Mr. Dragon said “Be good” several more times before Mu Wanwan finally managed to calm down.
The spiritual barrier was removed, allowing her to hear the sounds outside and move again.
She was not an especially unreasonable person. She had simply been genuinely furious just now.
But when she saw his neck still bleeding and his clothes torn to pieces, even though he had somehow found time to straighten them, she stopped indulging her temper. She quickly took out medicine and a fresh set of clothes.
“Hurry and treat your injuries.”
Seeing that she was no longer crying, Mr. Dragon also sighed in relief—
Fortunately, he had returned early. Otherwise, she would have been terrified.
But the dragon was a considerate dragon. →_→
He did not say this aloud.
He obediently allowed Madam to fuss over him. The corners of his lips remained slightly curved the entire time, as though he feared no one would notice how happy he was.
Returning from a fight to find someone waiting to bandage his wounds was treatment he had never dared imagine during the first hundred years of his life.
Mu Wanwan briefly treated his injuries and stuffed several pills into his mouth.
Before she could withdraw her hand, the dragon caught it.
“Madam.”
Mu Wanwan glanced at him.
When she met his handsome, bruised face, most of her anger faded.
Mr. Dragon’s eyelashes trembled. He bent down and kissed the back of her hand.
“You’ve worked hard.”
The wound beside his lips was still bleeding, and some of it smeared onto her skin.
Mr. Dragon stiffened slightly and secretly tried to wipe it away with his fingertip.
His actions left Mu Wanwan unsure whether to laugh or cry, and the last traces of her annoyance faded somewhat.
“Can you take me with you next time?”
She looked at him with unusual seriousness.
“I’ve never been afraid of those things.”
His little wife’s brows were furrowed, and her eyes lacked the familiar gentleness he was accustomed to seeing.
Mr. Dragon immediately did not know what to do.
He realised that Mu Wanwan might genuinely be angry. He could only hold her hand stiffly.
Mu Wanwan sighed.
“I worry about you.”
“Mm.”
Mr. Dragon’s heart softened as well.
He gently pulled her into his arms.
“Those things are ugly. I don’t want you to see them.”
He did not want her to see the savage expression he wore while fighting.
He did not want her to see how ugly he looked while killing.
Even if there was only the slightest possibility—
He did not want her to…
Despise him.
“Stupid dragon.”
Mu Wanwan struggled carefully. His body was covered in wounds, yet he was still trying to hug her.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“It doesn’t.”
A certain dragon gently pressed one large hand against the back of her head.
With deep affection and no trace of lust, he lightly touched his lips to hers.
Despite being a greedy dragon, he treated his most precious treasure with the utmost caution.
Closer to the Demon Abyss, beyond the dangerous waters and within a calmer stretch of shallow sea, there was another island.
He wanted to take her there.
Ao Qin’s people were undoubtedly guarding every entrance to the forbidden land in the outside world. The only remaining path leading to the heart of the forbidden land was through the Demon Realm.
A shattered original core would always retain cracks.
If he did not reach the centre of the forbidden land and achieve a breakthrough, their lives would never truly become peaceful.
However, without complete confidence in his success, he was unwilling to take Madam along on such a dangerous journey.
Perhaps it would be better to leave her in the peaceful Mermaid Kingdom before he departed.
Mr. Dragon thought about it.
There were many handsome merfolk there.
High-ranking merfolk could even transform their tails into legs and live on land.
The powerful merfolk princes possessed excellent taste too.
They were unlike him. She disliked all the glittering objects he loved.
Perhaps if he failed his tribulation, then in another year or two, she could have many, many merfolk of every appearance.
She would live with them.
Eat with them.
Sleep with them…
Mu Wanwan only felt Mr. Dragon’s phoenix eyes gradually darkening.
The arm wrapped around her waist tightened, almost as though he wanted to lock her inside his embrace.
She became uncomfortable and pushed the dragon, only to be startled by his expression.
Why did he suddenly look so pitiful, gloomy, and abandoned?
What exactly was this dragon imagining now?
When Mr. Dragon met Mu Wanwan’s confused gaze, he plunged into deep self-loathing.
He had been the dragon who originally promised to take her away.
Now, because he was afraid, he was also the dragon who wanted to leave her behind.
Why was he wavering so much, like some heartless scumbag dragon?
If…
If he asked whether she was willing to enter the forbidden land with him, she would probably agree, wouldn’t she?
Mr. Dragon pressed his lips together.
He was terribly selfish.
He knew exactly what sort of person she was.
He also knew she would not mind dying beside him.
Yet he still wanted to hear her say it.
“Madam.”
Mr. Scumbag-Dragon-Who-Despised-Himself seemed to summon all his courage.
“Would it be all right if I sent you somewhere else?”
Mu Wanwan: “?”
Mr. Dragon looked away.
