Chapter 820: Likes Fat or Lean?

Upon witnessing this, the Crown Prince, who was eating a melon far from the pond, gaped wide, not even noticing the melon in his hand had fallen to the ground.

"I can't see anything," he said, bewildered. "Should we get closer?"

Gao Ying and Pei You quickly stopped him. "Your Highness, absolutely not!" they urged. "It's incredibly dangerous in there right now; you must not go near it."

Just a moment ago, they had witnessed the form and imposing presence of the Azure Moon Dragon as it emerged. Both were unusually perceptive and realized something had changed even faster than Zhao Xi and the others. The seventh-grade target had become a ninth-grade one. How could they possibly deal with this now?

"Quickly, get the Crown Prince far away from here," Pei You urged, "lest he encounter danger later."

He knew very well that once a ninth-grade fierce beast appeared, this mission was doomed to fail. Those inside were likely to meet a terrible end, and staying here would only lead to certain death.

Pu Duandiao and the others immediately grew anxious. "The Crown Princess and Master Zu are still inside!" they exclaimed. "How can we abandon them?"

Gao Ying sighed. "Everyone, don't act rashly. The dragon inside is now a ninth-grade fierce beast. Even if we join them, it would just be sending ourselves to our deaths. Our immediate priority is to ensure the Crown Prince's safety. Once we exit the secret realm, we can report the situation inside to the Emperor, ensuring the Crown Prince isn't deemed to have failed the mission. If they can hold out long enough, we might even be able to call for reinforcements to rescue them."

"Just a few days ago, Brother Zu saved both your lives," Jiao Sigun said indignantly. "And the Crown Princess has shown immense kindness to both your families. Your actions are far too heartless and disloyal."

Gao Ying's face flushed. "Do you think we want to be villains like this? My uncle's beloved son, Liu Xian, is also inside. I failed to protect him, and when I return, the Liu family will surely not tolerate me. But I'm well aware that even if we go, it would just be sending ourselves to our deaths. Going for reinforcements, however, offers a slim chance of survival."

Although he said this, he knew in his heart how formidable a ninth-grade fierce beast was. Even if Zu An was incredibly powerful and supported by masters from various families, they could at most hold out for one or two days.

Yet, it had taken them nearly ten days to travel from the secret realm's entrance to this location. It was simply impossible for them to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

However, he was a rational person and understood that in this situation, making the most reasonable choice was paramount.

Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun could only look at the Crown Prince for help. "Should we save the Crown Princess, Your Royal Highness? Please give your command."

Here, they played a trick, not mentioning saving Zu An, but instead using Bi Linglong's name. After all, the Crown Prince had been deeply cared for by the Crown Princess over the years, and he was very fond of her on a daily basis.

The plump Crown Prince pondered for a long time, then asked, "Does that dragon eat people?"

Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun had not expected him to ask such a question after so long, but they dared not conceal the truth. "Yes, it does," they replied.

"Does it prefer to eat fat people or thin ones?" the Crown Prince continued to ask.

Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun looked bewildered. How would they know its preferences?

Gao Ying instantly understood what he meant and quickly replied, "Fierce beasts prefer to eat those with more fat and higher calories, so the Azure Moon Dragon most likely prefers fatter prey."

The fat on the Crown Prince's face trembled. He scrambled to his feet in a panic. "I'm not looking anymore!" he cried. "Let's go back to the palace, quickly, back to the palace!"

With that, he scurried back the way they came, and the other Eastern Palace guards quickly followed.

Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun's faces alternated between green and white. In the end, they dared not defy the command and could only follow.

Pei You said to the two, "Master Zu is incredibly powerful. Perhaps a miracle will happen, so you don't have to completely despair."

"Crocodile tears," Pu Duandiao sneered, not accepting his comfort.

Jiao Sigun also echoed, "Hypocrite!"

Pei You's face was grim. Grasping his sword, he turned and walked towards the pond.

Gao Ying was startled. "What are you doing?"

"I owe Master Zu a life," Pei You said calmly, "and naturally, I must repay it."

Gao Ying's expression flickered, but he still pulled him back. "I also owe Master Zu a life, but this is not the time to act on impulse. The path we took to get here was full of dangers. With just these people, they might not be able to ensure the Crown Prince's safety. Therefore, we have a duty and responsibility to escort the Crown Prince out safely."

