Gods of the Nation: You worship the God of Longevity, I worship the King of Hell!

Chapter 64 Subduing the Four Rivers! Wow, I got a full attribute buff!

Within the spring's source and water palace,

The scenery remains breathtaking.

However, this time, Lu Chen had just arrived at the gate of the Water Mansion when...
They then discovered that neat rows of shrimp soldiers and crab generals stood solemnly on both sides of the waterway outside the mansion.

Upon seeing Lu Chen arrive,
The shrimp soldiers and crab generals immediately knelt down in unison and respectfully proclaimed, "Welcome, Your Majesty!"

"This is……"

Lu Chen looked at the Dragon King of the Well with a hint of surprise, then smiled knowingly, clearly having guessed the reason.

The Well Dragon King chuckled awkwardly and explained, "To be honest, Your Majesty, thanks to Your Majesty's kindness, my cultivation has improved. Thinking that the Water Palace always needs some servants, I have enlightened a group of shrimp soldiers and crab generals for daily use. I hope Your Majesty will forgive my rudeness."

Lu Chen waved his hand: "Of course, of course. You are about to succeed as the Dragon King of Xuhe, so it would be proper to have some servants under your command."

The local earth god, standing nearby, chuckled and chimed in, "Indeed, this is more like the grandeur of a Dragon King."

The group looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Curious, Lu Chen pressed on, "By the way, Old Dragon King, how much has your cultivation increased after this?"

The Dragon King of the Well straightened his expression and replied, "Your Majesty, I estimate that your cultivation has increased by at least five hundred years."

"Five hundred years!?" Lu Chen clicked his tongue in amazement. Damn, this ritual has indeed received an epic-level enhancement!
Unfortunately, I am not a god.
Otherwise, if you perform a top-tier ritual for yourself, wouldn't your cultivation level skyrocket?

"Please, Your Majesty!"

As the group entered the mansion, they found that the once shabby and desolate scene had been completely transformed.
Not only were the beams and rafters carved and painted, but even the chairs were inlaid with gold and jade.
It's like a dramatic shift from a slingshot to a whistle.

"Your Majesty, please take a seat!"

The Dragon King of the Well wanted to give up his throne to Lu Chen, but Lu Chen politely declined.

"Dragon King, there's no need for such politeness."

Having said that, he sat down in the guest seat by himself.

Seeing this, the Dragon King of the Well had no choice but to bow respectfully before taking the seat of honor.

Then, several carp maidens gracefully entered and served fragrant tea.

After the group had tea and exchanged pleasantries,

Lu Chen went straight to the point: "Dragon King, what is it that you wish to discuss with me?"

The Dragon King put down his teacup and said solemnly, "Your Excellency's visit to Longhu County this time must have given you some understanding of the changes that have taken place in the Dragon Clan over the past few hundred years."

Lu Chen nodded, still not understanding.

The Dragon King of the Well sighed softly: "Back then, the Four Seas Dragon Kings violated forbidden territories, and less than one in ten of the River Dragon Kings survived. Those were truly hellish times for the aquatic races. Wherever they went, if there was even the slightest disagreement, those four brothers would destroy palaces and ruin mansions, acting with extreme tyranny. My elder brothers were not spared either..."

At this point, the Dragon King of the Well paused briefly, his eyes sharpening, and said, "To be honest, Your Majesty, my surname is Huai, and my given name is Lie."

"Huai?!"

Unexpectedly, the local earth god, who was standing nearby, immediately fell silent upon hearing this.

Lu Chen cast an inquiring glance at him.

The Earth God hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but the Huai clan is a prominent clan among the aquatic creatures, second only to the Ao clan of the Four Seas Dragon Kings. Old Dragon King, I never imagined you were a noble among dragons, hiding it so well!"

The local earth god immediately cupped his hands in respect, his words carrying even more reverence.

Huai Lie waved his hand, smiled calmly, and continued to say to Lu Chen: "Although Xiao Long comes from a prestigious dragon clan, his talent is limited and his cultivation is insufficient. He cannot become the River Dragon King, so he can only settle for the Well Dragon King. But now that I think about it, it was a blessing in disguise, and he escaped a calamity. But my brothers were not so lucky and all died tragically at the hands of the Four Seas Dragon Kings."

