Chapter 409: I Am the True Successor of the Dragon Palace!
Chapter 409: I Am the True Heir of the Dragon Palace!
Overseas, Four Seas Sect.
With Tian Qiu's fall, the Eastern Island Dragon Palace was now in utter chaos. Surging monstrous qi nearly drowned the entire palace.
Suo Huan's earlier plight was far from an isolated case.
For years, the overseas regions had suffered under the Dragon Palace's oppression. The True Dragon Clan had scoured every corner for resources, leaving nothing untouched.
Previously, the Dragon Palace remained unshaken only because Tian Qiu, a perfected Foundation Establishment True Dragon, had kept order.
But now, Tian Qiu was dead.
No one could blame them for turning hostile. Besides, the True Dragon Clan's wealth was common knowledge—who wouldn't want to seize this chance for plunder?
At worst, they could flee inland after looting.
After all, the law couldn't punish everyone.
Each person harbored the same delusion: "I'll just take a little. The Dragon Lord might not even care when he returns. Hiding inland should keep me safe."
Spirit treasures, Dao arts, divine abilities—
They crashed upon the Dragon Palace like tidal waves, only to be dissolved by a towering formation that rendered them harmless in an instant.
Meanwhile, figures emerged from the Dragon Palace on beams of light, revealing their true forms—shrimp soldiers, crab generals, True Dragon bloodline descendants, and even a couple of late-stage Foundation Establishment elder dragons. They took charge of the formation, swiftly stabilizing the situation before complete collapse could occur.
"Who dares assault our Dragon Palace!?"
"Seeking death! Aren't you afraid the Dragon Lord will return and settle accounts with each of you?"
"Hold the formation!"
Chaos engulfed the Dragon Palace, while the other three forces of the Four Seas Sect sealed their mountain gates, clearly choosing to turn a blind eye.
"That's the Dragon Palace's grand formation..."
Lü Yang observed from a distance, his expression wary. As expected of a power with a True Lord backing it—no one could breach such a formation.
Naturally, Lü Yang wouldn't openly join the fray. Instead, he took the "secret passage" Suo Huan had mentioned—a secluded island about ten miles from the Dragon Palace, housing a specialized teleportation array that provided backdoor access to the palace interior.
"The Dragon Palace allows such secret passages?"
At Lü Yang's skepticism, Suo Huan smiled calmly. "Senior may not know—this passage was originally for the Dragon Palace's private comings and goings."
"Private comings and goings?" Lü Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed."
Suo Huan explained, "The specifics elude me, but I discovered this was where the Dragon Palace secretly traded with the Dao Court."
Trades with the Dao Court?
Lü Yang stroked his chin, unconcerned about deception. Once bound to the Myriad Spirits Banner, lying undetected was impossible.
Soon, as Lü Yang and Suo Huan stepped into the array, visible runes shimmered around them. The scenery shifted, and in the blink of an eye, they stood inside a secluded palace, with faint cries of battle echoing beyond its walls.
"We're really in!"
Lü Yang grew even more astonished. A secret passage bypassing the Dragon Palace's mountain-protecting formation indicated extreme confidentiality.
Otherwise, amid the current chaos and isolation, such a passage would have been severed by the True Dragon Clan.
Its continued operation proved its obscurity—likely known only to the Dragon Lord and Crown Prince Tian Qiu.
With this realization, Lü Yang waved his hand.
A handsome youth with prominent horns materialized beside him—none other than Tian Qiu, whom outsiders believed dead!
After all, he was a perfected Foundation Establishment True Dragon.
And given Lü Yang's thrifty Saint Sect upbringing, waste was unacceptable. Every resource and talent must be fully utilized—why let him reincarnate when he could become a Banner Spirit?
This was granting him fateful fortune.
"Where is this?"
"A secret hall established by my father." Banner Spirit Tian Qiu explained obediently, "Normally, I handled negotiations here with the Jiangdong Dao Court—"
"Negotiations about what?"
"About the True Dragons joining the Dao Court."
Tian Qiu revealed an earth-shattering secret: "Father always wished to return inland. To that end, he contacted both the Jiangxi Pure Land and Jiangdong Dao Court."
"But the Jiangxi Pure Land was too sinister—even Father avoided speaking of it. So he ultimately chose to cooperate with the Jiangdong Dao Court. The Dao Court permitted our return inland as national guardian totems, allowing us to reclaim control over Jiangdong's waters... but we had to relinquish our destiny as Heaven's nobility..."
Soon, Lü Yang grasped the full picture.
In short, the Tian Wu imperial family of the Dao Court coveted the True Dragon Clan's Heaven-bestowed nobility—their innate destiny to reach Foundation Establishment upon maturity—and sought to claim it for themselves.
Hence their offer to pacify the True Dragon Clan.
Their terms were generous: national guardian totems, shared fate with the dynasty, even a degree of autonomy.
Both sides had reached preliminary agreements.
'A century ago, the Dragon Lord secretly sent a batch of young dragons to the Dao Court to manage water territories—a trial that satisfied both parties.'
But plans often go awry.
'Further cooperation was planned, but after Uncle Chongguang's emergence, True Lords withdrew from the world, leaving these plans abandoned...'
Lü Yang committed this potentially useful intelligence to memory while cloaking himself with a divine ability. Then, with Tian Qiu leading the way, the trio advanced unimpeded into the Dragon Palace's deepest reaches, stopping before a palace shaped like a coiled dragon.
'The Dragon Palace Treasury!'
The entire structure resembled a coiled True Dragon, its entrance a dragon head with closed eyes exuding silent majesty.
"This was also established by Father."
Tian Qiu whispered, "Before this, within the entire True Dragon Clan, only I could enter—because my bloodline was purest, being Father's second son."
"But now..."
Here, Tian Qiu hesitated.
Only living beings who willingly entered the banner retained their former state. Since Lü Yang had killed him before ensnaring him, his bloodline was lost.
"No matter."
Lü Yang smiled easily. Now a True Dragon himself—thanks to the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes' bestowed talent—his bloodline surely matched Tian Qiu's.
With this thought, he stepped before the Dragon Palace Treasury's gate.
Instantly, the dragon-head door trembled. Its closed eyes snapped open, casting radiant light upon Lü Yang.
Then, the dragon head moved.
With a deep rumble, its maw slowly parted, revealing a dazzling trove of treasures within!
"Hiss!"
In that moment, Lü Yang and Suo Huan acted swiftly, expertly concealing all radiance from leaking outward.
'Mine! All mine!'
Only one thought filled Lü Yang's mind:
Take it all! Every last bit!
'The True Dragon Clan has always revered bloodline purity. Now, with the Dragon Lord in seclusion and Tian Qiu dead, by bloodline rights—I should be the Dragon Lord's true heir!'