On the Way to the East Sea, the Mount Azure Flood Dragon

Those who have never visited the East Sea cannot imagine its vastness—boundless, with surging waves crashing against the shore. Its total area likely rivals that of the Primordial Continent itself. If one adds the South Sea, West Sea, and North Sea, the expanse becomes truly incalculable, spanning who knows how many light-years.

At present, the East Sea belongs to the Primordial Dragon Clan, but they only occupy the coastal regions. The depths of the ocean are teeming with countless billions of marine ferocious beasts.

Yet this has not shaken the Dragon Clan's authority in the East Sea. Within this domain, their word is law. Even an Innate Demon God, proud of its noble bloodline, must bow to the Dragon Clan's tyranny, let alone those ferocious beasts that know only slaughter and nothing of unity. Thus, the Dragon Clan's foundation is unshakably firm.

Such is the reality of the Primordial Continent: the strong command respect, the weak are crushed, and strength reigns supreme.

"Sigh, the East Sea is so vast, and I don't even know the location. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me," Li Yi sighed helplessly.

"I wonder if this method will even work. I'll just have to try," Li Yi said, forming hand seals and sending out several runes in succession. For a moment, the runes slowly began to coalesce into a hazy image, but before it could fully form, it collapsed with a bang.

Li Yi tried several more times, but each time the image shattered before taking shape.

"Hmm, it seems something is obscuring the heavenly secrets of Three Immortal Island, or perhaps the secrets simply refuse to manifest. It looks like I'll be lingering in the East Sea for a while," Li Yi mused.

These divination techniques were a sliver of the Dao he had grasped when he attained the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal rank. He had never delved deeply into them, nor was he skilled in their use. This was his first attempt, and it had failed.

Though the divination did not reveal Three Immortal Island, it still gave him a vague sense of the general direction. From then on, Li Yi embarked on a journey to find the island.

Five hundred years drifted by in the blink of an eye, yet Li Yi still could not find Three Immortal Island. No wonder it remained undiscovered until the Investiture of the Gods, serving as a gathering place for the Overseas Loose Immortals. With Li Yi's speed and his determination to search, five hundred years yielded nothing—proof enough of how well-hidden the island truly was.

One day, Li Yi was resting atop a Five-Colored Cloud when suddenly, splash, splash, an Azure Flood Dragon burst out of the water, pursued by several Carp Spirits.

The Azure Flood Dragon, with a single horn on its head, was covered in wounds, staining the surrounding seawater crimson. Its violet eyes glared with hatred at the Carp Spirits chasing behind.

The Carp Spirits, in turn, looked at the Azure Flood Dragon with mockery. The leader, in particular, stared at the flood dragon with undisguised contempt, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. It was clear their enmity ran deep.

Of course, with their level of cultivation, they could not detect Li Yi's presence at all. Even the patriarch of their clan would fail—the Golden Carp Clan's patriarch was merely at the mid-Mystic Immortal stage, a realm over a hundred thousand miles removed from Li Yi's.

Li Yi found the situation somewhat amusing. He treated it as a show to lighten his mood. If the Azure Flood Dragon and the Carp Spirits knew they were being watched like a performance, they would probably want to kill themselves.

"Heh, Azure Flood Dragon, why don't you run? Lost your nerve?" the leading Golden Carp taunted.

"Yeah, yeah, have you been won over by Lord Golden Scale?" another Golden Carp sighed theatrically. "Ah, if only you'd known this would happen, why did you act so stubborn in the first place?"

"That's right. Hand over the treasure obediently and offer it to Lord Golden Scale. Maybe if he's in a good mood, he'll spare your life," a third Golden Carp chimed in, eager to curry favor, afraid the previous one would steal the spotlight before King Golden Scale.

King Golden Scale looked approvingly at his two underlings. Though he knew they were flattering him, it still felt gratifying.

"Golden Scale, what exactly do you want? Don't go too far," the Azure Flood Dragon said indignantly.

"Heh, what do I want? Hand over the treasure and submit to me. How's that? Isn't this lord generous enough?" King Golden Scale said with extreme frivolity.

"Impossible! I got this after countless hardships, risking my life fighting ferocious beasts!" the Azure Flood Dragon refused without a second thought, his eyes reddening.

A cold gleam flashed in King Golden Scale's eyes. "Then don't blame me for being ruthless. Since you're so ungrateful, I'll send you on your way," he said harshly.

"Golden Scale, do you dare kill me? I am still a descendant of the Dragon Clan. Aren't you afraid of their retaliation?"

"The Dragon Clan? Of course I'm afraid. But you? To put it nicely, you're an Azure Flood Dragon. To put it bluntly, you're a mongrel," King Golden Scale said with unbridled arrogance. "I doubt the Dragon Clan would trouble an affiliated race over a half-breed."

