Stranger Danger

“Are you sure, Pacification King?” Shentu Huang exclaimed in shock.

“Absolutely,” Chu Xunxian declared.

“How did you find out about this, Your Highness?” Qi Yuanyou asked.

“Wait. Is Muyun’s death related to this matter?” Guo Ximian put two and two together.

“That’s right.” Chu Xunxian nodded and proceeded to tell them everything he had heard from Fugong.

Everyone was silent after listening to Chu Xunxian’s statement. They were all wearing stormy expressions on their faces.

“I’ve always known that the dragons of the four seas are dogs who bite the hand that feeds them!” Shentu Huang uttered darkly.

“If they are not of our kin, they are sure to have a different mind.”

Guo Ximian’s eyes were flashing with murder as well. “We should never have allowed these filthy fishes and prawns to exist in the first place.”

“Your Highness, this is no small matter. Do you have concrete evidence?” Qi Yuanyou asked suddenly.

“Is the third crown prince of the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace good enough evidence for you?”

Chu Xunxian opened his palm and revealed Long Ao’s body. His palm looked no different from an ordinary person’s palm, but in their eyes, it seemed as vast and infinite as the world itself. Even considering how big Long Ao’s true body was, he was as small as an ant in his palm.

“If this isn’t enough, I have more!”

Chu Xunxian drew a circle in the air, and the circle turned into an ancient mirror that shone a pillar of light at Long Ao.

A few breaths later, the mirror began playing a scene. They saw White Fish Island before it was blasted into a giant hole in the middle of the sea. They saw Long Ao, the Blood Sovereign, Ink Toad King, Shark General and Madam Mer conspiring with each other. They saw Long Ao standing before a horde of Strangers and chanting, “Kill the humans, elevate the four seas!” They saw Long Ao fighting against Fang Muyun and lording over him in the process…

The more they saw, the graver everyone’s expression became.

“These are all Long Ao’s memories. Is it enough to prove my words?” Chu Xunxian asked.

“This is definitely enough to prove that the dragons of the four seas are conspiring to betray the human race,” Qi Yuanyou nodded.

“From what I see, the Four Seas Dragon Palace isn’t just planning to betray the human race. They are planning to restore the Dragon Sovereign as well. The audacity!”

Heavenly Palace Taoist looked at Chu Xunxian. “Did you find out the Four Seas Dragon Palace’s exact plans from Long Ao’s soul? Do you know how they are planning to rescue the sealed Dragon Sovereign?”

“No, I did not.”

Chu Xunxian shook his head. “There are restrictions in Long Ao’s mind, and I am fairly certain that it had been left behind by that old loach. If I were to break it by force, I am afraid that he would notice it and realize that something has gone terribly amiss.”

“You are very thorough, Your Highness.” Heavenly Palace Taoist nodded approvingly.

“Now that we have confirmation that the Four Seas Dragon Palace is definitely plotting to betray the human race, what are your thoughts?” Chu Xunxian asked.

“Death!”

“Death!”

“Death!”

“Death!”

Everyone answered murderously and without a shred of hesitation whatsoever.

They might all hail from different nations, and to say that they disliked one another might be a massive understatement, but in the face of a threat that endangered all of humanity, they would always stand together as a united front.

“Good!”

Chu Xunxian declared, “The enemy has no idea that we have seen through their ploy. Now is the best time to deal with the Four Seas Dragon Palace.”

“There is no time to waste. Please return to the Four Seas and report to your superiors as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the likelier the chances that something might go awry, so be quick. We must strike the Four Seas Dragon Palace post haste and destroy them before they notice anything.”

“Understood!” Shentu Huang, Qi Yuanyou, Guo Ximian and Heavenly Palace Taoist nodded. When Chu Xunxian withdrew his flag and canceled the seal, they all took off toward the Four Seas at top speed.

“It is time for the dragon race to go extinct.”

After the four men were gone, Chu Xunxian looked at the horizon and muttered, a cold, solemn look flashing in his face. Winter was coming for the dragons.

……

“Long Ao’s presence just disappeared. It looks like they found him.”

On a passenger ship, Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou were sitting at a table and enjoying tea while admiring the window scenery.

“With Chu Xunxian here, Long Ao cannot escape.” Feng Qingyou set down her teacup and remarked smilingly. “Chu Xunxian is unfathomably powerful. He might just be a Trueman, but everyone knows that he could become a Sage anytime he wants to.”

