Chapter 223 - Saint Dragon Elders
Through the grand halls of the imperial palace, Huang Dai and Xun moved with great haste. Ignoring all question looks and callouts, the siblings managed to quickly arrive towards the main imperial chamber.
As they approached the imperial chambers massive door, the siblings noticed a tall, robust man wearing luxurious yellow robes that were inscribed with a beautiful Draconinc Art pattern.
This yellow robe man didn't exude an overwhelming presence but more of an untamed aura. It was almost like he was blending into the environment, taking control of the space for hundreds of feet around him.
No Dragon youths would be willing to approach this strange presence, and even the average Dragon Elder wouldn't so casually walk in.
After all, this man held an extreme status along with his unfathomable prowess.
This man was one of the several supreme Dragon Elders! He's an existence that was only under the Dragon Emperor and the Dragon Empress.
If anyone of them isn't around, the supreme Dragon Elders would be close to the next line in charge, of course, barring the Ancient Dragons and one other special existence.
The prestige of the supreme Dragon Elders certainly wasn't small at all, to say the very least.
Even Huang Dai and Xun momentarily paused once entering into the supreme Dragon Elder's space. It was like they entered into a separate dimension, one filled with a faint, indescribable power that far differs from the Divine essence of the Heaven and Earth.
Both siblings would never causally mess with any supreme Dragon Elder.
But today wasn't ordinary circumstances.
Huang Dai and Xun slightly grit their teeth while revolving a small portion of their energies. As their bodies gradually calmed, the siblings stood up straight.
They then unwaveringly strolled up to the supreme Dragon Elder, neither of them showcasing any varied expressions.
To be taken seriously, the siblings prepared their absolute focus, making sure there wasn't a single slip up in their statures.
As they approached, the supreme Dragon Elder slightly narrowed his eyes. He could already guess a critical issue will come to his attention when seeing how the direct Royal children calmly delt his natural aura.
In this instance, he slightly quelled his natural aura, allowing Huang Dai and Xun to breathe that much easier.
Once they were just a dozen of feet from the supreme Dragon Elder, Huang Xun swiftly spoke up first.
"Elder Panlong. Are our parents in a crucial meeting now?"
"Not necessarily a crucial meeting. But one that is taking precedent over matters. Is it something truly urgent?" Elder Panlong calmly answered.
In this moment, Huang Dai and Xun traded look, curiosity evident in both their eyes. Their news certainly was urgent, but they couldn't help but want to know what precedent meeting was taking place.
Rarely would their parents have meetings like this. Both were typically too busy dealing with other important matters, usually delegating semi-important matters to their underlinings.
Whatever they're talking about might also relate to Cain's whereabouts as well.
Quickly considering it, Huang Xun gave a curt nod, and a slight glint flashed within Huang Dai's eyes.
Huang Dai then asked, "If we can know, what is this meeting about?"
Elder Panlong took a silent moment before responding. Towards any other Dragon youth, he would've already sent them away after reprimanding them for wasting time.
After all, behind these doors holds two special people, even in the perspective of their entire Royal Family.
Their status is faintly above all supreme Dragon Elders and, on some accounts, nears the current Dragon Emperor!
Everyone else knows these two as Saint Dragon Elders.
The position they hold comes from both their bloodline status and their own personal prowess. This was especially an immense feat considering the hierarchy of their Royal Dragon Family can be brutally vicious.
Wanting to meet such legendary figures is an honor reserved for only very specific people.
And these specific people include only a select limit of the direct Royal descendent. Even though there are several children of the Ancient Dragon emperor, only a select few of them have statuses superior to the rest.
These select few included Huang Dai and Xun. Only these two would have the right to request a meeting with the Saint Dragon Elders.
The only reason Elder Panlong was hesitating was because of the considerable severity of the Saint Dragon Elders meeting.
It was at a level where even he, a fellow supreme Dragon Elder, needed to stay guard and prevent nearly all distractions from reaching them. They had also delegated the task of having him stall the Dragon Emperor for a bit if he were to truly come down here.
When considering all of this, Elder Panlong didn't reject the siblings but still decided to inform them of the situation. "I will make this brief. Your parents are in a meeting discussing an upcoming exchange between the Ancient Phoenix Holy Lands. This exchange will be a call for a peaceful transaction than what you may believe."
"Peaceful?"
Huang Dai and Xun furrowed their brows at the same time. Their minds flashed towards all exchanges they had with that Holy Land. And they could never say anyone of them had any semblance of peace.
It was always underlined with a sense of tension as if one wrong move could erupt in a violent collision.
Furthermore, months from now, there will be an exchange event between their younger generations. During that time, peace will be the farthest from any viable answer.
With suspicions lacing his tone, Huang Dai asked, "Just what sort of peaceful transaction can we possibly hope for? Wouldn't this just end with no progress for either side?"
"As of now, we can't rashly assume all interactions will be negative. We may compete, but at the same time, we both desire each other resources. Do understand that we Martial Families seek interest more than simple Martial strength competition."
