The Dragon Gate was the symbol of the Dragon Ancestor, the very place where he had once ascended and transformed into a dragon.
The collapse of the Dragon Gate, in a sense, practically signified that the Dragon Ancestor had already perished, and even his legacy had been severed.
The reason the Sea Race had not yet given up their search was merely for the sake of that small glimmer of hope in their hearts.
One could only imagine how bustling the Hanhai Dragon Palace had once been and how prosperous the Sea Race was, with ten thousand immortals coming to pay homage and the four seas surrendering in submission.
Although Cang Yu had not experienced it personally, he could catch a glimpse of it through the few words recorded in the secret scrolls passed down by his ancestors.
The Dragon Ancestor was the faith of all Sea Race members; he was their root.
How could there be no true dragon in the sea?
If the dragons were gone, what kind of Sea Race would they be?
They would be nothing more than a group of slightly larger fish and shrimp.
So they could not give up; even if it was self-deception, they had to keep searching.
But Cang Yu and several ancestors had searched for ten thousand years without success. How could this boy Cang Ming just happen to encounter one upon leaving Shanhe Pass?
Cang Yu shook his head, his face full of disbelief.
'Could this boy have been deceived?'
'Or have the deep-sea black spots clouded his mind, causing him to hallucinate?'
Humans were cunning and full of tricks, and Yin Wudao was a smiling tiger who devoured people without leaving even a bone. Could this be a plot targeting the Eastern Region?
Doubts filled Cang Yu’s heart.
But...
What if?
Once this thought arose, it grew wildly like weeds, impossible to suppress.
This was news personally sent back by Cang Ming, and he had even used the royal secret technique, showing how urgent he was.
When it concerned the Dragon Ancestor, even if there was only a billion-to-one chance, Cang Yu did not dare to be careless.
What if it was true?
What if the Dragon Ancestor had really returned to rescue his descendants who were on the brink of extinction?
Cang Yu looked at his withered fish tail and felt the decay within his body, his eyes turning sharp.
'Forget it. This emperor’s life only has a few days left anyway.'
'If it is false, the worst that happens is I die a few days early. If it is true...'
Cang Yu took a deep breath, an astonishing light suddenly erupting in his eyes.
He extended a finger and thrust it violently into his chest.
Pfft!
Stagnant blood splattered.
Cang Yu’s expression was distorted as he endured the agonizing pain, forcefully drawing out an extremely faint trace of pale gold blood from the depths of his heart.
This was the true dragon bloodline.
It was the only thing left in the bodies of the merfolk royalty that was still related to the Dragon Ancestor. It was also the supreme symbol of the Eastern Region’s royal family and the foundation of their rule over the myriad water tribes.
Normally, they regarded this trace of bloodline as a precious treasure, nurturing it in their hearts and never daring to disturb it.
But now, Cang Yu did not hesitate in the slightest.
His hands formed seals, and he struck that trace of true dragon bloodline into the ten-thousand-foot-deep profound ice beneath his feet.
"Using blood as a guide, seal the world in ice."
Hum—
The entire sea eye vibrated violently.
Stimulated by the true dragon bloodline, the earth-core cold spring erupted with an even more intense chill, instantly freezing everything around it completely. Even the deep-sea black spots that were attempting to spread were sealed tightly beneath the ice.
Having done this, Cang Yu’s face quickly became ashy and gaunt, resembling a dead man.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
He coughed violently, his aura weakened to the extreme. His fish tail transformed into legs as he barely managed to stand up.
"With that trace of bloodline as the price, I can probably suppress the source of the deep-sea black spots beneath this sea eye for another half a month."
"Half a month... is enough."
Regardless of whether the Dragon Ancestor was real or fake, he had decided to leave his seclusion.
Even if he had to crawl, he would crawl there to see if that legendary Dragon Ancestor had truly returned.
Hanhai Dragon Palace.
