Chapter 1 Python and Sparrow Swallow the Dragon

Inside the brightly lit inner hall, it was resplendent and imposing. There was a bright lamp burning within the hall and a blue stone was burning within the hall. Smoke rose up and coiled around the hall.

It was a Qing Tan Stone, and it released a strange fragrance when ignited. It had a calming effect, and was essential for cultivation, but its price was not low. Being able to be used as fuel meant that the owner had quite a bit of status here.

Within the inner hall, a middle-aged man dressed in a bright yellow robe stood with his hands behind his back. He had a resolute expression and a dignified look in his eyes; it was obvious that he had been in a high position for a long time.

However, when one looked at his right arm, it was completely empty. It was actually a broken arm.

Beside him was a beautiful woman dressed in palace clothing. She was slender and had a graceful and beautiful appearance. However, her face appeared exceptionally pale and weak.

At this moment, this man and woman, who clearly had quite a high position, were looKing forward with a trace of nervousness on their faces. At this moment, this man and woman, who clearly had quite a high position, were looKing forward with a trace of nervousness on their faces.

That strange bloody aura spread under his skin. It was as though there was a vicious dragon roar being emitted.

Accompanying the dragon's roar, the veins on the youth's forehead began to bulge as his body trembled uncontrollably. His face turned malevolent, as if he was enduring a pain that was difficult to put into words.

Beside the youngster, there was a white-haired elder holding a bronze mirror. A gentle light was emitted from the bronze mirror, illuminating the youngster's body. Under the light, the strange bloody aura on the youngster's face gradually calmed down.

The blood Qi continued for an incense stick of time before completely withdrawing. Finally, it returned to the palm of the young man.

When the white-haired old man saw this scene, he instantly let out a sigh of relief. Then, he turned around and bowed to the middle-aged man and the beautiful woman, "Congratulations King, Queen. Your Highness has finally endured the tribulations of the past three years and should be fine for the next three years."

When the middle-aged man and the beautiful woman heard that, both of them revealed joyous expressions and their tightly clenched fists gradually loosened.

"Master Qin, now that Yuan’er is thirteen, most youngsters at this age can already form eight meridians, so we can begin to cultivate. What about Yuan’er?" A dignified man wearing a bright yellow robe asked as he looked expectantly at the white-haired old man in front of him.

Upon hearing this question, the white haired old man's expression immediately darkened. He shook his head slightly and said, "King, this time, this old man has still not detected the eight meridians in Your Highness's body …"

The dignified man's eyes similarly dimmed when he heard this.

In this world, the path of cultivation began in the human body, and the most important part of it was the eight great meridians. In this world, the path of cultivation began in the human body, and the most important part of it was the eight great veins, and the most important part of it was the eight great veins.

This was the opening of the meridian, the beginning of all cultivation.

As for cultivators, because they absorbed and breathed in the origin energy of heaven and earth, they became their own. Therefore, they were also known as Origin Master.

When Master Qin saw the middle-aged man's gloomy face, he could not bear to see it anymore. He softly sighed and said: "Your Highness is originally the life of a holy dragon. You should be stunning and look down on the heavens. Who would have thought that he would meet with such a calamity?! "

The middle-aged man clenched his fists tightly. The eyes of the beautiful woman beside him also turned red as she covered her mouth and coughed twice.

"Queen, take care of your body, you had lost a large amount of blood essence to nourish Your Highness, don't be agitated." Upon seeing this, Qin shi hurriedly spoke up.

She said: "The poison in Yuan’er's body will only erupt once every three years, and every time, it will become more and more powerful. If he wants to eradicate the poison once, he can only rely on himself, but now that he has not manifested his eight meridians, what can he do after three years?"

Master Qin was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "Three years later, the external suppression will lose its effect. If it's still like this, I'm afraid Your Highness's life is in danger."

With that said, the hall instantly became silent. The middle-aged man clenched his fists and his body slightly trembled. As for the palace beauty, she even covered her mouth and let out a low cry.

"So you're saying... I only have three years left? " In the midst of the silence, a young but calm voice suddenly sounded.

When the three people in the hall heard this, they were shocked. They hurriedly raised their heads only to see that the youth on the bed had already opened his eyes and was looKing at them.

