Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

"Now that I've given you the general background, let me tell you about the Dragon Clan." Ao Ning's expression gradually became serious. "Not just anyone can become a member of the Demon Clan's royal family."

"So?" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow.

“At least the Dragon Clan is not suitable.” Ao Ning stared at Chu Xunfeng. “There are too many things to deal with, and in many ways, my Dragon Clan is not as good as Bixie.”

"Mother Queen is neither as ruthless nor as domineering as Bixie. For the demon race, which is used to Bixie's domineering ways, the demon race dominated by the dragon race is undoubtedly weak."

“Weakness…” Chu Xunfeng narrowed his eyes, “is this the fundamental contradiction?”

"Of course not, but this is one of the reasons that the conflict broke out. The dragon race cannot suppress the entire demon race and is not enough to win over the masses."

"The biggest problem for the demon race right now is that some demons want to seize the throne of the dragon race," Ao Ning sighed.

"It's not surprising that they could steal this thing, but what I do find strange is... is there really any demon race that could overthrow the dragon race?"

“One or two demons alone are not enough, but what if we unite with external forces, and our dragon clan works together from within?” Ao Ning’s golden eyes and Chu Xunfeng’s black eyes met from afar.

"Because... the dragon race itself doesn't like this royal status?"

“At least, based on what my mother has heard and what I know, many powerful dragon clans hate having the responsibilities of the entire Demon Kingdom weighing on their shoulders.” Ao Ning’s gaze shifted from Chu Xunfeng to Ao Hanli beside him.

The human youth's gaze also turned to the dragon girl.

Ao Hanli's previous complaints and hatred were genuine; she was, in fact, the kind of dragon that Ao Ning described as completely indifferent to royal duties.

“This is the essence of the conflict.” Chu Xunfeng squinted. “Many dragons want to give up their royal status and associated responsibilities, while demons are also eyeing the demon royal family. But the Azure Dragon God Lord is unwilling to let go.”

“It’s not that she doesn’t want to let go, she does too. I remember what I said when we entered the palace walls: Mother loves to reveal her true form on those walls and lie down to sleep. She sleeps for three to five days at a time, sometimes even dozens of days. I saw Mother’s true form when I was little, but as I grew older, she revealed her dragon form less and less.”

"Then why..."

“Because it is Dang Kang who is now eyeing the demon royal family.” Ao Ning squinted. “Brother Chu may not be familiar with the situation of the various races of the demon race, so I will explain it to you clearly.”

"If Dang Kang or someone from Dang Kang becomes the leader of the demon race, then the demon race will most likely go to war with the human race."

"The demons gathered around Kang were all demons whose bloodlines had withered, and their most distinctive feature was that their bloodline inheritance had experienced a precipitous decline due to the human race."

"..." This time, Chu Xunfeng didn't ask why. He could tell that the Fourth Prince wasn't lying, so the reason was no longer important; what mattered was the result.

"What can I do?" Chu Xunfeng looked at Ao Ning. "I don't think I can control the outcome of this matter personally."

“Brother Chu.” Ao Ning stared at Chu Xunfeng. “Dang Kang’s side can’t compete with my Dragon Clan right now. Although there are many people in the Demon Clan who dislike the Dragon Clan, there are even more who hate war. Without military force, even with the cooperation of dragons from within and without, Dang Kang can’t do anything to my Dragon Clan.”

"So?" Chu Xunfeng narrowed his eyes.

“Three months later, the Dragon Gate will appear, and the ceremony of leaping over the Dragon Gate will open the gates of the demon race. That will be Kang’s only chance.” Ao Ning stared at Chu Xunfeng. “He should have helpers coming into the demon race.”

"what can I do?"

"When you leap over the Dragon Gate and receive the true dragon's inheritance, the true dragon's power will appear for a short time. The person receiving the inheritance can briefly control this power to complete the inheritance of the cultivation path. I don't ask Brother Chu to lend us this little bit of time to help us, but at least don't let the people of Dang Kang steal this peach."

"I see." Chu Xunfeng nodded slightly. "This isn't a task specifically for me, is it? The other aquatic creatures should have been reminded long ago."

"..." The Fourth Prince was silent for a while, then sighed, "Brother Chu guessed correctly."

