Chapter 421

Having heard that Xuanli had returned to the Dragon Palace, Zhang Jian and his wife prepared a gift and planned to visit.

Li Long Palace.

Xuanli had also received the invitation in advance, but he felt greatly troubled.

At the same time, he was somewhat annoyed.

"Beauty, what should we do? Your Highness had people inquire, and Bai's younger sister is nothing much, but her brother-in-law is a formidable character—he is a Nascent Soul grand cultivator of the Tongshan Dao lineage and also the Lord of Dongzhou. If he discovers any clues, even Father might fly into a rage!"

"Your Highness, if that is the case, then summon that lowly maid and have her accompany you in receiving them!"

The red-clad woman Huonu'er smiled coldly with narrowed eyes.

Her expression showed no concern.

"After all, her life is in our hands—what fear do we have of her causing trouble?"

"Besides, Your Highness, you are ultimately the Crown Prince of the Qingpinghai Dragon Palace, a dragon prince. In the end, your affair with this lowly maid is merely an internal matter of the Qingpinghai Dragon Palace—others have no right to point fingers!"

She gazed at Xuanli with her bright, watery eyes, a hint of encouragement in her gaze.

Seeing this, Xuanli's eyes lit up, and he drew Huonu'er into his embrace.

"Beauty, you still have the best ideas—let's do this. Could the Lord of Dongzhou possibly interfere in our Qingpinghai Dragon Palace's household affairs? Let him try—he doesn't have the gall!"

He felt the apprehension in his heart dissipate instantly, the gloom vanishing in a flash.

Meanwhile, after Bai Liying had carefully prepared a generous gift, Zhang Jian set out for the Li Long Palace.

Though named after the Li Dragon, the Li Long Palace is not as splendid as other dragon palaces' halls—it can only be considered an ordinary great hall.

The Li Dragon is a black dragon.

The aesthetic of the Qingpinghai Dragon Palace, from top to bottom, is largely similar: they favor the traditional dragon clan's bright gold, followed by transparency and brightness, while the dragon banners choose dark black—but each dragon prince's banner is different.

Some have three claws, some four, some five.

The banners hanging in the Li Long Palace are mostly three-clawed.

This also reflects Xuanli's status and position—among the dragon princes, he can only be considered rather ordinary.

Similarly, the eldest prince Xuan Chou and the third prince Xuan An both bear four-clawed black dragon banners.

Upon entering the hall, the two noticed no one came out to greet them.

Seeing this, Bai Liying's eyes instantly turned toward Zhang Jian with a worried gaze.

"Husband!"

Zhang Jian waved his hand and smiled. "Princess, it's no matter—we came to visit, so we need not fuss over these things!"

Upon entering the hall, Zhang Jian saw Bai Liying's elder sister and the Fourth Prince Xuanli.

As for the Fourth Prince Xuanli, Zhang Jian merely glanced at him—his cultivation had reached the peak of the Yin Spirit realm, placing him above average among the Qingpinghai princes, though his aura was chaotic and unfocused, and his cultivation could not be considered profound.

Meanwhile, Elder Sister Bai Shuang sat upon the principal consort's seat—her features were exquisite and icy, her beauty starkly different from Bai Liying's charming allure. She bore a dignified, noble figure, a kind of lush beauty; though dressed in plain ceremonial robes, her graceful figure could not be concealed.

As for the eldest sister, Bai Shuang, she was seated in the position of the principal wife; her features were delicate and coldly beautiful.

Bai Liying instantly recognized the exquisite face of Bai Shuang.

"Fourth Sister!"

Bai Shuang also noticed the tall, graceful figure and clear, lovely countenance of Bai Liying.

The Bai Liying before her differed greatly from her memory—not only beautiful and noble, but also possessing an awe-inspiring, intimidating presence that was hard to meet head-on.

It was hard to imagine such an aura coming from her younger sister.

It seemed she had been faring quite well during this time.

This brought a hint of joy to the depths of Bai Shuang's beautiful eyes.

