Blazing Hydra, Immortal Phoenix

Under the brilliant night sky, in the middle of the quiet dessert, Iron God's every word struck Li Yao and Ding Lingdang like a falling star, raising countless thoughts in their minds.

Li Yao and Ding Lingdang, exchanging a quick glance, said honestly, "We're sorry, Senior Yuan. We never truly understood the beliefs of the body fundamentalists until this moment."

"Beliefs…"

Yan Ba sighed. Then he said slowly, "I'm 264 years old right now. Most of the Nascent Souls are around the same age as me. Even Sha Tianqing, the youngest Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator in the federation, is almost two hundred years old. That's why people call us 'old monsters'. Monsters we might be not, but old we really are.

"Two hundred years ago, I was born in a small village in the depths of the Grand Desolate Plateau. The villagers made a living by exploiting a mother lode nearby. My parents were the guardians that the Marvelous Fist Sect sent to protect the village.