Volume 7 Chapter 53 Return of the Dragon God

  "Father, no problem, I will definitely try my best to complete the task. Do you know roughly where it is?"

  "The Beast King smiled and said, 'Child, remember that even if the task is not completed, it's okay. You must return safely, the beastman tribe cannot be without you, understand? According to the scout, this five-colored rainbow appeared near a place called White Smoke Mountain in the Dragon God Empire's imperial capital.'"

  "Baiyan Mountain?" A familiar name, a flash of insight in my mind, wasn't that the place where I first closed my doors to cultivate and broke through the third layer of Tianmo's decision to reach the Two-Winged Fallen Angel realm? Or was it the location that Master Zhuang told me about. "Alright, don't worry, when is a good time for me to set off?"

  "The Beast Emperor said calmly: 'As soon as possible. Do you need anyone to assist you?'"

  I shook my head and said, "I'll go myself, Father Emperor. During this time I'm away, can you please take care of things at home for me?"

  The Beast King smiled and nodded: "I know that last time Lei Hu went to your place to make trouble, but I want to give your father a face, so I can't get involved. You go ahead and take care of it, you have me at home. Don't you need those two sworn brothers to go with you? They are very strong helpers."

  I shook my head and said, "No need to, they're all in seclusion practicing now, I don't want to disturb them. And their image isn't suitable for executing tasks with me either." If it was just going to the Dragon God to play around, bringing them along wouldn't be a big deal, but I have so many things to do, and with Jin Yin's personality, who knows what kind of trouble they'd stir up? It's better to let them practice at home.

  "Alright then, when are you leaving?"

  "I hesitated for a moment and said: 'Tomorrow morning, I'll leave at dawn. Now I'll go back and pack up. Do you have any other instructions?'"

  The Beast Emperor nodded in satisfaction, saying: "There is only one thing, you must pay attention to safety and come back safely. My beastman's million-strong army still needs your command. Before you leave, go to the Minister of Finance to withdraw the money you need. Prepare more, sometimes it's better to use money instead of force. After all, this is the territory of the Dragon God, be careful with everything. Your father emperor is waiting for your good news."

  "Yes, Your Majesty, I will take my leave first."

  "En, tomorrow when I leave, don't come to see me off, ah, right, here, take this." The Beast Emperor picked up a small package wrapped in brocade from the table and handed it to me.

  I took it over and asked in surprise: "What is this? I can't accept it."

  "The Beast Emperor said: 'You, the Commander-in-Chief, don't even want your own seal of authority?'"

  I opened the brocade and found a seal carved out of jade, with an adorable little lion engraved on it, and four characters below - "General Commander's Seal". The entire seal was exquisitely crafted from a single piece of jade, and it seemed to emanate a faint white glow that flowed slowly. Since it was mine, I no longer hesitated, tucked it into my bosom, and said: "Your son bids farewell."

  "The Beast Emperor said: 'When necessary, as long as you show the seal of authority, my beastman army can be at your command.'"

  Returning to the palace, I went straight to find my mother, who was practicing magic with Bai Jian.

  "Mom, I'm back."

  Mother stopped practicing and asked: "What did Beast Emperor find you for?"

  "Mom, I may have to leave your side again for a while. This time I'm going to the Dragon God Empire to complete a task. The journey will probably take some time."

  "Are you going to Longshen? What for?"

  I smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, I absolutely won't do anything to harm the Dragon God Empire. This time, I'm only going because some strange things have appeared in the Dragon God Realm, and the Beast Emperor asked me to investigate. Who would have thought that I have a human face? Besides, I also have some personal matters to take care of. Mother, please stay at home and rest well, when I come back, I'll try again to ask the Beast Emperor for permission to leave. Alright?"

  My mother heard that I wasn't going to Longshen to cause trouble and visibly let out a sigh of relief, after all, that was her hometown. "Are you going alone?"

  I nodded and said, "Big Brother and Second Brother are both in seclusion, I don't want to disturb them. Besides, it's not convenient for them to go, their appearance is such that even if they wanted to disguise themselves, there's no way to do so. It's better for me to go alone. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

  "Mother nodded and said: 'How long will you be gone?'"

