Chapter 455: Chapter 314: Request for Battle

He was not a fool. Having heard the Divine Exorcist Great Saint’s words, he naturally came to the conclusion that it must have been Ao Xing’s doing.

"Thank you for saving my life, Great Saint."

These words came from the spy in utter sincerity, for he knew that had the Divine Exorcist Great Saint not taken action, he would have been a corpse by now.

"You are my subordinate, it is my duty to protect you, there’s no need to thank me."

The Divine Exorcist Great Saint did not take credit for his actions, making the spy deeply grateful to his superior.

Today, there were few in the Heavenly Court who showed such consideration for a small figure like him.

Soon, the towering Gate of the Southern Heavens came into view.

At this moment, the spy actually felt a sense of panic. He had been away from this place for far too long. In his dreams, he dreamt more than once of returning to the Heavenly Court, of the lofty and sacred Gate of the Southern Heavens, of the supremely exalted Lingxiao Treasured Palace.

He had thought that once he returned here, he would be overwhelmingly excited, but when his beautiful dream came true, a vast dread arose from the depths of his heart.

Whether he could still adapt to the strict life of the Heavenly Court, whether he could live with dignity, whether he would be mocked by others.

Thoughts like weeds grew wildly, no matter how he tried to suppress them.

Fortunately, the Divine Exorcist Great Saint’s words "Let’s go" pulled him out from these complex feelings, and he quickly followed the Divine Exorcist Great Saint towards the Heavenly Court.

The Heavenly soldiers guarding the gate saw the return of the Divine Exorcist Great Saint and naturally would not impede such a highly regarded figure in the Heavenly Court today, hastily clearing the path.

The Demon-Revealing Mirror emitted a light to verify identities, and afterwards, the two proceeded towards the Lingxiao Treasured Palace.

The Divine Exorcist Great Saint had come to report on the situation.

The Lingxiao Treasured Palace was empty as usual, which was actually the norm. After all, for the gods with their long lifespans, daily court attendance was unnecessary; they only gathered here when there were major events.

When the Divine Exorcist Great Saint, accompanied by the spy, entered the great hall, a figure slowly manifested on the originally vacant dragon throne, sitting high above with an immutable will.

This was the Jade Emperor, the Heavenly Emperor in the mouths of mortals, whose will was the Mandate of Heaven.

In the presence of the Jade Emperor, the spy felt as though he was looking at a towering mountain, seeing the vast and boundless sea, a force that intimidated the heart.

"Your Majesty, I have seen thee!" In a flurry, he knelt down and paid his respects to the Supreme of the Three Realms.

However, to his surprise, the standing Divine Exorcist Great Saint beside him didn’t kneel but maintained an upright posture.

"I heard about your affair, you did well, stand up!" The Jade Emperor’s authoritative voice echoed in the Lingxiao Treasured Palace, bringing great joy to the spy.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Without any hint of neglect, he quickly performed a salutation and stood up.

Then, the Divine Exorcist Great Saint’s voice reached his ears, "Go wait for me at the Exorcist Great Saint Residence."

The spy cast a covert glance at the Jade Emperor and noticed that the face of the Supreme was obscured by clouds and indistinct. Seeing that the Jade Emperor did not speak to stop him, he tactfully left the Lingxiao Treasured Palace.

"A promising seedling!" The Jade Emperor murmured a word of praise in a low voice.

Although it was only a brief encounter, the Jade Emperor quite liked this discerning and tactful spy.

"Yin Qi is just a waste, such a talent has been left in the Eastern Sea for so many years." The Jade Emperor’s words were full of dissatisfaction, and if Yin Qi hadn’t already been executed at the Immortal Slaying Stage, he would have wanted to reprimand him severely.

"However, it is precisely because he concealed himself in the Eastern Sea that our action this time went so smoothly, you could say it was a blessing in disguise!" the Divine Exorcist Great Sage sighed.

"Tell me about that Dragon Son named Ao Xing, what were the results of your test?" the Jade Emperor spoke softly.

The Jade Emperor was also very interested in this hidden member of the Dragon Clan, as there hadn’t been such an interesting person in the Three Realms for a long time.

The Divine Exorcist Great Sage relayed everything he knew.

Then the Jade Emperor said, "I had not expected the Dragon Clan to produce such an exceptional individual, wise, ambitious, and also action-oriented."

"I’m just afraid that once this person grows powerful, he might become a disaster for the Heavenly Court," said the Divine Exorcist Great Sage, somewhat worried.

The Jade Emperor, however, chuckled lightly, "As long as we win this war, no one in the Three Realms will be able to hinder the Heavenly Court, and if we cannot win, then all is lost."

The Jade Emperor was well aware of the current predicament of the Heavenly Court, which, although it seemed to dominate Heaven and Earth, was actually beset with crises. After all, the Heavenly Court had been established from the beginning by the mighty power of the Three Pure Ones.

Now that the Three Pure Ones had transcended, without their powerful control, there were undercurrents within the Heavenly Court, and many people were outwardly respectful but secretly disobeyed, not taking him, the Heavenly Emperor, seriously at all.

If he hadn’t set up an enemy like Luzhou in the North, the Heavenly Court would likely have already fallen into disarray.

"Let it be, let’s also see what this person named Ao Xing can achieve," echoed the voice of the Jade Emperor in the Lingxiao Treasured Palace.

Following the meeting between Ao Xing and the Divine Exorcist Great Sage, the entire Dragon Clan began to stir, and to everyone’s surprise, they found that the voices calling for war within the Dragon Clan had grown increasingly intense.

Although the brothers of Ao Guang only wanted to delay, they couldn’t overcome the enthusiasm of their subordinates, who were invigorated as if infused with vigor, actively making preparations for war, and even completing their tasks ahead of schedule.

"Your Majesty, the generals are causing a stir outside again!" Prime Minister Turtle said to Ao Guang with deep concern.

This had happened several times in the past few days, with the generals of the Aquatic Races inexplicably becoming extremely fervent, a marked change from their usual laxity, all clamoring to go to war.

But Ao Guang seemed as if he hadn’t heard, continuing to drink his fine wine, muttering to himself, "What do these reckless fools know? The Heavenly Court clearly uses us as pawns, and the Demon Clan is not so easy to deal with, especially the Flood Dragon Demon King, with high mana. Charging headlong is tantamount to seeking death."

"Don’t mind them, come join me for a drink instead."

However, the generals outside could not wait any longer. One Crab General shouted loudly, "Stand aside, I want to see His Majesty! It’s because of you bunch of cur slaves deceiving the royal hearing that our Dragon Palace has fallen to such a state, becoming a laughingstock of all living beings in the Three Realms."

"Crab General, please don’t make it difficult for us. If this is truly His Majesty’s will, you should go back first, and we will notify you when there is a royal command," pleaded the guards around.

Just then, Ao Xing slowly walked over from outside. Seeing him, the generals’ faces lit up, and they quickly shouted, "Prince Ao Xing has arrived!"

Ao Xing revealed a slight smile and said, "Generals, have you come to request battle again?"

"Your Highness, please convey our message inside. Tell His Majesty that our troops are ready and can set out at any time; we hope His Majesty grants permission," they said.

Ao Xing, however, slowly shook his head and said, "I am aware of the generals’ feelings, but I am of low influence and powerless. Moreover, you all know my father’s temperament; he will likely be hard to persuade."