Chapter 803: Dragon Ancestor Strikes Back, East Emperor Entrusts the Orphan!

Staring with her round, glistening eyes, Responding Dragon's life and death hung in others' hands, yet she did not lower her head to beg for mercy.

Stubbornly silent, a few hundred catties would be settled here—whether killed or chopped, it's all up to you.

Must not lose momentum.

However, Taiyi did nothing to her, never delivering a killing blow.

He lowered his gaze to Responding Dragon, his eyes deep, as if through her he saw someone from the past—one who left him an unforgettable impression, having burned away all traces of his existence, just like him today.

He once didn't understand, thinking it was truly like a dog-skin plaster—even in death one must bite a chunk of the opponent's flesh.

But now, with similar experiences and similar choices… everything became clear without words, understood, fully enlightened.

"Yandi!"

Taiyi let out a soft sigh.

Facing this opponent, though their positions differed, he disliked yet respected her.

"To slay a dragon, you still need to look at its master."

Taiyi nonchalantly let go, causing Responding Dragon to fall flat on her face, dust-covered, "For Yandi's sake, I won't kill you, lest even his clearest trace vanish and no one remember him."

"Taiyi!"

Responding Dragon sprang up at once.

Those words were too hurtful.

——Is she that kind of connection-backed person?

How does she speak?

When did she fall to such a state?

She has to rely on her own poop-scooping official just to survive in this chaotic world?!

Responding Dragon was very angry.

She… isn't it just that she has such a "tiny bit" of background?!

Responding Dragon's heart was riddled with holes, she gritted her teeth, "You might as well kill me!"

"Otherwise… because of this remark, from now on I'll go jump on your grave every day!"

She uttered the most "vicious" oath.

Taiyi, however, was completely nonchalant, not caring at all, "Suit yourself."

"I don't care."

The East Emperor is too transcendent.

He felt the extinguishing of his life's fire, listening to his own funeral song through the ages, calm and composed, "As long as you're happy… anyway, I'm indifferent."

"I'm not even afraid of death, why should I fear how you meddle with my posthumous affairs?!"

"Right."

"When you jump on my grave, remember to weed a bit, sweep the tomb… and finally call a few more people, I'm afraid of being lonely and cold after death."

Taiyi even helped suggest ideas, leaving Responding Dragon dumbfounded.

The East Emperor harbored the talent of a mischief-maker, also capable of some cheeky maneuvers.

But that's also the case.

Being able to make his defeated troops surrender to save themselves, and even advise them to cut off their own corpses to draw a clear line with the Demon Race… just for that, Taiyi could be considered a talent.

Responding Dragon followed Fengxi nearby, how much good or bad she learned is unclear, but she's picked up a lot of mischief, absorbing influence, close to vermilion turns red, close to ink turns black… but, the East Emperor is a natural-born talent athlete!

However, this era lacked a stage for him to solo perform; his assisting brother bore too many responsibilities, ultimately leading to his glorious death in battle, with little room to let loose.

At this moment when all things are at rest, Taiyi set down his burden, a few words, and left Responding Dragon speechless.

Responding Dragon held her breath, almost choked to death.

Using her clever little brain, she threw down harsh words: "Afraid of being lonely and cold after death? Don't be!"

"Wait… when my divine skill is perfected, I'll resurrect you as a corpse, then properly press you to the ground and beat you until only a breath remains, to repay today's slight!"

Responding Dragon made a grand vow.

"Just you?!"

The East Emperor smirked, time slowed at this moment, "Your level? Even if you cultivated for dozens of eras, with Pangu rotating through dozens of generations, you couldn't hope to make me feel threatened."

"'Grind!' Responding Dragon gritted her teeth."

"'First pass the Dragon Ancestor's test!' Taiyi, whether intentionally or not, casually pointed at Responding Dragon, 'You snatched part of his Dao achievements through trickery, got to where you are now, do you really think everything's fine?'"

"'Beware he might take drastic action, merging human and dragon, shedding like a golden cicada… overdrawing the dragon race's credit, signing astronomical debts, then himself fleeing ashore, leaving you stranded in the river.'"

"'The dragon race is currently an asset, you've enjoyed the benefits… who knows if one day the dragon race won't become a liability, leaving you trapped and dead upon it?'"

"'Asset transfer, stealing heaven and swapping sun, moving flowers and joining trees… Dragon Ancestor, in this era may not yet be finished; he still has some fight left.'"

Within the East Emperor's limited time, he attained the pinnacle of splendid, radiant achievements, infinitely approaching Pangu.

At this moment, he seemed to have opened his apertures.

Standing at a height surpassing all, he naturally understood much.

