Chapter 1023: Essence, Qi, and Spirit

"Demon race?"

Ao Yong frowned slightly, clearly taken aback by the sudden appearance of this term.

Not only Ao Yong, but even Ao Qian was hearing for the first time that the Blood God Hall had connections with the demon race.

"Senior Long Teng, am I correct in my guess? If I am not mistaken, the master of the Blood God Hall should be the Heavenly Demon God you mentioned," Ye Yuan said.

Long Teng had long witnessed Ye Yuan's intelligence, so he nodded and said, "Correct."

"What exactly are you talking about? What demon race?" Ao Qian couldn't help asking.

Ye Yuan did not hide anything and recounted how the Heavenly Demon God had manipulated the Blood God Hall behind the scenes fifty thousand years ago, intending to swallow the entire Divine Realm.

Hearing such a secret, the few of them were stunned speechless.

The upper echelons of the Divine Realm were basically aware of the upheaval fifty thousand years ago. But no one knew that the upheaval was related to the demon race!

Moreover, according to Ye Yuan, the strength of that Heavenly Demon God was terrifying. Even Void Xuan experts were no match for him.

If not for Fang Tian's sudden appearance, the Divine Realm would have long been under demon rule.

Yet fifty thousand years had passed, and the name Fang Tian had left no trace in this world.

Hearing this story, their feeling was... it was like a tale!

"According to what you said, Long Teng should be far stronger than Patriarch Xing Han. Since he knew Patriarch Xing Han betrayed him, why didn't he come back for revenge?" Ao Duo said.

Long Teng cast him a faint glance but did not explain.

Ao Qian, however, looked at him as if he were an idiot and scolded, "Are you brainless? Elder Teng must have returned and seen Patriarch Xing Han! At that time, the Dragon Clan was one of the most powerful forces in the Divine Realm. Elder Teng considered the bigger picture and didn't strike against Patriarch Xing Han! Later, he and Senior Fang Tian fought the Heavenly Demon God to a mutual defeat, making it even more impossible for him to return to the Dragon Clan. If you still doubt Elder Teng, you're truly a pig! Haven't you seen his strength? If Elder Teng had a physical body, do you think you could withstand a few of his moves?"

Ao Duo's face turned extremely ugly, but he really couldn't refute Ao Qian's words.

From the brief exchange just now, Long Teng's strength was unfathomable. His understanding of Dragon Clan martial arts was too terrifying.

"Since things have come to this, I wonder if you still recognize me as the master of the Dragon Clan?" Ye Yuan suddenly said solemnly.

Ao Duo's expression changed, and he opened his mouth but said nothing.

Things had reached this point; whatever he said was useless. Even Ancestor Ao Yong stood on the other side, and Ye Yuan's position as Dragon Clan master was set in stone.

Ao Yong said, "Of course! The Sacred Dragon Token has acknowledged you as its master, so you are the Dragon Clan master! This is a rule set by our ancestors, and no one can change it! Those who oppose will be expelled from the Dragon Clan!"

At these words, Ao Duo's heart clenched sharply, knowing that his time as clan leader was over.

Ye Yuan nodded and said, "In that case, I have three matters to instruct."

Ao Yong bowed and said, "We await the Dragon Master's orders!"

Ye Yuan said, "First, Senior Long Teng will be reinstated in the ancestral shrine and recorded in the clan genealogy! Second, don't think about the Sacred Dragon Token until my great revenge is fulfilled! Third, Ao Duo, you will remain as clan leader; no one is vying for it!"

Ao Duo was stunned and looked at Ye Yuan in surprise, his gaze filled with complex emotions.

"Is... is this true?" Ao Duo looked at Ye Yuan in disbelief.

Ye Yuan said indifferently, "Since you know my identity from my past life, you should know something about my character! I have no interest in your clan leader position! Moreover, I will not stay long in the Dragon Clan, so you can rest assured and be the clan leader. However... if there is any defiance again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

As he spoke, Ye Yuan's expression darkened, his words carrying an unquestionable authority.

He had no interest in power, but that didn't mean anyone could trample on his dignity. When necessary, he would naturally assert his identity as the Dragon Clan's master.

Ye Yuan's words shocked everyone.

The position of Azure Dragon Clan chief was one of the most coveted in the entire Divine Realm, yet Ye Yuan was giving it up without a second thought.

Ao Duo and the others were stunned for a moment before coming to their senses.

The man before them was no greenhorn youth, but the peerless Alchemy Emperor who had once shut himself off from the world!

Ji Qingyun's single-minded devotion to the Dao was known to all in the Divine Realm. If not for the sudden upheaval, perhaps the Ye Yuan before them would never have appeared.

Though his appearance had changed, Ji Qingyun was still Ji Qingyun. He truly had little interest in power.

Ao Duo stood there dumbfounded, unsure how to respond. It was Ao Yong who first recovered his wits and said, "Thank you for your magnanimity, Dragon Lord! Rest assured, Ao Duo will handle the matters you've entrusted."

Ye Yuan nodded, then turned to Long Teng and said, "Senior Long Teng, you said that once my bloodline advanced to the king level, you would reveal the secret of mystic qi. May I ask... if you can tell me now?"

Long Teng had made that agreement back when he didn't know Ye Yuan's true identity. He never dreamed that Ye Yuan would be a returning ancestral dragon soul.

Even without that agreement, he could now reveal some of the Dragon Clan's secrets to Ye Yuan.

Long Teng nodded and said, "Follow me!"

...

In an extremely secret palace beneath the Dragon Clan, Ye Yuan stared at the divine inscriptions on the walls, utterly astonished.

"Divine inscriptions are written by divine-path powerhouses using the power of laws, profound and mysterious. This divine inscription is a dragon-clan divine-path cultivation method, but since the divine path vanished, no one has been able to comprehend it." Long Teng's words also revealed deep regret.

Although the dragon clan remained strong, after the great war fifty thousand years ago, they had been in decline.

By now, their strength had fallen far, far too much.

And the power of laws on the divine inscription was simply beyond anyone's comprehension.

"Then... what is mystic energy?"

Ye Yuan had heard of mystic energy in Xie Lingzi's cave, but only knew a little about it.

However, this mystic energy seemed crucial for achieving the divine realm.

Long Teng sighed, "Mystic energy infuses the body, and the divine realm is achieved! This is a saying passed down in the dragon clan, but back then, I accompanied Fang Tian across the divine domain and the lower realms, yet we never found so-called mystic energy."

Ye Yuan's expression turned serious. "The White Tiger Spirit said the divine domain is missing part of the power of laws. Could it be... that what's missing is the most crucial mystic energy?"

Long Teng nodded. "It must be so! Although I don't know the secret to becoming a god, I do know that to break through to the divine realm, essence, energy, and spirit are all indispensable! Besides these, there is another crucial thing—that is... the state of mind!"

Hearing this, Ye Yuan's eyes lit up.

So-called essence, energy, and spirit correspond to the physical body, yuan force, and soul! On this path, he had already stepped into the ninth level in all three!

As for the state of mind, he was second to none in the divine domain!

Unity of heaven and man—few in the entire divine domain had achieved it.

"Senior, what exactly is the function of the state of mind?" Ye Yuan asked curiously.