At the end of the Northern Sea, scattered ice floes floated on the sea surface, surrounded by vast icebergs. A light mist filled the air, and the sky, no longer raining, was now filled with large, swirling snowflakes.
“We’re here,” Jiang Zhi said calmly.
She had changed into a gorgeous pink palace dress. Although the color was youthful, her alluring figure made it exude an air of authority, giving her a somewhat gentle and wifely appearance.
Jiang Huai and Chu Xianning had already finished breakfast. Jiang Zhi put away her Spirit Boat, and in an instant, the three of them were suspended on the ice. As Jiang Zhi made a hand seal, the surrounding seawater was instantly dispersed. Jiang Huai and Chu Xianning followed her figure downwards, arriving at the depths of the seabed.
At the bottom of the sea was a phantom gate. Jiang Zhi had explained to Jiang Huai earlier that this gate was the entrance to the Dragon Clan World. The Dragon Clan possessed unique formations and talisman techniques, and this gate was specifically designed to isolate outsiders. Only those who had been to the Dragon Clan were qualified to enter through this gate.
Jiang Zhi reached out and opened the gate.
Although the impending war between the two clans cast a slight shadow over Jiang Huai’s mood, this journey to the most mysterious place in the world also sparked some curiosity in him. After the phantom gate distorted, the three of them entered. In an instant, Jiang Huai was slightly stunned for a moment.
Before them lay a vast plain.
Heavy snow was falling on the plain, and white snowflakes danced in the air, covering all the surrounding vegetation. In the distant sky, several enormous dragons were traversing through the clouds. Their forms were slender and ferocious, yet possessed a unique beauty. Jiang Huai gazed upwards for a while, feeling somewhat awestruck.
On the barren land not far away, a few childlike figures were playing a game that seemed to involve marbles. They were all exquisitely carved, with dragon horns of different colors on their foreheads. The horns were as beautiful as crystal coral.
“Follow me,” Jiang Zhi said calmly, rising into the air. Jiang Huai and Chu Xianning followed by her side. Chu Xianning’s cold eyes also revealed a hint of curiosity as she observed everything around them.
The Dragon Clan’s residential area was essentially a separate Small World. The spiritual energy here was more than five times richer than that of top outer sects. For cultivators, the more abundant the spiritual energy, the more comfortable it was to stay there, providing significant nourishment for both body and soul. This was also why many cultivators were determined to find a good place to build their Cave Residences.
Jiang Zhi, leading the two, spoke softly, “It hasn’t been long since I was last here, yet the spiritual energy here has become even thinner.”
Jiang Zhi led the two through the barren land, and soon a magnificent city appeared in their sight. The Dragon Clan had its own architectural aesthetic; their castles were vast and grand, yet not lacking in exquisiteness. Many details were particularly beautiful, and they seemed to particularly love decorating their homes with gems.
Entering this dragon city, Jiang Huai gradually saw the Dragon Clan members walking through the city. What Jiang Zhi said was true; all the Dragon Clan members Jiang Huai saw were handsome men and beautiful women. They all had beautiful coral dragon horns and tall figures. Most of their dresses were similar to those in the outside world, with the difference being that their dresses were also adorned with various sparkling gemstone chains.
Even though it was snowing in the Dragon Clan World, most of their clothes were light, especially the women’s clothing, which were mostly gorgeous like ceremonial gowns, revealing large areas of their jade backs, clavicles, and slender legs. Some had bare jade feet, while others wore transparent crystal sandals or various high heels adorned with exquisite gems.
Jiang Huai had seen many of those dresses at Ziyun Pavilion, so he curiously asked, “Sister, have you brought Ziyun Pavilion’s business here?”
“We use some items from Ziyun Pavilion to exchange for some Spirit Medicine they consider worthless. It’s a very profitable deal,” Jiang Zhi replied calmly.
At this moment, the three of them were flying through the air. The Dragon Clan members on the street clearly noticed their presence, but upon seeing that the person in the lead was Jiang Zhi, none of them made any move. Instead, their eyes showed a trembling excitement.
As the Dragon Emperor’s only close friend, Jiang Zhi had shattered their stereotype of humans being as weak as ants. The Dragon Clan had always revered the strong. Moreover, with the entire clan helpless as the Dragon Emperor was about to pass, Jiang Zhi had become their only hope at this moment.
Jiang Huai and Chu Xianning quietly observed this dragon city. They also saw many metal wind chimes hanging at the doors, which made particularly pleasant sounds when the wind blew. There were also straight trees along the edges of the streets, with lush branches. When passing certain streets, Jiang Huai and Chu Xianning also smelled the aroma of roasted meat. It seemed that somewhere, a type of meat he couldn’t name was being roasted with fragrant spices.
Everything in sight was novel. After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Jiang Zhi led Jiang Huai and Chu Xianning to a mansion that was almost entirely adorned with sparkling gems.
In the sunlight, the colorful gems were dazzling, almost blinding. Jiang Zhi did not knock but pushed the door open and said faintly, “You two wait here for a moment.”
So, Chu Xianning and Jiang Huai stood in place, while Jiang Zhi walked through the mansion’s long corridor to the first room. This time, she reached out and knocked on the door, and soon heard a response from within.