“You might die if you stay with me.”
Mu Wanwan: “…”
She wanted to pry open this dragon’s skull and examine what was stored inside it.
If she had been afraid, she would have left while Jiu Qing was still around.
She had thought she had already made herself perfectly clear.
“I’m not afraid.”
It was the answer he had expected, yet it still filled him with delight.
Mr. Dragon’s lips curved despicably.
He knew.
He had always known.
But he still wanted to hear her say it again.
He wanted to hear her say it many, many times.
Mu Wanwan stood on tiptoe and bit his chin in retaliation.
“You’re not allowed to overthink anymore.”
Perhaps it was related to his past experiences, but Mr. Dragon was exceptionally sensitive.
He was also deeply insecure, fragile-hearted, awkward, and painfully straightforward…
Mu Wanwan glanced at the dragon, who had already become happy again, and felt that she truly had fallen into a pit.
They did not waste any more time.
It was time to leave the cave where they had lived for the past several days.
Mengmeng was still sleeping, so Mu Wanwan placed it inside the mustard-seed space for safety.
They quickly stored the spirit stones and furniture from the cave.
Mr. Dragon created another spiritual barrier, but this time, both the human and dragon stood inside it.
Just before leaving, Mu Wanwan turned and looked at the beautiful shell bed.
“Will we ever come back?”
Would this place become like the courtyard they had once lived in?
Would they never be able to return?
“We’ll come back.”
Mr. Dragon’s voice was hoarse, as though he were making a solemn promise.
“We definitely will.”
This time, Mr. Dragon did not restrict Mu Wanwan’s sight or hearing.
Mu Wanwan assumed he was finally willing to let her witness another side of him.
In reality, it was merely because Mr. Dragon had already thoroughly cleaned up everything outside, leaving no trace behind.
They stood side by side at the cave entrance, gazing out at the faintly illuminated seabed.
Mr. Dragon looked back at the cave that had once sheltered him while he was fleeing.
His overly sensitive, fragile heart began to ache faintly.
When he first escaped here, a fourth-rank barrier had already surrounded the cave.
For the person he later became, breaking such a barrier would have been easy.
But for him at the time, it had genuinely been a refuge from his enemies.
In truth, from the moment he discovered the words carved into the wall, Mr. Dragon had roughly understood.
Perhaps this place had once been that monster’s “home.”
Hundun’s home.
Therefore, could he selfishly consider it his and Madam’s home as well?
If it was their home, then he had to protect it properly.
His heart softened.
With the selfish thought of regarding Hundun as family, Mr. Dragon took Mu Wanwan’s hand and erected a barrier around the cave even stronger than the one that had once protected him.
“Madam.”
He called to Mu Wanwan.
“I want to leave some words for Hundun.”
Mu Wanwan nodded and pointed towards the wall bearing the original inscription.
“All right. Write them here. He’ll see them as soon as he returns.”
If Hundun returned one day, he would definitely see the words they left behind.
He would probably be very happy.
…
Less than three hours after they departed, a slightly more powerful monster arrived at the cave.
This monster was the highest-ranking creature responsible for this stretch of sea.
Whenever a battle occurred, she would quickly learn of it and possessed the authority to decide whether it needed to be reported.
Four ram-like horns also grew from her head, and her appearance somewhat resembled Hundun’s.
However, the scales covering her body were far more savage-looking.
She possessed four enormous hands, with an eye growing from each palm.
Moreover, she was a female monster.
A female monster could not be described as ugly.
One could only say that her appearance was highly distinctive.
The highly distinctive female monster stretched out one hand.
The eye in her palm blinked as though it were fishing something from the seawater.
Before long, several strands of black mist appeared above her palm.
“It was the little dragon.”
The female monster scratched her head.
She had originally been furious, but now she no longer seemed quite so angry.
Her thick tail swayed behind her, and in the blink of an eye, she arrived beside the cave.
“Oh?”
The female monster widened her round eyes.
“He even put up a barrier.”
She examined it briefly and muttered to herself, “Since it was the little dragon, forget it.”
Although she was still angry that the dragon cub had stubbornly believed she was Hundun’s closest “brother,” to the point that she had once wanted to flatten the cub with a slap…
“I still owe Hundun ten demon coins.”
“Or was it eight demon coins?”
As the monster spoke, her tail swayed and she staggered away as though drunk.
The seawater soon became calm again, as though no battle had ever occurred.
…
At the same time, the First Elder of the Golden Dragon Clan, who had unfortunately been struck by the curse during the previous attempt to surround Mr. Dragon, finally intercepted Ao Qin on his way to the Witch Clan.
“Ao Qin.”
The First Elder looked at the younger dragon before him.
In the end, he refrained from making his expression too unpleasant.
“What about the treasures you previously promised the three of us?”
