# Chapter 2097: Mist Emperor Invades the World
"'Scar-faced Dragon Maiden' is called so because there are two terrible scars on her face left by the devouring of abyssal dust."
Sneaking a glance at Yun Che's expression, Meng Jianxi quickly scoured his memory for relevant information and slowed his speech: "Long Xi is a very special existence within the Dragon Clan. She was not born into the Dragon Clan, but was found by members of the Dragon Clan outside the mountain range. It is said that when they found her, she was just a little girl of five or six years old."
Yun Che: "..."
"Because she had the aura of the Ancestral Dragon lineage, she was brought back to the Dragon Clan, but no one claimed her, so she was deemed to be a bloodline left behind from a union between some Ancestral Dragon and a human."
"How was her situation in the Dragon Clan?" Yun Che suddenly asked. This was his greatest concern.
Meng Jianxi thought for a moment and gave a sufficiently clear answer: "Although she is an externally returned Ancestral Dragon bloodline and half-human, half-dragon, Long Xi's status in the Dragon Clan is quite high, and somewhat special."
"Especially the Dragon Lord who rules the Dragon Clan, he cherishes Long Xi greatly, granting her a territory exclusively hers, and has personally issued strict orders more than once that no one may offend or bully her in the slightest due to her foreign bloodline. And no one is allowed to enter her territory without permission, nor even disturb her."
"Why?" Yun Che almost blurted out the question.
"The reason is quite simple: Long Xi's talent in the way of the profound is extremely high." Meng Jianxi unhesitatingly used the word "extremely": "The Dragon Clan's reproduction is already quite difficult, and their cultivation speed is far slower than the human race. In this generation, the Ancestral Dragon lineage has only one direct descendant, named Long Wangchu. It can be said that the Dragon Clan's top-tier resources have been poured onto him, yet at the age of six jiazi, he barely managed to break through to the Divine Lord Realm."
"However, this Long Wangchu's cultivation has suddenly advanced by leaps and bounds in the last jiazi. Now, at eight jiazi of age, he has reached the late stage of the Divine Lord Realm. Outsiders speculate that some innate, latent talent is gradually awakening."
Meng Jianxi continued: "As for the collateral branches, there are also few with outstanding talent. But Long Xi—her profound way talent once shook the entire Dragon Clan."
"It is said that when Long Xi was young, her temperament was extremely solitary. She was unwilling to have any contact with anyone and absolutely refused to accept any resources given by the Dragon Clan. Yet she relied solely on her own cultivation to achieve the Divine Sovereign Realm at eleven years old and the Divine Lord Realm at fifteen, completely startling the Dragon Lord, who was in seclusion, and made him end his seclusion early."
Relying on no resources, becoming a Divine Lord at fifteen—this undoubtedly made Long Wangchu, who was piled with the Dragon Clan's top resources yet took six jiazi to become a Divine Lord, look utterly pathetic.
Meng Jianxi sighed with emotion: "To achieve the Divine Lord Realm at the age of fifteen without relying on high-level resources—this is not only in the Dragon Clan, but even in the divine kingdoms, it would shake the region... At the very least, both my brother and I are far inferior."
"This is also why the Scar-faced Dragon Maiden is so famous in all the major divine kingdoms."
"I heard that the scars on her face appeared in that very year, when she was fifteen?" Yun Che said slowly, his voice very calm.
Meng Jianxi furrowed his brow, trying hard to recall the time, then nodded: "That's right, roughly around that time. According to the information on the Dragon Clan collected by the Xuanji Pavilion, when Long Xi first grew up, her appearance was astonishing, arousing the covetousness of countless people in the Dragon Clan. Long Wangchu repeatedly begged the Dragon Lord to bestow Long Xi upon him..."
*Bang!*
A crack suddenly burst open on the tea table beside Yun Che.
Meng Jianxi's voice stopped abruptly.
Yun Che raised his hand and said with a faint smile: "I am about to break through. Just a little profound energy leaking out. Continue."