The three of them looked at each other, obviously not expecting the youth to wake up so quickly. In the past, it would have taken him two to three days of deep sleep to recover.

"Yuan’er..."

The young man called Yuan’er was called Zhou Yuan, and the middle-aged man and beautiful woman in front of him was the King and Queen, Zhou Qing, Qin Yu.

Zhou Yuan pursed his lips, his young and tender face somewhat pale. Perhaps it was because he had been thin since he was young, so he could only read often, maKing him look somewhat bookish. After a moment of silence, he slowly extended his hand.

That blood color seemed to have been branded into the deepest part of his flesh. It slowly wiggled, and it looked just like a blood dragon that was baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. Faintly, there seemed to be a rich hateful aura emitting from it, causing one to shiver.

"Royal Father, mother … This time, you should at least tell me what exactly happened to me, right? "

Zhou Yuan stared at the blood dragon-like object in his palm, and could not help but clench his teeth, this was the thing that made him feel pain worse than death.

Every three years, this thing would start to do something strange, as if it was going to devour every inch of his flesh and blood, bringing about endless pain.

Hearing Zhou Yuan's words, both Zhou Qing and Qin Yu's faces lost all color, especially the former, who clenched their fists tightly, as their faces revealed a strong sense of remorse and remorse.

The silence lasted for a while, and even the air seemed to have frozen. Zhou Qing finally took a deep breath, and said with a hoarse voice: "This is a Dragon's Venom."

"Dragon's Venom?" Zhou Yuan frowned, he did not understand.

Zhou Qing's hand trembled a little as it stroked Zhou Yuan's head, and he said: "All of these things, you should be aware of it by now. Yuan’er, do you know, you are my Zhou Family's Holy Dragon!?"

Zhou Yuan could not help but let out a bitter laugh. He couldn't even find the eight meridians in his body.

Zhou Qing sat beside Zhou Yuan and said with a low voice: "Yuan’er, our current Great Zhou Empire, in this endless Vast Expanse Continent, might only be considered a small country. However, you do not know this, fifteen years ago, our Great Zhou was a towering nation, with various empires that came and went to shake the whole world."

Zhou Yuan's small face revealed a look of surprise. On Vast Expanse Continent, there were many empires, and their Great Zhou Empire was not very eye-catching amongst them. She did not expect to have such a position in the past.

"Do you know that Great Wu Empire?" When Zhou Qing mentioned this name, every word was paused, as if it was engraved in his memory.

"Great Wu Empire?" Zhou Yuan nodded his head, the Great Wu Empire was one of the top empires in the Vast Expanse Continent, with the best luck in the country and countless of Origin Master, compared to the other Great Zhou, it could be said to be a giant or a dwarf.

Zhou Qing's eyes, however, started to turn red little by little at this moment, as deep hatred appeared in his eyes. "Then do you know that fifteen years ago, the current Great Wu was only a subordinate of our Great Zhou Empire?"

A trace of shock finally appeared in Zhou Yuan's eyes. Today, the Imperial Family was actually a subordinate of their Great Zhou? their Great Zhou was actually this powerful fifteen years ago?

"Then... Then why did it become like this? " Zhou Yuan could not help but ask.

"During the hundreds of years of the establishment of my Great Zhou, the Wu Family had always been following us, the four sides of the Zhou Family, to war, and was extremely loyal. Afterwards, when my Great Zhou established his country, I took credit for his contributions and gave him the title of a successor as the King Wu, enjoying limitless rights.

Zhou Qing's body trembled slightly, the blood in his eyes continued to gush out, "However, no one expected that fifteen years ago, the Wu Family would suddenly launch a rebellion. Only now, did the Zhou Dynasty discover that after all these years of hiding their strength, the Wu Family already possessed an extremely strong power, and many of the emperors in the empire were pulled over."

"In less than a year, our Zhou Family has been defeated. We have fled all the way to the south, to the ancestral land where our Zhou Family flourished. This is the territory of our Great Zhou."

"I don't know why the Wu Family turned traitor, but the position they enjoy in our Great Zhou is not any weaker than that of the royal family …"

"Later on, the spies obtained some information from the Wu Family. It was a prophecy that had been circulating within the Wu Family for hundreds of years …"

"Prophecy?" Zhou Yuan was slightly startled.

