Green Dragon’s Succession (Part 2)
Qiao Xue sat down next to Mu Yu on a worn-out rock, letting the wind billow her hair whilst she caressed Xiaoshuai’s tail. “I knew you would be in a pickle over this one day when I met the dragon vine. I don’t want you to involve yourself in the fiend race’s affairs for you don’t know what our status quo is.”
“Coincidentally, I don’t want to be involved.”
“I forgot to remind you not to keep him hidden from fiends. Even though his blood is precious in the eyes of fiends, not all of them will submit to him. You could say fiends and fiend beasts’ relationship is the equivalent of humans and cultivators’ relationship. The internal turmoil within the fiend race is complicated, with various factions sprouting up to vie for authority. With so many offspring, it is only natural that they compete for Grandpa Green Dragon’s throne. The dragon vine’s existence has introduced uncertainty.”
The fiends who survived the war against mankind were old, wounded and sick. Therefore, Green Dragon Archfiend decided to use his genes to create a powerful race of fiends, believing himself to be superior to other fiends owing to his dragon lineage. He hoped his successor could lead the fiend race to glory so that he could step down due to old age, but he was incredibly strict about his criteria for his successor, requiring them to be a pure-blooded dragon. As a result, the search still continued after thousands of years.
Long Xingyun’s father was part of one of the four strongest factions vying for the green dragon fiend king’s throne – North Shore Abyss’ Jade Wyrm. Part of the reason they garnered the most support was Long Xingyun being the fiend closest to a true dragon and having the best chances of reaching 100%. The other three most powerful factions, namely Forest Black Tigerdragon, Purple Lightning Winged Dragon and Demon Spirit Dragon Python, barely trailed behind because their descendant’s blood purity was close to Long Xingyun’s.
Because of the number of generations that existed, they abandoned seniority for the most part and opted for a hierarchy where lineage purity and combat prowess were used as ID and status. Belittling of others, consequently, was part and parcel of the system.
“Why don’t we ascend the throne, then?” Xiaoshuai suggested, believing that a monarch would never have to worry about food.
Qiao Xue contested, “The dragon vine is too weak to become the fiend race’s ruler. I know Grandpa Green Dragon will approve of him. That, however, does not mean other fiends will acknowledge him for he is an outsider, after all. I can tell you that he will lose his life in less than a month if he succeeds the throne.”
“They would kill him even if Green Dragon Archfiend backs him?” asked Mu Yu.
“Grandpa Green Dragon can’t always be there to bodyguard him. It isn’t even a challenge for them to assassinate Dragon Vine. Even if Grandpa Green Dragon chases up the matter, it’ll be too late by then. The four factions don’t want to break the flimsy balance between them.”
“No wonder why Long Xingyun was determined to kill Dragon Vine. Do I have to kill Long Xingyun to get out of this mess?” Mu Yu inquired.
“You know that’s impossible,” answered Qiao Xue. “First and foremost, I won’t let you kill him Secondly, a small Body Synthesis Realm wyrm is protecting him. I shouldn’t have left you behind today. I didn’t want to trouble you back then when Elder Ku Mu just passed away.”
“What should I do, then? I can’t just wait for them to come kill me,” stated Mu Yu, lying back.
Qiao Xue had no answer since she, too, was in dilemma.
The dragon vine asserted, “Keep lining them up, and I’ll keep knocking them down. Once all the fakes are gone, we’re safe, right?”
“Well, haven’t you got it all figured out,” joked Mu Yu, rubbing the dragon vine’s head on his chest. “It was only a matter of time before fiends found out about Dragon Vine. By the way, is it true that Green Dragon Archfiend is an evolved dragon vine?”
“Yes. His cultivation is leagues beyond what you can control, so I suggest you drop the thought.”
Not even Ju Mang would be able to control Green Dragon Archfiend if their races fought, let alone Mu Yu. A plant with a mind of its own and one without were worlds apart.
“How long has Green Dragon Archfiend lived for?” queried Mu Yu.
“He is immortal. He accidentally mentioned to me that dragon vines struggle to evolve into true dragons due to nature’s restrictions. According to him, after ten thousand years, when a dragon vine has the potential to evolve, they must start the growth of the next one for a second one to evolve. Unless they start sprouting at that integral moment and live for that long, they cannot evolve.”
“By that maths, Green Dragon Archfiend has also lived for ten thousand years?”
“I’m a miracle, then! If he has such a cool name, I need a name, at least, then. Dragon Vine doesn’t sound nice.”
“I’m Xiaoshuai, so you can be Xiaochou since you’re ugly.”
“If you’re Xiaoshuai, I’m Dashuai because I’m big.”
“Dashuai has been reserved for when I grow up. It’s copyrighted!”
“You’re never going to grow.”
“Fine, we’ll swap now. You can be Xiaoshuai, and I’ll be Dashuai.”
“I’m not so tasteless that I’d choose Xiaoshuai for a name.”
Mu Yu caressed the dragon vine’s wagging tail, swearing to himself that he’d protect the dragon vine no matter what.
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