Ao Qin was furious internally.
How did this Golden Dragon still have the nerve to ask him for compensation?
Three dragons had failed to capture a crippled dragon who had not even fully recovered.
Although Ao Qin understood that their sovereign had probably regained a considerable amount of strength, he simply refused to acknowledge it.
In front of an elder-level sixth-rank Golden Dragon, Ao Qin obediently transformed into human form.
“First Elder.”
He smiled.
Dressed in an azure robe, he appeared somewhat scholarly.
“The treasures were prepared long ago. It is merely that I have been occupied with recent matters and have not yet had the opportunity to deliver them to the elders. Please forgive me.”
After hearing this explanation, the First Elder of the Golden Dragon Clan felt somewhat less resentful.
However, his words remained sharp.
“My brothers and I paid a considerable price this time. That crippled dragon even concealed a curse within his scales. Extremely sinister.”
Ao Qin handed the First Elder a high-grade Spatial pouch, followed by a jade bottle.
“First Elder, please calm your anger. The jade bottle contains fifth-rank Snow Condensation Pills refined at tremendous expense.”
The First Elder inspected the contents of the Spatial pouch and accepted the jade bottle.
Only then did his expression improve.
“Ao Qin, the Golden Dragon Clan no longer has any path of retreat. We have been forced to bind ourselves to your Azure Dragon Clan. But the Black Dragon and Purple Dragon Clans have yet to offend that crippled dragon.”
Ao Qin nodded gravely.
“We can only retrieve the treasures as quickly as possible.”
The First Elder paused before saying, “The Special Lifeform Alliance has also interfered, but I suspect there is something fraudulent about this matter. Complete your negotiations with the Witch Clan quickly and retrieve the treasures from the four forbidden-land entrances first.”
Ao Qin frowned.
“First Elder, do you believe that sovereign is not inside the Special Lifeform Alliance’s territory?”
“More than thirty hours have passed since he was supposedly discovered. Moteng has been guarding that territory without retreating. Yet the Special Lifeform Alliance has no relationship with the sovereign. They have no reason to protect him.”
The First Elder sneered.
“Ao Qin, have you become so intoxicated by your high position that you’ve forgotten all your former intelligence?”
“The leader of the Special Lifeform Alliance isn’t a normal person. They all possess bizarre tempers. Perhaps he simply dislikes you and wants to cause trouble.”
Although the First Elder’s words were unpleasant, they immediately awakened Ao Qin.
Beginning with their leader, the Special Lifeform Alliance consisted entirely of unreasonable lunatics.
Seeing Ao Qin’s thoughtful expression, the First Elder weighed the newly acquired treasures in his hand and lowered his voice.
“Don’t forget that, strictly speaking, Moteng also has a grudge against the Dragon Clan. Perhaps he simply wants to see our clan suffer.”
Ao Qin froze.
The First Elder stroked his beard.
“Of course. You’re still young.”
“Three thousand years ago, when your father still ruled, Moteng fell in love with a little Azure Dragon who had only recently assumed human form.”
He sighed with some emotion.
“Unfortunately, that young Azure Dragon had terrible talent. She was a rare, exceptionally weak first-rank dragon.”
“Moteng personally came to beg for assistance, but several Azure Dragon elders refused to open the forbidden Heavenly Pool for her.”
“Although the leader of the Special Lifeform Alliance later helped him, the young Azure Dragon still failed to live past one thousand years.”
He sneered, but ultimately refrained from openly criticising the Azure Dragon Clan in front of Ao Qin, whose expression was becoming increasingly unpleasant.
The previous sovereign, Ao Bing, had attacked the Witch Clan because of unverified information concerning the Hundun beast.
After his defeat, he recovered eighty percent of his strength and impatiently accepted a challenge from the current sovereign.
The current sovereign had broken Ao Bing’s horn but had not exterminated him.
He had even allowed Ao Bing to recover inside the forbidden land.
Only members of the Azure Dragon Clan knew exactly how Ao Bing later died.
Of course, they could not tell outsiders the truth.
Publicly, they claimed that Ao Bing had died because of the “tyrant.”
Ao Qin could not possibly be unaware of this matter.
However, as merely one of the many children Ao Bing had carelessly fathered and neglected, Ao Qin probably had little affection for his father.
Otherwise, why would he refuse to hate the real murderer and instead direct all his hatred towards the crippled dragon?
He merely wanted an excuse that would allow him to accept the Azure Dragon Clan’s support without guilt while suppressing others and seizing power.
The First Elder looked at the younger dragon before him.
Even while offering guidance, he felt a faint chill.
Had they not already become grasshoppers tied to the same rope, he truly would not have wanted to say so much.
“That is all I have to say.”
After speaking, the First Elder departed.
The scholarly smile on Ao Qin’s face gradually disappeared.