Zhou Qing clenched his teeth, and said word by word: "Python and sparrow swallow the dragon, Great Wu is in high spirits!"

"Python and sparrow swallow the dragon, Great Wu is in high spirits?" Zhou Yuan read it lightly once, but didn't understand its meaning, and asked: "What does that mean?"

At this moment, Zhou Qing's eyes turned crimson red. He stared at Zhou Yuan, and his eyes revealed incomparable grief: "I also did not know what this meant until that day …"

"Our Great Zhou was defeated, I led the remnants of the Great Zhou and continuously retreated, the Wu Family chased until it reached the Great Zhou City below us, but the Wu Family did not attack, as though they were waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Zhou Yuan felt a sense of unease.

Zhou Qing stared at Zhou Yuan, and a face that seemed to be crying yet wasn't. That despair and anger, made Zhou Yuan's heart tremble.

"They are waiting for your birth."

Zhou Qing's words caused Zhou Yuan's heart to tremble, he was caught unprepared.

At the side, Zhou Yuan's mother had already covered her mouth and cried out with tears that were suppressed to the extreme.

"Do you know what it was like when you were born?" Zhou Qing looked at Zhou Yuan, and said with bloodshot eyes: "Yuan’er, the moment you were born, the sky changed. Purple Qi rose, dragon Qi wrapped around your body, and the dragon cry shook the sky, it was Sacred Dragon Meteorology."

"You are born with eight opened meridians. As soon as you were born, you have already stepped into the Invigorated Meridian Realm, straight to the point of nurturing your Qi."

"This is the legendary 'Saint Dragon Fortune', one can enter the great realm in the future, shine together with the heaven and earth, and live together with the sun and moon. You are my Zhou Family's unprecedented holy dragon!"

When Zhou Yuan was born, it could be imagined just how excited Zhou Qing was. The Immortal Zhou Family, in this time of crisis, brought about the birth of a Holy Dragon.

Zhou Yuan also opened his eyes wide, obviously unable to imagine that there would actually be such a strange phenomenon when he was born.

"Then... "Then why …" His hand trembled as it caressed his body. Since he was born with eight opened meridians, why was it that he could not even find eight?

Zhou Qing's excited voice came to a halt as the light in his eyes seemed to have disappeared at this moment. There was only deep sorrow in them as he said in a defeated voice, "Because the moment you were born, the King Wu's wife outside the city gave birth to a man and a woman. The male child has the body of a dragon and the female child has the aura of a python. For the head of the baby spirit bird to have the aura of a spirit bird, it is also a sign of Fortune! "

"According to the information we have obtained, that King Wu's wife has been pregnant for a full three years, yet she has yet to give birth. Yet, today, she is about to give birth …."

"I didn't know why in the past, but I finally understood that those who lived together for the same year and month could devour each other's Fortune. It turns out that the reason why the Wu Family plotted for so many years was not to simply scheme against my Great Zhou, but against my Dragon of Zhou Family!"

Zhou Yuan opened his mouth, and a chill ran up his spine: "This is a conspiracy!"

How could there be such a coincidence in the world? This was clearly a person who had been brewing for a hundred years, and was aiming at their Zhou clan, or perhaps even … It was a plot specifically aimed at him.

For that, they had even used all means at their disposal to stop King Wu's wife from giving birth for three years, so they were waiting for him!

Zhou Qing nodded his head, and said with a hoarse voice. "It is indeed a conspiracy, the Wu Family endured in my Great Zhou for hundreds of years, fighting wars to the north for my Great Zhou, and was full of trust. However, no one expected that the hundred years of patience they had, were all for you!"

"On that day, the King Wu entered the city and threatened the billions of citizens of the Great Zhou to seize your Saint Dragon Fortune in front of me and your mother …" As he said till here, tears of blood flowed down Zhou Qing's face.

At the side, Master Qin also had a sorrowful look on his face as he said in a low voice, "On that day, in order to protect Your Highness, the King fought against the King Wu at the same time, but they were unable to win. They cut off an arm, and if it were not for the fact that the King Wu was afraid that others would destroy Your Highness's Saint Dragon Fortune and kill them all, even the King would have died in battle."

