This was the reason she had traveled thousands of miles to find Yu Haizhen. Feng Miaojun stared at it intently, her ears catching Yu Haizhen’s words: “This is a secret treasure passed down through my family, the pendant represents a contract.”

“A contract?” Feng Miaojun didn’t want to miss a single word from her mouth.

“At the end of ancient times, there was a cataclysm where heaven collapsed and earth split open. Barely one in a hundred living beings survived that catastrophe. My Yang family ancestor was already immortal then, and rescued many injured demons and those with nowhere to flee until the cataclysm passed. Unfortunately, during this process, he lost two sons.”

Yu Haizhen fingered the pendant: “After heaven and earth were restored, the Celestial Gods recognized his great merit and pitied his grief over losing his sons, so they bestowed upon him this emblem, commanding the demons he had once saved to repay his kindness. Afterward, though these great demons returned to their mountains, rivers, and marshes, if the Yang family descendants ever had a request, they and their offspring would have to come out of the mountains to assist—this is the emblem’s purpose.”

When Feng Miaojun heard the words “Celestial Gods,” her pupils couldn’t help but contract slightly.

She truly hadn’t expected this emblem would be connected to the ethereal Celestial Gods!

Yu Haizhen continued: “Since then, the Yang family has maintained good relations with the demon race, even during turbulent times. Over these thousand-plus years, demons with good ties to the Yang family have only grown more numerous.”

“Turbulent times.” Feng Miaojun pondered these words repeatedly.

“Indeed.” Yu Haizhen sighed, “Does Your Majesty know who the greatest enemy of the Haoli Empire has been since its founding?”

Feng Miaojun nodded, as many studied that period of history extensively. “First it was the Celestial Demons; after the Celestial Demons were sealed, it became the demon race.”

“Exactly. Originally the Celestial Demons were overwhelmingly powerful, and humans and demons could only join forces against them to survive. After the Celestial Demons disappeared, humans and demons each developed separately, and conflicts soon arose again. However, by this time the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had weakened, while humans had found ways to form kingdoms and harness elemental power, using the strength of an entire nation against demons. The latter were quickly overpowered, with survivors retreating into deep mountains, great abysses, or distant seas—places rarely visited by humans. By the late Haoli Empire period, most demons had surrendered the most fertile lands to humans, but a minority harbored deep hatred toward the Haoli Empire and would occasionally emerge to cause trouble.”

Yu Haizhen scooped up a handful of spring water, letting it flow through her fingers: “The Haoli Empire never showed mercy to demons. Later, whenever they heard of places where demons gathered, they would send troops to suppress them, regardless of whether they were causing trouble for humans. Do you know why?”

Feng Miaojun shook her head.

She knew that the enmity between humans and demons originated in ancient times. However, the continuation and intensification of hatred required both internal and external factors. The Haoli Empire had already driven demons into the deep mountains, so why did they still want to exterminate them completely?

Yu Haizhen raised a mocking smile: “Because the Haoli Empire needed money.”

Feng Miaojun was extremely intelligent. With just this hint from Yu Haizhen, she understood: “I see. I’ve heard that in the late period of the Haoli Empire, natural disasters and human calamities were constant. The thousand-year peace had bred corruption and internal strife, leaving the vast empire hollowed out like an empty shell. The national treasury was in deficit year after year, and the Haoli Empire needed to find ways to fill the gap, otherwise it couldn’t sustain such expenses.”

Things must rot first before worms can grow. The so-called descent of the Celestial Demons was merely the last straw that broke the Haoli Empire’s back.

“Plucking feathers from every goose that passes. While imposing layers of taxes on the common people, the Haoli Empire also set its sights on the demons’ lairs. Many great demons had accumulated considerable wealth over the years, and after clearing out a few, the Haoli Empire developed a taste for it and couldn’t stop thereafter.”

Feng Miaojun raised a timely question: “What does this have to do with the pendant in your hand?”

“My Yang family has maintained good relations with the demon race for generations and couldn’t bear to see them slaughtered. So we secretly sent warnings, allowing many demons to escape death. The Haoli Empire returned empty-handed several times and suspected there was a traitor within. Later, Imperial War God General Chongyuan led troops once again under orders to subjugate demons, and this time, the target was rarely known to the world.”

“Were there still powerful great demons at that time?”

“Yes,” Yu Haizhen said word by word, “It was a true dragon living in White Elephant Lake.”

“A true dragon!” Feng Miaojun exclaimed, “There was still a true dragon alive!”

“In ancient times, the Celestial Gods rode divine dragons to battle against alien races, as recorded in history. After the war, the Dragon Gate appeared, and since then, carp have had the opportunity to leap over the Dragon Gate and transform into true dragons. Although the chance was extremely small, the world at least had the dragon race. However, during the Celestial Demon chaos, the dragon race, as the main force against the Celestial Demons, suffered heavy losses. Later, during the conflict between humans and demons, they were also slaughtered. By the late Haoli Empire period, very few remained. By this time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had weakened, and no carp could leap over the Dragon Gate anymore. Therefore, some say that the white dragon that General Chongyuan campaigned against was the last true dragon in the world.”

Feng Miaojun also sighed softly. The history of the dragon race was truly lamentable. They were clearly favored by heaven, rare beings combining both power and beauty, yet their fate was so bumpy, and in the end, they could not continue their lineage as long as ordinary creatures.

“General Chongyuan’s wife, Lady Yang, was also an ancestor of my clan. She leaked the secret before the great battle, which is why General Chongyuan returned defeated, and the white dragon and its subordinate water creatures were preserved.”

Hearing this, Feng Miaojun connected her narrative with the intelligence sent by Xu Linghai. So the deeper reason for the previously undefeated General Chongyuan’s major defeat lay here.

“General Chongyuan later discovered Lady Yang’s secret, and fearing the emperor’s punishment, he voluntarily left official circles, placing himself beyond right and wrong.”

Feng Miaojun listened intently and unconsciously asked, “What about the white dragon?”

“Not long after this incident, the old king passed away and a new ruler ascended the throne, so the matter was left unresolved. Thereafter, no one ever saw that white dragon again. This new ruler had little interest in exterminating the demon race, but concentrated his efforts on dealing with domestic troubles.” Yu Haizhen paused at this point, “Except for the founding emperor, he was almost more famous than all the previous emperors of the Haoli Empire.”

Feng Miaojun continued, speaking that universally known name: “Emperor Li of Haoli.”

“Yes, it was him.” Yu Haizhen said softly, “Although this man’s posthumous title contains the character ‘Li’ (meaning severe), he was actually quite kind to the demon race, and even released demons into the wild. This was told to me by that demon personally, so it should be true.”

Feng Miaojun looked at the pendant: “May I have a look at it?”

Yu Haizhen very generously took it off and handed it to her: “Please look.”

Holding it in her hand, she felt the object had considerable weight. Feng Miaojun balanced it in her palm—neither gold nor bronze, she couldn’t tell what material it was made of: “Have you studied the patterns on the emblem?”