Chapter 400 – Better Allies Than Family Slaves: The Dragon Palace Intervenes

‘Defeated ones.’

‘You have no right to negotiate terms with me.’

These two sentences pierced deeply through the defenses of the Clan Elder from the East Sea King’s Manor.

Like the East Sea King, this was also a man born into nobility, and such individuals are often inherently arrogant, viewing many as mere servants.

Now, a lowly servant had bluntly called them defeated ones, stating they had no right. This condescending, dismissive attitude filled the Clan Elder of the East Sea King’s Manor with overwhelming rage.

“Bastard, do you think you’ve already won?”

“Hah, haven’t I? Arrogant as you’ve always been, if I hadn’t cornered you, beaten you to the point of broken bones, leaving you like stray dogs, would you ever bow your heads to me?”

“And since you’ve bowed, get your attitude straight!”

“Crack!”

Lies don’t hurt; truth is the sharpest blade.

Mu Lin’s words, like a knife, slashed once more into the heart of the Clan Elder from the East Sea King’s Manor.

At this moment, he truly wanted to turn and leave.

Yet, considering the perilous situation of the East Sea King’s Manor, he gritted his teeth and said, “Hmph, Mu Lin, you are too arrogant. My East Sea King’s Manor has a thousand-year legacy, with family resources you cannot even imagine. If we were to exhaust everything to kill you, we could still do it.”

“However, unlike someone like you who knows no greater righteousness, my East Sea King’s Manor must guard the Human Frontier. We need to focus our family’s strength on dealing with external enemies. Unwilling to waste the Human Race’s foundation, I am giving you this chance.”

“This is your only opportunity. Don’t ruin it for yourself…”

He was threatening and intimidating Mu Lin, but unfortunately, Mu Lin had no intention of listening. Before he could finish, Mu Lin severed the connection.

This reaction left Clan Elder Ji Yan livid with rage.

“Arrogant, haughty, lowly bastard! A petty man like you, who grows insolent with a little success, will sooner or later die by your own arrogance!”

“Smash!”

After shattering the magical artifact used to contact Mu Lin, Clan Elder Ji Yan also departed.

Thus, only the Clan Elders of the Yan Family and the Chu Family remained in the room.

Exchanging a glance, both sighed with complex expressions.

What made them sigh was not Mu Lin’s attitude, but their own realization that they had missed an opportunity.

“Alas, who would have thought that after our two families fought for so long, it would ultimately be Prince Liang’s Manor that reaped the rewards.”

“Indeed, who could have imagined that Mu Lin would be so powerful, capable of forcing the East Sea King’s Manor to bow with his strength alone?”

They regretted not firmly supporting Mu Lin when he stormed into the East Sea Kingdom.

The only consolation was that they had merely failed to offer full support, not betrayed Mu Lin by siding with the East Sea King.

And this only caused a slight distancing in their relationship with Mu Lin, not a complete break or turning into enmity.

At the same time, the current situation made the Yan-Chu Families feel that this was an opportunity.

“We can report this matter to the family heads and have them fully support Mu Lin… We’ve already missed one chance; we must not miss a second.”

…

While the Yan-Chu Families were preparing to seize this opportunity, at the East Sea King’s Manor, the furious Ji Yan had returned and reported the outcome of his negotiations with Mu Lin to the East Sea King.

Like the Clan Elder, upon hearing words such as “defeated ones” and “you have no right to negotiate terms with me,” the East Sea King clenched his fists, his gaze fierce.

However, after the anger subsided, their reactions differed.

Clan Elder Ji Yan… showed signs of wanting to yield.

He did not want to die, and he believed his strength was not much greater than Ji Zheng’s. If he were to face Mu Lin again, he had no confidence in surviving.

‘Bowing my head would indeed cause a great loss of face, but losing face is still better than dying in battle…’

Clan Elder Ji Yan feared Mu Lin, while the East Sea King, confident in his profound strength as a top-tier Earth Immortal, did not fear Mu Lin and was determined to fight to the end.

However, he also understood that Mu Lin’s clones were scattered throughout the East Sea Kingdom. If he were to pursue Mu Lin, he would spend the rest of his life doing nothing but chasing him day after day.

