The former Dragon Lord could bring them out, and the current Dragon Lord can naturally bring them back.
The only thing worth pondering is that the priest couldn't understand why Hantao wanted to stay.
Fu Mingxu has long since severed ties with the Fu family. With the Daoist partner as his guide, he could easily return to his ancestral home and live a secluded, idyllic life.
Unfortunately, Han Tao is unable to answer his questions now, because the things he needs to do cannot be expressed verbally.
The priest ultimately decided to follow his decision, and at the end, he couldn't help but say, "You are our leader, and whatever you need us to do, we will do our best."
However, Han Tao showed no emotion upon hearing this, and simply replied, "If you are implicated in what I am about to do, it will surely lead the Dragon Clan to utter ruin."
The priest froze as soon as he finished speaking.
Han Tao's tone was as if he were talking about the weather, "I promised Ao Qin to protect you. Once you leave this place, the karmic ties between me and the Dragon Clan will be severed, and everything I do from now on will have nothing to do with the Dragon Clan."
Seeing the priest's eyes widen as he was about to speak, he added, "You are a priest of the dragon race, you should know what my words mean."
"It is your natural responsibility to ensure the continuation of the dragon race."
The last sentence is both a reminder and a warning.
Upon hearing this, the priest's expression was extremely complicated, but in the end he said nothing.
Han Tao was right. He should remember his responsibilities as a priest. He didn't know the specific reasons for the Phoenix Clan's annihilation, but he couldn't let the Dragon Clan fall into that situation.
Given Han Tao's status as a dragon, it's impossible for him to lie to himself or spread alarmist rumors.
“Alright, I’ll take them away tonight.” Dragons are fast travelers, and those who are out training can return before tonight. The priest didn’t ask too many questions; he ultimately chose to trust them. “I’ll go back and tell them now.”
Han Tao gave a soft "hmm" and watched him walk away.
The priest took a dozen steps, then couldn't help but turn back.
"Any other questions?" Han Tao asked, lowering his eyes.
The priest stood before him, his usual smile replaced by apprehension. "The Dragon Clan's ancestral land is very safe. You should take Fu Mingxu with you."
"Even if there is any cause and effect, under the laws established by our ancestors and the Heavenly Dao, nothing will happen."
Every leader and priest of the Dragon Clan knows that when all things flourished ten thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Dragon Clan made a pact with the Azure Spirit Heavenly Dao, ensuring that the ancestral land of the Dragon Clan would be protected by the Heavenly Dao and unaffected by human karma.
Han Tao naturally knew this as well.
He looked into the priest's eyes and asked softly, "If the demonic seed within me is not resolved, will you allow me to return to the ancestral land?"
These words struck the priest's soul like a thunderbolt.
He took a step back in fright. "You knew?"
Han Tao didn't look at him again, but turned his back and said in a deep voice, "You should leave."
From his previous life to this one, he has never understood where the demonic seed within him came from. Even when he had lost all his cultivation, his consciousness remained clear, which only deepened his confusion.
But it wasn't until the demon spirit devoured the demon seed that the lingering images on the demon seed made him realize the truth.
That is, the demonic seed was planted when he was born, but at that time his cultivation was too low to detect it. Later, as his cultivation level increased, the demonic seed's instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm kept it hidden until he lost all his cultivation, at which point the demonic seed took the opportunity to emerge.
The one who planted the demonic seed was Ao Qin, who picked him up while he was unconscious.
He had initially suspected the woman from the upper realm, who was Fu Mingxu's mother. However, since she had captured him to prepare dragon blood for Fu Mingxu, she would never allow a golden dragon who might fall into demonic possession at any time to stay by his side.
Today, seeing the priest's reaction, he knew he had guessed correctly.
Looking at that tall figure, the priest really didn't expect that he would actually know. He also couldn't tell Ao Qin what he had told him: that it was for the future of the dragon race, so that he could wholeheartedly protect the dragon race, and also to prevent him from returning to the dragon race's ancestral land to take revenge.