  I shook my head and said, "I don't know either. The destination of this trip is not close, and the situation over there is still unclear. I'm afraid it will take a considerable amount of time. Mom, you must take care of your body when I'm not around. I've already spoken to the Beast King, he'll send more people to protect the palace."

  "Go with peace of mind, don't worry about home, go early and come back early, be sure to pay attention to safety."

  I nodded to my mother while looking at Bai Jian beside me. After learning Dou Qi and magic with Mother, her complexion looked much better than before, her small face was rosy, I bowed to her and said: "Sister Jian, in the days when I'm not around, you'll have to take care of Mother for me. If Big Brother and the others wake up, let them wait at home for me, tell them I've gone on a mission."

  Bai Jian nodded and said lightly: "I know. I will take good care of Mother."

  I forced a smile and said, "Thank you." Turning to my mother, I said, "Mom, then I'll go back and pack my things. We'll set off early tomorrow morning."

  "Wow, you're in such a hurry! Alright then, let Jian'er help you pack. You boys are always so careless, once you leave, you'll forget this and that."

  I took a glance at White Sword and shook my head, saying: "No need to bother, I can handle it myself. Every time I go out, I don't bring much anyway, just taking two pieces of clothing with me is enough."

  "Xiang'er, don't be disobedient, listen to me. Jian'er, go help him pack up, don't miss anything. Mom will make some delicious food for you both, let's consider it a farewell dinner for Xiang'er."

  His mother had already said so much that he couldn't refute it anymore. Seeing that Bai Jian didn't seem to mind, he nodded in agreement.

  Bai Jian followed me into my room, I've always been a sloppy person, and since I've been cultivating, I forbade the servants from disturbing me, so the room was very messy. I awkwardly said: "You sit, I'll just tidy up a bit." I gathered the scattered clothes on the floor, took out a few spare clothes from the closet, and simply wrapped them in cloth.

  Bai Jian walked over and said in a low voice, "Let me help you."

  I shook my head and said, "No need, actually, I don't care if I take anything or not. The more things you bring, the more troublesome it is."

  Bai Jian helped me fold clothes while casually saying, "Is it dangerous for you to go out this time?"

  I smiled wryly and said, "When have I ever gone out without it being dangerous? I'm used to it, doesn't matter, but don't tell mom, I don't want her to worry."

  "En, safety is more important, be careful a bit. How are you going to deal with that thing you mentioned last time?"

  I took a glance at her, and there was no expression on her profile. I sighed and said, "I've thought it through, I'll go find that girl I hurt. Although I don't know what she's thinking now, I'll do my best to do what I should."

  "Bai Jian stopped what he was doing and looked at me, saying: 'What about the person you like?'"

  "I said dejectedly, 'What else can I do? I can only go and ask for their forgiveness. If they don't forgive me, then I'll just have to leave. With their conditions, they're sure to find someone better than me. Who made the mistake? Now, I really don't care if they forgive me or not. This kind of thing is unacceptable no matter who it is.'"

  Bai Jian's eyes flashed with a hint of sympathy, and he said in a low voice: "Actually, with your current achievements, having three wives and four concubines is also very normal."

  I shook my head and said, "Originally, I only wanted to have one lover, but sometimes things aren't under my control. To be honest, the people I like are a pair of sisters, and up until now, I still don't know how they'll accept me. Now, I've become somewhat disenchanted with these matters. Why do emotional affairs have to be so difficult for me?" As I spoke, I felt a wave of despair wash over my entire body, as if all my strength had been drained away. I plopped down into the chair, my breathing becoming slightly rapid.

  Bai Jian said: "What should be faced will still have to be faced, escaping is not a solution. Maybe things aren't as bad as you imagine."

  I sighed and said, "I simply can't think of anything good, who would want their man to be a beast? And now I feel like I'm one of them, otherwise I wouldn't have done that. I don't ask for their forgiveness, just hope they'll live better in the future. That's all I need. There's nothing else to do here, go help mom, she's not young anymore, it's hard for her to cook alone. I want to be alone for a while."

