1175 Returning to Ancient Dragon City(2)

"Yuan! I can't believe it! Why did you come back so quickly? It feels like yesterday when you last visited!" Xi Meili spoke after releasing Yuan from her deadly embrace.

As a dragon who has lived for over ten thousand years, her flow of time is a bit distorted.

"To be honest, I didn't come here on purpose. Just like the last time, I somehow managed to come here by accident." Yuan said with a stiff smile.

Xi Meili chuckled, "The first time may be an accident, but for it to happen a second time, this is definitely the work of fate! We're definitely fated to be together!"

"Ahem."

Xi Shengmo suddenly cleared his throat, causing the air to vibrate.

"All of you, this is a false alarm. You may return to your posts." He said to others there.

The dragons lowered their weapons and bowed to him before returning to the city.

Once they were alone, Xi Shengmo approached Yuan, "Are any of you hurt? I apologize for any distress my soldiers may have caused for your group."

He shook his head, "Fortunately, none of us are hurt. And I would also like to apologize for any inconveniences my sudden arrival has caused."

"It's fine. You are always welcomed in our Ancient Dragon City, no matter how sudden it may be." Xi Shengmo smiled.

"Anyways, why don't you come with us back to the palace, where we can sit down and have a proper conversation."

"Of course."

Once they were sitting down inside the Dragon Palace, Xi Shengmo started the conversation, "Since there are a few new faces here, why don't we start with introductions? I am Xi Shengmo, the ruler of the Ancient Dragon City."

"I am Xi Mingze, his wife."

"Xi Murong… Their son…"

"And I am Xi Meili, the youngest in the family!"

Lan Yingying introduced herself next.

"My name is Lan Yingying."

"Feng Yuxiang." Feng Yuxiang spoke in a stiff voice, as this is her first time being in the same room as dragons.

"Xiao Hua." Xiao Hua was the same as usual, being as calm as a still pond.

"Where's Wang Xiuying?" Xi Meili suddenly asked.

"She's still in Second Heaven."

"Still? Then where did you guys come from?" Xi Shengmo raised an eyebrow.

"The Third Heaven, inside the Nameless Emperor's Tomb."

"You've already ascended to Third Heaven? Weren't you in Lower Heaven the last time you visited a year ago?" Xi Mingze expressed surprise.

"Indeed." He nodded.

"At this rate, you'll reach Supreme Heaven in less than a decade." Xi Shengmo laughed out loud.

And he continued a moment later, "Anyways, your group is quite diverse. A phoenix, an exile, and…"

He paused when he reached Lan Yingying, seemingly unable to tell her identity.

"I am of the Divine Serpent's bloodline."

"A Divine Serpent?!" Xi Shengmo exclaimed after learning this. He knew that she was a Divine Beast based on her unique smell, but he never expected her to grace from such a rare bloodline.

"Are they rare? Divine Serpents." Xi Meili asked out of curiosity after seeing his reaction.

"Of course. Even those with an ordinary bloodline are rare. Out of all divine races out there, the Divine Serpents have the lowest birth rates because of their unique bloodline that forbids them from having more than one child per generation. Though, that is not to say they cannot have more than one child. It's just that only the firstborn can be a Divine Serpent, but this rule may differ for each bloodline."

"How complicated…" Xi Meili mumbled.

With such strict birth rules, it is a miracle that they still exist.

"Hey, they say that Divine Serpents aren't that different from dragons, and they can even evolve into one. How true is that?" Feng Yuxiang suddenly asked, as she has never witnessed this happen before.

Xi Shengmo raised his eyebrows after hearing this question.

"Serpents and dragons are two different races. If a 'serpent' can evolve into a 'dragon', then it wasn't a serpent to begin with. Some dragons with inferior bloodlines are often mistaken as serpents, hence why there is this misconception."

"Is that so…"

Xi Meili then said, "Regardless, I am really excited to finally meet other Divine Beasts that aren't dragons! Nice to meet you!"

Yuan couldn't help but smile after seeing her smile that was filled with the same energy as before.

"Yes, it is really refreshing to meet other Divine Beasts." Lan Yingying agreed with her.

After chatting for a while, Xi Shengmo suddenly asked, "I know you arrived here by accident, but what do you plan on doing now?"

Yuan pondered for a moment before speaking, "If fate brought me here, then I must have some kind of purpose here. Unfortunately, since I have no idea what that purpose is, I have nothing in mind."

"I know! How about traveling with me?" Xi Meili suddenly suggested.

Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Traveling? Where to?"

For some reason, she chuckled, "You probably think the Ancient Dragon City is all there is to this place, right? I don't know if you remember, but I told you during your previous visit that this place is actually very vast. There are other cities besides the Ancient Dragon City."

"Just how big is this world?" He then asked.

"Hmmm… I'm not really sure about that since I have nothing to compare it with, but there are two other cities as large as our Ancient Dragon City in this world, each with their own family of Divine Beasts. However, we're the only ones with a Royal Bloodline."

"I don't recall giving you permission to leave this city, Meili." Xi Shengmo frowned.

She shrugged, "Regardless, I have to visit Azure Dragon City soon because someone couldn't wait to set up an arranged marriage for me despite promising me that he'd wait til the end of our bet."

Xi Shengmo's eyebrows twitched upon hearing her words, and he quickly said, "How many times do I have to tell you that it's not an arranged marriage?! You are only going to meet with a potential partner, and if you don't like him, you can refuse!"

"Alright, then I don't like him."

"..."

Xi Shengmo was speechless.