The moment Dyon spoke those words, the law of the world seemed to change.
The angered Tigris Head, the mischievous Simia Head and the insufferably arrogant Tudo Head all had their expressions change, suddenly realizing it had become impossible to stay afloat.
Under the astonished gazes of the two saintesses, the nine opposing figures in the sky came floating downward, unable to stop their momentum as they landed on the ground, each of their faces redder than the last.
Granny Celest giggled like a little girl, enjoying the show. It seemed she really didn’t need to interfere.
“You…” The three clan heads spoke at once, none believing what they had just witnessed.
Why did Head Arie not believe Dyon was a hot-headed fool? It wasn’t just because she blindly believed in her daughter’s choice despite not truly knowing Dyon, it was because unlike the other clan heads, she understood the power of the Master Symbol very well… And she also knew that anyone who could gain its recognition was an unmatched talent.
Knowing the abilities of the Master Symbol so well, she knew that Dyon could hear their conversation, and not only that, but could teleport directly into their meeting room should he have wished to.
For the “hot-headed” Dyon to be well aware of his abilities, yet decide to slowly make his way up and take his time to train, following his own pace instead of that set by them, he was clearly as level-headed as he could be.
What was clear to Head Arie was only just becoming clear to the other family heads as they glanced at Dyon with an added caution. He was King here, not them.
“Truthfully speaking, I didn’t plan on interacting with you all at all. I was only going to fulfill my goal before leaving. How you felt about it was irrelevant. But… Since you’re so insistent on doing things your way, I have some time to be the petty hot-head you think I am.”
The three heads tried to move, but to their horror, they suddenly found that they couldn’t. The reality dawned upon them that if Dyon wanted to massacre them all, he’d have a good shot at doing so…
“What’s your name?” Dyon ignored them for a moment and turned toward the Saintesses.
Saintess Rue blinked before realizing that Dyon was speaking to her. “I’m Rue, she’s Ray.”
Dyon smiled, “Tell me, do you have an age stone?”
“We have an age stone and a cultivation age stone.” Saintess Rue replied.
“Cultivation age stone?” Dyon had never heard of this.
‘A cultivation age stone calculates based on the number of years you’ve been cultivating. Technically, the foundation stage is like a rebirth. In reality, the stone outputs an age based on the time you’ve spent actively cultivating.’ Dyon’s Master explained.
“Interesting.” Dyon grinned. “Can you give me the both of them?”
Soon, Dyon had two crystals in his hand. Although they didn’t look much different from each other, the cultivation age stone was significantly heavier.
“How old are you really?” Saintess Rue asked curiously.
Saintess Ray’s large white eyes sparkled as she looked toward Dyon expectantly.
Dyon grinned. “Didn’t the mighty and wise wrinkled turtle over there already tell you? I’m thousands of years old. I’m foolish and untalented.”
The two saintesses couldn’t help but giggle at Dyon’s provocative words.
“It seems that you three clans are quite ungrateful.” Dyon said, turning his attention back to the three family heads. “Do you remember the history of the Celestial Deer Sect? Do you know why it was named as such instead of the Celestial Beast Sect it was meant to be originally? Hm?”
The three heads remained silent. Truth be told, Dyon was impressed that they recollected themselves so quickly. Others might not be so calm in a situation where they had no power like this one.
“It’s fine that you don’t remember, I don’t mind reminding you.
“Celestial Beasts have been hunted for the special properties of their blood for billions of years. Unfortunately for you all, even as the purity of your bloodlines declined over the years, this feverish pursuit didn’t fall off. Instead, you became less and less capable of defending yourselves.”
Head Tigris growled, but didn’t say much else.
“Even now, your blood is able to give birth to things that should be impossible. I guess this could count as your one saving grace.
“Several million years ago, at the time of the 23rd White Mother, your celestial beast clan was finally approached by its first possible ally, someone who genuinely wanted to help. Despite finding your hiding place, he didn’t divulge this information and instead extended an olive branch.
“No longer would the celestial beasts have to constantly stalk the Ancient Battlefield. Maybe you all would finally have a home now. The only thing this man asked in return was your help in finding a path to saving the mortal plane because he believed that your bloodline held the secret to creation.
“You used this man for protection, for resources. He treated you not as beasts, but as equals, as family.
“Yet, the day the ancestors of this very man faced their fiercest challenge, the only ones among you who showed up to pay this favor back were the Celestial Deer.
“The supposed courage laden tigers were nowhere to be found. The wise turtles were hiding in their shells. The supposed King Apes were liking flinging their own shit at each other. All while that man’s fellow clansman and descendants died for a fight you should have been part of.
“That man was none other than the First Master of the former Celestial Beast Sect, now to be forever known as the Celestial Deer Sect.”