  Bai Jian tied up the package and said, "Then I'll go first."

  I nodded and watched as White Sword walked out, a strange sense of frustration welling up inside me. I really wanted to find somewhere to vent the pain in my heart, but I didn't know how. My chest felt constricted, like I couldn't breathe. I truly loved Zi Xue and Zi Yan, but I also knew they would never forgive me so easily.

  …………

  At dawn, I carried my luggage and quietly set out on the road alone. As I walked, I didn't disturb anyone, not wanting my mother to experience another painful farewell, a scene I didn't want to see. Without Hei Long, I could only walk by myself. I understood that Beast Emperor didn't have much hope for this action of mine; after all, it was the territory of the Dragon God Empire. For me, this wasn't even considered a mission, but just an opportunity to clear my mind. Silently, I walked, carrying a heart full of fatigue.

  I decided to go find Ziyan and Zixue first to clear things up, then I'll go find that so-called Wǔ Cǎi Xiǎo Guāng. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in the mood to do anything for anyone. After leaving the Imperial City, I headed towards the Dragon God's direction with ease, as my human face is quite famous among the beastmen, so I wore a bamboo hat again. On both sides of the official road, there were all sorts of lush green plants, looking like they're about to have a bumper harvest. Seeing this made me feel a bit more at ease, after all, it's my own idea.

  Unlike the last time I went to Longshen, this time I didn't encounter a group of thieves. All the beastmen seemed to have reformed, it seems that the Beast Emperor's order was indeed very powerful. I believe that without thieves, the Beastman Kingdom will surely prosper.

  The fort of Stru lay quietly like a dormant dragon, the smoke of war that once filled the air in front of it was gone, replaced by an eerie silence. The ground within tens of kilometers in front of the fort was barren and lifeless, likely due to the prolonged warfare. I had returned once again, but how was I supposed to enter the fort? Perhaps Riva was here accompanying his father in guarding the fort. His beloved Zixuan had become the one I loved, but I couldn't reveal my identity carelessly. After all, at Longshen, I was still a student of Tiandu College, although my enrollment was probably already revoked.

  To avoid unnecessary trouble, I decided to sneak into Stru City. In the long wait, night finally fell, and I sat cross-legged on the ground, stirring up the dark magic within my body, exercising my six senses to the limit, listening to the movements around me. After confirming that there were no living creatures, I stood up.

  I took off the package, took off my shirt and stuffed it in, my sneaking method was very simple, relying on the fallen angel's wings to fly in. Although I can already use wind magic to fly, but that really consumes too much magical power, I couldn't guarantee whether my energy could support me flying into the safe zone. Moreover, above Struwel Fortress, there are dragon knights patrolling, wanting to avoid them requires having a speed exceeding theirs, which is something wind magic cannot achieve. Therefore, I chose transformation, this was also my first attempt at transforming after reaching the seventh layer of Tianmo Jue.

  I focused my mind and chanted, "Darkness condenses the soul, falling is freedom, awaken, endless magic in my blood." After finishing the incantation, I felt my entire body's blood rapidly boiling up, a chill at the center of my brows, and an explosion in my brain. The surroundings seemed to have changed, countless dark elements that seemed visible crazily gathered towards me, entering my body through my pores, merging into my rapidly circulating dark magic. A brand new feeling swept over me. My forehead suddenly felt cold, I subconsciously tilted my head back, the chill spreading from my head to my toes, my hair began to change color. The dark magic within me had condensed due to excessive absorption, now forming a ** shape inside me, numerous winding rivers flowing through my meridians. Suddenly, a strong tearing sensation came from behind my back, my entire skeleton crackling loudly, much more painful than the first time I transformed into a two-winged fallen angel. My whole body seemed to be torn apart by powerful dark magic, a large purple six-pointed star quietly appeared under my feet. I couldn't help but let out a long howl, "Ah——" Four larger wings gradually emerged from my body, more dark elements gathering towards me from the new black wings, filling my body. Thick black fog enveloped me, then slowly merged into my body, it was a very strange feeling, as if I had become another person, an incredibly powerful demon god.

