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The moment his words ended, the sound of breathing in the hall ceased, and a deathly silence ensued!

The legacy of the Dragon Palace, originating from the notes of Old Ancestor Shen, was somewhat known to various families through certain channels, and they had all roughly guessed that the Dragon Palace... possessed the Elixir of Immortality!

Yet no one had ever confirmed it.

After all, eternal life... defies reason. There’s not a soul who wouldn’t chase after it, but through endless eons of search, everyone understood that it was but a pipedream...

"Lord Chen, you sure do say ’eternal life’ quite casually," someone finally spoke after a long silence. It was none other than Minister Pang, the new Chief of Staff of the Imperial Court. He gave Chen Qing a chilling look and said accusingly, "If the Dragon Palace truly has the art of immortality, why didn’t the guarding clan you spoke of harbor such greed? Why didn’t they achieve eternal life? "

Chen Qing responded with a smile, looking back at him, "Everything in this world has its pros and cons. Eternal life sounds wonderful, but in reality? Many things come with a price tag. You desire eternal life, but the cost... Can you afford it?"

"What price?" Princess Royale frowned.

She too wanted to know why the King of Qin had steadfastly refused to seek this thing!

If he had pursued it, with his capabilities, the concept of humans and demons coexisting wasn’t impossible over tens of thousands of years.

"That, I do not know..." Chen Qing shrugged, "I was just saying. Anyway, I’m not interested."

"You’re not interested?" Duke of Wei chuckled, "Young man, don’t be too insincere with your words. If you’re not interested, then why make such a grand spectacle?"

"Naturally, because it contains something I am interested in," Chen Qing said with a smile. "But it’s definitely not immortality, so I surely won’t compete with you for the Dragon Palace Secret Medicine."

"So, it means you are interested in something else?" Elder Shen looked at Chen Qing, his gaze still amiable, but the coldness in his eyes made everyone shudder.

"The Dragon Transformation Art?" Chen Qing asked, amused. "Why is the Elder so obsessed with becoming a dragon?"

Elder Shen frowned, "Why? Do I even need to explain? Dragons... are the most perfect creatures in this world, strong, beautiful, and their lives are long. What’s so strange about wanting to become one?"

At these words, Chen Qing’s expression turned somewhat odd.

"Perfect? I see..."

Looking at him, Chen Qing spoke earnestly, "There are no perfect creatures in this world; dragons are no exception. The stronger the creature, the less perfect it is!"

"And how would you know?" Elder Shen’s face turned hostile for the first time.

Chen Qing did not elaborate further. Perfect dragons?

That was laughable. The largest trap in the demons he had designed lay within the Dragon Clan, didn’t it?

"Let’s talk about the process..." Chen Qing gestured, and the floating bubble in the air began to change again: "When the Dragon Palace opens, thousands of flood dragons will awaken."

"Thousands of flood dragons?" Duke of Wei was taken aback. "You mean Flood Dragons?"

"Yes..."

"You’re joking, right?" Duke of Wei’s eyes widened.

Thousands of flood dragons? When the Black Sea Flood Dragon caused havoc before, the Imperial Court lost forty thousand of their kin, three Dukes were gravely injured, and it was only with great effort that they managed to subdue it. And now you tell me about thousands?

"Perhaps Duke of Wei has some misconceptions about the ancient times." Chen Qing looked at him solemnly, "Hasn’t anyone told you that meddling with ancient things... can lead to world annihilation?"

Everyone: "....."

"What will happen when thousands of flood dragons awaken?" Elder Shen asked gravely.

He seemed to recall that there was indeed such a matter.

"They will lock the water!" Chen Qing said seriously: "Each of the thousands of Flood Dragons has the ability to control water and can completely lock the spring’s water supply to provide energy for the awakening of the Dragon Clan. Each dragon’s awakening requires billions of tons of water, so these flood dragons would first focus on water-locking. It might seem mighty, but as long as we can get inside, those responsible for water-locking won’t follow us in. "

"I see." Elder Shen nodded in understanding.

The Princess Royale beside him was stunned, "Billions of tons of water?"

"Yes..." Chen Qing nodded. "Dragons... are water beasts, the leaders of all scaled creatures. Billions of tons of water is just the price to revive one dragon, and that single dragon can raise waves that drown the whole of Jiangnan!"

