Chapter 496: Five Decline of Heaven and Man
Jiang Li frequently changed surnames and altered his appearance for good reason—his mere presence made people overlook everything else.
Seeing the looks in these people’s eyes, Jiang Li really wanted to remind them that this was the old Dragon King’s birthday banquet, not his.
“Dragon Grandfather isn’t feeling well? Then we should quickly contact Uncle Su Wei from Alchemy Peak!” Li Nian’er believed there was no pill Su Wei couldn’t refine or illness he couldn’t cure.
The Eastern Sea Dragon King gently shook his head without offering further explanation.
…
“What birthday gifts have you prepared?”
The dragon clans gathered in small groups, wanting to know what gifts others had brought before the birthday congratulations began.
“Twelve night pearls with a two-inch radius.” One of the dragon princes quietly opened his gift box just a crack, revealing an ethereal blue-green glow.
Night pearls of such size could be refined into decent spiritual treasures or decorations with minimal processing.
This dragon prince had exhausted considerable effort to find these within his territory.
“Mine should be inferior to yours—just a single reverse scale left behind by a True Dragon.” Another dragon prince claimed inferiority with his words while secretly feeling triumphant inside.
A True Dragon’s reverse scale was far more valuable than night pearls.
“Look at my longevity peaches—eating just one can extend lifespan by twenty years.”
“All your gifts lack heartfelt intention. We see these same things at every decade birthday celebration.”
The dragon princes sneered coldly: “Then what do you plan to give Dragon Grandfather? Show us what you have.”
“Fragrance Pills, personally refined by the Crimson Sun Cauldron. Just carrying them emits a light fragrance that suppresses all unpleasant odors.”
“What use are such things?” The dragon princes dismissed them contemptuously—useless pills they wouldn’t even accept as free gifts.
“This is what you don’t understand. I paid heavily to obtain information from one of Dragon Grandfather’s maids, saying he recently enjoys these rare fragrant novelties.”
“In terms of value, night pearls and reverse scales certainly outweigh my patterned Fragrance Pill. But what’s the point if they don’t match his preferences? It would all be for nothing.”
This dragon prince wasn’t worried about others changing their gifts—while fragrant items weren’t valuable, they were extremely rare and couldn’t be found on short notice.
“Is your information reliable? I’ve heard Dragon Grandfather has been frequently replacing maids recently, with old maids mysteriously disappearing and the dragon palace constantly hiring new ones. That maid of yours wasn’t newly hired, was she? Someone who doesn’t truly understand Dragon Grandfather’s preferences and just fabricated information to scam your money?”
“Impossible!” The dragon prince felt uneasy because after the maid gave him the information, she quickly became unreachable, replaced by a new maid in her position.
“Maids disappearing?” Li Nian’er frowned.
“It’s Little Sister Nian’er.” The dragon princes treated Li Nian’er with utmost respect—she was a True Dragon’s daughter and the only child of a Tribulation Transcendence Stage expert. Combined, their status couldn’t match hers.
They didn’t dare boast about their gifts in front of Li Nian’er—whatever gift the Tribulation Transcendence Stage expert’s daughter presented would surely surpass theirs.
“What’s this about disappearing maids? Explain it to me in detail.” Li Nian’er sensed something seriously wrong.
“This…” The dragon princes exchanged uneasy glances.
“We were just casually talking—please don’t take it seriously.”
“Recently, rumors have been circulating that Dragon Grandfather is approaching the end of his lifespan. To break through to Tribulation Transcendence Stage, he’s been seduced by demonic paths and practices demonic arts, killing many maids. The Eastern Sea Dragon King has been claiming the maids disappeared to cover up the truth, but how could they disappear in groups? Multiple batches of maids have vanished already.”
“That can’t be! Dragon Grandfather isn’t that kind of dragon.” Li Nian’er shook her head vigorously, refusing to believe them. Dragon Grandfather was a very kind dragon who wouldn’t do such things.
“Hence why they’re just rumors not to be taken seriously. But the maid disappearances are indeed real.”
