Chapter 56: Wuhuang

“Indeed, it must be done.”

Zhou Qing heavily nodded. If he, as a father and husband, had not been so incompetent back then, Zhou Yuan would not have suffered from the Resentful Dragon Poison for so many years. Nor would Qin Yu have sacrificed her lifespan by infusing her own essence blood into Zhou Yuan to save him. For all these years, he had been blaming himself for this. So, now that he had finally received news of such a rare heaven-and-earth treasure capable of extending one’s lifespan, he naturally did not want to give up easily.

“Father, is the news true?” Zhou Yuan asked in a low voice, his agitated emotions gradually calming.

“It’s true,” Zhou Qing replied. “Someone accidentally entered that ruin and saw the ‘Fire Spirit Spikes’ and ‘Jade Infant Fruit.’ However, that ruin seems to be guarded by powerful primal beasts, so the person could only flee in a hurry.”

“If the news gets out, the Qi King’s Residence will likely know too,” Zhou Yuan said, frowning. If the “Fire Spirit Spikes” fell into the hands of the Qi King’s Residence, it would pose a significant threat to their royal family. This was a truly strategic resource, something indispensable for any power. With it, cultivating influence or attracting experts would be extremely effective bargaining chips.

“Yes.” Zhou Qing nodded, his expression turning somewhat stern. “That’s why I plan to send Lu Tieshan with a team.”

“Father, let me go too,” Zhou Yuan said. With his current strength, breaking through the eight meridians and entering the Yangqi Stage was imminent. Once he reached the Yangqi Stage, he would be considered a minor expert. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, Taichu Stage cultivators stood at the pinnacle, Tianguan Stage cultivators were next in strength, and Yangqi Stage cultivators were considered the backbone of elite forces, capable of taking on important roles in the military.

Seeing Zhou Yuan volunteer, Zhou Qing smiled and said, “That’s why I called you here. I want you to assist Lu Tieshan, and at the same time, I have an important mission for you.”

“What is it?”

Zhou Qing sighed, saying, “On this trip, you will first go to Canglan Commandery. If possible, I hope you will try your best to win over the Grand General, to get him to assist our royal family in dealing with the Qi King’s Residence. At the very least, we cannot let Qi Hao draw the Grand General to the Qi King’s Residence.”

Zhou Yuan nodded slightly, understanding that his status as a prince going to Canglan Commandery would demonstrate the royal family’s sincerity. “Father, rest assured, I will do my best.”

Zhou Qing smiled, then reached into his bosom and took out a crimson jade slip that glowed with light. “You will soon enter the Yangqi Stage, and then you should cultivate a formal cultivation art. This is our royal family’s ‘Blazing Thunder Art,’ which can cultivate fourth-grade Genesis Qi, ‘Blazing Thunder Qi.’ Take it and study it. If it suits you, you can cultivate it.”

“This is the ‘Blazing Thunder Art’?” Zhou Yuan’s eyes flickered. Genesis Arts in the world were divided into nine grades, each corresponding to nine grades of Genesis Qi. The more profound the cultivation art, the higher the grade of Genesis Qi it cultivated. However, in their Great Zhou, fourth-grade Genesis Qi was generally considered top-tier. Most ordinary people could only cultivate first or second-grade common Genesis Qi.

“Back then, Master didn’t have time to teach me cultivation arts. I wonder if Sister Yaoyao has any,” Zhou Yuan muttered, licking his lips. Given Master Cang Yuan’s mysterious and formidable nature, any cultivation arts he left behind would surely be far superior to their royal family’s “Blazing Thunder Qi.” With these thoughts, Zhou Yuan still accepted the “Blazing Thunder Art,” knowing that if Yaoyao didn’t have anything, he would have to cultivate this.

“Yangqi Stage…” Zhou Yuan gripped the jade slip, his eyes filled with anticipation. This was because the Vein Opening Stage was merely for laying a foundation, while the Yangqi Stage marked the true entry into the threshold of cultivation. Only at this level could one experience the true power and profundity of Genesis Qi.

***

The Great Wu Dynasty.

The imperial capital, Zhenzhou City.

Years ago, the Wu family rebelled against Great Zhou, seizing its territory. Now, they used this name as the capital of Great Wu, clearly showing their intent to thoroughly suppress Great Zhou and prevent it from ever rising again.

