Chapter Sixteen: The Peak of the Tyrannosaurus (Part Two)

With a deafening roar from the giant beast, a series of bell tolls rang out from the peak above.

Once the bells subsided, the man whom A-San had addressed as Seventh Uncle turned to Kuang Chi and asked, "How should we address you?"

Kuang Chi pondered for a moment. Titles were indeed a complicated matter; in a large family with many branches, seniority was usually only observed on formal occasions. In daily life, people generally referred to each other by their family roles, and only close relatives used generational titles.

Kuang Chi smiled and replied, "As you wish. The family has so many members now that if we were to rank them one by one, I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Everyone chuckled at this.

As they ducked through the long fur under the beast’s neck, Kuang Chi discovered a hidden space. A cabin, capable of seating a dozen people, was suspended between the beast’s two necks.

Once the group was seated, the beast let out a low roar and began to rise slowly. The cabin was made of some unknown material; once the door was shut, not only was the noise from outside blocked out, but the biting chill of the surface of Forgotten Star seemed to be completely sealed off as well.

When Kuang Chi jumped out of the cabin, the sea of dark figures before him almost made him gasp.

The beast had landed on an exceptionally wide plaza, which was neatly lined with thousands of humanoid monsters, two to three meters tall and covered in long fur, much like A-San and his companions. At a rough glance, there were at least a thousand of them.

As soon as Kuang Chi jumped down from the beast's neck, the seven individuals standing at the front of the crowd approached him.

Kuang Chi could not read anything from their fur-covered faces, nor could he distinguish their status. However, each of them wore a horn at their waist, very similar to the "Howl of the Azure Dragon" that A-San had blown earlier. The one worn by the leader, however, was more than twice the size of the others and was a striking, blood-red color, making it look both bizarre and distinct.

The seven men stopped before Kuang Chi, and fourteen eyes fixed upon him.

The eight men stared at each other, none willing to speak first. The others were clearly hoping to find some confirmation of Kuang Chi's identity from his appearance, while Kuang Chi was playing the part of the Young Master of the Kuang family. Since they were Kuang family members, they should be the ones to pay respects first. Besides, he was still slightly dazed by the sheer scale of the crowd, forgetting that they did not yet know his true identity.

Nearly a thousand powerful humanoid monsters standing in perfect formation was an intimidating sight; even a Martial Master might have lost their composure.

Finally, the man with the blood-red horn spoke: "May I ask which hall of the Kuang family you belong to?"

The man clearly trusted Seventh Uncle implicitly and did not demand that Kuang Chi summon a War Dragon to prove his status, choosing instead to ask directly where he came from.

Kuang Chi looked around before answering, "I am a disciple of the Ancestral Hall." A wave of gasps rippled through the plaza.

Kuang Chi paused, then asked directly, "How much do you still know about our family?"

The leader shifted his gaze before replying, "Though we do not know everything, over the past few centuries, we have learned much about the current state of the Kuang family from the exiles we have captured. We are not entirely ignorant, but for thousands of years, no Kuang family member has landed on Forgotten Star, leaving us unsure if what the exiles said was true or false."

Kuang Chi nodded and glanced at the crowd. "Do you still consider yourselves descendants of the Kuang family?"

As soon as he said this, angry shouts erupted. One of the seven men standing before him said coldly, "What do you mean by that?"

Kuang Chi simply stared calmly at the man with the blood-red horn, who was presumably the Master of Tyrannosaur Peak.

The man remained composed. After silencing the crowd, he said, "Although we still consider ourselves part of the Kuang family, I know it will be difficult to be acknowledged by the main branch again. However, we are confident in our ability to persuade the Family Head and the elders."

The man who had shouted earlier interjected, "Peak Master, what do you mean? How could we not be Kuang family descendants?"

The Master of Tyrannosaur Peak waved his hand, turned to the crowd, and said, "There are things you do not know. Many of your ancestors were exiled by the family. Naturally, your ancestors would not pass such things down; only the family records in the Ancestral Pavilion contain the truth. So, be silent."

The crowd seemed to understand, and the plaza fell quiet once more, all eyes turning back to Kuang Chi.

The Peak Master turned back to Kuang Chi. "May I ask what position you hold in the family?"

Kuang Chi did not answer, instead asking again, "Do you believe you are Kuang family descendants?"

The Peak Master’s eyes flickered as if he understood something. Ignoring the restless crowd behind him, he said, "We are, of course, descendants of the Kuang family. Even if our ancestors were exiled, the blood flowing in our veins remains that of the Kuang family. Our surname is still the Kuang name, which we take pride in. That is a fact, regardless of whether the family acknowledges us or not."

Upon hearing this, Kuang Chi couldn't help but smile. As the Young Master of the Kuang family, he knew that only a fool would reject these people. The combat potential of these thousand men was obvious just from their posture.

Kuang Chi nodded and removed a necklace from his neck, the pendant no thicker than a pinky finger, and showed it to the seven men.

The pendant was ancient and simple—a pure black dragon-head ring. It was too small for Kuang Chi or most members of the family to wear on their fingers. It held immense significance, however, as it had been the token of the Kuang family heir for tens of thousands of years.

