Safeguard, Time-Traveling Dragon, One Step Behind

After listening to Tang Ziran's design conjecture, which he himself considered insane, the Dragon Emperor's gaze gradually deepened.

He pulled his hands, which were clutching the Crow-Absolute Stone and the Amethyst Skeleton, back behind his waist.

This was because the conditions required to satisfy the Nine-Character Battle Armor conjecture:

The Amethyst Dragon Emperor skeleton rich in divine power;

The Crow-Absolute Stone capable of constructing mental illusions;

A god-level body martial soul combined with a god-level sub-dragon martial soul;

A dragon soul possessing the destruction will of a God King realm;

And the Fire Dragon King Crown capable of inflicting burns on a God King;

Were all currently in his possession.

If this former backbone talent of the Federation were to catch even the slightest hint of the truth, it would invite catastrophic trouble.

"Good."

The Dragon Emperor nodded, hiding the "Nine-Character Battle Armor" conjecture within his ambition.

He instructed the Holy Dragon King to accept the six-page set of design drawings.

Although he had already memorized every piece of data and pattern on the diagrams while listening to the explanation earlier, one must perform the superficial formalities to maintain the composure of an ordinary person.

With that, Tang Ziran finally let out a long sigh of relief.

The tension and excitement from moments ago vanished completely.

He reverted back to being a husband, a father, and an ordinary man who had come here seeking safety.

Yet, Tang Ziran could not help but speculate in his heart that this young master surnamed Long might just be a brilliantly gifted designer, and it was precisely for this reason that he was being secretly kept by the Spirit Pagoda in this small coastal city of Aolai.

He suddenly felt that handing over the secret he had guarded for half his life to the other party was actually a good thing; it could be considered a fine horse gifted to a good judge of talent, gifted to someone who understood him and perhaps even surpassed him.

The table in front of the Dragon Emperor was already filled with a sumptuous lunch, dish after dish.

Because the focus was on physical development rather than increasing cultivation, it was necessary to ingest high-grade and sufficient nutrition during basic meal times.

Tang Ziran secretly clutched his sunken abdomen.

Having brought his son here, returned, and then rushed back again, now that it was exactly mealtime, how could he not be hungry?

The Dragon Emperor cut to the chase and asked, "Since you are offering the drawings to me, what is it that you wish to seek in return?"

With his needs brought up by the other party, Tang Ziran quickly lowered his posture and said, "I only seek safety."

"Because the unknown forces that want this set of Level 5 Battle Armor concept drawings will capture the designers they have their eyes on. Many of my colleagues, including some top-tier drug development talents who served the Federation, suddenly disappeared after being targeted."

"This is also the reason why I took Lang Yue and fled into hiding; I was afraid that one day, we would just inexplicably vanish from the face of the earth."

After two seconds of silence, the Dragon Emperor spoke: "I know that the mastermind behind the pursuit of these design drawings is the lineage of the Spirit Pagoda Master: the Qiangu Family."

"And the family I belong to is merely the Sun Lineage of the Xu Family, so your offering of these drawings to me will not be of much use."

With a single sentence, the Dragon Emperor pulled Tang Ziran's heart back up high.

But his next sentence caused the heavy stone in his heart to sink firmly to the ground.

"However, the Spirit Douluo at most possesses quasi-god strength, so I can guarantee that I will save your life and the lives of your family in a moment of crisis."

"Thank you!" Tang Ziran supported himself on the table leg and slowly knelt down.

If anyone else had uttered the flippant remark that "the Spirit Pagoda Master is but a mere quasi-god," Tang Ziran would have surely thought that person was insane.

But the person before him had a Titled Douluo as a bodyguard, and his background, the Ming Capital Xu Family, was not only the former royal family of the Sun Moon Federation but also held seats on the council of the Spirit Pagoda.

The high-level members of these super-powerful factions had mutual interests, and at critical moments, a single word from a key figure in a key setting could save him and his wife from dire straits.

Therefore, this verbal guarantee was no different from a life-saving talisman.

"Is there anything else?" the Dragon Emperor continued to ask.

Tang Ziran suddenly felt a bit embarrassed as he replied, "That, Young Master Long, could you, could you..."

"Lend me one million Federation coins?"

The Dragon Emperor, seeing through the human heart, said, "You want to buy a hundred-year soul spirit for your son?"

Tang Ziran's face flushed slightly as he said, "Yes."

"But please rest assured, although my Linlin is only nine, he can already forge Level 1 components independently."

"My friend, a Level 6 Master Craftsman, also said that when he grows up, he will surely become a Level 8 Saint Craftsman and earn a great deal of money. He will be able to pay you back this million in just a few years."

The Dragon Emperor ignored Tang Ziran's self-account and turned to ask the Holy Dragon King, "Is the Diamond Vine still with you?"

A pure white sphere appeared in the Holy Dragon King's hand. "I haven't had the chance to return it yet."

"Good." The Dragon Emperor removed his napkin and stood up. "Let's go, to his home, at top speed, 23 Coastal Avenue."

"Yes." The Holy Dragon King passed his palm under the Dragon Emperor's armpit and lifted him up.

At the same time, he grabbed Tang Ziran by the back of his collar. Before the man could even process what was happening, he transformed into a streak of light and soared out through the tower's window.

"Ah--"

It took only a few seconds.

After his eyes were flooded with the rapid, kaleidoscopic shift of scenery, Tang Ziran found himself back on the sidewalk in front of his home, clutching a tree in the green belt and retching uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the Dragon Emperor had the foresight not to let Tang Ziran eat anything beforehand, or he would have been spewing stomach acid and half-digested food from his nose and mouth.

This was a signature technique developed back during the era of the Holy Dragon King or the Light Dragon King: the Time-Traveling Dragon.

In terms of speed, it was on par with the space-time traversal of the Emerald Dragon King and the Time Dragon King.

Therefore, even though he hadn't used his full power and had provided Tang Ziran with a degree of protection, the visual impact on the man had still been overwhelming.

After panting and recovering for a long while, Tang Ziran hurriedly pulled out his keys and pushed the door open.

"Linlin!"

"Daddy is home! I got a century-old spirit soul, a century-old spirit soul!"

To his surprise, Na'er, with her long, iridescent silver hair, blocked the doorway and said, "You can't go in. Big Brother is currently fusing with the spirit soul."

Tang Ziran froze on the spot, his voice cracking in shock: "What? Linlin has already started fusing with that Grass Snake?"

Na'er nodded and said, "Yes, Big Brother said he didn't want Mom and Dad to keep suffering for his sake."

Tang Ziran stumbled backward and collapsed onto the sofa, clutching his head and sobbing in agony: "How could this be, how could this be..."

"Are we too late?" the Dragon Emperor asked as he walked in with the Holy Dragon King.

Even through the wall, he could feel that incomparably familiar Golden Dragon King bloodline surging along Tang Wulin's spine, branching out into two wisps that flowed into the Grass Snake spirit soul and the Blue Silver Grass martial soul.

Under the refinement of the Golden Dragon King bloodline, both the Grass Snake spirit soul and the Blue Silver Grass were undergoing a qualitative transformation.

To the Dragon Emperor, this scene looked exactly like the time the Dragon God had mated with a mongrel dragon, eventually giving birth to a hybrid.

He couldn't help but let out a low sigh: "It is all so vivid, as if it happened yesterday."

"He has taken yet another solid step down the same old path as A-Jin."

But just then, a slightly immature voice speaking in the Dragon Tongue echoed in the Dragon Emperor's ear.

"The path of the Dragon God was not wrong; he simply did it for his beloved, and I believe he never regretted it."