Seized by the System

Fang Ning had only exchanged a few arguments with Sir System regarding their respective positions before he was quickly stunned into silence by the sight before them.

The countless whirlpools and tornadoes above the ocean had all vanished in an instant.

A bright sun appeared in the sky above, as if it were here to welcome the Supreme One.

Following these changing signs, an immeasurably enormous shadow suddenly appeared in the azure sea waters.

When Fang Ning looked at it more closely, the enormous shadow was, in fact, a dragon’s head.

As the dragon’s head emerged from the surface of the water, Fang Ning saw an even more shocking phenomenon.

The dragon’s head was almost entirely transparent, and all the blood vessels within it could be clearly seen, as if it were truly formed out of water.

Now, this was a ‘Water Faucet’ ¹ …

In order to release that loud roar earlier, the Azure Dragon had already returned to its immense size of a thousand feet, yet before the head of this Water Dragon, it was like a human standing at the feet of the Great Pyramid…

“Ugh, it’s so huge. Talking to it will be rather inconvenient,” Sir System muttered.

“Stop talking nonsense and do what you need to do. Think, analyze, deconstruct, and find a shortcut to becoming an Ancient Dragon,” Fang Ning urged.

“Well, that goes without saying. I’m analyzing that already,” Sir System began to nag. “It’s just that it’s so big. It’ll take me a long time to determine anything from it. Get out there and chat with it for a while.”

“Me?” Fang Ning felt rather fearful, but given the situation right now, he had to take up the responsibility. Who else could he pass it on to anyway?

Therefore, he could only go out and take control of the Azure Dragon, trying to strike up a conversation with the enormous Water Faucet in front of him.

“Greetings to you, Honorable Ancient Dragon. I’m a self-made True Dragon from the Lower Realm, and I’ve come here to ask you a few questions. Nowadays, the Upper and Lower Realms have been in frequent conflict with one another, so is there any way to have both realms get along with each other and prevent the situation from worsening?”

Fang Ning could not think of any good topics to talk about off the top of his head, so he resorted to a rather big and abstract topic first.

The Water Faucet widened its eyes and observed the Azure Dragon before it.

After quite a long time, it slowly said, “You actually managed to transform into such a pure-blooded True Dragon relying solely on your own cultivation. You are indeed the Child of Destiny. However, why didn’t your brain evolve along with your bloodline?”

When Fang Ning heard this, he was instantly overwhelmed with amazement. The Ancient Dragon was able to tell that he still had the wisdom of a mortal within that time. That was utterly terrifying!

As he was momentarily at a loss for words, the Water Faucet shook its head and continued to speak, “How could you ask such a foolish question? Life and death, where the new replaces the old, are the natural order of the Heavens and Earth. As the Upper Realm comes to meet its end, the Lower Realm will transform into the new Upper Realm. One will take the place of the other, and the cycle will be repeated. This is a destiny that can neither be changed nor resisted by anyone. How to allow the two realms get along in peace? These words can be spoken by those weak and vulnerable races, but they should never come out of the mouth of a True Dragon who is in charge of protecting the order of the realms.”

‘Uh, sorry, I was just throwing out the first question that entered my mind. I never imagined that, for my fellow ancestral dragon, the peace of the two realms could be such a foolish question…”

Fang Ning became upset that his IQ had been ridiculed to his face. The worse thing was that it had even happened in front of Sir System, making his humiliation much harder to bear.

However, the other party’s words allowed him to relax himself too, for at least these words revealed to him what the general trend of events was.

Nonetheless, he also wondered, ‘Why did this Ancient Dragon not have any thoughts of extending the life of the Upper Realm at all?’

After all, even the Spirit Lords were trying to help the World of Spirits and Souls extend its life. In fact, the saints of the Primary World might also be thinking of going against the inevitable.

In any case, he had to continue this conversation somehow. Sir System still needed time.

He racked his brains for some ideas, and then asked, “I’m sorry for that. I’d like to ask the Supreme Ancient One, in this new Upper Realm of the future, who will take the leading role?”

When the Water Faucet heard his question, there was finally a hint of approval in its eyes.

“Before the first calamity of the new Upper Realm arrives, it’ll naturally be the Dragon Clan who will set the new world order, with the True Dragon Clan taking the lead.” The Water Faucet’s tone of voice carried a trace of an unshakable pride, or to be more accurate, arrogance.

