Demon Emperor Redraco summoned one of his underlings, and soon, a blue dragon exited one of the numerous realms. The demon noticed Donghai Longzi staring and smiled. "Surprised? Canglong used to be in the Demon King Realm but fell due to the underhanded assaults from the humans in the Broken Primordial World."
Donghai Longzi broke out of his stupor and nodded. "In the Huang Realm, I hardly saw any true demons, much less any that hold the dragon bloodline. We only just entered, but I saw another true dragon so soon."
Demon Emperor Redraco laughed. "Don't worry, you'll find yourself surrounded by them. If they try to fight you, don't mind them. It's just how we dragons are."
'Overly prideful and incapable of seeing your own faults?' Donghai Longzi internally mocked. The only reason he was shocked was because he had seen Tianyi's memories of his trip to the Broken Primordial World. He had thought Bao Ling had killed Canglong, but that was obviously untrue. Not that Canglong didn't pay the price.
Under Demon Emperor Redraco's orders, Canglong ferried the demons atop the landmass to one of the mid-rank realms. As for Donghai Longzi and San Jiuling, they followed Demon Emperor Redraco to the True Dragon Realm. Demon Emperor Blacktiger returned to the Qilin Realm to rest, and Demon Empress Bluefeather returned to the Phoenix Realm.
Along the way, Demon Emperor Redraco explained the common knowledge of the Divine Beast Psuedo System. The system consisted of hundreds and hundreds of realms, most of which were low-rank realms. Only beasts and demons lived in the myriad realms. Any and all humans that lived in the Divine Beast Pseudo System had long died.
The top three realms were the True Dragon Realm, Phoenix Realm, and Qilin Realm. Each realm was ruled by the clans for which they were named. When scaled beasts became true demons, they would go to the True Dragon Realm. Feathered true demons went to the Phoenix Realm, and furred true demons went to the Qilin Realm.
Among the three demon-rank realms, it was the True Dragon Realm that led the two other clans. The Dragon Clan possessed the largest number of demons and the strongest expert.
Under Demon Emperor Redraco's guidance, Donghai Longzi and San Jiuling entered the True Dragon Realm. The True Dragon Realm was composed of ninety-five percent water, with a few islands and even fewer mountains rising out. The realm was divided into five territories: the East Sea Region, South Sea Region, West Sea Region, North Sea Region, and Central Sea Region.
The Scarletblood Dragon brought both of his passengers into the center of the realm. On the surface, it just seemed like an empty space with nothing but the occasional wave. That remained the same even when they plunged into the icy depths.
As they traveled farther down, the sun's light disappeared, casting them in murky darkness. However, after a certain point, that all changed.
The seafloor, which the light should have never reached, glowed an otherworldly blue, lighting the sea from the bottom. Should anyone stand on it, it would be akin to standing on solid light, but that wasn't all.
An underwater city lay on the glowing ground as far as the eye could see. It stretched for kilometers, and on each path, numerous sea demons roamed. Had they been humanoid, Donghai Longzi would have thought this to be a human city on land.
Still, that wasn't the end of it. At the center of it all was a massive palace sitting atop a rainbow reef, illuminated by myriad lights. In all honesty, it made Leviathan Ancestor's underwater palace in the Demon Cage Realm seem like a shoddy shack in comparison.
All this opulence made the Dragon Clan seem even more prosperous than the Buzhou Immortal Sect. If it already shocked Donghai Longzi to this extent, then San Jiuling's shock didn't need to be mentioned. If it only seemed to be richer than the Buzhou Immortal Sect, then the Dragon Clan was definitely richer than the destroyed Leakless Sect.
Demon Emperor Redraco chuckled at Donghai Longzi's reactions. "No time to be surprised. You'll live in Crystal Palace for now until we can find a territory to give you."
"Give me?" Donghai Longzi asked.
"Of course," Demon Emperor Redraco said. "You're a peak Demon King Realm expert, and you have a high chance of entering the Demon Emperor Realm, considering your age. It's only natural that the Dragon Clan would entrust you with a territory of your own."
"But aren't you afraid of me being a spy or something? I'm from the Huang Realm, and I wasn't born in the Dragon Clan," Donghai Longzi said.
Demon Emperor Redraco laughed. "Of course, we can't completely trust you. We're going to monitor you until then, but everything a Demon King should have will still be given to you. Besides, most of the true dragons in the Dragon Clan aren't born true dragons but rather ascended. Naturally born true dragons are incredibly rare in these times."
"However, there is another matter," Demon Emperor Redraco stared at San Jiuling. Before San Jiuling could react, he reached out and trapped San Jiuling with his claws. Numerous runes appeared and formed a sealing formation that trapped San Jiuling.
"What are you going to do with him?" Donghai Longzi asked.
"Have you made friends?" Demon Emperor Redraco asked.
Donghai Longzi shook his head. "We've only met today, but I have heard of his fame far and wide while I was still roaming the Huang Realm. I can't help but be curious about him."
"Don't worry, he won't die yet. If possible, I want nothing more than to kill him, but he's linked to the next Black Tortoise," Demon Emperor Redraco said.
"The next Black Tortoise?" Donghai Longzi asked.
Demon Emperor Redraco said. "I forgot to tell you, but currently, the Divine Beast Psuedo System is ruled by the four Divine Beasts."
"I know," Donghai Longzi said. "The Divine Beast are the Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise."