Meng Jianxi lowered his eyes slightly and continued in his earlier tone: "Long Xi's talent was so high that it could startle the world, and the Dragon Lord naturally hoped that she would wed Long Wangchu... As you said, it was that very year that two terrible scars appeared on her face, frightening even the sight of them, and thus driving away Long Wangchu's interest in her."
"Brother Abyss, could it be that you suspect these two scars were left by Long Xi herself to avoid this matter, at the cost of disfiguring herself?"
"..." Yun Che did not deny it.
Meng Jianxi pondered for a moment, still frowning: "But, women by nature place great importance on their appearance, and young maidens value it even more than life itself. Moreover... Long Wangchu is the sole direct heir of the Ancestral Dragon lineage, destined to become the Dragon Lord in the future. If Long Xi were to attach herself to him, she could become the Dragon Queen in the future, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Dragon Lord at the highest peak of the Dragon Clan."
"If she disfigured herself to avoid becoming the Dragon Queen, this..."
This, no matter how one looked at it, made no sense.
The corner of Yun Che's mouth twitched slightly, as if forming a somewhat twisted cold smile: "No matter how weak and lonely a phoenix is, it will never take a liking to a chicken full of flashy feathers."
"Uh..." Meng Jianxi's throat seemed to be choked by something, and he immediately changed his tune: "If that is truly the case, then this Scar-faced Dragon Maiden's temperament is indeed extremely resolute and ruthless."
"You said earlier that Long Xi's treatment in the Dragon Clan has always been good. That is to say, after that, the Dragon Lord did not become angry with her or continue to pressure her?" Yun Che's voice was as calm as before... but it was just voice.
"Based on the information from the Dragon Clan over the years, that is indeed the case." Meng Jianxi had no hesitation on this: "The Dragon Lord has existed for an extremely long time, with a calm temperament and a broad mind. If Long Xi indeed disfigured herself, the Dragon Lord might even feel guilt. Additionally, from some fairly reliable news, the Dragon Lord has repeatedly tried to adopt Long Xi as his adopted daughter in public, but was always refused."
"His desire and eagerness to take Long Xi as a daughter at least proves that he cherishes her greatly, so naturally he would treat her well. Another fairly certain piece of news is that Long Xi's territory is almost a forbidden area exclusively for her. Under the Dragon Lord's strict orders, no one dares to step into it without permission. This is clearly a form of favoritism."
"Furthermore, there has never been any news of her being bullied or ostracized by the Dragon Clan. Rather, she... although she is in the Dragon Clan, she is extremely cold to all Dragon Clan members, causing most of the Dragon Clan to keep their distance and fear her."
"There is one more matter... Just four days ago, strange winds suddenly arose near the Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range, as if someone had completed a breakthrough to the Divine Annihilation Realm, but the commotion was much greater than a normal breakthrough to that realm."
"If that was indeed a demigod breakthrough's omen, and it could stir the phenomenon this far, it must be someone with extremely high profound way talent... I venture to say, it is very likely Long Xi."
Meng Jianxi's words stopped there.
As the only surviving beast clan in this world, the Dragon Clan has always been too busy dealing with its own affairs to pay much attention to the outside. The six major divine kingdoms also rarely pay attention to Dragon Clan matters. For Meng Jianxi to understand and remember so much about Long Xi was already extremely difficult, showcasing his dedication and ambition over the years.
Unfortunately, his century-long ambition had been shattered by Yun Che.
As a sufficiently intelligent man, he mostly answered and rarely asked questions.
Yun Che did not continue to press further. Instead, he suddenly asked a completely unrelated question: "Xi Divine Son, in recent years, have there been any women surnamed 'Xia' appearing anywhere?"
"Xia?" Meng Jianxi thought briefly, then shook his head: "I have never heard of anyone with that surname."
"Mm." Yun Che nodded, then stood up: "From today onward, I need to be informed of the movements of all divine sons and divine maidens at any time... all movements! If there is relevant news, inform me at once. If I am in cultivation, inform Lu Laisheng, and he will relay it to me immediately."
