Chapter 819: 量天碧月蛟

Just a few days ago, you were vigorously criticizing Zu An and seemed quite worked up. How could you change so quickly now?

Meng Pan cursed silently to himself. "What do you mean, 'hearing the wind and assuming rain'? Who is the wind, and who is the rain?" Isn't this just trying to undermine me?

So he hastily added, "I, Meng, was truly blind and misled by the Gu brothers, which led me to suspect Lord Zu. I acted solely out of public duty, not with any personal agenda against Lord Zu. I offer my sincere apologies. This time, everyone owes their lives to you. You are our savior! Please accept three bows from me."

Zhao Xi's face twitched. When it came to shamelessness, this Meng fellow truly took the cake.

Following this, the young masters of the various aristocratic families offered their apologies, one after another. They presented valuable items from their persons to Zu An as a token of their regret. They had no choice but to offer gifts. Knowing that Zu An had just killed a peak eighth-rank master, these self-proclaimed sixth-rank experts, who usually thought highly of themselves, now felt utterly worthless. The mere thought of having offended him just days ago made them uneasy, and only by presenting gifts could they feel a little more at ease.

Zu An initially intended to refuse, but Bi Linglong quietly reminded him that it would be better to accept the gifts to appease everyone and prevent any future complications. Zu An couldn't help but admire Bi Linglong; she was truly a born leader, and her understanding of human nature was indeed superior to his own. However, he disliked these people who had been arrogant before and were now servile, so he had Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun collect the items on his behalf.

Seeing that the Crown Princess didn't mind his personal guards handling the collection, everyone understood the situation more clearly, and their attitude toward Zu An became even more deferential. Recalling how these two guards had spoken up for Zu An earlier, they realized their relationship must be very close and dared not slight them.

Meanwhile, Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun straightened their chests with pride. Earlier, when they had spoken up for Zu An, this group had ridiculed them. Now, watching these usually arrogant young masters fawning over them with smiling faces, they felt a profound sense of vindication and triumph.

"You've disturbed my sleep," the Crown Prince grumbled as he emerged from his tent, yawning and stretching, utterly oblivious to how close he had just come to death.

In front of so many people, Bi Linglong still made sure to give him face. She stepped forward and reported what had happened.

The Crown Prince listened for a while, then sighed repeatedly. "They both died? What a shame, now I have no one to accompany me rabbit hunting."

In recent days, the Gu brothers, in their attempts to get closer to Bi Linglong, had indeed flattered the Crown Prince extensively and entertained him with various activities. Having lived in the deep palace for so long, the Crown Prince had never encountered such novelties and quickly befriended them. This was also why Bi Linglong hadn't suspected the Gu brothers earlier; if they truly harbored ill intentions, how could they have served the Crown Prince so diligently and wholeheartedly?

Hearing the Crown Prince's words, the young masters of the various families were filled with mixed emotions. Such a thoughtless Crown Prince was truly... Unfortunately, their families' fates were intertwined with his, and they could only grit their teeth and see it through to the end.

After a night of rest, Gao Ying and Pei You's injuries gradually stabilized. After dawn, the main contingent set off, continuing deeper into the mountains.

Pei You explained to everyone how to track the aura of the Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon. It turned out that someone from the Meng family had entered this secret realm in the past and had inadvertently obtained one of the creature's scales. This time, they had specifically commissioned a rune master to create a magical artifact, which used the aura from the scale to pinpoint the owner's direction.

Carrying this artifact, the group slowly proceeded deeper into the mountains. Many dangerous beast lairs along the way were mostly bypassed, thanks to Zu An's warnings. This time, no one raised any objections. On the contrary, a bunch of people were obnoxiously flattering him. Zu An sighed inwardly, lamenting how the same words, met with ridicule and sarcasm before, were now eagerly embraced. Society was indeed very realistic.

The group walked for three consecutive days. Pei You's expression turned serious: "We're almost there!" In fact, Zu An had already sensed the strong water elemental energy, so Pei You didn't even need to say anything.

The group walked out of the dense forest, and the scene before them suddenly opened up. A wide waterfall plunged directly into a huge pond below, stirring up a spray of water everywhere. Under the sunlight, faint rainbows could be seen.