"Correct, but what you didn't know is that those have become titles now. As the strongest dragon, I'm currently the Azure Dragon," Demon Emperor Redraco said.
Donghai Longzi stared at Demon Emperor's Redraco's shining scarlet scales, causing him to release an uproarious laugh. "Blacktiger is this generation's White Tiger, Bluefeather is his generation's Vermillion Bird. It's just a title, don't think too deeply about it."
"But the Black Tortoise is different. In the primordial era, Senior Xuanwu's physical defense was unmatched. When the primordial era ended, he survived thanks to his reincarnation spell. Now, he would reincarnate once every few generations, and he would always be born as a pure Black Tortoise. If he had enough time, he could regain the power he had at his peak. Unfortunately, Senior Xuanwu always died before he could reach his prime. During the Divine Beast-Human War, that despicable human who dared take the name of the Dragon Emperor murdered Senior Xuanwu."
'Huh, you actually did something useful for once, Dragon Emperor,' Donghai Longzi thought. "Is it alright to tell me this?"
"It's no big secret. With your current standing, you'll learn it sooner or later," Demon Emperor Redraco said.
Donghai Longzi crossed his arms. "Then Senior Xuanwu is really unlucky. The moment he was born, he was forced into a contract, and now, his life is tied to a human. Since he can reincarnate, why doesn't he just suicide and wait for his next life?"
Demon Emperor Redraco shook his head. "His next life might be even worse."
What he didn't tell Donghai Longzi was that Xuanwu's reincarnation spell was not without a drawback. Each time he reincarnated, his memories would disappear, and so would his comprehension of the worldly law. The more times he reincarnated, the less chance he would have of restoring his peak strength.
After that, Demon Emperor Redraco summoned a maid. It was essentially a fish with an appealing streamlined form and argent scales. The only difference between it and a normal carp was the antlers poking out of its head. "Dragon Lord, please follow me."
Donghai Longzi had to stop himself from shivering. The carp's voice was mesmerizing and pleasant to the ears. If it was on Earth, she could have made a living, or even a business empire, from her voice alone. Still, Donghai Longzi followed the carp.
Although demons were colloquially addressed by their realms, true demon for those in the True Demon Realm, demon king for those in the Demon King Realm, demon emperor for those in the Demon Emperor Realm, and demon sage for those in the Demon Sage Realm, but it was different for dragons. Dragons in the True Demon Realm would be known as true dragons. Those in the Demon King Realm would be titled dragon lords, and dragon king was reserved for Dragons in the Demon Emperor Realm. And only a dragon in the Demon Sage Realm could be titled dragon emperor.
It was part of the reason why the Dragon Clan despised the Dragon Emperor so much. To them, his very existence was a blight against their clan. What made it harder for the Dragon Clan to accept wasn't that the Dragon Emperor died but that he died not by their hands.
While the silver carp maid led Donghai Longzi away, Demon Emperor Redraco entered deep into the Crystal Palace. He crossed numerous levels, going lower and lower until he was before giant gates guarded by two black dragons.
Shockingly, the two dragons were actually in the Demon Emperor Realm. Their auras were weaker than Demon Emperor Redraco but only slightly. If he were to fight the two dragons, he would undoubtedly lose.
Demon Emperor Redraco ignored the two dragons and lowered his head. "Redraco seeks an audience."
Ten minutes passed with no reply and no movement from all parties, making the scene appear as if it had been frozen in time. Finally, an ancient voice replied. "Enter."
Accompanying the voice, the two gates rumbled and opened, revealing a grand throne hall. Sitting at the elevated dais was not a dragon or a demon but a human—at least at first glance. The human was over twenty meters tall, a far cry from a typical human. He wore yellow brocade robes with a crown of stars atop his head.
"Ancestor, I've come to report that Senior Xuanwu has returned to the Divine Beast System," Demon Emperor Redraco said after he entered, and the two gates closed behind him.
The giant sitting on the throne was Perfected Huanglong, one of the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginnings' twelve inner disciples. He was fifth of the Twelve Golden Immortals and the Three Thousand Immortal Realm's first Yellow Dragon.
"En, I know." Perfect Huanglong's voice was low and full of vicissitude, as if he had experienced everything in life.
Demon Emperor Redraco hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth. "Ancestor, the Huang Realm is currently under turmoil. Why don't we use this chance to attack them and take it over as a foothold to wage war with the Numinous Realm? As long as you reveal a hint of your divine might, those humans will kneel in defeat."
"You think too simply," Perfected Huanglong said. "I've only recovered a fraction of my power. True, I can squish an immortal sovereign to death, but I would fall into slumber soon after. You shouldn't underestimate Senior Brother, either. Perhaps all this is just his scheme to conquer the realm."
Demon Emperor Redraco frowned. "Senior Brother, Ancestor?"
Perfected Huanglong stilled. "Look at me, rambling at my age. Heed my orders, don't attack the Huang Realm for now and stay as far away as possible, lest you fall prey to the human's tricks. The True Dragon Clan can ill afford to lose our ranks now. Let the humans squander their resources and experts while we take this chance to recover."
Although unwilling, Demon Emperor Redraco obeyed. "As you command."
Silence descended. Just as Demon Emperor Redraco thought he would be dismissed, Perfected Huanglong asked a question outside his expectations. "That dragonling you brought back from the Huang Realm, tell me about him."
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