"So you're finally here, are you?"
Silence ruminated from Zhou Yuan and Yao Yao as they seemed to linger on the one before them, more specifically his identity.
"It's nice to meet you properly. We didn't quite have the pleasure while fighting."
"No, we did not. It is as you said, it is a pleasure to meet you, all of you. Also, you must forgive me, had I known your Spirit was so special, I would not have forced it out for the world to see."
Julong knew exactly what Cang Xuan was referring to, he was essentially apologising for bringing such dread upon himself.
"It is okay, Patriarch, I do not know why it was necessary for you to know, but I trust it was in your better judgment."
He only chuckled slightly.
"It is only in my best interest that Yao Yao is safe."
He began to move toward the group of three at that point, coming to a halt in front of Yao Yao herself.
"It is nice to finally see you after so long."
Yao Yao sat there for a moment stunned.
"You... know me?"
"I know Cang Yuan, but knowing who I am, you probably already knew that."
It was in that instant that Zhou Yuan finally found his voice.
"Do you know where he is right now?"
Cang Xuan shook his head in a negligent manner.
"I do not. Your best bet would be with Wan Julong here, but I'm sure probing him will be of no use either."
"It is as you say. He changed his location after sending me here."
Julong was regretful but did not allow it to affect him too much. There were many more important things to attend to after all.
"Come, you three, take a seat. Since I have finally found people worthy of hearing me, I would like to tell you my story."
The trio followed Cang Xuan to the stone table that was set in the middle of the overhang, taking a seat as requested.
With a wave of his hand, a mist formed around the tip of Cang Xuans fingers, slowly turning into a screen of sorts, revealing a sky filled with blood-red Genesis Qi.
The screen foretold a battle between 4 Saints in a 3 vs 1 scenario. Despite Cang Xuan being a Double-Lotus Saint, each of the Saints in the sky that had surrounded him were on a completely different level, leading him to believe that they were in fact Triple-Lotus Saints. If Julong was correct, this was the day that Cang Xuan fell.
"This is the day of your death?"
"Yes, Julong... this is the retelling of the day this Domain was created."
Despite such magnificent figures floating in the sky with authority that no one dared question, the more interesting and eye-grabbing addition to the tale was the small baby that Cang Xuan was holding.
It happened in a single instant. Cang Xuan stopped running, taking a final glance at the baby he was holding. He felt it, 3 indescribably powerful attacks converging all at once. He didn't attempt to block, instead, he tore open space itself and slid the child inside.
It was a few moments after that, that his body was struck, eviscerated in an instant.
Rays of gold light struck throughout the Heaven at his death, a phenomenon known as a Saints Death. Even just watching such an event brought shivers to Julongs figure. How frightening such power was.
"Would you all like to know who it was that I was protecting? Who that baby was?"
The unanimous silence of the trio gave him his answer, bringing a small smile to his face.
"It was Yao Yao."
Zhou Yuan seemed to be the one most affected by the news.
"That can't be right, can it? The timelines are all wrong."
Cang Xuan only laughed at his words.
"Yao Yao is not normal, and cannot be judged by normal means. I'm sure you have figured at least that much out by now. Though, if you are to look at her age as of now, you two are not so different."
A glass of wine was suddenly pushed in front of Cang Xuan.
"If it can be said that you are my saviour, I devote this cup to you, Elder."
A warm smile graced Cang Xuans lips.
"Patriarch, the three figures that attacked you are Triple-Lotus Saints, are they not? Could one of them have been that heinous Tai Mi?"
Cang Xuan gave Julong a discerning gaze.
"That Zi Xiao has taught you well, Wan Julong. They were indeed Triple-Lotus Saints, and one of them was Tai Mi, though I doubt that you were able to properly tell. I feel as if Zi Xiao has told you some of the things he has orchestrated."
Julong only nodded. Zi Xiao was the first to tell him about the cruelty of the Sacred Race, especially Tai Mi. She seemed to have a very deep hatred for him. If he was correct, Tai Mi was the one who had slain her own Master, the creator of the Spears of Divine Light.
"If you don't mind me asking, who are the Sacred Race?"
Naturally, hearing such foreign names, Zhou Yuan couldn't contain his curiosity.
"The Sacred Race, as recorded in common history was the first race created by the primordial mass of creation."
At this sentence, Julong could feel the Ancestral Dragon stir in his Spirit. It was very clear that it did not like the Sacred Race one bit.
"This is of course not correct. However, it is true that they were birthed with a much more advanced structure, allowing them to harness greater power than Humans. You will naturally learn more as you advance in your journey of Cultivation, but they enslaved all other races until we rebelled. Despite us being able to escape their grasp, we are still at a disadvantage... Tell me, Zhou Yuan, what do you know of our world?"
