Azure Abyss Dragon Palace, the Final Year

The sea of clouds swirls wildly, the misty mountains soar angrily, and the Dragon Lord Shuyu rides the clouds and mist, rushing towards the source of the dragon's roar.

She has now regained her composure, but her eyes are still full of anticipation.

The dragon's roar just now was the Ancient Dragon Clan of this Sea Region discovering her presence and inviting her to come.

The scenery of this Sea Region also piqued her curiosity.

The islands are scattered across the sea like sesame seeds on a pie.

But what surprised Dragon Lord Shuyu was that many of the densely populated islands had Temple.

The names on the plaques at the temple entrances vary:

Some are called Dragon Temple, others are called Dragon Lord Temples, and so on.

However, compared to the Dragon Lord Shuyu, the presence of this dragon Dragon Clan in this Sea Region is much stronger.

The reason for this difference lies, on the one hand, in the personality of the Dragon Lord Shuyu herself—she is somewhat aloof by nature, and she doesn't value power much. In fact, most people don't even know of the existence of this Ancient Dragon Clan.

On the other hand, it was also due to the decline of the Xuanwei Demon Race.

The Five Sects ceded the Sea Region to her because the Dragon Lord was exceptionally powerful, and they did not want to provoke her further. The Dragon Lord's aloof personality also put the Five Sects at ease.

Furthermore, the Xuanwei Demon Race is not a significant force and poses little threat to the Five Sects.

Of course, there are also reasons such as the vastness of the Sea Region, the complexity of the situation, the insufficient governance capacity of the Five Sects, and the fact that occupying the Sea Region has little value.

In short, although the Dragon Lord Shuyu is the ruler of the Sea Region, not many people actually believe in her, and she is almost nowhere to be seen in the changing situation of Xuanwei.

Unlike before, where the Dragon Clan now reigns supreme in this Sea Region.

After flying for two hours, the Dragon Lord Shuyu finally stopped and looked down at the Sea Region.

As if sensing her arrival, the seawater parted like a curtain to both sides.

Tens of thousands of shrimp soldiers and crab generals led the way, riding the waves and standing on both sides of the crest, their long spears like a forest, radiating light.

Eight sea-patrolling yakshas flew up into the clouds, shouting in unison, "Azure Abyss Dragon King, welcome our distinguished guests!"

Behind them, a middle-aged man strode out with several people, laughing loudly, "We're new to this place and quite uneasy. Please forgive us for not greeting you properly!"

Seeing his grand entourage, which seemed somewhat arrogant, Lord Shuyulong was displeased.

But then he thought that these were all his own kind, and they had just arrived in Xuanwei, so he was probably seeing threats everywhere and was worried about losing them. He understood and smiled, saying, "I'm sorry for bothering you."

"Honored guest, how can you say it's an intrusion? Please come into the Dragon Palace for a chat!"

When the Azure Abyss Dragon King met the Dragon Lord, he seemed quite friendly.

Dragon Lord Shuyu followed him to the bottom of the sea, and soon they saw a series of palaces.

They are neither gold nor stone, but crystal clear, containing the essence of water. Even their foundations are built with an extremely precious water-elemental Spirit Stone.

This palace stretches for two or three hundred miles and has as many as a thousand rooms. It rises and falls with the terrain of the seabed, like a jade dragon lying peacefully in the sea.

The head of the Jade Dragon is situated on a high underwater mountain, with the main hall built atop the mountain. It faintly resembles a divine dragon emerging from the water, exuding an aura of power that dominates all directions.

At the entrance of the main hall, there is a white jade plaque with the four large characters "Azure Abyss Dragon Palace" written on it.

"Please!"

"The Dragon Lord of the Vast Ocean said enthusiastically."

The Dragon Lord Shuyu then entered the palace, where mermaids and Merfolk were already moving about, with fine wine on the table and delicacies on the plate.

She rarely interacted with people and was straightforward in nature. After eating and drinking for a short while, she couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Where does the Dragon King come from? And how many of his kind do he have?"

Seeing her eagerness, the Azure Abyss Dragon King was taken aback for a moment, then smiled frankly and said, "The realm we inhabit is called Dragon Abyss, which, according to legend, was created by the Dragon Ancestor."