At the same time, this would not prevent Mu Lin from attacking various parts of the kingdom, effectively pushing the East Sea Kingdom toward decline with his own hands.

Thus, he was unwilling to choose this option.

Surrender was not an option, and personally pursuing Mu Lin was not feasible either. The East Sea King’s situation seemed to have reached a dead end.

Yet, he was indeed a formidable figure. Even in such a desperate situation, he still found a way out.

Of course, the nature of such figures was often “I can betray the world, but the world cannot betray me.”

His solution was indeed beneficial for himself, but for others, for the Human Race, it was a different matter.

Just as now, the solution he contemplated was:

“Help me contact the Dragon Palace, as well as the Evil God cultists within the kingdom!”

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan’s pupils contracted sharply, and his expression was filled with hesitation as he said, “You want to invite foreign races into the kingdom… Is it necessary to go to such lengths?”

His hesitation was understandable, as it is easier to invite deities than to send them away.

Moreover, if they asked the Dragon Palace and the Evil God cultists to deal with Mu Lin, the other side would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to make numerous demands.

Once these demands were agreed to, it would be even harder to send them away.

While the Clan Elder hesitated, the East Sea King showed not a trace of doubt:

“If I cannot control the East Sea Kingdom, then it has no reason to exist.”

“Besides, our situation is not as dire as it seems. The arrival of other forces will indeed plunge the East Sea Kingdom into chaos for a time, but chaos also presents opportunities.”

The East Sea King ultimately persuaded the Clan Elder and made contact with the Dragon Palace.

To bind the Dragon Palace to his cause, he made many concessions.

For example, he ceded control over all rivers and lakes within the East Sea Kingdom to the Dragon Palace.

He even handed over the authority to regulate rainfall in certain regions to the Dragon Palace.

These were all significant rights, and since the East Sea Kingdom was located along the southern coast with abundant waterways, if the Dragon Palace truly occupied these rivers and lakes and expanded its influence, it would effectively share the East Sea Kingdom with the Human Race.

At the same time, waterways were of great importance to humans. If the Dragon Clan occupied them, many humans would have to rely on their favor, worshiping them as deities. This would further weaken the fortunes of the Human Race.

Granting such significant concessions to foreign races while being stingy toward Mu Lin might seem absurd and impossible.

But considering the situation in the late Qing Dynasty, where the ruling powers preferred to give concessions to foreign allies rather than their own people, it becomes clear that many absurd things have indeed happened and continue to happen.

…

The concessions made by the East Sea King sent the Dragon Palace into a frenzy.

Sharing equal dominance over a human kingdom, and being invited by a human feudal lord himself—this held immense allure for the Dragon Clan.

There was no other way. While True Dragon descendants in the Dragon Palace were rare, with only one born every few centuries, mixed-blood offspring were abundant.

These mixed-blood children, born to Dragon Kings, Dragon Lords, and Dragon Elders, needed suitable placements and vast resources for cultivation.

Now, with the East Sea King offering such substantial benefits, they naturally had no intention of letting this opportunity slip.

Thus, upon learning of this matter, the ruler of the East Sea Dragon Palace immediately summoned the palace’s key figures to discuss strategies.

“You’ve all seen the proposal from the East Sea King. What are your thoughts?”

“Offering so many concessions—could this be a trap?”

The first to speak was the Turtle Minister. With his cautious nature, suspicion was his initial reaction.

However, his doubts were quickly dismissed.

“This likely isn’t a trick… The East Sea King’s Manor has suffered greatly recently due to a human Prodigy, and the other Aristocratic Families within his kingdom are growing restless. Under such circumstances, the East Sea King wouldn’t dare scheme against us. Well, even under normal conditions, he wouldn’t dare.”

“After all, it’s the entire Human Race that opposes our Dragon Palace, not just the East Sea Kingdom.”

Once assured it wasn’t a trap, the Aquatic Tribe in the Dragon Palace leaned toward accepting the East Sea King’s proposal.

During the discussion, they also discerned a subtle motive behind the East Sea King’s actions.

