I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

General Shrimp surfaced and glanced around. Sure enough, he saw a monk standing on the shore. It was Zhichen, who was standing with his eyes closed, looking calm, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

He had originally intended to step forward and assess Zhi Chen's strength, to see just how capable this monk was, but after truly seeing Zhi Chen's appearance and sensing the aura faintly emanating from him, he was immediately taken aback.

That aura was unfathomable, profound and powerful, carrying a subtle sense of oppression that he could not possibly withstand.

The thought flashed through his mind, and General Shrimp's fierce expression instantly vanished, replaced by a polite demeanor. He cupped his hands in greeting to Zhichen and asked, "Master, what brings you to see the Dragon Lord?"

Zhi Chen slowly opened his eyes, glanced at him indifferently, and said in a calm tone, "When the Dragon Lord arrives, this humble monk will inform him."

General Shrimp's face immediately showed a bitter expression, and he hurriedly said, "Master, you are unaware of this, but the Dragon Lord is currently in seclusion for cultivation. It is of utmost importance, and unless it is extremely urgent, he must not be disturbed. Otherwise, all of us aquatic beings will be in deep trouble!"

General Shrimp couldn't understand what important matter this monk could possibly have that would make the Dragon King willing to leave his seclusion to meet him.

Zhi Chen waved his hand gently, his tone carrying a hint of Zen, yet revealing an undeniable certainty: "It's alright, you just need to go in and deliver a message to the Dragon Lord."

"Just tell me that I have a solution to the problem that has been troubling you the most lately. I have come here today to bring you good fortune. If you are not willing to accept my offer and do not wish to see me, then I will take my leave and will not bother you any further."

"Go, go and report this immediately."

His voice wasn't loud, but it resonated clearly in General Shrimp's mind, carrying a strange, bewitching power. General Shrimp shuddered upon hearing it, and before he knew it, he had already believed most of it. His body turned uncontrollably, and he plunged into the river, speeding towards the Dragon Lord's Water Palace.

Just as they were about to reach the place where the Dragon King was in seclusion, General Shrimp suddenly came to his senses and was immediately alarmed: "Oh no! I've fallen for that monk's trick!"

His disoriented and obedient demeanor just now was clearly abnormal. It must have been the monk who secretly manipulated things and used some kind of bewitching method!

"That monk truly possesses some extraordinary skills!"

General Shrimp felt a chill run down his spine and became more wary of Zhi Chen.

After much deliberation, General Shrimp finally gritted his teeth, braced himself, and walked to the door of the meditation room where the Dragon Lord was in seclusion, reaching out to ring the copper bell hanging at the door.

This copper bell can only be activated in the event of a truly urgent matter. Once the bell rings, no matter what level the Dragon Lord has reached in his cultivation, he will be awakened from his seclusion.

As expected, shortly after the bell rang, Meng Jianglongjun's displeased voice came from the quiet room, his tone icy and filled with impatience: "What is it?"

General Shrimp's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong. Judging from the Dragon King's tone, he had clearly reached the most crucial moment in his cultivation and was now burning with anger at being abruptly interrupted.

He quickly bowed and greeted the emperor, his voice respectful yet tinged with panic: "Reporting to the Dragon Lord, there is a high monk on the shore, Master Zhichen of Honglun Temple, who has come to see you."

"Zhichen? I don't know him."

The Dragon King's voice grew increasingly cold, "You dared to ring the copper bell and awaken me from my seclusion just because a monk you don't even know requests an audience?"

General Shrimp felt the tremors in the Water Palace and the killing intent in the Dragon Lord's tone. He trembled all over and knelt down with a thud.

"Dragon, Dragon Lord, Master Zhichen said he can resolve your most pressing problem lately. He also said he came today specifically to bring you good fortune; if you are unwilling to accept his kindness or see him, he will take his leave and will not bother you any further!"

General Shrimp's voice trembled, and he didn't even dare to raise his head, for fear of angering the Dragon King.

"Oh?"

In the quiet room, the Dragon Lord's tone suddenly paused. The anger that had been surging within him seemed to have subsided considerably, replaced by a hint of surprise and curiosity. "He actually possesses such abilities? To cure my headaches?"

Before long, the stone door of the secluded meditation room slowly opened, and a figure in white slowly walked out.

A man dressed in white robes embroidered with gold trim stood tall and straight. He had two crystal-clear dragon horns on his head and a pair of bright gold eyes. He exuded supreme majesty. This was none other than Meng Jianglongjun.

"What an arrogant monk! He certainly has a big mouth. I'll go and see for myself what makes him so bold!"