Elder Panlong patiently explained. His words were reasonable enough.
Neither Huang Dai nor Xun could come up with an instant counterclaim. But still, the siblings weren't entirely willing to believe this ideal.
After all, if they simply have greater Martial strength, wouldn't it just be possible to take all the interest they want without any unnecessary complications?
As God Galaxy cultivators who both genuinely experienced the wither and rain of harsh reality, the siblings faintly put Martial strength as the most significant determining factor in any situation.
In their eyes, the Ancient Phoenix Holy Lands won't be able to stand at an equal level forever. They truly believed their Martial Talent will go on to surpass the entirety of a massive God Galaxy Holy Land!
But to get a start on this imposing road, Huang Dai and Xun knew they needed to take the smaller steps, accumulating the highest energies possible before breaking through the next realm.
And one of these small steps is gaining back a younger sibling whose value could possibly be far higher than they ever could suspect.
A snap decision suddenly birthed within Huang Xun's mind.
Right when she was just about press on the meeting with her parents, the clear, crisp voice of a woman, overflowing with a hypnotic charm, sounded it to her, Dai and Elder Panlong.
"Just let them in. We were nearing the end of our meeting in the first place."
A subtle, majestic might of Dragon flowed within this woman's voice. This was a tone that barked absolute order.
Hearing this voice, even the almighty Elder Panlong instinctively shudder. He promptly nodded, stepped to the side, and waved his hand, causing the door behind him to flung open.
"Mn. Come right in."
With one last nod towards Elder Panlong, Huang Dai and Xun quickly stepped inside.
As they arrived within another luxuriously designed chamber, their sights quickly settled on two extraordinary people.
These two sat side by side, at the end of a round table that had numerous important documents scattered about.
One of the people sitting was a devilishly handsome man. A single look into his deep, abyss-like black eyes can cast any maiden into an endless illusion.
What accentuated his handsome looks among other Dragons would be his unfathomable natural aura. This was an aura that's been forged and tempered for thousands upon thousands of years, exuding a presence that seemed genuinely divine.
Only a tiny portion of his accumulated Martial Arts is shown through his aura. And yet it was at a level no ordinary Dragon could ever dream of contending with.
This unfathomable natural aura of absolute beauty was also brightly present within the woman.
She's someone who seemed utterly untouchable, completely untainted by the mortal world, almost like a celestial Dragon Fairy. Her breathtaking presence was in no way inferior to the man.
These two were the renowned Saint Dragon Elders of the Royal Family and also parents to the direct Royal descendants!
The man was Huang Laolong, and the woman was Song Ling.
And as Huang Dai and Xun stepped in, the door closing behind them, the siblings respectfully greeted their parents.
"Mother, Father." The siblings simultaneously bowed, their voices containing the utmost respect.
"Rise, children. Quickly, tell us what do you have to report."
Huang Laolong wasted no time in getting to the heart of their meeting. Towards the news of his younger children, his tone was steely indifferent, treating it like any other important subject matter.
For the briefest of moments, a flash of hesitation surged within Huang Dai and Xun's eyes.
With how intense their reactions were, just what would their parent be like? It could stir up more news than they're even expecting now.
But at this point, they have no other option but to report it.
Huang Xun decided to take the lead, stepping forward to say, "Father, mother, what we have to report may be greatly shocking. You see, the Aura Tracker crystal intensely reacted to Cain's remanent life aura. This is because he truly contains pure Dragon essence. And not only that…the crystal had exploded upon reaching close to Cain's life aura."
"Hm…hm?!"
Both Huang Laolong and Song Lin were instantly shocked, their bodies nearly jumping on pure instict. Within a moment, the Saint Dragon Elder processed Huang Xun's words.
The Aura Tracker crystal not only reacting but also exploding?
Couldn't this mean just one thing?!
And as if to confirm her parent's suspicions, Huang Xun waved her hand, summoning the shattering remains of the Aura Tracker crystal to her palm.
The tiny glistening shards refracted clear as day right into both Huang Laolong and Song Lin's eyes.
"This…" With a sweep of their Divine Senses, they both perceived this was precisely the Aura Tracker crystal! Furthermore, their Divine Senses could perceive far more of the traits that caused the Aura Tracker crystal to burst open.
As moments rolled by, the light within Huang Laolong and Song Lin's eyes got increasingly bright.
All that they knew were completely flipped upon their heads. Just these shattered crystals gave these aged, experience cultivators the greatest shock of their lives.
Huang Dai and Xun stayed silent, awaiting their parent's appraisal, also expecting their intense reaction.
The siblings didn't have to wait long as Song Lin started to slowly speak.
"The Aura Tracker crystal we gave wasn't low quality at all. It was at least high divine quality. As you two may not know, these crystals aren't completely invincible. It is true if a Draconic Aura is simply too pure and potent, the crystal will shatter from the intensity.. But…this will be possible if the life aura also has a strong soul aura. And this all stems from the possibility that they could cultivate…"