"Understood. I will do my best. In any case, this matter may affect the human race."

In fact, casting a wide net and catching a wide variety of fish is the right approach. Chu Xunfeng doesn't mind Ao Ning finding his competitors in the matter of leaping over the Dragon Gate, since no one can guarantee that they will definitely be able to cross the Dragon Gate.

“Brother Chu is so straightforward. Here’s what we’ve learned from Hong Ji that you seemed to be looking to forge a decent weapon in Meteor Sands. I’ll have the materials prepared today, and tomorrow Hong Ji will take you to the weapon shop to have a weapon custom-made as a reward for your help in the Dragon Gate incident. How does that sound?”

"Alright, then I will be waiting for Miss Hongji at my humble abode tomorrow."

"Tomorrow at noon, Hong Ji will knock on the door on time."

"it is good."

"Brother Chu, in three months, we'll be waiting to see your heroic figure as you leap over the dragon gate."

"Thank you for your concern, Fourth Prince. I will do my utmost."

Chapter 54, Dragon Burial

"Why don't you dragons want the demon race to stop fighting the human race?"

In the quiet little courtyard, Chu Xunfeng slammed the fire poker in his hand into a dent in the ground and turned to look at the dragon girl who had been following him all the way.

"War means death." Ao Hanli looked at Chu Xunfeng. "Do you want war?"

"I don't want it, but compared to the deaths in war, the demon race is more afraid of war breaking out between Xu Kingdom and the demon race, which would leave Xu Kingdom vulnerable and eventually lead to the unification of the Nine Provinces, right?" Chu Xunfeng squinted his eyes.

Ao Hanli's golden eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at the aloof young man before her, a mixture of amazement and shock welling up inside her.

He shouldn't have known so much, but Chu Xunfeng used the existing clues to weave together his mother's worries.

"What did you guess?"

“It’s not hard to guess.” Chu Xunfeng sat down at the stone table, tapping the surface lightly with his finger. “The royal family of Xu Kingdom is weak. Although it is a country of five continents, there are two continents that are not within the sphere of influence of the royal power. I know this.”

Dizhou and Bianzhou.

"You guessed it, so what will you do next?" Ao Hanli stared at Chu Xunfeng.

"I don't do much, I'm not even at the Three Profound Realms, what right do I have to care about such important matters of the world?" Chu Xunfeng closed his eyes and let out a soft breath. "It has to be Leaping the Dragon Gate, only by Leaping the Dragon Gate can I have some influence on this matter. Can you tell me about Leaping the Dragon Gate?"

"Why don't you ask Sister Hongji, but ask me?" Ao Hanli tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. She seemed to have a natural talent for teasing people and was somewhat aggressive.

"After all, you've been following me all this way, you should be of some use, right?" Chu Xunfeng glanced at Ao Hanli with suspicion, but then suddenly looked away. "If you have nothing else to do and don't want to help me, then please find something to do, Second Princess. I need to cultivate."

"...Alright, I'll tell you about the Dragon Leap." Ao Hanli was once again rebuffed by Chu Xunfeng, and helplessly sat down opposite the young man.

She kept trying to provoke Chu Xunfeng, but Chu Xunfeng never responded directly, always using subtle tactics to retaliate, leaving her with nowhere to vent her anger after she provoked him.

But she insisted on agreeing to Sister Hongji's arrangement to help Chu Xunfeng with the matter of leaping over the Dragon Gate.

Now, the only Dragon Clan member who can directly stand by Chu Xunfeng's side and help him is Ao Hanli, the second princess who has been away from the Demon Kingdom for four years and has not shown her face in public.

"Where would you like to begin listening?" Ao Hanli crossed her legs, propped her cheek with her hand, and looked at the indifferent-looking young man.

"The essence of Lungmen".

“Good question.” Ao Hanli breathed a sigh of relief. “To understand the essence of the Dragon Gate, we must start with the tombs of the Dragon Clan.”

"All true dragons, whether pure-blooded or transformed, will set off from the South Sea after sensing their impending death, striving to swim in the direction they desire in their hearts."

"Why?" Chu Xunfeng sat up straight, looking at the girl opposite him.