  Finally, everything gradually calmed down, the dark fog disappeared, and my originally bronze-colored skin turned exceptionally pale. A faint glow flowed continuously under my skin. If not for my black hair, eyes, and wings, I might have thought I had become a beautifully carved jade statue. I knew that I had successfully transformed into a four-winged fallen angel. The world became clear at this moment, and I could easily see and hear very far away.

  …………

  In the commander's headquarters of Stru Fortress, Rivoldragon, who was studying a map, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as he sensed an intense dark aura. He muttered to himself, "What a strong dark presence... Could it be that the Demon Clan has come to launch a sneak attack?" At this thought, he broke out in cold sweat and shouted, "Enter!"

  "Marshal, what are your orders."

  "Assemble all dragon knights immediately and patrol outside the city to see if there's anything unusual."

  "Yes, Marshal."

  The guards retreated, and Riviere let out a sigh, saying: "I hope I'm just being too sensitive, it's only been a few days since things calmed down, I don't want to fight again."

  After a moment, a clear voice rang out, "Commander, what's going on? You're gathering everyone." The handsome Riv walked in wearing a suit of silver armor.

  Liu Wo looked at his proud son, a smile on his face, and said: "I just felt a strong dark aura, so I let you go out to patrol and see if there's anything unusual."

  Riva smiled and said: "Father, aren't you being too cautious? The demon clan just finished fighting with the beastmen a few days ago, where do they have the strength to attack us?"

  "Be careful, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. When I tell you to go, just go, don't make so much unnecessary talk. You need to learn more about being cautious and prudent, as a commander, strategy and tactics are important, but being careful is also an essential quality that cannot be lacking, do you understand?"

  Riva put away his smile and replied seriously: "Yes, Commander. I'll go right now."

  "Alright, be careful, if there's anything unusual, report back to the fort immediately with a signal."

  "Got it."

  …………

  After transforming, my sixth sense has increased dramatically, and everything within a hundred meters is clearly visible. With every move I make, a dark energy flows through me, and the liquid dark magic inside my body is actively mobilized with each action. I spread out my newly grown wings, which have beautiful black feathers that are larger and more lustrous than before. With a light flick, they emit a clear ringing sound. A satisfied smile appears on my face as I raise my hand to absorb the Ink Shadow and the package into my palm. With just a thought, my body has already floated into the air. At this point, even if Rivio were to come in person, he wouldn't necessarily be my match without the help of the divine dragon.

  I gently flapped my wings, and my body soared straight up into the high sky. At this moment, I saw dozens of light shadows rushing out from Stru Fortress. Upon closer inspection, they were actually dozens of dragon knights riding dragons of various colors. Why did so many dragon knights suddenly appear? Were they all on patrol?

  That group of dragon knights stopped in mid-air for a moment, then suddenly dispersed and slowly moved towards the outside of the fortress. I was shocked in my heart, although the night color protected me, they were searching in a dragnet style, and it was inevitable that I would be discovered. Moreover, the divine dragon is extremely sensitive to dark auras. What bad luck, do I have to rush over? Forget it, although I'm not afraid of them with four wings, after all, they have more people and are stronger, so it's better not to look for trouble. Thinking of this, my body floated backwards, moving with their movement, always keeping a distance that they couldn't discover me. I want to see how long their search will last. Now I'm not worried about my dark magic being depleted at all, the continuous intake of dark elements is more than what I consume, and it can fully support my long-term flight. This is great, in the future, I won't have to walk anymore, flying like this is much faster than riding a black dragon.

  The dragon knight's patrol lasted for a full hour, covering an area of thirty miles in front of the Stru fortress. They were indeed meticulous and wouldn't be conducting such thorough searches every day, or else they would be exhausted.