His expression became terrifyingly gloomy.
He had always been considered the genius of his clan.
Then that orphaned dragon appeared, shattering every trace of his glory and stealing the position of sovereign that Ao Qin had always believed would belong to him.
But when faced with overwhelming strength, he could only pretend not to care.
Later, he learned the true reason his father had fought the Witch Clan.
He had also heard that dragon mention the name “Hundun.”
With only a small scheme, he successfully lured the dragon into a trap.
Just when everything appeared ready to fall into his hands, events escaped his control.
Ao Qin’s face distorted for an instant.
Why?
He was supposed to be the Dragon Clan’s most outstanding genius.
He was the dragon who should have inherited everything.
His birth was noble.
How could an orphaned dragon possibly compare with him?
Those treasures and that position should all belong to him!
It was fine.
Ao Qin ordered himself to remain calm.
If Moteng of the Special Lifeform Alliance was merely trying to make the Dragon Clan look foolish, then they only needed to withdraw the forces stationed there.
The most urgent matter was to complete the negotiations with Wu Yao.
Once he obtained the final dragon horn, he would become the Dragon Clan’s rightful sovereign in both name and reality.
Once he possessed the treasures stored at the heart of the forbidden land, even if that useless dragon recovered to the seventh rank, he would still be incapable of defeating a fully armed Dragon Clan army.
Perhaps because he had calmed himself, Ao Qin’s expression improved slightly.
There were said to be five entrances to the Dragon Clan’s forbidden land.
Four of them were located inside Dragon Clan territory.
He had stationed heavy forces at every entrance and did not fear that dragon appearing there.
As for the entrance inside the Demon Realm—
Ao Qin was not worried.
Leaving aside how many monsters that dragon had offended during the famous battle that established his reputation, the forbidden-land entrance there was merely an “entrance.”
Even if that dragon risked everything to participate in the inheritance trial, he would undoubtedly fail.
No dragon had passed the inheritance trial in tens of thousands of years.
Even the last Dragon Clan senior to ascend had failed it and nearly died inside.
Naturally, that useless, crippled dragon could never pass.
When Ao Qin first seized power, he obtained numerous treasures and had once attempted the trial himself.
However, he had failed to pass even the first level and had nearly died.
The inheritance trial possessed three entire levels.
How could that useless dragon possibly succeed?
It was impossible.
He was merely a crippled dragon with no father or mother, an inferior bloodline, and absurd luck.
Ao Qin smiled and increased his speed as he flew towards the Witch Clan.
This time, no matter how great the price, he would obtain that dragon horn.
…
During these past several days, Jiu Qing, Uncle Zong, and the others had also completed the preliminary stages of their plan.
Inside a secret chamber near the demon race’s territory—
“We have almost enough people.”
The flower demon looked at the beastfolk around her, then glanced at the two maidservants beside Jiu Qing.
She still could not suppress her displeasure.
“What? Does your Nine-Tailed Fox Clan only have this many people?”
Jiu Qing did not become angry.
She swept back her long hair.
“Of course not. We still have very few people inside Dragon Clan territory, but several families within the demon race have already responded.”
“This is also thanks to Wanwan.”
When Mu Wanwan left, she had left behind many pills capable of weakening curses.
Moreover, the Witch Clan and demon race had fought over the dragon horn some time ago, leaving many members of the clans beneath them injured.
Jinjiang Grass was limited in quantity, while high-ranking Snow Condensation Pills were extremely difficult to purchase.
Many younger members of the demon race suffered because they had no method of removing the curses inside their bodies.
The Witch Clan continued becoming stronger precisely because the continent lacked effective methods of countering them.
However, this weakness was beneficial to Jiu Qing’s attempt to seize power.
Uncle Chen was shrewd.
He immediately made use of the pills Mu Wanwan had left behind.
He had Jiu Qing and several of his friends still inside demon territory persuade the other clans, allowing them to taste the benefits of a few low-ranking pills.
The Sun-Devouring Rat Clan had never possessed the people’s support.
Jiu Qing’s faction now had numerous powerful experts and the additional temptation of the pills.
It was genuinely enough to move many members of the demon race.
Once they seized power, they could help Mu Wanwan’s husband survive his crisis.
Everything that followed could eventually be resolved.
However—
“We don’t have much time.”
Uncle Chen pondered briefly.
“We must act by tomorrow at the latest. We’re nearly out of pills and cannot delay any longer.”
Jiu Qing nodded.
After everyone discussed the plan a little further, Aunt Yun asked, “Well? Have you received any recent news about them?”
She was somewhat excited.
Three beast markings representing power and talent appeared on her forehead.
Only one was currently glowing, but it was merely a matter of time before the others lit up as well.
Jiu Qing first nodded, then shook her head.
“Not yet. But no news is good news.”
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