True dragons were a great clan of the Immortal Realm, with eighth-order true dragons comparable to Daluo Golden Immortals standing guard within their ranks.
The Hidden Dragon River lineage was a branch of the dragon clan. Since Five Dragon Mountain was likewise located in Phoenix-Qilin Continent, it was inevitable that they would deal with them. Moreover, the former was the latter's direct channel for contacting the true dragon clan of the Immortal Realm, so it naturally could not simply be regarded as a True Immortal force.
For this reason, after slaying the incarnation "Ao Hao" of the Venerable Hou and reclaiming the Towning Armament Stele, Shen Mo had done the dragon clan an enormous favor. He had Cao Ren take Ao Hao's remains and the Towning Armament Stele to the dragon clan's ancestral land in Kunlun Continent, using this opportunity to help Cao Ren take control of Hidden Dragon River!
With the unruly Ao Xun presiding over Hidden Dragon River's affairs, it was hardly a good thing for Five Dragon Mountain.
Once Cao Ren obtained the Heavenly Dragon Pearl and formed a power balance with Ao Xun, he would have a greater say in matters. Even if he could not bring Five Dragon Mountain closer to the true dragon clan, he could at least preserve the current situation and prevent their relationship from deteriorating sharply.
"It is a pity that fellow Daoists like Ao Hao died at the hands of the Venerable Hou and master and disciple Su Qingtao. Otherwise, there would have been no need for all this trouble!"
Shen Mo sighed at the unpredictability of worldly affairs. He then summoned a seventh-order Demon Soul General and had it take the Heavenly Dragon Pearl to Hidden Dragon River and deliver it to Cao Ren.
A moment later, Cao Ren