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Nanhai Dragon Palace...

The Dragon Palace area here hasn’t been developed like Jiangnan.

In Jiangnan, disciples of the Dragon Palace Academy can tour the inside of the Dragon Palace, but not here.

The Yaksha guards that have had their seals removed are stationed at each palace gate, and unless there is an important matter to discuss, entry is not easily granted.

Unlike Jiangnan, the relationship here is more like a partnership.

Yet at this moment, a figure has quietly infiltrated the interior of the Dragon Palace without the notice of the many elite families.

The Yaksha General at the door clearly saw the dark shadow, but coldly ignored it with eyes the size of lanterns, and everything remained eerily quiet as if nothing had happened.

Inside the Dragon Palace, the speed of the dark shadow was ghostly, and it seemed to be very familiar with the various prohibitions within the palace, skillfully avoiding many surveillance arrays and making its way to the innermost part of the palace.

Within the vast interior of the Dragon Palace, a red flame in the sea lit up the surroundings; this was a distinctive feature of the Nanhai Dragon Palace.

Other sea regions illuminated their palaces with luminous pearls, but the Nanhai Dragon Palace used the unique flames from their own sea territory.

Eternal and undying, like an everlasting sun in the sea, it was a spectacular sight.

"It’s been a long time."

The dark shadow carried a cold female voice, but the stunned Southern Sea Dragon King widened his pupils. He was just about to honor the other party by name, but suddenly thought of something and hurriedly stopped himself.

Some existences are so powerful that even uttering their names can cause a resonance of power, and the current world cannot withstand such resonance.

So the elderly Dragon King took a deep breath, his voice filled with trepidation, "Honored... no, what brings you here personally?"

"The plan has changed, and I was the only one who could come."

Upon hearing this, the huge dragon head of the Dragon King trembled slightly, knowing the seriousness of the situation.

The opening of the Dragon Palace, as well as the emergence of certain powers, seemed to be inconsistent with what had been anticipated.

But it had not expected that this would alarm such a person.

"Among the four Dragon Kings, you were the most talented, which is why we chose you. However, it now seems that your efficiency has been quite disappointing."

"Honored... no, please forgive me, the situation has changed too drastically, and I, your humble servant... I couldn’t react in time. It has already been quite difficult to preserve your arrangements..."

How could it have known that this cycle would bring forth so many unforeseen events?

The agreed-upon time was delayed, forcing it to use the power of the mysterious ice to protect those insect eggs from prematurely awakening without enough blood food and starving to death.

The original Bai Yu was seized by that human, Chen Qing, causing a disturbance in the Northern Territory. Now, utterly without resources, it had to cooperate with those despicable humans, which was not what it wanted at all.

"I’m not here to listen to your excuses!"

"Please forgive me, forgive me!" the Old Dragon King’s voice was filled with panic: "I have tried my best to remedy the situation. Although the progress has been slow, fortunately, everything is intact. Already, three Ancient Demons have found hosts..."

"Three?" The dark figure nodded slightly upon hearing this: "What about the blood food for their growth?"

"This year, quite a few despicable humans have successfully undergone Dragon Transformation, all of them being quality blood food..."

"Hmm... that should be barely sufficient." The dark shadow lowered her voice: "Time is of the essence, the great battle is imminent, make sure there are no slip-ups."

"Yes, yes, rest assured!"

It was not clear how much time had passed, but by the time the Dragon King raised his head again, the dark shadow had disappeared, and a drop of cold sweat slid down the Old Dragon King’s forehead.

Actually, one of them had already encountered trouble, and it had sensed as much just then. One of the Ancient Demons had been forcibly separated from its host, barely clinging to life.

If the feeling was not mistaken, it should be the one inside Chen Yun.

What exactly had happened?

Had Chen Baifeng noticed something?

But that shouldn’t be...

After pondering for a long time with his eyes closed, the Southern Sea Dragon King saw a strong figure enter from outside the Dragon Palace; it was a formidable Yaksha with a vast body.

"Your Majesty, do you have any orders for me?"

"How are the preparations with Dragon Whale General?"

"In half a month, I should be able to recover..."

"Half a month is too long, three days at most!"

"Three days?" The Yaksha shook his head upon hearing this, "Your Majesty, that’s hardly possible. We’re already short on Blood Crystal Stones, and it’s extremely arduous for Dragon Whale General to awaken in half a month.

To advance the timeline not only risks compromising his foundation but could very likely. .. endanger his life..."

"Use the Flood Dragon!"

"Your Majesty?" The Yaksha’s face was filled with shock, "That’s not acceptable!"

The Flood Dragon was a key tool for the Dragon Clan to control water and also the cornerstone for the hatching of young dragons.