Seeing this, Xuanli smiled faintly: "Fourth Sister, Brother-in-law, I and your elder sister learned of your arrival and have been delighted for quite some time!"

"It's just that I and your elder sister were earlier discussing the Sea King's Festival and had not gone out to greet you—please forgive us, Fourth Sister, Brother-in-law!"

Zhang Jian's divine sense was exceptionally keen—merely following Xuanli's gaze, at first glance he could see that this Fourth Prince appeared to welcome them, but his eyes kept fixed on Bai Shuang, with a hint of sharp, scrutinizing intensity in their depths.

Zhang Jian's gaze then fell upon the hall, and he smiled: "Fourth Prince, you overpraise us!"

Zhang Jianyuan's divine sense and spiritual awareness were exceptionally sharp—merely following the gaze of Xuan Li, at first glance he could see that this Fourth Prince appeared to be welcoming the two, yet his eyes remained fixed upon Bai Shuang, his depths holding a hint of unusual sharpness and scrutiny.

Xuanli's eyes flickered, and he laughed heartily: "Of course not! Brother-in-law, please take your seat—just hope you do not disdain our humble palace!"

Bai Liying also noticed Zhang Jian's address, and her gaze fell upon the sandalwood table, which bore various spiritual fruits and jade liquids.

However, the quality was ordinary—most were only a few decades old, at most a century or so.

To entertain a distant sister with such fare was indeed rather "hard to justify"!

But she merely assumed Xuanli and his wife had fallen out of favor with the Dragon Lord and were thus treated poorly.

At this moment, Bai Shuang rose and drew Bai Liying to her side—two sisters long unseen, both feeling joy.

Bai Liying then said: "Elder Sister, after Father succeeded in his dragon transformation, he also sent you an invitation—have you received it? Father has been thinking of you lately!"

"This... I and your brother-in-law were exiled a hundred years ago to the Lishui River in Qingli Prefecture to serve as Water Officials—there, near the barbarian wilds, communication was difficult, and we never received any notice from the Bai Shui Dragon Palace!"

Bai Shuang's eyes widened in surprise—she had indeed received no such message.

Seeing this, Xuanli said: "Perhaps the news from Qingpinghai never reached there!"

He then turned his gaze to Bai Liying: "Fourth Sister, you just mentioned your father-in-law's successful dragon transformation—how delightful! I wonder what kind of true dragon he became?"

"This... I and your brother-in-law were exiled a hundred years ago to the Lishui River in Qingli Prefecture to serve as Water Earls; that place lies near the barbaric wilds, communication is inconvenient, and we never received any transmission from the White Water Dragon Palace!"

Far away in Lishui, he had indeed received no news.

Bai Liying furrowed her willow-leaf brows:

He then turned his gaze to Bai Liying and said, "Fourth sister, you just mentioned that your father-in-law succeeded in transforming into a dragon—how delightful and congratulatory, though I wonder what kind of true dragon he became."

There was something unusual in the depths of his eyes.

Far away in Lishui, he had indeed received no news at all.

Bai Liying furrowed her willow-like brows:

"It seems the message was distorted!"

There are many ways for cultivators to transmit messages; otherwise, it would be flying sword transmission, or spirit beast transmission, or using strange treasures like conch shells.

But if the distance is too great, distortion is easily caused.

Flying sword transmission and spirit beast transmission are also easily intercepted by evil cultivators.

She raised her head, meeting Bai Shuang's concerned gaze, and she smiled charmingly.

"Father's dragon transformation went very smoothly, and he transformed into the Xuanming True Dragon form in one breath; it's just a pity he didn't come this time, still refining his dragon body in the Great Xia Dynasty, diligently cultivating his magic power!"

"Xuanming True Dragon? Is that a supreme true dragon?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Shuang's beautiful eyes brightened, and joy appeared in her gaze.

Beside, Xuanli, upon hearing this, twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, though there was some gloom in his eyes, but it instantly turned into a smile as he faced Zhang Jian's gaze and said.