"If two dragons are revived, they could flood half of Great Jin’s lands; if four were to rise!"

Chen Qing lowered his voice, declaring quite seriously, "This world... would be done for!!"

"Is that so exaggerated?" Duke of Wei was startled. "Aren’t dragons auspicious creatures?"

The idea that dragons are auspicious creatures was propagated by dragon enthusiasts from the past," Chen Qing sighed. "I can tell you clearly that dragons are ferocious beasts, capable of devouring tens of thousands of people in a single day. So you’d better understand what you are dealing with!"

"Then can it be stopped?" Duke of Wei frowned.

"It can be stopped..." Chen Qing pointed at an image and said, "Just seal the Dragon Palace before the Flood Dragon completes its water-locking."

"Easy for you to say, but how do you seal it?" Duke of Wei frowned.

"Just cut it off..." Chen Qing smiled. "A revived dragon needs water; cut off the water supply from the myriad Flood Dragons, and that should do it."

"Cut off... myriad..." Duke of Wei choked, feeling that slaying the dragons outright might be easier.

"There’s a way," Chen Qing looked at everyone. "The Flood Dragons absolutely obey the Dragon Clan. If someone can transform into a dragon before the revival, they can stop the myriad Flood Dragons!"

At this, Princess Royale stood up immediately: "You mean, if one can transform, they can control the myriad Flood Dragons?"

"That’s more or less the idea," Chen Qing said with a smile.

The Princess Royale’s gaze suddenly became immensely fiery, but when she turned around, she saw Elder Shen looking at her with a displeased expression.

"Can’t the Dragon Transformation Art be shared?" The Princess Royale asked with a frown.

"It cannot be shared..." Chen Qing shook his head.

"The Dragon Transformation Art requires the aid of a secret realm within the Dragon Palace.

A secret realm has only one opportunity, and the Dragon Palace is vast. With bad luck, you might spend your life searching without finding one.

But if you encounter one, only one person can enter! "

The Princess Royale: "...."

"I don’t want the Dragon Transformation realm!

" Chen Qing looked at Elder Shen and the Princess Royale, saying, "I also don’t want the secret medicine, and I will do my utmost to find a secret realm for you. I don’t care who transforms first, as long as it can resolve the threat of the myriad Flood Dragons.

How about that? Isn’t this a large enough sign of my sincerity for cooperation? "

The two were astonished, both looking at Chen Qing with disbelief.

"Then what do you want?"

"What I want has nothing to do with you!"

Upon hearing this, the people frowned, and then looked at each other, adversaries though they were.

After a long while, Minister Pang was the one to speak, "How can we verify the truth of what you say? And how can you help all four of us? You already said that only one person can enter a Dragon Transformation realm. If one is found, how do we decide who gets it? Just because you say you don’t want it, should we fight amongst ourselves, only for you to benefit from our conflict? "

"That’s why I have a suggestion..." Chen Qing smiled.

"The Dragon Palace has four gates to the east, south, west, and north.

Each gate corresponds to a Dragon Palace in a certain sea area.

Your four factions nicely correspond to these four gates.

Before you set off, each of you chooses a gate.

Then, independently of each other, whoever finds a secret realm in their chosen sea area shall claim it. Leave it to fate. What do you think?"

"And what about you?" the Princess Royale asked Chen Qing.

"The thing I want isn’t in the Four Seas, but I can accompany you to them and help you find the secret realms."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Chen Qing split into four, transforming into four indistinguishable Chen Qings before everyone, leaving all those present astounded.

What kind of secret technique is this?

"I can sign a technique with you right now!" Chen Qing said earnestly. "I... have absolutely no desire for the Elixir of Immortality or the Dragon Transformation Art!"

The crowd was momentarily speechless, his generosity leaving them unsure of how to respond.

"Why not?" The Princess Royale couldn’t help but ask: "You have no interest in immortality or transformation into a dragon?"

"None at all..." Chen Qing shook his head. "The Elixir of Immortality is too mysterious; I don’t know the cost and wouldn’t dare drink it if it were offered to me."

"I didn’t realize Lord Chen was so timid," the Princess Royale said with a chuckle.

"It’s not timidity... it’s caution." Chen Qing spoke softly. "Guess... this secret medicine comes from the Dragon Palace, but do you think those dragons in the palace have ever consumed it themselves?"

The crowd: "....."