Chapter 253: A Tiger Father, No Dog Son

Long Ao Tian's massive dragon head lifted slightly.

In his golden pupils reflected Ye Wuque's calm face; hearing his earth‑shattering reply, the dragon's body trembled imperceptibly, then a low, complex bitter laugh escaped his mouth.

"Ye Zhengrong… Ye Wuque… I see now…"

He muttered to himself, a trace of unmistakable melancholy flashing in his dragon eyes, but more than that, a sigh of admiration in confronting the truth.

"I didn't expect… you are actually Ye Zhengrong's son…"

"Indeed… a tiger father with no dog son…"

His massive dragon head drooped slightly, as if recalling the bitter defeat of ages past, his voice bearing the ease and openness after weathering countless hardships:

"Lost to you… I, Long Ao Tian… I concede!"

No hysterics as imagined, no whimpering like a beaten dog; this composure in facing defeat indeed befits his pure‑blood Golden Emperor Dragon lineage and his pride as an Ancient Freak.

He didn't even wait for Ye Wuque to ask, as if caught in a vortex of memory, he began speaking on his own, his voice low and distant, tinged with a timeless melancholy:

"It was an event… organized by the supreme power Great Thousand Divine Universe, spanning multiple timelines… the Saint King Trial…"

Hearing the words Great Thousand Divine Universe Trial, Ye Wuque's pupils narrowed slightly.

He had heard of this trial long before.

It is a supreme trial hailed as the highest‑standard, most mysterious and grandiose across the Zhutian Wanjie.

Previously, Gai Xian Yuan of Erhe Yu and Xiao Qingxuan of the Five Gods' Ancient Cosmos were Heavenly Pride monsters who had taken part in the Great Thousand Divine Universe Saint King Trial.

However, they were all failures in it.

Especially Gai Xian Yuan, who was eliminated after just one round!

And now, Ye Wuque has encountered a Heavenly Pride who had participated in the Great Thousand Divine Universe Saint King Trial!

The Ancient Freak of the Golden Emperor Dragon Clan… Long Ao Tian!

This trial has long been something Ye Wuque has both anticipated and yearned for…

It is said that an incomprehensible supreme being intervenes, snatching various timelines, gathering countless qualified Heavenly Pride monsters together for an ultimate clash capable of shaping future fortunes and the very order of things!

Each activation is destined to shake the ages and stir the clouds of the Zhutian.

Long Ao Tian paid no heed to the subtle changes in Ye Wuque's expression, seeming immersed in that brilliant yet bitter memory:

"In that trial, from the initial stage through all preceding levels, I just… barreled through everything… crushing every foe, fighting my way to the final stage!"

"At that time I was full of vigor, looking down on everything, convinced I was invincible among my peers!"

"Until… I met him…"

"Ye Zhengrong!"

In his dragon eyes, the scene of that day seemed to reignite, his tone tinged with a trace of reminiscence and an indelible shock:

"I saw him, radiant and invincible, truly the embodiment of unbeatable grandeur, a single hand crushing countless foes, gazing over the world, none could stand against him!"

"Brimming with confidence, I challenged him!"

"Result… I lost!"

"I lost utterly, without a doubt!"

Long Ao Tian's voice carried a bitter, hoarse edge:

"I gave my all, even burning my Dragon Blood's Primordial essence, raising my combat power to the limit to clash with him!"

"But he… moved as if strolling in a courtyard, effortlessly shattering all my attacks, nonchalantly, with ease…"

He paused, and a hint of self‑mockery seemed to appear on his massive dragon head:

"In the end, he didn't even spare me a glance, leaving only a two‑character appraisal… 'acceptable.'"

"Hahaha…" Long Ao Tian let out a complex laugh, filled with helplessness and self‑mockery, "'Acceptable'! That's all it was—just 'acceptable'!"

"Even… after that crushing defeat, I was unwilling to accept it, so in that secret realm I strove to improve, enduring life‑and‑death trials, feeling my strength surge, and sought him again, hoping to erase my past shame!"

"Result… I didn't even have the right to approach him…"

His tone was filled with deep helplessness:

"He didn't even have the interest to act… he merely sent a War General under his command to face me!"

"What is the name of that War General?"

"It was also a… Human. Named… Huangfu Huang!"

"He is likewise a prodigiously talented, unmatched powerhouse, an unparalleled monster…," his voice carried a hint of complexity, "When I went to find Ye Zhengrong the second time, he didn't even appear, only a thought was sent indicating I no longer had the right to challenge him. Immediately, Huangfu Huang manifested and fought me!"

"I was stunned! I, a pure‑blood Golden Emperor Dragon, an ancient Heavenly Pride, was treated with such contempt! I then raged immensely, fighting Huangfu Huang with all my might!"

"Result… obviously…" Long Ao Tian's massive dragon tail swayed feebly, striking a meteor fragment with a dull thud, "I was defeated again… defeated by a War General under Ye Zhengrong! After that, I was completely eliminated, my heart cold and despondent…"

"Alas…" A long, heavy sigh that expressed the loneliness and resentment of the ages.

Ye Wuque listened in silence, able to imagine the depth of Long Ao Tian's despair and defeat at that moment.

Though he had never seen his father Ye Zhengrong's might firsthand, he could glimpse a fragment of it from these accounts.

And upon hearing the name Huangfu Huang, a warm smile tugged at his mouth.

Indeed, it's Fu Bo!

It turned out that at that time, Fu Bo was already following his father, fighting side by side.

"After that, my Dark Heart nearly collapsed, my cultivation almost went berserk, leaving an indelible shadow…"

Long Ao Tian continued, his voice low.

"Having no choice, I could only seal myself within Undying Heavenly Essence, fall into deep slumber, seeking to calm my mind, restore my Dark Heart, hoping that in a new era I could start anew…"

He looked at Ye Wuque, his dragon eyes filled with complex emotion: "I never imagined… after eons have passed, I was born only to meet you… a monster!"

His self‑mockery and bitterness were evident.