Master of the Billowing Dream Palace

The moment the master of this place uttered the words "Dragon Spawn," the enormous Billowing Dream Palace seemed to fall silent instantly.

Although Kuai En hadn't seen much of the world, just by looking at the ugly expression on the face of the merman palace general opposite him, he knew that the words "Dragon Spawn" were definitely not a good thing.

Vice Envoy Changxiao also abandoned his warm demeanor from the journey, his eyes flashing coldly as he looked at the master and disciple.

King Kuang Shenzhi of the South remained outwardly calm upon seeing this, though he was inwardly apprehensive.

The resentment of the master of Palace Master of Billowing Dream is much greater than when he sent Shen Lingfeng here last time. It is unknown whether the bargaining chips he brought this time will be able to sway him.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he saw the three ancient swords hanging above the roof of the Billowing Dream Palace's Glazed Palace, their tassels swaying gently in the wind, seemingly gleaming with the deep sea's eerie light.

"Sometimes I can't figure out whether His Majesty's actions these past few times were right or wrong." Kuang Shenzhi kept this sigh to himself, and respectfully replied to his master, "Junior Shenzhi greets Your Excellency!"

"Haha, why are you being so polite, Kuang Shenzhi? Didn't your Kuang Household always call me 'Dragon Spawn'? What, now that only a few of the clan's True Person cultivators are left, you suddenly know how to be polite?!"

The palace master laughed even more heartily, but he clearly had no intention of continuing to mock Kuang Shenzhi. The laughter was carried by the cold wind, brushing past Kuang Shenzhi's ears, and along with the laughter and the cold wind, a beautifully carved ice crystal jade pendant fell from the sky.

The merman guarding the palace gate naturally recognized this as his master's personal item, and immediately dared not keep a stern expression. However, he could not say anything nice to Kuang Shenzhi disciples, and could only mumble a "please".

The mermaid palace general had barely finished speaking when runes appeared on the three sharp spikes of his flying fork, weaving in mid-air into a dark key that was embedded in a groove on the corner of the palace gate.

The magnificent glass palace gates suddenly swung open before everyone's eyes. After Kuang Shenzhi expressed his gratitude, Vice Envoy Changxiao, with a stern expression, led Kuang Shenzhi and his apprentice into the Billowing Dream Palace.

The Spiritual Qi in this sea area was already abundant, and as soon as Kuai En entered the palace, he felt it was even more extraordinary. After taking a few breaths of Spiritual Qi, he felt a slight swelling and pain in his meridians, and his mind went blank. He almost fainted from the shock.

"Where in Tanggu County is there such a heavenly place?!" The villagers were naturally astonished, and even the Southern King Kuang Shenzhi's eyes showed a strange light, but he quickly concealed it.

The group traveled in silence, riding together on a Third Tier purple ray for some time. After passing countless rare flowers, herbs, and dazzling treasures along the way, the three finally saw the true face of the owner of this place.

Kuai En felt that the person in front of him was an extremely handsome middle-aged man with black horns on his forehead and wearing a dark cloak. The kingly aura emanating from him seemed to be much stronger than that of Kuang Shenzhi.

He was leaning against the black jade seat, his long, dark blue hair falling over the collar of his gilded python-patterned shirt.

His face was unruly, and his pair of black jade horns gleamed with a faint light, illuminating the fine, broken golden scales that spread from the corners of his eyes to his neck, making him appear dazzling and awe-inspiring to all who saw him.

His unruly demeanor was clearly not a deliberate act. Faced with the arrival of the Kuang Shenzhi King Great Wei, Kuang Shenzhi, the master of the palace was too lazy to even get up to greet him. He merely glanced at the latter before looking away again.

The middle-aged man merely gave a slight, disdainful smile, then casually toyed with the rhinoceros horn cup.

For some unknown reason, he extended his slender finger and gently swirled the amber-colored liquor in the glass onto his fingertip.

"This man seems to bear a striking resemblance to the founding emperor?!" Kuai En suddenly had a rather presumptuous thought. He had only glanced at the man in front of him once, but his eyes were already stinging and slightly filled with tears. He knew that this must be an extraordinary figure.

Although his cultivation level was low, he was quick-witted and immediately pretended to be indifferent, ceasing all movement.

And this Prince of the South of the South, whom no one in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty dared to underestimate, was clearly much more reserved than he had been before entering the palace.

At this moment, he seemed to have lost all his dignity and arrogance in front of this middle-aged man, and even when he bowed his head in greeting, there seemed to be a hint of flattery on his face:

"I, a Shenzhi, am deeply honored to see Your Majesty's countenance again today."

However, this obsequious gesture did not seem to achieve the desired effect for His Highness the Prince of the South. Even though he was almost groveling, the sarcasm in the middle-aged man's words was still hard to conceal:

"Has the Kuang Household's direct line truly declined to such an extent? Even if we went back five hundred years, could someone as frail as you, a mere child, possibly become a sect king? What a joke! I heard that not long ago, you were even defeated by those three scoundrels from the Blood Sword Sect the Two Rivers Circuit. Aren't you ashamed at all?!"

