novelraw Chapter 537 - 526: Dragon King’s Birthday Celebration and Invitation
Chapter 537 - 526: Dragon King’s Birthday Celebration and Invitation
Inside the store, Qin An was about to turn around and leave to see if there were any suitable tasks he could take.
But when the dragon demon spoke, Qin An immediately stopped, turned back to look at the dragon demon, and frowned slightly.
"What do you have to say?"
He had been interacting with this dragon demon for a long time and knew the dragon demon was very perceptive.
On usual days, if there was nothing to say, it would never come to disturb him, causing him displeasure.
But now the other party spoke suddenly at this moment, causing him to stay, so there must be something.
Sure enough, when Qin An asked this question, the dragon demon showed a flattering expression.
"Mr. Qin, please wait a moment so I, the little demon, can explain in detail."
The dragon demon slowly said, "There will be a grand event at the Dragon Palace soon, and Princess Long San has issued an invitation to Mr. Qin on behalf of the Old Dragon King."
Saying this, the dragon demon took out an envelope from its bosom, held it in both hands, and presented it to Qin An while bowing its head.
"The little demon was originally supposed to deliver this to Mr. Qin, but since Mr. Qin has been very busy lately, and today happens to be the day Mr. Qin came to perform alchemy, it slipped my mind to give it to Mr. Qin."
Qin An looked at the envelope, furrowed his brows, and took it in his hand.
The surface of the envelope was bright red, and on the bright red surface, a gold-engraved character for "longevity" could be seen.
Qin An knew very well what this "longevity" character represented.
"Could it be the Old Dragon King’s birthday is near?" Qin An asked.
The dragon demon chuckled, "Mr. Qin indeed has keen eyes; it is indeed the Old Dragon King’s birthday. This occasion is quite rare for the Dragon Palace, as it not only invites many human forces but also many Pseudo-God powers that have not committed evil acts with the Evil Extermination Bureau, making it a major grand event."
As he spoke, the dragon demon boasted at length about how wonderful the grand celebration at the Dragon Palace was.
Qin An rubbed his chin and said, "But I don’t have much time."
He was still thinking about taking on tasks to exchange for merit.
Regarding such a birthday banquet, he felt he really couldn’t find the time to attend.
Upon hearing this, the dragon demon quickly moved closer to Qin An and said, "Mr. Qin, please don’t consider refusing; this event could be beneficial for you."
Qin An rubbed his chin and said, "What benefit could there be?"
The dragon demon chuckled, "According to usual logic, our Dragon Palace distributes an invitation to each force, while invitations for individuals are quite rare."
"Once the birthday banquet concludes, anyone with an invitation can go to the Dragon Palace treasury and pick something they like."
"This includes weapons, elixirs, various treasures, and, of course, the Dragon Palace Cultivation Technique. Our Dragon Palace lacks nothing; everything is excellent."
As he spoke, the dragon demon displayed a look of pride.
Qin An raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, "It seems the Old Dragon King is quite skilled at building connections; however, what gifts need to be prepared?"
The dragon demon shook his head and said, "The Dragon King has said gifts aren’t needed; this is a gathering for everyone to get together."
He didn’t answer Qin An’s previous question, as it was apparent to everyone that besides celebrating the Old Dragon King’s birthday, the Dragon Palace was also using this event to win over nearby forces and strengthen its position.
However, no one questions this approach.
After all, if someone can offer such items, they too can do the same.
The Dragon Palace has never stopped others from doing so.
Qin An rubbed his chin and said, "No matter when, the Dragon Palace is always wealthy."
After glancing at the invitation, he found the event was scheduled in the near future, just within days.
Since he had nothing to do at that moment, he figured he might as well go and see.
Just now, Qin An had changed his mind.
Technically, he could go take on tasks, but going to the Dragon Palace seemed more worthwhile.
He only needed to attend the birthday celebration, and afterward, he could select what he needed from the Dragon Palace.
Moreover, it wouldn’t waste much time.
The main attraction was the opportunity to choose a Cultivation Technique from the collection.
The treasures in the Dragon Palace were nothing simple, and the Cultivation Technique was even more significant.
Obtaining a Cultivation Technique from Long Tianxing previously had already brought him immense benefit.
Much less the more profound ones.
With no danger or time wasted, gains are guaranteed, making it a no-brainer, really.
He could return to complete tasks without affecting his plans once the birthday banquet was attended.
Hearing Qin An agree, the dragon demon breathed a sigh of relief, "I originally planned to persuade Mr. Qin further, but didn’t expect Mr. Qin to be so straightforward, totally beyond my expectations."
Qin An shook his head and said, "Stop with the flattery; is there anything else?"
The dragon demon hastily replied, "No, no, just this one matter, and with Mr. Qin’s approval, I can report back to Princess Long San."
Qin An nodded, waved his hand, and said, "If this is the case, I’ll be taking my leave now."
The dragon demon said no more, allowing Qin An to depart.
After leaving the store, Qin An hurried towards a slaughterhouse.
Even if only for a few days, he planned to polish his skills.
After all, honing skills is like the Water Grinding Technique, needing time to be accumulated bit by bit.
...
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, several days went by.
During this period, the Tianyun Road remained as quiet as ever.
Various forces behaved as they usually did.
But today, some unusual changes occurred.
Currently, numerous forces are heading towards the nearest river to Tianyun Road.
Each force was surrounded by several rivers, and they were all heading towards the nearest river.
Some had items in their hands, while others carried nothing.
Now, on the main road of Tianyun Road, Qin An was sitting in a carriage, moving along slowly.
