But Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea... not only carries the immense karma accumulated by the Dragon Clan since the beginning of time, but also a huge Karma that Qing Huan would avoid at all costs.
The Three Innate Clans —the dragon, the phoenix, and the qilin—which one doesn't have immense karma?
But the Dragon Clan is particularly unique.
Qing Huan understood perfectly. Although the Dragon Clan later received Thread of Life from the Heavenly Dao and took on the Divine Duty of controlling clouds and rain and managing rivers and waterways in the Heavenly Court, thus slowly wiping away some of their karma, the heavy shackles left by that Great Tribulation could not be completely cleared up even in the years when "Chenxiang Splitting the Mountain to Save His Mother"!
How could I dare to easily step into such a vortex of karma, which involves endless ages and Karma as deep as an abyss, and be tainted even slightly?
As my thoughts raced, a decision was made.
My gaze fell on the shimmering light emanating from Yuan Lian's hair.
He paused slightly on the "Sunset Glow Hairpin" before moving it away.
Well, although the two children were a bit naughty, it was understandable.
Seeing the two children's pale faces, Qing Huan's cold expression softened slightly, and his tone carried a hint of helplessness and a barely perceptible gentleness:
"You two little ones... get up."
A gentle breeze wafted through the gaps in the formation, bringing a moist scent that ruffled Qing Huan's robes and Yuan Lian's hair.
The magnificent halls of the Chuyuan Palace flowed slowly, reflecting the ceaseless movement of Innate Dao Patterns.
Qing Huan sat high atop the cloud platform, his Daoist aura blending seamlessly with the palace, looking down upon the two small figures kneeling below. His voice, though not loud, contained an undeniable power of law, echoing in the empty, silent palace.
"However, the punishment must still be imposed. Yuan Lian, Yuan Yu, I hereby punish you both to face the wall for one hundred Kalpa to reflect on your mistakes. Do you accept this punishment?"
One hundred Kalpa!
This time, long enough for stars to rise and fall, for oceans to turn into fields, is certainly not torture for Innate Lifeform with near-infinite lifespans—the least valuable thing in the Primordial Wilderness is this vast and boundless time itself.
However, the emptiness and coldness beneath the Chuyuan Palace, isolated from spiritual energy, filled only with boundless darkness and the torment of self-examination, was itself the heaviest punishment.
"Yes, sir..."
Yuan Lian and Yuan Yu, their childish voices trembling slightly, slowly stood up.
Two delicate, jade-carved faces were filled with undisguised grievances, and their clear eyes were brimming with tears that seemed about to spill over.
Those tears were not ordinary water, but condensed from Innate Spiritual Qi. Hanging there without falling, they appeared even more pitiful.
Yuan Lian stretched out her small hand, and with a flash of light, two spiritual treasures appeared in her palm. She tried her best to make her voice sound respectful:
"Master, this is a magical treasure bestowed upon my disciple and junior brother by the Dragon King of the East Sea. It is not something we are entitled to... Now, we return it to you."
Even so, her big, dark eyes were fixed on the golden hairpin, her little fingers unconsciously stroking it, her reluctance almost turning into tangible threads that wrapped around Lingbao.
Qing Huan's gaze was as calm as an ancient well, so profound that it seemed to reflect the beginning of the universe.
With a gentle flick of his sleeve, the two radiant magical treasures transformed into two streams of light that disappeared into the Universe within his sleeve.
The expression on that stern face seemed to soften slightly, carrying a hint of barely perceptible scrutiny:
"Hmm. Considering that you two have shown some sincerity in recognizing your mistakes and understand some manners, go ahead!"
"Thank you for your mercy, sir..."
The two small figures bowed again, their voices choked with emotion.
She looked back every few steps, and finally, unable to hold back her tears, they rolled down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string. The tears, formed from Innate Spiritual Qi, turned into specks of light and dissipated in mid-air.
Finally, the two lonely little figures, filled with endless grievances and fear of the long darkness, moved step by step toward the dark side hall door deep inside the Chuyuan Palace that led to the Cliff of Contemplation, their figures slowly swallowed up by the door.
Silence returned to the hall, with only the eternal murmur of the Chaos Qi remaining.
Qing Huan stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the cloud platform, his gaze fixed on the direction where the boy had disappeared. He let out a soft sigh, a sigh that seemed to contain the vicissitudes of eternity and a hint of barely perceptible helplessness.
"Alas... these two children were Innate Lifeform of this Yingzhou Island, their nature pure and innocent, like unpolished jade. Alas..."
The light seemed to penetrate the palace walls and fall on a distant Cave Mansion shrouded in auspicious purple mist.
"Having spent so much time with those eccentric fellows like Kong Xuan and Four Unlike, I picked up some of their arrogant and domineering habits, and lost my true self."
This punishment of making them face the wall and taking away this 'accidentally' obtained spiritual treasure is only in the hope that it will sever their inappropriate thoughts, and even more so in the emptiness and darkness, they can truly purify their minds and find the original clarity of their spiritual realm."
Qing Huan's gaze suddenly turned cold, the surrounding Chaos Qi froze, and the temperature inside the hall plummeted.
"How dare you stand up for me and accept the Dragon Palace's offer? Hmph! You defy the Heavenly Guard! You have no respect for the immensity of Heaven and Earth!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qing Huan's figure transformed into a condensed stream of light, instantly tearing through the spatial barrier Chuyuan Palace and plunging into the vast, boundless Primordial Earth, a place where opportunity and danger coexisted.
Seek out opportunities and find spiritual treasures that align with your own Great Dao.
Meanwhile, deep within the vast Eastern Sea, beneath towering waves, the Crystal Palace still shimmered with light, the Coral Trees gleamed, and countless aquatic creatures roamed the waters, striving to maintain the last vestige of glory from the heyday of the ancient Dragon Clan.
However, the omnipresent, heavy karma that only those with the Dragon Clan blood can clearly perceive weighs on every dragon scale, like an invisible shackle and a dark cloud, and also on the Dragon King's long-weary heart.
Inside the magnificent Dragon Palace, the hustle and bustle of the outside world was completely isolated.
The Dragon King of the East Sea, who had just returned, slowly removed his nine-tasseled crown, a symbol of his majesty. His face showed the weariness of a long journey, but even more so, an indescribable sense of humiliation and repression.
The wrinkles on that majestic dragon face seemed to have deepened even further.
"Father!"
Young Ao Guang could no longer contain his anger and frustration. He stepped forward, his voice slightly shrill with emotion.
"Those two boys! They're clearly lying! Qing Huan was clearly in the Dao Field, and you... you still treated those two greenhorn brats with such... such politeness?! What has become of the Dragon Clan's reputation?"
Ao Guang's chest heaved violently, his eyes burning with a scorching rage—the indomitable spirit and pride of a young true dragon.
The Dragon King of the East Sea slowly turned around and looked at his eldest son, whom he had placed the most hope in but was also the most young and impetuous.
A large hand covered in azure dragon scales reached out, its weighty touch gently pressing on Ao Guang's tense shoulder, then caressing his dragon horns, which were slightly burning with anger.
The Dragon King's eyes were as deep as the ocean, filled with endless vicissitudes and helplessness. That sigh seemed to come from the ruins of the ancient Dragon Clan's glorious collapse.