Seeing the Dragon Palace's almost blindingly lavish display, Di Jiang changed his original plan to sneak in quietly and play the fool to catch his opponent off guard!
When dealing with these long bugs who wore their wealth on their faces, he absolutely couldn't afford to lose in sheer presence!
Di Jiang thought to himself.
More importantly, he realized this was also a perfect opportunity! Candle Dragon was an Ancient Being said to command the Time Dao! Although Di Jiang had also dabbled in the Time Law, he hadn't delved deeply into it.
If he could discuss the Dao with such an existence and compare their insights, it would surely greatly benefit his understanding of the Time Dao!
Di Jiang descended. When he was still tens of millions of miles from the Dragon Palace, which was overflowing with radiant treasures, he stopped concealing his figure and aura!
BOOM!!!
A vast, boundless pressure, as terrifying and unified as one, erupted like a volcano that had lain dormant for countless eons. Centered on Di Jiang, it spread out with a thunderous crash!
The surging aura churned the waters for tens of millions of miles. Powerful currents raged, and seawater surged backward. But Di Jiang revealed no killing intent. Even so, the dragon princes and grandsons felt as though an invisible mountain had crushed down on them. They collapsed to the ground at once, trembling all over!
At the same time, Di Jiang's clear, dignified voice rang out like rolling thunder, piercing layer upon layer of seawater. It resounded throughout the skies above the Dragon Palace and even reached an unknowable place deep within:
"I, Di Jiang, master of Mount Buzhou, have come especially to pay a visit to fellow Daoist Candle Dragon! I ask that you show yourself!"
His voice carried the supreme Dao aura of a Primordial Origin Golden Immortal and the resplendent vitality of Pangu's True Lineage, imbued with an unquestionable force!
With this move, Di Jiang made it clear to the Dragon Clan that their visitor wasn't some stray cat or dog they could push around at will, but a Primordial Origin Golden Immortal on the same level as their ancestor, Candle Dragon! It would make any dragon princes and grandsons who might look down on him put aside their petty thoughts and treat him with respect.
Second, it would draw out the person he wanted. His true target was Candle Dragon. Only by speaking with Candle Dragon could he achieve his aims, whether borrowing a treasure or discussing the Dao. Releasing the pressure of a Primordial Origin Golden Immortal was the fastest and most effective way!
Di Jiang's pressure and voice were like a depth charge dropped into the calm, luxurious Dragon Palace! In an instant, the entire palace went from its utmost splendor and bustle to deathly silence, followed by barely contained panic and commotion!
"A Primordial Origin Golden Immortal?"
"Di Jiang of Mount Buzhou? Is that the master of Mount Buzhou from the rumors?"
"Quick! Go report to the Great Elder! No, report directly to Ancestor Candle Dragon!"
Deep within the Dragon Palace, several powerful but concealed divine thoughts cautiously reached out. The moment they touched Di Jiang's unfathomable pressure, they shrank back as if shocked, filled with alarm.
Di Jiang stood with his hands behind his back, suspended in the depths of the sea. Space warped faintly around him, keeping the Dragon Palace's dazzling radiance at bay as he waited in silence.
The East Sea's Sea Treasury was a secret realm shrouded by countless restrictions and veils of time. A pair of enormous dragon eyes, seemingly filled with the vicissitudes of countless eons and able to see through past and future, slowly opened.
Its enormous dragon body, so vast it defied imagination, slowly stretched out within the secret realm, disrupting the flow of time around it.
It sensed Di Jiang's presence. The vigorous, sharp aura of a Primordial Origin Golden Immortal, bearing the distinctive mark of this era, stirred even its still-as-a-well state of mind.
"Mount Buzhou. Di Jiang! A descendant of Pangu!"
Candle Dragon instantly understood the visitor's Origin. To have reached the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm in such a short time, this young man's Origin, fortune, and perseverance were all top-tier.
Candle Dragon glanced at his own body. Though it remained formidable, it was bound by invisible shackles of karmic burden, as if trapped in a mire with no way to advance. A trace of gloom flashed through his eyes.
Since the ancient Dragon-Han Calamity, he had suffered a minor injury, but that was of no consequence. The real problem was the immense karmic burden he bore because of the Dragon Clan. Though his cultivation had remained at the late-stage Primordial Golden Immortal realm,
without ridding himself of that karmic burden, even a minor injury was difficult to heal. His path forward had been cut off. Like an insect trapped in amber, he could only watch time pass and see those who came after him catch up, then surpass him.
