Chapter 99

Clatter!

The jade-like chopsticks fell.

Before the table, the two sat facing each other.

Li Xiang looked up at the Dragon Gate in the distance and the nine spirit pools below.

He earnestly pondered the current situation of this Dragon Gate.

After a long while,

he looked up at Ze and spoke softly:

"Observing the appearance of the Dragon Gate, I have some calculations in my heart."

"But I have one more question I would like my Daoist friend to clarify."

"Speak freely!"

Ze raised his eyebrows slightly; looking at Li Xiang's appearance, it seemed he really had a countermeasure.

If he could help him change the situation of the Dragon Gate, that would truly be wonderful.

"Daoist friend, you previously said, 'True Dragon, True Dragon—value the True, not the Dragon.'"

"These nine pools of the Dragon Gate are themselves intended to temper the character of creatures, raise the spirit of a dragon, and then bestow upon them a dragon body."

"I just heard my Daoist friend say that there is a dragon in the East Sea whose virtue does not match its position and is not a True Dragon."

"This Daoist has doubts in his heart."

Li Xiang sat lightly, his gaze looking far into the empty sky.

"I once heard my master say that in the depths of the East Sea, there is a Water Demon Race Royal Court, which serves a Cloud-Riding Golden Dragon as its master."

"This East Sea territory is incomparably vast, even more so than the Central Plains by three parts. It was originally a land of war, but two thousand years ago, a dragon emerged, suppressing mountains and rivers for a hundred thousand miles. With the power of one demon, it integrated the East Sea; from the land where the great sun rises in the east to the water where the sun sets in the west, all became royal soil."

"With a fist and palm over a region, governing hundreds of millions of creatures, suppressing mountains and rivers—even my Human Race dynasty dare not blunt its edge. Every year, the Chu State has to offer a large number of pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep to sacrifice to the East Sea to seek peace and national prosperity."

"The three mountains of Penglai also dare not make things difficult for it."

"With the power of one demon, it awes the East Sea; with the power of one demon, it presses the Human Race of the Central Plains to bow and offer tribute; it presses the three mountains of Penglai to close their doors and sit, quietly chanting Daoist scriptures in the mountains; with the power of one demon, it pacifies the wars of the East Sea, its military edge almost sealing the heavens."

"With such might and such momentum, in the nine heavens and ten earths, who dares to compare with it?"

"If the Saint does not appear, who can contend?"

"Then what I, this Daoist, want to ask is, what kind of character is needed to be worthy of the character 'True'?"

"The East Sea Dragon Master, with such great power, how can he not be worthy of this 'True' character!"

Listening to Li Xiang's inquiry, Ze suddenly laughed loudly.

His body shook slightly, laughing until he was leaning back and forth, wine splashing everywhere.

"Hahahaha! Daoist friend, what a literary talent!"

"If others heard what you said, I'm afraid they would all feel admiration."

"If it were the Demon Race, their hearts would even more want to think, that dragon of the East Sea is such a hero, only regretting that they cannot follow by his side, waving flags and shouting, conquering the nine heavens and ten earths."

"Even I, listening to what you said, feel that this is the leader of our clan's revival. But if the timing of the world changes and we obtain a momentum of rise, starting from the East Sea and connecting the ten thousand miles of the Southern Wilderness, how could my Demon Race not take the position of the protagonist of this heaven and earth?"

Ze laughed while picking up a piece of fish-dragon meat.

"Based on the dragon you described, of course, he is worthy of the character 'True'!"

"More than just the character 'True'—with such magnificent courage, let alone a True Dragon, what harm is there in saying he is the master of the Dragon Race?"

"It's just that he doesn't have the courage you described at all!"

Ze drank three cups of wine and sighed repeatedly.

"Military pressure on the East Sea, Chu State sacrifices—it's just looking good on the surface."

"The East Sea has 173 sea territories under it, governing 46.42 billion creatures. Although many are not demons, they are also great territories of heaven and earth, with over ten thousand spirit springs and thousands of blessed lands—this is the land of revival for my Demon Race."

"With the land of one region, it has confronted the Great Chu Dynasty for a thousand years without any progress!"

"Nine battles in the East Sea, nine defeats in nine battles, burying more than ten million of our East Sea sons. That Chu King is only one of the seven kings of the Human Race, yet he dared to hold a sword and seal the east, stepping on the waves for ten thousand miles, slaughtering the East Sea Demon Race until they dared not approach the edge of the East Sea by an inch."

