The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Wolf Rhino's face showed signs of distress. He knelt on the ground and said, "Several years ago, my father accidentally obtained a strange book called 'The Record of the Witch Doctor,' which recorded everything related to the Ghost Sea Witch, including her four guardian dragons..."

"How so?" Lu Xiaosan asked with a stern face.

"It is recorded that the first thing in the world was the sea, and all living things evolved from sea fish. This includes the true dragon of this world. In other words, only fish can transform into true dragons again."

"How could Father, who is truly bound by the Dragon's mandate, be content to remain at the bottom of East Lake?"

"Rather than being an unwanted fish king for the Three Palaces, I'd rather become the fifth true dragon of the Ghost Sea, standing shoulder to shoulder with the emperor and revered by all!" Wolf Rhino said with some resentment.

"That's a good idea, but things didn't go as planned, did they? Otherwise, you wouldn't have shown up here..." Lu Xiaosan said.

The wolf-rhinoceros sighed, "Indeed... Father almost lost consciousness..."

"Didn't your father know that doing this would cause him to lose consciousness?" said the strange man.

Wolf Rhino sighed, "The book says that only by having a top-tier expert intervene when the dragon loses consciousness can it be controlled. At that time, both the dragon and the top-tier expert can go to the Ghost Sea, one becoming a true dragon and the other transforming into an immortal immortal."

"How many top-tier masters are there in this world? Where is he planning to find them?" Pink Mountain said anxiously.

"Brother Shan, you can believe a book you just picked up anywhere? Huh? It's probably just something a beggar on the street uses to trick kids into buying candied hawthorns." Strange Eight-Knife mocked.

The wolf-rhinoceros said helplessly, "Sigh, it would be fine if it were just to fool children, but it happens to contain the method for the Fish King to evolve into a true dragon... For a father who is unwilling to accept the status quo, this is truly a godsend. So, whether it's real or fake, I have to give it a try!"

Wolf Rhino continued, "Therefore, Father destroyed the city, murdered the people, and prepared for many years, all for today's Jackie Chan ceremony..."

Wen Ying pressed on angrily, "Those scaleless, bright red fish we first saw—did they willingly give their scales to your father? Besides, your father destroyed their own home and family..."

The wolf-rhinoceros was slightly moved. "Yes, to use the scales of ten thousand fish to match the armor of a divine dragon... they would rather see their father become a dragon with his own scales."

"In this way, they themselves will also become part of the dragon..."

"To become a noble dragon, home and family are no longer so important..." Wolf-rhinoceros's voice trembled as he spoke.

Wen Ying pursed her lips, unable to contain her anger, and said, "So what if it's a fish? Doesn't a fish deserve to live a good life? Does only becoming a noble dragon count as living a good life? Besides, how many lives were sacrificed to obtain this false nobility!"

"That's right, always striving to be number one in everything, isn't that exhausting? Unlike us two brothers, we do whatever makes us happy, don't you agree, Brother Shan? Hahahaha," said Strange Eight-Knife.

"Ah, life is short, so we should enjoy it while we can, oh oh oh," Pink Old Mountain echoed, stretching and yawning as he knelt on the ground.

Lu Xiaosan couldn't help but think: "Life is only a few decades long. Between an ordinary fish and a noble dragon, one should naturally choose the latter and brave the waves. But if it comes at the cost of tens of thousands of lives being displaced, that is absolutely unacceptable, even if one hates fish from the bottom of one's heart."

Tears seemed to glisten in the wolf-rhinoceros's single eye; he deeply disagreed with his father's actions over the years. But he couldn't disobey his parents' wishes… He grieved for the fish that had lost their lives and homes because of his father, yet there was nothing he could do.

With tears glistening in his single eye, Wolf Rhino said with unwavering determination, "I've watched Father do too many wrong things, but all I can do now is rescue my brothers first, and then figure out a way."

Immediately afterwards, there was a loud "bang".

The wolf-rhinoceros's great axe fell to the ground, and the entire dungeon seemed to tremble.

Then he kowtowed deeply, saying, "Thank you so much... for taking care of me all these years..."

Lu Xiaosan and Wen Ying looked at each other in silence. Fen Laoshan said anxiously, "What are you doing? It's like we'll never see each other again?"

The wolf-rhinoceros slowly raised its face, its eyes filled with resentment and reluctance: "Father has become a dragon, and his consciousness has... been lost. He is currently wreaking havoc at the bottom of East Lake. You two brothers should hurry up and escape to the land."

"And what about you?" Strange Eight-Knife asked with a sour face.

The wolf-rhinoceros hesitated, "I...I have to stay. Every one I can save is a chance..."

"Hmph, go die yourself and let the two brothers escape. Who do you think you are? Huh?" Strange Eight Blades said sternly.

“That’s right, as brothers, we can’t just run away first!” Fen Laoshan patted his chest and said.

