Chapter 90

Beneath the Dragon Palace of Dongting Lake.

In a deep and dim water palace, a cave was filled with purple mist. The Dragon King of Dongting Lake sat on the ground at the cave entrance, holding a pot of wine and drinking from it.

"Qiantang, as long as that boy can succeed, we won't have to stay in the Immortal World anymore. It's been so long, so long since we've been home."

The Dragon King leaned against the stone wall, his gaze fixed on the distance, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Roar..." A gentle dragon's cry echoed from within the cave.

The faint purple mist spread, and a giant red dragon appeared, over a thousand feet long, with lightning-like eyes, a blood-red tongue, scales like cinnabar, and mane like flames. A golden chain was fastened around its neck, tied to a jade pillar.

"Hmm, that boy has very primitive blood, and he also has human blood, making his potential boundless. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare let him try that method. Breaking through at the limit, understanding the Dao amidst life and death, if he succeeds, he will surely shock the three realms."

"Roar..."

The Dragon King smacked his lips, smiled, and shook his head. "To eat raw meat and drink blood, only then can the potential within him be fully unleashed. Ancient demon cultivators were extremely powerful, acting without restraint. His human nature is too cautious, suppressing the ferocity within him and restraining the power of his blood. Making him drink demon blood not only accelerates his cultivation but also stirs the ferocity within him. To kill the carp, he must be willing to risk his life."

"Jinghe's old Dragon King seems to have sensed something, sending his grandson to propose marriage. Ao Xuan's bloodline is very pure, not inferior to the previous generations of Dragon Kings, and there is even a hint of regression. If this boy hadn't appeared, marrying Bing to him would have been acceptable. Now that we have a chance to escape, we won't stay in the Immortal World any longer, so we have to find a way to refuse."

The Dragon King stood up, holding the wine pot, and staggered away.

"Vast and boundless, the son far from home, confused and lost, the wanderer's thoughts, the green jade turbid wine, the world drinks, the wine does not intoxicate, but the man is drunk..."

In the Lingguang Hall, Ao Huang came to the hall.

"Brother, I don't know why, but there are more Daoist cultivators by the shores of Dongting Lake, even some bald monks have come."

Ao Qing frowned. "You went out again? Didn't I tell you to be more restrained? The Dragon King of Dongting Lake hasn't seen us for several days, and I suspect he wants to break the agreement."

"Hmph, he dares!" Ao Huang glared.

Ao Xuan, sitting to the side, seemed unconcerned. "If he breaks the agreement, so be it."

"Third Brother!" Ao Qing sternly shouted.

Ao Xuan was helpless. He didn't particularly like Ao Bing; he had someone he liked. Being forced to marry someone he didn't like made him very uncomfortable, but this was the decision of the Dragon Palace, and he couldn't resist.

"What's going on outside?" Ao Qing looked at Ao Huang.

"Oh, it's like this. This morning, I went out to clear my mind. Before I even reached the surface, I sensed many strong presences around Dongting Lake. Later, I saw many cultivators, seemingly searching for someone. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator appeared, I don't know what's going on."

Ao Qing raised an eyebrow, thinking. Could it be because of the carp in the lake?

No, the carp has been the lake god for nearly a thousand years, and no one has tried to eliminate him. Could they be searching for some treasure?

Perhaps they are indeed searching for some treasure. Ao Qing thought of many instances where cultivators fought over treasures.

"Whatever they are searching for, try to stay inside as much as possible. These cultivators are not good people; humans are too greedy."

The dragons nodded.

In Yuezhou, at the city wall of Yueyang, a young nobleman in black stood on the parapet, his black hair tied with a white cloth, gazing at the vast river flowing into Dongting Lake, the waves surging, majestic and grand.

The young nobleman was very refined, with a handsome face, a precious sword at his waist, the scabbard exquisitely decorated. A general in armor came to the city wall, his eyes brightening when he saw the young nobleman, and he quickly approached.

"Your subordinate greets Your Highness. The people in Chang'an say you died in battle, but I always thought those fools must have been mistaken. Your Highness is so skilled, charging through thousands of enemies, how could Liu Heita harm you?"

The young nobleman smiled lightly, stepping down from the parapet, and looked at the general who was half-kneeling. "Stand up. It wouldn't be good if your men saw this. I am considered dead, but it was a fake death. In Chang'an, they even gave me a posthumous name."

The general smiled awkwardly, scratching his head. He had heard a bit about what was happening in Chang'an. The struggle between the Crown Prince and Prince Qin was out in the open. In May, the Crown Prince's confidant, Yang Wengan, was framed and executed by Prince Qin. The emperor, knowing the truth, no longer trusted Prince Qin. The struggle was almost at a boiling point.

The struggles in the palace were hidden, the swords and spears concealed. Li Daoyuan was disheartened and faked his death to escape the war. This was the general's guess, and it was mostly correct. There were other reasons, but only Li Daoyuan knew them.

"Have there been any strangers around Dongting Lake these past few days? Where are they staying?"

The general, hearing Li Daoyuan's question, put aside his thoughts and quickly replied, "There are more Daoist cultivators, moving around the lake, seemingly searching for someone. Even some monks have appeared. Is it...?"

"Leave that to me. Send people to find out who they are looking for and where this person has been. Also, don't tell Chang'an about my appearance."

Li Daoyuan stepped back onto the parapet, his figure flickering and disappearing from the general's sight.

"Your Highness' Daoist arts are becoming more and more advanced!"

The general looked enviously at the parapet and turned to leave the city wall.

The mountains around Dongting Lake were continuous, low and rolling. On Junshan Island, in a small pavilion, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Yingge Ye, with a pale complexion, was sipping clear wine and fanning himself.

The bamboo swayed, birds chirped, and the bamboo leaves had tear marks, known as the famous Xiangfei Bamboo of Junshan. A breeze blew, and a few bamboo leaves fell into the pavilion, suddenly turning into darts and shooting straight at Yingge Ye.

"Ha ha, Jin Ling, is that all you've got?"

Yingge Ye smiled faintly, blocking the darts with his fan and then closing it, trapping the darts between the fan leaves. He snapped the fan open, and the darts turned back into bamboo leaves, falling to the ground. He took a sip of wine, savoring it with closed eyes.

"He he he he, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect is indeed powerful, having long stabilized at the Nascent Soul realm. You should be able to handle Ren Xiaoyao's sword, right?"

In the bamboo grove, a fragrant aroma spread. Among the falling bamboo leaves, Jin Ling, dressed in a red gauze robe, with exposed skin, slowly floated over, a seductive demoness, full of allure.

"Ren Xiaoyao?"

Yingge Ye's eyes showed a hint of battle spirit, but it quickly faded as he looked at Jin Ling. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, if you, Young Master Yingge, can come, why can't I, Jin Ling?"

Jin Ling smiled lightly, her waist swaying, and she sat opposite Yingge Ye.