Due to not having a mission to undertake, according to the Evil Extermination Bureau’s regulations, Qin An couldn’t use the Bureau’s fast horse.
But going by carriage wasn’t too slow either.
In Qin An’s hand, there was a small bag of complex elixirs.
Today, as the Dragon King’s birthday approached, there were many heading to the Dragon Palace to celebrate.
Qin An was invited, so naturally, he had to make it on time.
As for the small bag of complex elixirs, it served as the Dragon King’s birthday gift.
Although not much, it’s a token of appreciation.
Qin An understood this bit of social etiquette.
The official road was wide, and after the carriage stopped at the nearest inn, Qin An got off and walked toward the nearest river.
During this time, many martial world forces also walked with Qin An toward the front.
Qin An had no mission and didn’t want to cause trouble due to his identity, so he was dressed in casual clothes and put away the Evil Extermination Bureau’s token.
These martial world forces naturally didn’t recognize Qin An’s identity.
Fortunately, everyone was clear that they were here to celebrate the Old Dragon King’s birthday, so there wasn’t any dull face-slapping drama.
Soon, Qin An arrived at the nearest river.
On the river, there was already a small boat waiting.
The Dragon Palace was located in the depths of the ocean, yet there were various ways to get there.
For the Dragon King’s birthday, naturally, visitors weren’t expected to spend a lot of time traveling back and forth, so the Dragon Palace used a Secret Technique to gather small boats, becoming the necessary tool to reach the palace.
At that moment, there was already a dragon demon waiting patiently on the boat.
After the crowd arrived one after another, the dragon demon began to count the people.
A small boat could hold at most about ten people.
After counting to about ten people, the dragon demon immediately let them board.
Some of these Jianghu people had already celebrated the Dragon King’s birthday before, so they boarded the dragon demon’s boat quite skillfully.
Soon, the boat was filled with people.
The dragon demon then pulled on the oar, and the boat sank underwater at a visible speed.
Qin An wasn’t among the first to board; he observed with a little curiosity.
When he saw the boat quickly sink to the riverbed, he shook his head slightly.
The one rowing probably disliked hearing the words "sink the boat."
So, the dragon demon controlling the small boat to sink to the riverbed seemed rather peculiar.
About the time for half an incense stick to burn passed, and the dragon demon emerged from the water again.
It was the same small boat, but now empty.
Next, the dragon demon repeated the previous operation every time he counted about ten people.
Soon, it was Qin An’s turn.
Once Qin An boarded the boat and it was filled, the dragon demon once again wielded the oar.
This time, when the small boat sank to the riverbed, Qin An finally discovered the peculiarity of the boat.
As the boat sank to the riverbed, a water bubble immediately enveloped it.
The water bubble was like an indestructible barrier, preventing the surrounding water from seeping in.
As the boat hit the water surface, it immediately displayed unprecedented speed, as if pushed by an invisible current behind it.
The surrounding scenery rushed by swiftly, and even someone with Qin An’s level of cultivation felt a slight discomfort.
Soon, the boat stopped.
The time from start to stop was incredibly short.
Once everything stilled, Qin An let out a long breath, shaking off the slight discomfort from his mind, and then raised his eyes to look ahead.
He saw a massive underwater structure ahead.
This structure was built according to the surrounding mountains and rocks and exuded an aura of grandeur and luxury.
Hundreds of Luminous Pearls were embedded at the top, illuminating the place like daylight.
Invisible barriers surrounded the area, keeping the seawater at bay.
At this moment, soft singing surrounded the area, creating an elegant yet vibrant atmosphere.
At the entrance, two rows of dragon demons were welcoming those who came to celebrate the birthday.
There were not only humans but also demons and Pseudo-Gods among them.
They either carried gifts or came empty-handed, receiving the dragon demons’ welcome and inspection.
After a brief contemplation, Qin An lifted his foot and walked toward the palace gate.
Since he came to celebrate the birthday, he certainly didn’t want to waste time, intending to look inside first.
But at this moment, a familiar figure appeared ahead.
Princess Long San, wearing a luxurious long dress, was craning her neck, eagerly looking around.
Beside her was the serene Long Tianxing.
When they appeared, many birthday attendees immediately started whispering.
"That’s Princess Long San, right?"
"Yes, that’s her, the Old Dragon King’s most beloved daughter. It’s said that she had very high cultivation before, but it dropped after being plotted against."
"I heard she’s been recovering her cultivation lately, already reaching the Element Transformation Realm, and her injuries should be healing well."
"But for someone of her status to come out and greet, could it be that some esteemed guest has arrived at the Dragon Palace?"
The whispers gradually grew louder.
The guests who came to celebrate were all very curious.
After all, in previous birthday celebrations, Princess Long San never received anyone, not even the Dragon Princes.
Yet now, the Dragon King’s most beloved daughter had suddenly come out to greet someone. Who was this person being welcomed?
Many watched with interest, wanting to see the spectacle.
Qin An thought the commotion was worth watching, so he didn’t rush inside but stood aside with the crowd, watching.
He even casually exchanged a few words with the people nearby.
"Brother, you look unfamiliar."
Next to him, a middle-aged man laughed heartily and said, "It must be your first time receiving an invitation. Let’s take a good look at who exactly Princess Long San is waiting for here."
Qin An nodded and said, "Naturally, I also enjoy watching the bustle."
They chatted with each other from time to time.
But just then, when Princess Long San’s gaze swept over Qin An, her expression froze.
Then she walked toward Qin An.
Immediately, the previously lively whispers abruptly stopped.