Chapter 105: The Reason Was Merely an Excuse

The divine realm was strictly guarded, yet in some respects, it was surprisingly lenient. There were no rigid rules dictating that a son must inherit from his father or a daughter from her father; such customs were matters of sentiment rather than law. Responsibility was entrusted solely based on merit. When the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea returned the Divine Seal, no objections were raised, nor were there decrees forbidding other clans from intervening or insisting that Ao Jinyu alone must inherit the divine position. Under such circumstances, many ambitious dragon clans began to stir restlessly.

Several times, attempts to intercept, invite, or command Ao Jinyu were all repelled by Uncle Kong and his five armored soldiers. Eventually, matters escalated, compelling Ao Yu and Mu Tong—geniuses at the Celestial Immortal realm—to personally make the journey and ‘invite’ Ao Jinyu.

At first, everyone believed this approach was foolproof. Sending Ao Yu’s faction and enlisting Mu Tong’s made them exceedingly confident. Such affairs were delicate; elder Celestial Immortals found it difficult to confront each other directly, so they resorted to having their subordinates and juniors act on their behalf. If Ao Yu or Mu Tong intervened, who could possibly contend with them?

Unconsciously, they all hoped to obtain the Water Divine Seal, but instead, news came that Ao Yu and Mu Tong had clashed fiercely. This revelation stunned and infuriated them.

Each side cursed vehemently.

How could they be so shameless as to let a prodigy like Ao Yu take action!

Ao Yu’s faction cursed in secret: which clan dared to summon someone from the Mountain God’s lineage? Such audacity was utterly disgraceful!

Other clans, outside those two factions, realized the gravity of the situation. If they did not act now, it would soon be too late.

Some coveted Ao Jinyu’s beauty and true dragon bloodline; others lusted after the Water Divine Seal and the position of Water God of Zhang County. Various clans, each driven by their own designs, began to extend their claws.

Beneath the lake, in the Dragon Palace.

A pale golden dome enveloped the entire palace, and above the main hall stood a middle-aged man clad in yellow robes.

At that moment, he lowered his head, rapidly scanning the messages sent by his subordinates. His expression, once intrigued, gradually darkened. With a furious swipe, he tore apart the water screen displaying the lines of text, grinding his teeth as he muttered, “How could this be? Mu Tong—whose faction summoned him? To even invite an outsider—truly shameless. And Ao Yu’s faction acted so swiftly! But dog bites dog—serves them right!”

A subordinate knelt silently nearby, not daring to breathe.

Seething, the middle-aged man sighed deeply. “It seems I must go in person... But by now, Ao Jinyu should have already left this realm, right? It’s too late...”

He felt a twinge of regret. Such a prime opportunity had been lost simply due to pride.

Had he been shameless enough to intervene personally, perhaps the Water Divine Seal would have been seized long ago. Yet, that would have provoked the other dragon clans to do the same, making it uncertain where the Water Divine Seal would ultimately fall.

Soon after, another message arrived: the teleportation array was broken, and Ao Jinyu and the others were unable to leave this realm.

***

At the boundary of realms, a towering mountain barred the way. Beyond it lay chaos—a vast expanse of white mist, rising and swirling mysteriously.

Beneath this veil were the boundary seas, each leading to endless abysses, foreign lands beyond the heavens, and unknown territories.

These places were desolate and uninhabited, stretching countless billions of miles, barren and void as far as the eye could see.

On the mountain side where Liu Ping and his companions stood, there were thirteen teleportation arrays of various sizes.

“Are there no other formations?” Liu Ping asked, scanning the surroundings until his gaze settled on a distant teleport array. “What about that one over there?”

The five armored soldiers sat dejectedly on the ground. Uncle Kong sighed but did not respond, sitting quietly to meditate. The earlier battle had drained much of his energy, spewing vital essence, and the frantic journey afterward left him somewhat weakened.

Ao Jinyu shook her head. “I cannot activate other formations. These belong to my family, and now that this one is damaged, it seems we cannot leave.”

Liu Ping was momentarily stunned, about to speak, when Ao Jinyu looked up and said, “But you do have a way.”

Liu Ping frowned. “What way?”

“You can leave through other clans’ teleportation formations. You’re an outsider, uninvolved in this matter. As long as you don’t stay with me or get entangled in my affairs, paying some price, it’s quite easy for you to leave.”

Hearing this, Uncle Kong opened his eyes, about to speak but seemed uncertain. After pondering, he sighed and shook his head.

Liu Ping asked, “What about you all?”

Ao Jinyu replied, “With the formation damaged and the Water Divine Seal in my possession, I absolutely cannot leave. Without the Water Divine Seal, leaving would be meaningless. So let us part ways here. I saved your life, and you saved one of mine. There is no need to aid me further in vain.”

Liu Ping furrowed his brow. Sensing his hesitation, Ao Jinyu smiled faintly. “You are truly a good person. Don’t worry; though they are arrogant, I am a dragon. They dare not harm me.”

Liu Ping said nothing further. After inquiring about the locations of other dragon clans, he turned and departed.

***

Watching Liu Ping’s retreating figure, Ao Jinyu’s expression was inscrutable. A gust of wind swept through, stirring her dark hair like a maiden walking toward her end.

In truth, there was another method she had not mentioned—and Liu Ping had not considered: destroying a formation to seize its final teleportation charge.

But to do so would give those clans a legitimate reason to suppress her openly. Even if Liu Ping was formidable, endless troubles would follow. It would also implicate Uncle Kong and the others. Although it might benefit her and be worth the gamble, she would neither speak of it nor act on it. Moreover, teleporting across would mean entering the human realm, guarded by Celestial Immortals—an irreversible path she preferred not to take.

As Liu Ping pressed onward, he felt uneasy.

It seemed somewhat ungrateful. After all, they had saved his life. How could he leave so abruptly when indebted?

Despite the impending dangers, with the Demon God’s arrival and the wings of the Daoist soldiers, he possessed some means of self-defense.

Besides, Ao Jinyu was pitiful. A hero rescuing a beauty ought to lend aid—perhaps even earning her goodwill.

Furthermore, he suddenly recalled that the teleportation array leading to Zhang County might have been damaged by his own hand. This was highly probable and had trapped her here. Could he simply refuse to help?

Many reasons swirled within him, urging Liu Ping to return and assist her.

Yet, he was deeply aware of one truth—

“Reasons are merely excuses.”

Liu Ping smiled, stopping abruptly and muttering to himself, “A thousand reasons, all just to justify helping Ao Jinyu. In the end, I’m simply annoyed to leave just like this. It’s that simple.”

With that, he turned sharply and rushed back.