Chapter 181

Chapter 181: Why Haven’t We Found It Yet?

“Your Majesty, the eleven hundred pure youths and maidens have all been delivered.”

The voice of the palace maid reached the ears of the Dragon Empress.

At this moment, that exquisite sculpture finally moved.

The Dragon Empress slowly stood up.

Even though this pearl-clad maiden was already tall, the Dragon Empress towered over her by a full head, standing at about five and a half feet, as tall as Xuming himself.

And even in her loose imperial robes, she couldn’t hide her stunning figure.

“Let’s go.”

The Dragon Empress didn’t open her mouth to speak, yet her ethereal voice echoed through the garden.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The pearl-clad maiden nodded, stood up, and led the way ahead.

Fifteen minutes later, the Dragon Empress arrived at a palace in the outer court.

Inside this palace, the eleven hundred pure youths and maidens stood obediently, glancing around nervously, their faces filled with fear.

And beside these children were armed shrimp soldiers and crab warriors.

“His Majesty has arrived!”

A pleasant female voice rang out in the palace.

The children hadn’t realized what was happening yet; they just saw all the weapon-wielding monsters drop their arms and kneel on one knee toward the door.

In an instant, the children were confused, unsure if they should kneel or not.

The next moment, the children saw a goddess from a fairy tale walk in—more beautiful than any story could describe.

Even the oldest among them, who were no more than nine years old, had no concept of male or female attraction. But they all thought this older sister was truly stunning.

“Hail the Emperor!”

The kneeling warriors shouted in unison.

The Dragon Empress paid no attention and walked forward with long strides visible beneath her gown.

Standing before the hundreds of youths and maidens, the children formed another thought: “This big sister is really tall.”

The Dragon Empress’ amber vertical pupils scanned each child, missing none, as if searching for something important.

But it was clear that even the greatest Dragon Empress of all time hadn’t found it.

After half an incense stick’s worth of time, the Dragon Empress gently shook her head, revealing disappointment in her eyes that made everyone feel guilty, even those not involved.

“Send these youths and maidens to the various island nations and find people to raise them well,” the Dragon Empress instructed the nearby palace maid.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the palace maid replied.

For the Dragon Empress’ orders, this palace maid was all too familiar.

Previously sent batches of youths and maidens would be sent to one of the islands in the Ten Thousand Islands of the North Sea to be raised by good families.

Actually, the palace maids themselves were quite puzzled.

They didn’t know why their emperor needed so many youths and maidens, and after bringing them in, they only took a glance before sending them off to other places in the North Sea’s Ten Thousand Islands.

The Dragon Empress waved her hand, and the palace maid, along with the shrimp soldiers and crab warriors, led the youths and maidens out of the palace.

These youths and maidens would be well-raised until adulthood.

But without exception, they would never leave the North Sea.

After the thousand-plus youths and maidens were taken away, the entire palace became empty.

The Dragon Empress ascended the front steps, sat on the dragon throne, lowered her delicate head, and held the armrests of the dragon chair with her long, white fingers.

“Why? Why haven’t we found it yet?” the Dragon Empress muttered to herself, utterly bewildered.

“Your Majesty…” A palace maid entered and knelt before the Dragon Empress.

“What is it?” The Dragon Empress gathered her thoughts and looked up.

“To report, Your Majesty, in one of Wu Kingdom’s celebratory fiefs, there’s a river called Yellow Sand River. There was a dragon loyal to our North Sea Dragon Palace. We’ve just received news that the dragon from Yellow Sand River has died.” The palace maid reported directly.

“If it’s dead, then let it be dead.” The Dragon Empress’ voice echoed endlessly throughout the palace.

All over the world, there were dragons loyal to the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas.

That dragon from Yellow Sand River was summoned by someone sent by the Dragon Empress.

The Yellow Sand River dragon merely had to send a pair of youths and maidens to the North Sea every year, and in return, the North Sea Dragon Palace would give him certain rewards, nothing more.

These matters were handled by underlings, and the Dragon Empress had never met that dragon from Yellow Sand River, nor remembered it.

Whatever that dragon did, the North Sea Dragon Palace wouldn’t interfere. Even if it committed countless evils, the North Sea Dragon Palace wouldn’t support it.

So the death of that dragon from Yellow Sand River was irrelevant. However, since Stone Family Village near Yellow Sand River was a relatively important village, someone needed to be sent from the Dragon Palace, or another dragon needed to be summoned to reside in Yellow Sand River.

“Your Majesty, actually, there’s another matter.” The palace maid continued, “When that dragon from Yellow Sand River died, the Nine-Dragon Pillar in the Cloud-Born Hall exhibited abnormalities.”

The Dragon Empress narrowed her eyes, her tone cold. “Why wasn’t I informed earlier?”

“I deserve death… I deserve death…” The palace maid knocked three loud heads. “At first, I thought it was just a problem with the array, but unexpectedly, the abnormality of the Nine-Dragon Pillar hasn’t disappeared even today.”

The Dragon Empress stared at the palace maid, her killing intent rising.

But remembering someone’s words, her chest heaved violently as she calmed the murderous intent within her heart.

“Half-year salary deduction! Go meditate in the ice cave for half a month!”

As the Dragon Empress’ words fell, the dragon throne at the front was already empty, yet her voice still echoed in the great hall.

“Thank Your Majesty for sparing my life! Thank Your Majesty for sparing my life!” The palace maid quickly turned around while kneeling and bowed deeply three times toward the door.

The Dragon Empress used her teleportation technique and arrived at a forbidden land within the inner palace in less than three breaths.

This forbidden land was surrounded by layers of magical arrays. At the center of the arrays stood nine pillars.

The nine pillars were positioned in eight directions, forming a circle, with nine grooves connecting the pillars at the center, flowing with blue liquid.

The nine palace maids who guarded the array immediately knelt upon seeing the Dragon Empress. “We servants greet Your Majesty.”

The Dragon Empress waved her hand, ignoring them, and walked straight to the center of the Nine-Dragon Pillars, looking at the pillar in the southwest direction that kept glowing.

The Dragon Empress extended her hand, her sleeve sweeping past her fair wrist.

With a gentle point forward, the dragon pillar emitted a beam of light piercing through ten thousand miles upward, reaching the sea surface, and impacting the clouds!

The North Sea surged with wave after wave of giant waves as the Dragon Empress closed her eyes, her dragon robe clinging tightly to her graceful figure with the flow of the current.

“Splash!”

Suddenly, the light column dissipated, the waves subsided, and the North Sea returned to tranquility. The Dragon Empress slowly opened her eyes.

“Stone Family Village”

The Dragon Empress continuously repeated these three words in her mind, her eyes flickering, her thin lips tightly pursed.