Lifelike and unrestrained.

The memories overlapped, and the woman in the painting and the woman in his mind seemed to be the same person. He didn't know why, but he now believed what Ziyu said. He always felt that the woman in the painting was not even one ten-thousandth as real as the real person.

After listening to what Yingyue and the others said, a sense of anticipation suddenly rose in his heart.

Gong Mingyue waved his hand, signaling them to leave, but the group remained motionless, their cold eyes fixed on Yingyue's hesitant expression.

"Shadowmoon, what else do you want to say?"

“Master, this morning, a strange phenomenon occurred at Julong Lake. It seems that someone in the secret realm has a contract with the divine beast Azure Dragon…” Yingyue paused, then continued, “I have inquired today and found that only Yin Han, Hua Li, and the mistress are currently in the secret realm. It is very likely that the mistress is the owner of this Azure Dragon.”

"Master, the area around Julong Lake is a chaotic mix of people. The mistress has just ascended and her strength is limited. Would you like me to go and protect her...?"

As Yingyue spoke, she occasionally glanced at Gong Mingyue's expression, but she noticed a hint of confusion on his face.

"How can you be so sure that she will be the one to obtain the Azure Dragon Token? As far as I know, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion gave the Azure Dragon Token to Hua Li. Having the Azure Dragon Token in hand gives you a significant advantage."

Yingyue smiled, dismissing the Azure Dragon Token as worthless. "Master, you are unaware that the Mistress possesses the divine beast Vermilion Bird and the ten-thousand-year-old Illusionary Dragon, as well as the ancient sacred beast Kunpeng..."

He didn't know that Hei Xiangling was the sacred beast Kunpeng until Gong Mingyue told him. But what Yingyue didn't know was that Ji Jiuying also had the divine beast Xuanwu, but none of that mattered.

Gong Mingyue narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, and fragmented memories flashed through his mind: underwater, a girl held a man's hand, set a trap for a behemoth, and eventually made a contract with that behemoth.

Gong Mingyue frowned; that piercing pain was back!

"Yingyue Wuxin, you two go to Julong Lake. Ziyu, continue to keep an eye on Xinyao."

"Yes, sir!"

After leaving with the others, Gong Mingyue knelt on the ground, supporting his body with one hand and clutching his chest with the other, exuding a dangerous aura.

——

Inside the Luoyue Palace.

A young girl is quietly painting. She is extremely beautiful, with a delicate oval face lightly made up, and bright, sparkling eyes. Her long black hair cascades down her white dress, and she has an ethereal and otherworldly air, like a fairy descended to earth.

She put down the brush with her delicate hands, her eyes filled with undisguised affection as she admired her masterpiece.

She doesn't know how many paintings this is, but she never gets tired of them.

The man in the painting is like a demon, with a black robe trimmed with gold thread, sharp features, and deep eyes that carry a hint of tenderness. His peerless beauty is like that of a fairy in a painting.

Xin Yao gazed at the person in the painting with fascination. She had tried to paint different versions of him before, but she always fell short of capturing the essence. It wasn't until that time on the Cangming Continent, when she first saw him with such tenderness, that she was captivated.

But the thought that he was with that person made her insanely jealous.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Fairy, fairy."

Xin Yao carefully placed the painting away, and her sweet voice came: "Taozhi, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

"Fairy, I've found out. It seems someone at Julong Lake has contracted a divine beast, which is why this has caused such a huge upheaval."

Surprise and regret flashed in Xin Yao's eyes. She hadn't expected that there were real dragons in this Dragon Clan Secret Realm. If she could form a contract with the Azure Dragon, the Venerable One would definitely look at her with new eyes. But now she couldn't even leave this Nine Heavens Divine Palace.

"Do you know who contracted the divine beast?"

"The people currently in the secret realm are Hua Li from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, Lord Yin Han, and an unknown youth. As for who has contracted with the Azure Dragon, we do not yet know."

Hua Li, Yin Han, an unknown boy?

There's a high chance that Hua Li will be the winner of the Azure Dragon.

"By the way, fairy, I just passed by the Nine Heavens Palace and saw Lord Yingyue and Lord Wuxin leaving in a hurry. I made a special inquiry and it seems that His Majesty has woken up and sent them to Julong Lake for some reason. As for what they are doing, I don't know."

Xin Yao narrowed her eyes. Ten days ago, the Venerable One blocked the divine punishment at Julong Lake and suffered a backlash and fell into a coma. Now that he has woken up, the first thing he did was send Yingyue and Wuxin to Julong Lake. If it was because of Yin Han, she would be the first to disbelieve it. Although she had not spent much time with him, he would never be the kind of person who likes to meddle in other people's business.

Why would His Excellency care so much, even at the cost of divine punishment?

"Taozhi, how's the investigation going with the matter I asked you to handle last time?"

“Fairy, I was just about to tell you about this. Ji Jiuying ascended to heaven not long ago, but it seems there was an accident and she didn’t land on the altar.”

A fierce glint flashed in Xin Yao's eyes. If it didn't land on the altar, it meant it was very likely that it had landed somewhere else.

"Which members of the Feng family went to the secret realm?"

Tao Zhi thought for a moment: "Second Master Feng, Feng Yu, and some guards from the Feng family."

Xin Yao frowned, feeling that there was some conflict between the two things, but she couldn't figure it out for the time being.

"Alright, Taozhi, go to Julong Lake yourself and see what Yingyue and Wuxin are doing there. Also, find someone to keep an eye on the Feng family's recent movements."

"Yes, fairy."

After Tao Zhi left, a look of doubt flashed across Xin Yao's eyes. Suddenly, as if remembering something, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she quickly walked out of Luoyue Palace and headed towards the direction of Jiugong Palace.

——

Yingyue and Wuxin appeared around Julong Lake.

Feng Che noticed something and turned his head, just in time to meet Ying Yue's gaze.

Soon, Yingyue and Wuxin arrived in front of Feng Che and said, "Second Master Feng," neither humble nor obsequious.

“Yingyue.” After saying that, Feng Che turned his gaze to Wuxin: “This must be Wuxin from the Nine Heavens Divine Palace.”

"It really is me," Wuxin replied.

"Are you here to wait for Yin Han?" Feng Che asked.

Yingyue glanced at him and said seriously, "We came to wait for Yin Han, and also to wait for the mistress."

Feng Che wasn't surprised that Yingyue knew Jiu'er was there. Suddenly, he turned to Julong Lake, frowned, and a look of worry flashed across his eyes: "Ten days have passed, and I wonder how they are doing."

"They should be out soon. In the past ten days, there hasn't been a single spirit beast in the Nine Nether Forest. If these spirit beasts are hiding, then it must be caused by the strange phenomenon at the bottom of the lake. Perhaps the Azure Dragon already has a master..."

"I said it without thinking."

Yingyue, as if remembering something, glanced at Feng Che and asked, "Second Master Feng, how is your investigation into the Soul-Locking Needles going?"

Feng Che's eyes flickered slightly, and he shook his head: "The news was cut off by the Kamakura God."