"If it weren't for the Chu King worrying about being taken advantage of by the other six kingdoms if he continued to fight, he would not have established a truce with the East Sea. Every year, although there are livestock sacrifices, no one in the East Sea dares to go and receive them—how ridiculous."

"As for the three mountains of Penglai you mentioned, it is even more indescribable."

"The three mountains have many cultivators; to refine spirit treasures, they blood-sacrificed a thousand miles of sea area, but that little dragon dared not speak out, only leading people to drive away the demons near the three mountains, turning them into a forbidden zone, forbidding outsiders from entering, and calling it the 'Penglai Mountain Sealing' to the outside world."

Ze became angrier the more he spoke and wanted to drink more wine, but there was no wine left in the pot.

He called the attendant and told him to get wine.

"His position is not righteous; he did not emerge through slaughter, but borrowed his dragon blood and held the Dragon Race flag to temporarily command the East Sea Demon Race."

"Now that his actions are so weak, the subordinate sea territories of the East Sea must have long since stopped following his edicts."

"Such a 'True Dragon'—how can he be worthy of this 'True' character!"

"Peel off that dragon skin of his, and what kind of thing is he!"

Speaking to the point of hatred, Ze slapped the table heavily.

"If it were in the ancient times, is he worthy of being a True Dragon?!"

"Taking his dragon liver for a feast would still be considered fishy and smelly!"

Vaguely, Li Xiang saw a fierce shadow manifesting behind Ze.

It was evident that he was angry to the extreme.

"True Dragon, True Dragon—if there is no ambition to be supreme in the universe, no grand wish to revive the Demon Race, and no courage to slaughter the heavens and earth, how can one be worthy of the character 'True'!"

As he spoke, Ze looked at the Dragon Gate.

"Ten leaps of the Dragon Gate, one leap for one heaven; every layer is testing the creature's will and courage."

"If there is no spirit to swim against the current, suppress all fellow travelers, and even surpass predecessors, how can one be worthy of the name True Dragon?"

"Even if you go up a thousand years before me, I will surely step on you and behead you—only then will there be the courage of a True Dragon."

"That final leap of the Dragon Gate is even more dangerous; if there is no will to live toward death, don't talk about the flying dragon in the sky."

Listening to Ze's hateful words, Li Xiang was lost in thought.

Knowing more secrets of the East Sea, an absurd idea suddenly arose in his heart.

He suddenly wanted to see what the Chu King looked like.

To be able to suppress the entire East Sea with the land of one dynasty and prevent it from making any progress.

If Li Xiang remembered correctly, a thousand years ago, the Seven Kingdoms were in the midst of a chaotic war, and many small countries were annexed and destroyed during this time.

During this period, the Chu State fought against Great Liang, Great Wei, and the Qi State at the same time. There were dozens of ancient battlefields derived from the many clashes between them. Every year during the Mid-Yuan Festival, there would be signs of ghosts crying and clouds blocking the sun.

At such a time, to be able to find time to step on the waves of the East Sea...

Putting aside the dragon issue, this Chu King is a ruthless person.

Li Xiang thought blankly.

"Daoist friend, according to what you said,"

"for a True Dragon, the character 'True' is in his ambition, in his actions, and in his responsibilities."

"Those who have the ambition for mountains and rivers, who are willing to revive the Demon Race, who dare to be enemies with heaven and earth—even if there are thousands of dangers and obstacles, they do not retreat half a step—only then are they True Dragons!"

"In this way, is what I said correct?"

Ze nodded gently, restraining his emotions.

He knew he had been a bit unseemly today.

"Since that is the case, then I imagine, even if he does not have a dragon body, but has a dragon ambition, is he worthy of the word 'Dragon'!"

Li Xiang asked.

Bai Ze continued to nod and said casually:

"Naturally."

"If there really is a creature in the world that does not cross the Dragon Gate but has dragon ambition,"

"if the Dragon Gate senses it, what harm is there in giving him a dragon bloodline?"

Li Xiang revealed a smile.

"Since that is the case,"

"then I imagine, a Demon Dragon is also considered a dragon, right?"

"Hmm?"

Ze was surprised.

Then he saw Li Xiang in front of him reach into his bosom and take out an orange-yellow bead.

He placed it in front of him.

Inside, a creature like a baby was wailing heartbreakingly.

It was exactly the Demon Spirit that Li Xiang had re-sealed not long ago.

(End of chapter)