This place was once the most brilliant site in the Eastern Region, with crystal walls, coral pillars, and floors paved with night-luminescent pearls—it was luxurious to the extreme.
But now, it was also shrouded in a gloomy mist of sorrow.
Inside the main hall, the lighting was dim.
Second Prince Cang Che sat on the steps below the Dragon Throne, his hand tightly clutching a long halberd. His brow was locked in a frown, and his face was full of exhaustion.
He did not sit on the Dragon Throne because that was his father’s place.
Even though his father was in seclusion and his elder brother was away, he stubbornly maintained this rule.
"Report—!"
A crab general covered in wounds stumbled into the hall and collapsed to his knees.
"Second Prince, the Blackwater Trench defense line... has collapsed!"
"The black spot monsters there suddenly rioted, their numbers doubling."
"General Black Shark has fallen in battle, and the three thousand elites... were completely wiped out!"
Hearing this, Cang Che’s body swayed violently, and the halberd in his hand fell to the ground.
Another defense line had collapsed.
How many days had it been?
Since the outbreak of the deep-sea black spots, bad news had been flying in like snowflakes.
"I understand."
Cang Che closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Pass down the order: abandon Blackwater Trench and have the remaining forces retreat to the Heavenly Abyss Strait."
"Deploy the whale guards to hold the line. They must defend the Heavenly Abyss at all costs; the deep-sea black spots must not be allowed to spread into the inner regions of the Endless Sea."
"Yes!" The crab general took the order and left, his gait unsteady.
A deathly silence filled the hall.
The remaining few civil officials and military generals were all ashen-faced, not saying a word.
"Second Prince."
A white-haired Old Turtle Prime Minister tremblingly stepped forward. He was an old official who had watched Cang Che grow up.
"The situation is critical now. The low-level Sea Race and human cultivators who were unaware have been driven away from Shanhe Pass by us, but this is only a temporary measure."
"His Majesty the Sea Emperor is in seclusion, and the Crown Prince has not returned since he went out to search for the Golden Buddha."
"The soldiers at the front are panicked, and rumors are spreading that the royal family has abandoned them."
The Old Turtle Prime Minister knelt down, tears streaming down his face.
"A country cannot go a day without a ruler."
"Your Highness, the Sea Emperor has little time left, and the Crown Prince has been infected; it is only a matter of time before he loses his mind and becomes a sea beast that only knows slaughter."
"You are the last hope of the royal family. Please, ascend the throne."
"The Eastern Region needs a strong leader, even if... even if it is only to eventually die on the battlefield, we must have a pillar of support!"
"We beg Your Highness to ascend the throne!"
The rest of the generals and officials knelt one after another, pleading in unison.
Looking at the officials kneeling all over the floor, Cang Che felt as if a giant rock were pressing against his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Ascend the throne?
To ascend at a time like this and become the ruler of a fallen nation?
He was also physically and mentally exhausted. Every day he heard nothing but bad news, every day he watched his clansmen sacrifice themselves, and every day he watched their once-prosperous home being slowly swallowed by the deep-sea black spots.
He knew his father and brother could not hold out much longer.
Though his elder brother Cang Ming was usually steady, he had risked his life to go to that hellish provincial capital just to find the Golden Buddha.
And his father had sealed himself in the sea eye, using his very life to fill that bottomless hole.
And what about him?
He could only hide in the Dragon Palace, listening to battle reports and issuing one retreat order after another.
What kind of royal family was this?
"All of you, shut up!"
Cang Che suddenly stood up, his eyes bloodshot as he roared.
"My father is still here, and my brother is not dead!"
"What talk of ascending? Are you trying to rebel?"
"Even if I, Cang Che, die on the front lines, I will never sit on that seat stained with the blood of my clansmen at a time like this!"
He grabbed the halberd from the floor and strode outside.
"I am going to the trench. I will guard it personally!"
"Your Highness, you mustn't!"
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