Without ever having visited the East Sea, it was impossible to imagine just how vast it was. It stretched without end, its waves surging and crashing against the shore. Its total area was probably comparable to that of the Primordial Continent. Add the South Sea, West Sea, and North Sea, and its scale became truly immeasurable. No one knew how many light-years it spanned.
The East Sea was now the domain of the Primordial Dragon Clan, but they occupied only the coastal regions. The depths of the ocean belonged to countless ferocious sea beasts.
Yet this did nothing to diminish the Dragon Clan's authority in the East Sea. Within this region, what they said went. Even an Innate Demon God who considered their bloodline noble had no choice but to submit to the Dragon Clan's tyranny, let alone the ferocious beasts, who knew only killing and never banded together. Thus, the Dragon Clan's foundations were unshakably firm.
That was the reality of the Primordial World: the strong commanded respect, the weak were oppressed, and strength reigned supreme.
"Ugh, the East Sea is so huge, and I don't even know where to look. Looks like I'll have my work cut out for me," Li Yi sighed helplessly.
"I wonder if this method will work. I'll just have to give it a try." Li Yi formed a hand seal and sent out several runes. Before long, the runes slowly began to coalesce into a hazy image. But before it could take shape, it shattered with a bang.
Li Yi tried several more times, but every image shattered before it could form.
"Hmm, something must be concealing the secrets of the Three Immortal Island, or perhaps the heavenly secrets aren't showing themselves. Looks like I'll have to stay in the East Sea for a while," Li Yi mused.
Li Yi had learned a little about divination when he attained the rank of Grand Unity Golden Immortal. He had never studied it in depth and wasn't skilled at it. This was his first time trying, and he hadn't expected to fail.
Though his divination hadn't revealed the Three Immortal Island, he could still make out its general direction. With that, Li Yi set off on his search.
Five hundred years passed in the blink of an eye, yet Li Yi still hadn't found the Three Immortal Island. No wonder it hadn't been discovered until after the Investiture of the Gods, despite being a sacred gathering place for Overseas Loose Immortals. Even with Li Yi's speed and a determined search, he hadn't found it in five hundred years. That showed just how well hidden the Three Immortal Island truly was.
One day, Li Yi was resting on a Five-Colored Cloud when suddenly, with two splashes, a blue flood dragon burst out of the water, pursued by several Carp Spirits.
The Azure Flood Dragon had a single horn atop his head and was covered in wounds, staining the surrounding seawater red. His purple eyes glared hatefully at the Carp Spirits pursuing him.
The Carp Spirits, meanwhile, looked at the Azure Flood Dragon with mocking amusement, especially their leader, who stared at him with blatant contempt. A hint of ridicule played at the corners of his mouth. It was clear there was deep enmity between them.
Of course, with their cultivation, they couldn't detect Li Yi's presence. Even the ancestor of their clan couldn't have found him. The Golden Carp Clan's ancestor was only a mid-stage Mystic Immortal, a realm more than a hundred thousand miles below Li Yi's.
Li Yi found the situation rather interesting and decided to watch the show, hoping it might lift his spirits. If the Azure Flood Dragon and the others knew they were putting on a performance for someone, even as they fought to the death, they might well want to kill themselves.
"Hey, Azure Flood Dragon, why don't you keep running? What happened?" the leading Golden Carp jeered.
"That's right, that's right. Have you been brought to heel by our lord, King Golden Scale?" One of the Golden Carp beside him sighed theatrically. "If only you'd known this would happen, why did you act the way you did?"
"Exactly. Hand over the Spiritual Treasure and present it to Lord Golden Scale. Perhaps if he's in a good mood, he'll spare your life," another Golden Carp hurried to flatter him, afraid the one who had spoken first would steal all the glory in front of King Golden Scale.
Golden Scale was pleased with his two underlings' performance. He knew they were sucking up to him, but it still made him feel good.
"Golden Scale, what exactly do you want? Don't push me too far," the Azure Flood Dragon said indignantly.
"Heh. What do I want? Hand over the Spiritual Treasure and submit to me. How about that? I'd say I'm being very generous," Golden Scale said with utter arrogance.
"Impossible! I risked my life and fought ferocious beasts to get this. I went through untold hardships!" The Azure Flood Dragon's eyes reddened, and he refused without a moment's hesitation.
A cold glint flashed in Golden Scale's eyes. "Then don't blame me for showing no mercy. Since you're so stubborn, I'll send you on your way," he said viciously.
"Golden Scale, you dare kill me? I'm a descendant of the Dragon Clan. Aren't you afraid they'll retaliate?"
"The Dragon Clan? Of course I'm afraid. But you? A nice way to put it is that you're an Azure Flood Dragon. Put less nicely, you're a mongrel." Golden Scale was utterly brazen. "The Dragon Clan wouldn't make trouble for our affiliated clan over a mongrel."
