<h4>Chapter 2637 Living Fossils</h4>


    “Ah? Ah my ass!”


    The old man and Long Chen stepped onto a transportation formation and returned to the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect. When they walked out, the old man cursed him, “You little bastard, I was sacrificing my life to save you this time. If it wasn’t for the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet helping me block the majority of the bacsh from the Heavenly Daos, I’d be dead. Do you really think I’m so badass that I can challenge a ninth Heavenstage Heaven Merging expert?”


    Long Chen was startled as well as moved. So the old man had actually charged out and been willing to throw his life away to save him when he saw him in danger.


    At that time, the old man hadn’t even realized that Long Chen had brought back the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet. Hence, it could be seen that the old man viewed Long Chen’s life as even more important than his own.


    As this little life of his had been brought back by the old man, Long Chen didn’t know what to say.


    After that, the old man brought Long Chen to a giant bell that was covered in years of dust. As he repeatedly struck it, the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect’s disciples began to rush over, all of them startled.


    This great bell was something that could only be rung in a life or death moment for the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect. It was said that it was never rung again after the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet was fractured.


    For the old man to be ringing it personally, all members of the sect, male, female, old, young, and the family members of disciples rushed over. Even some living fossils came out.


    “Little Yuan-zi, are you looking for a beating? You’re ringing this bell for nothing? You almost shook me to death. Are you looking for vengeance for my previous beatings?”


    An old man, who was so wrinkled that his face looked like tree bark, tottered over. His eyes weren’t even open. It looked like a stiff breeze could blow him down.


    When Long Chen saw him, he couldn’t help jumping in shock. This old fellow’s body was one with the Dao. He was a Heaven Merging expert.


    There wasn’t just one of them either. Long Chen had never imagined that the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect had three Heaven Merging experts.


    “Oh? Not bad. Little Yuan-zi, you have some vision. You managed to raise at least one good fellow. Hahaha, good, leave him for me to raise and I’ll spare you from your punishment for this offense.”


    When the three elders saw Long Chen, they immediately reacted. They no longer looked like tottering old fellows. It was as if they had just seen a treasure.


    “Do you three old fellows have any face left? Long Chen was raised by me, and you want the credit?” cursed the old man.


    Bao Buping, Chang Hao, and the others also arrived. They were surprised by these three elders. Just who were they? They had never seen or even heard of them.


    “Greetings to the three ancestors!”


    On the other hand, Boss Bao and the others recognized the three elders, so they hastily paid their respects. These three elders were essentially living fossils of the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect, and their seniority was so high that it was a bit frightening.


    In terms of seniority, these three elders were at least three generations above the old man. They were true living fossils. As they were usually in seclusion, the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect’s disciples had never seen them. Even Boss Bao and the others had not seen them before and only knew of their existence.


    Today, the old man had awakened these three living fossils, so everyone looked at the old man, not knowing what news he was going to announce.


    “Long Chen, hehe, little Long-zi, this old man sees your talent. Your constitution is excellent. You are a rare once-in-a-hundred-year… no, a once-in-a-thousand-year martial prodigy. I’m willing to ept you as my apprentice. What do you think? Take me as your master, and I guarantee that I will pass down all my knowledge andprehension to you. Furthermore… hehe, if my guess is right, you must have suffered quite a bit from this little brat’s temper, right? Take me as master, and that brat Wu Guangyuan will have to call you master-ancestor ording to seniority. Think about it. Wouldn’t that feel amazing?” The old fellow ignored the furious old man, instead trying to entice Long Chen.


    Long Chen was dumbfounded. Just who were these three old fellows? Could it be that people grew more impish the older they got? Why didn’t they have the slightest manner of a senior?


    “Master, master, apprentice is right here! We are both exceptionally talented with excellent constitutions! ept us!” Bao Buping and Chang Hao immediately kowtowed to them, shouting loudly. As a result, the old man struck them with his cane and sent them tumbling back.


    “What exceptional talent? You think you can take advantage of me?” The old man nced at the two of them disdainfully. “That’s enough. You three undying fellows, have your heads rotted after lying in your coffins for too long? Shouldn’t you consider whether or not you’re even qualified to ept him as an apprentice? Do you not want to live any longer?”


    Long Chen’s status was something that Li Tianxuan had vaguely hinted at to the old man. When Long Chen had first met the old man, the old man had grown fond of him and wanted to take him as his apprentice.


    At that time, using his status, he had been so shameless as to ask the Xuantian Dao Sect to let him take Long Chen in. This was an extremely secret affair. Other than Li Tianxuan and the old Xuan Master, there was not another person aware of it.


    However, Li Tianxuan did not dare to say anything directly. All he said was that to Long Chen, the Xuantian Dao Sect was just a jumping-off point. Shallow waters could not contain a dragon.


    There was no one within the Martial Heaven Continent who could be Long Chen’s master. Anyone who did would definitely die.


    As a result, the old man was dumbfounded by such a vague response. He suddenly thought that with Long Chen’s aptitude, Li Tianxuan himself should have long since taken him as his apprentice. But Long Chen was still remaining in the Xuantian Dao Sect without a master.


    Later on, the old man suddenly thought of a possibility and was stunned. It was at that time that he abandoned any thoughts of being Long Chen’s master. This was what resulted in the Xuantian Dao Sect and the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect sharing a disciple. This was the first time such a thing had urred in all their history.


    The old man had guessed Long Chen’s status, but he was not as sure as Li Tianxuan. But as Long Chen grew, he saw more clues.


    Now that these three old living fossils wanted to be Long Chen’s master, the old man almost wanted to p them. But he also worried about not being able to beat them, so he merely cursed them.


    As a result, the three elders were startled by the old man’s words. Looking at Long Chen, they seemed to understand something and didn’t bring up this matter again.


    “Everyone, listen up! Kneel in respect for the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet’s return!”


    The old man suddenly grew serious, and his voice resounded throughout heaven and earth. Hearing that the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet had returned, everyone, including the three living fossils, was stunned.


    After the old man formed some hand seals, the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet appeared before everyone.


    The two halves of the tablet appeared, illuminating the deste Heaven Splitting Battle Sect with divine light. At this moment, the sect’s very aura changed like spring was returning to a withered tree.


    “Respect to the Divine Tablet!”


    Along with the three elders, everyone from the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect knelt emotionally, and countless people were weeping. This day had finallye.


    Long Chen was dumbfounded. Since the old man was kneeling, did he have to kneel as well? Wouldn’t it be too rude not to kneel? But other than to his father and mother, he wasn’t used to kneeling to anyone else.


    However, thinking of how the old man had treated him like a son and been willing to sacrifice his life for him, Long Chen followed along. But suddenly, divine light swept out of the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet, making everyone stand. Seeing this scene, Long Chen was happy that he didn’t need to kneel.


    As the two halves of the Heaven Splitting Divine Tablet slowly merged, heaven and earth quivered. Suddenly, Bao Buping and the others’ auras began to rapidly rise, growing sharper like des. As a result, Long Chen jumped in shock, staring in disbelief at them.


    “What’s going on?”