Lu Yinglong bowed his head respectfully and spoke, "Great Dragon King, I have fulfilled the missions you bestowed upon me."
- "I have instructed the Fourth Dragon Lady in the ancient arts, teaching her how to use dragon blood to manipulate the wills of others."
- "I have covertly introduced your essence into the Royal Palace of the Jade Kingdom."
- "I have established contact with the Lizardfolk tribe. As they were originally our slaves, they proved remarkably easy to control."
The Dragon King shifted his massive form, his voice deep and rumbling. "Good. Proceed exactly as planned. Now leave me; I must return to my slumber."
Lu Yinglong hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Great Dragon King, may I ask... what is your true objective? All the tasks you’ve assigned me seem like minor affairs. I fail to grasp your deeper purpose."
The Dragon King replied, "Lu Yinglong, you are kin, so I shall enlighten you. This is simply a convergence of Heaven’s mandate and my own personal desire for vengeance."
Yinglong’s expression grew serious. "What is Heaven’s mandate? And what is yours, Sire?"
The Dragon King settled into his coils and began to recount: "Long ago, this world was governed by three Sovereigns:
- The Celestial Sovereign: Master of Time, who established the timeline and the twelve zodiac hours.
- The Terrestrial Sovereign: Master of Space, governing the eight cardinal directions and the three vertical altitudes (Upper, Middle, and Lower Realms)—totaling eleven sectors.
- The Mortal Sovereign: Master of the eight directions and the Central Hub, governing what we call the Nine Provinces.
These three Sovereigns held equal status. We, the Dragon Race, were always a neutral force, living across all three domains."
"I understand that history, Sire," Lu Yinglong said. "But what does it have to do with your current plan?"
The Dragon King, who had been enjoying his storytelling, felt his mood dampen. "You... you have many good qualities, but you are far too inquisitive. A story must have a beginning and an end; why must you always interrupt? Be silent and listen." Lu Yinglong immediately shut his mouth, not daring to utter another word.
The Dragon King continued, "Currently, the Immortals have occupied the Upper Realm. They fancy themselves supreme, imposing their laws upon all races below. Through countless schemes, they demoted the human race from the status of Mortal Sovereign to the Son of Heaven—a subordinate rank. They branded themselves as 'Heaven' itself, forcing humans to accept the role of their children."
"This has shattered the balance of the world, placing Immortals at the pinnacle while treading all other races underfoot. Thus, I have received a mandate from a 'Heaven' higher than the Upper Realm to restore balance. That mandate is to bestow the power of Dragons upon humanity."
Lu Yinglong finally spoke, "And this plan was discovered by the Cultivators, leading to their attack on Dragon Origin not long ago, which forced you to swear an oath never to use dragon blood to grant humans power again."
"You understand correctly," the Dragon King smirked.
"But," Lu Yinglong countered, "that doesn't seem right. Humans are weak and their emotions are far too volatile. When exposed to dragon blood, they will become as lustful as our young drakes, not to mention inheriting our belligerence and sloth. Furthermore, dragon blood allows for hierarchical manipulation just like within our own race. It seems this would cause more harm than good for mankind. Are you truly serious about this, or do you have another motive?"
The Dragon King laughed heartily. "You are far too clever. Indeed, I have other intentions. Our Dragon Race has always been relegated to 'second-class' status; we have never been permitted to claim the Celestial Realm. This is my 'small' ambition. Ha ha!"
"And what of your promise to the Immortals?"
"I am not violating my oath," the King replied. "I am not intentionally forcing humans to be my slaves. They are the ones seeking us out. I merely exert a small influence, sacrificing a few of our kin so that humans may hunt them and consume their flesh and blood to 'upgrade' their strength."
"Ah, a clever loophole," Lu Yinglong remarked. "Then what was the purpose of the tasks I just completed?"
"Those were simply to identify the leadership class for the new era of humanity," the King answered. "An era of humans possessing dragon blood. With a single command, the Age of the Immortals will end. I find myself quite excited for that day. Ha ha!"
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Wait," Lu Yinglong said, "we’ve only sacrificed a few dragons and a handful of humans have consumed the blood. How can that affect a population of hundreds of millions?"
The Dragon King sighed in disappointment. "You understand nothing. Humanity is a fusion of the three great Divine Races: Dragons, Avians, and Demons. Using a small amount of dragon blood is merely a catalyst to reactivate their ancient, dormant lineage. It is not creating something from nothing." Lu Yinglong nodded as if finally seeing the whole picture. "I see... so that’s how it is."
"Enough. Go and continue your work. I have many more tasks for you. I am going to sleep now."
The Pursuit of Noe
Lu Yinglong returned to the Phoenix River, secretly mentoring the Fourth Dragon Lady and helping her swiftly break through to the Core Formation stage. Through her, many of the Dragon King's tasks would be completed. She participated in this plan simply by training hard and obeying orders, seeking only the strength to avenge her father, without any inkling of the deeper conspiracy at play.
