Chapter 1427: The Strongest Existence

"All that is past," Sun Fuling said seriously, her ear twitching as she leaned back and pinched his arm. "I only know that ordinary people have never been happy in any era."

What Xin Yi had been describing was the carefree existence of powerful beings. The ancient era he painted so colorfully had no trace of common folk.

In any era, common people are invisible, overlooked.

"You and I are not ordinary," He Lingchuan said, gazing at her beautiful profile. "If you, Master, were in ancient times, you'd at least earn the title of a fairy."

"Then you'd at least be a 'True Man'," Sun Fuling said, unable to suppress a laugh. "Greetings, True Man He!"

"The fairy is too kind."

The two were like mischievous children whispering and slacking off in class; Xin Yi had already looked at them twice. Someone in the back row, displeased, tapped He Lingchuan's shoulder. "Hey, can you two pay attention?"

He Lingchuan turned around, startling the person. "General He... He?"

This was a patrol guard transferred back from Yuheng City; he had not only met He Lingchuan but had also served under him, and was now somewhat flustered.

He Lingchuan waved a hand at him. "Oh, my apologies."

Sun Fuling, meanwhile, made a shushing gesture at He Lingchuan.

Xin Yi on stage had spoken for half an hour. He now paused to drink water and invite questions from the audience.

Answering questions on the spot was an old tradition of the Ask-Immortal Terrace, which particularly tested the speaker's skill.

This was the second Q&A session. At least two or three hundred people in the audience raised their hands, and the atmosphere was enthusiastic.

However, Xin Yi's gaze shifted, and he was surprised to see He Lingchuan also raising his hand.

He was somewhat surprised. "General He?"

He Lingchuan channeled his vital energy to raise his voice. "Mr. Xin, you just mentioned the Black Dragon Divine Venerable. Our Panlong City has several black jiao totems; is there any connection between the two?"

"An excellent question," Xin Yi said with a smile. "One of my tasks in Panlong City is to study the black jiao totems. I've traveled through countless famous mountains, great rivers, and bustling cities, but only in Panlong City have I found the black jiao mark."

He was quite frank about it, causing He Lingchuan to raise an eyebrow.

Xin Yi's first impression was one of approachability and straightforwardness, as if he had nothing to hide.

"Following up on what I just said, there have indeed been deities in the world, but there has been only one, and that is the Black Dragon Divine Venerable!"

A hum arose from below as people whispered.

What did that mean? Weren't heavenly gods what Beijia worshipped?

Xin Yi pointed towards the sky. "The so-called 'heavenly gods' who now establish temples and extract incense offerings in this world are all false gods. They are actually the Sky Demons who invaded the world three thousand years ago! After they retreated beyond the heavens, they usurped the name 'deities' to fool mortals and absorb their faith. The only truly recognized deity, from ancient times to the present, is the Black Dragon Divine Venerable, who stands above all immortals, also known as the 'Dragon God'."

"The Dragon God originated from the Bin Sea Dragon Clan, an inconspicuous branch of the dragon race. It showed no unusual phenomena at birth; it was just an ordinary small dragon."

Immediately, an audience member retorted, "No matter how ordinary, it was still a dragon! It was born to transcend all beings."

"That's true. But this was never a peak legend that all beings could participate in," Xin Yi said with a smile, stating a harsh truth. "You weren't in ancient times; you don't know that then, powerful cultivators were everywhere, and humans or immortals slaying dragons was no rare feat."

"The Dragon God's youth was also unremarkable; it was just one among many dragons. But after it reached one hundred years of age, roughly equivalent to sixteen or seventeen in human years, it began to distinguish itself. By two hundred years, it had swept across the Bin Sea, unmatched. Legend says it encountered a great opportunity, devouring a lost dragon pearl of the Bin Sea, which caused its cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds."

"The Black Dragon's path to godhood thus truly opened up, leaving many legends in the world. For instance, it single-handedly destroyed the once-powerful Cangyuan Sect, an immortal sect that often committed perverse acts. Or it used its supreme divine power to move mountains and redirect rivers, creating vast pure lands for humanity to live in peace and prosperity. Such deeds are countless; one could talk for three days and three nights and still not finish."

"When the Sky Demons invaded the human world, the Dragon God was already seven thousand years old. It had long become the head of the Four Seas Dragon Clans, receiving homage from all immortals. Its majestic dignity, looking down upon all beings, is beyond our current imagination. It is said that its cultivation was just one step shy of rivaling the Way of Heaven. Had it not been for the subsequent Sky Demon invasion, it would have truly lived as long as heaven, without decay or decline."

Someone asked, puzzled, "If the Dragon God was so powerful, how did it... uh... fall?"

"It was still due to the Sky Demon invasion," Xin Yi said, taking a sip of warm water. "The dragon race, led by the Dragon God, became the cornerstone of the counterattack. That was truly a heroic and tragic war history; the dragon race bore almost more than half of the Sky Demons' assaults, and the cost was that no other immortal or demon sustained losses as staggering as the dragons'. In the renowned Battle of Pei Mountain, the Dragon God single-handedly fought against hundreds of Sky Demons and, on the spot, slew three Greater Sky Demons, who were later called 'True Gods' by posterity."

He Lingchuan couldn't help but be moved.

The so-called "True Gods" were on the level of Exalted Spirit Void, Myriad Azure Heaven, and Naraka Heaven. He Lingchuan knew little about Exalted Spirit Void, but he had personally experienced the terror of Myriad Azure Heaven and Naraka Heaven.

Myriad Azure Heaven had interrogated him using a divine eye, crossing the barrier between two realms to directly seize his soul for a "divine judgment" without even his consent. Naraka Heaven had only dispatched a clone, yet it almost broke through the Great Square Flask's restraint to descend upon He Lingchuan. If not for General Hong's intervention, he would have already been a mere husk.

The Divine Realm had one hundred thousand Heavenly Gods, but only thirty-six were True Gods, demonstrating their overwhelming power.

Yet, back then, the Dragon God could consecutively slay three "True Gods" in one breath, even while surrounded and interfered with by hundreds of Sky Demons. What kind of power, what kind of divine ability was that?

"However, the Dragon God also suffered severe injuries from this, unable to recover for many years," Xin Yi said with a sigh. "In the final battle to expel the Sky Demons, the Dragon God sacrificed itself, driving them all out of the human realm."

Hearing this, everyone sighed with regret.

Someone immediately asked, "Is there truly such a powerful being willing to sacrifice itself for the human world?"

The patrol guard sitting behind He Lingchuan immediately said, "Of course!"

"Aside from the Dragon God, give me an example!"

"You're not from around here, are you?" the patrol guard sneered. "The land you stand on, this very city, is the best example!"

The audience, moved, echoed, "Exactly!"

"Rescuing people from suffering; Panlong City has always been like this!"

"For more than a decade, how many brave men of Panlong City have shed their blood on this land!"

The area below the stage became noisy for a moment.

The young attendant by the Ask-Immortal Terrace immediately rang the chimes.

Three long, resonant chime sounds barely managed to quell the cacophony.

Only then did He Lingchuan continue his question. "So, what is the connection between our black jiao mark and the Dragon God?"