In the depths of that boundless void, within that colossal bronze coffin, lay the beast with yellow dragon scales and wings of five colors—the scoundrel dragon, playing with marbles.
Ying Long, idly flicking the crystalline cores of two fierce beasts of imperial rank, called out to the bronze coffin:
"Stable Master, that little fellow Yu Long Yan is causing trouble again. He actually dared to lead people to raid the undead's territory. Aren't you going out to clean up his mess? What if some unscrupulous old geezer shows up and kills him? You'll have no tears left to cry then."
Yu Long Qian Gu's voice echoed from the bronze coffin:
"Ying Long, are you bored out of your mind, disturbing me when you should be sleeping? Don't you know that destiny is not manifesting, and it's not suitable for us Great Emperors to go out? My little constitution can't compare to yours. If I dare to wander outside now, I'll exhaust my spiritual energy and die within a few years. Don't you see that Long Que and Ming Ya, those two old fellows, have already vanished into the Great Void?"
"Besides, it's not Yu Long Yan who caused the trouble. It's all for the sake of rescuing that little fellow from the Zi Qi family. That foolish boy was almost tricked to death by that mystical thing. If it weren't for saving him, would these troubles have arisen?"
"Moreover, with Zi Qi and Di Yao, those two are ruthless beyond compare. What need do they have of me? Look around, let alone Great Emperors, there isn't even a single Imperial Rank wandering outside. So, you just stay put obediently."
Ying Long sighed and said:
"How come there aren't any? Aren't those two old turtles from the Xuan Wu clan awake? They're dancing on the graves of their old rivals, and they're perfectly fine."
Yu Long Qian Gu's exasperated voice boomed:
"Why don't you compare yourself to someone normal? They're both..."
As Ying Long finished speaking, the lid of the bronze coffin flew open, and a handsome middle-aged man with a playful, unconventional demeanor sat up from within the coffin.
He turned to Ying Long beside him and said, as if discussing something:
"Come to think of it, your rotten idea is theoretically feasible. Since both the Iron-Eating Beast and Xuan Lao Si are thick-skinned and tough, they won't get injured even if they just wander around outside. I think this matter is worth considering."
"The Divine Emperor who fought fiercely with Xuan Lao Si back then is in a deep slumber due to severe injuries. Let's dig him up first. Ask Xuan Lao Si if he can do this job."
Ying Long nodded, then poured a pile of miscellaneous items from his spatial storage and began to rummage. In no time, he found a turtle shell and a segment of golden bamboo with claw marks.
Following this, Ying Long crushed the two imperial cores he was using as marbles. After a short while, the phantom images of a colossal Xuan Wu, nearly ten thousand meters in diameter, and a panda no more than two meters in size appeared before Ying Long.
Ying Long and Xuan Wu stared in bewilderment at the panda and said:
"Holy hell, old pal, how did you shrink so much? Didn't you used to despise being small?"
The panda said dejectedly, "Isn't it all because of that idiot Chi You? He insisted that this size saves food. What are you two hammers calling me for?"
Ying Long looked at the panda with a dumbfounded expression and said:
"Old pal, can you speak standard Mandarin? We haven't seen each other for over 4,000 years. It's a bit hard to understand you speaking in dialect right off the bat."
The panda said impatiently, "What do you want me for? If you have something to say, say it quickly. If not, I'm going back to sleep. Don't you know I'm running on empty? Talking too much makes me hungry."
Ying Long nodded and said:
"Let's get down to business. Old pal, you and Old Four team up and go take a look around outside to see what the situation is. If there's nothing major, we'll go find Little Kun Peng. Then, the four of us brothers can venture out into the world together again."
Great Emperor Xuan Wu, Xuan Lao Si, said to Ying Long and the Iron-Eating Beast:
"The spiritual energy outside is insufficient. It can only support those at the level of a foundational Human Emperor. There isn't even an Imperial Rank outside now. You guys should just stay put."
Ying Long and the Iron-Eating Beast's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and they exclaimed:
"Holy crap, Old Four, how do you know so much? Have you really been dancing on those old rivals' graves?"
Xuan Lao Si nodded and said:
"That's right. I've been out for over 10 years. I've been dancing on that unlucky bastard of the Divine Clan's grave for over 10 years, and I've even forced all Divine Clan members above the Royal level to dance with me every day. Anyone who dared not to would be directly killed. Anyway, our Xuan Wu clan can withstand the backlash of destiny, so this is a small matter."
"However, it's still a bit lacking for you to come out. Although your physical bodies are strong enough, you lack the innate talent to evade the backlash of destiny. Little Kun Peng could come out, but after Old Kun Peng died in battle back then, this kid was too grief-stricken and has been in a deep slumber, not waking up yet."
Ying Long and the Iron-Eating Beast exchanged glances, then said to Xuan Lao Si:
"Old Four, you need to think of a way to get us two out too. Then, we brothers can go to the depths of the void together and dig up all those old rivals who haven't revived. We'll bleed them dry and kill them all."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Lao Si, just like Yu Long Qian Gu, suddenly's eyes lit up and said:
"Holy hell, that's a great idea! This rotten idea was clearly Ying Long's. I'll go back and discuss it with our ancestor. He's the first-generation Xuan Wu. I'll see if he has any ideas."
Ying Long and the Iron-Eating Beast nodded and said:
"Alright, Old Four, hurry up and go. Stop dancing. We brothers are all counting on you."
As soon as the Iron-Eating Beast finished speaking, a burly man like an iron tower appeared beside him and smacked the Iron-Eating Beast on the head.
Chi You was about to scold Xuan Lao Si but was directly disconnected by Xuan Lao Si.
He could only turn to Ying Long and say, "Can you four ancient fiends stop causing trouble? You can come out after sleeping a bit longer. Can you give people some peace of mind now?"