Looking back, it was all like a fairyland.

Really, this was the first time Lu Wu wanted to curse. He hadn't imagined that the creatures of this era were like this, and he had never encountered anything like this before—when they couldn't win, they would mobilize others, one gang at a time.

In their time, unless there was a conflict of interest, the primordial deities would at most watch the spectacle from the sidelines and not kick someone when they were down. Most of the time, if they encountered someone, they would find a weaker one to share the spoils; there was no such thing as this.

Lu Wu felt a tinge of fear welling up inside him, because of the strength of these people—primarily, the strength of these people, even in their prime, they might not be able to defeat in a one-on-one fight, yet they had come to his doorstep with just a few "weaklings." Moreover, meeting that Heavenly Emperor was accidental, and meeting Su Mu was also accidental. Just how many monsters existed in this era? Lu Wu probably didn't even know himself. This unease mingled with his anger.

He didn't show it on his face and still looked arrogant.

Until the Mirage Dragon asked, "What about the Nine Gates?" "Forget it, judging from your appearance, I know I won't get anything out of you. But it's alright, we brought our own compass. Cao Chen!"

Cao Chen, who was originally observing the giant statues, looked up with a puzzled look on his face.

"It's your time to shine. Find the locations of those nine doors. It shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Of course, the Mirage Dragon wasn't just visiting for a visit; he was going to take some souvenirs back. This Kunlun was fake from top to bottom, but the bronze immortal tree was real. If the immortal tree was real, then the nine doors originally placed on it were definitely real as well.

He didn't know much else, but he knew that those were nine genuine caves. And they were huge, very huge, unlike the defective one at the source of Tianbei—nine complete caves. This was no mere talk.

A phrase he had heard somewhere suddenly popped up in his mind: Raising a son is a way to provide for your old age. As he thought about it, he burst out laughing, a laugh so inexplicably that it attracted the attention of everyone present.

"What are you laughing at?" Su Mu asked curiously.

"I'm laughing at that one." The mirage dragon used a pronoun, "You all know that behind those nine doors are nine grotto-heavens, but you also know that the formation of grotto-heavens is extremely difficult, let alone grotto-heavens that possess life and can self-circulate."

"What do you want to say..." Lu Wu's voice trembled for the first time.

The others all had expressions as if they were listening to a secret.

Lu Wu clearly knew what the Mirage Dragon was going to say, but he never expected that the Mirage Dragon would say it so openly: "Raising children to provide for old age, that's truly true." These eight ordinary words made the Mirage Dragon struggle to suppress its laughter.

"Don't worry, you'll definitely laugh after hearing this. Let me explain in detail."

At this moment, Lu Wu's head was buzzing with shock from these eight words.

Then the mirage dragon continued, "These nine grotto-heavens were extremely rare even in ancient times; even the great gods might not have been able to protect them. But who could protect them? Because those nine grotto-heavens were inextricably linked to him—because those nine grotto-heavens were his nine children."

"Pfft!!" When Yun Yue came out, he was holding a cup of tea, but he had already spat it all out.

"Believe it or not, these nine children have an extraordinary background. They are three-legged golden crows, and these grotto-heavens were all transformed from them. Having become grotto-heavens, the beings living within them are the source of that one's faith, and also the foundation upon which that one can contend for supremacy in the future."

"Isn't it ten?" Su Mu asked.

"There's another one hanging outside," the mirage dragon said, gesturing with its chin.

"So even in ancient times, that being could peacefully guard these nine grotto-heavens; even in the new era, he could return in the fastest way possible using these nine grotto-heavens. This is one of the fundamental reasons why so many people are willing to follow that Heavenly Emperor. With such resources, who wouldn't be tempted? This is why I say 'raising children to provide for old age.'" The Mirage Dragon said with a smile.

The others also realized what he meant. Su Mu also shook her head and laughed.

But the mirage dragon's smile quickly faded. While the teasing was amusing, Lu Wu was already furious and speechless. His loyalty was not uncommon, and the Emperor of Heaven had a reason for having him guard these nine gates.

As the god of justice, Luwu wasn't a skilled or even willing liar. He would never give up on anything he promised, even if it meant tackling dangers like seas of fire and swords. And the Celestial Emperor wasn't truly as unworthy as the mirage dragon had teased him. The nine cave heavens were the voluntary creation of his nine children—their flesh and blood transformed into the nourishment of the laws, their scales and feathers into barriers, their bones supporting the heavens and earth, their marrow nurturing life. These cave heavens, independent of the rest of the world, weren't created overnight, but rather the product of millennia of continuous evolution.

This unnatural evolution was painful. The cave heaven, unlike the outside world, could not contain the Golden Crow's immense soul, so this was a transformation from life to death. Achieving this stage was no small feat. Of course, these nine Golden Crows weren't just there for their nominal father; they were actually more concerned for their eldest brother, the Crown Prince.

Call it brotherly love or coercion and inducement, they finally achieved something that seemed like a fantasy to outsiders - the ten golden crows shared the power of the sun.

Regardless, they weren't weak, but that was just enough. To become stronger, this authority must be complete. To achieve completeness, sacrifice was necessary: ​​nine sacrifices for the transformation and advancement of one. While this might be possible in our time, it would have been a fantasy in ancient times.

However, nothing in this world is absolute. The eldest prince consolidated his power, becoming second only to their father, while the remaining nine also transformed into cave heavens. Mirage Dragon still admired him. He believed he couldn't do it, but he didn't quite understand the true reason behind it, nor did he really need to know.

After all, regardless of the love and hate involved, his mirage dragon had set its sights on the cave heaven transformed by the Golden Crow. After all, he had already chosen a side; they were naturally on opposite sides. It was perfectly natural for one to fulfill one's duties and profit from them, especially since the Golden Crow family was their rival.

Su Mu listened to Shenlong's explanation and nodded in agreement. "There's bound to be a war in the future. If we don't weaken you now, when will we? Is this a fair and gentlemanly duel?" Su Mu didn't consider himself a gentleman.

So, several people turned their eyes to Cao Chen. Cao Chen was under great pressure.

However, Su Mu thought of a question and asked it.