Chapter – 74
Dragon
“This is ‘Ye.’ The divine dragon Ye. He was the one who created Atlantis.”
His voice was full of reverence and awe.
As he finished speaking, he slowly pressed his palms together and raised them above his head, as if praying to the divine dragon for something unknown.
Li Qingqing stood quietly at the side. Watching his actions, a strange feeling rose in her heart.
This was the first time she had learned that the divine dragon actually had a name—Ye.
“Then why is Li Mujin certain to come here?” she asked, confused.
“Because every City Lord of Atlantis must pray to the divine dragon before taking a wife.”
During their conversation, Xiao Ziye behaved unusually quiet. He did not join the discussion at all.
He stared blankly at the golden statue, as if something inside it had pulled him in.
His breathing gradually became faster. Although his hands were hanging at his sides, they trembled unconsciously.
“What’s wrong with you?” Li Qingqing noticed something strange about Xiao Ziye and quickly asked.
He shook his head, but his breathing was still rapid.
“I’m fine.”
For some reason, whenever he looked at the statue of the divine dragon, he always felt an indescribable sense of familiarity.
It felt as if, through this statue, he could see another living person.
But it was as if a piece of his memory was missing. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remember it.
And the name “Ye” also felt strangely familiar and intimate.
Li Qingqing’s gaze fell on Xiao Ziye’s horns.
They looked exactly the same as the horns of the divine dragon.
At that moment, Li Mujin’s puzzled voice came from outside.
“Why do we have to pray to a broken statue?”
Seeing this, Su Han hurriedly pulled Li Qingqing and Xiao Ziye behind the statue to hide.
“The divine dragon granted Atlantis everything it has today. Without the divine dragon, we would be no different from the beastmen on land—ignorant and foolish.”
A deep voice sounded not far away.
The one speaking was the high priest of the merfolk tribe—Wangyan.
When Su Han heard Wangyan’s voice, he froze for a moment.
Wangyan had once been Su Han’s teacher. Since Su Han was two years old, Wangyan had personally taught him.
He had never expected that even Wangyan would choose to stand on Li Mujin’s side.
Li Mujin let out a mocking laugh, as if he had just heard something utterly ridiculous.
“The divine dragon gave us everything? Come on. Who still believes in such an old story?”
He had grown up in the Guixu Sea Eye since childhood. In his memories, the place had always been pitch black.
There was only an old merman, much older than him, who often spoke with him.
The old merman taught him how to use his power.
He also told him how ridiculous the merfolk of Atlantis were—whoever was strong, they followed; whoever won, they helped.
Just like when he first attacked Atlantis.
At that time, they fought desperately to resist.
But after he pierced their old City Lord’s heart, didn’t they still willingly submit?
“One must not show disrespect before the divine dragon,” Wangyan said, already pressing his hands together in prayer.
“Forget it. I don’t believe in these things.”
After saying that, Li Mujin turned around and prepared to leave without another glance.
Su Han did not want to miss this opportunity and was about to rush out, but Li Qingqing grabbed him.
However, the small noise they made still attracted Li Mujin’s suspicion.
He stopped at the doorway and squinted at the statue of the divine dragon.
“Oh? The divine dragon has been dead for so many years, yet it can still make sounds?”
In this situation, they had no choice but to go out.
Just then, Li Qingqing suddenly noticed Xiao Ziye’s horns.
Right—ever since Xiao Ziye died and came back to life in the Xuanming Forest, he had gained those horns.
But since then, she had never seen his beast form again.
What if it looked similar to the divine dragon? Perhaps they could scare these people.
She leaned close to Xiao Ziye’s ear and quietly explained her plan.
After hearing it, Xiao Ziye immediately transformed into his beast form.
A black dragon.
He rushed straight out and began circling among the beams of the temple.
Su Han rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
“A dragon? He’s really a dragon?”
Before, when he saw Xiao Ziye’s horns, he had thought they looked somewhat like the horns on the dragon statue.
But dragons had long disappeared from the world, so he assumed it was impossible.
Yet now he had seen it with his own eyes.
A real dragon.
Li Mujin also raised his head, equally shocked.
“Dragon… a dragon…”
Wangyan immediately knelt down.
“A dragon! The divine dragon has revived!”
Seeing Li Mujin still standing there blankly, Wangyan hurriedly tugged at him.
“City Lord, kneel! Otherwise the divine dragon will blame you!”
Li Mujin quickly regained his senses, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
“A dragon? Then a dragon is exactly what I’ll kill.”
As soon as he finished speaking, countless icy blades flashing with cold light shot toward Xiao Ziye.
Seeing this scene, Wangyan’s hands trembled violently.
“You mustn’t! You mustn’t! The divine dragon cannot be killed!”
As he spoke, he was so frightened that he suddenly fainted.
Xiao Ziye swung his divine dragon tail, sending all the ice blades flying back.
Although Li Mujin tried his best to dodge, his arm and cheek were still cut.
But he did not care. He casually wiped the blood from his face.
He raised both hands, and the hair on his forehead moved slightly.
Immediately afterward, Li Qingqing felt a bone-piercing cold.
Su Han instantly realized something was wrong.
“This is bad! Run now! He’s going to freeze this entire area!”
They were already under the sea, surrounded by seawater. Freezing everything would be effortless for him.
Su Han grabbed Li Qingqing’s hand and ran out, shouting up at Xiao Ziye.
“Run!”
Li Mujin widened his eyes and stared in shock as Su Han and Li Qingqing rushed out hand in hand.
At first, disbelief appeared on his face, as if he had been struck by lightning.
Then that shock quickly turned into blazing fury.
“So when you said you would marry me, it was all a lie!”
“None of you are leaving today!”
His chest rose and fell violently as his eyes locked tightly on Li Qingqing.
Su Han unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand.
Xiao Ziye flew down like lightning, threw the two of them onto his back, smashed through the roof, and flew outside.
The people of Atlantis, who had no idea what was happening, saw a dragon flying out of the palace and immediately knelt down, cheering.
“Divine dragon!”
“It’s the divine dragon! The divine dragon has appeared!”
However, Li Mujin chased after them.
“Li Qingqing, come back here!” Li Mujin’s voice echoed behind them, filled with anger and frustration.
Li Qingqing turned back and shouted:
“Return Su Han’s mermaid pearl! What kind of ability is it to steal someone else’s things? Do you dare to fight fairly?”
“Su Han, Su Han, always Su Han!”
Li Mujin swam through the water quickly and soon blocked their path.
“Su Han—before you relied on Father, and now you rely on a female. If I were you, I’d feel ashamed to keep living. You might as well just die.”
His voice was cold, as if something had deeply provoked him, and his eyes were blood-red.
Su Han tightened his hold on Li Qingqing’s hand.
“Brother… the one who threw you into the Guixu Sea Eye was Father, not me. Now that he’s dead, what more do you want?” Su Han said, his voice trembling.
They were clearly brothers.
Yet because of a strange rule, they had been forced to kill each other.
