Only a Quarter Hour? Isn't Sister Yu the One Blessed with Great Fortune?

Seeing row after row of Demon Race fairy maidens before him, their figures graceful and their eyes shimmering with allure.

Zhao Gongming drew a deep breath, then rose to his feet with a face full of righteous dignity.

He adjusted his robes and crown, then spoke solemnly to the fellow disciples beside him.

"Cough, cough!"

"Junior brothers, you all know that your senior brother is an upright man."

"This Humble Daoist studies the Spring and Autumn Annals and has never cared for this sort of thing."

"But..."

Zhao Gongming abruptly changed tack, his gaze deep as he looked at those fairy maidens.

"In order to gain a thorough understanding of the Demon Race's customs and habits, and to investigate the Demon Court's internal structure."

"I have decided to make a small sacrifice of myself."

"You all go out first. Give me two hours—I have urgent business to attend to!"

The moment those words fell, Lu Ya, who had been drinking tea, spat out a mouthful and stared at Zhao Gongming in shock.

So this was the legendary disciple of a Sage?

Even the thickness of his skin was Sage-level, wasn't it?

Grand Master Xuandu rolled his eyes so hard they nearly turned over, mercilessly mocking him.

"Junior Brother, can you be any more shameless?"

"Two hours? Don't you know what kind of constitution you have?"

"If you ask me, a quarter of an hour should be about enough. Don't overestimate yourself!"

Zhao Gongming flew into a rage.

"Xuandu, you're slandering me! This is slander!"

At the side, Pharmacist Daoist pressed his palms together, his expression solemn and treasure-like.

Yet his eyes were fixed firmly on the fox demon leading the dance in the center of the floor as he said with utter seriousness.

"Good, good."

"Senior Brother Xuandu is attached to appearances."

"If you want to look, then look openly. What is there to a fairy maiden dancing? They are merely rosy skeletons."

"This Humble Daoist is the Western Teachings' foremost disciple. My Buddhist heart is steady, unmoved by the eight winds..."

Before he could finish, Cihang could no longer bear to watch. Pointing at Pharmacist's nose, he said faintly.

"Junior Brother Pharmacist..."

"You're having a nosebleed."

"Could you wipe the blood clean before pretending to be an eminent monk? Stop forcing yourself, all right?"

Pharmacist calmly wiped his nose.

"Internal heat. My excess fire has been especially strong lately."

Just as the brothers were trading jokes and preparing to resume the music and dancing.

The doors of the great hall were violently slammed open.

A yellow figure rushed in in frantic haste—truly frantic, so much so that he could not even keep his cloud steady.

"Junior Brother Gongming! Where is Junior Brother Gongming?!"

"Save me! It's an emergency of the utmost urgency!"

The newcomer was none other than Yellow Dragon True Person of the Chan Sect.

Startled by that shout, the Demon Race fairy maidens who had been dancing immediately turned pale with fright, transforming back into their original forms and scattering in all directions.

"Hey, don't run!"

Seeing the now-empty hall, Zhao Gongming was so furious that he slapped his thigh repeatedly, then turned and glared at Yellow Dragon.

"Senior Brother Yellow Dragon, what are you hollering about so early in the morning?"

"You scared off all my fairy maidens! Compensate me for two hours!"

But Yellow Dragon True Person was drenched in sweat and frantic with anxiety. He had no time to heed Zhao Gongming's complaints.

He glanced at the fleeing figures and said urgently.

"Fairy maidens? The Dragon Palace has them too, and lots of them!"

"If you like them, once we get to the Dragon Palace, I'll let you look your fill!"

"But right now, can you come with me to the East Sea first? Something truly terrible has happened!"

Zhao Gongming froze, asking in confusion.

"What urgent matter requires going all the way to the Dragon Palace? Did the East Sea spring a leak?"

Yellow Dragon True Person sighed, his eyes rimmed red as he hurriedly explained.

"You don't know the full story, Junior Brother."

"During this trip down the mountain for training, I had wanted to return home for a look."

"But when I returned to the Dragon Palace, I discovered that the Dragon Race is now... in a truly miserable state!"

"Because of the karmic consequences of the Dragon-Han Primordial Tribulation, the Dragon Race is shackled by karma. Their cultivation can scarcely advance, and their clansmen are dwindling by the day."

"The Dragon Race once possessed a supreme treasure, the Dragon Gate. It could cleanse one's bloodline, dispel karmic burden, and help aquatic creatures transform into dragons."

"But that Dragon Gate was also battered beyond recognition in the great tribulation and had long since lost its divine efficacy."

"Seeing my brothers haggard every day, watching the Dragon Race gradually decline—I can hardly bear it!"

At this point, Yellow Dragon grabbed Zhao Gongming's hand, his eyes filled with hope.

"Junior Brother, I remembered that your talent in the Dao of Artifacts is godlike. You could even dissolve Yellow Dragon's Tribulation Qi."

"You must have a way to repair the Dragon Gate, right?"

"I beg you, Junior Brother—please help the Dragon Race!"

Zhao Gongming came back to himself, information about the Dragon Race of the Primordial Era rapidly surfacing in his mind.

Indeed, the Dragon Race was now a soft persimmon anyone could squeeze twice.

"Repair the Dragon Gate?"

Zhao Gongming thought to himself.

"This is a massive undertaking—basically forging an oversized magical artifact."

"I can forge artifacts and earn the Dragon Race's gratitude. More importantly... the system will definitely give feedback rewards!"