"Having the form of a supreme true dragon, this is rare even among our dragon clan; this is a great joy for our dragon clan!"

Although the Li Long clan also possesses true dragon bloodline.

But they are not supreme true dragons, merely middle true dragon bloodline.

However, this does not mean there are no supreme true dragons in the Qingping Sea dragon clan.

In fact, during the reproduction process of the Qingping Sea Dragon Palace, there have been instances of dragon descendants' bloodline returning to ancestors, or bloodline mutations, from which stronger bloodlines have emerged.

For example, the Third Prince Xuan'an was born with the Nine Nether Li Long bloodline.

This is a mutated bloodline of the Li Long clan, and also a supreme true dragon body; once adulthood is reached, it possesses power nearly equivalent to that of a Yuan Shen True Lord.

At this moment, Bai Shuang's eyes showed some self-reproach.

"It's my unfiliality; I didn't even go to protect the law during Father's dragon tribulation!"

Bai Liying, seeing this, also felt moved, and said: "Elder sister, this can't be blamed on you; Qingli Prefecture is so far from Dongzhou, how could messages possibly get through, how could one return home!"

……

Zhang Jian and his wife did not stay long in the Li Long Palace.

But after leaving the Li Long Palace, Zhang Jian looked toward Bai Liying and said.

"Princess, your elder sister seems to be causing some trouble?"

Bai Liying nodded slightly; she had also noticed this.

The Fourth Prince Xuanli gazed at Bai Shuang's eyes, always carrying a special meaning within.

The atmosphere seemed somewhat strange.

At this moment, Zhang Jian's eyes flickered, and he suddenly laughed.

"Come, let's first return to our lodging!"

He reached out and naturally embraced Bai Liying's waist; the two figures shifted and directly returned to the palace.

Immediately afterward, under Bai Liying's astonished gaze, he took out a treasure mirror.

The Dongdi Treasure Mirror appeared in his hand, and as he released a strand of magic power, it instantly manifested the scene within the Li Long Palace.

But upon gazing at the scene within the Li Long Palace, Bai Liying's jade countenance instantly bore a layer of thin anger.

However, seeing the two depart, Xuanli grabbed Bai Shuang from the Emperor and Empress's treasure seat and pulled her down, slapping her to the ground.

At this moment, his filial cry came from within.

"Lowly servant, don't think that because Bai Shui Longjun cultivated into the Xuanming True Dragon form, you've turned things over; a mere Xuanming True Dragon is nothing before my Li Long clan!"

"This prince wants to deal with you however he wishes, and he will still deal with you!"

Immediately afterward, they saw a charming woman in red robes slowly walk out from deep within the Li Long Palace, she strode straight to the rear seat and simultaneously patted the chair beneath her.

Seeing her demeanor, Xuanli furrowed his brow, stepped forward, and said.

"Beauty, what do you suggest? If Bai Shui Longjun learns of our affairs, he will surely cause us trouble!"

"Your Highness, what are you panicking about!

Didn't you say you are the Dragon Prince of the Qingping Sea Dragon Palace, with the Qingping Sea Dragon clan behind you—why would you fear a true dragon with no foundation?"

Xuanli's face showed helplessness, and he spoke in a deep voice.

"But if he goes to my father to complain, given my father's temperament, there will surely be no lack of reprimand, punishment, and punishment for this prince!"

"By then, whether this prince can enter the Sea Eye will be uncertain!"

Upon hearing this, the red-clothed woman sighed, but deep in her eyes, a hint of coldness appeared at this moment.

Her gaze lingered faintly on Bai Shuang, who was now rising in the main hall.

"This palace originally wanted to let her go, but now it seems we cannot keep her!"

"Beauty, what do you mean?"

Xuanli suddenly furrowed his brow.

The red-clothed woman let out a light hum. "How so, are you reluctant?"