Especially now, he resonates with the Human Dao.

Many secrets are no longer secrets; Taiyi also perceived something.

"The trend of the Human Dao…"

The East Emperor murmured, "Dragon Ancestor wants to seize the opportunity, strike back once… this is the only chance."

"And there is another player, who also needs someone to muddy the waters, so as to leisurely amend accounts, do some false accounting, and will deliberately indulge him…"

"The good deeds done by Dragon Ancestor have caused errors in the Human Dao system's accounts, and… what relation does that have?"

"Don't tarnish innocence, speak with evidence…"

"Finally, let's seek a happy ending for all…"

The Dragon Ancestor's human corruption was exposed, he flew into a rage, collided with Buzhou, intending to destroy evidence...

The Dao Ancestor stepped forward, speaking out for justice, to clarify finances announced an emergency freeze on all assets, sealing off verification and investigation...

In the end, who benefited?

Taiyi smiled weakly, his breath withering, he had reached the end of his life.

Even so, he could still muster his last strength to intimidate Yinglong.

"Little Yinglong, you must be careful... you've become the center of the gambling vortex."

"If you slip even a single step, you won't be able to jump on my grave for long; you'll meet the same fate, die miserably... no one can save you."

"Gulong!" Yinglong swallowed hard with difficulty.

——What's going on?

——Unbeknownst to her, when did she become the protagonist in a daze?

Or rather, she's a calamity-flow protagonist, not a carefree-flow protagonist!

"No way?!"

Yinglong said hoarsely.

"What's there not to believe?" Taiyi sneered, "Don't you doubt that your path has been too smooth?"

"I don't deny the great beings who placed pieces on you; their mental strength... but don't underestimate the Dragon Ancestor either."

"You could seize his achievements, replace the beams and pillars successfully, become the master of the Dragon School—is this a mistake of fate, or did he plan it all along, deliberately luring you into the jar?"

"Be careful you end up as the one left holding the bag..."

"Taking over a high position, the outcome would be dire!"

Donghuang sighed.

Yinglong listened, feeling cold all over.

A chill ran through him, cold to the bone.

What Taiyi said was hard to tell true from false, impossible to deny that such a possibility existed.

After all...

The Dragon Ancestor Great Sage, once even the August Emperor Heavenly Emperor had to fear him!

Even if the August Emperor ultimately defeated the Dragon Ancestor, it would still be hard to completely erase the traces this divine being left between heaven and earth... for the Dragon Ancestor truly made an indelible contribution to the development of the Honghuang cosmic epoch civilization; some ideas, some theories, are still in use to this day.

——Great Unity!

Because of this achievement, the Heavenly Court saw the August Emperor ascend to the supreme Heavenly Emperor, absorbing its essence.

Thus, among Fuxi's various divine forms, some appear with a human body and dragon tail.

When the human race was established, the most ancient orthodoxy was also called the Dragon School!

Would such a great figure end so ordinarily?

Just because he was suppressed by the Dao Ancestor for a while, would he be completely finished, withdrawing from the Wugui era?

Who dares guarantee!

Don't think the Dragon Ancestor just keeps getting beaten; one generation's version, one generation's god, generation after generation the dragon god is weakened... In this era, Nüwa suppresses him, Donghua cuts him down to a blank slate, yet he still seizes the opportunity, rises in one step, and achieves the Twelve Golden Dragons?

Sure, for now he's been kicked out by the Dao Ancestor Hongjun... but who knows if the Dragon Ancestor can't strike back?

Yinglong thought of this, and his whole body felt uneasy.

There's nothing to be done.

Who let her become the current Dragon School Master?

The Dragon Ancestor Great Sage makes a comeback; she is on the front line, destined to face calamity, to be settled!

Scapegoat, one left holding the bag... at this moment, Yinglong's mind filled with many ominous terms, vaguely a miserable future awaited her.

If true, it would also be as Taiyi said—no one could save her!

After all, even the August Emperor has to flee his debts, let alone her puny arms and legs?

Even pledging herself as collateral probably wouldn't be enough; she'd be suppressed by blessings for countless ages!

Thinking of this, Yinglong broke out in a cold sweat.

But soon she realized something, her eyes alert: "You... why are you telling me all this?"

"Given your position, you ought to be gloating over our opponents' misfortune!"

"Naturally I have an agenda." Donghuang smiled gently.

The Suiyue Changhe flowed gently; a demon emperor, though only a vestige of obsession remained, still severed heavenly secrets, twisted time, and conducted a secret transaction with Yinglong.

"This is my seal."

"Also, this is an unnamed account in the Heavenly Earth Qi Luck Merit System... inside lies the last wealth of the Monster Clan Heavenly Court, which I transferred in advance."

