Ye Xiu gently stroked the child's head and smiled, "Stay well with these uncles for now. Big brother will come find you later."

"Mmm." The child listened intently to Ye Xiu; he envied Ye Xiu’s wings that allowed him to soar in the sky.

The splendor of the Water Palace Imperial City wasn't in the grand scale or strangeness of its buildings and palaces, but rather in its unique construction directly upon the water. The entire city rested upon countless rivers, which seamlessly formed the city's thoroughfare, rendering the scenery breathtakingly beautiful.

The two boarded a boat and ascended directly to the main hall entrance. Lang Taotian, despite being the Great Prince, personally invited Ye Xiu: "Brother Ye Xiu, Father is inside. Please follow me."

Ye Xiu nodded, failing to notice a delicate silhouette flash by and snatch his ear. He dodged, attempting to catch the person with his hand, but instead, he grabbed A Jiao’s small hand.

"Well, well, Ye Xiu, you actually found the Water Tribe Palace!" A Jiao’s attire today was far from her usual casual wear. She was dressed in a noble blue gown, her hair intricately styled, her eyebrows delicate and her complexion fair. Most charming were her large, watery eyes and the faint blush on her cheeks, a burst of lively energy radiating into the mortal realm.

"A Jiao, stop fooling around. Father is waiting to see Brother Ye Xiu." Lang Taotian, though immensely fond of A Jiao, couldn't help but tease her, "Who was it that kept muttering about not seeing Ye Xiu for ages?"

"Oh!" Ye Xiu deliberately put on a look of great surprise. "So, Her Highness has been thinking of this humble person? Could it be that the Princess has taken a liking to me?"

"You..." A Jiao turned, ready to pull out the trident from behind her back for a little strike against Ye Xiu, but seeing the assembled officials approaching behind her, she naturally felt awkward about showing her aggressive stance. "Ye Xiu, you just wait for me. I'll deal with you properly after the council ends."

Ye Xiu made a face at A Jiao before following Lang Taotian into the main hall. However, the entire keynote of the Water Tribe Hall was the very color of seawater, studded everywhere with glittering treasures. In the center of the hall sat a massive, gold-inlaid dragon throne. While perhaps not "majestically grand," it could certainly be described as magnificent and opulent.

Ye Xiu stood with Lang Taotian at the very front of the assembled officials. He heard a civil servant, whose voice grated like scraping fowl, shout, "The Palace Lord arrives!" After this, an imposing old man, clad in dragon robes, slowly entered the hall and sat down with composed dignity.

"We subjects pay our respects to the Palace Lord." Everyone called him this, so Ye Xiu followed suit. Thankfully, they hadn't added the customary "May the Palace Lord live ten thousand years," which Ye Xiu felt would have made the scene rather ridiculous.

"Reporting to Father, this is Ye Xiu, the victor of the Three Swords Martial Contest whom I have often mentioned to you, Brother Ye Xiu," Lang Taotian hadn't forgotten to put Ye Xiu in a good light.

"Ye Xiu pays respects to the Palace Lord." Ye Xiu bowed low. He hadn't had a chance to ask the Palace Lord's name beforehand; he wondered if he shared the surname Lang with the Great Prince, or if the people of the Three Swords Water Tribe simply didn't follow such customs.

"Oh." The Palace Lord sat upright on the dais, carefully scrutinizing Ye Xiu. "Truly, a hero emerges from the youth. Judging by Hero Ye's age, you are about the same as the Imperial Son. To achieve the title of First of the Three Swords at such a young age is truly awe-inspiring for a junior."

"The Palace Lord overpraises me. Compared to the Great Prince, I am far behind."

Lang Taotian chuckled, "Brother Ye is too modest. By the way, Father, Brother Ye has already accepted the Imperial Edict regarding the sealing of the Water God Beast. With his help, I believe the Water Tribe’s disaster can be averted."

The Palace Lord was greatly surprised, yet felt a wave of relief. He waved his hand and spoke lightly, "With Hero Ye’s assistance, our Water Tribe can indeed be saved."

The officials below began to murmur amongst themselves. They had certainly heard of the Three Swords Martial Contest held far away in Ten Thousand Sword City. Yet, judging by appearance alone, Ye Xiu seemed merely a fragile young man. While handsome and well-proportioned, he was difficult to associate with the image of a hero.

Ye Xiu, too, had been puzzled. Since entering the city, he had only heard talk of disaster upon disaster. Was there truly a catastrophe greater than the Kill Order issued by the Myriad Sword Profound Tiger? He asked curiously, "As far as I know, Ten Thousand Sword City has issued a kill order to slaughter and annihilate the Three Swords tribes one by one. Is such a thing not considered a disaster in the eyes of the Palace Lord?"

"Haha, compared to the existential disaster facing our race, what is the Kill Order of the Myriad Sword Profound Tiger?" The Palace Lord appeared quite certain. "It is not so easy for the Human Race to invade us. Considering the topography of our Water Tribe, it is a position where one man can hold off ten thousand. Annihilating our people is not as simple as a mere declaration. My immediate concern is the rebirth of the Water God Beast; the foundation of our Water Tribe, established over a thousand years, is at stake."

"I keep hearing the Palace Lord mention the Water God Beast. What exactly is it?" Ye Xiu genuinely did not know.

"Hero Ye is not of the Water Tribe, and you wield a sword—are you perhaps Human?" The Palace Lord’s suspicion was piqued when Ye Xiu showed ignorance about the Water God Beast, which also caused dissatisfaction among the assembled officials.