Back in the day, which generation of his family's Blood Saint Sword Maiden could have been sent to a duke's mansion as his principal wife? Now, however, the whole world can laugh at your Kuang Household.

"It's just that the old man deliberately left you with a way to counter me before he died. Otherwise, I would have already entered the Immortal Dynasty's territory and given you juniors a good beating, so you wouldn't have lived in vain and continued to embarrass him."

"This junior is indeed useless, and truly unworthy of being a descendant of the founding emperor."

Seeing his newly acquainted master kneel down again, Kuai En could no longer just stand there. He was quite used to this practice of frequently bowing and prostrating himself before his uncle, the Sect Leader Kang Da.

His action drew a sliver of the middle-aged man's attention, a hint of surprise appearing in his vertical pupils. "Your generation is quite fortunate. Who would have thought that after that brat on the throne, you would find another Primordial Chaos Mysterious Pivot Physique?"

"It is also thanks to your great blessings and protection, sir." Kuang Shenzhi's tone became even more humble as he Kuai En closer, making it easier for the middle-aged man to take a good look at him.

"Ha," the middle-aged man chuckled, clearly unimpressed, and said bluntly, "You came back here just for this boy, didn't you?"

"That is precisely why I have come to trouble you, my lord. I have calculated that the Return to the Ruins Spring in your palace has not been used for two hundred years, so it should be usable again."

As Kuang Shenzhi spoke, he handed over an expensive storage bracelet to Changxiao, the deputy envoy beside him. Chang Xiao was about to give it to the middle-aged man, but seeing that Kuang Shenzhi was in no hurry, he waved his hand to stop him before speaking:

"You want to raise another Shen Lingfeng for your own use? That's not something I can accomplish by sending this boy to Return to the Ruins Spring. Besides, Return to the Ruins Spring has only been dormant for two hundred years; how can it possibly recover its vitality? Junior, you should wait another sixty or two years before bringing this boy back."

"My lord, now..."

"Shut up!!!!"

Suddenly, the glass cups on the jade table in front of the middle-aged man were covered with frost flowers, and countless crystal lamps on the palace ceiling flickered on and off, leaving only twelve palace lamps made of Third Tier mermaid pearls in the hall still shining.

To onlookers, all they could see was the dark gold pattern on the scales on the middle-aged man's throat, his vertical pupils stretched into thin blood-red lines in the shadows, and his frosty face as he approached Kuang Shenzhi, so close that his burning breath could make the latter's face flush.

Kuang Shenzhi only heard him mutter in a low voice, "Kuang Shenzhi, what do you think you are? You are a thousand years old, yet you are just a mere late-stage cultivator, without even the slightest chance of advancing to the Nascent Spirit Transformation stage. What makes you think you can refute me?! You're not convinced?! You're indignant?! The Return to the Ruins Spring is right there. If your Kuang Household's direct line is truly powerful, then come and snatch it!"

"This junior has been impolite; I humbly beg your forgiveness, sir."

"Kuang Shenzhi! Quickly take back that disgusting, groveling act!"

The stern shout caused all twelve Third Tier mermaid pearl lamps to tremble simultaneously, and fine lines seemed to appear on the lamp walls.

One by one, the merman palace generals with brightly colored scales immediately surrounded them. The Law Treasure artifacts they carried were all of the same style. If one looked closely, one could even observe that their aura frequencies were not different by the slightest, clearly indicating that they were a well-trained Third Tier Dao soldiers.

With just these hundred Golden Core cultivators working together, they could suppress four or five Nascent Soul True Person, preventing them from escaping.

When Prince Kuang Shenzhi of the South witnessed this scene, he was slightly startled.

He hadn't expected this before he arrived; only two hundred years had passed, yet the Dark Abyss Merfolk Guard, trained by this middle-aged man, had already surpassed the Imperial Capital 'Dynastic Fortune Tiger Guard by such a great margin?

Besides these palace generals, Vice Envoy Changxiao's already unwell expression darkened even further.

The tangled, dark cloud cage that had previously bound him was clearly not a suitable magical Law Treasure for this veteran Demon Lieutenant. With a flick of his wrists, two thick, clumsy Law Treasure appeared in his hands.

Kuang Shenzhi sighed again. Although this old shrimp was the deputy envoy of the Billowing Dream Palace, his skills were not to be underestimated.

If he were in his prime, he would have a good chance of winning against him, but now that he is seriously injured, even if he wins the fight, he might not survive the journey back.

However, there are four such deputy envoys in this Billowing Dream Palace.

But if this middle-aged man wanted to keep him, why would he need anyone else to intervene?

Not to mention that the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty couldn't find anyone capable of fighting him, even within the jurisdiction of Bitter Spirit Mountain, how many beings below the Spirit Transformation could match him?

Thinking of this, Kuang Shenzhi seemed to sense the three ancient swords hanging on the palace roof, the dragon patterns on the swords seeming to shimmer with spiritual light.

