Chapter 180: The Downfall of the Draconic Palace

Xiao Nanfeng, who was already on inimical terms with the red rope, happily told the black dragon everything he knew. He didn't dare embellish the tale, worried that the black dragon might have some ability to detect lies.

"You said that you entered an illusory realm and met Blue Lantern?" The black dragon frowned in confusion.

"You know Elder Blue Lantern?" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.

The black dragon continued to stare at Xiao Nanfeng, revealing neither friendship nor enmity toward Blue Lantern.

"Carefully describe every opponent you encountered in this illusory realm," the black dragon commanded.

Xiao Nanfeng seemed a little confused, but did as the black dragon instructed.

When he finished, the black dragon fell deep in thought, then continued to glare at Xiao Nanfeng.

"Elder? The red rope has nothing to do with me. I can take responsibility for all that I've said," Xiao Nanfeng said sincerely.

The black dragon was silent for long moments as it verified that Xiao Nanfeng wasn't lying. The killing intent that had shrouded Xiao Nanfeng vanished as though it had never existed.

"Lad, can you manifest the form of the serpent you encountered in this illusory realm with fog?" The black dragon's tone had grown far less antagonistic.

Xiao Nanfeng wasn't certain why the black dragon cared so much about the obnoxious serpent, but he did as instructed.

"Its features are inherited from the empress, and its forehead, the emperor! It must be—the Eastern Sea dragons haven't gone extinct! Your Majesty, I've found it! Our clan lives on!" The black dragon's eyes suddenly filled with tears of passion.

Xiao Nanfeng was bewildered.

The black dragon suddenly bowed toward Xiao Nanfeng. "I apologize for what offense I gave you, Benefactor."

"Why do you address me as a benefactor?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"You rescued the crown prince, and are naturally a benefactor to me," the black dragon replied.

"Crown prince? That—that obnoxious serpent?!"

Within the illusory undying realm, the serpent had betrayed his trust time and again. Xiao Nanfeng considered it an ingrate. Blue Lantern had once mentioned that it had the bloodline of an ancestral dragon. Could that serpent be the crown prince of the dragons of the Eastern Sea?

"Benefactor, it's all thanks to you that the crown prince was able to survive in the cursed king's presence," the black dragon continued.

"Elder, that serpent's temperament is nothing like that of royalty. How could it be the crown prince which you speak of?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"The crown prince was yet an unhatched dragon when it was escorted out of the draconic palace; its childhood must have been arduous for it to be so unwilling to trust others. It had no instruction in the matters of royalty, and offended you as a result. For you to have repaid grudge with charity, Benefactor, by saving its life from the cursed king, I owe you the deepest of gratitude." The black dragon bowed again.

"Elder, there's no need for this. I don't even know who you are!"

"You address the ninth elder of the Eastern Sea Draconic Palace, Long Jiu. Two centuries ago, the draconic palace was ascendant among the forces of the Eastern Sea—perhaps not to the point of hegemony, but at least rulership of all aquatic territory, with connections fostered to preeminent forces around the world."

"I heard that it's become a barren region," Xiao Nanfeng ventured cautiously.

The black dragon dipped its head with a weary sigh. "Calamity struck two centuries ago, leaving the dragons of the Eastern Sea near extinction."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng replied curiously.

"The draconic palace of the Eastern Sea was responsible for sealing away a cursed king, a fraction of which is the red rope you bear. All was peaceful until a traitor released that cursed king, which rapidly grew stronger with the resources of the palace. Its subordinates spread throughout the palace and manufactured countless cursed slaves, taking down the majority of our strongest fighters, including us dragons. Its goal was to entirely control our race and use us as the springboard to contend for the world. By the time we discovered its ploy, it was too late. It had already gained control of almost all us dragons," the black dragon spat out bitterly.

"As extinction loomed over the horizon, the dragon emperor enacted a massive ritual to seal the draconic palace in hopes of perishing together with the cursed king, intending to trap it until all its cursed spiritual power dissipated. That day is the nadir of our history. Before the seal could fully take effect, the dragon emperor expelled the truesouls of the draconic elders and whatever dragon eggs remained out of the palace, in order that the bloodline of the Eastern Sea dragons might remain. For some reason, the egg containing the crown prince ended up in the illusory realm of which you speak," the black dragon explained.

"Hold on. How do you know that that serpent has to be your crown prince?"