"Father, everyone, do not panic." Lang Taotian certainly knew Ye Xiu's secret. He calmed the crowd and explained, "Brother Ye is absolutely not one of the Humans. He belongs to a special lineage of the Wing Tribe. As everyone saw in the plaza earlier, Ye Xiu has wings and can fly freely."

"That is indeed the case." Ye Xiu looked at the Palace Lord and bowed slightly to the officials below as well.

The Palace Lord smiled in reassurance and waved his hand, "With the Imperial Son as witness, there is no need for further discussion on this matter. In that case, Imperial Son, you shall personally explain the situation to Hero Ye."

"Yes." Lang Taotian turned towards Ye Xiu and began to explain in a measured tone, "The Water God Beast is a gigantic creature that thrives on water. It has lived beneath the depths of the Boundless Ocean since before the Water Tribe ancestors began to chart the Azure Mountain Sea, surviving solely on seawater."

"This giant beast only drinks water!" Ye Xiu found this extremely strange. He supposed that in this world, some creatures ate meat and some ate vegetation, but here was one that only drank water.

Lang Taotian nodded, "The Water God Beast is immense; a single breath could cause it to swallow one-tenth of the Azure Mountain Sea’s water. Because our Water Tribe dwells by the water, our ancestors were forced to seal it away."

Ye Xiu thought for a moment. The Azure Mountain Sea was vast beyond measure; this Water God Beast, with just ten breaths, could drain it dry. How enormous must this creature be? "If this beast is so powerful, how did the Water Tribe ancestors manage to seal it?"

"You might find this legend hard to believe," Lang Taotian paused, careful with his preamble. "The Water Tribe ancestors initially had no recourse but to consider migrating out of the Azure Mountain Sea to seek another home. Unexpectedly, midway through their journey, they encountered a mysterious old man who bestowed upon them a Stabilizing Divine Needle."

"Stabilizing Divine Needle!" The moment Ye Xiu heard this, he immediately thought of Sun Wukong’s Ruyi Jingu Bang. Could that mysterious old man be the legendary Dragon King?

Lang Taotian paused again before continuing, "The mysterious elder instructed our ancestors to thrust the Stabilizing Divine Needle into the spine of the Water God Beast. This would ensure it remained in eternal slumber, thus completing the seal."

Ye Xiu understood the tragedy and heroism involved when a group of people tried to stab an impossibly large rod into a monstrous beast, but those details weren't the focus now. One question preoccupied him: "Since the Water God Beast has been sealed for so long, why is the seal coming undone now?"

At this point, the Palace Lord coughed twice and spoke solemnly, "The Boundless Ocean Abyss is the deepest region of the Azure Mountain Sea; no one has ever reached it. After sealing the Water God Beast, our ancestors erected a shrine above the sea area to house the Stabilizing Divine Needle. However, a few days ago, two powerful energies erupted, causing immense upheaval in heaven and earth, splitting the mountains and shaking the ground. That shrine collapsed, which means the Stabilizing Divine Needle has loosened. It will not be long before the Water God Beast is reborn."

"One of those energies should be the power released from Dugu Bingchen's meridians that day!" Lang Taotian was quite certain, as he had participated in that battle himself.

"Frenzied Meridians?" Ye Xiu had no reason to doubt the threat posed by the Frenzied Meridians; an energy capable of moving heaven and earth was certainly coveted by many. But if there were two energies, could the one countering the Frenzied Meridians not be the Absolute Meridians he carried? Had his return from Ten Thousand Sword Peak to the Three Swords unintentionally hastened the revival of the Water God Beast?

"Whatever the other energy is, my Water Tribe is currently on the brink of collapse. Therefore, a brave warrior must go and reinsert the Stabilizing Divine Needle into the body of the Water God Beast, or perhaps simply slay the beast outright." Lang Taotian spoke with soaring heroism, "As the Prince of the Water Tribe, I must go. With Brother Ye’s help, I am confident we can succeed."

Ye Xiu offered a wry smile. He truly wondered which mysterious elder had set up such a disastrous scenario—teaching these people to stab a colossal beast, one whose mouth could drink so much water. What good was a mere individual against that?

"Since Hero Ye has accepted the Imperial Edict, our Water Tribe Palace must first honor our promise and appoint Hero Ye as a Great General of the Water Tribe." The Palace Lord sat up straight, his voice ringing with resolve. "Tonight, I shall host a banquet to welcome and honor General Wei. Let us set aside the matter of the Water God Beast for now; tonight, we will drink until we drop!"

"Good! Congratulations to Great General Wei! Welcome, Great General Wei!" The crowd cheered and waved their hands in salute; everyone held Ye Xiu in high esteem.

Ye Xiu felt neither joy nor sorrow. How could he deserve to be a Great General for both the Water Tribe and the Human Race? He reflected that in the Central Plains, he was merely a minor staff officer holding a halberd, and now, with a casual word, he was bestowed with the rank of General. He quietly asked Lang Taotian, "Is your Water Tribe food good? I'm actually somewhat allergic to seafood."

"Allergic!" Lang Taotian was completely bewildered, but he seemed to grasp Ye Xiu's meaning. "In any case, tonight you can eat meat if you want, and drink wine if you wish."

"The council is concluded. Please proceed to the banquet hall and await us." The Palace Lord bid farewell to the assembled group and departed. That repulsive voice rang out once more. Ye Xiu genuinely sometimes wondered why these emperors favored having effeminate individuals announce their presence. Did it somehow lend them more presence?