Chapter 1969 — 1969: The Mystic Sea Dragon Clan's Invasion

"WHAT?! YOU GAVE OUR FAMILY HEIRLOOM TO HIM?!" Binglan exclaimed with a horrified expression after hearing Jiao Zhenhai's explanation.

It wasn't just Jiao Binglan. Jiao Xuanbing and the others were also just as shocked. None of them could've expected Jiao Zhenhai would be willing to part with their family heirloom.

"I understand your feelings, but what use is our family heirloom if our clan is destroyed in the process of trying to protect it? Moreover, we will receive the Immortal Monarch's blood! This is a blessing none of you can even begin to fathom!" Jiao Zhenhai said.

"The Immortal Monarch's blood?" Binglan and the others turned to look at Yuan with suspicious gazes.

Yuan smiled back and said, "Thank you for letting me consume the Tear of the Azure Heavens. Here is the Immortal Monarch's blood, as promised."

Before coming out of the treasury, Yuan collected several drops of his blood and stored them in small glass vials.

He retrieved a wooden box and handed it over to Jiao Zhenhai, who accepted it with trembling hands.

Jiao Zhenhai wasted no time opening the box the moment it was in his grasp, and sure enough, there were six vials resting inside, just enough for him and his children.

"The Mystic Sea Dragon Clan will arrive in two weeks. We need to absorb this to strengthen ourselves before then." Jiao Zhenhai handed a drop of the Immortal Monarch's blood to each of his children.

"T-Thank you, Senior Envoy!" Jiao Xuanbing bowed to him.

Yuan shook his head and said, "No, you don't need to thank me. I didn't give it to you for free. It was an exchange."

Jiao Zhenhai and the others wasted no time and went to absorb the Immortal Monarch's blood.

Meanwhile, Yuan asked around about the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan.

"Who are the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan?" Yuan asked the first person he came across.

"They've been long-time rivals of the Azure Dragon Clan since ancient times, as both possess the power to command the waters. However, the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan has been adapting more ice-attribute techniques lately."

"The Azure Dragon Clan and the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan have clashed many times before, but never with stakes this high. Until now, their conflicts were little more than skirmishes."

"I see… What about the Clan Leader's wife? What about the rest of his family?" Yuan then asked about the Azure Dragon Clan's situation.

"The Mistress died trying to defeat the intruder who tried to take away our family heirloom many thousands of years ago. As for the others… while they're not dead, they all left the Azure Dragon Clan long ago to look for a cure for the curse. However, the Clan Leader should've already notified them of the situation, so they should be heading back here as we speak."

"I see…" Yuan mumbled.

Hearing that the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan has been learning ice-attribute techniques made it very clear why they wanted the Tear of the Azure Heavens—the Heaven-Chilling Ice Phoenix's heart.

Unfortunately for them, Yuan had already absorbed the treasure for himself, so they were waging a pointless war against the Azure Dragon Clan.

This made Yuan wonder if the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan would back out once they learn about it.

A week later, Jiao Zhenhai and the others emerged from seclusion, having fully absorbed the Immortal Monarch's blood.

The first thing they did was test their bloodlines, and as expected, not only had their bloodline's purity been restored, it had even surpassed its former peak, and everyone except Xuanbing still had poison in their body. As for Xuanbing, who wasn't affected by the poison, his bloodline had become the purest and most powerful in the clan's history, by a wide margin.

Seeing Xuanbing's results gave immense hope and joy to the others, who were eager to have their poison cleansed by Yuan.

"Senior Envoy! Please take care of us after we deal with the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan!" A young man approached Yuan and bowed to him.

Yuan silently nodded.

"To be honest, I was skeptical about the Immortal Monarch's blood being real until I absorbed it," Jiao Zhenhai admitted with a stiff smile on his face. "But now, I am really glad I accepted your offer."

"Pleasure doing business with you," Yuan smiled.

The following day, something else happened that greatly boosted the Azure Dragon Clan's spirit and morale—reinforcement had arrived.

"Father! Grandfather and Grandmother have returned!" Jiao Binglan exclaimed as she hurried to his side.

"Truly?!" Jiao Zhenhai gasped. Before he could take a single step, two figures appeared before him—a middle-aged man and woman, both bearing the unmistakable traits of the Azure Dragon Clan.

"Father! Mother! You made it back in time!" Jiao Zhenhai hurried to greet them.

Although their reinforcement was only two individuals, they were both powerhouses at the God Ascension realm, and Jiao Zhenhai's parents.

"We rushed back immediately after receiving your emergency contact. What is the situation right now?" asked the middle-aged man.

"The Mystic Sea Dragon Clan will arrive in less than a week," said Jiao Zhenhai. "Allow me to keep you up to date for now."

Over the next several hours, Jiao Zhenhai recounted everything to his parents—from their fateful encounter with Yuan to how he had resolved their crisis. He made no attempt to conceal the fact that he had traded away their family heirloom in exchange for Yuan's help and the Immortal Monarch's blood.

By the time he finished, both of his parents were trembling—not from rage at the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan, nor from the loss of the heirloom, but for an entirely different reason.

"You little brat! How dare you only ask for enough Immortal Monarch's blood for your children and yourself?! What about us, your own parents?! Have you already forgotten about us in such a short time?!" His father stood up and roared angrily.

His mother expressed similar complaints.

In other words, they were angry about being left out of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.