Li Nian’er felt this matter wasn’t simple—it might hide earth-shattering secrets. Instead of investigating alone, she immediately went to Jiang Li and reported what she’d heard.
Ao Chengcheng and Mo Ruoyu listened nearby.
“So what connection do you think the old Dragon King has with the missing maids?” Jiang Li smiled.
“I… I don’t know.” Tears welled in Li Nian’er’s eyes as anxiety overwhelmed her. Her intuition told her the rumors might be true—that Dragon Grandfather practiced demonic arts—but emotionally, she couldn’t believe it.
Unity Stage experts could live two thousand years, and dragon clan was no exception. Longevity pills and other life-extending items could add another eight hundred years beyond that natural lifespan.
The old Dragon King truly was approaching the end of his lifespan.
This was also why Li Er refused to attend the birthday banquet.
A Tribulation Transcendence Stage lifespan would make the old Dragon King green with envy.
“Human Sovereign, my father requests your presence.” The Eastern Sea Dragon King respectfully invited Jiang Li.
“Perfect. Nian’er, come along too to see your Dragon Grandfather.”
Jiang Li brought Li Nian’er, Ao Chengcheng, and Mo Ruoyu to the old Dragon King’s bedchambers.
The old Dragon King’s bedchambers stood in stark contrast to the outside world—deadly silent without a single sound.
As soon as Li Nian’er stepped inside, she was hit by a pungent mix of fragrances.
While individual scents might be pleasant, the combination of various fragrances created a bizarre, unpleasant mixture that provoked disgust.
The source of these fragrances was none other than the old Dragon King himself.
The old Dragon King appeared listless and weary, surrounded by various spices and incenses.
The old Dragon King sweated profusely as busy maids constantly wiped his body. No sooner had they cleaned the sweat than new perspiration secreted from his skin.
This clearly wasn’t normal for a Unity Stage expert.
Just as Li Nian’er was about to speak, Jiang Li signaled her to remain silent.
“Old Dragon King, how have you been feeling recently?” Jiang Li sat cheerfully by the bedside, making casual conversation.
“Quite alright, just lacking strength and feeling somewhat low-spirited. Probably haven’t been resting well recently.”
“Then rest more. You’ll surely recover with time.”
“The Human Sovereign shows great concern. Speaking of which, since you once reached Tribulation Transcendence Stage, could you share how to break through to it?”
“That might be difficult. The method to break through to Tribulation Transcendence Stage can only be grasped intuitively, not conveyed through words. Perhaps you should contemplate it yourself, old Dragon King?” Jiang Li declined with a smile.
“I can’t figure it out through contemplation.”
“Just think about it more.”
“Truly cannot figure it out. Won’t you tell me?”
“Not really possible.”
The old Dragon King’s face appeared aged and deeply wrinkled, either frowning at Jiang Li’s blunt refusal or simply wanting to dismiss him.
“In that case, the Human Sovereign may take his leave.”
Though effectively dismissed, Jiang Li neither grew angry nor made moves to leave. Instead, he spoke with grave seriousness: “Old Dragon King, do you know you’re dying?”
Ao Chengcheng and Mo Ruoyu stared wide-eyed, never expecting Jiang Li to say such a thing.
Both they and the Eastern Sea Dragon King, being Unity Stage experts themselves, could clearly see the old Dragon King approached his lifespan’s end—his body producing foul sweat, emitting unpleasant odors, his attitude drastically changed… These were signs of the Five Decays of Heavenly Beings.
The old Dragon King refused to acknowledge his impending death, using fragrances to mask the odors, having maids constantly wipe his sweat, and forbidding outsiders from learning his condition. Thus, any maids who revealed work details were relocated by the Eastern Sea Dragon King to secret residences where they couldn’t communicate with the outside world, to be released only after the old Dragon King’s passing.
Since the old Dragon King refused to acknowledge the truth, the Unity Stage experts tacitly avoided mentioning it, pretending nothing was wrong while continuing with the birthday celebration as usual.
Who could have imagined Jiang Li would directly shatter the old Dragon King’s illusions?
Instantly, the atmosphere grew heavy and tense.