Chapter 62: with translation of chapter title

The primordial era, the East Sea Crystal Palace.

The East Sea True Dragon King sat solemnly on his throne, while the Turtle Chancellor stood below, reporting the frontline situation to him in a trembling voice:

A certain dragon prince or descendant, the city lord, was seized by heavenly officials, charged by Heaven, and then a group of humans immediately took up the Yellow Dragon's banner to succeed as city lord, relying on the prestige of the orthodox dragon lineage to overturn the long‑standing dragon supremacy system in these sea‑monster cities.

……Wherever the human hand reaches, the anti‑dragon thought surges into disaster……

The Turtle Chancellor almost wept as he said:

Your Majesty, all the water officials we sent out from the Crystal Palace have been denounced by those reckless humans; not only them, but many water‑tribe troublemakers have also joined the clamor……

They are also sabotaging our clan in the water cities they occupy, saying you and the other three great kings are the 'old dragons,' corrupt and backward, and that only their Yellow Dragon is good……

Under the bombardment of all kinds of bad news, even the usually composed True Dragon King gradually could not hold himself together.

The True Dragon King, his face grim, fell silent for a moment, then asked:

【Your achievements are undoubtedly great, but as the dragon forces voluntarily surrendered, large numbers of dragon remnants have mixed into your ranks; though they dare not openly oppose you, they have privately banded together, tightly rallying around Ao Guang to form a semi‑independent mountain‑top faction……】

【In the monster calendar year 365 yuan, 8 hui, 2 yun, your vanguards reached the last dragon‑held territory in the southern East Sea, marking your complete overthrow of the primordial dragon hegemony of the East Sea; thereafter, aside from a few overseas immortal grottoes and the East Sea Crystal Palace, you have fully occupied the East Sea.】

Even if sages and the Heavenly Emperor are dueling in law, one cannot merely flee…… The more complicated the situation, the more one must pay attention to picking a side.

【Not long after, a dragon talent named Ao Guang brought gifts to Mount Shouyang, ostensibly to visit the old ancestor, seeking an audience with the Yellow Dragon True Person……】

The dragon clan…… is this…… kneeling again?

【You were quite curious about Ao Guang, so you met him once.】

【You naturally saw these hidden dangers, but at this time you were expanding your strength; to counter the future Heavenly Emperor's certain dismantling of the Mount Shouyang regime, you had no leisure to finely control the purity of your domain.】

Now the Heavenly Emperor wants to move against our clan, so naturally we can no longer side with the Heavenly Emperor……

【In the monster calendar year 365 yuan, 7 hui, 20 yun, the Mount Shouyang forces passed through the tightly closed central Crystal Palace gate and swept straight south, overwhelming the south!】

If the human chieftain's identity has no special background, then it can only be…… ordered by the Yellow Dragon!

【You curiously inquired about his purpose, but he respectfully replied: I have long heard that the great chieftain does not rank by race, bearing the manner of the Heavenly Emperor; myriad beings of the East Sea have flocked to him, and as a dragon of orthodox lineage, how could I willingly fall behind people?】

【Faced with Ao Guang's sincerity, although you had reservations, you still agreed to his request, and thus Mount Shouyang gained an East Sea True Dragon.】

A second‑rank dragon lineage?!

I have investigated; that human chieftain is of second‑rank dragon lineage…… named Jin Bing, apparently of the Gold Jiao clan, only about a thousand years old……

A second‑rank jiao dragon would not dare to deceive himself.

Thus the True Dragon King is convinced this is not the humans' own idea; such a grand showdown with the primordial water clan overlord for territory can only prove that their leader has a problem.

The Turtle Chancellor looked bewildered:

……Your Majesty, what should we do? The humans' hands are almost reaching the Crystal Palace.

……Your Majesty, I have already asked the Gold Jiao King; he says his family simply has no one named Jin Bing, only two sons with names, Jia and Yi, and the character Bing hasn't even been chosen yet……

What, now you suddenly want to seize power? Who gave you this confidence?

Hmm…… the Yuqing Sage?

A turn in his thoughts, and the True Dragon King's logic immediately became smooth:

The Yuqing Sage has become a saint…… while the Heavenly Emperor is merely a quasi‑saint, the upper weaker than the lower…… they will surely contend; the Yellow Dragon is only a Taiyi Golden Immortal, and moreover timid, so this seizure of power cannot be his intention.

So, how did Ao Guang end up coming to Mount Shouyang?

【33】 ……

……

The True Dragon King almost laughed in anger; well, I thought it was some big shot, but it's just one of our own running dogs.

Zhao Si, although slightly doubtful, but after all standing from a macroscopic viewpoint:

The Turtle Chancellor hesitated a moment, then replied:

【Oh? You've come to represent the dragon clan picking a side?】

【This scene fills the entire East Sea; your speed of swallowing the East Sea cannot even be described as irresistible force—it's practically surrender at the first sign of wind!】

【In the monster calendar year 365 yuan, 7 hui, 10 yun, the Mount Shouyang forces occupy the northern East Sea.】

No, it hasn't reached surrender level; it should be a hostage or taking a side!

