"To the southwest, a thousand miles from here, there seems to be a dragon's aura piercing the clouds!"
Dongfang Su spoke with a heavy tone, his gaze fixed on the southwest horizon.
"A dragon's aura?" The man in red looked stunned. In the entire Tianwu Dynasty, the only place where a dragon's aura existed was the Imperial Palace. Outside of that, it was supposedly impossible for a second dragon's aura to emerge within the borders of the kingdom.
Dongfang Su’s expression remained grim. As the Emperor of the Tianwu Dynasty, his cultivation was the highest in the entire realm. Moreover, his royal ancestors had once formed a karmic bond with a dragon, earning the protection of the dragon clan throughout the ages. Even now, a juvenile dragon slept within the forbidden grounds of the Imperial Palace, which was the very reason the Palace possessed such an aura.
Yet, the aura Dongfang Su had just sensed was more than ten times more potent than that of the palace. Even a powerhouse of his cultivation felt a tremor deep within his bloodline. It was awe. As an Emperor, Dongfang Su had not felt such awe in many years.
"Guyue, go to the southwest in my stead and investigate the cause of this dragon's aura."
"As you command!"
Guyue, the man in red, acknowledged the order and vanished instantly. Dongfang Su stood alone in the grand hall, his brows knit tight. "My Tianwu Dynasty has been peaceful for many years, yet strange phenomena have been frequent of late. Could it be that we are truly entering an era of chaos?"
Guyue left the capital that very day, heading straight for the southwest. With his profound cultivation as the personal guard to the Martial Emperor, he traveled at full speed and arrived in the vicinity of Fuyun Mountain in just three days.
"Eh?" Guyue glanced at Fuyun Mountain, a look of suspicion crossing his face. "I recall that there were ancient restrictions on this mountain. Why have they vanished?" He immediately suspected that the dragon's aura might have originated from this very mountain. "Time to go up and investigate."
Guyue ascended the mountain immediately. He stopped halfway up when, looking ahead, he saw a young man walking down the path with a dog.
"A mortal?" Guyue’s eyes darted; he sensed no cultivation base whatsoever from the youth. This young man with the dog was none other than Ye Qingyun, coming down from the mountain.
"Hmm? Someone else is coming up?" Ye Qingyun also spotted the red-clad Guyue and felt a spark of curiosity. Recently, he had become quite curious about anyone who climbed his mountain.
Guyue took a single step and instantly appeared before Ye Qingyun. Ye Qingyun was startled and took a few steps back. Damao, the dog beside him, remained calm, lifting its head to stare steadily at Guyue.
Guyue looked the young man up and down, confirming once more that he possessed no cultivation. "This is no place for a mortal like you. Get down the mountain at once," Guyue said coldly. Without waiting for a response, he ignored Ye Qingyun and headed straight for the summit. When Ye Qingyun turned back, the man was already gone.
"What on earth?" Ye Qingyun muttered, confused. He didn't want to get involved, but then a thought struck him—his home was still up there. *Is this guy going to steal my vegetables?* Ye Qingyun was suddenly alarmed. Those were vegetables he had planted one by one with his own hands. Giving them away was one thing, but stealing was another!
"No, I have to go up and see." Ye Qingyun hurried up the mountain, but with no cultivation, he couldn't keep pace with the swift Guyue.
Guyue had already reached the summit and laid eyes on Ye Qingyun’s courtyard. "People actually live here?" He was stunned. The courtyard was humble, filled with strange and curious plants. "These... are these all heavenly treasures?" Guyue was shocked. Much like the three who had visited before him, the sight of a yard filled with heavenly treasures caused his face to change color. As a high-ranking guard of the Imperial Palace, he had seen his share of wonders, but this scene made his heart race.
Suppressing his shock, Guyue went to take a step inside, but a bald rabbit suddenly jumped out. "Such strong demonic energy!" Guyue’s expression darkened, and he grew wary. This was clearly a demon rabbit, and the strength of its energy was enough to threaten him.
"Who are you?" the rabbit asked in a cold, feminine voice.
"I am the personal guard of His Majesty the Martial Emperor. You little Demon Beast, do not be insolent!" Guyue barked.
Normally, a demon beast would recoil upon hearing of the Martial Emperor’s guard, but this bald rabbit was completely unfazed. "This is my master's territory. Leave at once," the rabbit said indifferently.
"Your master?" Guyue was stunned again. He had assumed the rabbit was the master of the place. To think even a demon rabbit of this caliber was merely a subordinate! Who was the master here? Could this be related to the dragon's aura the Emperor had sensed?