Long Jun spoke coldly, and as soon as he finished speaking, his figure blurred, and he directly crossed the turbulent river, instantly appearing on the bank of the Meng River and landing in front of Zhi Chen.

As soon as the Dragon Lord appeared, Zhi Chen sensed it, slowly opened his eyes, and looked at him. Then he put his hands together and performed a standard Buddhist salute to the Dragon Lord, his tone respectful but not humble: "Zhi Chen of Honglun Temple greets Dragon Lord Mengjiang."

The Dragon Lord crossed his arms, his eyes filled with scrutiny and disdain, and rebuked, "Monk, how dare you! You dare to use a few words to bewitch my subordinates and awaken me from my seclusion. With such an arrogant tone, aren't you afraid of bringing trouble upon yourself and losing your life?"

Zhi Chen gently shook his head, his tone calm yet firm: "This humble monk has not spoken nonsense. I have indeed come today to bring good fortune to the Dragon Lord, and everything I have said is true."

A hint of interest flashed in Meng Jianglong's eyes, and his originally indifferent expression relaxed slightly.

"Then tell me, what kind of good fortune do you intend to bestow upon me? If it pleases me, I will accept your kindness; but if it's just a perfunctory response, don't blame me for turning ruthless!"

Zhi Chen smiled faintly and calmly replied, "That's natural."

He strolled slowly to the shore, raised his hand and pointed to the lush forest on the opposite bank. His voice was calm but carried a hint of intrigue: "Legend has it that deep in this dense forest lives a green python, thirteen zhang long and as thick as a water bucket. It is the undisputed overlord of the forest and usually feeds on ferocious beasts."

"One day, this green python unexpectedly awakened its intelligence and began to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, embarking on the path of demon cultivation."

"The path to becoming a demon is long and arduous, requiring years of diligent practice to achieve any progress. However, this green python encountered an extraordinary opportunity. One day, while foraging in the forest, it happened to witness the blooming of a wondrous flower. As the flower opened, all the beasts in the forest gathered around it, and just a whiff of its fragrance could greatly enhance their spirituality."

Meng Jianglong's smile froze instantly, and his previously playful gaze gradually turned icy cold as he stared intently at Zhi Chen.

But Zhi Chen seemed completely oblivious to the malice, continuing to speak as if nothing had happened: "The green python immediately drove away all the beasts, monopolizing this rare flower, and its cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. Later, when the flower fully bloomed, the green python swallowed it whole, only then realizing that this was no ordinary flower, but a treasure of heaven and earth, capable of awakening intelligence, boosting cultivation, and even purifying bloodlines!"

"It was originally an ordinary green python, but because of this precious herb, it unexpectedly obtained a trace of dragon essence. After that, it cultivated diligently, absorbing all the power of the precious herb, and its cultivation became more and more profound."

"Until that day, the sky darkened, the sun and moon lost their light, and thunder roared down from the heavens. The azure python faced its tribulation of transformation into a dragon. It survived countless near-death experiences, enduring the baptism of lightning, and finally succeeded in transcending the tribulation, transforming into a blue dragon!"

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King could no longer contain himself and interrupted sharply, "Enough!"

The green python that Zhichen was talking about was clearly himself!

All the demons in the world know that he was transformed from a green python into a dragon, but only he himself knows the details of this transformation.

Zhi Chen was able to explain it in such detail, so he must have secretly investigated him.

No one wants their secrets to be spied on, and the Dragon King was already burning with rage.

Zhi Chen remained expressionless and continued calmly, "That heavenly tribulation left an indelible shadow on it when it had just transformed into a dragon. Dragons are divine beasts of heaven and earth, born extraordinary, capable of controlling clouds and rain, and swallowing clouds and spitting mist. But it was just a lowly green python that had been lucky enough to transform into a dragon, having already exhausted all its life's opportunities and strength."

"Therefore, it was filled with a sense of crisis, knowing clearly that with its current strength, it had absolutely no chance of surviving the next heavenly tribulation. It didn't want to die; it longed to advance further and transform into a true dragon!"

"But with its mixed bloodline, it is destined to walk a path a hundred times more difficult than that of ordinary demons."

At this point, Zhi Chen slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the dark-faced Dragon Lord, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "The person I'm talking about is you, Dragon Lord, isn't it?"

"A year ago, the Bibo Sect was wiped out by the demon race, and its sect's most treasured cultivation technique, the Ancient Blood Refining Book, was also stolen. I visited the former site of the Bibo Sect afterward and found a piece of dragon scale armor there. Now it seems that the owner of this scale armor is right before my eyes."

As soon as he finished speaking, a blue scale armor appeared in Zhi Chen's palm. The scale armor faintly emitted a dragon's might, which was the same item that belonged to the Dragon Lord.