"Exploring the Desolate Sea, the Nine Provinces and Three Regions are not the whole picture of this world, but the natural barriers and deadly places block off this world we live in. When the dragons are about to die, they will set off towards the Desolate Sea, going against the current and rushing into the Desolate Sea to find a 'path'."

Chu Xunfeng's heart was slightly touched, but only a little. "And then?"

"Most true dragons die in the Desolate Sea. Every year, the ocean currents in the Desolate Sea change course, and the currents carry the 'intentions' of those true dragons to the South China Sea, where the Dragon Gate will appear. This is the true nature of the Dragon Gate."

"..." Chu Xunfeng nodded. "So, what exactly is this 'Leaping the Dragon Gate' thing?"

Although the system had already explained it to him, Chu Xunfeng still wanted to hear how the Dragon Clan understood the matter.

"When the Dragon Gate rises, waves surge. The vast sea will push countless tides into the South China Sea. Aquatic creatures will rush against the waves from the South China Sea toward the Dragon Gate phenomenon. It may be a natural barrier after the sea is divided, it may be an inverted waterfall, or it may be endless bubbles rising from the sea. They ride the waves, step on the bubbles, and cross the highest point of the phenomenon."

"What about resistance?"

"The waves carry the 'intention' of true dragons who died in the deep sea. Break through the waves or find the pattern in the surge. This is the first hurdle. Getting close to the 'Dragon Gate' is enough to wipe out 99% of the aquatic creatures."

"Continue." Chu Xunfeng's fingers continued to tap lightly on the stone table.

"Then the second stage, once you start leaping over the Dragon Gate, you truly begin to face the 'will' of the real dragon. In this stage, anything is possible. Take Sister Hongji for example, when she leaped over the Dragon Gate, she encountered a 'Heavenly River'."

"Tianhe..." Chu Xunfeng blinked, "What does that mean?"

"A winding river stretches towards the sky, gradually rising above the ground and spiraling upwards. According to Sister Hongji, the river could be clearly felt at first, but once you went up and gradually ascended, the river became less and less visible. You were in the clouds and mist, with no reference points around you, and could only go upwards. She was in that celestial river and didn't even know how long she had been swimming until the moment she was exhausted, when she began to fall."

Chu Xunfeng frowned slightly.

"Actually, it was an illusion. In the Dragon Gate Leap that year, Sister Hongji swam to the very end, so she became the only aquatic creature to leap over the Dragon Gate that time."

"Never repeated?"

"Yes, but in the span of seven hundred years, only three or four anomalies have been repeated."

"Does the 'intention' of the true dragon also retain some consciousness?"

"Probably so. After all, after leaping through the Three Profound Realms and breaking through life and death, one's will remains undiminished." Ao Hanli shrugged. "In short, leaping over the Dragon Gate is just that. Rather than leaping over the Dragon Gate, it's more like the true dragons who died exploring the deep sea in history are choosing their successors from among the aquatic tribes."

Chu Xunfeng nodded slightly. Seeing Chu Xunfeng deep in thought, Ao Hanli suddenly spoke up, "By the way, when shall we go to the training ground for another match?"

"Let me get a new gun and practice for a month before we talk about it." Chu Xunfeng raised his gaze and glanced at Ao Hanli.

“I can understand changing guns, but why wait another month?” Ao Hanli was quite happy when she heard the first half of Chu Xunfeng’s sentence, but when she heard the second half, her joy suddenly plummeted.

"I've changed guns, so I have to relearn the moves." Chu Xunfeng looked away.

"Relearn the moves again?" Ao Hanli frowned slightly. She possessed a seventh-grade spirit arm spear bone and naturally followed the path of military cultivation. She could understand raising a new soldier, but relearning the moves again... Could such a basic skill be lost after changing weapons?

It's like someone saying, "I want to renovate my house, but you have to wait until I rebuild the foundation," which is ridiculously absurd.

"I won't lie to you. You'll understand tomorrow when I get my new gun."

"Fine then." He sounded quite unwilling.

Chapter 55, The Man from Baidi Arrives

The following day, the north wind in the Nozawa Wetlands was unusually strong.

The wind howled fiercely, scraping against my face, causing a dull, stinging pain as if a knife were cutting my skin.