East Sea Dragon Palace.
Inside the Crystal Palace's grand hall, treasure light flowed while the waters remained perfectly still.
Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, sat high upon a throne carved from Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade, resting with his eyes closed.
Below him, Turtle Prime Minister was methodically reporting on the East Sea's recent affairs, from the division of the Demon Race's waterways to the list of treasures to be offered to the Heavenly Court. Everything appeared orderly and unchanged through the ages.
Just then, a Shrimp Soldier came tumbling and crawling into the hall, his shell scraping harshly against the floor and completely shattering the ancient stillness.
"Y-Your Majesty! This is bad!"
Ao Guang slowly opened his eyes, a trace of displeasure showing in his golden dragon eyes.
"What are you panicking for? Has the sky fallen?"
"It's... it's even more outrageous than the sky falling!"
The Shrimp Soldier trembled as he held up a Jade Slip that glimmered with faint mystical light.
"G-Golden Ao Island has sent someone!"
"Golden Ao Island?"
Ao Guang frowned slightly, a flicker of confusion passing through his mind.
Only a few days ago, Turtle Prime Minister had gone to Golden Ao Island, stood in line for an entire day, failed to even meet that mysterious Dao Protector, and returned with nothing but a pile of incomprehensible rules and regulations.
Why had they taken the initiative to send someone today?
"Present it."
He spoke indifferently.
Turtle Prime Minister hurried forward, accepted the Jade Slip, and carefully offered it to the Dragon King.
Ao Guang took the Jade Slip and sent his divine sense into it.
The next instant, the expression on his imposing dragon face froze.
Inside the great hall, even the air seemed to turn thick under the Dragon King's silence.
The Aquatic Clan ministers below all held their tongues, having no idea what had happened.
After a long while.
Ao Guang slowly lifted his head, swept his gaze across those below, and spoke in a dry voice.
"The Interception Sect's Calamity Aversion Department, acting under a decree from the Dao Ancestor, has established the 'Three Realms Population Census Office.'"
He paused, as though trying to digest those absurd words.
"Tomorrow, it will dispatch a Working Group to the East Sea Dragon Palace to guide and assist our clan in completing... the Dragon Clan's first household registration."
His words fell.
The entire Crystal Palace hall fell deathly silent.
All the Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals, fish spirits and clam monsters seemed to have been frozen in place by a binding spell, their faces filled with bewilderment and shock.
Household registration?
Registration?
Was this some ancient forbidden curse?
"How outrageous!"
A furious roar exploded like a thunderbolt beneath the water.
A Crab General in heavy armor stepped forth from the crowd, gripping a trident. His shell had flushed bright red with rage.
"Our Dragon Clan is a hegemon of the Primordial World, ruling the Four Seas! How can we allow Interception Sect disciples to run wild here? Your Majesty, grant me leave to skewer that messenger and throw him out!"
"You must not!"
Turtle Prime Minister hurried forward, his seasoned, steady face full of gravity.
"Your Majesty, generals, that Official Letter bears not only the Interception Sect's seal. More importantly... it mentions a decree from the Dao Ancestor!"
Dao Ancestor!
Those two words were like two Primordial Divine Mountains, instantly weighing upon the hearts of every member of the Aquatic Clan.
The Crab General's fury was like a flame doused headfirst by Nine Nether Cold Spring, extinguished in an instant.
Ao Guang's face darkened until it looked ready to drip water.
Of course he understood the gravity of the matter.
This was no longer a dispute between the Interception Sect and the Dragon Palace.
This was an irresistible will from the Purple Sky Palace!
But...
Household registration?
He was the lofty Dragon King of the East Sea, a renowned mighty figure in the Primordial World. He had to register his name, age, and address with a group of juniors?
That humiliated him even more than when the Demon Race had attacked his doorstep during the Lich-Demon War!
"Deliver my royal command!"
Ao Guang's voice was cold and majestic.
"Tomorrow, gather the Dragon Palace's three thousand naval troops and form ranks before the Crystal Palace!"
"I would like to see just how the Interception Sect's 'Working Group' intends to guide my Dragon Clan in handling its affairs!"
The next day, at dawn.
Outside the Crystal Palace, three thousand naval troops stood armored and armed, radiating murderous intent.
Heavy halberds, sharp blades, and spears gleamed with chilling light beneath the water's refraction.
A solemn, murderous aura stirred the seawater for tens of thousands of miles, causing dark currents to surge.
Ao Guang sat high upon a throne above the palace gates, with his dragon sons, dragon grandsons, and Aquatic Clan generals standing behind him.
He intended to use this display to tell the Interception Sect's visitors.
This was the East Sea Dragon Palace!
This was his territory!
Even with a decree from the Dao Ancestor, they had to follow the Dragon Clan's rules!
Amid this tense, sword-drawn atmosphere.
A group of figures appeared upon the distant horizon.
There was no surrounding immortal radiance, no thousand strands of auspicious light.
Three hundred Interception Sect disciples, dressed in matching gray Daoist robes and arranged in neat ranks, walked across the water at an unhurried pace.
They carried no magical treasures and no weapons.
Every one of them held a thick stack of blank Jade Slips in his arms, with an ordinary jade pen tucked under his arm.
Their expressions were calm, solemn, and even carried a trace of... procedural indifference.
