CHAPTER 962: CHAPTER 99: DRAGON EXTRACTION (PART 1)

North Sea, a solitary boat.

The winds and waves roiled.

"Mr. Chen... where are we going?"

The little girl with pigtails clutched the sleeve of the woman in the Daoist robe tightly, timidly asking. This solitary boat had set off from the reed marsh and had been traveling for several hours. The North Sea was vast and boundless, with waves growing more violent, yet golden threads surrounded the small boat. Even great waves couldn’t harm the boat in the slightest due to the power of the two great cultivators of the Yang God Realm.

Jiang Huang wasn’t scared.

She gazed at the North Sea, and a faint sense of familiarity spread in her Heart Lake.

It felt like she had been to this place many years ago.

"..."

Tang Fengshu sensed the little girl’s tension.

She reached out and gently held Jiang Huang’s hand, indicating she need not be afraid.

Actually, Tang Fengshu was also very curious.

Setting off from the North Sea Reeds, where was Chen Jingxuan taking them?

"We’re almost there."

Chen Jingxuan said softly, pointing with his sleeve in a direction beside them, smiling as he asked, "Look, this place, you’ve been here before."

Jiang Huang looked in the direction Chen Jingxuan pointed.

All she saw were waves.

But in the next moment, golden light gathered, and hundreds of slender golden threads came sweeping from afar, forming a bright mirror.

In the mirror, the rippling waves reflected the "scene" Chen Jingxuan described, a small city born by the great river, washed by tides, with rolling waves.

Under the golden shimmering mirror, Jiang Huang blurted out, "Lichao City?"

"Yes."

Chen Jingxuan smiled slightly.

"Lichao City?"

Tang Fengshu slightly frowned. Reaching the Yang God Realm, her Divine Thought could sweep out tens of miles.

Even so.

Within the range of her Divine Thought, there was only a vast sea.

This so-called "scene" of "Lichao City" was likely dozens of miles away, even further... In terms of the exploration of Divine Thoughts, Chen Jingxuan was more adept, and this "golden line" could extend to the location of Lichao City. Yet Tang Fengshu was more puzzled. Setting off from the reed marsh to here, it couldn’t be just to go to Lichao City, could it? Looking at the direction of the boat’s travel, it didn’t seem to be heading towards Qing State.

"Are we going to Lichao City?"

Jiang Huang whispered, "It’s... very far."

"We are going nowhere."

Chen Jingxuan squatted down, speaking softly, "We’re just here."

Jiang Huang was even more bewildered.

But Tang Fengshu vaguely understood something in her heart.

The river entrance of Lichao City converged with the North Sea, and after the Beihai Tomb’s fortune was broken, it all flowed into the Da Chu Dynasty through this "bottleneck"... One year ago, Chen Jingxuan had personally opened this bottleneck. No one knew better than Chen Jingxuan where this "Heavenly Destiny Gold Line" anchored. After the turmoil in Qing State ended, this golden line had always anchored here.

"You’re not thinking of cutting off the ’Dragon Vein’, are you?"

Thinking of this, Tang Fengshu’s expression became complicated, and she quickly sent Divine Thought to inquire.

"Indeed."

Chen Jingxuan did not conceal, nodding.

He stood up; the wind blew over the sea, wave upon wave churned and stacked, yet the small boat remained extraordinarily stable under the golden thread’s protection.

"The Da Chu Dynasty has a total of four Dragon Veins."

"Three of them are respectively controlled by Da Sui Sword Palace, the Taoist, and the Qin Family... situated on the land of the dynasty."

"And the fourth Dragon Vein... connects to the North Sea."

Chen Jingxuan said in a heavy voice, "This North Sea Dragon Vein is considered the ’direct lineage Dragon Vein’ of the Da Chu Royal Family; today’s chaos stems from the ’North Sea Dragon Vein’..."

He personally opened this Dragon Vein bottleneck.

For.

Bringing a great fortune to the Da Chu Dynasty.

The prosperity indeed came as desired.

But the North Sea Dragon Vein also sparked subsequent conflicts.

"Now, I want to seize this Dragon Vein..."

Chen Jingxuan said softly, "I want to end all this in the manner of a ’Sky Watcher.’"

