"Your Highness, that old demon has gone into hiding again."
"This time, our losses were very severe."
"We've lost one Void Return True Lord, and another is seriously injured and in seclusion; they probably won't live past a hundred years."
In the Pacify the West Prince's Palace, Zongzheng Lie's gaze was extremely serious.
His brows furrowed.
The sudden breach of Hanging Blade Pass threw Jingxi Prefecture into chaos.
He hadn't expected that the nearly invincible bloodline demon of the same level would also sneak in during the chaos.
This plunged the entire Jingxi Prefecture into utter chaos.
"What on earth is wrong? What has gone mad about this old dragon?"
"Such a display of force, could it be that this Prefecture-Breaking War truly intends to annihilate our Western Continent human race?"
Zongzheng Lie was filled with many thoughts and became increasingly agitated.
After all these years, he took over the Pacify the West Prince's Palace from his father.
He has been in charge of Jingxi Prefecture for thousands of years.
He knew quite a bit about Ao Qing.
Each Prefecture-Breaking War inflicted immense damage on Jingxi Prefecture.
But neither of them clearly used lethal force.
They always retreated at crucial moments.
He had previously speculated that perhaps Ao Qing was afraid of the court and dared not go too far or make it too obvious.
They just wanted to grab some supplies or something.
After all, compared to the Demon Manor, Jingxi Prefecture was much wealthier.
Humans have cultivated this land for many years, and numerous sects and Lineage have sprung up here, making it far more prosperous than the Demon Race.
Although so many years have passed since the Great Jin was struck by disaster, even the Prince's Palace could not send messages to the court.
Their inherent strength is undeniable; how could a state like this not have some tricks up its sleeve?
There must be something else that makes Ao Qing wary.
But this time he clearly sensed something was wrong.
"This dragon launches Prefecture-Breaking War every thousand years, and then goes into seclusion to digest its essence; this process takes a very long time."
"They usually don't cause trouble before they cross the border."
"My father once said that back in the Dragon-Taming Directorate, my Zong Household had been taming dragons for generations, and our bloodline possessed the methods of dragon taming."
"As long as this dragon leaves the pass and uses its dragon bloodline, I will know it."
"But this time, I didn't sense anything unusual about the dragon itself."
Why would it send its capable lieutenant to my territory?
Zongzheng Lie couldn't understand it and was very upset.
Especially when he thought of his wife, who was seriously injured because of the broken Hanging Blade Pass.
It's even more of a hassle.
"Father."
Just as Zongzheng Lie was feeling confused and agitated.
A clear voice suddenly came from outside the hall.
The newcomer was none other than Zong Qing, daughter of the Prince of Pacify the West!
Zong Qing's appearance remains stunningly beautiful.
Her delicate features remained as bright and intelligent as ever.
Compared to back then, he now exudes a more imposing and unapproachable aura.
She was dressed in a moon-white, wide-sleeved palace gown with silver trim.
The outer garment is a dark-colored cloud-shaped shawl embroidered with gold phoenix patterns.
She wore a jade belt around her waist and walked with a steady gait.
Her high-bun hairstyle was adorned with a lustrous jade phoenix-head hairpin.
A few strands of hair fell down, highlighting her natural elegance.
It subtly exudes a calmness that comes from weathering storms.
" Qing'er, how is your mother?"
Upon seeing Zong Qing, Zongzheng Lie's expression softened slightly.
He waved his hand to dismiss those around him and welcomed Zong Qing into the hall.
The two sat facing each other.
"Mother has gone into seclusion to heal her injuries and won't be out for a while."
Zong Qing's gaze held a hint of sadness.
She never imagined that her family would undergo such a dramatic change in just a few years.
The Jingxi Prefecture was in a mess, unlike its former prosperity, which made her feel down.
I sensed my daughter's emotions.
Zongzheng Lie raised his hand and patted her shoulder.
The tone was gentle.
"Don't worry about Qing'er. Although your mother's injuries are serious, thankfully she received timely treatment."
He will definitely recover in a few years.
"There has been trouble in the area recently, so you must not wander around."
"I understand, Father."
Zong Qing nodded obediently. More than ten years ago, she mistakenly entered the Heaven-Pacifying Yao Prefecture.