"The murder weapon that killed True Lord is no ordinary spiritual treasure; it is indeed extraordinary and worthy of being the world-shaking treasure of my Great Wei Immortal Dynasty. Unfortunately, it can only be activated by this Dragon Spawn."

Kuang Shenzhi sighed inwardly, but when he spoke again, his expression had changed.

But then he dropped his flattering expression, replaced it with a stern one, and spoke in a harsh voice, "Kuang Chexiao, do you know that you are speaking to King Great Wei?! Have you forgotten your gentlemanly agreement with the late Emperor?!"

"How dare you!"

"Arrogant fool!"

"How dare you speak to the Lord like that!"

The palace guards inside the hall were immediately enraged. Deputy Envoy Changxiao even brought out his Law Treasure magic weapons Spirit Turtle Mountain-Shattering Pincers, his small eyes darting between Kuang Shenzhi and his disciple, his killing intent almost bursting from his face.

"Haha, King Great Wei?! Kuang Shenzhi, you should know that Kuang Nianbai's world is protected by this Dragon Spawn, Laozi! Without Laozi here, drinking ice and snow, wielding three dragon swords to suppress the outer sea barrier!"

Those bald monks from Wooden Gate Temple and the Reclining Buddha Sect, those madmen from One Sword Tower and the Heartless Sect, have already stormed into the heart of the Immortal Dynasty! You unworthy descendants are only able to hold onto this small piece of land thanks to Laozi!

"Kuang Chexiao, you are shameless! Without the late emperor lending you his imperial seal, how could you wield the three national treasure swords?!"

"This throne should have been mine all along!!!"

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a series of thunderclaps resounded Billowing Dream Palace. The raindrops, formed from the condensation of the ancient sea, were so fine as to be almost imperceptible, yet they made the magnificent palace walls seem about to crack.

Inside the Billowing Dream Palace, as Kuang Chexiao set off, all those inside could see were golden scales falling from his hair, each one turning into highly poisonous black water upon hitting the ground. His face was filled with rage, as if even the entire Billowing Dream Palace could not contain the resentment he exuded.

The entire palace trembled at his roar. Kuang Shenzhi raised the royal seal to protect the frail Kuai En before he could hear Kuang Chexiao's harsh words.

"How can Kuang Cheyun compare to me?! Why did that old man choose him as his heir?! Just because his shabby master, who cultivates on Bitter Spirit Mountain, dislikes my dragon blood?! And what was he doing taking off his calf's trousers when he went to bed with me?!"

"Kuang Chexiao!!! You dare. You dare!"

"I dare! Even those four Nascent Spirit Transformation couldn't do anything to me in the outer seas, what wouldn't I dare?!" Kuang Chexiao's golden eyes flashed with red light. He snatched Kuang Shenzhi's King Seal Law Treasure and threw it on the ground. After a blush rose on the latter's face, he continued in a cold voice:

"Don't provoke me. You're not my child or grandchild. I wouldn't feel a pang of heartache if I tore you apart. Only the little emperor would sit in the capital secretly shedding tears under his blankets."

Even though Kuang Shenzhi's injuries worsened, he still forced himself to remain calm. "Even if you are an elder of the royal family, you should not treat the monarch like a child."

Seeing the cold smile reappear on Kuang Chexiao's face, Kuang Shenzhi closed his eyes again and said, "Don't forget, if His Majesty wants to take that seal back, you won't be able to keep it."

Kuang Shenzhi's voice was barely audible, yet it froze Kuang Chexiao's smile on his face.

"Very well, it seems you, a mere prince, have some courage. It seems you can still maintain your facade of power for a while longer." Kuang Chexiao turned his back, returned to his jade throne, but his voice remained icy cold.

"Take this kid to Return to the Ruins Spring and see if he can help your family refine another Shen Lingfeng. Also, that newly appointed Nanbo, if he can really form an Upper-Grade Golden Core on his own, send him to my teaching as before. I promise I won't hold back."

How much longer can that kid in the capital live?! What if you so-called direct descendants become Emperor Great Wei again?! What great things can Kuang Cheyun's children and grandchildren possibly accomplish?"

Kuang Chexiao paused here, his vertical pupils flashing with killing intent. After the red light faded, he spoke again to Kuang Shenzhi in a warning voice:

"Just don't try to scare me with that seal again. I can go anywhere once I leave the outer seas, but you can't necessarily. I'll say it again, I'm doing this for that old bastard Kuang Nianbai, to protect this Great Wei empire."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kuang Chexiao transformed into Wufeng and vanished from the Xuan Yu throne.

Kuang Shenzhi remained silent with his head bowed, making no hasty action.

The wind and rain Billowing Dream Palace had stopped sometime earlier, just like the Billowing Dream Palace.

(I'll stop the grand narrative here for now and return to the main plot tomorrow. Some readers found the constant focus on the prefectures and counties too tedious, so I'm expanding on the larger context to highlight the broader background. The effect might still be less than ideal, but I did put some thought into it, so I humbly ask for your understanding if you don't like it. PS: The word count in parentheses is still accurate and not charged, so please don't worry.)