Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Dragon King

As expected, a massive figure appeared ahead, descending from thin air. The kindly old man they had seen during the day was now dressed in splendid robes, appearing before them. Behind him, a great dragon throne flew through the air and settled down, and he sat upon it.

“My guests, why must you be so inconsiderate?” the old man asked, clearly displeased. “You insist on intruding into my palace, though you should know the Dragon Palace does not welcome outsiders.”

“Dragon King? So you truly are the legendary Dragon King. But why would you choose to reside here?” Wujue could not help but ask.

At that moment, the old man revealed his true dragon form, stroking his beard and smiling as he replied, “If I don’t hide here, where else could I go? You humans have ravaged the environment everywhere—there is no safe haven left in the lakes or seas. This place, Lake Tai, is already one of the better spots. My brothers either passed away or left for other realms long ago. There are very few dragons left in the human world.”

“So you really are dragons,” An Yi said, now understanding, and interjected, “If that’s the case, then we have something to talk about. I am a princess of the Jiuli Tribe—we have some ancient ties with your kind. Now that the world is in chaos, do you intend to stand by and do nothing?”

Pressed by An Yi, the Dragon King simply smiled and said, “Do you think we could make a difference? Child, tell them what has happened over the past month.”

With his father’s approval, the young member of the water tribe stepped forward and explained.

After the Celestial Executioners invaded Earth, the Dragon King, who had long resided beneath Lake Tai, decided to help some survivors escape the crisis. But the Celestial Executioners’ power was far too great; they even infected many of the fish in the waters, then framed the Dragon King, claiming he coveted the human world and sought revenge.

At first, some humans were welcomed into the Dragon Palace for shelter, but when mysterious deaths began to occur, panic spread among the nearby residents, resulting in fierce conflict. Almost all the humans who had moved there perished, several of the remaining dragons died, and the surviving humans left. This also led to internal strife among the dragons.

The black dragon, second only in rank to the Dragon King of Lake Tai, chose to leave, taking the clan’s strongest warriors with him, their whereabouts unknown. Thus, the dragons and humans were once again estranged.

For the current Dragon King, Wujue and his companions’ intrusion was nothing short of a headache.

“Guests, you must understand that from the moment you arrived, you were not welcome here. It would be best for you to leave soon.”

Upon hearing this, Wujue asked in confusion, “Since you suspect the Celestial Executioners meddled in things, why not explain and investigate properly? Are you willing to let misunderstandings continue? Don’t you see the Celestial Executioners are about to take over the entire earth? We can’t just let them run rampant.”

The young man interjected, “That’s what I thought too, but no one would support us. What could we possibly do alone?”

An Yi countered, “That’s not the right way to look at it. Our Jiuli Tribe chose to stand up and fight, even after years in seclusion. If there are issues, we should clear them up. Besides, there’s even greater trouble ahead.”

“Go ahead, I can see you have a request,” the Dragon King said, his gaze sharp as he scrutinized the pair.

Wujue answered sincerely, “Dragon King, I won’t hide the truth. Our friend has been captured by people from above, and they want us to deal with you. I pretended to agree, but I hope you’ll help us stage a ruse. If we can rescue our friend, I promise the Dragon Palace will not suffer any harm.”

The young man couldn’t help but laugh, “Is this a joke? You want to help them deal with us, but also want our cooperation? I think it’s best if you just leave. You’re not welcome here.”

He moved as if to drive them out, but Wujue quickly said, “Dragon King, please reconsider. My friend is in Boss Ma’s hands—I must rescue her. And aren’t you also wary of Boss Ma, unable to live here in peace? Can’t we find a way to solve this?”

“Solve it? How?” the Dragon King scoffed. “Do you mean to kill Boss Ma? I’ve seen too many people like you—smooth talkers, all righteousness on the outside, schemers behind the scenes. Boss Ma tricked us that way in the first place. Remember, our dragon clan has dignity. We won’t stoop to human ways.”

Wujue looked at his resolute face and said, “I have my own faith. Since the end times began, I’ve even doubted the Buddha I worship. But do you know what I’ve realized today?”

The Dragon King and the young man were both taken aback, waiting for him to continue.

“I’ve realized that worldly affairs do not always follow cause and effect, but Heaven will never bless those who give up easily.”

“In my life, I will never give up.”

Wujue stood unmoving, no matter how the young man tried to drag him away, he could not make him budge an inch.

At last, the Dragon King relented, “Enough, Hai’er, you’ve always wanted to see the outside world—this time, go and experience it. But remember, consult with your father at all times.”

Suddenly, the old Dragon King’s figure floated up and transformed into a divine dragon, vanishing into the depths of the Dragon Palace.

Only Hai’er and Wujue remained, stunned that things had worked out so easily.

“Well, you want our help, and Father has agreed. Tell me, what’s the plan?” Hai’er asked, not too pleased.

Wujue shook his head, still in disbelief that it had worked. In all his travels, he’d never imagined he would deal with the legendary dragon gods.

He took a deep breath and said, “Let’s return to the surface first. We’ll need another friend’s advice to come up with a plan.”

Princess An Yi quipped, “Let’s put that aside for now. How do we get out of here? That’s a tricky problem.”

Hai’er smiled slightly, walked to the palace gates, and turned the door ring. “That’s easy—soon we’ll be back on the surface.”

In an instant, a powerful current swept them out of the Dragon Palace and up to the surface, right where the airship had landed.

Wujue surfaced, took a deep breath, and said, “I never imagined it would be so convenient. This truly amazes a humble monk.”

Hai’er laughed, “Don’t underestimate the Dragon Palace. We keep up with the times. Remember my name—I’m Ao Hai.”

As they went ashore, the three who had been guarding the airship—Xiao Yang and the others—were surprised. “You’re back so soon. How did it go?”

Wujue glanced at Ao Hai beside him and said, “Here we are, with everyone we need. Now we can go see Boss Ma. But everyone should be prepared—he’s a tough opponent and a master of sorcery.”

The group discussed their plan, deciding to bring Ao Hai to Boss Ma, hoping to allay his suspicions and lure him to the lakebed, where they could isolate him completely.