Zhao Xi chuckled, "This Flood Dragon really knows how to enjoy itself. No wonder it moved; the scenery and territory here are countless times better than its previous Azure Water Cold Pond."

Gao Ying frowned, "Something's not right. These mountains within the secret realm are teeming with powerful fierce beasts, and they clearly have strong territorial awareness. While this place is indeed better than the previous Azure Water Cold Pond, does a mere seventh-rank beast like the Sky-Measuring Azure Moon Dragon have the right to occupy such a blessed land?"

Zu An secretly nodded. Gao Ying had also seen through the Gu brothers' rebellion last time. Although taciturn, he was meticulous and truly a talent. No wonder the Liu family dared to send out their second-generation scion, knowing Gao Ying could cover for him.

Meng Pan, standing nearby, offered, "Could it be that there are no other water-elemental fierce beasts here, allowing it to exploit the opportunity?"

Gao Ying hesitated for a moment. "It's not that there's no such possibility," he conceded.

Bi Linglong said in a deep voice, "Since we've come this far, there's no reason to retreat. Everyone prepare for battle."

Soon, these family scions began to act in an orderly manner. They were, after all, elites from various major families. Although they had been somewhat discomfited by the Gu brothers' ambush earlier, this time, being well-prepared, they still displayed extremely high competence.

The Crown Prince, meanwhile, was left in the rear by Bi Linglong. No one dared to let him rush to the front and risk danger, as no one could bear the responsibility if anything went wrong. Gao Ying and Pei You were injured; although they had recovered somewhat during this period, they were still not suitable for high-intensity combat, so they were also kept by the Crown Prince's side. Of course, Bi Linglong was also shrewd; she had Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun lead the Eastern Palace guards to stand guard here. She herself, along with Zu An, led the masters from various families to surround the area below the waterfall.

"Go, Linglong, go! Go, Linglong, go!" the plump Crown Prince cheerfully shouted slogans from a rock, munching on fruits prepared by his guards. For him, this entire expedition was merely a sightseeing trip; he had no awareness of the impending danger and simply viewed it as an animal show.

Bi Linglong sighed softly to herself, but quickly composed herself. She then led the main contingent to the pond at the base of the waterfall. The pond was filled with misty vapor, and with the rippling water, it was impossible to see what was inside.

Soon, someone took out pre-prepared bait and threw it into the pond. The blood gradually stained the water red, and soon an angry roar echoed: "Who dares to defile my dwelling!" The pond water instantly seemed to boil. Immediately after, a figure tens of feet long surged out of the water, then coiled in mid-air, its lantern-sized eyes glaring furiously at the people by the pond. The brown vertical pupils in its eyes were particularly terrifying, sending a shiver down everyone's spines.

"Are you sure this thing is seventh-rank?" Liu Xian's voice trembled slightly as he gazed at the enormous creature in the air.

Zhao Xi swallowed hard. "Why is it so long and so big?" he stammered. "It's much larger than what the intelligence reports indicated."

Meng Pan also couldn't help but take a step back. "Its oppressive aura is also much stronger than in the reports," he added.

Bi Linglong's voice turned cold. "No, something's wrong. It can speak human language; that's a sign of an eighth-rank or higher..."

Zu An corrected her, "Not eighth-rank, but ninth-rank."

Bi Linglong's expression changed, and she quickly ordered, "Retreat quickly!" It was well known that fierce beasts of the same rank were significantly more powerful than humans. While Zu An could handle peak eighth-rank opponents, facing a ninth-rank fierce beast was almost impossible.

As they quickly retreated, Bi Linglong's heart was filled with doubt. "How could it be so much more powerful than what the intelligence reports indicated?" she wondered. Her first reaction was to suspect a conspiracy by Prince Qi and the Libationer. However, she suddenly recalled that all the fierce beasts they had encountered on this journey were much stronger than stated in the intelligence reports. This secret realm was not exclusive to academy personnel; their families had also entered it three years ago and generally knew the strength of the beasts. Prince Qi couldn't possibly have the power to elevate so many powerful fierce beasts to a higher rank.

"You want to leave? Can you?" the Flood Dragon in mid-air roared, sending out waves of water that formed a translucent barrier, blocking everyone's path.