A surge of overwhelming hatred flashed across Huai Lie's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen thought to himself that those Dragon Kings must be people of strong character, otherwise they would have already surrendered to the Four Seas Dragon Kings.

"My poor nephews, before they were even born, suffered such a calamity, it's truly..." Huai Lielong's eyes welled up with tears, and suddenly, without warning, he stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said:

"My lord, I have invited you here today because I have a request!"

Seeing his solemnity, Lu Chen was taken aback and clasped his hands in response, "Dragon King, please speak freely."

Huai Lie gestured, "My lord, please come with me."

Lu Chen exchanged a glance with the Earth God, then got up and followed.

The group arrived at a stone wall.

With a wave of his hand, Huai Lie caused the massive stone wall to slowly open on its own.

Looking inside, Lu Chen discovered an inner palace.

"Your Majesty, please!"

The group entered the inner chamber, and the stone wall immediately closed.

Lu Chen only saw the stone platform in the center of the inner palace.

Several round beads of different colors, shimmering with divine light, were suspended in the air.

"This is……?"

"My lord, these are four dragon pearls, the posthumous children of my elder brother, the Four Rivers Dragon God."

"The posthumous offspring of the Four Rivers Dragon God?" Lu Chen was slightly surprised. He stepped forward to take a closer look and saw that the inside of the dragon pearl was crystal clear, with a divine light flowing through each one. The pearls displayed different colors because of this divine light.

"They...are still alive?"

Lu Chen turned to look at Huai Lie.

“Living naturally, Your Majesty.” Huai Lie smiled slightly: “It’s just that we are currently four dragon spirits, not yet fully formed.”

Lu Chen gazed at the several dragon balls and pondered:

"Then you mean..."

"Pfft!"

Before he could finish speaking, Huai Lie had already knelt down on both knees, clasped his hands and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you accept my nephews and keep them for future use."

Lu Chen was startled and quickly helped him up:

"Old Dragon King, let's talk this out. There's no need for such a grand gesture. You are now a true deity; how can I, a mere mortal, possibly accept such a respectful greeting!"

Huai Lie then got up.

Lu Chen belatedly realized what was happening and widened his eyes: "You mean, you want me to raise these Four Rivers Dragons in the future?"

Huai Lie quickly explained, "My lord, please don't misunderstand. This 'nurturing' is not the same as the way humans raise their children. If you don't mind, you only need to drip your blood so that my nephews can recognize you as their master. At that time, their dragon spirits will naturally merge into your limbs or internal organs. In the future, as your cultivation improves and your merits increase, my four nephews will be nourished and will be able to take shape and become true dragons to serve you!"

Lu Chen frowned slightly and muttered, "This sounds like parasitism?"

"No, no, no!" Huai Lie waved his hands repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. This is absolutely not a parasitic method of usurping someone else's place. Once Your Majesty recognizes us as your master with your blood, the lives of my four nephews will be entirely in Your Majesty's hands. For the rest of their lives, they will serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty and will never betray you! If Xiao Long has uttered even half a lie..."

In a moment of desperation, Huai Lie struck his chest with a powerful palm strike.
He immediately vomited a mouthful of brilliant dragon blood.

The dragon blood transformed into a rune in the air, and then disappeared into his body again.

The local earth god exclaimed in shock, "Old Dragon King, why are you using a blood curse?!"

Huai Lie's breath hitched, but he still waved his hand and said, "I am willing to use a blood oath to prove my resolve. I beg Your Majesty not to have any further doubts, otherwise I... will be guilty of a thousand deaths!"

Seeing his resolute attitude, Lu Chen put aside his doubts and said gently, "Why must the Dragon King do this? I was just asking casually."

Huai Lie cupped his hands in greeting: "It is perfectly normal for Your Majesty to have doubts, and it is also necessary for me to dispel those doubts. I hope Your Majesty will not find fault with me. Although my four nephews are still dragon spirits, they are of great help to Your Majesty!"

