After all, his strategy was simply to delay deploying troops as much as he could or, if really pressured, to symbolically send some old, weak, or ill individuals just for show.

Having made up his mind, Old Dragon King’s face gradually regained its composure.

Seeing this, the Monkey could not be bothered to inquire further and said with a smile, "In that case, it’s time for Old Sun to head back to Huaguo Mountain."

"Many thanks, Great Saint, for assisting this time. Old Dragon is immensely grateful."

However, the Monkey waved his hand and said, "You and I are old neighbors. Don’t be so formal. If that guy comes around relying on his strength, just call me. I’ve been wanting to beat him up for a long time," Monkey said with a laugh.

It appeared he hadn’t forgotten about his once brother.

Old Dragon King was naturally overjoyed, having such a formidable being ensuring his safety.

Only after Monkey had left did Ao Guang finally order to prepare the troops for war. Regardless of his real intentions, he had to make the necessary gestures to not totally disregard the Heavenly Court.

As Ao Guang’s order was given, the entire Four Seas stirred into action.

Being the leaders of the Aquatic Races, when they commanded, naturally, the Four Seas boiled over as countless members of the Aquatic Races roamed everywhere, trying to understand what Dragon Palace was truly planning.

After all, it had been many years since the Dragon Palace had seen such activity.

Some Dragon Sons and Dragon Grandchildren were even invigorated; they had always thought the Dragon Clan was too weak and advocated a good battle to let all living beings of the Three Realms recognize the strength of the Dragon Clan.

However, they were usually suppressed by their elders, which kept these thoughts from surfacing. Now, hearing news of preparation for war, they all became excited.

"Our Dragon Clan is about to rise."

"Now, in this age of great conflict, the Dragon Clan, with its ancient heritage, is a true powerhouse of the Three Realms and should indeed make its voice heard."

"Who besides us can stabilize the Three Realms?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"It’s time for all living beings of the Three Realms to witness the true power of the Dragon Clan."

Voices like these constantly spread throughout the Four Seas, seeming to intensify.

Ao Xing too was excited. He was just an inconspicuous Dragon Son who usually did not stand out, even to the extent that people like the Patrolling Sea Yaksha could insult him.

But his heart harbored am ambitious desire to stand up and shout loudly.

In his eyes, today’s Dragon Clan was lifeless, without a future, merely adhering to outdated traditions and continuously yielding, which had let this once-glorious race fall to its current state.

Whenever he read those books detailing the glorious deeds of the Dragon Clan, he felt as if he was one of them.

So, at some point, revitalizing the Dragon Clan had become his secret wish, though he had never found the opportunity.

Because he was well aware his father was a coward, not willing to change the status quo.

However, this time’s events made him perceive an opportunity, a chance to change the fate of the Dragon Clan.

People of the Dragon Clan had enjoyed peace for too long, so long that they had forgotten that the Dragon Clan was born for carnage, forgotten how during ancient times the Dragon Clan galloped between Heaven and Earth.

But he had not forgotten, whenever he saw the descriptions in the books, he longed to have lived in ancient times, roaming freely between heaven and earth, unlike now, constrained by others, cautious and careful wherever he went.

How Nezha, the Lord of Three Tanhai Association, had dealt with the Dragon Clan, flaying and stripping their sinews, and how the Great Sage Equalling Heaven effortlessly took the treasure from the Dragon Palace.

All these events made the young Dragon Son feel suffocated, feeling that the current Dragon Clan was far from the dominant race described in the books.

"To change this situation, only through blood and fire can the spirit of the Dragon Clan be reshaped," Ao Xing murmured to himself.

He lifted his head and saw the clear, translucent Crystal Palace, and could faintly hear the sounds of song and dance emanating from within.

The affluent life had already dulled the fighting spirit in these dragon’s hearts, and they were holding tightly to their own small territories, having forgotten the glory the Dragon Clan once had.

However, Ao Xing thought that such a continuation was unacceptable. The Dragon Clan had a long lifespan, and precisely because of this, they lacked the ambition seen in other races, perhaps because everything came too easily for them.

This also made many in the Dragon Clan’s favorite activity to gather a pile of treasures and then slumber deeply.

But in the long run, the strength of the Dragon Clan was gradually weakening. After careful consideration, Ao Xing realized that since the peace of the Four Seas, the Dragon Clan hadn’t produced any notable experts.

It seemed that all the dragons had become mediocre, getting by without any great aspirations, devoid of ambition.

From the bottom of his heart, Ao Xing despised these people, they had forgotten their past, equivalent to betrayal.

However, the more he knew, the deeper his pain became.

He was naturally muddling through, but opening his eyes to the darkness of the future, only to find himself powerless, this conscious pain was unbearably tormenting.

But this time, an opportunity seemed to have arrived. Normally, people like him could never control the power within the Dragon Clan, however, when the war started, everything would change.

Those who had long enjoyed a peaceful life would surely be unwilling to fight on the battlefield, presenting him a great opportunity to stand out.

Only with sufficient authority could the Dragon Clan be directed according to his vision.

Ao Xing resolved in his heart to embark on his own path to redeem the Dragon Clan.

Little did he know that on a solitary island by the shore of the Eastern Sea, Divine Exorcist Great Saint was carefully examining the intelligence organized by a Scout.

This prominent figure of the Heavenly Court had an inscrutable smile on his face as he carefully perused a pile of documents detailing information about certain individuals within the Dragon Clan.

"Well done, with this information I can better grasp the situation," the Divine Exorcist Great Saint rarely praised this unknown Heavenly Court Spy.

He found that although this person had always been without renown, almost forgotten by the Heavenly Court, if it weren’t for his discovery among piles of information, he might have never drawn the attention of the Heavenly Court.

But from their time together recently, the Divine Exorcist Great Saint was surprised to find a bright prospect for intelligence work, meticulous in thinking, orderly in work, and most valuable was the unique quality he possessed that allowed him to blend into a crowd and practically disappear, hardly noticed by anyone—truly the best talent for espionage.

It was a pity that the people of the Heavenly Court had been blind, allowing such a gem to be obscured by dust, this excellent prospect almost buried.

"This is what I should do," the Scout replied calmly and coolly, with a tone revealing steadiness.

The Divine Exorcist Great Saint said, "Doing one’s job well is in itself worthy of praise."