The Plan

In the Dragon Domain, after many days away, Long Jiuyyao returned to his Courtyard. This time, however, he had the Golden Sun Nether Lion Cub in his arms.

As soon as he reached the entrance, a lovely figure came bounding toward him like a swallow returning to its nest.

"Brother, you're back! What's that in your arms?" Yuan Xin asked.

"A Golden Sun Nether Lion Cub. Its name is Jin Ming," Long Jiuyyao explained.

"Ah! So this is the Golden Sun Nether Lion that disappeared so long ago!" Yuan Xin snatched Jin Ming from Long Jiuyyao's arms.

He was about to remind Yuan Xin to be careful, but then he noticed that Jin Ming was very friendly toward her. It no longer seemed as fierce as it had when he'd first met it.

"Xin'er, take Jin Ming and play with him for a while. I'll make you some barbecue," Long Jiuyyao said with a smile.

"Brother, what's barbecue?"

"You'll find out soon."

Long Jiuyyao set up a grill in the middle of the courtyard. He had bought it all in Dragon Hawk City, and the ingredients were meat from the Patterned Scale Crimson Flood Dragon.

For seasoning, he used high-grade Spiritual Medicines that grew in the Dragon Domain. He had come across them by chance while gathering Spiritual Medicines for a medicinal bath. Their flavor, though, was worlds apart from what he remembered from his past life.

There were countless Spiritual Medicines in the Dragon Domain, and Long Jiuyyao had found dozens that could substitute for the seasonings from his previous life.

That was also the real reason Long Jiuyyao had asked Elder Yan to kill the Patterned Scale Crimson Flood Dragon.

Long Jiuyyao took out a short knife. A flash of its blade, and more than a hundred bamboo skewers appeared before him. He cut a huge piece of Flood Dragon Breast Meat into small chunks.

He threaded the meat onto the skewers and lit the grill. As he placed them over the fire, he waved his hand, and several jade bottles of seasoning lined up beside him.

Long Jiuyyao sprinkled the seasonings on one by one. As the aroma spread, Yuan Xin, who had been playing with Jin Ming in the distance, immediately turned toward him.

Yuan Xin abandoned Jin Ming and hurried straight over to Long Jiuyyao.

"Brother, is this the barbecue you mentioned? It smells so good!" Yuan Xin exclaimed happily.

"Haha, it'll be ready soon." Long Jiuyyao kept working as he spoke.

Jin Ming caught the scent wafting through the air, too. He came over and rubbed against Long Jiuyyao's trouser leg. His meaning was obvious.

"I know. You'll get some, too."

"Roar, roar, roar!" Jin Ming cried out happily.

"All right, Xin'er, take Jin Ming to the pavilion." Long Jiuyyao carried all the cooked Flood Dragon Meat over to the pavilion.

Long Jiuyyao gave a skewer to Yuan Xin and one to Jin Ming. He picked one up for himself as well, savoring a taste of the food from his hometown in his previous life.

Yuan Xin finished her skewer and immediately began eating ravenously. She was devouring a delicious dish she'd never tasted before, while Jin Ming, too, wolfed down the grilled meat.

Time passed, and more than a hundred skewers of Flood Dragon Meat were cleaned out. Most of them ended up in Yuan Xin and Jin Ming's stomachs.

Yuan Xin lay sprawled across a stone bench in the pavilion, while Jin Ming lay in Long Jiuyyao's arms.

Suddenly, ripples stirred in the space around them, and a middle-aged man in linen clothes appeared inside the pavilion.

"Xin'er, what sort of behavior is this?" Yuan Gan said with a shake of his head.

"Father!" Yuan Xin cried, instantly sitting upright.

"Yao'er, it seems you gained quite a lot this time. I didn't expect the auction to have a Golden Sun Nether Lion Cub," Yuan Gan said, gazing at Jin Ming in Long Jiuyyao's arms.

Yuan Gan swept a sleeve, and Jin Ming was lifted out of Long Jiuyyao's arms.

He examined the cub in his hand. A flash of golden light passed through his eyes, and then he returned the cub to Long Jiuyyao.

"Yao'er, you've stumbled upon a real treasure. This cub has an unusual bloodline from the Golden Sun Nether Lion Clan," Yuan Gan said with a sigh.

"What?" Long Jiuyyao scratched his head, puzzled.

"Do you know which demon beast has the strongest bloodline among the lion-type beasts?"

Long Jiuyyao shook his head.

"The second-strongest bloodline among lion-type beasts is the Golden Sun Nether Lion Bloodline. The strongest bloodline also comes from the Golden Sun Nether Lion Clan, but it has appeared only once in all of history."

"Do you know which bloodline is the strongest among tiger-type beasts?" Yuan Gan asked Long Jiuyyao.

"The Dark Sacred Tiger Bloodline," Long Jiuyyao replied with a nod.

"Right. The Blood Sun Nether Lion, which has the strongest bloodline among lion-type beasts, was a mutation of the Golden Sun Nether Lion. The Blood Sun Nether Lion was as renowned as the Dark Sacred Tiger, and it was the common ancestor of all lion-type beasts."

