Chapter 577 - 9 Reincarnations

Long Ao, of course, understood what Long Fu was saying.

Now that he had obtained the Power of Origin, how could the Celestial Dao possibly let it rest?

Long Fu had just said it: in all of Heaven and Earth, only one being possessed the Power of Origin, and that being was the Celestial Dao.

Forget the Celestial Dao; anyone in that position would be unwilling to let someone else possess the Power of Origin.

The only reason the Celestial Dao was the number one being in Heaven and Earth was because it had achieved Fusion with the Power of Origin. If someone else also managed that, the legend of the Celestial Dao’s supremacy would be shattered.

“Long Fu, what is it?”

Long Ao was quite curious. He didn’t know what Long Fu wanted to tell him at a time like this.

“Master, you have obtained the Power of Origin. I will help you seal it away for now. In the future, when you break through to the old master’s Realm, I will assist you in reaching the Celestial Dao’s Realm in one fell swoop. At that time, you will be the only supreme existence in all of Heaven and Earth capable of contending with the Celestial Dao.”

Long Ao felt not the slightest bit of excitement or thrill.

Long Ao wasn’t a three-year-old child; he knew exactly how dangerous this process would be.

Even if he was lucky enough to eventually reach that height, in a battle against the Celestial Dao, no one could say who would live and who would die. No matter how he looked at it, the path ahead was arduous and fraught with peril.

“Master, I know you are reluctant, but this is your destiny. You could think of it this way: if the old master hadn’t chosen you, you wouldn’t be where you are today.”

Long Ao remained silent. He wanted to know what Long Fu was really trying to say.

Long Ao had mulled over what Long Fu was saying countless times before.

All this time, Long Ao had considered himself merely lucky. He believed that if not for his good fortune and his Desolate Sacred Body, the Ancient Divine Dragon would never have chosen him.

Furthermore, Long Ao had always believed he was just a pawn—a pawn of the Ancient Divine Dragon.

Long Ao could even imagine that if he ever became useless to the Ancient Divine Dragon, it would unceremoniously cast him aside.

‘Ultimately, if I want to escape my fate as a pawn, I must possess immense power.’

Even though the Ancient Divine Dragon had already fallen, Long Ao knew that unless he could surpass the Celestial Dao, Long Fu could replace him at any moment.

In the current situation, it was Long Fu who decided whether he was a pawn, not him.

Long Ao detested this situation, but he was powerless to change it. At the very least, he currently lacked any ability to resist.

“Master, at your current rate of Cultivation, and now with the help of the Chaos Stele, I believe you can reach the old master’s Realm in ten years at most. When that happens, I will take you to a certain place. So now, I wish to speak with you about something.”

‘Shit.’

Long Ao cursed viciously in his heart. He had thought Long Fu was already getting to the point, but he never expected that after all that talking, Long Fu still hadn’t even begun. It was infuriating.

‘Ten years.’

Hearing Long Fu’s confident words, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t happy. However, Long Ao didn’t celebrate too soon. He knew the process would be dangerous, and while the outcome was exciting, until he reached the finish line, it was all just empty talk.

“Master, what I want to discuss with you is actually quite simple. With your Cultivation speed, I can assert that you will officially break through to the Divine Dao Realm in three years at the shortest, five years at the longest. But reaching the old master’s Realm… that is exceptionally difficult.”

“Long Fu, just say what you have to say. Don’t beat around the bush.”

“Very well, Master. My proposal is for you to enter the Path of Reincarnation, and use it to break through to the Divine Dao Realm with your Cultivation.”

Though he had considered countless possibilities, Long Ao had never imagined that this was what Long Fu wanted to talk about.

Long Ao didn’t answer immediately, instead lowering his head in thought. The chances of a Divine Spirit successfully achieving Rebirth after entering the Path of Reincarnation were minuscule. The slightest misstep would lead to a fate beyond redemption.

How could Long Ao not understand Long Fu’s intention? He simply wanted him to rapidly increase his strength through a trial of life and death. A successful Reincarnation would not only allow one to regain the Peak Realm of their previous life, but even break through to a higher Realm.

“Long Fu, let me ask you something. Did Long Tian and the Ancient Divine Dragon ever enter the Path of Reincarnation?”

“The Ancient Divine Dragon did not, but Long Tian did—a full nine times. Nine journeys through the Path of Reincarnation forged the old master’s incredible power, but in the end, he was still one step short.”

‘Nine Reincarnations?’

Hearing Long Fu’s words, Long Ao had no reason to doubt him, but he was utterly astonished. He knew what nine Reincarnations signified. Forget nine—even a single one was fraught with peril. Long Ao found it hard to imagine how Long Tian had managed it.

“Master, there is something you don’t know. The Dragon Race is different from Martial Artists. When the old master undertook his nine Reincarnations, it improved both old masters simultaneously. It would have been too dangerous for both of them to enter the Path of Reincarnation at the same time.”

Nodding, Long Ao understood what Long Fu meant.

It was simple. Every time Long Tian entered the Path of Reincarnation, the Ancient Divine Dragon would find his reincarnated self and act as his guardian. This way, Long Tian’s journeys through the Path of Reincarnation were guaranteed to be safe.

But even so, for Long Tian to have undergone nine Reincarnations was still an unparalleled feat.

“Master, I trust you know that for a Divine Dao Martial Artist, the more times they successfully reincarnate through the Path of Reincarnation, the more powerful they become. The two old masters completed nine full Reincarnations and reached the Martial Arts Peak, yet they still failed to achieve Fusion with the Power of Origin in the end.”

‘Nine Reincarnations. The perfect number nine.’

Long Ao finally understood what Long Fu wanted of him. He wanted him to enter the Path of Reincarnation and, by completing nine Reincarnations—that perfect number—achieve the Peak Martial Arts Realm.

“Master, although you possess the Desolate Sacred Body and your Cultivation speed far exceeds others, if you want to reach the old master’s level… I can only say it in one word: ‘hard.’ Therefore, you must enter the Path of Reincarnation and be reborn. By doing this, I believe you can reach the old master’s level in the shortest possible Time.”

“I’ll need to go through nine Reincarnations, too?”

“At least nine. The old master’s talent back then was no less than yours, and he had someone to guard him.”

Nodding, Long Ao didn’t agree immediately. Instead, he said, “Long Fu, let’s talk about this later.”

Long Fu didn’t press the issue. He also knew that his proposal was a cruel one. The Path of Reincarnation was fraught with danger, and he was asking for nine trips. Because of this, Long Fu didn’t blame his master. He would give him Time to consider. To be perfectly honest, even if his master refused, the worst-case scenario was just waiting a few more decades.