Chapter 1911 The Special Features of the Holy Dragon Clan
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Lin Jichen had no choice but to speak up and interrupt.
"Senior Ao, please calm down."
He raised his hand and gently placed it on Ao Qinhan's shoulder. A wisp of gentle spiritual energy overflowed from his palm, flowing into the other's body like a clear spring, instantly soothing the surging icy dragon aura around him.
Ao Qinhan's tense back relaxed slightly, and the violent heaving of his chest gradually subsided, but the resentment in his eyes remained, as he stared intently at the Azure Dragon King on the throne.
Then, Lin Jichen turned to the Azure Dragon King and slowly spoke, his voice steady and powerful, like jade striking each other, breaking the tense standoff in the hall.
"Senior Azure Dragon, rules are rigid, but the survival of the dragon race is what matters."
His gaze was clear and unbiased, yet it carried an undeniable seriousness.
"The dragon race has now declined, the dragon realm's spiritual veins are decaying, and resources are depleted. Even the four orthodox dragon races have to tighten their belts to make ends meet. If they continue to be obsessed with bloodline ranking and constantly engage in internal strife for this empty fame, they will only perish in the end and become a laughing stock in the three realms."
After a pause, Lin Jichen's gaze fell on the Azure Dragon King, and his tone became more serious, carrying a hint of earnestness.
"Back then, to protect the Dragon Clan's flame, Senior Ao led the Ice Dragon Clan in a desperate battle to hold off the enemy. With the strength of his clan, he withstood the overwhelming offensive of the Human, Ghost, and Demon races. His followers were almost wiped out, and he himself suffered several severe wounds, nearly dying on the battlefield. Later, he was captured by a powerful Ghost Clan member and imprisoned in the Ghost Realm for a hundred years, suffering daily torment from the chilling aura. He barely escaped with his life. His contributions to the Dragon Clan should not be erased by bloodline; the sacrifices of the Ice Dragon Clan should not be easily forgotten."
A deathly silence fell over the hall, with only Ao Qinhan's slightly heavy breathing and the faint sound of light and shadow refracting through the spirit crystal echoing in the empty space.
The Azure Dragon King's azure eyes flickered slightly as his gaze fell on Lin Jichen, as if he were considering his words, or perhaps recalling the darkest period of the dragon race through him.
War raged, corpses littered the fields, and the once glorious dragon race eked out a living under the siege of the three realms.
After a long while, he slowly withdrew his gaze, which fell on Lin Jichen's wide sleeves.
There, a small, silvery-white dragon curiously peeked out, its round, golden eyes darting around as it surveyed the strange yet familiar palace. Every now and then, it would tug at the fabric of its sleeves with its little claws, looking charming and adorable. It was none other than Ao Chi.
The Azure Dragon King's gaze softened slightly as he spoke slowly, his voice tinged with a sense of vicissitude: "I cannot grant this request. The rules of the Dragon Clan are inherited from ancient times, and only the Holy Dragon King is qualified to appoint members of the orthodox Dragon Clan. Although I am the Lord of the Azure Dragon, I do not have this authority."
Lin Jichen looked down at Ao Chi, who was still gnawing on spirit crystal fragments in his sleeve. His eyes flickered slightly, and he instantly understood the Azure Dragon King's unspoken meaning.
The Azure Dragon King is saying that he cannot make the decision; only the Holy Dragon's word counts.
Now, the Holy Dragon Clan has only one heir left, Ao Chi, so naturally, Ao Chi has the final say.
The problem is that although Ao Chi has reached the Nascent Soul stage, her mind and experience are still too shallow.
She has only been alive for a year, not even a year old.
In the 360 days of that year, she slept for at least 300 days. Her daily routine consisted of either sleeping or asking Lin Jichen for food. She basically didn't care about anything else. Only when Lin Jichen called her would she lazily open her eyes and wake up briefly.
Lin Jichen was once puzzled as to why Ao Chi could sleep so much. He even thought there was something wrong with the little one's health and specially found a lot of spiritual medicines to nourish her soul and feed them to her.
After spending more time with him, I realized that he was just born to love sleeping, a "sleepy student" in the Dragon Realm, with an unwavering sleepiness.
The Azure Dragon King's meaning was clear: only when Ao Chi grew up and truly took over the leadership of the Dragon Clan could she decide the fate of the Ice Dragon Clan.
This answer was flawless and perfectly reasonable. Even if Lin Jichen wanted to help Ao Qinhan, he couldn't find a single reason to refute it.
After all, they made it clear that these were the rules, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Moreover, Lin Jichen thought about it again and realized that it didn't seem so bad.
The world is now shrouded in the shadow of Zhu Jiuyin. It is safe to say that we don't know if there will be a tomorrow. Even if we force Ao Qinhan to enter the Dragon Realm and make him the leader of the Dragon Clan, what good will it do?
It only increases the risk and exposes the Ice Dragon Clan to Zhu Jiuyin's sight.
“Senior Ao, I think Senior Qinglong’s words make sense. So, since Senior Qinglong said that everything needs to wait for the Holy Dragon to grow up and make a decision, then I will promise you this position in advance.”
Lin Jichen turned around and looked at Ao Qinhan, who was still indignant beside him, speaking sincerely.
"Once we join forces to eliminate Zhu Jiuyin, this major threat, I will dedicate myself to nurturing Ao Chi, helping her grow quickly so she can return to the Dragon Clan and wield power. At that time, she can personally issue the order to allow your Ice Dragon Clan to return to the Dragon Realm in glory. What do you say?"
Ao Qinhan raised his eyes to look at Lin Jichen, his gaze complex, his tone carrying an indescribable question: "You promised?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jichen paused slightly, seemingly not understanding the deeper meaning in the other person's tone, and nodded quite naturally: "That's right."
Looking at his matter-of-fact attitude, Ao Qinhan couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head, his smile carrying a hint of bitterness and helplessness. His eyes were like those of someone looking at an innocent child.
The Azure Dragon King on his throne also revealed a rare, intriguing expression, with a faint smile playing on his lips and a hint of melancholy and pity in his eyes.
Their strange expressions completely baffled Lin Jichen.
What happened? Did I say something wrong?
Ao Chi was a dragon pet that he had raised himself. Although he had emphasized to the Azure Dragon King that he and Ao Chi were not in a master-servant relationship, they were at least each other's closest partners and were bound together by life and death.
As the most important person to Ao Chi right now, is it too much for him to exercise the power of the future Dragon Lord on her behalf and grant Ao Qinhan such a small request?
Why do these two ancient dragon kings, who have lived for thousands of years, seem to be holding back a desire to laugh at him when they hear this?
Lin Jichen frowned slightly, about to ask a question, but Wan Yincai, who was standing to the side, noticed his confusion first and spoke up for him.
"Senior Ao, what's with that expression? Are you afraid that Fellow Daoist Lin is just making empty promises to fool you?"
Wan Yincai stood with her hands on her hips, her tone slightly reproachful, feeling indignant on behalf of Lin Jichen.
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