"I know that there are 9 Heavens and that the one we are in is called the Cangxuan Heaven."
Julong shook his head disappointedly at Zhou Yuan's response to the question.
"Zhou Yuan, the world we are in is called Tianyuan World, and out of the 9 Heavens, 4 of them are occupied by the Sacred Race, leaving the other 5 to the remaining races to be shared. This is common knowledge in the other Heavens, especially the Hunyuan Heaven from where I hail. Ask me at any point and I will be more than happy to tell you more."
Cang Xuan smiled at Julong's extensive knowledge of the world. He was more impressed with Zi Xiao, especially since he was still so young.
"What Wan Julong said was correct. As for why they were after Yao Yao, I cannot tell you right now, as it might aid them in their search. But I can tell you why it was they wanted to kill me."
Yao Yao only nodded, slightly dejected at the news.
"Please continue, Elder."
Zhou Yuan's interest seemed to be unquenchable as he continued to pester Cang Xuan, not that he seemed to have any issues with it.
"Naturally, the Sacred Race wants to reattain control over the 9 Heavens, meaning they wanted to take control of the Cangxuan Heaven. The Heavens that are not controlled by the Sacred Race are protected by an array known as the Chaos Origin Sacred Killer Array. It was for all purposes and intents used to stop the Sacred Race from entering the 5 Heavens we control. If they even tried, they would either be mortally wounded or killed, even if they were Triple-Lotus Saints.
"The Sacred Palace, one of the 6 Sects of the Cangxuan Heaven, as I'm sure you already know are nothing but scum. They are nothing but a dog to the Sacred Race. They helped disable the Chaos Origin Sacred Killer Array. When they did they were able to hunt me in an attempt to steal the Saint Stamp of the Cangxuan Heaven, which gives the owner complete control over the Heaven. So while Yao Yao was part of the reason they wanted to hunt me down, it was not the whole reason."
Julong quickly understood what Cang Xuan was trying to say.
"So you're telling me they were attempting to steal the Saint Stamp. You must have done something to it when you died though, otherwise, the Sacred Race would have annihilated the Humans by now, wouldn't they?"
"Very sharp. It is as you said. The Saint Stamp was created when the world was created, and the ones who owned them were known as Heaven Masters. When I died, I also destroyed the Saint Stamp, meaning there was no way for them to gain control over the Heaven. They instead left the job of remerging the Saint Stamp to the Sacred Palace. Tell me, do you know the origins of the Saint Rune that you found at the bottom of the Golden Pools is, Zhou Yuan?"
"Don't tell me it comes from the Saint Tablet?"
"Correct. It was my last resort in case the Sacred Palace managed to find all the pieces. Without the Runes, it is impossible for all the pieces to come together.
"Julong it was correct for you to give the Saint Rune to Zhou Yuan. Something much larger than a singular Heaven lies in your wake, even so, this now encompasses you all." He then turned to Zhou Yuan, "If possible I want you to complete the Saint Stamp and become the new Heaven Master when you ascend to such a level. In death, it is much easier to tap into ones' potential and Spirit, and I am certain you both will reach such incredible heights."
Julong and Zhou Yuan both adopted very serious looks upon their faces.
"If it means I can protect Yao Yao, I don't care how long it takes."
Julong was the one to make the proclamation, something which touched Yao Yao to her core.
"I agree. Big Sis Yao Yao will not be taken by the Sacred Race, not unless it is over my dead body."
Cang Xuan smiled at them warmly.
"It seems as though I have chosen wisely. However I must warn you - if the Sacred Palace even finds out the smallest hint, you three will be the first in their crosshairs. Moreover, I intend for you to find the Saint Runes before you complete the Saint Tablet. Each Rune will lead you to the next, but I will tell you where the second Rune is myself. In the Cangxuan Sect there is a peak called the Saint Genesis Peak. I locked it away when I died. When you finally unlock it, it will be in there. To aid in doing so, I give you my signet. If you do not have this on you, you will not be able to unlock it."
"I'm assuming from what you have told us, this is a very secretive matter."
Julong could only make assumptions about what he was being told, it would still be a decent amount of time before he would be able to make definitive observations.
"That is correct. I suspect that my death was not solely because of an outsider, but also because of someone inside of the Cangxuan Sect."
Zhou Yuan laughed nervously at the news.
"A mole in the Sect, of course. Elder, this task is not easy at all, surely you will not starve us of resources to get strong enough to complete such a task."
Cang Xuan chuckled heartily as golden Genesis Qi flowed from all around the area toward his palm, inside the palm of his hand appeared two objects, a drop of Saint Blood and something that really struck accord with Julong, Ancestral Dragon Will.
"I of course will feed you properly then. These are your long-awaited blessings, the same ones people travel hundreds of kilometres for in hopes of attaining."