"All of this is now yours."

In a hidden corner of spacetime, Taiyi handed over all his public funds, private money, and personal authority seals to Yinglong.

Yinglong took them, stunned.

As the saying goes, a dead camel is bigger than a horse.

Even if the Demon Race was defeated.

But the accumulated wealth remains immeasurably vast, truly considerable.

Before the enemy completely loots it, this is a heavenly amount of qi luck merit.

And now, it's all placed before Yinglong by Donghuang.

Taiyi plundered himself; as a demon emperor, he emptied the Monster Clan's final treasury... quite outrageous.

But it can't be said he wasn't following the ancients—after all, the August Emperor Heavenly Emperor did the same back then.

For the Heavenly Court, the successive emperors and emperors simply expound the same puzzling topic that confounds the world——

Majesty, why are you rebelling?!

You guard against day and night, but thieves at home are hard to defend against.

Every moment, every second is feared; internal spies are terrifying.

What's more, the leader has taken the lead in rebelling.

East Emperor had already taken away the Demon Race's largest treasury; inside, it was so empty that even the mice would weep at the sight… All wealth had been transformed into Qi and merit, stored in anonymous accounts, and now it all lay before Responding Dragon's eyes.

Responding Dragon was dazzled by this wealth, the entire dragon feeling somewhat dazed.

Money—she has seen it before.

At Fengxi's side, at Nüwa's side… the two greatest tycoons, both hidden and overt in Honghuang, have followed her; what worldly sights has she not seen?

But the situation now is different.

Because this money will be recorded in her name—Responding Dragon's—making it her personal property!

Cough cough!

Responding Dragon reached out, about to take it, but she hesitated painfully and withdrew, saying, "First agree… I cannot abandon my principles and stance… otherwise I would rather not take this money."

As she spoke these words, Responding Dragon's heart bled.

However, though she is usually a bit off‑kilter and her integrity has been weakened by superiors, she still holds firm on matters of principle in crucial moments.

She never takes money and then fails to act, nor does she sacrifice her principles for cash.

I will naturally not make things difficult for you.

Taiyi said calmly, "I am doing this only hoping you will look after the Demon Race."

These riches are the hard‑earned savings of this era's Demon Race folk, the startup funds for future welfare… According to common reasoning, the victor can seize all of the loser's possessions, and they will fall into the hands of the Ancestral Wu.

The Heavenly Court has fallen, we have lost… As the war's leader, I never expected to be pardoned; dying in battle is fitting.

But some Demon Race civilians are innocent.

They have laboured and toiled; they cannot possibly have no good outcome… Yet if these riches fall into the hands of many Ancestral Wu, I fear they may be embezzled and withheld, merely out of resentment and greed.

So I have chosen you.

Since spoils of war belong to the victors, why shouldn't I, among these victors, choose someone worthy of trust?" Taiyi sighed lightly, "I believe in Yandi's virtue; his such decisive sacrifice has moved me to this day… And as his companion spirit, you are surely reliable."

At the mention of Yandi, Responding Dragon's expression turned solemn at once.

Even if she harbors doubts in her heart about Fengxi's personal integrity… it's hard to put into words.

But now that the matter has come to this point, she must in any case defend Yandi's final holy radiance.

You can use this wealth to start an enterprise. The returns: one share is your hard‑earned fee, another share is the welfare of future worldly demon spirits." Taiyi's eyes sorrowful, "This is the earnest plea of the last Demon Race emperor."

"Why me?" Responding Dragon said in a low voice, "This responsibility is heavy; I may not be able to bear it."

"Isn't there anyone better suited?" Taiyi smiled, "You are the master of the Dragon Master, the attendant of Nüwa Emperor; whether human or Wu Clan, you have connections… Having you step forward to look after the Demon Race, no one will say anything."

As compensation for your hard work, I will bestow upon you the authority of the Demon Race Emperor… Although the Heavenly Court has collapsed, the sovereign is no longer sovereign.

Yet this legacy can also make you the common ancestor of all birds and beasts, able to command all creatures that fly and run.

East Emperor's sincerity was complete, moving Responding Dragon deeply.

Moreover… I can also defuse any lethal moves that Dragon Ancestor Fellow Daoist might have.

Taiyi lowered his brows, "If you really are successfully schemed against by him, burdened with debt… you can also follow his method, finding another to take over."

Yes.

It's me.

My authority will be yours, giving you the convenience of keeping false accounts in my name… All consequences will be borne by me.

Anyway… I am indifferent.

I am about to die… but even if the common people resent me, can they kill me a second time?

East Emperor laughed, his smile bright and lovely.

(End of chapter)