"No other dragon would be black in coloration—all others could only be white, purple, blue, and so on. Only the crown prince and crown princess are black dragons. In this realm, the black dragons boast the most concentrated of the bloodlines of antiquity. Furthermore, the spiritual image of the dragon that you manifested boasts a certain characteristic that only we elders are aware of. I cannot be mistaken in this. The crown prince is no serpent; its horn has simply yet to manifest on account of its age."

Xiao Nanfeng was very shocked to think that such a shameless serpent could be the crown prince of the Eastern Sea dragons.

"Benefactor, might I make one request of you? Would you deliver an item to the crown prince?" the black dragon beseeched.

"Blue Lantern brought it to the Eastern Sea Draconic Palace. Can't you go find it on your own? Why do you need my assistance?"

"Would that I could do so. Death has claimed me; only my truesoul remains free from its clutches. Even so, my spiritual power continues to dissipate. Without the draconic vein as host, I do not anticipate to survive until such a meeting."

"The Red Emperor was able to seek shelter in a dragon-quelling spike to protect against the decay of her truesoul and spiritual power. I have this red rope which might serve as a host for your body. Elder, if you would reside in it, I could bring you to the serpent," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Long Jiu shook his head. "The decay would persist, if slower. I see no purpose in remaining in my current state. Rather that I leave more of my spiritual power and inheritance for the crown prince. Please fulfill this request, Benefactor."

Xiao Nanfeng was astonished. Was Long Jiu intending to sacrifice itself for the crown prince?

"Why are you willing to trust me, Elder? Aren't you worried that I might claim your inheritance for myself?"

"Benefactor, the crown prince owes you its life. Nothing I possess could match that value. Even were you to claim all that I own as compensation, I would gladly pay the price."

A complicated look flashed across Xiao Nanfeng's face.

"Benefactor, I bore witness to your extraction of the draconic vein with the Immortal's Destruction. I have little else with which to repay you but a map of the distribution of draconic veins across the Eastern Sea."

It spat out an orb of light, one which recorded a vast expanse of sea, with markers to indicate the presence of draconic veins throughout.

"Two centuries have passed, and I know not how these veins may have evolved in time. Benefactor, I trust you will confirm this map for yourself. All that I am, I shall forge into a token. I humbly request that you hand it to the crown prince. If ever I reincarnate, I pledge to serve you as repayment of deed and action." The black dragon's voice resonated with gratitude and sorrow.

Black rays of light shot forth from the dragon's humongous body. That light condensed and refracted around its core. Long Jiu's body began to unravel.

Touched, Xiao Nanfeng sighed, "Long Jiu, if I see the serpent again, I'll bring it your token."

"Thank you, Benefactor," a voice could be heard from the black light.

"Elder, please wait. Who was the traitor of the palace? Does the traitor still live? Allow me to convey this information to the serpent."

The black dragon's voice grew weaker. "The prime minister, an ancient turtle! I know not whether it still lives. Beware the turtles!"

In an explosion of black light, the dragon's body dissipated entirely, leaving a pitch-black token that fell to the ground. Xiao Nanfeng picked it up, noticing that the two words Long Jiu were engraved on it.

"The prime minister, a turtle, released the red rope from captivity and doomed the Eastern Sea Draconic Palace? I know an ancient turtle, Elder. Are you familiar with it? I can manifest an image of it for you," Xiao Nanfeng asked the draconic token.

Unfortunately, by then, the token had lost all trace of life. Nothing responded to Xiao Nanfeng's question.

Xiao Nanfeng was silent for a moment. He sighed. "Rest in peace, Elder."

He stored the token, then carefully committed the map of the draconic veins to memory. After confirming that he was able to recall each detail, he waved his hand over it and caused it to dissipate.

Xiao Nanfeng released yin frost and broke out of the illusion.

He startled awake in reality, then took out Long Jiu's token from his mindscape. Sensing the surge of draconic aether through his body, however, he dared not distract himself. He closed his eyes and continued distilling the draconic aether once again.

Four hours later, Xiao Nanfeng's body resonated as a huge gust of energy was expelled from it. He opened his eyes.

"The sixth stage of Ascension!"

A sixth sun had formed in his dantian.

At the same time, all throughout the valley, cultivator after cultivator was breaking through. Energy surged through the valley as the cultivators opened their eyes in joy.

Deep within the sea, an explosion of energy formed huge waves that broke its surface. A black figure emerged and floated into the air: You Jiu, who had broken through his bottleneck and reached Spiritsong.

You Jiu stood high above the sea, his face briefly a mask of exhilaration that was swiftly wiped away as he schooled his emotions. He turned toward Xiao Nanfeng in heartfelt gratitude.