Alex, Pearl, and Bai Jingshen met with Qing Zhangru outside of the Vermilion Bird palace. They left Whisker and Scarlet by themselves so they could continue with Scarlet's bloodline improvement while they met with the Azure Dragon patriarch.
Qing Zhangru, the very first Heavenly Beast they met upon ing to this land, stared down at them in his massive form. So much had changed in just those two decades since they arrived here that the dragon could hardly believe it at all.
Pearl looked at the dragon with no emotion on his face, letting the Divine Sense pass through his body. His Azure Dragon bloodline, while not as potent as the White Tiger bloodline, was still very much apparent. Even those who weren't searching for it would immediately notice it upon examining his aura.
Just two decades ago, when he had first arrived in this land, it hadn't existed. As such, Zhangru was genuinely surprised to find the change. What's more, he had been told that the reason for that change was none other than the human next to him.
They had also told him about the talent this young human held when it came to making pills. That, bined with the ancestors in the family growing excited regarding Alex, made him even more curious about what Alex was capable of.
"Greetings, senior," Alex said once he stopped before the dragon. "My apologies for making you wait this long. But I'm ready to leave whenever you are."
The dragon gave a slight nod. "If you are all ready, we can leave right
now."
The journey to the Azure Dragon's palace was a short one. A couple of teleportation formations later, Alex and the rest arrived outside the massive green barrier that surrounded the palace itself and quickly
entered, appearing next to the massive void above which the palace floated.
The Azure Dragon's palace was easily the most fascinating to look at. With each island floating in the air, held in place by massive metal chains, it was truly a majestic sight.
"Did the Architect make the entire thing, or just the palace itself?" Alex asked the dragon next to him.
"What?" the dragon seemed confused by the question.
Alex raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. "Nothing. It's fine." It was apparent that the dragon had no idea who the Architect was. Perhaps it was something only the Celestials were supposed to know about.
There were plenty of dragons flying around the palace, going from one building to another, and none stopped to look at Alex's group. Unlike the last time they had e here, there was no one of importance to hold their attention.
A small platform carried them to the stairs of the main palace, and they entered. They were led to a small hall, where they were made to sit around and wait while the patriarch was made aware of their arrival.
Alex waited for a while, looking around the small hall. The last time they had e here, the Azure Dragon patriarch had directly taken them to the main palace hall, so they hadn't had to wait around anywhere.
This time, they got a chance to see what the non-Celestials had to go through when meeting the patriarchs.
Alex heard a rhythmic bumping a minute or so later, causing him to turn his head. Pearl had been tapping the base of his seat with a restless paw, causing the noise.
"Are you nervous?" Alex asked him.
Pearl seemed surprised to be spoken to and turned toward Alex quickly. It took him a moment to register what he had been told, at which point he shook his head. "Not nervous exactly," he said. "I'm just..."
He couldn't find any words to explain what he was feeling.
Alex grabbed his paw tightly in a supporting gesture. "It'll be fine. They'll focus on me more than you."
Pearl nodded, growing somewhat calmer.
Nearly half an hour later, Qing Zhangru returned to the room.
"The patriarch and ancestors are ready for you."
Alex raised an eyebrow. He should've known it wouldn't just be the patriarch.
They walked up the massive pagoda-like tower, past the many gates, and through the massive sculpture room where all sorts of beasts
were shown.
Pearl looked to the wall on his left, where the figure of the Flying
Raindragon was carved into it. The larger draconic beast with a wider chest and wings of feathers was the one that had died long ago, whose beast core Pearl had absorbed. The sculpture was surrounded by rain and lightning, not that dissimilar to Pearl's own blue stripes. Alex looked at that too, before turning toward the image of the Roc carved on the other wall. The last time he had e here, he knew nothing about the Roc at all. Now, after gaining the Artifact God's memories, he had e to learn that the Roc's body had been turned into armor and weapons long ago.
Alex then looked up at the ceiling, where the massive golden carving of the Dragon Father lay. Here, it looked as if the Sun God was staring down at him from a place high above.
He could almost see the demand of the Sun God to free him. It was an eerie feeling.
Alex looked away almost immediately, focusing back on the Azure Dragon before him as it showed him the way to the palace's main hall. Once they arrived at the doors, Qing Zhangru turned around. "You will have to stay out here for the moment," he said to Bai Jingshen. Bai Jingshen paused. "I'm sorry, but I will be staying with them," he said. "If you don't like that, we can return right away."
Qing Zhangru's face fell. "This is not something-"
"No, he's right," Alex added. "If it's not possible for him to enter, I ask
that you make it possible. Otherwise, we can leave!"
The dragon showed a cold look for a moment before turning away. A while later, he gave a slight nod and turned back around.
"You three may all enter."
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