"Whoosh!"
A streak of light flashed by, swift as lightning.
Then, a bat much larger than the ordinary ones fell from the sky in response.
"It's a Vampire Bat."
The Old Dragon King, looking at the bat still twitching slightly on the ground, furrowed his brows and murmured, before he said to Uncle Fu by his side, "Send the order down, have Beidou Yuheng come over."
"Yes." Uncle Fu took the order and left.
The Dragon King Hall's various sub-halls were in charge of different duties, such as intelligence, finance, execution, foreign affairs, and so on...
Yuheng Hall was responsible for intelligence.
Before long, Mu Hongchen received the order and rushed over.
"Dragon Master."
Adorned in a red dress, Mu Hongchen appeared in the courtyard like a blaze of fire, greeting the Old Dragon King with a lowered gaze and submissive eyes.
"Have there been any unusual activities with Fallen Splendor lately?" the Old Dragon King asked, his brow slightly furrowed.
Upon hearing this, Mu Hongchen thought carefully before responding, "It seems there hasn't been anything unusual, they are still locked in battle with Brilliant Divine Authority..."
Dragon King Hall was not the world's only organization; what it represented was nothing but Divine Huaxia Land.
Organizations like Withered Tree Quest for Spring were numerous, yet there were barely a handful capable of posing a threat to Dragon King Hall.
Among them, Fallen Splendor and Brilliant Divine Authority were superpower organizations that posed a significant threat to the Old Dragon King.
Fallen Splendor was an organization that lurked in the shadows, just as Dragon King Hall was popularly known as "Dragon Group" among the common folk.
Fallen Splendor also had its popular name, known as "Black Council."
In contrast, the popular name for Brilliant Divine Authority was naturally "Holy See of Light."
The members of the Black Council were not Martial Artists or cultivators like those in Dragon King Hall, nor were they Psychics or Genetically modified people like in Withered Tree Quest for Spring.
Instead, they were Werewolves, Vampires, Witch-ghouls...
Therefore, when the Old Dragon King saw a Vampire Bat flying above his home, he knew it was sent by Fallen Splendor.
"Is that so..." Hearing Mu Hongchen's words, the Old Dragon King fell into deep thought, before he let out a slight sigh, "As I thought, the news of my impending end could not be concealed."
From Mu Hongchen's words, the Old Dragon King had already figured out that this was Fallen Splendor and Brilliant Divine Authority coming together, testing his strength.
If they had stopped their conflicts, or perhaps the battles weren't as intense, the Old Dragon King might have believed that they weren't making a move.
When Mu Hongchen heard the Old Dragon King's sigh of resignation, her eyes reddened slightly as she said, "Dragon Master, you are still young and won't be incapacitated. We are all waiting for you to recover and lead us at Dragon King Hall to great victories across the land, sweeping through the wastes..."
Most of the sub-hall masters of Dragon King Hall, such as Shen Cangsheng, Qin Qiaochu, and Di Yin, did not harbor much affection for the Dragon King Hall, treating it merely as a stepping stone.
But there were those like Xiang Mantang, Jian Ruyan, Mu Hongchen, and Wu Shisan who held deep feelings for Dragon King Hall.
Among them, Wu Shisan and Mu Hongchen harbored the deepest feelings for Dragon King Hall and had a special affection for the Old Dragon King.
Because they had been picked up and raised by the Old Dragon King when they were children.
Although the Old Dragon King did not treat them as his foster son or daughter, they regarded Dragon King Hall as their father.
That's why the Old Dragon King entrusted the intelligence-responsible Yuheng Hall to Mu Hongchen.
That's also why Mu Hongchen felt so deeply distressed about the Old Dragon King's retirement.
When the Old Dragon King heard Mu Hongchen's words laced with a sobbing tone, he sighed slightly without offering any comfort, instead, he simply said, "I am well aware of my own situation, you may leave now."
"Yes." Mu Hongchen nodded her head and took her leave afterwards.