"Very well. Regardless, a newly advanced Primordial Origin Golden Immortal deserves an audience."
With a thought from Candle Dragon, his enormous dragon body, which stretched across tens of millions of miles and controlled the flow of time, began rapidly shrinking and condensing. Endless divine light and time sigils flowed around him, and in the end, he took on a humanoid form.
When the light faded, a middle-aged Daoist in a dark robe patterned with dragons stood in the secret realm. He was somewhat lean but exceptionally tall, with an ancient face that held the authority of the ages!
As his eyes opened and closed, scenes of day and night alternating and the four seasons cycling seemed to flash within them. Though he had withdrawn most of his aura after transforming, the invisible majesty of an ancient overlord and master of time still inspired awe.
Candle Dragon did not appear at once. Instead, he sent a thought directly into the minds of several Dragon Clan elders:
"A distinguished guest has arrived. Do not neglect him. Open the central gate, and personally escort fellow Daoist Di Jiang to the main hall of the Crystal Palace. I will arrive shortly."
Under the respectful guidance of four Dragon Clan elders with white beards and hair, whose powerful auras could not conceal the weariness and karmic burden between their brows, Di Jiang entered the heart of the East Sea Dragon Palace—the main hall of the Crystal Palace.
Even with Di Jiang's experience, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly at the Dragon Clan's extravagance as he made his way inside. The floor was paved with jade that had been warm for tens of millions of years, golden pillars stood like supports for the sea, and pearls as large as stars adorned the ceiling, bathing the entire hall in soft, bright light as if it were broad daylight.
Coral formed the scenery, pearls hung like curtains, and spiritual springs trickled through it all. The air was rich with pure water spiritual energy and the fragrant scents of all kinds of rare spiritual materials...
The Dragon Palace might not possess the supreme dignity and mysterious Dao aura of Pangu Divine Hall, which bore witness to the creation of heaven and earth, but when it came to splendor and sheer ostentation, it was second to none in the Primordial World! Simply put, it was so extravagantly rich it defied all dragonkind!
As he entered the hall, Di Jiang's gaze immediately fixed on the figure seated high upon the main seat.
The man was a middle-aged Daoist dressed in a dark robe patterned with dragons. Lean and tall, he had an ancient face that seemed carved with the vicissitudes of countless eons.
He merely sat there, yet an invisible majesty naturally flowed around him, as though the alternation of day and night and the turning of the four seasons all occurred at the movement of his will. It was Candle Dragon!
Di Jiang's divine sense stirred, and he quickly reached a conclusion: this dragon's cultivation was indeed above his own. The profound, abyss-like aura of the Time Dao could not be faked. He was at least stronger than Di Jiang at present, who was no more than a step away from the mid-stage Primordial Golden Immortal realm. Di Jiang surmised that Candle Dragon's cultivation was at least at the late-stage Primordial Golden Immortal realm!
But the pressure he felt was nowhere near as boundless as what he had experienced when facing Hongjun, whose presence had left him feeling suffocated, as though he were opposing the entire Heavenly Dao. This meant that, though Candle Dragon was powerful, Di Jiang was not without the ability to stand against him!
Di Jiang had always shown the proper respect to the strong. He stopped and was the first to clasp his hands in greeting, his tone calm yet dignified:
"I am Di Jiang of Mount Buzhou. Greetings, fellow Daoist Candle Dragon! I hope you'll forgive my presumptuous visit and forgive me for disturbing your cultivation."
Candle Dragon's eyes, which seemed able to see through time, rested on Di Jiang for a moment. A hint of surprise flickered deep within them, too faint to notice.
He could sense the pure, surging vitality of Pangu in Di Jiang, as well as his Primordial Dao Fruit, which differed from the Immortal Dao that dominated cultivation in the Primordial World but pointed just as surely toward the Great Dao. This young man was indeed extraordinary.
Candle Dragon did not put on airs. He rose as well, clasped his hands in return, and replied calmly in a voice with an ancient rhythm:
"Fellow Daoist Di Jiang, you're too polite. You are of Pangu's True Lineage and the master of Mount Buzhou. The Dragon Clan is honored to have you visit my humble abode here in the East Sea. Please, sit."
Candle Dragon gestured toward a seat at the left side of the main hall. It had been carved from a single block of Nine Heavens Cold Jade and gave off a cool Dao aura. It was clearly a priceless treasure.
Di Jiang did not refuse and sat down without hesitation. A beautiful dragon maiden immediately served him fine wine, each cup a rare treasure in the Primordial World.
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