Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts-Chapter 415 - Your Life (Two in One - )

In the Dragon Palace.

Just as the succession ceremony of Dragon King’s Soar began, Ao Jin quietly withdrew.

He arrived beside a pond within the Dragon Palace, carefully scanning his surroundings to ensure no one was watching.

With a whispered incantation, Ao Jin summoned a flying sword, which swiftly plunged into the water.

As the sword entered the depths, Ao Jin’s consciousness linked to it, allowing him to see through its vision.

Using the unique lingering aura on the sword, Ao Jin searched for that particular fish.

But in the end, all he found was the corpse of a black-gold fish with a split belly, already partially eaten by others.

Aside from that, there was nothing else—no trace, no presence.

“What is going on?”

Ao Jin furrowed his brows, an ominous feeling creeping into his heart.

That fish had been marked with his spell; logically, it should have remained within his perception.

Yet, somehow, it had vanished entirely, as if it had never existed.

“May I ask what His Highness is doing here?”

Just as Ao Jin continued his desperate search in the waters, a woman’s voice suddenly rang out beside him.

He turned to see a palace maid in a formal robe approaching.

Looking at the smiling woman, Ao Jin tensed. He knew this encounter would not be an easy one.

“Greetings, Lady Xia Zhu,” Ao Jin said, offering a courteous bow.

The Dragon Empress had ten personal attendants—five at the Immortal Realm and five at the Jade Purity Realm.

Ao Jin had seen their portraits before, and this Xia Zhu was one of the five Immortal Realm cultivators.

“Is there a particular fish in this pond that has caught Your Highness’s eye?” Xia Zhu asked with a pleasant smile.

Ao Jin maintained a refined demeanor. “I merely noticed a fish swimming about, but before I knew it, it had disappeared. I got a little absorbed in looking for it.”

“I see.” Xia Zhu nodded before reaching into a storage pouch capable of holding living beings.

She pulled out a fish.

The moment Ao Jin laid eyes on it, his expression hardened, and his fingers instinctively clenched.

“Is this the fish His Highness was searching for?” Xia Zhu’s voice was calm as she held the struggling fish in her hand.

Ao Jin steadied his mind. “I’m not sure what you mean, Lady Xia Zhu.”

“Oh? That’s quite alright. You’ll understand soon enough.”

As she spoke, a ghostly blue flame ignited in her palm.

The fire engulfed the fish, reducing it to ashes.

Ao Jin narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the woman before him.

But he knew he couldn’t act rashly—he didn’t have the right to.

Her cultivation level was simply too high.

Moreover, the Dragon Empress’s attendants had the authority to act first and report later.

If she wanted to crush him, it would be as effortless as crushing an ant.

On the highest coral mountain of the North Sea Dragon Palace.

When Long Hai heard the Dragon Empress mention “two fish,” his heart tensed.

The key to this entire plan lay in those two fish.

And, most importantly, in the number “two.”

The North Sea was the strongest of the four seas.

Its strength stemmed from the fact that the Eternal Dragon Empress had ruled unchallenged for millennia. Under her steady hand, the North Sea remained unwaveringly stable, advancing ceaselessly.

This strength came from the Dragon Empress herself—a transcendent being at the Ascension Realm, growing stronger with each passing day.

All of the North Sea’s resources were devoted to her, and any risks she faced were shouldered by the entire region.

Moreover, the North Sea’s citizens and military were of one mind with their ruler. To them, she was the one and only sovereign—there could be no other.

When a dynasty becomes so powerful that no one dares to challenge it, it only grows stronger.

And the stronger it becomes, the less anyone dares to oppose it.

But in this world, nothing is truly unbreakable.

No matter which of the Four Seas one speaks of, they all share a fatal flaw. And that fatal flaw must be resolved through Dragon King’s Soar.

Thus, the forces of End Mountain and the Eastern Sea crafted countless contingency plans, running simulations again and again, until they finally arrived at this single plan.

As long as Dragon King’s Soar could be controlled, then no matter how powerful the Dragon Empress was—what could she do?

For the Four Seas, unless their Dragon Kings were willing to abandon their territories and plunge the Four Seas into chaos, they had no choice but to rely on Dragon King’s Soar.

And the key to controlling Dragon King’s Soar lay in those two fish.

Had it been just one fish, Long Hai wouldn’t have been too concerned. If the Dragon Empress noticed only one fish, she wouldn’t have realized the entirety of his plan.

But she had spoken of two fish.

And the core plan of End Mountain and the Eastern Sea resided in those two fish.

