The High Priest shook his head. “I don’t know that much about it, but I do know about the major affair that happened in the divine families those years ago. I have also inadvertently heard your mother mention how you came into her care. At that time, I found it to be far too coincidental. The timing matches perfectly.”


  Long Chen’s heart pounded. It seemed that the High Priest knew about his origins. His voice quivered as he asked, “High Priest, my biological father and mother… are they still healthy?”


  The High Priest looked at Long Chen kindly. “No matter how strong a person is, they still have fatal weak points. Did you grow afraid because you didn’t hear what you wanted to hear in the divine families?”


  Long Chen nodded. He truly was afraid. He was afraid that the day he learned the truth would be a day of tragedy, a tragedy that he could not stop or fix.

  Long Chen had a kind of bad feeling. During his time in the divine families, he hadn’t felt any sense of home, nor had he sensed a familiar bloodline aura.

  According to reason, with the senses of the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, it was impossible for him to not feel anything if his father and mother were in the divine families.

  However, even after all that time in the divine families, he hadn’t found a single clue. His heart sank.

  He felt fear. He was afraid that the moment things became clear, everything would vanish into smoke and mist.

  Another reason was because he wasn’t strong enough. He didn’t want to expose himself too early. Just who could be so cruel as to excavate a baby’s Spirit Root, Spirit Blood, and Spirit Bone? Although Long Chen didn’t have a child, he imagined that he would go crazy if such a thing happened to his child. It was something that could and would not be forgiven until everyone involved suffered the cruelest death imaginable.

  However, there did not seem to be such a thing in the divine families. In other words, there was only one possibility. That was the possibility that Long Chen was most afraid of.

  If things did reveal themselves, then he would not be able to endure. He would take vengeance immediately. However, if he wasn’t strong enough, that would be suicide.

  That was why the current Long Chen felt extremely conflicted. He wanted to know the secrets of his origin, but he was also afraid to know. So Long Chen didn’t want to go to the divine families and accidentally expose this secret.

  Therefore, now that the High Priest mentioned this topic, he instantly tensed. He wished with all his heart that the High Priest could tell him that his biological father and mother were still alive.

  The High Priest looked at Long Chen. “Child, there are many rules in this world that cannot be changed. If a caterpillar wishes to break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly, it must endure the pain of the transformation inside the cocoon. No one can help you. This process is very important. If anyone helps you, you will not be able to experience what you need to experience. If a cocoon is broken for you, when you spread your wings to fly, you will find that your wings are powerless. No expert can walk a smooth path as it cannot create an expert. It is the difficulties on the journey that make an expert, so your hesitation will make you lose those opportunities. Could it be that even at this level, you still believe in luck? If your luck isn’t reliable, then rely on your power. Face what you need to face. You can’t run from it, so walk toward it boldly. Furthermore, being pessimistic now is a bit too early.”


  That final sentence brought Long Chen endless hope. The High Priest seemed to be vaguely indicating that things weren’t as dire as he had imagined.

  “Many thanks, senior.” Long Chen bowed deeply.

  Although he was a peerless heavenly genius in other people’s eyes, Long Chen had his own soft spots.

  However, these words from the High Priest relieved Long Chen of a heavy weight. It was like a curse had been expelled. His entire body became lighter, and he even felt like the air was clearer.

  “Go. Do what you need to do. These old bones of mine can endure for a while. You don’t have less power on your side than others, so don’t worry,” said the High Priest.

  Long Chen nodded gratefully. With the High Priest’s full support, he had plenty of confidence.

  “Alright. Then three days later, I will take a trip to the divine families and see their attitude,” said Long Chen.

  After Long Chen left, the High Priest stared at the Wine God’s statue for a while, seemingly lost in memories. In the end, he smiled.

  “A lion of a father cannot have a dog of a son. The divine families really are fools. Even after all that, they didn’t learn. Could this all be the cycle of karma? The Heavenly Daos really are unfathomable.”


  …


  Long Chen immediately went to see his father and mother after leaving the High Priest. His return delighted the two of them. Mrs. Long immediately got to work cooking his favorite foods.

  Long Chen suddenly recalled his agreement with Tu Qianshang, and took advantage of the time before the food was ready to go see him.

  “Fatty, do you have any good wine? Huh? You…” Long Chen suddenly stared at Tu Qianshang in shock.

  Long Chen was shocked to find that Tu Qianshang’s realm had also reached the peak of Netherpassage.

  This fatty had already missed his golden cultivation time, but his cultivation base was still crazily rising to the point that it even stunned Long Chen.

  “Hehe, you’re amazed, right? It’s because I broke through a major barrier in my Wine Dao. Naturally my realm will also increase. Here, have some of my newest wine. My recent breakthrough has to do with this wine in particular. You’re blessed to have a chance to taste it. Other than the High Priest, no one else has drunk this wine.” Tu Qianshang was extremely proud of this new wine. Even the scars on his face seemed to be blooming.

  “To tell the truth, I really like your wine the best. It’s simple, direct, and strong. After drinking it, all other wines taste flavorless. I’ve long since been craving for more,” said Long Chen.