In truth, Golden Scale was right. The Dragon Clan wouldn't go to war with one of its affiliated clans over a single Azure Flood Dragon, especially when their numbers were now beyond counting. There were hundreds of millions of dragons with pure bloodlines, and the clan could barely look after them all. They had no time to concern themselves with mongrel dragons like the Azure Flood Dragon.
Besides, the Dragon Clan was lustful and often mated with other species. The number of offspring they produced was beyond measure, and many members of the clan had no idea how many descendants they had scattered across the world.
So 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 more than seven thousand years, he had only just broken through to the Heavenly Immortal realm, and his foundations were unstable. Golden Scale, by contrast, had reached the late stage of the Heavenly Immortal realm in only three thousand years, with exceptionally firm foundations. The difference was obvious.
Determined to prove himself, the Azure Flood Dragon had once stumbled upon a Houtian Spiritual Treasure in a ferocious beast's lair. He'd thrown caution to the wind and charged inside to seize it, narrowly escaping with his life.
He had hoped to refine the Houtian Spiritual Treasure and gain insight into a set of Hand Seals. Besides, a Houtian Spiritual Treasure was also a superb weapon. But now Golden Scale wanted to take away his hopes and make him a slave. How could that not enrage him?
"Golden Scale, I'll fight you! Even if I die, I won't hand over the Spiritual Treasure!" With that, the Azure Flood Dragon sent two hundred-zhang water dragons hurtling toward Golden Scale.
"Hmph, Azure Flood Dragon. Today, I'll show you the difference between an untaught rogue cultivator like you, who doesn't even have a cultivation technique, and a proper cultivator." Golden Scale sneered. "You dare show off with a couple of little water dragons? Be gone—Hundred Zhangs of Cold Ice!"
Golden Scale pointed. Moisture gathered above the East Sea, forming a massive slab of ice a hundred zhang long. It crashed down toward the Azure Flood Dragon without mercy.
The Azure Flood Dragon's two water dragons vanished as soon as they touched the ice, but the enormous slab continued toward him. "Ah!" He lashed out at it with his body and only barely managed to escape.
Blood ran freely over the Azure Flood Dragon's body, and wave after wave of pain washed through him. Despair filled his heart. The difference was too great. He couldn't match Golden Scale in divine abilities, spells, or the purity of his Magic Power. He hadn't even had time to refine his treasure before being forced into this fight. There was no suspense at all.
Golden Scale wasn't about to give the Azure Flood Dragon time to recover. The best course was to finish him while he was down. The longer the fight dragged on, the greater the chance of something unexpected happening. Besides, who knew whether some powerful being might pass by? If that happened, the Spiritual Treasure might no longer be his, and he'd have nowhere to cry about it.
He simply didn't know Li Yi had been there all along, and that Li Yi's strength was beyond anything he could imagine.
Under Golden Scale's relentless attacks, the Azure Flood Dragon cried out in agony, blood flowing like a river. Yet he fought back with stubborn resolve and refused to hand over the Spiritual Treasure, even if it cost him his life.
Watching this, Li Yi found himself admiring the Azure Flood Dragon. Then he thought about how he was just in need of a mount. Taking the Azure Flood Dragon in would help ease the loneliness of the journey.
When the Azure Flood Dragon saw the ice spikes three feet from his chest, despair filled his face. He closed his eyes and waited to die. But after a moment, the surroundings suddenly fell strangely silent.
He opened his eyes and saw Golden Scale staring in horror at the sky, unable to move. Every ice spike had been held fast in midair by some inexplicable force.
This was at least the might of a Golden Immortal—sealing the space itself. The Azure Flood Dragon was horrified, too. Such a being would count as one of the highest powers even in the Primordial World. He couldn't believe one had appeared here.
"Azure Flood Dragon, would you be willing to become my mount?" A majestic voice interrupted his thoughts.
"I'm willing!" The Azure Flood Dragon bowed without hesitation. What a joke—if he didn't seize this opportunity now, he'd be a fool. Countless rare birds and exotic beasts in the Primordial World dreamed of becoming the mounts of powerful beings. It meant a sudden rise in status and the chance to seek guidance on the Dao. He could see King Golden Scale's eyes turning red with envy.
"As for you, just disappear." Li Yi didn't even look at Golden Scale and the others. He formed a hand seal, and a blue Sky-Supporting Hand Seal turned them to ash.
The Azure Flood Dragon stared, dumbfounded. This was the might of a powerful being—wiping his enemies out with a wave of his hand. Excitement welled up inside him. If he could learn even a little from his master, it would be enough to let him dominate the world.
"Let's go." Li Yi's voice drifted from afar. The Azure Flood Dragon shuddered, then hurriedly shook off his daze and flew toward Li Yi.
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