"Greetings to the Great Saint!" The scout bowed very respectfully to the Divine Exorcist Great Saint.
The Divine Exorcist Great Saint waved his hand lightly and said, "You have been bustling about in the Four Seas for so ti now, it’s been tough. Once this matter is settled, you will return to the Heavenly Court with !"
Upon hearing the words of the Divine Exorcist Great Saint, a delighted expression appeared on the scout’s face.
He had been undercover in the Four Seas for many years now, always assuming he had beco a discarded piece, never expecting to have the chance to return to the Heavenly Court.
"Thank you for your understanding, Great Saint!" The scout’s speech was tinged with a bit of a choke.
"Let the sad matters wait, for now I want you to tell in detail about the situation in the Four Seas."
"Reporting to the Great Saint, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas are blood brothers, of one body and branch, always acting in unison. Although Ao Guang is cowardly, Ao Shun is greedy, Ao Qin is irascible, and Ao Run is stingy, there is no doubt that these four are the current leaders of the Dragon Clan. Ao Guang, as the clan leader, even possesses the Dragon Gathering Bell, an ancient relic passed down from ancient tis. Once this bell rings, dragons all over the world, no matter where they are, can hear its summon."
"The Dragon Clan, after the ancient war, were greatly weakened. Furthermore, due to disturbances at the Ocean Eye, nurous powerful True Dragons are needed to suppress it. However, this is also a great rit. If the Dragon Clan is forced too hard, they might abandon supressing the Ocean Eye, which could lead to Heaven and Earth capsizing into chaos."
Quickly, the scout explained the current situation in the Four Seas to the Divine Exorcist Great Saint, who listened carefully and slowly began to frown.
During his ti among the Demon Clan, his attention had been wholly focused on Luzhou in the North. After his return to the Heavenly Court, he was solely involved with matters of the Xiniu Continent and had not paid much attention to the Dragon Palaces of the Four Seas. Only now, after hearing the scout’s report did he understand that the Dragon Clan, indeed an ancient race left from ancient tis, seed feeble but were still very strong.
A careless response could very well lead to counterproductive outcos.
"Moreover, there are not a few capable individuals in the Dragon Clan, such as Lord Qiantang, Lord of Dongting, whose strengths are formidable and Divine Skills vast, renowned since ancient tis. Although nominally under the control of the Heavenly Court, they, in fact, act independently. Fortunately, due to the Dragon Clan’s long lifespans, their ambitions are not great."
The Divine Exorcist Great Saint instantly recalled these notorious mbers of the Dragon Clan, knowing that compared to the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, these individuals were the real headaches. As long as they remained uninvolved, he could be at peace as if chanting, ’Amitabha Buddha.’
At this mont, the Divine Exorcist Great Saint finally understood why the Jade Emperor had said that only he could handle this matter—it was by no ans an easy task.
"So, to your knowledge, what is the attitude of the Four Seas’ Dragon Kings towards assisting the Heavenly Court?"
After a mont of contemplation, the scout replied, "They do not wish to join the war but dare not openly refuse, for they are still, nominally, vassals of the Heavenly Court, so nine tis out of ten they will employ stalling tactics."
Truly a person who had been undercover in the Four Seas for a long ti, he had a firm grasp on the attitude of the Dragon Clan. With his information, the Divine Exorcist Great Saint already had a strategy in mind.
He smiled and said, "Trying to play it safe on both sides, the Dragon Clan sure have made a good calculation."
He then shifted the topic and said, "There must also be those in the Dragon Clan who long for war, right?"
"Naturally, how can such a large race lack those who are warlike? These old dragons, each one shrewd with age, have seen the rise and fall of the world, and thus it is difficult to bind them to the war chariot of the Heavenly Court."
"But among the younger mbers of the Dragon Clan, the calls for battle have never ceased, after all, the Dragon Clan once was a race that shook the Three Realms, and they are discontent with their current status."
"Young people, they tend to be impulsive, but although their voices are loud, they have no real power within the Dragon Clan and are simply unable to steer its direction."
After listening to the scout’s reply, the Divine Exorcist Great Saint thought for a mont and then said suddenly, "Compile a list of these aggressive mbers of the Dragon Clan for , I want to take a good look at them."
"Yes!"
"Right, there’s soone nad Ao Xing you should look into, a very interesting person."
The scout was sowhat surprised, not knowing why the Great Saint was interested in such an obscure dragon son, but he wouldn’t refuse such a trivial matter and, after acknowledging the request, took his leave.
Divine Exorcist Great Saint stood alone on the beach, facing the vast ocean, when suddenly, a mocking smile appeared on his face, and he murmured to himself, "Dragon Clan!"
anwhile, Sun Wukong, who was in seclusion at Huaguo Mountain, heard the noisy voices of the monkey children.
Before long, he saw Marshal Ma enter and say, "Great King, outside there is Pri Minister Turtle, proclaiming that the Eastern Sea Dragon King has co to invite you to a banquet!"
Sun Wukong opened his eyes and said with a smile, "What wind blows today that the Old Dragon King is in the mood to invite to a banquet? It seems almost certain that sothing’s up."
"In that case, shall I decline this invitation on behalf of the Great King?"
"No need, I had once taken my master Journey to the West to gather scriptures, and I entrusted him to ensure Huaguo Mountain enjoyed fair weather, owing a favor in return. Now is as good a ti as any to repay it!"
Having said that, he walked out of the Shuilian Cave and saw Pri Minister Turtle being harassed and teased by a group of monkeys.
"Be gentle, my beard! I am Pri Minister Turtle, an honored guest of your Great King, you can’t treat like this!" Pri Minister Turtle, unable to bear the pestering of the young monkeys, shouted loudly.
At that mont, he suddenly noticed that the little monkeys pulling at him had stopped their actions, and looking up, he saw a golden Monkey King standing above, a formidable aura sweeping over him.
As Pri Minister of the Dragon Palace, he naturally had seen Sun Wukong and greeted him with a cheerful face, "Pri Minister Turtle pays respects to the Great Saint!"
"You old turtle, not staying properly in the Crystal Palace, what brings you to Old Sun’s Huaguo Mountain?"
"Great Saint jests, I’m just a humble turtle; what business could I possibly have? It is rely that my Lord has invited you to a banquet, and so has sent to deliver the invitation," he replied, taking out a personal letter from Ao Guang.
Sun Wukong laughed as he took the letter, examined it carefully, and then said with a smile, "I already know about his matter. Go back and tell him that Old Sun will definitely attend the banquet on ti."
Pri Minister Turtle, overjoyed at the reply, said, "Many thanks, Great Saint. I shall return to the Dragon Palace at once and await the honor of your arrival."
Having said that, and still with a hint of trepidation, he glanced at the playful and raucous monkeys around him, hastily jumped down from the stone bridge into the water, and made his way back to the Dragon Palace along the connection between the Shuilian Cave and the Eastern Sea.
"Great King, what important matter could possibly bring the Old Dragon King to invite you to the banquet?" asked Marshal Ma curiously.
This dragon king was a creature of profit, and such an invitation was almost certainly a sign of ulterior motives.
Sun Wukong, however, raised the letter in hand and said, "This old fellow is usually so cautious, but now he’s been backed into a corner. He’s just calling over to make a show of strength, to bolster his status. And to think, so much has happened while I’ve been in seclusion."
"What could trouble the opulent Dragon King to such an extent?"
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