Chapter 423 - 380: Help Me Become a Monarch

The Dragon Monarch finally opened his eyes again.

This time, the hesitation and aloofness in his eyes were gone. In their place was a decisiveness as serene as an abyss, yet concealing a hidden thunderclap.

"The Hidden Alliance..."

He slowly uttered the two words, his voice low.

"On your word alone, how can I trust you?

And how can I trust the one behind you... the Great Sun Purple Extreme True Monarch?"

Nether Spring was prepared. From the sleeve of his blood-red robe, a peculiar token—made of neither gold nor jade, its edges flowing with a Chaos Color—slowly flew out and hovered before him.

The front of the Token was inscribed with the word ’Limitless’, its strokes ancient and unadorned, imbued with the supreme Dao Rhyme of the ultimate law.

On the back was a miniature relief of a blazing white sun. Though only an inch or so in size, it seemed to contain a dazzling majesty capable of illuminating the heavens and ruling the present.

The Token of a Vice Sect Leader of the Holy Sect, also containing a wisp of the Great Sun Purple Extreme True Monarch’s Dao Seal.

"This Token is my proof."

Nether Spring’s voice was calm. "Holding this Token proves that everything I have just said comes from the shared will of the Holy Sect and the Great Sun Purple Extreme True Monarch.

If I go against it, the Dao Seal will self-destruct, and the True Monarch will know."

The Dragon Monarch’s gaze swept over the Token, lingering for a moment on the blazing white sun relief. The last trace of doubt in his eyes slowly faded.

He slowly nodded.

"Good."

With that single word, it was as if a contract had been sealed and karma intertwined.

Within the Dao Realm, the mysterious blue "water" seemed to ripple with joy for a moment before returning to calm.

The grand design was set.

Nether Spring felt a sense of relief. Just as he was about to discuss the specifics, another message flashed through his mind—one transmitted to his Heart and Spirit by Qi Yun’s true self from across the endless void before he departed.

Deep within his blood-red pupils, a golden-red light rippled.

Then, the shrewd and calm expression of a negotiator slowly faded from his face.

In its place emerged the sinister smile unique to the "Blood Demon Daoist," a mixture of madness and ambition.

He looked at the Dragon Monarch and suddenly cupped his fists again.

"Dragon Monarch, the framework of our alliance is set. The details can be discussed later.

However, this junior... has a small, personal request."

The Dragon Monarch’s eyes flickered, a hint of surprise passing through them.

’We just finalized the Hidden Alliance, a pact concerning the fate of two major powers, and now he’s making a "personal request"?’

"Speak."

’I’m curious to hear what else this infamous yet calculating Blood Demon Daoist could possibly want.’

Nether Spring raised his head, his lips pulling back into a smile so wide it was almost a snarl.

The bloody glint in his eyes intensified. The aura of the Blood Sea, which he had been suppressing, erupted uncontrollably. Phantoms of nine thousand eight hundred Blood God Children bobbed and shrieked within the Blood Sea behind him, as if echoing the burning flame in their master’s heart.

He enunciated each word, his voice not loud, but as if infused with all his strength and ambition, each syllable landing with heavy finality:

"I want the Dragon Monarch... to make me a Monarch!"

The four words struck the Mysterious Blue Dao Realm like a clap of thunder!

The Dao Realm trembled violently!

The Profound Ice Throne groaned as if under an unbearable weight!

The eternally flowing Water Element Dao Principle roiled violently, like a placid lake into which a giant boulder had been cast!

For the first time, the eternally cold, hard, and profound expression on the North Sea Dragon Lord’s face changed distinctly.

’Help him become a Monarch?’

’A mere Foundation Establishment Stage Demon Cultivator dared to make such a request to an ancient True Monarch of the Dragon Race?!’

Silence.

A dead silence.

Nether Spring met the Dragon Monarch’s incredulous gaze, his smile unwavering, the bloody glint in his eyes only growing more intense, like a sun of blood.

After a long moment, the tempest in the Dragon Monarch’s eyes slowly calmed, freezing over once more into a bottomless Cold Abyss.