In truth, King Golden Scale was right. The Dragon Clan would never trouble their own affiliated races over a single Azure Flood Dragon. Besides, their numbers were now beyond counting—hundreds of millions of pure-blooded dragon descendants. They could barely manage their own affairs; they had no time to bother with mongrel dragons like this one.

Moreover, the Dragon Clan was notorious for its lust, frequently interbreeding with other races. The resulting bloodlines were countless, and many dragons had no idea how many of their offspring were scattered across the world.

Thus, although the Azure Flood Dragon had returned to the Dragon Clan, his status was pitifully low. He didn't even have a cultivation technique. After over seven thousand years, he had barely broken through to the Heavenly Immortal realm, and even that foundation was unstable. In contrast, King Golden Scale had reached the late Heavenly Immortal stage in just three thousand years, with an unshakably solid foundation. The difference was clear.

It was to prove himself that, by a stroke of luck, the Azure Flood Dragon had discovered this Houtian Spiritual Treasure in a ferocious beast's lair. He had charged in recklessly, snatched the treasure, and barely escaped with his life.

He had hoped that after refining this Houtian Spiritual Treasure, he could comprehend a set of techniques from it. Besides, a Houtian Spiritual Treasure was also an excellent weapon. But now, King Golden Scale wanted to seize his hope and force him into servitude. How could the Azure Flood Dragon not be furious?

"Golden Scale, I'll fight you to the death! Even if I die, I won't give you the treasure!" With that, the Azure Flood Dragon commanded two hundred-zhang-long water dragons to attack King Golden Scale.

"Hmph, Azure Flood Dragon, today I'll show you the difference between a wild cultivator without any techniques and an orthodox practitioner," King Golden Scale said with a sneer. "A mere water dragon dares to show off? Be destroyed—'Hundred Zhangs of Cold Ice'!"

King Golden Scale pointed, and the water vapor above the East Sea gathered, forming a massive hundred-zhang block of ice that mercilessly pressed down on the Azure Flood Dragon.

The two water dragons the Azure Flood Dragon had summoned dissolved instantly upon contact with the ice. The enormous block continued its crushing descent. "Ah!" He lashed the ice with his dragon body, barely managing to escape.

Looking at his bloodied, mangled body, waves of searing pain washed over him. The Azure Flood Dragon felt utter despair. The gap was too vast. He was inferior to King Golden Scale in divine abilities, spells, and the purity of his magic power. And he hadn't even had time to refine his treasure before being cornered. This was a battle with no suspense at all.

King Golden Scale had no intention of giving the Azure Flood Dragon time to rest. Striking while the iron was hot was the true way—the longer this dragged on, the more variables could arise. Besides, who knew if some great cultivator might pass by? If that happened, the treasure might slip through his fingers, and he'd have no one to cry to.

Little did he know that Li Yi had been there all along, and his strength was beyond anything King Golden Scale could fathom.

Under King Golden Scale's relentless assault, the Azure Flood Dragon screamed in agony, blood flowing like a river. Yet he stubbornly fought on, refusing to hand over the treasure even in death.

Seeing this, Li Yi began to feel some admiration for the Azure Flood Dragon. Then he thought, I happen to be in need of a mount. Taking him in might ease the loneliness of the journey.

The Azure Flood Dragon saw an ice spike hurtling toward his chest, just three feet away. In despair, he closed his eyes, waiting for death. But after a moment, the surroundings fell into an eerie silence.

Opening his eyes, he saw King Golden Scale staring upward in terror, frozen in place. All the ice spikes were suspended in midair by some unknown force.

This was the power of at least a Golden Immortal—sealing the void itself. The Azure Flood Dragon was also terrified. Such beings were overlords even in the Primordial Continent. He never expected one to appear here.

"Azure Flood Dragon, are you willing to become this seat's mount?" a majestic voice interrupted the Azure Flood Dragon's frantic thoughts.

"I am willing!" The Azure Flood Dragon didn't hesitate for a second, kowtowing in submission. What a joke—if I don't seize this opportunity, I'd be a complete fool. Countless rare beasts in the Primordial Continent dream day and night of becoming a great cultivator's mount. It means a sudden rise in status and a chance to seek guidance in the Dao. He could see King Golden Scale's eyes turning green with envy.

"As for you lot—disappear," Li Yi said without even looking at King Golden Scale and his men. He formed a hand seal, and a blue Sky-Supporting Hand Seal reduced them to ashes.

The Azure Flood Dragon stared in stunned disbelief. This is the power of a great cultivator—a mere wave of the hand, and they're gone. Then an uncontrollable surge of joy welled up inside him. If I can learn even a fraction from my master, I'll be able to dominate the world.

"Let's go," Li Yi's voice came from afar. The Azure Flood Dragon shuddered, dared not dally any longer, and with a flick of his dragon body, flew toward Li Yi.