Finally, the opportunity arrived. Noe was discovered by the Shadow Guard and a pursuit began.
Noe possessed a first-grade Water Spiritual Root, making her a formidable fighter on and under the water. However, the Fourth Dragon Lady and the Shadow Guards, empowered by dragon blood, were even more proficient in aquatic combat. Their speed, hydro-shells, water bullets, and vortexes were far superior.
Noe was forced to flee toward land. Tu Zhongsa, who accompanied her, continuously used Earth-tunneling spells to escape, but after a day and a night of relentless pursuit, they were finally cornered.
Noe gripped her ice sword and shield, summoning ten Water Elements to fire hydro-bolts at their opponents from a distance. Tu Zhongsa summoned ten Earth Elements to act as a vanguard, blocking the enemy's advance while he launched stone projectiles from the rear.
The Shadow Guard did not specialize in spells; instead, they focused on body refinement, drastically enhancing their own speed and physical power. Lian Chen and the Fourth Dragon Lady stood on the outskirts, observing the battle.
Seeing an opening, the Fourth Dragon Lady suddenly lunged forward. With dragon claws manifested on both hands, she shattered two Earth Elements in an instant and closed the distance for a direct assault on Noe. Her strikes carried the power of a tempest; with every swing, blades of wind flew forth, making her reach much longer and more unpredictable than Noe had anticipated.
Noe could only raise her ice shield to defend, swinging her ice sword in retaliation. Occasionally, Noe would release her blade, allowing it to fight as a flying sword before it snapped back into her hand. The two were locked in a fierce, evenly matched duel.
Lian Chen and the Shadow Guards were hesitant to fight seriously, as Noe and Tu Zhongsa were old acquaintances who had served the Kingdom well, protecting and rescuing the King on multiple occasions. However, the Fourth Dragon Lady's constant pressure and relentless orders forced them to use their strongest technique: the Four Symbols Formation.
The guards established a formation representing the four divine beasts: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, surrounding their targets to weaken and imprison them. Startled by the activation of the formation, the Fourth Dragon Lady retreated to a safe distance.
As the formation finalized, a Vermilion Bird (Fire Phoenix) manifested, diving from the periphery into the center, followed by the Azure Dragon, the Black Tortoise, and the White Tiger. The four divine beasts encircled Noe and Tu Zhongsa, suppressing their energy and cutting off all escape routes.
With no way out, Tu Zhongsa pulled out the Lithic Earth Pagoda. The artifact expanded into a three-story tower, shielding them both from the divine beasts' onslaught. Supported by the pagoda, the two began to recover their strength. Noe summoned more Water Elements on the second and third floors to fire outward, while Tu Zhongsa gathered Earth Elements on the first floor to prevent any breach.
The formation immediately shifted from imprisonment to a reinforcement state for the Shadow Guards. Divine beast sigils appeared on their bodies: the White Tiger increased their physical strength, the Vermilion Bird boosted their magic, the Azure Dragon granted magic resistance and speed, and the Black Tortoise enhanced their defense and spiritual energy.
The Shadow Guards began to lay siege to the tower. One team battered the main entrance, another used vines to scale the walls, and some utilized bird-like flight to attack the upper floors directly, while others bombarded the windows with spells. The battle turned into a stalemate as the tower possessed self-repairing capabilities.
Finally, under intense pressure from the Fourth Dragon Lady, Lian Chen entered the fray. He transformed into his Half-Dragon form, his body covered in shimmering scales, wielding a Dragon Sword. Lian Chen leaped dozens of meters into the air, striking directly at the third floor. He tore through the lines of Water and Earth Elements, advancing toward the heart of the tower where the core arrays, energy stones, and a glowing Heart-Centering Jade were located.
Lian Chen delivered a devastating strike, shattering the jade in two. The formation fell into chaos; the energy stones overloaded and began to explode. Just as Lian Chen leaped clear of the tower, the entire structure collapsed. Noe and Tu Zhongsa were thrown back by the shockwave, falling unconscious.
The Fourth Dragon Lady ran forward, her hand reaching out to crush Noe’s throat, but she froze. As a princess who had never directly taken a life, she found herself unable to strike the final blow.
In her moment of hesitation, Melodia, Noe’s guardian fairy, appeared. Melodia hurled the White Jade Pagoda, which spun rapidly, creating a localized hurricane that sucked Noe and Tu Zhongsa inside for a rescue.
The Fourth Dragon Lady immediately transformed into a Golden Dragon to attack the pagoda. Melodia countered by throwing her White Jade Ring, striking the dragon’s head with immense force. At that moment, a terrifying pressure radiated from the hidden Lu Yinglong. Melodia’s heart raced, her breathing grew ragged, and she felt a powerful killing intent as if something intended to swallow her whole. Unable to pinpoint the source of this overwhelming aura, she immediately took her two friends and vanished into the void.