He leaned back slowly against his throne, but his spine was ramrod straight, all traces of his former languor gone.

"I..."

He began to speak, his voice regaining its cold, distant quality, like the grinding of ancient glaciers, as he enunciated each word:

"Do not have that ability."

The rejection was crisp and absolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

’Help someone become a Monarch?’

’Even within the Dragon Race, the birth of a True Monarch requires consuming infinite resources and enduring countless tribulations.’

’Even if he, the North Sea Dragon Lord, possessed Mighty Divine Power, it was absolutely impossible for him to simply "help" an outsider ascend to the rank of Monarch.’

’This was no longer a question of ability, but a matter that touched upon the fundamental laws of existence.’

Faced with this decisive rejection, Nether Spring showed no sign of disappointment.

He slowly raised his hands, tucking them into the sleeves of his blood-red robe. His posture seemed respectful, but the smile on his lips held a knowing, playful quality.

"True Monarch, please do not misunderstand."

His voice softened, as if to placate, yet also to guide.

"This junior is not so arrogant as to demand that the True Monarch defy heaven to change my fate, or try to force my growth."

"Nor am I asking the True Monarch to pay some earth-shattering price."

He tilted his head slightly, his blood-red eyes, glinting, fixed directly on the Dragon Monarch.

"All this junior seeks from the True Monarch... is a convenience."

"A convenience?"

The Dragon Monarch’s brow furrowed slightly, a probing look flashing in his narrow eyes.

He had lived for countless ages and seen too many plots, schemes, and calculated trades.

The word "convenience" was often more dangerous than a request with a clearly stated price.

It was ambiguous, flexible, and could conceal unexpected traps.

Nether Spring’s smile deepened. He took a single, tiny step forward.

Yet that one step drastically shortened the perceived distance between them.

The atmosphere shifted from the grand confrontation of moments before to the rhythm of a more secret, more direct negotiation.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head back slightly, as if recalling or confirming something. He pitched his voice extremely low, yet it echoed with perfect clarity throughout the silent Dao Realm:

"This junior once glimpsed a fragmented record in a certain damaged ancient text..."

He paused, light swirling in his blood-red pupils.

"According to legend, deep beneath the North Sea Dragon Palace, at the profoundest intersection of endless Profound Ice and the Earth Veins, there lies suppressed... a Celestial Demon Well."

The moment the word "Well" left his lips—

"BOOM!!!"

Beneath the throne, the "Water Essence," which had been as placid as a mirror, suddenly erupted into a monstrous tidal wave. Countless phantasmal chains of mysterious blue Law materialized from thin air, lashing and coiling wildly with a shrill hum, as if a forbidden name had been uttered, triggering the ultimate Restriction guarding this place!

The North Sea Dragon Lord shot to his feet!

Not merely standing, but his entire "existence" suddenly soared and expanded!

Atop the Profound Ice Throne, the Dragon Monarch’s figure instantly blurred.

In his place was the phantom of a colossal dragon’s body, ten thousand zhang tall, that seemed to touch the heavens and threaten to shatter the Mysterious Blue Dao Realm!

The boundless draconic might was no longer just pressure; it transformed into a tangible storm of bone-chilling cold that swept toward Nether Spring!

The protective barrier of the Blood Sea around Nether Spring was instantly compressed to its limit, emitting a teeth-grinding "CRUNCH." Swathes of Blood God Children disintegrated and evaporated!

But he remained standing, his blood-red eyes locked on the terrifying phantom of the Dragon Monarch’s true form, the smile on his lips stiff but not gone.

The terrifying pressure lasted for a full ten breaths.

The ten-thousand-zhang phantom of the dragon’s body slowly receded, coalescing back into the form of the middle-aged man seated upon the throne.

The Dragon Monarch slowly, ever so slowly, leaned forward.

The movement was slight, yet it carried the weight of a mountain.

He stared at Nether Spring, his voice as low as if it were rising from the deepest level of the Nine Netherworld:

"Have you lived long enough?"

...