Imperial Palace, wisps of incense smoke spread into a thin mist in the study.

Sun Wukong and Dayu sat knee to knee, deeply engrossed in conversation, hopeful to understand the Brahma Void Heavenly Court.

However, the story of the Heavenly Court has mostly been forgotten in history, and Dayu also lacked a deep understanding.

What he knew was that after the destruction of the Brahma Void Heavenly Court, the spiritual energy of various Star Officials greatly declined, and very few individuals attained immortality.

With no new immortals, the connections between the various Star Palaces also gradually diminished.

"Regarding the affairs of other Star Palaces, I know very little as well and cannot provide you with more information,"

Dayu said.

What he did know was that the majority of the Star Officials were destroyed.

"How can you be sure that they have been destroyed?"

Sun Wukong asked.

"There's a Star Palace Map in the Imperial Palace that shows the existence of the Star Palaces,"

Dayu explained, and then ordered someone to bring over a mirror.

This mirror was pitch black, with flickering red flames dancing within it, projecting the sight of stars being burned to destruction.

"Each of these flames represents a Star Official,"

Dayu said, pointing at the flames within the mirror: "I heard from the previous emperor that thousands of years ago, there were many more lights on this map, but now, very few remain."

Sun Wukong scanned it and saw indeed there were not many flames, only about a dozen or so left.

A single flame represented a world that had not been destroyed.

Sun Wukong, looking at the Star Palace Map, felt a chill in his heart.

Could it be that from the three hundred worlds controlled by the Brahma Void Heavenly Court, only a dozen remain, and the rest have been destroyed?

"How many beings does one Star Official govern?"

Sun Wukong inquired.

"At the very least, ten billion…"

Dayu responded with a dim look in his eyes: "Thousands of years ago, our Star Palace also had ten billion beings."

This number of ten billion beings included not only humans but also a vast number of demons.

Sun Wukong's heart sank completely.

With over two hundred worlds, trillions of beings, just how many innocent lives were lost in that Venerable's moment of anger?

"There is no need for the Heavenly Emperor to be pessimistic."

Seeing the expression on Sun Wukong's face, Dayu spoke: "Perhaps the situation is not as severe."

He told Sun Wukong that when other lands were submerged, many beings migrated to the Yu Domain.

Similarly, when Star Officials from the outer realms were destroyed, the beings might have moved to other Star Officials.

But while Dayu said this, Sun Wukong was not optimistic.

He saw the state of this world and knew that other worlds were not suitable for cultivation.

Without the ability to cultivate, how could those beings move to other Star Officials?

Sun Wukong was disheartened, but quickly collected his thoughts.

He asked Dayu about the impact of the rising sea on the Yu Domain.

"The sea is rising rapidly; at the current pace, the Yu Domain will be submerged in twenty years,"

Dayu replied.

Sun Wukong's brow slightly relaxed: "Twenty years is a long time."

Dayu was taken aback, twenty years is long?

They had not been able to suppress the sea for tens of thousands of years, and now only twenty years were left, with everyone anxious.

The time left by the sea was too short!

"The Black Dragon is controlling the sea."

Sun Wukong asked: "Apart from this, is there any other threat to the Yu Domain?"

Dayu shook his head: "No."

After the destruction of the Heavenly Court, the only threat to this world was that Black Dragon.

For countless years, it has been that Black Dragon causing the world to be submerged; if there were other threats, the Yu Domain would not have lasted until now.

"So, that's how it is."

Sun Wukong nodded after hearing Dayu's explanation: "Where does that Black Dragon reside?"

The matters of this world are easy to deal with, just by resolving the Black Dragon issue.

Unfortunately, Dayu didn't know the whereabouts of the Black Dragon.

"All I know is that it resides deep in the sea."

Dayu said: "In the past, all lands sent people to search the sea for the Black Dragon, but to this day, no one has found it."

Sun Wukong was somewhat helpless.

These people can't even find the Black Dragon, no wonder they are unable to confront it.

He couldn't help but ask: "When and where did you last see the Black Dragon?"

"At the time when the Heavenly Court was destroyed, someone saw a Black Dragon descend from the sky and fall into the sea."

Dayu replied.

Sun Wukong frowned slightly, feeling as if something was amiss.

"Since then, no one has seen the Black Dragon again."

Dayu said: "I've also only heard about it through rumors."

"So that means..."

Sun Wukong summed up: "You've only seen the Black Dragon once?"

Dayu nodded.

Sun Wukong became somewhat skeptical.

If they had only seen the Black Dragon once, considering the possibility of misinformation, the basis of the Black Dragon's existence was unstable.

Whether it truly existed might even be in question.

"Are you sure it's the Black Dragon causing trouble?"

Sun Wukong asked again.

"Of course."

Dayu nodded: "Demon Beasts often emerge from the sea to attack the land; we have captured some of these demons. They told us their master is a Black Dragon."

"Demon Beasts?"

Sun Wukong thought of the flying mice he encountered on West Mountain Island.

"Are those Demon Beasts the Black Dragon's subordinates?"

Sun Wukong grew curious: "If so, why don't you find a way to subdue them and have them lead the way?"

"We've tried thousands of times."

Dayu replied: "But every time we failed, these Demon Beasts carry the Essence Blood of the Black Dragon, through which the Black Dragon can completely control them. As soon as they harbor rebellious thoughts, they will burst and vanish."

A glint flickered in Sun Wukong's eyes: "How did you learn that their Essence Blood is connected?"

"We've captured many Demon Beasts, and they told us themselves."

Dayu said: "They're chatterboxes."

Sun Wukong believed it.

Not only did he believe it, but he even suspected that the Black Dragon might be someone he knew.

"Why is it always that guy wherever I go."

Sun Wukong thought to himself, but it might just be overthinking on his part.

"Have you tried finding the Black Dragon by scent?"

Sun Wukong asked Dayu.

"Of course."

Dayu nodded, tracking the Demon Beasts and Black Dragon's connected Essence Blood would potentially lead to the Black Dragon.

They had tried, but it was incredibly difficult, and no one possessed the Divine Skills for searching someone out like this.

"We've exhausted all methods."

Dayu stated that after discovering the Demon Beasts were chatterboxes, they even tried chatting with them, but still did not find the Black Dragon.

Beauty traps, schemes of separation and discord, provocation tactics—they had used every method available, but none had been successful.

The Black Dragon was as if nonexistent, hidden deep in the sea for tens of thousands of years, never emerging once.

"We are out of options."

Dayu said.

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment: "I think there's still a way."

Dayu looked at him, filled with hope.

"I've brought a Heavenly Dog with me."

Sun Wukong said: "It has a keen nose and might be able to find that Black Dragon through its Essence Blood."

Dayu was stunned.

On one side of the Imperial Palace, sneaking open a door, the Heavenly Dog suddenly sneezed.

"Not good!"

It covered its nose with its paw and glanced back at Immortal Zhenyuan meditating in the room.

Thankfully, it didn't wake up this harbinger of disaster.

The Heavenly Dog stepped carefully out of the room and looked toward the rising dawn in the east.

"It looks very tasty."

It licked its tongue.

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