Seeing that Pei You remained unmoved, he had no choice but to say, "If something happens to the Crown Prince, our respective families will face eternal damnation."

If something happened to the Crown Prince and King Qi ascended the throne, the fate of their families, who belonged to the Crown Prince's faction, was clear to imagine.

Pei You's expression finally changed. He could repay Zu An with his own life, but he couldn't repay him with the lives of his entire family.

He took a deep look at the distant water curtain, then resolutely turned and left, protecting the Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, inside the water curtain, everyone fled in a panic.

The water curtain appeared transparent and fragile, yet Zhao Xi, who was running the fastest, crashed into it and was immediately bounced back.

"Ouch!" Zhao Xi cried out in alarm. The impact caused his qi and blood to churn violently throughout his body, and he almost spat out blood.

Not believing his eyes, he quickly channeled all his cultivation into his weapon and slashed at the water curtain. Unfortunately, he only felt his strength dissipate as if hitting a ball of cotton. The water curtain had a strange force that neutralized his attack.

The others, also disbelieving, similarly charged at the water curtain blocking their path. Unfortunately, the water curtain shimmered with light and completely ignored their attacks.

"It's over!" Meng Pan said in despair, his face even paler than usual.

Trapped here by a ninth-grade fierce beast, their group was certainly doomed.

He was not the only one in despair. Countless faces were ashen. Just a second ago, everyone had been in high spirits, but the next, they had turned from hunters into prey.

"Haha, you timid, despicable humans! You are such bullies who fear the strong and prey on the weak. It's truly delightful to watch your ugly displays." The Azure Moon Dragon in mid-air was not in a hurry to attack. Instead, it mockingly watched the people inside the water curtain, as if the more terrified they were, the more it enjoyed itself.

Zu An couldn't help but inwardly grumble: Had this Azure Moon Dragon been abused by humans when it was weaker? Otherwise, where would such strong resentment come from?

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. This secret realm was the academy's private reserve, and students were often sent here for training.

For a creature like the Azure Moon Dragon, if it were seventh-grade, it would be neither too high nor too low in power, perfectly suitable for many to practice against.

The Imperial family had first thought of it when setting the Crown Prince's grand examination task, clearly indicating they were very familiar with it and had arranged it this way knowing it wasn't an extremely dangerous task.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. It seemed the creature had indeed been quite tormented in the secret realm over the years.

Speaking of which, if the Imperial family said it was seventh-grade, that should be correct. So why had its cultivation level increased so much in such a short time?

At this moment, Bi Linglong, who was nearby, said loudly, "Everyone, don't panic. We are well-prepared for this journey. Since things have come to this, let's prepare to fight. There might still be a slim chance of survival!"

Zu An secretly admired her. Among so many men present, the calmest one was a woman.

Zhao Xi and the others inwardly groaned. They were indeed prepared, but their preparations were for a seventh-grade Azure Moon Dragon, not the ninth-grade one before them.

However, they were, after all, elites from various families, and they knew that at this point, they could only fight with all their might.

A group of people quickly gathered around Bi Linglong, forming a battle formation. Then, many crossbow bolts were shot directly at the dragon in the air.

These crossbow bolts were not ordinary arrows; they were armor-piercing bolts enhanced with magic arrays, powerful enough to break through the armor of a seventh-grade fierce beast.

Unfortunately, this time they faced a ninth-grade fierce beast. When the crossbow bolts struck it, they only made clanging sounds, at most leaving a shallow white mark on its armor. They couldn't harm it at all.

Nevertheless, it was enraged. "A bunch of ants, daring to offend this king!" it roared.

It roared, then spat out four water orbs from its mouth.

The shining water orbs rapidly fell to the ground. Then, everyone finally saw clearly: each water orb seemed to encapsulate a fierce beast. However, the expression on each one's face was filled with pain and resentment.

"Golden Brute Ox, Ice Giant Bear, Razorback Boar, Heaven-Questioning Thunder Tiger!" Bi Linglong's face drastically changed. "These are all seventh-grade fierce beasts it devoured, and then refined their souls into its own water-element puppets. These puppets retain most of their strength from when they were alive. Everyone, be careful!"

For this encounter with the Azure Moon Dragon, she had naturally studied its abilities. She had originally expected to only deal with some sixth-grade puppets, but unexpectedly, they had all turned into seventh-grade ones. The difficulty had increased exponentially.