"Of course."
Zhou Qing nodded strongly. If he had not been such a useless father and husband back then, Zhou Yuan would not have been tortured by the Dragon's Resentment Poison for so many years and Qin Yu would not used so much essence blood to save Zhou Yuan and end up having her lifespan cut.
These were things he had blamed himself for for many years.
Therefore, now that such hard to come by information about a lifespan supplementing treasure had arrived in his hands, he naturally did not plan on giving up so easily.
Zhou Yuan's pounding heart gradually quietened down and he asked in a low voice, "Father, has this information been verified?"
Zhou Qing replied, "It is true. Someone unintentionally entered this particular ruins and saw the Fire Spirit Grain and Jade-Infant Fruit. However, there seemed to be a powerful Genesis Beast guarding the ruins so he had no choice but to hastily flee."
"If this news has spread, I'm afraid that Qi Manor will know of it too." Zhou Yuan frowned. Qi Manor would became a really huge threat if they managed to obtain the Fire Spirit Grain.
That was after all a true strategic resource that was indispensable to any faction.
With such a resource in hand, grooming one's own forces and recruiting powerful practitioners would become much more effective.
"Yes." Zhou Qing nodded. His expression grew somewhat solemn as he said, "That is why I plan to send Lu Tieshan."
Zhou Yuan said, "Father, let me go too." He had already unblocked six channels and would soon reach the Qi Nourishing stage. Once he stepped into the Qi Nourishing stage, he would be considered a little powerhouse.
In the Great Zhou Empire, Alpha-Origin stage experts stood at the pinnacle. They were followed by Heaven Gate stage experts, while the Qi Nourishing stage made up the core of the elite forces. In the military, those at the Qi Nourishing stage were qualified to take on heavy responsibilities.
Upon seeing Zhou Yuan volunteer himself, Zhou Qing smiled and said, "That is why I called you here. Besides aiding Lu Tieshan, there is another important task that I have for you."
"What is it?"
Zhou Qing let out a sigh before he said, "On this mission you will have to first head for Canglan County. If possible, I hope that you will be able to think of a way to draw the great general to our side and help us deal with Qi Manor."
"At the very least, you must ensure that Qi Hao does not pull the general to Qi Manor's side."
Zhou Yuan nodded. As the prince, going to Canglan County would show the sincerity of the royal clan.
Zhou Yuan replied, "Don't worry father, I will do my best."
Zhou Qing chuckled before reaching into his clothes and fishing out a scarlet red jade scroll on which light seem to flow. "You will soon reach the Qi Nourishing stage and will formally be able to practice a Qi Cultivation Method. This is the Flame-Thunder mantra of our royal clan and will allow you to cultivate the grade 4 Flame-Thunder Qi. Take it and have a good look. If it is suitable, you may practice it."
"So this is the Flame-Thunder mantra?" Zhou Yuan's eyes quivered.
In this world, Genesis Qi cultivation methods were categorised into nine grades. In other words, there were nine grades of Genesis Qi.
The better the Qi cultivation method, the better the quality the Genesis Qi. Grade 4 Genesis Qi was practically top tier in Great Zhou, and the masses were only able to cultivate grade 1 or grade 2 Genesis Qi.
"Master didn't have time to impart any Qi cultivation methods to me back then, I wonder if big sis Yaoyao has any." Zhou Yuan smacked his lips. Given master Cang Yuan's mysteriousness and unfathomable power, the Qi cultivation methods he knew should far surpass the royal clan's Flame-Thunder Qi.
Although he had such thoughts in mind, Zhou Yuan still took the Flame-Thunder mantra. If Yaoyao did not have any Qi cultivation methods, he would have no choice but to choose the former.
"Qi Nourishing stage…"
Zhou Yuan tightly grasped the jade scroll as anticipation flooded his eyes. The Channel Opening stage could only be considered creating one's foundations. Only at the Qi Nourishing stage would one be able to finally take one's first step onto the path of cultivation.
Only after reaching that level would one be able to truly experience the true wonders of Genesis Qi.
…
Great Wu Empire.
Royal city, Subdue Zhou City.
Years ago, the Wu clan had rebelled against Great Zhou and seized her lands. From the name of Great Wu's capital, it was obvious that Great Wu intended on completely subduing Great Zhou, ensuring that she would never rise again.