This was the reason he refused to return to the Imperial City.

Ending this chaos in the North Sea was what he should do more.

"The Dragon Veins of Da Chu are only sensitive to Imperial Blood."

Tang Fengshu spoke subconsciously, murmuring, "Even a Sky Watcher cannot intervene..."

That year, Chen Jingxuan took advantage of the turmoil in Qing State, shattered the Beihai Tomb, thereby opening the Dragon Vein and unclogging the block.

This is something a "Sky Watcher" could do...

But to control the Dragon Vein.

Without Imperial Blood, it’s simply impossible!

"You’re right..."

Chen Jingxuan said softly, "The Sky Watcher cannot intervene in the Dragon Vein. But if this matter is entrusted to someone who flows with the Da Chu Imperial Blood, it can always be done."

Tang Fengshu was stunned for a moment.

In the next moment, the North Sea stirred, great waves surged, and the solitary boat was pushed to the highest point of the heavens and earth.

Chen Jingxuan stepped out, countless golden threads weaving in the waves, forming a portal.

He stepped into the portal.

The world fell silent.

A young man in black, leaning on an umbrella sword in the spring breeze, stood amidst the heavenly golden threads, millions of golden threads converging at this moment, forming a towering giant tree reaching the heavens. The young man turned around, looking at the scholar in green beside him, and respectfully said: "Master... you’ve arrived."

After leaving Da Li, Chu Guo had remained in this Grotto Heaven cultivating.

This Grotto Heaven was formed by the [Heavenly Destiny Gold Line].

Millions of golden threads weaving into the scene of the bygone Moon Hidden Realm, with the sun rising and setting, tides rising and falling.

Chu Guo had been waiting.

He waited... not just for Chen Jingxuan.

"Soon."

Chen Jingxuan landed in the Lifebound Cave Heaven, standing beneath this towering giant tree, feeling the pulse of the myriad golden threads.

Chen Jingxuan said softly, "She is coming soon."

A thousand miles away, in the Great Chu Imperial City.

After a series of tumultuous upheavals, after Chen Jingxuan’s departure, the undercurrents finally surged; the Imperial City was no longer calm, and the prominent families of the Northern County no longer restrained the fury suppressed for over a decade... In the streets and alleys of the Imperial City, protests and demonstrations of resistance were staged, and the Imperial City Department had no choice but to deploy a large number of spies to forcibly suppress them, the once peaceful and joyful Imperial City now completely engulfed in turmoil and strife.

In the chaos and strife, there was only one place of tranquility.

The Royal Garden left by Emperor Chu.

White snowflakes were flying over the garden, and the mournful and clear notes of an ancient zither echoed within the courtyard.

The Little Emperor Chu Yin no longer concealed her "female" identity; she removed her hairpin before the mirror, letting her long hair cascade down, lightly applied lip balm, and meticulously examined her appearance inch by inch.

The Snow Master stood silently beside Chu Yin, her expression dazed.

If she remembered correctly, this was the first time she had seen Chu Yin reveal such a smile.

"Master said, once this chaos ends... I can gain ’freedom’."

Chu Yin looked at herself in the mirror, smiling softly, "Do you think there really is such a thing as ’freedom’ in this world?"

"...There is."

The Snow Master subconsciously responded.

After speaking, she immediately realized that His Majesty might have just been rhetorically asking the mirror and not actually inquiring from her.

"...Thank you for accompanying me for so long."

Chu Yin turned around, looking at the woman amidst the wind and snow, earnestly said, "And for this final stretch, please accompany me to the end."

The Snow Master respectfully bowed her head.

Chu Yin left the vanity table, barefoot, walking towards the end of the Imperial City Villa.

The ancient zither’s music played outside the corridor gradually faded.

But the snowstorm grew larger and larger.

Eventually.

She came to the great mural at the end of the Imperial City Villa.

This mural was exquisitely carved, with a tree reaching the heavens, standing tall and majestic, with thousands of branches and leaves, vivid and lifelike.

The Little Emperor extended her hand and pressed it against the mural.

In the next moment, the "branches and leaves" in the mural seemed to come alive.

"Clatter, clatter—"

Thousands of golden threads swayed, and the mural transformed into a portal, with countless radiant lights reflecting in front.