I've Waited Too Long (Part 1)

Chapter Nineteen: I've Waited Too Long (Part 1)

"Boy, you will feel a burning sensation in your blood for a while. The more you persevere, the more you will gain from awakening the Hegemonic Sun Moon bloodline," the voice within Tian Phai reassured him.

Immediately after those words, an intense pain surged through Tian Phai's body, as if someone was tearing him apart from the inside. It felt as though his blood had transformed into burning acid, cauterizing his insides.

The pain persisted, but Tian Phai gritted his teeth and held on, determined to endure the ordeal.

As he endured the pain, Tian Phai's body began to absorb the water from the Ancestral Blood Pool. However, instead of relieving the pain, it intensified.

Awakening a bloodline was never an easy task, and it was known that even for geniuses, bloodline awakening usually occurred upon reaching the peak of Profound Sensing or breaking through to the Profound Warrior realm. However, the exceptional foundation of the fifteen Heaven Tier children meant they had a chance to awaken their bloodlines even before starting their training.

This was the true benefit of the Sacred Poison Dragon's source poison. It not only made the symptoms of bloodline awakening lighter and easier to bear but also raised the degree of the bloodline itself.

At that moment, the excruciating pain inside Tian Phai vanished completely, leaving him in a state of profound comfort. When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on a small island in the middle of an endless ocean.

The island was barren and small, but he was not alone. Standing before him was a man in his late twenties, exuding a sense of dignity and masculinity despite his feminine features.

"You are that voice?" Tian Phai asked, slightly surprised.

The man smiled and replied, "Yes, I am that voice. Finally, we meet, kid."

Tian Phai couldn't help but remark, "You seem quite different from all the grandiose words you spoke earlier."

The man's eyes darkened with a hint of resentment as he responded, "You see when you reach a certain level of strength, you regain your youth and extend your life for many years. But let's not dwell on that. I need to ask you for a favor."

Curiosity sparked within Tian Phai, and he asked, "What is it?"

"I need to access the memories of the bloodline," the man said, his gaze filled with hope.

Perplexed, Tian Phai inquired, "What do you mean?"

"Sit down, boy. Rest assured, I pose no danger to you. You have the power to erase me whenever you desire," the man assured Tian Phai.

Acknowledging his control within this space, Tian Phai sat down on the sand, gazing out at the vast ocean.

The man sat beside him and introduced himself, saying, "First, let me properly introduce myself. I am Tian Bu Huai, meaning 'Destroyer of Heaven.' Although I may be considered your ancestor, I don't deserve any respect from my bloodline due to the harm I caused them. Allow me to share my story. At one time, I was a talented genius. I surpassed all others, rising to the top from the lower realms to the middle worlds. I had wealth, power, authority, and the respect of all. But the person closest to me in life wasn't one of my wives, friends, or children. It was my younger brother."

Tian Bu Huai paused, his voice filled with nostalgia, as he continued, "My brother and I grew up together, always looking out for each other. Whenever one of us was in trouble, we faced it together. When one of us was punished, we both suffered the consequences. My brother may not have been as talented in cultivation as me, but he possessed numerous other talents. He excelled in alchemy, weapon forging, chess, drawing, writing, and even deception and fraud. He was a genius in everything he attempted, to the point where I sometimes felt he could surpass me in martial arts and cultivation."

Tian Phai noticed the pride in Tian Bu Huai's voice as he spoke of his brother, and he refrained from interrupting, allowing him to continue.

"But this brother, with whom I exchanged clothes and shoes in our youth, met his demise while I was secluded, attempting to break through to the next level. I received news of his death," Tian Bu Huai's voice trembled with sorrow, tears welling up in his eyes. "I couldn't believe that my younger brother had left me alone. That foolish child, whom I scolded and watched over, the one I relied on when our parents passed away. All I saw upon leaving my seclusion was the news of my brother's death in a war against some damned demons."

Touched by Tian Bu Huai's story, Tian Phai, though not usually sympathetic, felt a pang of empathy. However, he pressed on and asked, "What role do I play in all of this?"

Tian Bu Huai's expression grew determined as he replied, "Help me uncover the truth."

Surprised, Tian Phai questioned, "The truth? What do you mean?"

With a hint of defiance, Tian Bu Huai said, "No matter how hard those bastards try to claim that my brother died in battle, I refuse to believe it. I couldn't even kill him with all my might, so how could a mere bunch of strangers accomplish that?"