Majestic structures rose one after another in the Great Wu royal palace, extending all the way till the end one one's sight. Powerful Genesis Qi rippled from the many pagodas, enveloping every corner of the royal palace.
Compared to Great Zhou, Great Wu's royal palace was undoubtedly much grander, and the latter's security was likewise far superior. This showed just how powerful Great Wu was.
In a certain inner palace within the royal palace, a youth in yellow robes sat behind a desk. His skin was as fair as jade, while a pair of eyebrows akin to the a sword's edge decorated his extremely handsome face.
The simple act of sitting there made him exude an aura of nobility, standing high above everyone else like the pride of the heavens.
A faint aura seemed to rise behind him like the roar of a coiling dragon.
A faintly glowing blood red dot seemed to have been embedded between his brows. A sight that was both mysterious and strange.
This youngster was the crown prince of the Great Wu Empire, Wu Huang.
His face was indifferent as he flipped through the scrolls before him. Although he was only a youth, due to his special status in Great Wu, king Wu had allowed him to take part in the national affairs of Great Wu since a young age.
At this moment, someone respectfully walked in, kneeled before the table and respectfully said, "Crown prince, the secretary supervisor has sent some news."
Wu Huang lifted his eyelids and reached out a hand to receive the bamboo tube. He removed the paper roll inside and slowly opened it as his eyes swept across it.
"Oh?" Wu Huang's expression suddenly changed. A strange look surfaced on his handsome face as he said in an emotionless voice, "How interesting, it's about the Zhou clan's sacred dragon."
"What a tenacious person. So he managed to survive even after having the Dragon's Resentment Poison sealed in his body by father?"
The kneeled figure asked in a cold voice, "Your highness, shall we eliminate him?"
Wu Huang let out a soft chuckle. "Our Great Wu Empire is currently busy with the Thousand Beast Empire and the Sword Empire. How can we possibly spare any attention to a practically dead Great Zhou."
The figure replied in a low voice, "But Zhou Yuan once possess the sacred dragon blessing and was claimed to be the sacred dragon of the Zhou clan."
The moment these words left his mouth, he saw Wu Huang's cold eyes sweep over and immediately swallowed the rest of his words.
Wu Huang wore an apathetic look as dragon Qi rose behind him, making him appear incomparably noble. His voice was calm as he said, "You are wrong. Zhou Yuan is not a true sacred dragon. If he was, how would our Wu clan have succeeded?"
"The sacred dragon blessing originally belonged to me and he was merely a tiny mistake. This error has already been corrected and brought back to the proper path. Hence…"
"Zhou Yuan is nothing but a fake dragon who once bore a destiny that did not belong to him, resulting in both he and Great Zhou paying a steep price."
"On the other hand, I am the true dragon. Therefore, the sacred dragon blessing ultimately returned to me."
He stared at the figure before him as he slowly continued, "So please do not make this blunder again. It was not I who stole his sacred dragon blessing but he who took what was mine. All I did was take it back."
"This is called returning to its rightful owner."
"Understand?"
The figure shivered as he gazed at the slightly smiling Wu Huang and hastily acknowledged in a respectful manner.
Wu Huang threw away the bamboo tube and said in an indifferent voice, "Go check on what this fake dragon is doing. Six channels… Do you know? With such pathetic strength, he does not even have the qualifications to stand before me."
The figure respectfully responded, "Your highness is the true dragon and Zhou Yuan is only an ant in comparison that is not even worth mentioning."
Wu Huang picked up the rest of the scrolls and said, "During the subsequent period of time, I have to focus on training so as to prepare for Cangmang Continent's approaching battle of the saints. It is this battle that is truly important. Do not bother me with matters regarding the crippled dragon in future."
"Understood!" The figure responded.
Wu Huang stared at the scrolls for a while, before he said, "But since this matter has already come to my attention, I cannot take it as if nothing has happened. Tell them to give the Qi clan more support. If they are able to overthrow the Zhou clan, our Great Wu will have saved some effort. Else it will be somewhat troublesome due to the vow father made back then."
He smiled at his point. "Let this be a lesson for that crippled dragon. Let him know that he should properly behave himself as a cripple in future."
His words were simple, but they seemed to have decided the fate of Great Zhou.
He then smiled at the figure and said, "Have a good look. What you see is a true dragon"
A single sentence to determine life or death. A single sentence to decide the destruction of a nation.