It was Ji Yun who deserved the credit for awakening the Yinglong, while Ji Ling was nothing but a thief.

Ji Tianxing reacted with lightning speed, standing up abruptly with an expression of profound apology.

"To all our viewers, I offer my apologies on behalf of the Ji family."

"With countless mythological systems across the nations of the world, it is perhaps inevitable that Ji Yun might have made a mistake. I hope for your understanding."

He then shifted his tone, his gaze turning suspicious as he looked toward the screen.

"There is a crucial question, and I wonder if anyone else has noticed it."

"As everyone knows, to awaken a deity and form a contract, one must possess a Divine Space."

"It is an indisputable fact that Ji Ling has long been confirmed to lack a Divine Space."

"So, how could he possibly have awakened Yinglong and achieved such a high level of affinity with it?"

Ji Tianxing did not allow the audience time to ponder, immediately tossing out the lie he had prepared.

"In truth, as you all know, my Ji family is of an ancient imperial lineage."

"The True Dragon is the symbol of the Emperor, and a bloodline resonance exists between the dragon and the imperial family."

"As early as a month ago, the Ji family designated Ji Yun as the rightful heir to our generation, and he received the blessing of our ancestral shrine."

"Therefore, Ji Yun possesses the True Dragon bloodline within the Ji name."

"The reason Yinglong could be awakened, and why it possesses such high affinity, is not because of Ji Ling, but because of his younger brother, Ji Yun."

"Yinglong sensed the True Dragon bloodline in Ji Yun and merely used Ji Ling’s voice to manifest."

"Ji Ling is nothing more than a medium for the sound. The key information Ji Ling used to awaken Yinglong was, in fact, stolen from Ji Yun’s personal notebooks."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yun immediately chimed in, "That’s right. I have been researching various dragon-type deities from around the world, and my research notes contain detailed records regarding Yinglong Gengchen."

"The reason I initially misidentified Yinglong as the evil god Typhon was simply because my notebook went missing recently. I dared not make a definitive judgment, as Yinglong is, after all, a supreme Ancestral Deity and a Creator God."

"I just don't understand why my brother would be so familiar with Yinglong..."

Although Ji Yun did not state it explicitly, every word implied that Ji Ling had stolen his notes to awaken the deity.

Ji’s mother and two sisters immediately joined in the chorus.

"No wonder. I always said, how could a good-for-nothing waste who does nothing but eat and wait to die know anything about this?"

"Humph, awakening the Ancestral Deity Yinglong? Wasn't it all thanks to Ji Yun? What is there to be proud of?"

Given the status of the Ji family and the authority of the young General, this narrative quickly caused the commentary feed to shift drastically.

[The True Dragon bloodline... thinking about it, it makes sense. The deities contracted by Major General Ji all seem related to dragons; the only exception was Leizhenzi.]

[No wonder. How could a waste without a Divine Space awaken an Ancestral Deity? It turns out it was all thanks to Major General Ji.]

[Ji Ling is just a tool, and a thief at that. How disgusting.]

[Major General Ji is the true genius. Bloodline resonance—that’s just too powerful.]

Seeing the public opinion successfully turned, Ji Yun sneered inwardly.

He struck while the iron was hot, putting on an air of confidence. "We all know that once a deity is awakened, anyone in the country can summon them for battle."

"The only difference is that a contractor can summon the deity’s true form, while ordinary people who believe in the deity can only summon a phantom projection to assist in combat."

"Although my brother lacks a Divine Space and cannot truly contract Yinglong, I possess the Ji family’s True Dragon bloodline. My natural affinity with Yinglong is extremely high, and my mastery over Yinglong’s power should be no less than his."

"I can attempt to use bloodline resonance to remotely guide Yinglong’s power, assisting my brother in better confronting the anomalies!"

"Therefore, I believe it won't be long before the border is out of danger."

He did not overcommit, leaving himself a way out, and added, "Of course, this requires my brother’s cooperation."

The comments went wild.

[Wow! He can even provide remote command!]

[That’s great! With Major General Ji’s intervention, the soldiers at the border will surely be safe.]