"Oh?" Lu Chen became interested: "Tell me about it."

Huai Lie nodded, walked to the stone platform, and pointed to a golden dragon pearl:
"This is the son of my elder brother, the River Dragon King. He possesses profound knowledge of water veins, which can help Your Majesty perceive all the water bodies in the world. Once you enter a river, you can use the water to travel, covering a distance of a thousand miles in an instant. Furthermore, my elder brother's lineage is born with the ability to defend itself. If Your Majesty engages in battle, it is no less than wearing a dragon scale armor."

"Water Release combined with defense?" Lu Chen extracted the key point, raising an eyebrow.

The Earth God's earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic that allows one to escape through the earth) technique had amazed him.
This water escape technique sounds equally mysterious.

“This is the son of my second brother, the River Dragon King.”

Huai Lie pointed to a red dragon pearl:
"Its pulse is turbid and scorching, which can help the ruler temper his sharpness. When fighting, his killing power will be increased by at least 30%, and it will also have the effect of penetrating armor. By taking the enemy by surprise, he can kill him in one blow!"

"Increased damage and critical hit rate?!" Lu Chen refined the key point again, his heartbeat quietly accelerating.

Huai Lie then pointed to a blue dragon ball:
"This is the son of my third brother, the Dragon King of the Huai River. His pulse is balanced by the Huai River, which can regulate magical power and fill any gaps. When Your Majesty is in battle, with His assistance, although magical power is not limitless, it can easily increase by 30% to 50%. At the same time, He can also help Your Majesty nourish life force and heal injuries. As long as it is not a fatal injury, it can be recovered quickly!"

"Blue bar plus recovery?" Lu Chen gasped, his heart pounding.

"This is the son of my fourth brother, the Dragon King of the Ji River."

Huai Lie pointed to the last cyan dragon pearl:
"Its veins are filled with the purest water, which can cleanse the source and wash away the marrow. With it present, the Supreme Being can nourish the mortal bones and refine the primordial spirit; secondly, it can eliminate all toxins, curses, inner demons, evil spirits and other negative states, with endless wonderful uses."

"Strengthening the foundation and purifying?" Lu Chen was shocked.

Wow, I got a buff to all my stats!
At this moment, Lu Chen's heart rate soared to 120 mph, almost exceeding the speed limit!

Huai Lie smiled and said, "Of course, these are currently only the talents of the Dragon Spirit. Once my nephews are fully formed and take human form, their bloodlines will contain many supernatural abilities and secret techniques that Your Majesty can study."

If Your Majesty is not averse to it, you may choose to study one or two of them.

Having said that, he bowed deeply once more, saying, "I earnestly hope that Your Majesty will have mercy and accept my poor nephews!"

Seeing his solemnity, Lu Chen pondered and asked, "Old Dragon King, your actions are tantamount to entrusting your son to someone else. Do you truly have no regrets?"

Huai Lie declared emphatically, “Your Majesty’s divine might is unparalleled, and your power is boundless. You will surely become a world-shaking figure in the future! If my four nephews can be favored by Your Majesty, it will be the greatest fortune of their lives. Furthermore, I dare not deceive Your Majesty. The reason why I, Xiaolong, have been lying low in the dry well for a hundred years, being cautious and timid, is because my four elder brothers entrusted me with the task of choosing a wise ruler for my nephews. Today, we have met Your Majesty, which is truly a sign of Heaven’s will. How could I, Xiaolong, have any reason to regret it!”

"Indeed, when it comes to a wise ruler, none other than the Supreme Ruler!"

Upon hearing this, the Earth God also bowed and echoed his sentiments.

He glanced at the old Dragon King, whose eyes were filled with tears.

Only now does the Earth God understand why the Well Dragon King is so patient, cautious, and afraid of death—he carries such a heavy responsibility.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen's gaze flickered between the Well Dragon King and the Dragon Pearl...

He helped Huai Lie up, his brows furrowed and his expression serious. "Since that's the case... very well! Then I'll accept this karma!"

　I had to work overtime today and got home late. I'll write another chapter now, and you can read it tomorrow.

　　Thanks a lot!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)