The Great Wu Imperial Palace, with its magnificent halls rising and falling, stretched as far as the eye could see. Towers stood tall, and on each tower, powerful Genesis Qi fluctuations spread, enveloping every corner of the palace. Compared to Great Zhou’s royal palace, the Great Wu Imperial Palace was undoubtedly more imposing and majestic, thus demonstrating Great Wu’s formidable strength.

In an inner hall of the imperial palace, behind a writing desk, sat a young man in a yellow robe. His skin was as fair as jade, his features extremely handsome, and his eyebrows were like sword blades. Simply by sitting there, a noble aura emanated from him, exuding a lofty, superior presence, as if he were a favored son of heaven. Behind him, a faint aura surged, resembling a coiling, roaring dragon shadow. On his brow, a blood-red dot shimmered with a mysterious and eerie glow. This young man was Wu Huang, the current Crown Prince of the Great Wu Dynasty.

He calmly flipped through memorials. Although he was still young, due to his special status in Great Wu, the Wu King had allowed him to participate in Great Wu’s state affairs early on. At this moment, a figure respectfully entered and knelt before the desk, deferentially saying, “Your Highness, there is news from the Secret Directorate.”

Wu Huang lifted his eyelids, took the bamboo tube, extracted the paper scroll from it, slowly unfurled it, and scanned its contents.

“Hmm?” Wu Huang’s expression suddenly shifted, and a strange look appeared on his handsome face. He said indifferently, “How interesting. So it’s the ‘Sacred Dragon’ of the Zhou family.” He continued, “This person certainly has a tenacious life. My father sealed the Resentful Dragon Poison within him, yet he still survived?”

“Your Highness, should we eliminate him?” the figure below asked grimly.

Wu Huang smiled faintly and said, “Right now, our Great Wu is contending with the Myriad Beast Dynasty and the Sword Dynasty. How could we have the leisure to bother with a struggling Great Zhou?”

The dark figure whispered, “But that Zhou Yuan, after all, once bore the ‘Sacred Dragon Qi’ and was known as the Sacred Dragon of the Zhou family.” As soon as his voice fell, he saw Wu Huang’s cold gaze sweep over him, and he immediately swallowed the rest of his words.

Wu Huang’s face was calm, and behind him, dragon Qi surged, making him appear incomparably noble. He said calmly, “You are mistaken. That Zhou Yuan is not the true Sacred Dragon. If he were truly the Sacred Dragon, how could our Wu family have succeeded?” He continued, “That Sacred Dragon destiny originally belonged to me. He was merely a small error that appeared in the middle, and now that error has been rectified and put back on track. Therefore…”

“That Zhou Yuan is just a false dragon. He bore a destiny that did not belong to him, and so ultimately he and Great Zhou paid the price.” Wu Huang’s eyes fixed on the dark figure as he slowly said, “And I, this Crown Prince, am the true dragon. Therefore, the Sacred Dragon destiny ultimately came to me. So, do not be mistaken. The Sacred Dragon destiny was not stolen by me; rather, he took what was mine, and I merely reclaimed it. This is called ‘returning things to their rightful owner.’ Do you understand?”

Gazing at Wu Huang’s smiling face, the dark figure trembled and quickly responded respectfully. Wu Huang casually tossed the bamboo tube aside and said indifferently, “Let’s see what this false dragon is doing now. Opening six meridians… Do you know? With his meager strength, he doesn’t even have the right to stand before me.”

The dark figure respectfully said, “Your Highness is the true dragon. Compared to you, Zhou Yuan is indeed like an ant, not worth mentioning.”

Wu Huang picked up other memorials and said, “I will now begin to focus on cultivation to prepare for the ‘Holy Son’ competition on this vast continent in the future. That is where the true great destiny and fortune lie. There is no need to present any more reports about this false dragon; they are an eyesore.”

“Yes!” the dark figure responded.

Wu Huang stared at the memorial, then paused before saying, “However, since this matter has caught my eye, I cannot simply pretend nothing happened. Pass down the order: increase support for the Qi family. If they can overthrow the Zhou family, then our Great Wu will save some effort and avoid being constrained by the ancestral oath my father made.” He smiled, saying, “This will be a lesson for that crippled dragon. Let him live honestly as a useless person from now on.”

His casual words seemed to seal the fate of Great Zhou. Then, he smiled at the dark figure and said, “See? This is the true dragon.”

A single word seals life or death; a single word dooms a nation.