"There's no reason not to go!"

With that thought, Zhao Gongming immediately nodded.

At that moment, Lu Ya, Cihang, Xuandu, and Medicine Master also gathered around and began consoling Yellow Dragon.

"Don't panic, Senior Brother Yellow Dragon. Junior Brother Zhao's methods reach the heavens; he will surely have a solution."

"Yes, yes, yes. Let's go take a look together."

Lu Ya raised his hand even more excitedly.

"I'm going too! I can learn so much by following Senior Brother Zhao Gongming!"

The moment those words came out, Cihang could not help adding a gloomy jab from the side.

"Learn something?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you're far too naive."

"Following Zhao Gongming... all you'll learn is how to go bad!"

Zhao Gongming ignored Cihang's jab and instead rubbed his chin.

His gaze swept back and forth between Lu Ya and Cihang.

His expression gradually turned strange and teasing.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

"One Nan Liang, one cat-eared girl."

"And now we're heading to the Dragon Palace..."

"Does this count as... building a harem?"

Cihang's skin crawled under his gaze. Instantly understanding the meaning in Zhao Gongming's eyes, he bristled on the spot.

"Get lost!!!"

"Get as far away from me as your filthy thoughts can reach!"

Seeing that they were about to start arguing again, Yellow Dragon was nearly frantic enough to cry.

"Stop arguing! It's really, really urgent—let's go already!"

East Sea, Crystal Palace.

As the residence of a former hegemon of the Primordial Era, though it had now declined, its extravagant splendor remained.

The moment Zhao Gongming and the others descended from the clouds, they saw Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, leading the Dragon Kings of the other three seas, along with a large group of Clam Maidens and Dragon Maidens, all lined up to welcome them.

"As expected, they're a whole crowd of fairies!" Zhao Gongming's eyes lit up.

He gave Yellow Dragon an approving look that said, You were very honest.

Yellow Dragon hurried forward to make the introductions.

"Big Brother, this is Junior Brother Zhao Gongming of the Jie Sect, whom I've often mentioned to you!"

"He is the Primordial Era's foremost artifact refiner. He can definitely help us repair the Dragon Gate!"

Hearing this, Ao Guang was overjoyed. He hurried forward and gave Zhao Gongming a deep bow.

"This little dragon, Ao Guang, greets the Esteemed Immortal!"

"With the Esteemed Immortal's arrival, this humble abode is truly graced with splendor!"

Then Ao Guang swept his gaze over the others, greeting Xuandu, Medicine Master, and Lu Ya one by one.

At last, his gaze fell upon Daoist Ci Hang, whose fair features were delicate, feminine, and strikingly handsome.

Ao Guang froze for a moment, then broke into a suddenly enlightened and enthusiastic smile. Cupping his hands, he said, "This one... must be Brother Huang Long's junior sister, I presume?"

"Truly a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, with an otherworldly air!"

The air abruptly fell silent, and the smile on Ci Hang's face instantly froze.

Veins bulged on his forehead, and his clenched fists cracked.

Before he could explode, Zhao Gongming let out a snort of laughter beside him and, in the most punchable manner possible, drove the knife in deeper.

"The old Dragon King has sharp eyes!"

"As they say... once a Nan Liang, forever a Nan Liang!"

"That sort of bearing really can't be hidden."

Ci Hang instantly went red-hot and shattered, roaring at Ao Guang and Zhao Gongming.

"Get lost!!!"

"I'm a man, a man!!"

"I am Daoist Ci Hang, one of the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals—not anyone's junior sister!!"

Ao Guang was left dazed by the roar and stumbled back two steps in fright.

After giving Ci Hang a careful once-over, he awkwardly realized that he seemed to have truly mistaken him for someone else.

"Ah, a man?"

Ao Guang's old face reddened, and he hastily apologized, trying to patch things up.

"Aiya, Esteemed Immortal, forgive me, forgive me!"

"This little dragon's eyes have grown dim with age..."

"But there is a saying among mortals: a man with a woman's face is one blessed with great fortune!"

"The Esteemed Immortal is so... so refined in appearance. You must surely carry great blessings!"

Ci Hang's expression eased slightly. Though he still felt awkward, one did not strike a smiling face.

Zhao Gongming suddenly cut in, looking at Ao Guang in confusion.

"One blessed with great fortune?"

"Isn't Sister Yu the one blessed with great fortune?"

The entire place fell silent once more.

Xuandu looked utterly bewildered.

"Sister Yu? Who is that? Some reclusive Great Expert?"

Ci Hang and Medicine Master were equally full of question marks.

Zhao Gongming waved a hand, wearing an inscrutable expression.

"Not to be spoken of, not to be spoken of."

"She is a... Creator God who can carry pigs barehanded, works with lightning efficiency, and possesses off-the-charts combat power."

"In short, she's incredibly strong!"

Though no one understood what he meant, they were deeply shaken.

Seeing the conversation veering further and further off course, Huang Long hurriedly pulled it back to the main topic.

"Big Brother, stop talking about Sister Yu. Hurry and take out the Dragon Gate for Junior Brother to examine!"

"Yes, yes, business first!"

Ao Guang came to his senses and waved a broad hand.

Rumble rumble!

The seawater churned as an enormous, ancient stone gate—already broken cleanly into two halves—slowly rose from the seabed before the crowd, its surface covered in cracks and black karmic miasma.

That was the legendary Dragon Gate, capable of allowing aquatic creatures to transform into dragons!