Just then, Guyue felt a trace of dragon's aura—it was nearby! He followed the scent and quickly arrived at the backyard pond. "The dragon's aura... it’s coming from here!" Guyue looked at the small pond with suspicion. Why would such a small pool contain a dragon's aura? Was there the remains of a True Dragon hidden inside?
As he pondered, the water in the pond surged violently, and a whirlpool rose toward the sky. Guyue was startled and brought up his own powerful aura to defend against the unexpected. Within the water, a massive, slender figure flickered into view.
"A dragon?" Guyue was horrified. The entity in the water was absolutely a dragon, and one far beyond a mere juvenile—it was a True Dragon!
The water settled as quickly as it had surged. Guyue was still reeling from the shock when footsteps sounded behind him.
"Hey, what’s wrong with you? Why are you running into someone else's house without a word?" Ye Qingyun’s annoyed voice rang out.
Guyue spun around. "You are the master of this place?"
Ye Qingyun curled his lip and walked over to the pond. "Who else?" He glanced at the pond, then back at Guyue. "Are you trying to steal my fish?"
*Steal your fish?* Guyue was speechless. *I don’t want your fish!* This mortal was truly impossible to reason with. *He has no cultivation; he cannot be the master of this place,* Guyue thought, eyeing Ye Qingyun coldly. "Ant-like creature, get lost."
He moved to push Ye Qingyun aside, but a head suddenly emerged from the pond's surface—a dragon's head! Its cold, golden eyes were fixed on Guyue, as if ready to strike should he make any sudden move.
Guyue froze. To his utter terror, he realized that the dragon was looking at Ye Qingyun with the same submissive devotion a pet shows its master.
*Am I dreaming?* Guyue began to doubt reality.
"Dragon... you... a dragon!" Guyue stuttered, pointing behind Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun grew angry. "You’re the one who’s deaf! My hearing is just fine!"
Guyue was frantic. "You... behind you... there’s a dragon!"
Ye Qingyun paused. *A dragon behind me?* He turned around, but all he saw was the gently rippling pond. No dragon, not even a sparrow. He turned back to look at Guyue suspiciously. *Is this guy a lunatic?*
Guyue was baffled. Every time Ye Qingyun turned around, the dragon head sank back into the water, and when he turned back, it emerged again, staring straight at Guyue. Guyue was dumbfounded. *Is this dragon targeting me?* But it seemed deeply in awe of the seemingly mortal man in front of it.
*Wait a moment!* Guyue remembered the words of the demon rabbit. *The master of this place? Could it really be this mortal? But if he is a mortal, how could he make a demon rabbit submit, and how could this dragon be so in awe of him?*
Guyue’s gaze toward Ye Qingyun shifted entirely. *This is no mortal! It is merely that my cultivation is too shallow to see through his true form.* Guyue was certain. This was the only explanation that made sense.
*I just treated such a profound expert with such arrogance—I was courting death!* Guyue felt a cold sweat break out, secretly trembling with fear. Remembering his earlier attitude, he wanted to slap himself.
"This junior had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. I have offended you, Senior! I beg for your forgiveness!" Guyue knelt before Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun felt awkward. *Why is this guy kneeling? It’s not even New Year’s.* "Hey, hey, what’s wrong with you? Are you trying to frame me for something?" Ye Qingyun looked suspicious. *Hmph, I don't buy it.*
Guyue lifted his head, stunned. *'Frame you'? What is that? Is this a piece of cryptic advice from the Senior?* Guyue was filled with even more awe. *A man who can make a True Dragon bow—this is a miracle! How many people in the entire continent can command a dragon?*
"Senior, forgive me! I was too rude earlier!" Guyue kept his head lowered, humbled. Aside from the Martial Emperor Dongfang Su, this was the second person he had ever knelt to.
Ye Qingyun scratched his head. "I'm not any 'Senior.' Get up."
Guyue stood up cautiously.
"So, what did you come here for?" Ye Qingyun asked.
Guyue cupped his hands. "I am Guyue, the personal guard of the Martial Emperor Dongfang Su. His Majesty sensed a dragon's aura rising from this location and sent me to investigate."
Ye Qingyun was taken aback. *The Martial Emperor Dongfang Su? Isn't that the Emperor of the Tianwu Dynasty? This guy was sent by the Emperor?* Ye Qingyun immediately changed his demeanor. "So, you’re an official from the Imperial Palace! I was the one who was rude." He bowed to Guyue, which made Guyue so flustered he nearly knelt again.
Both were so polite they were practically ready to kowtow to one another.
