In his constant impression, Ao Xing was a refined and cultured man, always buried in his books, never revealing a hint of his capabilities, regarded by the entire Dragon Clan as a man of wisdom, yet no one knew the extent of his true power.

What he found even more unexpected was that such a formidable method was still neutralized by that Demon Clan’s fellow.

Seeing his face full of disbelief, Ao Xing continued, "It’s not just as simple as neutralizing; if that fellow had really been determined to keep you, I wouldn’t have been able to save you."

"How can that be possible?"

"How can it not be possible? He once stayed with the Dragon Clan and naturally knows our habits. No matter how many of the Aquatic Races are injured or die, we wouldn’t care too much, but if a True Dragon Descendant were to be harmed, the entire Dragon Clan would unleash its fury."

"Now, our relationship with the Demon Clan is delicate. Don’t look at the hostility; in reality, both sides are carefully maintaining a bottom line, neither willing to step over it."

Ao Xing’s words made Ao Ming even more puzzled. The Demon Clan and Dragon Clan had long been hostile, and the battle between them continued, yet now it was said that both sides were very restrained.

"Don’t believe it?"

Ao Ming nodded, and Ao Xing continued, "Do you know the predicament of our Dragon Clan?"

Seeing the other shake his head, Ao Xing couldn’t help but laugh and said, "What are you thinking about all day long? You talk incessantly about reviving the Dragon Clan, but you never care about the Dragon Clan’s situation."

"Sir, those are matters for you to worry about, I just need to follow you," Ao Ming said indifferently.

Ao Xing shook his head with a smile; Ao Ming was simple-minded, which was a good thing, as it would allow him to practice cultivation better.

"If the Dragon Clan wants to rise, the Heavenly Court must be overturned; otherwise, we will never have a day in the sun."

"Yet our Dragon Clan is after all a subject of the Heavenly Court, hence we can only obey orders and fight against the Demon Clan. But remember, our battle with the Demon Clan is only for training our forces and for show to the Heavenly Court. We don’t actually want to completely defeat the Demon Clan, but instead we want to use this time to develop our own power."

Ao Xing expounded his plan to Ao Ming with patience and concern, which made the eyes of this rising star of the Dragon Clan widen in astonishment.

He had not realized that within a war, there lurked so many cautious thoughts, whether from the Demon Clan, the Dragon Clan, or even the Heavenly Court, each had its own thoughts, each with its own calculations.

"All these things you’re talking about are too complicated. I’d better just focus on fighting," Ao Ming said with a wry smile and a shake of his head, thinking that it was better to spend time looking for a fight than to ponder over these matters.

The two returned to the Dragon Clan’s camp, only to see everyone with somber faces; it was clear that today’s battle had not gone well.

It seemed that the Demon Clan had grasped their own movements; everyone had blundered into an ambush and suffered heavy casualties.

Fortunately, although many were wounded, not a single one of the Dragon Clan’s brood had been lost.

"There’s no need to be so dejected. Victory and defeat are common in warfare. We have been too successful in the past, which led you to become arrogant, resulting in today’s defeat. Otherwise, you would have retreated decisively upon realizing something was amiss, rather than underestimating the enemy and recklessly advancing," Ao Xing concluded with a smile.

The crowd couldn’t help but lower their heads because Ao Xing was right; they had not been oblivious to the strangeness. After all, the keenly patrolling Demon Clan’s scouts had vanished without a trace, which in itself was quite peculiar.

If a more cautious commander had been in charge, by now they would have keenly sensed the danger and would not have let the main force fall into such a perilous situation. However, the young dragons of the Dragon Clan had, during this period, suppressed the Demon Clan so effectively that they had developed a sense of superiority, believing the Demon Clan to be insignificant. They assumed that their previous failures were merely because they themselves had not been in power.

But today’s events had delivered a resounding slap to their faces. Drawing on their intelligence advantage, the Demon Clan had exploited the dragons’ complacent mindset, luring the enemies into an ambush that nearly annihilated their army. These dragon sons and grandchildren returned to the camp covered in dust and ash, many bearing injuries.

"But our troops!" someone sighed.

To say that they were now merely figureheads might be an exaggeration, but the number of troops left under their command was indeed few; the prospect of continuing the fight against the Demon Clan seemed delusional.

Just then, they heard a commotion outside, and as everyone looked out, they saw a group of Aquatic Races arriving at the camp under the leadership of a Dragon Son.

"Prince Mo’ang!" Ao Ming murmured to himself.

This individual held a high position of power within the Dragon Clan, not only possessing formidable strength but also being almost certain to be the next Dragon King, which was why he seldom involved himself in their affairs.

"I didn’t expect you to lead the team personally!" Ao Xing said with a sigh.

He and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas had already reached an understanding. Before setting out, Ao Xing had realized that this battle would not be easy, so he had sought reinforcements from the Dragon Palace.

He had thought that the reinforcements would arrive slowly, but to his surprise, they had shown up in just two days, indicating that the Dragon King had not delayed at all and had provided support swiftly.

This deviated from the strategy they had previously discussed. Seeing Prince Mo’ang leading the group personally, Ao Xing became acutely aware that something must have happened for the old Dragon Kings to make such an ostentatious show of force for the Heavenly Court to see.

He looked up and indeed saw that Prince Mo’ang had a grave expression, though the presence of the crowd prevented him from speaking freely.

So after integrating the troops, Ao Xing led Prince Mo’ang to a secluded area. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Out with it, your grave expression must mean that something has happened at the Heavenly Court," Ao Xing said solemnly.

After scanning their surroundings, Prince Mo’ang slowly said, "The Heavenly Court has achieved a great victory; they now occupy the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range. Everyone in the Heavenly Court is jubilant, and my father has sent me to ask for your opinion on this matter."

"The Heavenly Court is victorious; I see!" Ao Xing murmured to himself.

He noted that the envoy who had been urgently pressing them to deploy troops had suddenly disappeared, likely because the great victory had bolstered his confidence, making him believe that the Northern Sea battlefront was no longer important.

Ao Xing was fully aware of the implications of the Heavenly Court’s conquest of the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range. Beyond that point lay open terrain, and the Heavenly Court’s Treasure Ships would be able to be put to full use, causing a profound shift in the dynamics of the entire war.

"Yet, the way the Demon Clan is acting, they seem not to be worried at all," Ao Xing murmured.

His brain was working at lightning speed, trying to piece together recent intelligence, looking for clues.

"If the Demon Clan truly had no recourse, as the Heavenly Court believes, then they should have seized the opportunity to cripple us and send reinforcements to the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons in a desperate bid to retake it. However, their lack of panic suggests they must have a plan already in place," Ao Xing stated slowly, analyzing the hidden truths.

No matter how one looked at it, the Demon Clan must have been prepared.