The Dragon King: If Not Now, When Would He Take the Gamble?
Hearing Ao Guang's words, Ye Xuan nodded:
"You should say all this to the reigning Sacred Emperor."
"Now that you've decided to submit to the Sacred Emperor, you should make a trip to Chaoge regardless."
"His Majesty the Sacred Emperor has a few more things to discuss with you."
Hearing Ye Xuan's words, Dragon King Ao Guang naturally nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes, Lord Immortal, you're right. I, this old dragon, will put the Four Seas in order during this time and ensure favorable winds and timely rains across Yin Shang's lands."
"Once everything is arranged, I'll personally travel to Chaoge and pay my respects to His Majesty the Sacred Emperor."
Ye Xuan nodded:
"If you truly do that, you may earn a share of merit, and perhaps some other good fortune as well."
"However, the current Sacred Emperor is rather interested in the Divine Needle Iron in your Dragon Palace."
"If you go to Chaoge, Lord Dragon King, bring the Divine Needle Iron with you. Oh, and bring the divine irons from the other three seas as well."
As Ye Xuan spoke, he chuckled inwardly.
The Four Seas held countless treasures.
But the four finest treasures of all were the four divine irons.
They were the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron of the East Sea,
the Sea-Spanning Purple Gold Beam of the South Sea,
the Heaven-Supporting White Jade Pillar of the North Sea,
and the As-You-Will Iron Rod of the West Sea.
These four divine irons were all extraordinary weapons from ancient times.
In the ancient days of Yu the Great, the Dragon Clan had long since fallen into decline, and the Four Seas Dragon Kings lacked the strength to hold the Four Seas steady. As a result, the seas churned without cease, and monstrous floods often surged upstream along the great rivers, wreaking havoc across the Primordial World.
Floods plagued the lands of the Primordial World, leaving countless beings dead or injured.
A mighty expert of the ancient Human Clan, Yu the Great joined forces with many other experts, pooling their strength to refine the divine iron bestowed by Taishang Laozi.
Only then did they forge these four postnatal spiritual treasures.
For countless years, these four spiritual treasures had kept the Four Seas stable.
By now, they had long since been wrapped in abundant merit, becoming supreme-grade postnatal merit spiritual treasures of boundless power.
Hearing this, Ao Guang hastily nodded:
"Lord Immortal, these four pieces of divine iron originally belonged to the Human Clan. Yu the Great placed them in the Four Seas in ancient times to keep the seas stable."
"Now that my strength has advanced by leaps and bounds, keeping the Four Seas stable is no longer a problem. It is only right that they be returned to their original owners."
Hearing this, Ye Xuan nodded.
"In that case, let's part ways here."
"When Wuming first came to the East Sea, he caused much offense. I hope you won't take it to heart, Dragon King."
"We've had our drinks and said our piece."
"I won't stay any longer."
With that, he gave a slight shudder.
The last traces of drunkenness vanished like smoke into thin air.
He immediately rose on a cloud and soared away, vanishing from the East Sea.
Dragon King Ao Guang and the others hurriedly saw him off.
Only long after Ye Xuan had disappeared
did Dragon King Ao Guang of the East Sea straighten up and let out a long breath.
Then a look of joy appeared on his face.
He had never imagined that, through a chance encounter, he would enter the service of the current Human Emperor.
And he had even become a True Dragon.
Even now, he still felt as though he were in a dream.
When he first heard that an envoy of the Human Clan had come, he had thought disaster was upon him.
He had never expected that, after so many twists and turns, he would become a True Dragon just like that, as though in a dream.
His cultivation had also reached the Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
A calamity had truly turned into a blessing.
"Lord Dragon King, are we really going to enter the service of the Human Clan?"
"As for Haotian Shangdi-"
Before the Turtle Prime Minister could finish, the East Sea Dragon King cut him off rudely.
"Don't mention Haotian again."
As he spoke, a fierce look appeared on Dragon King Ao Guang's face.
