The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

Chu Xiu left Lingxiu Pavilion, his face still showing lingering fear.

Although Haiyou was a very good person, he was too proactive... He couldn't resist Haiyou's constant hints and direct suggestions, so he had to find a random excuse to escape.

Upon returning to his residence, Chu Xiu declined all invitations and announced that he would be in seclusion for a month.

One month later, the Ascension Ceremony will begin.

Before that, Chu Xiu needed to make a series of preparations in order to obtain the maximum benefits in the Blood Pool of Ascending Meridians.

The most important thing is to integrate the cultivation method of the true dragon bloodline passed down by Yinglong's remnant soul with one's own cultivation.

Only in this way can one fully release the vast amount of demonic power stored in one's spiritual essence after the bloodline is replenished, turning it into one's own power, and truly stepping into the Qiankun Realm.

Only by entering the realm of Heaven and Earth could he have the confidence to firmly hold his position as the Alligator Dragon.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, a decade has passed.

Chu Xiu pushed open the bedroom door and came out, but Xiao Yu was nowhere to be seen.

They summoned a servant from the manor to inquire, and it turned out that Haiyou had come to take Xiaoyu away to prepare for absorbing the mermaid's tears.

For merfolk, blood and tears are no different from blood and sweat.

Haiyou only needed to have his clansmen offer a single drop of mermaid tear; he didn't need to expend his own energy to fulfill the agreement with Chuxiu.

However, perhaps to show his sincerity, Haiyou still insisted on sacrificing his own life's blood to repay Chuxiu's kindness.

When Chu Xiu arrived at Lingxiu Pavilion, Xiao Yu had already taken Hai You's mermaid blood and tears and was fast asleep on Hai You's bed.

A mortal body needs to slumber for several days to fully digest the effects of the mermaid's blood and tears.

Looking at Hai You's pale and frail appearance, Chu Xiu felt a pang of pity.

"Why do you have to do this..." Chu Xiu sighed.

Haiyou shook his head: "While ordinary merfolk blood and tears may grant immortality, they also easily lead to calamities and illnesses due to their defiance of the natural order."

"Only the blood and sweat of the merman royal family can prevent such consequences."

“This child means a lot to you, and it’s worth all the effort I’ve put into this.”

Chu Xiu sighed softly, took out a late-stage Qiankun Realm demon beast purple pill obtained from the Heavenly Demon Tower, and placed it in Hai You's hand.

Haiyou did not refuse his kindness. Her eyes showed joy, and a trace of rosy color returned to her pale cheeks as she held the purple pill in her hand.

"The Ascension Ceremony will begin in one hour. Are you ready?" Hai You asked.

Chu Xiu nodded: "Everything is ready."

He looked at his clenched fist. "Whether I soar to the sky, maintain the status quo, or fall to the dust, it all depends on today!"

The way of birds and beasts is to absorb the energy of heaven and earth, the spirit of the sun, moon and stars, and to forge the essence of flesh and blood, so as to become spirits and monsters, and to be on par with humans as spirits of heaven and earth.

Countless years ago, the human race was nothing more than one of the beasts. It was only after the development of intelligence that they were able to shed the name of beasts and flourish to this day.

Humans and spirits share a common origin. And the ancient gods must be the supreme creations of that origin.

If Chu Xiu can combine the demonic and immortal bloodlines with the help of the ancient god's bloodline, he will definitely be more powerful than if he specializes in only one lineage!

After the fall of the ancient gods, the path he chose in the long history of the Heavenly Continent may not be the last of its kind, but it will certainly be unprecedented!

The True Dragon Bloodline is among the highest tier of the many bloodlines of the demon race, but it is not the only one.

The Demon Emperor of the Spirit Control Sect possesses multiple top-tier bloodlines, including those of dragons and phoenixes.

Perhaps the reason she possesses such a powerful bloodline is related to the ancient god bloodline within her.

As for the Tuolong, Lilong, and Huanglong, they are merely dragon descendants with some true dragon blood, not comparable to Chu Xiu's true dragon bloodline originating from the bloodline of an ancient god.

Once Chu Xiu fully restores his bloodline, he will undoubtedly surpass all the dragon descendants of the Yu Ling Sect!

After spending half an hour in Lingxiu Pavilion, Chu Xiu finally prepared to set off for the venue of the Ascension Assembly.