Looking back now, it's clear that Ao Qin wasn't telling himself the truth either.
Ao Qin is long dead, and no one knows why he did it. Besides, the truth is no longer important today.
The priest's lips trembled; he knew that bringing the dragons back to their ancestral land was the best option.
He stood still for a moment, then took two steps back. Suddenly, he bowed to Han Tao, his tone unusually solemn: "City Lord, thank you for protecting us all these years!"
The person in front of him kept his back to him and didn't say a word.
The priest's red eyes seemed to grow even redder. He lowered his head, turned around, and walked away step by step without looking back.
Sunlight streamed down, and in the backyard of the City Lord's mansion, as Han Tao's intangible gaze, which had been drifting in the wind, refocused and landed on Fu Baobao, who was kicking her legs in his arms.
"Spatial teleportation?" He showed no surprise, sniffing the medicinal scent he had brought, and asked, "Has your mother finished refining pills?"
A gentle breeze blew, and Fu Baobao grabbed a handful of his dark hair that hung down his chest, pouted and said, "Not yet. The alchemy room is too dry, I don't like it, so I came to find you."
The coldness on Han Tao's face unconsciously dissipated as she spoke softly, and a gentle smile appeared in her eyes.
He walked to the corridor, sat down, placed Fu Baobao on his lap, pinched his chubby little face, and said, "Tell me what you said before again in detail, and see if you missed anything."
Fu Baobao frowned immediately upon hearing this: "I've said it five times already!"
Han Tao skillfully placed him on his lap and faced him, slightly raising his eyelids, "Your mother will probably need another two days to refine the pills, but a round trip to the Merfolk will only take one day."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Fu Baobao kicked her little legs and exclaimed, "I want to go!"
Han Tao glanced at him casually, and slowly opened her mouth as he waited anxiously: "It's not impossible."
So, Fu Baobao began to recount everything he remembered from the time he could remember.
A note from the author:
Things at home are finally done, time to start daily updates!
At this point, three timelines have actually emerged. Can you guess them?
Chapter 102
The time required for alchemy is always difficult to estimate. Fu Mingxu became more and more proficient with each practice, and in the end, his alchemy skills showed signs of advancement. Naturally, he could not finish in a hurry.
Therefore, a month had passed since he finished refining the elixir, and during that month, he still hadn't received a reply to the messages he sent to Immortal Lord Siyang.
He stretched in front of the rippling lake, and thinking of the finished pills in the Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror space, he couldn't help but smile with his eyes slightly narrowed.
Aside from some remaining herbs from the Demon Realm, he had used up all the other spiritual herbs in his two storage bags, resulting in a considerable quantity of finished pills.
With the boost from his cultivation, his alchemy skills have broken through once again, and he is now able to refine ninth-grade pills.
The Ninth Grade Pill is the highest-grade pill recorded on the Cangling Continent; above that are Immortal-grade pills.
Fu Mingxu was very satisfied with the results of his work over the past few days. He took a deep breath of the air mixed with the scent of flowers and plants, and felt that his mind was much clearer.
He looked up and saw that the bright sun was blocked by thick clouds, with only the gentle breeze stirring his clothes.
When, apart from the folded space, the occasional yellowing leaves of the spirit tree in the center of the city lord's mansion began to fall, he suddenly realized that it was already autumn.
Without the deliberate blessing of an array, this spirit apricot tree still follows the changes of the four seasons and grows in accordance with the laws of the four seasons in the world.
The leaves fluttered down, and the soft sound of them landing on the ground reached his ears precisely, like autumn beckoning to him.
After following his memory to the location where Han Tao had sent the message, Fu Mingxu realized that the city lord's mansion was unusually quiet.
He didn't encounter any of the dragons he occasionally met as he walked through the corridor, or even those who later greeted him politely. He didn't even meet the priests who couldn't help but ask him all sorts of questions whenever they saw him.
