Chapter 232: The Aftermath of the Sun Stone's Disappearance

Haizhidu.

This place is the most prosperous central district in the entire world, situated on the sea at the junction of three behemoths—Huang Zhou, Di Zhou, and Shenzhou. Because it enjoys the protection of the Sea Lord, and because its City Lord declares he will not side with any faction and will only do business,

it can truly be called a place where none of the three hold sway.

Here one can find every kind of Star Vessel sold to every continent in the world, as well as all manner of weapons and armor imbued with mysterious power. If one can pay the price, even the legendary "thing" from across the way can be bought.

This day, early morning.

"Gaaa~~~"

"Boom—"

From high above the sky, suddenly came the roar of a flying dragon.

Then a massive Banzhu beast, a good dozen-plus meters in size, dropped from the heavens, and a powerfully built man with a knife scar across his face leapt down from it.

"Morning, Commander Wang."

"The mission went smoothly enough?"

"Commander Wang, want some hot buns?"

……

The surrounding residents were not at all surprised by this; rather, they greeted him with a certain familiarity.

The scarred man called Commander Wang, despite his mood being somewhat sour, still forced a smile and answered each one in turn.

He then brought his Blue-Feathered Dragon along with him all the way to the very center of this sea city—the City Lord Mansion.

He looked at the City Lord Mansion's great gate and the guards in silver armor, patted his highly Spirit-intelligent companion, and spoke a few words in a low voice.

Then he stepped into the City Lord Mansion, which to others was heavily guarded.

With a blank expression he passed countless sentries along the way, until finally he arrived before a door that looked rather plain.

At this moment, he, whose face had been stern all along, finally showed a trace of nervousness, unease, and guilt. Several times he raised his hand to knock on the door, but still hesitated and paused for some reason.

"That's Xiao Liang at the door, isn't it? Did the mission go smoothly? Come in."

At that moment, however, the voice of a kindly old woman came from inside the room.

"Yes, Grandmother, I'm coming in."

The moment this voice rang out, it struck the scarred man like a bolt of lightning, and he stammered a reply.

"I-I'm sorry, Grandmother. The m-mission failed… the Sun Stone is gone!"

The moment he pushed open the door and stepped inside, he dropped to his knees before the old woman lying on a bamboo chair like a mountain of gold toppling or a pillar of jade falling, his face full of guilt.

"Mm, su… failed?!"

The old woman seemed not to have taken it in; she pondered for a long moment before she reacted.

Then she slowly swiveled the bamboo chair around to face the man directly. Looking at the powerfully built man kneeling before her with guilt written all over his face and reddened eyes, her heart was full of shock and doubt.

No, that shouldn't be. With her grandson's strange talent, and piloting a Banzhu Blue-Feathered Dragon carrying a trace of ancient Dragon Blood, escorting a convoy that had concealed its tracks—there shouldn't have been a mistake?

The old woman, her thoughts churning within, took a long while to steady her mood before slowly asking, "Tell me the whole course of events, one by one."

"Yes!"

The scarred man answered softly, organized his words, and then recounted the entire process of this trip, as well as how the Sun Stone under their protection had suddenly vanished into thin air.

Half an hour later, the guilt-stricken scarred man gently pulled the door shut and retreated, leaving the old woman alone, quietly lying on the bamboo chair.

Watching the sunlight, gradually growing brighter, stream into the room, the old woman slowly let out a sigh.

"Sigh, things have gotten troublesome. The Sun Stone vanished into thin air—That One may recover a portion of vitality once more. How am I to face Them, who made such great sacrifices?"

Between sighs, the old woman slowly rose from the bamboo chair and walked to the window, her heart heavy.

Perhaps another unimaginably powerful being from another world has forcibly broken into this world, and has joined forces with those lost dogs.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to have snatched that Sun Stone so purposefully and without a sound.

This is meant to let That One recover vitality once more and struggle, even break through that seal.

But according to Xiao Liang's account, this newly arrived being should govern stealth, theft, and the like.

Otherwise, how could it have taken the Sun Stone right under her grandson's nose in just a few breaths without him noticing?

If it really is so, then things are not yet too terrible.

Lost in thought, she slowly raised a finger, channeling the power within her that came from that great being, and began gathering a great deal of energy.

A few breaths later, several birds brimming with vast informational energy appeared vividly at her fingertip.

"Go! Go! Carry the news from here."

Gently stroking those few birds, the old woman flicked her fingers and sent the energy birds away.

Having done all this, she also moved her somewhat heavy steps toward the deepest part of the City Lord Mansion.

"Hum—hum—"

Amid a faint humming, a heavy door slowly opened.

What appeared before the old woman was a scene of glowing red. Amid a sound like rolling seawater, boundless heat spread wildly here.

This was unmistakably a volcano!

And the interior of a volcano at that—at the deepest part of Haizhidu's City Lord Mansion, there actually existed a volcanic crater.

If this news were to leak to the outside world, it would surely shock and terrify every resident of Haizhidu.

Because once a live volcano Bursts, there's no need to say what would happen, is there?

Yet facing this scene, the old woman was not at all surprised.

Ignoring the searing heat around her, she walked with great familiarity along the only path built over the lava, and arrived at the deepest part of the lava.

What came into her eyes was an ancient-looking stone, entirely gray in color, about the height of a person.

This ancient stone sat quietly on a pedestal soaking in the lava; from time to time one could see a flash of red pattern within it, as if it were absorbing energy from the lava.

Looking at this stone, the old woman's eyes were full of guilt.

In her hoarse voice she murmured to herself, "The sinner Zhou Qingqing has come once more to see the Ancestral Dragon."

Saying so, she directly raised her own right hand, revealing a right hand that at some unknown time had already become covered in hard black scales, as though she were some beast.

"Hmph—"

With a muffled grunt, she actually directly slashed open a great gash.

At once, drop after drop of a viscous liquid—crimson red and threaded through with strands of golden intent—began to spill out.

Facing this stone that was soaking in the lava, she, without so much as a blink, pressed it directly onto this ancient, unadorned stone.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—"

In an instant, drop after drop of that strange liquid began to flow ceaselessly over the stone.

And bathed by this miraculous fresh blood, the stone too seemed as though it had come alive, flickering with lines of red that looked as though they were breathing.

In contrast, Zhou Qingqing, who already looked like an old woman, began to turn visibly pale; the black-and-white mingled hair on her head seemed to have grown a few more white strands.

Clearly, this act exacted an extremely great price from her.

Feeling the fresh blood within her body ceaselessly drawn away, Zhou Qingqing showed not the slightest struggle, merely pressing silently against the body of the Ancestral Dragon, which had fallen into its weakest, deepest slumber.

Because every living being in this world owes the Ancestral Dragon and the Ancient Dragon Ancestors a life—especially her, their human race.

What she gives now is nothing more than a trifling atonement.

At this moment, she seemed to recall once more that scene from three hundred years ago, that scene that had once driven her to despair…

(End of chapter)