Xuanli let out a cold laugh, his eyes flickering, then gradually turning into a hint of ruthlessness; he glared fiercely at Bai Shuang and said coldly:

"How could it be? This prince has not forgotten the disgrace she brought; back then, this prince was also bewitched, insisted on marrying her, abandoning a bright future; if not for her, this prince would not have missed the Sea King Sacrifice six hundred years ago, leading to insufficient bloodline awakening, and thus unable to break into the Yuan Shen realm!"

Bai Shuang on the ground remained expressionless, merely wearing a wooden look.

After a slight pause, Xuanli's gaze turned again to the red-clothed woman and said.

"But beauty, now that Bai Shui Longnu is within the Qingping Sea Dragon Palace, she herself is fine, but her lover, the Great Xia Emperor, is not someone to be provoked; if they cause a ruckus, I will also have trouble then!"

Upon hearing this, the red-clothed woman's eyes showed some impatience.

But she still forcibly suppressed it.

"Then let's wait; after the Sea King Sacrifice ends, we'll dispose of this lowly servant!"

Xuanli also noticed the displeasure in Funu'er's heart, and hurried forward to comfort her.

At this moment, before the Dongdi Treasure Mirror.

Bai Li Ying was greatly resentful.

"This adulterous couple, how dare they humiliate my Bai Shui Long Gong like this! This palace will not let them off easily!"

"Your Majesty, I beg you to help my poor elder sister escape! Now, only you can save her!"

At this moment, she bowed deeply, her eyes filled with hatred.

Zhang Jian hurriedly helped her up, nodding slightly.

"Princess, rest assured, as long as I am here, I will not let anyone harm her life!"

Bai Li Ying heard this, her expression eased slightly, and deep in her eyes she felt some emotion.

"Since I came of age, my elder sister has always been carefree. When our father was schemed against by the Mian Wang, it was my elder sister who rushed back to Bai Shui and helped us several escape. If not for my elder sister, we might already have been buried by those cultivators under Mian Wang's command!"

Zhang Jian heard this, nodded, and after thinking, said.

"But we still need to find a way to first contact your elder sister, to see what she thinks!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Li Ying said.

"Your Majesty, I wish to see my elder sister once more!"

Zhang Jian laughed: "That's not difficult!"

In his hand, a seven-colored talisman manifested!

It was the Golden Lotus Hidden Breath Method.

This innate divine ability of the Harmony Dao level could freely move through most of the Qing Ping Hai Long Gong!

Seven-colored light enveloped the two figures, and in a moment, their forms vanished into the void!

……

Li Long Dian, side hall!

Bai Shuang swept her gaze over the surroundings with a calm expression, showing no change in demeanor!

Having long been accustomed to such circumstances, and before her, Xuan Li at this moment had one arm wrapped around Huo Nu'er's waist!

Huo Nu'er's cold voice rang in Bai Shuang's ears!

"Bai Shuang, if you were a little smarter, you should know what to do. The strength of Qing Ping Long Gong and Tian Huo Gong is absolutely not something your small Bai Shui Long Gong can provoke!"

"Your poor father finally succeeded in becoming a dragon with great difficulty, and you do not wish Bai Shui Long Jun's thousands of years of arduous cultivation to vanish into flowing water!"

Bai Shuang merely glanced coldly at Huo Nu'er, her expression tranquil!

Xuan Li, seeing this, showed a look of disgust: "Again this deadpan look, truly unpleasant!"

"Beauty, let's leave this place!"

Their footsteps quickly faded away!

After the two left, Bai Shuang slowly raised her head, and only now did a trace of exhaustion appear in her eyes.

But just then, two seven-colored lights appeared in the void!

The figures of Zhang Jian and Bai Li Ying appeared in the void!

"Fourth sister, brother-in-law?"

Gazing at the two figures, Bai Shuang's face showed a moment of surprise!

Bai Li Ying's face at this moment bore a thin anger:

"Elder sister, how dare that beast treat you so?"

Bai Shuang, upon hearing this, let out a soft sigh:

"You all know now?"

Bai Li Ying nodded, speaking in a deep voice: "Elder sister, we will now take you away from here!"