  As I watched the dragon knights retreat, I quietly followed them until they all entered the fortress. I gradually approached, flying higher to avoid detection. Although the high-altitude air was thin and cold, it had little effect on me. I carefully wrapped my body in a black mist and slowly floated past. I didn't dare enter the city, instead flying directly over Stru Fortress. The cool night air invigorated my spirit, and I urged my body forward, flying towards the Dragon God Imperial City. Forests and villages rapidly fell behind me, and I felt myself in an unprecedented state of power. I knew that I had taken a big step closer to becoming an unparalleled strongman, but this powerful strength came from despicable rape.

  Like this, I rested during the day and flew at night, using only five days to arrive in the imperial capital. The closer I got here, the heavier my mood became, because I was about to face the person I least wanted to face - my beloved Zi family sisters.

  Entering the imperial capital, everything is still the same. The streets are still bustling with people, and the prosperity of Longshen is something that the demon tribe and beastman tribe can't compare to. I have to admit this, but right now I don't have the mood to appreciate these things.

  I found an inn to stay in, locked myself in the room and thought about what I would say to Zixue and Ziyuan. Three days passed like this, but I still couldn't think of a foolproof plan. No matter how I explained it, it was all in vain. Forget it, I gritted my teeth and decided to sneak into the duke's mansion tonight. What's meant to be will be, the longer I drag this out, the weaker my resolve will become. My loved ones, what will you do to me?

  It's another night, the moon in the sky is half bright and half dim. I put on my night-traveling clothes, tied Mo Ming behind me, and quietly left the inn. Familiar with the road, I arrived at the Duke's mansion. I feel my heart beating faster and faster, my beloved and I are now only separated by a wall.

  I accelerated the dark magic to keep myself in top condition, with my feet on the ground, I climbed up the courtyard wall. The defense of the Duke's mansion was still tight, but it had no effect on me. I moved carefully and came to Yanzhi's room first. Seeing the elegant decorations in front of the door, a strong tenderness surged in my heart.

  Ziyan's room was dark, she wouldn't be asleep so early, would she? I looked around and saw no one, then quietly floated down to the courtyard without making a sound. As I walked up to Ziyan's door, I was shocked to find that it was locked. Even if she wasn't in her room, the door shouldn't be locked, this is her own home, locking the door is unnecessary. With a nervous heart, I went around to Zixue's residence not far away, and found the same situation, the house door was also locked. Had they moved? That can't be right, as a duke, there's no reason for them to move so casually. Moreover, with so many guards in the mansion, only the duke would have such defensive measures.

  What have the sisters gone to do? I'm no longer afraid of seeing them, but instead, I miss them even more. The strong nostalgia drove me to the duke's house, where the defense is even stricter, and I couldn't land in the courtyard, so I quietly crouched on the roof.

  I carefully lifted a piece of glass tile, and a beam of light suddenly shone through the gap between the tiles. I stole a glance and saw the duke sitting there, sipping tea with relish, while the duchess sat beside him.

  I pricked up my ears and heard the duchess say: "Sir, you seem to be in a good mood today."

  The duke nodded and said, "Yes, recently the situation at home has been good, my mood is naturally better. Our scouts reported that the demons and beasts have indeed clashed, both sides suffered significant losses. Now we can enjoy a few more peaceful days. In my opinion, there won't be any major battles in the next 5 years. I'm delighted, of course. Even His Majesty's recent mood hasn't been bad."

  The duchess obviously wasn't very interested in these matters, and didn't ask why they hadn't taken the opportunity to attack the demons and beasts. Instead, she just said: "It's good that it's like this, I'm most afraid of war. Last time, our eldest daughter went onto the battlefield and scared me to death. Fortunately, she came back safely. That's how I am with my daughters - if anything happens to them, I..."

  "The duke frowned and said, 'Don't say such unlucky words.'"

  The duchess hastily covered her mouth, it seemed that she still had a lot of respect for her husband. I looked at the duke carefully and felt a strange feeling in my heart. What would this Lin Feng, who made his mother miss him so much, look like when he was young?

  "Sir, can you promise me that from now on, you won't let our daughters participate in the war again? I'm really scared."

  The duke nodded slightly impatiently and said, "I know."

