Page 261

"How much of what Chen Qing said is true?"

Such a big matter naturally couldn’t be settled by just a few words from Chen Qing; various forces returned to their accommodations, starting to discern the truth and falsehood in Chen Qing’s words, and also to assess Chen Qing’s current level of strength...

Facing the Princess Royale’s questioning, Fifth Elder Shen closed his eyes, reminiscing for a long time.

"From my memories, much of what Chen Qing said is true, the existence of that spring and the Ancient Worm have long been known, and there are images of the Wan Jiao Locking Waters as well."

"There are images?" The Princess Royale scoffed coldly, "Is it only images, or are you hiding something you haven’t said?"

Upon hearing this, Fifth Master remained silent.

"Ten thousand Flood Dragons, only obedient to the Dragon Clan, what a significant piece of intelligence!" Seeing that the other party did not answer, the Princess Royale’s sneer intensified, "What are you planning to do by keeping this intelligence from me?"

Ten thousand Flood Dragons, if used appropriately, could destroy a nation with the waves they raise—what immense power!

With such deterrent force, which island nation in the Four Seas would dare not to submit?

Which seafaring merchant would dare to rebel?

What incredible capital this is!

And this fellow actually hadn’t revealed the slightest bit previously.

"I had already made an agreement with Your Highness before..." Fifth Master spoke faintly, "The Central Plains are Yours to control; the Four Seas are mine. To show my sincerity, all the undead kin fall under Your Highnesses control—have I broken our agreement now that it has come to this?"

The Princess Royale: "...."

Honestly, in such a situation, it couldn’t really be said that the other party was scheming, but rather that one’s own intelligence was lacking.

Indeed, when cooperating with such ancient beings, the biggest disadvantage is the gap in intelligence!

"You wish to transform into a dragon?"

"Your Highness..." Fifth Elder Shen stood up, "Everything about me originates from the Ancient Worm. Having inherited its abilities, I naturally also inherited its desires. The Ancient Worm fears sunlight, and although I can now use techniques to walk in daylight, this isn’t what the Ancient Worm desires—it desires a perfect species! "

"A perfect species?" The Princess Royale laughed, "Haven’t you heard what Chen Qing said? There is no perfect species in this world."

"Young child’s babble, and you take it seriously?"

"Regarding this point..." The Princess Royale smiled, "Honestly, I’m more inclined to side with him..."

Fifth Elder Shen’s expression immediately turned sour.

"I can give you the opportunity to become a dragon!

" The Princess Royale stood up, "You help me succeed, and I should have thought from the beginning that you would have other desires.

But there are three conditions you must agree to, and you must form a Heavenly Punishment Sorcery contract with me, otherwise, I will not help you. "

"Your Highness, please speak!" Fifth Master hurriedly said.

"First, you shall not invade the Central Plains, including its lands and people. All citizens of my Central Plains, both you and your forces, must not harm them—even at sea, you cannot harm them!"

Fifth Master frowned upon hearing this, "That seems somewhat unfair? I should not harm any citizen of the Central Plains, but at least you should ensure your citizens don’t harm us, right?"

"But..." The Princess Royale furrowed her brow, "If the citizens of the Central Plains actively harm your forces’ people, then you may retaliate, but afterward, you must bring the citizens involved to the Central Plains Dynasty to narrate the entire event.

Our justice system will determine whether there was a crime! "

"Your Highness is being too domineering," Fifth Master’s frown deepened.

"I’m helping you become a dragon, which is already bound to raise suspicions.

How can I command respect if I can’t maintain the status of the Central Plains?

" The Princess Royale looked at him, "Chen Qing said it, dragons are evil beasts, capable of devouring tens of thousands of people in an impulse. How you wreak havoc at sea is not my concern, but the citizens of my Central Plains—you must not touch them. If someone provokes you, you may retaliate. But if it’s found you’ve initiated harm, then you will suffer the Punishment of Heavenly Consumption! "

Fifth Master was silent. The Punishment of Heavenly Consumption, the most severe punishment within a Spellcraft Contract, would see violators pulled by the technique into the Nine Heavens, tormented by Heavenly Demons from beyond our realm.

These monsters are said to devour souls, ensuring one’s damnation—a fate even Reincarnating Demons fear!

"You’re unwilling?" The Princess Royale’s eyes grew colder.

"What about the second condition?" Fifth Master heaved a sigh.

"Second, half of the ten thousand Flood Dragons will be yours to share with me. If the Dragon Clan can make the Flood Dragons submit, they can certainly make them submit to me as well!"

Fifth Master frowned, "You don’t control the seas, why do you need so many Flood Dragons?"

Flood Dragons are powerful but cannot stay away from the water for long. Other than stirring storms at sea, why would one need so many Flood Dragons inland?

"My Central Plains territory is vast, with rivers everywhere; how could it be that there’s no use for them?" The Princess Royale declared, "Five thousand river dragons scattered across the rivers of my Central Plains may not even be enough..."

