepted it."

"Not only that." She looked toward Long Xiao, who was wrapped in the blanket, her eyes deepening. "I am the Siming; I will assist her with my whole heart and soul."

"For the sake of the clan, everything is worth it."

After Long Yue finished speaking, there was actually another reason she didn't tell the outsider, Qin Wangchuan—

To atone for the crime committed by the previous Siming when the Sacred Relic was lost, she had to pay the debt.

Only then could the Siming lineage hold their heads high again.

After listening, Qin Wangchuan let out a soft sigh.

"How noble."

The moment the words left his mouth, a flash of realization suddenly crossed his heart.

Looking back at the entire simulation regarding Long Yin, the theme was 'stepping stone'.

Long Yin was one.

And Long Yue, in fact, was one as well.

The difference was that the former was forced while wavering; the latter... had chosen her own fate from the very beginning.

This thought only flashed through his mind for an instant, as fast as the lingering sound of the night wind brushing past the corner of the eaves.

He raised his eyes and looked into the depths of the night sky, as if looking at a place very far away.

"I cannot do such a thing."

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed at the empty firmament—

The moment his fingers closed, it was as if something invisible was held firmly in his palm.

"I stand above tens of millions; I have stepped over countless stairs, and I shall surely reach the supreme summit."

"That is my destiny, and it is also what I am doing."

"Compared to you, I am a completely opposite existence."

Long Yue was slightly startled and couldn't help but look at Qin Wangchuan's calm profile.

These words were spoken plainly, but the woman's mind was delicate, and she suddenly heard a hint of unintentional resonance.

A thought quietly crossed her mind.

'The absolute monarch of the True Dragon Clan must have the ambition to contend for the world.'

'The one I shall serve...'

'...is the supreme Dominator who has stepped over countless stairs and will eventually reach the summit.'

The night wind brushed the stray hairs on the girl's forehead, and her dragon hornss shimmered with a faint blue light under the moon.

After a brief moment of reflection, Long Yue's gaze regained its clarity. She moved her eyes away from Qin Wangchuan's profile without a hint of lingering attachment.

Even if deep down, she was touched by the spirit and mystery displayed by this dazzling man.

Even if there were ten thousand kinds of unspeakable regrets—

Her life's path had long been set.

To serve the Ancestral Dragon until the end of her life.

This point could not be changed, nor would it be shaken by anyone's appearance.

The night wind brushed over the roof of the hall, carrying the slight chill of the distant mountains' vegetation.

Long Yue's gaze returned to the sleeping Long Xiao.

Under the moonlight, that tender little face appeared exceptionally peaceful.

Can this newborn Ancestral Dragon... truly shoulder the heavy responsibility of a clan's rise and fall?

She silently lowered her eyelashes.

—No matter.

'No matter what, I will assist you.'

'With everything I have.'

Qin Wangchuan did not notice her thoughts at this moment. He simply remembered something and closed the ancient book in his hand.

"By the way, have you ever heard of the forbidden divine weapon?"

"...forbidden divine weapon?" Long Yue repeated the unfamiliar term, genuine confusion surfacing in her eyes, before she solemnly shook her head. "Never heard of it."

Qin Wangchuan nodded and didn't explain further, turning to ask another seemingly unrelated question:

"As far as I know, the ancestral return dragon egg can only accommodate one person to enter."

"Correct."

Long Yue answered quickly, then realized something and looked up at him. "You want to go in?"

Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, her tone carrying a direct warning:

"The essence accumulated over ten thousand years within the egg exists solely to nourish the Ancestral Dragon Bloodline."

"The clan had originally considered selecting a Prodigy to enter first, but considering the importance of the Ancestral Dragon, we ultimately abandoned the idea."

"If an outsider enters, although there are benefits, they are not many."

After a pause, Long Yue added another sentence: "I hope... the Ancestral Dragon can enter first."

These words were spoken candidly, even a bit bluntly.

Long Yue laid out the future of the clan and her own selfishness before him without concealment.

After hearing this, Qin Wangchuan let out a soft laugh.

He turned back to look at her, the moonlight reflected in his eyes, showing a clear hint of admiration.

"You really are pure."

Long Yue pursed her lips and did not respond.

Qin Wangchuan had already turned his head back, looking at the mountain shadows submerged in the night in the distance.

"One person is good." He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also to her. "One person is good."

Long Yue did not know that Long Xiao was the forbidden divine weapon, which was itself a broken vessel.

Only by merging with a person could its brilliance bloom.

In other words.

The two of them were originally one entity.

"I wonder if this counts as finding a bug."

Qin Wangchuan thought secretly to himself.

The night wind brushed over the roof of the hall; Long Yue still sat kneeling nearby.

Qin Wangchuan pulled the blanket up a bit, covering Long Xiao's small foot that was exposed because she had rolled over.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Ancient Dragon Small Realm.

Xuan Ye stared at the empty ground in front of him, his brow furrowed tightly.

"You're saying that half of the manpower sent out just vanished into thin air?"

"Yes." The outsider beside him lowered his head, his voice tight.

"Not a single trace was found?"

"Yes."

"You don't even know who did it?"

"...Yes."

Three questions, three answers.

After listening, Xuan Ye suddenly smiled.

He raised his hand and gently placed it on top of the outsider's head, like an elder stroking a Junior.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Before his voice could fade, he suddenly exerted force with his palm.

With a muffled 'thud'—the outsider's head instantly shriveled like a dried fruit, his breath gone, and his body slumped to the ground.

The several people around him trembled in unison, but not one dared to look up.

They hung their heads, their eyes not even showing much surprise, only a hint of numbness from knowing this would happen.

This was Xuan Ye.

Compared to violent rage, his gentle, smiling posture was even more terrifying.

Xuan Ye withdrew his hand, and someone immediately stepped forward silently, skillfully dragging the body away for disposal.

He pressed his brow and began to reorganize the situation.

The True Dragon Clan's resistance was more stubborn than expected.

The manpower he brought into the small realm this time was limited; a frontal assault would be like an egg striking a stone.

But besides the True Dragon Clan, there was another force acting in the shadows.

Precise, efficient, and leaving no traces.

Although there were no clues, he was certain it was Qin Wangchuan's doing.

The question was... how did he do it?

Even if Qin Wangchuan were any stronger, it should have been impossible for him not to leave even a single trace.

Xuan Ye lowered his eyes in thought.

Suddenly, he snapped his head up.

"The Family... is it?"

After a brief silence, a light laugh escaped his throat.

"Hahaha."

He laughed more and more heartily, as if he had finally solved a puzzle that had trapped him for a long time.

That's it.

Behind Qin Wangchuan, there was still the Qin Family, that Heavenly Emperor, and the entire Imperial Clan he could mobilize.

Xuan Ye looked down at his open palm.

"It seems I was also intimidated by his strength, to the point of forgetting this most obvious layer."

It would be strange not to be intimidated.

His Five-Character Heaven and Earth Law should have been an invincible existence.

But that person not only copied his law but also became the first three-character in history.

—A monster.