To Meng Jianxi, this undoubtedly meant that Yun Che had begun to formally place himself into the identity of the Dreamweaving Divine Son.
He immediately responded: "I understand. Brother Abyss, rest assured. Whether it is certain or uncertain news, I will convey it without any omission, and I believe Brother Abyss will have accurate judgment."
"Very well. You may go."
Meng Jianxi left, and the calm expression Yun Che had been forcibly maintaining finally began to crack.
He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh of turbid air.
Although the two terrible scars on Long Xi's face had been like poisonous thorns deeply embedded in his heart, at least... she was safe enough in the Dragon Clan and was receiving sufficient preferential treatment.
This undoubtedly lightened a heavy burden and worry in his soul.
...
"Now, I am strong enough. I can already protect myself, and I have found a way to 'awaken' mother... I no longer need reliance, nor do I crave it. Yet you appear at just the 'right' time..."
"I do not hate you. In the future, if I save mother and she wants to be with you, I will not stop her. But before that, please do not come to interfere with the current situation between mother and me! Because what you bring... may only be disaster!"
"I beg of you."
...
Long Xi's words at that time, indifferent and piercing, had echoed through his sea of soul countless times.
Long Xi... my daughter, take good care of yourself. You are right. I am now entangled with thousands of calamities and ten thousand disasters. If I forcefully approach you, I will only disturb your peace and bring unknown disasters upon you...
I will not make you wait too long... even if you have never waited for me, never expected me.
But after all, you are the daughter of Shen Xi and me. The scars on your heart and on your face, I will smooth them all away... At least give me some chance to make amends, so that one day I can hear you willing to call me 'Father.'
Dragon Clan... for your kindness to Long Xi, when all is settled, I will repay it ten thousand times over.
Even if the abyss overturns, I will surely ensure the Dragon Clan's peace!
---
Time passed slowly as abyssal dust drifted. Before we knew it, Yun Che had been in the Dreamweaving Divine Kingdom for a full year.
And this year was the most turbulent year in the Abyss Realm in recent times.
Especially every living region bordering the Mist Sea—the atmosphere had become unusually uncanny.
Because within the Mist Sea, there had appeared... no, it should be said, there had always existed a sovereign ruler.
The Mist Emperor!
Initially, when the name "Mist Emperor" spread, everyone dismissed it as the trick of some petty scoundrel. And to dare call oneself "Emperor" was practically digging one's own grave.
But afterward, every appearance of the Mist Emperor stirred ever greater waves outside the Mist Sea.
Because it was said that the Mist Emperor could drive and control the abyssal dust, could command the abyssal beasts, and could even, in the snap of a finger, dispel what was known to be an absolutely irreversible abyssal corrosion.
The legends became more and more absurd, more and more exaggerated, more and more ridiculous... But gradually, more and more people could no longer laugh. Because with each subsequent appearance of the Mist Emperor, the legend was no longer a legend—it became something witnessed by more and more people with their own eyes.
It was a shock that completely and utterly overturned their understanding.
Once abyssal corrosion entered the heart, death was certain. This was basic common knowledge known to all in the Abyss Realm.
Moreover, nine out of ten people who perished in the Abyss died from abyssal corrosion.
The successive disappearances of beast clans were also due to extermination by abyssal corrosion.
But this understanding was thoroughly torn apart with the appearance of the Mist Emperor.
As person after person on the brink of death had their abyssal corrosion completely erased at a single word from the Mist Emperor, ridicule turned to doubt, and doubt turned to hope...
Starting ten months ago, every day, large numbers of people dragged their bodies afflicted with abyssal corrosion, or brought friends, loved ones, or family who had already stepped into the realm of certain death, to the edge of the Mist Sea, seeking the Mist Emperor's appearance and the hope of the legendary blessing.
Until two months ago, when the Mist Emperor appeared once, amidst swirling gray mist, in just a few breaths, he relieved over a thousand people of their abyssal corrosion...