  The duchess said: "Ziyan is 20 years old this year, and Zixue will be one soon. Shouldn't you find them a husband's family? If girls are too old, it's not good for marriage."

  The duke glanced at the duchess and sneered, "Will my daughter not be married off? Not to mention our illustrious family background, just their beauty alone has already made them the object of pursuit for all the young nobles in the city. It's just that they themselves don't want to, what is there to worry about?" Hearing him say this, I let out a sigh of relief, it seems that Zixue and the others have indeed been waiting for me all along.

  The duchess sighed: "Since last time Ziyan came back and said that Leixiang's whereabouts were unknown, this little girl Zixue has been absent-minded all the time. I'm afraid she won't accept anyone else in the future, and Ziyan makes me even more worried. That child Liva is obviously very good, but she just looks down on others, especially since she came back from the front line. Liva had approached her twice, and each time she sent him away. I really don't know what kind of person she wants to find."

  The Duke said, "Lei Xiang is indeed a good kid, no wonder Zi Xue is like that. If he really died on the battlefield, it would be a pity. But according to my observation, the kid doesn't have a short life span. Why hasn't there been any news for so long? The people I sent to find him haven't found him yet. Could it be that he's really gone? Ah Xue's heart is too heavy, I've seen her staring blankly several times. What puzzles me the most is that her sister sometimes stares blankly with her. Originally, I didn't want to let them go out this time, but considering letting Zi Xue relax, I agreed to their request."

  The duchess complained somewhat: "You decided this matter too hastily, as the saying goes, 'no good comes from fighting', what if one of them gets hurt?"

  The duke said with a hint of anger, "They are no longer children, they can take care of themselves. Besides, I have entrusted the deputy principal to look after them. What danger could there be? This is truly a woman's view."

  Zixue and the others have left, entrusting Vice President? So it seems they are going with people from the college, what will they do?

  The duke really knew my mind, and continued to say: "Isn't it just going to Xilun City to participate in that four university friendship exchange? What's the danger, Zixue is only responsible for treatment, Zixian participates in the exchange, our dear daughter's light system magic is very powerful now, besides, she is so beautiful, who would dare to hurt her? Don't worry blindly, it's late, rest." After finishing speaking, he put down his tea cup and went into the inner room.

  The duchess sighed and stood up to follow him.

  They went to participate in the exchange between colleges, it seemed that Zhuang sister had mentioned before, the four universities have a martial arts exchange once every so long. Since they went, I'll go too, where is Xilun City, need to ask around. Knowing the whereabouts of Ziyan and others, my mood suddenly relaxed, my right foot moved unintentionally, and the tile surface suddenly made a slight "click" sound. I was startled, hurriedly bowed down and didn't dare move.

  After a while, it seemed like no one had noticed the faint sound, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as I was about to leave, a gentle breeze blew by, and there was suddenly an extra person in front of me.

  It turned out that the duke was just about to go back to his room and sleep when he heard a noise on the roof. He had great confidence in his own martial arts skills, so he quietly came out without making a sound, jumped onto the roof, and caught me red-handed.

  Since I wasn't masked, he recognized me at once, and the duke exclaimed in surprise: "Is it you?"

  I looked at him awkwardly and nodded: "It's me, good day, Duke."

  The guard below had discovered the situation and one of them shouted: "Your Honor, what's going on?"

  "The Duke said in a low voice: 'Nothing, return to your own posts.' After dismissing his subordinates, he frowned and said: 'Where have you been all this time? It's so late, sneaking into my mansion, what are you doing?'"

  My heart skipped a beat as I said: "I'm here looking for you, this isn't a place to talk, look..."

  The duke looked me up and down, nodded and said: "Come with me"

  I followed him downstairs, and he took me to the study we were in last time. He closed the door behind us, lit two oil lamps, adjusted the brightness to a softer level, and said with his back to me: "Speak."

  "I calmly said: 'Duke, I just returned from the Beastman Country.'"

  The duke turned around abruptly and said in surprise: "Beastman Country? What did you go there for?"