In the main hall of the Dragon Palace, a young man dressed in black robes and accompanied by a masked figure stood in the darkness. The only light came from faint, eerie glows that barely illuminated their forms.
"The bastard from the Eastern family is missing. He even made Ganling and Luo disappear. He better not have done anything to them, or I swear I'll kill you, Eastern," the black-clad young man said in anger. He never expected that at the time of the Eastern family's massacre, Eastern Yifeng, the strongest in the Eastern family, would vanish without a trace. Even Ganling and Luo had gone silent.
"Your Highness, please calm down. Our top priority right now is not the situation in the Divine Realm but fulfilling the task of unifying the Demon Realm," the masked figure urgently advised.
"I know. Don't worry, I won't forget my purpose. However, keep searching for any news about Eastern. Once I've unified the Demon Realm, I'll go find him," the young man replied coldly.
"Understood, Your Highness." The masked figure said. "Should we inform the Young Master about the news from the Divine Realm?"
"Not yet. The boy is still too young. I'll tell him when the time is right. Now, leave me," the black-clad young man ordered, and the masked figure vanished into the shadows.
"Eastern, don't disappoint me," the young man muttered to himself, his eyes glinting with a flicker of determination.
Six years later, in the Evil Dragon Forest, a young boy swiftly moved through the rocky terrain, a small earth dragon hot on his heels but failing to catch up.
"Dragon, if you don't hurry, I'll win again!" the boy called over his shoulder.
Hearing this, the little earth dragon surged forward, its speed increasing rapidly as it closed the gap. The boy, noticing this, grinned and thought, *Seems like it's getting serious. Let's see what happens now.* With a sudden movement, the boy vanished, creating a clone that disappeared into the forest.
The earth dragon, now close, struck at the clone with its claws, causing it to dissipate into thin air. Furious, the dragon roared and continued the chase.
"Impressive, it actually caught one of my clones," the boy thought to himself, "but it's too late. I'm still going to win." As he weaved through the trees, the boy spotted a girl ahead.
Suddenly, he looked up, and his eyes locked onto a pair of eerie eyes staring right at him. He gasped. "Dragon caught up!"
Indeed, those eyes belonged to the small earth dragon. With lightning speed, it leaped towards the boy, who found himself unable to dodge.
Sigh, no choice now, the boy muttered under his breath. Then, he called out to the dragon, "You fell for it again." The boy vanished once more, leaving behind only another clone. The earth dragon, unable to halt its momentum, crashed to the ground, tumbling several times before quickly regaining its stance and looking ahead. The boy was now standing beside the girl.
"Dragon, sorry, you lost again," the boy taunted as the dragon rushed up to him and clambered onto his shoulder, playfully nipping at him.
The girl giggled softly. "Young Master, your Illusionary Step technique is coming along nicely. You've even learned to create two clones."
The boy sighed and shook his head. "Even if I can make two clones, I'm left drained. I've used up most of my energy."
"It's alright, once you reach the third stage, you'll be able to use this technique effortlessly," the girl said. After all, the boy before her was still a child, not yet at the third stage.
Sigh, the boy murmured. "I wonder when I'll be as powerful as Brother Anye and my older brother. By the way, Xuanwu, do you know what Anye has been up to these past few years? He didn't go out when my brother did."
"Not exactly," the girl replied. "Anye never talks about his missions, but I know he's always followed His Highness's orders. He might be on a secret mission assigned by the master."
"Really?" The boy raised an eyebrow. "Master's back today, right? Shouldn't we go see him?"
"Yes, His Highness has returned. Aren't you going to see him, Young Master?"
"Right, Dragon, let's go back and take a look." He turned and dashed off. "Xuanwu, see you later!"
The girl watched him run off and sighed quietly. *I wonder what he'll be like when he grows up.*
In the side hall of the Dragon Palace, five figures in black robes gathered. Among them were a young man, a girl, and a middle-aged man, with one of the men absorbed in his meal. They sat around, seemingly discussing something.
A black-robed girl broke the silence. "Everyone, share your thoughts. We've been accompanying His Highness in campaigns for years, without credit but certainly with hard work. But why hasn't Anye, the captain of the Dragon Guard, participated in a single battle?"
"He's directly assigned by the master, so if he hasn't fought, it's because it's His Highness's arrangement. Don't worry about it, Yingmei," a swordsman leaning against the wall replied.
"I disagree, Bloodsoul," the girl, Yingmei, retorted. "What could be more important than helping our master unify the Demon Realm? I suggest we replace the captain of the Dragon Guard."
"Cut it out," a young boy sitting across from her scoffed. "Anye's the strongest among us, second only to His Highness in the entire Demon Realm. What's wrong with him being captain?"
"You're wrong, leadership is about more than just strength," Yingmei argued. "I, for example, have power at the sixth to seventh stage and my shadow army is unmatched. The shadow troops have been crucial to our campaigns, second only to His Highness's Dragon Army. I'm the right one for the job."
"What's this about being the right one? You just want to get closer to the master," the boy teased. "Everyone knows you've been infatuated with him for years, but sadly for you, someone already holds His Highness's heart."
Yingmei's eyes narrowed, and dark energy surged around her. "What did you say?"
"Ha! Want to fight? Bring it on," the boy grinned, drawing a long, flat wooden box from his side. The air around them shifted, and both were ready to clash.
"Enough, enough. We're all allies here," a middle-aged man interjected. The tension eased slightly.
"Yingmei, replacing the captain is a serious matter. Let's wait until Anye returns to discuss it. And you, Xiaoxie, watch your mouth. Trouble comes from careless words," the man warned.
"Alright, alright, I'll let it slide for Old Black's sake," Yingmei said. The boy made a face at her, grinning.
"Quiet, everyone," the middle-aged man commanded, and the group dispersed. As they left, Yingmei sighed. No matter who holds the master's heart, I've been by his side all these years, and I always will be.
In the main hall, a young man in black robes sat solemnly. His once youthful face had matured, and his eyes now held a firm resolve. From the shadows, another masked figure appeared.
"Your Highness, we have news about Eastern Yifeng," the masked figure reported.
"Where is he?" the young man asked indifferently.
"He's in the Beast Realm, but he's alone. Luo is not with him," the masked figure replied.
The young man chuckled softly. "Who would've thought? The once proud heir of the Eastern family, reduced to hiding in the Beast Realm, without the courage to return to the Divine Realm. How shameful for both the Holy Dragon Clan and my master."
In the darkness at the back of the hall, a boy stood silently. A small earth dragon perched on his shoulder, listening to the conversation.
"Something happened to Brother Eastern!" the boy thought to himself.