"But... Father has already taken on the form of a dragon, and his strength is far beyond our ability to stop. Unless a top-tier expert arrives in person, we will all be throwing our lives away!" Wolf Rhino hoped to dispel their illusions.

"Then let's just run away together," Guai Badao muttered under his breath.

"Huh? What?" the wolf rhinoceros asked.

Guai Ba Dao pretended to cough twice, then reverted to his previous smug demeanor and said sternly, "I mean, let's go and take him down together, whether we kill him or not, we'll see what happens if we don't, hehehe."

“Not bad.” Old Man Fen nodded in agreement.

"But!"

Guai Ba Dao waved his hands vigorously and said urgently, "But what? Look at my name, Guai Ba Dao! Guai Ba Dao! I am the emperor, I make the decisions. Listen to me, let's fight that guy together. If we die, we die. There's no such thing as abandoning our brothers and running away."

Lu Xiaosan and Wen Ying watched everything from the sidelines, unsure whether their outpouring of emotion was genuine or not.

They seemed to have a deep brotherly bond, but it also seemed that each of them had something on their mind, so the two could only remain silent and observe for the time being.

After a long while, the wolf-rhinoceros sighed, "Alright, then let's go together." With that, he stood up and opened the cell door.

Fen Laoshan and Guai Badao both revealed satisfied smiles, slowly got up and walked out of the prison gate, while Lu Xiaosan and Wen Ying silently followed behind them, holding golden Buddhist beads.

"Hahaha, second brother, we... ugh..." Pink Mountain and Strange Eight Blades groaned at the same time and fell to the ground with a "thud".

The wolf-rhinoceros was standing still, raising its hand, looking at the two unconscious people on the ground with a complicated expression.

"This guy, he's incredibly fast!" Lu Xiaosan thought to himself.

"What...what are you doing? Why did you knock them out?" Wen Ying and Lu Xiaosan chased after them and asked.

The wolf-rhinoceros silently crouched down beside the two pink monsters, without answering, but gesturing with its hands near their heads, causing the surrounding water to ripple slightly.

"What are you doing?" Lu Xiaosan tapped his forehead, assuming a fighting stance. If this guy made any move to harm the two people on the ground, he would immediately withdraw the guy in front of him.

“Big brother…is that so?” Wolf Rhino asked.

Lu Xiaosan tilted her head slightly and asked cautiously, "What did you say?"

“I heard your conversation with the other brothers just now… You’re one of my older brothers too, right?” Wolf Rhino said calmly.

Lu Xiaosan was slightly taken aback, and exchanged a somewhat embarrassed glance with Wen Ying beside him.

Seeing Wen Ying give him a little encouraging emoji, he confidently said, "That's right, I am your third eldest brother!"

"Alright, in that case, could you do me a favor, brother?" His tone was extremely sincere.

Lu Xiaosan asked, somewhat puzzled, "What kind of help?"

Immediately afterward, the wolf-rhinoceros stopped gesturing with its hands. Following the direction of the gesture, one could see that the breathing masks that Guai Ba Dao and Fen Lao Shan had initially worn were now on their heads.

"you??"

While Lu Xiaosan was still in shock and doubt, Langxi stood up, supporting himself on his knees.

His eyes were fixed on the two men on the ground, but he said to Lu Xiaosan, "Brother, please promise me that you will help these two men escape!"

"Just for this?" Lu Xiaosan asked.

Wolf Rhino then fixed his gaze on Xiao San, "Since you were able to descend to the bottom of this lake, it shouldn't be too difficult for you to escape. I was very rude at first, and I hope you will forgive me. Please, brother, take these two out of here!"

Seeing that he was about to kneel down again after speaking, Lu Xiaosan quickly helped him up and solemnly said, "Don't worry, your two older brothers and I are sworn brothers. I won't abandon them even if you tell me."

"In that case, thank you very much..."

"Haha, we're all brothers, no need for thanks." After saying that, Lu Xiaosan stared at the wolf rhinoceros's fish face. Although the fish face looked three parts fish and seven parts human, Lu Xiaosan still felt a chill in his heart after staring at it for a long time.

Wolf Rhino patted Lu Xiaosan's shoulder with his fish-patterned hands, "Then... I'll leave it to you, big brother."

Wolf Rhino, no longer holding a grudge against Lu Xiaosan, spoke in a much more relaxed tone, saying, "Although that man in black is now dead, the forces behind him will certainly not let this go. Please be extra careful when you go up there, brothers..."

Lu Xiaosan frowned slightly as he thought of the man in black, thinking: Indeed, we still don't know what his purpose is, or what forces are behind him.

Wolf Rhino sighed again, "I originally thought it would be safe for the two elder brothers to stay with me for the time being, and let them go out after things calmed down, but now... fate is playing tricks on us."

After speaking, Wolf Rhino glanced at the two unconscious men on the ground, then turned around, picked up the large axe, and ran away without looking back, leaving behind only an indescribable image of a man facing death.