The Dragon Empress gazed at the seemingly composed yet inwardly panicked man before her. Her voice spread across the entire Dragon Capital, ensuring that every single person within the city could hear her words clearly:

“Xiao Lan, let him die with clarity, and let all the guests from the Five Lakes and Four Seas listen as well—to how the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace conspired with End Mountain.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.” Xiao Lan bowed slightly before stepping forward.

“This entire matter would not have been uncovered without Lord Xu of the Wu Kingdom.”

Xiao Lan’s words were not just directed at the accused but also at the millions of citizens of the Dragon Capital and all the esteemed guests present.

As her words landed, many eyes turned toward the youngest official of the Wu Kingdom.

In the Dragon Capital, the common people also turned in unison, looking toward the same direction, listening intently to the voice echoing from afar.

Xiao Lan continued:

“Lord Xu discovered that in the Ten Thousand Fish Lake, the Third Prince of the Eastern Sea, Ao Jin, was fishing for a rather peculiar fish. Our Ting Hai Tower conducted an investigation.

At the time, the Third Prince of the Eastern Sea claimed it was an Ink-Gold Fish, which he secretly lured using the literary aura of scholars from the White Deer Academy.

When Ting Hai Tower first investigated, this indeed seemed to be the case.

In the Ten Thousand Fish Lake, they did find an Ink-Gold Fish.

And indeed, the Ink-Gold Fish showed an intense appetite for literary aura.

But the Third Prince of the Eastern Sea underestimated us.

After Ting Hai Tower reported back, Her Majesty ordered me and the Tower Lord to personally investigate further. And in the end, we discovered another fish.

This fish closely resembled the Ink-Gold Fish, but it was noticeably smaller in size, bore sharp fangs, and, most distinctively, had a Yin-Yang twin-fish inscription on its belly.

This fish—was a Qiankun Fish.”

The moment the words “Qiankun Fish” were spoken,

Some remained confused, but others drew sharp breaths of realization.

“The so-called Qiankun Fish exists only in the Heaven and Earth Lake of End Mountain and the Divine Demon Pool of the Western Region. Its numbers are exceedingly rare, and its primary purpose is for inscription engraving.

Though we may not yet fully grasp the entire scheme of End Mountain and the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace,

It is not difficult to deduce your general plan:

First, using a Qiankun Fish, you cast a spell upon Dragon King’s Soar, engraving an imprint onto it, initiating the process of corrosion.

To accomplish this, you needed a certain degree of affinity with the Dragon King’s Soar.

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas are of pure dragon lineage, their bodies intertwined with the fate of their respective dynasties. Furthermore, over countless years, they have performed numerous rituals—thus naturally possessing this affinity.

Next, you would set up a formation within Coral Mountain.

This formation needed to intercept Dragon King’s Soar mid-process, something only your End Mountain’s Three Thunder Formation was capable of achieving.

At this moment, you would then use the Xuanlong Dagger to engrave the inscription upon the Dragon King’s Soar.

Meanwhile, you had the Third Prince of the Eastern Sea kill a Qiankun Fish.

The blood of the slain Qiankun Fish would flow through the royal palace’s water system, spreading throughout the entirety of the palace.

Then, through resonance with the blood of the other Qiankun Fish, the illusion of the Dragon King’s Soar within the Dragon Palace would shatter completely.

At this point, the North Sea’s hold over the Dragon King’s Soar would be utterly severed.

And finally—

You would achieve your goal of seizing the Dragon King’s Soar.

Now, may I ask, sir—

Did I analyze your scheme correctly?”

Long Hai stared intensely at the other party.

In the next moment, instead of responding, he transformed into his true form and lunged straight toward the Xuanlong Dagger.

“Hmph!”

The Dragon Empress let out a cold snort and took a single step forward.

Long Hai’s mind trembled. In that instant, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Losing his balance, he crashed into Coral Mountain.

The mountaintop shattered into pieces, but the array and the dagger detached from the mountain itself, now suspended mid-air.

Just as Long Hai attempted to rise again, the Dragon Empress’s foot pressed down on his head.

Long Hai felt as though an entire mountain was crushing down on him.

Even though he was a cultivator at the Jade Purity Realm, before this ancient Dragon Empress who had lived for millennia, he had no chance of resisting.

“Hehehe... As expected of the Dragon Empress who has lived for ten thousand years. Everything about you is flawless—except for your poor taste in choosing a Dao companion.”

“Boom!”

Before Long Hai could finish his words, the Dragon Empress’s black-gold embroidered shoe stomped down hard.

His head was driven into the ground, and the crisp sound of his skull cracking echoed in the air.