[Even if Yinglong wasn't awakened by Major General Ji directly, his True Dragon bloodline affinity should be high enough to act as a substitute for a regular contractor.]

[With Major General Ji commanding Yinglong from afar, the Eastern Theater is saved.]

...

Southwest Theater.

A group of officers sat around a screen, watching the live broadcast from the Eastern Theater.

"It’s the Captain! He’s still alive!" a bearded officer exclaimed with excitement.

However, as the Ji family twisted the truth and the screen filled with insults toward Ji Ling, the temperature in the command center plummeted.

"What a load of bull!" The bearded officer stood up abruptly. "The credit was earned by the Captain through blood and sweat. What is that mongrel Ji Yun compared to him?"

"He wants to swallow the credit for awakening an Ancestral Deity? And he slanders the Captain as a thief? What kind of people are these?"

"I really want to just..." another young officer gritted his teeth.

"Calm down."

"The Captain is isolated out there, and our situation here is critical. We cannot act rashly."

"Once we beat back the black fog, even if it costs us our lives, we will expose the truth and demand justice for the Captain."

...

Eastern Border Battlefield.

The black fog retreated, the crisis temporarily resolved, and General Lin was busy commanding the troops.

In the distance, Ji Ling was currently fully immersed in his own body.

He clearly felt a majestic and ancient power flowing through his limbs and bones.

But what shocked him even more was that deep within his consciousness, a brand-new Divine Space was forming.

It was a boundless, gray, chaotic void.

It felt like the primordial world before the dawn of creation, filled with an ancient, mysterious, and heavy sense of origin.

And at the center of this chaos, a majestic, sacred Yinglong, radiating golden light, was quietly coiled.

Ji Ling sensed it carefully, his heart trembling.

This... this was no phantom projection.

This was the deity’s true form.

This space was his newly birthed Divine Space!

But why was it a void of chaos?

Just as he was puzzled, a voice jolted him back.

"Young comrade, you saved us."

"An Ancestral Deity with one hundred percent affinity—that is truly unprecedented."

"It’s just a pity..." After the praise, he suddenly sighed, "It’s a pity you don't have a Divine Space, so you cannot..."

"Forget it, let’s not talk about that." General Lin felt the topic was too heavy for Ji Ling, so he changed the subject. "Young comrade, what is your name? I couldn't find your specific details in the roster. You have performed such a great service and saved two hundred thousand soldiers; the military must reward you heavily."

Ji Ling’s heart tightened.

The Ji family had deep connections in the military; there was no guarantee that there wasn't someone in the Eastern Theater friendly to them.

If his true identity were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Reporting to the Commander, my name is Jiang Ling. I previously served in the Southwest Theater and was temporarily transferred to the Eastern Theater for a special mission. My file might have been delayed during the transfer and hasn't been fully entered into the system yet."

In the studio.

Hearing Ji Ling’s response, the commentary feed immediately became hostile.

[What is this? Jiang Ling?]

[Wow, this guy is actually hiding his true identity. Does he have some shameful secret?]

[File delayed? Yeah, right.]

[I know—he must want to take all the credit for himself.]

[You know, I was thinking the same thing.]

[Damn, how can a person be this selfish?]

[Trash. The soldiers on the front line are risking their lives, and he’s thinking about stealing credit?]

[He doesn't really think awakening Yinglong was his own doing, does he?]

Everyone was crying injustice for Ji Yun.

Just then, a soldier appeared on screen.

"Reporting to the Commander, after the black fog retreated, we discovered the statues that had been swallowed in multiple areas along the border. They have resurfaced, but there are still many anomalous creatures guarding them."

Hearing the report, General Lin commanded decisively, "Immediately organize all combat forces. At all costs, retrieve our statues. Move out!"

Following the order, the Eastern border battlefield instantly erupted.

Countless figures began summoning their own deities, rushing toward the border infested by dark anomalies.

Ji Ling also followed quickly.

As it happened, he also wanted to test the deity he had just contracted.

An Ancestral Deity, one hundred percent affinity—just how powerful could he be?