"As for how many Ancient Dragon Clan are here, all I know for now is my family of five."

Dragon Lord Shuyu was stunned for a moment, then looked at the person beside him.

Besides the Azure Abyss Dragon King, there are two men and two women, four Dragon Clan in total.

One of the women was older, with elegant makeup and a gentle expression; she was likely the Dragon King's consort.

The other two men and one woman appeared to be younger, but their identities were unclear.

"These are my two good-for-nothing sons, and this is my eldest daughter-in-law."

Seeing her curiosity, the Azure Abyss Dragon King explained further.

The Dragon Lord Shuyu had roughly assessed the strength of this Dragon Palace:

The Dragon King is True Immortal, while the other four Dragon Clan are all Loose Immortal immortals, which is better than me, a lone individual.

But she didn't care too much. Instead, she asked, "Was the Dragon Abyss Realm created by the Dragon Ancestor? Where is the Dragon Ancestor now?"

"The Dragon Ancestor has already passed away," the Azure Abyss Dragon King whispered.

The Dragon Lord Shuyu's face also showed some sadness, and he asked again, "Then I wonder how many Dragon Clan there are in the Dragon Abyss Realm?"

"Not many." The Azure Abyss Dragon King's face held a hint of arrogance. "In my Dragon Abyss Realm, the Dragon Clan reigns supreme, and the Three Dragon Palaces have stood in a tripartite balance for over ten thousand years."

"What about the other two dragon palaces..."

The Azure Abyss Dragon King shook his head and said, "A few years ago, the Dragon Abyss Realm suddenly shattered. I was protecting my Azure Abyss Clan when, in a daze, I arrived here. I was barely able to protect myself, let alone find out the whereabouts of other Dragon Clan."

The Dragon King's tone was heavy, suggesting that even traveling from the Dragon Abyss Realm to Xuanwei was fraught with difficulties.

Whether the rest of the Dragon Clan will be safe and sound is hard to say.

So, the same must be true for other Golden Immortal World.

"What is the name of this realm?" While the Dragon Lord Shuyu was still pondering, the Dragon King asked instead, "And what forces govern it?"

This realm is called Xuanwei.

"Xuanwei!"

To everyone's surprise, the Dragon King exclaimed in disbelief upon hearing the words "Xuanwei".

"Is there anything special about Xuanwei?"

The Azure Abyss Dragon King asked in confusion, "The Dragon Lord doesn't know?"

"What do you know?"

"The Dragon Ancestor also originated from Xuanwei."

"..."

"The Dragon Ancestor once said, 'The Xuanwei is the beginning of all realms, the essence of the Great Dao.'"

Upon hearing this, Dragon Lord Shuyu shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Since I was born, I have never seen any other members of my clan, let alone know these secret histories."

The Azure Abyss Dragon King pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "When the Dragon Ancestor attained enlightenment, he took all the Dragon Clan with him. I never imagined that you, Dragon Lord, would be left behind."

One of them had never met a member of their own kind before and longed to see them, while the other was a newcomer who didn't know the situation and wanted to inquire. In no time, the host and guest enjoyed themselves and their relationship progressed rapidly.

After seeing off the Dragon Lord Shuyu, the Azure Abyss Dragon King returned to the main hall with his family, a smile spreading from his face to his ears, "This place is actually the Xuanwei Realm!"

"Father? And what about Xuanwei?"

"The eldest prince of the Dragon Palace asked."

"The Dragon Ancestor once said that the Dragon Abyss Realm has a flaw, and the descendants of the Dragon Clan can only reach the True Immortal level, but the Xuanwei is quite different."

"Father, are you saying you have the potential to become Golden Immortal?"

"That's not all! The Xuanwei Dao favors even the Golden Immortal!"

The Azure Abyss Dragon King's face flushed, unable to suppress his inner excitement.

Queen Cangming frowned. "How can becoming Golden Immortal be so easy? Besides, we are newcomers, and it's hard to even protect ourselves."

"No, that's a woman's view!" The Azure Abyss Dragon King paced back and forth in the hall, seemingly confident. "Didn't you hear what that Dragon Lord said? Xuanwei is merging with other realms!"

