Chapter 376: Chapter 37: The Flabbergasted Ancestral Dragon, the Profound Yellow Emperor Journeys to the Nine Nether

The Ancestral Dragon was startled. He snapped his head up, the "I’ve just seen a ghost" expression reappearing on his face.

"Again, again, again..."

The Lame Daoist hoisted up the little mud loach, chuckling.

"Again what?"

The Ancestral Dragon’s mouth twitched. He subconsciously replied,

"I’ve seen a ghost again... er, no, my greetings, Shangqing Great Celestial Venerable..."

"Mm."

The Lame Daoist was still smiling faintly.

"That masked fellow is my precious disciple. He’s called Profound Yellow. You know what to do, don’t you?"

A trio of question marks seemed to appear over the Ancestral Dragon’s head. He stammered,

"Just now... just now, the Supreme Great Celestial Venerable already gave his instructions..."

"I know," the Lame Daoist said with a smile. "I’m just telling you that he is *my* precious disciple. *Mine*. Understand?"

"Yes, yes, yes!!" The Ancestral Dragon nodded frantically, the terror in his heart growing even more intense.

"Good."

The Lame Daoist tossed the Ancestral Dragon out again and departed, satisfied.

***

「Beneath the East Sea Dragon Palace.」

Watching as his Ancient Ancestor stepped into a scroll of Time and vanished without a trace, the West Sea Crown Prince, Ao Run, asked blankly,

"Where did the Ancient Ancestor go?"

The West Sea Dragon King stroked his long beard, straightened his back, and explained with a smile,

"The Ancient Ancestor is a [Daluo]. He has naturally gone for a stroll through the Years. He will erase that ’Luo Hou’ in the past, suppressing and killing him when he was still weak."

After a pause, he added with another smile,

"This is why it is said that all are ants beneath Daluo. If you do not reach Daluo, no matter how powerful you are in the present, there was always a time when you were weak..."

The South Sea Crown Prince, who was standing nearby, seemed to only half-understand. He asked curiously,

"Then when will the Ancient Ancestor be back?"

"Soon." The West Sea Dragon King saw the scroll of Time begin to fluctuate. He smiled and held out his hand, casting a pitying look at the Ancient Daoist as he counted down,

"Three, two, one."

As his voice fell,

The scroll of Time dissipated. The Dragon Race’s Ancient Ancestor reappeared within the Illusory Pill Furnace and opened his eyes, a cold light filling the space.

The spirits of the Dragon Kings and Dragon Crown Princes at his side lifted. The West Sea Dragon King said joyfully,

"The Ancient Ancestor is back..." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

As he spoke, the Ancestral Dragon burst through the Illusory Pill Furnace. His colossal dragon body straightened, millions of li tall. The overwhelming pressure that washed over them was suffocating.

Alarm bells screamed in Nezha’s mind. He quietly took a few steps back to hide behind Lu Xuan.

The Ancient Daoist, however, simply looked up to meet the gaze of this Dragon Race Ancient Ancestor and spoke calmly,

"So it was you. Long time no see."

A few new memories had surfaced in his mind, and he now roughly understood to which point in time the Dragon Race’s Ancient Ancestor had gone...

The three Dragon Kings exchanged glances, somewhat stunned. ’Why isn’t this Ancient Daoist named Luo Hou dead yet?’

’Shouldn’t he have been erased back when he was weak?’

In the next instant, they witnessed a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

The Ancient Ancestor’s body was straight, but then his scales began to crack and shatter, inch by inch. A massive amount of Ancestral Dragon Blood gushed out as if it were free.

Yet, an almost fawning smile appeared on his majestic dragon head as he lowered it.

"Profound... Daoist Luo Hou, it has been a long time."

As he spoke, he abruptly turned to the other masked young man. The terror in his heart was absolute, and the fawning smile on his face grew even wider.

"You must be Daoist Profound Yellow, yes?"

The Ancestral Dragon was now truly staring at this masked young man. As a Daluo, he was nearly on par with Heaven and Earth, and so he naturally obtained a great deal of information from the world itself.

He knew that this person was the current First Emperor’s Uncle Zhong, the one who had caused the Medicine King Buddha to enter nirvana with a single touch at Taishan...

’Hm?’

’This man has altered the history of the Years? The Medicine King Buddha wasn’t supposed to fall at this time...’

’Could he be an[Uncertain Variable]??’

The terror in his heart intensified, and the smile on his face was uglier than a grimace. ’Supreme, Shangqing, an Uncertain Variable... Just what kind of vortex have I been dragged into?!’

At the side, the smiles on the faces of the three Dragon Kings slowly froze. The few Dragon Crown Princes were utterly dumbfounded.

The North Sea Dragon King began to speak, bewildered,

"Ancient Ancestor, you..."

Before he could finish, the Ancestral Dragon swatted him away with his tail. Most of his body disintegrated, leaving him grievously wounded and on the verge of death!

Lu Xuan looked thoughtful. He had likely guessed what had transpired. He calmly stepped forward and bowed.

"So you are the Ancestral Dragon. It seems I can discuss the matter of an alliance directly with you?"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

The Ancestral Dragon lowered his body and his head. Under the terrified gazes of the several Dragon Kings and Dragon Crown Princes, he said with an anxious smile,

"The terms of the alliance are entirely for Daoist Profound Yellow to decide. If there is anything you wish to be done, you need only command me."

He was the very picture of someone who was arrogant before and obsequious now, a transformation that left Nezha dumbfounded.

Lu Xuan nodded.

"I am not one of the Immortals and Buddhas, nor do I wish to treat the Dragon Race as slaves or servants. Both sides should be equal. Only then can such an alliance truly last."

After a pause, he first thanked his senior brother, then took another step forward and said,

"Then it shall be as I said just now. The Human Race will revere the Dragon Race as a totem, provide incense offerings to help the Dragon Race prosper, and in return, the Dragon Race will form an alliance with the Human Race. We will stand side-by-side, always on the same front, even if it means forsaking the Celestial Court."

"No problem!!" the Ancestral Dragon said decisively. Now that he understood the identities of these two, he naturally also understood that the Celestial Court... was nothing!

He spilled his Dragon Blood, using it to write out the pact Lu Xuan had dictated. He then declared with solemn gravity,

"In my name as the Ancestral Dragon, I forge this pact. All my descendants are forbidden from violating it. Any who do shall be expelled from the Dragon Race, their bloodline severed, their body destroyed, and their True Spirit annihilated!"

Lu Xuan nodded. He extended his hand, condensed a drop of his own blood, and let it fall upon the pact. He stated coolly,

"In my name, with my body, I forge this pact on behalf of the Human Race. So long as they do not abandon us, the Human Race shall never violate this pact."

As his voice fell, the blood pact was sealed, solidifying into a tangible object!

The four Dragon Crown Princes looked at each other in dismay. The gravely wounded North Sea Dragon King and the other two Dragon Kings were also stunned. Everything had happened too quickly; they were all still in a daze.