Chapter 1108: Trouble Has Come |
Naturally, when Tang San said he would depart, he referred to the most important journey in this lifetime: the one between Skytree City and Kali City. At the end of that journey, he would propose to Mei Gongzi in his official capacity as leader of the Blue Gold Tree Clan, Lord of Skytree City, and Crown Prince.
"In my heart, there is nothing more important than this. My love, wait for me."
Over the past weeks, with Tang San's efforts, the human Skytree Realm had entered a new stage of development. The emergence of the Elemental Seas allowed more humans to begin cultivating through this brand-new path. All the islands were bustling with activity. Xiao He had been busy organizing group trips to Pearl Island for elemental cultivation trials.
Though the Codex of Divine Grace had flaws in its initial implementation, there was now at least one successful case. Tang San had thoroughly examined the child named Ling Mian and learned a lot from it. With further refinement, this inheritance really could become one of three viable cultivation paths for humanity and lay a foundation for the future.
Naturally, for humans to produce power comparable to demons and nymphs wasn't something that could happen overnight. It would take time to nurture humanity's talents and resources to help them grow. More importantly, even if Tang San could simply make humanity strong, he had no intention of doing so. The only things he was willing to do were removing the immediate and inescapable dangers and creating opportunities for their growth.
Having sorted things out for the time being, Tang San teleported away.
Even with his current strength, the cross-continental teleportation took a full twenty minutes and drained a significant amount of power. The two cities were, after all, at two opposite ends of a tremendously massive continent.
Upon arrival, he was immediately greeted by the rich aura of life that filled Skytree City. But at the same time, something else also stirred within him.
His Discerning Eye of Heaven was now at the eleventh order, and after merging the bloodline of the Rainbow Deer Demon Emperor, it had undergone an overall qualitative change. His sensitivity to fortune was second only to the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor across the entire Daemon Continent. If he sensed something off, then something was off.
That someone was, of course, Jin Miaosen, who had been managing the city in his absence.
Tang San immediately used his divine consciousness to send her a message.
"Miaosen, I just woke up. Did anything happen while I was in seclusion?"
Hearing his voice, Jin Miaosen was overjoyed. "Big Brother, you're finally out! Something really bad happened!"
A few minutes later, Tang San sat in the main hall of the city lord's residence, his expression grim as he listened to Jin Miaosen recount what had occurred.
Something had indeed gone wrong with one of the dispatches—and not just any of them, but the one that should have been the most secure. It was the delegation headed for Crystal City, escorted personally by the newly ascended Crown Prince Xu An'yu.
Xu An'yu had come personally to Skytree City with a team of dragon race elites. After staying over for a couple of days, they had returned to Crystal City with the Blue Gold Tree clan's third elder and several peak ninth-order clan members in tow.
And on the way there, they were ambushed.
The attackers used an array and three single-use divine artifacts to strike from the shadows, clearly intending to kill everyone. As a result, all the dragon race escorts were slain. The Blue Gold Tree clan's Third Elder and accompanying elites were also killed, and their bodies taken. Xu An'yu only barely escaped, relying on a single-use divine item himself, and he was now bedridden in Crystal City due to his severe injuries.
The Ancestral Court was absolutely furious. The Council sent messages immediately to the Blue Gold Tree clan to express their consternation, and declared that the matter would be thoroughly investigated.
A Crown Prince being ambushed like this and nearly assassinated, and a neutral Blue Gold Tree elder murdered… An event like this was practically unprecedented. It wasn't like when Tang San had killed the Adamant Nymph Emperor in an open challenge; Emperors had been defeated and killed before, although it was by no means a common occurrence. But an Emperor seed under the Ancestral Court's collective protection being ambushed like this was something unheard of.
Who had reason to target Xu An'yu? The answer, from a benefits standpoint, was obvious. But without solid proof, no one could accuse anyone.
The one bit of silver lining was that Xu An'yu had survived.
The dragon race was furious. The entire Council of Elders had mobilized; some stayed behind to guard the wounded Xu An'yu, while others launched a full investigation to uncover the attackers.
Tang San's expression was as serious as could be. This incident was no small matter. Considering the people involved, it really could shake the balance of the continent.
"Miaosen, I'm going to Crystal City to see Xu An'yu. You hold down the fort here. Though this attack was likely aimed at Xu An'yu himself, we can't let our guard down."
"Understood. But, Big Brother… The third elder…" Jin Miaosen's voice quivered. Though she had once been at odds with the elders, her brother's rise had taught her plenty, and she'd come to understand and respect them. In turn, they had shown her far more kindness and cooperation as of late. The third elder's loss struck her hard. Now that Tang San had returned, her grief finally surfaced.
"Worry not, this debt will be paid," Tang San said coldly. "In the meantime, I'll kindly ask you to prepare a gift for me. When I return from Crystal City, I'm going to Kali City to formally propose."
Her eyes welled with tears, but she nodded quickly. "I'll take care of it. Actually, I've already begun preparations, but if you have anything specific in mind, just tell me. But are you sure it's safe to go to Crystal City now?"
Tang San nodded. "Don't worry. I have a way to travel safely. And at this point, I doubt anyone would dare to make a move against me."
"Then be careful."
Who had attacked Xu An'yu? The answer wasn't hard to guess. But without proof, even the dragon race could only simmer in rage.
The enemy's biggest mistake was failing to kill Xu An'yu. That opportunity would likely never come again. But the Third Elder had died, and his death could not be allowed to be in vain.
Time to visit Xu An'yu and get the details.
Tang San's "perfectly safe" method of travel was simple: teleportation. If he could cross from one end of the continent to the other, he could certainly teleport anywhere on the landmass, and there was not one single being around who could stop him.
He hadn't been to Crystal City before, so direct teleportation wasn't possible. But he could teleport to a nearby main city he'd visited before, then fly the rest of the way to the dragon capital once ruled by the Crystal Demon Emperor.
Within just a short hour, he saw shimmering brilliance on the horizon. The city was ahead.
The light was not the result of arrays, bloodline power manifestations, or whatever magic; it was simply sunlight glinting off the surface. The city walls were entirely built from crystal.
"My dear daughter, you really are extravagant," Tang San thought, inwardly addressing Crystalline. "You built a whole city wall out of crystal? That has no defensive value! What if someone drops something on it?"
Crystalline replied completely matter-of-factly, "A city with me in it doesn't need defensive walls. It just needs to look good."
"Such arrogance… Well, I can't say it's unexpected. You guys are dragons, after all."
The massive walls glimmered like diamonds. Only the dragon race could afford such a luxury, and only they, with their love for all things shiny, would do something like this anyway.
Just then, Tang San's gaze sharpened. He turned his head and saw two massive dragons, each over fifty meters long, soaring rapidly toward him, radiating powerful pressure.
Tang San halted in midair, calmly awaiting them.
The two dragons soon recognized him, and their initial aggressive momentum quickly receded. Blue skin, eight spikes on his back… After the recent events, only three of the Blue Gold Tree clan's Great Nymph Kings remained. Given his age, it was easy to figure out who he was.
The two dragons immediately transformed into humanoid form, and one of them asked respectfully, "Are you His Majesty Jin Miaolin?"
Though he was still a Crown Prince, they were already using the title of "Majesty." Everyone knew that Jin Miaolin was destined to ascend.