In the end, finding a handful of people turned out not to be difficult at all. From the about four dozen people he had rounded up on short notice, half of them were mostly unaffected by the sword. While they weren't completely immune, they at least didn't feel the same debilitating pain that Qiu Ling had had to endure when he cut himself with it. They hardly even blinked their eyes when they made contact with the blade.
Xiang Yong nodded with satisfaction and waited for the others to leave while he turned back to Qiu Ling, sheathed the weapon and handed it back. "That would be all, Your Majesty. Will these people suffice?"
Qiu Ling glanced at them, feeling a little jealous in his heart that they were actually able to stand the weapon. "Yes, they will be more than enough. It's just one mortal sect. I guess we should go over right now then." He wanted to turn away but Xiang Yong called out once again.
"Your Majesty!"
Qiu Ling glanced over his shoulder, raising his brows. He really wanted to go back to the mortal realm now. Even though Xiang Yong had hurried up, a few minutes here were still a few days in the mortal realm. He didn't want his beloved to have to wait for so long.
Xiang Yong gave a wry smile but still spoke up in the end. "Your Majesty, maybe it would be better if somebody else led the group. After all, you will likely be much more susceptible to these weapons' powers than others. It wouldn't do for you to get hurt."
Qiu Ling gave Xiang Yong a deep look, trying to figure out what he meant. It couldn't be that he had figured out what he was, could it?
Noticing Qiu Ling's silence, Xiang Yong lowered his gaze. "Your Majesty, I don't mean to insult you. It is unlikely that anyone would be able to attack you but you are still our king. It would be a dereliction of my duty not to at least give that advice. If you insist on still going there, then I will naturally not hinder you in any way. But I will ask to accompany you. In the worst case, I do not mind giving my life for you."
Qiu Ling gave a hum and then glanced at the people that were watching this exchange seemingly just waiting for what the result would be. Nobody seemed to suspect anything. But thinking back to what happened the last time he was in the Chun Feng Sect, he finally couldn't help but furrow his brows.
Right, those weapons were one thing but they would have to go into the dungeon to free those people. And as for how strong the effect the dungeon had on him was, he knew it very well. The last time, he probably wouldn't even have been able to get out of there if not for the help of the others. He definitely couldn't let anyone of the dragon race see that or his secret would really be out in the open.
In the end, he nodded. "Very well. Then I will return first. You can tell me when it's over."
Xiang Yong nodded. "Then I will go and lead them there myself."
Qiu Ling hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. "To be honest, it would be better if you let one of them take charge." He motioned at the half-bloods that were waiting to the side, his expression still a little unnatural. If he let Xiang Yong go there and he noticed that he might not be as affected as his own king, who knew what kind of thought he'd have? Xiang Yong was too intelligent to take a gamble on this.
Xiang Yong gave a curt nod. "You're right, Your Majesty. Then I will arrange everything."
He saw Qiu Ling off and then turned to the dragons that were still left, wondering just who he should appoint. Most of them were actually guards so he wasn't worried about them not being able to follow orders. Even the ones who weren't should be able to do so at least for the moment. After all, this was a mission their king had chosen them for specifically. Needless to say, this should feel honored that they had this opportunity. Especially since this time around, their king had actually behaved quite normally for a change.
Thinking of it like this, he finally decided to just go about this in the easiest way. "Which one of you has the highest position among the guards?"
The dragons looked around and then one of them stepped forward, bowing. "That should be me, adviser Xiang Yong. My name is Hao Zan."
Xiang Yong nodded. "Very well, then you will lead the others. Please don't forget: Even though you also have the blood of the gods, you're still part dragon. While you were not affected by this weapon very much just now, it is very possible that things might be different in that mortal sect. The stronger the dragon blood in your veins, the more affected you will be.
"While you are the ones who have the best chances of fulfilling this mission, there's still some risk involved in it. Should one of you not be able to take it, then please do not charge into the deepest parts of the sect.
"His Majesty would not want any casualties among you. We merely want to save the person of our race that was imprisoned there and teach those mortals a lesson for what they've done. Now, I'll bring you over to that sect. Afterward, I will have to stand back. I'm afraid I'd only be a burden to you in this scenario."
"Yes, adviser Xiang Yong." The dragons nodded and then followed him out of the dragon realm and over to the Chun Feng Sect, thrilled to have the opportunity to show their king just how valuable they could be.
Some of them were even proud of not having pure dragon blood for the first time in their life. Who would've thought that what often enough had been deemed a blemish was now what made them the best choice for a task given by their own king? They just couldn't help but feel proud of that.