Chapter 125: Unleashing the Dragon Vein

"Divine Venerable, this way." Prime Minister Turtle gestured toward a small path as he spoke to Wang Yuanfeng.

The group arrived before an artificial rockery. Prime Minister Turtle tapped it twice, revealing a stone door, and said, "I discovered this path eight hundred years ago. It leads behind the Dragon Monarch's chambers. This secret passage is well-hidden and can isolate spiritual sense; even now, the Dragon Monarch is unaware of it."

"Excellent. Prime Minister Turtle is indeed meticulous. Very good." Wang Yuanji sighed with admiration. She had not expected the Prime Minister to be so profound; having spent so many years by the Dragon Monarch's side while keeping this secret hidden, it seemed he had never truly pledged his loyalty from the very beginning.

Indeed, they heard Prime Minister Turtle say, "Ever since this current Dragon Monarch took office, he has been overly suspicious of his subordinates and possesses a poor character, so I..."

He trailed off, stammering, perhaps unable to continue or finding it difficult to elaborate further. Seeing this, Wang Yuanfeng waved his hand and said, "Very well, very well. I know that Prime Minister Turtle's loyalty is commendable. It is no small feat to reveal such a long-held secret, and I am deeply moved. For now, let us first disperse the dragon vein; other matters can wait until later."

"Yes, the Divine Venerable is wise," Prime Minister Turtle replied with a bow, leading Wang Yuanfeng through the door.

Watching the Prime Minister’s demeanor, the Golden Dragon felt a spark of distaste. He snorted and whispered, "Sycophant!"

Though the voice was soft, given the keen hearing of Wang Yuanfeng and Prime Minister Turtle—whose cultivation allowed them to perceive every blade of grass and leaf within nine yards—the comment was clearly audible. Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Turtle’s slumped back straightened instantly, as if he had been highly praised. He looked immensely pleased, his steps becoming noticeably lighter.

Wang Yuanfeng saw this and did not know what to say. It appeared that even within his own ranks there were conflicts, yet he understood this was unavoidable. He could only turn a blind eye; as long as it did not affect the greater plan, they could behave as they wished.

After walking back and forth for quite some time, they finally reached the end. Prime Minister Turtle was delighted and turned to say, "We have arrived. It is here."

He stepped forward to shift a stone, exposing a stone wall. He then pulled out a stone brick, revealing a room that appeared to be a treasury. It was piled high with gold and silver, totaling, by estimation, nearly a million taels. Wang Yuanfeng looked on, puzzled; how did a demon come to possess so much wealth?

He asked Prime Minister Turtle, "Where did all this gold and silver come from? It serves no purpose for him, so why store so much?"

"The Divine Venerable may not know, but all this wealth comes from the ships that went missing in the mists after the Dragon King married off his daughters over the past few centuries. Every time he returned, he brought back plunder, and this gold and silver was among it." Knowing of the Dragon King’s habits, he added, "Whenever the Dragon King marries off a daughter, he is sure to stir up storms and waves."

"I have heard that every time the mists cover Dongting Lake, people go missing. Where have these people gone?" Wang Yuanfeng asked.

"Alas!" Prime Minister Turtle sighed. "They are all dead. Over the past hundred years, there have been tens of thousands. Their remains lie in the Mist Valley near Taixuan Lake. Because no one buried them, they have become lonely ghosts and wandering spirits, their resentment unspent, turning the place into a ghostly realm."

Wang Yuanfeng also sighed upon hearing this. "Once this matter is concluded, we shall go to the Mist Valley to investigate. If we do not resolve it, it will remain a hidden danger."

As they spoke, Prime Minister Turtle led Wang Yuanfeng and the Golden Dragon into a stone cavern. The cavern was somewhat spacious, and within it, one could hear the sound of trickling water. In the center, eight iron chains secured a large tripod, inside of which a translucent, jade-white sphere rotated incessantly.

Prime Minister Turtle pointed to the sphere and said, "This is the locked dragon vein. This is the Eight-Directional Dragon-Shrinking Array. It has already extracted the essence of the dragon vein and trapped it within this tripod. If we wish to disperse it, we need only undo the chains."

Wang Yuanfeng looked at the eight pitch-black chains, each as thick as an arm, shimmering with a cold light. They looked incredibly sturdy, and severing them would not be an easy task. He looked at the Prime Minister and asked, "Is there a way to unlock them?"

"Your subordinate has a way," Prime Minister Turtle said, pulling several keys from his sleeve. "I prepared for this long ago. When I saw the Dragon Monarch wearing these keys on his belt, I memorized their design, returned to forge copies using the same materials, and kept them hidden. I never expected them to be of use today; it is truly the good fortune of the Divine Venerable."

"Prime Minister Turtle is very thoughtful," Wang Yuanfeng said politely, though he did not understand the man's full intent. While he was happy to see the Dragon Monarch undermined, it still felt somewhat unsettling.

The man was a pure spy, possessing a crystal-clear understanding of the Dragon Monarch’s situation and ready to deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment. Wang Yuanfeng reckoned that after this, the Dragon Monarch would never be able to recover—all because he was undone by a person he did not trust.

Wang Yuanfeng mused that if Prime Minister Turtle had been loyal to the Dragon Monarch, they likely would not have even made it into the water palace; their fate would have been similar to the giant flood dragon currently battling the shrimp soldiers and crab generals—with no choice but to use brute force.

A sharp gleam flashed in the Golden Dragon's eyes. He felt that this Prime Minister was truly difficult to deal with, his mind too calculating, having made preparations even for this. It seemed he would have to be wary of him in the future.

Prime Minister Turtle smiled and said, "Then I shall open the chains for the Divine Venerable."

With that, he used the keys to unlock them one by one, his movements agile, looking quite pleased. When the final chain was undone, the jade-white sphere suddenly leapt upward. Prime Minister Turtle said to Wang Yuanfeng, "I have unlocked the chains. Please, Divine Venerable, release the dragon vein."

"Good, you have worked hard," Wang Yuanfeng said.

He stepped forward to observe the jade-white sphere inside the tripod. It was spinning, seemingly looking for a way out but unable to escape. Wang Yuanfeng examined the patterns on the tripod—they were merely talismans, having no function other than to lock the contents. He noticed a sliver of spiritual sense on the tripod, sharing the same origin as the aura of the water palace; it appeared to belong to the Dragon Monarch.

After checking carefully to ensure there were no traps, he made a gesture, and the jade-white sphere flew out of the tripod. However, just as it was about to reach Wang Yuanfeng’s hand, it suddenly veered off and tried to flee into the distance.

"Not good! Do not let it escape!" Prime Minister Turtle shouted, tossing out a turtle shell. The shell instantly expanded, blocking the sphere's path. The sphere tried to flee in another direction, but the Golden Dragon lunged and blocked it as well.

Wang Yuanfeng sensed that something was wrong with the dragon vein. Thinking it over, he realized it must be the trace of the Dragon Monarch’s spiritual sense; he had not expected the Dragon Monarch to have nearly refined the dragon vein into a magical artifact.

Opening his mouth, a flash of purple-silver light flew out. He gave a soft command: "Sever!"

"Ah!" A shriek emanated from the jade-white sphere, which then went still and began to dissolve into mist, dissipating toward the ground.

"Hoo!" Wang Yuanfeng let out a sigh of relief. That single strike had utilized nearly thirty percent of his sword energy.