What in the world, Your Majesty, what are you saying……

Strange affair, a second‑rank jiao dragon of unknown identity has popped up!

The True Dragon King instinctively ruled out the possibility of the Gold Jiao King deceiving him, for the dragon clan's hierarchy is strict; true dragons hold absolute life‑and‑death power over their vassals, and the Heavenly Emperor's anti‑enfeoffment edict also singled out the true dragon, yet the true dragon still enjoys supreme authority.

It appears that the human chieftain is merely a puppet, a facade used by the Yellow Dragon to seize the dragon clan's orthodox authority; in fact, all human actions are the doing of that primordial dragon's neglected young son!

But, isn't this fellow notorious as a good‑for‑nothing?

The True Dragon King looked bewildered:

Born into the hostile Qilin clan, beaten from childhood to adulthood, lacking status, lacking cultivation, lacking anything…… except for a few yuan‑hui periods when his luck exploded and he was taken as a personal disciple by the Yuqing Daoist, this unlucky wretch has had nothing worth mentioning his whole life.

No such person?

Then does he have any sons or brothers out there?

True Dragon King:?

Ao Guang?!

A huge shadow spoke in a deep voice:

This time we side with the sage! Send a junior to Mount Shouyang, using the pretext of visiting the Yellow Dragon ancestor, actually trying to find a way to stay……

He said, there is also none……

【And then, as expected!】

The True Dragon King couldn't understand where a newly born tiny tribe, only three yun in age, gets the courage to confront the colossal dragon race!

Even their mother Nüwa hasn't come down to give them a stage!

Once the old ancestor pointed it out, the True Dragon King felt as if the clouds parted to reveal the sun, his doubts cleared; he thought, still the old ancestor's experience is rich, and he joyfully said:

Grandson understands!

Contact the urgent situation in the East Sea; the future Dragon King Ao Guang came to Jin Bing's territory, which obviously is not his intention, but rather likely he came under orders from his elders.

You guys, this outsourcing is pretty good.

"What on earth is the background of that human chief?"

【Ao Guang is tall and handsome, the typical image of a noble young master; by his side, whether human race or the Demon Race, they seem like mere foils, unable to hide his natural aristocratic arrogance……】

【Seeing the Dragon Race give up resistance, you also went all out, fiercely annexing Dragon Race territory, with expansion speed astonishingly fast.】

I gradually understand everything!

The True Dragon King, thinking he had already understood the mighty ones' battle methods, couldn't help but let out a bitter sigh:

"Our Dragon Race has once again become a pawn!"

The True Dragon King sighed again, without answering.

What are you here for?

"Declaring war and taking action—such things shouldn't be left to a junior like Ao Guang; considering he is destined to be the Dragon King, this indicates he is currently the designated heir, and an heir running over to the enemy side can only mean surrender……"

【Under the guidance of a series of false informations, the Crystal Palace, which originally intended to take measures against you, ultimately made a misjudgment and chose to abandon armed resistance.】

"Gold Flood Dragon King, right… go call him here!"

Turtle Chancellor:?

【After Ao Guang took up residence on Shouyang Mountain, the power of the East Sea Dragon Race collapsed rapidly; often, before the human race vanguard even reached the target demon city, before they could even raise the Yellow Dragon's banner, and without waiting for them to report, a group of water tribe eagerly welcomed the new city lord, kicked out the old one, and sent him to the heavenly prison to serve his term.】

Zhao Si, who was peeking at the screen, suddenly felt surprised:

Isn't this the East Sea Dragon King who appeared in the Fengshen and Journey to the West eras?

According to the timeline of this version of the Primordial Era, the appearance of Ao Guang is both surprising and yet reasonable; however, he is obviously not yet the Dragon King, merely a "talented one of the Dragon Race".

The Giant Shadow remained silent for a long time, finally making a judgment:

The Turtle Chancellor's answer left the True Dragon King stunned:

"It can only be that the Jade Pure Sage wants to shake the Heavenly Emperor's position, thus using the Yellow Dragon as a pretext……

【You know nothing of this, merely staring at the frontline reports sent daily to Shouyang Mountain, feeling utterly perplexed, not understanding how this old tyrant of the Dragon Race, famed for its domineering nature, this time didn't even let out a fart.】

Thus, the True Dragon King began to ponder……

"No……"

The Dragon King suddenly realized:

Just after the Turtle Chancellor left, worried and heavy-hearted, the True Dragon King quietly went to the depths of the Crystal Palace and reported again to the winding, towering Giant Shadow about the major political affair of the Jade Pure Sage using the Yellow Dragon to contend with the Heavenly Emperor, the Yellow Dragon then supporting Jin Bing as a puppet, and Jin Bing in turn using the newborn human race to seize power in the East Sea.

Giant Shadow: ……

【Hidden threat, already buried.】

……

(End of chapter)