Even Xu Ming couldn’t help but feel an unbearable sense of pain just from hearing it.

Clearly, Long Hai knew he had no hope of surviving, so he simply took the opportunity to mock the Dragon Empress one last time, deliberately touching upon her reverse scale.

“Heh... Since the plan is already exposed, Your Majesty may kill or flay me as you please.”

Long Hai truly hadn’t expected his scheme to be uncovered so easily.

By all logic, the Dragon Empress’s level of vigilance shouldn’t have been this high.

But since the truth was revealed, there was nothing more to be said.

“Then die.”

The Dragon Empress stomped down with force.

In an instant, the horned dragon’s head burst into a mist of blood.

She never intended to leave behind a single survivor.

The Dragon Empress knew End Mountain all too well—anyone who came from there had one thing in common: their lips were sealed tighter than anything.

She didn’t spare even a glance at Long Hai’s lifeless corpse.

Turning around, she walked toward the floating dagger.

Everyone assumed the matter was settled.

Even Xu Ming believed so.

Standing before the dagger, the Dragon Empress extended a hand and sliced her fingertip. A single drop of her blood fell onto the weapon.

The Xuanlong Dagger absorbed her essence blood, forcing out Long Hai’s previous blood imprint.

The entire dagger underwent a refinement process.

Waves of spiritual energy dispersed, and the golden threads binding the Dragon King’s Soar began to unravel.

The thunderous energy that once surrounded it grew weaker and weaker.

At this moment, Xu Ming finally understood why the Dragon Empress had waited until now to take action.

Since her enemies had played unfairly, she had no reason to show mercy either.

The imprinting of the Dragon King’s Soar was already halfway complete.

At this stage, the Dragon Empress could seize it entirely.

Controlling the Xuanlong Dagger meant controlling the Dragon King’s Soar.

However, Xu Ming noticed something unusual—

The Dragon Empress didn’t seem content with merely controlling the Dragon King’s Soar.

It was as if... she intended to refine the Dragon King’s Soar into her own life-bound artifact?!

She reached out and firmly grasped the Xuanlong Dagger.

At first, the dagger resisted violently.

But as the Dragon Empress’s overwhelming dragon aura continued to envelop it, its wild nature was soon completely suppressed.

Now wielding the dagger, the Dragon Empress ascended onto the Dragon King’s Soar—

Then, she drove the dagger deep into it!

Within the Eastern Sea Palace, spiritual energy erupted chaotically.

The Eastern Sea Dragon King was thrown backward, coughing up blood.

“Failed!”

The Eastern Sea Dragon King turned to the woman in the red dress beside him.

Mei Hongyu nodded, smiling faintly.

“That Northern Sea Dragon Empress is indeed remarkable. I didn’t expect her to uncover everything... Well, it’s no wonder she’s survived for so long.”

“Hmph!”

The Eastern Sea Dragon King flicked his sleeve angrily.

“Now what?! What do you people suggest we do?! What’s the plan?!”

Mei Hongyu remained composed as ever.

“Your Majesty, there’s no need to panic. We still have a way.”

“A way?!” The Eastern Sea Dragon King was furious.

End Mountain had come to him before, swearing with absolute certainty that their plan was foolproof.

He had trusted them.

And now—failure!

Just as he was about to lash out at the woman before him, the illusion of the Dragon King’s Soar at the center of the palace began to flicker and fade.

Even the palace itself was crumbling, collapsing bit by bit.

“Impossible!”

Ao Zhi’s eyes trembled as he watched the scene before him in utter disbelief.

He struck out with his palm toward the illusion of the Dragon King’s Soar, only for his spiritual energy to be instantly repelled!

“How dare she?! She’s actually trying to refine the Dragon King’s Soar for herself!”

Ao Zhi immediately understood what was happening.

He turned sharply, locking his furious gaze onto Mei Hongyu.

“What do we do now?! If that wretched Long Yueqiao succeeds in seizing the Dragon King’s Soar, we’re as good as dead!” Ao Zhi’s voice was filled with desperation.

Failing was not the worst-case scenario.

The Eastern Sea Dragon Palace was no weakling; they could still put up a fight.

And with End Mountain as their ally, they had the means to resist.

But if Long Yueqiao gained control of the Dragon King’s Soar, even with End Mountain’s protection—Eastern Sea would be doomed!

“Your Majesty need not be so anxious,” Mei Hongyu said with a calm smile.

“There is still a way.”

She paused, then added, “However... this method requires something from you.”

“What is it?!”

Mei Hongyu’s smile deepened.

“Your life.”