Fifth Elder Shen: "...."

"And what about the third condition?"

"Third, after transforming into a dragon, you must obey me completely within the Dragon Palace. You are not allowed to act on your own, and none of your actions are permitted without my consent!"

Upon hearing this, Fifth Elder Shen looked at the other party and said, "Including the distribution of everything in the Dragon Palace."

"Yes!" The Princess Royale looked at him and said, "Chen Qing must be hiding something, but the offerings he has made are exactly what you desire the most. I will take the initiative with those uncertain matters, and I will fight to secure all the good things which are already confirmed for you. Isn’t that sincere enough? "

Fifth Elder Shen was taken aback, feeling that what she said made sense, but still, something didn’t seem quite right...

"Fine!" In the end, Fifth Elder Shen nodded but still said, "However, Your Highness, don’t forget our agreement. You are to bear a son for me!"

"Dragons are lustful by nature. You’ve been holding back before, waiting until after you transform into a dragon." The Princess Royale sneered coldly, "Fine by me. I too am quite curious to know what it feels like to mate with a dragon."

In the distance, the Head of the Fei Family, who had been listening to all of this, silently took a sip of tea.

-------------------------------

"Minister Pang, is what Chen Qing said true?"

On South Street of Nanming Mansion, the largest tavern had been reserved exclusively by Minister Pang, where the legitimate heirs from over a hundred families of the Capital City sat waiting.

Each of these people bore their family’s secret artifacts, ready at any moment to convey messages through secret techniques back to their families. Minister Pang, observing everyone present, honestly disclosed everything that Chen Qing had said that day.

Sharing intelligence was the agreement all the families had with Minister Pang, bound by a Spellcraft Contract; otherwise, no family would ever allow anyone to monopolize the intelligence regarding Jiangnan!

"I am not sure about the specifics of its truthfulness," Minister Pang shook his head, "but considering that neither the monster from the West Sea nor Fifth Elder Shen of Princess Royale’s side refuted it, there is a high likelihood the information is at least seventy to eighty percent true, if not entirely so. "

"The Elixir of Immortality..." Gulping, all the heirs realized that once this information reached their families, it would likely cause an uproar.

People from Technique families had the longest lifespans, but their obsession with immortality was also the greatest, and it was clear that once confirmed, they would go to extreme lengths!

Not to mention others in their families, but even they themselves had already schemed in their hearts on how to secure a spot for the visit to the Dragon Palace!

The risks were undoubtedly great, but it could be almost certain that only those selected to go would stand a chance at acquiring something valuable.

Waiting for leftovers at home?

Only a fool would do so—especially considering the Elixir of Immortality. How many such elixirs are there? How many could be distributed?

No one knew.

Only those who could personally gain access to the Dragon Palace had a better chance of securing their portion!

Minister Pang saw the ambition in everyone’s eyes, and said coldly, "You are here to pass on intelligence for your respective families. Whatever I say, relay it without omission; as for how you scheme to get your spot, I don’t care.

But if someone conceals intelligence, don’t blame me for being ruthless! "

Everyone immediately bowed their heads. Facing Minister Pang, who was powerful enough to rank in the top ten of the Sorcerer’s Realm in a head-on battle, here present were at least top second rank Technicians, and over a dozen first rank Magicians.

Nevertheless, if a conflict erupted, they would certainly be entirely defeated.

No one dared to openly confront him.

"And one more thing..." Minister Pang continued with a chill in his voice, "I’ll remind you that the ancient world is not a child’s play. There are more dangers than rewards inside. If you intend to take a gamble, you better assess whether you have the ability to claim what you desire!"

With that, he turned and left the tavern hall for his own room, not waiting for the young magicians to react.

His room was located on the highest floor, in the southwest corner with an excellent vantage point, easily accessible yet entirely off-limits for anyone to peer into indiscreetly, as everyone knew how dreadful Minister Pang’s Technique could be and that contamination would mean no salvation, not even from gods!

But what everyone failed to see was the far more terrible truth inside the room.

As soon as Minister Pang entered the room, he immediately stripped off his clothes. The wrinkled, dried-out skin that had lost its elasticity visibly began to change in a matter of breaths, turning smooth and tender as white jade, clearly the beautiful complexion of a young maiden.

The skeletal frame carrying this maiden’s skin crackled loudly. Accompanying the skin’s transformation, the entire posture shifted into graceful curves, becoming a beauty that captivated someone’s gaze in the room.

The person in the room was none other than Lumings, and faced with the transformed Minister Pang, Lumings’ eyes were filled with intense desire.

"After all these years, you still can’t get enough?" Minister Pang’s voice had turned into a soft, enchanting feminine tone.

"Not enough..." Lumings stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, "Never enough, not even after many years."

The woman chuckled, "Then why do you still flirt around outside?"

"Don’t think you can deceive me... I can smell it, you know. The foul stench of other women on you!!"