"If he hadn't fallen, the Golden Sun Nether Lion Clan might have become a Demon Domain Hegemon Clan under his leadership."

"But he died prematurely in that ancient war. Afterward, the Golden Sun Nether Lion Clan gradually faded from history. That's why there are very few records of the Blood Sun Nether Lion—only a handful of brief mentions."

"The cub in your arms carries a trace of the Blood Sun Nether Lion Bloodline. The tuft of crimson mane between his brows is proof," Yuan Gan said, patting Long Jiuyyao on the shoulder.

Long Jiuyyao looked at Jin Ming in his arms. He hadn't expected the cub's bloodline to be so powerful.

"Father, how can Jin Ming fully evolve into a Blood Sun Nether Lion?" Long Jiuyyao asked.

"I don't know either. Perhaps devouring the bloodline of a powerful demon beast could spur his evolution, but it would have to be the bloodline of a lion-type beast stronger than his own," Yuan Gan said uncertainly.

"Ah! You could've just said he needs to devour the Blood Sun Nether Lion Bloodline. But the Blood Sun Nether Lion is already extinct. Where are we supposed to find one?" Long Jiuyyao said regretfully.

"Don't be so quick to despair, you brat. There might still be one Blood Sun Nether Lion on the Tian Xuan Continent," Yuan Gan said reassuringly.

"Father, do you mean the Blood Sun Nether Lion that died in the ancient war?" Long Jiuyyao's eyes lit up.

"Exactly. If you obtain his remains and have Jin Ming undergo a bone replacement, he'll advance into a Blood Sun Nether Lion," Yuan Gan said with a nod.

"Do you know where his remains are? Or where he died?" Long Jiuyyao asked again.

"I don't know where his remains are, but it seems he died in the North Profound Domain," Yuan Gan said, shaking his head.

"The North Profound Domain—that's where the Dark Temple's headquarters are. The Dark Temple rules the North Profound Domain," Long Jiuyyao murmured.

The Dark Temple held a position in the North Profound Domain like the Dragon Clan did in the Demon Domain—or, rather, its position there was even higher than the Dragon Clan's in the Demon Domain.

That was because the Dark Temple held absolute power in the North Profound Domain, while the Four Hegemons stood in opposition to one another in the Demon Domain, each ruling one of its four corners and refusing to submit to the others.

Of course, the Dragon Clan was widely recognized as the foremost of the Four Hegemons. The Six-Fingered Sacred Dragon Emperor had once united the demon beast world. Although it had splintered again after his death, that didn't change the fact that the Dragon Clan was still the foremost of the Four Hegemons.

Long Jiuyyao stroked Jin Ming in his arms. "Looks like we'll have to visit the North Profound Domain someday."

Jin Ming looked up at the pensive Long Jiuyyao and nudged his chest with his little lion's head.

"Heh, we'll go to the North Profound Domain someday," Long Jiuyyao said with a smile.

"Yao'er, the Secret Treasury opens in a month. Make sure you prepare. And Xin'er, don't slack off either," Yuan Gan reminded them.

"Got it, Dad," Yuan Xin said, waving a hand.

Yuan Gan left, and once again, only Long Jiuyyao, his sister, and Jin Ming remained in the pavilion.

After exchanging a few words with Yuan Xin, Long Jiuyyao left the pavilion as well.

In his room, Long Jiuyyao leaned back in his chair and murmured, "I wonder how far the plot has progressed. Looks like I'll have to find someone to get the latest news."

"Clap, clap!"

Long Jiuyyao clapped his hands twice.

Elder Yan, clad in a black robe, appeared in his room.

Long Jiuyyao went over to Elder Yan and quietly gave him a few instructions. Elder Yan immediately vanished from the room.

Long Jiuyyao had given Elder Yan just two tasks. First: find out how long the Sky Demon Sable Young Patriarch had been missing.

Second: send three Qi Creation Realm servants to Qingyang Town in Tiandu Commandery, Great Yan Dynasty, to find Lin Dong and secretly help his family, but not to keep watch on Lin Dong.

Long Jiuyyao had only ordered three Qi Creation Realm servants to go, rather than sending Nirvana Realm experts. It wasn't because he couldn't command Nirvana Realm powerhouses. In the region of Tiandu Commandery, Qi Creation Realm experts were already top-tier and could handle any obstacle they might face early on.

Nirvana Realm powerhouses were strong enough to establish sects and found dynasties in prosperous regions. They also had their own dignity, and should never be sent to carry out surveillance.

Long Jiuyyao knew just how tempting the Ancestral Stone was. Even Reincarnation Stage powerhouses would find it irresistible.

He didn't dare take that chance, even with Dragon Clan servants. The Ancestral Stone was that tempting. If one of them discovered Lin Dong's secret, they might kill him, steal the treasure, and flee.

Even if the servants had Blood Seals planted by the Dragon Clan to track them, one of the Ancestral Stone's powers was purification. How could a mere Blood Seal restrain a Divine Object capable of purifying even Yi Mo?

Faced with all these possibilities, Long Jiuyyao had no choice but to be cautious. It was always better to plan ahead.