Mother Dragon, though not concerned with affairs beyond the Dragon Palace, would not neglect matters involving her own children, and thus was well-versed in Buddhist affairs.

Ao Lie, supporting his mother’s arm with a smile, said, "Mother, could you have forgotten about my eldest disciple brother? With him at Mount Ling, who would dare to bully me?"

It was then that everyone remembered that the prince had a remarkable senior disciple brother, no less than the one who dared to wreak Havoc in Heaven. If pushed too far, he certainly wouldn’t care whether it was Mount Ling’s domain or not, as he was known to stand up for those close to him.

Upon hearing this, Mother Dragon finally showed a smile and said, "I know you have an incredible senior disciple brother, but how could we trouble such a Great Saint over trivial everyday matters?"

The crowd burst into laughter, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

With this conversation, any estrangement among the relatives dissipated like smoke in the air, and Mother Dragon, holding her son’s hand tightly, inquired in detail about Little Bailong’s life at Mount Ling.

Little Bailong, not the least bit annoyed, recounted his experiences in full detail.

After a while, as everyone was nearly done catching up, Ao Run finally asked, "Lie’er, did you come here for another reason as well?"

Only then did Ao Lie answer, "I am here also thanks to the gracious permission of Maitreya Buddha Ancestor, who said I should come for a family visit."

Upon hearing this, Ao Run pressed, "Is there nothing else?"

"Nothing more."

Ao Run couldn’t help but frown; he didn’t believe Maitreya had simply allowed his son to come for a visit without ulterior motives. He questioned why now, neither earlier nor later, was the chosen time for this family visit.

The significant figures of the Three Realms were deeply calculative, and sometimes every word and action carried alternative meanings. In this respect, Ao Run dared not be the slightest bit careless.

"Lie’er, I can’t quite figure out the situation at the moment. Could you give me a hint or two?" Ao Run asked.

Previously, Ao Lie might have struggled to grasp the Buddha Ancestor’s mindset, but after seeing Sun Wukong, he had some suspicions about his intentions and said, "As you’ve probably heard, Mount Ling was recently violated, Marx broke his seal, and swept through Xiniu Continent with an overwhelming slaughtering spree, leading to countless Buddhist disciples’ demise."

"It took a tremendous effort from the Buddhist Sect, the combined strength of all, to quell this disaster."

Mother Dragon, upon hearing this, said, "I had also heard about the incident at Mount Ling but never imagined it was so severe."

This response was only natural; in ancient times, Marx’s mana had been formidable, but unfortunately, after encountering Sakyamuni, he was sealed on Mount Ling for many years, which caused his reputation to wane. As a result, many of the younger generation had never even heard of him.

Thus, many were unaware of the significant consequences of the Demon King breaking the seal. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Furthermore, due to the chaos on Mount Ling, information from Xiniu Continent was locked down, leaving many unclear about what had actually transpired there.

"Marx was an ancient Demon King, a rival to Tathagata Buddha in power. His sheer strength was unsurprising, but what I didn’t expect was the Buddhist Sect’s sluggish response, allowing him to break his seal undetected and cause such devastation," Ao Run said, his brows furrowed.

He keenly sensed that there was some secret agenda behind this incident. Although Marx was powerful, he was, after all, under a seal; plus, Mount Ling was a holy land of the Buddhist Sect, protected by numerous Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, and even Maitreya, who had just ascended to the Buddha’s throne. It seemed inconceivable that they would have failed to notice Marx’s movements, allowing him to wreak such havoc.

"Inside the Buddhist Sect, some believe that this incident involved the shadow of the Heavenly Court, especially the Divine Exorcist Great Saint, who may very well have had a hand in this."

Ao Run immediately showed a look of sudden realization. Indeed, he had been suspicious that besides the Heavenly Court, no one else could have aided Marx right under the Buddhist Sect’s nose.

He muttered to himself, "No wonder, now I understand."

"Father, what do you understand?" Prince Mo’ang asked his father with a puzzled look.

Ao Run, however, just smiled gently and said, "It’s nothing. Since your third brother has returned, just take good care of him and let him enjoy his time at home. There’s no need to rush back to Mount Ling."

Mother Dragon also looked at her child with anticipation. She knew that because of past events, Ao Lie harbored an unresolved knot in his heart. His return this time was under orders and it was uncertain whether he had forgiven his father.

After pondering for a moment, Ao Lie said, "Just find me a secluded Cave Mansion."

"Good, good, good, I’ll have someone arrange it right away."

In fact, Ao Lie chose to stay because he saw the undercurrents swirling within the Dragon Clan. He hoped that by being there, he could protect his parents should any danger arise.

After settling Ao Lie, Ao Run didn’t stop to catch his breath and hurried to the Eastern Sea to meet his eldest brother, Ao Guang.

Soon, under Ao Guang’s summons, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas gathered once again to discuss their strategy.

All the Dragon Kings had faces full of worry.

"Big brother, ever since the defeat at the front lines, the pressure on us has been increasing," boomed Ao Qin inside the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace. "Those radicals are jumping up and down, trying to replace your position as the Clan Leader."

"I now suspect that this rebellion was instigated by them."

Upon hearing this, Ao Guang waved his hand dismissively and said, "There’s no need to be so angry. They’re just shouting a few words, not really harming a hair, and besides, this time the Dragon Clan has lost face in any case. Some of their words are not wrong. We do need to regain our dignity, or all living beings in the Three Realms will surely look down on us."

"Big brother, are you planning to compromise with them?" Ao Run frowned and asked.

The few of them had always been representatives of the conservative faction, but now it seemed that their big brother was intending to lean towards the radicals.

"When did we become the conservative faction?" Ao Guang countered.

"We are the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, and I am the Clan Leader of the Dragon Clan. Our will often represents the will of the Dragon Clan. There’s never been a distinction between conservative and radical."

"Initially, we chose to yield because Heaven and Earth were stable and the Heavenly Court pressured the Three Realms. Therefore, we had to conceal our edge. After all, the Dragon Clan was once so powerful, and as the Master of the Three Realms, he would not allow such a formidable Dragon Clan to exist."

"But now, the Heavenly Court is too busy with its own troubles, and they even seek our help. Moreover, the Three Realms are tumultuous, and a brand new era is about to arrive. If we do not show our edge, we may be looked down upon, and those foolish thieves serve as clear proof."

Ao Guang’s speech analyzed the pros and cons, successfully convincing his other three brothers. Just as Ao Guang said, they were Dragon Kings, representing the will of the Dragon Clan. In fact, there were no factional distinctions at all. When they were conservative, they were the conservative faction; when they chose to be radical, they were the radical faction.

"However, Lie’er has come back today," Ao Run said softly.

"Lie’er has come back?" Ao Guang furrowed his brows; Lie’er’s return at this critical juncture likely meant that things were not so simple.

"Did he mention anything?" Ao Guang asked in a grave voice.