Chapter 419: Change

Jiang Ke’er was genuinely happy for Qiao Xiaoxian.

After all, if Qiao Xiaoxian smoothly fulfilled her long-cherished wish, she herself would be freed from her burden.

“Clan Leader, tell everyone to pack up and prepare to leave immediately. His Excellency Li Yuan of the Eastern Spirit Demon Clan has already agreed to use the Celestial Monitoring Instrument to transport us there.” Qiao Xiaoxian said quickly.

“There’s no time to lose. We can catch up once everyone arrives in Jiangdu City and settles in.”

“The Celestial Monitoring Instrument? Even that has fallen into the hands of the Eastern Spirit Demon Clan?!” The old dragon’s turbid eyes widened in shock.

“When did our clan become so powerful?”

“General Li Yuan is a man of great talent and bold vision, daring to fight and take risks. He has already conquered a great deal of territory in Dongsheng Shenzhou. There, the Demon Race can walk with their heads held high and live in a land where spring flowers bloom.” Qiao Xiaoxian smiled.

“Territory? Truly our own territory?” The old dragon found it hard to believe.

“Not borrowed or leased?”

“It’s real territory! With massive city walls, streets and alleys, merchant exchanges, private schools, and even great sects that only accept demons!”

“A city?!” The old dragon trembled with shock. “I thought you meant a courtyard! How could we possibly conquer a city? Xian’er, you can’t be talking nonsense, can you?”

“Clan Leader, your information is far too outdated,” Qiao Xiaoxian laughed.

“General Li has already promised to give our Dragonkind a city to use as our clan grounds—yes, an entire city! Even if we want to establish ourselves as a small kingdom, he’s willing to help!”

“City… kingdom…” The old dragon felt his mind go foggy, utterly dumbfounded.

“Ke’er and I chose a port city by the East Sea. It’s spacious and the climate is humid. Once everyone gets there, we’ll never have to worry about Dry Scale Disease again.” Qiao Xiaoxian’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled, like a big child returning home in triumph.

“Then… can we fly?” The old dragon looked at Qiao Xiaoxian nervously, then quickly added timidly, “Ah, this old man is a bit confused. Don’t mind what I just said. It’s already wonderful, truly wonderful. I shouldn’t be so greedy…”

“Of course we can fly! The sea is so vast—fly however you want!” Qiao Xiaoxian laughed.

“What kind of dragon can’t fly? From now on, the entire airspace of the Eastern Spirit Demon Kingdom will be under our Dragonkind’s jurisdiction. As long as we don’t crash into a Cloud Boat, who’s going to stop us from flying?”

The surrounding Dragonkind were so happy they almost fainted.

‘This has to be an illusion, right?!’

‘How could these things possibly happen!’

But the clan leader was the clan leader after all. The old dragon quickly calmed down.

These words were indeed far too unbelievable.

He still remembered two years ago when Dongsheng Shenzhou wasn’t like this. The Demon Race could only cower and live in dark corners.

Yet Qiao Xiaoxian had only left the clan for a year and a half before bringing back such explosive news.

It was hard to believe her words.

But they chose to trust Qiao Xiaoxian.

She had just opened the Barrier, proving her identity. If an enemy had the ability to open it, the Dragonkind would have been wiped out long ago.

Since it was indeed Qiao Xiaoxian, how could she harm her own people?

If she wanted to harm the Dragonkind, they would have been extinct already. This group of fallen clansmen had survived to this day all thanks to this formidable Saintess.

“Everyone, hurry and pack up. If you have any questions, ask them once we arrive.”

With the old dragon’s command, the many clansmen swallowed their countless whys and decisively followed orders.

Only the old dragon remained, watching Qiao Xiaoxian and Jiang Ke’er.

He wanted to hug Qiao Xiaoxian, to lift her into the sky like when she was little to express his joy. But looking at her now graceful figure, the old dragon sighed softly and smiled. “Before I knew it, you’ve grown so much.”

Qiao Xiaoxian gave a charming smile. “I’m not grown up until I’m married.”

Jiang Ke’er finally saw a bit of the girlish side in her.

Perhaps only when facing herself and these relatives could she let down her guard.

These relatives truly meant a lot to her.

Mentioning marriage, the old dragon’s expression suddenly changed.

“What exactly is your relationship with that General Li Yuan of the Eastern Spirit Demon Kingdom? Why is he so generous to us?”

“Of course it’s because he needs us!” Qiao Xiaoxian saw through the old dragon’s worry and smiled helplessly.

“The Eastern Spirit Demon Kingdom has conquered many cities but doesn’t have enough hands to manage them. By going there, we can help share the burden.”

“I’m telling you now—if you sacrificed yourself to gain these for the clan, then we don’t want them!” the old dragon said sternly.

“Clan Leader, you’re really overthinking,” Qiao Xiaoxian said, pulling Jiang Ke’er to her side. “Let me introduce you. This is my fiancée, Jiang Ke’er—the true great hero of the Eastern Spirit Demon Clan Uprising Army! Her contributions are on par with those of His Excellency Li Yuan!”

“Hm?”

The old dragon paused, then finally shifted his attention to Jiang Ke’er… or rather, he finally dared to shift his attention to her.

Jiang Ke’er’s presence was so strong that it made others feel awkward to look at her.

On this trip back to her hometown, Qiao Xiaoxian hadn’t made any effort to conceal her appearance, so people didn’t dare look directly at her, afraid they might accidentally get lost in her beauty.

The old dragon only gave Jiang Ke’er a quick glance before hurriedly looking away and muttering softly, “Worth it… Xiaoxian came out ahead this time…”

“Hmm,” the old dragon said, changing the subject.

“I won’t meddle in the younger generation’s affairs. When will you two get married?”

“As soon as possible.” “Next life!”

Qiao Xiaoxian’s answer clashed with Jiang Ke’er’s angry shout, making the old dragon chuckle.

“Have you two… consummated the marriage yet?”

“…No!”

Jiang Ke’er answered first, but no points were awarded.

Seeing Jiang Ke’er puff up angrily, the old dragon wasn’t worried; instead, he felt even more reassured.

At the very least, he could see that Jiang Ke’er had a pure heart and wasn’t a villain trying to get close to Qiao Xiaoxian.

“It’s good to be young,” the old dragon sighed deeply.

A young man in pristine white robes walked leisurely into Jiangdu City.

The city didn’t bar Human Cultivators from entering, but every cultivator, regardless of race, had to undergo a check at the gate… yet the young man completely ignored this rule.

The surrounding soldiers acted as if they couldn’t see him, simply letting him stroll in.

The young man walked down the main street of Jiangdu City, surveying the shops and streets that were as bustling as ever. He shook his head gently. “Mortals, no matter how hard they try, it’s just a fleeting moment.”

He continued forward, and when he passed a steamed bun shop, he casually grabbed a piping hot bun from the steamer.

“Having grown used to immortal delicacies, eating some coarse food now has its own charm.”

He murmured to himself while savoring the bun and kept walking straight toward the former site of the Shenzhou Cup’s Jiangdu arena.

This place had long been turned into a heavily guarded strategic stronghold. The Demon Race’s rapid conquests relied entirely on the surprise attacks enabled by the Celestial Monitoring Instrument.

Yet, on the heavily guarded path, despite the countless soldiers and powerful warriors standing watch, they still seemed oblivious to the young man’s presence.

The young man walked in effortlessly.

All the way to the Celestial Monitoring Instrument.