"If I can dominate the Sea Region, I can follow the path of the Dragon Ancestor's ascension to the Dao—no, I'll be even stronger than the Dragon Ancestor! My attainment of the Golden Immortal realm will be just around the corner! You must know, the Dragon Ancestor is dead!"

Upon hearing this, the other four people's breathing became heavy.

"But what about the Dragon Lord Shuyu..."

"This Dragon Lord is stronger than me, but she's all alone, weak, and lacks ambition!" the Azure Abyss Dragon King laughed heartily. "In fact, we could even try to win her over..."

"Win them over? How do you do that?"

The Azure Abyss Dragon King's gaze fell on the Second Prince.

"A marriage alliance?"

The Dragon Queen immediately understood.

"Exactly!" the Azure Abyss Dragon King nodded. "My first obstacle to dominating the Sea Region is her, and the second is the other potential dragon palaces. If we can join forces with the Dragon Lord, we can gain the upper hand!"

The second prince was quite handsome, but his face looked bitter, as if he was unwilling.

The Azure Abyss Dragon King glared at him. "Dragon Lord, your cultivation is high; you'll have to rein in your unruly nature in the future!"

The second prince's expression grew increasingly distressed.

"Once I become Golden Immortal, you'll have your own carefree days!"

"Yes!"

"This matter cannot be rushed." The Azure Abyss Dragon King frowned and pondered for a while. "We should first consolidate our control over this Sea Region, and at the same time, befriend the Dragon Lord."

The eldest prince frowned and said, "Father, don't forget the Nine Mountains Sect. They are the true masters of this Sea Region."

The Azure Abyss Dragon King's expression darkened:

"The Four Sects have a reputation throughout the myriad realms, and I would never dare to provoke them."

"But even if Zheng Fa of the Nine Mountains is a genius, how can the Nine Mountains Sect, with its shallow foundation, be ranked alongside the Four Sects?"

"As long as the Dragon Lord doesn't interfere, the Nine Mountains Sect is nothing to worry about."

The eldest prince wanted to say something more.

The Azure Abyss Dragon King waved his hand, saying, "This is where my Great Dao lies!"

The people of the Nine Mountains Realm are still unaware of the origin of this dragon's roar.

For them, the most important thing during this period is actually one thing – this year marks the conclusion of the First Fifty-Year Plan!

In the courtyard of Old Yuan, the two sworn enemies, Uncle-Master Pang and Aunt-Master Huang, actually arrived together and gathered in one place.

The three sat around a stone table, on which sat tea, and in front of them stood a screen of light.

Within the light screen was the figure of the Heavenly Emperor Body.

"Dear teachers and disciples."

This is Nine Mountains News, but it's not broadcast to the public.

As the master of the Nine Mountains Sect, the Heavenly Emperor Body reported to all the cultivators of the Nine Mountains as usual.

"Fifty years ago, we formulated our First Fifty-Year Plan, which set forth four major goals and twenty-seven smaller goals in the areas of industry, economy, education, and military!"

In agriculture...

Much of the data and the results were already known to the three Old Yuan.

But even now, hearing the Heavenly Emperor Body mention it, they still wouldn't let go of a single word, and would still smile at a certain sentence.

The Heavenly Emperor Body's report was very long, even somewhat tedious, consisting mostly of data and figures.

The three of them, however, seemed to be listening to celestial music.

"Overall, we have achieved almost all the targets in the industrial plan ahead of schedule and even exceeded them!" the Heavenly Emperor Body added. "Currently, the income of my Nine Mountains Sect is 220 percent higher than the planned target! The population of the Nine Mountains Realm is 50 percent higher than planned!"

"In education, we once proposed a fifty-year plan to cultivate five hundred Nascent Soul."

Hearing this, Old Yuan looked at Uncle-Master Pang with a mocking expression:

"Back then, you absolutely refused to believe in this plan."

Uncle-Master Pang scoffed, "You believe that?"

The Old Yuan shook his head, looked at the light screen, and his eyes were full of sighs.

"Currently, our Nine Mountains Sect has twelve people above the Spirit Transformation!"

The three Old Yuan exchanged a smile.

Among the Spirit Transformation of the Nine Mountains Sect, Zheng Fa, Senior Sister Zhang, Xie Qingxue are still the strongest.

