"My parents are dead. They were eaten by a dragon when they were trying to get medicine for me," Long Chen explained, seemingly sad.
"So you were here when the Dragons were here? Tell me, when did they leave the Temple?" The Northern General inquired, frowning. He wanted to know when the statue might have been broken.
"They left just yesterday. If you leave now, you should be able to catch them!" Long Chen replied innocently.
This was when the Northern General was sure that Long Chen was lying. They had been here before, and Dragons weren't here.
"Enough of toying around! Identify yourself! This is your last chance. If you don't do it now, I'll be forced to shoot you," the Northern General warned Long Chen again, furious.
He also started rising in the air to get the same elevation as Long Chen.
"Fine. I'll tell you the truth. I thought the day wouldn't come when I'll be telling the truth, but that dark day finally came," Long Chen said, glancing at the sky.
There was melancholy on his face as if he was really sad.
The Northern General stared at Long Chen as he waited for an answer, wondering what it was going to be. The way Long Chen acted made it seem like his identity was really special.
"I am..." Long Chen said, but he didn't finish. He took a deep pause as if he was hesitating.
"You are...? Continue! Tell me!" The Northern General said firmly, wondering who Long Chen was.
"This might come as a shock to you but promise me you'll be strong. Promise me that you can bear the burden of truth!" Long Chen said gravely.
"Stop the nonsense! Tell me now! I can bear the truth!' the Northern General repeated.
"I am... I wish there was some other way. But it looks like I'll have to tell you the truth," Long Chen said, sighing again.
"Arghh! Come on! Tell me now!" The Northern General roared in frustration. He felt like pulling his hair as if he was going crazy. He couldn't believe how suspenseful this guy was making it.
"Are you alright? You look sick? Wait, I'll bring a physician for you! Don't die on me!" Long Chen said, concerned.
"I'm not sick! For god's sake, tell the truth! Why are you making it so suspenseful? Tell me directly!' the Northern General said as if he was just about to cry.
"Alright. I'll tell the truth. Are you ready?'' Long Chen asked again.
"Urgh! I've been ready from an hour ago, it feels like! Just tell me now!" The Northern General retorted.
He was upset, but he also had nothing he could do. He couldn't use force as Long Chen was already ready, to tell the truth.
"Fine! I don't understand why you're so eager to hear this scary truth, but if you want, I'll finally tell you. I just hope you're actually prepared for it and aren't just saying it. Because it's a scary truth," Long Chen said, concerned.
"Oh my holy Father, please tell me now! I beg of you! How many times do I have to say that I'm ready?" The Northern General asked again, shaking his head.
"Alright. I'll tell the truth! I am actually...." Long Chen said before he again took a pause.
"Argh! You crazy psychopath!" The man roared as he looked at the sky as if he was going crazy.
He was so frustrated that he stopped focusing on Long Chen as he yelled. His mind was distracted, which was when Long Chen took the advantage.
Long Chen teleported behind the unaware Northern General. A golden sword appeared in his hand, which he swung.
By the time the Northern General realized that Long Chen had moved, it was too late. The blade of Long Chen's sword had already touched the throat of the Northern General.
He couldn't even move as the sword sliced through his neck as if it was cutting salad.
The Northern General's head was separated from his body. It fell on the ground, along with the rest of his body that had also started falling down.
Long Chen floated in his place as he observed the blood on his sword.
"I am your father..." He finally finished his sentence as he shook his head.
He went down as well and kept the body of the Northern General in his storage ring.
"Now that he is dead, I suppose the Northern Emperor will come here as well. I can't play with him for now. This place isn't safe for me anymore," he muttered as he started looking around the empty temple.
He started flying towards the exit.
...
Long Chen stepped out of the Dragon Temple and started flying to the Western Empire, which wasn't far. He believed that it wasn't good to stay in the Northern Empire and chose the Western Empire because it was a place he had a map of.
The Royal City of the Western Empire was just as far from the Dragon Temple as the Royal City of the Northern Empire.
As he flew, he also called out the Snake Monarch.
"What the heck? Didn't you say you weren't going to call me for months? You know how hard I was trying to arrange the tournament? I was this close to making everyone agree!" The Snake Monarch scolded Long Chen.
"I know what you're trying to say, but the tournament will have to wait. They are delayed. Do them next time. For now, you're accompanying me," Long Chen told the Snake Monarch.
"Ah, is it that you started missing me?" Snake Monarch asked, laughing. "Fine, I'll cancel them. Send me back for a minute. I'll be right back after telling them."
"Alright," Long Chen agreed. He sent the Snake Monarch back to the beast region.
For ten minutes, Long Chen traveled alone before calling out the Snake Monarch again.
"Done?" Long Chen inquired.
"Yeah, I'm done."
"That's good. Now get bigger. We need to get going."
...
Five months passed...
Long Chen was sitting inside a cave in an unknown mountain, meditating. He had spent the last five months in this cave, meditating to heal his origin.
The Snake Monarch was sleeping near Long Chen. He had been extremely bored throughout these last five months. Initially, he thought that he and Long Chen would go on adventures, but this had been disappointing.
There were no adventures. All they did was stay inside the cave. The only times Long Chen opened his eyes was when it was time to eat. Other than that, he sat like a statue. As for the Snake Monarch, he was reduced to nothing more than a guard.