“The only reason he hasn’t is because Chu Xunxian is unwilling to become a Sage via mundane arts. Even with a suppressed cultivation level, he is the equal of an ordinary Sage.”

“If he is that skilled, aren’t you worried that he might notice our machinations?” Ye Qing asked worriedly.

And what machination was he referring to? First, Feng Qingyou had dealt Long Ao another severe blow so that the dragon would not be able to clean up the traces of the battlefield quickly. Then, she wiped away his memory of her and injected a false memory into his mind. Because of this, Long Ao believed that Fang Muyun was behind all of his injuries, and that he was injured so badly that he could not clean up the traces of the battlefield in time. Moreover, they had destroyed any and all Strange Artifacts or items Long Ao could use to send a message back to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, so he could only swim to the Eastern Sea and inform the Eastern Sea Dragon King about this in person.

So, why did they do all this? It was very simple. It was to make it irrefutably clear that the Four Seas Dragon Palace had betrayed the human race.

Neither Chu Xunxian nor Guo Ximian had any reason to believe Fugong was lying, but they were only two people. It was hard for the elites from other nations to believe that the Four Seas Dragon Palace would betray the human race based on his witness statement alone.

After all, the Four Seas Dragon Palace had cautiously and conscientiously managed the four seas for the human race without fail for the past nine hundred years. Both their attitude and work were impeccable. Besides, the Four Seas Dragon Palace was hardly a weak faction, and it was no small or easy matter to launch an assault against them. Finally, this was a huge matter that could potentially destabilize the peace humanity had been enjoying for so long, so it was extremely unlikely that the four nations would launch an assault without performing a thorough investigation first.

It wasn’t groundless fears. The fact was that the four nations would have investigated the matter first if not for their preparations.

This would an international matter involving multiple nations after all. Should the worst comes to worse, there would be war. Of course they were going to give this matter their highest consideration.

This was not the outcome Ye Qing wanted, however. If things went the way they should have, the Four Seas Dragon Palace would have had time to breathe, and they would most likely discover that they had been found and be on their guard. This would go against his desire for the four nations to strike while the Four Seas Dragon Palace were still clueless, quell the aquatic threat, and minimize the amount of casualties as much as possible.

So, how could he help remove the hesitation of the four nations and push them to act decisively? By making it irrefutably clear that the Four Seas Dragon Palace had betrayed them.

If even with a mountain of evidence the emperors of the four nations still hesitated to take action against their enemies, then they did not deserve to be emperors.

So, how could he make it irrefutably clear that the Four Seas Dragon Palace had betrayed the human race? The answer was Long Ao.

Of course, that begged the question of how they could set Long Ao up so he would be caught by his seekers, but without making it look artificial or involving him or Feng Qingyou. This was the plan they had come up with after a long discussion.

Alright, he was lying. The idea and plan were mostly Feng Qingyou. It was also she who had modified Long Ao’s memories.

Although Feng Qingyou assured him again and again that her modifications would not be discovered, and he did believe in her skill and strength, he could not help but feel worried again after listening to her lavishing praises about the Trueman who was supposedly so powerful he could rival an ordinary Sage, Chu Xunxian.

“Don’t worry. All I modified are some unimportant memories. Not even a Sage would be able to detect the discrepancies unless they perform a carpet search on Long Ao’s mind, which they wouldn’t do because it was secured by some pretty powerful restrictions.”

Feng Qingyou declared confidently, “I believe that the Eastern Sea Dragon King is the one who placed those restrictions, and if those restrictions are destroyed, the Eastern Sea Dragon King will surely notice something. If I can figure this out, then Chu Xunxian and the others would notice this as well. That is why I am certain they would not perform a full soul search and risk warning the Four Seas Dragon Palace beforehand.”

“After the assault has begun, and the Four Seas Dragon Palace is destroyed, is there any need to search Long Ao’s soul anymore? I don’t think so. They would most likely just kill him and be done with it.”

“Fine. If you are confident, then all is good.”

Ye Qing asked, “So, when do you think they would act?”

“Tonight. Tonight is their best chance to launch the assault,” Feng Qingyou answered.

“The moon is black, and the wind is strong.”

Ye Qing echoed in agreement. “It is definitely a good time to kill some dragons!”