"That fellow has slaughtered and cooked more than enough of the Dragon Clan over the years. If this goes on, sooner or later he'll eat every dragon in the Four Seas."
"We'd be better off taking a gamble while we have the chance. If we persist in our folly, can we count on that fellow Haotian to protect the Dragon Clan when a mighty expert of the Human Clan comes to kill us?"
As he spoke, his expression turned utterly ferocious.
"Since even Lord Ancestral Dragon's corpse was saved by the Human Emperor, this has quietly given the Dragon Clan a path to follow. Whether we live or die depends on this gamble."
"As the saying goes, if not now, when would we take the gamble? In any case, it can't hurt to try."
"Hurry and make the arrangements. Prepare a grand gift yourself. In a few days, I'll personally travel to the sacred land of Chaoge."
Hearing the Dragon King's words, the East Sea Turtle Prime Minister hurried off to make the arrangements.
Meanwhile, amid the vast sea of clouds above the lands of the Primordial World,
an auspicious cloud drifted leisurely through the air.
A figure reclined atop it, half sitting and half lying down. He wore an enormous black cloak and a hannya mask that seemed neither to weep nor to smile.
This was none other than Ye Xuan. His task was complete.
In his pleasant mood, he naturally wanted to take a good look at the Primordial World.
After all, it would be a great pity not to take a good look at these magnificent rivers and mountains.
The Primordial World was filled with sights too numerous to count.
There were lofty mountains, majestic in their desolation and ancient grandeur,
and green mountains beneath purple clouds, splendid and graceful, fresh and delicate.
Every kind of beautiful scenery in the Primordial World was a masterpiece of nature, formed in perfect harmony.
Since the Witch-Demon Tribulation, the Primordial World had not suffered a great calamity of slaughter for many years.
Now the sun, moon, and stars were set in the heavens above the Primordial World, revolving on their own as spring gave way to winter and cold and heat alternated.
The entire Primordial World was in good order. Mountains and rivers teemed with life, and all things under heaven plainly lived in joy and harmony.
Though some killing still occurred throughout the Primordial World, it did not disturb its stability.
Yet within that peace, faint threads of oppression could be sensed.
Ye Xuan had transmigrated here, so his senses were naturally somewhat keener than those of ordinary people.
Perhaps this was the strange feeling of a storm brewing?
By the time Ye Xuan returned to Chaoge, drifting leisurely on his auspicious cloud, more than ten days had passed.
After all, the Primordial World was vast and boundless, and the distance from Chaoge to the East Sea was hardly short.
Ye Xuan had not been in a hurry, either. He had taken his time returning, enjoying the mountains and waters along the way.
The Human Emperor's disappearance over those ten-odd days had caused some unrest in Chaoge.
Fortunately, the Human Emperor's return had stabilized the situation.
Early the next morning, the civil and military officials gathered in the Nine-Room Hall for the customary morning court.
Only three ministers of high rank and great influence were absent.
Shang Rong had already set out in secret, leading a large number of knowledgeable people under the protection of guards.
They had gone into the mountains and wilderness of the Primordial World in search of various grains.
Royal Uncle Bi Gan had likewise taken a large quantity of grain from the state treasury to various parts of Yin Shang. He personally opened the granaries and distributed grain, launching a massive disaster relief effort around Chaoge.
For a time, all of Yin Shang stirred at the news.
Such a momentous act as opening the granaries to distribute grain had never occurred before in recorded history.
Even the ancient sages of the Human Clan had never done such a thing.
It naturally caused a tremendous sensation throughout Yin Shang.
At the same time, Royal Uncle Bi Gan had also taken with him an edict of self-reproach written by Ye Xuan himself.
Its general meaning was that Di Xin, as the shared sovereign of heaven and earth, should have sought blessings for all living beings under heaven and pleaded on their behalf, but in recent years he had grown negligent and indolent in governing.
He had failed the clear heavens and earth above, and the common people below.
From this day forth, he issued an edict of self-reproach, willing to confess his faults to all living beings under heaven!