Watching Venti suddenly get way too excited, Zhongli couldn't help recalling something Jiang Yan had said previously—
In the cultivation world, quite a few male cultivators favor… that path.
Zhongli instinctively took a step away from Venti.
He didn't understand. He didn't want to understand. If Venti liked it, he would respect him.
But if Venti ever dared direct that attention at him—
then blame him for being ruthless.
"Master, do you mean that the Violet-Gold Dragon Clan does not reproduce in the manner we understand?"
Ningguang glanced meaningfully at Jiang Yan and Ganyu.
Jiang Yan nodded lightly.
"That is correct."
"But in the cultivation records I've read, the dragons were described as…"
Keqing began instinctively, then halted.
After a brief glance at Zhongli and Neuvillette, she swallowed the rest.
It would be impolite to say it out loud.
"You may speak."
Zhongli's voice remained calm.
"The dragons described in the cultivation records were… highly lustful creatures."
"They reproduced with sea beasts, land beasts, birds of the sky, humans, fiends, and spirit beasts."
Focalors and Furina were stunned.
Both instinctively stepped away from Neuvillette.
Neuvillette's mouth twitched violently.
He had never even considered such things! He wanted to cultivate and ascend, thank you very much!
Why were there such bizarre records? They were ruining his reputation!
"It is indeed true," Jiang Yan admitted with a small laugh.
"But what you must understand is this—dragonkind has five great branches. And the records you've seen mostly describe the Eastern Azure Dragon, Ao Jun."
"The other four dragon ancestors would never behave in such a way. They view reproduction as meaningless and bothersome—far inferior to a good long seclusion."
"And that brings us to the two reproductive methods of dragonkind."
Seeing their interest piqued, Jiang Yan began explaining further.
"When the Immortal Realm first opened, the five dragon ancestors were among its earliest innate beings. From birth, they controlled the oceans of the Immortal Realm."
"The Northern, Southern, Western, and Central dragon ancestors possessed the calm disposition typical of innate spirits."
"But the Eastern Azure Dragon, Ao Jun, was different. He had an extraordinary fondness for all beautiful things."
"Perhaps because his Dao was tied to the myriad living beings."
"After his birth, unlike his siblings who cultivated diligently, he wandered across the Immortal Realm."
"In time, he even traveled through countless great worlds."
"When he finally returned—after who knows how many eras—he had brought back countless great worlds to serve as habitats for his descendants."
"He had nine children of the purest bloodline—Qiu Niu, Ya Zi, Chao Feng, Pu Lao, Suan Ni, Ba Xia, Bi An, Fu Xi, and Chi Wen."
At this, Zhongli frowned slightly.
Chi Wen…
It stirred some unpleasant memories.
Jiang Yan continued:
"This is the origin of the saying 'A dragon has nine sons, and none resemble the father.'"
Shenzi blinked, a smile tugging her lips.
"So you're saying none of Ao Jun's nine sons… take after him?"
Jiang Yan gave her a helpless glance.
"Ao Jun was a peak Taiyi mighty one."
"…"
Shenzi quietly lowered her head.
"I… said nothing. And thought nothing."
Jiang Yan chuckled.
"The nine sons were merely the strongest. Ao Jun fathered far more than nine."
"In fact, at his peak, as many as 1,800 great worlds were filled entirely with his offspring."
"As for his spouses… they were too many to count."
Everyone exchanged strange looks but dared not comment.
"However, as the strongest of the five ancestors, Ao Jun's standards were naturally high. None of his descendants were weak."
"Unfortunately, they inherited Ao Jun's… love of lively company."
"So most of the absurd dragon tales in the cultivation world stem from his descendants."
"For example, one distant descendent—some dragon king of a distant realm—"
"Kept seven thousand male consorts."
"Thus, dragonkind earned its infamous reputation."
The group fell into collective understanding—
and collective disbelief.
Alice scratched her cheek.
"Seven thousand… She really wasn't afraid of dying of exhaustion. What a… robust mother dragon."
"Mother dragon?"
Jiang Yan's smile deepened meaningfully.
"That dragon king was not female."
"…"
Everyone fell silent.
Perhaps… this topic shouldn't be explored further.
But Jiang Yan clearly had no such reservations.
He added cheerfully:
"It was said that the dragon king and those male consorts were exceptionally affectionate—and even bore dozens of children together."
"???"
Everyone stared blankly at him.
