The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Chapter 1023 - 572: Welcome, Commander Zhao

"Why are you looking at me?" Zhao Douan asked with a smile, meeting the group’s curious gazes.

A few people remained silent, still recalling everything that happened in that flash of an instant.

The initially dire situation was completely reversed by Zhao Douan in just a few breaths.

Not only did he take down Kongzhu, but even Guangyuan’s death seemed to involve Zhao Douan’s effort.

The most bizarre part was that everything happened so quickly that no one understood how Zhao Douan managed it.

"Weren’t you trapped in the Dragon Girl’s dream? By the way, where is the Dragon Girl?" Yu Xiu raised her wrist, summoned back the Green Jade Flying Sword, and looked around cautiously.

In her understanding, this level of Wild God was not something Zhao Douan could handle.

That was why she hadn’t come to rescue him earlier—despite her skills, Yu Xiu lacked the ability to save him.

"Oh, you mean that Wild God..." Zhao Douan exhaled and smiled. "I guess you could say I’ve temporarily subdued her."

In the last layer of the Dream Tower, after a fierce battle between Pei Niannu and the Dragon Girl, they successfully sealed her in a lotus flower.

The last scene Zhao Douan saw before leaving the dream was Pei Niannu throwing the Green Lotus to him.

As he spoke, he tried to clasp his left hand in the air, and spots of light gathered in his palm, coalescing into an illusory Green Lotus woven from Buddha Light, swaying in the night.

But compared to the beginning, now the lotus petals had turned into Dragon Scale shapes, and in the center of the lotus was a tiny "pond," where a thumb-sized silver-haired Dragon Girl was rolling and swimming.

At this moment, half of her body emerged, lifting her translucent little face to gaze at Zhao Douan.

Yet, her once cold, divine-filled eyes now carried a hint of faint closeness.

"This..." Seeing the Dragon Girl appear, Yu Xiu, Jin Jian, and others’ faces changed, and they turned uniformly, with their backs to Zhao Douan.

Avoiding eye contact with the Dragon Girl.

Only Zhong Pan looked at them wordlessly and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, since Zhao Douan can command a Wild God, he won’t harm you."

Then Zhong Pan raised his eyes to the Buddha Light Green Lotus and sighed, "Dragon Girls, this type of Wild God, could originally enter a person’s dreams without existing externally. That box just now was her dwelling place in the outside world. Because she was nourished by the Divine Dragon Temple for years, she already has Buddha Nature, and now she can merge with your Green Lotus and reside in it. Indeed, it’s a marvel of creation and serendipity; I’m afraid the current Green Lotus has even more wonderful uses. I remember the Worldly Venerate’s blessed Green Lotus could not manifest externally, but now, after merging with this Wild God, you can hold it in your hand... However, having just subdued the Wild God, it’s unwise to use her frequently to prevent her escape. After you’ve nurtured her for a while and become more familiar, you can command her as an extension of your will."

Zhao Douan listened carefully and attempted to touch the Dragon Girl with his finger. Before he could reach her, the Dragon Girl seemed frightened and plunged into the glow of the Green Lotus’s heart, refusing to show her face again.

He spread his palm, letting the Green Lotus vanish and return to his body, bowing respectfully to the Little Heavenly Master. "Thank you, Senior Brother, for enlightening me!"

He also felt a sense of marvel.

The strange things inside his body were increasing... the once dormant, seemingly dead "Dragon Essence," Pei Niannu with independent consciousness, and now another Wild God...

He suddenly remembered Gongshu Tianyuan and the Wild God "fox fairy" in the big bamboo tube he carried all day.

In hindsight, Gongshu Tianyuan carrying the fox fairy around every day was likely also to become more familiar with the Wild God, right?

"There’s no need to thank me, I should be the one ashamed." Zhong Pan shook his head, his naturally fierce expression showing a hint of remorse. He slung the deep red greatsword behind him and sighed, "I almost put you in danger."

With his high emotional intelligence, Zhao Douan grinned cheekily, skipping the topic: "You’re kidding, Senior Brother. If it weren’t for everyone’s efforts, I’d have long been finished by those bald-heads. Eh, where did the temple guardian tiger go? Did you kill it?"

Zhong Pan opened his broad right hand, a black Mountain Lord’s Mark branded in his palm, and explained, "Wild Gods are Divine and cannot be killed. Fearing letting the tiger return to the mountain, I’ve temporarily sealed it within myself and will find a way to deal with it later."

Zhao Douan realized, slapped his head, reached into his bosom, and took out a silver scroll, pouring out a pile of bottles and jars to distribute to everyone: "This battle consumed a lot; quickly recuperate. Next, we have to catch Xu Jingtang."

The battle, though seemingly slow to tell, was actually swift.

It hadn’t been long since they left Huai Royal Mansion.

But the commotion caused by this fight was great, waking many people in the city, who hid indoors, not daring to show themselves.

With the Mu Prince Manor’s control over Jingchuan City, they would soon learn of this disturbance.

Thus, the time left for Zhao Douan and his group was not abundant.

Everyone unceremoniously divided the pills, swallowing them to quickly restore their strength—the Imperial Palace’s Weapon Vault lacked many things, but had an abundance of various pills.

He had stocked up a large batch before leaving the capital.

Zhao Douan fed himself one, feeling the pill slide down his esophagus, with his Qi Sea boiling anew, gradually replenishing his strength. He sighed in relief, sat cross-legged on the ground, and while recuperating, he said, "But there’s also a benefit to this fight. If these monks had been by Xu Jingtang’s side, monks combined with the experts by Xu Jingtang, we really might have failed... Now, having eliminated them separately, the personnel by Xu Jingtang’s side have undoubtedly reduced significantly."

Everyone found it reasonable, feeling relieved.

Considering the front lines were still fighting, the Mu Prince Manor would certainly have sent a large number of experts to the front, and would still need to spare some to escort supplies back to Yunfu.