The era has changed!

This was Ao Guang’s deepest feeling, before this he had never imagined that the Heavenly Court in Luzhou in the North could end up in its current state.

This shows the presence of the Three Pure Ones had covered up too many problems of the Heavenly Court, now that these issues have been exposed one by one, the Heavenly Court no longer possesses the powerful force that once oppressed the Three Realms.

Everyone saw its weakness, and Ao Guang was no exception.

Whenever this happened, it was a time for the Dragon Clan to face choices; choose correctly and continue to dominate the Three Realms, choose incorrectly and face irreparable doom.

"I really am old!" Ao Guang sighed and shook his head.

Facing such a situation, this old Dragon King no longer had his past decisiveness, he became fearful, but fortunately, the younger generation had grown up.

Through this war, Ao Guang saw the potential of Ao Ming, Ao Xing, and others, and he understood that to carve a new path for the Dragon Clan amid this chaos, it might still rely on the strength of these young people.

After all, he was old. Maybe in the face of the Dragon Clan’s long lifespan, Ao Guang could still be considered a middle-aged dragon, but the long-standing pressure had aged his heart prematurely.

Lacking that sharp edge, often times he was unable to forge ahead; at least he was incapable of blatantly extorting the Heavenly Court.

But perhaps that was for the better, playing the mediator, he could not only slow down the Heavenly Court’s pace but also buy the younger generation more opportunities.

The extent of his role was only this, Ao Guang sighed softly, his voice echoing through the Crystal Palace.

On the other hand, the Immortal Officer who had hit a snag at the Dragon Palace was huffily returning to the Heavenly Court.

A few Heavenly Soldiers stationed at the Gate of the Southern Heavens noticed his unpleasant expression and let him in without much obstruction.

"That Immortal Officer was all smiles when he left, how come he looks like this all of a sudden?" one Heavenly Soldier said to his companion with a laugh.

This was one of their few joys in the Heavenly Court.

"Who knows, I’ve heard that these Immortal Officers are all high and mighty. They represent the face of the Heavenly Court, so wherever they go, they’re fawned over and flattered. Looking at him, he must have bumped into some greenhorn,"

"Haha, he’s lucky; if he had run into someone with a temper like the Great Sage Equalling Heaven back in the day, he probably wouldn’t have made it back alive."

"But I thought he went to the Eastern Sea?"

"The Eastern Sea? That doesn’t make sense, the Eastern Sea Dragon King is so timid, seeing an Immortal Officer arrive would surely make him tremble, how could he have possibly led to this?"

"I’m certain of what I saw, he did go to the Eastern Sea; I heard he was going there to hold them accountable or something."

Upon hearing this, another Heavenly Soldier turned his head and looked in the direction the Immortal Officer had gone, then slowly said, "Really? There’s still someone in the Dragon Palace who dares not to show the Heavenly Court respect?"

"How could there not be? I heard that this time the Dragon Clan fought a few battles and then stopped moving, claiming a shortage of resources and hoping we could support them with some equipment."

"How could he have the nerve to ask for that, isn’t the Dragon Palace richest under Heaven, unable to produce even this bit of equipment?"

"Right? That’s clearly taking advantage of the situation."

"Sigh, I think the Dragon Clan is really asking for trouble, daring to do so without fearing our Heavenly Court’s army will flatten the Four Seas,"

"It’s all because of the turmoil in Luzhou in the North. Now, we in the Heavenly Court don’t have spare troops to deal with the Dragon Clan, quite the opposite, for the sake of victory in the war, we still have to cajole them. After all, with such a fresh force, the pressure on our front line will be greatly reduced."

"Alas!"

At this, the two Heavenly soldiers guarding the Gate of the Southern Heavens sighed in unison.

In the Lingxiao Treasured Palace, drifting clouds set off the grandeur of the entire hall immensely. The Jade Emperor sat silently on his heavenly throne, his majestic frame radiating golden light, a unique phenomenon congealed from the faith and destiny of the Three Realms, sacred yet awe-inspiring.

"Your Majesty, your humble servant has returned to report!" The Immortal Officer suppressed the rage in his heart as he saluted the Jade Emperor.

"Rise, my loyal subject. Have there been any results from your journey to the Eastern Sea?"

The Jade Emperor’s voice floated down slowly, causing him to bow even lower.

"Your Majesty, the Eastern Sea Dragon King claims he is helpless, evasive, and reluctant to obey the decree," the Immortal Officer replied with his head bowed.

He had already planned how to teach Ao Guang a lesson; whenever he had delivered imperial edicts before, everyone trembled and fawned over him. Never had he been treated with such disdain.

Today, Ao Guang had gone too far, daring to ignore him and the Heavenly Court. He must make him regret it.

"Hmm, I am aware," said the Jade Emperor calmly, appearing not at all angered by Ao Guang’s attitude.

Unable to wait, the Immortal Officer continued kneeling and said, "Your Majesty, Ao Guang truly disregards others, paying lip service while defying you in his heart. It seems he is determined to oppose our Heavenly Court, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he secretly conspired with the Demon Clan."

This Immortal Officer was ruthless, immediately trying to pin the crime of colluding with the Demon Clan on the Dragon Palace.

In his heart, he was even more resolved that he must persuade Your Majesty to mobilize a great army to discipline the Dragon Clan, making them aware of the Heavenly Court’s authority.

"That’s not for you to worry about, you may leave," the Jade Emperor stated.

Upon hearing this, the Immortal Officer was greatly shocked. He had thought the Emperor would be furious and order Ao Guang’s capture, but he never expected the Supreme Ruler of the Three Realms to let it pass so easily, without any indication of pursuing the matter.

"Your Majesty, we cannot indulge people like Ao Guang, or else they will become a source of endless trouble!" the Immortal Officer cried out loudly, his face a picture of loyal courage, seemingly all for the sake of restoring the Heavenly Court’s dignity.

However, as he spoke, he saw the Jade Emperor’s expression, neither pleased nor sad, and a pressure like none before enveloped his whole being, causing the one planning to further set up the Dragon Clan to swallow the rest of his words.

He was a close confidant of the Jade Emperor, having served for countless years, and knew well the temper of this Supreme Being. Such pressure meant the Emperor no longer wished to hear his words, and if he continued without discernment, disaster was likely imminent.

Therefore, he wisely knelt down to the Jade Emperor and said, "I misspoke, I implore your Majesty to forgive me!"

Sweat had already appeared on his forehead, and at that moment, he truly understood the meaning of the Heavenly Emperor’s authority—it felt like walking on the edge of a cliff in Hell.

"Leave," said the Jade Emperor.

Upon hearing this, the Immortal Officer hurried away, not daring to linger a moment longer.

Only when he exited the Lingxiao Treasured Palace did he secretly touch his forehead, which was already wet with sweat.

"The authority of the Heavenly Emperor is indeed too much for someone like me to bear," the Immortal Officer murmured to himself with a sigh of relief.