"Master Fu, you've gone the wrong way. You should go this way." A voice appeared behind him like a ghost, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
Lost in thought, Fu Mingxu was startled and turned around, only to be met with a face that he couldn't recall at all.
Upon seeing him, the other person forced a stiff smile. "Go find your master; he's over there."
He pointed in the opposite direction from Fu Mingxu.
There was no bright sun in the sky, and the light inside the city lord's mansion was dim, but Fu Mingxu could keenly see that the finger that the person was pointing in was completely bloodless, a pale white that had never seen the sun all day.
Fu Mingxu subconsciously swallowed, quietly widening the distance between them before asking, "You mean?"
The other person tilted their head and answered seriously, "My name is Han Ying, and I am my master's shadow."
Before leaving, Han Zhengzhi instructed that unless the master said it was forbidden, everything else could be said to Master Fu.
Han Ying thought about it carefully and decided that it was something that could be discussed.
After Fu Mingxu heard his description of his identity, he was not thinking about what Han Zhengzhi had said about replacing him, but rather that he was actually a shadow of Han Tao.
He glanced at Han Ying again and again, only to find that he had absolutely no memory of him when he closed his eyes, which made him even more bewildered.
But after recalling the demonic seed and the demonic spirit that had previously been on Han Tao's body, he quickly accepted the existence of the shadow.
"Where do you usually stay?" Fu Mingxu asked, his face tightening as if he had just remembered something.
While inwardly sighing that he was not worthy of being his master's Daoist partner, and that he had become accustomed to his presence so quickly, Han Ying answered his question seriously: "I used to be behind my master's shadow. Half a year ago, my master suddenly stopped me from always following in the shadow and even helped me cultivate my true form, so I don't have to hide in the shadows all the time."
However, due to the nature of shadows, he still prefers to stay in shady places.
Six months ago?
Upon learning the exact time, Fu Mingxu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
With Han Ying leading the way, Fu Mingxu quickly found Han Tao sitting alone in the pavilion in the backyard of the City Lord's Mansion. He was leaning against the railing, looking down at something with his head down.
When he got closer, he saw Fu Baobao swimming happily in the pool, flicking her pure white fish tail.
Strangely enough, even without sunlight, the white fish tail shimmered with light under the water.
The autumn lotus flowers swayed in the breeze, and Fu Baobao had a wonderful time playing.
Fu Mingxu reached out and grabbed, and the chaotic energy enveloped Fu Baobao, allowing him to see the details of the fish tail.
"This is..." He gently pressed the white fish tail with his fingertips and was surprised to find that the edges of the originally white scales were tinged with a faint gold.
Fu Baobao didn't resist his actions at all, and happily swung her fishtail, her voice soft: "Mother, have you finished refining the pills?"
"Okay, it's finished. Don't move." Fu Mingxu took out a pill that looked like a candy bean and fed it to him. "Eat it. This will keep your scales moist."
During its juvenile stage, the fish tail cannot easily leave the water. Even someone as gifted as Fu Baobao found that even with the nourishment of chaotic energy in the Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror, the small fish tail would still experience discomfort due to dryness and rough scales.
Fu Baobao ate it without any suspicion, blinking her eyes and asking, "It's sweet, Mommy, do you have any more?"
Seeing him gently touching his scales, she said happily, "Father said that when I grow up, my tail might turn golden, and I'll be just as majestic as him."
Each scale was surrounded by a layer of pure light gold, and Fu Mingxu could even sense a faint dragon aura from Fu Baobao's scales.
It was a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling.
What is familiar is that this is undoubtedly dragon energy; what is unfamiliar is that this dragon energy is not from Hantao, but rather originates from Fu Baobao's unique aura.
Fu Mingxu didn't speak, but instead pursed his lips and carried Fu Baobao into the pavilion.