The Old Dragon King stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his body slightly stooped in his Zhongshan suit, and his head full of silver hair made him look no different from an ordinary old man.
He gazed at the azure sky, contemplating the internal and external crises currently besetting the Dragon King Hall.
He thought to himself that he must urgently have Mu Jinyu return to succeed the position of Tiance True Dragon.
With the presence of Xiang Mantang, his junior brother, and the support of Wu Shisan, Mu Hongchen, and Jian Ruyan, those three who might harbor ulterior motives would certainly become much more compliant.
"Ah..." The Old Dragon King came back to his senses after a while, let out a deep sigh, and murmured, "I hope I can hear Jinyu call me grandpa before I go."
...
Mu Jinyu was unaware of the situation in the Capital City.
He only knew that the Old Dragon King's condition was dire and that he could only hold on for half a month to a month at most, so he had to rush to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains in Miao Zombie to find the Spring of Life.
When the time came, he would be able to use the Seven-Star Life-continuation Needle in conjunction with the spring water to extend the Old Dragon King's life by a few years.
Moreover, the Spring of Life was not something he had discovered on his own, but rather information extracted from those associated with Withered Tree Quest for Spring.
If he didn't get there soon, once those from Withered Tree Quest for Spring got their hands on it, he would have cause for regret.
Arriving at the airport.
Mu Jinyu didn't waste too much time. After nodding slightly to Wang Zhengbiao and the Four Heavenly Kings, subordinates of Mei Yinxue, he boarded the plane and then headed to Gui Province Fangcheng.
After leaving the airport, Mu Jinyu got into the car arranged by Xiang Mantang and headed straight for Si County, which is under Fangcheng.
Upon arriving at a remote small village within the jurisdiction of Si County, Mu Jinyu and his companions got out of the car.
"You guys start preparing. After lunch, we'll head into the mountains and meanwhile, ask the local villagers if they know the exact route," he said.
Since the Charming Daoist Nun also did not know the exact location of the Spring of Life, Mu Jinyu had no choice but to search slowly.
He hoped to find it within half a month.
That's why he told Gu Xiyan and the others yesterday that he might not return for a short time.
And he wanted to make it up to them properly.
"Mhm." Wang Zhengbiao responded with a nod, then opened the rear compartment of the car, glanced at the fully stocked items and the faint smell of gunpowder, and closed the car door.
All the tools and weapons stored there had been prepared for Mu Jinyu by Xiang Mantang.
Upon knowing this, Wang Zhengbiao felt quite astonished that Mu Jinyu could arrange everything in Gui Province within a day, which seemed almost supernaturally efficient.
Even though the Snow Hidden Association was dominant in River City, they were incapable of transporting weapons to nearby cities.
After a brief inspection, they accompanied Mu Jinyu towards the small village.
They also had prepared numerous backpacks in the car, filled with food such as frozen chicken and duck, meant to be consumed in the mountains. Since they had the opportunity to pay for a meal at someone else's house, there was no need to use their supplies just yet.
After Mu Jinyu led them into the village, he noticed there were very few young people. After asking around, he learned that most of the village youth had gone out to work, and after earning money, they mostly bought houses elsewhere and didn't return.
Those who stayed behind were mostly elderly people with limited mobility and some children left in the care of the village.
Mu Jinyu found a very humble little house and entered. He gave the old person inside several thousand yuan to prepare their afternoon meal.
Of course, waiting for the old person to slowly cook might take a while, so Mu Jinyu also had Wang Zhengbiao and others help in the kitchen, which meant the meal was ready quite quickly.
During the meal, Mu Jinyu asked, "Old man, do you know of a place in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains where there is a large pool with a big snake in it, according to the legends?"
The old man paused his eating upon hearing this and then looked up at Mu Jinyu with eyes filled with fear and caution, asking, "What do you want with that?"
Mu Jinyu could tell from the old man's reaction that he might know something. Delighted, he didn't bother explaining and simply flashed some cash.
Unable to resist the temptation of money, the old man finally divulged what he knew to Mu Jinyu.