I almost didn't make it back.
This taught her a lesson, and she never dared to wander off again.
Zongzheng Lie, on the other hand, looked at Zong Qing's obedient appearance.
Suddenly, his thoughts flashed back to more than ten years ago, when Jingfeng and Void Return, two powerful Canyue, went through countless hardships to bring Zong Qing out.
Upon returning, he heard Zong Qing recount the many strange things that happened to him in the Demon Manor.
He didn't take it seriously at the time.
At that moment, however, a sudden realization dawned on him.
" Qing'er, back then... you mistakenly entered the Demon Manor. According to you, there was a scale-shaped object that dragged you into the Demon Manor."
"Is it true that it was later affixed to the Dragon-Taming Bracelet?"
"Yes."
Zong Qing nodded; she still remembered that scene to this day.
The mysterious scales suddenly heated up and glowed red, then abruptly disappeared.
It was strangely tight.
Zongzheng Lie later learned about these past events.
Thinking about it carefully now.
He suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing.
Scales... Dragon-Taming Bracelet.
Back then, he guessed that these scales might have originated from Ao Qing's body.
Otherwise, how could it possibly trigger a reaction from the Dragon-Taming Bracelet?
However, the Dragon-Taming Bracelet could not possibly possess the power to melt the scales of a dragon.
Therefore, Zongzheng Lie did not take the matter to heart.
In his view, these scales might belong to some kind of dragon-like Demon Beast with some dragon blood.
But now, given the abnormality of the Demon Manor, the Suanni entered the territory.
The scales disappeared, Dragon-Taming Bracelet showed signs of abnormality.
How could he not see it?
That scale belonged to Ao Qing back then!
only...
"How could the Dragon-Taming Bracelet possibly have the power to dissipate the scales of a dragon?"
"If such power existed, how could Western Continent have suffered turmoil for ten thousand years?"
Zongzheng Lie paced back and forth, feeling as if he had grasped the crux of the problem.
If only we could know why Ao Qing's scales disappeared.
Perhaps, he can then quell the millennia-old demonic calamity in the Western Continent.
To restore the glory of our ancestors, to take charge of the Western Continent, and to reunite the fortunes of the entire state.
Even to return to the Central Continent Great Jin and rise to the rank of a high-ranking official!
Thinking of this, Zongzheng Lie became visibly more excited.
Without Zong Qing needing to recall, relying on the memory of Void Return cultivator, he had already recalled every word Zong Qing said after returning more than ten years ago.
" Azure Pool Blessed Land, Azure Pool Sect... Foundation Establishment Monk Xu Xiong..."
"They were received and taken back to their sect, arriving at Xu Xiong's cave abode. After communication and understanding, things proceeded peacefully until..."
"A cultivator surnamed Lu arrived, Dragon-Taming Bracelet suddenly became hot."
The two observers noticed a change in the expression on the face of the cultivator surnamed Lu...
" Xu Xiong... a cultivator surnamed Lu..."
" Azure Pool Sect, Azure Pool Blessed Land..."
"Got it!"
Zongzheng Lie suddenly stopped, feeling that he was extremely close to the truth.
All the strange phenomena, and even the chaos in Jingxi Prefecture today, are related to the disappearance of Ao Qing's scales.
The reason why Ao Qing's scales disappeared lies with this cultivator surnamed Lu!
The other side must have methods to restrain the great demon.
Even capable of suppressing the true dragon species!
Whether it's Divine Ability powers or treasures.
It must be an earth-shattering method!
Zongzheng Lie's eyes lit up, and a tidal wave surged within him.
He only learned of this major event today.
He had to find this cultivator surnamed Lu no matter what.
No matter what, he must use this opportunity to quell the millennia-old demonic scourge of the Western Continent!
No matter what, he must restore the glory of his Zong Household and become a high-ranking official in the Great Jin!
With this thought in mind, Zongzheng Lie no longer hesitated.
The Divine Sense traveled throughout the entire palace, including the many places where the monks were in seclusion.
" The Jingfeng Canyue' message informs the various forces within the prefecture to prepare for their Void Return."
"I will personally lead you all to storm the Demon Manor!"