  Tu Qianshang’s wine was incredibly strong. It could not be called fine wine, but after drinking it, a grand feeling would slowly fill his chest. This kind of feeling was something only Tu Qianshang was able to draw out.

  “Here, drink a bowl.”


  Tu Qianshang passed a bowl of wine to Long Chen. It was dark red and roiling, and small bubbles continuously came out. These bubbles even had runes inside of them, making them look particularly strange but also novel.

  “Good wine. The fragrance is completely locked inside, and the wine energy circulates within it in a never-ending cycle. Your realm really has grown.” Long Chen looked at the wine and praised Tu Qianshang. Just this simple bowl of wine used the Wine Dao to reflect the Heavenly Daos. Just what kind of miracle had Tu Qianshang run into to cause his Wine Dao to soar to such a height? The Wine God Palace was truly mysterious.

  “Stop wasting words and drink it,” said Tu Qianshang impatiently.

  Long Chen raised the bowl and drank a mouthful. As a result, as soon as it entered his throat, he felt like it was exploding.

  Long Chen spat it out. As if prepared, Tu Qianshang easily dodged, and the wine fell to the ground.

  Sizzling sounds rang out. The bricks in the floor had many small holes burned into them. After that, the very bricks themselves suddenly ignited.

  “Damn fatty, are you conning me?! This is not wine!” raged Long Chen. Even his voice was hoarse after that.

  What kind of wine was this? It was more like lava! If it was anyone else, they would probably have lost their life from this mouthful.

  “Stop spouting nonsense. If you keep complaining, you’ll ruin the fengshui.”


  Tu Qianshang smiled disdainfully and drank his own mouthful of this wine. His expression didn’t even twitch. He was extremely pleased with himself.

  Long Chen looked at the wine even closer. Looking at the countless bubbles, he realized that this wine’s power was related to them.

  This time, Long Chen drank a small sip. He felt like he was drinking lava as it entered his throat. It was as painful as if he was swallowing millions of needles.

  When the wine finally reached his stomach, its power burst forth. Long Chen then felt his entire body heat up. He was like a boiled crab.

  As the fierce wine energy spread, a new wave came. This one was slightly cold. As it flowed through his burning body, an indescribable feeling of refreshment filled him.

  “Good wine!”


  Long Chen couldn’t hold back his praise. With this one sip, his pores were fully opened, and his spiritual yuan was stimulated. Even his Blood Qi was flowing rapidly.

  With just one sip, he instantly entered a combat-ready state. There was no need for a warmup. This wine was truly powerful.

  “Hahaha!” Tu Qianshang laughed. Only the High Priest had drunk this wine before, not because he had only shown it to the High Priest, but because no one else could endure drinking this wine of his. A person had to have a powerful constitution to drink it, or it would be no different from poison.

  It was lonely being an expert, so the fact that Long Chen could drink this wine delighted Tu Qianshang. He took out a jug of it and poured out three more bowls.

  When Tu Qianshang poured out the fourth bowl, Long Chen hastily said, “This wine is too fierce. I have to eat with my parents soon, so I can’t drink too much.” Long Chen felt his Blood Qi surging throughout his body, almost to the point where he couldn’t control it. Any more and his aura would burst out and he wouldn’t be able to suppress it. If that happened, Long Tianxiao and Mrs. Long wouldn’t be able to endure that pressure.

  After all, this was Long Chen’s first time drinking this wine. He didn’t have Tu Qianshang’s resistance toward it.

  “Fine. Once you’re done, we can drink until we’re happy,” said Tu Qianshang.

  Tu Qianshang gave Long Chen ten full jugs of this wine. These were no ordinary jugs. They contained their own giant spaces and could fit an entire house inside.

  Every jug weighed five tons, and this was all of Tu Qianshang’s stock. He gave it all to Long Chen, making even the shameless Long Chen feel too embarrassed to take it all.

  Tu Qianshang stubbornly said that he could drink it whenever he wanted by making more, so Long Chen should take all of it. Once he got used to it, the two of them could have a real drinking competition.

  For a peerless winemaker, seeing someone else drink their wine delighted them even more than drinking it themself. Tu Qianshang was particularly fond of Long Chen because Long Chen was the only one who liked his wine.

  After that, Long Chen returned home and ate with his family. They talked and laughed happily. At night, Long Chen held Mrs. Long’s hand and gently told her about Long Xiaoyu, asking her to give Xiaoyu a bit more space. She shouldn’t make Long Xiaoyu feel like she was drowning in a river of love.

  With this reminder from Long Chen, Mrs. Long also realized that she had been a bit too stubborn by wanting to keep Long Xiaoyu in her hands forever.

  Mrs. Long was reasonable, but as she spoiled and pampered Long Xiaoyu, she also grew dependent on her. She now realized that Long Xiaoyu was no longer a child. She had grown up. If she loved her, she had to give her freedom.

  Long Chen then spent three days at the Wine God Palace. The Pill Doyen left on the second day, most likely to report the results of his mission to the divine families.

  After three days, Long Chen straightened out his emotions and set out to the divine families with a flying boat. However, as soon as he entered through their transportation formation, he was surrounded by countless experts.

  “Long Chen, how brazen! You dare to come to the divine families?!” An icy-faced man blocked Long Chen’s path.