Although Hai You's face was still a little pale, she was no longer as weak as before. After covering the still-sleeping Xiao Yu with a blanket, she got up and looked at Chu Xiu, saying softly:

"This year's Ascension Ceremony will be presided over by the Lilong Demon General and protected by my Mermaid Clan. The location will be at the Gathering Spirit Mountain, a dragon vein protected by my Mermaid Clan. I will go there with you."

"Xiaoyu has been allowed to sleep here. I have instructed the sisters in the pavilion to take care of her, so you don't need to worry about her safety."

Chu Xiu nodded slightly, reached out and took Hai You's slender hand to gently support her arm, "I'll help you, and you can show me the way."

Haiyou blushed slightly and nodded gently.

Juling Mountain is located to the east of the city where Lingxiu Pavilion is located. This place is a forbidden area of ​​the Yuling Sect and is never open to the public except for the Ascension Ceremony.

Guided by Haiyou, the two bypassed the layers of protection of the Merfolk soldiers and went straight to the top of Juling Mountain.

There was still half an hour before the start of the Ascension Ceremony. Hai You brought Chu Xiu here in advance to personally investigate the place in order to prevent anyone from tampering with the Ascension Ceremony of the Crocodile Dragon.

Chu Xiu himself didn't care, after all, under his divine sense, unless someone at the level of a demon emperor wanted to attack him, no one could hide from his divine sense.

Compared to Hai You's solemnity, Chu Xiu appeared remarkably relaxed.

He strolled around on the stone platform at the top of the mountain, ignoring the strange looks from the other people who were arriving one after another, and focused his attention on a tall and majestic stone statue in the center of the platform.

The stone statue is composed of a man and a woman, both with human heads and snake bodies, just like the appearance of the ancient sages of the human race recorded in the ancient books that Chu Xiu had seen.

"This is... an ancient god?"

The stone statue gave Chu Xiu a sense of sacredness mixed with a touch of eeriness.

He slowly approached the stone statue, but was forced back by a sudden burst of energy just as he got close.

"Alligator Dragon! How dare you disrespect the Demon God!"

As the shout arose, Chu Xiu frowned and looked over, only to see several late-stage Qiankun Realm cultivators surrounding a Qiankun Realm Great Perfection cultivator, appearing on the stone platform.

The Lilong Demon General was among those late-stage Qiankun Realm demon generals, and he was frantically gesturing with his mouth towards me, indicating that I should stay away from the stone statue.

Chu Xiu narrowed his eyes. Even Li Long didn't dare to speak in front of this Qiankun Realm Great Perfection expert, so this demon... was undoubtedly the common superior of Tuo Long and Li Long—the Jackal Dragon Demon General!

"Greetings, Demon Commander."

Chu Xiu did not choose to confront the Jackal Dragon Demon General, but instead extended his hands in a fist salute to show his respect.

This jackal dragon gave him a sense of extreme danger, a sense of crisis he had never felt with the Dragon Bear Demon General or the Yellow Dragon Demon General.

This jackal dragon is no ordinary dragon descendant!

Chu Xiu recalled that ancient books from his previous life recorded that the jackal dragon was another name for Yazi, one of the nine sons of the true dragon!

As a direct descendant of the true dragon, this jackal dragon is undoubtedly one of the best among the demon generals!

Ancient texts record that he was extremely bloodthirsty and fond of fighting. He would repay even the smallest kindness and avenge even the slightest grudge, and when he did, he would inevitably kill!

Before fully awakening his true dragon bloodline, Chu Xiu knew very well that even with the help of the Yinglong Dragon Head Mask, he would still be defeated if he faced the Jackal Dragon Demon General!

The Jackal Dragon Demon General never expected that the alligator dragon, who had already stolen the limelight, would still maintain that respect in front of him.

Originally, he was resentful that Tuolong had refused to pay him a visit and wanted to cause trouble, but now he was in a dilemma.

After all, Tuolong is still his subordinate in name only. If he makes things difficult for him, he will inevitably attract the gossip of the other demon generals and arouse their suspicion.

Thinking of this, the Jackal Dragon Demon General had no choice but to suppress his dissatisfaction and said to Chu Xiu:

"Alligator Dragon, today you awaken your bloodline. The Demon Emperor has specially ordered me to come and protect you. If any villain dares to tamper with your awakening ceremony, I will make sure they die a horrible death!"

Chu Xiu sneered inwardly, but his face remained unchanged.

It doesn't matter if others make any rash moves, but it's uncertain whether you, Jackal Dragon, will take the opportunity to strike.