“You’re here,” came a clear, ethereal, yet slightly child-like female voice from behind the door.
Jiang Zhi pushed the door open.
Jun Anshui was twelve hundred years old this year. In terms of age alone, she was several hundred years younger than Jiang Zhi, which was why she always called Jiang Zhi “Sister.”
Beyond their age, perhaps purely looking at their appearances, there was no sense of incongruity in her calling Jiang Zhi “Sister.”
At this moment, Jun Anshui was lying on the bed, wearing a thin, silver nightgown. Her figure appeared as delicate as a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl. If she stood up, her head would probably only reach Jiang Zhi’s lower abdomen. She looked tiny. Her forehead also bore a pair of coral dragon horns. As a descendant of the Dragon Emperor bloodline, her true form was a Silver Dragon, hence her hair was also slightly silvery and shiny.
Even though Jiang Zhi had seen Jun Anshui many times, when she looked at her face, she still couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.
As women, she was mostly immune to the beauty of other women, but it was different with Jun Anshui. As the Dragon Emperor, she possessed natural, unparalleled advantages after transforming. Her features could no longer be described as simply exquisite; whether it was her eyebrows, eyes, delicate lips, or delicate nose, they were all like the most perfect creation in the world, without a single blemish that could be criticized.
Even though she still had a touch of childlike tenderness at the moment, her chest had only just begun to develop, resembling delicate, small, inverted jade bowls, yet she possessed a soul-stirringly beautiful face. It was as if beauty were a law, and her incarnation had naturally mastered this law from birth, inspiring awe and infatuation for beauty.
As a Human Clan member, Jiang Zhi’s body trembled almost instinctively, captivated by her silver pupils. After a moment, she regained her senses.
At twelve hundred years old, for a Dragon Emperor, she was still in her juvenile stage. Being alone, she could not have offspring in any way, so Jun Anshui had prevented her body from growing further, maintaining this slightly childish appearance. This also, to some extent, prevented the increasingly uncontrollable desires that would arise after her body matured.
With just one glance, Jiang Zhi could see that her body was already at its limit and could probably not last for many more days. She looked at Jun Anshui, whose eyes showed a slight hint of joy, likely from the happiness of seeing her.
“Thank you, Sister… for coming to see me at the very end,” Jun Anshui’s voice was slightly soft, likely because her body had not fully developed and was still somewhat immature.
“I didn’t just come to see you,” Jiang Zhi gently took her slender, white hand and said softly, “I came to save you.”
Jun Anshui had always been obedient and gentle in front of Jiang Zhi, so Jiang Zhi could be considered to have reluctantly accepted her as a sister. Jun Anshui’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and she raised her eyes to look at Jiang Zhi before her. “Sister… you want to use that method we spoke of last time?”
“I’ve brought the person. He is the only one who can save you.”
Jun Anshui gazed into Jiang Zhi’s eyes. After a moment, she gently shook her head, her voice very soft, “Thank you for your kindness, Sister. I’ve thought about it carefully these past few days, and I’ve finally decided not to.”
Jiang Zhi was not angry at being refused by Jun Anshui, as it seemed to be within her expectations. So, she gently pinched Jun Anshui’s face and said softly, “Is the pride flowing in your bloodline really that important?”
Jun Anshui’s eyes showed a slight hint of apology. “Thank you for your kindness, Sister. The Dragon Clan has its own stubbornness. Perhaps in the eyes of humans, we are a race that does not abide by laws and customs and indulges in physical pleasures. But what flows through me is the Dragon Emperor’s bloodline. I can only be intimate with someone who possesses the same bloodline as me, not a human… Since meeting you, Sister, I no longer have so many prejudices against humans. But for me, if I were to be intimate with a human and extend my life in this way, it would be an insult to my bloodline.”
Jun Anshui’s fingertips lightly gripped Jiang Zhi’s hand and she whispered, “Please trouble Sister for your concern. I will ask my clansmen to entertain him well. As for the Dragon Heart you mentioned wanting last time, you can take my Dragon Heart then. As for my Father Emperor’s Dragon Heart, let it remain in the Dragon Clan’s mausoleum.”
Her eyes did not reveal much sadness, nor much unwillingness or anger. She seemed to have calmly accepted it all. After a moment, her pupils glowed slightly, and her delicate pink lips moved. She softly murmured something.
Jiang Zhi heard her issue a decree using her bloodline power to a certain Dragon Clan member, telling all Dragon Clan members that her Sister Jiang Zhi had brought two human friends and asking them to entertain them well and not neglect the guests. She would be hosting a grand banquet in the city tonight and asked them to prepare fine wine and delicacies in advance.
With an age of barely twelve hundred years, Jun Anshui’s cultivation level was already at the Ninth Realm. Naturally, she easily sensed with her soul that Jiang Zhi had brought two guests. She still lay on the bed, turning slightly, and looked up at Jiang Zhi. “Please have Sister show them around. I need to rest a little longer, and I will entertain Sister and the guests properly tonight.”
Jiang Zhi watched her tiredly close her eyes. After a moment, she helplessly shook her head and sighed.