“Although the East Sea King generously ceded control over rivers, lakes, and the authority to regulate rainfall, these regions are largely occupied by Aristocratic Families. He wants us to clash with them within the East Sea Kingdom.”

“Hah, that’s of little concern. To truly occupy these territories, conflict is inevitable.”

Despite recognizing the East Sea King’s ulterior motives, the concessions were substantial enough that the Dragon Palace’s members remained deeply tempted.

Consequently, the discussion soon shifted to its final agenda: how to deal with Mu Lin.

This was the precondition for the East Sea King’s invitation to enter his kingdom—the foundation of everything.

Only by eliminating Mu Lin would these agreements and contracts take effect.

Otherwise, it would all come to nothing.

It should be noted that as a perfect golden race, the Dragon Clan’s pride surpassed even that of human monarchs.

After all, even human kings had finite lifespans.

In contrast, Dragons, once fully matured, became Earth Immortals, with lifespans starting at three thousand years and extending up to ten thousand.

Moreover, Dragons developed their bodies, souls, and Mana in unison. A single Dragon could typically contend with three, five, or even a dozen humans of the same cultivation stage.

Such a race, favored by heaven and earth, could hardly avoid arrogance.

Driven by this pride, they neither feared Mu Lin nor considered him particularly formidable.

“That Mu Lin is merely at the Mortal Shedding stage. While he can battle Earth Immortals, the East Sea King also mentioned that he had covert assistance when facing them. Thus, his maximum capability is likely limited to confronting an Earth Immortal.”

“Hah, even if he could slay an Earth Immortal, so what? Our Dragon Clan’s finest youths have also achieved Mortal Shedding feats against Earth Immortals. Eliminating him won’t be difficult.”

“No, the difficulty isn’t in defeating him. According to the East Sea King, that human brat is extremely cautious, like a rat in the fields, digging holes everywhere and leaving countless clones. Merely defeating him wouldn’t fulfill the East Sea King’s request.”

“Then it doesn’t matter. Let’s dispatch our Dragon Clan’s Earth Immortals.”

After a flurry of discussion, the high-ranking officials in the Dragon Palace all agreed they could take action.

During this process, it wasn’t that no one—no Aquatic Tribe member—mentioned that Mu Lin was powerful and difficult to deal with.

The Dragon Lord who had once been an envoy to the Southeast Region demonstrated Mu Lin’s performance.

He even used a spell to display it.

That vivid, immersive Illusion Art allowed some Dragon Clan and Aquatic Tribe members to witness Mu Lin’s combat prowess firsthand.

However, at that time, Mu Lin had not yet advanced to Mortal Shedding. His strength… was truly somewhat weak in the eyes of the Earth Immortals within the Dragon Palace.

And afterward, even though that Dragon Lord said Mu Lin had already advanced and undergone significant transformation, it still didn’t instill fear in the Dragon Palace crowd. Instead, it strengthened their resolve to kill Mu Lin.

“He is the Human Race’s number one Prodigy… then he deserves to die even more. The resources of this world are limited. I don’t want to see the Human Race grow any stronger.”

This reason left the Dragon Lord who had once visited the Southeast Region unable to refute.

“You’re right. He truly deserves to die.”

…

After the matter was decided, the Dragon Emperor (Avatar) of the East Sea Dragon Palace personally issued the command.

“Since all of you have reached an agreement, Ao Huan, this matter shall be entrusted to you.”

“Hmm, this matter is very important to us. The East Sea Kingdom is likely a crucial stepping stone for our return to land. There must be no mistakes… Ao Huan, you may take my command and select a targeted treasure from the Dragon Palace treasury.”

Upon hearing this, the high-ranking officials in the Dragon Palace harbored not a single doubt about killing Mu Lin and were even more envious of Ao Huan.

The treasures of the East Sea King’s Manor were only a thousand years old, whereas the Dragon Palace’s treasury had been established for tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years.

It contained countless accumulated treasures. Any random item taken from it would be a foundation that outside Aristocratic Families guarded fiercely.

Using such a treasure to kill Mu Lin, they couldn’t imagine any possibility of him surviving.

—The saying “the Dragon Palace is rich in treasures” is no joke.

(End of Chapter)