After letting them see it, Kuang Chi held it in his palm and channeled his pure "Kuang Dragon True Qi" into it. A dragon roar echoed across the top of Tyrannosaur Peak. The eyes of the dragon head on the ring began to glow, emitting two beams of blood-red light that left no doubt about its authenticity.

The seven men were overcome with emotion. While many in the crowd might not have recognized the family tokens, the leaders of the peak, who frequently studied the family records, knew them well.

The seven men knelt, performing the most formal, ancient, and traditional kowtow ceremony, reserved only for the most sacred of family rituals.

Seeing them do this, Kuang Chi quickly moved to help them up. "How could I possibly deserve such a grand gesture?"

The seven were clearly ecstatic. The Peak Master turned to the still-stunned crowd and shouted, "Why have you not yet paid respects to our Young Master?"

With a series of gasps, the people in the plaza knelt one by one.

Kuang Chi hurriedly signaled for them to stand.

A-San, standing behind Kuang Chi, was bursting with excitement. He never expected to have brought back the Young Master of the family. He and his four companions grinned foolishly behind Kuang Chi.

Once the crowd had risen, the Peak Master turned to A-San and the others. "You have done well. Go to the Treasure Pavilion and pick two things you like. I am also recording a major merit for the five of you."

A-San and his companions remained rooted to the spot, still stunned, not moving a muscle even as the Peak Master led Kuang Chi and the others away.

Kuang Chi followed the seven leaders into a three-story building at the highest point of the peak, constructed entirely of an unknown golden-yellow metal.

The seven leaders insisted that Kuang Chi take the main seat before sitting themselves.

As soon as they were seated, the Peak Master asked with great curiosity, "Young Master, how did you come to be on Forgotten Star? Surely the family wouldn't exile you. Did you run away from home?"

It seemed the Peak Master had seen too much, and his first thought was of a runaway. It was a logical conclusion; in the current era, heirs were under tight protection, and it was indeed abnormal for one to appear on a planet used specifically for exiling criminals.

Kuang Chi explained the situation with the Nine-Headed Great Turtle. He trusted these people—if they wanted to return to the family and gain recognition, who could help them more than he could? As long as he acknowledged them, it mattered little if the elders or the current Family Head disagreed. As the heir, their recognition was only a matter of time.

Kuang Chi knew there was no conflict of interest between them; he was their greatest benefactor. The seven men, clearly not fools, understood this as well.

After listening, the Peak Master said, "Young Master, the family’s intention was for you to head to the Fallen Star. You have arrived at our Forgotten Star instead. What if the elders of the Kuang Martial Hall do not find you on the Fallen Star in fifty years? This region is extremely dangerous, even for those with the strength of a Martial Master. What if they encounter trouble while searching for you?"

The Peak Master was quite thorough in his thinking.

Kuang Chi smiled. "I don't intend to stay here for fifty years. I have no plan to wait for them to come get me. I will find a way to leave on my own. My two wives are waiting for me back home."

At this, not only did Kuang Chi laugh, but the seven leaders couldn't help but chuckle as well.

After the laughter died down, the Peak Master asked solemnly, "Young Master, do you think there is any possibility for us to be acknowledged by the family and return to our roots?"

Kuang Chi had already considered this. He replied without hesitation, "Of course. You are descendants of the Kuang family. Even if your ancestors were exiled, it has nothing to do with you. I can speak to the elders on your behalf."

Upon hearing this, the seven stood up and bowed once more. For these Kuang family members on Forgotten Star, returning to their roots was their most important goal.

Kuang Chi helped them up again. "Please, no more of these grand gestures. If we count by family seniority, I am likely your junior's junior."

The Peak Master looked a bit melancholy. "On behalf of the 1,367 members of the Kuang family on Tyrannosaur Peak, I thank you, Young Master."

One of the men suddenly asked, "Young Master, does the family truly not mind our current appearance?"

Kuang Chi paused. The appearance of the Kuang family members on Forgotten Star would indeed make it difficult for the family to accept them. If he hadn't landed on this planet of mutants himself, he might not have been so quick to accept them.

He thought for a moment and nodded firmly. "What does it matter if they mind? Even if they do, you are still descendants of the Kuang family. I will handle these matters when we return to the Kuang Battle Star."

That night, Kuang Chi stayed on the third floor of the metal building.

The next morning, Kuang Chi awoke from his meditation and went downstairs to find the seven leaders waiting for him. They rose to greet him as soon as he appeared.

As they chatted, Kuang Chi asked with a smile, "I hear there are many exiles on this peak. Where are they now, and how many are there?" This had been puzzling him; he couldn't understand why the three factions on Forgotten Star fought over exiles, treating them more like prey than people.

The expressions of the seven turned strange. After a long silence, the Peak Master said, "There are 173 exiles on Tyrannosaur Peak. They are currently at the Ancestral Peak."

Kuang Chi nodded. "Why do the three of you fight over the exiles?"

The Peak Master seemed unsure how to answer. After a long while, he said, "Young Master, it is one of the ancestral precepts of Tyrannosaur Peak. We originally only took in exiles who arrived on Forgotten Star, but later, certain events occurred, and the three factions began to compete for them."

Seeing their hesitation, Kuang Chi became even more curious.