The Dragon Clan needed the Flood Dragon to control the water vapor and stabilize their aquatic domains.

Furthermore, the Dragon Clan had difficulty with reproduction; eighty percent of new dragons came from the evolution of Flood Dragons, representing the most stable source of new strength for the clan.

Tampering with the Flood Dragons was tantamount to shaking the very foundation of the Southern Sea.

Moreover, once word of this spread, which foreign species undergoing dragon transformation would dare to mingle in the Nanhai Dragon Palace again?

"Do as I’ve said..." commanded the Nanhai Dragon King coldly, "Slay half the Flood Dragons, extract the Blood Crystal Stones, and ensure that Dragon Whale General emerges within three days. You must handle this matter covertly; remember not to let anyone discover it, Yakshas included."

The Yaksha general remained rigid for a long while upon hearing this, but ultimately bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty..."

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

"Changes in the Southern Sea?"

Princess Ao Zhen, puzzled, listened to Tian Heng and Wei Gongcheng’s conversation.

"His Highness wants me to investigate the Southern Sea?"

"His Highness didn’t specify who should go," Wei Gongcheng replied honestly, "His Highness used divine voice transmission, which consumes a great deal of faith; he only briefly mentioned a major crisis in the Southern Sea and that an immediate investigation was necessary. Given the urgency in his tone, it must be no small matter. With a great war approaching, and knowing His Highness’s disposition, unless there is a truly dire situation, he would not bother with trivial matters. "

"That’s true..." Princess Ao Zhen slightly pursed her lips; Chen Qing was very shrewd, and at first glance, not the type to meddle in others’ affairs.

"With the situation in Jiangnan, none of our masters from the underworld can leave. General Xuu Hu is stationed in the Northern Territory and cannot be easily moved, while General Tian Heng is responsible for the Southeast and likewise immovable. At present, you are the only capable force we have."

"We will assign Murong Yunji to accompany you."

"What exactly should I investigate?" Princess Ao Zhen was perplexed. With such a vast Southern Sea and two conflicting powers, surely they couldn’t proceed without a precise objective?

"His Highness only hinted at the words ’Ancient Demon’ and ’Dragon King.’ Do you have any recollection?"

"Ancient Demon?" Princess Ao Zhen furrowed her brows, feeling goosebumps rise inexplicably all over her body at the name, yet if asked to recall what that was, she found herself unable to remember at the moment.

This feeling was extremely odd; her instincts told her that it was a terrifying entity, but she had no memory of it.

Wei Gongcheng said in a low voice, "Is it a feeling as if it is frighteningly familiar, but there are no memories attached?"

Princess Ao Zhen looked at him curiously, "You too?"

"We all feel the same..." nodded Wei Gongcheng, "His Highness mentioned that this entity must be a very troublesome being. I’ve seen this situation described in the ancient texts of your Dragon Palace; it said that if one has a natural fear of a certain name, yet clearly has never encountered it, it means that the entity is an extremely dangerous and deadly being from ancient times. This fear has been ingrained in your ancestors’ marrow and even after generations have passed, deep down, the memory of fear remains. "

Princess Ao Zhen was taken aback; she seemed to have heard of this concept before, but this was her first encounter with it.

"Such a terrifying being must not be fully manifest yet, otherwise, there would be some rumblings about it. I surmise that someone is planning to revive it. The only question is whether it’s the families of the Southern Sea or the local forces of the Nanhai Dragon Palace.

Are you familiar with the Nanhai Dragon King, Princess Ao Zhen? "

"The Nanhai Dragon King?" Princess Ao Zhen recalled briefly, then frowned, "My impression is that of a kind elder. Among the Dragon Kings of the four seas, our generation’s Nanhai Dragon King is the eldest. Even the sovereign of the four seas, the Eastern Sea Dragon King, must pay him senior respect.

Despite wielding the Southern Clear Li Fire, he is known to be quite gentle in his approach.

I remember the humans under the domain of the Southern Sea lived rather well, with human sacrifices being a rare occurrence. "

"Oh?" Wei Gongcheng seemed surprised at this and then frowned, "In that case, it’s likely the work of those families of the Southern Sea. It wouldn’t surprise us if those great families worshipped some great evil god in secret. But why would His Highness hint at the ’Dragon King’ then?"

"Kind?" Shen Er seemed skeptical, "My impression of the elderly, especially those in positions of power, is that those who seem the kindest are often the most dangerous. Princess Ao Zhen, be cautious and don’t trust your preconceptions too readily..."

Shen Er stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then said, "In addition to Murong Yunji, I’ll recommend another person to accompany you."

"Who?" Princess Ao Zhen asked, startled.

"Lord Wei Gongcheng’s younger brother, Wei Gongzhan."