After a long pause, Diluc muttered, face dark:
"I truly do not understand the cultivation world…"
"No!"
Venti snapped his fingers, grinning wickedly.
"You should say—
'I truly do not understand dragonkind.'"
Zhongli's face blackened like coal.
He gave Venti a deep look.
He couldn't act while Jiang Yan was here.
But once they returned to Mount Shu?
He would definitely let Venti understand what it meant to "accidentally step onto Dragon-Head Peak and lose three thousand contribution points."
"In any case, it is merely an amusing tale of the cultivation world."
Jiang Yan shook his head, then continued:
"Ao Jun single-handedly created an entire race. Naturally, the other four dragon ancestors were shocked."
"But to act as he did was impossible for them. As innate dragon ancestors and Taiyi powerhouses, they had their pride."
"Not even Golden Immortals were worthy of their notice—much less conventional reproduction."
"So, the four dragon ancestors engraved their bloodlines onto the laws of the heavens."
"When certain beings or worlds resonated with their Dao, dragon blood would naturally appear."
"This allowed the four dragon branches to flourish across three immeasurable kalpas."
"And later…"
Jiang Yan's expression dimmed slightly.
His gaze turned toward Neuvillette.
"Ao Run should have told you."
Neuvillette nodded heavily.
"The Day of Law's Extinction…"
"Correct."
Jiang Yan exhaled softly.
"That day, the laws of all worlds perished."
"Weak ants. Mighty beings like the five dragon ancestors. Even Mount Shu's forefathers."
"All shattered with the fall of all Dao and all law."
"Now that the laws have returned and the myriad Daos resound anew…
you may well be the last survivor of the Violet-Gold Dragon Clan."
His tone was calm, but everyone felt a chill pierce their bones.
Neuvillette clenched his fists.
From the depths of his bloodline came a surge of grief and refusal.
He asked the question anyway—despite knowing the answer.
"Master… the Day of Law's Extinction—was it…?"
"That is not something you should think about."
Jiang Yan cut him off sharply.
"If you pursue thoughts you should not have, you will only die."
Neuvillette slowly loosened his fists.
"…Yes. I understand."
If even the dragon ancestor dared not speak of revenge—
Then he, a junior, had no right to entertain the thought.
"Tsk… all laws of all worlds perishing together. Who could have survived such a thing?"
Venti muttered under his breath.
Jiang Yan glanced at him.
"The Da Luo."
Venti froze.
He hadn't expected Jiang Yan to state it outright.
He shrank back slightly, wisely choosing to shut up.
The atmosphere grew heavy—
So Jiang Yan shifted the topic.
"Neuvillette's cultivation method differs from everyone else's."
"As a Violet-Gold Dragon bloodline inheritor, he possesses the dragon clan's ancestral methods."
"Mount Shu arts can aid him, but his foundation must be the dragon inheritance."
Neuvillette had already understood this after meeting Ao Run.
He bowed solemnly.
"Thank you for guiding me, Master."
Furina scratched her cheek thoughtfully.
"So Neuvillette can just keep cultivating, and his bloodline will revive more and more of its ancient powers?"
"How unfair! No wonder Master said he's even stronger than a Divine Physique in some aspects."
"This is basically having an ancestor-granted cheat!"
Jiang Yan couldn't help laughing.
"In essence, yes—an ancestral cheat."
"But you are all beneficiaries of your ancestors as well."
"Your techniques, your resources, your realms—everything you cultivate comes from the legacy your forebears left behind."
"Mount Shu's foundations are not inferior to the Violet-Gold Dragons."
"At their peak, the dragons had only one peak Taiyi."
"But Mount Shu had three peak Taiyi, seven Taiyi mighty ones, over a hundred Golden Immortals, and countless Heaven and Earth Immortals."
"At its height, even the Heavenly Court stepped aside three feet before Mount Shu."
"And Mount Shu too had Da Luo backing."
"So Furina—there's no need to envy Neuvillette."
Furina let out a breath of satisfaction and straightened proudly.
"So in the end, Mount Shu is still the strongest!"
"But wait—if Neuvillette can keep restoring his bloodline, couldn't he eventually reach peak Taiyi like his ancestor?"
Jiang Yan stared at her, half exasperated, half amused.
"Who told you bloodline inheritors can reach their ancestor's level?"
"You think Taiyi is something that can be mass-produced?"
"If the Da Luo is the one who transcends all Dao—"
"Then Taiyi represents the complete end-point of a Dao itself."
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