Leading them was Zhao Gongming, master of the Interception Sect's External Affairs Hall.
He looked at the three thousand naval troops before him, brimming with murderous intent, then at the ill-tempered Dragon King of the East Sea seated high upon his throne.
His expression did not change in the slightest.
Before setting out, Junior Brother Wuwei had repeatedly reminded him.
"Remember, Senior Brother. We are not going there to fight, nor are we going there to negotiate."
"We are going there to... work."
"No matter what formation they display or what attitude they show, you only need to remember four words."
"Follow the process."
At that moment, Zhao Gongming firmly kept those four words in mind.
Leading the three hundred disciples, he walked directly to the Crystal Palace gates beneath the stern gazes of the three thousand naval troops.
He stopped and calmly met Ao Guang's eyes upon the throne.
The scene was so quiet that they could hear bubbles popping.
Ao Guang did not speak.
He was waiting for the other side to speak first, waiting for them to reveal a flaw first.
Yet Zhao Gongming did not speak either.
He merely gave a light wave toward those behind him.
A disciple immediately stepped forward and pulled out a pre-drafted Jade Slip that glimmered with faint golden light.
Zhao Gongming accepted the Jade Slip and lightly activated it with his mana.
The Jade Slip blazed brilliantly, and lines of text containing the divine essence of the Heavenly Dao projected outward, floating clearly before every member of the Aquatic Clan.
[Notice Regarding the First Household Information Registration Campaign for the East Sea Dragon Clan] [Acting under the decree of Dao Ancestor Hongjun of the Purple Sky Palace, and under the overall direction of Flow Official Chen Changsheng, the Three Realms Population Census Office hereby resolves...]
Those cold, emotionless official words echoed beside every living being's ears like heavenly law.
All the words Ao Guang had prepared about the Dragon Clan's dignity and the rules of the Four Seas were instantly forced back down his throat.
He could oppose the Interception Sect. He could oppose Zhao Gongming.
But how could he oppose a notice that began with... "Acting under the decree of Dao Ancestor Hongjun of the Purple Sky Palace"?
"F-Fellow Daoist Zhao Gongming."
Ao Guang spoke with difficulty, trying to maintain the majesty of a Dragon King.
"My Dragon Clan has recorded its bloodline inheritance since the creation of heaven and earth. Why would we need to..."
Before he could finish.
Zhao Gongming nodded toward another disciple at his side.
That disciple immediately stepped forward and offered another Jade Slip.
"Your Majesty the Dragon King."
Zhao Gongming's voice was as steady as ten-thousand-year mystical ice.
"The Immortal Official had long anticipated that you would have such concerns."
"This is the <Supplementary Explanation and Preferential Policy Version 1.2 for Information Entry of Ancient Races in the Primordial World>."
"It clearly stipulates that ancient races with a long heritage, such as the Dragon Clan, may enjoy priority processing during household registration, along with the additional honorary designations of 'Ancient Bloodline' and 'Lord of the Four Seas.'"
"Please review it first, Your Majesty. If you have no objections, you may... sign and seal here to confirm."
As he spoke, the disciple actually handed Ao Guang a confirmation letter requiring his "signature and seal."
Ao Guang stared at that confirmation letter, feeling an unprecedented sense of absurdity rush straight to the top of his head.
He felt as though he was not confronting a mighty figure of the Interception Sect.
He was fighting a... monster called "Process," something he could not understand at all.
And this monster could not be persuaded by threats or reason, nor could it be harmed by blade or spear.
It did not fight him, nor did it argue with him.
It merely used form after form and regulation after regulation to dissolve all his resistance and all his dignity into nothingness.
Behind him, the hot-tempered Crab General had already been left dumbfounded.
As for Turtle Prime Minister, upon seeing that Supplementary Explanation, a trace of understanding flashed through his eyes. He gave Ao Guang an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
Ao Guang understood.
Resistance was futile.
He took a deep breath, one that seemed to drain the waters from all Four Seas.
He slowly rose from his throne and waved his hand.
The three thousand murderous naval troops retreated like the tide.
"So be it."
Ao Guang's voice carried a bone-deep exhaustion.
"Then... we shall proceed according to the Immortal Official's wishes."
A smile finally appeared on Zhao Gongming's face, a procedural smile born from work progressing smoothly.
He nodded toward the disciples behind him.
"Working Group, enter."
The three hundred disciples marched into the Crystal Palace hall in orderly steps.
They did not look at the radiant corals, nor did they spare a glance for the priceless pearls.
They swiftly arranged rows of simple tables made from mystical ice along both sides of the hall, spread out Jade Slips, and took out jade pens.
In only a short while, the grand and majestic Crystal Palace had somehow become a... Temporary Service Hall.
Ao Guang sat weakly back upon his throne, watching this absurd scene unfold.
An Interception Sect disciple who appeared particularly sharp and capable walked beneath his throne and respectfully bowed to him.
"Your Majesty the Dragon King, the census work will now begin."
"Please cooperate."
Ao Guang nodded numbly.
The disciple cleared his throat, opened the Jade Slip in his hands, and asked the first question destined to be recorded in the annals of the Primordial World.
"Name: Ao Guang."
"Gender: Male."
"Race: Five-Clawed Golden Dragon."
"Current address: East Sea Crystal Palace."
"Next, please answer: Your... Political Stance?"
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