Listening to the thunderous roars from behind, Xu Fang turned to look at the collapsing, formless passage, his heart still pounding.
"This Ancestral Dragon, he didn't bother to explain such a dangerous matter properly. I almost met my end!"
Xu Fang's lingering fear caused him to grumble inwardly.
If the passage had collapsed and space shattered, and he hadn't managed to escape in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
While it wouldn't have led to his demise, he would have been severely injured.
Fortunately, he possessed so many treasures. If everyone hadn't accelerated their escape together just now, the Ancestral Dragon would have truly achieved the feat of "landing a blow on my teammate."
However, this narrow escape, which turned out to be a false alarm, also made Xu Fang realize something.
"It seems I need to find a spatial manipulation artifact."
If he had such a treasure earlier, he wouldn't have been in such a predicament, right?
Xu Fang didn't have time to ponder further, as the Four Dragon Kings and the Golden-Winged Great Peng immediately descended beside him.
"Fellow Daoist Xu Fang, are you alright?"
"Senior, you have no idea how worried I was! I almost thought we were separated forever!"
"Senior, please don't be so reckless next time. If you must take a risk, at least give me your treasures first, otherwise, you won't even have an heir to inherit your magical items!"
They meticulously examined Xu Fang, checking for any injuries, while chattering incessantly.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. It was just a false alarm," Xu Fang reassured them, and casually delivered a few blows to the Golden-Winged Great Peng.
Inheriting treasures, you scoundrel! Your rebellious nature is becoming more apparent, your ulterior motives are plain for all to see!
Ao Xue and the little qilin, seeing Xu Fang safe and sound, breathed a sigh of relief and were overjoyed, completely ignoring the Golden-Winged Great Peng's cries for help.
The Four Dragon Kings watched with great amusement as Xu Fang beat up the Golden-Winged Great Peng. For some reason, they were delighted to see the large bird being thrashed.
"Fellow Daoist Xu Fang is truly formidable, emerging unscathed from such a perilous place!"
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back! Otherwise, Little Xue would have cried her eyes out!"
"Fellow Daoist Xu Fang, what did you encounter inside?"
"Indeed, why did the passage collapse? What should we do now?"
While relieved by Xu Fang's return, the Four Dragon Kings, looking at the swirling black and bloody energies filling the sky, were also filled with worry and began to inquire.
Hearing this, Xu Fang glanced up at the black and bloody energies and waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't mind these things. They will dissipate on their own later."
Xu Fang wasn't uttering a well-intentioned lie to comfort them.
These black and bloody energies were born from the Ancestral Dragon's phantom image constructing that space. Now that the space had collapsed, they would naturally dissipate even if left unattended.
However, the Four Dragon Kings were unaware of such matters. Upon hearing Xu Fang's words, they remained uneasy and hesitant to speak further.
Seeing this, Xu Fang had to put a stop to the enjoyable act of beating up the Golden-Winged Great Peng and turned to the Four Dragon Kings, saying.
"This matter is a long story. Let me explain first, everything I am about to say is the absolute truth. Are you ready to listen?"
This mysterious demeanor made the Four Dragon Kings and their three followers incredibly curious, and they all looked at Xu Fang.
"Guess who constructed this passage, and for what purpose?"
Upon hearing this, the three followers of the Golden-Winged Great Peng felt nothing, but the Four Dragon Kings immediately cursed.
"No matter who it is, daring to do such a thing in the Dragon Clan's territory makes them a mortal enemy of our Dragon Clan!"
"Exactly! Such clandestine and conspiratorial actions must be aimed at the Dragon Clan!"
"Such a person, let alone with the help of Fellow Daoist Xu Fang now, even if it were just the four of us, we would never let him get away with it!"
"Indeed! Not only this scoundrel but also the race and forces behind him should be utterly annihilated to uphold the Dragon Clan's prestige!"
The Four Dragon Kings were seething with resentment. Such a sinister individual, engaging in such foul deeds in a sacred Dragon Clan location, causing so much trouble for them.
Now that Fellow Daoist Xu Fang had returned safely, and judging by his words, he had already identified the mastermind.
The Four Dragon Kings deeply detested this mastermind and, at this moment, wished they could skin and dismember him to vent their anger and serve as a warning to others!
More than that, killing such a person wouldn't be enough to quell their hatred. It would be best if his entire family perished, and then everyone would be happy!
Seeing their indignant and united front, Xu Fang and his companions exchanged strange glances, at a loss for words, finding it both amusing and exasperating.
In fact, the attitude of the Four Dragon Kings was perfectly normal.
If someone were to cause trouble on Penglai Immortal Island, Xu Fang would surely be as angry as the Four Dragon Kings, and killing that person wouldn't be enough. He would definitely trace the roots and inflict a devastating blow that would lead to their utter destruction.
"If others don't offend me, I don't offend them. If they offend me, I will destroy their families!"
However, there was a significant issue here. The instigator of this whole affair was the Ancestral Dragon. If the Four Dragon Kings were to eliminate the roots, wouldn't they be turning against their own Dragon Clan?
Therefore, Xu Fang was truly stumped by the Four Dragon Kings for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Seeing Xu Fang's silence, the Four Dragon Kings were filled with confusion. Ao Guang quickly spoke.
"Fellow Daoist Xu Fang, do not worry. Although the Dragon Clan is not what it used to be, it is unacceptable for us to stand idly by when such a thing has happened."
The other three Dragon Kings nodded in agreement, each expressing their intention to raise a dragon army and retaliate against the troublemaker to uphold the Dragon Clan's prestige!
Seeing their resolute stances, Xu Fang shook his head and decided to grant their wish.
"Alright, at the end of that passage, I saw your Dragon Clan Patriarch, the Ancestral Dragon. This entire matter was orchestrated by the Ancestral Dragon."
"If you feel you cannot stand this injustice, I suggest you fight amongst yourselves. Let the Dragon Clan descend into infighting, ensuring that the Ancestral Dragon finds no peace even in death."
Xu Fang was fulfilling their desire for revenge. Since the Dragon Clan's desire for retribution was so strong, he certainly wanted to give them an opportunity.
"Ancestral Dragon!"
Upon hearing Xu Fang's words, the Four Dragon Kings were utterly shocked, never imagining that the mastermind behind it all would be their own Patriarch, the Ancestral Dragon!
Recalling their earlier grand pronouncements, the four brothers, Ao Guang, suddenly wore strange expressions, unsure of what to say.
The Ancestral Dragon was the Patriarch of the Dragon Clan. If they were to seek revenge, wouldn't it ultimately fall upon themselves?
However, they could no longer dwell on their previous words. After hearing the news of the Ancestral Dragon, their extreme shock quickly turned into extreme joy.
"Is the Ancestral Dragon still alive? That's too wonderful!"
"We never imagined that the Dragon Clan Patriarch was still alive! This is our opportunity!"
"Exactly! As long as the Patriarch returns, our Dragon Clan can rise again and shake the Primordial Era!"
The Four Dragon Kings were filled with delight, as if they could already see the Dragon Clan dominating the Primordial world once more, their eyes filled with longing.
Xu Fang, looking at their yearning expressions, had to interrupt them.
"You are thinking too much. The Ancestral Dragon was neither dead nor alive, and in the end, he still died."