Targaryen Who Turned Dragon

"Master, who is that?" Sun Lin asked.

"Oh, her?" Aerion looked at the little girl. "I have no idea. Say, if you don't have a name... would you mind if I gave you one?"

"A name..."

"Little Rhae... or Rhaenys, what do you think?"

"Little Rhae!"

That settles it, I suppose. I wonder if I can...

Aerion tried putting her in the Sky Poison Pearl and succeeded.

"Where did she go?"

Aerion coughed. "She is in a safe place, now we have no reason to remain here. We shall return to the Noble Rogue Sect immediately and then prepare for... I'll inform you all later."

Aerion walked away to explore the Divine Phoenix City. To be exact, he was looking for the Black Moon Merchant Guild's headquarters. He wondered if they could locate a Netherworld Udumbara Flower.

If the flower doesn't exist in the Profound Sky Continent, then I'll just have to drop down into the Cloud's End Cliff. I already have the Profound Cores, the Purple Veined Divine Crystals will come after I loot the Illusory Demon Realm... the flower is the only thing that will be difficult to attain. After Jasmine gets herself a new body, it is highly likely that she will return to her home. Heh, I'm going through all this effort just for her to leave my side...

"You look miserable, what happened...?" Jasmine asked.

Aerion shook his head. "It's nothing."

The headquarters of the Black Moon Merchant Guild was exactly what Aerion expected. A place that doesn't allow the weak to enter... only the people with potential and/or strength could. This was displayed brilliantly by the arrays that were used to test people. So many failed to even make it glow green, the basic requirement to enter the first two floors. Aerion stepped forward and without wasting any time, he casually punched the array.

It instantly glowed purple and he was allowed to go to the seventh floor... just like that.

"Wow... so he's the young Emperor of the Blue Wind Empire... a frightening talent indeed. He didn't even attend the Seven Nation Ranking Tournament because it would be too easy for him!"

"Even the Divine Phoenix Emperor has to pay respects to him."

Aerion glanced behind him and sighed. Wherever he goes, people crowd him... it gets irritating. He entered the tower and made his way to the seventh floor. There were eight floors, the eighth being restricted to only the most influential figures. Aerion wondered if he was allowed to go up there... if not, then his right eye would come in handy. Or his overwhelming strength.

"Esteemed young Emperor of the Blue Wind Kingdom, please, follow me to the eighth floor. The guild master would very much like to serve you." One of the workers there approached him.

Aerion nodded. "Go ahead."

It took only a few minutes for him to arrive at the guild master's office. It was none other than Zi Ji, a man who no doubt has a lot of influence in the Profound Sky Continent. Now that the Four Great Sacred Grounds have dissipated into nothing, the Black Moon Merchant Guild is only under the Divine Phoenix Empire in that regard.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I have heard many things about you. Please, sit."

Aerion sat down. "So you are the guild master... I wish to ask one thing of you."

"And that is?"

"Do you know if there is a Netherworld Udumbara Flower in the Profound Sky Continent? If so, where can I find it?"

"There could have been one in the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, which was guarded by the Supreme Ocean Palace... but, as you already know, the Saint Emperor had turned it all into ash. If the flower ever was there, it is likely that he took it... but now he is dead, isn't he?"

"Yes, I made sure of it."

You won't be seeing him around.

Aerion sighed, he came there just to know that Rotias had probably looted the place that might have had the flower.

"I have no other business here, I shall take my leave."

Aerion stood up and turned.

"So swiftly... no time to chat, eh?"

"I'm a very busy young man."

"I see."

Sovereign Profound 8... it looks like he is one of the few monarchs who escaped Rotias' wrath. Good for him.

~

Aerion returned to the Noble Rogue Sect after a few days of travel along with his followers. It was good to be back. He had said his farewells to Feng Xue'er and the Divine Phoenix Emperor previously. The first thing he did was visit Rotias. He thawed the top part of the ice, leaving his head free so that he may be able to speak.

"How long has it been... little dragon? And it looks like you cut your hair..."

"Did you find a Netherworld Udumbara Flower in the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest?"

"Oh, that? Now that you mention it, I remember eating a very beautiful flower. Could that be your flower?"

"You can't be serious... you actually ate it?"

"Yes."

...

Aerion had an urge to set him alight and watch him burn. But he didn't act on it, as killing Rotias would only set him free.

If anything, he wants me to kill him...

Aerion calmed down.

"Keeping me imprisoned is doing you no good, I could be of some use... hahaha."

"You, useful?" Aerion chuckled. "And how would you be useful to me?"

"I am still a major god... an ancestral god! There is only one existence above I and it is..."

"The Transcendent Being, I know." Aerion smiled. "Could you be offering me your bloodline?"

"Ah, you caught on quickly. I was thinking of a deal... I join with your body, assisting you in whatever adventures and conquests you decide to undergo. In exchange, you will promise to help me regain my throne."

"How can I be sure that you, of all people, would assist me... and couldn't you simply escape when I let you go?"

"You... are right. This deal can be my way of escaping. But where would I escape to? You don't know for how many years I have been resting... doing absolutely nothing. This eternal life of mine had no meaning until Aerios gave you everything. In my eyes, you are the ray of ligh-"

"Are you planning on showering me with compliments? Get to the point already."

"I have realised that only you can reach the Ancestral God Realm... no, you can go even further than that... once you reach that next realm you can return me to my old self. I would be no threat to you by then... even now, I am barely a threat. Attempting to fool you now would do me no good... in fact, that would be a fatal mistake on my part."

"I'll think about it."

Aerion froze Rotias again.

"I must say... that offer is tempting. Jasmine, what do you think?"

"It's your body, you choose what bloodlines you want to gather. He seems to be extremely weak, even if he were to escape... I doubt he would pose a threat to you. At most, he will possess a weak monarch."

So the deal is genuine... I can take the risk of a weak monarch. I doubt he has the strength to possess me directly... I must consider his offer. But... how can I let him off so easy? He has committed so many crimes... killed so many innocent people... I... I know what to do.

Aerion laughed.

You will assist me... but I will never help you.

He left Rotias' prison and went over to his chambers for a little nap. Well, he wanted to see how things were going inside of his Sky Poison Pearl. Rhaegal and Daemon were resting, the journey had drained them of their energy it would seem. Little Rhae was nowhere to be seen but there was a huge sword that he couldn't quite recognise.

"What's that?"

"Little Rhae turned into a heavy sword... she also ate every sword she could find."

"She did? Stormcaller..."

"That one was first to go."

"Ah... damn her! I went through a lot of effort to forge it... one can even say I put my soul into it... hmph, she better be useful as a heavy sword!"

Aerion gripped the heavy sword but he couldn't lift it.

"Seven Hells... why is she so damn heavy!?"

Argh... fine,

Purgatory!

Aerion could finally lift it and... he could even swing it. He imagined how much damage he could cause with one good slash... yet his skill with a heavy sword was non-existent. He noticed that Little Rhae had also gained Stormcaller's ability to gather profound energy from its surroundings. It wasn't of the wind attribute, though. It was pure energy.

This might not be so bad, all I have to do is learn how to wield a heavy sword...

"How convenient." Jasmine smiled. "I may be able to teach you something... if you want to master the heavy sword, that is."

Huh? Teach me... if it's coming from her, then it must be something truly formidable.

Aerion couldn't help but be excited. The Star God's Broken Shadow and the Great Way of The Buddha had both helped him one way or another. Without them, he would no doubt be weaker.

"Want? No, I will master it."

"I knew you'd say that."