Below them were four familiar faces: Jiao Wuji, Blood River Ancestor, Nine Mountains Patriarch, and Old Yuan.

However, after Zheng Fa used the Great Sun True Fire to Cultivation Method, the five of them— Uncle-Master Pang, Aunt-Master Huang, Madam Xuanhua Old Han, and Xiao Yuying —successfully advanced to the Spirit Transformation stage by switching to the Yellow Court Scripture.

Elder Xiong of the Azure Wood Sect is also in seclusion and seems to be advancing in rank soon.

Even though it can't compare to the foundation of the Four Sects, the number of Spirit Transformation has doubled compared to before.

But the achievements of the First Fifty-Year Plan go far beyond them!

The Heavenly Emperor Body continued, "Below the Spirit Transformation, my Nine Mountains Sect currently has 664 Nascent Soul!"

Even Aunt-Master Huang was somewhat dazed upon hearing this number.

More than six hundred people? How can there be so many?

There was a hint of surprise in her voice.

"There weren't originally that many," the Old Yuan, who knew the most, explained. "According to estimates from a few years ago, it would have been around five hundred Nascent Soul, maybe a little more, but no more than five hundred and fifty."

"Then how come there are suddenly a hundred more people?"

The Old Yuan chuckled, "Because of the Celestial River Method."

Uncle-Master Pang suddenly realized. "Standardized Life-bound Dharma Treasure."

"Indeed, all of our sect's Golden Core disciples have cultivated the <Nine Mountains Golden Core Method>, making the transformation of their Life-bound Dharma Treasure extremely easy," the Old Yuan laughed. "By borrowing the Celestial River Method, they have encouraged and inspired each other, and many disciples have actually broken through their bottlenecks in the past few years. The results have been so good that even Zheng Fa hadn't expected it."

Uncle-Master Pang muttered, "Who could have imagined this... Even with five hundred Nascent Soul, we wouldn't have dared to dream of it before."

The Old Yuan laughed, "Before? Before, the Nine Mountains Sect only had three Nascent Soul like us."

Upon hearing this, the three looked at each other, all feeling a sense of profound change.

Who could have imagined that in less than a century, the Nine Mountains Sect would undergo such a dramatic transformation?

Others might not feel it, but the three of them felt it the most.

They had witnessed firsthand how Zheng Fa led the Nine Mountains Sect from a small sect within the Hundred Immortals Alliance to its current glory, and now, looking back, many things were still vivid in their minds.

"According to Zheng Fa, Vast Sun Mountain has no more than a thousand Nascent Soul disciples." Uncle-Master Pang thought of something, "In terms of the Nascent Soul Realm alone, we're almost on par with Vast Sun Mountain!"

Even among the Four Sects, Nascent Soul Realm cultivator can be considered mid-level.

Uncle-Master Pang certainly knew that Vast Sun Mountain had nearly a hundred Nascent Spirit Transformation, and in terms of high-end combat power, the Nine Mountains Sect still had to catch up.

However, the rapidly increasing number of Nascent Soul gave all three of them confidence that catching up with Vast Sun Mountain was only a matter of time for the Nine Mountains Sect.

As the Nine Mountains Sect has developed step by step, it can now be said that in terms of the quantity and quality of its lower and middle-level disciples, it is even comparable to the Four Sects.

"Do you think my Nine Mountains Sect's Nascent Soul stage is the same as other sects?"

Unexpectedly, Aunt-Master Huang snorted, seemingly thinking he was stupid.

Uncle-Master Pang was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized that with the help of military formations, the combat power that the Nascent Soul Nascent Soul of the Nine Mountains Sect could unleash was far beyond that of other Nascent Soul Realm!

With its high-end combat power, the Nine Mountains Sect is no match for Vast Sun Mountain!

No wonder Zheng Fa Association always thinking about attacking Vast Sun.

They didn't realize how strong we were until they calculated it. The three elders of the Nine Mountains were speechless—we were actually this powerful?

After a while, the group slowly came to their senses, looked at each other, and surprisingly, picked up their teacups at the same time and clinked them together.

After drinking a cup of spiritual tea, Uncle-Master Pang stared at the light screen, his eyes glazed over.

"Senior brother, why does this tea of yours seem a bit intoxicating?"