Ao Xuan: I'll Take You to See the Ancestral Dragon, but I'm Afraid the Dragon Court Won't Be Big Enough for You

Southeast of the Azure Mystic River.

Amid a vast sea of clouds, Lu Yuan's enormous body slowly swam forward.

Ao Xuan and Ao Lan, two azure dragons, flew ahead of and behind him, guiding the way and relaying messages respectively. Dozens of Dragon Clan Water Generals went ahead to the various waterways along the route, telling nearby aquatic creatures to clear the way.

Lu Yuan had not asked them to go to such trouble.

But Ao Xuan had given the matter careful thought.

Lu Yuan's body was simply too enormous, and many aquatic creatures along the way had never seen a Grand Void Sky Whale. If they suddenly saw such a terrifying beast arrive, it would inevitably cause quite a commotion.

Explaining his identity in advance would naturally prevent many misunderstandings.

As Ao Xuan led the way, he told Lu Yuan about the eastern waters.

"Fellow Daoist, the mountains and rivers we're passing are drawing closer to the Eastern Sea's water system. Many rivers along the way are connected to the Eastern Sea, and the Water Spirit Qi will only grow denser."

Lu Yuan nodded gently.

He could sense it himself.

Compared with the Northern Land, which was shrouded in baleful Sha all year round, the eastern waters were noticeably more temperate.

The air contained abundant innate Spiritual Qi, and water-element energy was especially plentiful.

With just a small breath, he could feel its gentle, nourishing quality.

Though this environment lacked the vast quantities of highly concentrated baleful Sha found in the Myriad Sha Abyss, it was well suited to his body as it slowly digested the chaos origin.

Lu Yuan flexed his giant fins slightly.

His enormous body glided slowly over the Sea of Clouds.

"Is there this much Water Spirit Qi in the Eastern Sea too?"

Ao Xuan couldn't help laughing when he heard that.

"You haven't truly seen the Eastern Sea yet, fellow Daoist."

"The Azure Mystic River is an important waterway, but it still falls far short of the Eastern Sea itself."

"The Eastern Sea is boundless, and its waters are so deep in many places that they can scarcely be measured. Naturally, the primordial profound water essence it contains far surpasses that of ordinary rivers."

Lu Yuan's eyes gradually brightened as he listened.

"Then it's worth a good look."

Ao Xuan nodded.

"However, the truly important sea eyes in the depths of the Eastern Sea are fundamental to our Dragon Clan. They must maintain the circulation of water spirit on ordinary days, so they cannot be devoured at will."

Lu Yuan thought nothing of it.

The Dragon Clan managed the Eastern Sea, so naturally they needed to protect their own foundations.

He still had a large quantity of Chaos Demon God flesh stored in his mouth. There was no need to quarrel with the entire Dragon Clan over a few water spirit resources.

Besides.

The greatest value primordial profound water essence held for him at present was its ability to stabilize the high-level energy within his body.

As long as he could obtain some on a continuous basis, it would be enough for his needs.

Lu Yuan said slowly, "What I mainly want is Mystic Water Essence that can nourish the body. I don't need an excessive amount, and we can discuss how to trade for it."

Ao Xuan was even more pleased to hear that.

He liked powerful experts he could communicate with normally.

They had needs.

They were willing to negotiate terms.

And they didn't try to seize others' foundations at the slightest provocation.

Such a partner was naturally far easier to get along with than those ferocious beasts who knew only how to compete for supremacy and fight ruthlessly.

Ao Xuan pondered briefly.

"Rest assured, fellow Daoist. Some sea eyes in the Eastern Sea naturally overflow with surplus Mystic Water Essence at intervals. After collecting it, the Dragon Clan also uses it to nurture the younger generation."

"We can certainly offer that portion of the resources for trade."

Lu Yuan nodded.

The two sides continued forward.

A short while later.

Ao Xuan suddenly turned, his gaze falling on Lu Yuan's enormous body.

He hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"Fellow Daoist Lu Yuan, there is something I'd like to discuss with you in advance."

Lu Yuan looked at him.

"What is it?"

Ao Xuan coughed softly.

"Although the Eastern Sea Dragon Court is magnificent, and its palaces and cultivation grounds are very spacious, your true form... is simply too enormous."

As he said this, a hint of helplessness even appeared on his face.

"If you entered the Dragon Court directly, I'm afraid many of the palaces inside would be crushed."

Lu Yuan felt like laughing when he heard that.

He had actually considered this problem long ago.

A body over a hundred thousand li long would be enormous wherever it was placed.

Even palaces built by ordinary beings of the Primordial World, however magnificent, could hardly accommodate this beast's true form.

Lu Yuan said slowly, "It isn't a good time for me to shrink my body drastically. I still have some chaos origin inside me that I haven't finished digesting. Forcibly compressing my body could easily affect the circulation of my Blood Qi."

Ao Xuan hurriedly nodded.

"I see."