Then, Fang Ning understood why the other party had said those words from before, and how it could so calmly face the decline of the Upper Realm.

It was because the other party had already found its place in the coming new world. It was, in fact, a paramount position.

The benefits of the new were no smaller than that of the old. Meanwhile, it was very difficult to maintain the benefits of the old as well. Therefore, it should naturally choose the new.

However, he fell into astonishment again. How could the other party guarantee that the Dragon Clan would actually become the new protagonist?

He then humbled himself and asked, “Can the Supreme Ancient One please let me know what the True Dragon Clan should do to be worthy of taking the lead in this new world?”

“Hehe, you’re finally asking a question you should be asking,” the Water Faucet’s face broke into a peculiar smile, “but I can’t give you the answer. You must find it yourself.”

Fang Ning was caught slightly off guard by this response, but he soon reflected on it and was able to express his understanding.

The other party was already being very generous by enlightening him on the path and the overall development direction of the future world. If he could not be thankful for that and insisted on knowing what should be done every step of the way instead, then he would be showing no sense of propriety.

Thus, he said, “I thank the Supreme One for your advice. I understand now. If I may, I’d like to ask just one more question. As the Upper Realm is on the verge of destruction, the Dragon World must be facing the same situation too. Therefore, has the Supreme One decided to grace the Lower Realm with your presence and take shelter there for a moment or two?”

“Hahahaha.” As the Water Faucet heard this, it broke into a burst of booming laughter. Then, through its huge transparent mouth, it spat out a crystal-clear giant orb that was shining in great splendor.

“Do you see this orb?”

“Yes, I see it,” Fang Ning said earnestly. It was too big and too bright. Only the blind might not be able to see it.

“It is extraordinarily wonderful. Since the Heavens were separated from the Earth, this has been one of the three Revered Treasures of Nature, and it contains an independent little world within itself. It can endure any form of disaster and calamity. Even if the Heavens and Earth passed away, this orb would remain unaffected. Tell me, would I be worried about that problem then?” the Water Faucet said proudly.

Fang Ning’s eyes glinted upon hearing this.

Sir System could not help saying, “Such a wonderful treasure. It would be nice if it could be given to me.”

Fang Ning ignored the comments, and replied with a tone full of admiration, “I see. It appears that my ignorance has caused me to have needless worries. The Supreme One is indeed omnipotent.”

“Hehe, I see you admire it very much, but this isn’t something you can gain through admiration, for my wife gifted this to me during my six-billionth birthday celebration…” The Water Faucet continued to speak delightedly before keeping it back into its mouth, hiding it from their view once again.

“How shameless. Look at its big eyes and bushy eyebrows. It’s just a dragon that lives off its wife!” Sir System exclaimed incredulously.

“For some reason, I feel like you’re full of jealousy, envy, and hatred,” Fang Ning said in disdain.

“Ah, speaking of which, your marriage should be decided by me. Now that we have a certain level of power and status, marriage seems to be a very profitable affair too. 1+1 is far greater than 2.” Sir System suddenly discovered a new purpose.

“What the heck…” Fang Ning became speechless. “Are you still being a heroic system right now. You’re clearly being an exploitative landlord. Don’t even think of it. I’m a steadfast and unyielding person.”

“What a pity. I was thinking of asking if this Water Faucet’s wife has any girl best friends.”

“… Your taste is way too unusual. You’re actually considering marrying a wife who’s a few billion years old?” Fang Ning expressed his amazement.

“For me, age isn’t an issue.”

“Stop all this nonsense. Have you finished researching?” Fang Ning decided to stop talking idly with this second-rate good and forcefully changed the topic.

“I’m done, but aren’t there still three more places? Let’s go check them out,” Sir System instructed.

“Wait a moment. I still have something to ask.” Fang Ning suddenly thought of that starving fire lizard.

Therefore, he said to the good-natured Water Faucet, “Throughout my journey here, I came across many of our kind that are faced with starvation. Does the Supreme One have any plans for them?”

At this, the Water Faucet shook its head. “This is all part of natural selection. While they may also be considered my descendants, I can’t look after them forever. Whether or not they can take advantage of the situation and change their own fate depends on their ability to seize the opportunities that come their way.”

After saying this, the Water Dragon’s head slowly started to sink.

“Go then, go then…”

These four words reverberated through the air. Evidently, the conversation with the ancient being had reached an end.

Fang Ning heaved a long sigh and bowed reverently before letting Sir System turn around and fly away.