"In order to successfully seize Your Highness's fortune, the King Wu swore an oath that within a hundred years, Great Wu would not step foot even half a step into the Great Zhou."

The terrifying scene from back then surfaced in her mind once again. Qin Yu, who was by his side, could no longer endure her emotions and knelt in front of Zhou Yuan, hugging him tightly and crying bitterly.

"Yuan’er! My poor child! The Queen Mother has let you down! "

The cruel memory of that day was once again torn apart by blood. She clearly remembered that Zhou Yuan, who was just born, was used as the eye of the formation and placed on the altar set up by the King Wu.

And on the altar, there was the new son and daughter of King Wu.

However, one was robbed, the other two were stolen.

To be deprived of one's fortune was like stripping away one's flesh and blood. That kind of pain was hard to imagine.

As for Qin Yu, at that time, she had just gotten the joy of having a child. However, she could only watch as her own child in the ice-cold altar endured endless pain, crying his tender voice until it sounded hoarse.

This despair and powerlessness had nearly caused her, at that time, to faint a little.

Pfft.

Because of her excitement, Qin Yu's face instantly turned pale white, and she couldn't help but spurt out a mouthful of blood, which dyed Zhou Yuan's hair red.

"Queen Mother?! What's the matter with you? " Zhou Yuan was shocked, he immediately wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth.

Master Qin, who was at the side, hurried over, his palm emitting a gentle aura as he poured the energy from Qin Yu's head into her body to help her stabilise the vitality of her body. He glanced at the pale-faced Qin Yu, then sighed at Zhou Yuan, "Your Highness, don't blame King and the Queen for not being able to protect you.

"The Queen, on the other hand, had to inject her own blood essence into you after you were deprived of your Fortune, and then, year after year, she transferred the blood essence into you, so that Your Highness could live to this day. However, the Queen had to pay a huge price, for every blood transfusion, she would lose three years of her life, and in these twelve years, her lifespan has been shortened by thirty-six years.

"What?!" "What did you say?!"

When Zhou Yuan heard this, he felt as if he was struck by lightning, blood frantically climbed out of his eyes. Previously, when he heard that his Fortune had been taken away, he had never felt such strong emotions. After all, these things happened when he was young and he could not remember anything.

The Wu Family had designed him for a hundred years. Although he felt waves in his heart, he could suppress them, but they had forced his loving mother to the point of her lifespan drying up, causing Zhou Yuan to be unable to suppress the uncontrollable killing intent in his heart for the first time.

As a result, when he heard Master Qin's words, Zhou Yuan could no longer maintain his emotions, the blood in his entire body crazily gushed into his head, causing his face to turn blood-red.

"Wu Family, you dare to harm my mother!? Damn it! "

Zhou Yuan trembled, his eyes turning red, a wave of anger and killing intent surging out from his heart.

Zhou Qing carried Qin Yu and let her lean against the jade bed. At this moment, his hair seemed to have turned a little pale, and his imposing aura was completely gone. He said in a wooden tone: "There is such a saying about Fortune between heaven and earth, that the Wu Family's reserves are weak."

"King Wu seized your Fortune and bestowed it upon his sons and daughters. From then on, Great Wu has the protection of dragons and phoenixes."

"As for the Saint Dragon Fortune in your possession, it was forcibly plundered by the Python Sparrow's orders, naturally producing a strong resentment. The King Wu purposely sealed this resentment into your body, and from there formed a Dragon's Venom, it swallowed your blood essence and continued growing. When it matures one day, it will completely devour your life force."

"At the same time, you, Saint Dragon." "Its roots have been broken, and its natural eight meridians have disappeared. Up until today, its eight meridians have not reappeared. The path of cultivation is a difficult one …"

Zhou Qing's voice was desolate, it was filled with boundless powerlessness, and it was hard to imagine just how much despair she had felt on that day.

On that day, the peacocks outside the city cried out in unison. Multicolored light shone from far away, borrowing the opportunity to transform.

On that day, the holy dragon within the city wailed and turned into green smoke, dispersing in spirals.

This was python and sparrow swallow the dragon.