He naturally knew that when high-level energy had yet to be fully digested, it was indeed unwise to alter one's physical state at will.

Especially since Lu Yuan himself was an exceptionally unique innate divine beast.

A change in size involved the structure of his entire bloodline.

Forcing his body to shrink rashly would likely affect his otherwise stable cultivation process.

Ao Xuan thought for a moment.

"Then we won't enter the Dragon Court itself."

"There are vast stretches of sea on the outskirts of the Eastern Sea, enough for you to move about freely. If His Majesty the Ancestral Dragon is willing to see you, he can meet you directly in the outer sea."

Lu Yuan thought it was a good arrangement.

"All right, let's do that."

Ao Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He really had been worried that Lu Yuan would insist on entering the palace directly.

If that happened, given Lu Yuan's size, the entire Dragon Court would probably have to be rearranged.

At that thought.

Ao Xuan's gaze grew complicated once more as he looked at Lu Yuan.

Such an enormous body.

Yet he could still move through the Sea of Clouds with such ease.

The Grand Void Sky Whale bloodline truly was rare.

While Ao Xuan was lost in thought.

Ao Lan, who had been following behind them, suddenly noticed something strange.

She had only intended to inspect the pale golden barrier on Lu Yuan's back and check whether the currents in the Sea of Clouds along the way would affect its interior.

But the moment her Divine Sense swept over it.

The azure dragon stopped in her tracks.

"This..."

Ao Lan's eyes flew wide open.

What was she seeing?

On Lu Yuan's back.

Vast stretches of forest were growing!

Tiny streams flowed slowly along the grooves between his dark golden scales, and clear lakes had even formed in some of the low-lying areas.

Quite a few weak spirit beasts lived among the trees.

Several small white beasts were drinking beside a stream.

Nearby, an azure one-horned spirit beast lay on the grass, basking leisurely in the sunlight.

Ao Lan's eyes grew wider and wider.

"Elder!"

She couldn't help flying forward.

Ao Xuan turned around.

"What is it?"

Ao Lan hurriedly said, "Quick, look at fellow Daoist Lu Yuan's back!"

Ao Xuan was slightly taken aback.

He sent his Divine Sense in the direction Ao Lan pointed.

The next moment.

Ao Xuan's expression froze as well.

"This... there are even mountains and rivers?"

He had already known how enormous Lu Yuan was.

But after seeing the woodland growing between his scales clearly, he still found it hard to suppress his shock.

A true ecosystem had formed on this Grand Void Sky Whale's body!

And the creatures within it were going about their lives as usual.

Ao Xuan observed it carefully for a moment.

Soon, he found something even more astonishing.

The terrain among the streams and forests wasn't changing drastically despite Lu Yuan swimming high in the sky.

The pale golden barrier around it remained perfectly stable.

Even the fierce winds whipped up by the Sea of Clouds outside never truly reached the interior.

Ao Xuan couldn't help exclaiming.

"Fellow Daoist, your body can already sustain living creatures?"

Lu Yuan made no effort to hide it.

"Some small beasts mistook me for a mountain range while I was sleeping, and gradually settled down there."

"I saw that they meant no harm, so I let them stay."

Ao Lan was utterly dumbfounded.

While he was sleeping.

Some small beasts had mistaken him for a mountain range?

She looked back at the woodland and finally understood a little.

Given Lu Yuan's size.

Without sufficiently powerful Divine Sense, those weak creatures would indeed find it hard to tell what lay beneath their feet.

Besides.

A vast amount of rock and soil had accumulated on his back by now.

Seen from a distance.

It wasn't much different from real mountains and rivers.

An indescribable shock rose in Ao Lan's heart.

"Senior, have you been carrying them with you all this time?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

"I couldn't very well just throw them off, could I?"

Ao Lan couldn't help falling silent for a moment after hearing that.

Then she looked again at the small white beasts moving about by the stream.

Her gaze had changed.

Such an enormous beast.

With a body strong enough to fight Beast Emperor Shen Ni.

Yet he took special care of the weak creatures on his back.

His temperament was indeed noticeably different from that of most ferocious beasts she had known before.

Ao Xuan was equally moved.

But he didn't disturb Lu Yuan further.

The two sides continued on their way.

As they drew closer, the innate Water Spirit Qi in the air grew denser.

The seemingly endless mountains and rivers also began gradually receding to either side.

At the edge of the sky.

A vast, boundless expanse of blue water finally appeared in view.

Lu Yuan slowly raised his head.

Clear interest gradually appeared in his golden eyes.

"Is this the Eastern Sea?"

Ao Xuan smiled and nodded.

"That's right."

Lu Yuan took a deep breath.

Dense Water Spirit Qi flooded into his body.

That gentle, cool sensation actually calmed the chaos origin in his belly, which had yet to be fully transformed, a little further.

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up slightly.

He gently swayed his enormous fins.

His massive body slowly swam toward the boundless sea ahead.