*This reclusive master must be living here to experience the mundane life,* Guyue thought. *That is why he acts like a mortal and denies his status. Since he refuses to admit it, I shouldn't expose him and risk offending him.*
"May I ask your name, brother?" Guyue asked.
Ye Qingyun felt relieved that the "Senior" talk had stopped. "Ye Qingyun."
"What a spirited and elegant name! Truly extraordinary," Guyue praised.
*Ye Qingyun thought: 'This guy must have gotten his job as an Imperial guard just by sucking up to people. He’s making a fuss over just a name.'*
"And how about you?" Ye Qingyun asked.
"I am Guyue. His Majesty gave me the name."
"Now that’s a cool name," Ye Qingyun smiled.
*Cool?* Guyue was baffled. *What kind of expert vocabulary is that?*
"You said earlier there was a dragon in my pond? Is that true or false?"
Guyue was about to say "true," but the dragon head emerged from the water, fixing him with a warning glare. Guyue swallowed his words. "No, no, I must have seen it wrong."
Ye Qingyun sighed in relief. "I told you. The pond is so small, let alone a dragon, it’s hard enough to keep fish in there."
"I must return to report to His Majesty. Farewell!"
"Won't you stay for a meal?"
"I cannot, I have imperial orders to fulfill."
"Alright then, I won't see you out."
"Please, stay, brother."
Guyue left in a hurry, eager to tell Dongfang Su what he had seen. When he returned to the palace, Dongfang Su, having sensed his arrival, immediately summoned him.
"How was it?" Dongfang Su asked impatiently.
Guyue knelt. "Your Majesty, there truly is a dragon on Fuyun Mountain in the southwest!"
"What?" Dongfang Su stood up, shocked, followed by a surge of ecstasy. A dragon in his own territory! What did this mean? Could he potentially claim this dragon? "What kind of dragon? A river dragon?"
"Not a river dragon. I saw it clearly—it is a True Dragon!"
Dongfang Su gasped, choking slightly in his excitement. "Are you certain?"
"I am! I saw it more than once. It is definitely a True Dragon!"
Dongfang Su trembled with excitement. "A True Dragon born in my Tianwu Dynasty? Is this the blessing of our ancestors? I must see it myself!"
"Your Majesty," Guyue interjected, "there is a reclusive expert living on that mountain. The dragon appears to be kept by him."
Dongfang Su froze. "What did you say? That’s impossible! Who could keep a True Dragon?"
Guyue replied bitterly, "Your Majesty, I saw it with my own eyes. The expert is unfathomable, and the dragon was terrified of him. If I hadn't been quick on my feet, I doubt I would have returned to see you."
Dongfang Su slumped back onto his dragon throne, his face filled with shock. An expert living in his own lands who could tame a True Dragon? Dongfang Su himself was powerful and kept a river dragon in the palace, but even he had to be respectful to it, not daring to show the slightest disrespect. To hear that someone could make a True Dragon submit left him in utter disbelief.
"Guyue, have you been put under an illusion?"
Guyue smiled bitterly. "Your Majesty, the man is right there on Fuyun Mountain. If you don't believe me, you can go see for yourself in a few days."
"Why wait a few days?" Dongfang Su frowned.
"Your Majesty, reclusive experts value their peace and quiet. I have already disturbed him once. If you go too soon, it might cause him offense."
Dongfang Su nodded. "You have a point. Experts dislike being disturbed. Fine, I will go to Fuyun Mountain myself in half a month."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
...
Half a month later, at the Diantian Mountain—the highest peak in the Tianwu Dynasty and the site of the Tri-Sect Martial Competition. The Xuanjian Sect, the Jiuling Sect, and the Taihao Sect had gathered for the event. In the sky, three figures were engaged in a fierce battle.
Below, the disciples watched anxiously. These three were the leaders of their respective sects. They had been fighting for the better part of an incense stick's time, yet no winner had emerged.
Just as the crowd expected the battle to continue, all three landed on the ground simultaneously. One of them was Xu Changfeng.
"Sect Master Xu’s cultivation is profound. I, Chen, admit defeat," said an elderly man in purple robes, cupping his hands with a look of helpless resignation.
Another elderly man in white also bowed. "I, Gongsun Yue, thought I could best both of you, but it seems Sect Master Xu is the better man."
The two men were Gongsun Yue of the Jiuling Sect and Chen Gongwang of the Taihao Sect, both renowned figures in the Tianwu Dynasty. Today, however, both had lost to Xu Changfeng.
Xu Changfeng wore a smile of triumphant satisfaction. "My friends, you are too kind." He bowed in return.